The Communist Necessity, 2nd Edition
available from leftwingbook.s.net “There was a time when we proclaimed that we were part of a beautiful and fragmented chaos of affinity groups, conflicted organizations, disorganized rebels, all of whom…
April 2020
Some people never learn.
Writing about the ministry of education in Ontario yesterday reminded me of the time in the early 1980s when I complained, loudly, that Dr. Bette Stephenson, then minister of education,…
I Sat On This All Day. Okay, Here It Is.
A choral group consisting of Toronto physicians, “Voices Rock Medicine” – men need not apply – singing “Rise Again.” And, Vancouver’s offering, the Phoenix Chamber choir. Is it just me…
Should we welcome Michelle Rempel Garner home with a festive serving of Oklahoma’s official state meal?
Did you know Oklahoma has an official state meal? The State Legislature in Oklahoma City designated the repast as an official state symbol in 1988. And, I must say, it…
Randy Rainbow and the Mad Doctor Trump
Donald Trump isn't playing the mad doctor any longer, and suggesting that you can cure COVID-19 by injecting disinfectant into your veins, or shoving a powerful light up your rear…
Everything will be fine
Southland Tales on MUBI
Justin Trudeau and the War to Save Canada
Justin Trudeau's last two months must have seemed to him like two years.For not only has he had to lead the war against COVID-19, and try to stave off economic…
The Conservative Dilemma in One Tweet
Just as the Green Party got some interesting positive news for their leadership race, it seems that the bad keeps pouring in for the Conservatives around their leadership race. It’s…
My top ten albums. Now stop tagging me.
I keep getting tagged by people – including Emma Kinsella – about this top ten albums thing. To save you and me some time, here are all of them, in…
Covid Journal, April 29, 2020
Loblaws reports record revenue but continues to dodge taxes. Small businesses that pay all taxes are closing by the thousands. Buy local. Save our cities. Save our economy.
Work and Workaholism: Puritanism, and A Day Off
This morning when I got up, feeling exhausted again from the on-going 30-year stint of sleeplessness and insomnia, I thought, I should take a day off – considering I pretty…
The Surprising Green Saviour?
The fight against Covid-19 has sidelined many things that we would normally be worried about, and rightfully so. It’s amazing to think about some of the things our political circles…
Canada’s COVID-19 Response Is Leaving the Homeless Behind
Homeless men sit on a stoop in Toronto. Photo by Matthew Gray/Flickr. The COVID-19 pandemic has dispelled any uncertainties about where Canada’s loyalties lie. At the onset of the crisis,…
trulocal.ca for healthy, local meat and seafood delivered to your home or workplace
Tl;dr version: TruLocal delivers a wide variety of local meat, poultry, and seafood from family farms to your door. They serve Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia. And they’re great! *…
What I Learned From the Film ‘Crip Camp’
I just finished watching the fascinating, fun, exciting and yes, inspirational Netflix documentary film, Crip Camp. Crip Camp is the story of a summer camp for disabled teens that ran…
Here’s an Idea. Stop Eating Bats.
By now, Covid-19 has become a household term. What about Covid-20, 21, 22, 23 or Covid-24? Researchers have found at least six new strains of coronavirus in bats. Some speculate…
The Real Resistance: Lessons From History
It does not require a majority to defeat tyranny and defend liberty, but only a small and dedicated minority – as we saw in the American and French Revolutions,…
No Comfort From Chris Hedges
Reading Chris Hedges is never a fell-good experience. His unflinching assessments, his unsparingly bleak prognostications, offer no comfort. During the very trying times we are currently living through, why subject…
Glenn Gould On Orwell
Yo, listen up, blokes! (He says, in order to mash and mangle and generally have fun with various voices, inflections, accents and colloquilisms, as Gould was fond of doing himself,…