The American Problem
I have at last finished reading Ezra Klein – and he is, believe me, one hell of a tough read. This guy is a lot smarter than I am. Near…
2021
In solidarity with Ken Loach
British filmmaker Ken Loach speaks with members of the EU Culture Committee on the occasion of 10-year anniversary of LUX Prize, an award established in 2007 aimed at highlighting films…
The New Cold War, Canadian Foreign Policy and Canada’s Peace Movement
On Feb. 27. 2021, Peace Alliance Winnipeg hosted a webinar entitled “The New Cold War, Canadian Foreign Policy and Canada’s Peace Movement.” It featured presentations by: Radhika Desai, a Professor…
Is This the Event We Were Warned Of?
Two themes are emerging in reports on Covid-19. One is that the Western economies are being hard hit, plunging deep in debt to prop up/avert the collapse of their societies…
Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Mark Tenforde, Kiva Fisher and Manish Patel study the activities most likely to spread COVID-19 – with restaurants, gyms, bars and churches…
A Humbling Realization
The older I get, the more I realize that I really don’t understand people. For someone who for a long time thought otherwise, it is a humbling realization. The story…
‘Defund the police’ means re-fund the community
A ‘Defund the Police’ sticker seen on a light pole in Toronto. Photo by Michael Swan/Flickr. “Defund the police! Re-fund the community!” This was a slogan chanted by thousands in…
Pandemic Politics
The pandemic has left its mark on Canada’s political parties. Chantal Hebert writes: Never have so many Canadians had to rely on governments for so much and for so long…
“Ottawa, we have a problem.”
The other day, we got a good laugh from a Susan Delacourt column in the Toronto Star. She was comparing former federal liberal leader Michael Ignatieff to conservative leader Erin…
Women’s employment rates in Alberta return to levels not seen since the Eighties – the reaction? Crickets
Remember all the hand-wringing back in 2018 and 2019 when unemployment for young men in Alberta hit 20 per cent? “It is so stark: Young men left behind in Alberta’s…
Erin O’Toole and the Revolt of the Con Zombies
In my last post I wondered whether Erin O'Toole was losing control of his ugly Cons. Now just a few days later, it's clear that old Outhouse is in big…
five negatives and five positives about living in a small town and a remote region
Everything in life is a trade-off. Everything has pros and cons, advantages and pitfalls, clouds and silver linings. I honestly can’t think of anything this rule doesn’t apply to, including…
Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – David Graeber wrote (just before his death) about the need to do more than default back to an unacceptable “normal” once the COVID-19…
The Developers’ Friend
Wetlands, or marshes, fens, bogs, and swamps, are the link between land and water. Wetlands include trees, grasses, shrubs, moss, and other plants that require at least some water coverage.…
Getting Our Act Together
Mark Bulgutch is mystified about Ontario’s vaccination program. He writes: I readily admit some things are beyond my understanding. I don’t understand black holes in space for example. I don’t…
Satuday Photo: Light at the End of the Tunnel
The photo may not look like much, just a column of light falling on a bedroom wall, but it means that spring is almost here. Every year about the first…
Uneasy sit the bums at Ford’s cabinet table.
That is a tough one. The quote from Shakespeare is something about ‘Uneasy hangs the head that wears the Crown.’ It just seems even better when you are referring to…
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig remains atop independent bookshops’ Alberta bestseller list for week ended Feb. 28
Here are the lists of the top 10 fiction and non-fiction titles sold by independent booksellers in Alberta during the week ended Sunday, Feb. 21, 2021. The lists are compiled…