Is Canada moving to a two-party system? Is this really the death of the NDP?
The quick answer is likely not; while the long-winded one is that our history says otherwise. In 1984, if you are as old as I, you may know that the…
May 2025
day 7: kansas city: in which another public library blows me away
Newsflash: Kansas City is a hidden gem. This is actually a really cool city, and I would love to spend more time here. This is totally unexpected!We had a slow…
day 7: kansas city: in which another public library blows me away
Newsflash: Kansas City is a hidden gem. This is actually a really cool city, and I would love to spend more time here. This is totally unexpected!We had a slow…
Alberta “Separatism”
I’m old enough to have lived through both Quebec referendums (to date) on sovereignty, and I’ve watched the sleazy grievance politics of “Western Alienation” attempting to ape Quebec’s situation. I…
Alberta “Separatism”
I’m old enough to have lived through both Quebec referendums (to date) on sovereignty, and I’ve watched the sleazy grievance politics of “Western Alienation” attempting to ape Quebec’s situation. I…
Remembering the Orange Wave: Today marks the 10th anniversary of the election of the NDP in Alberta
Good morning! Today marks the 10th anniversary of the election of an NDP government in Alberta in an Orange Wave that came as a surprise to many and a shock…
Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week.- Jason Furman discusses how Donald Trump's economic obsessions are in fundamental conflict with one another - meaning that the only result of trying to…
states, provinces, and countries i have visited (updated/corrected)
Canadian and other non-US readers might not realize that Kansas City is in the state of Missouri. There is also a small, less famous Kansas City in Kansas, just over…
Wise Law’s Legal Headlines for the week of May 5, 2025
Here are our leading legal headlines for the week of May 5, 2025 from Wise Law on Twitter:Ontario looking to fast-track judicial appointments, add more judges to courtsPeace Bridge duty-free…
BC NDP fails people suffering from opioid use disorder
Discarded drug use paraphernalia on the streets of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Photo by Ted McGrath/Flickr. Late last year the British Columbia NDP narrowly defeated the Conservatives i...
Chris Hedges: Trumpland
“Trumpland USA.” Illustration by Mr. Fish. The Christian fascists and oligarchs gleefully handing Donald Trump his sharpie and executive orders are not making war on the deep state, ...
May the Fourth be with you, Justin Trudeau
I will miss the Star Wars socks:Trudeau ran for the leadership at just the right time, in 2013, when the Liberal Party was flailing and failing. And he left at…
Sunday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Sunday reading.- Jason Hickel discusses how capitalism is fundamentally in conflict with the idea of democracy - and how increasing democratic control over the economy…
day 6: kansas city: the negro leagues baseball museum is great but has problems
Yesterday we took our time in the morning, then headed back out to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, housed in the same building as the American Jazz Museum. What was…
in which a 32-year-old desire is fulfilled: we eat at stroud’s
In 1993 I read a story in the New York Times: a father and his young daughter ate at Stroud's, a Kansas City institution, known for pan-fried chicken, large portions,…
Carney’s Promise
Mark Carney has raised people's expectations of what is possible when it comes to nation-building. One of his preeminent promises is the rapid building of much-needed housing. Possibilities abound, and…
WTF Canada? We Needed to do Better!
The Canadian federal election is over and the counting has finally finished. The Liberals under Mark Carney got 168 seats, four short of a majority. That’s disappointing because it weakens…
Here We Go Again On Electoral Reform
Inevitably, following an election as unusual and dramatic as this one, Canadian political discourse will focus on electoral reform and the perceived unfairness of the results, of the Trudeau promise…
day 5: kansas city: the american jazz museum is a real treat
Yesterday we were up early, packed up the car, and drove to Kansas City. The STL Airbnb was lovely; the host and I left each other outstanding reviews.Driving and billboardsThe…