john lewis and c.t. vivian, rest in power
What a sad and moving coincidence, that two great freedom fighters died on the same day. I chose these photos as a reminder that doing the right thing may involve…
laura k
what i’m reading: political graphic nonfiction: this place: 150 years retold
This Place: 150 Years Retold, foreward by Alicia Elliott. In keeping with my posts about political graphic nonfiction, here is a quote from This Place. The book is an anthology…
in which i reflect on the joys of summer in north vancouver island, especially during the pandemic
In 2015, Allan and I moved into an apartment, for the first time since leaving New York City in late 2005. We had rented a series of houses for 10…
things i heard at the library: an occasional series: #32
I emailed this to my colleagues and our administrators; I should share it with wmtc readers, too. Along with many library workers, I am worried that our most vulnerable neighbours…
what i’m reading: idiot wind, a memoir by peter kaldheim
One of the many wonderful things about working in a library is having access to such a wide variety of books. This has greatly broadened my choice of reading material.…
pupdate: prison break, cookie style
I’ve been putting off the recall training. We have equipment, and we have advice, but we don’t have a plan — because we haven’t made it a priority. Honking big…
essential reading on anti-racism: "we can’t tinker around the edges. we need to dismantle systems."
During the current focus on systemic racism, this is likely the best essay I’ve read. It’s written in a US context, but it applies to Canada, both for Indigenous people…
katy bowman’s nutritious movement: will it change my life? i’m working on it
One of my principal goals for 2019 was to improve my level of fitness. I had been only sporadically active for 10 years — beginning with starting graduate school while…
11 things on my mind about the anti-police-violence and anti-racism protests
1. Most violence is not being committed by protesters. What percentage of protesters are violent? Filter for police provocateurs, filter for white nationalists, filter for random thieves hiding under cover…
kareem abdul-jabbar: you start to wonder if it should be all black people who wear body cams, not the cops
One of the best things I’ve read about the protests rocking in the US and elsewhere is an op-ed by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, in the Los Angeles Times. In case you…
rip christo. there will never be another.
I was so very sad to hear that the artist Christo has died at the age of 84. I felt so incredibly fortunate to still be living in NYC when…
police resisters: not the solution to systemic racism, but an extremely positive development
I was shocked when Detective Dmaine Freeland, an active duty officer on the NYPD force, publicly condemned the Minneapolis officer who killed George Floyd and the other cops who witnessed…
george floyd, christian cooper, and when will this end?
The murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers may be the most shocking disturbing of any I’ve been aware of for a very long time, possibly since the murder…
rest in power, larry kramer
We activists like to paraphrase the legendary labour activist Joe Hill by saying “First mourn, then organize”. Larry Kramer, who died yesterday at the age of 84, defined the phrase.…
what i’m reading: prairie fires: the american dreams of laura ingalls wilder
I read Little House on the Prairie when I was very young, and eventually went on to read the whole Little House series. I didn’t know any other girls named…
we movie to canada: wmtc annual movie awards, 2019-20 edition
It’s that time of year again. With no baseball, and home most nights, even before the lockdown, I spent a lot of time watching. First, my annual recap. (This is…
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! *…
this year, day of mourning carries great urgency and great sadness
Each year on April 28, we recognize and remember workers who have died, been injured, and become ill through their work. In 2020, the year of the coronavirus pandemic, this…