The continuing liberation of transgender people is a marvel to behold. We are witnessing history, as trans people and their issues become part of the mainstream. From Chelsea Manning to…
We have to move. We are heartsick over it. Our landlord is selling the house we live in. We’re not letting ourselves get kicked out (see below), but chances are…
In the prologue to Fallingwater Rising: Frank Lloyd Wright, E. J. Kaufmann, and America’s Most Extraordinary House, author Franklin Toker writes, “Put this book down now if you can’t live…
“Don’t ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody.” Recognize it? For me it’s one of the most memorable final sentences ever written. I just finished re-reading…
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada has just completed its week-long closing event in Ottawa. The Commission was part of the historic settlement between the Canadian Government and the…
My desire is to get the reader, well, first of all to read it. That story was hard to write because I had to wonder how long can I keep…
As part of the NXNE concert series in Toronto, rapper Action Bronson was slated to perform a free concert in Dundas Square. Bronson is apparently known for lyrics and videos…
This year’s crop: two tomato plants, basil, beans, and strawberries. Beans and strawberries are both new for us. I love that we’re still planting our little garden, with no thought…
Public school teachers in our area are on strike, part of a series of rolling strikes hitting different regions throughout Ontario. If the province doesn’t back down before the beginning…
This beautiful little girl is the newest member of our family, the first of the next generation. Meet Sophia, brand new baby daughter of one of my nephews and nieces(-in-law).…
Thanks to everything-on-demand media, and no thanks to my schedule that doesn’t permit me nearly enough time for baseball, Movie Season now runs all year, at least marginally. These annual…
Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us by Michael Moss is an excellent addition to a bookshelf that includes works by Michael Pollan, Eric Schlosser, Marian Nestle and…
You may recall that my current comedy-before-bed TV sleep aid is a sitcom from my childhood: “Bewitched”. I’ve been thoroughly enjoying watching its ridiculous, predictable humour and sometimes surprising messaging.…
This month, four decades of anti-woman, anti-abortion hysteria in the US hit a new low. Last August, an Indiana woman sought medical attention after a premature delivery resulted in the…
Today, working people across North America – and the world – will rally, demonstrate, and go on strike for two demands: fifteen and fairness. In the US, fast-food workers are…
Did you know that 50,000 Mexican farmworkers are on strike? If your answer is no, you have plenty of company. The Los Angeles Times is the only English-language mainstream media…
What did I learn at the CUPE Ontario Library Conference? Technically, nothing. If learning means encountering something new, then no, this was not a learning experience. But learning must also…
At this very moment I am on the train from Toronto to Ottawa, en route to the CUPE Library Workers Conference. This will be my first time attending this annual…
The resurgent workers’ movement scored a huge victory earlier this year, when Walmart announced it was raising wages – a step on the road to a true living wage and…
Every year since embarking on graduate school, then beginning to work full-time, I’ve thought: I have no time to write, I don’t write any more. And every year, Allan chooses…
