I’m reading Dark Age Ahead, Jane Jacobs’ 2004 strong caution to North American society. I’ll blog about the book in general at a later date, but wanted to share some…
Two obituary posts in a row, and I didn’t even mention Tony Gwynn. My favourite cartoonist, Charles Barsotti, has died from cancer at the age of 80. My favourite Barsotti…
Ruby Dee was a towering figure in the American theatre. She was a great actor, a poet, playwright, and screenwriter, and a steadfast voice for equality. Along with the actor…
I have been alive and kicking on this planet for 53 years today. I’m pretty damn happy about it. I’m celebrating my birthday by taking the day from work, reviewing…
Need it even be said? The rightward shift of the NDP is a colossal disappointment for me. I’m part of the NDP’s natural constituency. The NDP has historically been a…
Ruth Graham, writing in Slate, says, “You should feel embarrassed when what you’re reading was written for children.” How sad. If anyone should feel embarrassed, it’s Graham. She apparently writes…
I’ve mentioned Beretta Farms in many different posts over the years, but I’ve never specifically blogged about them. With grilling season underway, it’s time to give Beretta a shout-out. When…
I’m sure many of you have read The Book Thief, Markus Zusak’s youth novel about a German girl and her (non-biological) family during World War II. If you haven’t yet…
Here are some visuals for this post. This year’s crop, we hope: eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, basil, and thyme. As you can see, it’s a fraction of the backyard we used…
A long time ago, I watched a PBS show about dogs. At the end, there was a short segment about the domestic canines’ suffering from human maltreatment or neglect. That…
Three years ago, we planted our first-ever garden, really a tiny garden-ette, growing two tomato plants and some daisies. (I had forgotten about the flowers til I saw that older…
The Brockway family, 2013 I want to tell you about an exciting venture: an opportunity to help make art more accessible for all, to help a low-income woman start her…
I’m working on a few actual posts, where I actually write something and you might actually read it. Until those materialize, please enjoy these fine examples of interspecies love. First,…
A boy, maybe age 8, was confused about what he needed. He said he needed “chapter books about the human body,” which sounded to me like two things – books…
I’m quite sure that Canadians who read this blog already know about this, and for others, it’s not relevant. But I want to add my small voice to the chorus…
Dear suburban GTA resident flying on Porter Airlines from Newark to Toronto: Since you were not talking to me, I was unable to respond to your erroneous statements. But since…
May 17 is the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, sometimes called IDAHO or IDAHOT. This day is the perfect example of how I view all social progress: we have…
I’ve mentioned our wonderful accommodations in Giverny and outside Rouen, but each deserves a post of its own. I’ll review them on TripAdvisor but for Googleability, I’d like to do…
We slept wonderfully in our beautiful little cabin, and the following morning we waited to see the other Canadians emerge from breakfast before we ventured out. I was amazed that…
