noah richler on the language of war propaganda, and the dishonesty of present ideology
From Noah Richler’s What We Talk About When We Talk About War: We have a duty to be honest and rigorous, with ourselves and with others, and to be able…
laura k
noah richler: canada was shaped by discussion and compromise, not through war
distorts and downplays the significant roles that Canadian politicians, diplomats, jurists and a variety of other civilians (such as artists) have had in shaping not just the domestic Canadian polity…
what i’m watching: the office (u.s.) finale
In my fine tradition of watching TV shows and movies – and then writing about them – months or sometimes years after their release, I recently finished the final season…
more moyers: democracy and plutocracy don’t mix
I found the preceding rtod post buried in Blogger drafts, something Allan saved there years ago. I never got around to posting it, but I never had the heart to…
rtod
Revolutionary thought of the day: The Gilded Age returned with a vengeance in our time. It slipped in quietly at first, back in the early 1980s, when Ronald Reagan began…
the harper government’s vision of canada, in our passports and in our wallets
Some years ago, I analyzed the “Discover Canada”, the most recent guide for immigrants studying for the Canadian citizenship exam. I compared the booklet to the previous citizenship guide, “A…
thank you, 2013 red sox! thank you, david ortiz!
This was a magical season, and the most exciting postseason I’ve seen in a very long time. David Ortiz – the only man to play on the 2004, 2007, and…
in which i survive three days without internet, or how rogers (maybe) punishes former customers
Sometime late on Thursday night into Friday morning, our internet went down. This is the worst possible time for such an event, as internet is our lifeline to baseball, and…
you know her life was saved by rock and roll: lou reed, 1942-2013
Lou Reed, 1942-2013Songwriter, Musician, New Yorker “One chord is fine. Two chords are pushing it. Three chords and you’re into jazz.” – Lou Reed “The first Velvet Underground album only…
a small green victory: more plastics now recyclable in peel
Yes! A few years back, I blogged about discovering that many of the plastics I had been putting in my recycling bin were not, in fact, recyclable. A few months…
faludi: corporatist pseudo-feminism vs radical change for women and all working people
I would like to draw your attention to an excellent article by Susan Faludi in The Baffler: Facebook Feminism: Like It or Not. Faludi contrasts the corporatist, individualistic, me-first, privileged,…
dirty wars: an important movie, marred by nationalism
Last night we watched “Dirty Wars,” investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill’s documentary film exposing the United States’ covert, lethal, extra-governmental operations around the globe. It’s an important film. Depending on your…
on the internet, everybody knows you’re a dog (the story behind the iconic cartoon)
We all know the iconic cartoon the title of this post refers to. Boing Boing has republished a story about it, originally run in The Magazine, an ad-free, reader-supported magazine…
red sox. american league pennant. happy.
The 2013 Boston Red Sox have won the American League Pennant, and the right to play the St. Louis Cardinals in the 110th 109th* Major League Baseball World Series. This…
in praise of freecycle
It’s been a while since I wrote about Freecycle – once as we were getting ready to move to Canada in 2005, then again when we moved from our first…
what this blog has been missing!
It’s strange to be so completely focused on something and not post about it here at all. So… OMG RED SOX That’s better! The 2013 Red Sox continue to thrill…
how to pursue something you don’t really want
Since the day I decided to go to graduate school and change my career(s), my mind has reeled with questions about the future. When will I be able to quit…
what i’m reading, children’s books edition # 9: wonderstruck
Over the summer, I wrote about The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, a children’s book with a suspenseful, convoluted story, lavishly illustrated with Selznick’s beautiful pencil drawings. (I…
the tar sands is coming to toronto: speak out on october 19 (and every day) to stop it
By now I hope you all know about Line 9, Enbridge’s plan to transport the dirtiest, most spillable oil on the planet through the most heavily populated areas of Canada…
october 10: world day against the death penalty
Al Jazeera Today is World Day Against the Death Penalty. Al Jazeera has a fascinating infographic about the use of the death penalty worldwide, as far as can be known…