what i’m reading: the casual vacancy by j. k. rowling
The Casual Vacancy, J. K. Rowling’s first non- Harry Potter book, received almost universally poor reviews, ranging from tepid to savage. Reviewers found the book too long for the subject…
laura k
amnesty international calls for release of war resister kimberly rivera: please write a letter in support
Amnesty International is calling for the release of war resister Kimberly Rivera, who was forced out of Canada by the Harper Government. Will you please write a letter in support…
read matt taibbi on bradley manning court martial
While I’m not writing, I hope you will read this excellent article by Matt Taibbi on mainstream media coverage of the Bradley Manning court martial. I cannot understand why good…
healthy slow cooker recipe of the week: thai peanut chicken
In defiance of current internet rules, I am posting this on my own blog instead of on Pinterest – but please feel free to share this on Pinterest if you…
in which i remember what big life change feels like
Even though I’m following several important news stories – from the revelations about the massive NSA domestic spying campaign to the slow-motion implosion of the Conservative Party of Canada to…
in which i enjoy my first day as a librarian, and explain something about library work
Yesterday was my first day as a librarian! And it was great! I’m only doing orientation and training right now, but I can tell how much I’m going to enjoy…
thank you, jean stapleton
She was a great actor, a brilliant comedian, and the warm heart of one of the most memorable television shows of all time. “All in the Family” was a pioneering…
beatriz and savita are not exceptions: abortion bans kill
You may have heard of the latest anti-woman denail of basic human rights to make international news. A few months back there was Savita Halappanavar, who died in Ireland when…
patrick stewart on the link between combat stress and violence against women
More amazing stuff from Patrick Stewart. Here, he links PTSD among veterans to violence against women and children. To be anti-violence, we must also be anti-war. If you haven’t seen…
election fraud ruling: demand to know the truth
While everyone’s been glued to Rob Ford’s crack and Mike Duffy’s featherbedding, something even more important happened: the Federal Court confirmed that there was election fraud in the 2011 federal…
thank you, dr. henry morgentaler
Canada lost a true hero today, someone who spent the better part of his life defending the rights and freedoms of others. From the celebration of the 25th anniversary of…
walmart workers are on strike! sign their petition to show your support.
I’m back! And Walmart workers are on strike! Workers in Miami, Massachusetts and the Bay Area in California are on strike. Please sign their petition supporting their right to speak…
in which i try to mail postcards from spain
We used to send a lot of postcards from our travels, but that is a ritual lost to time and email. A few people do still get postcards, though: my…
bilbao to madrid, but not toledo
For most of the trip, I was hoping to spend a few hours in Toledo on our last day in Spain. Allan was skeptical at best, feeling it would make…
cantabria to gernika and bilbao, part 2
In the Guggenheim, we took audioguides as a substitute for a tour of the building, which in this season are only in Spanish. The audioguide is included with admission, and…
cantabria to gernika and bilbao, part 1
I almost forgot to mention, we had some interesting news from home. Everything is fine now, but Essie had her hands full for a while! I warned Essie about the…
cantabria, day two
We’ve had another outstanding day of seeing cave paintings, an entirely different experience that complemented the other two cave tours. We left Santillana del Mar early and drove on back-country…
cantabria and asturias, day one
Today we fulfilled a travel wish we’ve harboured for many, many years. We saw two sets of paleolithic cave paintings. * * * * The day started out a bit…
madrid to segovia to cantabria
Getting out of Madrid was a whole lot easier than getting in. We found our way to the highway easily, and had a short drive to the town of Segovia,…