The Better Angels of Our Nature
Like many who follow politics closely, I consider myself to be deeply cynical. Probably the best window into the human soul, politics is the arena where often the worst aspects…
Lorne
It’s Not Either/Or
Those who have more than a passing acquaintance with federal politics are likely aware of the false premises and logical fallacies Stephen Harper and his wrecking crew regularly use to…
Peter Mansbridge Speaks Out
Readers of this blog will know that I am a frequent critic of both the CBC and Peter Mansbridge. Both ‘institutions,’ in my view, often fail to live up to…
The Right Wing Instructs Us On Our Errors In Thinking
Benighted soul that I am, I did not realize the myriad errors of thinking I have fallen prey to. Happily, University of Toronto geography professor Pierre Desrochers has set me…
A Post-Election Reflection
I don’t want to comment directly about last night’s Ontario election, given that it has been incisively and very competently observed by others already. However, I want to address a…
A Timely Reminder Of Tim Hudak’s Magical Thinking
While we should be back from our trip tomorrow in time to catch the Ontario election news coverage, this seems an opportune time to remind readers of the kind of…
Canaries In The Coal Mine, Dinosaurs On The Hill
We are still out West, but I can’t resist putting up a few letters from The Star that raise awareness not only of environmental perils but also, concomitantly, of the…
Some Real Hope For Renewables
I only have time for this quick post, but allow me to direct you to this story about what appears to be a breakthrough in solar power generation and this…
On Harper’s Hateful Hypocricsy
There is little doubt that Alana Westwood will now be joining that ever-growing pantheon of proud Canadians inscribed on Harper’s Enemies List. The PhD Candidate at Dalhousie University and volunteer…
On Harper’s Unhealthy Interest in Us
Even though we are away, I arose early enough to peruse The Toronto Star, and offer the following as additional evidence of its readers’ perspicacity: Re: Harper nominates next privacy…
Sporadic Blogging Ahead
We are heading out West for a week to visit our kids, both of whom are economic refugees from Ontario. Blogging will likely be sporadic for the next seven days,…
On The Madness of ‘King’ Stephen
Whenever I need evidence that politically aware and engaged citizens are not an endangered species, I turn to the letters section of The Toronto Star. Here are two from yesterday…
Parsing Justin Trudeau’s Words
Like many, I have real reservations about Justin Trudeau’s capacity for the kind of leadership that reflects a mature and nuanced mind. While many praise him for his spontaneity and…
Note To Tim Hortons Head Office: Please Respect Your Workers
On Sunday, I wrote about The Toronto Star reporting that a Tim Hortons franchisee is eliminating paid breaks for his/her employees as retaliation against the June 1 increase of the…
Martk Carney Speaks On The Consequences Of Unbridled Capitalism
Mark Carney said the following to a group of the world’s elites last week: “Just like any revolution eats its children,” Carney told the audience of global power brokers, “unchecked…
A Mound Of Sound Guest Post: The Lessons Of Afghanistan
Drawing upon his war studies course, The Mound of Sound offers the following perspective on what went wrong in Afghanistan: Bad leadership, especially when it is political and military, costs…
Tim Hortons Takes Aim And Fires
The advertising would have us believe that Tim Hortons is a Canadian institution and icon that we should all revere as patriotic citizens. Who can forget the role the coffee…
A Safe Bet
Mother Jones predicts that the next episode of Cosmos will inflame the climate-change deniers. I think that is a safe bet: Recommend this Post
Sometimes You Just Have To Hold Your Nose
It would never occur to me to withhold my vote in any election. Yet the one occurring in Ontario on June 12 is particularly striking in its paucity of real…
Everything Is So Simple
That is, if you have a fundamentalist cast of mind like Pastor Matthew Hagee, who says this whole climate change thing is ordained by God, and to pay no attention…