The Ongoing Devolution of Toronto
Perhaps it stems from a sense of inadequacy, a measure of paranoia, or a recognition that when all is said or done, they are just not up to the job,…
Lorne
Hamilton’s Vindication?
While long regarded as something of a provincial backwater vis-a-vis its 'world-class' cousin 70 kilometres down the highway, the City of Hamilton is surely feeling a measure of cultural vindication…
Christopher Hume’s Modest Proposal To The Ford Brothers
Although my right-wing friends seem to have neither an understanding nor an appreciation of irony (I'm lying - I don't have any right-wing friends), more centered people will enjoy The…
Elizabeth May’s Current Projects
Although I detect a subtext of sarcasm running through the article, Jane Taber's recent piece on Elizabeth May is well-worth a read, as it illustrates a woman involved in a…
Shaking Up The Complacent
If anything will defeat us as a progressive nation, it is the complacency and defeatism of the electorate. Feeling powerless, something I am convinced the extreme right wants us to…
More Nonsense Out Of Toronto Thanks To Ford And His Minions
The lack of critical thinking skills in the public arena is a painful thing to watch. In a story from yesterday's Toronto Star entitled Despite warning, fire chief refuses to…
Injury, Death, and Concealment: A Tale of Two Police Forces
I have written previously about the botched drug raid by the Hamilton Police resulting in serious injury to Burmese immigrant Po La Hay, who suffered facial lacerations, three broken ribs…
Michael Moore and Dead Peasant Insurance
Long overdue, I finally got around to watching Michael Moore's latest documentary Capitalism: A Love Story last evening, having borrowed the disc from my local library. (Happily, not being a…
G20 Police Abuse Reaches The Stage
Like so many other innocent people who fell victim to the madness that engulfed the police during last year's G20 Summit in Toronto, Tommy Taylor experienced an unwarranted arrest and…
An Incisive Analysis Of Broken U.S. Tax Policy
Although readily dismissed as a socialist by the right-wing, Linda McQuiag offers a fine analysis of the failings of U.S. tax policy in an article entitled Tycoons Laughing All the…
The Failure of Political Leadership – Part 2
The other day I wrote a brief post called The Failure of Political Leadership, inspired by what is quickly becoming a national embarrassment for the City of Toronto in its…
Unmediated Passion For Libraries – A Cure For Cynicism
I defy anyone to remain untouched after reading this story and watching the accompanying video in which 14-year-old Anika Tabovaradan makes a passionate plea to Mayor Rob Ford not to…
A Failure of Political Leasdership
It is perhaps to state the obvious in asserting that our elected officials rarely represent our interests very well. Examples, far too numerous to list, abound. Probably the most obvious…
Something To Start The Long Weekend
While driving to get my hair cut, and tuned to Canada's Premium Jazz Station this morning, I heard a song from long ago sung by the late Phoebe Snow, a…
More Evidence Of The American Right’s Intellectual ‘Limitations’
I have phrased this post's title as tactfully as I can, but I think if you watch the following video, you will be tempted to use other, more obvious ways…
Revelations Of Further Charter Rights’ Violation At G20 Summit
In what has become almost a routine posting to my blog, the Toronto Star has revealed yet another violation of rights arising from last year's federally and provincially supported G20…
Such An Eloquent Letter
I have several times made reference to the enjoyment we derive in subscribing to The Toronto Star, a progressive paper with an official agenda that includes issues of social justice.…
The Barbarians’ Threat
Libraries have been a vital part of my life since I first learned to read. When I married and had children, my wife and I made sure to inculcate a…
The Cowardice Of Anonymous Online Commentary
Over the decades I have written many letters to the editor and articles that have appeared in both local and national publications; never once have I hesitated to use my…
How Useful Are Food Banks In The Longterm?
As a volunteer at one of the local foodbanks for the past few years, I have often felt ambivalent about their existence. While there is no question that they are…