The First Birds of Spring, and Moas
Most years the first red-winged blackbirds show up by the end of March around here. Usually there is open water at the edge of swamps, ponds, streams. Many times we’ve…
Mary Soderstrom
Saturday Photo: Enough Already!
More snow yesterday, and everyone is getting tired of it! Today the temps are very cold too–minus 15 C when we got up, and now about minus 10. At least…
The Debt That Writers and Readers Owe to Heather Robertson
Very soon the Electronic Rights Defence Committee may finally distribute the settlement it received from Postmedia: I spent part of the weekend writing resolutions that will be needed to set…
Everyobdy’s Nightmare: The Disappearance of Malaysia Airines Flight 370
I keep thinking of Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds as the days pass since the Malaysia Airlines plane went missing. Things like this don’t happen, planes don’t just disappear.…
Saturday Photo: Paris As It Should Be
Whenever we’ve been in Paris, we’ve had mostly lovely weather with clear blue skies. This photo was taken on our last trip in May 2007 at the Jardins de Tuillieries…
PKP’s House Bis
My friend Zvi Leve, who daughter was a friend of one of PKP’s kids when they were day care age, points out that PKP’s house actually does have a Street…
You Won’t Find Péladeau’s House on Google’s Street View and Other Thoughts on the PQ’s Star Candidate
I’d like to think that the Parti Québécois’ “coup” in getting Pierre-Karl Péladeau to run in the upcoming provincial election will backfire because people will be just too put off…
Saturday Photo: Still Snow
Yes, the snow is still on the ground, even though the days are getting much longer. More snow is forecast for this week, and the temperature is still well below…
Immortality: Photos, Vivan Meir and Art
Seems to me I’ve heard about this in passing before, but today I received a link to a story about Vivan Meir, a New Yorkk nanny who took hundreds of…
Edith Laperle: Wouldn’t It Be Great If the Third Time Was the Charm!
Well, the Quebec general election is definitely going to be held April 7, 2014. Given the Parti Québécois’s attempts to appeal to the most enthocentric part of the electorate, hopes…
Saturday Photo: Thinking about Travels
Many years, the sap has already started to run in the maple trees by now. Not the case this year, but people around us are getting itchy feet, thinking about…
Rain in California, Cold in Montreal
My West Coast friends are posting happy news about much-needed rain. Good on them, since the drought there is bad for all concerned. As for me, I’m steeling to go…
More on Energy: When Too Much Hydro Is Too Much Hydro
Le Devoir leaked a report from a government commission this week on the future of energy in Quebec, a report that has been making waves. In short, it says that…
Energy Debate: Nuclear and Other Forms of Electricity
Last week the Globe and Mail contained the most recent issue of Corporate Knights, a magazine that calls itself “The Company for Clean Capitalism.” Rarely have I come across such…
Saturday Photo: Sun on Winter Leaves
This is the winter sun shining on one of my plants that do well inside. It’ll be a long time before anything is green outside, so I like to have…
Going in the Wrong Directon: PQ Budget and Krugman’s Take-Down of Austerity Memasures
As usual Paul Krugman is worth reading today. His analysis of why stimulus in the US hasn’t done what it should have is clear: there should have been more, not…
Paris, Because Mavis Gallant Loved the City
The recent death of Mavis Gallant reminds me of how deeply seductive Paris is. After Montreal, it is a place I’d like to live. What a pleasure that we have…
Big Money to Fight Elections against Climate Change Nay-sayers
I remember back in the 1970s when the environmental movement was beginning around here and I realized that it was going to be a long row to hoe to get…
Advice from Pete That Should Be As Unforgettable As He Was
Too often we don’t say what we think to people we expect won’t agree with us. But that’s a mistake, as Pete Seeger used to say. And just for good…
Saturday Photo: Snow Removal
The picture was taken a while ago, but that’s what we’re doing these days around here. A long winter, but made bearble by some lovely sunny days, and frequent sbowfalls…