Fallout from War: Connecting Former US Soldiers with Their Offspring in Vietnam
One of the books I’ve re-read recently is Ru by Kim Thuy, a Vietnam-Québécoise, who tells in a most poetic way a story of “boat people” who ended up here.…
Mary Soderstrom
Saturday Photo: Desire Lines’ Cover
Today’s photo isn’t. Instead its the cover of my new collection of short stories that will come out in November, Desire Lines: Stories of Love and Geography. WhenOberon Press sent…
Family Photos: The Wonders of the Internet
This summer one of my cousins and I sat down for the first time in years and talked family. She’s started doing geneology and told me she’d come up with…
Demonstration on Saturday against the Proposed Quebec Charte des valeurs québécoises
Here’a the link to info about the demonstration. As one of the people say they’re going, one woman asks if she should wear a hijab, a kippa, or go as…
The Hidjab Files: Banned Sign Is Also High Fashion
The current Quebec government just released its plan for a “Charter of Quebc Values.” Chief among them is the “neutrality” of the state when it comes to religion. Sounds pretty…
Saturday Photo: Harvest Time
The Jean Talon Market was full of tomatoes and people this afternoon. As the harvest comes in, the outdoor market attracts hundreds who buying cases of tomatoes for making sauce,…
Minimum Wage,Fast Food and Finding Something Good to Eat
The New York Times reports this morning on the growing protest among workers at fast food outlets (restaurants is hardly the proper description, I think) for a minimum wage of…
Honest Mayor Says Cities Need Municipal Political Parties with Idea and Principles
Given the orgy of revelation about political contributions and corruptions in the construction industry around here and in Quebec cities, it probably should not be surprising that political parties have…
School’s Started…
This is the kind of thing you’ll be seeing around you this week as kids go back to school–this one is near where our kids did elementary school. But what…
Recovering Today: Happy Labour Day
We had a triple threat birthday party last night for Lukas, Jeanne and Thomas. Most pleasant and the two cousins (three and one) played together for the first time. Now…
Saturday Photo: Street Furniture on a Late Summer Morning
The Montreal borough of the Plateau-Mile End has been rather agressive in trying to make its streets pedestrian and bicycle friendly. Among the initiatives has been the addition of rather…
Thank You, David Cameron, For Being a Klutz: The Syrian Files
It’s always interesting to watch while political maneuvering backfires. That was the case this week when Britain’s Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron tried to rush things and get Parliament to…
What Happens When Old Lefties Get Older
Yesterday I wore the button I got 50 years ago at the March on Wshington for Jobs and Freedom. It elicited only three comments, which surprised me. Either people on…
Sandy Beaches: An Increasingly Rare Commodity?
One of the delights of our trip was walking long distances on the beaches of Vancouver Island at low tide. They seemed to go on forever, with rocky outcroppings punctuating…
Catching up on the News: Not Hard at All
While we were on holiday we didn’t watch television, listen to the radio and looked at a newspaper only twice. We checked email a couple of times and used the…
Saturday Photo: Willowbrae Beach on Vancouver Island
There’s nothing in front of us but ocean for thousands of miles. Obviously the forces of the sea have dislodged a lot of trees near the shore, as well as…
Things Have Changed Somewhat, But Not Enough in Fifty Years
Shortly after I arrived back in in Bloomington, Indiana following the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom 50 years ago next Wednesday, I went to the nearest Western Union…
Back from the Coast!
Great weather, lovely people, good conversation: the last two weeks have been great. The TV wasn’t on once, nor was the radio, and I only went on line to make…
Vacation!!!
Closing down for a while, because we’re going on a holiday. It’s the first Lee and I have done in several years, what with fires and elderly cats and new…
Saturday Photo: A Community Garden in a Changing Part of Town
Urban farming is alive and well in Montreal. This community garden was once space the city didn’t need any more for its yards, and so was saved from sale and…