CARPING Department: When Is It Not Rude or Harassment?
Something happened this morning that I’m feeling a little ambivalent about. Went for my usual walk, wearing running shoes, old Bermudas, yesterday’s dirty tee shirts, and the baseball cap from…
Mary Soderstrom
Two More Books on Kindle, for Those of You Interested
This just in: two more of my books are now available on Kindle. This time they are Green City: People, Nature and Urban Places and The Walkable City: From Haussmann’s…
When a Drink on a Terrace-Bar Leads to Tragedy: Lac Mégantic
It’s been a long time since I’ve been down to Lac Mégantic. What I remember is a nice little towan that seemed to have survived the great changes that have…
What’s in a Name Department: The Canadian Association of Retired Persons
Now I know why I find myself getting so critical about somethings–like the state of the world. The acronym for a senior citizens’ watch dog group in Canada is CARP…
Saturday Photo: Next in the Rotation…
Day lillies are what bloom next in my garden. Don’t have many of them, particularly since one of my neighbors convinced me that they’d do better if I divided them.…
Geting the Hell out of There: When the Wild Fire Roars
There have been power outages twice in two days because emergency systms have been tripped on the high tension electric power transmission lines coming south from James Bay. The culprit…
Bah humbug! Fireworks Make Too Much Noise…
The Fourth of July holiday has got me thinking about the way we celebrate. I remember the joy surrounding fire works displays in my childhood. There was only one, on…
How to Change the Debate: Lessons from the Snowden Affair
Edward Snowden is apparently still hanging out in the transit lounges of the Mocow airport, but his story spins on. European leaders are waving their fists at the idea that…
Javelins or Baseballs, Our Shoulders Have Evolved for Throwing
It’s interesting how when you’re involved in something, you find relevant information everywhere. Since I’m hard at work on the chapter about how the first modern humans left Africa to…
Happy Canada Day, Happy Moving Day
While everyone else relaxes today in the rest of Canada, in Queebec more than a million households will move. Any beer and pizza that gets eaten is likely to be…
Saturday Photo: Let’s Hear It for Hostas
Maybe 15 years ago I bought three hosta plants for, if I remember correctly, $4 a piece. I planted them in front, where I’d begun the slow process of eliminating…
Okay, There’s Climate Change! What to Do About It?
Another wet, wet day here, while the center of the continent suffers from heat and they mop up in Alberta. Gene Kelly offers an alternative. A little silly, but lifts…
The War of the Bees: Dead Ones in Oregon, Live Ones in Toronto
A flurry of bee stories: thousands of them drop dead in Oregon, while a big swarm attacks a construction site in Toronto. What would
Deep Conspiracy: Naomi Wolf on That Snowden Guy
As I think I’ve said here before, why should anybody be surprised that various branches of US intelligence has been following us. They’ve done it for a long time, as…
Nothing (All That) New Under the Sun: Solar-Powered Shipi Visits North America
The New York Times has a fascinating video this morning about a solar-powered ship visiting New York. The Turanor Planetsolar circumnavigated the globe last year, and is now following the…
Happy Fête nationale from Someone Who Chose Quebec
Today is Quebec’s big holiday. Formerly named after French Canada’s patron saint St. Jean, Jean the Baptist, it now is more inclusive. Everyone is supposed to be welcome, although some…
Saturday Photo: Roses and Peonies
What good is rain for? For making roses and peonies bloom. I’ve never had such lovely ones as this year, when the temperatures have been cool and the rain has…
Last Day of School for Seven Weeks, Which Isn’t Too Short at All…
This is the last day of school here: many kids have only a half day and walking around the neighborhood this morning, it was clear that the young people are…
India and China: Two Giants with Different Records When It Comes to Inequality
China is doing better for its citizens than India mainly because it is providing more equal opportunity, according to Amartya Sen, Nobel Laureate for economics in The New York Times…
The Red Haired Neanderthal
I’m currently messing around in our deep, deep past, trying to get a fix on the roads that humans have traveled for a new non-fiction book to be called Road…