Recreating Eden 2013-06-13 14:11:00
Why don’t people learn to turn the sound down? Once again highly amplified music is making the news around here: a nearby elementary school got a fine for refusing to…
Mary Soderstrom
No Time to Go to the Country? Read Barney’s Version Instead
Just because it’s funny, and I’m looking for a way to avoid work.
Why Americans Seem So Unconcerned about Megadata and Their Telephone and Email Records
The Pew Institute has just released a poll showing that a good majority of Americans don’t have a problem with what the US government has been doing with the logs…
The Incredible Human Journey, But Not in the US
Traveling rather far afield as I continue the ground work a new non-fiction book to be called Road through Time, I came upon this marvelous BBC series on human migration:…
Saturday Photo: Japense Maples and Russian Olives
The air right now is heavy with the smell of Russian olives. Not olives, but certainly a native of the Russians steppes, these hardy trees are considered a nuisance in…
Location, Location, Location: the Story Behind Montreal’s Mega Hospitals and the Future of Mount Royal
An extremely important conference is being held today on the future of Mount Royal–but it may be too late. In a couple of years, four health establishments on the flanks…
KFC Goes to Mongolia
I just read a really intersting travel book In Search of Geghis Khan by Tim Severin. In it, he recounts his attempt to ride with Mongolians from Ulaan Bataar west…
Warning: Polls May Be Hazardous to Your Health
Pollsters have been insisting that even though fewer people can be reached by telephone today, polling still is a valid way of predicting electoral outcomes. They’ve turned to elelctronic polling…
Plant a Tree for $25 Until June 15
Trees are great. Not only do they provide a feast for the eye and shade for the body, they absorb carbon dioxide. You might say they are nature’s CO2 sequestering…
Sounds of Summer: Crickets and Night Hawks
While walking in Mount Royal Cemetery on Saturday I was surprised and delighted to here a cricket. Usually they come later in the season, but perhaps the very warm weather…
Saturday Photo: June Flowers are Here!
I’m not a systematic gardener, I don’t keep notes about what blooms when or even a list of what I need to get for next year. But I do know…
Plumber-time and the Living is Not So Easy
Well, the kitchen sink was making burping noises but wasn’t backed up. My favourite economist/ébèniste wanted to make sure there wasn’t a disaster in the making though. So he took…
Three Good Bearded White Men: Reflections on Feisty Resemblances
Crusading Canadian writer and translator Wayne Grady has a story about trying to talk Dr. Henry Morgentaler into giving him an extended interview for a magazine article. The good doctor,…
Why Curious George Starts in Paris and Ends in New York
Reading and the love of books can’t encouraged too soon. The Curious George books by H.A. and Margaret Rey were great favourites of our kids and Jeanne has delighted in…
Ray Charles on the Way We Should Behave
Lots and lots of depressing news coming when the world in this part of the world is ablaze with luminous greens. How about this for an anthem? When it comes…
Oh Come on, Not That Equality Party Business Again!
It seems that a few unhappy Anglophones are trying to whip things up again by starting a new Equality party, version 2.0. A rally was held on the weekend in…
Saturday Photo: More than 6000 Signaturs, and the Garden Backs Down
Montreal’s Jardin botanique, as I’ve been saying here recently, is one of the loveliest places around. Evenn this morning, with a steady rain falling, Jeanne would have spent the whole…
Washing Windows, Waxing Floor: Garbage Work Thad Must Be Done
I’ve put it off long enough–got to do some cleaning today. No time for any reflections other than to say that the kitchen floor is awfully dirty. Since Thomas is…
Excitement about Riding Your Bike: The View from New York
I’ve mentioned before how I don’t ride bikes, but I must admit I like the idea of people riding all over the city. Yesterday I walked from our place to…
Cool Water: Excuse Me While I Go Boil Some Water
Today is the first day I’ve ever had to boil water. Every summer there are warnings for communities in the hinterland that the supply is low, or there’s been a…