For some I've wondered about the reasons why many parts of the Montreal community were so gung-ho for building two new super-hospitals. The story goes back nearly two decades, with…
The New York Times has an opinion piece today arguing that rebuilding along the New York and New Jersey shoreline in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy is not a good…
Chrystia Freeland says that the top .01 per cent control about 8 per cent of the world's wealth. So crazy that's is probably true! Check out her interview on CBC's…
Elin and her friends are heading for Victoria today, to round out their Western tour. They got a lovely feature in Vancouver's Georgia Straight, and sound like their audiences have…
Don't know the name of this shrub, but it has been spectacular over the last week or so. The leaves are falling now, but for a while they blazed.Gorgeous, and…
The results of Tuesday's election seem to show that the appeal and influence of the Christian right wing, both Catholic and Protestant, is waning. Maybe not a lot, but enough…
One of the things that fascinated me in my research for Making Waves: The Continuing Portuguese Adventure was the evidence of contact on a nearly-equal basis between some Europeans and…
First question of the day: how will Obama convince the Republican majority House to sign on to his plans? Probably the only way that will happen is if the Republicans…
How does Google know when my birthday is? I have very deliberately avoided listing it on Facebook (although apparently you can find it: a friend did yesterday) and in replying…
Seems that Paul Krugman was in Singapore yesterday (must have voted in an advance poll or by mail.) He had some most interesting things to say, as quoted in the…
Mitt Romney helped Obama a bit with his stupid comment about Big Bird, but what really won the election was slogging in the trenches, that is work on the ground.You…
Shakespeare was has Richard III say "winter" but the sentiment is appropriate this season. Not only has a liar got a chance at winning the White House, Gerald Tremblay, the…
Four years ago I spent the three days before the US presidential election telephoning to prospective voters in a several states, particularly Ohio, Pennsylvania, Colorado and Nevada. The message was…
Snow flakes this morning! Reprieve from the worst? My birthday is Nov. 8, and ever since we’ve been in Montreal, the first snow flakes have fallen before then. Lee was…
Frost forecast for tomorrow. The season is finally changing…
I’m nearly to the end of Barney’s Version, Mordecai Richler’s last novel. It’s not the first time I’ve read it, but next Tuesday I’ll be leading a causerie littéraire at…
If you ever wondered why or how gasoline prices are determined, your questions should get deeper this week. We’ve been told that spikes in prices comes from shortages: shutting down…
No, I haven’t made the pie yet. The pumpkin with the face that Jeanne and I carved last weekend is still on the front porch. But never fear, it will…
The photo shows the kind of low level Halloween decorations I like. Seems that the holiday has overtaken Christmas when it comes to expenses for store bought goodies. That’s a…
Attention all of you in Edmonton, Vancouver, Victoria and Gabriola Island: you have a crazy treat in store! New music for flute, hyper-flute, viola da gamba and harpsichord is coming…
