Okay, So I Succumbed to the Social Media Business
Goodreads finally caught up with me, and so I’ve joined. One of the things they have is book giveaways, so here’s one for my novel about people who make mistakes…
Mary Soderstrom
Quebec Going to the Polls in Early September, It Looks Like
The rumor mills are buzzing with the news that Jean Charest’s Liberals are going to call an election for Sept. 4 or Sept. 10. Which makes it quite apparent that…
The Death of Wisdom Comes When You Refuse to Look for the Truth: More Harper
Yesterday Canadian scientists protested the cuts to scientific research included in the recently passed omnibus budget. Facebook was full of “shares” of this photo and others similar showing scientists and…
The Draft Again? The New York Times Suggests It Might Be a Good Thing
In an op ed piece in The New York Times today, Thomas E. Ricks says: Let’s Draft Our Kids. He writes; “In late June, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the former…
O Povo Formidável: The Portuguese Continue to Make Waves
Two very interesting things coming out of the Portuguese connection. The first is the Portuguese Sundays being held on Montreal’s St. Lawrence Main for several Sunday this summer. Music, dance,…
Saturday Photo: The Loveliest Flowers in the World
Just got back from delivering Jeanne and Elin home after a shower for Sophie and baby Thomas (not to mention Lukas.) It was delightful to see how Sophie’s friends wanted…
Ying Jia:" Success" of a Chinese Couple As Owners of a Depanneur
Great reportage on the life of a corner store owner in Quebec, done by the National Film Board and Le Devoir. Check it out: part in English, mostly in French,…
Words of Wisdom? I Think Not
Somebody posted a variation of this on Facebook recently, and I’m back to musing about just how destructive this bit of “wisdom” is. I have always thought Yoda is saying…
Happy Fourth of July in a New Era: Even the DAR Has Changed
The face of the United States is changing, no one can deny that. Recent census figures show that more than half the babies born in the US are non-Hispanic whites,…
Want to Know What I Think I Do for Living? Canada Writes Asks Me Some Questions
Earlier this year I spent a slew of evenings reading entries in the Canada Writes non-fiction competition. Very interesting, with some sterling entries in the lot I was given. (There…
Ten Days of Patriot Love: June 24 to July 1
Like to see anybody in the US of A take on “Oh Say Can You See” in the same spirit And if you’re feeling beaten by the heat, here’s the…
M. Aimé Lafleur and His Hens: an Adventure in Urban Agriculture
Jeanne and I have checked out an urban henhouse the last couple of Saturdays, and today I went by to take a few pictures. It’s in the heart of Piccola…
Saturday Photo: When You Haven’t Got Much Garden Room, Go Up!
In this neighborhood of tiny front gardens, people have a way of making every little bit of space count. Here one of my neighbors has a f\vine and a climbing…
Appropriation of Voice: Back to That Old Question
There are now 10 stories more or less written for the short story collection I’ve been working on for the last year, and for which I got that nice CALQ…
US Plan for Medicare Is Constitutional-!
It was good to learn that the US Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to uphold Obamacare this morning. That’s basically good news, even though the plan has great problems. Chief among…
More from the Copyright Wars: Who Owns a Video?
Everyone seems to think that he or she can use just anything that’s out there for private use. A case in point is a video made during a demonstration during…
Catch up Time: Holes in the Streets, Severe Storms and Trying to Make up for Past Mistakes
The photo (from the CBC) shows the latest in a series of holes that have developed in Montreal streets over the past few weeks. One opened up on Sherbrooke St.…
Despite the Forecast, It was a Great Day
No post to day because I spent most of it running around preparing for NPD Outremont’s barbecue. Great fun, good crowd (we went through 200 paper plates, which gives an…
Saturday Photo: Fleur de lys for Quebec’s Fête Nationale
June 24 is the feast day of St. John the Baptiste. It also has the same relation to a solstice that Christmas does. In other words, Christians appropriated pagan holidays…
Great Strawberries This Year from Quebec Farms: Will Data Be the Next Hot Crop?
South-eastern Quebec punches above its weight when it come to market-gardening. This year, given an early spring, crops are already coming in ebundantly. Quebec strawberries–always very tasty–are better than I…