Protest against Fee Hikes in Montreal, and Jeanne Was There
Because I was in Toronto a week ago I missed the amazing demonstration against tuition fee hikes. Elin, Lukas, Sophie and various friends were there, though. So was Jeanne who…
Mary Soderstrom
Back to Short Stories: The Dubliners Is the Best
Now that the NDP convention is over and the manuscript for River Music has been delivered, I’m back working on the collection of short stories I got a grant to…
Cable Series Tell Stories Better Than Novels? A Mad Idea
John Doyle had a column on Monday that should interest anyone who cares about fiction. As he points out, he’s not one of your TV critics who never read a…
Muito Obrigada! Lovely Welcome in Toronto for My Presentation
Muito obrigada to all who came to my presentation in Toronto last week on my book about the Portuguese and their descendants around the world, Making Waves: The Continuing Portuguese…
Saturday Photo: Tom Mulcair in 24 Sussex Drive, Not Stornoway
It was quite a weekend. After the delays in voting due to a cyberattack, our man Thomas Mulcair was elected to the NDP leadership. But the ever-creative youth team spent…
Signing Off for Few Days: Going to Politic and Promote in Toronto
Thursday morning very early I’m taking the train to Toronto for several very good reasons. 1. I’m giving a presentation on Making Waves: The Continuing Portoguese Adventure at 5:30 pm.…
ERDC Annual General Meeting: Maybe the Last One?
All right, boys and girls of the print media: next Tuesday the Electronic Rights Defence Committee will holds its annual general meeting to elect officers and to review progress in…
Spring Will Not Be A Little Late This Year, and Hasn’t Been For Some Time
Snow drops again! They’re out in front, which is in contrast to the date the ones in the photo appeared. The pix was taken April 22, 2008, and the snow…
Reading Solar When the Weather’s Gone Wacky
The weather is exceptional, spookily so. Ian McEwean’s novel Solar is excellent reading for such a time. The hero (and I use the term advisedly) is a physicist Michael Beard…
The Country Needs Mulcair, and Ed Broadbent Once Realized That
Manon Corneiller in today’s Le Devoir is excellent on Ed Broadbent and Tom Mulcair. The NDP’s grand old man was one of those (along with Brian Topp) who wanted to…
Saturday Photo: Sunny Day in a Spring That Is Coming on Fast
This is a weekend of demonstrations and parades. Not only is it St. Patrick’s weekend--and Montreal is the home to the second oldest St. Pat’s parade in North America and…
Halal and Running around Like a Chicken with Its Head Cut off
A mini-controversy is brewing in Quebec over the fact that a number of chicken processing plants are now killing poultry in a way that conforms with Muslim strictures of halal…
When Religion Permeates Life, It’s the Devil to Pay, or Why Thinking about Destiny Can Get You in Trouble
Sadly, we seem to be seeing more and more religion in public life these days. I don’t mean references to a moral code such as “do under to others as…
Snowdrops, Because We’re Getting There
No, they’re not open yet, but the shoots are definitely above ground. Makes me feel good to see them.
A Visit to Egypt Via The Mistress of Nothing: This Is Book Talk Week.
I’m still on a bit of a high from the great discussion we had last night at the Pierrefons Libraray about Kate Pullinger’s Mistress of Nothing. The novel won the…
Another Great Woman Passes: Madeleine Parent Dies at 93
A week ago in the run up to International Women’s Day, I mentioned Lea Roback as a great example. Today I’d like to mark the passing of her great friend…
What’s Wrong with this Picture: Rio Tinto Locks out Workers and Hydro Quebec Must Buy the Electricity That Isn’t Being Used
Aluminum is made from electricity and bauxite. The former ingredient is by far the most important, aud since bauxite is more easily transported than electricity, big aluminum foundries are built…
Remembering Lea Roback on International Women’s Day
One of my heros has always been Lea Roback, a Quebec feminist and union militant, who died at 97 in 2000. A film was made about her life which is…