Don’t Answer that Call: A Robocall Poster
This would be hilarious, if it weren’t so sad. The poster’s by Matthew Cope: good work!
Mary Soderstrom
Why Girls Are Important: Films, Sex Ratios, and Unrest
One of the things that struck me when I was in Shanghai five years ago was the number of adolescent boys on school outings. I knew, of course, that there…
Making Waves–the View from Where the Portuguese Began Their Voyages
Thursday I’m going to be talking about oing to be talking about Making Waves: The Continuing Portuguese Adventure as part of the Atwater Library’s Lunchtime series. There will be music…
Memo to Political Parties: No Robocalls, Ever
We always knew the Conservatives were comtemptuous of democracy, and now we have even more proof with the robocall dirty tricks of May 2. Somebody up high had to okay…
Because I’m Writing the Love Story Part of River Music: "Some Enchanted Evening"
This week I’m going over the latest version of my next novel River Music. “Some Enchanted Evening” the Rogers and Hammerstein song from South Pacific, has insinuated its way into…
Saturday Photo: Scary Plants and the Reptilian Brain
Happy little girl that she is, Jeanne has faced the world with a smile since she was tiny. She has not been phased or frightened by much…until she started to…
Another Defeat in the Information Wars? Alain Saulnier Gets the Ax at Radio Canada
This story is not likely to get much play in English Canada, but it ought to. Alain Saulnier, the head of information services (radio, TV, internet) at Radio Canada, was…
Extra Billing: Thousands of Dollars Paid by Patients at Montreal Private Clinic
Extra-billing and kick-backs to doctors in Quebec have been in the news these last couple of days. First the Quebec College of Physicians charged that at least two cardiologists have…
Identikits and Imagination: How Do You Imagine Emma Bovary and Mr. Rochester?
The Atlantic has an interesting feature about using Identikits, those visual aids used by police to figure out who might have done it, to draw portraits of characters from fiction.…
Let’s Not Do a Europe: Krugman’s Lessons for Ontario
As usual, Paul Krugman is worth reading to day. He once again points out just how counter-productive austerity measures have been in keeping Europe afloat. What he says should be…
Saturday Photo: The Way to Recover from What Ails You
Gastroenteritis has attacked, and a number of family members are writhing away. Won’t last, of course, but it would be a lot nicer to rest in the sun in a…
Gastroenteritis and Other Trials…
Jeanne had a stomach flu earlier in the week, but seems to be better. Her mother, however, came down with it shortly after the two of them arrived to spend…
Social Change through Music: El Sistema and a Film That Meryl Streep Didn’t Win an Oscar For
The New York Times has a fine story today about classical music bringing social change in Venezuale: “Fighting Poverty, Armed with Violins.” El Sistema, an innovative way of making music…
Prince Justin the Flake Says What I’ve Been Thinking: Canada Is Becoming Something I Don’t Recognize
If there are two words that I use with scorn, they are “flake” and “princess.” In my mind they sum up a panoply of selfish, unhelpful characteristics. The latter I…
Celebrate Valentine’s Day with a Few Random Acts of Kindness
The photo isn’t new–I used it two years ago, but I still like it a lot. As for the holiday, well, it’s problematic. Just another opportunity to sell something? For…
The Great Gatsby Tonight: A Story for Our Time, although It’s Unlikely That Jay Gatz Would Do As Well Today
It’s book discussion week, which kicks off with F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby tonight in Pierrefonds. I had kept rereading the book to the last since the three others…
Saturday Photo: Spring Day in Le Jardin des Tuileries.
The days are getting longer, no question about it. Which means that I’ve begun thinking of what fun it would be to go travelling. Probably nothing will materialize this spring,…
Another One of Jeanne’s Favourite Videos: Feist for Kids Outdraws Feist for Grownups
Jeanne’s around today which makes life exciting. Here is her current video favourite–and at not quite 18 months she recognizes “4” in a number of contexts: And here’s a music…
Guess Whose Appointment Won’t be Renewed: Kevin Page Contradicts Harper with the Facts about Funding Pensions
Don’t have much time today to go into this in detail because I’m involved in setting up an interesting conversation about jobs and the economy, “Working in Canada Today: A…