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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
There has been much chat this morning about a young MP from the South Shore of Montreal who brought her three month old baby into the House yesterday. She says…
I should have posted this link last week: ERDC notices to members of its class action. After nearly 16 years, the Electronic Rights Defence Committee case against The Gazette is…
Last week I posted about the the informal end-of the-day reception coming up on Thursday and organized by the NPD Association of Outremont. on “Working in Canada Today: A Real…
The New York Times had an interesting article yesterday by Evgeny Morozov about what he thinks is a missed opportunity in the Internet Age: the way it allowed us to…
There is something to be said for the trees and gardens of post-World War II suburbs. On a winter afternoon the setting is peaceful. This was taken in Don Mills,…
If I seem to be spending too much time on this Canadian and Quebec blog talking about the US, it’s because I’m afraid that Stephen Harper and his friends slowly…
Come and discuss the economy and jobs at an informal end-of the-day reception, organized by the NPD Associaion of Ouotremont. Thursday, The topic of conversation will be “Working in Canada…
This is something for all those North Americans who find it strange to see “pain” rhyme with “again” in some English poetry. Language is a living thing, and, strangely, I…
Have I mentioned recently how I hate to shop? Probably not, because I avoid thinking about it as much as I can. (Food, garden and book shopping, being the exceptions.)…
It’s always a bit indelicate for somebody of my age to start complaining about changes in the old age security system since I’m hardly a disinterested party. But Stephen Harper’s…
The picture was actually taken toward the end of last winter, when a sunny Saturday attracted many to the slopes of Mount Royal, just up from Park Avenue. This year…
If discussed Lawrence Hill’s The Book of Negroes with six book clubs now, and one thing that cmes up every time is the astonishment tht marriage between people of African…
Artist Isabelle Hayeur says: “I’ve been exploring landscape issues ever since I started working with video. Through the moving image I am investigating environmental, urban planning and social concerns that…
