Saturday Photo: Rebuilding the Cemetery Gates
Who would have thought that climbing hydrangeas could do such damage? But given enough time and the cycle of freeze and thaw in this climate, and it probably should not…
Mary Soderstrom
Lessons from Iceland: Paul Krugman on How to Get out of a Crisis by Not Listening (Much) to the Right
For a long time I had a sticker from the Icelandic social democratic party, brought back by a young friend who'd spent some time in that small, rugged country in…
Lighting up the Night: Diwali, Halloween or the Struggle Between Sweet and Salty
Lots of pumpkins yesterday at the Jean Talon Market, all ready to be carved for Halloween next week.I didn't see anyone preparing lights for Diwali, though, whose beginning was celebrated…
Overkill: Stephen Harper’s Conservatives and the Long Gun Registry
I'd hoped it was dead, that ill-intentioned attempt to do away with Canada's long gun registry. But it has arisen, like a zombie that turns even uglier at each resurrection.…
Leonard Cohen Has New Meaning: First We Take Manhattan ….or Occupy Wall Street
A bard captures the spirit of his time. This song was written in the 1980s (the first time I heard it was in 1987 when driving across Sasketchewan) but ilt…
Suburbs Grow Poorer around US Cities: Hard Times Are Another Argument against Urban Sprawl
Suburbs are different in Europe and North America. In the former, for the last century and a half they have been where the poor lived, chased from the center of…
My Song: Belafonte’s Memoir: Entertainment, Workers, and Social Justice
One of the best books I've read in recent years is Lawrence Hill's The Book of Negroes (Somebody Knows My Name in the US) It is the story of a…
Saturday Photo: From Zen to Wild Victorian on the Plateau
Sometimes the whole is different from the sum of its parts. In this case, the occupants of the first floor of this triplex from the end of the 19th century…
Saturday Photo: From Zen to Wild Victorian on the Plateau
Sometimes the whole is different from the sum of its parts. In this case, the occupants of the first floor of this triplex from the end of the 19th century…
Saturday Photo: From Zen to Wild Victorian on the Plateau
Sometimes the whole is different from the sum of its parts. In this case, the occupants of the first floor of this triplex from the end of the 19th century…
Saturday Photo: From Zen to Wild Victorian on the Plateau
Sometimes the whole is different from the sum of its parts. In this case, the occupants of the first floor of this triplex from the end of the 19th century…
Saturday Photo: From Zen to Wild Victorian on the Plateau
Sometimes the whole is different from the sum of its parts. In this case, the occupants of the first floor of this triplex from the end of the 19th century…
Saturday Photo: From Zen to Wild Victorian on the Plateau
Sometimes the whole is different from the sum of its parts. In this case, the occupants of the first floor of this triplex from the end of the 19th century…
Down with Twitters, Or the Fracturing of Time and Culture
These days I don't seem to have enough time to do everything I want or need to do. Short cuts look quite attractive, in fact. But there is one that…
Business Interests and Transit Gurus Agree: Quebec Needs to Concentrate on Public Transit, Not New Autoroutes
The federation of Quebec chambers of commerce (FCCQ) and Transit, a new alliance of several dozen groups and experts advocating public transit, came out strongly on Monday in favour of…
Making the City Green: Ecoquartier and the Neighbors on Rouen Plant their Ruelle Verte
Jack Ruttan made this great video of the planting day on the lane project next to his apartment. A great project that is only one of many, greening Montreal.
Chimney Repairs, but No Chimney Sweeps
The three young men who came to rebuild our chimney look nothing like Dick Van Dyck and the chimney sweeps in Mary Poppins, but we were very glad to see…
Saturday Photo: The Wilds of the Plateau
Tiny front ylard gardens are a feature of Montreal's densely settled neighborhoods. People spend a great deal of time and effort claiming the little bit of green they offer for…
Suburban Ponzi Scheme: Mayors North of Montreal Want More Development in Order to Provide Sevices
So you build houses in the far suburbs and don't have proper infrastructure for them, so you ask to dezone agricultural land in order to build more to have the…