A Sense of Purpose
When I started writing on Substack just over three years ago, I had been looking for a way to express things that I believed needed to be said, but were…
How Not to Communicate by Email
The average person, the MIT Communication Lab tells us, “receives ~120 emails/day and spends about 11hrs/week sorting through emails.” Matt Plummer, in a 2019 article titled, How to Spend Way…
Sunday Funday: Some funny posts and neat posts. Plus Pride Update, Getting Old(er), Everybody Hates AI, Carney Hat Trick, TrumpWatch, Animal Crackers
Funny posts Does anyone still remember Wayne and Shuster? We were watching one of their funniest skits the other day, and I thought I just had to share it. The…
Smile, and Greet the Customer
That was the first line on the SOC (Station Observation Checklist) for the position of Cashier at McDonald's Corporation in the 1990s, when I was an Assistant Manager at the…
Refreshing And Succinct
I was writing recently about the sad state of politics in Ontario under Doug Ford. Manitoba offers a refreshing contrast under its NDP government, led by Wab Kinew who, according…
Saturday Photo: Bridal Veil, the Flower for June Weddings?
According to some studies, June is still a very popular month for weddings, along with (surprise! surprise!) October. I presume the generally good weather is the origin for June's popularity,…
Today’s Round-up plus some Canada good news
Hey, I'm feeling not to spunky tonight so this won't be lengthy. But here are some interesting comments and posts I saw today: A substacker named Linda T is not…
82 years on, a reminder that on this historic date the hammer of D-Day crushed Hitler on the anvil of Russia
REGINA – It’s now been 82 years since our magnificent Canadian soldiers stormed ashore at Juno Beach in Normandy to play their part the grim and deadly task of sweeping…
Musical interlude
Blu Attic - Traces
Today’s News: Canada now has an AI strategy. And not a moment too soon.
Prime Minister Carney announced Canada's AI for All strategy on Thursday, as part of our Artificial Intelligence Ecosystem. The announcement says:....Over the next five years, this strategy will introduce new…
What Canadian cities can learn from Zohran Mamdani’s housing plan
On May 26, New York City’s democratic socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani released his administration’s 100-page Block by Block housing plan. The headline numbers are impressive: $22 billion in capit...
“I know it when I see it”
The New York Times published a piece by Brown University Professor Omer Bartov, titled, “I’m a Scholar of Genocide. I Know It When I See It.” At the risk of…
About this racialized thing
In a pluralistic society such as ours, we frequently find it necessary or convenient to... The post About this racialized thing first appeared on Views from the Beltline.
Women Changing Cities
A new book has come out to celebrate Women Changing Cities for the better. Cities around the world are dealing with climate change, inequality, and an assortment of local issues…
UPDATED: Summertime
"Summertime, and the living is easy", or so goes the song. With the Ontario legislature rising for for an almost five-month recess after having sat for a gruelling 29 days…
Today’s News: Carney leadership and Alberta separatism and tariffs and Trump and Hunter Biden. Plus today’s Pride Update
Today in Carney leadership I'm shocked SHOCKED! that Carney gets pissed sometimes at Liberal MPs. Lack of focus and meandering response killed Trudeau's leadership and I can understand why Carney…
Media academics to blame in part for our news mess
Postmedia headquarters, Bloor Street, Toronto. Photo by Harrison Samphir. How on earth our press could fall into the clutches of private equity players and US hedge funds while our broadcasters…
Who will defend the public university?
Photo by Ondré/Flickr Knowledge Under Siege: Charting a Future for Universities Edited by Marc Spooner and James McNinch University of Regina Press, 2026 The contributors t...
Preston Manning wants Canada to know that another pipeline or two won’t be enough
REGINA – Just a darn minute there, Canada! Preston Manning wants you to know another pipeline or two isn’t going to cut the mustard. You’re going to have to fork…
Wednesday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.- Monica Potts writes that Americans' dissatisfaction with their economy has never been about vibes or temporary price spikes, but reflects a lack of both…