Art to Guide the Masses
Can sitcoms save the day? Back in the 80s, there was a very funny show about a detective agency, Moonlighting. It was a take on the classic enemies-to-lovers trope with…
The Social Media Weapon.
After 12 years of writing Babel-on-the-Bay, I find it energizes me and gives purpose to my days. I enjoy the approbation of some readers and the criticisms of others. My…
‘Pause’ in Smith Government’s Alberta pension plan sales pitch sounds more like a strategic effort to regroup
On Friday, Finance Minister Nate Horner used what was billed an “Alberta Pension Plan engagement update” to announce the United Conservative Party Government will “pause” its effort to persuade Albertans…
The morality of tyrants
I have long been intrigued at how men who inflict torture and murder on their fellow human beings can consider themselves moral leaders. History is replete with authoritarians of various…
Toronto rallies for Palestine
Palestine solidarity rally, Toronto, December 10, 2023. Photo by John Pinel Donoghue. Photojournalist John Pinel Donoghue was in downtown Toronto on December 10 to attend a pro-Palestine demonstration demanding a…
Guest Blog: An Open Letter from WCPH
I know I said we were taking a break during the month of December but last week I received a copy of a letter written by Lloyd and Linda Lovett…
Saturday Photo: Winter Wonderland
Great snow for sledding this week. A shame it is raining now, but for a while the kids (most of whose teachers are on strike) had a lot of opportunity…
Something To Think About
A friend sent me the following, Stephen Fry reading a letter from musician Nick Cave about the nature of creativity and how ChatGPT essentially short-circuits that process. Quite thought-provoking. Recommend…
The Daycare Years
Many of our ideas of virus transmission haven’t changed in decades, for better and worse. Almost 30 years ago, I ran a daycare out of my home for a little…
Hold High in Honour.
Honouring people for their contributions to our society is a timeless human tradition. There have also been those times when we have taken down the statues or have erased the…
December 10—Human Rights Day
It doesn’t seem to have attracted the attention it deserves but 2023 is the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Declaration “is a milestone document in…
Weekend fun stuff: from The Beatles to more Cats v. Christmas Trees
This is the kind of thread that I used to find occasionally on Twitter and all of the comments were always just so funny. Glad to see this type of…
Councillor Shits on Democracy
In a recent story in CollingwoodToday, Councillor Jeffrey is reported shitting on the democratic process. Rather than respecting a previous decision of council as policy requires, she chose to bring…
My latest: give them the needle
Ehrlich Anthony Coker was a rapist. He was a murderer and thief, too. While serving three life sentences at the Ware Correctional Institution in Waycross, Georgia, Coker escaped. On that…
Getting Nastier
As Conservatives rise in the polls, their nasty streak gets wider. Susan Delacourt writes: The fierce polarization between the governing Liberals and opposition Conservatives has put Canada’s support for Ukraine…
It’s Still Not a Cold
Stats Canada just posted a report on Long Covid. They highlight that the risk of long term symptoms is cumulative, increasing with the number of Covid infections. By three or…
Liar, Liar.
One hates to see the scion of the Weston family lying to our parliamentarians. He blames his international suppliers now for his stores’ unconscionable profits. He says that his giant…
Musical interlude
Elderbrook – Numb
In the name of all Jews
Teenagers with the United Kibbutz Movement in 1951. Photo from PikiWiki/Wikimedia Commons. So a few days ago Israel resumed its high-tech blood-and-soil slaughter of Gazans with full US backing—and this…