Senate deliberations and actual oversight
In the wake of the filibuster in the Commons, the prospect of the Senate being recalled to sit on a Sunday seemed somewhat less surreal – despite the fact that…
Kim Oakley: Medical mysteries, autism and chronic self-injurious behavior
One of the blogs I follow, and list on the side bar of this blog, is Autism, Epilepsy and Self-Injurious Behavior by Kim Oakley. A couple of days ago Kim…
Party Hardly
I hardly did any partying this weekend, fewer than 10 hours were devoted to such an activity. -We actually get along quite well, this is staged for the camera. Really!…
Trust us, says Wildrose Alliance Leader Danielle Smith… uh… that’s it
Wildrose Alliance supporters form a line as they wait to rejoin the Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta. Some will make the trip several times, carrying bags of votes and money.…
Taking The Open Internet Fight To Parliament Hill
Dear pro-Internet community, OpenMedia.ca fights for open, accessible, and affordable Internet for all Canadians by bringing together the voices of hundreds of thousands of citizens frustrated with high Internet prices,…
Time to Say Goodbye For Now
I realize it's probably not the best time to leave Canada. Canadian summers are so short eh?But the truth is I can't wait to leave, because politically speaking this has…
Late night
From the UK Glastonbury music festival, which is now over. Glastonbury's always worth watching just for the crowds and how they get into the songs, like this one. It's magic.…
Brigette DePape is Nellie’s Girl
On June 3, 2011, when Brigette DePape, a 21-year old parliamentary page from Manitoba, pulled out a “Stop Harper” sign during the opening session of Canada’s 41st Parliament, she was…
An Open Letter to Minister Raitt. . . .
Let's put it as simply and straightforwardly as possible Mrs. Raitt - I hope you die slowly of a terrible and painful disease, suffering for ages as you gradually wither…
And now I brace myself
If last night is any indication, we're about 40 minutes off from the start of screaming. Mallory went down like a ton of bricks, half an hour ago, dosed withe…
Is Shyness an Evolutionary Tactic?
In praise of introverts NYTimes.com http://ow.ly/5qKFy Filed under: Miscellany
Stopping the Cons: How Far Will Canadians Go?
Well I see the great postal filibuster has ended. The NDP has surrendered to reality. The union-bashing Cons got what they wanted. The workers were shafted. And the Liberals looked…
Dear Diarist, Issue #1
CanYouHearMeKnockingOnYourWindowVilleIt has been a long time since I thought about the Franz Klammer house party story. A story that, if you'll recall, never saw the light of day.But then this…
Mail strike almost over
The mail will start moving Tuesday or so but lots of people have moved on. I always paid bills by mail -- but now I have moved to payment by…
conservative.ca considers backbenchers to be irrelevant
I wanted to learn more about the newly elected MP here in my parents' riding of Richmond Hill. So my first instinct was to visit the Tory's official website, www.conservative.ca.…
Sun’s Bonokoski stumbles attacking Kinsella
Warren Kinsella wrote a column recently where he claimed Canada's media is "overwhelmingly conservative". That's not news. Our national newspapers are almost a total conservative monopoly with Sun Media and…
Just because you say it was funny, doesn’t make it so
Yesterday, when NDP leader Andrea Horwath made the crack about how women “know better than to give it up all at once,” I, a liberal, middle-aged feminist, was stunned. So…
William Koch buys portrait of Billy the Kid for $2.3
A member of the infamous modern gangster Koch family, William Koch, has purchased the only known photograph of wild west gangster Billy the Kid.I would say there's a certain symmetry…
On private opportunities
Last week, I noted that the Harper Cons' generally opaque austerity plans include one cause for alarm, as they're looking to turn public services into sources of corporate profit. And…
Morningstar Ministries preacher Jason Hooper DUI arrest in Australia
His blood alcohol level was .206, he was a visitor in Australia and he was going 110 kmh in a 50km zone. (for our US friends that is 68 mph…