guest post: "rob ford, eid prayer and the silencing of dissent"
Rob Ford, Eid Prayer and the Silencing of Dissentby Fizza Mir July 30, 2014 My Eid started out like most, enjoying a morning coffee after a month of abstinence, rushing…
bigotry
israel slaughters palestinians, pays for online propaganda, and north americans gobble up the bait
I’ve been trying to write about Israel’s latest slaughter of Palestinian people ever since the hideous spectacle began, without results. I post little bits of horror and disgust on Facebook,…
nadine gordimer, 1923-2014
Nadine Gordimer was a great writer, and a steadfast voice for justice. Gordimer, a white South African, was a member of the African National Congress when the organization itself was…
The Bigot Rob Ford and the Homeless Gay Kids
OK. I know that only last night I strongly suggested that the time had come to ignore Rob Ford.That since by now it has been clearly established that he is…
things i heard at the library: an occasional series: #14
One of our regular Readers’ Den customers approached me with her usual long list of movies. She researches movies online, prints out lists, and comes to the desk to see…
Sincerity Is Hard In Politics
Apparently, PC Leadership Candidate Ric McIver hasn’t learned that lesson. After getting caught in a firestorm over ribbon cutting the “March For Jesus” event the same weekend that others were…
The Politics Of Othering
I don’t like Pauline Marois. I never have. Frankly, she reminds me of a teacher I had in grade 6 who ruled the classroom through fear and intimidation … and…
march 19, 2003: don’t call it a failure. it was a huge success for so many.
Eleven years ago today, the US invaded Iraq. This unprovoked invasion of another country that had not threatened the United States was justified by the pretense of finding weapons of…
ny times letters on the movement against israeli apartheid
The New York Times recently ran a heavy dose of letters in support of the movement against Israeli apartheid, many of them written by Jewish North Americans. Philip Weiss of…
read dave kopay’s open letter to michael sam
Did I celebrate Michael Sam’s coming out on Facebook and Twitter, and forget to mention it on wmtc?? Ack! Social media run amok! The news that a top NFL prospect…
shirley temple black, breast cancer activist, former child star, 1928-2014
Shirley Temple and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson Growing up watching old movies, I was a big fan of Shirley Temple, whose dimples, singing, and tap-dancing charmed my parents’ generation. Temple danced…
The Day Rob Ford Was Exposed as a Bestial Bigot
When I went past Toronto's City Hall today I was happy to see the beautiful rainbow flag flying, like it is in so many other Canadian cities from St John's…
Jesse Ventura Is On Our Side On Racist Team Names
More support for changing the name of the NFL team in Washington comes from Jesse “The Body” Ventura. Yesterday, I wrote about how incredibly easy it would be to change…
The Quebec Charter and the Religion that Kills
I think I can safely say that in the icy heart of this Harperland winter, just about the last thing I want to think about, talk about, or write about…
Ezra Levant and the Shame of the Canadian University Press
The Canadian University Press is the oldest student newswire service in the world, and the oldest national student organization in North America.And when I was a cub reporter at the…
The Unspeakable Foulness of Ezra Levant
It's the kind of tragedy than can strike many families, particularly at this time of the year. Politicians from all parties and levels of government are paying tribute to Christopher…
what i’m reading: the immortal life of henrietta lacks, by roberta skloot
I’ve just finished The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot. I’m sure many of you have read it, but if you have not, please run to your local…
herbert: mandela and king were not warm and fuzzy, they were hard-core revolutionaries
Bob Herbert in Jacobin: I knew that the tributes would be pouring in immediately from around the world, and I also knew that most of them would try to do…
nelson mandela, 1918-2013
“The time comes in the life of any nation when there remain only two choices – submit or fight. That time has now come to South Africa. We shall not…
thoughts on "the central park five": new york city, the central park jogger, and me
We’ve just seen “The Central Park Five,” the Ken Burns film about five young men of colour who were wrongfully arrested, indicted, and convicted of rape and attempted murder, and…