Kurt Vonnegut on Swooping Versus Bashing
Kurt Vonnegut is my literary hero, who called himself a “swooper.” A swooper is someone who lets the story appear, higgley-piggley, in the first draft.… The post Kurt Vonnegut on…
Commentary
Nine charming quotes about writing
Quite often I find that when writers write about writing (yes, I just did that) the advice is prescriptive, and so, useless. These folks, however,… The post Nine charming quotes…
All hail the talented editor!
One of the great joys of writing at a professional level (however you define that) is getting to work with a talented editor. I’ve been… The post All hail the…
From Pirates to Pellucidar
Before I ever discovered Pellucidar, I was into pirates. In fact, one of my first memories is of reading my favorite book, Look Out for… The post From Pirates to…
Time travel is human nature
Time travel has been on been on my mind lately, and in that context, nostalgia. As someone who meditates, and who, at one point, was… The post Time travel is…
The Dumpster Fire that Is Twitter
Stephen Fry just left Twitter, moments before I started writing this. As recently as a few weeks ago, I would have thought this would be… The post The Dumpster Fire…
Vancouver Police release highly militaristic copaganda recruiting ad
The Vancouver Police Department released a series of recruitment ads on March 1st. The VPD’s ad elevated one of the worst parts of policing – the high militarization of the…
Making sense of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
What has become clear is that Canadian and American media are manufacturing consent, and presenting the Russian invasion of Ukraine outside of its historical context. The act of invasion is…
Satire and Her Ugly Siblings: Parody, Irony and Sarcasm
One of Hollywood’s most enduring images of satire is of Slim Pickens as Maj. T.J. “King Kong,” cowboy hat in one hand, h-bomb gripped in… The post Satire and Her…
A left-wing case against Justin Trudeau invoking the Emergencies Act
The central issue with invoking the Emergency Act is twofold: First, it is a step too far in consolidating state power against dissenting citizens. Second, police already had the tools…
The Police Problem in Canada
The Emergencies Act sets a dangerous precedent- as does Bill 1 in Alberta, and we should not be encouraging their precedent-setting use. It is clear that the systems and leaders…
Pierre Poilievre is no friend of the working class, despite his pro-worker ranting
Poilievre’s announcement to run as Prime Minister touches on working-class issues, with a mood of plausible, genuine sincerity. He even mentions the working class by name. Of course, Poilievre doesn’t…
The truckers convoy promotes social harm, not “mandating freedom.”
The organizers of the covid convoy have been demanding they speak to the manager of Canada. While they claim to fight for freedom and “vaccine choice,” this couldn’t be further…
10 Mind-Blowing Reads About the Multiverse
In a real sense, you could argue that every book is another reality. The best of them certainly feel like self-contained worlds, and when you… The post 10 Mind-Blowing Reads…
Where is the convoy to support workers in the trucking industry?
Wage theft is a major problem for workers in the trucking industry, yet the organizers of the so-called Truckers for Freedom Convoy are completely silent about this. How can the…
Top Banking CEO blames workers’ wages for causing inflation
In the end, workers are attacked on two fronts via inflation rhetoric. First, by banking CEO’s who claim workers make too much money, and second, by the Conservatives who claim…
Right-wing news outlet “True North” posts misleading vaccination statistics
True North, a conservative-leaning news site, has published a highly misleading article that seems to attempt to undermine vaccine effectiveness. It’s actually kind of shocking how bad it is. Putting…
Widely condemned ‘Truckers For Freedom’ rally features Trudeau figure in a noose
Aside from needless greenhouse gas emissions, the only accomplishment of the so-called Truckers for Freedom convoy is further consolidation and recruitment of the far-right. Whatever your stance on vaccines or…
Leaving Las Metas
Is the act of removing myself from Meta’s walled hellscape — deleting Facebook and Instagram — a kind of digital suicide? What will happen when… The post Leaving Las Metas…