Mosaic 2012 #WHYQR
I had an excellent evening out in Regina with my wife, family, and friends. I met some Ward 1 residents too along the way, including Joe and his wife. Joe’s…
history
Tar-sands
There are people who insist on calling the monstrous mega-project in northern Alberta the “oilsands”. I insist on the historically used “tarsands” since I try to reject all rebranding efforts…
and so to bed: thank you, phil gyford and thank you samuel pepys
One of the oldest and most well-respected bloggers has brought his online journal to a close. Since January of 2003 – 18 months before I began wmtc – I have…
Progress
In Grade 10 I read The Chrysalids, a John Wyndham science fiction that starts out describing an agrarian culture where they talk of God-like old people who could move the…
Andrew (Andy) Suknaski of Wood Mountain and Moose Jaw
Andy Suknaski, award winning poet and visual artist, has passed away at age 69. Andy was from my home town of Wood Mountain, and I have some memories of him…
Reappropriating Mother’s Day
Forget Hallmark and Big Flora — Mother’s Day is (and always has been) for radicals: Mother’s Day began in America in 1870 when Julia Ward Howe wrote the Mother’s Day…
Rye Whiskey – Lubricating Canadian Politics Since 1769
Political genius in a bottle…or really, genius generally! So, I must admit to something right off the bat: I’m a whiskey on the rocks drinker. For those of you who…
The politics of logic and history #nlpoli
“Government does not work on logic,” a wise man once told your humble e-scribbler. “It works on the basis of history.” When faced with a new problem, people tend to…
The History of Toronto – Movie Monday Goes Back to the Future
So, it’s another Movie Monday and today William (our friend and videographer from www.digitalfootprint.ca) and I have put together something really special for all of you. Will was hunting around…
marxism 2011 program notes: keynes vs. marx: can capitalism be reformed?
These are my notes from the 2011 Marxism conference in Toronto. The series starts here. * * * * I was especially interested in this talk, as for much of…
marxism 2011 program notes: what would a socialist society look like?
These are my notes from the 2011 Marxism conference in Toronto. The series starts here. * * * * These notes are sketchier and rougher than the previous posts, as…
marxism 2011 program notes: the fight for queer liberation today
These are my notes from the 2011 Marxism conference in Toronto. The series starts here. * * * * The Fight for Queer Liberation TodayTim McCaskell and Michelle Robidoux (Michelle…
what i’m reading: what is the what by dave eggers
I’m in the middle of reading a pair of books that approach a similar subject in different ways. What Is the What is Dave Eggers’ fictional memoir of the Sudanese…
Pierre Elliott Trudeau’s Speech in Support of the Abolition of Capital Punishment (House of Commons, June 15th, 1976.)
“I am sure that very few of us consciously contemplated, when we decided to run for public office, that we would find ourselves playing a decisive role in the resolution…
Studying Cartoon #HarperHistory
The NDP broke up The Beatles and convinced Nickelback to get together. #HarperHistory— Joseph Uranowski (@Uranowski) April 27, 2012 There are many examples on Twitter of people mocking Stephen Harper’s…
happy birthday, fenway park
One hundred years ago today, April 20, 1912, Fenway Park opened to the public. The Boston Red Sox have played their home games there ever since. Fenway is the oldest…
Happy 30th Anniversary, Canadian Charter of Rights & Freedoms
According to Louise Arbour, Canada’s internationally renowned & universally lauded Charter of Rights & Freedoms (HBD, eh?) “has transformed a country obsessed with the federal-provincial division of powers and enabled…
the tale of ozzie guillen, fidel castro, free speech, and corporate welfare: a story with irony to spare
Those of you who don’t follow baseball – which I assume is most of you – might never have heard of Ozzie Guillen before this week, or maybe don’t know…
"the greatest problem is we are afraid to offend our oppressors": john carlos, tommie smith, and a lesson about resistance
This is one of the most iconic photos in sports history: the Olympics, 1968, Mexico City. As the Star Spangled Banner begins to play, gold-medal winner Tommie Smith and bronze-medal…
Crap Like This
** Old draft from April 12, 2011 that I’m publishing now, untouched, a bit like a time capsule from Election 41** #wtf LPC proposed AG table report if #hoc dissolved.…