May 31, 2006
The end of solidarity– for now. Forever?
Don’t know how other Torontonians felt about it, but being stuck in traffic for an hour while I tried to drop off my kids at daycare, and then struggling through the same smoggy traffic to get back to one of the kids when he fell ill made this middle-aged lefty mighty cranky with the illegal strikers over at the Toronto Transit Commission. Don’t tell me it was an accident that the union... [More >>]
May 29, 2006
Heather Reisman at it again
Most people have heard this by now but Chapters/Indigo has pulled this month’s issue of Harper’s off its shelves. It seems that Art Spiegelman’s critique of the Danish Muhammad cartoons that angered many in the Muslim world is also too hot for the delicate sensibilities of management at Chapters. DB Scott over at the Canadian Magazines blog looks at Reisman and Co.’s spotty... [More >>]
May 29, 2006
Today’s Poll: Western Alienation 1, Team Canada 0?
A conversation on Saturday night during the second period intermission went like this: Him: The rest of Canada hates the Oilers. I hear in Toronto they’re turning off their TV sets because it’s the Oilers playing. Me: That’s ridiculous. Hockey is hockey. If you enjoy hockey, you keep watching, unless you are so wrapped up in your own team you can’t watch if they’re out.... [More >>]
May 26, 2006
Canadian Copyright Alright?
Michael Geist secures an advanced copy of the Department of Canadian Heritage’s study to the Canadian economic impact of the copyright industries. Suprising to the recording industry’s hypothesis, the study’s findings contradict the long held assumption that Canadian copyright industry (defined in the report as music, movies, radio, television, publishing, theatre, software, and advertising... [More >>]
May 24, 2006
Both sides of the Caledonia standoff
Krisztina Kun is a Vancouver-based writer and activist who got the chance to spend time in Caledonia on Monday while visiting her hometown of Hamilton. She wrote the following post about being on both sides of the standoff yesterday… Within minutes of waking yesterday, I was in the backseat of a speeding Saturn, heading down the QEW towards Caledonia. The plan was to check out both sides of... [More >>]
May 24, 2006
Parliamentary Poet Laureate Idol
It’s come to my attention (via placesforwriters.com) that nominations for Parliamentary Poet Laureate are now open. Before you run off and nominate yourself, tell us why you (or someone you know) could fill this esteemed position, which would allow you to write poetry for the Senate or the House, post “Poems of the Week” by Irving Layton and do other things (“The Poet is free... [More >>]
May 23, 2006
John versus(?) John
Some of you may remember a discussion that took place on these blog pages a few months ago about copyright defenders and advocates of the copyleft movement. Well, the pages of the current issue of This provide two perspectives (whether they are competing I’ll leave for you to decide) on the plight of writers and the plight of users of creative work in this day and age. First, the always eloquent... [More >>]
May 20, 2006
CO2 They Call It Pollution We Call it Life
This ad has been going around the blogasphere leaving behind a trail of of exploded heads. The Competitive Enterprise Institute is a pro-business think tank that is running two ads in major US cities. The ads are running with the above slogan which is mindbogglingly insulting to the relatively intelligent. To cap it all off oil companies like Exxon are major donors to CEI. The ads are here. If you’re... [More >>]
May 19, 2006
To Do, Tonight
This Magazine alum John Degen (aka john_d) reads tonight from his brand new novel, “The Uninvited Guest” at the I.V. Lounge in Toronto. 326 Dundas Street West, Toronto. 7:00 p.m. Rest of weekend: Read the Uninvited Guest, pick up beer, rent “Mrs. Brown”, purchase citronella candles for balcony. [More >>]
May 17, 2006
Must See TV
Get out your feather boas, body glitter and “Liza with a Z” DVDs everyone, this Thursday marks the end of “Will and Grace’s” very succesful 8-year-run. Like many of you (probably) I lost serious interest years ago and only catch the occasional ep in syndication, but I’ve been musing on it’s cultural importance this month every time I’m bombarded by their... [More >>]
