Should you send money to tsunami victims? Obviously. But what if aid is a zero-sum game, in which every dollar that goes to tsunami relief is a dollar that does not go somewhere else? When I went to the red cross site last week to make a donation, I was briefly held up by a […] More »

This today from Judy Rebick regarding the airing of a feature film on the life of Dr. Henry Morgentaler, Wed Jan 5 at 9:00 pm. Sounds well worth tuning in — Judy has praise for the film and she’s a character in the film — and it reiterates that we can not rest on our […] More »

This memo, supposedly sent to all CanWest employees in the Toronto area, is just too funny. Can any CanWest employees verify that this is for real? To: All CanWest MediaWorks Toronto and Hamilton Staff Re: Global & CH Car Advertising Wrap Program For the past several years Global has run a program, which pays its […] More »

Always a fun list at this time of year is the List of Words Banished From the Queen’s English for Mis-Use, Over-Use and General Uselessness , compiled by Lake Superior State University in Michigan. The above link is to a news story about the list; the list itself is made up of 22 phrases submitted […] More »

In a story reported on the CBC website today, N&L premier Danny Williams has allowed the Maple Leaf to fly outside provincial courthouses, after judges expressed concerns about impartiality. According to the N&L justice minister: “We discussed it and the premier agreed that it would be inappropriate not to have the Canadian flag fly from […] More »

In a way I’m surprised there hasn’t been more to say about the tsunami on this forum. Working as a copy editor at a Toronto daily newspaper, I’ve been exposed to far too many images of death, chaos and catastrophe from Asia this week. Too many photographs of human tragedy are seared into my brain. […] More »

This is unimaginably awful. Canada has pledged one million dollars, which is too little. We can do better. The CBC has links to make donations to UNICEF and the Red Cross. More »

I trust everyone put down the turkey or stopped messing with their new iPod today to listen to Lizzie give her annual message to the Commonwealth. No? Well, it sounded ok on the people’s radio today, and the Guardian called it “a dramatic plea for religious tolerance”. But give it a read — it is […] More »

Robert Bourrassa once coined a term that defines everything that is wrong with the way this federation “functions.” He called it “la federalisme rentable,” which is usually translated as “profitable federalism.” But the french version is better, because the word “rent” captures the extractionary, illegitimate, and cynical aspect of what is going on. For economists, […] More »

(Thanks to JC for the tip) By INGRID PERITZ From Wednesday’s Globe and Mail Montreal– He hasn’t even joined a picket line yet, but Canada’s most famous snowman already has a nickname: Comrade Carnaval. The Bonhomme Carnaval, roly-poly symbol of joie de vivre and wintertime fun at the Quebec Winter Carnival, seems to have some […] More »

In yesterday’s National Post, columnist Don Martin handed out grades to members of the Federal Cabinet. Anne MacLellan got the only A, Judy Sgro got the only F (what about Liza?) and a bunch of Cs all around. In the spirit of the season, let’s grade the columnists. Here are mine, feel free to dispute […] More »