test blog #10

I'm going to be a little less present in comments for a while. I need to spend more time working, and I want to swim more, and something's got to give. I'll still pop in to play Gracious Host and will chime in a discussion here and there, but I need to hang out less and focus more. However, I'll still be reading - and appreciating - all your comments. Please don't interpret my absence as, well, absence. You guys make this blog. Keep it up. Speaking of comments, don't miss the latest on this fucking post . You might want to backtrack for the full effect.

Last night James and Lori introduced us to another of Toronto's many sushi restaurants. This one had a unique touch: a floating sushi bar. While we were eating, little sushi-bearing Japanese boats bobbed past us, to the pleasant trickling sounds of a nearby waterfall. Nice! The sushi was excellent, and reminded me that I haven't been eating it often enough. Continuing our "weekend", tonight is the first play in our Soulpepper subscription, which I bought half on a whim shortly after moving here. The season opened last month with Our Town , which we chose to skip (the subscription is 7 out of 8 plays). Tonight we're seeing The Government Inspector , which can be really funny. Soulpepper has a new home in Toronto's Distillery District , which we haven't seen yet, and are looking forward to. As the name implies, this area was the site of a huge distillery, now remade into an cultural district. ( Some info and history here. ) I'm very interested in this...

Wendy Wasserstein, a wonderful writer, a great wit, and an all-around cool person, died yesterday. She was only 55 years old. Wasserstein was a playwright, a screenwriter, a theatre developer (she began a dynamic program to get smart, low-income city kids involved in theatre), a New Yorker, a single mom, an engaged citizen. She was also a fixture in New York, sought after for opinions and commentary, sometimes as the token woman in a roundtable. An obituary is here , and a funny, poignant remembrance of Wasserstein by a friend, the journalist Gail Collins, is here. The lights on Broadway will be dimmed tonight in her honour.

Harper Lee, author of one truly great novel, momentarily put aside her penchant for privacy and spoke briefly with a reporter . To Kill A Mockingbird remains the only book Lee has ever written. I wonder if I wrote a book as perfect as that, if I'd be satisfied to never write another word. Among the many reasons I love Mockingbird is its great accessibility. As a writer and appreciator of young-adult fiction, I've always thought the best young-adult books were not specifically written for young people. They are just great books that are also straightforward and engaging enough for a young reader. I can name dozens of books that fit the bill, but Mockingbird would be my first example. To Kill A Mockingbird is also one of my favourite movies. To my mind it's one of a very few films to do a great novel justice. Horton Foote , who wrote the screenplay, is also an excellent writer, and as prolific as Lee is reclusive. A six-degrees-of-separation note: Horton Foote's son, ...

What would we do without Katha Pollitt? By "we", I mean the progressive world at large, but especially feminists. Few people outside the US may realize how far the war against women has gone there. In her recent column, "Prochoice Puritans" , Pollitt holds the radical line. Do you think abortion is tragic and terrible and wrong, that Roe v. Wade went too far and that the prochoice movement is elitist, unfeeling, overbearing, overreaching and quite possibly dead? In the current debate over abortion, that makes you a prochoicer. As the nation passes the thirty-third anniversary of Roe , it is hard to find anyone who will say a good word in public for abortion rights, let alone for abortion itself. Abortion has become a bit like flag-burning--something that offends all right-thinking people but needs to be legal for reasons of abstract principle ("choice"). Unwanted pregnancy has become like, I don't know, smoking crack: the mark of a weak, undisciplined...

Yesterday afternoon I took Cody on an extra-long walk on the lakefront. It was gorgeous out - 11 degrees (I am totally down with my Celsius now!) and sunny. Lots of people were out enjoying the day with their dogs and their kids. Cody likes to say hello to all the dogs, and all the adults, but kids - no, thank you! She's afraid of little ones and makes herself unavailable to their waving arms. The lake was a deep, rich blue, and perfectly still. Geese, swans and ducks were gliding along the shore. This morning it's overcast and raining. The lake is battleship gray, roiling with white caps. No birds in sight. * * * * Happy New Year to wmtc readers who are celebrating today. It's 4703, the year of the dog . I hear that Toronto celebrates the Chinese New Year in grand style. Mississauga celebrates, too, big time. At the Y, I'm often one of the few non-Chinese women in the locker room, which is kind of cool. I wish it were the global year of the dog. I'm reminded of a...

In our "how scared should we be of a Harper government" discussion, I asked how much Harper can do on his own, without approval from the House of Commons. I was surprised at the level of alarm from some leftist bloggers, given that it's a minority government. Wrye noted : It's usually with the assumption that Harper cares more about implementing radical change than his own (or his party's) longevity. Some changes (like, say, certain tax cuts or devolving tax powers to the provinces) would be very difficult to reverse. If changing the federation is that important to him, he may do it regardless of the consequences. Ian Welsh drew a parallel with Dave Barrett. [For more explanation, follow the link.] Sharonapple said that Harper can appoint Conservative judges and senators. How do Supreme Court appointments work in Canada? Does there have to be an opening, when a Justice dies or retires, as in the US? Or can the Prime Minister actually change the makeup of the Cou...

John Nichols is an American writer who has been covering Canadian politics for more than 20 years. In his blog in The Nation , Nichols reassures progressive US readers who fear Canada is now joined at the neocon hip with the US. His conclusion: "Don't Cry For Canada" . After the 2004 presidential election in the United States, a lot of liberal Americans looked longingly to the north. Canada, the theory went, was a social democracy with a sane foreign policy and humane values that offered a genuine alternative to the right-wing hegemony that the U.S. was about to experience. But, this week, U.S. television networks and newspapers declared: "Canadians Tilts Right" and "Conservatives Capture Canada." As shorthand for the election results that saw Canada's Conservative party outpoll the governing Liberal Party for the first time since Ronald Reagan served in the White House, those headlines may be useful. But the claim that Canada has lurched far to th...

The phone call. Thanks to wtmc friend and ally Wrye , who found it at Tilting At Windmills , who found it at Optimus Crime .

More on Harper's ethics hypocrisy from some letter-writers to the Globe And Mail . As a rule, public servants should avoid interfering in the electoral process. It's a good rule, but one that was violated twice in the last month. First, in December, the RCMP announced an investigation into whether Ministry of Finance staff leaked information on an income trust ruling. The Mounties offered no smoking gun; neither did they justify publicizing an unsubstantiated accusation at so critical a time. In a much different example, Ethics Commissioner Bernard Shapiro waited until the election was over to announce that, for four months ending in November last year, Stephen Harper dodged an ethics investigation. Even as Mr. Harper campaigned on ethics and accountability, Mr. Shapiro kept secret Mr. Harper's own refusal to stand to account. In the first instance, the RCMP shared speculation without cause. In the second, Mr. Shapiro withheld factual, and relevant, information. In so doing...

In New York, almost every city park has a dog run - a fenced-off area where dogs can play off-leash. They're small, but they're very welcome, since for most urban dogs, it's the only opportunity for an unconstrained romp. In the Toronto area, rather than dog runs within parks, whole parks are designated as leash-free zones. We just learned there's one in our area, and yesterday we took Cody there. Going to the park is not quite the momentous occasion it used to be, since now Cody has her very own backyard, and can romp daily. (Yay!) On the other hand, she doesn't have a buddy to play with anymore, and it's great for her to socialize with other dogs. The nearby leash-free park is huge, at least by our city dog-run standards. Dozens of dogs and their people can congregate in different areas and it would never seem crowded. It's securely fenced, with three separate parking areas. We were impressed. In a park, Cody is shy, and easily intimidated by other dogs. ...

This post brought to you by Redsock , a/k/a my partner, Allan. * * * * One of my favorite bloggers - NDP supporter Jeff Wells at Rigorous Intuition - has posted his thoughts on the election results. He's usually not much of an alarmist, so I was wondering what others here thought. Here are some snips (whole comment here ): The Conservatives have formed a "safe" government on a short leash, that in the long term may prove the most disastrous outcome. Their weak minority will force them, if they're smart (and they are, now) to moderate their agenda; actually bringing it more into line with the centrist cooing Stephen Harper was making during the campaign. Breathing space for everyone, but it just means we're in a pot that's being brought to a boil. Some won't notice until they smell the garlic butter. Canadian minority governments typically survive about 18 months. This provides a perfect window for our increasingly aggressive corporatist media to burnish H...

This really disturbs me. Emphasis mine. Harper failed to meet ethics czar on Grewal Stephen Harper failed to meet federal Ethics Commissioner Bernard Shapiro despite repeated attempts over four months to interview him for an inquiry into the Gurmant Grewal affair, Mr. Shapiro noted in a report released yesterday. Despite a code of conduct that says it is an MP's duty to co-operate with an inquiry by the commissioner, Mr. Harper's office told Mr. Shapiro he could not find time in his schedule to answer his questions between August and November of last year. Instead, Mr. Shapiro spoke to an aide. The report was ready last Friday but delayed to prevent accusations of political favouritism in the last days of an election campaign. In the report, Mr. Shapiro wrote that he wanted to ask Mr. Harper when he knew about the surreptitious recordings of conversations that Mr. Grewal, then a Conservative MP, had with senior Liberals about switching sides for a crucial no-confidence vote. ...

Minor-league hockey was great. As we assumed, there were reasonably priced tickets, good seats in a small arena, a friendly crowd, and a lively game. There were also lots of silly minor-league promotions, including a shootout from someone in the crowd - and they did play "Raise A Little Hell". (Thanks Wrye and Trevor!) Because we work on the weekends, I don't know how many games we'll ever see, but I would do it again before baseball season starts. A friendly man sitting next to me coached us on some strategy. He coaches his daughter's team: she's 7, and this is her fourth year of hockey. Wow. I wish I had brought my camera, if only to get a picture of the Mississauga Ice Dogs' mascot , Blue. (Scroll down for Baby Blue.) It seems so appropriate that our local team has a canine name. Their community hockey team is the Ice Puppies. Love it. Oh yeah, the Ice Dogs lost , 4-2. * * * * When Allan wakes up, he's going to guest-post. He read some commentary o...

Last night we watched Part I of "No Direction Home," Martin Scorsese's tribute to Bob Dylan . It originally aired as part of the excellent PBS "American Masters" series, and is now out on DVD. (If I recall correctly, wmtc friend G The Library Bitch blogged about it when it was on TV.) "No Direction Home" isn't a standard biography, as it profiles Dylan's life and career only up to 1966. I'm not sure that people who don't already get Dylan - his influence, his importance, his outsized creativity - would appreciate this movie, although I'd like to know. (I'd love to hear an impression of the film from someone who didn't already love Dylan.) For me, this movie was extremely intense, a treasure trove of artistic and political heroes. I've always understood Dylan as an heir to Woody Guthrie and Allen Ginsberg. To hear Allen Ginsberg say that when he first heard "Hard Rain", he wept, because he realized the torch ha...

Welcome to wmtc. Please be aware that this blog is not an open forum for discussion of any topic from any point of view. Comments are very welcome and encouraged, within the following guidelines. 1. Please do not post long blocks of text from other blogs or websites. Instead, post a sample with a link where interested readers can find more. 2. Discussions in comments frequently roam off the original topic, and that's fine when it happens organically. However, please do not take it upon yourself to redirect the topic of a post in non-sequitur fashion. For that, I respectfully ask you to use your own blog. 3. Please do not correct other commenters' grammar, usage or spelling. The following types of comments will always be deleted: 1. Insults or verbal attacks. 2. Sexist, homophobic, racist or other offensive comments. 3. Religious proselytizing of any sort. 4. Comments with the primary purpose of driving traffic to another website. 5. Opinions that are deeply offensive to me, suc...

It's Hockey Night In Mississauga! I've been curious about the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) . I like seeing names of towns and cities that I actually recognize as nearby (in terms of Canada). Allan looked into it, and found out that Mississauga has a team . Naturally most games are on the weekend, when we're working, but there's a rare weekday evening game tonight. So we're going to see the Mississauga Ice Dogs take on the Kitchener Rangers. Mississauga is dead-last in their division. They need us. It's our first hockey game since coming to Canada, and the first either of us has been to in I-don't-know-how-many years. I've seen a few NHL games, but eons ago. Allan used to cover high-school hockey, when he was a young sportswriter in Burlington, Vermont (where he grew up), and I believe he saw good college hockey there, too. Anything I should know before I go to my first Canadian hockey game? Will they ask me questions about Rick Mercer and demand I love Th...

Do you think wmtc deserves wider recognition? At least one of you does, as someone has nominated this blog for a Koufax Award . The award with the coolest name is for lefty bloggers. We move to canada has been nominated in the "Most Deserving of Wider Recognition" category. These internet awards can't be taken too seriously. But if you appreciate this blog, then you're part of what makes it worthwhile, so why not vote. Right now, as far as I can tell, voting is only open in the " Best New Blog " category. I'll let you know when you can vote for wmtc.

So. Here we are. Whether it be what we feared or what we hoped for, the outcome is mostly what we expected. The Conservatives have a minority government, and Stephen Harper is the new Prime Minister of Canada. For Americans (or other non-Canadians) who may not have seen it, here are the totals : Party - Seats - Popular Vote Conservatives - 124 - 36.25% Liberals - 103 - 30.22% Bloc Quebecois - 51 - 10.48% New Democrats - 29 - 17.49% Independent - 1 - .52% When we first moved here, Stephen Harper was an embarrassment. It seemed clear the Conservatives wouldn't form a government as long as he was the party leader - which shows the limits of appearance and punditry. Now it remains to be seen if the old, scary Harper will crawl out of the remade, centrist, big-tent Harper. I imagine the Conservatives are thinking long-term, and will take it slow. Considering the Liberals ran a terrible campaign, always on the defensive and in damage-control mode, and considering the giant suitcase la...

I trust that every Canadian reading this blog will vote today. The excellent Gazetteer has some thoughts on how to make the most of your vote if you live in British Columbia. I've read that's where this election may be decided.

We've had many discussions here about personal freedom, the relative amounts of it in the US and Canada, the melting pot vs the mosaic - or the salad bowl, an image one Canadian reader gave me. There is a lot of personal freedom in the US, more than in many places on the planet, but there is also a lot of pressure to outwardly conform. In most (though not all) places in the States, the melting pot is still the norm. Shortly before we moved here, Allan and I met a female couple from Virginia. They are raising two daughters in a small, Southern, Christian, white-bread town. They're active in church, in their daughters' schools, in community activities. They told us they've never encountered bigotry, that everyone has been open and accepting to them and their family. This runs counter to what many people outside the US think might happen in a small Virginia town. On the other hand, I believe their acceptance hinged on looking and acting like everyone else. They live in a ...

I know abortion rights are not on the Conservative Party platform. And I know that Paul Martin is accused of fear-mongering when he says abortion rights will be threatened under a Stephen Harper Conservative government. I know these things. But when Dr Henry Morgentaler, the Canadian abortion-rights pioneer, speaks , I tune in. Henry Morgentaler, the father of Canada's pro-choice movement, says Stephen Harper's Conservatives can't be trusted on the abortion issue because the party is "chock full" of top-ranking members with virulent anti-abortion views. Dr. Morgentaler, who has stood at the forefront of the battle for abortion rights for four decades, urged Canadians to be skeptical of Mr. Harper's promise to stay clear of legislation on the contentious issue. Dr. Morgentaler called the pledge a "tactical manoeuvre" and predicted the Conservative Leader would face intense pressure from his party to reopen the abortion debate. "I don't trust ...

Wmtc has lots of new readers these days, thanks in large part to all the interesting discussions going on in comments. I think it's time for a restatement of some ground rules, with apologies to long-time readers who already know this. With all the political discussion that goes on here, you might not realize that wmtc isn't a completely open forum, an "anything goes" kind of blog. While I was still in the US, I was periodically verbally attacked by wingnuts who were incensed at the idea that anyone would choose to leave TGNOTFOTE*. Wmtc still gets the occasional nasty comment, although now that I've left, they've mostly given up. (Why did they care in the first place? That's the eternal question.) Usually I deleted the attacks - unless I was feeling playful, then I hung the comment like a piñata and we all had a good time. In addition, I also don't want this blog used for fierce debates on controversial issues. Like many of you, I have very strong opi...

Today is the 33rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade . Here's my Roe essay that ran on Common Dreams last year at this time, which was originally a post on this blog. I can't imagine there are many of these anniversaries left. The reproductive rights community is fully prepared for a post- Roe country. That will surely be a dark day: a victory for religious interests over personal freedom, a mighty leap backwards for women's equality, a deepening of the overall backwards movement of the country. But in a very real sense, it won't be a leap at all, but a continuation of a steady regression. Women with resources will be able to obtain abortions. Women without will find a way around it, or they won't. In other words, it will be just like it is right now, only more so. My opponent on that annoying BBC interview dismissed my statement that reproductive freedom has been curtailed in the United States. He said he had lived in the US for five years, so he ought to know. I can o...

Our backyard is a lake. Or, in light of the real Lake down the street, perhaps the backyard is better described as a pond. Poor drainage does not begin to describe what is going on back there. In other, drier news, yesterday I got to play tour guide for a change, showing off our little stretch of Waterfront Trail and Port Credit village to Marnie. On our way, we met a woman walking a whole pack of nice dogs, and I think I've found a dogwalker! Since I'm working from home, we don't need dogwalking on a daily basis. But we don't believe in leaving a dog alone for extended periods of time; even if they can technically handle it, more than 4 or 5 hours without a walk or some company doesn't seem right to me. So if (for example) we're in the city for the day, and want to stay out for dinner, we can't really, unless we have someone to come in and take care of Cody. That was one bit of settling-in business I hadn't taken care of - and I think it might have t...

The current election made me wonder about the history of voting in Canada, and when Canada achieved universal suffrage. In the US, African American men won the right to vote in 1870 (15th Amendment: "the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged ... on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude"), and all women finally achieved suffrage in 1920 (19th Amendment: "...on account of sex."). Canada lurched to universal suffrage in fits and starts, first granting voting rights only to property owners, then extending it to all women (1917), and only later, to Asian Canadians (1947 and 1948), Native Peoples (1960), the mentally disabled (1988) and incarcerated people (2002). On the provincial level, women in Quebec were the last to achieve suffrage, fighting until a mind-boggling 1940 to achieve that milestone. Here's a good CBC mini-lesson on the history of voting rights in Canada. Since it's a special interest ...

It's spring-like outside, and the headlines are as lovely as the weather: "Harper's Lead Takes A Hit : With Tory Leader straying from script, poll shows support for his party waning". I am hopeful that the fever is passing, and Canada is coming to its collective senses. We went into Toronto last night, had dinner with friends at the Bloor Street Diner . The food was very good, the company was excellent. These are people who I originally met online, then who'd see on our visits to the GTA, during our application process. They're very busy urbanites, much like I once was. They love Toronto and are fairly contemptuous of the suburbs. Catching their drift, I can take the measure of how much my life has changed. There was probably a time when I sounded like that, too. These days I find myself not just loving Port Credit, but really appreciating Mississauga, too. I grew up in the suburbs, bored and rebellious, anxious to spring my trap and leave suburban life for th...

Longtime friend-of-wmtc ALPF alerted me to a terrific political site I wouldn't have known about: DemocraticSpace.com . He works in the news business, and said: I just want to pass on that I have been pretty hard at work preparing graphics and boards for our broadcast election night. What I have been building is making me sick... CONSERVATIVE MAJORITY THIS, CONSERVATIVE MAJORITY THAT. If I have to cut out another photo of that beeny eyed weiner and place it on a board that says "Canada's New Prime Minister" I'm going to be nauseous. I actually felt a little better yesterday afternoon when our producer handed me the predictions for every riding and it only had 131 seats going Conservative. That's around 20-25 short of a majority. The site is democraticspace.com that we have been using.., It's pretty cool. Here is the riding prediction page... Those number have been going the right way in the past few days thankfully... They once had it at 145-150 Conservat...

Long before we moved here, we knew that movies are made in Toronto as a stand-in for New York or other US cities. I know that Trontonians like to play "spot Toronto," similar to how I enjoy trying to identify the exact locations of New York movie scenes. The difference, of course, is that the New York locating spots are supposed to be in New York. Well, last night, for the first time, I recognized Canada in a movie that wasn't supposed to be there. I was all kinds of proud of myself. We watched "The Ballad of Jack and Rose," which is supposed to take place on an island off the east coast of the US. I took that to mean the Outer Banks off the Carolinas, or maybe the Georgia Sea Isles, some barrier island like that. Towards the end of the movie, the main characters are driving down a street, and for a split-second, a Canadian Tire sign is visible. We paused and reversed, just to be certain, and there it was, the unmistakable red triangle . Sure enough, there it wa...

Redsock just sent me something hilarious and terrific. Down in that surreal world known as the US media, wingnuts are screaming for Hillary Clinton's head. (What's new, right?) Apparently, while addressing an African American organization on Martin Luther King Day, Clinton committed an unforgivable sin. She used the word "plantation" to describe Republican-controlled Washington, DC. The wingnuts are calling for an apology or - holy smokes, boy wonder! - her resignation! Yes folks, it's Bizarro World, where up is down and black is white. A criminal sits in the White House, but a Senator should resign because she used a word that... what? Reminds people there was once slavery in the United States? Now, you must know I'm not a fan of Hillary Clinton, not by a long shot. She's exactly the kind of Democrat that drove me first to Ralph Nader, then to Canada. But come on, folks! The many levels of irony at work here have set my head aspinning. Rather than try t...

I'm not convinced the Conservatives will win this election. If they do, I think it will be with a minority government. This is not based on any one particular thing, but the sum total of what I'm seeing and reading, and what does and doesn't ring true. I'm not predicting the Liberals will win, but I won't surprised if they do. I think much of the talk of "punishing them" and "needing a change" is just talk. And I'm hoping, push come to shove, Canadians will not punish themselves , and will instead ask "Change to what ?" I realize this may be wishful thinking, or my greatly skewed impressions from reading too many progressive Canadians' thoughts. But still. In comments, Wrye posted a prediction round-up . Feel free to keep that coming.

A last word on Laura's BBC Fiasco. Readers tell me it's archived, at least for 24 hours, which would be until around 1:00 Eastern Time today. If you'd like to hear it, by all means, do listen. Keep in mind I was specifically told it was not a debate format, and I never expected that the "discussion" would include a right-wing talk-show host . As you listen, you'll hear where he sideswiped me and the show (for me) went off the rails. After he shouts, "That's a blatant lie! If that were true, George Bush never would have..." they cut off my mike. I had collected myself and was prepared to give a quick retort, but they never let me in. I admit I was a bit thrown by this yesterday. Hey, I get an email from BBC World Service telling me they'd like me on a radio show - exciting! I did a good interview with the producer, she said they'd love to include my point of view - fun! Then I end up feeling trapped and set-up - and infuriated. We never sh...

Damn. After the BBC producer interviewed me, she explained the format of the show and who would be on. I told her I didn't want to be involved in a debate format, an American-style shouting match. She assured me that wouldn't be the case. She said it was gentle discussion, each person given their say, all points of views represented - not a debate. Then they don't even call me til the show is half over, and there's a conservative talk-show host spouting inanities about Michael Moore and the "Northeast media". The next thing I know I'm debating US abortion rights with someone whose position is "That's a blatant lie!". The man lived in the US for five years, he should know, right? Well, I'm a 25-year veteran of the reproductive rights movement, and my claims are facts . What's more, most American women don't even know how tenuous the right to abortion is right now - why would a conservative Canadian man know?! Damn. I'm annoyed...

Hi! Redsock here with an announcement: Laura is going to be interviewed on BBC World Service in about an hour (between 1:15 and 1:30 est pm) . It's an interactive radio program on BBC World Service ("World Have Your Say") discussing the upcoming election (guests will be two Canadians (Conservative and NDP), a Candadian living in Boston, and Laura). Go here to select your city and find a radio station or listen via the internets. I think if you go to that page, click on "Open BBC Real Player" (top right) and then click on "Now Playing Live", that'll do it.

I read two good columns in today's Globe And Mail , both against Harper and the Conservatives. I realize I am mostly speaking to the converted and convinced, but you may know some undecided voters - and perhaps they'd like to read these, too. Paid subscription is required, so I'm copying them here. The first, from Jeffrey Simpson : "Ah, nothing like a little Conservative overkill" Accountability is the Conservative Party's trump card. Everywhere he travels, Stephen Harper promises more accountability in Ottawa. Accountability is literally Chapter 1 of the Conservatives' "Stand up for Canada" platform. More accountability sounds so good. Who can be against it? Certainly, the sponsorship program and the resulting Gomery inquiry pointed to mega-problems with accountability in Ottawa. And it's the perception of inadequate accountability and widespread corruption that propels the Conservatives' fortunes more than anything else. Did the sponsor...

There are many ways to assess a society. Here's something I saw recently in a book review : One nonprofit organization, Redefining Progress, proposes tossing out growth as the first economic yardstick and substituting a "Genuine Progress Indicator" that, among other things, weighs volunteer work as well as the output of goods and services. By this group's measure, American society peaked in 1976 and has been declining ever since. The sentence jumped out at me because it validated something Allan and I had been talking about. It is frequently said that the US has changed for the worse, that it is no longer a beacon of democracy and freedom, that it no longer sets an example for the world, that it has become an empire. To which we always say, Become? So we were trying to think of when the US actually was said beacon of democracy. Failing that, we tried to define when the country was at its most democratic - exactly when. Whole swathes of US history are ineligible. It ...