test blog #10

The first woman has been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Effa Manley became the first woman elected to the baseball Hall of Fame when the former Newark Eagles co-owner was among 17 people from the Negro Leagues and pre-Negro Leagues chosen Monday by a special committee. "This is a historic day at the Hall of Fame," shrine president Dale Petroskey said. "I hoped that someday there would be a woman in the Hall. It's a pretty proud moment." . . . Manley co-owned the New Jersey-based Eagles with her husband, Abe, and ran the business end of the team for more than a decade. The Eagles won the Negro Leagues World Series in 1946 — one year before Jackie Robinson broke the major league color barrier. "She was very knowledgeable, a very handsome woman," said Hall of Famer Monte Irvin, who played for the Eagles while the Manleys owned the team, as did Don Newcombe and Larry Doby. "She did a lot for the Newark community. She was just a well-rounded inf...

We have been here six months today! Six months, a bit of a milestone. It seems so long ago - all the goodbye dinners, the planning and the packing, driving The World's Fullest Minivan - all four of us ( sigh ). Although I have a lot to learn about Canada, I know it's where I belong. I know it's my home. * * * * From the sublime to the mundane. I seem to have survived my first day of temping in T.O. It would have been nice if the agency had given me the correct address , so I could have been on time my first day (!!), but hey. I got through the orientation without falling asleep, Allan and Cody picked me up at the GO station, we had dinner at our local pub (well, Cody didn't), and got home in time for "Corner Gas". I'm loving these new episodes! Tomorrow, as the song says, we get up and do it again. I'm tired, and it's boring, but I can do it for 8 weeks, then Peru awaits.

The Closing Ceremonies were great! Surprising, creative and fun. I tuned in just to see Sam Sullivan, but ended up watching the whole thing, and enjoying it. (Except for the unbelievably frequent commercials. Maybe that's more at night, during the prime time re-broadcast.) Sam was great, too. His international moment went off without a hitch, and just by being there, he's helped the cause. If I was proud and inspired to see him on that stage, can you even imagine how kids in wheelchairs feel when they see him? Electing a mayor who has a serious physical disability - and not even making a fuss about it - is not something that could happen in too many cities, or countries, in the world. You know, for most of my life I didn't use the flag of my country, not even on a postage stamp, and I didn't stand for the national anthem. I don't know what's happening to me, but I really dig the Maple Leaf. I even like hearing O Canada. You'll pardon my amazement. This nati...

I've been avoiding the blog this morning, afraid if I post, all I'll do is whine. I'm feeling very whiny. I'm feeling a bit like the world is closing in around me. My sweet little life, home all day in my cute little house, taking care of business, afternoon tea with my sweetie, never at the gym or a store when it's crowded, plenty of time for all my writing assignments... all coming to a screeching halt. I'm also a little worried. My health issues demand that I balance out my activities and get enough rest. Last time I was working full-time, I was really unable to do anything else. But that was a long time ago, before I had a proper diagnosis and good treatment. My health is much better now. I just wonder if, after working a full 40-hour week, if I'll have anything left. Temporary, temporary. I keep telling myself it's temporary. Who knows, in a few weeks, the Perfect Job could appear, and you can all laugh at me for being worried about a little temping...

After the Canadian men's curling team won the gold medal yesterday, I really enjoyed the coverage. Who wasn't moved watching Brad Gushue 's mom, kept from Torino by cancer treatments, celebrate at home with family and neighbours? It was great seeing a livingroom full of people sipping champagne as Gushue called her from the rink. And the scenes from around Newfoundland - kids being let out of school early, pubs packed, the province virtually shutting down to watch the game - reminded me of New England when the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004. Isn't it great how you can feel so happy for people you don't even know? Before the gold-medal game, CBC noted some disappointed men's hockey fans had come over to watch curling. One of them said into the microphone, "At least we can get some medal on the ice." I guess the women's hockey gold medal doesn't count. Grrr. The frequent TV ads for Newfoundland and Labrador tourism are very effective: t...

Some time ago, there was a long argument on wmtc about the US media's complicity in the junta and the war in Iraq. One lone reader, a Canadian, claimed that the media had nothing to do with it, a position that left the Americans on the verge of stroke. People in the US who oppose the anti-democratic policies of the W regime feel very strongly that the US media has been a huge factor in keeping the public ignorant and misinformed, re-packaging the administration's motives, and drumming up support for their policies. This has taken many forms: paid government spokespeople posing as journalists, actual journalists accepting government bribes, media running government press releases as news stories without disclosure, smear campaigns against people who publicize the truth, and a laundry list of distortions, deceptions and outright lies. MediaChannel.org , an excellent group that monitors mainstream media coverage, and United for Peace and Justice , the umbrella organization for hun...

The era of Laura writing full time ended three weeks ago . The era of Laura having lots of free time ends now. Starting Monday, I'll be working Monday through Friday, 9 to 5, until late April, unless the Perfect Job shows up before then. I need the work, and it comes just in time for our bank account. We won't have to dip into our savings. On the other hand: ARGH! I haven't worked a straight full-time job since 1991. And did I mention that my hourly rate will be exactly less than half what I last earned in New York? (We knew that before we moved.) Hooray! Boo! It's great! It sucks! Mixed feelings? Why, yes. I've no idea when I'll blog. Certainly not before I leave for work in the morning. So expect some gaps until I get re-settled.

The front page of today's Globe and Mail features a story on Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan , and his Olympic task this weekend. His greatest fear is that a gust of wind will blow the Olympic flag across his face, leaving him feeling disoriented and helpless. And then, to the horror of the 70,000 people watching in the stadium and the hundreds of millions taking it in on television, Vancouver's mayor plunges off the stage in his wheelchair. "That would not be good," Sam Sullivan said in Turin yesterday. No, Sam, that would definitely not be good. Mr. Sullivan discussed his possible nightmare as he revealed to the international press how he plans to accept the Olympic flag from the mayor of Turin, Sergio Chiamparino, during the closing ceremony of the 20th Winter Games on Sunday. As most of Canada knows, Mr. Sullivan is a quadriplegic. Soon after he won the mayor's job last November, many wondered how he would fulfill one of the key obligations of the position -- tr...

According to a Globe and Mail/CTV poll, a clear majority of Canadians oppose sending troops to Afghanistan and want to see Parliament vote on the issue. According to the poll of 1,000 Canadians, people are generally supportive of increasing the size of the military - but they don't want the military to be used in international conflicts that aren't strictly peacekeeping ventures or to help prop up the US military. In this poll, 62% opposed sending troops to Afghanistan, a whopping 73% want their MPs to vote on any troop deployment, and only 48% support further participation in the so-called war on terrorism. Let's hope the Canadian Parliament is more responsive to the people's wishes than the US Congress. CTV story here.

One thing that hampers many discussions of current politics is a good grasp of history. As someone who loves history, I know that once you start studying it, the first thing you learn is how little you know. Pronouncements beginning with "Canada is..." and "the United States has become..." often display more about the speaker's knowledge of history - or lack thereof - than anything. History is always open to interpretation, of course, and choices of emphasis, and myth, and propaganda, and anti-propaganda. The truth is never as simple as the facts. But it's impossible to understand current events - any current events, anywhere - without at least a basic knowledge of the history behind them. US culture is famously ahistorical - all new! all the time! - and most of the public is willing to accept whatever's in front of them, devoid of context. This is very useful for a government that wants to declare various nations The Enemy at any given time. Trying to u...

I don't think this law firm is going to offer me anything I want. I'm glad I met with them, though. They seem like a good place to work, and you never know what might open up in the future. About the mysterious writing gig, Wrye asked : What could it be? Penthouse Letters? Prime Minister's Office? Juno Awards jokewriter? Incomplete Sentence Preservation Society? National Post corrections and accuracy department? The possibilities are limitless! Indeed they are. But alas, the mystery will not be solved, as the interview was cancelled. All I know is that an older man with a heavy Greek accent and a gruff, cigar-smoking voice, who has owned a restaurant in downtown Toronto for 47 years, is looking for a writer. I thought he might be looking for someone to ghost-write his memoirs, or a family history. I don't care that the interview was cancelled, but just tell me what the job was ! We were so curious.

Yesterday's shoes-in-the-house post certainly drew a lot of interest. (Thanks to Lone Primate for bringing up this important cultural distinction!) Maybe I should change wmtc's subtitle. "no shoes, please, we're canadian"? Or "shoeless indoors since august 30, 2005"? I have an interview today at a big corporate law firm that's looking for word-processors. As of right now they don't have a spot with my kind of hours. The agency is thinking that once they meet me, they might create one. It's been known to happen, and they haven't ruled out the possibility. So, while I'm sure I can get the job that's being offered, I don't know if they'll offer me the job I want. I also have an interview tomorrow, for a part-time writing gig. It sounds a little wacky, and whether that's wacky in a good way remains to be seen. I answered an ad and was intrigued enough to see it through. Details to follow.

In comments here , Lone Primate drew my attention to a fundamental difference between Canadians and Americans previously unknown to me. I had seen this behaviour in Canada but didn't realize it was an important cultural trend. Forget health care, forget empire, we're talking shoes in the house . The conversation, with some additional thoughts about food. [Lone Primate] When you get down to the granular level, Canadians and Americans are really, fundamentally pretty similar. But this is one of the few genuine cultural differences I've observed between Canadians and Americans on a daily-living level: Americans don't cook; they don't even eat at home if they can avoid it. I don't mean that absolutely, of course, but far, far more than I notice to be the case here. Canadians, in my experience, typically have their favourite dishes and prepare them at home; they might eat out one or two evenings a week, and often it's something social. Ditto lunch: I've foun...

I guess most folks didn't want to talk about health care , although I appreciate the comments that you did leave. Maybe everyone is all talked out on the subject. In case it's not perfectly, brilliantly, transparently clear, I value Canada's national health insurance beyond measure. Remember, I come from a place where health care is a luxury for the wealthy and well employed, or a bone thrown to the very poor. As far as I'm concerned, that green card in my wallet is a piece of awe and wonder. When people ask me why I moved here, about the differences between the US and Canada, my shorthand version is: war vs health care. In the US, my taxes supported illegal, immoral, unjust, unnecessary war for the profit of a few. In Canada, my taxes support health care for all. I would never stand in favour of altering the system in a way that lost the fundamental values outlined in the Health Canada Act . But unless a system is perfect, changes will always be necessary to help it...

Recent news from Quebec reminded me that it's been a long time since we talked about health care. Wmtc readership has changed a lot since the last time I blogged about it, so I think it's time to re-open this can of worms. Last June, when the Canadian Supreme Court ruled that Quebeckers could purchase private health insurance, I was confused by some of the strong reaction - and strange interpretations - to the ruling. I asked for readers' help , and a discussion ensued ( a little more here ). Now Quebec has issued its response to the ruling. The Quebec government promised yesterday to provide hip and knee replacements and cataract surgery within six months of a patient's diagnosis and said it would pay for the procedures to be done at private clinics if necessary. This would make Quebec the first province to guarantee access to certain health procedures and would open the door to a greater role for private health care in Quebec. "We're putting the private sec...

The other day, I thought this was good news . This, not so much: Bloc plans to prop up Harper's minority The Bloc Quebecois says it intends to keep the Conservative minority government in office for a "good while," encouraged by the Tories' openness toward Quebec. With the Liberals already digging in their heels more than a month before the new Parliament begins and the NDP at least one vote shy of holding the balance of power, the Bloc will often be the deciding factor between Conservative success and an early federal election. Many federal Liberals warned during the last election that a Conservative minority beholden to the Bloc would lead to the dismantling of federal powers and a rise in Quebec sovereignty. But Bloc House Leader Michel Gauthier dismisses those warnings. In an interview, he said his party has no intention of imposing such demands and will simply be happy with an end to Liberal centralization and the Conservative pledge to respect the constitutional...

I must have this! I don't think they can ship to Canada. (Which would make the Maple Leaf tongue a bit irrelevant.) I'll have to ask my wine-loving sister to order some for me.

Peter Newman, author of a four-volume history of the Hudson's Bay Company, as well as The Secret Mulroney Tapes , published an extended essay about HBC in yesterday's Globe And Mail . It's the cover story of the Globe's "Focus" section , and it's very interesting. It begins: Hudson's Bay, USA Peter C. Newman Like totems sacrificed to the French Revolution -- the trophies melted down for coinage, the statues of angels torn out of cathedrals and tossed into the Seine -- Canada's corporate selloff accelerates unabated. Once safe-and-sound corporate idols such as Air Canada, Canadian National, Future Shop, Molson's, Tim Hortons, Shoppers Drug Mart, EnCana, Club Monaco and many others are now owned or controlled by U.S. investors. So it should be no surprise that next week this country's founding commercial enterprise, the Hudson's Bay Company, becomes a plaything of South Carolina financier Jerry Zucker. It shouldn't be a shock, but it ...

I'm turning wmtc over to you today. I'm working on something meaty for us to discuss and debate, but my brain's not up to it yet today. (I might wait for Monday.) So why don't we talk about whatever you want? Some trivia from my life to get things going. It's very cold today. -14 C (2 F), -25 C (-13 F) with the wind-chill - very cold for the GTA. It looks like all of Canada is in a deep freeze. It makes for shorter dog-walks, but I'm happy the sun is shining. I still don't have any word-processing work. I'm not worried, I know it will come eventually. Meanwhile I'll continue to enjoy my freedom while I have it. I also have lots of time to finish up my current Kids On Wheels stories and start an assignment for New Mobility . I'm trying to brush up on my Spanish for our trip to Peru, but every time I sit down with the book, my eyes glaze over. This week I solved the mystery of how to clean inside old radiators, thanks to a Helpful Canadian Tire pe...

I've heard sportscasters say some pretty dumb things, but this has got to land CBC's Brian Williams in the Top Ten All-Time Dumbest. Moments ago, Shani Davis became the first African American man to win an individual gold medal in a Winter Olympics. Davis took the gold for speed skating, in the 1000-meter event. Said Williams: "Davis is from the south side of Chicago. He put on a White Sox cap after his race, perhaps some Jim Croce music playing in the background..." Jim Croce? Can you think of anything less "south side of Chicago" than Jim Croce? For those who don't understand the reference, the words "the south side of Chicago" are found in the lyrics of an old pop song. For those who don't understand the stupidity, the song has nothing to do with Chicago. Less than nothing. Ask 100 - no, 1,000 - Chicagoans to reel off a few things their city is known for. I guarantee you none of them will name "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown". What...

Long-time readers may remember my enthusiasm for The Gates, the Christo project in New York's Central Park. I was thrilled to still be living in New York when the project happened, and I blogged about it incessantly. Old posts: when The Gates first opened , why I cared about it (in response to a reader's question), my thoughts on Gates detractors , and finally, my impressions after seeing it for the first time. (I went twice, once without a camera and once with - plus, the second time, there was snow on the ground.) Also, some Gates fun here . Reading these old posts, I see I was considering buying something to remember the experience. I was also happy about the little freebie giveaway , which now resides in a small clip frame near my desk. As we got ready to leave New York, the idea of owning a signed print from the project appealed to me more and more. Allan and I both enjoyed The Gates so much, and it seemed so fitting to bring something very special, and very New York, t...

I'm thoroughly enjoying watching The Olympics. I'm not watching in any organized, concerted way, just turning on the TV more than I normally would and tuning in to whatever sport is on. (Unless it's figure skating, then I turn it off.) I'm really enjoying the coverage at the venues themselves, which is informative, purely sports-oriented and not overly patriotic. What a great change from US coverage! I could use more information about the sports, as I think Olympics coverage should assume that most people watching don't normally follow these sports, and need some instruction. However, since I'm often just watching highlights - for example, of curling - the announcers might be doing a lot of this and I'm just not catching it. One thing I love about Olympics coverage these days is the total lack of sexism. This probably dates me, but I well remember coverage of women's sports that reeked of blatant sexism. Not any more. Progress! The only thing I don't...

I don't know how many of you have ever been to Whole Foods . They have three locations in Canada - Vancouver, Toronto, and in the Toronto suburb of Oakville. When Whole Foods opened its first location in New York City a few years ago, it was a Big Thing. I immediately fell in love with it and contrived to shop there whenever possible, even though it was nowhere near where we lived, and despite prices that put it in the "indulgence" category. Whole Foods is a combination of an extremely upscale supermarket, a health food store and a specialty food outlet. They have a giant selection of organic produce, organic food products of every description, huge organic meat, fish, cheese and bakery departments, and - what they're especially famous for in New York - prepared food. Everything is freshly prepared in the store with all organic ingredients, and the selection is vast. Buying freshly prepared food from specialty markets - that is, bringing home already prepared, but hea...

I took this as a good sign. Liberals unwilling to prop up Harper Graham says onus now on Bloc and NDP to support Conservative minority Opposition Leader Bill Graham said he will not be afraid to defeat Prime Minister Stephen Harper's minority Conservative government, even though the Liberal Party will spend much of the year in a leadership race. Mr. Harper must either accommodate Liberal positions on key issues such as child care and income-tax cuts or turn to the New Democratic Party and Bloc Quebecois for support in the House of Commons, Mr. Graham said in an interview with The Globe and Mail. He placed the onus for avoiding a quick election on the New Democrats and the Bloc, saying they triggered the last election out of political opportunism. "We're not in the business of propping up the government," he said. "We're the Official Opposition. And that is our role, and we will stick to our points where they are important to the future of the country. "O...

The United Nations released a report today calling on the United States to release or bring to trial everyone being held in the Guantanamo Bay prison, Cuba, and to shut the facility down. The report is a summary of an investigation by five UN experts. It calls on the US government "to close down the Guantanamo Bay detention centre and to refrain from any practice amounting to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment." The UN report is found here. . It comes as no surprise that the US discredits and ignores the report. It's not like they give a shit about human rights, or international opinion, or... anything except their own agenda. Not much new there. But these kinds of reports are important nonetheless. Reliable third parties must document the abuses of the most powerful. It's bad enough the US rewrites its own recent history; they can't be allowed to rewrite it for the entire world. One of the US's complaints about the UN report is that the investi...

Well, I guess we have a doctor. I felt comfortable with her, certainly enough for now. I suppose the real test of any doctor is what they do when something changes, but there's no way to know that in advance. For now, though, this is fine. I haven't gotten any temp work yet. There's something likely for next week, so I'm trying to enjoy my freedom while I can - swimming, reading, taking Cody to the off-leash park. I am dreading temping, with a fervor out of all logical proportion. I know it will be fine. I do. But I have a completely sick dread of it anyway. I think the full effects of losing my great writing gig is just hitting home. When I wrote the first manuscript, I was under such enormous pressure - moving preparations, Buster's illness, saying goodbye to friends and family in New York, and still working my weekend job. I sometimes felt on the verge of exploding. (Indeed, I did have at least one full-scale panic attack.) Even under those difficult conditions,...

Here's something I love about Canada. The media says things like this : Other newsworthy events took place yesterday: Four U.S. soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan and Iran began enriching uranium in its deadly game of nuclear brinkmanship, but the press corps here was interested in only one story — why it took almost 24 hours for the world to find out that U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney had accidentally shot a man in the face during a weekend Texas hunting trip. After five years of largely accepting the Bush administration's version of events on everything from Iraq's illusory weapons of mass destruction to the bungled response to hurricane Katrina, the White House press corps suddenly turned aggressive yesterday, refusing to accept spokesman Scott McClellan's explanations of why the public had been left in the dark about Mr. Cheney's hunting mishap. At the gym yesterday, I happened to see a CNN headline saying Scottie was "grilled" ab...

We have appointments today with a nearby family doctor. If we like her - or, if I like her, since it's more important to me - the last piece of our settling-in puzzle will be in place. This was the issue I was most concerned about, because I've had bad doctors, and finding a good one changed my life, and because I heard it was very difficult to find a doctor who's accepting new patients in the Toronto area. I wasn't seriously worried, as there are walk-in clinics everywhere. I went to trouble and expense to make sure we had a good six-months' supply of all our medications, and just hoped for the best. As it turned out, there were several doctors accepting new patients in Mississauga. Now I'm crossing my fingers that I like this one, or enough to start out, anyway. It will be our first time using our wonderful and amazing Ontario Health cards. * * * * Back in the Old Country, 26.9 inches of snow fell in Central Park in 24 hours - breaking the previous record set...

From United for Peace and Justice : As if losing their homes, jobs, and family members were not enough, displaced Katrina survivors are now at risk of being denied their Constitutional right to vote in Louisiana elections. Under Louisiana's current election plans, a high percentage of the state's registered voters who have relocated to other cities and states are in danger of being excluded from the voting process. Many of them are low-income African Americans and immigrants. Few of Louisiana's displaced residents are in a position to return to New Orleans and other Louisiana cities to vote. For instance, on Monday, February 13th, FEMA's short-term hotel program expires for most of the 26,000 displaced hurricane survivors, yet most of these evacuees have not been provided with long-term, or even transitional, housing solutions. To protect evacuees' right to vote, it's vital that Louisiana set up satellite voting centers in other parishes and states where large n...

Read this book. It's excellent. It scared the shit outta me.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. This is the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America . It was ratified in 1791 , four years after the Constitution was ratified , along with the other nine amendments that comprise the Bill of Rights . I'm a First Amendment nut. I view unfettered freedom of speech as one of the backbones of a free society, along with freedom of religion, the right to assemble, and the right to bodily integrity (not mentioned in the US Constitution). When the First Amendment is in trouble , I have no trouble knowing where I stand. When the Nazis wanted to march through Skokie, Illinois , I was only 17, but it seemed clear to me that they must be allowed to do so. In the nearly 30 years since, my beliefs h...

Hundreds of Muslims protested in Toronto and Montreal yesterday , peacefully raising their voices against the insulting depiction of the prophet Mohammed in European newspapers. According to the CBC, about 250 people demonstrated near McGill University in Montreal and another 200 people marched in front of the Danish consulate in Toronto. (Does that mean there were really 1,000 people at each? Veteran demonstrators will know what I mean.) Apparently there was one arrest in Montreal, of a man who was shouting profanities about Islam. In Europe, there were several peaceful protests, many people condemning both the cartoons and the violent responses to their publication. Four days ago, the student newspaper of the University of Prince Edward Island published the infamous cartoons . CBC: "Two thousand copies of The Cadre were distributed on campus Wednesday, but university administration ordered them removed. Officials say the cartoons have already caused enough violence around the wo...

If Canadians Ruled , a Photoshop contest at Worth1000.com . Many thanks to James .

Since January 2003, I have been reading The Diary of Samuel Pepys , online, at PepysDiary.com . Samuel Pepys (pronounced "peeps") lived in London, England, in the 17th Century. For ten years, he kept a meticulous diary, a highly unusual concept for its day. Pepys - or Sam, as the diary readers all call him - wrote about the major political, religious and military events of the time, as well as the mundane dealings of every day life - food and drink, servants and neighbours, family feuds and marital spats. Luckily for us, Sam was a man of endless curiosity. He loved new inventions and innovations, and he loved books, music, theatre and art. (He also loved women.) The Diary of Samuel Pepys is a literary landmark, a great repository of history and a treasure trove of 17th Century London life. A little more than three years ago, the incomparable Phil Gyford had the idea to put the entire diary online. Like many people, Gyford had wanted to read Pepys' diary but was intimida...

I didn't expect to write another "what i'm reading" post so soon, but I'm so absorbed in this book that I had to post: The Plot Against America by Philip Roth. I'm not sure how familiar Canadians are with Philip Roth . He's an important American writer, very prolific, often confounding. His first novel was Goodbye, Columbus (1959), Plot Against America came out in 2004, and there's a long, long list in between. Roth is both profound and playful, and his writing is hugely varied - he's not a writer for whom you can read one or two books and declare you know him. Some of his novels are among my favourite books; others I found unreadable. But without a doubt he is a great American voice. I'm hoping he wins the Nobel Prize in his lifetime. Roth has also been very influential in bringing other voices to US audiences, most notably Milan Kundera and Primo Levi. One can imagine a direct line following the Eastern European experience, beginning with ...

Why are books so much more expensive in Canada than in the US? Does anyone know? We are accustomed to buying books so much more cheaply. This is hard to get used to. Please note, I'm not asking where to find discount books in the GTA. Thanks to readers, guidebooks and the internet, I have a good idea of that already, along with a Chapters discount card. I'm wondering why the big price difference exists.

The XX Olympic Games open today in Torino. I've been hugely impressed at how big the winter Olympics are here in Canada. It completely makes sense, of course, this being a winter country with a natural affinity for the winter sports. You don't see nearly the attention paid to the winter Olympics in the US. I got a CBC broadcast schedule in my Globe And Mail this morning. It's going to be hard to get any writing done this weekend. I also can't wait to see how much coverage the 2006 winter Paralympics receive. As far as US media coverage, if the Paralympics are the Olympics' poor neighbour, the winter Paralympics are the squirrels in their backyard. Even in the world of disability sports, the winter Paralympics are barely noticed, probably because the two premiere wheelchair sports - racing and basketball - are in the summer games. But Canada has a great sledge hockey team, and great disabled skiers , so I'll be watching for them. I always have mixed feelings ...

Allan and I spent the afternoon in Toronto yesterday. Checking out the map before we left, I had a minor revelation: I'm starting to know my way around. For a limited area of the city, I've gotten my bearings and know where things are in relation to each other. It's a good feeling! Also one I thought would take much longer to achieve, since we don't live in the city. No big new sights to report, just a nice day of wandering and exploring, including a pub lunch at the Black Bull on Queen West.

When I first looked into Canadian history, I was amazed to learn how much of the land was formerly owned by the Hudson's Bay Company . Because the 336-year-old company is about to pass out of Canadian control, bought by US gazillionaire Jerry Zucker, there is some concern about what will happen to its vast repository of Canadian history. Much of the company's documents and artifacts are already housed in the official archives of Manitoba and in the Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature . But some objects of great historical value are still owned by HBC. In addition, there's the question of continued funding for the Hudson's Bay Company History Foundation, and the two HBC heritage museums . From yesterday's Globe And Mail : When a private company changes hands, that's business news. When a private company is also a national icon and repository for more than three centuries of papers, artifacts and art related to Canada's very genesis, it's news for the histo...