test blog #10

Happy New Year! Here's to a happy, healthy, revolutionary 2013. Love to all.

I am so enjoying re-watching the original Star Trek series, in order, from the beginning, on my US Netflix/Roku. I half-dread writing about "Star Trek TOS", because of... well, you know. The whole Star Trek thing. The whole sci-fi thing. If you read the " what i'm watching " and " what i'm reading " posts on wmtc, you know I am not a science fiction aficionado. Obviously I am not a Trekkie or a Trekker. I don't know or care about Star Trek trivia. Shatner* memes can be mildly amusing, but really, whatever. I just really like this show. (This is a problem when you casually enjoy something that has a cult following. I've never written about Xena, either, for the same reason. I'm not a fantasy fan. I just love that show!) I watched Star Trek as a kid, back when there was no need to append "the original series" to the name,** but before stumbling on it on Netflix, I hadn't seen it in more than a decade. I thought I had seen...

Congratulations to Andy Barrie, former CBC broadcaster, on being awarded the Order of Canada, the country's highest civilian honour. This CBC story says that Barrie "left the U.S. and moved to Canada during the Vietnam War". But if you listen to this interview , you will hear how Barry "left" and "moved": he had volunteered for the war in Vietnam, then deserted, and fled to Canada. Andy Barrie is a war resister, and was a deserter. (Do you hear that, Jason Kenney? Andy volunteered and deserted , and he was still allowed to stay.) Andy has been a longtime and active supporter of the War Resisters Support Campaign and of our current group of resisters to the invasion and occupation of Iraq. Thank you, Andy Barrie, for being in Canada, and for choosing peace.

At last, this is the fourth post of the talks I attended in November and December. Allan and I organized this in Mississauga, through the Mississauga "twig" of the IS . The talk was given by our friend and comrade John Bell. The other recent talks: noah richler, u.s. war resisters, and the militarization of canadian culture , from greece to chicago to toronto, workers fighting back against austerity , and talking radical: a history of canada through the eyes of activists . Allan is guest-posting this one. * * * * This past year, Conservative MP Paul Calandra hosted a War of 1812- related "celebration of the armed forces" in Stouffville, Ontario, including a military flyover. This was one small part of a nationwide propaganda campaign by Steven Harper's Conservative Government - which is costing Canadian taxpayers at least $30 million - to prop up a myth: a sense of Canadian glory about the War of 1812. The Conservatives claim that the War of 1812 united Canadian...

First we read about the horrific gang rape, with spectators. Then we learn that the victim has died. Then, on top of all that, we hear authorities may seek the death penalty for the perpetrators. I was heartened by the demonstrations and the vigils. Until I read that people are clamouring for murder. Murder is not justice. It is vengeance. It won't make women any safer.

Media Release For Immediate Release December 28, 2012 Attawapiskat Chief Spence heading into day 19 of hunger strike and seeking Canadians, Members of Parliament and politicians to urge Prime Minister Harper to meet and commit to Nation to Nation relations with Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples. Algonquin Territory, Ottawa, Ontario Chief Theresa Spence is heading into day nineteen of a hunger strike and concern for her health has been expressed by community members worldwide. Her resolve is unwavering to continue her hunger strike until the Prime Minister and his government agree to a meeting to discuss a commitment and a way forward to begin Nation to Nation treaty based relationship and a path forward for reconciliation with First Nations and Canada. Her condition continues to weaken every hour and the time has come for increased efforts to gain the support of Canadians and governments in forging this new relationship. Two events will be planned for Sunday December 30th, 2012. 1. Open hous...

‎ When our ancestors made treaties with the British Crown to allow the Queen's subjects to live in our territories, it was for as long as the sun shines, the waters flow and the grass grows. The Crown's only legal access to our lands is contingent upon the fulfilment of the promises made in the negotiations of treaty. Canada is considered a First World country and our peoples are living in extreme poverty and substandard living conditions. As nations, we held up our end of the treaty, yet Canada continues to only pay lip service to our relationship. — Chief Theresa Spence If the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs can meet with Chief Spence, as the Health Minister suggests , then the Prime Minister and the Governor General can do the same. It's not too much to ask. In fact, it's incredibly conciliatory and compassionate, considering the treatment aboriginal peoples have received and the conditions they have endured.

How this series works: I write about one or two older books, offer an my opinion on whether the book will be relevant and accessible to children today, and suggest a more contemporary equivalent. I also recommend two additional children's books. * * * * Still Classic? My Side of the Mountain , Jean Craighead George, 1959 Hatchet , Gary Paulsen, 1987, first of series of five books Sam Gribley, the teenage hero of My Side of the Mountain , runs away from his crowded New York City home, determined to live off the land. He brings only a few basic tools and a little money, and learns how to survive by trial-and-error and through research at the local library. Sam does more than survive: he builds a rich life for himself in the woods. After contact with some locals from nearby towns, this "wild boy" of the forest becomes something of a local legend. I was fascinated with this book as a child. It inspired fantasies of living off the land the way Sam Gribley did, and deepened my...

Back in May, I blogged about a family in my area who faced a nightmare: social services had threated to remove their child from their home. Both parents have disabilities, and although they had proved themselves completely capable of taking care of a baby, Children's Aid said they must hire round-the-clock assistance, or the family could not stay together. When the story came to light, there was a huge outcry, not only from the disability community but from the general public, too. Children's Aid backed down, and, according to this follow-up story , has become their support and their ally. Today, because reason won out over prejudice, the family celebrates its first Christmas together . I wish them a beautiful day.

This is the first post in an occasional series about children's books. My plan is to intersperse children's books among my usual reading, and to write short reviews of several books for young people in one post. In each, I'll include one or two older books thought to be classics, and give an opinion on the question: Does this book hold up? Is it still relevant and accessible to children today? Would I suggest it to a young reader, or is there a contemporary equivalent that I'd choose instead? I'll also write about two other children's books that I recommend. * * * * Still Classic? The Borrowers , Mary Norton, 1952, five books in the series The Spiderwick Chronicles , Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, 2003, currently eight books in the series Borrowers are tiny creatures who look like miniature people, live in human homes, and re-purpose human belongings. If you're missing a thimble, a Borrower might be using it to strain spaghetti. Your missing bandanna might...

Of all the aspects of librarianship that I know about, the piece I'm most excited about is readers' advisory. Readers' advisory is the library term for answering that important question... "What to read next?" Questions like, "Do you have any more books like this one?", "I'm tired of reading mysteries, I need something different," and "I loved this book, I want another just like it," are all about readers' advisory. I was surprised to learn that adult readers ask library staff for book recommendations all the time. In my own reading, I am guided by almost exclusively by book reviews. It never occurred to me that people ask librarians about pleasure reading. But they do, in droves. In the childrens' department, readers' advisory is a constant need. More than half the questions I hear from our young customers and their parents are a search for pleasure reading, and few things are more important. The key to childrens...

As Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence enters her twelfth day without food, solidarity actions with the IdleNoMore aboriginal movement are growing throughout Canada and around the globe. In Winnipeg , demonstrators blocked the Trans Canada Highway. In freezing weather in Edmonton , protesters filled downtown streets. At least 1,000 people came out in the snow in Ottawa . In Toronto , supporters filled Dundas Square with a flash-mob round dance. Hundreds protested in Iqaluit, Yellowknife and Whitehorse . In Vancouver, Montreal, Saskatoon, and Sudbury, people took to the streets . Aboriginal peoples in Australia , New Zealand , Mexico , and the UK have shown solidarity. The movement has pierced the mainstream media . But still, Prime Minister Stephen Harper says nothing. Does nothing. Refuses to be engaged. Please go here to sign a letter to Stephen Harper . Tell Stephen Harper to meet with First Nations Leaders, include First Nations in decision-making, and observe and honour treaty ri...

An important and exciting column by Glenn Greenwald. See original for more links. New press freedom group is launched to block US government attacks Nothing is more vital than enabling true transparency and adversarial journalism, and preventing further assaults on them Several weeks ago, I wrote about the steps taken by the US government to pressure large corporations to choke off the finances and other means of support for WikiLeaks in retaliation for the group's exposure of substantial government deceit, wrongdoing and illegality. Because WikiLeaks has never been charged with, let alone convicted of, any crime, I wrote: "that the US government largely succeeded in using extra-legal and extra-judicial means to cripple an adverse journalistic outlet is a truly consequential episode." At the end of that column, I disclosed that I had been involved in discussions "regarding the formation of a new organization designed to support independent journalists and groups suc...

I've noticed a distinct reduction in my annual irritation and disgust at the holiday madness this year.* An unexpected convergence of events has brought on a pleasant state of near-apathy. First, no TV. Watching shows on Netflix or by download is blissfully free of advertising. No salespeople dressed up as Santa Claus, no "gift ideas" for useless crap future landfill. Next, I haven't stepped foot in a mall. Not that I ever do much mall shopping, but my hair salon is in a mall, and sometimes some obligatory gift or errand forces me into the insanity. Not this year. Most importantly, I'm not working as legal support staff anymore. This means no more listening to co-workers recite lists of what they are buying for whom. I don't know why people do this (they can't possibly think anyone else cares?), but for me it was the low-point of the office work environment. And it's gone! Something also happened on the positive side of the equation. At our staf...

Love and happy holidays from all of us at chez wmtc. In 2013, raise your voice! Howl for peace, howl for justice. Howl for change.

This the third of the four talks I attended semi-recently. Other recent talks: noah richler, u.s. war resisters, and the militarization of canadian culture , and from greece to chicago to toronto, workers fighting back against austerity . * * * * Scott Neigh, who writes the blog A Canadian Lefty in Occupied Land , has published a pair of books that "enter Canadian history-from-below through the words of long-time activists." You can learn more about these books and who is featured in them at Scott's Talking Radical website. I attended a book-launch event for Neigh's books because my friend and comrade Frank Showler was speaking. Frank, who was a war resister during the second World War, is a stalwart supporter of the War Resisters Support Campaign - and all peace activism - and I was there to show support to Frank. But of course I learned from every speaker, and from the perspectives of many people in the audience. Neigh talked about what he learned from interviewin...

Today is the third birthday that courageous military whistleblower Bradley Manning has spent in prison. By the time his court martial begins in March, he will have been imprisoned almost three years, including a full year in solitary confinement - an internationally recognized form of torture. Bradley Manning helped people see the truth about the US occupation of Iraq. And for that he is being persecuted. Manning's lawyer, David Coombs, recently spoke publicly to a group of supporters in Washington DC. Here's an excerpt from his speech: When I'm in the courtroom, I stand up and look to my right, and, I see the United States government. The United States government with all of its resources, all of its personnel, I see them standing against me and Brad. And I have to admit to you, that can be rather intimidating. And I was intimidated. Especially when the President of the United States says your client broke the law. Especially when congress members say your client deserves ...

It's a rare television show that gets me so engrossed in the characters that I actually begin to care about them. It takes great writing, great acting, and probably more than anything, great characters. I've just finished the entire series of " Monk ," which I've been watching end-to-end on Netflix. The last network TV show I remember liking in the same can't-put-it-down way was " Veronica Mars ," which I had never heard of until a friend lent me the series on DVD. (Thank you!!) I'd watch one episode after the next until I would finally force myself to go to sleep. I read about "Monk" when it first aired; critics loved it and lobbied for it to stay on the air, but it was never broadcast in our area. A few years ago I started catching episodes on late-night cable, and really liked it. Netflix (and Roku) gave me the chance to watch the entire series. "Monk" follows a well-worn path: a brilliant but damaged detective (they always...

We've endured too many of these tragedies in the past few years. And each time I learn the news, I react not as a president, but as anybody else would as a parent. And that was especially true today. I know there's not a parent in America who doesn't feel the same overwhelming grief that I do. The majority of those who died today were children — beautiful, little kids between the ages of 5 and 10 years old. They had their entire lives ahead of them — birthdays, graduations, weddings, kids of their own. -- President Barack Obama, after a man opened fire in a Connecticut school, killing 27 people, including 20 children Revolutionary thought of the day: Children in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Gaza, and every place in the world are also beautiful. They also have their entire lives ahead of them. They also deserve to see birthdays, graduations, weddings, kids of their own. What happened in Connecticut, like every mass murder, is an abomination. What happens from the US's drone wa...

A friend sent me a link to this blog, written by a man from the UK, a Socialist Workers Party activist, now retired and living on the Greek island of Samos. It's a picture from of life under extreme austerity - how people are suffering, but also how they are coming together. It's very scary. People are living under the harshest of conditions. Too often, the response is scapegoating and violence. Attacks on undocumented immigrants, Roma, and others read like European history repeating itself in the worst possible ways. Yet this blog also highlights the seeds of hope. Grassroots initiatives are forming, people are coming together, sharing resources, finding ways to cope. I read this and think, there is no way out but revolution. I challenge anyone to read this blog and come up with a better idea. Today I had an e mail from Patras. In it my close friend Dora relayed that there were many diverse grass roots initiatives emerging in Patras. Many were still fragile and unsure of thei...

I just bought a slow-cooker, the first one I've owned. Do you use one? If so, what are your favourite things to make with it? Any tips or suggestions? I know there a zillion slow-cooker recipes online, but I'd like to hear what friends and readers like. Thanks!

In the US, on the biggest shopping day of the year, Walmart workers in 47 states took action against the abusive, illegal retaliatory practices of their behemoth employer. Today, workers in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, India, Nicaragua, Zambia and South Africa will show solidarity with those US workers with a Global Day of Action against Walmart . This will include a moment of silence for the 112 workers who died in a Bangladesh factory fire on November 24. To read about why this is necessary and long overdue, go here . Also: Wal-Mart's Killer Rollbacks: The Human Cost of Lower Prices by Michael Laxer.

I no longer see TV news, but I have it on good authority that if your primary news source is CBC's The National, you haven't been hearing about two important developing - and exciting - stories. Idle No More is a campaign led by First Nations peoples to fight back against Canada's destruction of natural resources and its continued profiting from Native lands. The movement, including a hunger strike by Chief Theresa Spence , is being framed as opposition to the Harper Government's latest omnibus budget bill (C-45). It is that, but it's also much more. In their own words: MANIFESTO We contend that: The Treaties are nation to nation agreements between Canada and First Nations who are sovereign nations. The Treaties are agreements that cannot be altered or broken by one side of the two Nations. The spirit and intent of the Treaty agreements meant that First Nations peoples would share the land, but retain their inherent rights to lands and resources. Instead, First Nat...

Finally, a video of Tala and Diego! How silly am I? Now that we have video capability, I felt sad that we don't have video of all our past dogs, the ones who are gone. And because of this, I didn't want to take videos of these dogs! Very silly. I finally decided to not let that stop me anymore. So we just taught ourselves the basics: shoot, edit, convert, upload. Ta-da. It's not exactly professional quality, but it's good enough for YouTube. This video is actually a test. More fun to come.

It's 12.12.12! To all my fellow obsessives, enjoy the day!

Of all the reasons for hope that we've seen in recent times - Wisconsin, the Occupy Movement, the Quebec students' actions, the Chicago teachers' strike - this trend gives me the most joy and the most hope. Here are three stories of non-unionized workers organizing themselves to change conditions in their own workplaces. In September, New York City restaurant workers walked off the job and won a historic victory against their oppressive and vindictive employer. The restaurant workers who were fired and locked out of their store for organizing a union have won after a week of escalating protests outside the Manhattan cafe. Saturday afternoon, the owner declared that he had bowed to the workers demands to reopen the store, rehire all the workers and recognize their newly formed union, an inspiring labor victory at a time when many are attacking the power of unions. The 23 workers at the Upper East Side Hot and Crusty, which is one of a string of 24-hour cafes in New York Ci...