test blog #10

With the resignation of US Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, it is very likely that Roe v. Wade , the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion, will be overturned. I'm getting frustrated by the spate of stories about how abortion will now be illegal -- with no mention of how Roe has become meaningless for so many women. I wrote this (below) on Common Dreams in 2005. I was off on the chronology -- it took longer to get to this point than I thought it would -- and the lack of access has undoubtedly gotten worse since then.  This piece in The Guardian will bring you up to date. * * * * * January 23, 2005 For Millions of American Women, Roe Is Already History By Laura Kaminker Thirty-two years ago yesterday, American women gained greater control over their bodies - and therefore, over their lives - when Roe v. Wade , the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion, became the law of the land. The choice community celebrates the Roe anniversary as a kind of emancipation day, bu...

I read this book many months ago. I'm still catching up from my involuntary blogging hiatus. Last year I read and wrote about   The Maximum Security Book Club: Reading Literature in a Men's Prison . I found it extremely disappointing; if you read the review, you will catch my understatement. Avi Steinberg's Running the Books  starts out disappointing, but once it kicks in, is a wonderfully satisfying and beautifully written book. When we meet Steinberg, he is somewhat adrift, having abandoned his religious studies at Yeshiva University, escaping to Harvard, but graduating with no discernible direction or passion to find one. The writing is snarky and self-deprecating; the tone is pure staccato. I thought Running the Books might be one of those "guy reads" that I find shallow and irritating. But when Steinberg accepts a position as a prison librarian -- with no experience in either prisons or libraries -- the writing slows down, and it blossoms. Perhaps the early t...

I was literally reading this article in The New York Times  about Philip Roth when I heard he had died. It's a wonderful story: an 85-year-old celebrated author who has come to the end of his career with no regrets, is grateful to wake up every morning, and is now bingeing on nonfiction to learn more and more about the world. I was so happy for him, experiencing an old age we all deserve, but so many never find. I've read many of Philip Roth's novels, and have many more still to go. He can be a challenging read, sometimes deceptively simple, sometimes confounding, almost always thought-provoking and worthwhile. If you haven't read The Plot Against America , I recommend it highly. To me Roth is best remembered as the author who taught me about the bright line between fiction and autobiography, and that readers would do well to stop conflating the two (although they never will). Critics and readers were obsessed with this question, and seemingly could not see Roth's n...

venn diagram courtesy of Lucidchart I just wanted to create a Venn diagram.

The theme of this year's TD Summer Reading Club -- a national program (developed by Toronto Public Library) that more than 2,000 Canadian libraries participate in -- is Feed Your Passions, or as some are calling it, geeking out. Allan and I are going to join the fun with our own tremendously geeky reading, although it will take us considerably more than one summer. For eons, we have had on our bookshelf Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898 by Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace, a massive 1,424 pages in very small print. I've always wanted to read it, but it's a bit intimidating! And it's not like you can throw it in your backpack to read on the bus. Then for my birthday this year, included among Allan's gifts and cards and general Celebration of Laura, was Wallace's follow-up: Greater Gotham: A History of New York City from 1898 to 1919 . This volume -- all 1200 pages of it -- has got to be fascinating, but we can't read the second book without readin...

While this blog was offline, an amazing and incredibly important thing happened: the people of the Republic of Ireland affirmed the human right to control our own bodies. In a referendum to "Repeal the 8th" -- so-called for the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland, which gave equal legal status to women and embryos or fetuses -- the overwhelming majority of Irish people voted yes  to repeal the total ban on abortion. For me, the way this happened was almost as important as the result: it was a true grassroots organizing campaign. Person to person, street by street, town by town, Irish people talked and discussed and declaimed and debated. The vote was overwhelmingly in favour of repeal: 66.4% voted to repeal. With this, Ireland has at last " stepped into the light ". One of the most touching details of the #RepealThe8th campaign was #HomeToVote , which saw Irish citizens living all over the world traveling to Ireland to cast their vote to repeal. Reading...

During my recent attack by wingnut trolls, I learned something new: how to request that the Internet Archive remove your site from the Wayback Machine . * * * * Before I was nominated as an NDP candidate in the recent provincial election, of course my online presence had to be vetted. All potential candidates were asked to deactivate their personal profiles from social media, and in addition I was asked to delete a few random tweets from several years ago. None of this was a big deal to me. The only big deal was wmtc. Early on, I was asked if I'd consider taking down the site. My first reaction was completely negative. Wmtc is so much a part of my life. Take it down? No way! It was only weeks before the election would be called -- and I've been blogging for 14 years. That's a lot of words! There was really no way to vet everything. While the NDP was considering the situation from their end, I was also thinking more about being a candidate, and increasingly feeling like it ...

As we all sit helplessly agog at the latest spectacle going on in the US, here are some organizations to which you can donate (or volunteer) to help. How To Help Migrant Parents & Children Who Are Separated At The Border It's the least we can do. And for most of us, the most we can do. Where have we seen this before?  Message to My History Teacher, Who[m] I Once Asked Why No One Stopped the Concentration Camps: NEVER MIND BBC: US Separates 2,000 Children in Six Weeks NY Times: Taking Migrant Children From Families is Illegal, U.N. tells U.S. New Yorker: Taking Children From Their Parents is a Form of State Terror ( Canadians know about this .) Disaster capitalism: Military contractors making tens of millions helping Trump tear families apart ICYMI:  How To Help Migrant Parents & Children Who Are Separated At The Border

Our final full day on the island, we did a little of everything. We drove through different areas of Nanaimo, went into more bookstores, went food shopping to make a simple dinner at the house, and drove a little further north to the towns of Parksville and Qualicum Beach. Parksville has a beautiful library ("has a beautiful library" drinking game?). In a bakery there, I made a random compliment about the very nice place and the nice town, and the person behind the counter raved about living there. Parksville and Qualicum Beach both have beaches, with waterfront motels and condos. I would have thought these towns were too upscale to have affordable rentals, but I saw several places online. We've been talking a lot about, if I was a librarian in one of these towns, where Allan might work, and where we could live, and I've been looking at rental sites and job openings. It seems that while we were out here, Vancouver Island has moved from idea to intention . We drove to...

Poor Allan, the only non-morning person in our little group, being faced with three high-octane coffee drinkers every morning! In Chemainus I let him sleep in a bit as we had breakfast in the hotel. I've been emailing frequently with both the NDP search committee and the riding association, as the nomination meeting is being set -- and also discussing with Allan and M&M when to tell members and management. After breakfast we drove around Chemainus for a bit. We saw a lot of beautiful homes with view of both water and mountains; saw a funny gingerbread house with crazy topiary; and saw one small library in a poor location. This was the only disappointing library on the whole trip -- although it was closed (Sunday), so perhaps during the week it's more vibrant? But the location was terrible, a well-kept secret. A bit further on, we visted the town of Ladysmith, whose claim to fame is that the 49th parallel runs through the town. There's a monument and some history markers...

After breakfast, we packed up and said a reluctant goodbye to this cozy spot -- mostly the deck with the view -- and headed north on the Trans-Canada Highway , towards Nanaimo. Allan and I drove on the Trans-Canada Highway in Newfoundland, so we've been on the easternmost and westernmost points. To a lover of road-trips, that sounds like a challenge... On the way north, we stopped at a scenic lookout with a totem and some interesting information about it. In the town of Mill Bay, we popped into small library branch tucked away in a shopping plaza. It's about the size of one of our small branches in Mississauga; the Vancouver Island Regional Library considers it a medium branch, meaning six permanent staff. (There are some very tiny branches on the north island.) I was very taken with this lovely library in Mill Bay. I can totally see myself working there. Further down the road, we found the town of Duncan. It was Saturday, a busy market day. We hunted down a vegetarian restau...

Breakfast at the Arbutus Guesthouse was a bit strange, but the lakeside view more than compensated. We went for a walk on a spit with great views of an inlet and snow-capped mountains in the distance. People were out with their dogs, lovely big dogs and some crazy puppies. We drove around the main street area, and went into some shops. First, an antique store owned by an extremely long-winded man, who asked, "Where are you folks from?" then told his life story. I quickly ducked out, and made for a jewelry store with work only by local artists, and a gallery in the back for local painters and photographers. I was drooling over the jewelry, and managed to escape with only two pairs of earrings. (I had also bought some very inexpensive bead bracelets at a thrift shop in Sidney.) Between the antiques and the jewelry was a gift shop with all kinds of lovely local work. We bought this: a Canadian flag motif with a dog paw instead of a maple leaf. We chatted with the owner, who -- l...

We interrupt this retroactive travel diary to wish me a happy birthday. I have been alive on this planet for 57 years. I am now, as they say, "pushing 60". Not sure how that happened, but I'm feeling pretty lucky to be here, alive and kicking. My life is full of love, meaning, and challenge. I'm not struggling financially and am up for new adventures. In my book, this means I have it all.

After our last lovely hot breakfast at the Beacon Inn, we hit the road to downtown Victoria. It was much closer than we imagined! It's amazing how quickly you are out in the country or small towns here -- very little sprawl. Completely by accident, we ended up parking right near the Victoria Central Branch . It is beautiful -- huge, airy, and seems progressive. I spoke to some desk staff, as I did in Saanich. We chatted with a customer in the children's area, a young dad who described himself as a "connoisseur of libraries," who visits all the branches with his son. Dare I say, staff and customers seem happy. Allan brought a list of used bookstores on this trip, with the intentions of finding them all. Sidney was great for used books; it actively promotes its "booktown" . But little did we know what was in store for us in Victoria: Russell Books . What can I say about Russell Books. Allan says it's the eighth wonder of the world: "Pyramids at Giza,...

Vancouver Island has several regions , but the first division is between the south island and east coast, as distinct from the north island and west coast. The south island is home to the Greater Victoria region, Nanaimo (the second largest city on the island), and many smaller towns and population centres. The gulf islands are also off the east coast, in the Strait of Georgia, between the island and mainland British Columbia. The north island is almost all uninhabited -- there are tiny villages, some aboriginal territory, and much preserved wilderness area. The west coast, with the exception of a few surfing resorts, is made up of Pacific Rim National Park, beaches, and rugged, uninhabitated coastline. I was disappointed that on this trip we wouldn't see any of the north island or west coast. But we had one week, and the trip had a purpose. We resolved (at least I did!) that if we move out there, after we get settled, our first vacation will be north and west, and hopefully with M...

The B&B had self-serve coffee starting earlier than breakfast, but for guests whose internal clocks are on eastern time, it was a long and painful wait! I watched the clock until I could get that first cup. We had our first breakfast together -- another amazing breakfast -- and talked about our plans. We decided to skip the most famous attraction in the Victoria area, Butchart Gardens . (Excuse me, that's The  Butchart Gardens.) It's very expensive, and Allan and I don't really care about gardens. Even gardens people have told us would knock us out, didn't do anything for me. Especially as it will cost more than $60 for two, and  when the main purpose of the trip was to look at potential places to live. M&M are very accomplished gardeners -- actually Master Gardeners, which I didn't know was a thing -- and they definitely wanted to go, but they would have one day after we left, before they leave for Olympic National Park. So that worked out very nicely. We d...

Getting from Toronto to Vancouver Island is a long haul. Getting from pretty much anywhere to Vancouver Island -- except a few places on the west coast -- is a long haul! We had booked a bus/ferry combination from the Vancouver airport to the island, but even that was a complicated process involving switching buses, then a cab ride from the ferry terminal to our B&B. On the ferry, the captain announced a pod of whales off to one side, but we weren't fast enough to see them. I know many of you have seen enough whales to last a lifetime, but I have only caught a few glimpses, and would be thrilled to get a good view. The Beacon Inn at Sidney turned out to be as adorable as advertised, a "replica" old home, so you get the charm plus modern conveniences. We took a short walk on the main drag, picked up some snacks, and quickly crashed. The following morning, we had an amazing hot, fresh breakfast, then our plan was to poke around the town a bit. Our travel companions -- ...

In April, we spent a week on Vancouver Island -- an exploratory trip with an eye towards a possible (probable? definite?) move there. I had already been contacted by the Ontario NDP search committee, and as part of the vetting process, had taken my blog offline by making it "by invitation only". This meant that I couldn't blog while traveling. I hated this! I have a travel journal from every trip I've taken since 1982. I started putting these journals online with our trip to Peru in 2006 .* So on our Vancouver Island trip, I went old-school and wrote for myself, with the intention of putting it online eventually. Now that the trip is almost two months behind us, it seems silly to post these entries. I could do a general wrap-up in a few paragraphs. But... I can't. I really want to include the trip on wmtc. Allan always reminds me that I can do whatever I want with my blog. So that's what I'm doing! I'll post one VI day at a time, just as I would have d...

The list of movies I want to see gets longer and longer, as I watch more series and fewer films. Even so, the 2017-18 list is impressive. First, the annual recap: - Canadian musicians and comedians (2006-07 and 2007-08) - my beverage of choice (2008-09) - famous people who died during the past year (2009-10) - where I'd like to be (2010-11) - vegetables (2011-12) (I was out of ideas!) - Big Life Events in a year full of Big Life Changes (2012-13) - cheese (I'm getting desperate!) (2013-14) - types of travels (2014-15) -  famous people who died  plus  famous people who died, part 2  (2015-16), and last year: the picket line (2016-17). This year, we go meta with movie awards organized by movies. (Thanks to Allan for the idea.) I've made no attempt to survey all the movies I've seen and find the perfect headliner. I just found films that, for me, represent the level of the award. Annie Hall Woody Allen's 1977 classic is one of my favourite movies of all time. ...

The list of movies I want to see gets longer and longer, as I watch more series and fewer films. Even so, the 2017-18 list is impressive. First, the annual recap: - Canadian musicians and comedians (2006-07 and 2007-08) - my beverage of choice (2008-09) - famous people who died during the past year (2009-10) - where I'd like to be (2010-11) - vegetables (2011-12) (I was out of ideas!) - Big Life Events in a year full of Big Life Changes (2012-13) - cheese (I'm getting desperate!) (2013-14) - types of travels (2014-15) -  famous people who died  plus  famous people who died, part 2  (2015-16), and last year: the picket line (2016-17). This year, we go meta with movie awards organized by movies. (Thanks to Allan for the idea.) I've made no attempt to survey all the movies I've seen and find the perfect headliner. I just found films that, for me, represent the level of the award. Annie Hall Woody Allen's 1977 classic is one of my favourite movies of all time. ...

I agreed to stand for election because it was an opportunity -- an opportunity to bring a progressive perspective to a riding where those ideas are usually overlooked, and a personal opportunity to expand my own skills and experience. Overall, it was a positive experience -- because it was so short-term. If it had been gone on for six months or a year, I would have been miserable! Here's what I liked, what I hated, and what I just don't get. Positives 1. I met a lot of people! Community activists, progressive-minded neighbours, minority voices in our suburban city. Strangers reached out to support our campaign, to encourage me personally, and with ideas of how they could help. I loved making these connections. It was personally gratifying, and it also expanded my own network in the community. 2. It was a completely immersive experience. I was fortunate to be able to take a leave-of-absence from both library and union work, so I could campaign full-time. I felt exactly like I ...