test blog #10

I am fond of saying that the difference between the US and Canada is often not one of substance, but of degree. There's little doubt that the degree makes a huge difference in many people's lives. But "it's worse in the US" is not good enough. The comparison sets the bar far too low. The war in Afghanistan is not as horrific as the invasion and occupation of Iraq, but both are wrong, and useless. Both are resource wars, not missions of human rights or global security. In the US, the war dead are hidden from view. Those lucky enough to return home are not cared for properly, and promptly forgotten. In Canada, when a soldier dies in Afghanistan - as one US soldier did today - it's front-page news. But what happens next? For Remembrance Day, the Globe and Mail ran a story about one Canadian soldier's struggle. Mark Campbell, a 43-year-old major from Alberta, lost both his legs after kneeling on a land mine in southern Afghanistan. The transition from hospi...

On my iGoogle home page, I keep a gadget with obituaries from the New York Times . Today was a rare day that I recognized all three names. Mitch Mitchell , one of the great rock and roll drummers, died at age 62. Mitchell was best known as the drummer for The Jimi Hendrix Experience. His drumming style was heavily influenced by jazz musicians, and was lighter - swingier - than most drummers in a power trio. Mr. Mitchell did not expect much from the job. "I'll give it a crack," he later remembered telling Mr. Chandler, who became one of Hendrix's managers. "I'll have a go for two weeks." But led by Hendrix's explosive and rhapsodic style, the group revolutionized rock music and became an archetypal power trio. Its style was built around Hendrix's improvisations, with Mr. Redding's steady bass lines acting as an anchor and Mr. Mitchell — who was influenced by jazz players like Elvin Jones — playing a lighter, looser counterpoint to the guitar....

Egyptian archaeologists have discovered a pyramid buried in the desert and thought to belong to the mother of a pharaoh who ruled more than 4,000 years ago, Egypt's antiquities chief said on Tuesday. The pyramid, found about two months ago in the sand south of Cairo, probably housed the remains of Queen Sesheshet, the mother of King Teti, who ruled from 2323 to 2291 BC and founded Egypt's Sixth Dynasty, Zahi Hawass told reporters. "The only queen whose pyramid is missing is Shesheshet, which is why I am sure it belonged to her," Hawass said. "This will enrich our knowledge about the Old Kingdom." The Sixth Dynasty, a time of conflict in Egypt's royal family and erosion of centralized power, is considered to be the last dynasty of the Old Kingdom, after which Egypt descended into famine and social upheaval. Archaeologists had previously discovered pyramids belonging to two of the king's wives nearby, but had never found a tomb belonging to Sesheshet...

You may recall that last week I was interviewed by "The Daily Show" and a few other media outlets, asking the bizarre question, "Now that Obama has been elected, will you move back to the US?" The question itself was so off-target and puzzling to me that I had some trouble articulating an answer. I figured they wanted something beyond, "Are you fucking kidding me?" Some attempts at an answer from both me and Allan are in comments here , with more here , including links to other people's answers. Here's another answer, which arrived by email, from my friend Tom Kertes . I met Kertes (he goes by his last name) through the War Resisters Support Campaign , and we discovered we had both been interviewed on the same radio show. He's a labour organizer, a peace and human rights activist, an educator, and an all-around great person. He emigrated to Canada with his partner, moving to Toronto from Seattle. Kertes gave me permission to post his recent ema...

I wept my way through this movie at the Bloor Cinema last night, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. "Body of War" is a powerful film - moving, provocative, truth-telling. Through the story of one wounded veteran who becomes a peace activist, you get a glimpse into the US peace movement, the realities of paraplegia and the US government who made it all possible. "Body of War" is a must-see for anyone who still thinks the Republicans are responsible for the invasion of Iraq. They couldn't have done it without their willing partners. I don't want to give too much away, so I'll just say that this part of the movie was especially well done. As you know, I was very concerned with the disability aspect of this movie, how Tomas Young's paralysis and recovery would be portrayed. I often say that when you see someone who uses a wheelchair, you might think their only issue is that they can't walk - that they are merely sitting down. Spinal cord in...

Honour the dead by working for peace. In Toronto, please join us for the special screening of the film "Body of War". Details here.

I can't write anything today and tomorrow because of some work I'm doing for the Campaign . Nothing's wrong, just a lot of sudden work, and then catching up on my own stuff. See you all soon.