On Friday evening, Sean and I had the good fortune to see ukulelist James Hill in concert with his cellist fiancee, Anne Janelle (Davison)… in the company of our not-quite-four-week-old Baby A. We had debated about whether to go, since we would have to buy our baby a ticket, and then there was always the…
Tag: Canada
Okay Stephen, now I’m ******* ticked off.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper Langevin Building 80 Wellington Street Ottawa ON K1A 0A6 Mr. Harper: As a polite Canadian, I’d like to be able to write a proper, respectful salutation; unfortunately, I have seen no evidence of respectful governance to warrant one. This is my second open letter to you. You obviously did not heed…
An Open Letter to the Gunman
Dear Mr. Shooter: So. It appears, from the status of the person you succeeded in killing, that your decision, i.e. to open fire in the crowd at the food court in the Toronto Eaton Centre yesterday, was gang-related. We, the public, still don’t know who you are or where you’re from. We don’t know what…
Why I Vaccinate My Child
I first became truly aware of vaccination when I was about eleven. I’d had my standard (Ontario) childhood vaccinations, but didn’t remember them, and hadn’t actually thought about them. Then I read a story about Edward Jenner in Cricket magazine – and I never forgot it. As you may know, Jenner was the English scientist…
School Snippets: Student Elections and the stuff we really want from our world
The other week at my school, Grade 5s and 6s participated in hypothetical democracy: student “elections”. I put that in quotes because they don’t actually get to elect anyone – there is no student council or anything – but they get to hear speeches and platforms and read campaign signs, and then vote. One of…
Dilovely’s Playlist: 25 Legendary Canadian Songs (x2!)
Hey, beloved readers. Welcome to NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month)! In honour of this, and in accordance with tradition, I will be challenging myself to post something every day. (We shall see if I manage.) If you are totally sick of me by the end of November, I will have done my job. 🙂 My first…
A Tribute to Jack Layton
Today, as I write this, millions have gathered their minds together to honour you, Jack. I hope you can see them. They drew all over the square with chalk and love. They got up hours before the sun, to make sure they could come see you. They are shedding tears for you and your family…
An Open Letter to Stephen Harper
Prime Minister Stephen Harper Langevin Building 80 Wellington Street Ottawa ON K1A 0A6 Dear Prime Minister, Firstly, I would like to apologize. I know I have started off on the wrong foot: I am supposed to address you as the Prime Minister of Canada, but with “Harper Government” replacing “Government of Canada”, I got confused…
Canadian Elections 2011, Part II: My Epiphany
Something dawned on me recently: I have some heavy prejudices when it comes to politics. (Warning: Di-atribe.) It’s not that I thought I was completely free from bias, but I try to be as open-minded and critical-thinking as I can. Though I am white, female, educated, middle-class, anglophone, straight, and born in Canada, I try…
Canadian Election 2011: Stuff that’s Cool
This March, when the current federal Conservatives were found in contempt of Parliament and the government fell, a widespread reaction was, “We’re going to the polls again?? This is a stupid waste of money – we’re just going to end up with exactly the same situation.” (It’s been less than 3 years since the last…