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We saw a very good movie last night called "Owning Mahowny" . The ubiquitous Philip Seymour Hoffman plays Dan Mahowny, an ordinary bank officer with a secret. Mahowny has a serious gambling addiction, and when he finds himself way over his head with his bookie, he initiates a new gamble: a bank fraud. The nature of his addiction demands that his new-found wealth be gambled away, and with each embezzlement, the stakes grow higher. The story is based on the book Stung by Gary Stephen Ross , the true story of what turned out to be the largest bank fraud perpetrated by one person in Canadian history. The movie is also rare in that it actually takes place in Toronto. Toronto plays itself for a change. "Owning Mahowny" is a fascinating view into addiction, a subject Allan and I talk about a lot in many contexts. We both have a glimmer of the addictive personality - long since grappled with and in no danger of ruining our lives, but enough to make us perhaps more empathet

It's amazing to me how the dance with Québécois Canadians continues, and is never finished. The recent motion recognizing Québécois as a nation within Canada , brought by the Tories and passed overwhelmingly by all parties, is a very shrewd political move indeed. It knocks the separatist wind out of Giles Duceppe's sails, pre-empting the Bloc's own motion that would also declare Quebecers a nation, but without reference to a united Canada. And since both the Conservatives and the Liberals are scrapping for Bloc votes, it seems the most clever form of pandering. Perhaps Bloc voters are too smart to fall for it, but it certainly can't hurt. My own thoughts about Quebec have changed tremendously since coming to Canada. As an American reading about the issue in the US, I didn't understand it, or perhaps understood it in the wrong terms. In early 2005, I asked , If Quebecers want to leave Canada, why shouldn't Canada just let them go? I didn't understand that mos

Not so very long ago, I realized that everyone is Canadian . To quote myself, back in January: Last night we watched the CBC Comedy special "Comedy Gold" , which traces the most famous comedy to come out of Canada. (The second part is tonight.) It was neat to see the behind-the-scenes Canadian connections that I wasn't aware of, and, of course, old clips - David Steinberg's controversial writing for the Smothers Brothers, Dan Ackroyd's Bass-O-Matic , Kids In The Hall in their club days. The older material like Wayne And Shuster was new to us, but I'd love to see a whole Shakespearean Baseball Game . (I'm sure you'll all be posting links to help me.) I'm always telling Allan that Canada has produced a disproportionate share of comedians, actors and entertainers, given the country's small population. This is generally expressed by the statement, "Everyone is Canadian". (Example: A cartoon version of Michael J. Fox appears on The Simpso

Belinda Stronach changed her hair colour. Stop the presses. I. Am. So. Tired. Of. This. Antonia Zerbisias in today's Star : Politics is a dog-eat-dog world — but why do media bitch-slap women? This month and last, on Vancouver radio and again in a newspaper interview, Norman Spector laid the B-word on Belinda Stronach, a twice-elected MP (Newmarket-Aurora). You'd think a man with a c.v. like Spector's — Globe and Mail columnist, blogger for Maclean's , former publisher of the Jerusalem Post — could come up with a better epithet. But he insisted it was apt. "I think it's the perfect choice of word that the Oxford English dictionary describes as 'malicious or treacherous,'" he told the Globe 's Gloria Galloway. "So I think as an analyst of politics, I chose the right word." Well, not according to my Oxford : it leads off with "female dog" and never mentions "treacherous" at all. (Last week Spector served a notice

Reason Number 53,802 I left the United States. But who's counting.

As well documented on wmtc, Allan and I appear to be the only people in Canada who don't care for Rick Mercer**. Every time we happen to see a bit of him on TV, our opinions are re-confirmed. However, we do agree with the crowd when it comes to "Corner Gas". We both like it a lot, especially me. I've come to think of "Corner Gas" as a rural "Seinfeld": a bunch of funny characters tackling everyday life in their little corner of the world, spending far too much time thinking about the appropriateness of everyday interactions. It's not a perfect one-to-one correspondence (thank goodness) but it strikes me as the same sort of show. I was recently chatting with friend of wmtc M@ about "Seinfeld", and he remarked that New Yorkers must get a lot more out of the show than other viewers - more references, more layers of meaning. It's true. In the early and best seasons, there are scenes I wonder how anyone outside of New York can even un

Introducing... Tala !! On our way home, we met the newest addition to our family, our fifth dog overall, the beautiful and brilliant Tala. Since we're about to move, we didn't take her home. That will have to wait until we're a little settled in our new place, and return from a very special anniversary celebration trip we're taking in January. It works out well, because Tala is currently living with a trainer who is giving us a headstart on her socialization. Here's the backstory. Allan and I had already fallen in love with several dogs on Petfinder.com . It's incredibly easy to do. There are always a zillion animals who need homes, and whatever your favourite species and look, someone is waiting for you. I've been unpleasantly surprised that most people in Mississauga (and, I think, Toronto) have dogs that were obviously purchased from breeders. In New York City, rescues are much more common. At the risk of offending many readers, I am strongly opposed to b

Our Thanksgiving trip was truly wonderful. We visited with family in various combinations, talked, laughed, played, ate fabulous food, got caught up on the themes of everyone's lives, and in general had a lot of fun. I feel tremendously fortunate to enjoy the company of my family so much. I didn't grow up in a particularly happy family, and our current warmth, caring, love - and best of all, like - for each other is something I value more than I can express. On the drive home, I was thinking about why it's so much fun to see my family now. First, the family has improved a lot with the absences of two people. One is my father, who was a terrible person riddled with serious emotional issues and beset by undiagnosed mental illness. Even though my mother left him when I was a young adult (after decades of marriage horror), and even though I was estranged from him (my choice) for many years, his death brought a huge relief and unburdening for me. Another addition by subtraction

Results are in for the Canadian Blog Awards. Congratulations to our blog-friend Idealistic Pragmatist for running away with the Best Post category. Her post "Jack Layton's sinister mind control experiment" buried the competition. Very cool! I'm sorry I didn't realize that my blog-friend Andrea's colouring outside the lines was up for Best Photo/Art Blog until a few days before voting ended. She's one of my favourite artists and I would have given her votes aplenty. Allan made it to Round Two, placing third in the Best Sports Blog category. I'm thrilled! And, I readily admit, a tiny bit envious. Although I was trying not to care, I was disappointed that wmtc didn't make the second round in any of the three categories in which it was nominated. I'm generally not a very competitive person, but when it comes to writing, well, that's where my ego lives. Oh well. Many thanks to anyone who voted for wmtc. Round two voting begins Saturday; ex

We're off to New Jersey for a few days. I'm psyched to see my family, especially all our nephews and nieces. Cody will be overwhelmed with joy. As a special bonus, my friend NN will touch down for breakfast with me in the suburbs. And guess what? On the way home, we're meeting someone who may become our new dog! I don't want to say too much in case it doesn't work out. If it does, expect too much information.

I've been reading a lot about the violent weather in BC , and thinking of friends of wmtc who may be effected. Of course, if they don't have electricity, they can't log in to tell us. But I'd love to get a first-hand report when things return to normal. Wrye? Cin? Jen? Andrea? Andrea?

Search strings of the day: drive car uhaul permanent resident moving canada medical examination clinics by canadian Immigration in Malaysia reasons to love New York City [yeah!] insurance requirements basement apartment canada mississauga antiwar who did not move to canada what time does the summerhill lcbo open on sundays Hint: try the LCBO website . When I switch to Blogger Beta and label all my posts, I should have a category SSOD.

After Stephen Harper and the Conservatives were elected, less than five months after we moved to Canada, I was besieged with questions about how this affected our decision to emigrate. Some of these were of the wingnut variety - ha ha, what are you gonna do now, move to France? - which display total ignorance, about Canada, about the US, about us. But many questions were legitimate concerns from progressive Americans worried that Canada was no longer a safe haven from US-style madness. I blogged about this a lot, including posting an excellent piece by John Nichols , an American writer who covers Canadian politics. ( Worth reading .) Now that the Democrats have finally managed to capitalize on Republican incompetence and scandal, and overcome vote-rigging, many people here have asked me if this changes the picture. Putting aside that my unhappiness with the US goes back 25 years - putting aside that I voted Democrat only locally or occasionally nationally - putting aside that we love i

British MP George Galloway, long outspoken against the US-led occupation and invasion of Iraq, will have some strong words for Canadians tonight. Galloway is in Canada to speak to audiences in Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa. If Canada wants to be perceived as a force for peace in the world, it must withdraw troops from Afghanistan, repair ties with the Palestinians and let American war resisters seek refuge here , says British MP George Galloway. "Canada cannot be described as neutral," the maverick politician told the Toronto Star in a preview of the message he'll deliver tonight to a Toronto audience. "Of course it's not playing as pernicious a role as Britain but neither is it seen in the theatres of conflict as benign as Canadian people like to think it is. "You're killing people in Afghanistan, which is a problem in itself, and it's compounded by the fact that by you killing them in Afghanistan, you're releasing the Americans to go and kill pe

Last week I quoted at length from the introduction to Klondike: The Last Great Gold Rush by Pierre Berton. Here's more of the same. This was written in 1972 for the revised edition of the book. The differing behaviour of the two military forces during the stampede - the American infantry companies and the Canadian Mounted police - gives a further insight into Canadian and American attitudes towards law, order, freedom and anarchy. The American style was to stand aside and let the civilians work out matters for themselves even at risk of inefficiency, chaos, and bloodshed. The Canadian style was to interfere at every step of the way in the interests of order, harmony and the protection of life and property. During the entire stampede winter, with one brief exception, the United States military held themselves aloof from events in Skagway. The commissioner pocketed public funds; the deputy marshal worked hand in glove with gangsters; men were shot, robbed, and cheated; and the town

I haven't had a chance to delve into my latest Pierre Berton tome , because I had to read something else first. When my niece E was here in August, she left a book that I was supposed to read and return to her over (US) Thanksgiving - which is coming right up. So I read Holy Cow: An Indian Adventure by Sarah Macdonald. It's a travel and discovery book, about an Australian woman's experiences living in India. I was reluctant to read it, but E, who lived in India for six months, told me she had been reluctant, but then loved the book. The writer was reluctant, too. She didn't even want to be in India, but ended up embracing it and all its bizarre incongruities. It's a very good book - funny, honest and revealing. Macdonald, a very good writer, takes you through her own transformation from horrified skeptic to acceptance and understanding. If you're interested in India and like travel books, you would probably enjoy this a lot. My niece E - whose mother is friend

Look what Allan just found. Scroll down to Best Sports Blog. There's our Redsock ! Unlike wmtc in the crowded Best Blog field, The Joy of Sox has got to be the best in its category. Got to be. Round one voting ends November 21. You can vote once every day. I'm just saying.

Our new place doesn't have a washer and dryer - the tenants have always brought their own. That certainly seems odd to us, but the house was great in almost every way, including lower rent, so we decided it wasn't a deal-breaker. I normally don't buy anything used, but in this case, any washer-dryer we'd be using in a rented house would be used anyway, and we don't want to make a huge investment, so it seemed logical. Turns out there are dozens of people in the GTA selling washers and dryers on Craigslist . We had our pick of several. Also through Craigslist, we hired a guy with a van to transport it for us. The whole deal, including transportation, came to $300. We've also found dog-walkers on Craigslist. Craigslist is so convenient, and it's everywhere . I'm usually on the other side of these transactions. In our last months in New York, I sold tons of little things on eBay , a great way to earn a bit of cash and get rid of junk (junk being in the eye

Here's a good example of why I find it so difficult to trust any mainstream media. On the front page of today's Toronto Star , there's a story about former US Presidential hopeful Howard Dean being invited to deliver the keynote address at the Liberal Party convention . I agree that it's not a smart choice. If the Conservatives chose an American speaker, the Liberals would (rightly) be all over them, exploiting their ties to the US. However, that's not my problem with the story. In the first paragraph, Dean is described as a "political brawler," which was once true, but certainly is no longer. He's a full-fledged member of the Democratic flock now. This man will not be brawling any time soon. Skimming down, waiting for the inevitable reference to the infamous scream, I find: "But some are greeting the scheduled appearance of the failed U.S. presidential hopeful, famous for his on-air scream, with resentment." Those of us who remember how the

You know what sucks about death? It's so final. No matter how much you miss your loved one, no matter how much your heart aches to look in their eyes, to put your arms around them, you never will. I know some people believe otherwise, but to me, that's a fantasy designed to lessen the pain.

Making good on last year's high court decision , the National Assembly of South Africa has passed legislation legalizing same-sex marriage . The post-apartheid South African constitution was the first ever to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Homosexuality is still illegal in many African nations, including Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Tanzania and Ghana. From what I've read, being openly gay in South Africa is still a nightmare. But perhaps it just got a little easier, and at least the law is on the side of equality. I don't need to point out the sad irony of South Africa outstripping TGNOTFOTE in the civil rights department. Apartheid was abolished in South Africa only 20 years ago. Jim Crow was abolished in the US about 40 years ago, and South Africa is already several steps ahead. The South African law brings the number of countries that recognize same-sex marriage to five, following the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada and Spain. That's f

Voting starts today on the Canadian Blog Awards . It seems like kind of a ridiculous effort at this point. Look at the huge number of blogs that have been nominated. You'd have to take a week off work to spend serious time with all the candidates. It was flattering to be among the nominees when there were 20 blogs listed, but now, well, it's a little silly. I like to be recognized as much as the next blogger, but I'm going to try not pay attention to this. Of course you're all still welcome to vote for wmtc. Just because I don't want to pay attention to the awards, doesn't mean you can't.

I'd like to leave yesterday's post as the main thread a while longer. I've added some comments to generate more discussion.

Here's a topic I've been avoiding. I want to hear your opinions about this, and I'm going to try to stay out of the discussion, although I make no promises, being a blabbermouth and all. The subject is Deep Integration, or North American Union, or harmonization, or whatever you want to call it: the alleged secret plan that is already in place to merge Mexico, Canada and the U.S. If you're not familiar with this concept, check here and here . You'll notice that this blog does not sport a "No Deep Integration" button as many of my sister Americans-to-Canada blogs do. I've never been able to take this movement seriously. I fully understand why we wouldn't want a North American Union. Canada has always feared being swallowed up by the United States, and, historically, that fear is well justified. (Just as ask anyone who used to live in the part of Mexico that's now Texas, or the part of Canada that is now Oregon. Well, you can't ask them, bec

A group of New Yorkers, many of them originally from the Dominican Republic, remembered their own September 11 this weekend, on November 12. American Airlines Flight 587 crashed that day in 2001 , just after taking off from JFK airport, in an area of Queens called The Rockaways. The flight was bound for Santo Domingo; most of the passengers were Dominican, many from our neighbourhood in upper Manhattan. All 260 people on board, and five on the ground, were killed. The Rockaways, home to many firefighters, had suffered devastating losses only two months earlier. Allan and I remember the event very clearly, as it was the day we were leaving for Ireland. That morning, as we were packing for our evening flight, the airport car service called and told us the airport was closed. We turned on the TV and learned why. It was impossible not to think it was another terrorist attack. After some discussion and a conversation with Aer Lingus, we decided that if the airport opened for departures, we

I feel I should comment on the appointment of the first female Speaker of the House . I'm glad to see it: the highest-ranking woman ever elected in the US. Pelosi is steadfastly pro-choice, she voted against the homophobic marriage bill, against the anti-immigrant fence and she supports gun control. On the other hand, she voted for the so-called Patriot Act, and she started opposing the war only when it was politically safe to do so. She's about as liberal as the Democrats get these days, and I hope she does a good job as Speaker. Another milestone, long-time "60 Minutes" correspondent Ed Bradley has died . He was only 65; he had leukemia. This man was really, really good at his job. I admired him. Someone asked why I didn't note the passing of former Texas governor Ann Richards. It's because I have very mixed feelings about her. Richards was a dynamo, a powerful woman and a feminist, and it's easy to enjoy her ready wit. There's no doubt she did some

The US army is moving forward with its court martial of Lt. Ehren Watada. Kyle Snyder , still AWOL, continues to speak out, even though he risks arrest and imprisonment. Stay updated and learn how you can support these and other war resisters at Courage To Resist .

One of my favourite local columnists is the Toronto Star 's Jim Coyle. I wanted to point out two of his recent columns, both dealing with the same general theme. In the first, Coyle looks behind the most recent flap about Liberal MP Belinda Stronach, and finds, lo and behold, what surely must be the world's oldest and most widespread bigotry. In the aftermath of a dispute about whether or not Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay had disparaged Stronach — his former lover — as a dog during an exchange in the Commons, Spector reportedly said on a Vancouver radio station: "I think she's a bitch. It's as simple as that. "And I think that 90 per cent of men would probably say she's a bitch for the way she's broken up Tie Domi's home and the way she dumped Peter MacKay." Spector said the issue of MacKay's alleged insult received more attention than it merited because "half the press gallery now are women, and women find this very offensiv

If you are an American considering emigrating to Canada, and the outcome of the recent election may affect your decision, and you would like to be interviewed on public radio, please email me. Thanks.

The new version of Blogger is now available to blogs with FTP, that is, non-blogspot addresses. I guess that means I'm switching. Beta folks, was the changeover time-consuming? I wonder if I should wait until my current round of writing assignments is finished.

Work for peace .

The story of the young deer with his head stuck in a plastic Halloween bucket makes me so sad. This poor creature, trapped in a piece of human trash, unable to eat or drink, growing weaker and more distressed with every passing hour - it seems so cruel. I hope so much that someone can help him. Hunting season starts in a few days, and he's wearing a neon sign. That is, if he doesn't die of thirst first. I feel like a teenage girl blogging about something like this. But then, my inner teenager is never very far away. Or maybe it's no different than when the whole world is riveted by a child who has fallen down a well. It stirs our compassion in a very basic way. On this Google search, you can see a photo of the poor guy .

A reader just sent me this , which you may enjoy. More importantly, I just learned that Kiefer Sutherland is Tommy Douglas's grandson!! Come on, people, you're falling down on the job here! I didn't realize that Shirley Douglas, Tommy Douglas's daughter, is the same Shirley Douglas that's a Canadian actor, and that she was married to Donald Sutherland. That Kiefer has one cool pedigree. I'm too busy at work today to write, but I have something cooking that is sure to get the conversation rolling.

Yesterday we had tickets for the last play in our Soulpepper subscription, Harold Pinter's The Caretaker . I can't tell you how it was, because we didn't go. At the last minute, we blew off the play and went out for lunch and a drink - and it was just what we needed. Somehow the play felt like an obligation instead of a treat. Not going felt like skipping school! I was just sorry I didn't know sooner, because I could have given someone the tickets. The subscription was fun, and I'm glad we did it, but we're not going to renew. I'm interested in CanStage , but their 2007 season does not appeal to me. Chances are we'll just see a play here and there. I think instead I need to put more music back in our lives. We used to go to shows and concerts all the time, but I think our baseball obsession pushed that out of the way.

Now this is what I call a great coincidence. Last night we watched "Prairie Giant: The Tommy Douglas Story". I caught a bit of it earlier this year when it was on CBC, but had to wait for the DVD to see the whole thing, and I wanted Allan to see it, too. What could be more fitting, the day after the US threw out some white cats and replaced them with some black cats than to hear, again, that brilliant, funny and stirring speech known as "Mouseland". Tommy Douglas makes me proud of Canada. That he is revered here, and remembered as a hero, makes me proud of Canada. Tommy Douglas reminds me of what government can do if we elect the right people; he reminds me of why I'm a socialist. We have to safeguard his legacy. Here's what I wrote about this in the spring. And here's "Mouseland" : This is the story of a place called Mouseland. Mouseland was a place where all the little mice lived and played. Were born and died. And they lived much as you and

Yes, good things happened. Scumbucket Rick Santorum has to find a new job. New York State will benefit from having Elliot Spitzer at the helm. Likewise some districts in Arizona, Rhode Island, Florida, New Hampshire and Kansas. Now I'm reminded of something a friend said to me when Clinton defeated Bush I in 1992. I was very liberal then, but less left than I am now. In those days I voted my conscience in the primaries and a straight Democrat ticket in the election. In response to my jubilation, my friend said, "I'm very happy he's out of a job. Now we'll watch things not change." Also, the results of yesterday's election do not prove that the election was fair. Serious problems were reported with electronic voting machines all over the country. Typically things will look fine on election day . It can take weeks or months for the truth to surface; the longer the results stand, the heavier the cloak of false legitimacy. Finally, no one said the Republican m

I'm very big on anniversaries. I don't do it on purpose, I just find myself thinking, It was this time last year... Often my body knows the anniversary is coming before I'm conscious of it. Years ago, I would start feeling anxious, begin to have sleep disturbances, and it would occur to me that the anniversary of the assault was approaching. (This is very common for trauma survivors.) But usually it's just once - one year. The anniversary brings an opportunity to remember, to reflect on what's happened since, to check the current path, maybe to mourn or rejoice. This time last year , it was our last weeks with Buster, although we didn't know it. Walking Cody in the morning, I've been thinking of B, and starting to cry, almost every day. Two images keep coming to me. One, a cold, rainy day in December. I kneel down, open my arms, and - bleeding, hungry, dying - alone, baffled, desperate - he trusts me. He puts his head down, creeps towards me. I put my arms a

Here we go... Right on time, they're telling us the polls are favouring the Republicans ... Tomorrow's Outcome Hinges on Our Vigilance at the Polls by Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman [all emphasis mine] On Election Day 2006, the American people will almost certainly vote to give the Democratic Party one or both houses of Congress. We will vote to restore at least some of the checks and balances written into the Constitution of the United States. We will vote to end the reign of terror and error imposed on the nation and world since the stolen election of 2000 . State by state, governorships and legislatures should return to the opposition party. True to form, the corporate media is already starting to tell us that the polls are starting to slip back to the Republicans. This is the classic precursor to a coming fix. In fact, all the instincts of credible students of American politics, indicate a massive shift away from the GOP. Anyone familiar with the history of the Americ

Recent comments about Kerry's apology and the Democrats joining the pile-on have led me to an addendum to my I'm-not-voting post. Many Americans living in Canada have said that they will continue voting, and many people, Canadians and Americans alike, feel that I should, too. I'm wondering, would you feel that way if I didn't vote Democrat? Because I wouldn't. Unless there was someone like Russ Feingold or the late Paul Wellstone running, I couldn't. I wonder if that changes the equation for anyone.

Apparently John Kerry said something, but he didn't say it quite correctly, and someone thought it was insulting to the troops, and called for an apology. I wouldn't know anything about this, but some of my favourite columnists have responded to the latest tempest in a teacup, by pointing to the real storm. Imagine. John Kerry should apologize to the troops. John Kerry. I'm speechless. I'll let two people, much better writers than I, speak for me. The Apologist by Ralph Nader The baying pack of belligerent draft dodgers - Messrs. Bush, Cheney and Limbaugh - were out in verbal force this week against John Kerry. The Senator miscued a joke about Bush by reading without the "us" in the line, "You end up getting us stuck in a war in Iraq. Just ask President Bush." The missing of the "us" word gave the messianic militarists an opening to demand that Kerry apologize to the U.S. troops for his "insulting" and "shameful" rem