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I'm off for my annual early-April New York/New Jersey visit. My mom is back from Florida, and I'll also hang out with siblings and some friends, including my old friend New York City. If I have anything to say, you can be sure you'll see it here. Have a great week. I'm back on Thursday.

Welcome to the first wmtc movie awards! I'm going to rate the movies I have seen this Movie Season (late October to April), and while I'm at it, last Movie Season, too. Instead of a star rating (5 stars, 4 stars...), I'll assign each movie a Famous Canadian. 2007-08 will be rated by musicians; 2006-07 will be rated with comedians. My rating system is bound to get me in more trouble than my opinions on movies. I'm very discriminating about what movies I see. I only see movies that I think will interest me, I never see movies just to see them or because they're popular or because I'm bored. So if the list is top-heavy, it's not because I'm an easy critic. Also, I'm trying to rate each movie on its own terms. So if, say, "The Simpsons Movie" gets a higher rating than "The Journals of Knud Rasmussen", it's not that I think The Simpsons movie is a more important than the Inuit film. But the filmmakers behind those movies have total

From yesterday's Globe and Mail , I learned that the organizers behind pro-Tibet protest at the Olympic torch-lighting ceremony were three Canadian women. Doug Saunders wrote a good, lengthy piece on how they did it. Worth reading. This was supposed to be China's week. The launch of the longest Olympic torch relay in history was heralded in the Chinese press as a spectacle that would bring the nation glory, until Monday, when editors of Beijing's newspapers struggled to edit blood-covered Tibetan protesters out of photos of the torch-lighting ceremony in Olympia, Greece. China's week has become Tibet's moment. Tibetans and their supporters are being driven by the belief that this Olympic year and its vast media attention are a last opportunity to challenge Beijing's rule. It now looks like activists have succeeded in making China's 57-year occupation of the territory the dominant issue of the 2008 Olympic Games. Behind this dramatic capture of the world'

One of the many ridiculous, antiquated, unnecessary laws designed to "protect" the United States from scary ferriners is a travel ban on people who are HIV-positive. One Canadian man's efforts may help to change that. A harrowing encounter between an HIV-positive Canadian travelling to the United States and a U.S. border guard has helped thrust a long-standing but little-known law back into the political ring. The U.S. Senate is expected to vote next month on a bill proposed by Massachusetts Senator John Kerry that would lift what he calls a Draconian travel ban that has caused thousands of Canadians and other foreigners to be refused entry to the United States because they have the virus that causes AIDS. Martin Rooney is among them. The Surrey, B.C., man was on his way to Bellingham, Wash., for the Remembrance Day long weekend last November to shop, with the Canadian dollar trading at about $1.07 against the greenback. After lining up for four hours to reach the U.S. c

At Progressive Bloggers , I've been reading about how some wingnuts are spending Earth Hour using as much energy as they possible can. Very conserve -ative, eh? It's beyond bizarre. Deny human-made climate change, deny global warming. Fine. (Well, not fine, but for argument's sake, fine.) There's no denying there's a finite amount of non-renewable resources, right? By definition. Why would anyone want to purposely waste resources? Would they cook a big Thanksgiving feast, then throw it in the trash? Would they fill the giant tanks of their Hummers, then idle on the driveway for hours? How could people think that wasting is good and conserving is bad? And how could people who think such a thing call themselves conservatives??? Of course they are not conservative, and they wouldn't know true conservativism if they sat next to it at a Klan meeting. I think it's a sickness. I really do. I know they make me sick!

People for whom activism is a way of life have a tendency to scoff at one-off efforts like Earth Hour . These sorts of events can seem so paltry, and short lived, and gimmicky. And perhaps they are all those things. But when you know a lot of people who are not activists, and who never talk about the environment, and freely admit that they never think about energy conservation, and then you see how a one-time event make them do all those things - that is, how an event raises their awareness - it seems a lot less stupid. And when you take into account how helpless and overwhelmed most people feel about any efforts to make change - the fatalistic "nothing can be done" refrain - and then you see how a one-time event gets them involved, it starts to seem pretty clever. Plus this morning I saw Rex Murphy hates it . So I thought, they must be on to something.

Last week, the RCMP released statistics showing a dramatic increase in taser use by their forces: in 2007, tasers were used (or threatened) more than twice as often as they were in 2005. At the same time, the records kept on incidents involving tasers decreased and became less accessible. The number of incidents involving RCMP stun guns has more than doubled since 2005, according to records obtained by CBC News. Statistics prepared by RCMP officers on the use of stun guns, or Tasers, show Mounties across the country drew or threatened to draw their Tasers more than 1,400 times last year — a dramatic rise in incidents, compared with 597 in 2005. The spike was greatest in jurisdictions such as British Columbia, where the number of Taser incidents rose from 218 in 2005 to 496 in 2007, and in Alberta, where it grew from 89 to 371 over the same period. But while reliance on stun guns has increased sharply since the force began using them in 2001, documents obtained under the federal Access

Wmtc reader Lisa sent me this scathing piece from Paul Wells , which I also saw at Idealistic Pragmatist . I've had some trouble following the Federal Government Hates Ontario campaign, and even more difficulty understanding why Harper wants to go this route. To my mind, alienating Ontario can only backfire. Voters will not remember the details. They will just remember that the Harper government dissed us. In our emails, Lisa had this to say about what we've been witnessing, reprinted here with her permission. ...I think Harper's style is finally wearing thin. Thank god. His pettiness, intense focus on partisanship rather than focusing on governing, permanent negative campaigning, and utter disregard of the conventions of cdn federal political culture were/are driving me slowly insane. I've NEVER seen a federal govt like this one. He's completely debasing the political discourse. It used to be different...really! You know, the major political parties used to actual

My Canadian journey continues. Through the Harper Government's attacks on Ontario, I have learned that I've been mispronouncing the word premier , the head of provincial governments, analogous to a governor in the US. I've been saying pruh-MEER, like the opening of a movie. Now I realize it's PREE-mere. It's tough to say PREE-mere. I feel like Cletus . Does the PREE-mere put a decal on VEE-hickle?

We had some good coverage on Global tonight. To watch, click here , then choose "Global National Stories" and "Resisters Debate". Take a moment to click on the Global National main page . There's a poll about deporting war resisters: please click. (Meaningless, I know, but it can't hurt.) Careful on that wording. The correct answer is NO. Update: see comments for a better idea.

I have heard numerous people say they hate the US election campaigns, and that watching campaign coverage makes them angry, depressed, and disgusted. They decry the superficial media coverage, the lack of substantial issues, the mudslinging, the nitpicking, the lying... what have you. Yet they continue to follow the campaigns. When I say that I pay no attention to the US campaigns, folks are amazed - sometimes appalled, sometimes impressed, but always amazed. Supposedly this is a difficult state to achieve. But it's not. It's been very easy. So why do you continue doing something you hate? Is it because you think the campaigns are important events, and it's your responsibility to follow them? I don't think the campaign itself is what's important. If you know how each candidate stands on any given issue, and his or her past voting record, the campaigns aren't going to tell you a whole lot more than that. Do you see it differently? Is it because you want to know h

Remember "Canadian" as a new racist code word ? Keith Knight of "The K Chronicles" asks "Is America Ready for a Canadian President?" Just some random Canadosity, thanks to James.

It occurs to me that I haven't blogged about the Harper Government's proposed immigration reform . Since I am an immigrant myself, and since I regularly encourage others interested in emigrating to Canada, I really should. For this, I'll take the easy way out and quote some other writers who have summed up my thoughts on this issue. First, a letter to the editor in the Globe and Mail : According to your article Liberals Urged To Fight Immigration Proposals (March 24), Immigration Minister Diane Finley says changes to the immigration law are absolutely necessary to clear up the massive backlog. But the minister's own website says, "Those who applied prior to February 27, 2008, will not be subject to the new measures and will be dealt with fairly under the existing rules." And Federal Court jurisprudence already recognizes the power of the minister to set priorities. Given this, it is clear the changes have nothing to do with the backlog. Rather, they represen

Starvation diets, breast implants and huge mobile phone bills. Sounds about right for a nine-year-old, eh? Parents in the UK, France, Australia and New Zealand are horrified at an online game being marketed to their pre-teen daughters: Miss Bimbo . Parents' groups have condemned a new internet game in which girls as young as nine are encouraged to "buy" their virtual dolls breast operations and facelifts. The aim of the Miss Bimbo beauty contest game, which was launched in Britain last month, is to become the "hottest, coolest, most famous bimbo in the whole world", and contestants who compete against each other are told to "stop at nothing", even "meds or plastic surgery", to ensure their dolls win. Children are given a naked virtual character to look after. They compete against other players to earn "bimbo" dollars so they can dress her in sexy outfits and take her clubbing. They are given missions, including securing plastic surg

James Burmeister is the Iraq War resister who recently surrendered to the military and is being held in a military prison at Ft. Knox, Kentucky. After 25 days in a heavy-security holding facility, James will now be transferred to a more "casual" facility, where detainees are given more freedom as they await court martial. James' family believes this is a direct result of public pressure on the military and through James' Congressperson. The base still has not given the family an address through which James can receive mail. James' many supporters want to contact him... but the military isn't so keen on his receiving that mail. We're told that is coming soon.

Here's an update on the War Resisters Support Campaign . We expect the resolution to go before the House of Commons sometime in April. We don't know what the outcome will be, because we don't know how the Liberals will vote. If you are new around here, this the English text of the resolution we need to see passed. It was passed by a united opposition in the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration in December. In accordance with its mandate pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), your Committee has considered the issue of Iraq war resisters. The Committee recommends that the government immediately implement a program to allow conscientious objectors and their immediate family members (partners and dependents), who have refused or left military service related to a war not sanctioned by the United Nations and do not have a criminal record, to apply for permanent resident status and remain in Canada; and that the government should immediately cease any removal or deportat

Several people asked to hear about my recent experience with acupuncture. I was delaying, because I couldn't figure out how to write about it without going into my whole medical history, my fibromyalgia, my years of mis-diagnosis, what medications and treatments I use, and so on. I don't mind sharing any of that information, but on the other hand, I don't feel a need to write about it, either. There's a lot of health and wellness blogging, and that's great if it helps you, but it's not for me. My approach to my health is to do what I need to do, and not focus on it any more than I have to. This is not to minimize my own issues or anyone else's. I just don't want my health issues to define me. Through my writing , I've known so many people with significant, permanent disabilities who don't let their limitations define their lives. They are models for me; I strive to do the same. So here's the quickie version. I have fibromyalgia , which cause

James has posted a visual version of my story here , about our Good Dog Friday. Enjoy!

As you may know, I am completely ignoring the US election campaigns, at least as much as I possibly can. What little seeps through my filter, either from our daily newspaper or from headlines at Progressive Bloggers and Common Dreams , really disturbs me. Too many people - people who ought to know better - are putting too much stock in Barack Obama. The man is a good candidate and a gifted orator, but he is not going to fix what ails the United States. Any man or woman who would propose to fix what's wrong with the United States could not possibly get elected, or get nominated, or even be taken seriously as a candidate. Progressive people's reactions to Obama remind me of exactly how I felt in 1992. After twelve years of Reagan and Bush, a man from a humble background, with great charisma and a silver tongue, wowed the Democrats. It may be hard to remember the Bill Clinton of 1992, given what we came to know of him, but people wept at the Democratic National Convention that y

A reader sent me this encouraging story from BBC News: Teachers [in England and Wales] have voted to oppose military recruitment activities in schools if they employ "misleading propaganda". Young people must be given a true picture of Army life, not a "marketised version", the National Union of Teachers conference heard. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) denies actively recruiting in schools but says it does visit to raise awareness when invited in by head teachers. Some teachers complain the Army uses sophisticated methods of recruitment. Paul McGarr, a teacher from east London, said only when recruiting materials gave a true picture of war would he welcome them into his school. These would have to say: "Join the Army and we will send you to carry out the imperialist occupation of other people's countries," Mr McGarr said. "Join the Army and we will send you to bomb, shoot and possibly torture fellow human beings in other countries. "Join the A

OK, OK, I give up! So many people have sent me articles and videos relating to Dick Cheney's "So?" comment, that I am obliged to post it. Thank you to everyone who thought of wmtc. Here it is , via the always-excellent Think Progress . I maintain that the only way to understand the Cheney Administration's refusal to get out of Iraq is to realize that, for them, Iraq has been a smashing success. Their interests are being advanced. The death and destruction is somebody else's problem.

Yes, it's Opening Day, and we're waking up at 5:00 a.m. to make coffee and eat breakfast before the game. Today the Boston Red Sox - that's the World Champion Boston Red Sox - play the Oakland Athletics in Tokyo. The first two games of the season will be played in Japan, then the teams come back to California, finish spring training, and resume the same series in Oakland. The Red Sox have two Japanese players, one of them very high-profile, so there's some extra appeal for legions of Japanese baseball fans. The Sox played a few exhibition games against Japanese teams this week. Many Boston-area bars are opening early and serving breakfast. Pretty cool. I'm happy Opening Day is early this year, because it doesn't coincide with my annual early-April trip to New York and New Jersey. Plus these 6:00 a.m. starts extend movie season by one week. (And we should be glad we're not in Oakland, where hometown fans have a 3:00 a.m. start.) Play Ball!

Much is being made of the fact that the US has now lost 4,000 troops in Iraq , and that this terrible milestone was reached on Easter. Since I'm not Christian, and since most of the people being killed in Iraq are not Christian, I can't say I find the Easter date very significant. And the 4,000 number, though awful, is deceptive, when there's at least 90,000 , possibly more than 1,000,000 , Iraqi dead (and they're all civilians!), around 60,000 Americans wounded , who knows how many Iraqis wounded, along with untold physical and psychological destruction. But if Easter helps people think about peace, then Easter it is. Why not. Here are some people who want us to think about peace. This protest took place during an Easter morning mass at Holy Name Cathedral, said to be Chicago's most prominent Catholic church, and the home of arch-conservative Cardinal Francis George. I love protests that disrupt big ceremonies. They're great attention-getters, especially now th

This is hilarious! A must-read for a good laugh. Many thanks to Zoe at A Complicated Salvation .

This post now has a link to photos!

Attention ignorant Canadians: it is better to have publicly-financed health care than to buy cheap shoes. Shoes that are made in China and will fall apart in 2 months anyway. Attention ignorant Americans: see above. Cheap shopping vs. health care. (If you click, check out the comments, too.) Sorry for the re-run. It was post or explode.

Could someone who is visiting wmtc from here please tell me why? What are you? Who linked to me there? I am curious! I must know!

No child left behind. Except the ones we leave behind. That's family values for you. From Reuters, via Common Dreams : Underage criminals cannot face the death penalty in the United States but dozens of offenders imprisoned for crimes committed when they were young teenagers will still die behind bars . The U.S. Supreme Court abolished the death penalty for minors in 2005 but 19 states permit "life-means-life" sentences for those under 18, according to a study by the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) . In all, 2,225 people are sentenced to die in U.S. prisons for crimes they committed as minors and 73 of them were aged 13 and 14 at the time of the crime, according to the group, which is based in Montgomery, Alabama. Elsewhere in the world, life sentences with no chance of parole are rare for underage offenders. Human Rights Watch estimates that only 12 people outside the United States face such sentences. Judicial reform advocates say the U.S. provision is an example of how

For wmtc readers interested in dog training, here's an update on our wonderful maniac. In the fall, I blogged about Tala's crazy behaviour on-leash and in the car. When we walk on-leash, Tala goes wild for passing cars and bicycles. The bigger and louder the vehicle, the crazier she goes. It's clear that if she weren't on the leash, she'd be a car chaser - among the most dangerous habits a dog can have. If we can anticipate the coming car and put her into a sit-stay, she can hold steady as the car goes past. But how many times on a walk can you do that? And you can't always anticipate the cars. The other area is her in-car behaviour. In a word: insane. We have her in the hatchback, behind a dog barrier. She barks at every passing car - three times at each car - ruff-ruff-ruff , ruff-ruff-ruff , ruff-ruff-ruff - while running back and forth between the side windows, turning in circles, clawing at the windows... We can't talk, we can't listen to music, w

Last Friday was a statutory holiday in Canada, and a weekday day off is one way we see friends who work more normal schedules than ours. James and Lori came over with Cobalt and Cobalt's new sister, Denim . James photographed the proceedings. We were all curious to see how all four dogs would get along. The first time Tala met Cobalt, Tala was really obnoxious - she picked on Cobalt all day. Not much fun for the little one. The next time they met , Cobalt figured out how to stand up to Tala - and Tala loved it! (Unfortunately, Tala is a bit of a bully.) By the third time Tala and Cobalt saw each other, they were great friends . I knew that that friendship is now cemented, but I didn't know how Tala would do with a very small puppy. And I forgot what Cody what do! Tala was happy and excited to see Cobalt. She was mildly intrigued by Denim, but she never focused on the puppy and didn't harass her the way she did with Cobalt on their early meetings. She was too distracted by

A long-awaited story about the War Resisters Support Campaign is finally out in the New York Times Magazine . It's written by Ben Ehrenreich (who is Barbara Ehrenreich's son). Next month, the Canadian House of Commons is slated to debate a resolution that would allow conscientious objectors "who have refused or left military service related to a war not sanctioned by the United Nations" to apply for residency in Canada. The phrasing is vague but the intent is not. The war in question is the Iraq war, and the resolution represents the culmination of a four-year debate about what to do with the small but steady stream of American soldiers who have fled across our northern border to avoid fighting in Iraq. It all began in Jan. 2004, when a young American with a long, serious face walked into the Toronto law office of Jeffry House to ask for help with what was at the time a highly unusual immigration case. The American turned out to be a soldier named Jeremy Hinzman, an

If you love words, as I do, you might enjoy this review of a book called The Man Who Made Lists - Love, Death, Madness, and the Creation of Roget's Thesaurus , by Joshua Kendall. It's a biography of Peter Mark Roget (1779-1869), creator of the first thesaurus. I was very surprised to learn that Roget never intended the thesaurus as a book of synonyms. He didn't believe there was such a thing as synonyms, since every word has a distinct meaning. But he was mentally ill, or at least mentally unstable, and one of his compulsive coping mechanisms was making lists. I was also surprised - amazed, startled, astonished, shocked? - to learn that the thesaurus was not Roget's life work. The Thesaurus, a retirement venture carried out when Roget was in his 70s, may have been prompted by a reissuing, in 1849, of "British Synonymy," a handbook of definitional equivalents first published a half-century earlier by Hester Lynch Piozzi, known to devotees of Dr. Johnson as h

There's been a sharp increase in the number of emails I've been receiving from Americans who want to emigrate to Canada. There's no way to know (yet) if this means more people are actually applying, or simply that more people are finding this blog. In any case, people have been very appreciative of wmtc, and that is very gratifying for me. My earlier "advice" posts are here , here and here . In this fourth advice post, I want to address some general concerns about moving to Canada. Writer "RB" speaks for many when he says: I have one question though: what is this business about "Canadian experience" for jobs? I've read a few internet sites that had tirades on how hard it is for immigrant workers to get jobs due to lack of this "Canadian experience" business. Some of the sites were run by South Asian immigrants and it sounded like they ran into some racist employers. Did you have any issues with this? Or heard of this? Also I hear