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It has finally happened. A professional male athlete in one of the big US team sports has come out as gay. Someone had to be first, and that person is Jason Collins of the NBA. Thank you, Mr. Collins, for your courage and your honesty! From the Sports Illustrated cover story: I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay. I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. But since I am, I'm happy to start the conversation. I wish I wasn't the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, "I'm different." If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I'm raising my hand. My journey of self-discovery and self-acknowledgement began in my hometown of Los Angeles and has taken me through two state high school championships, the NCAA Final Four and the Elite Eight, and nine playoffs in 12 NBA seasons. . . . . I realized I needed to go public when Joe Kennedy,

From the War Resisters Support Campaign : Iraq War Resister Kimberly Rivera sentenced to 14 months in military prison after deportation by Harper government On Monday afternoon, during a court-martial hearing at Fort Carson, Colorado, Kimberly Rivera was sentenced to 14 months in military prison and a dishonourable discharge after publicly expressing her conscientious objection to the Iraq War while in Canada. A pre-trial agreement capped the sentence at 10 months of confinement and a bad conduct discharge. Kimberly Rivera with her husband Mario Private First Class Kimberly Rivera deployed to Iraq in 2006 and sought asylum in Canada in 2007 because she decided she could no longer be complicit in the war. A mother of four young children — including two who were born in Canada — she was forced back to the United States of America by the Conservative government after receiving a negative decision on her pre-removal risk assessment (PRRA). A Federal Court judge denied her request for a sta

We expect Kimberly Rivera to be sentenced today. War resister, prisoner of conscience, peace activist, artist, mother, friend, Kim Rivera is in the hearts of all who know her, all her supporters who stand by her in this time of need. Kim is being punished for choosing peace over war, light over darkness, love over hate. She is being punished by the US military, but that punishment was made possible by Stephen Harper, Jason Kenney, and their so-called majority government. Shame on them. Shame, shame, shame.

As I write this, the death toll in the recent Bangladesh factory fire nears 350. That number is expected to grow, as scores of people are still trapped under giant blocks of concrete, and not expected to survive. Six people have been arrested in connection with the conditions in the factory. This fire is only the latest (and worst) in a long series of factory fires in Bangladesh's booming garment industry. After a fire killed 112 garment workers at Tazreen Fashions in November, clothing brands and retailers rejected a union-sponsored proposal to improve safety throughout Bangladesh's $20 billion garment industry. Instead, companies expanded a patchwork system of private audits and training. Labor groups insist that the moves improve little, with official inspections lax and factory owners enjoying close ties to the government. In the five months since, there have been 41 "fire incidents" in Bangladesh factories—ranging from a fatal conflagration to smaller fires that

Revolutionary thought of the day: I can’t stop looking at Rue, smaller than ever, a baby animal curled up in a nest of netting. I can’t bring myself to leave her like this. Past harm, but seeming utterly defenseless. To hate the boy from District 1, who also appears so vulnerable in death, seems inadequate. It’s the Capitol I hate, for doing this to all of us. Gale’s voice is in my head. His ravings against the Capitol no longer pointless, no longer to be ignored. Rue’s death has forced me to confront my own fury against the cruelty, the injustice they inflict upon us. But here, even more strongly than at home, I feel my impotence. There’s no way to take revenge on the Capitol. Is there? Then I remember Peeta’s words on the roof. “Only I keep wishing I could think of a way to . . . to show the Capital they don’t own me. That I’m more than just a piece in their Games.” And for the first time, I understand what he means. I want to do something, right here, right now, to shame them, to ma

This is the first in a series of reviews of youth (formerly called YA, or young-adult) novels, which I will be reading in no particular order and with no particular method. I love youth literature, and it's simply a pleasure to read what I want once again, with no schoolwork hanging over my head. As with all my "what i'm reading" posts, if it seems that I like everything I read, it's because I only write about books I enjoyed. I finally read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I've been intensely curious about this book since it was released to great sensation in 2008. I think most readers know the basic plot of this dystopian novel. The Hunger Games is set in the future, in what was North America, now called Panem. A lavishly wealthy Capitol exercises totalitarian control over an apartheid-like system of districts. The competition of the title is an annual event in which one boy and one girl from each district are selected by lottery. The contestants all f

Roddy Doyle is one of my favourite authors. I read everything he publishes for adults, but I had never read any of his children's books before. I recently read two of them, and I'm so glad I did. Wilderness, Roddy Doyle, 2007 In this story, a mother and her two sons set out on winter adventure vacation in Finland. They need some time alone together, while the boys' teenage sister (their mom's stepdaughter) needs some time alone to meet her biological mother. The girl is a sullen, angry adolescent, trapped in her own confusing emotions, which she feels unable to control. The boys are on the cusp of their own transition, one foot in the protection and comfort of childhood, the other ready to take a few steps on their own, and test their independence. Wilderness alternates between the two stories, in two distinct voices, one older and more turbulent, the other younger and simpler, more trusting. There's no question that the man who gave us Paula Spencer, narrator and

I sent this email yesterday. To Wind Customer Service: Re: Mobile Phone # xxx.xxx.xxxx Transaction: Tendered On: 24-Apr-2013 01:08 PM Tendered At: WCMA01 Invoice: xxxxx I am writing to complain about some terrible customer service I received at your Square One kiosk (100 City Centre Drive) on Wednesday, April 24, 2013. The transaction information from my receipt is above. A few days earlier, I had called Wind to enquire about activating international calling on my phone. I was told I would need a new SIM card, plus some add-ons, and that I could pick up the new SIM card at no cost at any Wind corporate store.  I asked the customer service rep to confirm that I could receive a free SIM card at the Square One location, and was told that I could. At Square One, I asked for a new SIM card. Two people were working at the kiosk, one male and one female, and I was the only customer. The man at the booth said, "The thing is, when we are busy, we don't like to do those transacti

Nancy Zorn's Direct Action To mark Earth Day 2013, I hope you will submit a comment to the US State Department opposing the Keystone XL Pipeline. The form is properly set up for both US zip codes and Canadian postal codes. The goal is one million comments. Submit your comment here. In Arkansas, four weeks after a pipeline rupture spewed hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil into a residential area, Exxon tried to buy off affected residents with the princely sum of $10,000. What's that the human equivalent of, three cents? Exxon is refusing to pay the cost of investigating the spill, and a private corporation is profiting from the cleanup. We've seen it all before: the horrendous impact of pipeline failure, the utter negligence of the energy corporations, the disaster capitalism cleanup that profits from the misery . Concerned and courageous citizens all over North America are engaging in civil disobedience to oppose the Keystone XL pipeline. The Sierra Club broke with

This is so beautiful! New Zealand, we thank you! We love you!

From " A Tale of Two Terrorisms " In the midst of tragedy, it's hard to talk about perspective. My niece lives in Boston, a short walking distance from where the bombs went off. She was on the spot less than an hour before the explosions. And, having lived in New York City before, during, and after September 11, 2001, I know something of what the people of Boston are experiencing. What happened in Boston is a horror and a tragedy and a crime. For families and friends of the three people who were killed, there is no perspective. There is only loss. For people who lost limbs, life is forever altered. No matter how they adjust and adapt, there will always be a before and an  after . On April 7, US-led airstrikes killed 20 people in Afghanistan, 11 of them children. Those 11 children are a small fraction of the civilians killed in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Yemen, and other countries by the United States in recent years. The parents and loved ones of those 11 children ar

I feel some kind of obligation to write about Rehtaeh Parsons. Not because I imagine I have something important to add to the conversation, just because she is on my mind so much, and when that happens, I must write. For non-Canadian readers, this is why we know the name Rehtaeh Parsons. From an excellent post by Christine Salek at PolicyMic: Let me know if you've heard this one before. A teenage girl attends a party, drinks alcohol, and then is gang raped by four male classmates. The boys take photos of the assault and share them with their school, and the girl is then bullied relentlessly. This happened to Rehtaeh Parsons of Nova Scotia, but her story didn't end with her assailants being sentenced — at all. The police didn't think they had enough evidence to charge anyone of the crime, so for 2 years, Parsons was taunted with memories of that night, called a "slut," and blamed for something over which she had no control. Last week, she hung herself. On Sunday, s

Image found at Youth and Work blog In recent years, I've been very disturbed by the proliferation of so-called unpaid internships, more properly called unpaid labour, previously known as slavery. A while back, I had a disturbing conversation with an unpaid editor at The Mark . She was highly skilled, an excellent editor. I told her so, and asked if she was being paid. Since The Mark does not pay its contributors, I was wondering if they also got a free pass on staff. The young woman vigorously defended her unpaid job, explaining, "I'm learning the business as I go." To which I responded, "That used to be called an entry level job !" She seemed not to realize that people used to get hired right out of university, and trained in a variety of positions. I asked, "When the internship ends, will they hire you?" She said, no, she can renew her unpaid arrangement, or leave. It's safe to assume that if she chose to leave, another unpaid intern would t

"Oh man, you live in Toronto? I love Toronto! I go there a lot. I have a friend who races horses at Woodbine." "Woodbine, is that the one near the airport? I live right near there." "Toronto's a great town. I love hockey, so you know I love going up to Canada." Talk of hockey leads to talk of baseball, and as it turns out... "Well, I couldn't really say, I'm a Red Sox fan." "Get outta here! Me too! I'm a total diehard!" "No way? Another New York area Sox fan!" Typical how-is-our-team-this-year talk goes on for a while, both of us quite animated. Do we have a decent closer, the excitement of Jackie Bradley, Jr., what's it like to see Youk play for the other side. I did get a hint that something was amiss... "Canada's great, except you can't go to Quebec. They hate us there." "Nah, that's just something people say. Quebec is wonderful. Montreal is an amazing city." "Oh yuc

Today, April 9, is Equal Pay Day in Ontario. Please watch this short video to learn why we are still fighting for pay equity. Then visit the Equal Pay Coalition to learn how you can raise your voice for pay equity in this province. "This is not something we should still be fighting for. Students today should be reading about this in their textbooks."

Hundreds of fast-food workers in New York City walked off the job this week, demanding a living wage. This is their second walkout in six months, as this exciting labour movement continues to grow. The workers, who have organized themselves as Fast Food Forward, are a model for people throughout the US who are employed but live in poverty. Low-wage workers in Chicago are involved in the same fight, under the banner of Worker Organizing Committee of Chicago . Both groups are calling for a $15/hour minimum wage. The National Restaurant Association says its industry "provides more than 13 million jobs — jobs that could be jeopardized if the minimum wage goes up". So that's what they do: "provide" jobs. But workers provide the labour that keep that industry running. And that industry has it pretty good. In non-fast-food restaurants, customers subsidize the cost of labour in the form of tips. (In the US, restaurant workers earn well below minimum wage before tips.)

My friend Impudent Strumpet writes a series of posts that dispute the oft-repeated notion "money can't buy happiness". ( Here's an example. ) I find this idea very thought-provoking. I've definitely subscribed to the idea that money doesn't equal happiness - that making the acquisition of riches a primary life goal does not lead to a happy life. Imp Strump's posts led me to think more clearly about this axiom and see what kinds of truths it might or might not hold. If money doesn't buy happiness, try living without any For people who live in poverty, money undoubtedly could buy a great deal of happiness. The stresses of poverty are endless, and few of us would deny that being able to afford adequate food, housing, fuel, health care, and other basic necessities would make many people who lack those things very happy indeed. That is why universal health insurance and a more just, rational economic system would solve more problems for more people than t

Who would have thought a movie critic could be so loved, and so missed? Of course, Roger Ebert was so much more than a critic. He was a model for the potential of criticism as an important contribution to art and entertainment. He helped audiences discover art and helped artists connect with audiences. He reviewed each film on its own terms, seemingly enjoying all genres and understanding the potential in each of them. Like many of you, if you are old enough, I used to love to watch "At The Movies," with "the fat guy and the other one," as the joke went. In the 1980s and 90s, during the burgeoning of independent film, Ebert turned the world on to so many films that otherwise might have gotten lost in a mountain of quirkiness. I particularly remember Ebert championing "Say Anything," and later, "Show Me Love," two great teenage love stories. Of course, this was long before a famous scene from one of those movies was reduced to a meme. That scene w

It's Opening Day! It's always a long, cold winter for a baseball-only fan, but winters for Red Sox fans have been especially long and cold lately. When was the last time we saw a meaningful game? (Don't answer that.) I lost interest 'round about July last season, unusual for me, but there's something about losing every night that doesn't inspire me to plan my life around the team's schedule. But that's all behind us now. Spring is here, and with it, a fresh start, new hope, and who knows, maybe a half-decent, rebuilding kind of season for the Sox. The 2013 season is also momentous for me personally: it marks my 10th year as a Sox fan. In June 2003, I crossed the great divide, and switched sides in the greatest rivalry in the history of American sports. When it comes to baseball, I'm still monogamous, but I'm on my second marriage. I want to use this lovely Opening Day to celebrate the achievements of two baseball players. As of this season, both