Where is John Pym Now That We Need Him?

Politics / Trump fascism / US PoliticsOne Comment

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John Pym is the sort of hero we need these days; a politician who risked his life and liberty to stand up against the abuse of power by a king who believed it was his divine right to rule as he saw fit. And in opposing the arbitrary, expensive, and sometimes destructive acts of his king, John Pym became one of the leaders of the opposition against the crown, whose words and deeds eventually sparked the English Civil War. His actions helped lay the foundations of English parliamentary democracy and governance.* Pym was also one of the authors of the … click below for more ↓

How Neoliberalism Leads to Libertarianism to Mad Max

Economics / Ideologies / Politics5 Comments

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Despite its misleading name, neoliberalism is not a liberal, progressive, woke, or left-wing ideology. It is a deeply far-right economic policy that aims to benefit the rich, the businesses, and the corporations at the expense of working people. And it has done so wherever it has been implemented, which is in most Western democracies today. The word liberal itself comes from the Latin liber, meaning free. The “liberal” in neoliberal means freedom from the things that restrict business and greed: from unions, from government regulations, from taxes, from public oversight, from restrictive legislation, from responsibility and from obligation, and it … click below for more ↓

Musings on Colour vs B&W

Culture / Film & Reviews / Musings / TVLeave a comment

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I grew up in the technological end of the black-and-white era. In the 1950s and early ’60s, our TV was black and white (technically called monochrome). So was everyone else’s, as were all TV broadcasts for the first decade. I watched everything in greyscale, and the day ended with a test pattern. Movies at the theatre were sometimes in colour, sure, but a lot were still in B&W. Colour filming was a more expensive and complicated process, and ballooning budgets mattered enough to keep many producers using B&W. I remember going to a drive-in theatre with my parents in the … click below for more ↓

Can the USA be Saved?

Politics / Rightwing claptrap / Trump fascism / US Politics8 Comments

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The United States’ long experiment with democracy ended last year, just months shy of its 249th birthday since it declared independence from Britain. It quickly transformed itself into an authoritarian regime led by the dictator Trump almost immediately following his inauguration. By the 249th anniversary of independence, it was laying the groundwork for a police state. and soon started arresting, then executing its own citizens on the street. The US achieved full-blown fascism within the first year of Trump’s second term. Can it ever go back? But back to what? Once hailed — mostly by its own administrations and officials, … click below for more ↓

Thoughts on (Re)Reading Fowler’s

Books & Reviews / Musings / Style & usage / What I'm Reading Now5 Comments

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I had all but forgotten how delightful it can be reading Fowler’s Dictionary of Modern English Usage. It gives me the same sort of pleasure as reading at random through Samuel Johnson’s 1755 dictionary. Although I have had a copy of Fowler’s book on my self since the 1970s, I only returned to it recently, while musing on the dog’s breakfast of the town’s recent communications about its boil-water advisory. I was going to write a post about the event, offering whatever sage advice I still had about how to create effective, far-reaching, and immediate notification during an emergency (and … click below for more ↓

Canadians Vacationing in the USA Are Collaborators

Canadian Politics / MAGA cultists / Politics / Trump fascism / US PoliticsLeave a comment

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The US dictator Donald Trump has consistently threatened Canada’s economy and our sovereignty since his inauguration. His threats to make us the “51st state” have so offended Canadians that it brought stiff resistance from Canadians who responded by boycotting travel to the USA and not buying products and services made or produced in the USA. Let’s be clear: Canadians who still vacation in the USA are collaborators. Canadians who still support Trump are traitors. And that’s clear in the personas of the two most MAGA-loving Canadians: CPC leader and rage-farming Trump mimic, Pierre PoiLIEvre, and traitorous, anti-Canadian Alberta premier Danielle … click below for more ↓

Knee Recovery Final, and Doomscrolling, 28

Musings / Personal Reminiscences / Politics / Surgery & MedicineLeave a comment

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So it ended today, Thursday. My physio sessions are over after seven weeks. I achieved 119° knee bend and, with a push from the therapist, got to 120°, the magic number to which patients are directed to aspire, and which usually mark their graduation from therapy. There was no ceremony, simply goodbyes. They should have a bell for people to ring when they finish their course, like radiation departments have for cancer patients who finish their course. From now on, I am on my own: I am expected to continue to exercise three times a day until at least late … click below for more ↓

Recovering Knee and Doomscrolling, 27

Daily life / Memes; Internet & Social / Musings / Politics / Surgery & MedicineLeave a comment

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Tuesday morning, not long after I finished my morning knee exercises, I drove to Barrie for my annual visit to my urologist — and the surgeon who removed my cancer-riddled prostate, back in 2020. You can read more about my journey with prostate cancer here. I also visit my oncologist once a year, usually in the spring. Both visits involve a prior PSA blood test to check if I have any of that hormone showing. And I don’t. Haven’t had a positive PSA result since my surgery. What matters for me about today’s visit is that I drove there and … click below for more ↓

Doomscrolling Notes, and Knee Recovery, 26

Daily life / Memes; Internet & Social / Musings / Personal ReminiscencesLeave a comment

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Well, I am happy to say I was wrong. Despite more than seven million people (possibly as many as 8.2 million) participating in the USA’s No King’s protest, the events were all peaceful, and the dictator Trump was unable to use any of them as a pretext to invoke the Insurrection Act, declare martial law, and start shooting and jailing American citizens. Trump spent his night posting AI videos and images of himself wearing a crown, including a video in which a crowned Trump in a fighter jet bombs No Kings protestors with feces. Yeah, he’s that childish. Can you … click below for more ↓

Knee Replacement Recovery and Doomscrolling, 25

Books & ReviewsLeave a comment

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Are the grackles gone? We’ve hardly seen any these last few days. Around this time of year, they head south. When they are here, they flock around our bird feeder and empty it quickly. Some of them nest in the cedars and pines close to our house (as do some doves). They are noisy, funny, and somewhat aggressive towards other birds, especially predators and competitors, like crows. We’re now seeing blue jays at the feeder, which is a sign that grackles are not near. For us, the disappearance of grackles marks the real start of fall; when the weather cools, … click below for more ↓

Knee Replacement Recovery, 24

Daily life / Musings / Personal Reminiscences / Surgery & MedicineLeave a comment

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Saturday: Today, October 11, was the last day for this year’s Farmers’ Market, and it was a good last day for the market, weather-wise. I used to really enjoy going to the downtown market before my surgery, but I’ve been avoiding it because of the crowds, including kids and dogs, that always show up. Too many chances to be bumped, my cane bumped, maybe even knocked down. I’ll go back next year when it reopens and I am more stable. We never bought a lot there, but I liked to get some pickles, bread, and maybe some Indian food for … click below for more ↓

Knee Replacement Recovery, 23

Daily life / Musings / Personal Reminiscences / Surgery & MedicineLeave a comment

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Got up to another unseasonably warm October day here: 29C, the third hot day in a row. But tomorrow it’s predicted to fall to 16! I dropped by the local bookshop today (after my session with our dental hygienist) to pick up a used copy of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall. I had read the book a few years ago and even seen the superb BBC mini-series, plus I’ve read the two sequels. I had an urge to read the books again (and maybe re-watch the series), but I remembered I had lent the first in the trilogy to a friend … click below for more ↓

Knee Replacement Surgery: Recovery, 22

Daily life / Musings / Personal Reminiscences / Surgery & MedicineLeave a comment

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Today, I drove to a small, dead-end street near the trail where we parked, so we could walk Bella on the trail at the western edge of Harbourview Park. We came back along the boardwalk, and exited onto the trail again. We stopped on the observation platform that juts out from the boardwalk to see how much further down the water level in the harbour is. We were shocked at how low it has dropped: at least 1.5m, if not 2m below the maximum. The rocks you can see on the ground sticking out like dolmen stones used to be … click below for more ↓

Knee Replacement Recovery, 21

Daily life / Musings / Personal Reminiscences / Surgery & MedicineLeave a comment

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Thursday: I started the day with a 20-minute pedal on the stationary bike, then the first of my three exercise sessions, and a 600 m walk — shorter than usual because we had to get to the hospital for an X-ray and my second follow-up meeting with the surgeon. I was pleased to have him tell me I’m doing well, nothing is wrong, and my progression is as expected. We were at the hospital for about one-and-a-half hours; the X-ray and meeting took perhaps 10 minutes of that. The rest of the time was waiting. Good thing we both brought … click below for more ↓

Knee Replacement Recovery, 20

Daily life / Musings / Personal Reminiscences / Surgery & MedicineLeave a comment

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I have an old man’s legs. I was looking at my still-swollen leg where the surgery had taken place, and where the skin has been smoothed out by the swelling. It looked years younger. And then at my other leg with its bony shin, knobbly knee, and crinkly alligator skin. An old man’s leg, for sure. And soon enough, my operated leg will deflate back to that aged state. I suppose at 75 I should not be surprised to look my age, at least in the legs. And then there’s that old guy looking at me in the mirror. A … click below for more ↓

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