Archive for November 2011

Two cheers for Paulina Gretzky .. who deserves more respect ..

Nov 30th, 2011 | By | Category: In Brief

[UPDATED DECEMBER 1]. One of the good things about Canada is that it is more serious and high-minded than other places, right? And a good example of this is the Globe and Mail – whose semi-post-modern headquarters at the edge of the lakeshore rail line into downtown Toronto still proudly proclaims “Canada’s National Newspaper”? Right […]



Splendor at the Hollywood theatre : remembering the Natalie Wood who would be 73 years old ..

Nov 29th, 2011 | By | Category: Entertainment

[UPDATED WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11,  AUGUST 22, 2012 ; TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2016 : scroll to bottom of page]. Tuesday, November 29, 2011 marks the 30th anniversary of the death of Natalie Wood, aka Natalia Zakharenko, aka Natasha Gurdin, aka Natalie Wood Wagner – “a movie star, from probably the last period when stars were still […]



Ontario auto sector is in big trouble .. and that’s one deeper truth about moving “closer to EU-style crisis”

Nov 25th, 2011 | By | Category: Canadian Provinces

There’s a lot of talk about the troubled Ontario regional economy lately, that tries to paint government “big spenders” as the crucial problem.  (See, eg, Terence Corcoran’s somewhat alarmist National Post article on “Ontario gets closer to EU-style crisis.”) A few recent reports in the Globe and Mail, however, point to some crucial trends in […]



Ontario throne speech not gloomy just realistic : “As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew”

Nov 22nd, 2011 | By | Category: In Brief

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO, QUEEN’S PARK, TORONTO. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2011. Ontario throne speeches are seldom inspiring – or, some cynics might say, even interesting. The test of a good speech of this sort (others have already long ago explained) is that you can drop its unbound pages on the floor, pick them up in […]



Santa Claus .. an idea whose time has come .. (in early 21st century “CE”)

Nov 20th, 2011 | By | Category: In Brief

TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA. SUNDAY 20 NOVEMBER 2011. This afternoon will see this city’s 107th annual Santa Claus Parade. From 1905 to 1982 the event was sponsored by the now defunct Eaton’s department store. Then a consortium took over. This year’s sponsors include Coca Cola, Lego, Mattel, McDonalds, Mercedes-Benz, Pfizer, Scotiabank, Shopsy’s, Sony Pictures, Tim Hortons, […]



Now that Alberta wants one, will Canada get a national energy policy at last?

Nov 18th, 2011 | By | Category: Ottawa Scene

It is more than 30 years since the ill-fated National Energy Program (NEP) in Canada began – and more than 25 years since it ended. So even the few in the most populous province who have bumped into the recent Vancouver Sun article headlined “Alberta premier tries to build bridges with Ontario on energy policy […]



Obama makes security deal with USA’s best ally (and guess who that is?)

Nov 16th, 2011 | By | Category: In Brief

The estimable Bill Maher was surprised a few weeks ago to hear that the most loyal follower of the United States – the one other country of the world which has enthusiastically joined every foreign policy adventure Washington has concocted over the past 60 years – was not Canada. (He had maybe been paying too […]



Geronimo : An American Legend .. thoughts almost 18 years later : Occupy Wall Street has some very deep roots?

Nov 14th, 2011 | By | Category: Heritage Now

The first entry on TV Ontario’s Saturday Night At The Movies this past weekend was Geronimo : An American Legend – “directed by Walter Hill from a screenplay by John Milius” and first  “released on December 10, 1993 by Columbia Pictures.” According to its Wikipedia entry this movie “had a mixed reception from critics,” and […]



O valiant hearts .. remembering the Toronto we love to hate .. and all who have served in Afghanistan

Nov 10th, 2011 | By | Category: In Brief

[UPDATED NOVEMBER 11]. It can’t come as much of a surprise to anyone in Canada over four years old that “a new survey conducted by Leger Marketing for the National Capital Commission and the Association of Canadian Studies” has found “Canada’s [current] biggest city is also the most disliked.” As Andrew Moran at Digital Journal […]



Occupy Canada should evolve in new directions .. but what are they?

Nov 9th, 2011 | By | Category: In Brief

Some will stress that the Occupy protests in Canada have been pale echoes of Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Oakland, etc.  When the “Toronto-based freelance author, journalist and activist” Nick Fillmore writes about “Occupy’s impact …  Spontaneous movement a catalyst and inspiration,” he urges that continuing “strong citizen-led action could result in a number of […]