wmtc

My new category is movies that I can watch while I...

2012-05-26T11:07:52.248-04:00

My new category is movies that I can watch while I am in a plane. Something about being forced to watch something during a long trip means that the movies have to work harder. I have consistently been unable to watch anything by Walt Disney or Pixar in the air. THere is some attrocity (with the adaption of Rapunzel, when the evil witch selfishly wanted to use the plant all for herself, contrasting with the nice blond queen, who also wanted to use the life-giving plant all for herself - what?). I was surprised that I was able to watch a version of Mission Impossible to the end - in this case (and it is amazing how rarely this actually succeeds) it was so awful that it was funny, and made no demands on my brain. Otherwise, in my most recent trip I enjoyed two German movies, one called Summer in Orange. I agree with you about the two Sherlocks - but the Hollywood adaption (which I got ton the plane) was absolutely unwatchable - I wasn't able to watch it for more than five minutes.

Ah yes, Game of Thrones and Sons of Anarchy - both...

2012-05-25T23:27:00.684-04:00

Ah yes, Game of Thrones and Sons of Anarchy - both much talked-about. I hear they are both highly addictive!

From what I know of Hachi, I don't think it's for me! You are right about that. :)

I can't stop myself replaying this video every...

2012-05-25T16:57:25.430-04:00

I can't stop myself replaying this video every chance I get. Reading is SEXY!! But most of us knew that, right?

Some of my favourite series in no particular order...

2012-05-25T16:19:18.511-04:00

Some of my favourite series in no particular order:

Sons of Anarchy
The Walking Dead
Game of Thrones
Buffy the Vampire Slayer

I loved Barney's Version. I've not read the book but I do have it, so thanks for the reminder now that I have some time :)

Have you seen Hachi? Or are you familiar with the story? I also found it heartbreaking as opposed to heart warming. Or more accurately, gutting. I think you would feel the same way.

I was wondering if you liked Dean Spanley. :) Bre...

2012-05-25T16:17:14.890-04:00

I was wondering if you liked Dean Spanley. :)

Breaking Bad is the series of the moment - much talked-about. And Friday Night Lights has been recommended many times to me, by good recommenders such as yourself. Perhaps we'll get to it one day.

Big C: Laura Linney is always good--never better ...

2012-05-25T15:50:34.176-04:00

Big C:

Laura Linney is always good--never better than with a slightly over-the-top Hub accent in 'Mystic River.' Her final scene with Sean Penn confers film immortality.

But I did like 'Dean Spanley'....

Series I've enjoyed recently:

* Life
* The Guardian
* MI-5
* Life Unexpected
* Intelligence
* Ugly Betty
* Dead Like Me
* Prison Break
* In Plain Sight
* Lie to Me
* Breaking Bad
* Friday Night Lights
* Doc Martin

I thought your vegetable ranking approach was a...

2012-05-25T10:25:21.408-04:00
I thought your vegetable ranking approach was absolutely potatoes!

Thanks! I'm glad I didn't rule it out. Your potatoes rating gives me courage to continue the goofiness.

Btw, have you seen The Big C? We've been tearing through it on Red Sox nights off. Half-hour episodes, so we usually watch 4 or 5 at a clip. Not potatoes, but usually asparagus, never less than tomatoes.

I thought your vegetable ranking approach was abso...

2012-05-25T09:59:50.967-04:00
I thought your vegetable ranking approach was absolutely potatoes!

The list itself was great as always. Lots of interesting stuff. The ones I've seen I'd put in pretty much the same places.

Context: the population of Montreal is ~1.6 mil...

2012-05-23T22:27:17.452-04:00
Context: the population of Montreal is ~1.6 million.

I kept meaning to look that up and post it. Thank you!

Context: the population of Montreal is ~1.6 millio...

2012-05-23T20:34:42.835-04:00
Context: the population of Montreal is ~1.6 million.

Oh my, GSJ! : " I have given you every opport...

2012-05-23T11:02:55.353-04:00
Oh my, GSJ! : " I have given you every opportunity imaginable to do the simple research I've requested and prove to me (and the readers) that, yes, you did make an informed decision emigrating to this country and that, no, you didn't come for aesthetic, self-aggrandizing, self-congratulatory purposes."

Something about the internet makes people think that not only can they ask questions, they can demand answers! So if somebody doesn't answer their questions immediately, they can post over and over again a demand that their questions be answered immediately. How dare you refuse the numerous opportunities which I have given you to answer my truly brilliant questions!

I have now seen crowd estimates of 400,000! This i...

2012-05-23T10:30:06.875-04:00
I have now seen crowd estimates of 400,000! This is fucking awesome.

That 2nd picture is amazing!!!

2012-05-23T10:21:43.328-04:00
That 2nd picture is amazing!!!

So true. And today - what a turnout! Amazing!!

2012-05-22T22:25:52.243-04:00
So true. And today - what a turnout! Amazing!!

I didn't think a think like the law 78 could h...

2012-05-22T17:54:15.523-04:00
I didn't think a think like the law 78 could happen here in Quebec. It's time we all wear the red square.

Hi Ofer! Thank you!!! Fixed now.

2012-05-22T10:50:07.445-04:00
Hi Ofer! Thank you!!! Fixed now.

You wrote Minnesota instead of Montana in the titl...

2012-05-22T10:31:33.653-04:00
You wrote Minnesota instead of Montana in the title. Just wanted to call your attention to it. Feel free to reject this comment :)

I try (and fail) to imagine the lives Mags and ...

2012-05-21T08:24:38.953-04:00
I try (and fail) to imagine the lives Mags and GSJ live--the amount of time and energy they have to focus on silly harassment.

Me, too. That's what I wrote in the earlier essay. I just cannot imagine why these people have so much time on their hands and what motivates them.

What did people like this before internet to do fill the endless hours?

Good question.

Not to defend GSJ, but at the time he was attacking me, I was not yet involved in activism in Canada. I took a two-year break from activism after we emigrated.

During that time, I was more tentative about criticizing my adopted country - not because I imagined it perfect, but because I needed to learn. I mostly just asked questions and observed. (Oh, the horror!)

The most peculiar thing is that GSJ attacks you fo...

2012-05-21T08:17:28.611-04:00
The most peculiar thing is that GSJ attacks you for being insufficiently militant, informed, committed, and radical. Since these are strong points at wmtc, he really has no juice in the attack.

I try (and fail) to imagine the lives Mags and GSJ live--the amount of time and energy they have to focus on silly harassment. What did people like this before internet to do fill the endless hours?

Oh wow, the comparison of Fox and CBC literally ma...

2012-05-21T00:35:07.082-04:00
Oh wow, the comparison of Fox and CBC literally made me shake my head in disbelief. The government WISHES it had control over CBC. Maybe that's why it keeps trying to gut it.

Moving on. Highly offensive and I'm really irritated because I know even though comments are moderated you still have to sift through them. Yikes.

'Mags' is entirely too close to the name of my kitty Megs for my comfort... but it's actually short for Magnolia or some such thing, right?

For someone apparently tasked and solely capable of diagnosing and curing all that ails this country - a pretty big job - GSJ wastes a lot of time on nonsense.

Mags still hasn't kicked the habit. In fact, h...

2012-05-20T20:08:23.139-04:00
Mags still hasn't kicked the habit. In fact, he was annoyed that this post implies I turned on moderation in response to GSJ. Mags feels he should get credit for that and I owe him an apology! Too funny.

That's quite an email. I love the way he rep...

2012-05-20T19:49:37.876-04:00
That's quite an email. I love the way he repeatedly uses your first name to reinforce the scolding tone: "Laura, how many times do I have to tell you, put your bicycle away when it rains!" :-)

I went back and read your trolling essay as well. Do you still hear from Mags?

On the other hand, the news that Stephen Harper ha...

2012-05-18T13:58:02.219-04:00
On the other hand, the news that Stephen Harper has a chance to appoint a Supreme Court justice, making a Conservative majority on the court, is not good.

Another note I'd add to my response to redrico...

2012-05-16T10:11:27.378-04:00
Another note I'd add to my response to redrico:

People become sensitized to politics, and radicalized, through different paths. Often it's through an issue that has affected their own life. Who's to say that a mobilization of low-income people over food issues could not or would not be a path to radicalization?

In fact, I'm sure that is happening - right now.

but they have so many other pressing concerns a...

2012-05-14T19:21:47.242-04:00
but they have so many other pressing concerns associated with poverty and oppression that to try talking to them about food without also addressing these other problems at the same time probably seems more than a little trivial. Putting their energy and resources into finding ways to connect with and participate in the anti-capitalist movement is far more important. I'd rather they take the time to go to a protest or attend a meeting than take extra time to go to the grocery store and cook for the kids

This seems very patronizing and pedantic to me.

Food choices and learning how to nourish yourself and your family is anything but trivial. Food is life in its most basic form. Learning how to shop, cook, and feed yourself and your family is the complete opposite of trivial - it's foundational.

You would rather people go to a meeting - but everyone has to feed themselves and their kids first, including all of us who go to meetings regularly. It's ridiculous, IMO, to juxtapose the two - learning about better eating habits and learning about revolutionary politics - as if they are mutually exclusive.

Also, I want to note that many of the alternatives mentioned here and in Bittman's article are not middle-class consumer fads, but have been created and maintained and are used by low-income people. The People's Grocery is one example, but there are many others. Urban gardeners are, for the most part, low-income - they mostly farm on vacant lots, and those are only found in low-income neighbourhoods!