Some Less-Than-Random Notes

[dewline]

1. Just saw the new Defenders trailer. I like it.

2. A scientist at U of Maryland is watching the activism of post-2016 Americans. I note the following paragraphs with interest, echoing Marvel's "#itsallconnected" promotional hashtag:

"(Dana) Fisher noted that protesters' motivations at recent marches were unlike anything she'd seen before. Whenever she surveys demonstrators, she allows them to check off their reasons for protesting from a list of causes: “Women's rights,” “Environment,” “Racial justice,” “Equality,” “Peace,” “Labor,” “Religion.” Typically, protesters will tend to pick the same, single motivation: the environment at a climate march, LGBTQ rights at a pride parade.

But at recent marches, “I asked about the issues that mobilized them, and they were just like, 'All of them. Across the board, I’m here because of all of them,' ” Fisher said."

3. Two more from Heather Mallick that I like: one on the value of taxes, and the other on snakes. Not the kind that mcwetboy is comfortable with, either.

4. More later. Maybe a hopeful rant about Star Trek: Discovery doing location shoots in Ottawa some day? (I can dream of it, can't it?)

Comments

[agoodwinsmith]

Thank you for Heather Mallick - I have missed her so much. I used to read her at the Glob until they purdah'd her behind a paywall. The thing about paywalls is that I don't want access to all of the Glob - but I would have paid a little for access to Heather.

Anyway. I do like her opinions, and I do like her light hand in expressing them. Thank you.

[dewline]

You're welcome.

[thewayne]

I remember a signature on Slashdot that read "I like paying taxes, with them I pay for society." When I was at the march for science, I was talking to a guy who was selling stuff for DIY solar power/heating, and he very much anti-people who were anti-science, saying that they shouldn't get modern medicine, smart phones, internet, airlines, etc.

It would be very interesting if people received a breakdown of where their tax dollars went, and they saw exactly how much of their federal taxes went to defense vs education, foreign aid, etc. I don't know how the Canadian tax dollar is split, aside from knowing that you spend far less on your military than we do. Everyone around the world spends far less on their military than we do.

[dewline]

I was listening to Spark on CBC Radio One yesterday, and one of the stories covered in that installment was a project organized by Steve Ballmer of Microsoft fame (or infamy) devoted to explaining US spending at all levels of government in clear visuals. I don't know if Canada's got anything of like purpose up and running yet, but I suspect Nora Young's crew has lit a fire under someone on Parliament Hill...