radio book lounge

Canucks oust Vigneault: No one is surprised

Kaitlin McNabb — Wed, 22 May 2013 21:00:13 +0000

Puck Daddy article: Alain Vigneault fired by Canucks; who takes over the coaching gig in Vancouver?

Look! The Canucks actually made a decision!

Although I am a documented anti-Canuck fan, let's hope this is the first in many moves to ah, do something.

I hope Mike Gillis fires himself, and before doing so actually moves Luongo somewhere where he wants to be.

Spartacus Books

Kaitlin McNabb — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:49:38 +0000

Story Publish Date:

May 21, 2013

spartacus_unevicted.jpg

Summary:

Spartacus Books is a nonprofit, volunteer-run bookstore and resource centre located on the edge of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and has recently survived a "renoviction" attempt as well!

Bookstore:

Spartacus Books

top 5 books

#1 Title:

The Anti-Capitalist Resistance Comic Book

#2 Author:

Gord Hill

#2 Title:

Witness to Wilderness

#2 Author:

Howard Breen-Needham, Sandy Frances Duncan and Deborah Ferens

#3 Title:

Why We Write: Conversations with African Canadian Poets and Novelists

#3 Author:

H. Nigel Thomas

#4 Title:

Punk Rules OK

#4 Author:

Chris Walter

#5 Title:

Disability Politics and Theory

#5 Author:

A.J. Withers

Book Launch: Rethinking the Politics of Labour in Canada

Kaitlin McNabb — Wed, 15 May 2013 22:59:06 +0000

May 28, 2013 - 7:00pm

Octopus Books hosts the Ottawa Launch of Rethinking the Politics of Labour in Canada and to discuss the Rand Formula, and the larger question of union renewal in a time of austerity.

In the face of relentless attacks on organized labour, there is a clear need and desire for both union renewal and for unions to fight back against the anti-worker austerity agenda.

Within this context, a confrontation looms on the horizon as the Conservative government is poised to eliminate the automatic dues check-off (the “Rand Formula”), which has been a cornerstone of union security for decades. As unions gear up in defence of automatic dues-checkoff, some labour activists are questioning their efforts.

They believe that the Rand formula has created bureaucratic unions that are disconnected from their memberships. Losing Rand could in fact contribute to the process of union renewal, they argue.

Location

Octopus Books

116 Third Avenue

Ottawa, ON

Canada

45° 24' 10.836" N, 75° 41' 18.582" W

See map: Google Maps

Hungry for Change: A conversation on Food Justice with Haroon Akram-Lodhi and Paul Slomp

Kaitlin McNabb — Wed, 15 May 2013 22:52:17 +0000

May 22, 2013 - 7:00pm

Octopus Books will host a conversation on hunger, farming and food sovereignty with author Haroon Akram-Lodhi to launch his new book Hungry for Change: Farmers, Food Justice and the Agrarian Question.

Octopus Books is excited to host a conversation on hunger, farming, and food sovereignty. Author Haroon Akram-Lodhi will be in Ottawa to launch his new book "Hungry for Change: Farmers, Food Justice, and the Agrarian Question." He will be in conversation with Paul Slomp, local cattle-farmer and executive member of the National Farmers Union (NFU).

Location

Octopus Books

116 Third Avenue

Ottawa, ON

Canada

45° 24' 10.836" N, 75° 41' 18.582" W

See map: Google Maps

Book Launch: Wrestling with Democracy by Dennis Pilon

Kaitlin McNabb — Wed, 15 May 2013 22:25:24 +0000

May 20, 2013 - 7:30pm

The Toronto release party for York University Professor Dennis Pilon's book 'Wrestling with Democracy' about the history of electoral reform in western industrialized nations.

University of Toronto Press Publishing presents the Toronto release for Dennis Pilon's latest book 'Wrestling with Democracy: Voting Systems as Politics in the 20th Century West'.

Though sharing broadly similar processes of economic and political development from the mid-to-late nineteenth century onward, western countries have diverged greatly in their choice of voting systems: most of Europe shifted to proportional voting around the First World War, while Anglo-American countries have stuck with relative majority or majority voting rules. Using a comparative historical approach, Wrestling with Democracy examines why voting systems have (or have not) changed in western industrialized countries over the past century.

Location

The Tranzac Club, Main Hall
292 Brunswick Street
Toronto, ON
Canada
43° 39' 55.0152" N, 79° 24' 26.5104" W

See map: Google Maps

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Excerpt: Historical reformers: Why and how democratic institutions change

Kaitlin McNabb — Wed, 15 May 2013 21:52:20 +0000

dek:

A timely read about electoral reform and the struggle within and outside the rules of democracy

Story Publish Date:

May 16, 2013

cover.jpg

Book Publishing Information

Book Title:

Wrestling with Democracy: Voting Systems as Politics in the 20th Century West

Book Author:

Dennis Pilon

Book Publisher:

University of Toronto Press Publishing

Book Published Date:

2013

Book Price:

$37.95

The following is an excerpt from the new book Wrestling with Democracy: Voting Systems as Politics in the 20th Century West , which examines why voting systems have or have not changed in western industrialized countries over the past century.

summary:

'Wrestling with Democracy' by Dennis Pilon provides a historical and comparative look at electoral reform (or lack thereof) of western industrialized countries over the past century.

Review: From hell and back: Searching for self at the crossroads of social change

Kaitlin McNabb — Wed, 08 May 2013 18:51:38 +0000

dek:

Struggling to find identity, love and redemption in gritty 1970s Toronto

Story Publish Date:

May 9, 2013

night_town_image.jpg

Book Publishing Information

Book Title:

Night Town

Book Author:

Cathi Bond

Book Publisher:

Iguana Books

Book Published Date:

2013

Book Price:

$23.99

One marvels at how far we've progressed and yet how little has changed. In the 1970s in Canada there was still a profound stigma attached to homosexuality. Sound familiar?

We certainly like to think of ourselves as progressive in Canada, but one merely needs to glance at the headlines to see we are a long way off. Who hasn't read a story of a teenager committing suicide because they are bullied about their sexual orientation?

summary:

Night Town by Cathi Bond is a coming-of-age story of a young woman, and a shifting nation, growing up in the rapidly changing social fabric of 1970s Toronto and searching for acceptance and progress.

Arguing for Our Lives: A User's Guide to Constructive Dialogue

Kaitlin McNabb — Wed, 01 May 2013 18:33:26 +0000

dek:

Reclaiming critical thinking and connecting it with the political and social world

Story Publish Date:

May 2, 2013

arguing_for_our_lives.jpg

Book Publishing Information

Book Title:

Arguing for Our Lives: A User's Guide to Constructive Dialog

Book Author:

Robert Jensen

Book Publisher:

City Lights Publishers

Book Published Date:

2013

Book Price:

$13.95

The following is an adapted excerpt from the new book Arguing for Our Lives: A User's Guide to Constructive Dialogue, published by City Lights Books.

"The universe is an undifferentiated whole. About that we can say nothing more."

This catchy aphorism from political philosopher Bruce Wright may seem nonsensical at first glance, but is worth exploring in the service of deepening our intellectual humility. Facing multiple, cascading ecological crises, we humans need science more than ever and more than ever we need to understand the limits of science.

summary:

The following is adapted from the new book Arguing for Our Lives: A User's Guide to Constructive Dialogue from City Lights Books.

The Great Revenue Robbery: The story of the tax cut scam with Dennis Howlett

radio book lounge — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 14:53:53 +0000

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper famously once said “I don’t believe any taxes are good taxes” and he proceeded to create a deficit with tax cuts and then turned to gutting services. Now a new book gives another view – The Great Revenue Robbery: How to Stop the Tax Cut Scam and Save Canada, edited by Richard Swift for Canadians for Tax Fairness.

great_revenue_robbery_conversation_with_dennis_howlett_.mp3

Its Earth Week! What are your book/article/movie suggestions for all the issues surrounding environmentalism

Kaitlin McNabb — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 13:10:21 +0000

It's Earth Week!

We thought a fun way to get the conversation going around the environmental issues and outlying factors presented by Earth Week would be to have babblers list their favourite books/movies/articles/websites that address these issues.

Earth Week, beginning today April 16 and ending with Earth Day on April 22, is supposed to be a time of positive action and results, and what better way to achieve awareness than for babblers to discuss what issues are important to them, and what mediums have affected and enriched their knowledge on those issues.

Babble Book Club: 'Things Fall Apart' by Chinua Achebe

Kaitlin McNabb — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 15:15:18 +0000

Babble Book Club's newest selection is Things Fall Apart Chinua Achebe!

From the Bound but not Gagged blog post:

Things Fall Apart describes the story of Okonkwo and his family and their struggle to preserve the customs and society of the Igbo amidst the pressure and influence of British colonialism and Christian missionaries during the late nineteenth century.
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Babble Book Club final discussion of Straphanger with Eric Doherty

Kaitlin McNabb — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 15:34:10 +0000

April 12, 2013 - 2:00pm

Babble Book Club will host Registered Professional Planner Eric Doherty for the final discussion of Straphanger this Friday April 12 2:00 p.m. EST.

Babble Book Club will host Registered Professional Planner Eric Doherty for the final discussion of transit-oriented book Straphanger: Saving Our Cities and Ourselves from the Automobile.

Eric will join the conversation for one hour on our established babble thread to provide insight on the world of public transit and alternative transit and city planning.

Location

Babble Book Lounge Various

Canada

See map: Google Maps

Babble Book Club: Straphanger by Taras Grescoe

Kaitlin McNabb — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 17:17:36 +0000

After voting polls and some hard decisions, we have our newest selection of Straphanger: Saving Our Cities and Ourselves from the Automobile by Taras Grescoe.

From our Bound but not Gagged blog post:

Straphanger offers an intimate and personal tour of cities that offer alternatives to car-based living and provides support towards the shift away from automobiles in cities. Grescoe uses personal anecdotes of bicycle rides and subway commutes to inform readers of the economical and environmental impact of transportation and public transit technology on cities.
read more

Canada Reads: Is anyone here actually watching?

Kaitlin McNabb — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 15:04:01 +0000

Has anyone been watching Canada Reads?

I watched yesterday as a form of social experiment, I guess, and found it not as awful as was thinking, but still quite ... strange.

I know it is not everyone's favourite thing to discuss, but just curious. The live chat that accompanies the feed is pretty interesting too.

I wondering what other's thoughts are that are actually following the show and potentially reading along (I'm not reading along).

Babble Book Club: Cool Water by Dianne Warren

Kaitlin McNabb — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 14:48:23 +0000

Babble Book Club's newest selection is Cool Water by Dianne Warren, an interwoven story about the inhabitants of a fictional Saskatchewan town. Warren has described this novel as her life's work as it is informed by the area she grew up in, the movies and books she consumed and partly her family history.

The final conversation will wrap up on Tuesday February 19 8:30 p.m. EST/5:30 p.m. PST where the book will be discussed in its entirety. As always the thread is open for everyone to discuss the book and ask questions as they ease along on their reading process.

This book is widely available online, in bookstores, at the library or through the publisher Harper Collins.