Happy Friday! Extreme weather continued in the Eastern half of the country this week, with record low temperatures in Ontario, grounded flights everywhere and power outages in Newfoundland. The term “Polar Vortex” may sound like another name for an overinflated disaster movie starring Dennis Quaid, but, as Roger Annis points out, it has very real and unsettling implications for ageing infrastructure in Newfoundland and elsewhere.
Meanwhile, an equally chilling force descended on the West as Stephen Harper made the rounds in B.C. (inciting one of the best sneak protests seen in recent years). As speculation about Harper’s future as Conservative leader continues apace, discussions of parliamentary reform are underway in Ottawa on all sides. Geoff Stevens covers two separate motions by Green Party leader Elizabeth May and Conservative MP Michael Chong.
On the heels of the Harper government’s announcement of Vivian Bercovici as the next ambassador to Israel and in advance of Harper’s visit to the country later this month, Karl Nerenberg has published the first piece in a series on his recent travels to Israel and Palestine. This one covers the Christmas climate in Jerusalem and efforts large and small to create space for Palestinian stories. Meanwhile, Yves Engler illuminates the relationship between Zionism and British imperialism in Canadian history. Engler reminds us that Harper and Kenney’s recent spout of “clash of civilizations” pro-Israeli rhetoric is political rather than ideological, and that pandering of this nature is far from new. “For more than a century,”Engler writes, “non-Jewish Canadians have promoted a Jewish homeland in Palestine.”
rabble.ca also welcomed a new blog to the site this week. Btch is the New Blg is authored by Amy Saunders, who will “aim to be deeply critical of capitalism and its discourse within other discourses.” Pressing questions include: “How does [capitalism] interact with Feminism? What would Beyonce think? What would Zizek do? What should we do, if anything?”
Does Rob Ford’s rotund physique make him easier to mock? On The Views Expressed, Connie Russell and Gerald Walton argue that a large part of the Ford ridicule machine comes from endemic fatphobia and point out instances of Ford fat shaming in the media. Russell and Walton write that “one place to start is for each of us to look in the proverbial mirror to learn about and challenge our negative, misguided and harmful attitudes, assumptions and beliefs about fatness.” In a similar vein on The Views Expressed, personal trainer Courtney Szto calls for a revised definition of physical literacy.
Last but not least, House napper, Mandela-criticizer and Worst MP Possibly Ever Rob Anders is currently facing several possible challengers in the Calgary riding of Signal Hill. David J. Climenhaga covered this story in classically sardonic fashion on Tuesday and Thursday of this week.
Stay warm!
Image: flickr/Eastick_East
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