Walking the Path

Why Catholics are Right by Michael Coren
In the Fabled East by Adam Lewis Schroeder
The Bishop’s Man by Linden McIntyre
Extraordinary Canadians: Louis Hippolyte Lafontaine And Robert Baldwin by John Rolsten Saul
Currently Reading: Jesus of Nazareth Vol II by Pope Benedict XVI
Nikolski by Nikolas Dickner
A Jesuit on Broadway by James Martin SJ
Born With A Tooth by Joseph Boyden
Extraordinary Canadians Louis Riel And Gabriel Dumont by Joseph Boyden
Story of A Soul by St. Therese of Liseux

Why Catholics are Right by Michael Coren
In the Fabled East by Adam Lewis Schroeder
The Bishop’s Man by Linden McIntyre
Currently Reading: Extraordinary Canadians: Louis Hippolyte Lafontaine And Robert Baldwin by John Rolsten Saul
Jesus of Nazareth Vol II by Pope Benedict XVI
Nikolski by Nikolas Dickner
A Jesuit on Broadway by James Martin SJ
Born With A Tooth by Joseph Boyden
Extraordinary Canadians Louis Riel And Gabriel Dumont by Joseph Boyden
Story of A Soul by St. Therese of Liseux

Why Catholics are Right by Michael Coren
In the Fabled East by Adam Lewis Schroeder
Currently Reading: The Bishop’s Man by Lyden McIntyre
Extraordinary Canadians: Louis Hippolyte Lafontaine And Robert Baldwin by John Rolsten Saul
Jesus of Nazareth Vol II by Pope Benedict XVI
Nikolski by Nikolas Dickner
A Jesuit on Broadway by James Martin SJ
Born With A Tooth by Joseph Boyden
Extraordinary Canadians Louis Riel And Gabriel Dumont by Joseph Boyden
Story of A Soul by St. Therese of Liseux

Why Catholics are Right by Michael Coren
Currently Reading: In the Fabled East by Adam Lewis Schroeder
The Bishop’s Man by Lyden McIntyre
Extraordinary Canadians: Louis Hippolyte Lafontaine And Robert Baldwin by John Rolsten Saul
Jesus of Nazareth Vol II by Pope Benedict XVI
Nikolski by Nikolas Dickner
A Jesuit on Broadway by James Martin SJ
Born With A Tooth by Joseph Boyden
Extraordinary Canadians Louis Riel And Gabriel Dumont by Joseph Boyden
Story of A Soul by St. Therese of Liseux

Currently Reading: Why Catholics are Right by Michael Coren
In the Fabled East by Adam Lewis Schroeder
The Bishop’s Man by Lyden McIntyre
Extraordinary Canadians: Louis Hippolyte Lafontaine And Robert Baldwin by John Rolsten Saul
Jesus of Nazareth Vol II by Pope Benedict XVI
Nikolski by Nikolas Dickner
A Jesuit on Broadway by James Martin SJ
Born With A Tooth by Joseph Boyden
Extraordinary Canadians Louis Riel And Gabriel Dumont by Joseph Boyden
Story of A Soul by St. Therese of Liseux

Been really busy recently. On the work front I’ve been organizing a trip to Taiwan; on the personal side, Betty and I are preparing for my parents to visit for Chinese New Year and our upcoming marriage (on Valentine’s Day). Hope to give more details once I get a few minutes but in the meantime I thought I’d share what I’ve been reading:

-The two space debate I’m a single spacer.

-What does curating mean? I’ve become to believe in this particularly with my Kobo, which through the construction of my home library is letting me create my own literary cannon.

-How Facebook beat Tunsia – I’m fascinated by how social media is helping us to create political change. Though, I admit it isn’t as straightforward as going on FB and the government falls.

Have a Happy Chinese New Year.
J.

I was going through The Globe and Mail‘s website this morning and I came across some great Christmas fiction by Johanna Skibsrud author of the Giller Prize-winning The Sentimentalists. Check it out here.

Enjoy
J.

I’ve never really thought much about Peter Gzowski. I’m a bit too young for the voice of Canadian morning radio for 30 years. I only knew him as the author of numerous copies of The Morning Side Paper which sat on my uncle’s shelf in London. And those were books I thought “too adult” (IE boring) to read – and I read everything even as a kid.

The only time I ever remember listening to him was on a car trip with my Dad up to Ottawa when I was 17 and going to tour the university where I would eventually do my undergrad degree. I don’t really remember having an opinion on him at all. I just remember turning on the radio and wanting to listen to him because I thought that’s what journalists did and I wanted to be a journalist.

After reading Robert Fulford’s review of a new Gzowksi biography I realize that I missed out on a great personality and like that two-volume biography of Pierre Elliot Trudeau that sits in my box of books unread — somebody I’m going to have to learn about through the printed page.

And that’s sad. I can’t really blame myself for not knowing these things at the time. I was 18 when Gzowski retired from Morning Side and I’ve become a devoted follower of its unfortunate Sunday morning-only successor, The Sunday Edition with Michael Enright, but I still feel a lot like I should have been aware that there was a great voice just a little bit farther up the dial and maybe I should have turned away from the alternative rock station for a few hours each day to enjoy it.

I’ve taken the Trudeau book out of the box now and placed it in my pile as my next book to read. I may have to appreciate Trudeau through the page but at least I can. I’ll be sure to grab the bio of Gzowski when I’m back home in October too.

J.

I want to escape

I don’t want to get on a plane and head off to warmer climes.

I’d rather bury myself in books and movies

I want to get on a train with Paul Theroux

I want to go through London with Robert Downey Jr as Sherlock Holmes

and I want to sleep in my own bed at night.

J.

That’s the title of Adam Minter’s latest article for Foreign Policy discussing China’s new proposed animal protection law. It’s an interesting debate that is dividing Chinese along generational and class lines.

As a dog owner I’m pretty passionate about protecting animals and to me that protection includes keeping your pet clean and walking animals outdoors on a leash.

Roger and I went for his regularly monthly bath today. He always enjoys the adventure that comes with the walk to our local animal hospital/spa. He’s usually not happy to stay there for a bath but that’s more because I have to leave him there and he’s always afraid I won’t come back but I always do. And he’s always thrilled to see me.

Right now, we’re waiting for the year of the tiger to arrive. We’re stay in this evening. Roger is afraid of fireworks – and rightly so – whereas I just want a night in. That means it’s a evening on the sofa with a book and a beer.

Happy Year of the Tiger.

J.