Amy Lavender Harris

To be clear: I'm with my late mom in cheering the No Kings folks. But I'm also alert to ideologues eager to co-opt it for movements no less authoritarian than the one being demonstrated against.

It's a reminder that 'populist' movements are at risk of being harnessed by ideologues who may have deeply anti-democratic aims. Democratically-oriented people might ask: What kind of democracy do we want to stand up for? How do we ensure it doesn't get co-opted by extremists on right or left? /fin

It's strikingly similar to the ways ultra-conservative ideologues co-opted workaday conservatives' concerns into what became the MAGA movement. One has the feeling many ordinary US conservatives aren't sure how 'owning the Libs' became 'Constitutions are for suckers.' /3

E.g., heady claims that the rallies' appeal to "normies" creates buy-in and provides cover for the actual Revolution (coded, as usual, as "struggle"). /2

Yesterday, in a comment on someone's post, I wrote that my conservative mom would have cheered yesterday's rallies. She would especially have appreciated the frogs. But overnight I noted troubling vibes in some of the emerging commentary. /1

It's strikingly similar to the ways ultra-conservative movements co-opted workaday conservatives' concerns into what became the MAGA movement. It's a reminder that 'populist' movements risk being harnessed by authoritarians with profoundly anti-democratic aims. Something worth weighing.

Having said that ... I read some of the overnight commentary, and it's giving me some troubling vibes. E.g., heady claims that the rallies' appeal to "normies" creates buy-in and provides cover for the actual Revolution (coded as "struggle"). [con't]

Beauty!

My deeply conservative mother would have cheered every marcher. Especially the frogs.

Bumble Bees: Nesting and Overwintering | Xerces Society Brown-belted Bumble Bee in a nest. (Photo: Kent McFarland / Flickr.)

Take heart: some of these late-season flower visitors could be mated queens, who do hibernate! Here's some info from the Xerxes Society: xerces.org/bumble-bees/...

'Magical' moment 3,000-year-old secret of the Peebles Hoard revealed The discovery, dating from between 1,000BC and 800BC, had lain undisturbed for 3,000 years before being found by a metal detectorist in 2020.

The Peebles Hoard: a remarkable cache of ~3000 year-old artifacts uncovered in 2020 by a detectorist in Scotland.

As a layperson I'd love to accept the aesthetic explanation, but really appreciate this paper's careful conclusion that available evidence still 'points' toward likely utilitarian construction. It's also an excellent teaching example of scientific method in practice: Karl Popper would likely 👍!

There's a favourite variety for every taste!

What’s the best apple variety? Vote for your fall favourite in our latest round From the classic Gala to the much-hyped Honeycrisp to the new and true Cosmic Crisp, tell us which one is the apple of your eye

The Globe & Mail has invited readers to vote on their favourite apple variety.

[For me Honey Crisp = easy winner. My heart is with Empire apples, but their quality seems to vary widely from orchard to orchard + they have a short shelf life. Ambrosia + Pink Lady also lovely but prone to mustiness.]

Ontario artist captures her mother’s Globe and Mail advice columns in paintings JoEllen Brydon paints the concerns shared in letters sent to her mother, the writer of the Elizabeth Thompson column

Love this exhibition and the story behind it. Artist JoEllen Brydon's mother wrote the 'Elizabeth Thompson Advises' advice column for the Globe & Mail, and sometimes invoked family issues in her column. Going through my own mother's papers following her death dredged up parallel ghosts.

How a celebrated Toronto pie shop may have helped the Blue Jays win the 1993 World Series Toronto Blue Jays slugger Joe Carter spent the morning before his game-winning homer in Game 6 of the 1993 World Series enjoying coconut cream pie from Wanda’s Pie in the Sky.

Such a sweet story. Wanda's is a Kensington Market institution, with excellent pies, sandwiches and soft serve!

Principal of Rosedale arts school to remain until retirement The principal of Rosedale Heights School of the Arts will remain at the school until his retirement next year after backlash from students.

A beloved TDSB school principal who suggested balance (okay to a lottery, but among qualified applicants) was punitively reassigned a year before retiring from the arts school he founded and helmed for more than 30 years. Public outcry saw the move overturned, with trust in the TDSB at a new low.

Globe editorial: The luck of the draw shouldn’t trump talent at Toronto’s schools The Toronto District School Board should scrap its lottery system for admission to specialty schools

In abandoning merit in a push for equity, as if there can be only one or the other, the TDSB has accomplished neither. This is the inevitable outcome of ideological excess and doctrinaire thinking -- no less true of the left as it is of the right.

P.S. This decision really shows how important case law can emerge from seemingly small-fry filings and appeals. It's fascinating from a procedural perspective.

Supreme Court ruling on ‘squatter's rights' in Etobicoke might just surprise you Homeowners assumed the land was theirs. Toronto claimed otherwise. Three levels of court and eight years later, writes Bob Aaron, a ruling has implications for every law in Canada.

Meanwhile in Canada, an important Supreme Court decision that affirms the separation of powers between legislative and judicial branches of government.

I value public parks, and Etienne Brule in particular. But even more, I value the separation of powers, so fundamental to functional democracy.

Urbanist + cyclist here. Oversimplified takes like this are one reason cycling advocacy gets so little respect from people who want basically the same things -- healthier, safer, greener, less-congested cities. Many people *do* need to drive--good policy create alternatives for the rest of us.

Any good (well-researched, well-referenced, well-written) reading recommendations along these lines? This is an area far outside my own domain that I'd love to learn much more about!

I don't know if the Canadian system is better. Different. Not sure the US situation is only a result of its electoral system. A lot has gone on; not all the problems are new or even unique to US. Loss of checks and balances is very worrying, tho, plus seemingly intractable ideological divisions.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governm...

Constitution of Canada - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constit...

Here are a few links: electionsanddemocracy.ca/canadas-elec...

To clarify: Canada does have fixed federal election dates, but elections may be called ahead of those dates for the reasons you enumerate. But the best thing about Canadian elections? The campaign period maxes out at 51 days between the date the writ drops and voting day. No ceaseless campaigns.

Love these musings on old books and old smells. Happy 54th to you!

Not sure of your location, but it's migration season for many birds -- Cornell Ornithology Lab (and its app, Merlin) could be really helpful. Also, BirdCast has live migration maps: birdcast.info/migration-to...