One element of human interaction which I have always found perplexing and frustrating is when people lie with the expectation that you will understand that they are lying and also what they are really trying to say. For example, there is a kind of upper class reflex to say something like: “You will have to come visit the house sometime!” when they mean: “We will never see each other again, but please keep treating me like an aristocrat”. One place where people frequently try this “I’ll be dishonest but assume they’ll understand what I mean” trick is with regard to volume of communication. For ..read more

I have never seen George Monbiot’s bettered as career advice, though it will not lead to an easy life. For instance: What the corporate or institutional world wants you to do is the opposite of what you want to do. It wants a reliable tool, someone who can think, but not for herself: who can think instead for the institution. You can do what you believe only if that belief happens to coincide with the aims of the corporation, not just once, but consistently, across the years Also: How many times have I heard students about to start work for a corporation claim that they will spend just two ..read more

Oxford’s Future of Humanity Institute has closed, and they issued a final report about why. This is one of many bodies which tried a “multidisciplinarity + best people + biggest problems” approach. Perhaps the report has some useful insights for those who are still trying ..read more

A few years after Bill McKibben, May Boeve is also ‘stepping back’ from the climate change activist group 350.org. The first three items on her list of accomplishments are all things I saw firsthand. The global divestment movement was a focus of my activist efforts from 2012–16 and then for my PhD research. Keystone XL resistance is a big part of what drew my interest to 350.org after 2011. In some ways, the 2014 People’s Climate March was the high point for Toronto350.org. I can’t say I am optimistic about the present state of climate organizing. Activists are distracted by all sorts of issue ..read more

At the suggestion of a musician friend, since 2011 I have had an accountant to keep track of all my commercial photography paperwork and prepare my taxes. I just send invoices for every gig I do, and receipts for expenses like lens rentals. Unfortunately, this year he retired and I have not been able to find a similar alternative, so I am left trying to figure this out myself. It occurred to me that I have literally never added up the total for how much my photography business has made. This is prior to all expenses and taxes: All told, gross revenues have been $20,268.75. I have had between ..read more

My brother Sasha has a new EP out: Fireweed ..read more

Previously I wrote about Bret Devereaux’s important and informative post: So You Want To Go To Grad School (in the Academic Humanities)? Today I came across another strong summation of the dismal prospects for those considering PhDs in the ‘social sciences’ and humanities: Why You Should Not Get a History PhD (And How to Apply for One Anyway) For decades the relentless message from parents, schools, and governments has been that higher levels of education will almost certainly mean more money, a place in the middle class, and long-term financial security. As the number of people with advanced ..read more

In January, my friend and mentor Peter Russell died. His son Alex invited me to give remarks at his funeral reception: Remarks at the funeral of Peter Russell Yesterday, I spoke at Innis College’s memorial event: Remarks about Peter Russell at Innis College Related: Peter Russell on recent decades of Canadian constitutional politics CPSA 2014, day 2 CPSA conference 2015 Peter Russell’s forthcoming book Contradictory thinking in Canadian treaty-making Canada’s history of oppressive Indigenous policies Canada’s deadly residential school system Canada’s courts and Indigenous rights Reviewing an ..read more

Photo by Lyuba Encheva ..read more

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