On Murray Sinclair, the USA & Gaza, and the Alt-Right

Greetings, and happy (Celtic) New Year!

Samhain - which is when Hallowe’en is - is the start of the Celtic year: the year starts as it gets cold and dark, just like the Celts regard the beginning of the day to be in the evening, when the sun goes down. That’s my understanding at least - and auspiciously we had a new moon to start things Oct 31 - Nov 1, and now as I write this there is a big big full moon, which NASA calls a ‘Beaver Moon’ (you can look up in the Ojibwa language book I have online, what this moon is called there).

PS: Something I read long ago has stuck with me - it’s a question to ask yourself: how many more full moons do you think you’ll see rise from the horizon in your life?

Now without further adieu, in this newsletter:

NOTICE: 
I’m tabling at the Small Press Book Fair (30th anniversary edition),
Tomorrow, noon - 5pm, Saturday November 16 at Tom Brown Arena.
Come by! Send someone you know there! It should be good, and that’s not just my table.

FURTHER CONTENT (with additional photos following):

• Canada Post strike:
  
  I’ve previously covered the CUPW perspective on their labour disputes, and just put together a playlist of seven videos. The majority are interviews, and one continues to be very relevant - on the benefits of possible postal banking.

• In memory of Murray Sinclair:
  

  I was privileged to have interviewed him in Montreal, 2013, at one of the seven ‘National Events’ of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
  
  I plan to put a post together with the full transcript as well as some other context, but for now, I offer the link to the video itself.
  
  I thought it was a special experience, and at the same time, recognize how many lives he touched, both through the TRC and in other ways.

• The USA and Gaza - two actions at the US Embassy, that I helped organize:

  
  These were in late October, the 24th and 26th, and were centred around an open letter written by almost 100 American medical professionals who served in Gaza this past year. Read more at this link about the letter and actions.
  
  - Of course it would be remiss to not mention that at least in terms of turnout, these actions didn’t reach what they could have, and I learned there was some ‘community leadership’ that actively dissuaded people from attending. I’ve attempted to address this with them, but at least at this point, with no success; maybe I’ll have more to say on that later.
  
  **Also**:
  For more local current content and upcoming actions for Palestine, check here.

• An analysis of Alt-Right Masculinities - inspired by the USA election
  
  This is something I decided to do up after the USA election put Trump back in charge, which is a scary thing, for sure. This was a talk I recorded in 2017, but it remains mostly very relevant, and I’ve now added the full transcript so it can be browsed through in text as an additional option for those who (like me) often prefer to be able to read things rather than simply watch/listen.
  
  * One of the key concepts is ‘ressentiment’, which to summarize is basically whereby legitimate grievances are turned onto provided scapegoats to serve political agendas. But that’s just one of the elements of understanding the alt-right movement, which has had a strong role in shaping a lot of the negative changes we’re experiencing; it’s difficult to intervene effectively until you really understand what the thing is that needs intervention.

LESS SERIOUSLY: 

• Baby Turtle - short video
  

  Most of the turtle nests we protect and babies we assist to the water, are Snapping Turtles - and that’s because it’s a lot more difficult to know where the (smaller) Painted Turtles lay their nests. But this is a short video of a baby Painted taking it’s first steps out of the nest

• Woodpecker holes in bark - photo

• Hallowe’en !!
  

  I thought this was a good idea for giving out treats …

… but that night I learned that the 15-year-old boy who was murdered in Perth, was named Reese. So it changed the feeling to a lot more sombre. It also was a reminder that Hallowe’en or Samhain, that time of year, is often regarded as when the veil between worlds is most open, and it’s a good time to honour those who’ve crossed over.