Institut Historica-Dominion Institute: Book of the week: Hark! A Vagrant by Kate Beaton -
After hearing about Kate Beaton on CBC’s radio program, Q by Jian Ghomeshi, we had to share some of her comics and memorable quotes with you.
Now, she has come out with a graphic novel of stories inspired by history. Kate Beaton has created a whole new literary genre, that of…
The question on many a mind is whether Zimmerman can get a fair trial. But the question plaguing me is why the Trayvon Martins of the world are not afforded a fair trail before execution. Before there was Martin, there was Rodney King and Amadou Diallo and many an unknown victim of prejudice.
As a matter of fact, I became aware of Martin’s murder because someone sent an email to me asking whether his killing was this generation’s “Emmett Till moment”. When people ask this question, they are already conceding legal defeat. Till was killed when he was 14 years old in 1955 while visiting Money, Mississippi. Till was from Chicago and didn’t know the ways of the south. He committed the “crime” of flirting with a white woman. He paid for that with his life when he was kidnapped from is grandfather’s home by two armed white men, beaten, tortured, and murdered. His corpse was later found bloated and disfigured in the river. The picture of Till in his casket, famous for being published in Jet magazine with his mother’s permission, garnered national attention. His murderers where put on trail and, as expected, acquitted. Some time later, they confessed to the murder to a journalist once assured that double jeopardy meant they could not be tried again.
I expect much of the same for Martin’s case. I fear that legal pundits will say that the evidence the police bothered to collect is inconclusive, that any potential jury pool has been tainted. And then there is the issue of Florida’s “stand your ground” law absolving people of crimes against those they fear. In 1950s Mississippi, Jim Crow public segregation laws demanded the acquittal of Till’s murderers. In 2012, we have stand your ground and a general acceptance that young black men bring violence upon themselves to shield justice from light and provide cover for those who meet out vigilante justice.
• Pamela Merritt (aka blogger Angry Black Bitch) ponders George Zimmerman’s possible upcoming trial, and the concept of justice
Photograph: Yunus Emre Caylak/Demotix/Corbis
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My husband, Khadr Adnan, has now become a household name across the world. Four months ago he was unknown outside of our homeland, Palestine. His hunger strike of 66 days has now transformed him into a towering global figure and a shining symbol of my people’s struggle.
Our life was turned upside down on 17 December 2011 when Israeli troops raided our home in Araba village, south of Jenin, in the occupied West Bank. It was about 3am when they broke down the doors and stormed into our house.
The havoc they wreaked would always remain etched on the minds of our two daughters, Ma’ali, aged four and Baysan, one and a half years old. I would not be surprised if even our unborn baby which I now bear will also be affected. Such was the trauma that accompanied the Israeli raid.
” — Randa Musa is married to hungerstriker Khadr Adnan, who is 66 days in his protest. Read the rest of her piece here. (via guardiancomment)
The history of the Christmas tree - three bet you didn’t know that facts!
1. First appearing in England 1840, the tree was introducted by Prince Albert, Queen Victoria German husband, who’s family had one growing up.
2. The first ever Christmas tree in North America appeared the winter of 1781 in Sorel, Quebec.
3. Perhaps the first electronically lit Christmas tree in Canada was erected in Westmount, Quebec, in 1896.
To learn more about the history of Christmas trees of Holiday traditions in Canada, visit The Canadian Encyclopedia.
There’s no better time to support a great program than the holiday season.
Our friends at Blackstone, the television drama series that explores First Nations’ power and politics, have generously launched a new campaign in support of the Canadian Aboriginal Writing & Arts Challenge!
For every new ‘Like’ on Blackstone’s Facebook page from now until February 1, 2012, Blackstone will donate $2 to the Challenge! The goal is to reach 1500 new ‘Likes’, which will see $3,000 go to the program and help encourage Aboriginal youth to showcase their talent and explore their heritage in creative way.
Visit the Blackstone Facebook page to show your support.
Please help us spread the word - a simple ‘Like’ goes a long way!
To view the winners of 2010’s Canadian Aboriginal Writing & Arts Challenge and their wonderful work, visit our website or click here.
The Praetorian Times: Interconnected: Why Playing Nice Seals The Deal -
Well written piece from Dean, especially agree with this part: ”to be effective at social networking, and to become a player on every platform, you have to play nice”
I’m not sure we can handle another world-changing social network, but they keep coming anyway. And they keep going. But not all of them.
So why do some stay, and others go?
The reasons, and many there are, aren’t quite what they used to be. The reasons Google+ is becoming more of a ghost town…
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![longreads:
[Fiction] A favor from an ex, with a catch:
DENNIS
Let me guess. Is this about money? Now that I have it? Or do you suddenly need me on some emotional level heretofore unrealized?
Pause.
JOSH
Yes. I need money.
Silence.
“Turnabout.” — Daniel Reitz, Guernica
See more #fiction #longreads](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lze3s0tZxd1qf4hl5o1_250.jpg)
[Fiction] A favor from an ex, with a catch:
DENNIS
Let me guess. Is this about money? Now that I have it? Or do you suddenly need me on some emotional level heretofore unrealized?
Pause.
JOSH
Yes. I need money.
Silence.
(via longreads)
For the cost of a cup of coffee you can now support the Lord of the Rings Project.
Buy the Android app and get a completely new experience of the largest Lord of the Rings family tree on the web.
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