monismargaret

The Overturning

Yesterday I put the TV on at about noon as usual because I like to watch something while I eat lunch. The CBC was showing live coverage from outside the American Supreme Court building because the court’s decision to strike down Roe v. Wade had just been officially released, and many people had already amassedContinue reading “The Overturning”

The Storm Before the Calm

This past Saturday an unusual and intense storm passed through Ontario, leaving a path of destruction, shattered trees, and downed power lines in its wake. My city was badly effected, and now, four days after the event, thousands of people are still without hydro. Luckily I only lost power for 31 hours, although my internet,Continue reading “The Storm Before the Calm”

Here We Go Again

Several decades ago Gloria Steinem and Dorothy Hughes, the co-founders of MS magazine, were in a cab in New York City. They were discussing possible issues they could address at an upcoming feminist rally – should they talk about the scarcity of business and educational opportunities for women, the lack of maternity leave and affordableContinue reading “Here We Go Again”

An(other) American Tragedy

There has been yet another mass shooting by a disgruntled young white man in the States. This time it was an 18-year-old who walked into a grocery store in Buffalo yesterday afternoon and proceeded to kill 10 people, 9 of whom were black, and injure 3 others, 2 of whom were black. It has beenContinue reading “An(other) American Tragedy”

Girls on Film

I have watched a lot of TV lately, what with the latest lockdown and the freezing cold temperatures. There is a finite amount of good television produced, and thus I’ve seen some pretty mediocre to bad programming. I watched the entirety of a seven-part British murder mystery series on Netflix called “Stay Close”, despite theContinue reading “Girls on Film”

You Don’t Own Me

The feminist movement has been active for over a half century now, and yet I notice that there are still an alarming number of girls and women who are treated horribly by the men in their lives. Rape continues to be a common occurrence. According to data gathered by the Canadian Women’s Foundation, rape isContinue reading “You Don’t Own Me”

I’m Back, Baby!

The announcement of the third-wave lockdown this spring laid me very low – so low that I couldn’t find the energy to write. Since then I have received both of my shots, and the warm weather has allowed me to connect with people on a regular basis. Both of these things have buoyed my moodContinue reading “I’m Back, Baby!”

On And On

Yesterday I bumped into a friend from Millbrook who I hadn’t seen since the pandemic began last March. We did our motherly duties and caught up on how our respective children are doing, and then I asked her how she and her husband are making out. She replied, “Oh, you know. We’ve really had enough.Continue reading “On And On”

Picture a Scientist

James Watson, Francis Crick, and Maurice Wilkins won the Nobel prize in 1962 for their ground-breaking work in discovering the molecular structure and chemical makeup of DNA in 1953. Watson and Crick worked together at Cambridge, while Wilkins was at King’s College London where he worked with a woman named Rosalind Franklin. Franklin was theContinue reading “Picture a Scientist”