Web morning.

A few links of interest to me this morning:

• I don’t care what the Canadian government says about the decline in paramilitarism in Colombia – it just ain’t the truth. The violence against displaced people and trade unionists there continues unabated and you should check out this article. After you’ve done that you might want to send an email to your MP about the issue of free trade with Colombia (here’s some reasons why you might oppose it).
• It’s nice to know that my perceptions are somewhat accurate – metro-Canada really is changing in terms of its population background (BC now the most ethnically diverse province) even while cities like Victoria somehow remain predominantly white. *And* there is an upward trend in the use of public transit. So says the census.
• Sometimes it’s nice to know that you’re not alone in having a mother who is – well – motherish. An article in the Globe and Mail this morning talks about a new site – Postcardsfromyomomma.com where you can submit the weird emails and im chats from your mom and read those from others. Really, we all got to love our mommas even when they are a bit strange. And,
• Once again, doctors show how civilization really does make us crazy. Dissociative disorders are apparently on the rise because of the complex, multi-layered experiences and stimuli in our culture. A nation of space cadets or sociopaths? We’ll just have to see how that one works out won’t we?