This con has been everything I've been wanting it to be. It's a great change of pace for me after months of too much work; I've felt really great about the panels I've been on; and I've loved most of the panels I've attended. I've welcomed the opportunity to reconnect with people I only see every year, and I feel like there are a lot of friendships that grow deeper with each WisCon.

Our guests this year are great: I really valued the way that Andrea Hairston discussed the relationship between theatre and radical democracy -- that's an angle on the conversation that really illuminated some lightbulbs in my head. And Debbie Notkin's whole life resonates with the kind of generosity and support that her marvelous acceptance speech could only describe the contours of.

Wow. What a great con!

This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth, where the colours are brighter, the conversation wittier, and people will mail you a free puppy when they like what you've written.

I'm now in Madison. It is officially WisCon in my books.

This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth, where the colours are brighter, the conversation wittier, and people will mail you a free puppy when they like what you've written.

"Ferryman! Ferryman! He's the one with the plot; the one with the pla-an!"

This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth, where the colours are brighter, the conversation wittier, and people will mail you a free puppy when they like what you've written.

Poor planning by the RCMP, OPP and Toronto police for the G20 summit, along with orders by a Toronto deputy police chief to “take back the streets," are to blame for the more than 1,100 arrests during the 2010 weekend summit, says the province's top civilian police watchdog.

“What occurred over the course of the weekend resulted in the largest mass arrests in Canadian history. These disturbances had a profound impact not only on the citizens of Toronto and Canada generally, but on public confidence in the police as well,” writes Gerry McNeilly, head of the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD), a citizen agency that today tabled the 300- page systemic review report.

Overall, McNeilly says, the G20 was an unprecedented event in the city’s history — one police forces were unprepared for.

- "G20 report slams police for 'excessive' force", CBC.ca

Also: Byron Sonne's trial wrapped up yesterday. Innocent of all charges.

Surprisingly, I do like the question that the National Post raised: "How much planning time does the police need in order to not break the law?"

This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth, where the colours are brighter, the conversation wittier, and people will mail you a free puppy when they like what you've written.

TROU DU NORD, Haiti — Its capital is blighted with earthquake rubble. Its countryside is shorn of trees, chopped down for fuel. And yet, Haiti's land may hold the key to relieving centuries of poverty, disaster and disease: There is gold hidden in its hills — and silver and copper, too.

...

Ironically, it was only after the catastrophic 2010 earthquake that investors saw real opportunity. Fifteen days after a seismic jolt brought down much of Port-au- Prince, a Canadian exploration firm acquired all of the shares of the only Haitian firm holding full permits for a promising chunk of land in the northeast.

"Investors want to get in at the bottom," said Dan Hachey, president of Majescor Resources, the Canadian company, "and I figured after that earthquake, Haiti was as low as it could get."

Hachey was also betting that the $10 billion in foreign assistance promised for earthquake recovery would force change and accountability.

"The eyes of the world will not allow the government to fool around," he said.

- "Gold! Haiti eyes potential $20 billion bonanza", MSNBC

Yeah. I'm completely sure that a sizable percentage of the value of Haiti's natural resources will find their way into Haiti's public coffers. Oh no, wait! I mean the opposite of that!

This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth, where the colours are brighter, the conversation wittier, and people will mail you a free puppy when they like what you've written.

I began to wonder whether it was possible to harness the reputation of our mayor to benefit the city I love.

Pisa, after all, has built a tourist industry around an inelegant, shoddily built tower. Here in Toronto, we have Mayor Rob Ford and his brother, Councillor Doug Ford: This is a bit like having a tower tilting toward earth at a full 35-degree angle, from which one can conveniently watch an endless car accident.

- "Toronto’s new tourist attraction: Come see the Rob Ford Follies", The Globe and Mail

This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth, where the colours are brighter, the conversation wittier, and people will mail you a free puppy when they like what you've written.

I haven't figured out my "communication plan" for this (but I will): I just got approval from Apple on my first app submission. If you're going to WisCon this year check out this free app.

I just got some more content from the publications person, so I plan to get another update in the app store before the con. Now to see if I can get the Android version done in time.

This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth, where the colours are brighter, the conversation wittier, and people will mail you a free puppy when they like what you've written.

What nobody tells people who are beginners — and I really wish someone had told this to me... is that all of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, and it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not.

But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase. They quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know it’s normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story.

It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It's gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.

-- Ira Glass

via laura_seabrook

This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth, where the colours are brighter, the conversation wittier, and people will mail you a free puppy when they like what you've written.

The CBC is currently running an article with the headline, "Rob Ford offered to quit after altercation with reporter".

Dear Rob Ford,

I accept your offer unconditionally.

This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth, where the colours are brighter, the conversation wittier, and people will mail you a free puppy when they like what you've written.

Here's the thing about jokes. They only work when they're aiming up.

- "A Complete Guide to 'Hipster Racism'"

This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth, where the colours are brighter, the conversation wittier, and people will mail you a free puppy when they like what you've written.