Open Sources Show Notes for Thursday July 14, 2016

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For the umpteenth time in the year-and-a-half history of Open Sources Guelph, we’ll tackle another American shooting tragedy driven by racial politics. If we could have a few less of those, that would be great, but as long as it keeps happening, we’ll keep talking about them. Meanwhile, across the pond, the British government is still dealing with tragedies past, and the bitter ghosts of the Iraq War have been dredged up again. So with all that seriousness, after a much needed break, we hope that City Councillor Mark MacKinnon will be able to lighten things up with a pointed conversation about municipal matters (with laughs… Hopefully). Continue reading “Open Sources Show Notes for Thursday July 14, 2016” →

Open Sources Show Notes for Thursday July 7, 2016

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School might be out for summer, and so is Peter Mansbridge, but Open Sources Guelph keeps up its good works all year long and today will be no exception. Summer fun at Toronto Pride was interrupted for some seriousness as one group forced the annual event to get back to where it started from. Others, it seems, will have more time off than they bargained for, as a major crown corporation is looking to force its workers into accepting a new deal. And finally, we’ll talk to one of the few politicians that’s taking the time this summer to work harder… on his musical career. Continue reading “Open Sources Show Notes for Thursday July 7, 2016” →

From Spanner Book: A Home Which May Have Never Existed

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scottyhertz's avatarSpannerbook

It’s a completely Canadian thing to possess a perfectly formed alternative national identity that surfaces on occasion. It tends to emerge when there is a soccer tournament or some other international event happening that precipitates putting a small flag of another nation on your vehicle. It’s always a bit more complicated for those of us from the UK because the soccer teams of each nation within the kingdom united compete separately, except in the Olympics. The 2012 Great Britain olympic men’s soccer squad had no Scots or Northern Irish on it. It was pretty much a foreshadowing of the Brexit vote. They got clobbered as well. 

I am continually pressed into service to explain the finer points of the UK and always get the feeling when I’m finished that whoever asked still doesn’t get it or their eyes glaze over when I say things like “…after the Act of Union…

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Open Sources Show Notes for Thursday June 30, 2016

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We’ve got a bad feeling about this… On this week’s Open Sources Guelph, we depart from our usual format of two topics and an interview, or even four topics and no interview, and go with one topic and an interview. The momentous topic in question that requires a half-hour of discussion: Who would win a fight: a taco or a grilled cheese sandwich? But seriously, there was a pretty big vote in Britain last week, and it had widespread reverberations across the world, that continue to spread as everyone involved asks a simple question: Now what? So there’s that, and we call the police! No big deal, this was a pre-planned visit and not emergency. Continue reading “Open Sources Show Notes for Thursday June 30, 2016” →

TrudeauMania 2.0 Hits Comic Book Shelves

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To prove that there’s not just infectious enthusiasm about Justin Trudeau’s tenure as Canada’s PM in our own country, it seems that the prime minister will now be captured in four-colour glory on the comic book pages of Marvel’s big summer event series. For what good is it to be the leader of Canada if you can’t also boss around Canada’s comic book super-team, Alpha Flight. Continue reading “TrudeauMania 2.0 Hits Comic Book Shelves” →

Open Sources Show Notes for Thursday June 23, 2016

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It’s a week of break ups and make ups on this edition of Open Sources Guelph. Across the ocean, one country is deciding today if they’re going to dump the Eurozone experiment like a bad boyfriend that forgets your birthday and never picks up after himself. In Canada, the provinces made the decision to work with the Feds to expand the savings possibilities of the people. Meanwhile, one Conservative politician may be looking to dump his federal party and take his chances with a provincial one, and an old friend is coming by to help out with our ongoing political roast of the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. Continue reading “Open Sources Show Notes for Thursday June 23, 2016” →