News Update.

I am still behind on blogging. I've accepted it. It will be solved when it's solved. And that's all I can do about it for the moment.

That being said, it is frustrating to be behind in the conversation. I've been doing my best to keep up on the news, but I am clearly still missing bits and pieces. Mainly, I mean the conversation on the Canada Prizes for the Arts and Creativity. The conversation gets ever more interesting over at Praxis and MK at One Big Umbrella has alerted me to these two great articles (here and here) in The Globe and Mail. The whole thing grows sketchier by the second--particularly in the way the whole thing appears to have been proposed, using what seems to be false information to make it appear more legitimate (and more embraced by Canadian artists) than it actually is, to date. But Aaron at Tracking Righteousness really seems to get it--that what the Government failed to grasp when throwing all those dollars at the "artistic community" is that we aren't looking for a handout, we're looking for a little respect.

And, completely unrelated to that debate, I find this article to be inspiring--"A Pounding Patriotic Heartbeat and Scent of Gold." About the upcoming Vancouver 2010 Olympics and the impact on our nation. From yesterday's Globe and Mail. Refreshing.

Words and pictures.

Two quick things:

1) There are some interesting comments on my blog (and elsewhere) this morning. I would encourage everyone to check them out. See my blog post "Budgetary Fallout 2009" and Praxis's post "Canada Prizes for Arts and Creativity." Check the comments sections. Opposing view points welcome. Discussion is necessary. It's really the only way progress is made.

2) Check out Chase Images. He was a "blog of note" a few days ago and his images are incredible. I'm a sucker for a good photographer. He shoots a Canon, but we won't hold that against him. He lives in the Adirondacks and offers a variety of photography services. Mostly, I find his images of winter ethereal.

Budgetary Fallout 2009.

"If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together."

Lilla Watson, aboriginal educator and artist

So the budget is in and it hasn't toppled the government. It isn't perfect, but it isn't completely useless, either. And Arts and Culture are once again worth investing in, thank goodness. Which means that now the argument is about who gets how much and why. When it was announced yesterday, where the funds for Arts and Culture were being allocated didn't seem quite clear. And with hundreds of millions in new funding, the cuts from September still stand.

I don't claim to be an expert on the topic, by any stretch of the imagination, but the whole thing seems, well, shady. In a word. While I am obviously a proponent of supporting up-and-coming artists, the plan by Luminato's founders to use government funds for a "Canada Prize" sounds more like another lousy reality TV show and I, personally, think their claims that it will make Toronto "a cultural capital on the international stage" are crap. Not that I couldn't personally do with $100,000, but I would rather see that money invested in one of the city's independent theatre companies to create artist in residence programs or training programs. I'm sure they could use it just as much as I and, the truth is, it would probably go farther. It is training and ensembles and hard work that create "stars" not contests.

And, at the same time that they have added funding for programs like this, they haven't done anything about the cuts that could have helped groups like Theatrefront, featured here in the Globe and Mail for their show Ubuntu. The quote above is from this article and, I think, says it all. I think what they do, this exchange and collaboration aimed at creation across international and cultural borders, is far more likely to put us on the global stage than some half-baked contest where one person wins some cash.

But I guess you have to admire the political pull those Luminato guys seem to have. I'd love to know how they managed this second coup. How did they decide that this project, tied to Luminato, was worthy of a giant cash infusion and not the programs they cut funding to that helped Canada to have a footing on the global cultural stage? Why not give money back to the programs you cut from now that you're giving cash away? Being a government, Ottawa seems not to believe in transparency when it comes to money. And this is the biggest issue with our spending in general. I think Rick Mercer put it well in his rant on Tuesday night, "if they have to spend the money, fine, but only if the fog lifts and the sun shines in."

Politicians are tricky creatures.

All this budget previewing is getting old. It's an obvious attempt to lessen the impact of a giant deficit when the government officially announces it today. I'm not sure it's going to work, but every article I read about what's already been revealed suggests that the actual announcement will be without surprises, having already been covered ad nauseam by every major news outlet in the country.

The latest is Team Harper's attempt to make nice with all of us who care about the arts. You remember, all those people he insulted back in September. Apparently now Arts and Culture have been deemed worthy of $160 million over two years. I, for one, am skeptical that the Harper government has learned the value of the A&C sector, if you will. I think it smacks of throwing money at a PR problem in the hopes it will then go away.

And I'm not so sure of claims by James Moore, the new Canadian heritage minister, that if everyone else votes against the new budget "it will clearly show they were liars when they presented themselves as protectors of artists." While Arts and Culture are important, I don't think any of us flatter ourselves to think we are the top priority in any government budget. If the Bloc, the Liberals, and the NDP vote against the budget, I can't imagine it will be taken as a personal hit against artists so much as opposition to spending money we don't necessarily have.

But I could be wrong. What do you think?

39,560 reasons to invest in the arts...

Theatre Passe Muraille, one of the birthing places for many of Toronto's independent theatre companies, announced yesterday that it finished its fiscal year with a $39,560 surplus. This followed a year when the financially strapped TPM had to call the city of Toronto in for help. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's pretty impressive.

Even cooler than that is TPM's membership in the Creative Trust program, which will match their surplus to create a Working Capital Reserve Fund. They will continue to match surpluses for the next two years in order to grow this fund. Basically, this translates into the continued success and health of Theatre Passe Muraille and more opportunities for all of us theatre artists (and audiences) here in Toronto.

This is proof, too, that investing in the arts can pay off and that theatres are sustainable. Isn't it nice to hear good news amidst all the economic doom and gloom?

As a thank you to their Toronto audiences, TPM is offering all tickets to their current production, them & us, for $15. For more details on this, click here. To read the whole press release, click here. And, in case you needed one more, here is the story on Torontoist, too.

It's nice to know that there are people out there who believe the arts are worth supporting. And that not all of them are necessarily artists.

All the best to Theatre Passe Muraille for another great year!

A rant rearranged...

created using http://www.wordle.net/

At Last.

Belize: All day today it's felt like Thanksgiving. Soon, this...ruination will be blanketed white. You can smell it--can you smell it?
Louis: Smell what?
Belize: Softness, compliance, forgiveness, grace.

Tony Kushner
Angels in America: Millennium Approaches

A rant to precipitate change...

I really, really dislike not having an internet connection chez moi. The plan to go web-less was originally conceived as a cost-savings measure and was feasible, given that I surf from 9-5:30 Monday to Friday. But since I've gotten more heavily involved in the online community this plan leaves me feeling very disconnected on the weekends, as if I'm missing some very important appendage. It must be remedied in the coming weeks, time to bite the bullet and succumb to my www(dot)addiction. Because now I have spent the first two hours of my Monday catching up on everything I missed over the weekend and well, that's just silly.

Or maybe I'm just grumpy because I got all the way through the hundreds of posts in my Google Reader before blogTO posted today's Morning Brew. What can I say, it's how I like to start my morning.

There is more to this post, though. This one is about politics. Again before noon, I know. I apologize. But I can't help it. It's in the air. Can you feel it? Like electricity, crackling, igniting...sending shock waves through the populace. It is the eve of an historic event and the world is watching.

As Capitol Hill prepares for the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States of America the national news networks seem unable to report on anything else. Other events of global importance are occurring, to be sure, but there is nothing to top this. It is literally all anyone can talk about. Well, almost. A few people up here in the Great White North seem not to have forgotten that our very own government will be back in the office in the coming week. Whether or not it will be as glamourous, as exciting, as momentous, or even as productive as the political process occuring to the South remains to be seen. I imagine not. Nevertheless, the return of Stephen Harper to his throne office should be of some significance to those of us residing in Canada as, following a deep freeze in government only barely matched by our frigid winter weather, change may be on our door steps, too.

To begin, no one (at least no one in the artistic community) has forgotten Mr. Harper's now infamous comments about "ordinary Canadians" and the arts. While outrage over his statements and budget failed to sway the outcome of the Federal Election in October, the artistic community's passion on the topic has not yet been exhausted. Not even close. Rather, in what has become to many a war for our survival as a culture, we have set about proving him wrong in every way we possibly can. The rise of the Department of Culture has certainly helped in the call to action and now arguments about the reality of living and working as an artist in Canada are just about everywhere.

The latest example is an article in the Toronto Star, part of a series examining the lives of Canadian artists, extolling the virtues of other government's relationships with their artists and proposing some changes to our own troubled association. I realize that in these darkening economic times supporting the arts seems rather indulgent and unessential, but the reality is that culture create jobs. No, they are not automotive or industrial jobs but their value is no less and the product they create is equally as exportable and profitable. How do we decide, really, who deserves a "bailout?" According to the Star, last year arts and culture generated $84.6 billion in economic activity, which is approximately 7.4% of our GDP, and "employed 1.1 million Canadians directly and indirectly." Isn't that worth supporting?

And heading into the battle over the budget is a new leader, arguably a cultural contributor himself. Michael Ignatieff heads to the Hill as the new leader of the Liberals when Parliament at long last resumes later this month. Ignatieff, who could perhaps be placed amongst the "gala-going elite" moreso than most of us humble artists, has one of the most impressive C.V.s in Ottawa. Amongst his many accomplishments are sixteen books, including three novels. One of the most recent, The Lesser Evil: Political Ethics in an Age of Terror, has been dispatched to Mr. Harper as required reading by one Yann Martel, who almost a year ago vowed to send Mr. Harper a new book every two weeks for as long as he is prime minister. While there has been little talk of the Coalition by Mr. Ignatieff in recent days, Mr. Ignatieff writes in his book that "liberal states cannot be protected by herbivores." In light of such, I would encourage him to go for the jugular...

Finally, the political buzz is that the soon to be President Obama will be heading North to see us in the near future. In his attempts to temper expectations amongs the American people, which have soared beyond proportion and reason since the election, Obama has Canadians wondering what his administration might mean for us. While this interdependence is unfortunate in many respects (they could inadvertently make things much worse here, as we could to a lesser extent there), it is what keeps the lines of communication open. It is, I think, what keeps us from killing each other. At any rate, Roy MacGregor at the Globe and Mail has some excellent suggestions for beginning the conversation between the American head of state and ours (oh wait, he isn't really, is he?...scratch that). It is an excellent look at the paradoxes of Canadian politics and of the Canadian character. Certainly an important introduction to any visiting diplomat. At the very least, he'll be familiar with The Hockey Song.

Suffice to say, changes are taking place all over and with greater speed than most of us can wrap our heads around, even in this post-twitter global village we inhabit. The whole thing is, in many ways, a mess. It would almost be laughable if it weren't so serious. But there is something in the wind that suggests we may yet come out on top.

On the one hand, the future is bleak. But on the other hand, maybe it isn't.

Theatre is useful.

"We need a type of theatre which not only releases the feelings, insights, and impulses possible within the particular historical field of human relations in which the action takes place, but employs and encourages those thoughts and feelings which help transform the field itself."

--Bertolt Brecht

Lyn Gardner of The Guardian wrote a post today in her Theatre Blog about theatre's role in world politics and events. I tend to believe all good theatre is "useful," and even some of the not-so-good theatre, regardless of how far-removed it may be from the event to which it speaks. I'm not sure there are any new stories, either on stage or in history. I think, for the most part, we are repeating ourselves. We are not inventing new tales but instead finding new ways of telling them. And we are constantly reflecting, trying to better understand ourselves and each other (or, at least, we should be). Given this, as long as a piece of theatre was once relevant, isn't there a good chance it will be relevant again in the future? There must be a reason Shakespeare is still produced 400 odd years later. I think theatre serves a greater purpose to humanity than we may ever understand...after all, we've been debating the art of theatre since the dawn of time.

Dreaming toward a brighter future.

President-elect Barack Obama's open letter to his daughters explaining why he decided to run for president. It's all over the web. And with good reason.


Dear Malia and Sasha,

I know that you've both had a lot of fun these last two years on the campaign trail, going to picnics and parades and state fairs, eating all sorts of junk food your mother and I probably shouldn't have let you have. But I also know that it hasn't always been easy for you and Mom, and that as excited as you both are about that new puppy, it doesn't make up for all the time we've been apart. I know how much I've missed these past two years, and today I want to tell you a little more about why I decided to take our family on this journey.

When I was a young man, I thought life was all about me-about how I'd make my way in the world, become successful, and get the things I want. But then the two of you came into my world with all your curiosity and mischief and those smiles that never fail to fill my heart and light up my day. And suddenly, all my big plans for myself didn't seem so important anymore. I soon found that the greatest joy in my life was the joy I saw in yours. And I realized that my own life wouldn't count for much unless I was able to ensure that you had every opportunity for happiness and fulfillment in yours. In the end, girls, that's why I ran for President: because of what I want for you and for every child in this nation.

I want all our children to go to schools worthy of their potential-schools that challenge them, inspire them, and instill in them a sense of wonder about the world around them. I want them to have the chance to go to college-even if their parents aren't rich. And I want them to get good jobs: jobs that pay well and give them benefits like health care, jobs that let them spend time with their own kids and retire with dignity.

I want us to push the boundaries of discovery so that you'll live to see new technologies and inventions that improve our lives and make our planet cleaner and safer. And I want us to push our own human boundaries to reach beyond the divides of race and region, gender and religion that keep us from seeing the best in each other.

Sometimes we have to send our young men and women into war and other dangerous situations to protect our country-but when we do, I want to make sure that it is only for a very good reason, that we try our best to settle our differences with others peacefully, and that we do everything possible to keep our servicemen and women safe. And I want every child to understand that the blessings these brave Americans fight for are not free-that with the great privilege of being a citizen of this nation comes great responsibility.

That was the lesson your grandmother tried to teach me when I was your age, reading me the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence and telling me about the men and women who marched for equality because they believed those words put to paper two centuries ago should mean something.

She helped me understand that America is great not because it is perfect but because it can always be made better-and that the unfinished work of perfecting our union falls to each of us. It's a charge we pass on to our children, coming closer with each new generation to what we know America should be.

I hope both of you will take up that work, righting the wrongs that you see and working to give others the chances you've had. Not just because you have an obligation to give something back to this country that has given our family so much-although you do have that obligation. But because you have an obligation to yourself. Because it is only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you will realize your true potential.

These are the things I want for you-to grow up in a world with no limits on your dreams and no achievements beyond your reach, and to grow into compassionate, committed women who will help build that world. And I want every child to have the same chances to learn and dream and grow and thrive that you girls have. That's why I've taken our family on this great adventure.

I am so proud of both of you. I love you more than you can ever know. And I am grateful every day for your patience, poise, grace, and humor as we prepare to start our new life together in the White House.

Love, Dad

Originally published on Parade.com.

Mercer and Ignatieff Moving In

I was kind of bummed that I missed the Rick Mercer Report on TV last night. Fortunately, Michael Ignatieff tweeted the link today. Here it is: Rick Mercer helps Michael Ignatieff move into Stornoway. And here's a link to Rick's website and blog. Now maybe he can help Stephen Harper with the budget.

Good Morning!

Where to begin today...I actually have so much I want to blog about that I can't keep up. I had a story I wanted to share today, but I think it's going to have to wait. Instead, we'll stick to fun things and current events. First, the fun:



I found this website via Malene Arpe's Stargazing blog. You upload a picture and they turn it into a version of the now iconic Obama poster. I think this is really exciting. Obama-mania is on. Oh, and that is my no-neck picture in case you were curious.

Next:

CLICK HERE! OR HERE! Simon Ogden of The Next Stage and Ian Mackenzie of Theatre is Territory (AKA Praxis) teamed up for an excellent post about theatre blogging in Canada in 2008. It's easy (and totally worth it) to get lost in the links. Being a newcomer to theatre blogging here and abroad, I found it very educational. The Google Reader list grows ever longer. I also got a shout out! Thank you, gentlemen, you made my day. Now go read it, seriously.

Celebrate the Gift of Culture Campaign

Judging by their site, this is clearly a campaign that hasn't garnered much attention so far, but it's a neat idea. I read about it on the TAPA blog. Perhaps it is something that should continue beyond the holiday season?

The idea is for everyone who attends a live performance in the month of December to film the audience applauding the performers, beginning with the stage and panning out to include everyone. These videos should be about 15 seconds or so long--easily done on a phone or digital camera. They can then be uploaded to the campaign's group on YouTube. The idea is that "ordinary Canadians" are out celebrating and appreciating the gift of culture.

I know there are more videos on YouTube on the subject--so that is my holiday challenge. How many more can we add? Either in the format described by this campaign or in our own? Let's get creative. After all, "to be creative is, in fact, Canadian."

Something Worth Investing In...

Today The Guardian is reporting a new initiative to offer free seats at various theatres to people 26 and under. This is simply another affirmation that I would be better off in London.

I would love to go to the theatre, the opera, the ballet, everything, more. Or at all. But the unfortunate reality is that I cannot afford any of these things. True, some of them offer better and better discount programs, but the reality is that, for someone working at minimum wage or even just above, a $20 ticket is still expensive. It means I manage to make it out maybe once a month instead of once a week...or more! I think this is probably the reality for many artists in a position similar to mine--just starting out, etc.

Also, I appreciate the fact that the Arts Council in Britain really feels that this program they've started is an investment in culture. It's an investment undervalued in most other places, which is unfortunate. After all, what will we be remembered or known for if not our culture? And what will that mean if we have none? How can we have any when we do not see it as a worthwhile investment?

I don't propose to have all the answers...but at least I am thinking about the questions.

Shoot Photos, Not Guns.

The Toronto Star reported today that Toronto Police exchanged 1,900 guns for digital cameras in a recent gun amnesty program. I realize this is not the perfect solution to Toronto's issues with gun violence, but you have to credit them for doing something, and something creative at that. I imagine that those individuals who so frequently shoot up our city, particularly the Jane & Finch neighbourhood, held on to their firearms, but if the Toronto Police had an impact on even one wayward individual through this, it's been worthwhile.

Just think of the difference you can make in someone by giving them the tools and the power to create instead of destroy. And by making it their choice. We might be able to force guns off the street through legislation, but I think the root of our problems is deeper than that. People need an outlet for their anger, for their poverty, for their disappointment...for whatever turns them toward violence. Everyone needs a way to express themselves. And perhaps it's our fault as a culture that we give more attention to those who act out in destructive ways than to those who channel their feelings, problems, and experiences through creative means.

Encouraging culture and creation might decrease violence and hatred. Now there's a thought.

Uxbridge Updated: "What is going on in Canada?"

This is the second update on a post from last week about Uxbridge Secondary School's production of The Laramie Project, which the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas was planning to protest. Well, a mom of one of the boys in the cast found my post and was kind enough to give us an update on the situation. And now the weekend is over, the play went up, the WBC was nowhere to be found, and we, up here in Canada, are one step closer to acceptance for everyone. Here is what she came back to say:

Well, it’s all over now. The three night run of The Laramie Project is complete and thanks to Fred Phelps and his band of crazies from Kansas, the 16 performers and their teacher have had their 15 minutes of fame. And the WBC never even showed up. I'd love to send them a thank you letter for all of the free publicity and noteriety, but why poke the bear? The kids got letters from Rick Mercer and Michael Ignatieff among others. They got a page 5 spot in the Globe, right below Ted Rogers' funeral. Most importantly, the town turned out in big numbers to see and support the play. It was a great experience for all of the kids and has hooked many of them on the performing arts. Thanks for taking an interest.

What I really love about this is that, in an attempt to preach hate, intolerance, cruelty, and injustice, all the Westboro Baptist Church succeeded in was uniting one small community against all of those things. It's exciting to hear about things like this and, in light of a world that seems every day to be crumbling around us with war, death, poverty, hunger, and hatred, progress of this sort offers a tiny glimmer of hope for humanity. At least, that's what I think.


Thank you, mom from Uxbridge, for sharing! I wish the students in Uxbridge all the best in their future theatrical endeavours and hope they will share them with me, too!

"What is going on in Canada?" Update!

So, I posted this in my blog on Wednesday about the production of The Laramie Project in Uxbridge, Ontario and the threat of protests from Westboro Baptist Church. Since then it has generated some interest--you can even find me if you google "Uxbridge Laramie Project." Which means someone is reading my blog! Other than me!! I know, not really the place for self indulgence, but it put a smile on my face and I appreciate it/all of you who might be reading this.

To the point, though...This comment was then posted by the mother of one of the cast members giving us an update:

Update from Uxbridge.

My son is in the play. They opened officially last night to about 200 people and no protesters. The unofficial opening was a performance reserved for students of the school. They actually had to turn away 250 of the 800 students who wanted to purchase tickets because the auditorium maxes out at 550. That was yesterday afternoon. Both went off without a hitch. The kids should be, and are, extremely proud of themselves. Bring on the unenlightened. We look forward to hosting their backward ideas in our progressive little town.

And that puts an even bigger smile on my face. See how exciting "controversial" theatre can be? This is why I love theatre: the discussion it creates, the energy, the community. I am so impressed by and so proud of the community of Uxbridge. This mom really says it all, and I will continue to wish them the best and to think of them, though I have prior commitments preventing me from attending.

Hopefully we will continue to get updates, with or without the presence of protesters. Because the protesters are secondary, the real story is Uxbridge.

Celebrate Your Rights!

I have to begin this by saying that I literally cannot keep up with the theatre feed from The Guardian. They are by far the most prolific feed on my Google Reader. Perhaps this is because the UK has more theatre than anywhere else that my Google Reader feeds cover...Hmm, chew on that. Anyway...



British playwright Julian Armitstead's After the Accident will receive three staged readings today in the UK. The play, which is about a mother and father confronting a teenage joyrider responsible for the death of their daughter, is this year's winner of the Protect the Human prize awarded by Amnesty International and iceandfire theatre company. The readings are just part of nationwide events marking the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. According to Amnesty, Armitstead's play embraces "dignity and worth of the person" and "duty to the community," both components of the Declaration.

The Protect The Human award began last year in an effort to create "imaginative and excellent theatre that illustrates human rights issues." This is what Natasha Tripney had to say about it all in her blog at The Guardian:

Amnesty is involved in projects across the arts, but theatre has always proved to be particularly adept at exploring human rights issues. Theatre awakens and connects in a way that simply reading a slew of harrowing statistics often doesn't...A good play can make the issues real, make them breathe, give them human heart and narrative. Theatre can get people fired up, can drive the desire to act in its audience, to change things both in their immediate world and more generally.

I couldn't have put it better myself...

"What is going on in Canada?"

This weekend, 16 students at Uxbridge Secondary School will take the stage in their production of The Laramie Project. For any unfamiliar, though I am not sure how you could be if you're reading this, The Laramie Project is a play derived from interviews conducted with real people in Laramie, Wyoming in the aftermath of the kidnapping, beating, and eventual death of Matthew Shepard, a 21 year old student and gay man. It reveals the wounds caused in one community by homophobia and hatred. This is heavy stuff for teenagers, but maybe a high school, especially one in a town of less than 20,000, is the perfect place to stage this play. Maybe if someone in Laramie had done something similar, the whole affair could have been avoided. At any rate, these student and their teacher, Amy Blizzard, should be commended for having the courage to tackle The Laramie Project.

Now enter the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas. These "Christian" followers of Pastor Fred Phelps, the man who protested Matthew Shepard's funeral, which is depicted in The Laramie Project, have plans to head north to protest this production and to teach these teenagers the "truth." There have been rumors that the group would protest in Canada in the past and they have always been a no-show, but this time, Phelps's daughter confirms that a group of six is prepared to drive up here with their hate-mongering signs. I will not reprint their slogans here. She also implies that they shouldn't have to drive all that way, that we in Canada should be doing this ourselves to educate these children. "What is going on in Canada?" she asks.

I'll tell you. In Canada, for all our differences and our grievances with one another, we believe that all people, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, etc., have a right to live their lives. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and we are capable of peacefully co-existing without always agreeing. What is going on in Canada is that we do not believe in hate. We do not preach hate, we do not condone hate, and we certainly will not tolerate hate. But you are entitled to your opinion. So come on up, Phelpsies, give us your best. And we will give you ours. When Phelps protested Matthew Shepard's funeral, one of Matt's friends organized a counter protest. These counter protesters wore giant white angel wings and stood silently with their backs to Phelps and his group. Silently blocking out hate. I feel this is an excellent response, and the only thing they deserve. We will not engage your hatred, we are above that.

I would encourage everyone with a means of transportation to go support these students. It's a great thing that they're doing, regardless of Phelps. But take your angel wings, just in case he shows up....

The Laramie Project at Uxbridge Secondary School
127 Planks Lane, Uxbridge
December 11, 12, and 13 8:00
$10 at the door

How interesting...

I mentioned War Child Canada yesterday in this post and, lo and behold, the first thing I saw in the Globe and Mail this morning was this. The founder of War Child Canada, Dr. Samantha Nutt, has been nominated as a Nation Builder for 2008. Follow the link to see what people have said about her. I just thought this was an interesting coincidence...