Articles in Belonging

Seeing Hamilton Through Fresh Eyes
A newcomer to Hamilton makes an important observation about people with disabilities.
by Michelle Martin
Published August 04, 2017 in Belonging (0 comments)

Noblesse Oblige and Checking One's Driving Privilege
Can the very act of driving, of experiencing that superiority of position in relation to our surroundings and to other people, lead us to be less empathetic, less careful in the moment?
by Michelle Martin
Published February 13, 2017 in Belonging (1 comment)

The Technology of Human Kindness
Technology is a wonderful thing, but it cannot make up for a lack of understanding, or a refusal to include others who are different.
by Michelle Martin
Published March 13, 2016 in Belonging (2 comments)

Living Through Loss
We all have people in our lives that we do not want to ever, ever lose.
by Michelle Martin
Published January 11, 2016 in Belonging (0 comments)

Because Christmas
we are all just one catastrophic event, one diagnosis or one accident, one flood, or one fire away from being a person who relies on state support. We are only one war away from no longer being a citizen.
by Michelle Martin
Published December 21, 2015 in Belonging (2 comments)

A Moment of Grace on the Cannon Bus
About a year ago, I witnessed a beautiful piece of street choreography: spontaneous, unrehearsed and unselfconscious.
by Michelle Martin
Published August 12, 2015 in Belonging (3 comments)

Plain Language is More Inclusive
If knowledge is indeed power, we have a responsibility to provide as much of it as possible to others by communicating it plainly.
by Michelle Martin
Published March 06, 2015 in Belonging (7 comments)

Road Rage and Inclusive Streets
As a driver I would find traffic calming measures inconvenient. As a parent I say bring on the speed bumps, the bump-outs, the pedestrian-activated signals.
by Michelle Martin
Published January 26, 2015 in Belonging (26 comments)

Our Responsibilities to Young People
Is it young people who have changed over time, or is it the rest of us? Maybe the under-performance we think we see in this up-and-coming cohort is due to Boomer entitlement, not Millennial laziness.
by Michelle Martin
Published November 18, 2014 in Belonging (6 comments)

Living the Lives We're Given
It is no coincidence that the Christmas classics we revisit every year feature protagonists who are facing the very real possibility of their own deaths.
by Michelle Martin
Published January 22, 2014 in Belonging (4 comments)

Socks
Apparently, making sure that each sock in a pair goes into the wash at the same time is rocket science.
by Michelle Martin
Published May 16, 2012 in Belonging (2 comments)

Intelligence Insults Part 3
In which we take a literary turn.
by Michelle Martin
Published April 23, 2012 in Belonging (1 comment)

Walk in Someone Else's Shoes
The casual use of insults about intelligence can impede people with real intellectual disabilities, not only by contributing to stereotypes but also by deterring them from asking for help when they need it.
by Michelle Martin
Published April 19, 2012 in Belonging (7 comments)

Intelligence Insults Should Insult Our Intelligence
Pejorative terms based on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or appearance are not allowed in polite company. Words that insult one's intelligence ought to be treated with the same shock and disdain.
by Michelle Martin
Published April 17, 2012 in Belonging (27 comments)

Independence and Accomplishment Through Mobility
Most of us don’t stop to consider the many small decisions that go into even a short bus trip.
by Michelle Martin
Published February 10, 2012 in Belonging (1 comment)

Personal Grooming and a Living Wage
Grooming and personal appearance can be expensive to look after, and a parent earning minimum wage who wants to send a child out into the world looking and feeling his or her best may find that it isn't affordable.
by Michelle Martin
Published January 03, 2012 in Belonging (27 comments)

Locked in the Tower of a Gloomy Mansion
We still speak about people with mental illness as if all they need to do to get better is try harder, using ourselves as a reference point and forgetting all the material and personal advantages we may have.
by Michelle Martin
Published August 08, 2011 in Belonging (4 comments)

Sister Mary Patrick and Prose for Publication
Strong feeling isn't enough to communicate effectively on a topic about which one feels passionately.
by Michelle Martin
Published February 17, 2011 in Belonging (14 comments)

Resilience and Stoicism Belong Together
If the learning of new skills is pursued seriously, then lessons in patience and self-mastery will go hand in hand.
by Michelle Martin
Published December 06, 2010 in Belonging (5 comments)

A Real Social Network
Do our social networks have room for the woman on the bus whose clothes don't quite match and whose rough attempts at conversation may interfere with us checking our iPhones?
by Michelle Martin
Published October 05, 2010 in Belonging (14 comments)

Warning: Possibly Occupied Residence
Drivers need to behave at all times as if they fully understand the difference between themselves and pedestrians, and that someone on foot is at a distinct disadvantage in any encounter with a car.
by Michelle Martin
Published May 23, 2010 in Belonging (26 comments)

Hamilton: A Love-Hate Story
No place can meet every need all the time. Better to embrace the adventure of the inconvenient and learn to love our less-than-perfect neighbourhoods than to fly in search of the elusive perfect place.
by Michelle Martin
Published March 10, 2010 in Belonging (10 comments)

Walkability? We Can't Manage Driveability
Making changes to improve walkability and liveability would go a long way to ward improving driveability, too.
by Michelle Martin
Published February 20, 2010 in Belonging (29 comments)

On Writing for Online Publications
Newspapers whose online versions are not much better than electronic versions of what was delivered to houses won't be able to attract letter and commentary writers, and readers of same, who are interested in discourse.
by Michelle Martin
Published February 06, 2010 in Belonging (0 comments)

Mark Zuckerberg's Visiting Card
Since no one pays a monthly fee to use Facebook, it must be recognized that Facebook users are paying some other way.
by Michelle Martin
Published December 28, 2009 in Belonging (7 comments)

When Sharing Goes Bad: Student Cooperation in the Age of DRM
Can you claim that you did your homework if you got help with it? If you help someone else with theirs, is that cheating?
by Michelle Martin
Published September 16, 2009 in Belonging (0 comments)

The New Purveyors of Received Wisdom
Common sense has its place, and indeed a valuable role to play, in our day-to-day existence.
by Michelle Martin
Published August 25, 2009 in Belonging (3 comments)

Jane Austin and Jar-Jar Binks?
All is not lost, you teachers and parents of teenage boys. Simply look up the actors and actresses who play in popular sci-fi movies and stories and find out their more, well, highbrow roles.
by Michelle Martin
Published August 08, 2009 in Belonging (0 comments)

A Lesson From Laundry
Our very competence as parents, as employees and as citizens is judged in large part on our appearance - but at what cost?
by Michelle Martin
Published July 06, 2009 in Belonging (14 comments)

Bicycle Routes Support Healthy Child Development
Council would do well to remember that a healthy city makes it possible for growing children and teens to do interesting and productive things as independently as possible.
by Michelle Martin
Published June 18, 2009 in Belonging (12 comments)

Technology and Trust: How Families Can Balance Supervision and Personal Responsibility
As heart-rendingly difficult as it can be to respect your child's legitimate and age-appropriate personal freedom, the concept behind it isn't rocket science.
by Michelle Martin
Published June 16, 2009 in Belonging (2 comments)

On Belonging
We go places, we see things, we do stuff – and sometimes we complain about what we did or saw. But are we really engaged?
by Michelle Martin
Published May 29, 2009 in Belonging (2 comments)

Clogged Drains and Emo Swoops: A Family Tracklist
I thought David Bowie was cool always and everywhere, but apparently opinions are divided.
by Michelle Martin
Published May 25, 2009 in Belonging (4 comments)

On Being at the Mercy of Your Online Profile
The internet has many wonderful aspects and uses, but the inclusion of a little more wisdom, and respect for human dignity is surely a good and necessary thing.
by Michelle Martin
Published May 07, 2009 in Belonging (9 comments)

Natural Justice and School Safety
Bullying needs to be dealt with immediately, forcefully, with the full weight of school board policy and law - even in its earliest stages, even if it hasn't yet become physical.
by Michelle Martin
Published May 04, 2009 in Belonging (8 comments)

Let Yourself Be Moved
In this economic climate we may not be able to afford major concert tickets, but we can sure get out in the community and listen to our talented neighbours.
by Michelle Martin
Published April 21, 2009 in Belonging (9 comments)

Stay On Top of Your Online Profile
Managing your online profile involves more than a simple matter of watching what you say and do, which in simpler times was good enough.
by Michelle Martin
Published April 09, 2009 in Belonging (2 comments)

Shelter-Mag Porn and Hieronymous Bosch
The advent of the credit crisis and the evidence of what rampant consumerism has done to the environment have given us wordly reasons not to fall into the trap that religion has always warned against.
by Michelle Martin
Published March 27, 2009 in Belonging (11 comments)

Snark, Impatience, and Urban Living
A generous give-and-take among citizens, a willingness for us to make excuses for each other is even more important that an aesthetically pleasing cityscape.
by Michelle Martin
Published March 11, 2009 in Belonging (6 comments)

Quebec's Lessons for Hamilton
There is no reason why our fair city cannot be almost as much of a tourist magnet as the oldest city in Canada.
by Michelle Martin
Published September 11, 2008 in Belonging (4 comments)

The Air Conditioning Trap
We really tried to tough it out and do all we could afford to do to avoid the air conditioning trap, but smog and asthma made it impossible.
by Michelle Martin
Published July 07, 2008 in Belonging (3 comments)

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