This piece originally appeared in the Toronto Star. You don't have to be a Marxist to wonder if capitalism has run its course. Though the stock marke...

When Isobel suggests a luncheon for the Downton "girls," the stage is set for the confrontation: between the men and the women, between creaky notions of propriety and the ancient concepts of mercy, made modern in the guise of rehabilitation. Thank God, mercy wins.

Killed in their homes and in the streets, on and off reservations, by acquaintances and by strangers, Aboriginal women are the victims of an unmistakable epidemic of violence. The government's expressions scarcely mask the truth written out in their policies and inaction: these women are disposable.

The word 'gay' gets thrown around so much, there is perhaps a valid argument that most people aren't even fully cognizant that it's homophobic anymore.

One of the worst obstacles for women in business seems to be the mindset. We hear about their limitations and we see double standards for male and female performance evaluations. Women become eroded by society telling them they "can't have it all" -- and they believe it.

What makes someone a fantastic lover is not their technical ability or their repertoire of moves but their attentiveness and their efforts to make their partner happy. When both people show that they really care about meeting their partner's needs, sex becomes something wonderful.