Raise the Hammer

Sections

List of sections in Raise the Hammer, with links to each article in that section.

Section: Accidental Activist

(return to Sections)

• Turn Back the Faucet - I'm convinced it's this inherent distrust of government efficiency which I harbour, that lies near the heart of the Conservative upswell today. Published 2008/10/02

• Only Love - A poem by Ben Bull. Published 2008/07/07

• Freedom 95 - My mid-life retirement makes a lot of sense. The kids are young, everyone is healthy and I'm ready for a change - so what better time to kick back and consider my options? Published 2008/07/07

• Interview with RTH Editor Ryan McGreal - At three and a half years, this seems to me as good a time as any to reflect on just how far RTH has come, how we got here, and where we go next. Published 2008/06/05

• Ups and Downs: The Fate of the Gardiner - If we can allow ourselves to be a little optimistic, perhaps we can consider: what will the removal of the Gardiner Expressway mean? Published 2008/06/05

• Burned - An accidental injury triggers a legal odyssey. Published 2008/03/24

• Ben Bull, Inc. - I made the decision to incorporate for one reason and one reason only: to avoid taxes. Published 2008/02/14

• Tram Ride an Event in Itself - Bus transit can only get a city so far. If a municipality wants to get people out of their cars they need to provide an incentive - and quite frankly, the bus isn't it. Published 2008/02/14

• The Year That Was - Here's hoping next year will be chock full of memories too. Published 2007/12/20

• Cheers! From Boston - Boston leaves you wanting more. Surely there is no greater testament than that. Published 2007/11/27

• Fixing Our Broken Democracy - Our current democracy is nowhere near 'good enough'. Our democracy isn't working and it's high time we got it fixed. Published 2007/11/08

• Nice Chatting With You - Arguments inspire, inform, ignite, and unite. Where would we be with out them? Published 2007/10/22

• The Shaping of the News - What is the value of good writing, of authentic high quality journalism? Published 2007/09/28

• How to Effect Change (in Less than 30 Years) - The business of being an activist requires an immense amount of patience - and a lot more besides. Published 2007/09/28

• Down to Earth: Rethinking Air Travel - If we leave it up to the politicians, excessive, unnecessary, environmentally unsustainable air travel will be here to stay. Published 2007/09/09

• Crash! - And they say lightning never strikes twice. Published 2007/06/27

• HtO Beach: 30 Years Late But Moving Fast - It's clear that people are desperate for something to do - together. Published 2007/06/27

• Ten Steps to Strong Neighbourhoods - In the same way that we have a list of criteria for buying a house, so it is we need to create a list of criteria when planning and developing our neighbourhood. Published 2007/06/07

• Another Tale of Two Cities - Hamilton was poised to prosper once. With the growing, grumbling consensus that Toronto may not be such a great place to live for much longer, Hamilton is poised once again. Published 2007/05/18

• Discovering June Callwood - Most of the good deeds being done in the world today are small, and done in private. Published 2007/04/30

• Postcards from New Glasgow - RTH jet-setter Ben Bull scours the world in search of exciting locales to share. Published 2007/04/10

• It's What We Do That Counts - Democracy, like life, can only resemble a rich and meaningful experience if we throw ourselves into it. Published 2007/04/10

• Random Thoughts From An Aging Brain - I do believe in the power of positive thinking, that you make your own luck in this world, and that a good friend, a full stomach and a warm blanket are all you really need. Published 2007/03/19

• Farewell to Roy Green - Behind that trademark growl is a shrewd and compassionate human being who always shows a genuine concern for the affairs of the people around him and never misses an opportunity to show how much he cares. Published 2007/02/26

• Upcoming Apocalypse...Check! - A fun and easy-to-follow End Of The World Checklist to help cheer you up and perhaps even forestall our inevitable extinction. Published 2007/02/09

• Checklist for Going Carbon Free - Everybody's full of advice on how to combat global warming - so why should we at RTH be any different? Published 2007/02/09

• Global Warming Really is Bloody Inconvenient - Unfortunately, having kids means I don't get to sit back and do nothing about it. Published 2007/02/09

• The Purple Testament of Bleeding News - In an ideal world we would all demand unfabricated accounts of the world around us, unbiased appriasals of the stroies that matter. Published 2007/01/24

• Back and Forth - You have to look back before you can look forward. Published 2007/01/10

• Kinetic Potential - Dave Kuruc exemplifies what's good about this city. Published 2007/01/10

• Where Good Ideas Go to Die - Whatever the right approach to getting good ideas enacted, our current culture of compromise is not taking us anywhere good. Published 2007/01/10

• Postcards from Scranton - Ben assuages his loneliness during a business trip to Pennsylvania by writing to his loved ones back home. Published 2006/12/13

• A Refreshing Outcome - My old home town finally did something I never thought I'd see them do: they turned a corner. Published 2006/11/23

• Rewind - Hamilton's activist community lost a dear friend last month. Published 2006/11/08

• Business as Unusual: How to Produce Change - If the citizens fail to fulfill our democratic duties, then we can be certain of one thing when everything stays the same: we'll have only ourselves to blame. Published 2006/11/08

• The Middle Finger of Progress - If high-rise towers are building for the future, what kind of future are we building? Published 2006/10/20

• All in All, a Super Weekend - Ben attends his first ever political party leadership polling event, and all hell breaks loose. Published 2006/10/06

• How to Be an (Accidental) Activist - I hope we can all try and put aside any frustrations we may have and replace them with hope, energy, optimism and enthusiasm. Published 2006/10/06

• The Road to Boredom - Our kids today, and many parents too, have never known a childhood that includes playing on the street. Published 2006/09/20

• Touring Hamilton's Waterfront - With its simple, back-to-nature approach to lakeside strolling and stunning panoramas, Hamilton's Waterfront has something unique and truly pleasurable to offer. Published 2006/09/20

• Toronto's Waterfront - Toronto is trying to wrest its waterfront back from the cars and condos that have strangled the shoreline. Published 2006/08/30

• Hey, Stoopid! - Pummeled by an epidemic of stupidity, Ben laments the triumph of titillation and the bravado of the banal. Published 2006/08/30

• Adding Up the Scores: Fun Factor Part II - Ben compares Hamilton with other cities in which he's lived, and highlights some lessons for the Hammer. Published 2006/07/05

• The Fun Factor - If we had access to some kind of fun factor scale, then how would Hamilton compare to other cities around the globe? Let's find out. Published 2006/05/26

• Guilty as Charged - What makes a good citizen? How can I go to my grave confident in the knowledge that whatever happens to this little green and blue ball we're spinning on, I'm not guilty? Published 2006/05/05

• The Nightmare is Real - Hamilton politics gets under the skin. Raise the Hammer news stories from the depths of hell haunt Ben's dreams. Published 2006/04/21

• Just a Boy's Diary - A diary is a book with no discernable plot and an uncertain ending. It sounds a lot like life. Published 2006/04/21

• Look, Pull ... er, Crunch? - Ben hurls himself off the side of a moving airplane. Don't try this at home, kids! Published 2006/04/09

• The Treasure Hunt - For some reason, I have no idea why, I woke up one morning and decided it would be a great idea to put on a Treasure Hunt in my local park. Published 2006/03/18

• Five Words Ben Loves - Ben thanks his readers for their awesome acceptance of his willy-nilly swearing. Well done! Published 2006/03/01

• Slow Down - The only thing we need to do in a hurry is slow down. Published 2006/03/01

• Bedtime for Mom and Pop - When I wander around Wal-Mart and look at the rows of stuff lining the shelves, I ask myself - how many shopkeepers have we replaced? Published 2006/02/15

• Ten Words Ben Hates - Ben implodes the English language by juxtaposing business blather with suburban culture and segues from boondoggles to stupidites. You so shouldn't miss this. Published 2006/02/15

• Homogeneousness - How many times have we seen this happen? Main Street, Quaint Town, Ontario becomes, well, Anytown USA. Published 2006/01/27

• Good Grief! - Free speech is the fair price of our democracy, and patronizing remarks by our very own free press do nothing to encourage civic discussion. Published 2006/01/09

• Subsidy v. Investment - The world class Tube and TTC systems are not maintained by handouts, but investments. Hamilton had better pay attention. Published 2006/01/09

• You had us from the opening line - We will remember David Hillen for his endless optimism, his never-say-die attitude, and his ongoing message of hope for our embattled core. Published 2005/12/14

• Hamilton CAN - if we want - It takes more than just a vote to make our democracy work. And it will take more than just a vote, or words on paper, to turn this town around. Published 2005/12/14

• Only in Hamilton: Green Thai Curry and Disputed Gouda - Ben somehow manages to use the "s" word in a family magazine, dragging Raise the Hammer to new journalistic lows. Published 2005/11/28

• Requiem for Ted and Gloria - Over the years, Canadian Tire's Ted has been the epitome of the Canadian Dream, writes Ben Bull. Published 2005/11/10

• Only in Hamilton - It didn't take Ben long to realize that Hamilton is a town unlike any other. We tell it like it is. Published 2005/11/10

• Driven to Extremes - There was something dispiriting and distasteful about not having a single reason to get out of your house and walk. Published 2005/10/21

• Driving Me Crazy - Ben Bull explores the ups and downs of his many rocky relationships with cars over the years (first of two parts). Published 2005/10/07

• Bloke Down the Pub: Long-Term Planning, Hamilton Style - Too often, Hamilton City Council seems to pull its ideas and arguments - solar powered planes?! - out of thin air. Published 2005/09/15

• Climbing the Tree - Ben Chronicles his long search to rediscover the beautiful chaos of his childhood home. Published 2005/08/22

• People Places (Part II) - If we cannot become a real community we can never again be a proper town. Published 2005/06/16

• My Trip to Hamilton City Hall - With all these unhappy residents and all this new information, it seemed obvious that the Councillors would vote to delay the aerotropolis amendment... Published 2005/06/16

• People Places (Part I) - As people places go, successful public squares have the most important ingredient - people - in abundance. Published 2005/05/31

• What's the Big Idea? - Sometimes the best ideas are simply the bad ones that go away. Published 2005/05/16

• Self-Respect - How far must we sink into the gutter before we hit rock bottom? Published 2005/04/14

• Time to Grow Up - As a growing city we need to have dreams again. We need to think about what we want to be when we grow up. Published 2005/03/14

• Get Real - The best way to change Hamilton's image is to change Hamilton's reality. It's time to stop saying, "I love Hamilton" and start meaning it. Published 2005/02/19

• Losing It, Learning, and Moving On (Digging Through The Custard Part 2) - Here's to the next twelve months of political pudding. Let's hope we can all make a difference. Published 2005/02/19

• Digging Through the Custard (Pt. I) - At the start of another new year, it seems like a good idea to look back on my first year as a Hamilton activist. Published 2005/01/14

• Is the Creative Class Crass? - The Creative Class movement leaves too many citizens behind, but it does recognize that quality of life matters most. Published 2004/12/14