About this Site

Hi –

My name’s Taylor & I’d like to welcome you to my blog and website, or weblog for short.

No, that’s no good.

How about, welcome to my blogsite!

That’s worse.

Blebsite?

Webog?

Wow, what an awful way to introduce your blogsite!

If you’d like to email me, go bananas! Or, you could write me if you’d prefer: taylorcnoakes [at] the gmail

I’ve been running this site since October of 2010 and have learned a great deal about internet culture and the blogging process, but at this point I recognize this site is still a work in progress.

Home will bring you home, and for the most part this will mean to Montreal, my home. Most of this blog’s content will focus on Montréal’s culture, society, politics, history and architecture.

Sovereign Socialist will bring you to a listing of articles written by yours truly for this blog, the Forget-the-Box news collective, Concordia’s Link and anyone else who will have me write for them. These articles, critiques and comments will address a spectrum of current political and social issues from a socialist-progressive perspective. I began to seriously consider Canadian politics – as an academic interest more than occupation – largely in preparation and as a result of my participation in one of the most awesome contests in Canadian television history. This is me back in January 2006 on Canada’s Next Great Prime Minister. Enjoy! It certainly was an immense honour and I’m ever thankful to the sponsors, particularly the fine people at the Historica-Dominion Institute. I’m really glad I got the opportunity I did, and I hope they revive this program – it was humbling and inspiring to say the very least.

Montreal/Kondiaronk will bring you a listing of articles concerning Montréal from the perspective of someone devoted to the study of its culture, society and history. I became obsessed with studying the City when I recognized the inspiration so many artists have drawn from their surroundings, as if creativity could be lapped-up in this city like so much cool spring water running off the side of the Mountain. Our city is a complex enigma and a stunning example of Canadian cosmopolitanism done right. Suffice it to say I am very proud to be a Montrealer, and would like to see my city thrive once more like it did in the days of our former glories. I feel Montréal is Canada’s best kept secret and the true centre of the Progressive spirit in Canada. And if that’s not enough, I know our city is a preferred filming location, simply as a result of our shared commitment to high standards in local aesthetics.

Photographs features my original photography, which focuses on random snippets of life in an urban environment, in addition to the elements of the urban environment, and how they combine to form dramatic backdrops for our day to day lives. I have a particular interest in architecture and street scenes, and thus here you’ll also be able to find photo-essays on particular buildings, streets and places here at home and around the world.

Pictures is where you can find my digital scans of my art work, some of which are available for sale. I respect the opinion that some art is priceless, mine isn’t – far from it in fact – and thus are available for a moderate sum. If you like it and I like you I may just give it to you for free, it’d be an honour.

Exceptional Videos is pretty much what it sounds like. I’m a bit of a video junky and I’ve discovered a few gems hunting around YouTube and the like. There’s a sub-section called ‘back when we used to dream’ which focuses on videos of various projects instigated by the post-war Liberal Governments of St-Laurent, Pearson and Trudeau.

Finally, I no longer work for the Canadian Centre for Architecture as a guide in the education department. It was an exciting place to work and I truly loved my job. Since I no longer work there, I’m free to give tours to anyone, on almost any subject, pretty much whenever; email moi for more deets!

You can also follow this blog via Twitter: @ taylornoakes

And keep track of my drawings, sketches, pictures and photographs by visiting my imgur account.

Enjoy -

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