We can’t count on much these days. But we can rely on one thing: whenever there is a speech to be made, a vote to be won, a crowd to be wooed, a country to be saved, there is a man wearing a tiny flag lapel pin ready to get the job done – and he’s from the country represented by that flag.

On 22 May, demonstrators marched through the streets of Montreal in protest (and in violation) of Bill 78. Matt Staroste was there with his camera.

For some, a job is more than a livelihood, writes Frank Appleyard. It's a passion, a calling, and not something to do to pay rent or buy delicious sausages. He recently lost his dream job. "A business decision and not a personal decision, then, though I wonder what could be more personal than the loss of what we love."

What are they building in there? TOL's Amanda Watson joins a political party and goes into the belly of the, uh, conference centre for the NDP's leadership convention. She tells us about the group mourning of Jack Layton and the new face of the NDP.

In the third and final part of her series on nuclear power, Kate Gilbert examines alternatives to nuclear dependency and alternative options in Canada.

On the eve of Remembrance Day, Thought Out Loud newcomer Cameron Schettler looks back at the sacrifices of Canada's veterans and connects the promises and pledges of the 1910s to the Occupy movement.

It's been a week of reflection here at Thought Out Loud. As Remembrance Day draws near, the editors try to make sense of our military history and, generally, of remembering.