The griot has returned.
Well, sort of.
I've decided to give blogging another go. I just don't think that I have the gumption to go back to making daily posts like I used to. Instead, I will be making occasional entries on an entirely new blog: The Illustrated Griot.
As the name suggests, I'm taking a different approach this time. Instead of posting written observations, the new blog will consist primarily of photographs.
You can find the new griot at illustratedgriot.blogspot.com. I hope to see you there.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
A Line in the Sand
There is a story in today's news that I hope is an April Fool's Day joke. According to the story, the government of Afghanistan is considering a law that would make it illegal for a woman to have sex with her husband or to leave the home without her husband's permission. It would also grant custody rights to fathers and grandfathers.
I know that Afghanistan is their country and that their ways are different than Canadian ways, but if this actually becomes the law over there, then I think Canada has no option but to immediately cease any and all support of the government. In other words, our government should immediately withdraw all of its troops and end all of its financial aid to the government.
If Afghanistan wants to go back to the Taliban's way of doing things -- and I will be the first to agree that they have the right to choose to do so -- they can do so. All that I am saying is that they can do it without the blood and treasure of my country.
I know that Afghanistan is their country and that their ways are different than Canadian ways, but if this actually becomes the law over there, then I think Canada has no option but to immediately cease any and all support of the government. In other words, our government should immediately withdraw all of its troops and end all of its financial aid to the government.
If Afghanistan wants to go back to the Taliban's way of doing things -- and I will be the first to agree that they have the right to choose to do so -- they can do so. All that I am saying is that they can do it without the blood and treasure of my country.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Unhappy Anniversary
Twenty years ago, the Exxon Valdez spilled 40 million litres of crude oil into Alaska's Prince William Sound. It had a catastrophic effect on the local wildlife. Depending upon whose figures you use, somewhere between a quarter of a million and half a million sea bird died, along with a thousand otters, 300 seals, 250 bald eagles, and two dozen orcas. Nobody can even begin to figure out how many fish (and their eggs) died.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Word of the Week - Tetrachromat
Tetrachromat - a woman who sees four distinct ranges of colour rather than the normal three.
The retinas of most people's eyes contain three types of cone cells which act as receptors for blue, green, and red wavelengths of light. The brain combines information it receives from each type of cone to process perceptions of colour. Each of these receptors can generally pick up 100 gradations of colour, so the average human is able to distinguish between 1 million distinctive hues. (100 shades of blue x 100 shades of green times 100 shades of red = 1,000,000 possibilities!)
Tetrachromats, however, are rather special. In addition to the standard cone cells -- red, blue, and green -- tetrachromats possess a fourth type of cone cell that reacts to wavelengths between red and green. The addition of the fourth cone permits tetrachromats to distinguish between shades that appear the same to non-tetrachromats. In fact, they may be able to distinguish between up to 100 million distinctive hues. (100 shades of blue x 100 shades of green x 100 shades of red x 100 shades of "tan" = 100,000,000,000 possibilities.)
There seems to be disagreement as to the distribution of tetrachromacy in the human population. Earlier this week, a guest on the local CBC morning show said that tetrachromacy was limited to 3% of women. However, I have also read that some scientists believe that as many as 50% of women and 8% of men carry four types of photoreceptor cells.
The more interesting question is whether or not any humans possess brains (or optic nerves, at least) which are wired to deal with 100 million different colour gradations, but that is opening a can of worms that I don't want to deal with.
Even more interesting is the existence of pentachromats in the natural world -- creatures such as pigeons and butterflies whose retinas contain five different types of colour receptors. However, the word of the week is tetrachromat, so I think I'll end here.
The retinas of most people's eyes contain three types of cone cells which act as receptors for blue, green, and red wavelengths of light. The brain combines information it receives from each type of cone to process perceptions of colour. Each of these receptors can generally pick up 100 gradations of colour, so the average human is able to distinguish between 1 million distinctive hues. (100 shades of blue x 100 shades of green times 100 shades of red = 1,000,000 possibilities!)
Tetrachromats, however, are rather special. In addition to the standard cone cells -- red, blue, and green -- tetrachromats possess a fourth type of cone cell that reacts to wavelengths between red and green. The addition of the fourth cone permits tetrachromats to distinguish between shades that appear the same to non-tetrachromats. In fact, they may be able to distinguish between up to 100 million distinctive hues. (100 shades of blue x 100 shades of green x 100 shades of red x 100 shades of "tan" = 100,000,000,000 possibilities.)
There seems to be disagreement as to the distribution of tetrachromacy in the human population. Earlier this week, a guest on the local CBC morning show said that tetrachromacy was limited to 3% of women. However, I have also read that some scientists believe that as many as 50% of women and 8% of men carry four types of photoreceptor cells.
The more interesting question is whether or not any humans possess brains (or optic nerves, at least) which are wired to deal with 100 million different colour gradations, but that is opening a can of worms that I don't want to deal with.
Even more interesting is the existence of pentachromats in the natural world -- creatures such as pigeons and butterflies whose retinas contain five different types of colour receptors. However, the word of the week is tetrachromat, so I think I'll end here.
Saturday, March 07, 2009
Thoughts of Home
A friend of mine posed an interesting question in an e-mail earlier this way: what would you miss about Canada if you no longer lived here? I've thought about the question a lot over the past couple of days.
Although I know it is not a definitive list, I know some of the things I would miss:
Although I know it is not a definitive list, I know some of the things I would miss:
- plastic poppies and Remembrance Day ceremonies held in freezing rain
- Seeing Bruce Cockburn in concert
- Sunny Boy and Red River cereals
- driving from Toronto to Vancouver
- seeing soldiers of highland regiments whose relatives came from Germany, Cambodia, Jamaica, and Guatemala
- small towns with BIG artifacts (like geese or nickles or Ukrainian Easter eggs)
- Georgian Bay
- swimming in the ocean at Whitecliff park
- watching people skate at Nathan Phillips Square
- the Gulf Islands
- parks and conservation areas
- the city of Toronto
- the Okanagan Valley
- watching seals swim by the spit at Piper's Lagoon in Nanaimo
- snow, snow, and more snow
- always talking about seeing the North (but never actually going there)
Friday, March 06, 2009
Today's Toronto Moment
Today was a beautiful, spring-like day and I took advantage of the nice weather to go for a walk at lunch. I work in the Eaton Centre, so I walked down Bay Street to see what was going on at Nathan Phillips Square. You see, this is the 175th anniversary of the founding of Toronto and they were kicking off the celebrations today.
It was an interesting tableau -- there was a school choir on the stage, people sitting listening, and a surprisingly large number of people skating on the artificial rink. I am sure that if I had gotten close enough to the stage I might have even seen the current mayor, David Miller, or an actor portraying the first mayor of Toronto, William Lyon Mackenzie.
The thing which stood out for me, though, was almost lost in the activity of the busy city street. As I walked up Bay Street, I heard the faint sound of someone playing Land of the Silver Birch on a glockenspiel. Somehow, it seemed totally appropriate for the moment.
It was an interesting tableau -- there was a school choir on the stage, people sitting listening, and a surprisingly large number of people skating on the artificial rink. I am sure that if I had gotten close enough to the stage I might have even seen the current mayor, David Miller, or an actor portraying the first mayor of Toronto, William Lyon Mackenzie.
The thing which stood out for me, though, was almost lost in the activity of the busy city street. As I walked up Bay Street, I heard the faint sound of someone playing Land of the Silver Birch on a glockenspiel. Somehow, it seemed totally appropriate for the moment.
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
111
111 is the atomic number of the element roentgenium (Rg).
A score of 111 in cricket or darts sometimes referred to as a "Nelson".
The 111th United States Congress is currently sitting in Washington, DC.
Opus 111 was Beethoven's final piano sonnet.
In The Lord of the Rings, Bilbo Baggins disappeared during his 111th birthday party.
111 episodes of Miami Vice were made.
1-1-1 is the emergency telephone number in New Zealand.
Rome was devastated by fire in 111 BC.
111 is now the number of Canadian soldiers who have died in Afghanistan.
A score of 111 in cricket or darts sometimes referred to as a "Nelson".
The 111th United States Congress is currently sitting in Washington, DC.
Opus 111 was Beethoven's final piano sonnet.
In The Lord of the Rings, Bilbo Baggins disappeared during his 111th birthday party.
111 episodes of Miami Vice were made.
1-1-1 is the emergency telephone number in New Zealand.
Rome was devastated by fire in 111 BC.
111 is now the number of Canadian soldiers who have died in Afghanistan.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
An Escalating Crisis
I don't know what the problem is in Toronto today, but I came across no less than four escalators that were standing still. Don't they know that Thursday is my lazy day?
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
7 Out of 6 Readers Agree ...
... that the way journalists use statistics is an absolute travesty.
Take a news story from earlier in the week. Apparently, a Brazilian samba dancer by the name of Dani Sperle set a new record for the smallest costume at the Rio de Janeiro Carnival. Ms Sperle's costume was reported to consist of "3 centimetres of cloth", breaking last year's record of 4 cm.
I am sure you can see why I am outraged -- the news report did not mention whether the costume was 3 centimetres long or whether it consisted of 3 square centimetres of cloth. Imagine the cheek!
Oh well, as my old statistical analysis professor once said, "There's three kinds of people in this world -- those who understand statistics and those who don't".
Take a news story from earlier in the week. Apparently, a Brazilian samba dancer by the name of Dani Sperle set a new record for the smallest costume at the Rio de Janeiro Carnival. Ms Sperle's costume was reported to consist of "3 centimetres of cloth", breaking last year's record of 4 cm.
I am sure you can see why I am outraged -- the news report did not mention whether the costume was 3 centimetres long or whether it consisted of 3 square centimetres of cloth. Imagine the cheek!
Oh well, as my old statistical analysis professor once said, "There's three kinds of people in this world -- those who understand statistics and those who don't".
Friday, February 20, 2009
No Man Is A(n) (Economic) Island
There is a bit of gallows humour that goes something like this:
Q: What is the difference between a recession and a depression?
A: A recession is when your neighbour loses his job; a depression is when you lose yours.
Yesterday, the firm I work for laid off some 300 people. I worked with at least nine of those people. I consider three of them to be friends.
Somehow it feels like a depression to me.
Q: What is the difference between a recession and a depression?
A: A recession is when your neighbour loses his job; a depression is when you lose yours.
Yesterday, the firm I work for laid off some 300 people. I worked with at least nine of those people. I consider three of them to be friends.
Somehow it feels like a depression to me.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Madonna's Deadly Secret
In case you've ever wondered how Madonna maintains her youthful appearance, the truth has been revealed at last:
Saturday, February 14, 2009
On Valentine's Day
I used to hate Valentine's Day.
It wasn't that I had anything against the saint the day is named after. Nor was it that I had anything against romance. Truth be told, I am a very romantic person. (Or perhaps I should say, "I am a very Romantic person".) It was just that I hated the idea of mandatory romance, as if people had to be told to be romantic.
And then something happened.
I grew up.
I started looking beyond myself, and one of the things I have noticed is how little romance some people have in their lives. I still don't think I need corporations and mass media organizations to remind me to throw a little romance into my life, but I suppose some people do. For some people, Valentine's Day may be the one day in the year when they enjoy a little romance.
The way I see it now, that's a damned good reason for having Valentine's Day. In fact, I wonder if we should maybe have a Valentine's Day every three months.
It wasn't that I had anything against the saint the day is named after. Nor was it that I had anything against romance. Truth be told, I am a very romantic person. (Or perhaps I should say, "I am a very Romantic person".) It was just that I hated the idea of mandatory romance, as if people had to be told to be romantic.
And then something happened.
I grew up.
I started looking beyond myself, and one of the things I have noticed is how little romance some people have in their lives. I still don't think I need corporations and mass media organizations to remind me to throw a little romance into my life, but I suppose some people do. For some people, Valentine's Day may be the one day in the year when they enjoy a little romance.
The way I see it now, that's a damned good reason for having Valentine's Day. In fact, I wonder if we should maybe have a Valentine's Day every three months.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Good Intentions, Bad Results
I mean to updat this blog more often than I do. I really do. The problem is ... Well, I don't know what the problem is.
It isn't like I am not on the computer often enough to write a quick post. It isn't like I don't have opinions to share. It's just that I don't seem to care enough to post more often.
Maybe it's the weather.
Maybe it's the fact that I am still stuck in the suburbs.
Maybe it's a general response to the tsunami of news that fills the airwaves.
Maybe I'm just depressed.
It isn't like I am not on the computer often enough to write a quick post. It isn't like I don't have opinions to share. It's just that I don't seem to care enough to post more often.
Maybe it's the weather.
Maybe it's the fact that I am still stuck in the suburbs.
Maybe it's a general response to the tsunami of news that fills the airwaves.
Maybe I'm just depressed.
Sunday, February 08, 2009
A Thousand Words
I've been meaning to write something since my last post, but I haven't had anything to say. At least, I haven't thought of anything worth saying. I still have nothing of value to say, yet I still wish to say something.In absence of words, permit me to offer an image:
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Make of it what you will.Sunday, February 01, 2009
My Own 49 from North of the 49th Parallel
Well, it took a while, but I have finally finished my personal list of favourite Canadian songs. Given the great music that comes out of Canada, it is probably not surprising that my list is considerably different than the one selected by the CBC Radio 2 listeners. In fact, only seven of the songs that made it to their list made it on mine. (They're the ones in bold.)
- Adam's Rib - Melanie Doane
- Algoma Central 69 - Stompin' Tom Connors
- American Woman - Guess Who
- Back to Me - Kathleen Edwards
- Back to You - Bryan Adams
- Bank Accounts - Sarah Slean
- The Call to Dance - Leahy
- Calling All Angels - Jane Siberry & k.d. lang
- A Case of You - Joni Mitchell
- Claire - Rheostatics
- Coldest Night of the Year - Bruce Cockburn
- Come Home Lately - Painting Daisies
- Crabbuckit - K-OS
- Edgar - Jean LeLoup
- Feeling Reserved - War Party
- Four Strong Winds - Ian & Sylvia
- Gold Dust - Under the Moss
- Grow Up and Blow Away - Metric
- Hallelujah - k.d. lang
- Hello, Timebomb - Matthew Good Band
- Helpless - Neil Young
- High School Confidential - Rough Trade
- Hoobale - K'Naan
- A Horse in the Country - Cowboy Junkies
- Hundredth Meridian - Tragically Hip
- I Will - Blue Rodeo
- Just Came Back - Colin James
- King of the Heap - The Odds
- The Littlest Birds - Be Good Tanyas
- Mum's the Word - Spirit of the West
- My Definition - Dream Warriors
- Napoleon Sheds His Skin - Red Rider
- Ole Buffalo - Bourne and MacLeod
- One Day in Your Life - 54:40
- Possession - Sarah McLaughlin
- Pour un Instant - Harmonium
- Rolling of the Sea - Irish Descendents
- A Sailor Courted a Farmer's Daughter - Figgy Duff
- Sleepless - Jann Arden
- Sleepy Maggie - Ashley MacIsaac
- Somewhere Down the Crazy River - Robbie Robertson
- Suzanne - Leonard Cohen
- Tiny Fish for Japan - Stan Rogers
- Underwhelmed - Sloan
- Uniform Grey - Sarah Harmer
- The Weight - The Band
- When I Can Read My Titles Clear - Quartette
- The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald - Gordon Lightfoot
- You Ought to Know - Alanis Morrissette
One major difference between the lists lies in the genres of music included. The Radio 2 list includes classical, jazz, and a smattering of French selections. Since I don't listen much to these genres, it is probably not a surprise that there are no classical, no jazz, and only two French songs on my list. (Interestingly enough, Pour un Instant by Harmonium was one of the seven common selections, though.)
You'll probably also notice that there is more folk music on my list (seven out of forty-nine) including an obscure track about Billy Miner by a Vancouver-area folk group called Under the Moss. Eighteen of the songs on my list feature female vocalists, including three by artists named Sarah.
You may also have noticed that a lot of the popular acts in Canadian music did not make the list. The females on the list do not include Anne Murray, Celine Dion, Avril Lavigne, or Shania Twain. The alternative groups do not include the Watchmen, Arcade Fire, Our Lady Peace, or Ron Sexsmith. Nor will you find heroes of headbanging hosers like BTO (whom I enjoy), or Trooper, or Rush (whom I don't).
When I was putting this list together, I tried to avoid multiple listings for an artist (or else Bruce Cockburn would have had a quarter of the available spots), but I was only partially successful. Robbie Robertson shows up twice: once as a solo artist and once as a member of The Band. Similarly, k.d. lang shows up once as a solo artist and once as a member of a duet. (And I suppose one could say Leonard Cohen shows up twice two: once as a singer and once as the songwriter who penned Hallelujah. He may not be singing, but you can hear him in that song no matter who sings it.)
All in all, it's a very personal list. You might even say it is a bit idiosyncratic. Just the same, it was a lot of fun coming up with the list and I just might do it for another category.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Revealed: 49 from North of the 49th
A few weeks ago I wrote about a contest that CBC Radio 2 was putting on to come up with a play list of songs for Barak Obama. They announced the winners last week and presumably an MP3 player with the 49 tunes is on its way to the President.
The final list is an interesting mix, even if "I Lost My Baby" didn't make the cut:
Affairs of the Heart – Marian Mozetich
American Woman – The Guess Who
Barber: Violin Concerto – James Ehnes
Bobcaygeon – The Tragically Hip
Bost Sides Now – Joni Mitchell
Brother (Watching) – Shad
Canada’s Really Big – Arrogant Worms
The Canadian Dream - Sam Roberts
Canadian Railroad Trilogy - Gordon Lightfoot
A Case of You - Joni Mitchell
Closer to the Heart – Rush
Dégénération - Mes Aïeux
Democracy - Leonard Cohen
Departure Bay - Diana Krall
Évangéline - Marie-Jo Thério
Four Strong Winds - Ian & Sylvia
Goin' Up a Yonder - Measha Brueggergosman
Goldberg Variations - Glenn Gould
Hallelujah - k.d. lang
Helpless- Neil Young
The Hockey Song - Stompin' Tom Connors
Home - Michael Bublé
Hymn to Freedom - Oscar Peterson Trio
If I Had $1,000,000 - Barenaked Ladies
J'ai quitté mon île - Daniel Lavoie
Jolie Louise - Daniel Lanois
La complainte du phoque en Alaska - Beau Dommage
Mario Takes a Walk - Jesse Cook
Mon pays - Gilles Vigneault
Montréal -40C – Malajube
Northwest Passage - Stan Rogers
One Great City! - The Weakerthans
Ordinary Day - Great Big Sea
Oublie-pas - Karkwa
Place St. Henri (from Canadiana Suite) - Oscar Peterson Trio
Pour un instant – Harmonium
Quand les hommes vivront d'amour - Raymond Lévesque
Rebellion (Lies) - Arcade Fire
Rêver mieux - Daniel Bélanger
Rise Again - The Rankin Family
Rise Up - Parachute Club
Rockin' in the Free World - Neil Young
Suzanne - Leonard Cohen
Swingin' Shepherd Blues - Moe Koffman
Universal Soldier - Buffy Sainte-Marie
We'll Gather Lilacs - Ben Heppner
Wheat Kings - The Tragically Hip
Wondering Where the Lions Are - Bruce Cockburn
To be honest, there are a lot of songs that wouldn't make it on my list. Come to think of it, that sounds like a good idea for a future post. I think I'll take the next couple of days to come up with my own play list of 49 songs from north of the 49th. In the meantime, check out some of the songs on the "official" list.
The final list is an interesting mix, even if "I Lost My Baby" didn't make the cut:
Affairs of the Heart – Marian Mozetich
American Woman – The Guess Who
Barber: Violin Concerto – James Ehnes
Bobcaygeon – The Tragically Hip
Bost Sides Now – Joni Mitchell
Brother (Watching) – Shad
Canada’s Really Big – Arrogant Worms
The Canadian Dream - Sam Roberts
Canadian Railroad Trilogy - Gordon Lightfoot
A Case of You - Joni Mitchell
Closer to the Heart – Rush
Dégénération - Mes Aïeux
Democracy - Leonard Cohen
Departure Bay - Diana Krall
Évangéline - Marie-Jo Thério
Four Strong Winds - Ian & Sylvia
Goin' Up a Yonder - Measha Brueggergosman
Goldberg Variations - Glenn Gould
Hallelujah - k.d. lang
Helpless- Neil Young
The Hockey Song - Stompin' Tom Connors
Home - Michael Bublé
Hymn to Freedom - Oscar Peterson Trio
If I Had $1,000,000 - Barenaked Ladies
J'ai quitté mon île - Daniel Lavoie
Jolie Louise - Daniel Lanois
La complainte du phoque en Alaska - Beau Dommage
Mario Takes a Walk - Jesse Cook
Mon pays - Gilles Vigneault
Montréal -40C – Malajube
Northwest Passage - Stan Rogers
One Great City! - The Weakerthans
Ordinary Day - Great Big Sea
Oublie-pas - Karkwa
Place St. Henri (from Canadiana Suite) - Oscar Peterson Trio
Pour un instant – Harmonium
Quand les hommes vivront d'amour - Raymond Lévesque
Rebellion (Lies) - Arcade Fire
Rêver mieux - Daniel Bélanger
Rise Again - The Rankin Family
Rise Up - Parachute Club
Rockin' in the Free World - Neil Young
Suzanne - Leonard Cohen
Swingin' Shepherd Blues - Moe Koffman
Universal Soldier - Buffy Sainte-Marie
We'll Gather Lilacs - Ben Heppner
Wheat Kings - The Tragically Hip
Wondering Where the Lions Are - Bruce Cockburn
To be honest, there are a lot of songs that wouldn't make it on my list. Come to think of it, that sounds like a good idea for a future post. I think I'll take the next couple of days to come up with my own play list of 49 songs from north of the 49th. In the meantime, check out some of the songs on the "official" list.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
The Great Right-Wing Media Elite Conspiracy of '09
I am getting tired of the consistent right-wing stance of the Canadian media. Everyone -- including that bastion of left-wing liberalism, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation -- seems to be taking the side of York University in the strike which has gone on for three months.
You don't believe me? Consider this -- the media outlets have not been afraid to inform the public that the CUPE union members rejected the University's offer of a 10.7% increase over three years. Nor have they been loath to report that the union is holding out for a 15.8% increase over two years. Taken together, these statements make the union seem pretty darned greedy.
Obviously, the right-wing media elite has conspired to keep the public unaware of all the additional work and value-added services that the union must be offering to justify their expectations. After all, they couldn't possibly expect a raise of 15.8% to provide the same levels of work, could they?
You don't believe me? Consider this -- the media outlets have not been afraid to inform the public that the CUPE union members rejected the University's offer of a 10.7% increase over three years. Nor have they been loath to report that the union is holding out for a 15.8% increase over two years. Taken together, these statements make the union seem pretty darned greedy.
Obviously, the right-wing media elite has conspired to keep the public unaware of all the additional work and value-added services that the union must be offering to justify their expectations. After all, they couldn't possibly expect a raise of 15.8% to provide the same levels of work, could they?
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
A Day Which Will Live in History
Today, Barak Hussein Obama was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States. Over a million people gathered in Washington to see the historic event, and hundreds of millions more throughout the world watched the event on television, viewed it on streaming video over the Internet, or listened to it on the radio.
Some were drawn by the fact that Obama is the first black man elected to the highest office in America. Others were drawn to his message of hope and transformation. Still others were relieved and gladdened b the fact that George W. Bush's reign has finally ended (and I use that verb on purpose, since GWB is a proponent of the "imperial" presidency theory).
Personally, I did not watch the event. I had work to do and I knew that the airwaves would be filled with the recap this evening. I suppose I am also a bit more neutral towards Obama than many other Canadians. On the one hand, I appreciate his message and I fervently hope that he is able to move the United States in the direction outlined in his speeches and envisioned in the Constitution. On the other hand, I think people, especially people in other countries, may be disappointed.
People have compared Barak Obama to both Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. Lincoln truly was a great man, perhaps the only man who could have held the Union together at the time of the Civil War. He was also the President who suspended Habeas Corpus and the man who signed the Homestead Act, which opened up the West to widespread settlement by whites, thus ending the independence of the native societies of the Great Plains. Similarly, Kennedy was a strong defender of the post-war American "empire" who authorized attempted or actual military action and/or regime change in Cuba, South-East Asian, and, ironically enough, Iraq.
I guess my point is that as inclusive and as transformative as Barak Obama appears to be, he is still the head of an imperial power. Whether the rest of the world likes it or not, he will have to act in the best interests of his nation, which is the United States of America and not Canada, Kenya, members of the European Community, or any other entity.
I like the United States. As irritating and as arrogant as its self-anointed vision of itself as the "city on the hill" that inspires the world, I would rather live in a world where the United States of America aspires to be a model of a just society than a world where the United States is just another cynical power that bullies weaker nations and ignores international law.
Some were drawn by the fact that Obama is the first black man elected to the highest office in America. Others were drawn to his message of hope and transformation. Still others were relieved and gladdened b the fact that George W. Bush's reign has finally ended (and I use that verb on purpose, since GWB is a proponent of the "imperial" presidency theory).
Personally, I did not watch the event. I had work to do and I knew that the airwaves would be filled with the recap this evening. I suppose I am also a bit more neutral towards Obama than many other Canadians. On the one hand, I appreciate his message and I fervently hope that he is able to move the United States in the direction outlined in his speeches and envisioned in the Constitution. On the other hand, I think people, especially people in other countries, may be disappointed.
People have compared Barak Obama to both Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. Lincoln truly was a great man, perhaps the only man who could have held the Union together at the time of the Civil War. He was also the President who suspended Habeas Corpus and the man who signed the Homestead Act, which opened up the West to widespread settlement by whites, thus ending the independence of the native societies of the Great Plains. Similarly, Kennedy was a strong defender of the post-war American "empire" who authorized attempted or actual military action and/or regime change in Cuba, South-East Asian, and, ironically enough, Iraq.
I guess my point is that as inclusive and as transformative as Barak Obama appears to be, he is still the head of an imperial power. Whether the rest of the world likes it or not, he will have to act in the best interests of his nation, which is the United States of America and not Canada, Kenya, members of the European Community, or any other entity.
I like the United States. As irritating and as arrogant as its self-anointed vision of itself as the "city on the hill" that inspires the world, I would rather live in a world where the United States of America aspires to be a model of a just society than a world where the United States is just another cynical power that bullies weaker nations and ignores international law.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
I Should Be Writing
Or reading a book.
Or cooking a nice meal.
Or going for a walk in the snow.
I should be doing anything but surfing the internet.
Or cooking a nice meal.
Or going for a walk in the snow.
I should be doing anything but surfing the internet.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Another Electrion for Obama
CBC2 is running an interesting contest this month linking Canadian musical culture and incoming US president and noted music fan Barack Obama. The idea is for listeners to select the "top 49" songs that define us from north of the 49th parallel.
The first week of the contest, which ended this past Friday, was a general call for suggestions. In the second phase, which starts tomorrow and runs until this Friday, listeners will get to vote from the short list of 100 songs that was drawn from all the suggestions. Presumably, the final 49 will be loaded onto an MP3 player to be presented to the new president when he visits Canada.
Some of the local talk radio shows are having fun mocking the contest, but I rather like the premise. I know I am biased, being a Canadian and a fan of Canadian music, but I think the contest is an interesting examination of how we define ourselves through music and I'm looking forward to seeing the short list tomorrow.
And in a matter of shameless self-promotion, if you happen to check out the short list and see "I Lost My Baby" by Jean LeLoup, please vote for it. That's the song I suggested and I'd love to see it on Obama's play list.
The first week of the contest, which ended this past Friday, was a general call for suggestions. In the second phase, which starts tomorrow and runs until this Friday, listeners will get to vote from the short list of 100 songs that was drawn from all the suggestions. Presumably, the final 49 will be loaded onto an MP3 player to be presented to the new president when he visits Canada.
Some of the local talk radio shows are having fun mocking the contest, but I rather like the premise. I know I am biased, being a Canadian and a fan of Canadian music, but I think the contest is an interesting examination of how we define ourselves through music and I'm looking forward to seeing the short list tomorrow.
And in a matter of shameless self-promotion, if you happen to check out the short list and see "I Lost My Baby" by Jean LeLoup, please vote for it. That's the song I suggested and I'd love to see it on Obama's play list.
Sunday, January 04, 2009
The More Things Change ...
We are now a few of days into the new year and so far we have seen:
- another conflict between Israel and the Palestinians
- another Muslim-on-Muslim suicide bombing in Iraq
- another earthquake causing tsunamis in Asia
- another attempt at solving the labour dispute between York University and striking instructors
- another murder in Toronto
- and talk of another Bush making a run for the White House
I was kinda hoping things would be better in 2009.
Friday, January 02, 2009
Book Keeping 2008
I am an inveterate archivist. I like to keep lists. You might even say that I have a need to keep lists. Among the lists I keep is a record of every book I have read since 2002.
It has become an annual ritual, to be completed on the first day of the new year, for me to total the books I have read over the course of the previous year. The total for 2008 was 102 books completed. 14 of these books were works of fiction, 18 were business books, and the rest were non-fiction, mostly works of history.
The 2008 list is down over past years. It was 41 fewer books than I read in 2007, although to be fair I must point out that 2007 was a sabbatical year for me. In 2006, I read 124 books; in 2005, a mere 106; in 2004, 140. And since I have started my list, let me at 124 books read in 2003 and 116 completed in 2002.
Certainly some of the books that I read last year stand out, but these are the ones I would particularly recommend:
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole was my favourite fictional read of 2008, even though the book was several decades old. I still make references to Ignatius Reilly, the main character.
Gentlemen's Blood - A History of Duelling From Swords at Dawn to Pistols at Dusk by Barbara Holland provided more information concerning affairs of honour than I had ever thought possible. The strange attractiveness of the topic is illustrated by the fact that I loaned this book out to three people in 2008.
Hitler's Jewish Soldiers - The Untold Story of Nazi Racial Laws and Men of Jewish Descent in the German Military by Bryan Mark Rigg is a look at a previously neglected bit of World War II history -- Germans with Jewish parents or grandparents who served the Reich in the armed forces. If Rigg's research is correct, over 100,000 members of the Nazi armed forces had Jewish parents or grandparents, including several generals and one field marshal.
Corporate Cults - The Insidious Lure of the All-Consuming Organization by Dave Arnott was the most thought-provoking business book I read in 2008. Or perhaps I should refer to it as the "anti-business" book, given its warning cry against subordinating one's identity to that of the corporation.
And last, but not least, my Can-Con selection for 2008: Bloody Falls of the Coppermine - Madness, Murder, and the Collision of Cultures in the Arctic, 1913 by McKay Jenkies. I found the book to be a fascinating look at a sad chapter in the history of the Canadian North.
It has become an annual ritual, to be completed on the first day of the new year, for me to total the books I have read over the course of the previous year. The total for 2008 was 102 books completed. 14 of these books were works of fiction, 18 were business books, and the rest were non-fiction, mostly works of history.
The 2008 list is down over past years. It was 41 fewer books than I read in 2007, although to be fair I must point out that 2007 was a sabbatical year for me. In 2006, I read 124 books; in 2005, a mere 106; in 2004, 140. And since I have started my list, let me at 124 books read in 2003 and 116 completed in 2002.
Certainly some of the books that I read last year stand out, but these are the ones I would particularly recommend:
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole was my favourite fictional read of 2008, even though the book was several decades old. I still make references to Ignatius Reilly, the main character.
Gentlemen's Blood - A History of Duelling From Swords at Dawn to Pistols at Dusk by Barbara Holland provided more information concerning affairs of honour than I had ever thought possible. The strange attractiveness of the topic is illustrated by the fact that I loaned this book out to three people in 2008.
Hitler's Jewish Soldiers - The Untold Story of Nazi Racial Laws and Men of Jewish Descent in the German Military by Bryan Mark Rigg is a look at a previously neglected bit of World War II history -- Germans with Jewish parents or grandparents who served the Reich in the armed forces. If Rigg's research is correct, over 100,000 members of the Nazi armed forces had Jewish parents or grandparents, including several generals and one field marshal.
Corporate Cults - The Insidious Lure of the All-Consuming Organization by Dave Arnott was the most thought-provoking business book I read in 2008. Or perhaps I should refer to it as the "anti-business" book, given its warning cry against subordinating one's identity to that of the corporation.
And last, but not least, my Can-Con selection for 2008: Bloody Falls of the Coppermine - Madness, Murder, and the Collision of Cultures in the Arctic, 1913 by McKay Jenkies. I found the book to be a fascinating look at a sad chapter in the history of the Canadian North.
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