April 2007 |
I've wanted to hear Garnet Rogers live for some time, but circumstances have consistently conspired to prevent me from doing so until last night. Rogers plays an annual concert for the London Food Bank as part of the Acoustic Muse Concert Series promoted by Ian Davies. All I can say is... wow, Garnet is even better live than he is on CD - and that is saying a lot! If you know his music, Rogers did include some favourites - notably "Small Victory" and "Night Drive" - and you have to hear the latter live to really appreciate it. He also played a few new songs, including one called "Junior" about George W. Bush. He described this one as "mean" and "petty", and he is right about that. But it is also entirely accurate. Rogers mentioned that he is recording a live CD of mostly new material in the summer, though also said he would include a new version of "Night Drive". I don't know when it will be released, but get it for "Night Drive" alone. And Garnet, please, make sure "Junior" is on there! I'm too lazy to write a longer, proper review. But there is one which appears to review more or less the same set here. |
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I've just watched Don Newman interview Jean Chretien about the anniversary of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The interview reminded me how much fun Chretien was. I often did not agree with his position on issues (though I just as often did), but at least he had charm and wit. Newman asked him, at least twice, whether or not he fully understood the importance of the Charter at the time it was created (when Canada's Constitution was patriated in 1982). He never quite answered the question, but it is a good one to ask. I think it is unlikely that he, or the others then at the table, did fully understand the importance of the document. Everyone was very focused on patriation itself. Newman also asked Chretien which is more important - patriation of the Constitution or the creation of the Charter), and also never quite got a clear answer. While patriation was symbolically important, it was (and is) also divisive (because Quebec did not sign). The impact of the Charter, on the other hand, has been very tangible. Maybe the real question is whether or not the Charter was worth patriating without Quebec. It seems to me it probably was. |
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Another loss for us all - June Callwood died this morning. Callwood has talked about her terminal cancer publicly for some time, and this is not a surprise, but it is very sad nonetheless. Her accomplishments are well known and too numerous to list here, but the CBC has a great collection of stories about her on-line. |
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Kurt Vonnegut has died. As might be predicted from some of my posts, I shared many of his points of view and he was somewhat of a hero for me. His death is a loss for us all. There is great YouTube video here which very nicely shows his wit and charm. |
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There is a letter (about half way down the page) in today's local paper about a small act of kindness. Someone in a Tim Hortons drive-through line paid for the coffee order of the person behind then. This small act of kindness made the second person's day. We spend most of our lives absorbed in our own small worlds, rarely peeking out to see what is happening around us (unless it is to complain about how the things happening around us are interfering with our own little worlds). Don't get me wrong - I'm as guilty as anyone in this regard. But it is lamentable, at least. A small act of kindness seems so big in this light. A challenge to all: Do the same thing, or something else, on your way to work tomorrow. |
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There is a petition at this location about native land claims. Please take a look and consider signing it. |
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I've just returned from the London Farmer's Market where I purchased a t-shirt with the following wonderful picture and caption:
I just couldn't walk away from the political message. I live within a short drive of the locations of both the Ipperwash and Caledonia disputes, and as may be obvious am very sympathetic to the native point of view. If you aren't in London and want one, the shirts can also be ordered from Antler River Trading Company. |
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Tony Alleyne is in the news because he lives in an apartment he has completely made to look like it belongs on Star Trek. More to the point, he is in the news because he is now bankrupt and is selling the apartment on eBay. He has a website which shows his apartment, and appears to offer to make your's look just like it. There is a story with a link to a YouTube video here. Now this begs two thoughts, one complimentary and one not. First, the complimentary one. You have to at least respect, and probably admire, that kind of tenacity. Very few of us have the drive (or attention to detail) to pull that off. So, my hat is off to him in that respect. Now the second thought. To quote William Shatner, "Get a life!". I mean, come on, Star Trek is just a TV show for crying out loud. Building star-ships out of apartments?! OK, I'm exaggerating for effect. But, really, couldn't one find a less consuming Trek-related hobby? How about a Star Trek Blog? Or... can you imagine what I guy like this could accomplish if he channeled all that energy into something more constructive? Oh, and it seems Alleyne has tried to sell his creation on eBay before, and the price keeps dropping. So, maybe you can get bargain now! |
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In this story, Keith Richards admits that he snorted his father's cremated remains. Now, I know that Richards has had an, ah, interesting life - but snorting his father's ashes? Why on Earth would anyone admit that? |
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Bill Blaikie for Ethics Commissioner? In yesterday's Globe and Mail, Denis Saint-Martin (a political scientist at the University of Montreal) suggests the retiring NDP MP for the job. What a terrific idea! I don't see it happening, but what a terrific idea. |
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