July 27, 2006
so it is (song) written
Pico Iyer, Canada’s expat book noticer, has a piece on Leonard Cohen’s Book of Longing in a recent Times Literary Supplement (no link, sorry — subscribers only. I know, I know). He has much praise for Cohen, which makes me happy. I think Lenny deserves the Nobel, easily as much as Dylan. However, I disagree with Iyer’s broader point in the piece, which seems to be that we disrespect... [More >>]
July 26, 2006
Pottering about on the left
Go now and read Andrew Potter’s latest column in Maclean’s. In it, he outlines some of the basic tenets of the Euston Manifesto, which he calls “a statement of broadly left-liberal principles cooked up last spring by a collection of London-based journalists, activists and academics.” Quick full disclosure– Potter blurbed my book, and I do like to drink with him when I... [More >>]
July 25, 2006
Safe injection site needs support
In September of 2003, North America’s first safe-injection site opened in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Operated by the local health authority, Insite is allowed to exist thanks to funding and support from all three levels of government. Ottawa’s role includes a three-year exemption to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. The success of the facility has been remarkable —... [More >>]
July 24, 2006
Keep it short
The National Film Board has put online 50 animated shorts from throughout the years, including classics such as “The Sweater,” “The Cat Came Back” and my personal favourite, “The Big Snit,” a bizarre little cartoon with lots of sawing of furniture and eye-shaking. Give it a look and enjoy the ‘toons. IMAGE: “THE BIG SNIT” [More >>]
July 21, 2006
Feeling listless?
Because I’m a big fan of lists, especially musical lists, I bring up this effort from The Guardian in the U.K.: “50 Albums That Changed Music.” I’ve only read the first 10 or so, but I like what I’m reading. Serious respect for Dylan, the Velvet Underground and NWA. Anyone take umbrage with the selections on the list? [More >>]
July 19, 2006
Remember this story for when he runs for office…
Funny, why haven’t we seen this article about John Bolton saying there is no moral equivalent between Lebanese civilian deaths and terrorism victims published anywhere but the independent media? [More >>]
July 17, 2006
The Fruits of your mother’s loins
The BBC reports: “Womb environment ‘makes men gay’”. According to a recent study, the number of biological older brothers a fellow has, the higher chance he has at being gay. So when if your worried if your kid throws funny, don’t stress unless he’s got fourteen older brothers born in constant succession of each other. Cause then it’s more than just a lack... [More >>]
July 17, 2006
Times experiences Freudian slip; Senator Clinton slips a brain disc
Nothing like a heat wave to angry up the blood. The woman who would be President is displaying some more of that base-cementing political genius she’s developed lately. The New York Times reports on comments Senator Hillary Clinton made about the missiles being lobbed back and forth across the Lebanon/Israel border. She leaves no room for doubt whose side she’s on: “We will stand... [More >>]
July 17, 2006
War is not the answer
I find myself completely appalled by today’s front-page column by George Jonas in the National Post. Normally I try not to let Post columnists provoke me into posting about them, since it just draws attention to their views. But in this case… Jonas is an apologist for the Israeli military, and practically the first words out of his mouth are that Israel “didn’t mean to harm”... [More >>]
July 14, 2006
to ponder on the weekend
“Power is essential for survival, but additional power is also needed for doing anything fast and complicated, like eating your neighbour…” From a discussion of: Current Middle East conflict? — No. Iraq/Kuwait, early 90’s? — No. North and South Korea? — No again. The quote is from a Times Literary Supplement review of the book Power, Sex, Suicide by Nick Lane,... [More >>]
