"moral anarchy" and other holiday parables...

Bill Moyers' excellent piece about "moral anarchy" in the US is a worthwhile way to pass fifteen or twenty minutes over the holiday season. It's a bit dense in places, but then again critiquing the social order of the United States isn't light stuff.

bam-bam is coming home...

Last week, while in Toronto for some work and a fair shake of holiday season merry-making, a friend mentioned an odd little story to a group of us gathered for a Christmas party. The players in this tale were a family living in a rural patch outside of Ottawa, a wayward deer they had taken in after its mother had abandoned it by the roadside, and finally the 'by the book' provincial bureaucracy that was forced to separate deer from family because they didn't have the proper permit to keep such a creature, no matter that it owed its life to their care. The whole thing looked like it was going to end badly, leaving the poor deer (domesticated to the extreme) to flounder in a zoo setting (where it wasn't really wanted), with the poor farm family left to pine for their darling deer and shake their heads sadly at Queens Park and its "urbanites-know-best" condescension toward the whole affair. A holiday season buzzkill if ever there was one.

Yesterday the PREMIER of Ontario, yes that's right, Dalton McGuinty himself, made a personal visit to the family's rural environs to announce to much media fanfare that Bam-Bam is coming home. Though it won't happen by the time the turkey is served, the homecoming should take place just shy of 2007, meaning a small glass of bubbly might be in order for this most unusual of family reunions to ring in the New Year.

A true Christmas miracle...and great (though admittedly unusual) political photo-op.

quotation for a saturday afternoon...

"I have made a ceaseless effort not to ridicule, not to bewail, not to scorn human actions, but to understand."

- Baruch Spinoza, philosopher (1632-1677)

if you can't shout anything nice...

best reality tv ever...

CBC got a lot of slack for its first experiment in reality tv, a failed show called The One, but yesterday it got top marks for the best thing since Survivor: The Liberal Leadership Convention.

After a nail-biting day on my couch, glued to the tv, I was handsomely rewarded with what was dubbed by many pundits as a quintessentially Canadian outcome: the "darkhorse" in the running (or underdog, to mix my mammalian metaphors) Stephane Dion, took the leadership of the Liberal party after a series of reversals, upheavals, defections and despite beginning the whole thing squarely in fourth place.

For a second there it looked as though Michael Ignatieff would up the dramatic ante by shedding a tear or two in the agonizing lead-up to the final ballot announcement. Viewers were treated to live televised close-ups of the two finalists side-by-side, a beaming Dion seemed to know it was in the bag, whereas Ignatieff did all he could to turn a wince into a passable tv smile. The whole time a video-montage of ex-Prime Ministers was being screened in the convention hall to push the announcement time to the 6pm time-slot, a prime time media trick to maximize the national viewership.

Everybody agrees that Dion has his work cut out for him. He seems to be a genuinely good man, and has a lot more on-the-ground experience than many of the other candidates, most notably in cabinet as both intergovernmental affairs minister and minister of the environment in previous Liberal governments. Above all this, he looks like everybody's favorite nephew or kind and brainy uncle (depending on which side of the generational divide you happen to find yourself on), so if not a second coming of Trudeau, at least he's not another "you-must-love-me" apologist like the well-meaning Paul Martin, and certainly not a cold intellectual in the mold of our current PM who, I gather, has no idea how to deal with the new head of the formerly headless Liberal party. Now it gets interesting...

they know who they are...

...if only they'd let us know too. Mr. Harper, you've done it again. What have you done? You'll know when it happens.

And here's Rex Murphy with a few thoughts of his own.

municipal politics in pleasant valley...

Pleasant Valley just elected a mayor who has never held any public office whatsoever, wants to crack down on the homeless and has promised not to raise taxes for the next four years while maintaining all services at current levels.

I should mention that he's from the private sector, and has pledged to run the city like a business using "21st century management practices." This isn't going to be pretty...

centrist soup?

In the wake of the Democratic sweep, Maisonneuve Magazine's 'Media Scout' weighs in today with some cautionary words to temper the mood of uncritical optimism that are worth sharing here:

Despite the general sense of optimism, there are some voices of concern and dissent. The Post and the Citizen both run articles about a new pack of “Blue Dog Democrats”: anti-abortion, anti-gun control Christian conservatives flying the Democratic flag and vowing to steer the party toward the centre of the American political spectrum. The Post also prints a Washington Post comment piece by Charles Krauthammer, who argues the shift in power is less significant than it may seem because of the specific people who won and lost. “The Republicans have shed the last vestiges of their centrist past,” he writes of the defeat of many Northeastern and Midwestern moderates. Add that to the new breed of right-leaning Democrats, and it seems the entire political field has shifted to the right. So perhaps that sea change is really more of a skimming off of moderate voices. And while the resulting concoction may inspire optimism because of the relative weight of its partisan divisions, deeper questions remain about the toxicity of the new political soup.

hello democrats and goodbye rummy...

It's official: the Democrats have won BOTH houses of Congress, answering a collective global prayer. The now infamous "checks and balances" once lauded as a model to be emulated by democracies the world over, may actually amount to something more than rhetoric. It's about time.

The Guardian/UK added its voice to this global glee at the new face of American politics in an editorial published in yesterday's edition. As they put it: "Thank you, America"!

Oh, and goodbye and good riddance to Donald Rumsfeld, who kept his job at least 3 years longer than he should have. May History judge him according to his worth.

the big 'Cs' out of step...

What a RELIEF to watch the blue trickle turn to tide last night; the election results were a test to the Republican lie that their status quo held the confidence of the nation. Mounting evidence of mismanagement across the US government, including most stunningly the War in Iraq as well as major domestic scandals, translated into a decisive loss of the House of Representatives and very likely the loss of the Senate for the "Grand Old Party." Maybe, just maybe, the system works.

Meanwhile back home our lesser 'blues' under Stephen Harper should watch their back if a newly released CBC/Environics poll is a portent of elections to come.

Pinch me.

promises made, blah blah blah...

See Rick Mercer's excellent blog for his take (with video evidence!) on income trusts. Priceless...

middling power corrupts middlingly...

Transparency International has just released its 2006 "Corruption Perception Index" and after a pretty rough ride (think Sponsorship Scandal and the subsequent Accountability Act as countermeasure) Canada manages to rank a reasonable 14th of a possible 163 (Haiti finished last, just below Iraq and Myanmar/Burma).

It's a pretty interesting little snapshot of the state of world governments, although the results are just the wrong side of objective according to certain "experts." Still, it puts things into perspective. No surprise that Northern Europe ranks decisively in the top 'least corrupt' spots, and as The Economist points out, Italy proves that corruption and poverty don't always correlate (the essential thrust of the analysis of this table) by ranking a dismal 45 (even the US manages a top 20 finish, in, well, 20th place).

dispatches from the southern front...

Election time is upon us again, or at least our neighbours to the south. The US has had a pretty tough time getting this fundamental piece of democracy right in recent years, so people of all political stripes are feeling rather anxious about how the vote will go on November 7 when the country is poised to hand at least part of Congress back to the Democrats. In the most recent US elections hopes ran high that the Democrats would either retain or regain power, but a lot of "voting irregularities" and subsequent conspiracy theories of outright election-stealing by the Republicans kind of killed the mood of optimism in more moderate and progressive camps.

A good friend forwarded to me an excerpt from an essay in the NY Times Books section on this very topic by UK Guardian's American editor Michael Kinsley, in which he unpacks the thorny issue of the recent US Presidential election. I've posted the excerpt below (though the whole essay is well worth the read):

The great flaw in American democracy is not electoral irregularities, purposeful or accidental. It's not money (which, even under current law, cannot in the end actually buy votes). It's not even the inexplicable failure of all other Americans to vote my way or of politicians to enact my own agenda. It's not the broken promises and the outright lying, although we're getting close. The biggest flaw in our democracy is the enormous tolerance for intellectual dishonesty.

Politicians are held to account for outright lies, but there seems to be no sanction against saying things you obviously don't believe. There is no reward for logical consistency, and no punishment for changing your story depending on the circumstances. Yet one minor exercise in disingenuousness can easily have a greater impact on an election than any number of crooked voting machines. And it seems to me, though I can't prove it, that this problem is getting worse and worse.

income (dis) trust...

In a surprise move this week Canada’s “new” government managed to drain over $24 billion from the Toronto Stock Exchange all in the name of creating a more stable long-term economic sector in Canada. It also bears mentioning that they stand to recoup billions in lost tax revenue; over the next five years they can easily expect to pad the national treasury to the tune of at least $5 billion. Yes, the issue of income trusts.

I have to ask myself, why do they need bigger surpluses? So they can make other "surprise announcements" of further cuts to federal spending in order to further increase the sacred surplus? How much surplus is too much surplus? Under the Harper government we may never know the answer. Cut is the new spend.

My essential point is that Canadians aren't exactly getting more for their tax dollar these days, and a Conservative promise is clearly not something anybody can or should take to the bank, so I ask again: WHAT is the point?

I'm not an economist (clearly!), and it's hard to decipher the contradictory analysis coming from various quarters of the famously self-contradictory schools of Economics (some say it's good, some say it's bad, some say it's too soon to tell...), but I do know that this is another surprise decision taken by a MINORITY government that struts about like it is the first and last word on all that is good for Canadians. Any critics are just activists, socialists or, worse than all of this, LIBERALS (that would be Canada’s “old” government).

If angering investors is the point, then fine. Let's all throw good money after bad decisions. Bear in mind that investors aren’t just corporate fat cats, but Jane and Joe Canadian, who invested because they were told it was a responsible thing to do, you know that whole ‘security-that-comes-from-having-a-nest-egg’ thing. And of course that includes anyone with a pension plan or RRSPs. I know many people who took direct and significant hits because of this “surprise announcement”.

Memo to Stephen Harper: They all vote.

maybe this isn't the answer...

Scientists have discovered that a substance found in red wine, known as resveratrol significantly increases the lifespan of mice on a high-fat diet, and also staves off diabetes and liver disease. A miracle cure! All we have to do is drink a bit of red wine and then we can get away with all kinds of dietary faux-pas, right? Now I've advocated drinking at least 3 bottles per sitting for years, so I anxiously read on to see what kind of health-related lottery I'd stumbled into, a certain jackpot winner no doubt. My joy kept climbing as I continued down the page, until that is I came across the hard truth of the matter:

"The mice were fed a hefty dose of resveratrol, 24 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. Red wine has about 1.5 to 3 milligrams of resveratrol per liter, so a 150-pound person would need to drink from 1,500 to 3,000 bottles of red wine a day to get such a dose. Whatever good the resveratrol might do would be negated by the sheer amount of alcohol."

Now I'm up for a glass or two, but I draw the line, ABSOLUTELY, at 4 bottles. 1500-3000 bottles, eek...

the art of disappearing...

This was sent to me by a dear friend just a moment ago, and I think it's worth sharing:

The Art of Disappearing
by Naomi Shihab Nye

When they say Don't I know you?
say no.

When they invite you to the party
remember what parties are like
before answering.
someone telling you in a loud voice
they once wrote a poem.
Greasy sausage balls on a paper plate.
Then reply.

If they say We should get together
say why?

It's not that you don't love them anymore.
You're trying to remember something
too important to forget.
Trees. The monastery bell at twilight.
Tell them you have a new project.
It will never be finished.

When someone recognizes you in a grocery store
nod briefly and become a cabbage.
When someone you haven't seen in ten years
appears at the door,
don't start singing him all your new songs.
You will never catch up.

Walk around feeling like a leaf.
Know you could tumble any second.
Then decide what to do with your time.

i'll write about something new next time, promise...

As a further (and final!) posting about the New Jersey court ruling made earlier this week, I offer the NY Times editorial from the Saturday edition, that comments on the Republican response to the court's decision.

The final paragraph is worth quoting here:

Mr. Bush and his faithful acolytes seem perfectly willing to stoke fears that create division and sorrow in a country that doesn’t need any more of either. The president has just a little more than two years left in office. You’d think that for once he’d want to consider devoting his time to making things better instead of worse.

Amen to that.

i hate to say "i told you so"...

If you read my entry from yesterday I invite you to peruse this article from today's NY Times. A preview: the headline reads "G.O.P. Moves Fast to Reignite Issue of Gay Marriage".

Here we go again...

pink states?

Yesterday New Jersey's Supreme Court ruled that gay civil unions (the actual term 'marriage' has not been ruled on) will grant all the rights and benefits of heterosexual civil unions to "committed same-sex couples". See the New York Times for the complete story.

What is particularly amazing about this ruling is that both Democrat and Republican justices voted in favour of granting equal rights to gay couples, and in a nuanced decision demonstrated that sober and just lawmaking has not totally vanished from the legalistic wasteland of the US court system.

Our own legislators on Parliament Hill would do well to study this ruling if only to see what is possible when an honest appraisal is made on a "rights question" and conclusions are drawn in the best possible spirit of the law.

The sad truth, as I think most of us have come to realize, is that detractors of same-sex unions (or "marriage" if the more loaded term is to be dropped into the mix), aren't really exclusively concerned with saving marriage. In fact, between 2002 and 2003 there was a marked reduction in the total number of marriages in Canada and this was before any same-sex couples had rights to the altar ceremony. Only after same-sex marriages started to become legalized in certain provinces did the total number of marriages start to climb again, seeing a 6000 marriage increase between 2003 and 2005. Of course about half of those were same-sex couples, but as in so many other areas (think interior decorating, personal grooming, and luxury coffee sipping), the gays led the way back to the good life and did their part to ensure marriage didn't die off in Canada. We just don't get the credit we deserve sometimes...

No, it's become pretty clear that the ultimate goal of the more radical members of the anti-gay-marriage camp is to eliminate all elements of homosexuality in their narrowly conceived 'ideal' society. The recently leaked "Defense of Religions Act," albeit in partial draft form, attests to this in its alleged defense of individuals who advocate the death of homosexuals on religious grounds. And honestly...that's just not nice.

It's a truism that gay marriage has become the most potent 'wedge issue' to be deployed by what is typically referred to as the 'far right' since abortion became a high-profile question of social morality. I'm not so naive as to believe that all the courts in the world could end the brimstone and hellfire braying of the ideologically blinded elements in our increasingly impoverished political discourse. No, with the old script in hand I can already turn the page and read the next few lines: "the activist judges are at it again, sticking their nose in something that doesn't concern them one bit; the liberal media conspires once again with the fringe left; a perverse and corrupting force will poison the minds of our children; the end of society is upon us; etc."

I wonder who these people, those who fight tooth-and-nail to keep homosexuals and many other minorities outside of their cherished institutions, hope to save and to what end? If children are better raised by parents who participate in the major institutions of society, and individuals only find greater meaning for their lives through a genuine civic franchise as full and unqualified members of society, and if violent acts are most often committed by groups that have been systematically disenfranchised, then why in whatever God's name you believe in would you actively seek to segregate social institutions, create different and unequal categories of citizenship, and violently disenfranchise whole segments of society in the supposed service of the greater good? Whose greater good, if not society's?

We've become very complacent about our own political and social state of affairs after years of mindlessly bashing the big bad Americans and clucking our tongues in the self-congratulatory chorus of "I am Canadian". Well, guess what, next to New Jersey we're starting to look pretty backwater.

currently reading...

Deborah Campbell's This Heated Place is a superb snapshot of the state of affairs in the most hotly contested state on Earth, Israel. A fine and sensitive look at a perplexing and hyper-consequential set of realities through the eyes of an outsider trying to make sense of a place not known for rational exchanges. If not a "must read" then at least a "should read".

and the inevitable editorial cartoon...(thx jk!)

he was such a nice boy, i don't know where we went wrong...

You would think a Foreign Affairs Minister, accustomed to delicate international situations and subtle yet loaded communication, would bring home a little of that travel-won experience and comport himself with a bit of tact and, dare we ask, class. You would think, but apparently...

hope springs eternal...

It's happening.

can you clarify that statement?

Iggy set off a firestorm in recent days over his controversial comments on war crimes on both sides of the recent Israeli incursion into southern Lebanon. If he has a proven habit of putting his foot in it at just the wrong time, well, there was another politician with a similar need to show off his supreme sense of bad taste and poor timing, yes our great leader, Stephen Harper, also got into the action. Oy vey.

When the Conservatives aren't defending Canadians against the corrupting force of minority rights they take a bit of time out to make unfounded and inflammatory remarks about an entire party, who just happen to be the Official Opposition, by wading into one of the most difficult issues in international politics, namely the relationship between Israel and the rest of the Middle East.

Both sides have engaged in spin and re-spin, a few of the other Liberal leadership hopefuls have weighed in (Bob Rae's wife and family are Jewish -- I guess nobody briefed the PM on that one), and the whole issue has, in a further twist, become a chance for Ignatieff to clarify his position on the war in Iraq. Umm...

We now have a hubris-filled minority government, strutting about the halls of power as though granted a clear mandate, which by its very definition a "minority government" does not have. And in the other corner are the Liberals, a party in transition to something more coherent (we hope), but still plagued by many of the old gaffes that led to their fall in the first place.

While this whole affair begins to spend itself, and the initial shock cools, the Harper Conservatives continue to press their irresponsible and insulting domestic agenda designed to sell out Canada's environment, natural resources, minority rights and equality-based social safety net.

I remember a little over a year ago when politics in Ottawa was more soap opera than substance, a drama full of betrayals, courtships and nail-biting votes won or lost on the strength of one little "yea" or "nay". Those days are passed. The stakes are VERY high now, and sadly I'm not sure there are many players left who understand the meaning of "peace, order and good government" or the real responsibility to LEAD, something utterly needed if Canada is to keep from slipping into the oblivion of the ranks of unimpressive middle-powers by becoming a handmaid to reactionary foreign policy while ignoring the mess in our own back yard.

I'm waiting for the miracle to come...

note the minimal height difference...

Yes, I haven't written for a LONG TIME in this little blog 'o mine. But I have a good excuse...(refer to image for photo evidence).

I will resume in a bloggerly way in the weeks to come, promise...

don't worry, be canada...

So we didn't make it to the podium, but Canada ranked in the top 10 (just barely) on the recently released "World Map of Happiness." The site features an interactive map of the world, complete with floating 'ranking' info, and a full breakdown of the data used by the researchers at the University of Leicester who put together this rather marvellous piece of socio-cartography. Of course the Northern Europeans top the list, although Denmark, land of mad and semi-suicidal literary monarchs (..."to be or not to be happy"??) is the happiest place on earth. Go figure...

what literary and political journalism requires... (thank you jk)

"It was while working with her (Barbara Epstein, editor of NY Review of Books, died June 16, 2006)) that I learned the most valuable lessons of our friendship. I began to see more clearly how literary and political journalism requires much more than the creation of harmonious and intellectually robust sentences; how it is linked inseparably to the cultivation of a moral and emotional intelligence; how it demands a reasonable and civil tone, a suspicion of abstractions untested by experience, a personal indifference to power, and, most importantly, a quiet but firm solidarity with the powerless." Pankaj Mishra

Thank you to JK, who forwarded this quotation to me.

collective sigh...

It seems I never tire of neglecting this space only to sporadically return long enough to apologize for my absence. Well...here we go again. It's been a busy month, with the start of a new job, a trip to Toronto (sorry if I missed you, it was mostly business), and other personal miscellany. And then there are the more grave matters of world geo-political combustibles, another case of the border-skirmish blues (whites and reds optional), and off we go again, cameras in tow into the crucible of G-d (or God or Allah or whatever).

Cue 'collective sigh'.

I am not competent to weigh in on the specifics of this latest episode in the "never ending conflict," but on a purely human level it cannot do other than deeply trouble me, as I believe it does us all.

I'm not one to go in for organized religion (or any of its dogmatic accessories), but I will offer the only thing I can, a hope for hope in the form of a simple prayer for peace (unsure as I am how to pray in the 21st century).

I don't know what else to write for the time being, and maybe there is little more to say tonight. This is my small offering in place of big ideas. I'd like it to count for more than another exhalation in the collective sigh, because the last thing I want to do is resign myself to the world as it presently is. We are all much better than this.

i blame it on patio season

Hmm...though my name isn't Zillah, and I didn't drink too much gin, I do feel that a major cause of my "virtual absence" has been the sudden explosion of patio-worthy weather in my dear pleasant valley.

Nothing of great weight to share for now, but just wanted to re-assert my claim to this virtual part of the valley, and do promise more worthy entries will follow when it finally hits me that I will be in France in LESS THAN TWO MONTHS!!

The countdown has begun...

...and the number one reason NOT to get married on a public beach...

kurt's words: of chimps and turkeys

As it's been a holiday Monday, which equals "found time," I decided to do a little virtual housekeeping.

I fired up Firefox and opened my burgeoning "Bookmarks" folder -- there I rediscovered well over a hundred items that I'd once found noteworthy enough to tag for a revisit but of which maybe a dozen had since been called upon (and that's probably a generous estimate). Yes, I'm a child of my MTV/A.D.D. generation, and a great procrastinator to boot, which means that many thoroughly interesting and life-enriching, knowledge-building items were at one time briefly scanned before they were summarily filed for a planned revisit that never was... Until today.

I found some great stuff buried in my pile of bookmarks, but of these immaterial treasures, one of the finest was this link to some words written by American satirical novelist and political gadfly Kurt Vonnegut. I offer this as part of the Wry Offensive that may yet save us, the silly race of "power-drunk chimpanzees".

once more to see the forest for the trees...

To those who began to doubt I'd ever return, I'm happy to report that the paper-making/chasing/shredding/filing/etc. madness has, for a time, subsided. It was a rather dense few months in the proverbial forest of a thousand pulped, pressed and bureaucratically processed trees, but I have now divested myself of a large burden of dead-wood and can once more see the light filtering through the dense foliage as the workplace fog thins and lifts. How's that for carrying a metaphor WAY too far?

And now I find myself in Toronto for a few days of mixed work and pleasure to contemplate the bigger picture that has come back into focus. More bloggerly activity is promised in the coming weeks as the gift of time is given back to this tired little lumberjack (now with 100% more beard).

monday missive...

To all those friends and intimates who may start wondering where I've gotten to these past few days, and who will wonder after my whereabouts during the days and weeks to come, please understand that I'm buried under a stack of semi-pointless paperwork and managing inane procedural crises the likes of which are not even worth mentioning in the most banal of small talk. I will return when I've done enough paperwork penance to be released from my temporary bureaucratic purgatory, I promise.

Can you tell the kind of Monday I've just had?

words, words, words...

You stand still for three days

for a piece of wisdom

and everything falls to the right place

or wrong place

You speak

don’t know whether

seraph or bitch

flutters at your heart

and look through windows

for cue cards

blazing in the sky.

The solution.

This last year I was sure

I was going to die

Michael Ondaatje, Secular Love

wednesday is the new friday...

Since I'm currently filling two positions in my office (ah the joys of being overqualified -- they keep giving you more work!), and have found myself increasingly worn-down by the never-ending bureaucratic paper-chase (multiplied by two!), I made the executive decision yesterday that I would take Thursday off, which when added to the four-day Easter long weekend, gives me a wonderful FIVE days of rest!

I won't lie, it's been a stressful few weeks, both on the work front (two jobs!), and on the personal front as I find myself increasingly on the defensive when faced with certain difficult situations. My horoscope told me there'd be days like this...but a five day weekend should provide at least temporary relief from the mania for a little space of time. It's now official: Wednesday is the new Friday.

To kick-off my expanded weekend, I'd like to offer up a touch of L. Cohen (his 'Book of Mercy' has been my meditative companion as I've navigated the recent rough waters...):

I heard my soul singing behind a leaf, plucked the leaf, but then I heard it singing behind a veil. I tore the veil, but then I heard it singing behind a wall. I broke the wall, and I heard my soul singing against me. I built up the wall, mended the curtain, but I could not put back the leaf. I held it in my hand and I heard my soul singing mightily against me. This is what it's lilke to study without a friend.

Couldn't have put it better myself...

a point of contemplation for a monday evening...

Some insightful words written by Thomas Merton, from his collection of essays Contemplation in a World of Action (p. 109-110):

“…man has a responsibility to find himself where he is, namely in his own proper time and in his place, in the history to which he belongs and to which he must inevitably contribute either his responses or his evasions, either truth and act or slogan and gesture. Even his gestures of evasion and withdrawal may unfortunately be decisive contributions to a void in which history can take on a demonic orientation.”

where is sheila when you need her??

This morning I found a tidbit about Canada in the Guardian Unlimited's "Books/Review" section, and was more than a little stunned to learn of our waning cultural standing in the world in such a 'cyber-accidental' way. I'm not sure if this is the work of our new political masters, or if this was a quiet backroom decision by the last regime in its dying days, but either way it's proof positive that the government continues to discount the value of culture both at home and (especially now) abroad. Sigh...where is Sheila Copps when you need her??

Say what you will about the former grand dame of all things CanCon, but she got results and was able to keep culture much more front and centre in a political climate that has in recent years come to favour the technocratic over the creative. Why is it that our government now seems to view culture as a luxury to be championed when economically useful or good for our image abroad, but to be cut at the first available opportunity once its short-term usefulness has passed? You'll note that the Brits have eyes to see the problem, and yet I don't think any Canadian news outlet has reported on this, or likely will. Not a good sign at all...

From the Guardian Website (bold emphasis is mine):

Canada has for a long time considered culture a third pillar of foreign policy. In the UK particularly it has put its money where its mouth is, hiring officers specialising in literature, performing arts, film, TV and visual arts. From a literary point of view, the past decade has seen a massive increase in interest in Canadian writers in this country; three of the six 2002 Booker nominees were Canadian (and a Canadian - Yann Martel - won). Recently an aboriginal writer called Sky Dancer has read in British schools and libraries and been sent on a tour, and at last year's Edinburgh festival there were 17 Canadian authors, including Margaret Atwood, John Ralston Saul, Romeo Dallaire and performance poet Shane Koyczan (who was such a hit he is now going to the Hay festival). Many were brought over with the aid of government money, and as Catherine Lockerbie, director of the Edinburgh international book festival, noted this week, they were writers she would not necessarily have heard of if she hadn't been taken to Canada, and been introduced to them. But the Canadian government seems to have lost faith: this week the four cultural officers, who have more than 50 years of specialist experience between them, were made redundant, to be replaced by two cultural relations officers.

St. Francis was no fool...

I'm posting, unedited, a text a good friend forwarded to me this afternoon. It's from the website Living Compassion, and is a message I find deeply resonant especially at a time in our global reality when it seems nothing but chaos remains to be looked forward to in the years to come.

On the morning after the United States 2004 national elections, Cheri Huber sent these thoughts on peace to the worldwide email list of Living Compassion:

“It is time to reconcile all beings in the world.
Peace is no longer just a good idea, a dream without any real belief.
We can no longer hope that war and violence can defend and protect.
We must choose peace if we are to survive.
We must make a radical turn from the right, and a radical turn from the left.
We must make our way back to center. Not a political center, but the center of our being.
We must become a good friend to those who agree with us and those who do not.
We must invite everyone to the table; we must sit together, share, learn, listen, open our hearts, and, together, move to the place that is the most compassionate to all.”

That radical center, that center of our being, is a place that is not against anything. That is perhaps what is most radical about it. Many of us who are committed to peace, passionate about peace, activists for peace, conduct our quest for peace from a conviction that we are against an adversary, and we know who that adversary is. We wage war for peace, and peace eludes us.

St. Francis said, “Do not try to change the World. Change worlds.” He did not mean escape, write off the world and walk away. He spent most of his life walking into the world, talking with people, engaging them. He did not try to wrench the people or the world into some shape he was convinced they should take. Rather, he greeted all with “Pace e bene”: Peace and Good. He simply lived in a world in which he and everyone else belonged.

T.S. Eliot describes: “A condition of complete simplicity, costing not less than everything.” The radical center. The place lived from by Francis, by Clare, by Gandhi, by Martin Luther King, Jr. Costing us our identity, our righteousness, our separateness, our against-ness. Costing us all the mean victories.

Yet it creates a universe of possibility, generosity and freedom. A woman in Kenya sees the devastating result of deforestation and begins to plant trees. A mother in Washington, DC, befriends the young man who killed her son. Communities around the world rally to support local organic farmers and establish farmers’ markets. Indigenous people in Ecuador seek partners in the United States to save the rainforest that is their home. A group of Zen monks learns that children in an African slum need food, and they say, “We can help.”

To be sure, even when the path of peace seems clear, the work can be demanding and challenging. It takes practice. Peace is a practice. And, it is exciting, rewarding and the most fun a human being can have. We choose peace; it is a matter of survival. We invite you to join Living Compassion at the table of peace.

finally, a comic that reflects the deep truths of my life...

god is an american

It was evident from yesterday's Speech from the Throne that the new Conservative government will make a warming of Canada-US relations a top priority. Below is a list (thank god for anonymous email forwards) that serves to remind us all what we stand to gain by chumming up to the Bush administration and it's ideological base...if you're easily offended by 'tongue-in-cheek' anti-American rhetoric, please click here instead.

Things you have to believe to be a Republican today:

• Jesus loves you, and shares your hatred of homosexuals and Hillary Clinton.

• Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush's daddy made war on him, a good guy when Cheney did business with him, and a bad guy when Bush needed a "we can't find Bin Laden" diversion.

• Trade with Cuba is wrong because the country is Communist, but trade with China and Vietnam is vital to a spirit of international harmony.

• The United States should get out of the United Nations, and our highest national priority is enforcing U.N. resolutions against Iraq.

• A woman can't be trusted with decisions about her own body, but multi-national corporations can make decisions affecting all mankind without regulation.

• The best way to improve military morale is to praise the troops in speeches, while slashing veterans'benefits and combat pay.

• If condoms are kept out of schools, adolescents won't have sex.

• A good way to fight terrorism is to belittle our long-time allies, then demand their cooperation and money.

• Providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy, but providing health care to all Americans is socialism. HMOs and insurance companies have the best interests of the public at heart.

• Global warming and tobacco's link to cancer are junk science, but creationism should be taught in schools.

• A president lying about an extramarital affair is an impeachable offense, but a president lying to enlist support for a war in which thousands die is solid defense policy.

• Government should limit itself to the powers named in the Constitution, which include banning gay marriages and censoring the Internet.

• The public has a right to know about Hillary's cattle trades, but George Bush's driving record is none of our business.

• Being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're a conservative radio host. Then it's an illness and you need our prayers for your recovery.

• You support states' rights, but the Attorney General can tell states what local voter initiatives they have the right to adopt.

• What Bill Clinton did in the 1960s is of vital national interest, but what Bush did in the '80s is irrelevant.

a friend's notes from the frontlines of human possibility...

Below, unedited, are notes taken by a close friend who attended a lecture given by the incomparable Karen Armstrong. I will let her account speak for itself:

Karen Armstrong

St. Barnabas Anglican Church, Toronto
Friday, March 31, 2006

Karen Armstrong gave a 45-minute lecture on her latest book, The Great Transformation, and answered three questions. These are my notes. jk

• The great transformation took place between 900 and 200 BCE, a period known as the Axial Age. (A second great transformation began about 400 years ago and is still in progress.)

• The chief characteristic of the Axial Age was getting rid of religiosity. Theological speculation is a waste of time, it said. A teacher is like a raft: you use it to cross water to get where you want to go but, once there, you do not carry the raft around with you on your back; you get rid of it.

• The Buddha refused to speak about God. He said that silence is the only true response to any divine reality one might experience.
  

• The key to experience of the divine is getting rid of the ego, a reaching into the unconscious world. God is at the opposite pole of ego.

• The WAY to get rid of ego is to cultivate COMPASSION. In this effort, Confucius stands out. He was the first to teach utter altruism or, the golden rule; i.e., do nothing to another which you would not wish to have done to you. All religions insist on this way of encountering the divine. “Love the stranger in your land.”
  

• Love (in the scriptures) was not an emotional term, but a legal one. You didn’t have to like the stranger, but you had to wish the same for her as you wished for yourself.

• The Greeks made a great contribution to this kind of love through their tragic dramas. One of the purposes of a play such as The Persians by Aeschylus was to make the spectators weep out of compassion for their enemies. The catalyst for this kind of drama was revulsion at violence and wars. (It was nothing like the violence that exists in our own times, but it was significant.)

• The development of YOGA was another way out of violence. It was the first attitude to adopt. It gave space for compassion to develop. It brought joy.

• “Religious” people, then and now, prefer to be RIGHT rather than COMPASSIONATE. This, of course, is EGO, whether one is speaking of religious or of secular opinions.

• So, the Axial Age tried to mitigate violence.

• We live in a time of enormous danger. The challenge of the 21^st century is to learn to live together, to have concern for EVERYBODY. We must see other nations as we see ourselves. We already KNOW this, so we do not need great prophets and sages to explain it to us.

Questions and Answers

Question 1: What do you think about “intelligent design”?

Answer: I think it is a red herring. Why does it matter who made the world? The way to live is to bless everybody. As for me, personally, I don’t share in any religious belief but, if it helps someone else to be kind, I think it’s okay. Be wary of strong opinions, be they religious or secular. They are egotistical.

Question 2: Do you have a team of researchers to help you write your books?

Answer: No! Research is the good part, the best part, of writing a book. For me, it’s a kind of prayer.

Question 3: How do you see the future of Christianity?

Answer: ALL religions now have to adapt. The future must lie in a greater pluralism. The scriptures are abused today. We must think about how we use difficult scriptural texts, i.e., ones that glorify war. Christianity must be compassionate to survive. And don’t rely too much on our leaders to show the way!

more dispatches from the random files:

"Jo Jo Melons" has a lot to answer for. This is nothing but unadulterated nightmare-fodder. And honestly, who in their right mind buys melons from a clown??

I stumbled across this and many other vintage melon labels while conducting some google-based research too ridiculous to explain...you can find the fruits of my labours by clicking here.

And, in the news today:

Boy's pancake breakfast delayed the end of WWII

This is 100% true, and truly random! And really, how often do you get the chance to write both "pancake breakfast" and World War II in a headline? Fabulous...

springtime...in my secret life

Thursday early evening, am just settling in and listening to the recurring soundtrack of my recent life: "Leonard Cohen: Ten New Songs".

This was a marvellous gift from a close friend, and I must admit it's been a fixture in my CD player ever since. Cohen's smoke-stained and soulful music (how he makes the synthesizer sound sexy is still beyond me), speaks to my present state of mind. His play of stale-mated passions, occasional moments of communion and constant searching after the nature of love create a perfect storm for my love-fatigued navel gazing...apparently.

Not that I'm so far gone, but when the world begins to thaw and blossom into the full flush of the springtime, our thoughts are suppose to turn to love and all that romantic blah, blah, blah. And because I'm terribly suspicious of that kind of "romantic blah, blah, blah" I need to fortify my defences, and build up some kind of provisional safeguards against being swept away by the season. So I turn to Cohen. He reminds anyone with ears to hear that love is a paradox, a rich contradiction, and that failed love is not defeat if you refuse an easy denial and instead embrace the ending with an equal force of love. Okay, so I've had a few things on my mind...

But to share a little with those who may not be familiar with Cohen, a supremely gifted poet (if not the most classically adept singer), here are the lyrics from my perennial favorite, Alexandra Leaving:

Suddenly the night has grown colder.
The God of love preparing to depart.
Alexandra hoisted on his shoulder,
They slip between the sentries of the heart.

Upheld by the simplicities of pleasure,
They gain the light, they formlessly entwine;
And radiant beyond your widest measure
They fall among the voices and the wine.

It’s not a trick, your senses all deceiving,
A fitful dream, the morning will exhaust
Say goodbye to Alexandra leaving.
Then say goodbye to Alexandra lost.

Even though she sleeps upon your satin;
Even though she wakes you with a kiss.
Do not say the moment was imagined;
Do not stoop to strategies like this.

As someone long prepared for this to happen,
Go firmly to the window. drink it in.
Exquisite music. Alexandra laughing.
Your firm commitments tangible again.

And you who had the honor of her evening,
And by the honor had your own restored
Say goodbye to Alexandra leaving;
Alexandra leaving with her lord.

Even though she sleeps upon your satin;
Even though she wakes you with a kiss.
Do not say the moment was imagined;
Do not stoop to strategies like this.

As someone long prepared for the occasion;
In full command of every plan you wrecked
Do not choose a coward’s explanation
That hides behind the cause and the effect.

And you who were bewildered by a meaning;
Whose code was broken, crucifix uncrossed
Say goodbye to Alexandra leaving.
Then say goodbye to Alexandra lost.

Say goodbye to Alexandra leaving.
Then say goodbye to Alexandra lost.

And so there you have it...a small taste of the state of things in the springtime of "my secret life"...

shall i call this retox?

Ah yes, the detox is now over. Farewell penicillin, it was fun while it lasted...

(en)forced detox; willpower optional or, 'how i learned to stop worrying and love the pills'

A farewell to wines, liquors, malts and spirits of all kinds for at least the next few days. This past week has been an enforced detox, thanks in no small part to the temporary residency of a small colony of bacteria in my throat (prime real estate), and the subsequent prescription of antibiotics to evict said unwanted residents. So, my St. Patty's day involved nothing more ambitious than a walk in the windy downtown of Pleasant Valley, followed by the screening of my latest French & Saunders acquisition. Actually, on balance it was a really enjoyable and hugely relaxing night. I may be happily relishing my detox more than is typical or even healthy for a young twenty-something habitually prone to answering the "last call". I think the down-time was much needed, and my body may have invited the unpleasant bacterial guests as a way of forcing me to slow down and take a bit of time to take stock of recent weeks. Man, it's been 'existentially dense' in the 'valley' to say the least...

Did I mention the Prime Minister is becoming a power-hungry tyrant? Okay, I'll admit that sentence was perhaps a mild exaggeration, but the recent consolidation of power in the PMO and the subtle changes to government procedure (think Supreme Court nominees), and policy (there are ONLY 5 important things we must do, as spelled out in the CPC election-winning platform) have got me nervous. Politics in Pleasant Valley used to be fun, dramatic, somewhat foolish, but generally benign. It's been a while since gravitas has weighed down the political scene, and made Canadians aware of the real (not simply latent) power invested in the PM and his Ministers. Now the PM must approve ALL official communications by the Ministers and high-level bureaucrats, and the press shall henceforth be kept at a comfortable arms-length from the halls of power -- it's inconvenient to have to answer questions so soon after major national decisions have been taken behind closed doors, apparently. Sigh. This is a "wait and watch" situation for now. I've just finished reading A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry, so my opinions and impressions are quite deeply influenced by the example of other nations where power consolidation in the name of national security and stability is never a path to social prosperity, but more typically the first stage in the unmaking of democracy.

I'm sorry Mr. Harper (Rt. Hon), but democracy is a little messier than you may have suspected, and in some instances may even require DIALOGUE. Oh, and sometimes dissent creeps into the workings of government too. Just an FYI...

from the "random files"...

This made me laugh today...

a picture's worth a thousand protests

I remain beyond stunned at the continuing outcry against, and simultaneous staunch defense of, the caricatures of the prophet Mohammed published across Europe, in Jordan, and most recently in Calgary (a rare alliance of geography, I admit). About a week ago, I wrote to a friend that I felt deeply that a "critical mass" was about to be reached in global politics, and that I couldn't yet fathom what would be unleashed upon the world when this line was crossed. Last Friday my French instructor, a Muslim, raised this controversy as part of a conversation portion of the lesson and stated in a very plain manner that as a Muslim he felt equal frustration with both pro and con sides of this conflict, and felt quite honestly that the loss of countless thousands of jobs in the North American automotive industry warranted greater attention than this tantrum between the twin toddlers of reactionary politics and extremist religion. It was, I think, a marvelously Canadian moment, to be engaged in Government of Canada paid for French lessons with an African-Canadian Muslim instructor and discussing the cartoon controversy only to bring up the automotive industry. Maybe there is hope yet...

But, I'd like to share with anyone who cares to read this page, an interesting take on the matter by Timothy Comeau, the brainchild behind "goodreads" -- a topical email list serve -- who had these words to share on the matter:

Last week saw a lot of coverage in mainstream media about the protests over some stupid drawings. In the Saturday (11 Feb) Globe and Mail, the editor-in-chief Edward Greenspon argued that they weren't showing them because they didn't feel they added anything important to the story, while justifying the occasional photo of bombed bodies on Israeli buses. (In that case I'm thinking of a 2003 front page). He wrote:

'As one cartoonist said earlier this week, this is not a matter of self-censorship. It is a question of editing. Every day we are faced with similar decisions, particularly in choosing photos. Do we show a naked woman? Do we show a dead baby? Do we show bodies blown apart by a suicide bomber or other samples of the carnage that come our way regularly? Most often the answer is we do not. Only when we feel an offensive photo is absolutely necessary to the understanding of the story do we loosen our restraints.'

'This point makes no sense, given that a full understanding of protests about drawings should require that one see them for oneself. I could take the mainstream media's self-righteousness seriously if this were not the age of the internet and Google. You want to see 'em, go ahead and see them. The same goes for pictures of naked women (naked men aren't offensive?) dead babies, and carnage (orgish.com?). The media has used arguments of self-censorship and editing to draw us a picture of their own obsolesce.

I've been wondering about how many people have actually seen the images on the net. As that's part of what Goodreads is about, I almost sent the link a week ago but on the other hand, I didn't want to be part of the game of offending people. I've been wishing this story would just go away like they always do. Remember two years ago when Mel Gibson was supposedly an anti-semite?

Yet I can relate to being offended by images. In 2002 John Paul II came to Toronto for the World Youth Day and I went and saw him give Mass, since I grew up a Catholic and had seen his photograph at my grandmother's house for as long as I could remember, in addition to it being very popular in the area. There was a feeling of obligation, mixed with nostalgia I suppose. The night before the Mass, I went to an opening at Art System, the Ontario College of Art and Design student run gallery. Their show was about the Pope, and extended to Catholicism in general. As you can imagine, there were plenty of images of priests and popes sodomizing young boys. For one of the few times in my life, I was offended, but I knew where it was coming from (the rebellious young influenced by the scandals in the news) and having grown up in an open and tolerant society, felt no need to staple a placard to a stick and lead a protest, considering it was all just stupid and immature.

Now, one of the arguments with these Muhammed cartoons is that the editors of the newspaper should have known better. These Muslims are rioting and protesting because they feel insulted. I find it all kind of crazy that some people can get all upset over drawings, but as a visual artist I suppose I'm supposed to get all excited by the power of the medium and jump on the iconographic bandwagon, or get on the side of the cartoonists and talk about freedom of expression and denounce this iconoclasm. But I feel I have better things to do. The World has better things to do.

The editors of newspapers in North America would know better than to publish the images I saw at OCAD. They would be able to see how unfair they were. I'm not sure if that's censorship, as much as it's a respect for context. I can well imagine the images published elsewhere - in a show catalogue, in some article critiquing or analyzing the Church's pederast scandals, in some art history book. The show didn't warrant getting shut down by the cops, which still happens sometimes. There were no protests.

In this case, the cartoons violate Islam's prohibition against images, and especially the prohibition in depicting the Prophet. Worse, the arguments made against the images by Muslim spokespeople are that they stereotype Muslims as terrorists. The image by Claus Seidel seems aimed to offend by merely representing Muhammed, whereas the image by Erik Sorensen seems to be as juvenile and ignorant as the shit I saw that night at OCAD.

Further, I have a recent example of being offended by an image. And the image in question is that of an ad featuring Ann Coulter and Robert Novak, featured prominently next to the cartoons here. This webpage thus manages to offend not only Muslims, but secular liberals. And, when I ask myself, 'why do they keep protesting?' I'm reminded by Coulter, who recently referred to them as 'ragheads'.

The best explanation for what's happened over the past week (advanced by Rick Salutin and reported by Simon Tudiver in Maisonneuve's Mediascout) is that Muslims are pissed off for always being stereotyped and caricatured as terrorists, from these stupid cartoons to Hollywood's blockbusters. Tudivier's headline, by the way, 'Protesting the cartoon professor' refers to Peter March, who posted the images on the door of his office at Saint Mary's University. Peter March was a professor of mine in 1998. After Tudivier raises the Salutin article, he adds, 'Had Professor March offered up such an idea, MediaScout would have applauded his contribution. We should be looking to our academics to elevate the debate, not debase it by merely inciting an angry mob.' What's unclear in the reportage about Prof. March was that he teaches philosophy, and I think it's fair to suggest that, instead of merely trying to incite an angry mob (as he waded into a protest on campus last week), he was trying to engage in Socratic debate.

Which should help remind us that all of these easy explanations cheapen us all, and I'm going to go back to wishing the world had something better to talk about (like poverty, aids, hunger, global warming, etc). The way the religious keep hijacking the agenda of human betterment seems to me the best advertisement for agnostic secularism, which is why I'm rather happy to live in a Canada, where that's pretty much the way it is, although we end watching the world's news for entertainment rather than dealing with our own social agenda. A week ago I wanted to send out the link to the Colbert Report video below, under the headline, 'why I'm glad I'm not American' but truth be told, inasmuch as it critiques the American economy, it's true here as well. This type of thing warrants a lot more discussion than drawings, or 'turncoat politicians'. - Timothy

---------------------------------------------------------------------


'Thank You' | The Colbert Report
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/02/04.html#a7008


Protesting the Cartoon Professor | Simon Tudvier
http://urlx.org/maisonneuve.org/896e


The Cartoons
http://www.humaneventsonline.com/sarticle.php?id=12146


Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy | Wikipedia
http://urlx.org/en.wikipedia.org/b352

Face of Muhammed
http://face-of-muhammed.blogspot.com/
A blog about the cartoons


And so it goes...and increasingly as I walk the peaceful streets of Pleasant Valley I wonder how much longer our bubble of peace will last. It seems an embarrassing richness to live life in such an easy way, without the fear that marks the lives of so many, and drives them to the extremism that has come to characterize Islam (and Christianity for that matter) across the globe as the rule not the exception.

But that is a false image, promoted by media more interested in firing the emotions than engaging the more sober (and difficult) intelligence. I've gone back to reading Karen Armstrong's fine book A History of God, and would highly recommend it to any and all who need some perspective on the current state of latent holy war; a good antidote to the typical mainstream media coverage that relentlessly numbs us with daily contextless soundbytes. Armstrong's book is a dense work, but well worth the trouble if only to add the dimension of history to what feels like an on-going and virtually a-historical struggle for supremacy of the moment, whenever and whatever that may be defined as in the instant the image flickers past us.

finally i have returned...but will Harper drive me to the drink?

Yes, yes, yes it has been a LONG time since I've added words to these pages, and for that I apologize to those at home and abroad (I'm looking at you Taiwan) who've been wondering where my insightful and witty missives have gone. Well, there have been a few changes over here in Pleasant Valley: I've moved to more urban environs (still pleasant, but now with 100% more concrete); I've had a few more scattered adventures in my former home of Toronto (on the Government tab no less!); and a brand new Conservative government has found itself in the halls of power, something of a "wait and see" situation to say the least. Sigh.

For the time being I'm hoping to find good fodder in the unfolding story of our strange new experiment in government, and will otherwise weigh in on the incidental happenings as I find them news and noteworthy.

In the meantime, because I'm still getting my bearings again, I'll ask for patience if the postings are at first sporadic, but promise I'm back and will be much less negligent of my little corner of cyberspace in the weeks and months to come.