Ignorance is Strength

WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
Party Mottoes, 1984

Some days I feel like I am living in Orwell's nightmare.

Today is an important anniversary of a solemn event, or maybe it is a day like any other, it all depends on who you ask, or who you don't ask. As many of you may know, twenty years ago today an infamous student protest in China drew the wrath of the government and their tanks, and many people were killed. Pardon me for using cryptic language, but I do not want to attract the attention of the powers that be in the country I reside in.

There has been a huge crackdown in the buildup to this day. A few months ago YouTube was banned, and blogger is currently banned (I am posting this via a proxy), while Wordpress has been banned since I arrived in August. The most recent additions to this were Twitter, Flickr, and Hotmail which went down on Tuesday (eerily as I type the rough draft for this post). Interestingly, the on-again-off-again bans on sites like BBC, Wikipedia, and Google are not in effect. In essence websites that allow regular people like me to communicate with the outside world (through posting videos or blogs) are not allowed. Somebody is worried that something is going to happen.

Also, the popular messaging system Skype, is very difficult to download in this country, instead it diverts you to a program called TOM-Skype, which restricts some of the messages that you send. For example, if you try to send the F word the message will not go through. I read reports (not going to link, too dangerous at this time) of it tracking the use of certain hotbed words that the people in charge would not like.

But the internet is not alone in it's censoring. Apparently there has been some grassroots movement to get people to wear white (the colour of mourning in Asia) on the day. There is a rumour persisting that newscasters are not to wear white for the next several weeks (which appears to be adhered to by turning on the television). A few weeks ago, an interesting bit of news came out that 300,000 newspapers had to be recalled because it had an incredibly subversive photo in it. Just in case you didn't see it when it made the rounds a few weeks ago, check it out.





Do you get why it was somehow subversive? I'll give you a hint, look at the pants of people in the front row. Now divide the picture in two and count the people on either side. Now think of today's date.

There are six people on the right side and four people on the left side, translate that into a date and you have today. Look at the four digit number on the little boy's pants in the bottom left and you have the year that the event took place.

Think about this for a second or two. If this was something that someone caught after the fact, what more obvious things are being caught before publication? I imagine someone refusing to publish an image because it bears a picture of someone who resembles a certain spiritual leader or not taking an ad for the classified because every 5th word spelled out the National Anthem for the island that China claims to be its own. I'm probably wrong, but maybe not too far off. If this picture is deemed subversive, what else gets to be in the same category?

All of this is done with one simple mission in mind: to restrict the flow of information. In other words, the government wants to keep people ignorant in order to keep the nation strong. Ignorance is strength.

What I find the saddest about all of this is how most of the concern comes from outside of the country. In the two decades that have passed since this event China has undergone a tremendous economic boom. Naturally in times of economic fortune people tend to not focus on problems with the government, and demands for change lessen. This coupled with the party's crackdown has made many of the demands of the original dissenters disappear.

Most people in this country seem to be living in a bit of a fool's paradise, similar to how I imagine America being in the 1950s, and even the 1990s. There were certainly bad things happening in the country then, but people mostly kept quiet because things were going well and they did not want to rock the boat. Flash forward a decade in either case, and the economy starts to fall and people start to protest more about the “corrupt government” and “illegal wars” which were going on before, but nobody ever cared when they were making money.

The party seems to have found the right mix of 1984 and Brave New World. Oppress people and control information while giving them all sorts of distractions that they have never imagined. Either way, it is keeping people in this country from the one thing that they truly need for development, the truth.

Until next time,

G

Christmas Shopping List

Well it is officially December, and as much as I hate to admit it, I need to start shopping. After making a list last year (And even delivering some of them!), I decided to post my shopping list here on my blog, lord knows I would find a way to lose it anyway.

So for Christmas in 2008, I would like to give...

...a taste of his own medicine...to Prime Minister (for now) Stephen Harper. After running his own party, and his own country with an iron fist for far too long, things seem to be unraveling for the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. He lucked out with Dion's trepidation during the last Parliament, and thought that he would get another free pass. I just do not see how trying to remove opposition party subsidies, and get a surplus in the face of a recession. Also, after writing a letter to the Governor General in 2004, asking her to consider allowing him to form the government after Martin's government was falling, really makes any of his points of a "power grab" by the opposition moot. But I suppose one can never expect him to remain consistent.

...Chinese Democracy...well maybe not the album, since I am pretty indifferent about the snippets I have heard over here (it is rather banned). However, I would like to give people the results of an experiment in Democracy in China as chronicled by the PBS documentary Please Vote for Me.



Although, it seemed to work when I did it back in 2007.

...maybe I'll just stick to the album, it's easier to wrap after all.



...a non-violent resolution...to protests in Bangkok. There is some rather scary stuff going on down there, as (coupled with attacks in Mumbai) it appears that South Asia is a much more volatile region than it was not so long ago. This is exceptionally terrifying for someone who has booked a flight into Bangkok at the end of January.

...untold riches and unquestioned subservience...to our future squid overlords! Check out this video of a squid found 2.5 kilometres underwater. Oddly, it looks like it has elbows, and I don't know for certain what it is doing when it's head is flapping, but I can only assume that it controlling our minds somehow.



...some justice...for everyone who voted for Proposition 8 in California. Part of me hopes that you know it is like to have rights taken away from you for no good reason other than hate. But I know that if I gave into that anger, then I would be at your same level.

Love is never wrong, and homosexual marriage has nothing to do with you. Listen to The Beatles man, and just let it be.

...decisions...made by people who have been teasing me with the Arrested Development movie for the past year and a bit. I want this movie, and I want it now!!! Make it happen, come on!!!

...this song...to all who haven't heard it. Yeah, I gave a song last year, but I like this tradition. This year I present you with "Imitosis" by Andrew Bird.



...direction...for my Ottawa Senators. What a rough, rough year this has been for my team. They need to blow up and start over again, and it pains me so much.

...the new Harry Potter trailer...for anyone who hasn't seen it, it's just plain awesome.




Hells yeah, Quiddich is back!!!

...co-operation...between Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton, as the Democratic Primary's runner up was officially named Secretary of State. Hopefully these two are able to disagree enough to keep things interesting, but able to work things out. The "Team of Rivals" is a great idea, and goes a long way to restoring partisan divides, but it does have a lot of potential to stop things from getting done. I just hope that Hilary will not try to steal the show too much.

...a happy holiday...for all who read this message. If you stumbled across this, or have been reading my blog since the beginning, I hope that you have a great, and safe holiday season.

Until next time,

G

Things to Be Thankful For

So here I am in China on Canadian Thanksgiving Weekend. I mention to one of my friends here that I am a little homesick, what with me missing the October weather and the family gatherings. One thing led to another, and we decided to have an impromptu Thanksgiving dinner. While I was the only Canadian there, it was still a great night, and made any homesickness I had vanish. Especially when the attempted singing of "Oh, Canada" ended up sounding more like "Oh Christmas Tree".

It made me realize that there are all sorts of things to be thankful for, and thus this blog was born.

(Note: These are put in the order that my scatterbrained mind decided to put them in)

Impromptu Dinners: I mean, seriously, that is great to have a dinner for me since I was feeling homesick. Best part, it was all vegan...

Canadian Banks: Canadian banks aren't collapsing or needing to be bailed out...just yet...

John McCain Seeing the Light: Check out this video clip of a McCain rally held the other day....



Did you notice McCain's reactions? Those weren't fake. He knows full well that he has helped create such a culture of fear surrounding Obama and his "otherness", and you can almost see the guilt build into him. Now if only Palin can have a similar epiphany.

October Sports: This is pretty much the best time to be a North-American sports fan. The NHL Season is kicking off, the NFL Season is starting to get interesting, MLB Playoffs are raging, and the NBA is just around the corner. Seriously, how great is that?

Palin Busted: In another great victory for the Obama camp, it was revealed the other day that Sarah Palin unlawfully abused her power in dismissing her former brother-in-law as a State Trooper in Alaska. While she claims that it was a "partisan witchhunt" the committee was bipartisan, with 10 Republican members, compared to its 4 Demoncratic members. Doesn't sound to partisan to me.

The Arcade Fire: Sure they've been quiet of late, but they just make my soul happy, especially this one:




Centennial Season: It's the Montreal Canadiens 100th Season, and I'll be damned if they don't have a good chance to bring the Cup back home. Even if they don't do it, there is still optimism in the air for a Canadian NHL team once more.

Dark Knight Sequel: Damn right, there are a ton of rumours that we will get a third installment in the awesome new Batman series. There are also a ton of stories that it could feature Johnny Depp as The Ridler, Philip Seymor Hoffman as the Penguin, or Angelina Jolie as Catwoman. Now those are mostly all BS I'm sure, but one fact remains: whenever it comes out, it will be awesome.

No Majority: That's right, just as I predicted a zillion times already here, we are going to end up with another Conservative Minority in Canada. The more things change...

Facebook is Working: Navigating the Information Superhighway in this country can be quite the challenge somedays, given the Great Firewall of China. However, I am really thankful that Facebook is working just fine, even though it had a bit of a rough go when I first got here.

Adventures Ahead: I'm living on the other side of the planet and have some pretty big plans ahead of me, good stuff all around.

Until next time,

G

Wishing you a Happy Earth Day!!!!

Yes, yes, yes, I know what many of you are thinking, Earth Day is not today, but rather it was way back on April 22nd. Well, to some extent you are right, but there are a few things that are worth considering. For starters, I am a firm believer that every day is in fact Earth Day (so I may wish you a Happy Earth Day later on) but my timing was planned. Since today is of course, Mother's Day.

Since I am writing this post very late at night, it may in fact be too late for you to call your mother. However, you can't forget your other mother, the Earth, on this very special day, and since she is all around you, you can always show her that you love her.

I have recently been leading an Environmental Service group at school, and one of the many things that we do is send out weekly e-mails with Eco facts. Here are some of the more interesting ones that we have found:

- During the March 29th, Earth Hour the city of Toronto saved 264 000 000 watts of electricity. That’s enough to run a lap top computer 17 600 000 days or around 48,219 years!!!! (Info courtesy of the World Wildlife Fund and Solar Wind Canada)

- In Canada alone there are over 8 billion disposable cups sent to landfills every year!!!That translates to 15, 220 every MINUTE (that’s not a type-o!!!) (Credit: Go Green Tips in the Toronto Star)

- In the United States approximately 1 billion trees worth of paper are thrown away every year (Student Environmental Advisory Counsel)

- Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a television for three hours (Ibid)

So if you are looking for something to do to help out your Mother on her special day (i.e. every day), it really does not take much effort. Little things like turning off the lights when you aren't using them, walking instead of driving, buying a travel mug, reusing, recycling, and (most importantly) reducing go a long way to helping.

If your biological Mother was sick, and crying out for help, would you ignore her? What if you knew your actions made her this way, would you continue?

Certainly I hope not.

So why is it different for your Earth Mother?

Until next time,

G

P.S. I found this GREAT video on ted.com with Al Gore discussing Climate Change in further detail. Enjoy!

A Video That Needs to Be Shared

After realizing that today is also Star Wars Day, I learn another important fact about May 4. Today is the 38th Anniversary of the Kent State Shootings. I found this amazing video tribute to those events, played (of course) with Neil Young's classic "Ohio".




Amazing, eh?

Until next time,

G

Holiday Leave

I'm heading to my dad's today to begin the Christmas celebrations (mental note: must finish my shopping...), so I will probably not be posting again until I'm down in the Caribbean in a week or so...yeah it's a tough life.

Whatever you're celebrating this time of the year, I hope that it's a great one! This certainly has been an interesting year for me, and I'm glad that I have this blog to look back on as a sort of a public and nerdy diary. Hopefully, you've all enjoyed following me along this past year and a bit.

To tide you over in your constant search for Glenergy, here is a video of one of the funniest things that I've seen in a very long time.

Brilliant, eh?

Until next time,

G

Christmas Shopping List

Well now that December and the snow are upon us, even the most grinchy of us (i.e. me) can not deny that the Christmas season is upon us. I suppose that means that I need to start my shopping....uggh...I have came up with the following list for a few people, hopefully you can help me add a few more. So, I would like to give...

...a clue and a conscience...to all of the world leaders descending in Bali this week. They are going to be meeting with scientists and activists to discuss the key issue of our time, Global Warming. Their plan is to draft a follow up to the Kyoto Protocol, which is set to expire in a few years. Hopefully they can learn from the mistakes of Kyoto, and maybe, just maybe there will be some buy in from the important players who skipped out on the previous rulings (i.e. Canada and the United States).

...a few more wins...to my Ottawa Senators. They have been slumping a lot lately, yet still have the best record in the Eastern Conference. Kind of bitter sweet to be honest. I'm sure it's just a little slump, they just need to make sure that they don't loose four games in a playoff series.

...a rattle-free saber..for Bush, Cheney, and co. Given the recent intelligence report that Iran STOPPED their nuclear weapons program over four years ago. Maybe, we can stop talking about bombing them to prevent World War III.

...the ruins of the Statue of Liberty...to future generations. This is because the apes are clearly taking over. A recent study in Japan showed that a group of chimpanzees outperformed University Students on memory tests. I just hope that they remember that the doll talks...damn dirty apes.

...this song...to everyone who hasn't heard it. It's just awesome and full of great advice, easily one of the best of 2007... It's called "Thou Shalt Always Kill" by Dan le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip, by the way.

Embedded Video

...cruel, delicious irony...for the Conservative Party of Canada. Having won an election in 2006 with a platform of accountability, they now find themselves dealing with their own mess, as Parliament begins to investigate the relationship between Schreiber and Mulroney from over a decade ago. Pardon me while I laugh about this one.

...763 career homeruns... for anyone not named Barry Bonds. Let's get that cheating ass out of the record books.

...an understanding of limonene...to the entire planet. Limonene is an oil found in orange peels, that can be mixed with regular old carbon dioxide (yes THAT carbon dioxide) to make a renewable, biodegradable, plastic. How cool is that?

...some alternative source of revenue...for the good people at Facebook. While they have made my life easier in all sorts of ways (i.e. helped me stay in touch with people by making virtually no effort), I hate how many ads are creeping into my Facebooking. So what if my status is listed as single, it doesn't mean that I am going to go to an on-line dating site!!!!

...anti-Zombie spray...for everyone. Because we all know that Zombies will try to take over the world someday. However, there is no telling if this will come before or after the apes get us...better be ready for either eventuality.

...a happy holiday...for everyone reading this blog! Thanks a ton for wasting some of your free time on this site. I hope that this holiday season is a good one for all of you!!!

Until next time,

G

Better Late Than Never

Sorry I didn't make this post yesterday, but I was away from the internet. I just wanted to wish everyone a (belated) solemn and dignified Remembrance Day. Here are a few videos which explain my feelings much better than I ever could...






Until next time,

G

Remember, Remember...

Remember, remember, the 5th of November
Gunpowder Treason and plot ;
I know of no reason why the Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes,
'Twas his intent.
To blow up the King and the Parliament.
Three score barrels of powder below.
Poor old England to overthrow.
By God's providence he was catch'd,
With a dark lantern and burning match
Holloa boys, Holloa boys, let the bells ring
Holloa boys, Holloa boys, God save the King!
Hip hip Hoorah !
Hip hip Hoorah !
A penny loaf to feed ol'Pope,
A farthing cheese to choke him.
A pint of beer to rinse it down,
A faggot of sticks to burn him.
Burn him in a tub of tar,'
Burn him like a blazing star.
Burn his body from his head,
Then we'll say: ol'Pope is dead.

-- British Nursery Rhyme

I'd like to wish all of the anarchists out there a Happy Guy Fawkes Night! I believe that this is one of the coolest days of the year. Now, 365 days ago, I wrote explaining the history of this day and my own personal experience. Today, I'm going to talk about what it means to me.

While Guy Fawkes Night had it's origins as a method of sticking it to the Catholic Rebels, I believe today it has evolved to have the exact opposite meaning. Today is a day about rebellion. It is a day about the little Guy that could. It is about the individual breaking down the establishment. It is about freedom.

Today is about speaking out against the injustices of our time and doing your part to make a difference and believe me, there are all sorts of injustices going on around us, women aren't getting paid the same as men, blacks still aren't allowed in some country clubs, Middle Eastern countries are invaded for oil, the planet is suffering and politicians do nothing, the poor constantly get poorer, the press are either lied to or are busy lying to us, and really that's not that different that Catholics being treated unfairly in 17th Century Europe.

While Mr. Fawkes' methods may not have been the most efficient, it does not change the validity of his message. Things weren't fair and he didn't want to take it anymore, and you know what? They still aren't fair...

Until next time,

G

Happy New Year!!!!

I know, I know, New Year's is not for another couple of months, but for those people in Academia the first day of school always marks more of a new beginning much more than January 1st.

I know that a lot of my NipFriends out there are starting their first teaching job tomorrow, and I just want to wish you all good luck with that. I myself still have another week of PD to get ready for the inevitable and dreaded Real World, and trust me I will spend most of this week worrying and asking many of you how things went.

I just hope that all of you out there forget everything that you learned in class at Teacher's College and go with things you learned outside of the curriculum and go out and be the great teachers that I know you can be!!! If you are really worried, remember that there are many worse teachers out there who have been able to succeed in much harder schools than you will be in.

If that doesn't help, here is an official retrospective to the first day of school in the history of the world from some of the world's premiere educators.



Until next time,

G

A Day To Remember

Sixty-three years ago today stands as one of the most important days in modern history. The liberation of Europe from the Nazis began. The end of one of the greatest evils that history has ever seen came to a beginning on this fateful day at five beaches in Northern France (for some pictures and thoughts on Juno beach check out my Rememberance Day blog).

It is quite unforunate that with each passing year the number of survivors of that fateful day lessens. As the heroic stories goes from word of mouth to annals of history, I can't help but feel so incredibly lucky. I have never fired a gun in my entire life, because I have never needed to. I have never been shot at, or really had much doubt that I would live to see tomorrow. I can't even imagine the courage that it would take to charge onto a beach as bullets rain down. So if anyone out there happens to know someone who does understand that, thank them for me. If they hadn't have gone though it, I know that I would have to at some point.

I don't have a ton to add, but I found this excellent video to share. It's the only one I found that recognized that America wasn't the only country who fought that day...




Until next time,

G

Happy Birthday To an Old Friend

Third blog post of the day? I really am a machine (That's what she said!!).

I can't believe that I almost forgot about this one, today is a very special day for a very good friend of mine, and I'm sure many of you too.

So if you can join me in wishing a happy birthday to...


The Canadian Flag!!! That's right, this friend of ours is 42 years old today!!!!!

The case of the Flag is an interesting one, until 1965 we had this lovely flag...


Of course featuring the Union Flag (NOT the Union Jack, it is only the Union Jack when it is flown on a ship...) plus a coat of arms tying in our nations English, Scottish, Irish and French roots.

They conducted an extensive survey in the 1950's and the vast majority of people polled wanted a new, unique flag. Of course there was a strong opposition especially from the military who fought for the above flag (Called the Red Ensign) and felt a strong attachment to it.

But in the end, Lester Pearson decided to go ahead and look for a new flag. At first he thought he wanted this one:



Could you imagine Paul Henderson or Wayne Gretzky wearing that one?

Anyway I had best stop writting, I think that I am posting faster than most people can read it. I guess I need to slow down a bit (That's what she said!!!).

Until next time,

G

Well if Valentine's Day Wasn't Your Thing...

We have yet another Holiday to celebrate here, today is International "That's What She Said" Day.

How does it work you ask? Whenever anyone says anything that could be taken as dirty you reply by saying "That's what she said". To get you excited for this one, here is a video compilation from Michael Scott, of The Office, the man is a genius.




I know, it's simply amazing (That's what she said!). It seems hard, but it can be a lot of fun (That's what she said!). I know I'm up for it and I bet that you can be too (That's what she said!).

I had best stop before I get really carried away here (That's what she said!).


Until next time, (That's what she said!)

G

Happy Single's Awareness Day!!!

Hey there blogosphere, I wanted to take the chance to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day. Now just yesterday I said that I would chime in with my thoughts on this day. So here goes it.

Now let me start this one with my thoughts from the start. I f'n love Valentine's Day. Seriously, I think it's one of the greatest days ever. I know so many people think that it is just a day invented by Hallmark and florists as a way to punish men, but you know what, those people are just lazy and jaded.

Before anyone points me to this post of mine back in December concerning a certain other forced commercial holiday, give me a chance to defend myself. For Christmas there is a ton of pressure towards spending money and getting gifts for not only for that special someone, but also your parents, siblings, friends, aunts, uncles, pets, grand-parents, and your step-versions of all of the above. Whereas Valentine's Day is much more focused. There really is only one person you need to worry about. If there are more people, then well you probably have more reasons to get stressed out than just a holiday. And with V-Day, there is always the option for fun homemade gifts, throwing it in the face of our consumer driven economy. How can you not love romance and sticking it to THE MAN?

Oh and the other argument against Valentine's Day that I love is the "Why do you need a special day to be romantic, why can't you be romantic all year round?". Well good point, I am a firm believer that you do not need a special day to be romantic, and of course spontaneous romance beats anything contrived. But what I am saying, is that it is great to have a day set aside with an excuse for romance. That's right Valentine's Day is a wonderful excuse to do what you should be doing all the time. And Lord knows I love my excuses!!!

Can't convince you? Well not a huge surprise, debating Valentine's Day is like debating religion, you rarely get a chance to change people's minds. If you feel bitter, here is a great video that made it's rounds on the webernets a few years ago (in the simpler time before YouTube) but here she be again. Enjoy!!!!




Whether you are spending today with that special someone, wishing you could be spending it with that special someone, mourning the loss of that special someone, or treating today like just another day, I hope that it finds you well.

Until next time,

G

Remembering the Victims

On this day 62 years ago, Auschwitz Concentration Camp was liberated by forces from the Soviet Union. People all over Europe commemorate today as Holocaust Memorial Day (called by a different name in some other countries).

Now everyone knows enough about the Holocaust, millions of Jews, Poles, homosexuals, disabled, Roma, communists, blacks, and many more all systematically eliminated with cold, hard, twentieth century efficiency. It is an event that just about everyone has some sort of knowledge about and it really has been ingrained into our collective conscience.

Last February, I had the opportunity to go to Amsterdam. Needless to say it was an amazing trip (yeah make whatever comment you may about that sentence). But one of the highlights of it all was going to see Anne Frank's House. As I'm sure you all know, the Frank family and several of their friends, hid in an upstairs apartment for an extended period of time before they were finally found by the Nazis and sent off to various concentration camps. Anne was sent to Bergen-Belsen where she died of typhoid.

Now the apartment is very small and it is of course, a major tourist destination. As a result you have to filter through in a long, plodding line. I can't help but feel that much of the mystique was lost as a result. However, I still found it very emotional. Me being so crowded and confined for even a short period made me feel incredibly uncomfortable. I can not imagine how it must have felt to have been crowded and confined in that small place for such an extended period of time.

Due to the high volume of people I didn't take many pictures while in there. It also somehow felt wrong to do so, I wanted to just look at the pictures she posted on the wall of her bedroom and touch the walls to feel their sadness. I was looking for some pictures of the rooms to post here, but I found this video tour on YouTube...



After you go through the entire house there is a small, but interesting exhibit. They show a series of video clips on contemporary political issues. After the short clip they ask a simple yes or no question and then they display the results of both the room and of all the data they have collected. They present some interesting questions such as, "Should the government be allowed to monitor what people read?", "Should Neo-Nazis be allowed to protest in from of Synagogues on the Sabbath?", "Should the government be allowed to shut down newspapers? (especially in the given example the Spanish government shut down the only Basque language newspaper for terrorist links)", and of course "Should Holocaust deniers be allowed to publish their work on the internet?". Very tough questions that were all aimed at keeping people aware of any potential for a government to remove rights from its citizens, the starting point of any tyranny.

Needless to say, I highly recommend the experience. It is further proof that there is more to Amsterdam than just the hash and the hookers. However there are a few interesting questions that I don't feel were explored enough in here or in the Amsterdam Historisch Museum (a museum dedicated to the history of Amsterdam). They never really explored the notion of Dutch collaboration in the holocaust. A stunning 73% of Dutch Jews were executed during the occupied years. This is the highest out of all Western European nations. It really did not take a large amount of SS officers to force this. The Dutch were very willing participants.

They had no choice you say? Well, over in Denmark, the Danes outright rejected the Final Solution. The government by and large refused to cooperate with the Nazis and were able to save the lives of thousands of Jews. Similar actions were taken by the governments of Bulgaria and Finland. I really don't have any explanations as to why some countries refused and why some so eagerly participated. I just found it most definitely interesting (and not surprising) that such an issue was never really discussed.

I realize that I could go on about this topic forever, so I had best stop here. You really can cut and paste most of my comments from a few weeks ago for Martin Luther King Day, and paste them for this subject. They really are the same issue at hand, social justice. We have come a long, long way in the past 6 or so decades on this issue but still have a long way to go. We are not that far out of the jungle, hate crimes still happen right here in our own back yard. Not to mention the covert forms of discrimination taking place all around us.

But until we get that perfect world, I'm going to have to keep dreaming, and keep remembering. Because if we forget the millions who died along the way then their lives become meaningless, and then we are back where we started.

Until next time,

G

Yet Another Special Day

O my love is like a red, red rose

That's newly sprung in June;

My love like the melody

That's sweetly played in tune.

As fair art thou, my bonny lass,

So deep in love am I;

And I will love thee still, my dear,

Till a' the seas gang dry.

Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear,

And the rocks melt wi' the sun;

I will love thee still, my dear,

While the sands o' life shall run.

And fare thee weel, my only love!

And fare thee weel, awhile!

And I will come again, my love

Though it were ten thousand mile.

**********************************************

That little bit of culture was because today is a very special day. That's right, it's Burns Day!!!! The day to celebrate the Scottish National Poet, Robert Burns (as a quick aside: note the use of the word National, that is what Burns is officially know as. Further putting pros into this whole Quebec as a Nation thing, which you can find my opinions of here).

Like most days in Scotland, today is typically filled with excessive drinking and haggis. When I was living there last year, I gathered with many of my Canadian friends (and an Australian for good measure) and we read some of his poems and ate some haggis. Yeah they sell vegan haggis at grocery stores over there. I couldn't make this up. It was hilarious trying to read all of the poems which are of course written in Scots, and presented quite the challenge for those of us who are accently-impaired.

I have taken this opportunity to look at a collection of a number of his poems, and I am amazed at how amazing they are. Sure this man was unfaithful and incredibly lecherous, but I'll be damned if he wasn't smooth. The above listed "Oh, My Love is a Red, Red Rose" is one of his most famous works, but there are so many others!!! For the romantics out there may I also recommend you check out "Ae Fond Kiss, and Then We Sever". And of course if you have some time to kill then check out the epic "Tam O'Shanter. Wikipdeia has an awesome collection of several of his poems, which are well worth checking out.

Last year I went on a bit of a Burns tour, going to a lot of the man's hotspots and places of inspiration. Here I have a couple to share. I hope that you enjoy them!!!

These first two are the Alloway Kirk that gets mentioned in Tam O'Shanter. In the poem it is haunted and full of witches. It still looks kind of creepy to me now.




Here we have the Brig O' Doon, also mentioned in the above poem.



Here we have one of many Burns Monuments , this is right where the Brig is.
This is in Dumfries, the town I was living in. This is Burns's mausoleum. Apparently he was buried in a regular grave but they later dug him up and put him in this big mausoleum instead. It really is a cool graveyard with giant head stones that are taller than I am. It was only a short walk down from my old apartment too.



Anyway, I hope that you all have a Happy Burns Day, eat some (hopefully vegan) haggis and have a wee dram. Or at least go read some really great poetry!!!

Until next time,

G

What Would He Say Now?

I was ashamed and a little embarrassed that I almost forgot what today is. I was checking tsn.ca at about and saw that there were some hockey games going on. I thought, that is weird, since afternoon games only happen on weekends or US Holidays. Then I realized that today is indeed a US Holiday. It is Martin Luther King Day!!!! To start this blog I am going to put up the single most famous speech of the 20th Century. Sure we've all heard it before, but just in case you haven't heard all 17 minutes of this amazing and inspirational oration, here goes:



Great isn't it?


I'm not nearly so presumptuous to bore you with some sort of tribute to the man, that's been done by far better people than I. Everyone of you has heard a list of his individual accomplishments, you all know enough about the Civil Rights Movement, and if you don't then here's the wikipedia entry to get you started.

But what I can't help but think about (and therefore blog about) is what on earth would he say now, 39 years after his assassination? We Westerners tend to see ourselves as very enlightened and modern. I really think that this could not be farther from the truth. Don't believe me? Well today in 2007 there are still country clubs in the American South where Dr. King's children could still not get into due to the colour of their skin, regardless of the content of their characters. The Canadian Government only just decided to finally allow people to marry whoever they want, and are one of only five countries in the world to allow that. Women still earn significantly less than their male counterparts. People's lifestyles and handicaps, gay and retarded respectively, are still used as insults by people. How is any of this fair? How is Freedom ringing?

(To any of the people in Section 23: I realize that I made a similar speech in Education and Schooling class a month or so ago. It's ok to plagiarize yourself, isn't it?)

It really scares me to see just how much everyone takes all of these injustices at face value. I was shocked the other day in my International Teaching Class, when we were having a debate on feminist issues around the world. People seemed to think that we in Canada have moved passed gender issues, and I really can't see how people think that. It was brought up that we have had a woman Prime Minister, something many countries can not say. Yet, if you look back Kim Campbell was never voted in by the Canadian people and is see by and large as a joke. A quick glance at the list of MPs shows that only 20% of them are women. Now maybe I notice this since I am in math, but that is an incredibly statistical significance. I felt the need to stand up for the oppressed women and was only met with support from one female in my class.

I have had similar conversations with people on racial and sexuality issues. What bothers me the most about it, is that these have by and large been conversations with education individuals. Teachers no less. People who have the power to influence the youth of the world and genuinely make a difference. Yet here so many people sit blinded to the social inequalities of our time.

Some may argue that "it is come a long way". Well sure, The Jim Crow Laws have been abolished, we do have Universal Suffrage, and many other large steps have been taken in the past half-century, but there is still a long way to go. Social change is not truly possible without a shift in the social conscious. People need to believe that minority support programs including the dreaded Affirmative Action, are indeed for the benefit of the society before it ever begins to benefit the society. Everyone needs to take some action for the cause of Social Justice, not just minorities, women, immigrants and homosexuals. Unless some straight white males take it on as well, then it is just a minority issue. What people need to realize is that the issues of the minority are the issues of everyone. You can always judge a society by how the majority treats its minorities. Right now we may be a head of many other countries in the world, but we still have a long way to go. It is never about comparing yourself to others but rather about comparing yourself to yourself and seeing that there is always room for improvement.

Here's hoping that it can improve and King's dream can finally become a reality.

Until next time,

G

Merry Christmas to All and to All a....uhhhh....line?

Hey all, just wanted to wish everyone a festive holiday season. I hope that Santa treated you all very well. As usual, Santa was particularly generous to me, getting me the usual clothes and candy, plus my big gift for this year, a GPS Tracking System. How cool is that? I will surely be amused for hours on end figuring out where the heck I am in the world, and it may help me finally kick my habit of getting lost all of the time.

I conclude my December 2006 Eastern Tour tomorrow as I head back to Onterrible bright and early. I take off at 7am, which will be awesome!!! I'm excited to get back to the other province that I call home to have some more Christmas cheer with my Dad's side of the family. I'm sure that I will have more of a haul to report then anyway.

Since I am going to my Dad's, I doubt that I will be able to be up to much in the way of blogging over the next couple of weeks. I will do my best to sneak onto a computer or two to be able to do some blogging. I have some ideas as for topics, and since I have a birthday, a wedding to attend, and New Year's Shenanigans to take part of, they will probably take care of themselves.

So anywho, back to the point of this message.

MERRY F'N CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!

For all that I talk about my LOVE/HATE Relationship with this time of the year, I am happy to say that I have had a Merry Christmas this time around. I truly hope that all of you have as well.

Until next time,

G

Why I Love Christmas

Back a little while ago, I posted eight reasons why I hate Christmas. But as promised, I would provide the same amount of reasons as to why I love Christmas, while it was a bit of a challenge for me, and somewhat of a stretch, I found reasons to enjoy the Holiday Season. Without further ado...

1. Snow, Snow, and MORE Snow – Easily my favourite part of this time of the year is playing in the snow. I love the feeling of falling back into a sea of cold fluffy powder to make a snow angel. While I was in Scotland last year, it is undoubtedly the thing that I missed the most. I was so thrilled back in December when I got back to North Bay and I saw a solid foot of snow waiting for me. However, as I look out the window now, I can’t help but feel that it is beginning to look a lot like Easter. I have been hooked on the white stuff for a long time, and if global warming keeps on trucking, then I am going to have start a twelve step program.

2. Giving the Perfect Present - While I am not a huge fan of getting things that I don’t need, or getting the forced “you shouldn’t have”, I love watching people’s faces light up when you give them just the right gift. It makes me feel really great about myself to give someone the absolute perfect present. It almost makes all of the stress of shopping worthwhile. Almost.

3. The Grinch – This is by far my favourite Christmas movie/special ever. It is simply one of Dr. Seuss’s most amazing masterpieces. The way that he so brilliantly invents words to fit his rhyme and rhythm never ceases to amaze me. This is perhaps his best work when it comes to Seussisms. Fap-dablers and Flungers hold the same special place in the English language as the Jabberwocky and Jub-Jub Bird.

4. Mock Christmas Songs – While a lot of Christmas songs outright annoy me, there are still some amazing satires out there. From Bob and Doug McKenzie’s “Twelve Day’s of Christmas” to South Park’s “Merry Fucking Christmas” there are some amazing acts of parodies out there.

5. The World Junior Tournament – Sure this may have nothing to do with C-Day, but around this time of the year my favourite annual hockey event takes place. I love the World Junior Tournament and am really looking forward to watching Team Canada go for their third straight Gold Medal. It is often the best hockey played of the year. The players, all under 20, and many of whom are un-drafted, have so much to prove. Combine that with larger rinks and national pride and you have an amazing event.

6. Family Gatherings – While they are a huge pain to try and organize, I am always glad to have them. Especially my mother’s side of the family, where there is not only the obvious fact that we all love each other, we’re family after all, but it is clear that we all genuinely like one another. A rare thing for families I find. While you don’t need Christmas to have such gatherings, it is handy to have an excuse to get together.

7. Great Movies – Yeah I know, it doesn’t necessarily have a lot to do with Christmas itself, but there are always a lot of really good movies that come out around this time. Usually it is a studios last minute attempt to be considered for Oscar Nomination, while staying fresh in the minds of the public. Whatever the reason, there always seems to be excellent movies that come out around this time of year. I remind you, that it was the Christmas season that brought us all three Lord of the Rings.

8. Holidays – Yeah call me selfish, but it is always great to have some time off. Whether it is from school or work, there is always a chance to rest around Christmas. I consider myself very lucky that I am going into a profession that guarantees that I have two weeks off for Christmas, for the rest of my life.

So there you have it, I guess the Holiday Season isn't SO bad after all....I guess. Anywho, speaking of Holidays, I am heading out East to see my mother and I won't be back until after the big C-Day, when I have about a zillion things to do including a Camp Reunion, a wedding, a birthday (my own damnit!!!), figuring out something to do for New Year's Eve, about three more Christmas's to celebrate and maybe sleeping a little bit over that time. Moral of the story, I wont' be posting too much over the next couple of weeks. I shall do my best to sneak on and post a thing here or there, I really want to get my 2006 in Review up before 2007 comes along, but we shall see.

Until next time,

G

Why I Hate Christmas

I'll let you all in on a not-so secret, I hate Christmas. It is one of my least favourite times of the year. Why you ask? Well that's what I'm going to fill you in on right about now. However, in the spirit of me staying positive, I promise that for every reason I give for not liking Christmas, I will give on that I like about it in a later blog.

1. Egg Nog -- I absolutely loathe egg nog. And let me tell you it isn't just because I'm a vegan, and am therefore morally opposed to anything cruel and/or delicious. My hatred of Egg Nog runs far deeper than that. It is simply a repulsive creation, and this opposition does not just apply to Egg Nog, it applies to all forms of nog. I am a rabid anti-Noggite.

2. Logistical Nightmares -- Now my parents are divorced, and living in separate provinces. This makes it an intense challenge to try and juggle all of my familial obligations and I always find it overwhelming and stressful.

3. The "Peace on Earth and Goodwill towards Men" CRAP -- This is probably what I hate the most about Christmas. Every year we get the ol' "You have to be nice to people, it's Christmas" attitude and everyone is always being so nice to everyone. Well that's all well and good, but here is my big question, "What about the rest of the year?!?!?!?". Why is it ok to be selfish and mean most of the year so long as you are nice around Christmas? As a protest, I am nice to people most of the year but a selfish prick around Christmas. Makes sense to me.

4. Over-Saturation -- As mentioned earlier, my parents are split. Therefore every year I always end up with anywhere between 4-9 Christmases. As a result, I feel as if I could take the next decade off of celebrating the holidays and end up celebrating the same amount of Christmases as the rest of you.

5. Consumerism, Consumerism, Consumerism!!! -- Ahhh, here we get to the true meaning of Christmas, buying and spending. If you try to tell me that the meaning of Christmas in the modern society is not consumer based then you had better open your eyes and take off your rose coloured glasses. All of the companies plan their biggest releases around November and December just in time for people to start spending. I don't know about anywhere that you are, but Christmas displays in stores came up on November 1, right after the Hallowe'en season ended.

6. Another Excuse to Westernize the World -- Now here is were I get a little abstract. But you all know full well, that Christmas is spreading all over and is really one of the most global holidays in the world. People in all parts of the world get holidays on Christmas. So why on earth is this? Why do people in China celebrate Christmas yet we do not celebrate their New Year? Why do they celebrate Christmas in parts of the Middle East but none of us celebrate Ramadan? Because Christianity and Western Values have been exported to the rest of the world successfully. To have Christmas in China is very similar to having a McDonald's in Red Square. A symbol of the Western need for progress and expansion.

7. Assignments, Assignments, Assignments -- This is just for the students out there. There are always a ton of assignments due around the holiday time. I am stuck with a stupid ass Unit Plan to get through right now. Yuck. I know it is not Christmas' fault, but I still have painful memories of 10 page math assignments tied into the holiday season.

8. The Raising of the Stress Levels -- If Christmas doesn't stress you out even a little bit than I applaud you. I always get so concerned about what to buy for people. I can never afford to get anyone what I really want to get them, and I always get worked up and overcome with guilt at the thought that someone else could have spent more money or more time on a gift for me than I have for them.

So I guess that's enough for me right now. I am in class and I should get back to pretending to pay attention. As promised, I will come up with eight things that I love about this time of the year...man that is going to be tough.

Until next time,


G