Saturday, September 27, 2008
Upcoming Rochdale Rhymes and Readings
On Oct. 5 Phoebe Tsang and Valentino Assenza will feature at Rochdale Rhymes and Readings at the Regal Beagle, 335 Bloor St. W. I'm excited as both are fantastic writers. Phoebe Tsang is a page poet, but often commits herself to reading her poetry from memory. Her work is quite impressive and worth listening to live. Valentino Assenza is often considered a spoken word poet, but has published three chapbooks, and in my opinion, is more of a page poet than a performance poet when in comparison to many of the spoken word poets in Toronto. He's performed very well on the spoken word/slam scene. Personally, I think it's because the poetry he brings is so good. He needs not to yell, speak fast, etc. Audiences just connect with him and his honesty.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Down
I've been down lately. Perhaps it's because of money. Perhaps it's because I find myself working in a job where most people are several years younger than my 28, not to put them down as they are mostly great people. It just hit today when someone said, "I worked here when I was 16." Perhaps I feel I'm capable of doing so much more but cannot smash a door down and prove myself worthy of a shot.
I actually like the company I work for quite a bit and I'm not putting them down. It's just everyday I hear Switchfoot's Meant to Live over the store's PA and hear the chorus of, "We were meant to live for so much more," and yes that hits me.
I actually like the company I work for quite a bit and I'm not putting them down. It's just everyday I hear Switchfoot's Meant to Live over the store's PA and hear the chorus of, "We were meant to live for so much more," and yes that hits me.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Sarah Palin
Look, I haven't posted in awhile and I'm not trying to become one of those special Internet bloggers, but what's going on in the US disturbs me.
In the US election, you have Barack Obama, perhaps the smartest, best candidate the democrats have put forward since JFK. On the Republican side you have John McCain. Truth be told, if it were between John McCain and Al Gore in 2000, I would've supported McCain, but America twice decided to go with some idiot of a president's son. McCain now looks frail and it would not surprise me if at some point Sarah Palin took over office. Yes I do see her as a trailer trash Alaskan, but she's not ready to be president. She's spent two years running one of the least populated states in America and before that was mayor of a town smaller than Port Hope.
Sarah Palin is not a bad mother because one of her teenage children has gotten pregnant. Many children will go out and have sex before they are married, regardless if their parents tell them not to. But when a mother teaches contraceptives are evil and wrong as Ms. Palin publicly has, this is what happens. I went to a very large Catholic high school that had one of the highest pregnancy rates in Ontario and one shouldn't be surprised.
As frail as McCain looks, this election may be a battle between Obama and Palin. As pathetic as Palin's attempt was to show she actually has more experience than Obama, people seemed to lap it up. Americans will get what they ask for. George W. Bush was a lousy president, as will be Trailer Trash Alaska. But maybe That's what the US wants.
Unrelated, I saw a film called The World According to Monsanto. The film itself is rather boring and not the best put together documentary. Going in though, I did not know as much about Monsanto as I should have. I think what was most eye-opening was when Vandana Shiva, environmental activist and former winner of the Right Livelihood, or Alternative Nobel Prize, said that what's more dangerous than one person owning all the world's guns and bombs is owning all the world's food, which the movie claims Monsanto is trying to do, though it is a one-sided smear job (A company official is on tape saying they will refuse to cooperate).
On a happier note, Rochdale Rhymes and Readings is on Sunday at the Regal Beagle, 335 Bloor St. W., featuring Tomy Bewick and Phlip Arima. Admission is PWYC and there is an open mic. Come on down.
In the US election, you have Barack Obama, perhaps the smartest, best candidate the democrats have put forward since JFK. On the Republican side you have John McCain. Truth be told, if it were between John McCain and Al Gore in 2000, I would've supported McCain, but America twice decided to go with some idiot of a president's son. McCain now looks frail and it would not surprise me if at some point Sarah Palin took over office. Yes I do see her as a trailer trash Alaskan, but she's not ready to be president. She's spent two years running one of the least populated states in America and before that was mayor of a town smaller than Port Hope.
Sarah Palin is not a bad mother because one of her teenage children has gotten pregnant. Many children will go out and have sex before they are married, regardless if their parents tell them not to. But when a mother teaches contraceptives are evil and wrong as Ms. Palin publicly has, this is what happens. I went to a very large Catholic high school that had one of the highest pregnancy rates in Ontario and one shouldn't be surprised.
As frail as McCain looks, this election may be a battle between Obama and Palin. As pathetic as Palin's attempt was to show she actually has more experience than Obama, people seemed to lap it up. Americans will get what they ask for. George W. Bush was a lousy president, as will be Trailer Trash Alaska. But maybe That's what the US wants.
Unrelated, I saw a film called The World According to Monsanto. The film itself is rather boring and not the best put together documentary. Going in though, I did not know as much about Monsanto as I should have. I think what was most eye-opening was when Vandana Shiva, environmental activist and former winner of the Right Livelihood, or Alternative Nobel Prize, said that what's more dangerous than one person owning all the world's guns and bombs is owning all the world's food, which the movie claims Monsanto is trying to do, though it is a one-sided smear job (A company official is on tape saying they will refuse to cooperate).
On a happier note, Rochdale Rhymes and Readings is on Sunday at the Regal Beagle, 335 Bloor St. W., featuring Tomy Bewick and Phlip Arima. Admission is PWYC and there is an open mic. Come on down.