Uninhabited Spaces

UPDATE: On Thursday, the WHO announced it would no longer use the term "swine flu" as pigs are now being slaughtered and pork products are being banned. The news media outlets are in full alarm mode regarding the Influenza H1N1 virus, coined as the "Swine Flu". As of this morning there are 112 confirmed H1N1 cases worldwide, with 8 confirmed deaths (although the virus is suspected in 100+ deaths in Mexico).  I don't want to be misconstrued or appear trite. I take seriously any and all public health concerns. But even CNN is reporting--in a rare bout of perspective--that on average some 36,000 people die every year in the U.S. due to seasonal flu.  That's 3,000 seasonal flu deaths a month. Thus, we should always excerise diligence in our preventative actions such as hand-washing, food-handling, and proper dietary consumption.  So, the obvious question is why are the various media networks  spreading such fear and panic about swine flu when we already have muc...

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Bea Arthur (May 13, 1922 – April 25, 2009) What a force of nature Bea Arthur was. Although a respected and formidable stage actor, Ms. Arthur will alwys be known and beloved for her indelible characters on TVs "Maude" (1972-1978) and "Golden Girls" (1985-1992). Her sharp tongue and precise timing were a joy to behold. May she rest in peace. 

A colleague brought this disturbing article to my attention, a revelation about the popular and ubiquitous energy drink, Rockstar.  [from Michael Jones, Communications Director, Human Right Program, Harvard Law School] A few facts about Rockstar Energy Drink. It was co-founded by conservative radio host Michael Savage. It's current CEO is Russell Weiner, Michael Savage's son and a co-founder of the "Paul Revere Society" here in the States.A few facts about Michael Savage. Better yet, here are a few comments directly from the mouth of Michael:   " You want me to tell you what makes me sick?   When I see two puffy white males kissing each other, I want to puke. When I see two women kissing each other, on the lips, as lovers, I want to vomit." ·       " When you hear "human rights," think only one thing:   someone who wants to rape your son. And you'll get it just right. OK, you got it, right? When you hear "human rights," think o...

Every year U2 send members of their fan club an exclusive item not available for sale to the general public.  This year, they have just sent a double-CD titled "Medium, Rare, and Remastered" featuring 20 rare, b-side, or alternate songs.  This collection is such an amazing treat, what The Edge refers to as the U2 sketchbook. As he writes in the liner notes, "these ideas are often the most revealing of their time because they are the least worked on songs and recordings. For this reason, they are some of my favourites".  I couldn't agree more. Stretching from 1987 to 2004 these rarities provide an incisive look into the recording sessions that would bring us the finished albums we have come to know and love so well.   You can hear possible hints for the sonic direction of the given era as well as some risks and experiments that, while not making the final cut, certainly make for an interesting listening experience. This is a thoughtful and much-appreciated offeri...

11-year-old J ah eem Herrera committed suicide last week. This little boy hanged himself at his home after, according to his family, relentless anti-gay bullying at his elementary school. 1 1-year-old Massachusetts boy, Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, hung himself at home two weeks ago, after enduring bullying at school, including daily taunts of being gay. T wo of the top three reasons students said their peers were most often bullied at school were actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender expression , according to "From Teasing to Torment: School Climate in America", a 2005 report by GLSEN and Harris Interactive. The top reason was physical appearance. "As was the case with Carl, you do not have to identify as gay to be attacked with anti-LGBT language," Byard said. "From their earliest years on the school playground, students learn to use anti-LGBT language as the ultimate weapon to degrade their peers. In many cases, schools and teachers either ignore t...

Statistics Canada is today reporting on the college and university graduates of 2005.  By  2007, two years after graduation, 9 out of 10 college, bachelor's, master's and doctorate graduates who had not taken further education were working. T he median annual earnings among those working full time in 2007 was $35,000 for college graduates, $45,000 for bachelor's graduates, $60,000 for master's graduates and $65,000 for doctorate graduates.  Therefore, the earnings gap was 33% between the bachelor's and master's degree, and 29% between a bachelor's and a college degree. But it was only 8% between the master's and doctorate levels. However, while earnings generally increased by level of study, there were large distributions of annual earnings within each education level. Thus, some college graduates earned more than many bachelor's graduates. For example, 25% of college graduates earned $44,300 or more annually, while 50% of bachelor's graduates ea...

A week ago today hundreds of thousands of upset Americans held a day of protest against perceived federal government waste termed "Tea Parties" in hommage to the now infamous one in Boston circa 1773.  As it turns out, these protests were spurred and organized by national conservative groups, so the crux of the demonstrations are a vehement repudiation of Obama's policy on taxes, corporate bailouts, and his administration's use of taxpayer monies to spend the U.S. out of its deep recession.  Now don't get me wrong. I have no issue with the protests themselves, even if they were more astroturf than grassroots. These citizens have every right to protest and gather to provoke dissent and debate. But I can't help but wonder why these same patriots haven't gone ballistic over the fact that the Iraq war has cost America $662B and that the Afghanistan war has cost America $186B.   I have also noticed a great deal of quotes from various Colonial American President...

Well, I am delighted to report that I've had another paper accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal!! This time the article is "Among Imperfect Alternatives: Policy choices for funding Ontario's universities" and the journal is International Education Studies  published by the Canadian Center of Science and Education . The issue is due to come out in print and electronic format in August.  

I am saddened to report that downtown Kingston's landmark department store S&R will be closing this summer. S&R has been one of the last independent department stores in Ontario, offering a bewildering array of household products, food, clothing, hardware, toys, and footwear since 1959. For me, a Sunday is not complete without a browse around the four levels of crammed-in offerings. While nowhere near as kitschy, S&R has been Kingston's version of Honest Ed's. Generations of students and citizens alike have run to S&R to find that thing they needed at the best prices around. Oh ya, and it still has an elevator operator; a lovely hommage to its 1950s roots.  According to company president  “decreasing profit margins, a 100% increase in the property tax assessment and a decrease in American tourists coming to Kingston” are the primary causes of the impending closure. Many locals are pointing the blame at the nearby K-ROCK arena, an argument that defies all po...

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As popular culture has accelerated at an astonishing pace, thanks in large part to the devices that have helped to define it, I've been thinking about how the music industry had also changed. Our relationship with music has also changed, perhaps irrevocably so. Not that long ago we queued up to purchase albums or casette tapes when an album was released. There was a sense of a release being a sort of mini event, and bands and labels pretty much had control over the flow of the process.  More importantly, while hits have always been important to a band's success, labels gave bands time to grow their audiences through touring and the support of A&R staff, who also developed strong relationships with the most influential radio DJs across the country.  All this apparatus has been profoundly shaken up with the advent of digital delivery of music. Albums/records have quickly lost their preeminence in favour of singles, and bands unable to deliver quick wins through singles are dr...

Wow, yesterday was the 15th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death. I can't believe that much time has passed. I was not a huge fan of Nirvana, or the whole grunge movement, but only an idiot would deny Cobain's influence and that "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was an anthem of a generation.  I was the artistic director of a youth theatre company back in 1994 and my actors were simply devastated. I recall that we had a rehearsal the day his body was discovered and I had the actors sit around and share their feelings. I could see how much Cobain and the band's music meant to them, and we all ended up getting just that much closer to one another.  I remember thinking what a shame that he could not have gotten through the darkness to the other side. He was certainly a poet and he had a singular voice and talent.  

We (we) are (are)  Ordinary people  No matter what we stand for,  All in all, we're all the same  And it don't matter        --The Box Apparently, according to the PMO, ordinary Canadians don't care about the Mulroney-Schreiber scandal. This issue, along with arts, is another thing to add to the pile of wasteful and useless aspects of our national affairs that ordinary Canadians couldn't care less about. During the Canadian federal election I heard a great deal about this special segment of our population. It is not exactly clear to me who "ordinary Canadians" are, but my best guess is that they appear to eat out at Tim Horton's, play hockey, have a manufacturing or farming job, and tend to live in rural areas. From what I've gleamed from politicians' speeches over the past year ordinary Canadians harbour a disdain for anything that might be confused with an urban lifestyle (i.e. homosexuals, culture, mass transit, etc). Research suggests there are...

Four of us went to see Fleetwood Mac recently at Ottawa's Scotiabank Place (formely Corel Centre). The line-up was classic "Rumours"era Mac save for Christine McVie, who has elected not to tour anymore.  The band was very generous, giving us a 2 1/2 hour romp through one of the finest back catalogues in rock music. Guitarist and songwriter Lindsey Buckingham is surely one of the finest guitar gods ever! He was simply astonishing with some wall-busting solos, and inventive interpretations of his classics "Never Going Back Again" and "So Afraid", the latter so intense I was waiting for cracks to form in the arena ceiling.  And the great Stevie Nicks gave us such gems as "Landslide", "Rhianna", "Sara", and "Gold Dust Woman" and then surprised with her 80s hit "Stand Back". The crowd went absolutely ballistic for "The Chain", "Second Hand News", "Go Your Own Way",  and the clos...

War Tour (1983) The Unforgettable Fire Tour (1984-85) The Joshua Tree Tour (1987) The LoveTown Tour (1989-90) Z00TV Tour (1992-93) P0PMart Tour (1997-98) Elevation Tour (2001-02) Vertigo Tour (2005-06)  

With all the hooplah around U2's new album and upcoming sure-to-break-records world tour, you may be surpised to learn that Bono & Edge have been working hard on a little side project called "Spiderman: Turn off the Dark" a mega-musical opening in February 2010 in New York. Directed by Julie Taymor the production will tell the tale of Peter Parker in a way we've never seen before.