Uninhabited Spaces

Sony announced recently that the last batch of its iconic Walkman was produced in April of this year, and that no more new cassette Walkman products will be made. The Sony Walkman debuted in 1979, and reached its peak as the must-have accessory for pop music fans for those of us who were in high school from, ahem, 1984 to 1988. While younger folks may scoff as such antique, even quaint, technology it's worth pausing to reflect on how much the Walkman changed the relationship of music to the listener. As the first truly portable music device, the Walkman blazed the trail for personal listening and created a market for a more individualistic music experience. There is no doubt that the Walkman was a revolutionary consumer product, paving the way for the portable CD and DAT devices and, eventually, the digital evolution to MP3 and the now ubiquitous iPod and its various spawn. The Walkman was every much the status symbol that the iPod is today. There were clones on the market ...

Canada's international reputation took a beating this week, with the loss of a seat on the U.N. Security Council (the first such loss for Canada since 1945), and being asked to leave its base in the U.A.E.  Influential magazine The Economist weighed in on the Security Council snub, summarizing Canada's current foreign policy as "better at doughnuts than diplomacy". Ouch. Canada hasn't received such a harsh barb from the venerable U.K. magazine since it labelled then-PM Paul Martin as a "ditherer". Harper's team immediately blamed the loss of the Security Council seat on opposition leader Michael Ignatieff, saying that his criticism of Harper's foreign policy did not present a united front to the world. After pundits and editorialists rightfully called the blame game both specious and idiotic, Harper stated that Canada lost the vote because "of his government’s refusal to trade policy positions to be popular among UN voters". Other...

Civic elections are looming across the province and in the effort to promote democracy and informed decision-making, herewith I present the lowdown on Kingston's mayoral candidates. The Front Runners Mark Gerretsen Son of former Kingston mayor and current MPP for Kingston and the Islands and Minister of the Environment, John Gerretsen, Mark has most recently served as the councillor for the Portsmouth District. His last name provides him with strong brand recognition by association, but this is both a positive and negative attribute, depending on one's view of the McGuinty government. Gerretsen will likely enjoy the support of the local establishment and prominent members of the city's business class. Rob Matheson   The vocal councillor for the Loyalist-Cataraqui District, Matheson was born in Africa and lived around the world before his family settled in my former home town of Aylmer, Quebec. Matheson moved to Kingston in 1997, and he has taken a keen interest in ...

You can now own an essential and rare Stacy Kelly collectable, available to order from Chessler Books in Colorado. Get your own signed copy of Everest: Epic Trivia co-authored by Don Travers and Stacy Kelly.  Published in 1999 this 76-page book features photos and hundreds of trivia questions and answers about the legendary mountain. Order your copy now at Chessler Books .  Makes a great gift!

As the dust finally settles on downtown Kingston's " Big Dig ", the rather clever marketing campaign created around the revitalization of the main corner of historic downtown, some interesting developments are about to occur in our restaurant scene First off, we may have a burger war on our hands. Last week Harper's Burger Bar opened just near the busy corner of Wellington and Princess streets. We tried to go in on Thursday night but the place was absolutely packed. They are getting the jump on Five Guys Burgers and Fries , opening up a block north. Whereas Harper's is the brainchild of the folks behind local favs Chien Noir and Atomica , Five Guys is the famous burger joint that started in the D.C. area. To add some more competition, a local joint opened up not too long ago called "Vinny's Italian Sandwiches". After a very brief run it closed (confusing all concerned) and then reopened as "Vinny's Burgers and Fries".  It will be a ...

As our own little contribution to the spirit and emotion behind the wonderful It Gets Better Project , I thought I would repost the interview Mark and I did about our life and love together. We celebrated 9 years together in August and our interview was a humourous and touching portrait of how two gay boys can overcome the great challenges out there and fall in love.

RIP Asher Brown, a 13 year-old boy from Texas who killed himself after excessive bullying about his size, his beliefs, and about being gay. RIP Seth Walsh, a 13 year-old boy from California who died in hospital due to injuries sustained after attempting to hang himself. Seth had reported being bullied for years for being gay. RIP Billy Lucas, a 15 year-old boy from Indiana, who hung himself in his parents' barn after enduring bullying because he was gay. RIP Justin Aaberg, a gay 15 year-old boy from Minnesota, who hung himself after suffering the torment of bullying at his high school. RIP Tyler Clementi, a 18 year-old freshman at Rutgers University, who lept to his death after his roommate posted video online of Clementi having a sexual encounter with another man.   These tragic and heartbreaking deaths all took place within the last month. Despite some important gains in legal protection and rights , and an increased ...