Uninhabited Spaces

The Times of India is reporting that at least 80 people have been killed and 900 injured in terrorist attacks in Mumbai, including an attack on the famed Taj Hotel (1903). This story has special resonance for me as I stayed at the Taj in 2004 during my memorable trip to India. I fell in love with Mumbai and this historic hotel made such an indelible impression on me. I feel so sad for this great city and for the people who are suffering the senseless and incomprehensible slaughter of innocents. My heart goes out to all of those affected. 

L aunching December 1, (RED)WIRE  is a digital music magazine with one very important difference. It not only changes the way music is discovered, it provides medicine for people who need it in Africa.    Every Wednesday, receive your new exclusive music via the (RED)WIRE player – which also places each song automatically in your iTunes.  Half of your $5 monthly membership fee goes directly to The Global Fund to help buy and administer medicine to people in Africa living with HIV. It costs just $12 per month to provide someone the two pills a day they need to stay alive. So every five (RED)WIRE members generate enough money, every month, to help keep one person living with HIV in Africa alive. Simple. Powerful. Learn more here .  

Apparently the music and fashions of the 1980s are making a serious comeback. How fitting, since we are living in round two of the Me generation. Sadly, Time put "You." on the cover of its 2006 Person of the Year edition. This was well-received by the narcissistic self-entitled masses, their egos pumped with hourly visits to their Facebook and MySpace pages, stacked with their global "friends". This is a generation obsessed with rights and the blithe assumption that all opinons are valid and that everyone is entitled to share their opinions (Might as well throw me on the pile, if you are actually reading this blog). But this is a bastardization of democracy, for democracy is not solely about rights but also about responsibilities. Yes, you have a right to free speech but you have the responsibility to make sure it is informed free speech. Witness the endless cascade of comments at the end of nearly every article on the web. It matters little whether there is an ounc...

In the looming shadow of California's Proposition 8, hope emerges from the east coast, where a Connecticut judge has just opened the door to marriage for same-sex couples. See the breaking news at CNN .

With the passing of Proposition 8 in California, banning marriage for same-sex couples, the timing could not be more sadly ironic for the upcoming biopic on Harvey Milk. Played by Sean Penn the movie "Milk" tells the story of the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California. Elected in 1977 as a city supervisor for San Francisco Milk was a passionate advocate for civil rights for gay people. Tragically, he was assassinated by a fellow city supervisor two years later. View the trailer here .

  If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer. It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference. It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled – Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the  United States of America . It's the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearfu...

I just returned from seeing Daniel Lanois live in Ottawa. It was a relatively intimate setting at Ottawa's Centrepointe Theatre. Lanois, known for his incredible production of U2, Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel, Emmylou Harris (and others), has a legion of fans in his own right based on his great solo albums. He offered his magnificent sound scapes and sonic architecture from his debut album "Acadie" (1989), to"For the Beauty of Wynona" (1993),  "Shine" (2003) and his most recent release "Here is What Is" (2008). It was a marvellous concert, and I was thrilled to finally see a man whose personal music I have enjoyed for years and who is largely responsible for the most important albums in my life--the best albums of U2.

Amidst the cacophany of the global economic turmoil Canadians can look ahead with some extra confidence as The World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report 2008-2009 has ranked Canada as first in the world for the soundness its banking system. As a result, the Washington Post reports , the world financial crisis has largely bypassed Canada.

This image, from the final presidential debate on Wednesday, seems to say everything we need to know. McCain looks like Gollum trailing behind Frodo on the long journey to Mount Doom. One is half-crazed, yearning for his precious power, while the other is serene, accepting of his role in a great destiny...

A new journal is being launched by Queen's University graduate students entitled Shift: Queen’s Graduate Journal of Visual and Material Culture . The journal "welcomes submissions dealing with visual and material culture from any discipline in the humanities. Papers may address a full range of topics and historical periods. Topics may include, but are not limited to, art and propaganda, patronage, gender and identity, spirituality and art, nationalisms and regionalisms, modernism and modernity, performance art, photography and film, perspectives in theory, methodology, and historiography, collection and representation, art and technology". The fascinating inaugural issue is now available on their website here .

What is the most effective way of presenting yourself to future employers? Improve your networking capabilities and watch your future grow! WHAT: Backpack to Briefcase – Networking Essentials WHEN: Thursday, October 16, 2008 TIME: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm WHERE: Goodes Hall, Room 301 COST: Free DRESS: Smart Casual Back by popular demand, Stacy Kelly, Artsci ’93, Office of the Vice Principal (Advancement), will provide anyone entering the job market with tips and advice about appearance and etiquette. From shaking hands to business cards, this lecture will provide valuable information that will smooth the transition from student to professional – brought to you by the Queen’s Student Alumni Association (QSAA). Click here to register.

The BBC is now offering 2 wonderful short clips of The Edge sharing some of his guitar magic. Check out Clip 1 and Clip 2 . Sweet!

My dear friend Mara works at Queen's but, like so many of us, holds her enduring passion for something way outside of her office space. In her case it's handmade stained glass jewelry. In her spare time she works away in her home-based studio to create one-of-a-kind pieces that are simply delightful and sweet (just like Mara). Please check out her creations at her online store .

Finally, the reunion I've been waiting 11 years to see...My two favourite actors are appearing in Revolutionary Road this December. Based on the 1961 novel of the same name by Richard Yates (and the inspiration for the TV show "Mad Men") this film, directed by Sam Mendes, promises to be memorable and poignant. I think it will prove to be an excellent counterpart to Mendes' "American Beauty" (1999). In a 2000 re-review of the novel, the New York Times reviewer writes, "Mostly 'Revolutionary Road' is just so smart and keen and shockingly inventive about everything it turns its imagination to: about being young and blissfully rudderless in New York City before the responsibilities of marriage and family cloud the sky; about entertaining the awful neighbors; about long, long business lunches; about being 30 and feeling middle-aged; about fearing change when you know change is likely to save you; even about the pink light seen through a poor man...

I came home tonight to learn that a paper I authored this past August on higher education philanthropy has been accepted for publication in the forthcoming issue of the Canadian Journal for New Scholars in Education . I was pretty blown away by this news and I look forward to working with the Journal to create the final version for an expected February 2009 publication.

I am so sad to announce that my uncle Robert (Bobby) Kelly passed away yesterday at home. He was surrounded by his wife of 36 years, Margaret, and his two wonderful sons, Chad and Liam. My dad and my other uncle, Glenn, were there a great deal in the last few days. I joined the Kelly family in 1978 when my Mom and I moved in with my Dad (he later adopted me). Uncle Bobby welcomed me warmly and instantly and both he and my aunt Margaret were so very supportive of me and my drama productions during and after high school. I used to babysit their boys when they all still lived in Aylmer back in the old homestead. I have a rush of nostalgic and bittersweet memories. He was a lovely and good man, and I will miss him dearly.

It seems my recent caution to Democrats not to underestimate Sarah Palin was very well-founded. A CBS poll released today shows that "when asked directly what helped them to choose a candidate, 28 percent of these previously uncommitted voters volunteered Sarah Palin". She is also polling very high with uncommitted voters, well over Biden. All-in-all this points to the fact that more uncommitted have moved to the Republicans than Democrats since the end of the conventions. And they mourn, and weep, and fast till the evening (2 Samuel 1:12).

On Saturday night Mark and I attended a gala screening of Jonathan Demme's "Rachel Getting Married", starring Anne Hathaway, Rosemarie DeWitt, and Debra Winger. The screening was preceded by a cocktail reception hosted by Queen's University for alumni and friends. As this was the North American premiere the director and stars were in attendance. As we were about seven rows back from the stage I was rather star struck! Ms. Hathaway is tall and stunning, and she seemed so very sweet. It was a treat to see Debra Winger. I have been a fan of hers for years. We were addressed by Mr. Demme, which had me pinching myself as he is a legend in his own right. The film was uneven but the performances were stellar. Ms. Hathaway was superlative as the recovering drug addict Kym returning to the family homestead for her sister Rachel's wedding. There is no doubt she should receive an Oscar nomination. It's pretty clear that Kym is not especially welcome, and a dark part of t...

As I watch Governor Sarah Palin address the Republican National Convention I can't help but think of Senator Hilary Clinton. Surely she is also watching, and she must be pinching herself. She must be finding the scene on the television incredulous. I wonder if she is harbouring a bitterness as she contemplates the past year and the decades of her public service and where it has led her--to watching instead of being in front of the camera setting the agenda. Tonight's messages from Rudy Giuliani and Governor Palin have been barbed and vicious. Both have come out on full attack mode with their gloves off. For example: "This is a man who can give an entire speech about the wars America is fighting, and never use the word "victory" except when he's talking about his own campaign". Ouch! They are slicing and dicing Senator Obama for his lack of executive experience and they are positioning him as being all about style and little substance. The word "expe...

I am amazed at the influence of Harvard and Yale alumni who have made such an indelible impact on American politics at the highest level. These two schools have made a disproportional impact on the United States (and by extension, the world): Yale President William H. Taft. Yale 1878 President Gerald Ford, Yale 1941 President George H.W. Bush, Yale 1948 President George W. Bush, Yale 1968 President William J. Clinton Yale 1973 Senator Hilary Rodham Clinton, Yale 1973 Harvard President John Adams, Harvard 1755 President John Quincy Adams, Harvard 1787 President Rutherford Hayes, Harvard 1845 President Theodore Roosevelt, Harvard 1880 President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harvard 1904 President John F.Kennedy, Harvard 1940 President George W. Bush, Harvard 1975 Senator Barack Obama, Harvard 1991

The things we do for love...have a look at the best animated film of 2007, Oktapodi

The Canadian Council of Learning has ranked Kingston 7th overall out of 4,700 cities in their ranking of Canada's smartest cities. The ranking is based on 25 indicators that are grouped into UNESCO "pillars" of learning. They include, "Learning to Know", "Learning to Do", Learning to Live Together", and Learning to Be". Kingston shares the number 7 ranking with London and Oshawa. Ottawa and Victoria tied for the top spot. In the indicators ranking, Kingston came in as the 2nd most caring city in Canada, and the 19th most cultured city.