Uninhabited Spaces

Forty years ago yesterday a routine police raid on a gay bar in new York City called "Stonewall" turned anything but routine. Patrons resisted arrest and supportive Village residents started rioting to protest police agression and the obviously discriminatory and shameful raids. While not the first riot to protest police brutality and inequality against LGBT people, Stonewall was a crucible moment that spawned the gay rights movement in the U.S. and also here in Canada.

This is how I shall always remember Michael Jackson; at his peak of creative genuis, his talent blinding as a supernova, his flash of innovation and melodic genius. This video is his finest moment, especially from 3:38 onward, when he takes off into the stratosphere.

August 29, 1958-June 25, 2009

Farrah Fawcett February 2, 1947 – June 25, 2009

[from BBC News] The 2009 World Drugs Report is out and Cannabis is still the most widely produced and used drug in the world. It is also a drug that is increasing in potency. In the last decade, the amount of THC (the harmful component) found in marijuana from North America - grown using the latest techniques - has almost doubled. The World Drugs Report shows consumption of both cannabis and cocaine, at least in the western world, remains steady or is in decline. In the last decade, cocaine use in the USA among 10th and 12th grade high school students fell by 40% and 30%.

Images from Tim Burton's adaptation of "Alice in Wonderland" are starting to surface on the internets, and all I can say is "wow". The art direction looks like it will be superb, if not a little creepy (well, it is Tim Burton). For the record, the Mad Hatter is played by Johnny Depp, and not Elijah Wood or Carrot Top as it may appear. That's Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen and Anne Hathaway as the White Queen. Shivers...

Okay, so perhaps like thousands of other young boys I wanted to be a guitar hero. I am not ashamed to admit that in the beginning my primary influence was Ace Frehley, he of KISS fame. By the late 80s I was won over by The Edge of U2 and much air guitar was had. Alas, fate had other plans for me but a new documentary coming soon takes a look at three iconic players and their instruments. You can view the trailer here .

Finishing touches are being made to U2's massive set ("The Claw") in Barcelona, where they are launching their upcoming world tour on June 30. [click photos to enlarge]

I am saddened to report that St. Paul's church, in my hometown of Aylmer, Quebec, was completely gutted by fire last night. The flames raged for hours and eventually brought down the roof and the iconic steeple.  St. Paul's was erected in 1862 by the French Catholic parish and was the landmark structure of Aylmer. You could see its steeple for miles. In fact, on a clear day you could pick it out as you drove north towards Ottawa on the 416--in the distance, across the Ottawa River, you could always see the steeple rising above the valley.  Generations of Aylmer's citizenry were baptized, married, and eulogized at St. Paul's. Right across the street is St. Paul's School, where my dad went to primary school. Aylmer (pop. 41,000) has always been a small community and despite its forced amalgamation in 2002 with Hull and Gatineau to form a new City of Gatineau, Aylmer retained its own identity and civic pride. The loss of St. Paul's Church will be deeply felt across...

[from u2.com] 'New Year's Day' is the soundtrack to a new TV spot from The European Commission, celebrating the 20th anniversary of free elections in Poland this month.  The video takes place on the birthday of a Polish girl Marta who was born on the 4th of June 1989 - the date of the first elections in Poland after the fall of Communism. It documents key events for Poland, such as the Solidarnosc movement with its leader Lech Walesa, Polish Round Table Talks, integration with NATO and the EU.  '   

Mark and I joined a few others to represent QUAQE at Kingston's Pride March on Saturday. 

U2's in-the-round stage, dubbed "The Claw", has just landed in Barcelona for the opening gig of their upcoming world tour.  I can't wait to see them in Toronto in September!!

20 years ago today the Chinese government authorized the use of tanks and armed guards to clear Beijing's Tiananmen Square of pro-democracy demonstrators that had been gathering for several weeks. Hundreds of people, mostly university students, were killed. Others were most certainly abducted and executed, while some fled to live in exile. I was just about to enter my first year at university, so I felt a strong affinity with these brave and passionate students, who were taking a stand against an oppressive regime. In mainland China this date is referred to as "The June 4 Movement", and the Chinese government maintains that no one was killed in the Square. Eyewitness and photo evidence smuggled out of China shows otherwise, and the world media refers to this day as "The Tiananmen Square Massacre".  The accompanying photo of the so-called "Tank Man" standing in front of a convoy of tanks is one of the late 20th-century's most iconic images, as compe...

Dick Cheney is on an aggressive save-my-legacy tour speaking all over the place to, ahem, set the record straight on the Bush II presidency and affiliated policies.  In   a recent   interview with Fox News' Greta van Susteren, he admitted that there was never any evidence that Iraq was involved in the September 11th attacks. "On the question of whether or not Iraq was involved in 9-11, there was never any evidence to prove that," he told the "On The Record" host in a joint interview with his daughter Liz. "There was "some reporting early on ... but that was never borne out". This in stark contrast to the piles of rhetoric he delivered during the build-up to the invasion of Iraq.  And then on Monday, he said that he supports gay marriage as long as it is deemed legal by state and not federal government. “I think that freedom means freedom for everyone," said the former V.P. "As many of you know, one of my daughters is gay and it is so...

I finally got to experience the new-and-improved Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) yesterday. The reimagining of the spaces is understated, tasteful, and stunning in its overall look and feel. Frank Gehry's design, unlike the disjointed crystal over at the ROM, breathes new life into the stuffy AGO, and awakes the building and collection. As one magazine put it, the new building is not so much a redesign as a thoughtful reconception of how to hang the venerable collection. The galleries are high and airy with wonderful natural light, allowing the viewer to appreciate both space and art at once. Walker Court, pictured here, has a new scuptural staircase that goes up past the glass ceiling and into the adjoining tower. What was fascinating to see was that Gehry had throngs of people wanting to walk up these stairs, as if walking up stairs took on a new aesthetic meaning from the stairs we walk up on a daily basis. Such is the power of art.  

[Updated] Thanks to infrastructure funding announced recently from federal, provincial, and civic governments, plus some very generous private gifts, Queen's is set to break ground on the  Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts . The striking waterfront complex is designed by Norwegian firm Snohetta and Canadian firm ema.  Features of the Centre include a 550-seat concert hall, studio theatre, art gallery, screening room, and cafe. This will be the centrepiece in achieving Queen's vision to create an "arts campus": integrated curriculum and space for the School of Music, Department of Film & Media, and the Department of Drama. 

Today the California Supreme Court upheld the legality of Proposition8, which defines marriage as being solely for one man and one woman. Thankfully, the 18,000 marriages between same-sex couples that did occur in California will remain valid. Yet, this is bittersweet news for the fight for equality.

In Spring 2006, Marney McDiarmid, an HIV educator at HIV/AIDS Regional Services (HARS), and Stevenson Fergus, an assistant professor at Queen's University, conducted a research project among gay and bisexual men in Kingston and the surrounding area. They had interest in researching the antecedents and consequences of gay and bisexual men's community involvement in smaller cities, their experiences of heterosexism and homophobia, and the effects of stigma experienced by HIV-positive gay and bisexual men.The Kingston Area Men's Project was born (KAMP). In order to share that information with the community, KAMP asked Jim Verburg and Ryan Crouchman to produce a video. This video is the result of the findings of KAMP. 

Arthur Erickson  (June 14, 1924 - May 20, 2009) Despite no real talent at drawing I think somewhere inside me is an architect waiting to emerge. Obviously, that was an interest I did not pursue, but I have been an amateur architectural historian since my days as an undergraduate student. I am fascinated by our built environment and how we consciously and unconsciously engage with our buildings and created environments.  So, it was with sadness I awoke to learn that one of Canada's most celebrated architects has passed away.  I am not a fan of all of his work, but he has certainly left us with some gems and other works that challenge us nonetheless. Attached are pictures of four of his best-known structures. I think Roy Thompson Hall (1982) [pic 2] is one of his very best, an iconic statement on Toronto's skyline. And his building for Canada's chancery in Washington, DC (1989) [pic 4] is breathtaking and always fills me with pride.   Within Canada Erickson is also known for ...

Okay, so bear with me. The steps in the attached photo are the ones I walk up every morning to get to my office in the centre section of a building called "Summerhill" here at Queen's.  As it turns out Summerhill turns 170 this year, making it the oldest building at Queen's. It is also considered one of the finest examples of 19th century country villas in Canada.   However, Summerhill wasn't purchased by Queen's until 1853 as the nascent college had been renting various buildings around town since it began operations in 1842. As a result Summerhill had quite the variety of incarnations for its first decade or so, including its original purpose as a family home; then the Sydenham Inn, space for committees of the Parliament of Canada, and a temporary home to the Midland Grammar School.   When Queen's offered its first session in its new permanent home, in October 1854, Summerhill welcomed 31 students. Summerhill housed the college's library, and classro...

"I brought you, on purpose, round, through the richest overture, and farrago of tweedledum and tweedledee, I could find in Florence".   John Ruskin,  Mornings in Florence  (1886)

Here are pictures of the studio apartment we have rented in Rome, just two streets over from the Colosseum...

I ran into an acquitance at lunch today. We sat on the board of the now defunct PIC Press. I had not seen him in a while, and it turns out he has co-founded an apiculture business here in the region (that's bee keeping for us laymen). How neat!! Check out their business site,   Seldom Fools Apiculture .