Uninhabited Spaces

Toronto-based Business News Network (BNN) is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a great look back at the top-10 stories of the last decade. It's an informative and thoughtful reflection on the issues that have defined our world. Check out the special feature here .

On Sunday night YouTube streamed the entire "U2 360" concert live from the Rose Bowl. In addition to the record-breaking 97,000 fans in attendance YouTube has confirmed that nearly 10 million streams came into YouTube from 188 countries; the largest streaming event in YouTube history. Wow!! It was an awesome concert, and you can watch the rebroadcast here . Enjoy!

On Friday Queen's School of Medicine broke ground for a new building , an exciting and much-needed addition to the resources on campus for the teaching of our future physicians. So far the $77M project is being funded by $28.8M from the Government of Canada, $28.8M from the Government of Canada, and $13.2M from private donations. The School is currently working to raise the $6.2M balance.

The Gaels took a beating yesterday, losing 13-25 at the capable hands of Laurier Golden Hawks. It was the Gaels' first loss in 18 games, and it was a big piece of humble pie to eat on the road. Still, Queen's finishes at 7-1, atop the OUA, and remains the number-2 ranked team in the nation as they head for the playoffs. QB Brannagan also finished his CIS career with 10,714 yards, the second-highest in CIS Football history (after Western's Faulds). Hats off (or is that 'Helmets off'?) to Laurier, a team that should never be discounted. Next weekend Queen's will face either McMaster, Guelph, or Ottawa in the quest for the OUA championship, the Yates Cup.

Queen’s received more A+ marks than any other university in the Globe and Mail 2010 Canadian University Report. The survey of over 38,000 current undergrads at 53 schools gave Queen’s the highest grades in 10 categories, including quality of education, academic reputation, libraries, university atmosphere and diversity of extra-curricular activities. Overall student satisfaction is an "A". You can read the full results for Queen's here .

Starting next week yours truly will be volunteering as a tutor at Queen's Writing Centre . I will be assisting first and second year students with their introductions, thesis statements, conclusions, and outlines. I anticipate that I will also advise them on stylistic and grammatical matters as is necessary. If you happen to be writing a paper and need advice I highly recommend the Centre's online handouts .

On October 18, 27 year-old Christopher Skinner was attacked by a group of men in downtown Toronto as he walked home alone from a party for his sister around 3:00 a.m. He was first physically assaulted and then the men piled in their SUV and ran him over, killing him. While police are reluctant to call the homicide a hate crime Skinner's family and friends believe the fact that Christopher was a gay man contributed to his murder. I suspect that the police are hesitant to attach "hate" to the crime because it has not been proven that the assailants knew that Christopher was actually gay. However, whether or not the assaulted person is gay is almost beside the point. Assaulting someone because one believes that the person is gay (or Jewish, or Muslim, etc.) is key to establishing a hate crime. In fairness, this could simply, and horribly, be a case of random violence; that Christopher happened to be the dreadfully unfortunate person whose path crossed with a group intent ...

You know all those terrible Hollywood films about sports teams that have that ridiculous slow motion scene in the last minute of the game and the movie's hero somehow manages to save the day? Yeah, I have always loathed those scenes and those schlocky films too. Until today. Yep, I can be a sentimental sports movie cynic no more, for today Queen's superstar QB Danny Brannagan threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to receiver Blaise Morrison (pictured) in the last 13.5 seconds to win the game 27-26 over Western. Wow! Yep, you read that correctly: 13.5 seconds. And, really, could a guy have a more appropriate name than Blaise? You couldn't write this stuff and get away with it. Oh, and for the record, Brannagan became only the second QB in CIS history to throw a career 10,000 yards. Western's great QB became the third CIS QB to pass the 10,000 yard mark as well; a rare treat for football fans to have two powerhouse QBs in one game. A generous heap of praise to Western for an a...

In October 1969 a rather modest sketch show debuted on the BBC. The oddly named "Flying Circus" would go on to do for comedy, many believe, what the Beatles did for music. For indeed, how can we imagine a world without the Parrot Sketch , the Argument Sketch , the Spam Sketch or, my all time favourite, the Cheese Shop Sketch . Bravo and thank you to the utterly wonderful Monty Python!!

The Gaels continued their winning streak this past Saturday, bowling over the Waterloo Warriors with a final score of 43-21. The result was almost a foregone conclusion as the real anticipation was waiting for QB Danny Brannagan to close in on the OUA passing record, which he did just fine, making him the all-time Ontario passing leader, and just 466 yards shy of the national passing lead. Meanwhile, Brannagan is just 11 yards shy of breaking the 10,000 yard mark, which he will surely do next week, making him only the second player in CIS football history to do so. The next match up is probably the most anticipated game in Canadian football this season: Queen's will host the mighty Western Mustangs at home on October 17. Go Gaels go!!

In an historic speech to the Human Rights Campaign 13th Annual National Dinner on October 10, Barrack Obama made a commitment to ending discrimination against LGBT people in the military, in the workplace, and their families. Some excerpts from his moving speech: " And I'm here with a simple message: I'm here with you in that fight. For even as we face extraordinary challenges as a nation, we cannot -- and we will not -- put aside issues of basic equality..." "My expectation is that when you look back on these years, you will see a time in which we put a stop to discrimination against gays and lesbians -- whether in the office or on the battlefield. You will see a time in which we as a nation finally recognize relationships between two men or two women as just as real and admirable as relationships between a man and a woman. You will see a nation that's valuing and cherishing these families as we build a more perfect union -- a union in which gay Americans ar...

Well, a banner day for Queen's indeed, as the University is named as one of the top-100 employers in Canada by MediaCorp Canada . Queen's was also just ranked one of the world's top-200 universities by the T imes Higher-Education QS World University Rankings . Queen's placed at #118. Considering there are over 30,000 universities in the world a top-200 placement puts Queen's in the top 5% globally. Hats off as well to the other 10 Canadian universities who made the list, proving that Canadian higher education is globally competitive.

The Football Gaels posted their 15th victory in a row, with a 42-13 defeat over the Windsor Lancers. Special mention goes to kicker Dan Village (pictured). This win moves Queen's to the #4 national ranking. In other sports, Queen's Men's Rugby remain undefeated as well, with a narrow 13-12 win over the mighty Western Mustangs; Queen's Rowing took home four gold medals at the Head of the Trent regatta in Peterborough; Queen's Swimming took home 12 gold medals at the Trent Invitational, also in Peterborough. Go Queen's go!

In October 1984 U2 released its fourth album, titled The Unforgettable Fire. It was a huge departure for the rock combo; featuring atmospheric soundscapes, layers of echoing guitars, and a collection of rather unconventional songs. Gone was the bombast and three-chords-and-the-truth, in-your-face rock solids. In their place was a melodic, moody, poetic, and ambient recording. It was their first collaboration with producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, and it was a bold risk for a band known for its heart-on-their-sleeve-guitar-drum-bass elements. Music critics have always been hard on U2, typically seen as an average band for the common man rather than for the in-the-know cognoscenti. The Unforgettable Fire confounded their base audience and brought in a new listener. It was the first time U2 made a wider audience take notice, largely on the back of the accessible hit single "Pride (In the Name of Love)" and the exquisite "Bad". When U2 would perform a 15-minute ve...

Queen's Football Gaels, at the hands of outstanding QB Danny Brannagan (pictured), clobbered the visiting York Lions 67-0. Brannagan threw for 543 yards, the seventh highest in Canadian university football history. Of course, the mighty Queen's defense were also a key part in the shut-out, manhandling York's QBs. The win moves Queen's to number-5 in the national football ranking.

Last night a group of eight of us strolled around Kingston's downtown core to take in the first "Art After Dark" gallery tour. From what we saw it was a resounding success, with attendance quite healthy at many of the sites we visited. Luckily, the weather was perfect so it helped to make the night pleasurable. Kingston's gallery scene has literally exploded within the last three years. There is the potential for the city to become a desirable cultural destination for travellers in a 3-hour radius. We made a shortlist of the available sites and took in the gorgeous creations at Kingston Glass Studio , then we saw a video installation at Modern Fuel Gallery , new work at the Sandra Whitton Gallery , huge b/w photographic prints at the Robert Macklin Gallery , some lovely sculpture at Studio 22 , and then we finished with what I believe is the best-in-show, the Sydenham Street Studios . I should also mention that part of the reason for taking in the gallery tour is tha...

[click on image to enlarge]

The Queen's Gaels posted another win this past weekend, downing the University of Ottawa Gee Gees 20-8. Key to the win was the Gaels' mighty defense, bringing back memories of what was called the Queen's "Golden Wall" back during my undergrad years. The win moves Queen's up a spot to number-6 in the national top-10 football ranking.

I recently signed up for Savvy Company's wine-of-the-month club, and received today my first selection of wines from Lailey Vineyard of Niagara-on-the-Lake. In the so-called "Savvy Selection" this month is a 2008 Riesling, a 2007 Cabernet-Merlot, and a 2007 Pinot Noir. The selection also comes with the Savvy e-zine, which includes a profile of the winery, tasting notes, and even recipes. Ottawa-based Savvy Company is a group of down-to-earth sommeliers whose focus is on wine tastings, wine events, and wine tours. Since they launched the monthly "Savvy Selections" in 2004 they have featured nearly 50 Canadian wineries for their subscribers. I look forward to uncorking these bottles and matching them with some great food pairings.

U2 must surely find themselves in an odd situation when they tour. On the one hand you have a dedicated core group of fans whose love for the band is based on the fact that U2 refuse to stand still, reinvent themselves, and push their musical boundaries. On the other hand you have a wide-ranging audience, who are simply familiar with U2's enviable catalogue of pop/rock hits and who want nothing less than a greatest hits show. So, despite being in the game for 30 years it was to U2's great credit last night that their 360 experience opened last night with four songs off their latest album. I am not aware of any of the remaining touring supergroups (Rolling Stones, The Who, Fleetwood Mac, etc.) that would dare attempt to open a 60,000-person show with songs that, quite frankly, only the hardcore fans were familiar with. It was a gamble and, for the most part, it paid off. I happen to be very fond of the new album and it was a joy to hear the band transmit their sound in the way i...

Well, just about to head onto the 401 to catch my beloved U2 at the Rogers Centre (formerly the much better-named SkyDome) in Toronto. You can see the stunning scale of U2's set in the attached aerial photo. So that's where I will be in a few short hours, screaming, singing, and--no doubt--crying.

August 18, 1952 - September 14, 2009

Before Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Beyonce Knowles, Rihanna Fenty, Leona Lewis, Alicia Keys and a host of other divas and diva-wannabes there was Whitney Houston. Her eponymous debut album was released in 1985, stayed number-1 for 14 weeks and went on to sell 25 million copies. I was a holder of one of those copies and I fell instantly in love with her amazing vocal ability and her range (and I am pretty sure her stunning beauty too). She went supernova in 1992 with the soundtrack to the movie "The Bodyguard" which sold 42 million copies worldwide and made a global hit of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You". So, I have been a huge fan of Whitney's since laying on my bed in my parent's house listening to that album for the first time, and it saddened me so much to watch her decline into drug abuse and marital strife. So it was with great joy that I learned that this week Whitney released her first album in 7 years. Welcome back...