05.09.08
Posted in Politics, Music
at 5:25 pm
The other night I listened to Jimi Hendrix jamming on The Star Spangled Banner during his performance at Woodstock in 1969. It had been quite a few years since I’ve listened to that performance, and back when I did listen to it last I would have probably called it a period piece, but today I’m not so sure.
When I listen to this music again, I hear the tune of the anthem phasing in and out of recognizability, almost like it is trying to rip itself apart. I hear screams of pain, wails of anger, and the energy of defiance. In 1969, one could listen to this and think of Vietnam, the Democratic National convention in Chicago, the anti-war protests, as a nation variously to redefine itself, or hold on to cherished old definitions, depending on who you spoke to. In short, Jimi’s interpretation of the anthem was a mirror of the soul of a troubled nation. It is also fitting, in an ironic way, that he played on the last morning of Woodstock, when a large portion of the audience had already left. The party was over, and the murder and violence at Altemont later that year merely confirmed this fact.
In the 1970′ - 90’s the U.S. seemed to settle to some degree (athough to some degree this was illusory), and the energy and symbolism of Jimi’s performance seemed disconnected.
Cut to the present day. To me (as a Canadian looking with horror at what the U.S. seems to be becoming, and with concern for the many friends and co-workers I know there), that guitar solo once again seems very symbolic of what is happening today: the religious right, George Bush and the neo-cons, along with their friends and allies are tearing apart what that country is supposed to stand for. In my minds eye, I see the pictures of prisoner abuse; I think of the straightfaced denials of torture, despite the waterboarding scandal, the tragedy that was the response to Katrina; the list goes on and on.
And the anger, confusion and disfunction are a strong as ever, in the music, and in real life.
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04.28.08
Posted in Technology, Podcasting
at 6:20 pm
While I produce two podcasts, have a blog, am on twitter, Facebook etc., I cannot accept the Orthodoxy of Social Media in full; in particular, every time I hear the phrase “Personal Branding” I grit my teeth.
To me, the phrase smacks of artifice and insincerity, as if one’s personal brand is a virtual mask to be donned, a persona to be foisted on unsuspecting members of the social cloud the Internet is becoming. I don’t care about my brand, if I am forced to put it in these terms. I’m more concerned with being genuine, and honest with myself, and I am not going to second-guess every step I take online, worrying if it is consistent with my brand.
I see branding as the creation of a burn scar via the application of hot metal. No thanks.
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04.19.08
Posted in Podcasting
at 11:38 am
I have just posted Episode 15 of On The Log. This week’s episode show is called The Collective Shopper, and features an interview with Eden Spodek of bargainsta.ca.
Tags: OnTheLog, Podcast, EdenSpodek, Shopping
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04.17.08
Posted in Irony Meter, Environment, Toronto
at 3:51 pm
I took the photo below around midday today on the subway in Toronto. What appears to be a large pile of dirt in the photo is actually the remnants of snow dumped by the road clearing crew this winter.
remember the days of my youth when snow was white …
I
Tags: Snow, Toronto
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04.14.08
Posted in Podcasting, Politics, Canada
at 5:48 pm
I missed my subway stop on the way home today. Not because I had fallen asleep, but because I was listening, spellbound, to the latest episode of CBC’s Ideas podcast: Canada, Nation or Notion. In this episode, two expatriate Canadians, Adam Gopnik and Malcolm Gladwell, both writers for The New Yorker. In this debate, they tackle a thorny issue — just what is Canada?
It’s always difficult for me to define the essence of Canada, although I firmly believe that it exists. One of the speakers (I won’t say which one - you can guess) in this debate finally crystalized it for me. If you are a Canadian, I urge you to listen!
Two other things struck me - the first was how clearly and well-spoken the two speakers were; these are people who think for a living. Secondly, the tone of the debate was civil and cordial; the speakers proved that one can debate ideas without it turning into an ad hominem slugfest, which is so prevelant in public discourse today.
Finally, a note of despair on my part — why can’t people like this run for public office in Canada? Politics has become the refuge of hacks and second-rate opportunists; politics is an anus, and the results are inevitable.
We have never faced a time when we need stronger, more visionary leaders; if either Adam or Malcolm ran for office, they would have my vote, automatically.
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04.13.08
Posted in Toronto, Canada
at 6:32 pm
On Sundays, my family and I tend to have McDonald’s for lunch, and we tend to go through the drive-through. We ordered food for 4 people, but when we got home, we found nineteen ketchup packets had been included. That’s almost a soup course. It certainly is a waste.
When my wife was a teenager, she had a part-time job at a McDonland’s. She was once criticized for handing out two packets of ketchup instead of one; how times have changed.
It seems that the era of plenty (for us lucky ones) breeds contempt for food resources. Given recent food riots, and the rapidly increasing price of food, we may have to change our thinking sooner rather than later.
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3e8
04.12.08
Posted in Podcasting, Music
at 4:34 pm
Episode 14 of On the Log has been posted.
In this episode, the topic is astronomy today vs. six to eight hundred years ago. My guest is Randall Rosenfield, medieval scholar, amateur astronomer and member of the Sine Nomine Ensemble for Medieval Music, who will be presenting their astronomy-themed concert
Heaven Sounding on Earth: Music of the Spheres, on Friday, April 25th, at St. Thomas’s Church, 383 Huron St., Toronto
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04.03.08
Posted in Uncategorized, Irony Meter, Humour
at 1:25 pm
Here is some funny graffiti on a mailbox in my neighborhood in east-central Toronto:
It’s a bit faint, but underneath “Question everything” someone else wrote “why?” It points out a fundamental contradiction in the original comment; to question everything, we also need to question the need to question everything ….
Well I thought it was funny 
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3e8
03.30.08
Posted in Environment
at 12:36 pm
Earth Hour the event is over, and now the most important part begins: what do we do now? If we just go back to business as usual, then we have missed the point entirely. Lowering our electricity usage slightly for an hour has symbolic value only, and the symbolism is meaningless is we just hop back into the SUV, and go back to cranking up the A/C and the house lights. We need to change our lifestyle and make some painful choices to really make a difference.
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3e8
Posted in Environment
at 8:36 am
Earth Hour the event is over, and now the most important part begins: what do we do now? If we just go back to business as usual, then we have missed the point entirely. Lowering our electricity usage slightly for an hour has symbolic value only, and the symbolism is meaningless is we just hop back into the SUV, and go back to cranking up the A/C and the house lights. We need to change our lifestyle and make some painful choices to really make a difference.
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