But I'm back now, and here to stay!
Here's me and my habibi at the wedding of hermano Joe and Michelle
And, here's some stuff that got me thinking lately:
The Inevitable Facebook Backlash
I enjoy Facebook... in moderation... but I must admit that there are some really good points raised in this article
"The whole thing is just a narcissistic exercise in self-branding and image management"
well, that suits me just fine, because I tend to associate with narcissistic, image-managing self-branders! --Heck me and some friends are going down to the ranch next weekend to brand ourselves. Hope Zeke doesn't forget the rubbing alcohol and cold compresses.
Seriously, though... some of the applications are pretty ridiculous. I'm pretty sure I don't want to get involved in any Hobo Wars, nor am I addicted to Grey's Anatomy or interested in vibrating hamsters of any kind! ... But to each his own.
And that's the great thing about Facebook: Customization! Your page can be as streamlined or as cluttered as you want it to be.
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The gun is the great equalizer
Think about it. It is the use of a gun that "allegedly" allowed this grotesque troll, an obese career criminal who was barely five feet tall, to get the better of an alpha-male like Constable Chris Worden, who had been a standout college athlete at Laurier. Woorden would have likely snapped the little prick in half, had the alleged killer been unarmed, or had he been given a fair chance. We don't have all the details yet, but I would not be surprised to hear that the Mountie never even saw it coming.
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Sopranos Finale
David Chase Responds! His message? Get over it, freaks.
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Because it is worth reading
Orson Scott Card's essay on
the end of Empire. A real treat if you are a fan of history, and you actually believe that we can learn something from the past, like I do.
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We may not know who we are
But we recoil instinctively, I think, from what we know we are not, and never want to be.
Reading this article, I thought aboutsomeone telling me a story about being obliged to talk to a woman's husband to find out "where it hurts", because she was forbidden from speaking to a man outside her family.
There is something repugnant about that, is there not? Doesn't something inside you tense up? Some little voice tell you "That just ain't right"? But this is Canada! Live and let live! We embrace what makes us different, don't we? And so we are conflicted... and in some places, xenophobia is rearing its ugly head.
Contrary to what some say, it is NOT racist to discuss reasonable accomodation, but it is reprehensible to pander to some bigots and give them a forum for airing their hysteria over “outsiders" in order to score political points.
In Quebec, we discover that the Province’s infrastructure is crumbling and that the transport department is characterized by "widespread negligence" and "generalized irresponsibility", but I guess the politicos are too busy with other issues to do anything about it!
We only have ourselves to blame for any current difficulties, because it turns out that Canadians do stand for something after all... we have just forgotten to advertize it clearly. We need to talk more about the responsibilities and not just the rights inherent in Citizenship. Because being a Canadian should mean certain things, notwithstanding how we have been bumbling along. That honest and blunt conversation, rather than more soapboxes for fearmongers and bigots, is what is needed.
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The Egghead War
Vic Hanson went to Iraq. He was struck by the number of PhDs and Masters among the soldiery currently serving there.
I sometimes laugh at how some people paint soldiers as "children" who were probably bamboozled into joining up.
If Hanson is to be believed, the condescending depictions modern soldiers as simpleminded, illiterate gung-ho yokels, seem to be well removed from the truth of the matter.
The high level of education among the military contrasts quite nicely, I think, with the meagre academic achievements of the Hollywood-based punditry; self-proclaimed experts on everything. I'm thinking of borderline retards like Janeane Garofalo, who dropped out of college, or Sean Penn, who didn’t even go.
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