I always love the first snowfall – I get a bit giggly and giddy like I used to when my mom would let me miss school on account of a “snow day.” That was back in BC where the white cold stuff was a bit of an anomoly. But on this chilly October night in Ottawa, it’s not that surprising. Still, I couldn’t resist taking a crummy photo with this phone I’m presently blogging with…22 centimeters of snow after 3 hours on a Greyhound, 3 hours of a graduate seminar,…read more
Just a quick shout out to all of you who apparently are kind of regularly reading this here blog and also to the handful of you who have sent me kind words. It’s nice to know that when you are speaking to the vast and indiscernable void that is cyberspace, that there are actually some real humans at the other end listening and even communicating back. Thanks! Some updates: I’ve finished my textbook chapter with Ira Wagman for the next edition of the undergraduate communication studies textbook Mediascapes. Our chapter…read more
The image above is taken from the CBC – it’s a map showing Canada’s electoral colours. Under a system of proportional representation, this map would look A LOT different. The Harperites would have less, the NDP more, and Greens would even have a handful of seats. Imagine that! I’ve decided recently to get more involved in electoral reform in Canada in whatever capacity I can. I’m going to start by supporting Fair Vote Canada here and there, beginning with posting this press release received yesterday afternoon: Election analysis determines that,…read more
I just received this from PAJU (Palestinian and Jewish Unity) this morning: Israel must rid itself of Zionist terrorists. On the night of September 24, Israeli professor Zeev Sternhell was wounded by a bomb put at his doorstep. Who is Zeev Sternhell? He is an Israeli historian who has expressed empathy for the Palestinian struggle. That’s why he was attacked. Who is Zeev Sternhell? He is a holocaust survivor who fought in three of Israel’s wars. He thinks that the Israeli occupation of the West Bank is a cancer that…read more
Canada, A country of immigrants, Founded on genocide, Maintained with white privilege and collective denial, Imagined as “our home and native land,” Visualized as one, Fragmented as many, And managed by violence and repression. That’s what I think when I watch the video below of First Nations blockading a road in Northern Quebec (Algonquin). The police march into them as if they have no entitlement, as if this land belongs to the police and the state that signs their cheques. That’s not my Canada. My Canada would also be a…read more
Recently the Globe and Mail published an angry rant by one of Canada’s finest artists: the very talented and globally celebrated writer Margaret Atwood. Why is she angry? Because Stephen Harper apparently hates the arts and the artists who make the stuff that us “ordinary Canadians” celebrate, interact with and consume every day of our lives, regardless of where we are or who we are. Harper is certainly missing out on a global trend: “new economists” are pointing to a burgeoning new economy called “the knowledge economy” or the “culture…read more
I was with my little brother Tyrell las week in downtown Montreal, and low-and-behold, in front of the huge shopping mall on St Catharines Street, we saw street stencil art that was clearly done by the infamous Roadsworth. This semester we are showing a film about Roadsworth at Cinema Politica, produced by my friend Sergeo Kirby. The new street art was part of a city project, which surprised me to hear, considering how political it was. There were stencils of fish and text that said “Overfishing, Overshopping” and the ones…read more
As Harper takes the lead in the polls and everyone in the creative sector braces for an ultra-Conservative chill to ooze over this country, some people have been busy making excellent missives against Harper and his gang of culture reformists. The video below is the most recent. Enjoy.
Patrick Lejetnyi interviewed us a while back and the fruits of his labour are published in this week’s Montreal Mirror. Rachel Granofsky also took a great photo of us (to the left) where we look some dorky art couple (OK I look dorky), but nevertheless, it’s a great photo. All this promo is to help kick off our 5th anniversary and 10th edition of Cinema Politica Concordia. Let’s hope it pays off! Check out the article: Celluloid Politics: Cinema Politica celebrates five years of free, weekly and controversial screenings. And…read more
A friend of mine, Rajesh Thind, is a UK-based documentary filmmaker who is making a documentary about the socio-political challenges faced by rural people in India. Below is an excerpt from his description of “Twelve Acres,” after you read it, please consider helping him out by donating a few bucks through the Chip In widget above. Thanks all. Twelve Acres — that’s the amount of Punjabi farmland that I will inherit from my 70 year old father when he dies. The film will document my attempt to figure out what…read more