Yes! Ha Ha Ha! Take that Big Tobacco!

In a major blow to big tobacco, the Supreme Court of Canada has unanimously upheld British Columbia's legal right to sue cigarette companies for an estimated $10 billion in smoking-related health-care costs.

Well, it's about freakin' time, Canada. Smoking is an unnecessary evil. It is bad for your health. It makes you stink. It makes the outside stink. Smokers litter the streets with cigarette-related debris. They blow smoke into my face as I walk down the street. They smoke in line for the bus so that I too must stink to high heaven. They ruin clubs and bars my filling them with a putrid stench and a thick, carcinogenic air. All the while the tobacco companies were raking it in. Filling their pockets off of people's ignorance, discomfort and sickness.

Now, you pay.

If the Canadian government wants to build some goodwill from its people, all of the proceeds will go towards improving the health care system. I will say again that we have a great health care system, but we must never stop innovating and improving it.

Health care is a provincial jurisdiction, so each province will have to file their own suits against the tobacco companies, but please let Quebec follow closely on the heels of BC. The health care system, the clean air and the outside streets are collective goods. I said COLLECTIVE GOODS, which means that we all get to use them. Smoking is a habit that makes only the smoker feel good. When you share something, you do not treat it as your own. This means that no, you do not throw your trash all over the place. Clean up after yourselves. No, you do not place a larger burden on a COLLECTIVE health care system with a completely unnecessary habit that causes serious disease - heart disease, emphysema, cancer and more. The health care system is for unfortunate, unavoidable issues. We KNOW that smoking comes with terrible consequences. I love it when smokers argue that smoking should be allowed in clubs and bars because smoking and dancing/drinking/socializing automatically go together. Yeah, like all non-smokers are puritans who stay home and knit booties. Remember when smokers had the "right" to smoke on airplanes, in hospitals and in the office? Yeah...totally reasonable situation.

Kudos to those of you who smartened up and quit. Smokers, you may feel angry at the loss of what you perceive to be your rights but flip the situation for just a second. Look at it this way - I never had the "right" not to breathe smoke in most public places. Even when I was in the throes of the worst chronic sinusitis known to man and breathing outdoors was like running an obstacle course. All so other people could "feel good" artificially. Quitting may be hard, but it is necessary, right and infinitely unselfish.

Girls of the Ivy League

The Montreal Gazette printed quite the inflammatory article about McGill today.

Playboy magazine has just named Montreal's answer to the Ivy League as one of the Top 10 Party Schools in North America. The only Canadian campus to make the grade, McGill shares chugalug laurels with such institutions of higher learning and advanced cheerleading as Florida State and the University of Georgia.

To celebrate, the 52-year-old men's monthly is putting out feelers, so to speak, for nubile young women willing to bare all for their alma mater in the May 2006 edition. Gives a whole new meaning to striving for 4.0 scores. Then again, people do say they buy Playboy for the articles.

It's bad enough that McGill is still grappling with an ugly hazing scandal. As homecoming weekend dawns, it's being touted as a bastion of good times and hot babes. Never mind the objectification of women - somebody really should break it to those geeks in the chemistry lab!

By Monday, Playboy photographers will be parked at a downtown hotel, ready to snap Polaroids of "coed cuties" stripped down to two-piece swimsuits. By Wednesday, Playboy will narrow the field for a nudie feature of the McGill student or students with that certain je ne sais quoi - and a desire to share it all with the world.

Eh, so what? They did the Girls of the Ivy League while I was at Yale. They parked at a hotel that was essentially on campus and took topless polaroids of hundreds of girls. As far as I know, it hasn't hurt Yale's rep. Playboy never picks anybody interesting anyway. The girls are made to look inanimate and that's not very sexually interesting.

Now, it seems that McGill has been picked for Playboy as a party school, essentially owing to the 18+ drinking age law. That's hot stuff for you Americans who can't hit the bottle until the ripe old age of 21. If anything should be embarassing to McGill, it should be that they aren't being included in the Girls of the Ivy League issue. McGill, as some of you will know, has a massive inferiority complex. In their quest for Ivy League status, McGill makes it a point to totally ignore undergraduate and graduate teaching alike so that its profs can focus completely on research projects that may or may not add anything to that elusive Enlightenment-born, Hegelian march towards the ultimate scientific truth. No random research, no tenure.

Women whose pictures are used will be compensated "enough to pay for a really nice spring break or help with tuition."

Models won't have to show more flesh than they are comfortable with, she said, but it is Playboy, and the bathing suits will eventually come off. "We are looking at some sort of nudity."

Yeah, if memory serves me correctly, Yale's proud contributions to Playboy paid for tuition/spring break with a whopping US$500, which is a massive CDN$580.70 according to one popular Currency Converter. I'm not against nudity. Accept the five hundred bucks for an artsy gig, or even Arena or Maxim. If you're going to show all for a skin mag, make sure you get paid some serious money.

DEATH BY HAR GOW

Coming soon to an mp3 player near you. Stay tuned.

I attract moody people

Moody people are interesting. I can be moody, but I'm generally upbeat about things. However, I try not to place the blame for my moodiness on other people. If I feel moody, I try to keep to myself so that no one feels uncomfortable.

Lately, I have dealt with a couple of people expressing their moodiness in a passive-aggressive manner. When they contact you, they act weird while trying to project that "Problem? There's no problem," vibe. When you decide to go about your own business, they are suddenly very interested in what you're doing and they're oh so sad that we haven't had time to talk. They make slight attempts to indicate that you've been excluded, then wait for a reaction. Really, what they want is a rise out of you so that their general moodiness can be justified. 'Cause they weren't being moody before, right? You made them moody with your reaction, and mine is usually: 'kay, I've gotta go do XYZ now, we'll talk at another time.

We musn't confuse the moody people with people who are busy or going through a hard time. I am often the busy type. Right now, I have a comfortable environment in which to nurture my academic and personal creativity. But, in the past I've been the kind of gal who had to run around with her head cut off. So much so that now I feel lazy and I've got to add things to my plate in order to feel productive. When I've been busy, I have apologized profusely to my friends since they basically get ignored and then when I meet up with them I'm half-asleep or mentally writing the next paragraph in my paper. Thus, to them I appear not to be listening or participating in our current shared activity. Now, I'm all ears. I'm a bundle of advice and companionship to all! So, I'm sympathetic to busy people. Same goes for those who are in a tough place mentally, financially or otherwise. They never imply that you, as a part of the world, have anything to do with their difficulties. They appreciate that you listen to them and try their best to work their way through the situation. As a friend, you offer them some support and deal with them patiently. They do the same from you when your world come crashing down.

This isn't the case with moody people though. Moody people are often mistaken for jealous people because it seems that some aspect of your life is bothering them to no end. Usually, they (falsely) perceive you to be living the life that they should be living. The implication is that you're lucky to have your life, yet undeserving of it. The thing is, they don't know the hardships you face because, since they're so busy being moody, you hesitate to through anything of yourself out there for fear that it becomes further fodder for their moodiness. You find yourself walking on eggshells not quite knowing when said moody person will blow. You dread being there when it happens. You're not the reason behind their moodiness, but when they're ready to burst, any old target will do.

It's sad though. You only end up with moody friends because at the heart of things you love them for one reason or another. Maybe you've seen a side of them that you hope against all hope will resurface soon, maybe you've known them so long they feel like family, maybe you're just trying your best to be understanding without understanding anything at all. Whatever the reasons for it, you end up coddling and accommodating this moody friend without any real idea of what to do about it.

So, what to do...what to do? Let it blow up? Ignore it and remain distant until you see a change? I think I'm going to ask about it. We'll see how that goes.

Money, Shoes, My Fantasy Life

Warning, shallow post below.

Everyone should congratulate me on this one. Tonight, I found the most beautiful pair of shoes but did not buy them. They were sixty dollars. The brand of shoes shall remain unmentioned, but know that the brand was designer and the shoes looked unique. The were a delicate dusty rose, faux-serpent with antique jewelled detail above the open toe. The heels were at least 2 1/2 inches, if not more. This pair of shoes directly played into my fantasy life. I have beautiful dresses and fantastic pairs of jeans that would have gone wonderfully with those shoes. Except...I try not to traipse around town in jewelled heels. Okay, wait, let me rephrase that. I would definitely traipse around town in jewelled heels. After all, I am the woman who wore a silver sequinned bustier and grey peplum blazer with jeans to see Metallica in 1991. What I mean to say is that I walk a lot. One who walks around as much as I do shouldn't walk around in heels. It's bad for your foot health. Also, I supposed it would be better not to show up to teach conference in jewelled heels while adovcating social justice and restraints on consumerism. Hmmm. Yep, even for me. Not the right thing to do.

Also, I have nothing special planned. Not that I need a special occasion, but given the above justifications...unless...someone wants to invite me to do something special. Then, of course, I'd need to look nice for you. So...whaddya say?

The Poetry Vault

I posted a little poetry a while back. I think I'm going to post some more stuff from the vault just to remind myself that I should write more poetry. Sometimes it won't be poetry, sometimes it will be prose.

So, this one is almost ten years old. It's really fun for me to revisit these. What a psychological experiment. I'm in a different state of mind now. I think now I perceive that I have much more control over what is going on - it's a consequence of getting older.

But I still see
And I feel wet
Wetter
Wetter
Drowning
And it fills me
Coursing into me
It rushes into me
Poison
Not yet
Soon
Poison
Stop pulling
Stay away
Push
Push
But it hurts
For now
For ever?
Nothing
Never
It feeds me too
It feeds me too!
I see it now!
It feeds me too!
And I lose.

Chang!

Okay, I made a little progress on my MA proposal so I'm taking a break to post about...Jeb Bush's mystical power of Chang.

From thinkprogress.org via DailyKos:

Chang is a mystical warrior. Chang is somebody who believes in conservative principles, believes in entrepreneurial capitalism, believes in moral values that underpin a free society.

I rely on Chang with great regularity in my public life. He has been by my side and sometimes I let him down. But Chang, this mystical warrior, has never let me down.

So...I don't know what to think about this. I'm not against people having mystical warriors or other protectors on their side. I think that's nice. However, I'm not sure that a mystical warrior would believe in conservative principles...do you? Don't mystical warriors and other sources of immense intangible power tend to enforce principles like honour, truth, justice, strength and other such values? Conservative principles are not very egalitarian. When people talk about mystical warriors, usually non-egalitarian principles like selfishness and avarice are looked down upon. So...I think Jeb Bush is a slightly deluded, not because he believes in a mystical force but because he believes that his mystical force will help him deny people their rights and reduce equality.

On a side note, traditionally conservatives support laissez-faire principles in economics and public life. Laissez-faire means you let the chips fall where they may. It really applies to the market, meaning if we don't interfere in the market, things will balance out. If there is a lot of a product, at first the price will be cheap, but eventually it will rise to its market price thus stemming the demand. Fewer people will want to buy it at a higher price and eventually producers will produce the right amount at that "market price" to satisfy demand. In public life it tends to mean that you mind your own business. You reduce state interference in private life. So, you wouldn't really care about what people are doing in their own private bedrooms, for example. As we all know, conservatives are extremely concerned with private life. They legislate against things like gay marriage, abortion, stem cell research, etc. However you feel about these things, legislating against them conflicts with the idea that you reduce the size of the state, which is a fundamental conservative principle. So, modern conservatives, especially those they call neo-conservatives, are not really following conservative principles. You know what they are following? Fascist principles. Totalitarian principles. Totalitarians try to control every aspect of life, public and private. So, when they call someone a neo-con, what they really mean is someone who supports BUSINESS doing what it wants but for you, the citizens to whom the government is bound, in your private life you should do what THEY want. Just thought I'd let you know.

Let's Go to the Movies!

I'm planning on seeing a few movies. Take note that when I say I am planning to see movies, rarely do I go and see them. So, I should probably say that I'm planning to see these movies on video...eventually.

No, really, I'm going to try and catch these films. One of them I will DEFINITELY see on opening night. By myself. I'll save that one for last.

L'Horloge Biologique
Apparently, you find out a lot about what guys secretly think. I'm scared that it won't be any different from how I think. Supposedly, this film is good. It's about a group of thirty-somethings who are haunted by the ticking of their biological clocks. Essentially, the men are confronted with the end of "single life" and the beginning of "family life." It's gotten a lot of buzz here in Quebec. I'd like to see it on the big screen, so I'll try hard to make a showing.

2046
I've already seen this film. The only problem is I watched it in Chinese with Japanese subtitles because I was desperate to see it. I speak very, very little Chinese and no Japanese. As a result, I can't really tell you what happens with any confidence. My logic behind watching it in two languages that I don't really speak is this: many Chinese and Japanese people watch films in English and seem to enjoy them. Granted, they tend to do this with Eddie Murphy flicks and not Wong Kar-Wai's magnum opus, but hey, I got the gist of it. It picks up on the story started in In the Mood for Love. It's not really a sequel, it's more a continuation of characters. Tony Leung is writing in the hotel where we last saw him. I think he is in room 2047. Across the hall is room 2046 and a lot goes on there. Sometimes, a train comes by and takes people to the year 2046. The train conductor is the hotel owner. Tony Leung falls in love with several women. Look, I know this isn't making sense, but I told you I DON'T SPEAK CHINESE. I think it is in three languages: Mandarin, Cantonese and Japanese. Again, I speak none of these languages beyond "hello," yes," "excuse me" and "can I see that in a size 10." Also, don't ask me where I got a Japanese copy of the movie. That's between me and Wong Kar-Wai.

Rent
Hee hee. I'm acting all stupid about this one. This is the one that I will definitely see. I LOVE RENT. I LOVE IT. I'm one of those people who LOVES the stage show. I remember hearing about the show while I was in my last year of university. It did very well on Broadway. Eventually, I moved to London and I managed to see it for the first time in the West End during the previews. Oh my God. I think the guy behind me summed it up perfectly: "Dude, I was a mess the whole second act." The dancing. The music. The doom and gloom. The joy and triumph. The rock and roll attitude. It's so me. I immediately bought three more tickets since my mum and sister were coming to visit me three weeks later. You know when you love something so much that you build it up and then when other people see it they think you overexaggerated just a tad? Yeah, I was scared because at the end of the show my sister turned to me with the strangest look on her face. "Oh no," I thought, "She hated it." All of a sudden she whispers, "That was amazing." So yeah, my sister loves it too. We saw it again two days later while my mum went to Salisbury and Bath. We've each seen it five times. I've seen in three times in London, once in Montreal and once at the Nederlander. Look. I would have seen it more times, but I don't live in New York, okay? At least I've seen it performed by the bulk of the original cast. Why Jesse L. Martin is wasting his time acting when he has that voice is beyond me. This is one of those situations where I get slightly irritated when other people say they love Rent too. No, no. Nobody understands Rent like I understand Rent. I know, that's wrong of me.

Party Politics

I just resigned from the NDP executive committee of my riding. Party politics in Canada is interesting to say the least. Outwardly, it appears to be very, very boring. Behind the scenes, there is a lot going on.

In general, Canadians question things. For example, in 1993, after the Progressive Conservatives used dirty campaign tactics, Canadians roundly voted them out of office. By that I mean they went from making up the government of Canada to having 2 seats in parliament. Yup, from ruling the country to non-existent. This is the type of thing that Canadians do. The '84-'93 domination of the Conservative Party in Canada was an anomaly anyway. Canadians mostly vote Liberal.

I'm not going to get into how I feel about the Liberals right now. The point is that even the current incarnation of the Conservative Party of Canada, the party furthest to the right in Canada, is a somewhat socialist party. At worst, they try to reduce, rather than eliminate, social services. No party in Canada is really that bad. Unless you believe that parties, in general, exist for the sake of their own power rather than the citizenry of Canada.

I've had enough of parties and party politics. My choice is usually the NDP; I consider them the best of the worst. Earlier this year, I joined the party. I hate joining organizations because I don't feel that any one organization represents how I feel. After joining, I showed up at one meeting and after opening my big, fat mouth and asking a couple of questions, I found myself of the executive committee.

I tried, people. Really, I tried. In the end I realized that just like any other party, the NDP isn't interested in answering our questions - "our" being the citizens of Canada. Like the other parties, they are trying to gauge the way that we feel so that they get elected to office. They believe that Canadians are generally socialist and they may be right about that. But, I have questions about how they plan on implementing their agenda. Unilaterally? Are they open to disagreement or modification? I sought to uncover how they deal with the party membership. I discovered that they respond with silence. I sent many questions to the federal and provincial branches of the NDP. Nothing. Nada. Rien. No response. And I sent them some pretty heavy stuff. I figure if they aren't willing to answer to the party membership, they won't respond to the electorate in a suitable fashion. Just like the Conservatives. And the Liberals. And the Bloc.

Historica Minutes

I just want to take a minute to share something that I really love about Canadian television: Historica Minutes. Sometimes, instead of commercials or typical public service announcements we get these little vignettes that teach us a little bit about Canadian history.

What I appreciate most about these vignettes is that they often tell it like it is, no matter how embarrassing to our historical memory. You see the Europeans lying to Sitting Bull, you see Jacques Plante bravely skate back onto the ice after a face injury wearing the first ever goalie face mask, you see Dr. Wilder Penfield solve the mystery of epilepsy and you see the British exert their racist oppression over the French settlers in Quebec.

My favourites are:

Orphans: where French Quebecers adopt Irish orphans whose parents died on the boat trip to Canada and allow them to maintain their Irish names. I love it, especially when Molly Johnson declares "non, mon mere me l'a dit juste avant de sa mort, we have to pour le mémoire de son patrie" or something equally as garbled and "franglais." It really does explain why you see people today named "Gilles Thompson" and "Pierre-Marc Johnson."

Jacques Plante: where Montreal Canadians goalie Jacques Plante sustains a face injury and defies notorious coach Toe Blake's orders by going back out onto the ice wearing the first ever goalie mask.

Baldwin & Lafontaine: where Louis Hippolyte Lafontaine isn't permitted to run for office in Quebec due to racism against francophones so Robert Baldwin asks him to run in York, Ontario...and he wins!

Jacques Cartier: where explorer Jacques Cartier forges deeper into the unknown country upon which he has landed and comes across an Iroquois village. The chief invites him into the village using the word "kanata," which means "village." Cartier's interpreter thinks he is saying "Canada" meaning the name of the nation. In any case, as you can see, the name stuck. Incidentally, there is still a town in Ontario named "Kanata," so I guess they eventually cleared that one up.

Frankly, the Historica Minute chronicler admits that Cartier may have understood the correct meaning of the word, however, I appreciate that the producers chose to remember the story in the most embarrassing way possible.

It's a Fine Day for a Pow Wow

One of the great things about living in Montreal is that there is a festival almost every day during the summer, rain or shine. And, even though as of September 22nd it is officially Fall, as long as there is no snow and the temperatures remain bearable there will be a festival somewhere in the city.

Today I decided to get a little bit of reading done at a local café, but first I wanted to stop by Zellers to buy rechargeable batteries for my brand new digital camera. I had fully intended to get a good four hours of reading in when I came across a a ruckus in Cabot Square near Atwater metro. Lo and behold, what did I come upon but a POW WOW. Yes, a full-fledged pow wow, sponsored by the Native Friendship Centre of Montreal. What a nice surprise! I've been to a pow wow before since my mother truly believes that she is a full-fledged member of the Mohawk Warrior Society, but it is always nice to come upon one unexpectedly.

I really wanted to get that reading done, but how could I pass up this oppurtunity? The music just...called me. So, I mosied on into the park, whipped out my digital camera and got ready to feel the love.

The thing about First Nations events is that you go through so many emotions as a Canadian. First Nations people suffered a lot at the hands of the European invaders. Growing up in Canada I saw a lot about how First Nations people were pushed off their lands, suffered abuse at the hands of the "religious," how they were robbed of and lost parts of their culture and how they struggled to maintain a sense of space amidst Canada's many historical changes. These pow wows make you cry for two reasons: you're sorry that they had to go through all that they did and you're happy that they still want to share their culture with us.

The fact that the festival was being held in Cabot Square is deeply symbolic. Historical abuse of First Nations peoples has destabilized communities to an extent. Unfortunately, to deal with the rape of their culture, some members of the community turned to substance abuse to help them escape. Walking thorough Cabot Square on an ordinary day you can see several homeless alcoholic First Nations men and women drinking and busking in the park. It's not threatening - there are about 4 of them and you come to know who they are. They are very friendly and they won't harrass you. Sometimes people give them money and sometimes people wave hello, especially if you pass them on a daily basis. During the festival, they continued their busking and drinking across the street, but I could see that they were proud that so many passersby had taken the time to join the celebrations spontaneously.

I arrived in time to see two main events: drum dancing and throat singing. Drum dancing is the typical dance that you think of when you think "pow wow." I believe these were Mohawk, rather than Inuit, dancers. Every pow wow that I have attended has always consisted of colourful costumes and rhythmic stomp dancing. I managed to capture some images of the drum dancing before my batteries ran out.

Throat singing is a kind of rhythmic singing done with two women facing each other. The women emit growling vibrato noises and other sounds from their throats, often creating a rondo style song. According to one of the women doing the singing, this was a strong tradition until a religious ban effectuated by Christian priests who imposed their beliefs and their way of life upon Inuits and other First Nations peoples. Recently, there has been a movement by younger generations to re-establish throat singing. The demonstration was powerful and moving. The women, dressed in traditional clothing, faced each other and treated us to a kind of call and response performance. Afterwards, they invited anyone to come and try it and five people gave it a go: a young Inuit girl, an older Inuit lady (I believe she was from the area of Cape Breton), a middle-aged black woman, a young francophone girl and an elderly anglo lady. It was the first time for the latter three volunteers and they all performed very well.

I had a great time and I still got two hours of reading in. I also got rechargeable batteries, so the next time I come across an interesting event I won't be so limited.

Uh Oh. One Bought Me a Digital Camera

When I say that "one" bought me a digital camera, I mean that I received a gift of a digital camera from somebody who laughed and laughed at how much I've been blogging and then decided to feed my nasty urge by giving me a means with which to reinforce such a narcissistic pursuit.

This means, my dear non-existent readers, prepare to be punished with a photoblog:

Laurelle St. Laurent: A Visual Depiction of Solidaristic Individualism

Really, you don't know me. I have thousands of pictures of myself and my friends from over the years. I will overabuse this gift. I don't drink. I don't smoke. I don't do drugs. I have two vices - music and photographs - and I love them both.

Thanks Mummy, for the early birthday/Christmas present. I won't forget it come December.

Louise Bryant and William Bullitt

I just received my alumni magazine. Typically, I browse the alumni notes and toss it aside. Over the next few weeks I usually move it from surface to surface, pushing it aside to make room for books, CDs, my purse and other implements of day-to-day living. Eventually, I recycle it whole. If I am feeling aggressive in general or hostile towards my memories of Yale in particular, I shred it - not with my hands, I have a machine. Once in a while, I read it. Today is one of those days.

There's an article in there about Louise Bryant. Louise was a journalist and author, living in the 1920s and 1930s and covering the rise of the Bolsheviks, Mussolini's steady usurpation of Italian life and other dramas stemming from when fascism was the height of European style.

Louise married former secretary of state William Bullitt. It was her third marriage. At this point in the article, the author shared the following tidbit about William:

Bullitt had negotiated a peace proposal with Russia that Woodrow Wilson and David Lloyd George ignored; furious, he abandoned politics and resolved to return to writing - in some exotic locale where he could "lie on the sand and watch the world go to hell."

It's funny how a simple paragraph in an article that you almost didn't read can speak to you with such force. It sums up my feelings about politics, the burden of responsibility that I feel, quite inexplicably, on my shoulders and the inadequacy and paralysis that I feel when I think about solving such a holy mess, though it is not my sole responsibility.

I think that all writers feel this way - at least to a certain degree. We all see what is going on before our shocked and blinded eyes. We all struggle to make sense of the obvious threadbaredness with which certain representatives and assorted other visible figures are pursuing their anti-cooperative agendas. Yet, we cannot move. We wish we could run and hide with the full knowledge of what that option would entail - cowardice, a quality that no writer wishes to embody.

I don't know the specifics of the rest of William Bullitt's life, but I now know that Louise Bryant contracted a painful disease and self-medicated with alcohol. She died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1936. Yale University, not Harvard, has her papers, in case you care. That piece of information seemingly was emphasized by the author. Just in case you're looking for them.

Concerts, anyone?

Having briefly perused the listings on Pollstar, I realize that quite a few interesting concerts are coming to Montreal this fall. Among the more exciting ones are:

Nine Inch Nails
Jamiroquai
Bauhaus
KMFDM
Audioslave
GWAR
Engelbert Humperdinck
Judas Priest w/Anthrax
Carl Cox
Wynton Marsalis
Tesla
Petula Clark
Front 242
Jann Arden
U2
Depeche Mode

And there are already some good acts slated for 2006. No, I am not a huge fan of each and every one of these artists, but anyone who knows me knows that I love music. Moreover, anyone who knows me knows that I have been to a million concerts, at least. However, those who continue to know me know that I haven't been to as many concerts in the last 10 years. Given the aforementioned bands of interest, I may be about to break that trend.

It just so happens that my good friend Sabrina Sextina wants to see NIN, so maybe I'll put that on the list. I'm in the mood to see Jamiroquai, and I'm a closet huge fan* so maybe I'll see that too. The band that I absolutely must see is Depeche Mode. I've been a fan for years when alternative music was actually alternative music and I was a fan of it. Now, alternative music is a mindbogglingly mainstream genre and that sickens me. Depeche Mode has come to Montreal a couple of times but for whatever reason I never went. Sorry, I DO know the reason why I never went. The first time it conflicted with a very important Motley Crue/Tesla concert. The second time I wasn't living in Montréal. Now, the time has come to rectify this oversight.

I remember when my friend DM (that's short for Depeche Mode, as in she is a fan of Depeche Mode) and I bought the then new album "Music for the Masses." We bought it in LP and we played it on the old record player in her room. Our favourite songs were "Never Let Me Down Again," "Behind the Wheel" and "Strangelove." If I had to pick a favourite song off that album now, it would be "I Want You Now." Here is a sample of the lyrics:

I want you now
Tomorrow won't do
There's a yearning inside
And it's showing through
Reach out your hands
And accept my love
We've waited for too long
Enough is enough
I want you now

That's from memory people! Those may not be the exact lyrics, but if anyone feels like Googling the lyrics to check, go right ahead. Obviously, I could have Googled them myself, but I don't really want to check. I like the lyrics that I've written above.

Anyway, DM and I giggled and giggled when we realized the overwhelming presence of homoerotic lyrics. Come on! "I'm taking a ride with my best friend / I hope he never lets me down again." We loved it. Oh how I miss those days when I fell head over heels in love with things like that. I've often told my friends that I'd love to feel about someone the way I felt about music back then. It was an exhilarating, sensuous, stimulating feeling. That's what I imagine real man/woman love is like (unless you are gay, then I suppose it is man/man or woman/woman...whatever, you get my drift.)

Speaking of Sabrina Sextina (look up a few paragraphs), we were talking about the advent of moshing not too long ago. I stopped going to concerts around the time that people started moshing. I'm not against moshing per se, but there's a time and a place to mosh. Anthrax show? Mosh. Slayer show? Mosh. Lenny Kravitz? Not very mosh appropriate. I'm not kidding, folks. Back in 1993 I went to see Lenny Kravitz at the Verdun Auditorium and we had to get off the general admission floor because people were moshing like crazy. During "It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over." At least mosh during "Are You Gonna Go My Way," it's still not a mosh appropriate song but it's better than moshing during ballads and other assorted slow jams. Moshing at Lenny Kravitz is just desperate. Don't you get enough moshing?

Let me give you a few moshing guidelines:
King Diamond: No moshing. King Diamond is too symphonic. It's like jazz. You count jazz beats and you get pissed if anyone interrupts you.
Slayer: Like I said, mosh away. Slayer gives you a fast, hard beat. Stomp around and slam into your fellow bodyslammers.
Def Leppard: Please. No moshing. The harmonies are just too pleasant.
Rage Against the Machine/Audioslave: Fist pumping only. Express your intelligent outrage.
Depeche Mode: You can't mosh. Although you are wearing Docs, you could lose your bowler hat and anyway, you don't want your knees to be scraped since you are wearing black shorts with suspenders. (Hee hee, throwback to 86!)
Megadeth: I'll allow moshing here. Although they bear a distinctly symphonic signature, Mustaine's snarl and his lasting anger at being booted from Metallica right before they got rich merits that kind of uncontrolled rage.
Anthrax: I approve. Get caught in a mosh.

*Closet Huge Fan: Being a closet huge fan means that though you barely mention said object of affection in public, you own all the CDs and said object is always featured on your playlist. But, you never mention it.

André Boisclair Used Cocaine. This is Why It Matters.

"Hmmm," she said wistfully. "André. my dear, this puts us into quite a predicament."

André Boisclair is currently partaking in the leadership campaign for the Parti Québécois. André Boisclair is an out, gay man. André Boisclair seems like a smart man. André Boisclair had a great chance of winning the leadership race.

André Boisclair had a youth filled with excesses, including the comsumption of cocaine.

"Hmmm," she said wistfully. "Quite a predicament."

What I'm about to say here may sound judgmental, but I don't really care. There are certain things that are not "choices" and "matters of personal opinion."

But first, let me say that I still want André Boisclair to win this thing. The Parti Québécois is a socially inclusive yet largely divisive party. It's main goal is to succeed in gaining a separate, sovereign Québec. Its social programs and its support of women and women's issues are admirable. Its stance on national unity (federation optional, separation a must), combined with its stance on the contiguity of provincial borders (Québec's borders are non negotiable) is wholly hypocritical. However, I am a strong proponent of the view that if we are going to play party politics, then constituencies that normally don't vote for them must vote for them in blocks. This will force them to pander to those constituences in order to retain votes/majorities and they will have to compromise.

Or, the PQ's voting membership could elect André Boisclair as their leader.

I think André Boisclair could put a different spin on things in the Assemblée Nationale. He just got a Master's degree in Public Administration from Harvard University and he was going to take up a job in consulting in Toronto. I think that alone shows that he sees a future for himself in the rest of Canada and in North America as a whole. His homosexuality will force him to consider the plight of minority groups in Quebec - at least in general. I think André Boisclair will make an excellent leader.

But...

I cannot condone his past or future drug use.

People who use drugs love to make excuses for themselves. Oh, but I was young. Oh, but I only smoke pot. Oh, but I got over it and aren't I a hero now? No. No, you're not. Not for me. There are thousands, nay, millions of people who do not get hooked on drugs. They don't use excuses. They don't need any help feeling good. I agree that life is hard, and I've had some hard times. During these times I felt that I would die from the pain, sadness and loneliness of it all. Just thinking about it can affect me adversely. Despite that turbulent time in my life, I'm alive. I'm extremely happy. Now, I feel extremely loved, supported and lucky. I remained drug free the whole time. Drugs lead to negative consequences. Drug use shows an inability to handle what life hands you. Not using drugs isn't just a case of: "oh, it doesn't do anything for me," it's a case of: "I don't need to use them, I am strong and I value my health." I could go into an extended examination of the social consequences of drug use and their ensuing effect on larger groups - family, society and the like - but, I won't do that.

This is about André Boisclair. It was not a youthful indiscretion as he first had tried to imply. He was an MNA and, later, a cabinet minister. This is the man to whom we entrusted our collective affairs. He abused that trust and did not do his best to pursue our interests in a clear-headed manner.

"Why," she asked him, head hung low, questions lingering. "Why should I vote for you again? Why should you represent me, a non drug user who disapproves of the sovereignist agenda? Is the combined force of our otherwise common interests enough to unite us?"

Le Devoir, a paper here in Quebec, asks some of these very questions:
Maintenant, André Boisclair, ancien ministre péquiste et candidat à la chefferie du Parti québécois, déclare qu'il a pris quelques lignes de cocaïne quand il était ministre. Cela le rend-il inapte à être un bon chef politique ? Cela l'humanise-t-il ?

To these questions the bewildered journalist seems to have no answer. His article ends abruptly, with no customary wrap-up, unable to give the public the pretense of a conclusion.

To answer the journalist's last question, does it humanize him, I would have to say, no. Undoubtedly, to be human is to make mistakes. But, as humans, not all mistakes are acceptable. Within this context, I don't know that his mistake was acceptable, especially given his reactions to the line of questioning. When pressed about this cocaine use, the cracks bleed through his skin and the tears rise to the surface. Why?

The answer to this question will determine whether or not I am willing to support André Boisclair in his political career.

Is he cracking because he is ashamed? Does he see now the gravity of what he did, the capriciousness with which he undertook his public service? Does he wish it had never happened? Or, is this a temper tantrum? Is he simply burning at the audacity of the reporters, and the public, who have chosen to investigate what he must consider his private business?

I am one of those people who doesn't fault a leader for getting upset, crying, speaking her mind or saying the truth despite certain adverse consequences. That, my friends, is what characterizes humanity. I don't think André Boisclair's displays of emotion make him weak, but I want to know the motivation behind them. Would he do this again? Does he think this is no big deal? Does he understand why people like me want to know?

I need to hear his explanation. He needs to understand what exactly public accountability in a public career is all about before he can be elected leader. He has a blog, but he hasn't commented about this yet. When I hear his explanation, I will make my decision.

A new baby!

The grad lounge! It's a go!

Yay! No fuming into lattes! No destruction of the academic elite. The chair of the department is going to help us out of the stone age! McGill PoliSci grads, there is hope on the horizon!

A good man the chair he is. Nay, a great man!

Blogging tastes yummy! Our grad lounge doesn't...

I think I've fallen in love with blogging. I wonder how long this will last? I don't even think that anybody is reading this, but I don't care! There's just something about having your words out there in an unidentified spaces that helps clear your head so that you can focus on your day.

So...what am I doing today, you say? I'm having a meeting with the director of my department at school. A fellow student and I, we'll call him Von Flirterschmidt, noticed that our dear old future alma mater is the most disorganized institution on the face of this planet. Really. It is. I'll post about that later when I'm looking to procrastinate my reading. So, last week we had an animated and quite satisfying discussion about said horrendous disorganization. We concluded that we'd be the perfect team to reorganize it - piece by piece.

The first piece: our grad lounge! Yes, we are going to whip that meeting space into tip top shape! Right now, we have one very old printer attached to what is probably an old 386. We light a candle most nights to finish up our papers. It's hard to see what with Wordperfect's white on blue interface and all. You'd think they'd upgrade to 5.1. At least we got rid of Wordstar. Kidding! It's not a 386, it's a Pentium II. That's from 1997-1999 folks. So much better. And the other computers are not even hooked up to the network because apparently our printer will not accomodate that. Yay dot matrix!

Our new lounge will be a state of the art quantitative stats lab and cool, hip politically aware, equitably producted lounge. At least, that's where the idea stands at the moment. The meeting is at one-thirty, so by two o'clock we should be fuming into our lattes and hatching a new plan to collapse the academic power base that is the professorial elite. At least Von Flirterschmidt is easy on the eyes. That should alleviate my ire. Somewhat.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Why I Love the Movie...Flashdance

I know, I know. I'm the only one who bought Flashdance on DVD. I own eight DVDs and so Flashdance consists of one eighth of my collection.

Flashdance is the story of a welder/exotic dancer who dreams of becoming a ballet dancer. Now, before I go on, my mother has a history of letting me watch movies about strippers or otherwise sexualized women at a very young age. This movie came out in 1983 and I pretty much saw it right away, which means that I was 9 or 10 years old at the time. I later saw this movie on Beta. Yep, Doctor Detroit. I'll save that one for another time. The point is I seem to have developed the view that strong women dress like strippers (but this isn't about my teen years).

This movie fulfills my ultimate dream where, though unqualified, I make it as a dancer. I remember seeing this movie and thinking that Jennifer Beals was such a sexy lady. There's a scene where she meets Michael Nouri for a lobster dinner wearing only a lobster bib (or so it seems). It's either that or the bib of a tuxedo. Michael Nouri can't stop looking at her and she teases him by playing with pieces of lobster flesh, slowly drawing the meat between her lips. I think Micheal Nouri's ex-wife bursts in and upsets Jennifer Beals or something, because she storms off. But he follows her and even though she wants to be with him, she resists. So vulnerable, so strong. Please note that I have a history of remembering movies in my own way, so this scene may not have unfolded in this exact manner. Yes, I have the DVD, but I only re-watched it once and I "saw" the story that I wanted to remember.

The movie's most famous scene is the one in which Jennifer works out to "Maniac" by Michael Sembello. It's clear she's trying to get her frustrations out, furiously slamming the pads of her feet into the floor and losing herself in the music and workout. I love this scene because it represents one of the ways in which I love to work out. I like to lose myself in whatever CD I've conjured up in my computer. I almost feel like I'm dancing on that elliptical machine, but I really work out to relieve myself of stress. I feel as she feels. But this is now and Flashdance was definitely then. Back then I would go into the basement with my mum and we would play music so that she could practice her jazz dance moves: "corner to corner and leap." I used to flip through all the LPs and 45s creating a set list for our dance practice. I always picked the Flashdance soundtrack along with the Ipi Tombi soundtrack, Joan Armatrading's "Me, Myself and I" and Bruce Springsteen's Dancing in the Dark (on 45 of course, I still have it). My mom always put on her green striped bodysuit, I donned my powder blue ballet uniform and away we went - corner to corner and LEAP! When "Maniac" would come on I'd shake my head furiously and run in place as fast as I could until I couldn't do it anymore. The song always outlasted me.

This movie made me want to live in a loft. With a barre so that I could practice all my stretches. My loft would be better decorated though. Just pointing that out.

I know this movie is no Seventh Seal, but must a movie be so obvious in its philosophical commentary? The philosophical comment in Flashdance? Just because a woman accepts and embraces her sexual power doesn't mean that she can't build machines. If you can't see the philosophy in that, then you won't get the Seventh Seal without Coles Notes.

Poetry

Okay, to counteract the negativity of my previous post, I'm going to share some poetry from the archives.

The Cripple - inspired by a short film by Jennifer Yu

I have just been lifted by a cripple

Who had no arms to support my weight

No legs to stand for me

No breath to breathe life into me

Only a soul

A soul - he said - that was separated from his body

His body inferior, ugly, useless

His soul great, living, inspirational

He spoke of his life

He spoke of yearning to love

He spoke of confusion

“Why do I live”

“Why do I suffer this pain”

As the words flowed from his mouth

Through my speakers

To my ears

I heard my voice screaming

Why?

Who?

When? God, are you there?

Why am I alive?

My questions go unanswered

But his...

The pieces of his life

Look less like chaos

More like a complete puzzle

Does he live to inspire me?

Does he suffer to magnify my blessings?

As I ascend step by step the tears build inside

Pressuring my soul

I am aware of how my legs propel me forward

I am aware of how my arms pull me forward

I realize I have enough breath to continue my activity

And when I lie down

My incapacity will last eight hours

While his daily dominates

His life

Bless him

I can never repay him for the service he has done me

Will God send me someone whose soul is as beautiful as his?

Are we kindred souls

Do I feel as he does because our souls vibrate purity?

God thank you

God bless you

You are a great teacher

A natural counsellor

Your strength dwarfs mine

If I have any at all

And it seems though I began this hour with not an ounce

I shall finish it with much more.

©

Ever Feel Stupid?

I'm writing a master's thesis. It's about anarchy. There's nothing like having an epiphany about the way things should be only to have your general everyday experiences combined with your own skills in the art of argumentation destroy your thesis' main premise.

See, anarchy is all about organizing society without the displeasure of "the State." This means there's no government people. We make the laws and pave the roads ourselves. Oh, sure, we can collectively hire people to pick up the garbage so that we continue not to get our own hands dirty. That's fine. There's just no government, i.e., no pretense that we've elected people to represent our views. We just represent our views ourselves.

Now, the problem with this is that the people you see around in your everyday like would actually have a say. Right now, for example, Lucienne Robillard speaks for most of the people I see on a day to day basis. Now, I don't really like the Honourable Ms. Robillard. I think she just rubberstamps whatever the Right Honourable Paul Martin wants her to. She's never asked me about what I think and she sends me newsletters full of propaganda from time to time. Nope. I don't like her. I hear she does a lot for her friends, but she does nothing of substance for me, hence, I can't wait to see the tail end of her.

But, Lucienne probably makes better decisions than most of the people living and/or working in my area. For example, I used to take the bus at least twice per day. Now, due to a positive change in circumstance, I walk everywhere. But, when I took the bus an alarming number of people didn't know how to open the back door of the bus. I mean, really, there are only a few ways to do this and they are all intuitive. (1) wave your hand under the sensor or (2) push the handle. Either way, I assure you, the door will open. You will not believe how many people cannot do this. And to make things worse, they huff and puff in front of the door while (a) giving the driver dirty looks, (b) looking at passengers making the "hey, the driver's stupid" shrug or (c) panic. Inevitably, someone reaches over in a condescending manner and opens the door. The person gets of in the manner of "finally the door opened, stupid driver" and leaves. No, dear commuter, you are the stupid one. Yes, the driver ignored your pleas for help but he/she was probably tired of dealing with total idiots who can't open a door.

It's not just the door opening thing that has dampened my hope. It is also the people who can't differentiate between their, they're and there. Or, your and you're. Am I the only one who took grammar and phonics? Does nobody but me know what a contraction is? How did I end up the only one who knows that should've equals should have and not should of? If people don't even know what they're saying then how am I supposed to communicate with them during the decision-making process?

See, now I feel bad. I feel like a massive you know what. In truth, I love everybody and that's why I want you to acquire door opening and grammar skills.

Whatever. I think I'm PMSing because I feel about forty times my natural size, I have a headache and I keep smelling weed and other assorted disgusting chemical smells. As a result, right now, I can't fathom the idea of sharing the decision-making process with my fellow citizens. Maybe this post has been devised to cover up my suddenly diminishing ability coherently to write a believable MA proposal. I'm going to go and read other people's blogs.

Sigh...kisses.
Laurelle

Why I Love the Movie...Hero

I've decided to do a thing once in a while where I talk about movies I love. I'm mostly doing this to show people that I can talk about things other than politics. I'll probably do this for bands/concerts/music as well.

I've always loved Chinese/Hong-Kong movies. I can't remember the first one I saw, but I remember being completely traumatized by Farewell My Concubine. I loved it. Asian movies in general don't give you disingenuous happy endings. They keep it real. And sad.

In the summer of 2004, I guess, my friend who now lives in New Jersey came back home to visit family and friends. We met up and decided to catch a flick in a suburban movie theatre filled with teenagers. As a person who lives in the heart of Montreal, where there are only adults at movies like Shrek and Harry Potter, this was slightly alarming. I love kids, but I do not like noise during movies. Thankfully, nowadays the sound is loud enough to drown out almost anything. Unfortunately, loud sound does not drown out the kid kicking the back of your chair.

In any case, we decided to see Hero. The movie started off interestingly enough and the story seemed to come to a pretty quick conclusion. Basically, the King of Qin is engaged in a series of wars with six other pre-Chinese kingdoms. He wants to unify China. He has put out contracts on three enemy warriors who have attempted to assassinate him. An unknown warrior, Nameless, claims to have beaten one of those warriors, Sky, and brings the King of Qin his sword as proof. This means that Nameless gets some money and gets to approach the king. Moreover, Namless gives him the swords of the absolutely unbeatable Broken Sword and Flying Snow. Now, the King of Qin is safe from the assassins. End of story.

But, aha, they gotcha! No Chinese movie finishes after twenty minutes! The King of Qin figures out that Nameless is lying and proceeds to unravel the story. I won't give away the rest.

Why is this movie so great? Where to begin and where to end? The enviable imagery, the boundless colour, the actors' ability to draw you into the story, the heartbreak, the jealousy, the regret, the sacrifice and the courage. There are so many stories going on at once: one of devotion, one of bravery, one of wisdom, and a fantastic story of love. No character comes away without learning a valuable lesson. No character finishes his or her story without earning your respect. You leave this movie feeling empty and full all at the same time.

Oh, and Broken Sword is HOT!

In my profile picture I'm holding a wine glass

Yep. In my profile picture...

...I look like I don't mind having a drink here and there. Actually, I kind of do mind having a drink here and there. Don't get me wrong. I'm holding a wine glass in the picture, but I drink very, very little. In fact, that's the only glass I had all night. Pretty much everyone else was drunk.

I used to hang out in bars and clubs. VIP. The whole nine yards. Montreal. NYC. I had guest list. I liked clubs for the music. In my fantasy life, I'm a dancer. I'm not a hip hop dancer, or a club dancer, a tap dance or a stripper. I'm the kind of dancer who auditions for big time contemporary Broadway shows. That's why I enjoy movies like Flashdance and Staying Alive. That's my fantasy life. I'm going to make it BIG in the world of dance, you guys!

Sorry. I frequently go off topic. You'll get used to it.

So, drinking. When you go to a lot of clubs and bars, people offer you drinks. I don't mean guys. I mean bartenders, barmaids, owners and general people in your crowd. Usually, you don't know these people very well because, well, generally you're not good friends with people who hang out at clubs. Does that make sense? Anyway, they like to offer you a drink to show you that they like you. The worst thing they can hear is "No thanks, I don't drink." That's like hearing, "No thanks, I don't want a Ferrari, I don't drive." Usually, people will take something if it's free.

So, right about now, some of you may be thinking, so what? Yeah. That's what I thought. So what? So what if I don't want a drink? But nooooooo. Usually it turns into a HUGE DEAL. Why? Why not? Why don't you want a drink? What's wrong with drinking? It doesn't make you a bad person if you drink!

Whooooaaaaa Nelly. How did a simple "no thank you" turn into a value judgment?

First of all, don't you think it's a little bit rude to question somebody who says they don't drink? Maybe I'm an alcoholic? I'm not an alcoholic, so don't worry. But I COULD be an alcoholic. These people don't know that.

Second, why do I have to drink? Frankly, I don't particularly like the taste of alcohol. I ahbor beer. It tastes like liquid bread to me. If I have a drink, it needs to be sweet. Like sweet wine or one of those fancy specialty martinis. But, when did drinking alcohol become a mandatory part of adulthood? Just because you CAN drink alcohol after you turn 18 (Quebec), 19 (Ontario) and 21 (USA) doesn't mean that you HAVE to drink it. I like ananas-banane juice myself. I think I'll stick to that.

Sometimes, when you don't do something that the majority of people are doing, people panic. They wonder - why isn't she doing it? Does that mean that I shouldn't do it either? There's nothing wrong with drinking alcohol in moderation, but if you feel threatened by people who don't drink then maybe you shouldn't be drinking.

You're a real idiot GENERAL Musharraf

General Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan (nice try calling yourself President) says that women "get [themselves] raped" so they can come to Canada and be millionnaires.

First, General Musharraf is only "President Musharraf" because the Pakistani parliament passed a bill allowing him to call himself that. The Pakistani people never elected him (scroll down to Pakistan if you click the link). This is a military dictatorship that "freedom-loving countries" accepted after Musharraf cooperated when Afghanistan was invaded post-9-11. In fact, according to Freedom House, Pakistan has only gotten LESS FREE in the last 10 years. So, if "freedom-loving countries" really want to support freedom, they should limit their associations with Pakistan.

Second, just because someone is appointed President doesn't mean that he or she has the support of the people living there. And, just because someone was purportedly elected president doesn't mean that he or she has the support of the people living there.

Third, even though men can be raped, a man who is an AUTHORITARIAN DICTATOR certainly has no idea what it is like to receive unwanted sexual attentions, much less what it could be like to be raped. Musharraf TAKES THINGS BY FORCE. That's his modus operandi. This is how he took control of Pakistan - by force - thus making it less free. So, of course he sees no real problem with rape, just like he has no problem forcing himself upon Pakistanis in general.

I grew up with many, many Pakistani women. Yes, there are Pakistani women in Canada. No, they do not view rape to be a money-making scheme. Maybe, just maybe, Musharraf, people want to come to Canada because they are sick of living under your oppressive regime.

Kate Moss snorts coke!

No way!!! No she doesn't!!! Wha??

Does anybody really believe the following:
(1) Models are naturally thin - no drugs, no eating disorder
(2) Models are good role models
(3) Models are pretty

Okay, okay. Before you guys jump all over me, know this: I am a former fashion and supermodel addict. I LOVED the supermodels from the early nineties. I'm talking about Cindy, Naomi, Linda, Christy, Helena, Stephanie, even freaking Nadège. No one had a bigger collection of magazines than I did. Once, the local fire department came to our house to "assess our risk for fire" and they told me that my collection was a fire hazard. I'm not joking about this. My friends CRIED when I finally recycled the collection. You should cry too! I RECYCLED it. I kept a few Elle Top Models and PHOTO magazines as well as a few of my favourite covers (like the Harper's Bazaar of Christy and Naomi in pastel Versace pantsuits) but the rest went bye bye. What happened? Well, a few key events lessened my interest in fashion.

(1) Gianni Versace died
(2) Donatella Versace took over!

but...the one that kicked off the steady decline was:

People called Kate Moss a supermodel.

No.

That was like the coming of the apocalypse. Anyone with eyes could see that Kate Moss was no supermodel. She had no presence. First of all, she all but debuted as a Calvin Klein model during his paedo-chic phase. Gross. Second, she has a blank stare reminiscent of the deepest, darkest recesses of Hades. She doesn't shine. She was always scraggly and unkempt.

I'm not one of those people who thinks that everyone must follow "the trends." I think people of all shapes are pretty and that beauty depends on the person in question. Some of the prettiest people I have seen are not a small size. Just because society presents us with a certain image of beauty doesn't mean that we have to agree. I do not agree. Back in the really early nineties, I loved the smoky sensuality of Christy Turlington (no pun intended*) or Helena Christiansen. I did not like the paedo-chic, grunge-chic or heroin-chic of the mid-nineties. I don't think dirtiness is sexy. I appreciate grooming and cleanliness. I enjoy knowing that people wash their hair. I appreciate a good quality eyebrow wax. In my world, you don't have to be rich to be beautiful, you just have to be a practitioner of good hygiene.

All this to say that, of course Kate Moss is a coke addict. Kate Moss hung out with Linda Evangelista and Steven Meisel. Kate Moss is dating a former (possibly current) heroin addict. Kate Moss probably isn't very well educated. Kate Moss just has tons of money in the bank and tons of time on her hands. I'm sure at the heart of it all, she's a good person (she has a kid, so I hope so) but we musn't assume celebrities are these great and pristine people. I'm not shocked that she snorts coke.

It's just like Arnold Schwarzenegger being elected Governor of California. When he was in the midst of his campaign, some women accused him of sexually harrassing them on film sets. His fans were aghast at the suggestion! No! No way! He would never do that! Oh no? You don't think so? Do you know him? 'Cause if you know him then I can't understand why that would shock you. Anyone who knows him knows that he definitely would do something just like that. I know him. I grew up around him. My family was in bodybuilding back in the day (70s) when Arniepoo was racking up the Universe and Olympia titles. He was EXACTLY like that. in front of me. When I was about 5 years old even. And after that. And before that I'm sure. So...if you want a governer who would DEGRADE women in front of a FEMALE CHILD then fine, I guess he's the best man to REPRESENT YOUR INTERESTS. Or perhaps the interests of the WOMEN in his constituency. He's the perfect guy to promote women's rights. He's definitely done well on GAY RIGHTS, right? Okay, I realize that I kinda slipped back into politics there. Baby steps.

The point is, don't rely upon celebrities as role models. Most celebrities are there to entertain you. If they don't entertain you, like Tom Hanks hasn't entertained me since Philadelphia, then ignore them (as long as they aren't spreading negative vibes out into the cosmos).

Well, thanks Mirror for breaking that story about Kate Moss being a coke addict. You helped me confirm that I never liked decay-chic. The British papers are cool because they'll say things in a hilarious way. For example, when George Michael was arrested for, ahem, consorting with others in a public washroom, the British papers called him "Loo Shame George" and printed a map marking the location of his British home and indicated a dozen or so public loos in the area. This was to demonstrate how convenient the location of his home was for the satisfaction of his habit. Funny stuff. George Michael can laugh at himself. He then made the video for "Outside" which further spoofed the situation. I like that. People and papers getting along.

Look, all I'm trying to say is take what people tell you with a grain of salt and as my mom says, when people show you who they really are believe them. (She may have gotten that from Maya Angelou). Gather your own evidence (material or metaphysical) and come to your own conclusions.

Kisses,
Laurelle

* Christy Turlington is now an anti-smoking activist. Her dad died of cancer and she quit smoking. That's why it was a pun...see?

What was that, Mr. Cheney?

Ahahaha...ahaha...haha...ha...ha

Go f*ck yourself Mr Cheney

I'm sorry, that was really rude of me. That wasn't funny at all. So when is Mr. Cheney due to take control of the White House anyway?

(I really do have other interests. No more US Politics for now. I think.)

The few abuse the good intentions of the many

Oh God...

Sometimes, I read Datalounge. Read it at your own risk. It is part-brilliant, part-empty-bitter-shell-of-a-being.

While perusing the forum, I found these articles about mismanagement and profiteering in New Orleans after Katrina.

Bush cronies swoop in for the kill

FEMA sidelines the cavalry

I'll add more as I find them since, It helps to look your disgust in the face.

Don't Let Them Marginalize Kanye West!

Kanye's speech (see it here):

"I hate the way they portray us in the media. We see a black family that says they're looting. We see a white family that says they're looking for food & you know it's been five days because most of the people are black & even for me to complain about I would be a hyprocrite because I try to turn away from the TV because it's too hard to watch. I've even been shopping before even giving a donation, so now I'm calling my business manager right now to see what's the biggest amount that I can give. And just to imagine if I was down there, those are my people down there, so anybody out there that wants to do anything with the setup the way America is setup to help the poor, the black people, the less well off as slow as possible. I mean the Red Cross is doing everything they can. We already realize that a lot of the people that can help are at war right now fighting another way and they've given them permission to go down & shoot us."

Kanye West is right. George Bush doesn't care about black people. They DID refer to blacks as looters and whites as looking for food. THey could have evacuated the largely poor, black people left behind to drown in New Orleans beforehand. How much money do Americans have collectively? The lack of a community spirit resulted in thousands of deaths - probably poor, black deaths.

Notice the NBC spokeswoman claimed that Kanye West had gone off script. She indicates they would have censored him if the person with his finger on the button had realized Kanye West was SPEAKING FOR HIMSELF. Then, they DID censor him on the West Coast. By the way, the American airwaves are a PUBLIC resource. NBC has federal permission to use them, but does not own them.

So much for "freedom of speech" or speaking the truth for that matter.

Buy Kanye West's CDs, as I did, to demonstate support for him and his comments.

I Love Céline Dion

I am so happy I secretly bought the fabulous Ms. Dion's album "All the Way: A Decade of Song" all those years ago...

Please click the link.

Bless you for crying on CNN baby.

Katrina, World Opinion and Global Warming

I've chosen to link to a BBC News roundup of the world press. I haven't linked to the particular stories of devastation happening in New Orleans, because I think there is enough easily accessible news about that. However, the comments by the world press on this event are extremely telling.

Germany's Die Tageszeitung
"The fast and safe evacuation was white, leaving behind poor black people, as if time had stood still between the racial unrest of the sixties and today."

So true, Die Tageszeitung, so true. Why must we always see this dichotomy emerge? Why is it that Germany, with its history of fascism, has the courage to address this issue in this area (just as it at least attempts to address its own issues rather than pretend everything is just fine). It is sickening that the images from New Orleans and the images from Rwanda are almost indistinguishible?

Columbia's El Pais
"Today, in important areas of the Gulf of Mexico and, in particular, New Orleans there is a terrifying panorama of desolation and millions of human beings who live in the most powerful country in the world are suffering the tragedy of a catastrophe that is difficult to imagine."

Taiwan's Taipei News
"New Orleans may go down in history as the first major city in an advanced country to be lost to the process of global warming... We sincerely hope that the Bush administration will take the call from Hurricane Katrina and reconsider its energy and environmental policies and replace ostrich-like escapism with leadership in the global effort to deal with the crisis of global climatic change."

Hong Kong's Ta Kung Pao
"This Katrina hurricane is a 'warning' by God over President Bush's reactionary behaviour on the Kyoto Protocol. The US government should wake up from this big disaster, truly take up its responsibilities as a great nation, and become the forerunner in protecting the global climate."

These three excerpts are actually representative of the majority of the comments in the roundup. They also come from countries in "developing areas." They all address the issue of global warming, which is a collective problem that all countries must address together. The United States effectively killed the Kyoto Protocol, an initiative that falls short of what is actually needed but which least addresses the issue. Clinton wouldn't make a firm commitment, Bush pulled out of it. The Bush administration complained that there were more restrictions on developed nations than on developing nations. Umm...that's because developing nations are...developing. The US uses far more energy per capita than any other nation. "China emits 2,893 million metric tons of CO₂ per year (2.3 tons per capita). This compares to 5,410 million from the U.S. (20.1 tons per capita), and 3,171 million from the EU (8.5 tons per capita)." Now, as the press correctly points out, the US will understand what it means to disregard a scientifically proven and wholly obvious phenomenon, if they even acknowledge it.

Also, as Ta Kung Pao pointedly indicates, the US should either stop with the God rhetoric or admit that God is punishing them. Moreover, the US should send in the National Guard to feed people, provide clean water and give them proper shelter, not to control looters per se. Let the "products" be taken and save the lives. That would be the Christian thing to do.

Oh mah God y'all! Babs has a blog!

...and it's pretty interesting.