Peace.
When Barack Obama won the American presidency last fall, he promised change. At the time I was utterly convinced that he was the only person who could bring change not only to America, but to the world. More convincing was the electoral Democratic majorities won in both the House and the Senate. In Electoral College terms and popular opinion, Obama and the Democrats were given an overwhelming mandate to govern.
More than a year later, however, little progress has been made on several important promises of “change”, including health care.
An article in last week’s Economist asked the question if the American system is fundamentally flawed or just not being played well enough by the Democrats. The paper sided with the latter opinion and I’m inclined to agree.
Apparently a number of senior Democratic politicians and aides were angered by President Obama’s most recent attempt to appease the Republicans by altering the health care bill yet again to include some of their requests such as tort reform.
I’m assuming they’re wondering what I’m wondering: you were elected to bring change; you have the votes in your party to bring it; so bring it.
That sounded like a challenge, didn’t it? Good, I meant it.
I see no reason why an Executive and Congress that was elected and has the ability to bring change would rather try and make everyone happy by debating it. Well, time is running out because after the Massachusetts Senate loss to Scott Brown and the other losses that will undoubtedly occur in November’s mid-term elections, the chance for real change may be lost for good.
Mar 3
During last month’s State of the Union address, President Obama announced a three-year freeze on America’s “non-security discretionary spending” to help bring down the inflated national debt brought about by the country’s response to the financial crisis, 8 years of Bush tax cuts and foreign wars.
This move, similar to most of Obama’s fiscal policies, was met with skepticism because it only amounts to around a fifth of the country’s annual budget. The critics are right that this doesn’t do much in terms of debt reduction. But perhaps the answer is simple and necessary: reduce defense spending. God forbid the question should be posed. After all, it is America’s untouchable.
Recently Obama put forward his budget for the next fiscal year and defense spending weighs in at higher than ever before: $708 billion.
No, you’re eyes are not failing you. Obama is spending more on defense than George Bush; more than Ronald Reagan at the height of the Cold War. This president was supposed to be the pragmatic president; the one who favours diplomacy over war; multilateralism over going it alone. Those seemed to be the conditions to no longer require a global police force and war machine, right?
Obama has beefed up the war in Afghanistan and is pursuing terrorists in Pakistan more vigorously than ever using drone air strikes. This, from the Nobel Peace Prize winner.
Meanwhile, the American national debt is more than 1.3 trillion and unemployment is hovering around 10%; health care reform hasn’t gone through and many believe it will simply fade away.
Wow, what a difference a year makes.
Feb 15
I saw Avatar over the Christmas break and was pretty blown away by the epic battle scenes and special effects (something that doesn’t usually do anything for me). The film, however, also had intentional parallels to America’s occupation of Iraq. If you didn’t notice that, perhaps the overt references “shock and awe” and “insurgency” were enough to give it away.
I left wondering whether I should be impressed by the message of the film: imperialists bad; natives good. The movie is presented in such a way that makes it difficult not to agree, but the simplification of the issue was silly.
Today I came across an article that puts things into perspective quite nicely, and then some. I was especially interested in the article’s conclusion that examines reactions to Avatar from different sides of the political spectrum.
Jan 21
I was driving back to Toronto from Ottawa today, braving the snow and dirt courtesy of the 401 (and God?), when a little more than halfway there, I saw crowds of people standing on overpasses, looking down at the highway, waving Canadian flags.
At first I thought maybe the olympic torch relay was going to be hitting the 401 that day, but of course that was a silly idea. Eventually I realized that the section of 401 that I was on is called the Highway of Heroes and the people were showing support for the Canadian troops that died in Afghanistan recently.
There is no question that my heart was warmed a little bit, seeing people standing out in the cold on a snowy day to demonstrate their patriotism. After all, Canada is a great country. However, it’s rarely that simple; is it?
If I were to demonstrate support for Canadian troops in Afghanistan, I would do so by contacting my MP and requesting that they be brought home immediately. After all, one of the main ways one can support the troops of his or her nation is to seek their protection from harm.
But they’re soldiers, you say; the very nature of their work puts them in harm’s way.
Well, the other way to support the troops is to demand that the government defines a mission that is of the utmost necessity, either for the protection of its people or for other human beings around the world. You’ll notice that I did not say anything about fighting a war to appease a powerful neighbour with whom a nation depends upon for trade and to try and flex some muscle on the world stage. This is Canada’s only purpose in Afghanistan.
The other problem is the inevitable blurring of the lines between the phrases “support the troops” and “support the war,” which America created during the Iraq debate. I’m pretty sure every single Canadian supports the troops every single minute of every single day. Why wouldn’t they? But hell, if you put down the war they’re fighting.
I guess it’s all interchangeable in this modern world we live in.
Thus seeing those crowds of people was a mixed bag for me because I wanted to tell them all to pack up and leave to go and actually try and prevent more from dying for this war.
Jan 3
I’ve never been the biggest Tarantino fan in the world, although his movies are definitely unique in that you know you’re watching one of his when you see one. The dialogue is always ten times slicker than you could ever dream up and most scenes have some kind of shocking element to them.
Inglorious Basterds was a relentless 2.5 hour push and pull on my stomach. I suppose the nature of espionage lends itself to creating tension. Every scene makes the audience ask the question: “Does this Nazi see through the act?”
The movie really puts the holocaust back in perspective. I hadn’t seen a WWII movie in a while and this one certainly did a good job of portraying the evil involved in rounding up and killing Jews. And despite the criticism I usually pass upon those who justify aggression based on the belief that Jews and Israel remain in similar danger, I felt myself teetering while watching the film.
Dec 28
Last night was my 10th time (possibly more, I can’t seem to remember) seeing Matt Good live and he continues to kill it every time. The new material off Vancouver sounded amazing and Matt’s voice despite illness was immaculate as usual.
Although Massey Hall in Toronto doesn’t exactly lend itself to rock shows very well (seating makes people unsure whether or not they should stand up), the sound is just awesome. I was hoping to hear Vancouver National Anthem, but unfortunately it was not to be. Nevertheless, the setlist was strong.
One point worth mentioning is how incredible the opening act Mother Mother was. I had seen them at the Casby’s, but couldn’t really get a good sense of what they were about after only hearing two songs. I haven’t heard vocal harmonies live like that, well, ever. Go get their album, people.
Dec 20
Well, I’ve really gone and done it this time…
My personal computer of 6 years crashed out of nowhere Sunday. And of course I had never made a backup of my files. Sure it’s inconvenient to lose almost 20 GBs of downloaded music, but the real irreplaceable stuff is 7 years of pictures, all of the original files which make up this website, and all of the original masters for every song I’ve ever recorded.
Stay tuned…
Dec 17
Everyone’s got one. Music is probably the most powerful memory recall assistant there ever has been. Whether it’s time or place, person or feeling, there are dozens of songs that make me stop what I’m doing and mentally wander away.
So here we go:
1) Take a Minute – K’naan
God bless you Sarah Young. Miss you very much. She introduced me to this song and K’naan in general. Hearing it makes me feel joy for that reason, but also the sorrow I felt while in a drunken daze at his concert. It was the last time I had a sip of hard liquor.
2) Burial – Alexisonfire
As chronicled in a previous entry, I first heard Alexis’ new album driving down highway 41 through central South Ontario on the way to Murray’s cottage. The album is obviously incredible, but hearing the first dark, country and western film-esque guitar chord strike of this song blew me away. Despite this song’s sadness, it reminds me of beautiful summer scenery at dusk. It makes me want to get in my car and just start driving…
3) Amsterdam – Anberlin
Anberlin is one of the few bands that I’m actually surprised has remained so constant with me over the last 6 years. Amsterdam is a beautiful dreamy song that reminds me of sitting on the subway with it playing in my ears on the way to my first live show in Toronto. Probably not the best way to get pumped for a gig.
4) Fight Song – The Appleseed Cast
I came across the Appleseed Cast by accident in my first year of university. Easily one of their best songs, Fight Song reminds me of sitting alone in my dorm room during some of the most difficult times adjusting to a university work-load and trying to not to drown. The song seems to give me strength despite its apocalyptic tone.
5) Right Now – Van Halen
The ultimate football pump up song. This was a pregame ritual for many years and ultimately makes me get all softy when I hear it these days. Specifically I think back to 1994 and playing football at camp.
6) Dry County – Bon Jovi
This song is so epic that I can’t really associate it with just one moment. It makes me feel like that 12 year-old kid again who was trying to learn how to play piano. Back then, this song represented all that music could be to me. To this day it continues to remind both my brother and I of growing up.
7) Wake Up – Coheed and Cambria
The rare Coheed ballad that came out of nowhere. I actually didn’t notice this song the first 3 or 4 listens through the album; it’s that subtle, simple and unexpected, yet so pretty. I covered this song in a September 2008 show and the line, “I’ll do anything for you, kill anyone for you,” was deemed “shocking” by close friend Angelique who hadn’t heard it. Nowadays it brings up a lot of emotions for me depending on where I am and how I’m feeling. It seems to have a certain universality in that sense.
8) Warning Sign – Coldplay
One of Coldplay’s unnoticed beautiful songs. It puts me back in late 2002 walking through snow listening to it on a discman (remember those?). It tends to make me think of old girlfriends—probably why I rarely listen to it anymore.
9) Remember to Breathe – Dashboard Confessional
Yes, I liked them just as much as the next young person 5 years ago. This song, particularly the live version of it done on the MTV Unplugged album, reminds me of sitting in front of my computer at my grandparents house when I lived there temporarily in my final year of high school. A lot was unknown then. My mom was trying to get back on her feet following my parents divorce. We sold our house and had to move in with my grandparents for 6 months before moving into the house my mom currently resides in. The song makes me feel uneasy.
10) What Sarah Said – Death Cab For Cutie
This song reminds me of my friend Harriet from university for some reason. It might just be a timing thing. H—you’re still my favourite and my best. The song incorporates some of the most creative piano and guitar melodies I’ve ever heard.
11) Transatlanticism – Death Cab For Cutie
Yeah, Death Cab gets two because I can’t forget about this song. This song is paralysis-in-8-minutes for me. Like Dry County, it is one of the most epic songs I’ve known. It reminds me of my dearest friend Nina, who I fought with so intensely during the summer of 2004 over stupid things. And just when the summer was coming to an end, I realized I had wasted it all.
12) What a Catch, Donnie – Fall Out Boy
I have no explanation for this one, but for some reason I was listening to it a lot while I was in Africa. The album had come out just before I left so I figured I would get it to listen to on the plane rides. I ended up throwing it on repeatedly while traveling in trucks down Kenyan highways. It reminds me of poverty but also hope because of its gospel feel. Plus, you can’t help but applaud the band for pulling off the outro where they bring back lyrics from previous hits in one big send-off.
13) Name – Goo Goo Dolls
An easy one. This song would make anyone sit down and reminisce about something, even if totally unrelated and disconnected. Me? This song reminds me of sitting in my basement learning to play guitar and discovering the idea of alternative tunings. I thought it was the coolest thing since discmen (remember those?).
14) Sweetness – Jimmy Eat World
Dear Paul Karpiak: thank you for introducing me to my favourite band in the foyer of Sir Robert Borden High School in the winter of 2002. There I was just sitting there and he throws this song on the speaker system. No one knew it. No one paid attention to it. But my head immediately shot up as soon as I heard the “whoa-ohs” of the chorus. The rest is history.
15) Ten – Jimmy Eat World
Obviously Jimmy gets a few. This song oddly enough reminds me of driving a motorboat on the Ottawa river. Yeah, I know: weird. I remember singing the bridge of the song (one of my favourite Jimmy bridges) out loud knowing no one could hear me over the sound of the motor. It is a perfect specimen to represent what Clarity is to me—my favourite album of all time.
16) 23 – Jimmy Eat World
This one reminds me of trying to overcome challenges. It is like others on this list, sad but hopeful. After the summer of 2004 I needed to repair a lot of friendships and this song puts me right back there. Either there or driving in a car at night, alone.
17) Running For Home – Matthew Good
In my circle, this song became popular in 2002, but I had been mesmerized by it since 1999. It evokes several different memories: sitting in my room on Arbuckle listening to Beautiful Midnight for the first time, learning to play the song in my basement and of recording music in high school. It was also the inspiration for my Song for a Friend.
18) She’s Got a New Disguise – Matthew Good
I could probably say something different about every single song on Last of the Ghetto Astronauts (or every MG song for that matter), which is funny because it’s MGB’s forgotten record. But I suppose after listening to it religiously in the summer of 2000 that might happen. I used to listen to this song to go to sleep and it reminds me of waking up in the middle of the night and hearing it play softly in the background.
19) Blue and Yellow – The Used
This one brings me back to the summer of 2003. Thanks Josh Brown.
20) One Year, Six Months – Yellowcard
This song also has the power to make anyone want to reminisce. For me, it reminds me of traveling in Israel on a bus from place to place. I often listened to it on repeat. It also reminds me of Steph, the person I’ve always wanted to sing this with, but never had the chance to. She, however, knows I’m always around if she ever changes her mind.
So that’s my list, what’s yours?
Dec 12
