Men and Women...

...women and men.



here's a sampling of perspectives
I've stumbled onto lately
that resonated with me,

for one reason


or another.

-30-






.

and Speaking of Glenn Beck...

...if a side must be chosen
as to who is and who is not a friend
of the founding values of America,

As Curtis Mayfield sang so well,
I prefer to remain a believer.



-tbc-



.

Try This Simple Test...

...and see if you're a part
of the problem,

or a part of the solution...




-30-



.

What's the Difference?

There are a lot of things that make
the USA very 'special and unique",
as we used to say...

I've lived near the border for much
of my life, and inevitably soaked
up a lot of American information.

I've also eaten a lot of good food there,
heard some great music, had some fine liquor and met some brilliant eloquent people.

One of the things that makes the USA
so different from a lot of countries
is that when push comes to shove,
there are (really) only two political parties. 
I've often wondered about that over the years... 

One of the things I've wondered is whether
or not this is what has led many Americans
to fetishize the difference between
these two parties - so it would seem like (a) there really was a BIG difference and (b) choosing between what seems, from a distance, to be two virtually identical parties could assume the dimensions of a spiritual crusade.

Then the other day, I came across
this info graphic about taxation
under Bush, and under Obama...

I don't think it explains everything,
by any means, but if one's looking
for differences it's never a mistake
to follow the money...

-tbc-




.

O Canada

... why is it "news" when this jerk
rides around on an ATV?

why does the media always jump
like a hungry bass at pathetic
photo-ops like these?

it's no wonder little Stevie Harper
has such contempt for them...

and while i'm on 'steve-o' questions...

when are we going to rid ourselves
of this self-satisfied, condescending,
arrogant maple-loathing jerk?

-30-

.

and speaking of Google

I don't know about you, but I was totally
sucked in by Google...

... that whole "do no evil" thing sounded pretty right-on, but given their devolving position
on the necessary fundamental of net equality*,
I don't think I'm going to lose sight
of the fact that Google is a twenty
billion dollar corporation, and it's actually just like all the rest...

* is it just me, or is 'net neutrality'
a deliberate obfuscation?

-30-

.

The Weekly World News

I miss the Weekly World News.

It used to be my reward for doing a good grocery shop... bring it home and once the groceries were all put away, sit down with a litre of chocolate milk and read it cover to cover.

Or maybe just read a couple of stories and then drop it in bathroom for the next time nature called...

In a world that can seem so same old, same old, I could always count on the Weekly World to come out of the blue with ideas and images that were not like the others...

Sometimes it seemed to freak people out to find it in our house... but after a while that was just part of the fun. A value-add.

I thought it was a very creative crew, and it was a lot more fun to read than say... FUSE magazine or any of the other Art publications that one was supposed to read in my social milieu back when...

The pictures were more interesting too...

(actually, I think this 0ne is a knock-off...)

Plus if the money situation was a little tight from time to time, one could skim it for highlights while standing in line and then just put it back in the rack before checking out...

...now waiting in line at the grocery store is just waiting in a line... and I have no idea what's going on in that parallel universe... or where the hell Bat Boy is anymore.

-30-

.

Digital living

the next time I can't get online
for a day, or my computer freezes
or seems to take a long time
to do something I want it to do,
I hope I remember this:

-30-

.

Ways of seeing...

...wandering Mississauga and Toronto,
slightly disoriented by it all...

-30-

.

Keep Calm and Carry On

...words to live by anytime, but especially true perhaps when one is facing an armed invasion
by Nazis.  this simple, classic-looking poster
was developed by the British government
when England was facing just such a possibility in the early days of World War Two.

... this poster now seems beautifully retro,
both as a piece of design and as a reminder
of the whole idea of the 'stiff upper lip' that characterized Britain during it's last great days
as a world power...

it was rediscovered in 2000,
and since then has been remixed
into a wide range of variations on a theme...

... translated into terms that some feel
are more relevant to the times
we're living in today....

a pun...

... and other even more telling examples
of the shifts in attitudes, beliefs and expectations that characterize life in the new millenium...

-30-

.

10 Ways to Say Yes

...so many ways to be positive!

 

-30-

,