A couple weeks ago, this graphic video surfaced of U.S. Marines urinating on the corpses of Taliban soldiers in Afghanistan. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton was quick to condemn the acts and the United States as a majority expressed disgust. There were some who said it was normal, acceptable and even important that Marines disgrace their … [Read more…]
I’m a book collector. But I like reading my books too, albeit slowly and steadily. I finished three great non-fiction books this fall and if I did New Years Resolutions, I would determine to spend more time reading. These are the books I plan to read in the coming months. VIOLENCE by Slavoj Žižek Popular … [Read more…]
I heard this phrase twice yesterday with overdone Australian accents: “A dingo took my baby!” Both times, the comment was followed by laughter. This bothers me for two reasons. First, it is a statement that is copied from pop culture in order to elicit laughter; a “TMI” or “Oh no you di’n’t” kind of phrase … [Read more…]
When I first moved to Calgary just over 3 years ago, I was pessimistic and quite negative about the city’s maddening sprawl, crazy city parking rates (second highest in North America), lack of urban vibe, unprogressive transit system, and high prices. Since this time, even though I am still irked by all of these negative … [Read more…]
Yesterday at church, guests from the Christian Reformed Centre for Public Dialogue and the Canadian Aboriginal Ministry Committee facilitated the Blanket Exercise with our congregation. The purpose as outlined by the CRCPD is to: “seek reconciliation and renewed relationships with our Aboriginal neighbours. One step along this journey of reconciliation is to understand our shared … [Read more…]
This last weekend was spent playing board games with other board game enthusiasts at FallCon, here in Calgary. FallCon is an annual convention where multiple tournaments are held, used (and new) games are auctioned off, the Canadian Game Design award is presented, and attendees can borrow from a library of hundreds of games to play … [Read more…]
(image from ctv.ca) Some thoughts swirling in my head regarding the recent passing of NDP leader and leader of the Loyal Opposition Jack Layton that I wish to comment here. It’s no secret to zaakistan.com followers that I tend to the left on both the economic spectrum and the libertarian spectrum, therefore I listened carefully … [Read more…]
from Gil Scott-Heron (1949-2011) You will not be able to stay home, brother.You will not be able to plug in, turn on and cop out.You will not be able to lose yourself on skag and skip,Skip out for beer during commercials,Because the revolution will not be televised. The revolution will not be televised.The revolution will … [Read more…]
Vote strategically for better government.
I read in the Calgary Herald earlier this week that the priorities of my Conservative MP Diane Ablonczy are “the economy and stability.” Considering conservative policy on the economy (deregulation, privatization, lower taxes, fewer tariffs, foreign investment and ownership, etc.), this seems like the worst way to promote stability. I think Ablonczy should simply say … [Read more…]