Feed Your Habit

Aaron Birthday

2012-04-06T09:52:00.001-07:00

Ron Stewart and The Auditor General

2006-12-15T13:22:00.000-08:00

It’s old news now and it’s taken me a while to settle down and post some thoughts on Ron Stewart’s tenure as Ombudsman for the Office of Correctional Investigation (OCI).
The Office of the Auditor General of Canada conducted an audit into OCI affairs and concluded that Ron Stewart “had committed serious abuses and wrongdoing, some of which resulted in substantial personal benefit”

It appears that in addition to other allegations Ron Stewart did little or no work during the 6 years of the audit and claimed ‘cash out’ of annual leave, as he apparently never took a vacation in 14 years.
The full report actually makes fascinating reading and predictably it became a juicy news story for a few days.

The Vancouver Sun dutifully paraphrased the full report with a photograph supplied by Canwest News Service of Ron Stewarts’s cottage on Upper Rideau Lake. I can't find the link online for this story but here's the Ottawa Citizen follow-up and picture of the cottage.

For one thing only in Canada would you refer to a rather large summerhouse as a cottage. My initial reaction to the photograph of Ron Stewart’s “cottage” where he apparently spent most of his working hours was a derisive snort.
“Cottage” uh no that’s a “mansion”. Well hasty conclusions of that sort never bode well, which sent me to Google in an attempt to find the definition of cottage. Well as it turns out www.answers.com has a whole section devoted to the rather unique definition of cottage in Canada’s Cottage Country. If you own a property in Cottage country it can be considered a cottage even if it looks like a mansion.

Suitably chastened I embarked on an alternative train of thought.

Ron Stewart worked at the OCI for a long time, 26 years it appears yet the audit into his tenure only covered the last 6 years. Apparently he has unfairly denuded Canada’s treasury to the tune of $325 000. One can presumably conclude that he put his full working hours in at the office for the 20 years prior to the audit period.

What qualifications did he initially have in order to be an Ombudsman for federal offenders. At the very least a Social Work degree one would hope. It seems odd that a highly successful running back for the Ottawa Rough Riders football team would be able to step into a post acting as ombudsman without some background in criminology both practical and theoretical. It took some digging but I finally found this Ottawa Sun article defending Ron Stewart written by Earl McRae mentioning that he was a Law graduate from Queens University.

Ron Stewarts’ lawyers are vociferously denying the Auditor Generals allegations and maintaining that his reputation has been unfairly maligned in the court of public opinion.

It’s highly ironic if the allegations are proven to be valid, that the Ombudsman of the OCI would have been entrusted during his 26-year tenure with the welfare of federal prisoners some of whom were presumably themselves serving long sentences for financial offences.

Ottawa Rough Riders OCI
Ron Stewart Auditor General of Canada Ottawa Sun
Earle McRae Wikipedia Cottage Office of Correctional Investigation

Canada's New Government

2006-09-19T19:11:00.000-07:00

It appears that Canada's New Government is flexing it's muscles. It was reported today in the Victoria Times Colonist that The Minister of Natural Resources - Gary Lunn ordered federal government scientist Andrew Okulitch to refer to the Government as "Canada's New Government". Mr Okulitch reportedly fired off a reply that objected to this new terminology or as he put it "Political Slogan"

Mr Okulitch was promptly fired from his position as scientist emeritus by assistant deputy minister Irwin Itzkovitch.

Apparently clarification came from the ministry shortly afterwards explaining that the new wording was compulsory only in documents being presented to Lunn or being prepared on his behalf.

Imagine my surprise as CBC broadcast Heritage Minister Bev Oda accepting the resignation of CBC chairman "Guy Fournier" (due to his increasingly odd comments in the media) on behalf of "Canada's New Government"

A quick Google search affirms that the terminology Canada's New Government is also operative on the Government of Canada's website where The Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development announced that parents across Canada had started receiving their second monthly Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB) cheques for $100 per child under the age of six.

So far from it being an isolated issue with Gary Lunn's ministry it cuts across at least 3 Government Departments.

It's highly ironic of course that Minister Gary Lunn whose career of political opportunism has finally landed him a place in cabinet views dissent with such a jaundiced eye.

One has to wonder why it's so important to order federal government employees to refer to Canada's New Government. Why stop there? Why not "Canada's New & Improved Government: We Add Value."

Take a walk down any grocery aisle the possibilities are endless.

Welcome to Canada's "New" Government!

Gary Lunn Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Diane Finley Heritage Minister Bev Oda Andrew Okulitch Minister of Natural Resources Government Of Canada Canada’s New Government Irwin Itzkowich

Canadian Country Music Awards and God

2006-09-12T14:03:00.000-07:00

When you’re doomed to the 2-channel universe the mind tends to focus on what’s available. Well not entirely true, I’ve access to a grainy, snowy CBC channel which last night broadcast the Canadian Country Music Awards aka CCMA.

The ebullient oh so perky hosts enthusiasm on CBC contrasted with my confirmed belief and complete lack of understanding in the inexplicable popularity of “Great Big Sea” Please people “Shane McGowan” may be a sloppy old drunk but “The Pogues” …. and if you haven’t heard of them frankly there’s nothing more to say.

George Canyon… was there ever a more perfectly styled Country Artist name. All you aspiring country music artists are going to have to work hard to top that one. Well George of course wore the big hat, which he ever so humbly removed twice so you could see his face. Prior to that all you could see was a shadowy outline.
George won for Best Song and if I remember correctly, promptly thanked Jesus Christ! That’s it, the final straw that broke the pinto horse’s back. If I ever have the good fortune to be in charge of an Award Show the first contractual stipulation (in bold) will be: ”Under no circumstances will any award winner thank any unseen entity for having a hand in their success or lack thereof. In addition please do not thank “The Fans” that long-suffering amorphous conglomerate who have summoned you to these proceedings”

Anne Murray on the other hand paid tribute to and thanked “Bruce Allen” . Now “Bruce Allen” and humble are 3 words never before seen in the same sentence so in a sense you could say that Anne Murray also thanked God. Though to his credit Bruce did thank his “team” without which etc etc.

Amanda Wilkinson (part of the Wilkinson family) had an appealing voice and stage presence despite singing a bog-standard pop/rock song (please don’t call it country) with a chorus that tried valiantly to be catchy but sadly wasn’t quite up to it.

So attention waning, I departed the dotty CBC. Tonight “Rock Star Supernova.” , 2 channels focuses the mind like nothing else. I’m hoping for “Dilana” but Toby will probably be the winner. Hopefully he won’t thank “Jesus Christ” but will thank “Tommy Lee” which is another story entirely.

Canadian Country Music Awards George Canyon Amanda Wilkinson Pogues Shane Mcgowan Anne Murray Bruce Allen Power Within Rock Star Supernova Dilana Tommy Lee Toby Rand

The Grates opening for We are Scientists @ The Red Room Vancouver BC 29 Mar 2006

2006-03-30T14:20:00.000-08:00

Flinging herself around with reckless abandon Patience Hodgson is a performer with a mission. Zany aerobics instructor or throwback to a 1920’s Flapper dance perhaps. Possibly so irrepressibly energetic and happy that she can only articulate her artistic vision if she spends 75% of her time onstage actually partly above the stage. She proceeds to bounce around, arms and legs waving madly as if she literally has to express the youthful energy racing around her blood vessels.

Much to my consternation she’s at all times coordinated in her ‘dancing’ although legs and arms and body may be doing different things while throwing kooky angular shadow shapes. First time seeing “The Grates” at SXSW 2005 edition they just made me smile, second time around, it took all my energy trying to figure out how she managed to dance and then sing into the microphone without sounding completely breathless.

The appeal of "The Grates" is timeless, they represent the boundless energy of youth/good times and joy of three friends enjoying themselves while at the same time creating catchy/hooky pop songs full of sing-a-long potential. Patience’s stage chatter is ad-lib, she’s thinking it up as she goes along and some of her quips provoked outright laughter from guitarist John. Drummer Alana’s grin and self-evident sparkling smile is further evidence that a dose of “The Grates” is guaranteed to put some pep into the creaking joints of even the most jaded/cynical music fan and bound to send an already contented and well adjusted fan into a state of over-excitement.

Let Patience be your guide.

Coming soon some thoughts on Headliners "We are Scientists"
Grates Red Room We are Scientists

Kelly Willis, Bruce Robison and Claritin D

2006-03-27T11:44:00.000-08:00

There’s something happening in the world of entertainment where the lines of musical expression and promotion of products is becoming more and more blurred. (Some would argue that musical artistic expression is indelibly linked to the need to promote and sell a product) I noticed that the NCAA college basketball ad breaks were inundated with a plethora of advertisements utilising pop tunes amongst others a snatch of an Oasis song and a full blown ad featuring “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" by Iron Butterfly)

Still I nearly fell over backwards in my rocking chair when who should pop up in a commercial break between segments on 60 minutes on CBS but Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison!

I’ve noticed recently that American TV is inundated with advertisements for what are essentially pills for all kinds of ailments (Some real, some manufactured: See Selling Sickness by Alan Cassels).

So perhaps it should have come as no surprise to see Kelly and Bruce filmed in concert singing an admittedly catchy tune and then interrupting the song to give a heads up on the benefit of Claritin-D an allergy medicine. Now I’m more used to Kelly Willis singing songs of heartbreak in that nasal twang so beloved of country artists. I always felt that Kelly Willis brought an element of honesty and forthrightness to the high gloss Nashville scene. Her CD’s are all recommended and while she has faded into the background in the last few years (mostly to devote time to family I presume) her “What I Deserve” CD is a high watermark in an extensive career.

A few minutes afterwards up popped another Allergy medicine ad this time for Zyrtec manufactured by Pfizer and a Diabetes ad and a Hip Replacement ad. Interesting demographics in the 60 minutes audience.

Bruce Robison has this to say on his website admittedly in the context of recording and marketing his CD’s on his own label.
“Artists shouldn’t have to sell their souls just to get studio time. That’s a broken model. There’s a better way out there and I’m interested in providing it.”

Well it looks like Kelly and Bruce have found a better way but if Claritin-D catches on will the entire Nashville music industry have to take a hard look at itself? When country artists no longer have that nasal twang then what? Will anybody recognize that latest hit song sung by their favorite artist when they no longer sound anything like they used to?

Let's hope Claritin-D doesn't catch on with your favorite indie rocker. Britt Daniel of Spoon anyone?

Hugh Cornwell @ The Media Club Vancouver Mar 23 2006

2006-03-24T11:07:00.000-08:00

Every article these days has to contain a multitude of statistical information so here goes. How many years since Hugh Cornwell visited Vancouver? Answer: 23. How old is Hugh Cornwell? Answer: 57. When did he leave the Stranglers? Answer: 1990. What was the average age of the Media Club Audience? Answer: 75. Well if you’re paying attention that’s obviously an exaggeration but there couldn’t have been more than a handful of people under 35 years at Hugh’s solo acoustic show at The Media Club on Mar 23, 2006.

Hard to believe I was actually listening to live acoustic versions of Stranglers’ songs intermingled with songs off Hugh’s latest release “Beyond Elysian Fields” (actually released in Oct 2004 which in itself is a year and a half ago) 30 years on.

There were always 4 bands, which to my mind remain archetypal English punk icons.
The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Boomtown Rats (Don’t believe me listen to their 1st CD produced by our future Mr. Shania Twain “Mutt Lange”) and last but not least “The Stranglers”. They really weren’t true punks (whatever that means) since they were all at the time quite a bit older than the rest of their peers and had started off as a pub rock band. Step up Mr Joe Strummer of the 101ers

Still Ratticus Norvegicus 1V remains a high water mark of the 1976 musical storm that raged over England for a brief period. The Stranglers are still going today albeit with a new vocalist and their staying power is really a tribute to their continued musical progression (The Meninblack anyone?) through the years.

Hugh is remarkably well preserved, looking fit, sipping water he mixed up the Strangler’s hits (opener “Nice and Sleazy does it every time”) with songs from the latest release and it worked well. Crowd singalongs on “Hanging Around” with immaculately picked solo, “Always the Sun”, “No More Heroes” highlighted the fact that there’s a deep catalogue of catchy tunes and choruses that Hugh and gang wrote during their 16 years together. The new songs meshed well with the old and familiar still displaying that trademark wit combined with some unique subject matter e.g. Harry Power, Ned Kelly's mentor so to speak and a humorous song about artist Henry Moore.

Opener Rich Hope managed to drown out the chattering class with some manic, guitar strumming, finger-pickin', stomping, acoustic blues and drew appropriate hoots and hollers. Well worth checking out.
Lastly a shout out to James and his crew who were following the Hugh Cornwell show with Walter Trout at The Yale and then Deus at The Red Room all in one night. Now that’s hardcore and these guys weren’t 20 years old either!

Hugh Cornwell Stranglers Joe Strummer Clash Mutt Lange Boomtown Rats Rich Hope

Bill Clinton and The Power Within

2006-03-17T18:11:00.000-08:00

Over 7000 mostly business people packed themselves into GM Place for the Power Within Conference. Seats were at a premium most likely due to the presence of Bill Clinton and Lance Armstrong. Clinton looking older and sounding a little hoarse still retains that charisma, which is part good ole boy from Arkansas, part seasoned politician. His speech perhaps reflected that personal dichotomy as he veered between urging us to reflect on the goodwill engendered by US efforts to help earthquake ravaged Pakistan and the massive relief effort undertaken by the world in the aftermath of the Tsunami to supporting democracy in Iraq and UN participation in Afghanistan.

In my opinion contradicting his above statement was his personal view that Iraq should not have been attacked until the UN inspectors had finished their investigations but since the invasion is now a fait accompli the real issue is democracy in Iraq. I still have a hard time understanding how democracy can be imposed on political entities from the outside and by force. The issue here is that a 45-minute speech can only go so far in addressing the real issues behind geo-politics and can perhaps have negative consequences as these issues get reduced in complexity in listener’s minds. (Clinton himself earlier maintained that headlines should be analysed along with trendlines and we should be asking ourselves if the story is true and part of a trend)

He went onto thank Canada (cue one of a few crowd-pleasing mentions of host country) for participation in Afghanistan. (Something our present PM (belly to attention) seems to also be fairly gung-ho about).
Clinton then launched into an indictment of the Taliban regime, talked about Al Qaeda maintaining that if the UN left Afghanistan then the doors would be open for the Taliban to return from Pakistan and enable Al Qaeda to re-establish itself. Again no real analysis here of what gave rise to such a repressive religious/political movement, what role the superpowers America and Russia played in Afghanistan during the Cold War, what role Pakistan still has to play or India for that matter.

9/11 is still foremost in most American minds. It’s the lightning rod against which everything is measured in the US these days. The US has always been exceptionally good at mythologizing it’s past and Clinton was no different.
The bombing of the World Trade Centre allowed him to introduce his main thesis or core thrust of his speech (not before a somewhat hesitant rambling explanation of how The Airplanes became giant chemical weapons which created the fireball which melted the steel structural supports of the WTC).

Clinton’s main thesis seems to revolve around the difference between Interdependence and Integration.
Canada and the US are an example of Interdependence where we’re locked in a marriage without a chance of divorce and all things considered we’re doing quite well even though we have our occasional differences such as Softwood lumber (Would someone try to reach a conclusion on this already, I for one am tired of hearing about it).

Integration on the other hand is a process where we acknowledge the diversity of populations in US and Canada and the rest of the world and attempt to move towards integrated communities with
1. Fair opportunities
2. Shared responsibilities
3. Common values

The question Bill (by now I’m on first name terms with him you’ll notice) thinks we all should be able to answer is “What is main characteristic of the 21st century?”
Answer: We need to save lives, solve problems and create a clear framework to understand the 21st century.

How do we move towards integration?
1.Fight terrorism with security policy (Again no mention of geo-political decisions which often may give rise to terrorism and indeed fuel the fire so to speak)
2.Identify security issues
3.Climate change (Here he went into a lengthy expose about how rising sea levels affect national security and a pat on the back for himself for saving Trees in US National Forests from being cut while his successor is trying to reverse that decision)
4.Health and Viruses (Clinton’s Aids Foundation sells cheapest drugs available)
5.Create clean energy
6.Have to make a deal i.e. More partners less enemies (e.g. helping Indonesia post Tsunami)
7.Keep making things better at home
8.Develop common values (Diversity good but common values should be pre-eminent)
A brief allusion to the Jordanian hotel bombings while noting that the attacks had killed many Muslims led Bill to claim that the central heresy of any religion is to maintain that your way is the only true way. (Far religious right are you listening?)

Humility is the order of the day.

so I’ll conclude by saying that I found the speech mostly unsatisfying. It skirted the real issues while maintaining that we should be focused on the real issues. It focused on helping people in need in certain situations (Indonesia and Pakistan) and at the same time supporting invasion of Iraq (with reservations) and Afghanistan. Sorta the Velvet Glove approach. I’m not sure you can really have it both ways but then Bill always did like to have his cake and eat it.

Bill Clinton
Power Within

Techvibes Massive Technology Show & Conference

2006-03-07T15:14:00.000-08:00

Telus World of Science is still encased in scaffolding with the Telus sign peaking out of the metal cladding. 12 cranes dot the horizon downtown while a cold wind scours the concrete apron encircling Science World. After inhaling my $8 mostly edible White Spot burger I headed back inside to do battle once more.

Techvibes’ Massive Conference/Showcase was well laid out in a circular fashion on 3 floors with a central showcase open auditorium area for quickie 15-minute pitches for various products.

I was somewhat impressed by CelVu’s product (Press release here) which enables clients to download pics to their cell phones of their residences and potential burglars as well as traffic hotspots. The software came with a disclaimer “Do not use while driving” which drew visions of hundreds of drivers (if the company can sell to enough people) pulling off the road and downloading the latest pic of Granville and 70Th and immediately hanging a U-turn and all racing off to find a quicker way to their destination. Chris Scholefield of CelVu did the sales pitch and with 15 years or so of Motorola experience behind him, I can’t help but think that it’s a solid product.

NetNation gave a pure sales pitch for their Web Hosting business. Nothing wrong with that, they had quite a deal for the attendees but what is it with PowerPoint presentations and Typo’s? It’s “Suit your customers” not “Suite” See also the Telus VoIP PowerPoint Slideshow where at least 3 more errors reared their Spelling Bee heads

Curtis Nicholson explained the benefits of VoIP to businesses.
The notion of Telus trying to save customers money strikes me as little odd but I guess as long as the stock price keeps on going up, the shareholders will remain happy and Darren Entwhistle keeps his job.
Seems to me that VoIP is mainly useful to businesses that have a T1 connection which enables upload and download speeds to remain equal, i.e. no jitter/dropped packets etc, which you’d get with a cable/ADSL connection.
Security also seems to be an issue unless info is routed along secure VPN lines; Gahtan’s Blog has something to say about this.
However there are certainly cost savings to be had by eliminating long distance charges.

Vicky Ryan of Chalk Media enlightened us about E-Learning and added more acronyms to the heavy load we already bear. When the whole English language becomes a long list of acronyms what then?
She briefly demoed a rather spiffy looking in-house training module that Future Shop uses to train their salespeople. Remember that, next time a horde of salespeople descends on you touting the latest MP3 Flash player. Perhaps head over to Best Buy where they don’t work on commission but may well have had a similar e-learning experience. Unfortunately I missed Dave Chalk’s Web 2.0 talk opting instead for the Telus VoIP session.

Moving on to the booths here are some quick thoughts. I had some enjoyable chats with many people and lets face it they were busy trying to promote and sell product/services although one particular individual might at least have nodded in my direction.

Marqui.com were the one and only (that I came across anyhow) company promoting business blogging software (apart perhaps from Bryght. Great T-shirt Mr. Kris Krug!). Great idea however they seem at the moment to be mainly concentrating on Marketing/Communication professionals. I was intrigued by how the “Approval Loops” are integrated into the modules and how well this would work in companies.

Still love the sleek looks of the Fujitsu Laptop’s. Someone hired some top-flight designers for this company.

iStock Photo. Apart from being exceedingly friendly and willing to chat this Calgary based company supplies Photographs to anyone willing to purchase them. Sort of a cheaper Getty/Corbus web service. Although I see now that they have been purchased by Getty but are supposedly to remain independent of the parent company I was impressed although came away not quite clear on how copyright issues were dealt with. More research on their web site I guess is needed.

Grabbed a few copies of Backbone magazine (Business/Technology and Lifestyle) apparently included in the Globe and Mail.
It’s a well-written mag, which also includes a column by none other than Jim Harris, leader of the Green Party! Not necessarily likely to get me subscribing to the Globe however.

Keith Stacey, Sales Director of IVCi(Video Conferencing) seemed quite content to let me chat to Monica in Calgary? over a somewhat overloaded T1 connection. Blame all those Exhibitors and attendees. No hard selling here he was easygoing and relaxed. What a pleasure.

Mission Control is another company (“No matter how well organized we are we simply can’t get it all done”) that’s attempting to change the stressful Workday habits we all seem to have. Here’s another quote from their blurb. (“Your work habits are causing your stress-not your work”) Speaking for myself I’d have to say that’s often the case. Francesco de Gaetano, Sales Associate for Mission Control took the time to explain the company’s mission (sorry!) and considering he has a Masters Degree in Psychology seems to have the requisite qualifications. Mission Control has done some work for Microsoft and you can view a demo here.

So hopefully business was done/networking opportunities kindled. Competitors rejuvenated. Thanks to Rachel for the ticket and the warm welcome!

Update: Thanks to Will Pate again for directing me to this rather um, lively discussion on Shaw's QOS enhancement fee for VoIP

Black Umfolosi

2006-02-16T17:48:00.000-08:00

@The Capilano Performing Arts Theatre

Sublime harmonies, poignant stories with an underlying melancholy. The group is after all from Zimbabwe currently suffering from an economy in disarray. Yet their sense of humour and love of life supersedes the sometimes-overarching sense of loss these songs can convey.

The gumboot dance for instance said to originate from miners slapping their boots to rid themselves of coal dust is a lively, stomping life affirming dance yet it’s roots cannot be divorced from the economic oppression that it sprung from.

Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika now the National Anthem of South Africa was a song instrumental in giving the community a voice during the long struggle against Apartheid yet the groups musical leader noted with sadness that Zimbabwe had now changed to a new National Anthem one which they still hadn’t learned and frankly found inferior.

Yes the Lion Sleeps Tonight (Wimoweh) was trotted out to get the rather stiff Canadian audience singing along and waving hands in the air, damn we’re so unfunky it’s not funny but truth be told it’s hard to get up and shake your butt in The Capilano Performing Arts Theatre due to it’s design.

Frankly though the groups songs don’t necessarily lend themselves to outbursts of frantic tribal dancing a la the Rave Culture as acapella music lacks those furious beats.
However those harmonies utilized to full effect on Shosholoza ("The Steam Train Song”) drew a sublime shiver down my spine not the least of which was one group members spot on imitation of a train whistle.

Ah if I could sing and dance like that I’d be a happy man.

Black Umfolosi are at The Banff Theatre on Feb 18

Technorati Tags:Black Umfolosi
Capilano Performing Arts Theatre
Nkosi Sikelel iAfrica
Lion Sleeps Tonight
Banff Theatre

Female Transport and Steve Gooch

2006-02-10T11:27:00.000-08:00

Capilano College Performing Arts recent production of Steve Gooch’s play Female Transport was an interesting choice. I especially liked director’s Bill Murdoch’s description of finding the play on a dusty shelf tucked away in a used bookstore on Pender Island.

Steve Gooch is an English playwright. He’s been fairly prolific over the years and it appears from this description here on this website that his works are informed by the class struggle and Socialism and I quote.

“Steve Gooch’s plays were mainly written for the Half Moon Theatre, a tiny East London theatre built out of an old synagogue by socialists fuelled by instant coffee, fags and devotion.”

Given this background this play was a most intriguing choice for a group of young theatre students in North Vancouver to tackle and they acquitted themselves well.

The play’s subject matter tackles the transport of women petty criminals to the penal colony of Sydney Australia. The women are all strong individualists forced by circumstances to confront their dire situation and in so doing slowly come to a realization that they are more likely to survive the trip and penal colony if they face their deprivations collectively.

So it’s here that the crux perhaps of Steve Gooch’s emphasis of collective action against a male patriarchal hierarchy is given a voice.

Successful?? Well not entirely.
I found the individual personalities to be somewhat clichéd caricatures. Contrary to this quote on the website “Gooch chips out highly convincing people, not the caricatures which sometimes pass for realism in radical theatre.” While there’s definitely a utilitarian aspect to putting on this play to provide arts theatre students the opportunity to perform in a diverse ensemble cast however I found Gooch’s characters and motivations a little hard to believe.

The prime example I can allude to is the ships doctor. When we first meet him he’s a principled medical doctor insisting that the convicts be supplied with fresh food, plenty of exercise etc for the long voyage.
When we leave him at the end of the play he’s drinking with the captain having come to an agreement for 20% of the profits from clothing manufactured by the convicts during the voyage. He has come to this arrangement according to Gooch by threatening to provide a report to the Sydney Authorities regarding the captain’s treatment of the convicts and his own need to secure a passage back to England. So the captain and doctor strike a deal to profit from the workers labour. Surely an educated man signing on for a voyage to Australia would have some idea of the need to return at some stage.

Nowhere does Gooch provide any logical motivation for the doctor to morph from highly principled to entirely self-serving.
I can only presume that in Gooch’s worldview the medical profession at least at that time in England’s history was bound to throw it’s lot in with the bourgeoisie no matter it’s professed duty to the sick and dying.

I found it ultimately unsatisfying from a characterization viewpoint ironic since the play utilizes a fairly large ensemble cast but satisfactory I suppose when looked at from a Capitalist/Socialist perspective.

Congratulations to the Director and cast for attempting something different and kudos to the set designer who I thought did a fine job.

Technorati Tags:steve gooch
Female Transport
Capilano Performing Arts Theatre

Google Dominates The World

2005-12-18T11:09:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Will Pate, I discovered this article online about Google's Ten Golden Rules. Not sure why it's happening at the moment but the older I get the more I seem to run across these odd co-incidences. There was a similar article about Google and It's World Domination plans in (I Think as I can't quite remember where I read it now) The Vancouver Sun of Dec 17, 2005.

The paragraph in the web article that really caught my eye was this one:

"Cater to their every need. As Drucker says, the goal is to "strip away everything that gets in their way." We provide a standard package of fringe benefits, but on top of that are first-class dining facilities, gyms, laundry rooms, massage rooms, haircuts, carwashes, dry cleaning, commuting buses—just about anything a hardworking engineer might want. Let's face it: programmers want to program, they don't want to do their laundry. So we make it easy for them to do both".

The co-incidence was striking most especially after having recently read JG Ballard's "Super-Cannes" where he structures his story around a business enterprise strikingly similar to Google in the "cater to their every need" aspect.

In a world where Work/Life balance becomes part of the workplace what then? Is there really any distinction to be made and if not where will it lead us?

Burning Ears and Cold Air

2005-12-05T10:55:00.000-08:00

Cold weather doesn't bother me much, I'm warm blooded by nature. However there is nothing like living in a warm climate and stepping outside in T-Shirt and Shorts and staying in the same outfit for a whole week. Calgary's a different story however. No way in hell can you step outside in -18 degrees in anything less than 5 layers which takes at least 5 mins to achieve. Cold outside but warm body then too warm in the car/store then cold again, oh and without a decent hat your ears start burning. So even in the cold you're warm but somehow it's not quite the same.

Ah well bring on summer!

Technorati Tags:blogsndogs

The Sweet and The Canadian Football League

2005-11-28T13:47:00.000-08:00

Odd partners?

An extremely brief snippet of “Fox on the Run” by “The Sweet” overheard sandwiched between plays in one helluva exciting 2005 CFL Grey Cup game contested by Edmonton and Montreal. A game with moments of true artistry displayed by Quarterbacks. Is there anything more wondrous than seeing that floating ball dropped into the hands of the receiver or the 96-yard punt return of Tompkins weaving his way past defenders with his teammates perfectly timed blocking?

Moments like these transcend the grunts and thuds of the blocking and tackling aspects of football and oddly enough there are moments when “The Sweet” rose above their teenybopper origins to reach some form of artistic peak. It’s an arguable point though which is illustrated by the schizophrenic nature of “Live At The Rainbow 1973”

I hauled it off the shelf after the game placed it in the portable and turned the volume up. There you are at The Rainbow Theatre in London nearly 32 years ago with mostly girly teenybopper screams punctuating the in-between song segments. It’s a rough raw live document alternating between hard rock anthems and poppy cartoon glam hits (and an interminable drum solo) with the band barreling along, guitar riffs blasting out of the overamped speakers but it also features some of rock music’s most misogynistic lyrics.

Their ode to groupies “If We don’t F**K You Someone Else Will” while strangely honest on some practical level must have had the mums in the audience cringing and what on earth did the young teenyboppers think at the time? They were also capable of showing their sensitive side with the acoustic “You’re Not Wrong For Loving Me” “Shh this is serious” is Brian Connolly’s introduction. Cue immaculate harmonizing one of this bands strong suits. They could all sing and Brian Connolly before the ravages of alcohol took hold combined with an injured throat from an altercation outside a bar is one of “the” Rock voices. In addition if you think the "Bee Gees" had a stranglehold on Falsetto vocals you haven’t heard Guitarist Andy Scott yet!

The band lasted 15 years or so in various permutations. Brian Connolly died from an alcohol related illness. Drummer Mick Tucker succumbed to a blood disorder.
Guitarist Andy Scott has been in the music business for almost 40 years now and still actively tours although on the Oldies circuit mostly trotting out the Glam hits. He fairly recently released a new CD containing new songs but it was decidedly 70’s retro flavored.
Bassist Steve Priest resides in LA occasionally popping onto the “Sweet Message Board” where he seems to get quite a few people riled up at his comments.

“Fox On The Run” is still played to the best of my knowledge at most if not all NHL and CFL games in Canada. “Ballroom Blitz” is still guaranteed to pack the dance floor.

JG Ballard and Super-Cannes

2005-11-22T17:03:00.000-08:00

Ballard once again explores the netherworld of gated communities this time in Super-Cannes the Eden-Olympia of Business Parks where the elite have gathered to realize their full potential. It is here that work becomes leisure and the outside world and all it’s problems are removed from daily existence. It truly is paradise looking down from on high.

Ballard I think has tapped into that slightly uneasy feeling or perhaps the tacit arrangement that the elite has with the underprivileged masses surrounding the enclaves of wealth (Barbed wire wealthy communities for instance in many Third World countries)

It’s to some degree a Heart of Darkness for the new Millennium with Ballard’s standard slightly detached and alienated protagonist delving beneath the glittering surface and attempting to understand why a formerly trusted Resident Doctor (caregiver) had embarked on a shooting spree that left 6 elite members of the business park dead.

Ballard has a knack for writing in an almost dreamlike narcotic state yet the novel is structured along very basic Murder Mystery novelistic lines with a detective trying to unravel the facts. However it’s very loosely structured. He pays attention to the details of the murders but in contrasting fashion when you’re reading the novel the details become almost irrelevant.

It’s a mind game played out by executives who having removed all sense of danger from their lives have lost their moral compass. Their work itself suffers and Wilder Penrose the Park’s resident psychologist steps in to revive the flagging work ethic by devising a psychological scheme which will involve interactions between the elite and the mostly immigrant and criminal class in the town below. Those interactions suffice to say do not involve charitable deeds.

Thought provoking novel which connects on many levels and continues the theme he first explored in “Cocaine Nights”

Next up “Ordinary Wolves” by “Seth Kantner”. Raved about by the Publishers rep and also recommended by a Reviewer in Vancouver Sun I think who reviewed the 2005 Governor’s General award winning novel A Perfect Night to Go to China by David Gilmour mostly unfavorably as it turns out.

Courtney Taylor and the Art of the Immaculate Putdown

2005-11-16T16:49:00.000-08:00

AKA The Dandy Warhols come to Town
Hat perched insouciantly on his head, floppy fringe falling directly down over his eyes and reaching the bridge of his nose, pouty lips and louche look in his eyes, Courtney Taylor is the consummate dandy rock star. His angular physique and languid rock star pose while singing into his 2 microphones set up, all scream look at me. “I’m a Rock Star”. Frankly it works and I’m not a horny 19-year-old girl like the one behind me emitting piercing shrieks of “Anton” uh-wrong band hope it works out for you though.

DiG! Casts a long shadow over the Dandy Warhols, every preview mentioned it and the band must surely be sick of answering questions about it yet preconceived notions of artists personalities can and probably do affect ones level of enjoyment of the art on a purely visceral level. Let the mystery be I say.

So I came to the show not having seen DiG! but having read a lot about it and furthermore have yet to pick up the last 2 releases. Indeed my first introduction to their live show was a long gone Web cast where the band finished with a 10 min maelstrom wall of guitar sound. Yet what do I find but a pop band with a martial bent? (Sadly the Dandy’s Trumpeter was left at the border due to custom issues). No stodgy amateur marching band but a band with spring in their steps “Knees up Mother Brown” a “sproingy” sound most evident in “Bohemian Like You” which at the 60 min mark when the show finally took off came bouncing out of the speakers trampoline style. It’s their most readily accessible and identifiable tune but the groundwork was laid for the shows energetic up-tick by “Boys Better” which features those rapid chord changes which propel this song (and others in their repertoire) along in a finely tuned synchromesh fashion. No surprise then that they cover “Hells Bells” by the masters of riff based rock AC/DC.

“Boys Better” also highlights another of the bands strengths. I’m no musician myself but I couldn’t help thinking how tight they were. Drummer Brent De Boer who surely has the best rock star hairdo around, stick your fingers in the electric socket afro style was spot on throughout the show and contributed a lot of melodic harmonizing vocals especially as Courtney’s voice sounded somewhat hoarse and broken. Zia who finished the show off with “Daisy on My Toe” is personality personified (and sexy as all heck) on keyboards and sundry weird sounds and guitarist Peter Holmstron understated but an integral part of the team.

Oh and if you want to heckle a rock star then be prepared for a slow turn in your direction, eyes slowly seeking the source, mouth forming words to reply but rather a lazily raised eyebrow with top left lip curling in derision. Ah the art of the immaculate putdown.

Thanks to Keri for the great pics as usual.
Go here for some more excellent pics and leave some comments!

The Dandy Warhols played the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver BC on Nov 15 2005

Coming soon (hopefully!) some thoughts on
Juliette and the Licks
Liz Phair

Walmart and The Death of Small Town America

2005-11-10T14:44:00.000-08:00

Years ago while travelling through the States we were struck by the amount of small-towns with central business districts which were almost dead with shuttered/boarded up storefronts and shattered broken glass reflecting the emptiness surrounding them.

It was an eerie feeling travelling through some of these towns which appeared not to be ghost towns so much as deserted, abandoned, derelict places that nobody cared about anymore.

It struck me at the time that nearly all these small towns contained a grey behemoth located on the edge of town. A monolithic structure with no architectural redeeming qualities that I could ascertain surrounded by a massive parking lot. Small-town America had migrated to Walmart on the outskirts of town.

Now much has been written about urbanisation and the migration to big cities and my first thought was that indeed with the advent of the Interstates, consumers/shoppers had decided to drive the hour or so to the nearest big city to purchase hard and soft goods.

Certainly Walmart is not the only reason for the decline of small-town America but what was most interesting was that citizens hadn't abandoned their downtowns for the next big city but rather the Walmart on the outskirts of town i.e. there was still money in town but it was all going to Walmart.

So I was fascinated to find this quote from the Director of Walmart:The Movie where he says "One particular section that quickly came alive utilized footage of deserted towns and main streets all across America, many that had been affected by Wal-Mart and other big box stores moving in and causing destruction."

So all these years later a Documentary movie has been made which looks at Walmart and at least in one section addresses that strange sinking feeling we had all those years ago.

For further reading another fascinating book is Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed (On Not) Getting By In America

Magic Numbers show so good necessitates second review

2005-11-08T13:55:00.000-08:00

Here's Kate P's take on the Magic Numbers @ Richards On Richards Nov 6, 2005

Second Coming of the Beatles or the Poppy Family Revisited?

Based on the shrill sounds of girly screams the other night at Richard’s on Richards you’d have thought the Beatles, circa 1964, were upon us. Instead it was the UK’s latest four-member sensation, the Magic Numbers singing some of the crowd’s favourites like Forever Lost and I See You, You See Me. Fresh and full of pop singing influences from the Poppy Family to the Mamas and the Papas, their sweet vocal harmonies in Love Me Like You inspired a full-on musical love-in. Rare as these moments can be among Vancouver’s cooler-than-cool laid back music scenesters, it completely humbled the endearing lead singer, songwriter and guitarist Romeo Stodart. Nothing could stop the love, especially when a well-utilized melodica played by vocalist Angela Gannon filled out a sparse cover of Destiny’s Child’s Crazy in Love. Accompanied by those awfully endearing uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-ohs, it was hard not to get caught up in a sickly sweet audience sing-along. Proclaiming this their best tour stop so far out of six others, they rewarded the audience with a decent sized encore. It ended with a trailblazer of a rockabilly ditty, highlighting the great interplay between Romeo on guitar and sister Michele on bass. I certainly could have hung on for more in this vein, so here’s hoping they’ll be a little more diverse in the studio next time and find some new ways to highlight those wonderful girl vocal harmonies.

Vancouver’s The Parallels started off the evening with a short, but exceptionally tight and well played set. These cute, nerdy boys just keep getting better and better – blasting off one Attractions-influenced number after another. Keep ‘em coming I say!
- Kate P.

Mass affection infects Vancouver audience at Magic Numbers concert

2005-11-07T21:38:00.000-08:00

Oh the love! Never before scenes of mass approval sent from audience to performer and back permeated the atmosphere at Richards on Richards for the Canadian live debut of “The Magic Numbers”. I’ve never experienced quite the love and crowd sing alongs that this band received from the audience last night. Roars of approval in-between the verses sung by Angela in “I See You You See Me provoked a shy, amused but slightly unsure smile while her harmonies dovetailed beautifully with Romeo.

Romeo’s guitar and singing enhanced by the girls harmonizing reached pure pop perfection most especially on “ Love’s Just a Game” as the girls ended the song with Ooh Aah Wooo’s. Be still my beating heart!

Before I’m accused of gushing let me state that although the hype had at first brought the band to my attention I was distinctly under-whelmed by the 2 videos I caught on Much Music’s The Wedge where the band came across as lightweight and somewhat fey. Live their sound was beefed up and melodically muscular with Romeo’s tuneful vocals and strong guitar playing leading the way. Michele his bass playing sister harmonized beautifully throughout the show. Tight band interplay between guitar, drums and bass all band members interacting with each other onstage playing off each other and as a unit fed off the crowd appreciation being sent their way.

So how many bands could get away with a cover of Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love” and turn it into a sing along with most of Vancouver’s concert going hipsters young and old? Yes indeed the show drew a healthy mix of age groups from 50 years on down, a sure sign of their ability to appeal to more than the indie hipster.

Hands down contender for best concert of 2005.

Keri has some far better pics here.

Anne Fleming "Anomaly"

2005-11-06T16:37:00.000-08:00

Six years from a collection of short stories to her first novel might seem a long time and of course raises expectations, which may not be fulfilled. (If it took that long to write well it had better be good) Interestingly with true hyperbolic aplomb the advance reading copy maintains the novel is ‘pyrotechnically’ well-written. Thankfully Anne Fleming’s novel “Anomaly” succeeds on all fronts.

Strong characterization coupled to an intriguing storyline centered around 2 young sisters, their mother and an aging Spinster friend struggling to come to terms with her life and make sense of it all. The sisters grow up under the shadow of sibling rivalry, which threatens to tear them apart irrevocably. How they and their mother negotiate this intense struggle is immaculately portrayed by Fleming.

She remarks in This Magazine “Everything I read that has perfect sentences influences me to want to rival them.” Finely detailed scenes explore events from all angles in the early parts of the novel with a descriptive beauty second to none. These finely wrought scenes fade gently into the novel as it picks up pace heading towards the novels denouement reflecting the characters lives as they grow older and events unfold at a faster pace. See this review for a contradictory opinion.

Fleming along with her eagle eye has a demonstrable connection with her characters. You can tell she’s in love with them as they themselves fall in and out of love struggling to find their place in the world.

Well her novel should find a place in your bookshelf, highly recommended.

Currently reading “Super-Cannes” by JG Ballard

Listening to:
“C’mon DJ” Mr Airplane Man (Superb mix of Blues/60’s girlgroup/punk absolutely outstanding)
“Live in Anvers” Alex Chilton (It’s too loud isn’t it, it’s killing me)
“Whip It On” The Raveonettes (See if you can drive the speed limit with “Do You Believe Her” at full volume.)
“Band Red” Kaito UK (Shouty Girl punk gotta love it)

Liz Phair and Happiness

2005-11-04T15:54:00.000-08:00

A bleak blustery day, sheets of gun-metal layering the sky, rain driving across the industrial warehouse landscape, squirrel thump, thump, scratch, scratch in the ceiling settling down for an afternoon nap or perhaps just organizing the unruly teenage fleas which had me a-thinking Liz Phair and happiness.

The perpetual grin etched on her face for the entire show, could it be bottled, sold traded for perhaps even borrowed for a while on a winter’s day? California dreaming.

I’d resisted till the end until the irrepressible unending grin drew me in and there I was down the front with all the other happy clappers grinning back at her.

Baptist Church Revival, witness Jessie Jackson hopping up and down at Rosa Park’s funeral as the Baptist minister gesticulated, contorted, rapid-fire rhythmical words pouring from his mouth.

Why so happy Liz? Happy to be onstage singing songs critically reviled, a torrent of press all negative but still that grin (was she on something, did it matter?) or were the critics right. Should we all be up front frowning as Liz turned into Britney Spears for a slightly older generation?

Here’s John Fox of The Seattle Sinner “…. I had this idea that she was going to rock but she sang a bunch of ballads and was so off key that I couldn’t avoid the horrid screeching that was her singing voice from any point in the entire venue”

Still, bottle it, roll it on, spray it on, weather the storm, Liz Phair and happiness, methinks I’ll have some of that to go.

Liz Phair plays The Commodore Ballroom Nov 11, 2005

Tower Records and Used CD's

2005-10-31T09:24:00.000-08:00

It's always worth it to look through Tower's Clearance CD section but it seems that they've also now moved into Used CD's. Signs protuding from the New CD sections first alerted me to this fact but it took me a while to find the section.
At first sight I nearly turned away. Years of flicking through thousands of Used CD's has not endeared me to the process. Spines facing up and all the same way please! Still, obviously waiting to be dicovered was "The Nymphs" CD Single "A Practical Guide To Astral Projection" and there it was, a forgotten item on the want list. I've found over the years that the CD's find me rather than the other way around.

The Nymphs self-imploded years ago reportedly due to some rather bizarre behavior by Lead Singer Inger Lorre. I actually purchased a ticket to a 1992 concert in Vancouver at The Commodore where they were supposed to open for Peter Murphy of Bauhaus but they never appeared due to Inger's antics.

Anyhow the point of this post is really to point out that whoever is doing the Used CD buying at Tower In Seattle at least, definitely has an eye for some unusual and hard to find CD's so check it out.

Just Finished Reading

2005-10-18T12:44:00.000-07:00

Sweetness in the Belly
by Camilla Gibb

Novels set in Ethiopia are hardly commonly found beasts cluttering up the dusty musty shelves of bookstores (and yes new bookstores are often dusty) so Sweetness in the Belly is a novel concept so to speak.

Camilla Gibb’s main character Lilly is a White Muslim girl somewhat superficially (her early life is perfunctorily dealt with) plunked amongst the hard, dirty realities of pre-famine Ethiopia. The distant reign of Haile Selassie oversees the conflicting social/economic concerns of Oromo/Harari/Amharic ethnic groups and concomitant religious conflicts bubbling under the surface.

Muslim though Lilly is she is faced with trying to reconcile the changing nature of Muslim practice in the country from it’s embrace of saints to it’s far stricter/more literal interpretation of the Qur’an with everyday social realities such as female circumcision. Gibb deftly introduces this practice into the novel with a setup that moves from a communal social gathering to horrifying violence which to some degree instills a sense of shock in the reader in parallel to the physical shock felt by the violated young girls.

This scene illustrates one of the novels strong points. Gibb has a beautiful sense of pace with her elegiac storytelling. The novel moves like a languid dream. Love story (which could so easily have turned into a Harlequin Romance in other hands) intertwined with religion, politics, everyday life, she covers it all.

Some have commented that the novel would have been stronger if more attention had been paid to the social/economic effects of Haile Selassie’s reign and I at first agreed. Context is important but the novel on reflection seems to gain its strength from a parallel structure.
Lilly moves between worlds (Ethiopia and London) while Haile Selassie’s world is far removed from her orbit in a sense emphasizing Selassie’s own remove from the country he rules.

One criticism of the novel is that the main character’s arrival and subsequent journey within Ethiopia is somewhat contrived and requires a degree of suspension of belief at least initially which I found it hard to overcome. Once achieved however the book is so beautifully paced that it sits on the side table demanding to be resumed.

Another minor criticism is that the novels flow is interrupted by the back and forth required as Lilly narrates her life in Harar and her life post coup in London where she attempts to reconcile her past with her new reality.

These are small quibbles however with a novelist obviously in love with her characters and the country they inhabit. Reader prepare for your journey.

Today's Choice Musical Cuts

2005-10-12T17:31:00.000-07:00

Tarnation "I'll Give You Something To Cry About"