March 2008
19 posts
It is about time
MP to introduce bill to eliminate the penny.New Democrat Pat Martin says while the Royal Canadian Mint contends it costs only 0.7 cents to make a penny, Library of Parliament research suggests the real cost is as much as four cents per penny. This can’t happen soon enough in my opinion. I can barely remember when pennies served a purpose. They are a nuisance for any purchase above 1¢, and I...
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2008-3-30) →
Gnarls Barkley
Boards of Canada
Black Moth Super Rainbow + The Octopus Project
Megafaun
MobLogic.tv
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr
Bread shortages in Egypt
For those of you not up to date on my life (I don’t blame you), I am doing an internship in Cairo, Egypt. Being in the country, I found this CNN article on bread riots to be a little unsettling. I have been in Cairo since December and I haven’t seen any signs of bread shortages or riots, but I am mostly in middle or upper-class areas (most of the poor areas are on the outskirts and...
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2008-3-23) →
Why?
Kevin Drew
The Books
Arcade Fire
Animal Collective
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr
Keeping a Civil Tongue
I am not one for literary criticism, so I was pleasantly surprised when I found myself immersed in this article in the Atlantic. B. R. Myers argues that careless use of language leads to sloppy thinking and reflects a deeper cultural malaise. Our inability to clearly express ourselves impedes our ability to judge everything from the quality of films to deeper moral questions. I believe all of this...
“I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins, of every race and...”
– —Barak Obama, in his Speech on Race His speech was great, and I understand that US Presidents and candidates always have to pretend that the US is #1. Still, in the interest of setting the record straight, let us remember that Obama’s story would have been possible in Canada, but no one would...
Can't Grasp the Credit Crisis?
David Leonhardt explains the credit crisis in plain english for the New York Times. After reading that, this interview with a hedge fund manager may make more sense.
1 tag
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2008-3-16) →
Why?
The National
Radiohead
Robert Munsch
Feist
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr
1 tag
New Design
I try to keep administrative posts to a minimum. This one is to inform readers on RSS feeds that I wrote a spiffy new theme for the blog and I would be interested in any and all feedback. My email address can be found in the new about me section. update: I should also mention that I am ironing out a few kinks that I missed before and that the site will be under light construction for the next few...
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2008-3-9) →
The National
Akron/Family
The Dismemberment Plan
Stars
The New Pornographers
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr
1 tag
Vatican adds more deadly Sins, implicates self
So the Vatican updated the Seven Deadly Sins, adding to them the Seven Social Sins. Amazingly, and hilariously, the list includes possessing “excessive wealth.” I wonder if this is considered excessive? [via FP Passport]
2 tags
Lego Terrorists
Brickarms, makers of unauthorized accessories for my favourite toy, has released a “bandit” series—which allows you to make your lego guys looks like mujahideen. I love this now, but I cannot imagine how cool it would have been when I was 10. Of course, it would not have passed my mom’s ban on violent toys. [via The Arabist]
Canadian sentenced to beheading in Saudi Arabia →
After the government’s deafening silence on Omar Khadr, I doubt they will do much to help this guy. The most upsetting thing about this, is that I am blogging from Egypt and I feel safe—not because I think my government will protect me because I am Canadian, but because I am Canadian and white. Maybe I am overreacting, but I am pretty sure that Canadians with names like Mohamed Kohai or Omar...
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