I can almost see the words spewing out of my mouth before I can even stop and think about them first. The strange combination of anger, unchecked emotion, and a spiritual exhaustion that can only come from years of bottling everything up. Accusations come flying out, and my unjust unappreciation takes centre-stage. The messages become muddled into one long torrent of bitterness. They cease to make sense, cease to even be true, but what do I care-- I just want their crushing impact to be felt.
How could you look someone in the eye who you love and deliver stab after stab to their soul? Simple: by consciously trying to avoid listening to the own vile messages escaping your mouth.
How could you pretend their quickly appearing tears mean nothing, instead choosing to dismiss them as reflections of your own hurt and angst?
Most importantly, how could you bear the weight of defeating one of the only people in the world who's ever cared for you. The person who has had your back, even when you found yourself spineless. The person who watched from afar, but never too far, allowing you to be who you are, and then loving you for it.
How could you betray the most sacred oath made in a relationship between two broken people who found in eachother their own missing pieces: the promise you each took never to do to eachother what others had already done far too often...
How do you regain the sense of lost love and trust, if you ashamedly cower in your own solitude, trying in vain to convince yourself that you don't need them anyway...
26 April 2011
25 April 2011
Voting is sexy!
We live in such a wired, digital age, and we're constantly bombarded with new media sources. Add to that the popularity of things like Twitter and an abundance of current issues that should be important to us, and you should have a high rate of young voters, right? Wrong. Canadian youth are some of the most underrepresented at the elections, so it's important to go out and show that you are worth more than your tax dollars!
READ up on party platforms, think of things that represent your own values and ideas, and most importantly- look at track records in your own ridings. There is NO reason why you, as a Canadian citizen, with your own set of values, and 10 minutes to spare out of your schedule WONT go out to vote.
Its our moral, civic and awakened (if you will) duty as people to elect the people who will lead in our societies...
BUT, if this all sounds boring to you, I'll just let Nelly Furtado tell you:
READ up on party platforms, think of things that represent your own values and ideas, and most importantly- look at track records in your own ridings. There is NO reason why you, as a Canadian citizen, with your own set of values, and 10 minutes to spare out of your schedule WONT go out to vote.
Its our moral, civic and awakened (if you will) duty as people to elect the people who will lead in our societies...
BUT, if this all sounds boring to you, I'll just let Nelly Furtado tell you:
Okay, so perhaps I wouldn't have really said that way, and yes I admit this video made me cringe a bit, but I LOVE the underlying message: VOTE!
The hero-villain dichotomy
The idea of the hero is one that seems to preoccupy Western culture, forming the basis for much of the literature, film, philosophy, and other popular-culture mediums that compose it. Our willingness to decorate soldiers and firefighters, play cops and robbers, obsessively consume old Western cowboy films or ancient mythology, and immortalize comic-book super-heroes all point to our eagerness to ascribe “hero” and “villain” roles. However, as one often comes to conclude, we must take a more discretional approach when examining who is a hero, and conversely, who is a villain. In fact, the issue is far more complex than a mere categorization of individuals or groups under either of these titles—most of the time, things are not always so black and white. Recently I devoured a book that reawakened these exact sentiments in me:
In her collection of poems under the title Ghettostocracy, Canadian author, poet, and spoken-word artist extraordinaire Oni the Hatian Sensation reawakens the “Black” community with a strong message: in order to understand the community’s needs and work to rebuild it, we must first work from within. An important step in this process is to reexamine the important figures that we collectively hold to be heroes. Oni invites readers to reassess our widely-accepted, if not imposed, understanding of what it means to be a hero or a villain in a number of ways. One important approach Oni takes is to present alternate perceptions of the hero and villain archetypes in our society by referencing specific individuals and general archetypes.
One of the most obvious themes in the Ghettostocracy poems is epitomized in her presentations of characters such as cops, politicians, church leaders, etc.—all who share the common denominator of being categorized as archetypal heroes in modern society. In fact, what Oni’s work suggests is that such figures are more often the “villains” than they are the “heroes”. Conversely, in her presentation of the “hood-hero” (inner-city neighbourhood “hero”), Oni shows that what mainstream society has deemed villainous may actually be held as valiant by certain members of society.
One of these perceived hero-types is characterized by “Reverend Seymour Cash”. This self-proclaimed “man of God” (who was at onetime a pimp) is still nothing more than a corrupt, greedy, evil man who exploits the community he pretends to uplift. Rev. Seymour, as Oni explains in the poem “Ghettostocracy” has “just raped the ghetto to escape into the upper class.” When he is presented again in the poem “Church” Seymour Cash is still the “sinistah ministah” he was in “Ghettostocracy”, this time explicitly partaking in deviant sexual activity with members of his clergy; one of the most revered community leaders, often looked to for moral guidance and leadership, is reduced to nothing short of a villain.
Other such embodiments of this concept are the cops and politicians found throughout Ghettostocracy. Unlike the courageous, caring, public-service-providing figures mainstream society idealizes such characters as, Oni’s references present them as detrimental, dishonest, and doing less to help the community than to exploit it. For example, she challenges the heroic legitimacy of our elected officials and politicians in “Elocution”, suggesting that the only way these people attain such sight-after positions is through a combination of sexual deviance and manipulation:
Even the United Nations is not spared from this criticism. Rather than actually function effectively, if at all, Oni renders the U.N crippled, helpless, and compliant in their silence in the poem “Why Keep Score”:
But perhaps the most-visited hero archetypes in Ghettostocracy are the cops. We live in a society that largely idealizes the role of the cop in the personal lives of community members. But, the cop characters in the Ghettostocracy poems are instead portrayed as brutal, unjust, and racist, effectively blurring the line between cop and criminal. We are first introduced to this motif of villainous police in “New York Streets”:
Ghettostocracy is rife with references to popular cultural “hero-villain” figures- two of the more notable references being, first to Al Capone, then to Michael Jackson. In “What Happened to Michael Jackson?”, Oni attacks the race message she insists Michael Jackson makes through his orientation to typically “white” norms. When asked by her son whether he too will “be white when I grow up?” Oni replies that rather than naturally progressing to this, Micheal Jackon’s bleached skin and “political perm” are nothing more than sad attempts to surrender his “blackness”, playing into “hollyweird’s” obsession with trying to “make black colours nonexistent”. Oni’s critique of Michael Jackson reaches its climax when she suggests that Micheal Jackson is aware of this black demonization, but continues to sustain it: “Me thinks that Michael Jackson really knows this…”.
In “Gangster Alliance”, Oni speaks about the rampant gang violence within inner-city communities, particularly the streak of violence in South Central L.A in 2002. Oni’s allusion to Al Capone is particularly interesting in that she seems to absolve him from wrongdoing in this specific instance, a blame that has been imposed on the notorious mobster explicitly and implicitly by those in power. Al Capone is on one hand often characterized as a ruthless, manipulative, violent man of crime, and his legacy is often that of giving birth to organized crime in America. Whether this is wholly or in part true is of little concern to Oni, and as she suggests, should not be to us. The “inner city war zones” she speaks of in “Gangster Alliance” are “not caused by Al Capone”. On the other hand, Al Capone’s services to his community cannot altogether be ignored by his participation in criminal activity, as exemplified by his common characterization as a Robin Hood in popular culture. Oni asserts this dichotomy in “Iambic Pain”:
In her collection of poems under the title Ghettostocracy, Canadian author, poet, and spoken-word artist extraordinaire Oni the Hatian Sensation reawakens the “Black” community with a strong message: in order to understand the community’s needs and work to rebuild it, we must first work from within. An important step in this process is to reexamine the important figures that we collectively hold to be heroes. Oni invites readers to reassess our widely-accepted, if not imposed, understanding of what it means to be a hero or a villain in a number of ways. One important approach Oni takes is to present alternate perceptions of the hero and villain archetypes in our society by referencing specific individuals and general archetypes.
One of the most obvious themes in the Ghettostocracy poems is epitomized in her presentations of characters such as cops, politicians, church leaders, etc.—all who share the common denominator of being categorized as archetypal heroes in modern society. In fact, what Oni’s work suggests is that such figures are more often the “villains” than they are the “heroes”. Conversely, in her presentation of the “hood-hero” (inner-city neighbourhood “hero”), Oni shows that what mainstream society has deemed villainous may actually be held as valiant by certain members of society.
One of these perceived hero-types is characterized by “Reverend Seymour Cash”. This self-proclaimed “man of God” (who was at onetime a pimp) is still nothing more than a corrupt, greedy, evil man who exploits the community he pretends to uplift. Rev. Seymour, as Oni explains in the poem “Ghettostocracy” has “just raped the ghetto to escape into the upper class.” When he is presented again in the poem “Church” Seymour Cash is still the “sinistah ministah” he was in “Ghettostocracy”, this time explicitly partaking in deviant sexual activity with members of his clergy; one of the most revered community leaders, often looked to for moral guidance and leadership, is reduced to nothing short of a villain.
Other such embodiments of this concept are the cops and politicians found throughout Ghettostocracy. Unlike the courageous, caring, public-service-providing figures mainstream society idealizes such characters as, Oni’s references present them as detrimental, dishonest, and doing less to help the community than to exploit it. For example, she challenges the heroic legitimacy of our elected officials and politicians in “Elocution”, suggesting that the only way these people attain such sight-after positions is through a combination of sexual deviance and manipulation:
“Illiterate children in high school
Sucking teacher’s dick to get through
Shortly, they are on their way to college-acknowledged.
Some get raped and graduate,
Then become head of state…”Such lines also draw attention to the tragic cycle, suggesting that had these “children” been properly guided and educated, rather than exploited by their teachers, they may have acted as positive agents within the community instead.
Even the United Nations is not spared from this criticism. Rather than actually function effectively, if at all, Oni renders the U.N crippled, helpless, and compliant in their silence in the poem “Why Keep Score”:
“United Nations, who are we?
Invisible witnesses to world catastrophes.”
But perhaps the most-visited hero archetypes in Ghettostocracy are the cops. We live in a society that largely idealizes the role of the cop in the personal lives of community members. But, the cop characters in the Ghettostocracy poems are instead portrayed as brutal, unjust, and racist, effectively blurring the line between cop and criminal. We are first introduced to this motif of villainous police in “New York Streets”:
“Police, cops, walking the beat,
On their feet, in the streets,
Are beating big Black boys, with their toys…”This scathing criticism is revisited in “I Am Not Ashamed To Say That I Am in Pain”, as she comments on what she perceives to be a lack of “morality” from our police heroes:
“Morality?
Hah! Most police aint got none:
Pulling triggers on a gun,
Aiming at the young (cause they think its fun),
Having brothers on the run until their lives are done…”
Ghettostocracy is rife with references to popular cultural “hero-villain” figures- two of the more notable references being, first to Al Capone, then to Michael Jackson. In “What Happened to Michael Jackson?”, Oni attacks the race message she insists Michael Jackson makes through his orientation to typically “white” norms. When asked by her son whether he too will “be white when I grow up?” Oni replies that rather than naturally progressing to this, Micheal Jackon’s bleached skin and “political perm” are nothing more than sad attempts to surrender his “blackness”, playing into “hollyweird’s” obsession with trying to “make black colours nonexistent”. Oni’s critique of Michael Jackson reaches its climax when she suggests that Micheal Jackson is aware of this black demonization, but continues to sustain it: “Me thinks that Michael Jackson really knows this…”.
In “Gangster Alliance”, Oni speaks about the rampant gang violence within inner-city communities, particularly the streak of violence in South Central L.A in 2002. Oni’s allusion to Al Capone is particularly interesting in that she seems to absolve him from wrongdoing in this specific instance, a blame that has been imposed on the notorious mobster explicitly and implicitly by those in power. Al Capone is on one hand often characterized as a ruthless, manipulative, violent man of crime, and his legacy is often that of giving birth to organized crime in America. Whether this is wholly or in part true is of little concern to Oni, and as she suggests, should not be to us. The “inner city war zones” she speaks of in “Gangster Alliance” are “not caused by Al Capone”. On the other hand, Al Capone’s services to his community cannot altogether be ignored by his participation in criminal activity, as exemplified by his common characterization as a Robin Hood in popular culture. Oni asserts this dichotomy in “Iambic Pain”:
“Moors are not bandits
Some are misunderstood.
Robin Hood was cool-
Trotting on minions rule…”Oni’s reference to Al Capone implies this idea of dual-identity—what some may view as hero, others view as villain, but who is right? Perhaps, as the character in “Making Scents” exclaims “And to think I once thought you were a winner!” what the community would benefit much more from is a reassessment of those people they deem “winner”- or heroes...
Canadian author, poet, and spoken-word artist extraordinaire Oni the Hatian Sensation
I came across these AWESOME Simpsonsesque images done by digital artist Meowza Katz. Each of the Simpsons-inspired images is a rendition of some of the most recognized, famous pieces done by well known artists.
Check it out:
Here is a version of Edvard Munch's The Scream , originally done in variations between 1893-1910:
And of course, a version of Andy Warhol's 1960s-era Marilyn Monroe piece:
One of the most recognized and parodied pieces done by Grant Woods in 1930, American Gothic:
And no set of renditions would be complete without a Vincent van Gogh piece, this one is his Self Portrait done in 1889:
27 March 2011
"Old Money" Junos sketch ft. Drake & the elderly
I didn't get to watch the Juno's (work + a paper), but a friend shared this with me and I thought it was sooo hilarious!
I heard a lot of back and forth complaining that the Juno's just used Drake "to get more ratings" (since the Grammy-nominated, successful rapper didn't win in a single of the 6 categories he was nominated in, and that the hiphop category wasn't even aired). Well we can definitely see why going with Drake as a host was a good idea, 'cause in typical Drake-style, dude was a crowd-pleaser:
I heard a lot of back and forth complaining that the Juno's just used Drake "to get more ratings" (since the Grammy-nominated, successful rapper didn't win in a single of the 6 categories he was nominated in, and that the hiphop category wasn't even aired). Well we can definitely see why going with Drake as a host was a good idea, 'cause in typical Drake-style, dude was a crowd-pleaser:
OLD MOOLA BABY!
looool
26 March 2011
"Hip Hop is Bigger Than the Occupation"
Existence is Resistance Presents: Hip Hop is Bigger Than the Occupation
Gonna try my best to find out about when and where this film is released...
"A Film By Existence is Resistance and Nana Dankwa about a musical tour to Palestine teaching resistance through the arts. Featuring M1 of Dead Prez, Lowkey, Shadia Mansour, Marcel Cartier, Mazzi of S.O.U.L. Purpose, DJ Vega Benetton, SWYC, University of Hip Hop, Jody McIntyre and many more.... for more information on upcoming tours and about the organization please click here"
Gonna try my best to find out about when and where this film is released...
In the dark, even my shadow abandons me...
Today when I left class I found myself hysterically running to the station, yet in no real rush to get anywhere. I hit the ground running and literally did not look back (or around, at the startled expressions of my fellow pedestrians) until I’d made it to the station and became distracted with the fare-paying.
But do you ever wish you could literally just pick up and runaway from life? Run, to no particular destination but away. Rush, with no time restraint, but with the intention of outrunning your thoughts?
As I felt the wind toying with my hair, resisting against my force I forgot to think. For that instance, for even that brief, fleeting moment, I could forget. Or maybe not forget, as the thoughts came rushing back as soon as I sat down, but rather ignore. Every doubt that had been spewed in my face, every reminder of my countless fuckups, and every angry, bitter, disappointed, mournful voice- everything was silent.
All I could hear, all I could focus on was the rhythm of my steps on the concrete. The rhythm compelling me to keep running, because stopping even for a moment would undo all the unthinking I was doing.
But life doesn’t work that way. You get onto the metaphorical subway, nestled among dozens of your own kind, yet alone and an outsider at the same time. No friendly words or smiles exchanged, and no small talk about the weather outside. And that’s when it all comes rushing in, hitting you like a ton of bricks, one-by-one but within seconds of eachother. A jumble of words, images, phrases and thoughts come flying at you, aimed at your spirit and unrelentless until they do what they came here for: to break you down. Like an unexpecting matador suddenly thrown into a pen of raging bulls, each bearing a haunting resemblance to your own image…
Where can you run now? When you're surrounded? Yet alone...
Floresta Amazônica
As a kid, we all that one thing we were tooootally interested in, for our own silly reasons.
But while my friends (and yours too, probably) collected Pokemon cards, built dinosaur models, or exchanged Barbie shoes, I was into rainforests.
Like, my obsession was bordering on hysteria. I would collect facts, browse through pictures in books, and try to convince my mom to "adopt" acres of the Amazon.
So today I decided to reignite that old childhood flame and came across these amazing pictures...
But while my friends (and yours too, probably) collected Pokemon cards, built dinosaur models, or exchanged Barbie shoes, I was into rainforests.
Like, my obsession was bordering on hysteria. I would collect facts, browse through pictures in books, and try to convince my mom to "adopt" acres of the Amazon.
So today I decided to reignite that old childhood flame and came across these amazing pictures...
16 March 2011
Israel- the "democratic" state??
Last year was Israeli Apartheid Week in Toronto and each day saw at least a couple of events stretched across Toronto's university campuses. As I was rushing to class last week (U of T) I happened to see a couple of students set up on a table with posters reading "Support Israeli Democracy" and such. Now, I just HAD to stop and see exactly what sort of misguided propaganda they appeared to be trying to spread. As I got closer to their posters, I noticed they were full of all sorts of numbers: statistics from the U.N (mainly) and some Israeli-lobbyist groups.
The first thing I thought about was why on earth they would use U.N "official" definitions and sources to explain why Israel should be allowed to carry out its terrorist agenda in the name of democracy.
Lets just remember here that of the 115-member states of the U.N's General Assembly, THE ONLY COUNTRIES WHO SUPPORT ISRAEL'S ACTIONS ARE (*drumroll*):
- The U.S
- Micronesia,
- the Marshall Islands
- Palau (all 3 of which are associated states of the U.S)
- Australia
- and Canada (ashamedly, under Stephen Harper)
Anyway, I gotta attach the fine print here: I'm not anti-semitic, I'm anti-the STATE of Israel & any ideas grounded in the belief that some people are more entitled to the world than others (ahem, Zionism, ahem). I do not support the Harper government (lets leave it at that). And of course, I'm in a firm believer in the democracy & the right to self-determination, but like my fellow-Canadian Trudeau said: "A democracy is judged by the way the majority treats the minority". And shall we even begin to discuss how the Arab + Palestinian citizens are treated within the occupied territories?...
The first thing I thought about was why on earth they would use U.N "official" definitions and sources to explain why Israel should be allowed to carry out its terrorist agenda in the name of democracy.
Lets just remember here that of the 115-member states of the U.N's General Assembly, THE ONLY COUNTRIES WHO SUPPORT ISRAEL'S ACTIONS ARE (*drumroll*):
- The U.S
- Micronesia,
- the Marshall Islands
- Palau (all 3 of which are associated states of the U.S)
- Australia
- and Canada (ashamedly, under Stephen Harper)
Anyway, I gotta attach the fine print here: I'm not anti-semitic, I'm anti-the STATE of Israel & any ideas grounded in the belief that some people are more entitled to the world than others (ahem, Zionism, ahem). I do not support the Harper government (lets leave it at that). And of course, I'm in a firm believer in the democracy & the right to self-determination, but like my fellow-Canadian Trudeau said: "A democracy is judged by the way the majority treats the minority". And shall we even begin to discuss how the Arab + Palestinian citizens are treated within the occupied territories?...
11 March 2011
Friendly Reminder
Whether you're pent up in a room studying, celebrating the start of March break, or celebrating your own Hump Day 'cause Wednesday is too inconvenient,
be safe
and
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!
- <3 C.E
The CHRONICles: I can't take back the words if they're said
You ever wish you could do something right?
Like life is laughing at you out of spite.
Every corner you turn,
You hit a d e a d end.
Keeping your enemies close,
You lose all your friends.
Relationships aren't getting any clearer,
I can't face the person in the mirror.
Can't distinguish between comfort and pain,
Try to look for sunshine
Only thing visible is rain.
My sins start outweighing every good deed,
Its like the rose that grew from concrete
Is still an unblossomed seed...
But how do I begin to grow?
When a million seductive voices
Are calling me from below.
Echoing, screaming all my pride and sin
Apathy mixed with doubt bursting from within
Why's everything I touch seem to waste away?
Everytime I demolish a wall
It wont stay that way.
Can't figure out who I'm going to be
And when I see my dreams getting closer,
Thats when they always seem to flee...
From me.
Is this just self-pity from a disillusioned mind?
Or is there a TRUTH I'm looking to find?
If writing's the escape and the pen TRIUMPHS the sword
And every idea is immortal,
And salvation is in the almighty word,
Then how come we all linger
On the brink of self-defeat?
Threatening to implode from our self generated heat...
If every soul has its mate,
And to every night there is a day,
Then where do the broken souls go
To find their own fate?
c.e.
Like life is laughing at you out of spite.
Every corner you turn,
You hit a d e a d end.
Keeping your enemies close,
You lose all your friends.
Relationships aren't getting any clearer,
I can't face the person in the mirror.
Can't distinguish between comfort and pain,
Try to look for sunshine
Only thing visible is rain.
My sins start outweighing every good deed,
Its like the rose that grew from concrete
Is still an unblossomed seed...
But how do I begin to grow?
When a million seductive voices
Are calling me from below.
Echoing, screaming all my pride and sin
Apathy mixed with doubt bursting from within
Why's everything I touch seem to waste away?
Everytime I demolish a wall
It wont stay that way.
Can't figure out who I'm going to be
And when I see my dreams getting closer,
Thats when they always seem to flee...
From me.
Is this just self-pity from a disillusioned mind?
Or is there a TRUTH I'm looking to find?
If writing's the escape and the pen TRIUMPHS the sword
And every idea is immortal,
And salvation is in the almighty word,
Then how come we all linger
On the brink of self-defeat?
Threatening to implode from our self generated heat...
If every soul has its mate,
And to every night there is a day,
Then where do the broken souls go
To find their own fate?
c.e.
09 March 2011
08 March 2011
Israeli Apartheid Week: DAY 2
As we sit in STARBUCKS with our coffee and
NESTLE chocolate bar,
reading that new book purchased at INDIGO/CHAPTERS,
let us think about how without US THE CONSUMERS, these companies could not continue to help Israel perpetrate its crimes against humanity of the people of Palestine.
Every purchase we make at these and hundreds of other corporations help
lodge bullets into the heads of 8-year-old schoolchildren,
bulldoze a Palestinian compound to build Jewish settlements,
"train" IDF soldiers to terrorize Arab civilians
build more humiliating roadstops and walls,
help perpetuate the Israeli propaganda pursued by virtually all major media networks.
Click here for more information on what you as a consumer can do:
BOYCOTT+DIVESTMENT+SANCTIONS
END ISRAELI APARTHEID.
take some time to sign a petition too:
The CHRONICles: Can we get much higher?
The visuals for one of my favourite 2011 (or is it technically 2010?) songs: Kanye West- All of The Lights
Besides an appearance made by both Rihanna and Kid Cudi, you can also expect (or at least have a very good chance of expecting) a seizure!
When you see the lights, you'll know what I mean. Think Simpsons episode when they watch that seizure-inducing cartoon in Japan meets Hype Williams (who directed this joint).
Btw, the video comes complete with a warning that it may cause severe seizures.
Enjoy!
MY FAVOURITE SCENES??
By far:
Besides an appearance made by both Rihanna and Kid Cudi, you can also expect (or at least have a very good chance of expecting) a seizure!
When you see the lights, you'll know what I mean. Think Simpsons episode when they watch that seizure-inducing cartoon in Japan meets Hype Williams (who directed this joint).
Btw, the video comes complete with a warning that it may cause severe seizures.
Enjoy!
MY FAVOURITE SCENES??
By far:
06 March 2011
The Skeptic's Tinge of Guilt
"It is not certain that everything is uncertain."
- Blaise Pascal
I often think about some of the wisdom I've gained from my philosophy classes and one particular thing comes to mind: "Pascal's Wager".
Blaise Pascal (a French philosopher) basically IN LAYMAN'S TERMS suggests that it makes the most logical sense to believe in God because that route will produce more to gain and nothing to lose than any other path one lives. He does this by breaking it down:
- belief will lead to:
a) heaven (if God exists)
b) moral benefits (if God does not exist)
- not believing in God will lead to:
a) hell (if God exists)
b) immoral consequences (if God does not exist)
Okay fine, I agree this whole theory (even when explored in whole, even when lectured on by one of Toronto's most recoginized modern voices in philosophy, Mark Kingwell) is a little thin and arid, its one of the first thing that strikes my mind whenever I think of my own place in the perpetually growing map of religion. And those thoughts, especially when shared with most other people, start to make me feel this strange tinge of guilt... maybe even shame?
Am I really shamed into feeling I should believe in something solid and well-organized?...
Think about it.
Everytime you make/laugh at that little sacreligious joke (What does Jesus order at a bar?... Holy spirits :| ) in poor taste.
Or how about when you have Sunday off, you've promised to accompany your mom to church and you sleep in?
The worst is when you're in someone's home (that someone of course, having made it clear they belong to a religion) and they begin accosting you with questions about your own faith...
And you begin to feel it. That little voice inside almost lashing out at you for such a display of "poor spirituality". Or even that you're being watched... and judged... by that Jesus of your joke.
And no matter how much you assert Christopher Hitchens quotes inside your head, you can't seem to escape that feeling. Who cares if in the end you've got reason on your side. When's reason ever accepted and appreciated in this world?...
02 March 2011
Jay Z: "These lyrics are a cry for help" (video)
Jay Z explains how his style went from being centred around technique (flow, etc.) to being more lyrically-focused after gaining "more life experiences":
"For people, don't just judge us as ignorant kids, or drug dealers...Its much more than that... Its layers of complex things thats going in our house, in our homes, in our hallways...
Just imagine your kid growing up in the middle of Marcy Projects when it was fiends in the hallway and shootouts on Sundays at 12 noon... or seeing someone get killed for the first time at 9 years old.
Imagine that.
So, here's why these things are happening and heres what we're going through... and why... so understand, and
help.
A lot of these lyrics are strong in nature because they're defiant... but at in the end of it, its all a cry for help..."
01 March 2011
Demoralizing the "enemy" from within: a short history of American foreign intervention
"Demoralize the enemy from within by surprise, terror, sabotage, assassination. This is the war of the future."Adolf Hitler
Here's something sobering to think about: in the last 60 years, the Unite States of America has been intervened in the politics of several countries, attempting to overthrow at least 50 foreign governments since 1945. Using secret intelligence apparatuses and military power, they continue setting their sights on foreign intervention in countries all across the world, with a particularly eerie focus on the Middle East...
- IRAN 1946
- YUGOSLAVIA 1946
- URUGUAY 1947
- GREECE 1947-49
- GERMANY 1948
- CHINA 1948-49
- PHILIPPINES 1948-54
- PUERTO RICO 1950
- KOREA 1951-? (they still have bases there)
- IRAN 1953
- VIETNAM 1954
- GUATEMALA 1954
- EGYPT 1956
- LEBANON l958
- IRAQ 1958
- CHINA l958
- PANAMA 1958
- VIETNAM l960-75 (one million killed in longest U.S. war)
- CUBA l961 (CIA-directed exile invasion fails)
- GERMANY l961
- LAOS 1962
- CUBA l962
- IRAQ 1963
- PANAMA l964
- INDONESIA l965
- DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 1965-66
- GUATEMALA l966-67
- CAMBODIA l969-75 (Up to 2 million killed in bombing, starvation, and political chaos)
- OMAN l970
- LAOS l971-73
- CHILE 1973
- CAMBODIA l975
- ANGOLA l976-92
- IRAN l980
- LIBYA l981
- EL SALVADOR l981-92
- NICARAGUA l981-90
- LEBANON l982-84
- GRENADA l983-84
- HONDURAS l983-89
- IRAN l984
- LIBYA 1985
- BOLIVIA 1986
- IRAN l987-88
- LIBYA 1989
- PHILIPPINES 1989
- PANAMA 1989 (2000+ killed.)
- LIBERIA 1990
- SAUDI ARABIA 1990-91
- IRAQ 1990-91
- KUWAIT 1991
- IRAQ 1991-2003
- SOMALIA 1992-94
- YUGOSLAVIA 1992-94
- BOSNIA 1993
- HAITI 1994
- LIBERIA 1997
- ALBANIA 1997
- SUDAN 1998
- AFGHANISTAN 1998
- IRAQ 1998
- YUGOSLAVIA 1999
- YEMEN 2000
- MACEDONIA 2001
- AFGHANISTAN 2001-?
- YEMEN 2002
- PHILIPPINES 2002-?
- COLOMBIA 2003-?
- IRAQ 2003-?
- LIBERIA 2003
- HAITI 2004-05
- PAKISTAN 2005-?
- SOMALIA 2006-?
- SYRIA 2008
- YEMEN 2009-?
- YOUR COUNTRY- 2011-?
(compiled by: Grossman)
28 February 2011
Israeli Apartheid Week: Toronto
Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) is an annual international series of events held in cities and campuses across the globe. The aim of IAW is to educate people about the nature of Israel as an apartheid system and to build Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) and last year IAW took place in over 40 countries. Events include lectures, films, and actions that will draw attention to the many continuous injustices that are crucial in the battle to end Israeli Apartheid.
From website:
Now here's a little schedule of all the events taking place in Toronto. For more information or to check out some of the events in other cities, CLICK HERE.
Interrogating Apartheid: Campus as a Site of Resistance
Monday March 7th , 7 PM
University of Toronto: Fitzgerald Building, Room 103
Speakers: Judy Rebick, Abbie Bakan, and SAIA (Students Against Israeli Apartheid)
Film Screening: Jaffa the Oranges Clockwork
Tuesday March 8th
Ryerson University
Film by: Eyal Sivan
The Cultural and Academic Boycott
Wednesday March 9th, 7 PM
University of Toronto, Bahen Auditorium, Room 1160
Speaker: Judith Butler
York's Complicity in Apartheid: Art, Culture and Resistance
Thursday March 10th
York University
Speakers: Paul Kellogg, John Greyson and SAIA
State of the Siege, State of the Struggle: The case for Boycott Divestment, Sanctions
Friday March 11th, 7 PM
University of Toronto, OISE Auditorium, G162 (First Floor)
Speakers: Riham Barghouti and Ali Abunimah
From website:
"The aim of IAW is to contribute to this chorus of international opposition to Israeli apartheid and to bolster support for the BDS campaign in accordance with the demands outlined in the July 2005 Statement: full equality for Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel, an end to the occupation and colonization of all Arab lands – including the Golan Heights, the Occupied West Bank with East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip – and dismantling the Wall, and the protection of Palestinian refugees’ right to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in U.N. resolution 194. In previous years IAW has played an important role in raising awareness and disseminating information about Zionism, the Palestinian liberation struggle and its similarities with the indigenous sovereignty struggle in North America and the South African anti-apartheid movement. Join us in making this a year of struggle against apartheid and for justice, equality, and peace."
Now here's a little schedule of all the events taking place in Toronto. For more information or to check out some of the events in other cities, CLICK HERE.
Interrogating Apartheid: Campus as a Site of Resistance
Monday March 7th , 7 PM
University of Toronto: Fitzgerald Building, Room 103
Speakers: Judy Rebick, Abbie Bakan, and SAIA (Students Against Israeli Apartheid)
Film Screening: Jaffa the Oranges Clockwork
Tuesday March 8th
Ryerson University
Film by: Eyal Sivan
The Cultural and Academic Boycott
Wednesday March 9th, 7 PM
University of Toronto, Bahen Auditorium, Room 1160
Speaker: Judith Butler
York's Complicity in Apartheid: Art, Culture and Resistance
Thursday March 10th
York University
Speakers: Paul Kellogg, John Greyson and SAIA
State of the Siege, State of the Struggle: The case for Boycott Divestment, Sanctions
Friday March 11th, 7 PM
University of Toronto, OISE Auditorium, G162 (First Floor)
Speakers: Riham Barghouti and Ali Abunimah
The CHRONICles: random mind wanderings/reflections on the day: De
What is strength, what is selfglorification?
What is bravery, what is bravado?
We spend our whole existence conjuring up images of heroes in our lives. We give them traits invisible to the world, we attribute major accomplishments to them, and we build them up to mammoth heights.
Then on unbeautiful days we are shown who they really are.
We begin to see blemishes in their once perfect glistens.
We see cracks in their superior shells.
We see rough edges in their once flawless finishes.
Our once bold, unbreakable faith that had upheld the foundation of these distant statues begins to shake, threatening to give way...
How can we repaint the images we once ogled at with admiration?
How are we to reimagine the perfectious figures we once held in such esteem?
To what degree are we, the witnesses, capable of sustaining heroism...
What is bravery, what is bravado?
We spend our whole existence conjuring up images of heroes in our lives. We give them traits invisible to the world, we attribute major accomplishments to them, and we build them up to mammoth heights.
Then on unbeautiful days we are shown who they really are.
We begin to see blemishes in their once perfect glistens.
We see cracks in their superior shells.
We see rough edges in their once flawless finishes.
Our once bold, unbreakable faith that had upheld the foundation of these distant statues begins to shake, threatening to give way...
How can we repaint the images we once ogled at with admiration?
How are we to reimagine the perfectious figures we once held in such esteem?
To what degree are we, the witnesses, capable of sustaining heroism...
 |
| The Fallen Hero... |
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