MTV Canada is Useless

Proclaiming that "the drought is over," MTV Canada started last week. I tuned in to watch a music video and have vowed to continue turning to that channel every time my TV is on until I have seen MTV play a music video. This has yet to happen. Today I thought, 'why am I torturing myself?' I checked the website, which has the TV listings. From 1pm to 11:30pm (when the listing stopped) there was not a single spot for music videos. There was the Real World, Pimp my Ride, a program about movies, and other useless junk. At least MTV Live had a performance by Controller Controller, but really -- 2 songs in 12 hours of programming? MuchMusic spent the last 10 years trying to become MTV by coming up with copycat shows, and now that they finally succeeded, MTV comes up and does the same boring programming. If MTV was smart, they would have done something radical -- like show music videos.

So You Can Bitch at Telemarketers

For most people, telemarketers are annoying. And there are those people who actually like them. I am not one of them. I would like to scream at the phone, but I don't because I know that they are just doing their jobs. But if you ask for the supervisor, you can yell at that person. Lately I've been getting calls to my cell phone, and they get an earful.

Know your rights! This first link is a CBC post that gives great information (these are Canadian regulations, the States is a bit different). According to this, the person (at the start of the call!) must give you a toll-free number that you can phone back. They are also supposed to give you a registration number if you ask to be taken off the list. I've never had a telemarketer say either of those things, so I'm ready to raise some hell next time.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/telemarketing/crtc-rules.html

The second link is to the CRTC itself, and they outline the rules that telemarketers have to follow.

http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/INFO_SHT/t1022.htm

I'm currently looking for lists of telemarketer phone numbers on the web, and I'm thinking about phoning their main offices and trying to sell them something. I'll let you know if that happens.

Unconscious Gender Guidelines

I watched the movie "Walk the Line" the other day and thought it was pretty good. I have a lot of respect for Johnny Cash, as a person and a musician. So what I have to say next really has nothing to do with him.
There’s a scene where June Carter helps get Johnny off the drugs and set his life back on track. And he’s ever so grateful and the two get married and live happily ever after (this shouldn’t be spoiler, I think the chain of events is fairly obvious by now). All I could think about watching that scene is the amount of women in real life that see it and feel inspired for all the wrong reasons. They watch that scene and think, "I can do that. I can change the man I’m with." No matter how drugged up he is, how deep in gambling debt, or surrounded by hookers, or how many times he gives her a black eye, she still thinks that her love will be enough to save him. And when it doesn’t happen, she blames herself, believing that her love just wasn’t strong enough.

This is a common theme in movies. And it is heartwarming, that I’ll agree. But for the most part it doesn’t reflect real situations. And it’s false hopes such as these that give women the impetus to stick with situations that are unfulfilling, dangerous, or even life-threatening. It places the onus on the female, and says it’s okay for the guy to act in such a manner. It shifts responsibility for his actions.

I’m sure most people will think I overanalysed this to death. But it worries me how much stock women put in relationships, how often women have trouble defining themselves unless it is in relation to a man. It starts young, and pop culture unconsciously keeps the cycle going. I think the powerful message contained in the pink postsecret I posted below is something that people need to become more aware of.

Archaeology That Isn't

I found a great website on pseudoarchaeology, the kinds of theories formed outside respected archaeological circles. It has a good outline of what pseudoarchaeologists have been up to, including lost civilizations, visitors from space, and super-early Europeans in America.

http://www.answers.com/topic/pseudoarchaeology

The best part of this site is the links. We have religious links like Answers in Genesis, where they have a soundbite from a radio program claiming scientists don’t even understand evolution. They say that bacteria immune to antibiotics is a sign of de-evolution, not evolution, so fits better with the Bible’s view of the world breaking down due to overwhelming sin. Sounds good, except the show’s concept of evolution is skewered: they see evolution as progress, while scientists see evolution as adaptation (fyi, if you tend to think of evolution as a process toward betterment with humans at the top, it makes it easier to think that your well-being is the only thing that matters -- that’s my opinion). There are also links to websites that try to refute some pseudoarchaeology, which I believe is a good thing. Archaeologists can’t just sit in ivory towers and sneer smugly at authors without masters degrees. If we want the general public to know the problems with some of these claims, we have to take the time to explain it. We can’t just say "that guy’s a crackpot" and expect everyone to agree. Pseudoarchaeology is pretty popular and at times actually helps archaeology get noticed, so we can’t just bat it away. I believe that if you disagree with something, learn about it. Then you have the ability to make convincing arguments against it. That’s why I know so much about Britney Spears.

Keep in mind that I’m a graduate student of archaeology, so I obviously don’t agree with most pseudoarchaeology. Most. Of course aliens were here! Of course!

Making Money isn't a Job; It's a Lifestyle

The Enron trial is underway in the U.S. as Ken Lay, the CEO of the company, is charged with various amounts of legal jumble that all mean the same thing: he ripped off stockholders and employees of millions of dollars. His defense made me laugh and cry at the same time. According to his lawyers, Lay couldn’t have purposefully stolen that money or dissuade the public because he is already rich, and rich people don’t steal. That’s right: rich people don’t steal. They don’t need to; they already have all the money they need.
To say that rich people don’t steal is like saying sex addicts don’t have sex, because they already had enough of it in their lifetime. If there is one thing that makes people crazy for money, it’s having too much already. In the general trend of things, people are greedy and are never satisfied. Why else do athletes getting paid 5 million a year complain about it? These athletes frame their argument in terms of respect: if they really are the best, they should be paid more than the rest. I agree with paying people their value, but isn’t there a point where that thinking gets stupid? Don’t we respect you enough when you get paid 5 million as opposed to 9 million?
I’d like to do a study of how many corporate heads have decided one day, "you know, I’ve made enough money, I’m just gonna stop." I don’t think I’ll find too many. They retire for other reasons, like health. The dollar sign keeps them coming back.

Is Bush as Bad as it Gets?

Rolling Stone calls him "God’s Senator." Sam Brownback is an American senator and the head of the Values Action Team, a group of right-wing policy advocates that meet once a week to determine the direction that the government should follow. These meetings are top secret and members are forbidden to discuss what gets said... and they have the ear of the President. Brownback claims it’s okay for unelected officials to to set policy and do it secretly, because the Bible sanctions it. "Everybody knows Moses, but who were the leaders of the Jewish people once they got to the promise land? It’s a lot of people who are unknown" (RS 993:56). The Values Action Team is part of a group of "God-led" cells -- small pockets of senators, generals, corporate executives, and preachers that have been appointed to power (and are therefore "God’s chosen") in order to construct a Kingdom of God on earth. He is against homosexuals, abortion, and fuel-efficiency standards, doesn’t want Islamic people to own oil companies, and backs the Constitution Restoration Act. This acts strips the Supreme Court’s ability to hear cases about faith-based abuses of power.

Brownback's going to run for president. The U.S. is becoming quite the scary place.

Indie Music Revolution (?)

Is the music industry going to shit? Depends on if you think it's shit in the first place. Apparently album sales in 2005 dropped 7.2%, from $666.7 million to $618.7 million. So yes, things aren't looking good. BUT -- Indie music accounted for 18% of sales, which is an increase of 2% over the year before. And in my opinion, indie music is good. The major labels focus on blockbusters, while the indie labels use a broad range of small-scale releases, which according to some experts may be the way that major labels start promoting artists. I have no problem with that. I prefere album-oriented projects compared to singles-oriented ones (I think one major reason illegal downloading is that no one wants to buy a whole album that has only one good song on it). The small-scale release model will favour albums over singles. It just means that pop stars who don't know what do with their millions won't have as many millions to toss away.

Goodbye, Brett RIP

Brett Len Genoway June 29, 1983 March 11, 2006 Brett Len Genoway died suddenly on March 11, 2006 in a tragic car accident. Born June 29, 1983, he was 22 years old. Brett leaves behind to miss and mourn him the love of his life, Jeri-lynn and two children, Kalem and Akruia; dad Clarence and Mom Crystal; sister, Virginia (Doug), nephews Chance and James, nieces Jessica, Sharon, Brianna and Joleen; brothers: Bill (Heather), nephew Willy; Darcy (Reese), nephew Cole, niece Piper; Matt (Jenn), nephew Xavier . He also leaves behind Grandma Susan Genoway and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and friends; as well as man's best friend, Inookshuk. The viewing will be from 1:00 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 16, 2006 at Acadia Drive Funeral Chapel. A Prayer Service and viewing will be held on Thursday, March 16, 2006, at 7:00 p.m. at Acadia Drive Funeral Chapel (915 Acadia Drive). The Funeral Service will be held on Friday, March 17, 2006 at 11:00 a.m. at Holy Cross Lutheran Church (1405-31st St. W., Saskatoon). In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity of your choice. Arrangements have been entrusted to Mervin G. Oleksyn, ACADIA DRIVE FUNERAL CHAPEL, 955-1600. Published in the Saskatoon StarPhoenix on 3/15/2006.

Sundance Spreads the Word

The Sundance Film Festival has posted on their website many of the short films that premiered at the festival this year. It's all free and definitely worth checking out. I've only watched a couple, but my favourite is "Ha Ha Ha America", a satire on America's inability to realize that China is poised to take over the world, and doing it by playing America's game. Sweet. http://festival.sundance.org/2006/

Don't Let The Bush Keep You Down

Today the U.S. congress voted 62-2 to block the sale of American ports to the country of Dubai. It seems they suddenly realized that the public was fed up with stupidity, and if they let the sale go through, they'd be out of a job come election time (which I believe is right around the corner). It took 6 years for America to realize that Baby Bush doesn't have his priorities straight. I'm not sure if we can say the same up here in Canada. Within the last year we watched two Canadian institutions get bought out by foreign interests: the Fairmont Hotels by a Saudi prince (which includes the historic Royal York in Toronto and the Banff Springs in Banff) and the Hudson Bay Company, which is probably the most "canadian" business, seeing as it shaped our country's history for the first 200 years. Plus a couple of years back we lost Tim Horton's to the group that owns Wendy's. I don't think such drastic foreign ownership is a good idea (trickle-down economies don't work like people think; most of the money is still leaving the country). And I don't think our current political climate is going to make things better.

Postsecrets, or "How I Know We've Become Disconnected"

I came across this book called 'Postsecrets', about people sending postcards to this guy with secrets written on them. I became hooked immediately. Some of these secrets are funny and some are sad, but mostly they seem to really connect with how people think and feel in our technologically-ladened, single-apartment, 7 billion person universe we call the 21st century. The fact that people are sending these shows that a lot of people have no one to turn to. I think the best ones say a little something about how far people will go to appear 'normal,' and how that has taken a toll emotionally. And some just hit you sideways, slap you awake. Some, like that last one, are so simple and yet say so much, that it's disturbing. I think this is how art should always be.

New postcards are posted on the website every Sunday. http://postsecret.blogspot.com/

'What We Got Here is a Failure to Communicate'

Have you ever had an argument that went absolutely nowhere? Try arguing with drunk people; logic doesn't mix with alcohol. I've noticed that a lot of arguments don't get solved because the people are actually arguing two different things. If someone's arguing based on moral grounds, and the other on economic grounds, it's hard to meet in the middle. For the most part, people just don't listen to each other. I'm not a big Dr. Phil fan, but at least he makes people listen to what's going on around them. To help keep minor disagreements from escalating into bottle-breaking brawls, here's a list of fair-fight rules from The Family Centre, Edmonton. I pulled this from Glow magazine, April 2006 (yes, I read everything).

1. No name calling or hurtful remarks.
2. Don't interrupt and be willing to listen.
3. Don't bring up the past: stick to the here and now.
4. Focus on the issue.
5. No physical violence.
6. Don't play psychologist or make speeches. Don't make assumptions or try to tell the other person what he or she is thinking or feeling.
7. Negotiate. State your problem, suggest alternatives, review the positive and negative consequences of your options and reach a solution.
8. Own your problems, feelings, and behaviours. Use "I" rather than "you."
9. Time out is OK. If things get too heated, continue the discussion later.
10. Be accepting. Realize that you are different from others in the way you see things and react emotionally.

Avian Flu and Robert Deniro

There has been a lot of talk about the avian flu virus lately. Most discussion is centred around the outbreaks in Asia and the possibility (and severity) of an outbreak over here. I just read in THIS magazine (Feb 06) a great article about world government reaction to avian flu. The author acknowledges the potential danger of the virus, but is disheartened to note how quickly and strongly governments have worked to contain the virus and acquire the proper vaccines for their citizens. Disheartened, you ask? How can that be? Well, the author works in Africa trying to stem the AIDS epidemic over there. And while governments are doing what they can to stop virus that has only killed a few hundred people, they are completely ignorant to any attempt to stop a virus killing millions. "The double standard is so obvious it slaps you in the face: the lightning-speed response by governments; the billions of dollars immediately available to fight a flu pandemic that doesn't yet exist, when the one that we can see right in front of us has been allowed to mushroom out of control" (THIS Feb 2006:26).

Western nations have forgotten about what's going on in Africa, what with Katrina and oil price hikes and wars being fought in the Middle East. We are talking about a substantial chunk of the world's population succumbing to a disease that crosses all boundaries. Even in Canada and the States, AIDS is becoming a forgotten disease, which makes me fearful of what the younger generation is coming into contact with and not even realizing.

For an alternative perspective on the avian flu, I turn to Robert Deniro. A few days ago I caught the film 'Awakenings', starring Robin Williams and Bobby "I'll wack you" Deniro. For those who haven't seen it, the 1992 film depicts patients afflicted with Encephalitis Lethargica. The only epidemic of this disease occured from 1917 to 1928. From my understanding it is a form of Parkinson's disease. See this link for more info: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/encephalitis_lethargica/encephalitis_lethargica.htm

Curious about treatment of this disease since the movie, I did some research and came across some startling things. Firstly, researchers suggest that in some instances Parkinson's may be caused by the flu. The Encephalitis epidemic noted above occurred just after the great Influenza epidemic at the turn of the century. There is real evidence for this, check it out: http://www.parkinson.org/site/pp.asp?c=9dJFJLPwB&b=100122

In an editorial for the New York Times, Oliver Sacks compares the avian flu to Spanish Influenza of 1917. Sacks is the man who wrote the book that 'Awakenings' is based on. He is worried that an avian flu epidemic could result in an even stranger epidemic afterwards. Read it yourself: http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/11/16/opinion/edsacks.php

Also of interest, but a little weird, is Laurie Winn Carlson's book A Fever in Salem: A New Interpretation of the New England Witch Trials. She connects Encephalitis Lethargica to the Salem witch trials. http://www.h-net.msu.edu/reviews/showrev.cgi?path=21859936999005

To sum up, maybe it is a good idea to keep the avian flu at the forefront of our thoughts. But at the same time we can't forget about the diseases and situations ravaging the world population at the present. AIDS has killed more people than any disease in human history, and yet we let it just march on. I'm too exhausted to get into what I think about the pharmacutical industry right now, but I'm sure it will come out later.

Canadians in Afghanistan

I was quite surprised to see someone comment on my first post within 15 minutes of posting it, even if it was a snarky comment. That's okay, I left myself open. But I realize I have to put up or shut up, so here goes...

Adrian and I conceived of this blog as a place where we could organize our thoughts on subjects we usually talk about when we are hammered. Politics, environment, corporate synergy, anthropology, quantum physics, music industry, and of course Canada's role in the world. Some of the stuff posted here will be common knowledge, but hopefully there will be a tidbit or two that is small enough to escape mainstream media, but is probably worth knowing about and passing on. Will this blog stay focused on these subjects? Probably. Lately I've found myself getting more opinionated, which also means I'm more likely to share that opinion with everybody, whether they care or not. Which brings me to today's subject...

Earlier this week, a national poll suggested that Canadians no longer wanted to be involved in Afghanistan, mere days before our troops were handed the reins over there. Here's the link:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060224.wxpoll0224/BNStory/National/
Only 27% of us still want to be involved. 73% of us want parliament to vote on it. Voting sounds good to me. We are still a democracy, right?

The next day, John Gormley appeared on Global News with his "Reality Check" segment, and he proceeded to rip apart Canadians who don't support troop involvement. His basic argument was that poor support would lower the moral of our troops and would give the terrorists confidence. We are demoralizing our own side in this "War on Terror."

What Gormley doesn't realize is that people who object to the "War on Terror" don't even believe that it exists. It is a war with an American (and corporate) agenda. Yes, we were all for invading Afghanistan in the first place, but the transparent American hegemony has soured us of the deal. We should try to stop terrorism by looking into the sociocultural reasons for it, and attempt to fix those problems. People like Gormley are forgetting that terrorism has existed in its current form for a good 40 years. Things didn't start with 9/11. We have to try to fix things instead of blowing shit up. All the "War on Terror" has accomplished is to freak the crap out of the general public.

I've listened to Gormley's radio show before, based out of Regina. The guy is smart and has good things to say. I just think he's fallen for the propoganda.