| Jack Layton |
[Aug. 22nd, 2011|01:02 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  sad | ] |
Canada lost one of its finest politicians, and men today. Jack Layton was the Leader of the Opposition. He took a third place party squabbling and lost and brought them to second place in our multi-party system. He lost his battle with cancer early this morning. But before he died, he left a last message to his fellow Canadians. I thought I'd share it with you too.
"Canada is a great country, one of the hopes of the world. We can be a better
one – a country of greater equality, justice, and opportunity. We can build a prosperous economy and a
society that shares its benefits more fairly. We can look after our seniors. We can offer better futures for
our children. We can do our part to save the world’s environment. We can restore our good name in the
world. We can do all of these things because we finally have a party system at the national level where
there are real choices; where your vote matters; where working for change can actually bring about
change. In the months and years to come, New Democrats will put a compelling new alternative to you.
My colleagues in our party are an impressive, committed team. Give them a careful hearing; consider the
alternatives; and consider that we can be a better, fairer, more equal country by working together. Don’t
let them tell you it can’t be done.
My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us
be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world."
-Jack Layton August, 2011
Adieu Jack. |
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| (no subject) |
[Aug. 4th, 2011|09:07 pm] |
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| [ | Current Music |
| | Hum of my hard-drive | ] |
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| Arisia |
[Jan. 18th, 2011|01:58 pm] |
This year's Arisia SF&Fantasy Convention in Boston was perhaps the best one we have experienced. The new hotel (Westin) was great. Longer and meatier panels. And I can't tell you how much fun the naughty Buffy Sing-a-long was. (No, seriously, I can't. Gag order and NDA.)
Always great to hang out with some very interesting and talented and funny people. Thanks to James and Lisa for their delicous dinner and Naomi for a great breakfast. Much fun hanging with my hero "Australian Joe". And as always I was enchanted by *andrea and the hilarious Marcicat. (Last con for you too???? Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo)
BREATH
(oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo)
Thanks to Alex for another great reading from a new piece...except the "apple cart line"...which still has me groaning.
Last year the amazing Dr. Feinman read from his novel "Duplicate" and I have finally turned that reading into an animation. Liberties, edits and anything else wonky are mine and not endorsed by the author.
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| "Never tell me the odds!"-Han Solo |
[Nov. 21st, 2010|07:35 pm] |
Laura likes to look at the odds of winning contests, lotteries etc.
I like chocolate milk.
Last night these two hobbies collided.
Beatrice, the dairy giant, in Canada has a new contest "GETALOADOFMILK.CA"
The odds of winning a ten thousand dollar prize are: 8 in 10,000,000,000,000,000.
For those of you who aren't number freaks (I'm looking at you Jerry Han) that's eight chances in a quadrillion! Sorry. My mistake that's eight chances in TEN quadrillion! Silly me!
But Craig, it could still happen, right? Well let's see...
Here are some handy comparative odds.
Odds of being on plane with a drunken pilot: 117 to 1
Odds of dating a millionaire: 215 to 1.
Odds of successfully navigating an asteroid field, as calculated by C-3P0 approximately 3,720 to 1.
Odds of being considered possessed by Satan: 7,000 to 1.
Odds of being murdered: 18,000 to 1.
Odds of dating a supermodel: 88,000 to 1.
Odds of being struck by lightning: 576,000 to 1
Odds of becoming president of the United States (open to Americans only) : 10,000,000 to 1.
Odds off dying from a mountain lion attack in California: 1 in 32,000,000
Odds of contracting mad cow disease (unless you are Denny Crane) 1 in 40,000,000.
Odds of dying from a shark attack: 1 in 300,000,000.
Odds of being killed on a 5-mile bus trip: 500,000,000 to 1.
Odds of a meteor landing on your house: 182,138,880,000,000 to 1.
Odds of winning getaloadofmilk.ca.-8 in 10,000,000,000,000,000.
Good lucks folks!
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| Alex Feinman and Duplicate |
[Sep. 16th, 2010|11:21 am] |
I met Alex Feinman at the Arisia SF Con in Cambridge, Mass. a few years ago. His gf and my gf are friends. When I heard he'd written a book, I couldn't wait to read it. And "Duplicate" is really, really good. I interviewed him at Arisia back in (mumble mumble mumble) and finally got a chance to put it up on YouTube and to share here.
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| Never Cry Thomas Wolfe |
[Aug. 13th, 2010|05:16 pm] |
I am moving home.
I am moving back to the house I left almost thirty years ago.
Then I left for a new life, a new wife and everything else I wanted.
Now, I am moving back for someone else.
My mother is 82. On July 1st she had a sharp pain in her side and was taken to hospital.
She was fine, although in much pain, for the first few days.
Then I showed up at her bed one morning to discover her pain-free, but also brain-free.
Well, not exactly free. Much muddled.
The doctors don't know what happened.
They also don't appear interested in finding out.
She has some home help, but not enough.
So I am going back home.
I will take up residence, like some troglodyte, in her basement.
Years of stuff accumulated while I had a life.
A son.
Two busted marriages.
Thirty years of acquiring because that's what I was told I should do.
Now it all has to fit in her basement and my father's old office.
It will be a tight fit.
As for managing the interpersonal stuff, I've been at her house since she took ill.
It has gone surprisingly well.
I found that I don't actually mind doing her dishes in her kitchen, just not my dishes in my own house.
Keeping her place neat and tidy is easier because she has expectations whereas I have none.
Keeping tidy makes her happy.
It does nothing for me, but making her happy, makes me happy.
So I'll wash and clean and vacuum and dust. I may even iron.
And, I don't find I mind all this.
I've been a selfish man since I walked out of those doors three decades ago.
Thomas Wolfe said:
"You can't go back home to your family, back home to your childhood ... back home to a young man's dreams of glory and of fame ... back home to places in the country, back home to the old forms and systems of things which once seemed everlasting but which are changing all the time — back home to the escapes of Time and Memory."
But the young man's dreams have long ago passed into rueful dust.
Fame has proven to be a shallow harlot.
I have learned the painful, though not fatal lesson, that change, not the Speed of Light, is the universal constant.
And as my mother loses touch with her time and her memory, perhaps I shall find mine. |
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| The Super Secret Project |
[Feb. 23rd, 2010|08:23 am] |
This is pretty much one hundred percent my fault.
Almost ten years ago my comic friend Larry V. Smith and I talked about a sitcom idea. Larry is one of those people who gushes ideas. I'm one of those people who actually wants to see projects through to completion. I wrote up a 'bible' for the show we'd talked about. Fleshed out the situation and characters and then wrote a sample episode. The idea was to do it on stage at The Staircase Theatre where we both used to hang out. I sent it to Larry and...well, I'm still waiting for Larry to get back to me. He's a busy dude. Or too stoned. One of those.
So nothing happened.
A few years ago I stumbled onto the concept of Machinima, making movies using video game engines. I experimented with several including Unreal. It was very difficult to do anything because it was really designed just for gaming. Then a year ago I found Moviestorm. I made a few test videos then decided I should try to tackle a larger project. I dug through my files and found "Right Royal Bastards".
Because I feel really guilty when I snare other people into my projects, I decided to do the entire project myself. Sets. Costumes. Props. Voices. Animation. Everything. That I was able to put it all together is really a testament to the power of Moviestorm.
Here for you amusement is the sample episode, complete with a short explanation of the show to open of "Right Royal Bastards: Wraith a Little Hell!"
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| Stupid, stupid racists! |
[Jan. 5th, 2010|10:14 pm] |
Last year I interviewed the author of "Stuff White People Like". It is posted with my other interviews on YouTube. The other day I received a couple of comments from racists. Here is a portion of one:
"As soon as I saw this I knew the guy was a Jew. It's always the Jews who mock White people, and consider them their number one enemy. Probably 95 times out of 100, when you hear somebody mocking "White people," it's a Jew."
Dear Stupid Racist Moron:
Hint: The author's first name is CHRISTIAN!
C
The interview itself.
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| The Day Before Christmas |
[Dec. 23rd, 2009|11:05 pm] |
A little pre-Christmas present for my two nieces from Santa.
The film was made with Moviestorm. Great program and it is free!
Merry Christmas to all and to all...you know the rest.
Cheers!
C |
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| Die contractors DIE! |
[Aug. 19th, 2009|04:07 pm] |
I am back in the wreckage of my apartment six and a half weeks after leaving so the roof could get repaired. What should have taken a week and a bit, took six.
To say the least, I am unimpressed.
Thomas Wolfe was right, you can't go home again. My poor 81 year old mother has been putting up with me, and my two deranged cats all this time. Woman deserves a medal. I'm not easy to live with...hence the two ex-wives. My cats and hers have been at war since day one. If we'd known it would be this long we would have locked them in the smallest room in the house and let them sort it out once and for all. As it is, mine like to shove my sub-100 pound mother out of the way and go marauding upstairs.
Some things have been damaged or lost including one of the casters for my bed, so I can't sleep here tonight. My landlord promises to find 'something that will work'...Ya, like the CONTRACTORS WORKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SIGH |
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