The hip.

When I was 12 I asked for music for christmas. Bad Religion and The Tragically Hip. When my Uncle heard that I wanted the hip I can clearly remember him saying, "You don;t want the hip, they sing about drugs and jail." As though the two are inextricably linked. Needless to say, i'll never forget he said that.

For some reason or another I'm listening to the tragically hip, the band I had learned and grew to hate for so many years because jeff, the guy who first took the time to teach me some guitar insisted that we learn tragically hip songs. Being a punk rock kid, I could care less about the droll that the TH were cranking out. I could not understand how jeff figured they were a heavy band. To me the misfits, AFI and Ignite were where it was at. Consequently I have had a heavy aversion to the Hip and all that they stand for, canadian tail gate parties and 'camping,' I knew it was not for me. Although now, for some reason, living out in Thunder Bay, I'm listening to the hip with somewhat confusion and consternation, "what the hell is going on" comes to mind, but i guess it all makes sense now. Apparently Gord Downey does lots of advocation about environmental issues around the great lakes. Maybee that is the connection?

Who Killed the electric Car?

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. But wait I'm in Thunder Bay And that film is not playing anytime soon. Okay, don't ask. The film features interviews with Hell Gibson, Ralph Nader, and others. "They make too much money off antiquated technology to want to change anything" (Nader). A good solid film probing the questions of a specific issue, a case study, and done well. I guess it made me really think about how the last 100 years on earth, we, as humans have done one hell of a job increasing the gaps between people and the planet that sustains life. Mans quest for constant improvement and advancement has afforded us a view of the earth from space, but what about the view of earth from earth, our ecological footprints. Lucky me and countless other blogstyle writers who can sit comfy in a rocking chair protected from the elements as we sit wit laptop on lap and write about ... how we done wrong.
I guess I just feel very strongly that Albert Einstein's prophecy will come true, and as it seems today, within my lifetime. "I know not with what weapons world war III will be fought, but WW4 will be fought with sticks and stones"

Making perfect babies

1992 National Film Board.

A film we watched in our disability class. The general argument is that the use of gene therapy and gene selction is entirely reminiscent of the eugenics movement of britain in the 1930's and also by the Nazis ... and Canada?

What really stood out in the film for me is: the way that in the 30's in Britain and in Nazi germany, the focus of convincing people that normal was quantifiable on image of normal and ab-normal. Those who fit outside of normal were regaded as horrendous and tragedy-like, as though they were unbearable burdens on society. The movement of today, is similarily fueled, although the images are not needed to be reproduced, they are so ingrained and enmeshed in our visual culture that thier disjunction is not possible. Yay, visual culture. The power.

While looking for vintage images, circa 1920-30's of Nazi, type, charts of 'invalids' and otherwise destined for the short end of the stick on 'ethnic cleansing' I came across this page.
Called SCOPE.









































































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