Saturday, May 7, 2011

Party on the left, party on the right. In more ways than one.

I should explore my neighbourhood more often. For example, I didn't always know that the pub down the street had karaoke nights, and that it drew a pretty big crowd. I don't know about you readers, but at least half the fun for me is watching as some people perform either a) terrible renditions of songs, b) terrible songs, or c) ridiculously good versions of songs without a trace of irony. It's also fun to learn some new lyrics once in a while, and have an "A-HA!" moment when you realize that Kurt Cobain was actually singing about being "forever in debt to your priceless advice" in stead of being "forever in debt to your prices and fines." It happens to the best of us.

Let's get this weekend moving.

-  In case you were living under a rock in some hard-to-reach area of Afghanistan, you probably heard that Osama bin Laden is dead. Reactions around these parts:
The BBC
The Toronto Star
The Globe and Mail
CNN
And, of course, his obituary.

A more accurate account of the operations. Maybe. Conflicting results come out every da, and we might never know what really happened.

What does his death signify? Osama bin Laden has been a largely symbolic presence over the last few years. To a certain extent, he had become a bogeyman. Because of his impact, he was the face of a shifting entity, but you can't pigeon-hole terrorists and think that all of them are US-hating Arab Muslims. So, now what?

-  Local politics: Canada elects a Conservative majority government. My personal feelings about that: sigh. However, the Opposition party could make the next four years interesting. They already have a mini-scandal to their credit because of a candidate who got elected in a riding that she's never been to, and without campaigning.

-  Space affects time, and vice versa. Einstein said it, and now NASA has proven it, with the help of the Gravity B Probe. Time is relative, not absolute. Crazy. More links here.

-  My co-workers and I faltered with our collaborative sketch group. We're going to bring it back, and here's my first effort. One sketch, two ways. You decide which looks better.

-  I wasn't too excited about X-Men: First Class, but the new mini-trailers are making me change my mind. Nicholas Hoult from About A Boy/A Single Man is Beast. Nice choice. I think I like this one of Banshee the best.

-  This week's musical nugget comes courtesy of the Beastie Boys. The year 2011 finds Mike D, MCA, and Ad-Rock in fine form, and the bass line is catchy as hell. Give it a try, even if the Beasties aren't your thing. The video plays up to their 80s image of boys behaving badly, and there's a who's-who collection of cameos by famous actors. You know you want to see Frodo dropping some fat rhymes.


Tomorrow is Mother's Day. All the best to all the moms out there. Enjoy breakfast in bed, or hand-made macaroni cards, or whatever it is that someone is hopefully doing for you.

2 comments:

Kayte said...

I love Karaoke! What songs did you sing (other then Nirvana?).
BTW I like the coloured version of your drawing more then the b/w.
It's more vibrant and eye-catching.

fvpaonessa said...

Ha! Tighten Up, by the Black Keys, and Last Nite, by The Strokes. And I wasn't singing Nirvana. That was a random stranger at the pub.
I think the colour one is nicer, too, although I feel it could use a bit more work. Thanks!

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