"Lady-oh, am I gonna ever learn what I never learned before?" - Neil Diamond

"City lights, city lights burn so warm and they burn so bright, but

me, I walk the city night to forget you, Lady-oh...." That's such a beautiful song...

The Man...He's COMING to Edmonton! Now I'm not a crazed Neil Diamond fan but the nostalgia knows no bounds on this crooner! My mom used to listen to him, we've sang and danced super (super) drunk to many, many of his songs, and with a best friend named Caroline...well you get the picture. If I can get tickets I am totally going.

Additionally, today Coldplay released the download their newest single on their website, if you can get on it. I tried with no success. But I heard it this morning on Sonic. It's got a kind of Beatles sound to it, with some heavier guitar...what do you think? I like it. A lot.

Song Du Jour: Violet Hill - Coldplay

Oh and Go Habs GO!

"Fear tries to pierce the armor of truth...."

I bought the Vampire Weekend CD! They were on Jimmy Kimmel Wednesday night rocking out with a whole Highschool drum line...it was really good. Click on the title (up there) to see the performance.

Vampire Weekend is a refreshing change. It is such a summer album...when I hear the track "Oxford Comma" I think of the beach or driving in your car with the warm wind blowing...they use tones of Reggae--very Police-esque...or like No Doubt with the ska.
I love "M79"...weirdly the drums remind me of Paul Simon.
"Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" is very tribal. This is going to be the summer of 08 album for sure! When "A punk" comes on the radio when I am in my car I totally have to turn it up and sing! I am sure this provides hilarity to the drivers around me. Who knew the steering wheel could be such a great drum!?

Song Du Jour: Hollowpoint Sniper Hyperbole by USS
(The full name is Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker)
They don't have an album out yet but they have music up at Myspace.

"Oh. Smells like barbecued dog hair"

JR Burns Cujo.
Thank you hockey Gods. I don't think I could have stomached having the "They're not the Canada Flames" argument again.

"Till now man has been up against Nature; from now on he will be up against his own nature" ~ Dennis Gabor (Back in 1964)

I'm not going to complain about the weather soooo...Happy Earth Day! Mother Nature appears to be conducting her own protest for us here. I'm never sure what to do on Earth Day. I have been turning out lights in empty offices and turning off my handy Sharp calculator when it is not in use...which is slightly annoying because I have to keep turning it off and on. Off and on. Off an on. Off and on. I even turned out the lights in my office while I ate lunch...actually I do that every day mostly to keep people from bugging me.

Should I fill my car with ever-increasing, super expensive gas or should I wait until tomorrow so as to not offend Mother Earth?? I guess I should have taken the bus. Believe me it crossed my mind this morning when I dug my poor car out of the snow drift I call my"parking stall".

Anybody else do something to mark Earth Day? Apparently, the first Earth day was observed April 22, 1970 and as a direct result of Earth Day, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established in December 1970. Hm. The website suggests emailing the government and ask them "to enact tough and fair climate change legislation". If you feel the need to act, and you call Canada home, call 1-613-943-5959 and leave them your message.

Tonight I will watch The San Jose Sharks finish the job they should have finished about a week ago...those filthy procrastinators! We are eco-conscious couch potatoes so we'll watch with the lights off and because I am going to watch it with friends we'll be conserving the energy of at least 2 additional TV's.
Go Sharks! Pleeease for the love of all things holy!

Song Du Jour: Pork and Beans by Weezer
Weezer have unveiled the full track listing for their new self-titled, Red Album which drops June 24 -- if the whole thing doesn't leak in the next week I'll be amazed.

"Been around the world and found that only stupid people are breeding...."

I went to a stationary store by my work on my lunch hour and my purchase totalled $4.61.

The really nice lady (looks like a 40-ish, white, stay-at-home Mom) who helped me could not make change from the $5 I gave her. She said she punched it in wrong to the register, she punched it in as $50, and was looking for her calculator to figure out the $.39 change!

Song du Jour: Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger

"There is a kind of revival of the multilateral spirit...we are facing global problems and to those global problems, there must be global answers"

The world hunger crisis is all over the news this week. In just three years, the price of staple foods like wheat, corn and rice has almost doubled. If we don't do something soon, hundreds of thousands of people face starvation and a hundred million more could fall into extreme poverty.

Does anybody care?

I just took action with the ONE Campaign...does that count?

I've quoted Dominique Strauss-Kahn, IMF managing director and clearly the IMF seems to be thinking of the bottom line...and with a "mild" recession predicted in the US on its way it would seem the outlook is...for shit.

Will this push the so called "global community" to changing international trade regimes to benefit the poorest countries? The Scientists say it's about time. Or maybe we're going to be okay after all-- The superheroes? Parliaments of the west clearly! Even though said parliaments are proven liars and don't follow through on commitments made, or "allocate 0.7 per cent of gross national income to official development assistance whose latest figures are in steep decrease". But the "Positive Patty" award of the month goes to Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro for at least giving me hope in the Millennium Development Goals again! Whew!

Last night whilst watching U23D Vern leaned over and said, "Bono is so smart...how do you get things accomplished and make a difference? Become a rock star!" I want to be a rock star.

How long? How long must we sing this song?

Song du Jour: Come Downstairs and Say Hello by Guster (warning: cheesy video) "Be calm, be brave, it'll be okay..."

"One man come in the name of love..."

Got myself a free pass to see U2 3D! Again. I wonder what kind of numbers have seen it here in Alberta because I think maybe 50 U2 fans have seen it like 4 times each. Rick Lee has seen it six, scratch that, SEVEN times! Crazy. That's who gave me the pass too, thanks Rick! It's nice to be surrounded by avid U2 fans!

As for the film itself....It was so worth the wait. First off--I had a hard time sitting down through it...and not singing out loud. I wanted to clap after each song...what can I say..I like to clap. I clap at everything. Seriously. I loved the crowds singing the big rock anthems and how the crowd already knew the bit they are supposed to sing...how they rocked out! When Bono planted one on Adam...awwww....that really was touching and you could feel the Bro-love they share in that moment. Nothing planned about that moment, they always keep it so genuine.

What an interesting experience in 3D. Right at the beginning when someone splashes their water bottle and it sprays out, I honestly expected to feel the wetness hit my arm...
I'll admit I let slip a few tears during "Sometimes you can't make it on your own"...that was my favorite song of the movie because I've never seen it live and because of Bono and his Father and what it means. His lyrics just...just...I can't explain it!

It was like I was transported to South America! The whole "coexist" message was powerful...And the comparison between Ireland and Argentina, "no matter how hard our past, we won't let that stand in the way of our great future...." The powerful image of him blindfolded with the smoke and haze billowing around him as he sang.

Just for a moment even sitting in a darkened theatre I felt like part of something bigger than me. The young woman reading out the declaration of human rights. Then Pride bursts out!

Pride just came on Sonic as I wrote this. Creeeeeepy.
I swear, it totally did!! Garner Andrews cracks me up..."Bono should just buy Rick Lee a house..."

Going again tonight and dragging my Vern and the OTC too! Can't wait!

Song Du Jour: Dead Disco by Metric

"You Can't, You Won't And You Don't Stop..."

hrm. The New Kids on the Block are actually touring. False advertising knows no bounds apparently...New? Kids?
Really?

I sent an email at the beginning of March to my MP and the leaders of the parties asking for some clarification on reports from Amnesty International about claims of torture by detainees at the hands of Afghan authorities, and similar reports indicating widespread abuse throughout the Afghan prison system. I am pleased to report that the first response I got (on March 13th) was from (the assistant of ) Jack Layton and the NDP:

The NDP have been pressing the issue of treatment of detainees for quite some time. We have repeatedly asked the Harper government why they are withholding key information, witnesses, and documents that are essential to get to the bottom of the alleged prisoner abuse.

Furthermore, we are on record saying that Canada must not turn detainees over to Afghan authorities until we fix the flaws in the Prisoner Transfer Agreement to ensure that Canada lives up to its Geneva Convention obligations. I want you to know that the NDP will continue to push the Harper government for action.

Then yesterday, I got a response from ("Assistant 1") my MP:

"Both military and government official in Kandahar are satisfied that conditions of Afghan prisons have improved since allegations of abuse were reported.

Since then:
* Canadian officials have conducted more than two dozen visits to the Kandahar detention centre

* This government has funded $1.5 million for prison improvements
* Canada will be providing training on human rights standards to staff at the Kandahar detention facility
* There has been record-keeping improvements for all detainees handed over to Afghan authorities.

The military respect their international obligations and make decisions each and every day on difficult operational matters such as this. As such, Canada's current transfer agreement with Afghanistan will remain in force as long as the standards expected remain consistent with their current state.
Thank you again for contacting me. Please do not hesitate to do so again in the future with your questions and comments.

Sincerely, Honourable Rona Ambrose, P.C., M.P.

45 days for the government to return an email? The responses are typical and totally what I expected, they explain little. I wonder what the $1.5 million for "prison improvements" was spent on? I wish my Canadian mind was put at ease knowing the government appears to be reacting and supplying assistance and human rights training, but its not.

My next email will ask about blacked out documents and the real potential of Canada being charged with war crimes.

Jebus.

Song Du Jour: Sure Shot by The Beastie Boys