Posts Tagged: Political
You don’t appreciate what you have when you’ve had it all your life
Last Friday I went to a friend of mine’s Oath of Citizenship ceremony. He’s originally from the States, has been living here in Vancouver with his husband for years, and made the choice to become an official Canuck. That means a lot. I was born here, so were my parents, and their parents, and their parents; never lived anywhere else except for 6 months in Belgium when I was 8. I don’t really think much about Canadianness except when listening to The Arrogant Worms’ heart-stirring national anthem, Canada’s Really Big, or bitching about our dead-eyed Bush-wannabe PM.
Wave of Pink
On June 14, the Burnaby school board voted on an anti-homophobia and anti-heterosexism policy, and a rally in support was planned. Now, there had already been pro-homophobia rallies, so would we have to face a counter-rally? In a way I kind of wanted one: let’s be honest, part of me likes a clear-cut, good-vs-evil confrontation every now and then.
Lock Up Your Sons and Daughters
Bill Taylor put together a collection of old anti-gay propaganda to educate and entertain. easy to laugh, and in fact that’s part of the point. Laughter is the best medicine, and celebrating how far we’ve come is part of Gay Pride. But it’s also important to learn how our enemies think, and what they tell people about us.
Vancouver International Fringe Festival
I don’t think I’d ever gone to a Fringe show before, and this year I went to two! It should have been three, but I’d double-booked myself on Friday and missed Morgan Brayton’s Raccoonery. I thought about rescheduling (which would have meant buying another ticket, since Fringe policy clearly states there are no refunds or exchanges), but I’d just come down with a cold, so that plan was kaput. Still, I got to enjoy two really excellent shows:
Vancouver Queer Film Festival Review: The Butch Factor
Hm. Okay. This documentary is going to be a tough one to review. From what I’m hearing it was extremely polarising, with people saying they hated it, it made them angry, they almost walked out. I didn’t almost walk out, and it didn’t make me angry; I agreed with the basic thesis, but had definite problems with some of the actual interviews and scenes.
Pride Movie Night
This event, part of Vancouver Pride Week, and taking place on July 29th, featured two excellent—and locally-made!—documentaries.
You Can’t Take The Sky From Me
Hey, who’d have thought I’d be back at the planetarium so soon?
This Saturday I went to Can’t Stop The Serenity, a fundraiser by the BC Browncoats to benefit Equality Now and the BC Women’s Hospital & Health Centre.
“After the flood all the colours came out…”
President-Elect Barack Obama. It’s got a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?
This is the scariest trailer I’ve ever seen
So first Matt Damon said this:
It’s like a really bad Disney movie. The Hockey Mom. “Oh, I’m just a hockey mom from Alaska,” and she’s facing down Vladimir Putin using the folksy stuff she learned at the hockey rink. It’s absurd. It’s totally absurd, and I don’t understand why more people aren’t talking about how absurd it is. [...] I need to know if she really thinks dinosaurs were here 4,000 years ago.
He Had A Dream
Would you believe I’d never listened to the entire speech before last night?
Happy belated Martin Luther King, Jr. Day from a non-American!
“I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
Because, honestly: how is this billboard not shameless religious propaganda?
Comic Book Review: Deathlok
Michael Collins was a pacifist and cybernetics expert, who believed his work was being used to develop advanced prostheses for handicapped people. When he discovered that his employers were really building a superpowered killer cyborg code-named “Deathlok,” Collins was murdered and his brain placed inside Deathlok. His mind was thought to have been destroyed; the brain was simply to serve as “wetware” support for the cyborg’s operating system. But Michael Collins was still there, inside, and eventually he regained control of Deathlok. Vowing never to use his powers to kill another living being, he set off to make a new life for himself.
Four More Years
Well, that’s just fucking great. The chimp gets a second term and eleven anti-gay-marriage ballots passed. I guess Americans are happy electing (note: “electing”, not “re-electing”) a half-wit warmongering religious whackjob as long as it keeps the queers from getting married.
