Latest Publishings...

The following are some of my recent articles published in the esoteric highly-influential and pundit-strewn Sheridan Sun:
To see the articles in a readable size, click on them.

“Violence isn't always evil. What's evil is the infatuation with violence.” - Jim Morrison

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080215.wniushooting1502/BNStory/International/home

The above story outlines the life of a murderer. It tells the story of the gunman at Northern Illinois University who shot and killed five innocent students and injured scores more. Why? Why in the hell does the media continue to report the lives of these murders, which become instantly infamous due to their sick and demented notion to be slingshot into the limelight?

The article outlines how he didn't fit the description of a mass murder and tells the story about his life and what others thought of him... well, media, here's a thought: how about we celebrate the lives of those that were killed? Why don't we showcase the real contrite stories of the innocent victims?

The problem is, partly, due to the media's ability to post this individual's name and "life story" pervasively, instantly giving him/her notoriety. For instance, you might know the name of the misogynist cretin that killed 14 innocent women at Ecole Polytechnique in 1989, or the two crazed kids at Columbine, or the notorious introvert at Virginia Tech... but what about the innocent students that lost their lives in all of these heinous crimes? Why are they not in the media's spotlight being praised?

Are we really that sick to continue such a gross perpetual cycle? Throwing mass murderers names throughout the infobahn giving them instant infamy, while simultaneously showing other ill-tempered philistines a way to launch their anonymous names into the headlines -- at least for a day.

It worries me greatly, because in the last week alone, there has been five shootings in American schools -- but some are too small, without any or enough deaths, to be widely reported.

“Democracy don't rule the world, You'd better get that in your head; This world is ruled by violence, But I guess that's better left unsaid." -- Bob Dylan

 

Sheridan student meet ballot, ballot meet Sheridan student

Here's a piece that I have just finished for Sheridan's magazine, TRAVIS, and their next issue on student elections... enjoy!

Make your pick: dictatorship, communism, or democracy. Chances are, unless you a) hold a nightly vigil in remembrance of the U.S.S.R b) publicly berate Stephen Harper for not following the ways of Mussolini, or c) are confused about the significance of societal satirical lambastes, you chose the latter.

Congratulations, you now have the ability (as long as your age permits and you’re not incarcerated) to “have your voice heard,” and the chance to live up to Abe Lincoln quotes, such as: “The ballot is stronger than the bullet.” Well, more than likely, because you are presumably reading this magazine in Canada, democracy reigns.

Or does it?

To keep up with the theme of highly-influential, yet dead American presidents, let’s turn to the shrewdness of Tommy Jefferson. “A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine.” Well-put sir if I do say so myself, and just between you and me, I would’ve voted Jefferson.

But a paramount, yet elusive question arises in many democracies: Why don’t people vote if they are given the liberty? And to hone this question, what does low voting rates mean for democracy? Because hello dear Sheridan students, Canadians and world! Where’s your ballot? Replaced with a gun?

It’s not a new trend; for decades, voter turnout rates have been diminishing in established democracies, kinda like the exact opposite of the economic divide between the haves and the have-nots. For example, according to Elections Canada, 60.9 percent of voters cast a ballot in the 2004 general election. That’s not too bad right? Well, no, it actually shows a level of unprecedented voter apathy in Canadian history. Besides in 1898, which was a referendum, the voter turnout in 2004 was the lowest, get this: ever.

Understand that I’m not saying that Sheridan’s student elections are as significant or detrimental as Canada’s general elections, but that by not voting in general, you are tearing down the proverbial pillars of what we laud as democracy.

But, the problem is, you’re probably going to throw this magazine out, just like your vote.

Juno, not like the city in Alaska, but Zeus’ wife

My thoughts on Juno, a movie you should see, but I'll let you decide that -- here's what I think:

In the times of CGI, enormous Hollywood budgets, and big name stars hogging up the silver screen, it’s very seldom to come by a film, which is genuinely humorous whilst simultaneously touching and all the while with a petite budget and budding actors. It’s an unfortunate truth, but a truth, which is utterly negated by Jason Reitman’s sophomore film, Juno.

            It’s a story that many are familiar with. Young teenager gets pregnant, looks for solutions, tells parents, finds a solution, throw in some character development and a dramatic plot and out pops a baby and a life lesson. But Juno offers more than that – way more as a film that ventures down a beaten path, but only on its own terms. Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page) is your pregnant teenager, but her tongue and cheek attitude married with her quirky actions throw her into a tale of becoming-a-lady-fast/coming-of-age teen comedy. Juno is well-equipped with spunk, wit, a hamburger phone (you have to see it to enjoy its true essence), and an arsenal of quips. When asked how she wants to hand the baby over for adoption, she states: “Can’t I jus kick this old school, you know, I stick the baby in a basket send it your way … like, Moses in the reeds?” Or better yet, “You should go to China. I hear they give out babies like free iPods – you know, like they shoot them out of those t-shirt guns at sporting events.” Juno makes fun of situations, which are evidently beyond her maturity level, with her apt drollery as a means to cope with her overwhelming circumstances.

            The baby’s father, Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera), is an awkward, timid and unlikely candidate to be a teenage father due to his sensitive, smart and genuinely caring ways as a guy that wouldn’t-pick-a-flower-because-he-thought-he’d-hurt-it-guy. Bleeker, whom also has an inordinate affinity for orange tic-tac’s, is a down-to-earth teenager with authentic feelings for Juno and is willing to help/support her throughout the pregnancy. But Juno takes her own route.

            Since babies have fingernails, which is made apparent to Juno by teen activist, Su-Chin (Valerie Tian) Juno quickly opts out of the “abortion option.” Instead, she flips through the Pennysaver to find Mr. and Mrs. Perfect. Enter Mark (Jason Bateman) and Vanessa (Jennifer Garner), the latter being an overzealous, maternal-aspiring woman and the former being a commercial composer/closet rock star. As their true goals simultaneously begin to put their futures in perspective, Mark gets cold feet, and Vanessa gets overwhelmingly fervent creating a divide that leads to a subsequent divorce between the two. All of this, of course, is witnessed by Juno – bringing her to a bleak view of relationships and marriage on the whole.

            Through her own semi-non-existent relationship with Bleeker but more so through Mark and Vanessa’s, Juno sets aside the witty banter and shows her true emotions in a situation which she can’t fully comprehend. It leads to Juno’s emotional message showcasing its raw, heart-touching core when Juno asks her father if two people can actually stay happy together forever. He replies: “The best thing you can do is find a person who loves you for exactly what you are: good mood bad mood, ugly, pretty, what-have-you – the right person is still going to think the sun shines out of your ass – that’s the kinda person worth staying with.” It’s a trite question, but a genuine and frank answer, leading to an ideal analogy for Juno in its entirety.

            Juno is a fresh, character-driven flick riding on a clichéd storyline. It’s humourous, but in a witty and smart way – not-rolling-on-the-ground-losing-control-of-your-urethral-sphincter-kinda-way. Its quirkiness, reminiscent of Little Miss Sunshine and Napoleon Dynamite, adds to its charming qualities, but it’s its touching, uncontrived message that leaves you questioning the basics of the circle of life.

            

My Friday Afternoon

Due to a lockdown at Sheridan this past Friday, which was uncovered to be a false alarm due to a tripod being erroneously mistaken as a shotgun, I spent my afternoon in the dark, sitting on the the floor of the classroom with my laptop (oh, technology) trying to find out more information on what was occurring around me and listening to the following occasional announcement: "Attention, attention, attention this is a lockdown, this is not a drill." Now that's a long, unneeded sentence, but a long, unneeded sentence to correspond with long, unneeded lockdown. 

"All authority is quite degrading."  -- Oscar Wilde

Beer + Snow = Blackouts

My friends and I have put this video together with a couple days of footage -- just having a good time. It's tentatively titled, Beer + Snow = Blackouts. 

Kenyan Crisis Article

Click on the article to make it bigger.

Kenya in turmoil

The following is an article which I have just completed for publication in the Sheridan Sun. It's a story which I believe many in the international sphere should be aware of.

Kenya in turmoil

by Ryan Bolton

It started with a botched election and has led to brutal murders, a mass exodus and headlines of ‘ethnic cleansing.’

Machete toting Kenyans have set fire to churches, schools and vehicles plummeting Kenya, a country – which was once lauded as a peaceful and stable African nation – into a battlefield.

Kenya, the ocean-side East African country, has been in a state of bedlam since its national elections on Dec. 27, which international diplomats have deemed rigged on both sides.

In the post-election weeks nearly 900 Kenyans have lost their lives and at least 300,000 have fled their homes.

The root of the violence has also shifted to ethnic groups pitted against one another. The election has reportedly opened a Pandora’s box of past tensions of wealth, power and land disputes dating back to British colonial rule.

President Mwai Kibaki’s Kikuyu tribe has been targeted by various other groups, namely opposition leader, Raila Odinga’s Lou tribe and the Kalenjin tribe. In response, the Kikuyu peoples are avenging the deaths of their fallen kin.

“With so many tribal groups and the death of two opposition members of parliament the problems have escalated and the local police will find it difficult to control,” said Liz Durdan, the director of international services for Upper Oakville Centennial’s Rotary Club. “I have lived in Nigeria and I know that often the police used bribes to get things done.”

Two Kenyan opposition lawmakers, both members of Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement, have also been murdered, exacerbating the situation.

Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has been attempting to cool the political rift as the current chief mediator. Full of optimism, Annan announced that the government and opposition had agreed to commence a “peace plan” last Friday, which would curb the bloodshed in two weeks time. However, more than 20 people were brutally killed by rebels shortly thereafter.

The BBC reported a youth named Lefty as saying, “Let Annan do his bit but there’s going to be no resolution. The clashes will continue.”

“It is a very sad situation and the countries [sic] economy will falter without tourism and I am sure many people will cancel trips [to Kenya],” said Durdan in an e-mail.

With words of ethnic cleansing being used, international sources are foreboding another African genocide, such as Rwanda in 1994.

Last Thursday, Alpha Oumar Konaré, chairman of the African Union, said: “Kenya is a country that was a hope for the continent. Today, if you look at Kenya you see violence on the streets. We are even talking about ethnic cleansing. We are even talking about genocide.”

It’s time for international aid and Kenya itself to abide by and find solace in its national motto: “Let us all pull together.”

Why America doesn't need Big Brother

Orwell was on to something. We all know that. And Big Brother seems to snugly fit into Britain's milieu. For instance, CCTV, which lurks throughout Britain, and has aptly been called "Big Brother surveillance" fits into day-to-day life without supposedly disrupting anything. But, I contend, it's quite different in North America -- because we are too innately skeptical for the government to be "watching us."

North America is so skeptical -- leaning more towards cynical -- that everything that the government does, we question. 

For instance 9/11. There are so many conspiracy theories about the American government was one way or another involved that we seem to be a culture of nay-sayers and dare I say, critical thinkers. Well no, I retract that, not critical thinkers but maybe questioners or I-don't-believe-everything-sayers. Which is undoubtedly good. 

Another way to look at this is the news. It is now "hip" "cool" "rad" or whatever-the-fuck-is-the-most-ideal-word-here to question the news and say that it is biased or that the government is feeding/controlling the news. Actually, no, and that's a pretty asinine fallacy. We are the one's that still control the news because we are the one's that pick up the paper or peruse it online. So by virtue then, whatever sells in the news-world to the public is what we read. Britney Spears for one is controlling a great deal of the news-world today -- why? because we, as a fucked-up culture want it and feed her downward spiral of insanity -- that's really our fault. 

Many North American's believe that the government sensors everything that we read or some gibberish like that. Accordingly, Big Brother isn't needed -- we're way to skeptical to believe or follow anything anyway.

If Big Brother was well and strong in North America -- which it clearly isn't -- it would be like telling a crime-loving teenager with a litany of criminal offenses to make sure he looks both ways before jay-walking. It just doesn't work.  

"How'd we get here? Blogs are part of it, along with the incessant frothing of TV pundits and reality-show contestants, especially that lippy midget from The Amazing Race: Everybody thinks they're above being edited." --Chris Jones, Esquire

Welcome to Web 2.0

The paradigm for discussing one's popularity/cultural importance/relevance in today's world has completely shifted like a football player hunching, digging his feet in the astroturf, and attacking his opponent.

Accordingly, to decide one's popularity or infamy today, we either a) Google them to see how many web-pages there are or b)Wiki them. Of course the latter is usually the third or fourth Google-listed web-page anyway -- but that's neither here nor there. Or is it?

Chuck Klosterman hit this topic on the head of the proverbial nail in his most recent publication in Esquire: "Power of Zeus is not the next great band. But come on, somebody, at least give 'em a Wikipedia page." 

Exactly.

When looking up a new band or discussing how pineapples are harvested (they're grown in the ground contrary to public opinion that they grow on trees) I simply look to see how big the scroll bar is on the subject's Wikipedia page. It's simple. For instance Britney Spears' wiki page scroll bar is about the size of, hmm, a penny, while Caribou, the musician's, page scroll bar is over one-third of the size of the page.

Or, as it is so popular to both say and do, if you want to find out about someone or something you "Google them." While doing so, you just exacerbate the not necessarily negative point that popularity is now kept track under the Internet's thump, namely the omnipotent Google.

Well, at least is makes it easy for U.S. presidential hopefuls, Obama and Clinton -- because really, in the end, it's just a popularity contest.

"I don't want to be a product of my environment. I want my environment to be a product of me."  --Frank Costello, The Departed