commentary
The Lalo & Patrick Show: The B.C. government vs. arts and culture
Writer and political satirist Lalo Espejo with comedic songs by composer and improvisor Patrick Pennefather, offer insight into the culture-cide that the current government of British Columbia Canada is serving its citizens.
All not well at the Wal-Mart
I'm kind of a freak in several ways. One of the things that makes me an oddball is I find grocery shopping to be a relaxing way of killing an hour.
There was almost a cool reassurance about those immaculately ordered aisles and the bounty of capitalism laid out before you. It was a signal that regardless of what was happening in the nation or the world, that there was always a sense of normalcy at the supermarket. Life went on, in abundance.
That feeing died today for me.
Now I don't live or work in Canada and I don't get to roam the aisles at Sobeys or Dominion so I don't know what the average Canadian is dealing with in terms of prices.
The more interesting question
My wife and I recently had a couple (let's call them Shelly and Michael) over for dinner. Together they run a small press book promotion business. Naturally, we got talking about public relations, social media and about Twitter in particular. "How do people have time for that?" Shelly asked. Politic host that I am, I suggested that she was asking the wrong question. "There are lots of very busy, successful people using Twitter every day," I explained. "So, I think the more interesting question is: 'Why do so many of them chose to use Twitter?'"
It struck me then that many people, like my friend Shelly, fail to understand the value of social media because they simply ask the wrong questions. And, when you ask the wrong question, three things happen:
In a global crisis, a reintroduction to 'The Commons'
In a just world, the idea of wealth--be it money derived from the work of human hands, the resources and natural splendor of the planet itself--and the knowledge handed down through generations belongs to all of us. But in our decidedly unjust and imperfect world, our collective wealth is increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few. There is be a better way--the notion of the commons--common land, resources, knowledge--is a common-sense way to share our natural, cultural, intellectual riches.
In this innovative animation, filmmaker Laura Hanna, writer Gavin Browning and video artists/animators Dana Schechter and Molly Schwartz examine the concept of "The Commons" as a means to achieve a society of justice and equality.