do some good

December 10th is Human Rights Day, celebrating the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Amnesty International holds a write-a-thon on December 10th to encourage people all over the world to write letters in support of human rights.

If it's December 10th, take a look around your community, there may be an event happening. Or better yet, follow the link below, choose an action and write a letter yourself. If it's after December 10th, don't worry, you can still write a letter, or take part in Amnesty's Christmas Card Greeting Campaign, where cards are sent to prisoners of conscience all around the world.

Amnesty International is a great organization and only accepts donations from individuals and not from governments of any kind.

For more information:

Write-A-Thon
Greeting Card Campaign
Amnesty International

talkin' bout my generation...

I grew up as part of "generation x". Last weekend, while watching the Liberal leadership convention (it's official, I have no life) Belinda Stronach (also a gen x'er) referred to our generation as the "Charter Generation". Catchy isn't it. That got me thinking, in a way, my generation is very much a product of the Charter of Rights and Freedom. The more I think about it, the more it makes sense.

Certainly many a good thing has come from the Charter, and given recent events, I concede that there is an advantage to having rights enshrined in a constitution rather than simply legislation. But there has also been a negative cultural shift that can be attributed to the Charter. The whole notion of individual rights, or more aptly put "my rights" has created a much more selfish society. All of a sudden "my rights" are more important than any notion of collective rights and society.

It may not be fair however, to solely blame the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. I also blame Marlo Thomas. In our early formative years, before our teenage days and the Charter, we were indoctrinated by Marlo Thomas. We grew up on "Free to Be You and Me", the song, books and TV specials. All over the radio, you would hear "take my hand, come with me, where the children are free".



On TV, Marlo Thomas and Mel Brooks were voicing baby puppets who told us that boys and girls can be whatever they want to be.



Right from the beginning we were told we were special and could be anything we wanted. No wonder we are the generation that believes "it's all about me." I mean really, we never had a chance.

dude, you talk like a lawyer...

I was talking on the phone to a friend of mine, a certain little miss know-it-all, about some stuff that I had learned in law school, when she caught me talking like a lawyer. I can't capture the outrage and how much her voice raised when she exclaimed "You're talking like a lawyer!" For those who know little miss know-it-all, I can only say that the combination of outrage and tone was similar to when she would stomp her feet and yell "You're a bureaucrat" at me.

Despite being a law student, this is not a good thing. It has put me in an incredibly awkward position. Since the year 2000, I have worked either for the legal profession or within the justice system. During these six years, I have fought for using plain langauge. When little miss know-it-all came along she took on the mantle of plain language champion and ran with it. It's bad enough to be caught, but to be caught by a fellow campaigner, well that's just bad.

I'm the guy whose first book for law school was "Plain Language Writing for Lawyers", yet somehow I'm slipping. I spend all day reading old judgments, it was bound to sneak into my head sooner or later.

Well now, it's time to focus, buckle down and concentrate. Someone once said "lawyers don't talk like dead judges" but I'd have to disagree, unfortunately lawyers are taught to talk like dead judges. I am changing this quote to say "good lawyers don't talk like dead judges" and will post this on my bathroom mirror so I see it everyday.

guilty pleasure #3 - eurovision

This guilty pleasure is the newest. I found this song on another web site today. From what I understand it has been a big hit all across Europe. It does have that Eurovision/Europop feel.



Speaking of Europe, growing up here in the colonies we were meant to feel culturally insignificant. We had no culture, no great artists, composers, writers, etc. I believed in the cultural superiority of Europe for most of my life, until one day while on vacation in England, I sat down with my cousins and watched the Eurovision contest. It is rare that you see Eurovision in Canada, and I am sure they are trying to hide it from us.

Eurovision is supposed to showcase the best of European musical culture. Each country puts forward their best singer/song and countries vote. First off, Europe's best is nothing but pop trash. Seriously, there was a transvestite trio from turkey; some singer from Estonia dressed like Xena the Warrior Princess, surrounded by dancing cavemen; Finland has been represented by a singing Klingon surrounded by a supporting cast of Star Trek castoff aliens; and a personal favourite, the break dancers from Belarus.

Secondly, the voting is hilarious. Each country can't vote for their entry, so you get Latvia giving 12 points to Estonia, and Estonia giving 12 points to Latvia, and nobody giving points to England or France. So much for a new united Europe.

It was all enough to shatter any notion of European cultural superiority. However, in its defence, the music is kinda catchy, and the Eurovision contest did give us ABBA.

some things should never be changed...

I seem to have gotten (okay - maybe earned) a reputation for someone who doesn't like change. How people have taken to mistaking me for my change resistant brother I'm not sure, but on with the post.

I actually received calls and emails when baileys introduced their new flavours becuase people were concerned I may go over the edge. There are few pleasures left in my world and baileys irish cream is one of them. My relationship with baileys has been a long and rewarding one. It's a relationship that has intensified over the past few years as Baileys became part of my camping routine. No matter how bad camp coffee is, baileys makes it better. My baileys repetoire grew, including a baileys slushee (baileys over snow - add kahlua for the ultimate winter treat), baileys and hot chocolate, etc.

Now they have gone and changed my baileys. Thankfully they left the original flavour, but they've added two more flavours, caramel and mint chocolate. I don't understand this need for change. I can see the following fact pattern happening one day, me a little rushed running into the liquor store, grabbing a bottle of baileys and heading off to the great outdoors only to find out when I'm in the middle of nowhere it's mint chocolate! ARGH! (as an aside, I have been in the middle of nowhere and used my cellular to call in more baileys)

This constantly happens, everything is labelled new and improved. They introduced new Coke, and we know how successful that was. Government is always looking for the "new" program or service. Once again, we know how successful that will be. I admit, most of the time I question the need for these changes. I understand change and innovation has done wonderful things for society, but what's wrong with sticking with what you're good at, and doing it well?

guilty pleasure #2

Wow, this weekend it seems like all my guilty pleasures are hitting the tube. On screen now - So I Married An Axe Murderer.

I consider this movie to be one of Mike Meyers' best movies, well above Wayne's World and better than Austin Powers. It's quirky, funny and you can see the groundwork being laid for many of his later characters, particularly Fat Bastard. Here's a clip:



One note of protest, on behalf of big 'heeead' kids everywhere, cut us some slack, it's not like we made it that big, it's our parents' fault.

I guess I feel a certain affinity for Mike Meyers. Roughly the same age, we both grew up in the suburbs of Toronto with English immigrant fathers, and we're both the youngest child. There's a certain cultural sense that I think we share that makes him that much more funny for me. The British have a sense of humour of their own, which appears to have seeped through to the next generation. I'm sure part of it came from watching Benny Hill and Monty Python at too young of an age.

It's particularly fun for me to watch his movies and pick out the 'local' or 'cultural' in-jokes. Wayne's World is full of them, and there's quite a few in this movie. In Wayne's World, stan nikita's doughnuts, the local cable channel, and the gaslight bar are all local Toronto fixtures. Plus, growing up close to the airport, I've spent many a night sitting on the side of the road watching the planes take off and land above us.

guilty pleasure #1

I'm writing this post with the television on. There are a few guilty pleasures we all have, and one of mine is Bring it On!. I just came across it while channel surfing and like a deer in headlights, I can't look away. For those not familiar with it's greatness, Bring it On! is a movie about cheerleaders. I'm serious. The movie is fun, and the dialogue, well it can be summed up in these fine examples from the movie:

"Can we just beat these Buffys down so I can go home? I'm on curfew girl."

and

Whitney: She puts the "itch" in "bitch".
Courtney: She puts the "whore" in "horrify".

To enjoy some of this campy guilty goodness, here's the opening scene from the movie:



I'm compelely not the target audience for this movie, but each time it's on I can't help it, I'm glued to the tube.