: at Harbourfront Board of Directors meeting. Looking forward to launch of "Respect" photo show. Sadly, 2 pics have already been stolen. Jun 24, 2009 08:19 PM GMT
: Twitter haiku 138 - "Need more online fame / Can I find a spectacle? / Punch Perez Hilton?"
: Twitter haiku 137 - "The sculptor's party / Suffered from a lack of guests / 'Twas a complete bust"
: Twitter haiku 135 - "Me, I meditate / Often I just fall asleep / Call it 'napitate'." Jun 20, 2009 01:47 PM GMT
: just got my picture taken with the Voyageur "6 string nation" guitar. Go ahead and Google it. Jun 20, 2009 02:24 AM GMT
: just met someone with the adopted name "Ninja Hotfarm". I said it sounded like an obscure sex act. She didn't laugh. Jun 20, 2009 01:01 AM GMT
: am at Podcasters Across Borders in Kingston. Met a dude named Mr Person. Seriously. No he's not a superhero.... I think. Jun 20, 2009 12:14 AM GMT
: why does VIA rail bother with reserved seating when everyone sits where they want, and the train staff never enforces the reservation? Jun 19, 2009 07:17 PM GMT
: just attended the kindergarten graduation of my "niece". I'm going to die from all the cuteness. Jun 19, 2009 03:07 PM GMT
: am on TTC at 8am. Now I remember why I don't live in Toronto anymore. Jun 19, 2009 12:50 PM GMT
: Twitter haiku 134 - "My asshole dentist / Said mean things about my teeth / He hurt my fillings" Jun 18, 2009 11:28 AM GMT
: Twitter haiku 133 - "Director on set / Of porno with flat pillows: / 'We need more fluffers!'" Jun 16, 2009 04:17 PM GMT
Still in Kingston at the Podcasters Across Borders conference. It's been an excellent year for conference food. I reported earlier about the food at CPHA. Now at PAB09 I've been treated to an excellent buffet lunch of lasagna, chicken, mountains of fresh vegetables and a large array of desserts. And this evening our boat cruise featured free beer from Molsons: Rickard's White. Mmmmm, calortastic.
Surprisingly, PAB09 continues to be a thought-provoking and very enjoyable affair. I've also discovered some dopplegangers among us. This is a picture of LA-based actor and creator of the Hollywood Podcast, Tim Coyne:
Marko clued me into this last eerie resemblance. Here is photographer Annie Liebovicz:
And here is, um, Howard Stern:
And that, my friends, is what you come to Deonandan.com: for the hard-hitting political analysis and social commentary.
I leave you with this, the hilarious pilot for Awesometown, a sketch comedy show by the Lonely Island, that was never picked up:
And one last thing. I tried to register the domain name Or.gy (".gy" is the country code of te nation of my birth, Guyana.) But apperently there are issues. I tried, my droogies. I tried.
Greetings from the 2009 Podcasters Across Borders convention in sunny Kingston, Ontario. As you probably don't know, my friend (she would say, "acquaintance", I'm sure) Chamika A. and I have been trying to launch Chutnification, a podcast about South Asian literature, for some months now. Don't think about stealing the name. We already own it. So we're here for the skinny on the podcasting world. Yes, it's a nerdly sausage fest. But you know what? So far it's a pretty fun time. The fellow conventioneers are all well engaged and genuinely nice people, and there ain't nothin' wrong wit dat.
Here's a pic of Chamika and me. I'm throwing down some bad-ass gang signs. So no, I'm not having a seizure:
Since our podcast doesn't have any, you know, content yet, I'm calling it a "mimecast". Yes, you can use that terminology, too, but don't you dare forget where you heard it first. Or didn't hear it, since that's the point of the joke, after all...
Tonight I had some more ideas for podcasts:
A show about fishing: codcast Another show about fishing: rodcast A show for Evangelical Christians: godcast A show for weed smokers: potcast Another show about weed smoking: podgrass A show for cattle ranchers: prodcast A show for fitness freaks: bodcast A show about Flash comic books: Gorilla Grodcast A show about my favourite Superman villain: Kneel Before Zodcast A show about failing computers: podcrash A show broadcast in double stereo: quadcast A show about affirmation: nodcast A show about nasal hygiene: snotcast A show about potatoes: spudcast A slow moving show: plodcast
Greetings from Vancouver airport where I await my very long flight back to Ontario. Yes, I've managed to get some work done, but am still behind, of course. Will I use this brief and valuable airport down time to catch up... or will I use it to surf Facebook and write a blog post? I think we all know the answer to that.
Rossland
Many thanks tomy host Gale for showing me around Rossland, BC. It's a stunningly gorgeous piece of the countrywith world-class ski runs, surprisingly good cuisine and remarkable mountainous scenery. I even managed to learn something... While touring the gold mine museum, we discovered that the tour guide was a geology student who had previously worked for Canadian miining companies. According to him, the mining industry is a leading indicator of economic downturns. Since exploration requires heavy upfront financial investment, it depends on speculative money to keep it going. When speculation decreases, mining exploration suffers, and the core mining business is not that far behind.
Vancouver
I've been here several times before, but each time I conveniently forget how ridiculous the drivers here are. Yeah, I said. I've famously written that Toronto drivers are skilled but discourteous; Ottawa drivers are unskilled but courteous; and Montreal drivers are unskilled assholes. Let's add Vancouver to that list. Vancouver drivers are... how shall I put it? Distracted. Yes, they are distracted. Their speeds are random, their timing is poor and many don't seem to know the rules of the road. Now, I will say that they all seem to be quite courteous; road rage appears to be missing in this town. Maybe it's the prevalent pot smoking, but a lot of people here seem to forget what they're doing at any given moment.
I won't bash Vancouver anymore. I actually like it here. The scenery is great, the people are goodlooking and friendly and the food is excellent. It's just that the flake factor is dialed a bit too high (emphasis on the "high") for a cynical Easterner like me. In the course of half an hour I passed dancing middle-aged white Hare Krishnas, a stoned girl standing on a box and giving away "free hugs", a "healer" accepting money in exchange for healing you by waving his hands in front of your face (he'd heal me of the affliction of too much spare change, I imagine), and of course the ubiquitous unbathed white chicks with dreadlocks, biceps Om tattoos, lip rings and tribal drums slung over their shoulders. Nothing like trying to stand out... by looking like everyone else.
I had a lovely time staying in the UBC residence (called "The Pacific Spirit Hostel" in summertime). It's a cheap way to stay in an otherwise expensive city, and you get to wake up everyday on the most gorgeous university campus in North America. But in a moment of weakness, I allowed the dude at the car rental place to sell me on all the unnecessary options. Thus my three day car rental was three times more expensive than my total accommodation cost.
Oh well. Thanks to Anju, Ram, Cam and Jen for hanging out with me in the 'Couver.
Hopefully the plane will board soon and I can watch my many downloaded cheesy movies and TV shows. Air Canada now has satellite TV on many of its flights, which is how I usually get to watch Ricky Gervais' Extras. Here's a compilation of several scenes from the fake TV show featured on Extras, called When The Whistle Blows:
Air Canada
I will say one last thing before I sign off: one would think that with a struggling economy and rising joblessness rates, customer service might improve, as business are desperate to keep their customers and workers are desperate to keep their jobs. But I observe a continuous decline in service across all sectors.
Air Canada is an interesting case. Never the best provider of service, they've made some odd choices of late. In Vancouver airport, all passengers are now required to check themselves in, print out their own baggage tags and load their own bags onto the belt. I watched a single mother of 3 wrestle with her bags and toddlers. (No, I didn't hellp because I''m an unfeeling bastard.)
So to summarize: flight prices are going up, but service is declining in every measurable way.
Greetings from Vancouver airport. I just finished four days in, um, "sunny" Winnipeg, Manitoba, and am now abou to spend a few days in BC. If you haven't been paying attention, I was in Winterpeg for the conference of the Canadian Public Health Association. (I wonder how many people misspell it "pubic health"?)
It was a magnificent conference.... for the food! On the first night there was a reception with about a dozen freshly roasted turkey breasts. I ate about 4 lbs of turkey flesh and squirreled away another pound or so in my hotel room. When I got to my room, the tryptophan hit me and I passed out on my floor, fully dressed. Woke up thhe next morning just in time to wolf down my stash of turkey breast for breakfast and made it for my morning presentation. The maid must have been surprised to have found my bed untouched.
Throughout the week, the conference was punctuated with balefuls of fresh fruit and vegetables. I haven't eaten this healthily in months. Who knew that a trip to a conference would actually make someone healthier?
In the spirit of the moment, I decided to try to jog in "downtown" Winnipeg. I was met with many stares. A friend informed me that since I have brown skin, people probably thought I had robbed someone and were already calling the cops.
There's a place in Winterpeg called "The Forks" where, the plaques proclaim, people had been meeting for six thousand years. It's now a tourist spot, of coourse, complete with a hotel and an upscale minimall. But more importantly, they've built this magnificent piece of artwork at the centre of the area. It's hard to describe, but it appears to be in the style of a paleolithic observatory, with stations around a circle representing the celestial sphere. At three points on the circle, spotlights beam upwards. At night, you can see the beams meet directly above the circle. For lack of a better word, it's pretty damned cool.
My interview on CBC radio can be heard here. My segment begins at around the 10 minute mark and lasts about 2 minutes. If you don't want to stream the episode, you can download it as a MP3 here.
The interview (about my Twitter haikus) has inspired CBC to host its own Twitter haiku contest. I don't think I'll be submitting an entry. And no, I will not be calling them "twaikus".
: Twitter haiku 122 - "Shoddy computers / Make me miss the abacus / You could count on it" Jun 5, 2009 05:45 AM GMT
: yes, I am alive. Jun 5, 2009 12:31 AM GMT
: on 4 hour flight next to squirmy children. Oh joy. Jun 4, 2009 05:16 PM GMT
: FB is truncating my brilliant mobile status updates! For shame! Jun 4, 2009 04:34 PM GMT
: Twitter haiku 121 - "Rastafarian / Creator of his own God / Perhaps Ja-maker?" Jun 4, 2009 02:26 AM GMT
: Twitter haiku 120 - "Wine and rum don't mix / Downed with coconut water / Where is my Advil?" Jun 3, 2009 06:10 AM GMT
: at reception at UWI campus at Mona. Oh my God. This place is paradise. (The booze helps). Jun 3, 2009 12:16 AM GMT
: Twitter haiku 119 - "Morning in Kingston / Waiter asks if I slept well / I reply, 'Ya, mon'" Jun 2, 2009 11:21 AM GMT
: Jamaica. Arrived at 10pm. Now 11pm. Hotel doesn't have room ready. Sending me elsewhere. No taxis. Did I mention giving a talk at 8am? Jun 2, 2009 03:33 AM GMT
: I thought an Air Jamaica flight would leave on time? What was I smoking? Oh... Never mind. Jun 1, 2009 10:10 PM GMT
: at Pierson airport. There's an airbus A380-800 here. Holy crap, what a monster! Jun 1, 2009 08:56 PM GMT
: Twitter haiku 118 - "Off to Jamaica / I'd always meant to go there / Guess it was 'high' time" Jun 1, 2009 06:06 AM GMT
: Twitter haiku 117 - "This one's taking time / If suggestions, please up-chime / (Haikus need not rhyme)" May 31, 2009 10:50 PM EST
Am busy cleaning my apartment, so I don't have time for you people right now. You get three things today:
1. Thanks
Thanks to Dr Qais Ghanem for inviting me and a friend back on to CHIN radio Friday to talk about Guyana. I'll link to the MP3 as soon as I have it.
Thanks to the CBC's Andreanne Baribeau and Nora Young for having me on the radio show "Spark" yesterday to talk about Twitter haikus. The show will be broadcast on the 10th, I believe.
Thanks to the Muchmor public school in the Glebe, where I was invited to speak to a class of 9 year olds. A special thanks to the little girl who proposed building a giant yoyo filled with mail, that we could drop from a helicopter to deliver mail to remote people; and to the little boy who insisted on giving me a minute, blow-by-blow recap of Jurassic Park 2.
2. Angels and Demons
I hate Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. I'm sure the plot was okay, but it was so poorly written that I felt myself getting dumber with every page. I had to stop after the first chapter lest I be rendered into a retarded lemur.... or, worse yet, a Republican.
So I went to see the movie version of Angels and Demons with trepidation. The first half hour was head-slappingly retarded, with dialogue that was likely written by George Lucas. The nex hour or so was surprisingly good, with excellent direction. Then the ending was more chimp-level cliched nonsense. Why do bother?
Greetings from Toronto airport where I am lying on the floor (suffering all the expected stares) and blogging on my Treo. Just got in from Jamaica and am awaiting my flight to Ottawa.
Last night I miraculously found the presence of mind to look up from my computer and wander out onto the balcony of my Kingston hotel room. It was a spectacular night, with a nearly full moon presiding over the sparkling harbour.
At that moment I could feel the history of the place. This was where the buccaneers from the golden era of piracy would come to plot and refuel. How many battles between wooden sailing ships had this port seen? Columbus himself ruled this island, before it became a gateway for slaves and trade.
The romance was undeniable.
Tomorrow will be a busy day. I'll be on CHIN radio in Ottawa at 12:30 to talk about Guyana. Then at 1:00 I'll be at a public school in the Glebe to talk about.... I don't know what. Then at 4pm it's off to the CBC studios to record an interview about Twitter haikus! The latter should air on June 10th, I think, on the show "Sparks".
Know who I feel sorry for? The poor museum tour guide who has to lead around a busload of academics. Everyone thinks he's an expert... and probably is.
Today I joined a tour of "Spanish Jamaica", which was put together by the organizers of the Caribbean Studies Association conference. The term refers to the period between Columbus's "discovery" of Jamaica and the arrival of the British under the command of Oliver Cromwell. It may not have been a brief period, but few beyond bookish academics pay much attention to Jamaica's Spanish history. In that period, the island was referred to as "Xamayca", which was a Spanish mispronunciation of the Taino tribal word for something like "land of water and forest".
The tour consisted of a visit to a special museum exhibition, lead by a knowledgable historian. The poor fellow had to deal with frequent challenges to his expertise, though, by we all-knowing and annoying PhDs.
Interesting factoid: the Spanish crown had bequeathed Jamaica in perpetuity to the Columbus family. Indeed, Christopher Columbus and his leading heirs were all granted the title, Marquis of Jamaica. The surviving ones still occasionally try to assert their "ancestral" ownership rights! I'm sure the descendents of the Taino, the Aboriginal race who were here when Columbus arrived, and whose culture was demolished by the Europeans, find the Columbian assertion rather drole.
In the exhibit, there was a great panting from 1590 by Alonso Sanchez Coello called "View of the Port of Seville". If anyone knows where I can buy a print, cheaper than the list price of $180, do let me know!
Hmm. 2:30am and I'm still a bit tipsy. So what do I do? Blogging in my hotel room while watching UFC champion Randy Couture in The Scorpion King 2. Zod, my kingdom for satellite TV!
Speaking of TV, today I caught an American commercial for the drug "Ambien CR". Like so many pharmaceutica ads, this one was 90% warning. Check out the text:
"When taking Ambien CR, don't drive or operate machinery.
Sleepwalking, and eating or driving while not fully awake, with memory loss for the event, as well as abnormal behaviors such as being more outgoing or aggressive than normal, confusion, agitation, and hallucinations may occur. Don't take it with alcohol as it may increase these behaviors.
Allergic reactions such as shortness of breath, swelling of your tongue or throat, may occur and in rare cases may be fatal.
Side effects of AMBIEN CR may include next-day drowsiness, dizziness and headache.
In patients with depression, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide may occur.
If you experience any of these behaviors contact your doctor immediately. "
Sweet Jebus, based on this ad, who would take this poison??!!
Had a great day in Kingston, Jamaica. I haven't really seen much except for a couple of hotels. But people have been very nice. One of the joys of the Caribbean Studies Association is that it holds a very social conference. The attendees are always interesting and diverse. I've met a black Guyanese woman from Scotland, an Italian specialist in Cuban literature who lives in New Mexico, an economist from Guadeloupe, and the list goes on and on and on.
This evening was a reception at the Mona campus of the University of the West Indies. This place was paradise! Built on the site of a former sugar plantation, there are stone ruins on campus, overlooked by rounded mountains and a beaming sliver moon. Remind me why I teach in Ottawa again?
Flying Behemoths... Or Should That Be "Behemothra"?
Here I am in Toronto international airport, awaiting a flight to Kingston, Jamaica. I'm attending the annual meeting of the Caribbean Studies Association, where tomorrow morning at 8:am sharp I'll be saying my two bits about health literacy amongst AmerIndians in Guyana's far interior.
Right in front of me is the largest civilian jumbo jet airliner in the world, the Airbus 380-800. This one is run by Air Emirates. Here are a couple of pics I just snapped on my trusty Treo:
And here's a blurry pic of the press scrum surrounding the behemoth's pilots. I'm surprised no one tried to arrest me for taking this. Security is pretty tight. Mind you, even the ground crew comes with cameras in hand:
Almost ready to board. Before I forget, my recent interview with Drs Robert Huisch and Qais Ghanem, about the Cuban medical system, is now available for download on Dr Ghanem's website. Here's a pic of Robert and me, snapped by Qais before the interview:
