Live 8

There's been grumbling in Toronto regarding the upcoming Live 8 concert that will be will be held in the small town of Barrie (about an hour north of Toronto).

I'm the first to admit that it looks a little funny to see Barrie on the same page as London, Paris, and Berlin. But so what? Canada has always been a junior member of the G8. We try and punch above our weight and all, but do we really belong on a list with the likes of the U.S., Russia, Japan, Germany, France, Britain? Uh-uh. We're damn lucky to get an invitation to the dance. So I think it's appropriate that we chose a relatively small, friendly city (with lots of beautiful lakes) for the Live 8 party. What could be more Canadian?

The biggest criticism is regarding the lineup. It sucks! Maybe it just me, but it seems a little weird to organize an event to create awareness regarding the problems in Africa, and not include any African content in the lineup! What it have been so hard to fly in a couple of African bands? I can only imagine the perspective they could have brought the crowd. I guess it reflects our understanding and our approach to the problem (read Naomi Klein's article in the Nation).

Oh well. Two weeks to get a concert of this magnitude together is a daunting task. No doubt. At least somebody is trying!

Adopt A Blog

I have put three posts on this site in about a year. While not exactly prolific, I am aware of how fortunate I am to have the freedom to say what I want. If this right was denied to me I would have a lot more to say about it. But let's be clear, free speech is a right, not some privilege doled out to those deemed worthy by the authorities.

The Chinese government has been co-opting companies such as Microsoft in an attempt to limit dissent by Chinese citizens on the Internet. Shame on them both! How many brilliant ideas are being stifled in China? Hundreds? Thousands? Billions? And what about the typical run of the mill tripe like I produce? Doesn't it deserve to be posted?... Ok, maybe there is an argument for censorship... But never mind that.

This attempt at repression will fail. It must Fail! The Internet was designed to work despite a breakdown in central authority (i.e. Nuclear Armageddon), which makes it pretty tough to control by centralized authorities. Just ask the RIAA. If money hungry record execs can't stop a bunch of teenagers from swapping Britney Spears tunes (Christ!, how hard could that really be) then there is no way in hell that some tight-ass censor can stop an idea.

Already underway is an effort to circumvent the Chinese censors called Adopt a Chinese Blog. And I am down with this!


adoptablog