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A Message from W.L. Mackenzie

Politics is the science which teaches the people of a country to care for each other. If a mischievous individual were to attempt to cut off his neighbour’s hand, would that neighbour’s other hand and feet do well quietly to permit the amputation of the limb if they could hinder it? All will say, No. This then is politics. That part of our duty which teaches us to study the welfare of our whole country, and not to rest satisfied altho’ our own household is well off when our neighbours are in difficulty and danger. The honest politician is he who gives all he can of his time and means… Read More »A Message from W.L. Mackenzie

Music Roundup

Hawk by Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan This album can only be described as pure beauty. The insanely high and twee voice of Campbell’s matched with the gruff, deep, strained voice of Lanegan are perfectly matched. The album starts off with “We Die And See Beauty Reign,” a soft sober song, which brings the listener into this vocal pairing. Immediately after, it gets heavier with one of the highlights, “You Won’t Let Me Down Again.” Campbell, who wrote all but two of the songs1, isn’t afraid to play around in genre. The soul song “Come Undone” could easily fit on a Sharon Jones record, and doesn’t sound out of place… Read More »Music Roundup

Ceci est mon amant Adam. Il goûte comme les fraises, les pêches, et la girafe.

These few weeks have been guest weeks for Music Monday, YES! Today’s is coming from Adam Shanley. Adam Shanley is a musician currently residing in western New York, 430 miles West of New York City. He earned Masters degrees from the State University of New York at Fredonia in Music Theory/Composition and Classical guitar performance and is currently applying to doctoral programs in Music Theory. He writes a blog at quartertonality.com and some of his reviews can also be found at groovemine.com. Adam has also written surveys of 20th Century concert music for the Directory of Recorded American Music. In addition to writing projects Adam is currently working on a… Read More »Ceci est mon amant Adam. Il goûte comme les fraises, les pêches, et la girafe.

Johnny Guitar

I went to the Lightbox theatre on the weekend, and saw the classic western Johnny Guitar. I had never seen it, or heard about it before, and honestly I’m not much of a fan of westerns, but this wasn’t your normal cowboy film. For one thing, the protagonist is not the titular character, but instead Joan Crawford as Vienna. The antagonist is Mercedes McCambridge as Emma. Vienna has built a saloon in the middle of nowhere, with the advance knowledge that the railroad will soon be coming right by there. She’s prostituted herself to get business information and favours to help her build her saloon. However in the near town is… Read More »Johnny Guitar

Lennon Naked

I recently reviewed the film Nowhere Boy, the prequel to Backbeat. In my review I stated: Now it’s been a long time since I’ve seen Backbeat, but if I recall, the band went on to be rather big, maybe it’s time for a sequel studying that part of their career. This film did just that. The film starts in 1964, when John Lennon meets his father for the first time in 17 years. While Nowhere Boy examined Lennon’s relationship with his mother, Lennon Naked is about his relationship with his father. The film follows some key events in the life of Lennon’s up until 1971 when Lennon and his wife Yoko… Read More »Lennon Naked

Claire

On my lunch break, I took one of my coworkers to a pond in Thornhill. We took pictures.

Sherlock

Sherlock Holmes is a genius making a name for himself as a Consulting Detective. Holmes is introduced to an ex-army doctor named John Watson. After moving in together at 221B Baker Street in London, Holmes sees an intellect in Watson, and drags him along on a case. This modern-day take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic mystery stories stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes and Martin Freeman as Watson. The series was created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss who are perhaps best known for their recent work on Doctor Who. It’s easy to strike similarities between Holmes and The Doctor, and so it’s no surprise that it was these two writers… Read More »Sherlock