This year, I'm voting for the CBC... seriously.

Word on the street is that politicians are liars, and although that may or may not be true, to a greater or lesser extent depending on which one we're talking about, there's something far more underhanded and destructive at work here. In saying that they 'stand for the people' or that they've 'listened to the constituents', politicians of all colours are creating the image that they know what we want, when in fact all that they've done is ask our opinion on ISSUES THAT THEY'VE DECIDED ARE IMPORTANT. Truly, I'm tired of anyone assuming that they'e got their finger on the pulse of the people when, at best, they were voted for by 45% of the 45% of people who voted. That, it seems to me, gives them a solid 0% chance of actually knowing what is important.

On the other hand, the CBC (radios 1, 2 &3, and all of their numerous podcasts), with the call-ins, blogs, forums, tweets and Facebook conversations seem genuinely interested in what we, as people, not as 'A People', are up to. In addition, they're down with Canada as a place... a place with a history and a diverse and interesting culture... and not just with Canada being an economic entity.

This year I'm voting for the CBC in both the provincial and federal elections because I AM A PART OF THIS PLACE AND NOT JUST AN INCOME EARNER. 

When the time comes, are you just going to check off some person's name who has no interest in what YOU think, or will you take that pencil and write in your own vote, thereby staging the greatest act of a democratic society -- the right to be heard...?

This week's best of Radio3

This here is The Slew (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4N-CuPpsLY) -- Kid Koala, Dynomite D and two (count 'em, TWO) members of psychedelic Queens of the Stone Age Led Zeppelin classic metal band Wolfmother... and not just any two members, but the bass player and the drummer!  So picture it:  the pocket of a super heavy band and two (count 'em, TWO) great Canadian DJ's... I can't get enough of it.  Seriously, listen to it... you'll be busy all afternoon...

Ever have this happen to you?  A couple of months ago I was like, "man, I'd love to hear some metal or punk all wrapped up in some heavy DJ music" and as much as I searched Youtube for any iteration thereof, and as much as I bugged the peeps to tell me about something, the closest I got was "well, there's Linkin Park and Limp Bizkit and The Transplants"... oh man, I hate to be so yesterday, but BEEN THERE AND DONE THAT, BOUGHT THE T-SHIRT AND MLLLLLLEHHHHNAAAAH!!!!"

And then, yet again, Radio 3 pulls through for me with this little gem.  So heavy!  So Hip!  So Hop!  Yessir -- not since the Anthrax/ Public Enemy combo have I been so pleased.  Raprock may have had it's moment, but holy holy!  Jump up and say YES for The Slew!  Hell, I dare you not to!

CBC Radio THREE

This here is CBC Radio 3... http://radio3.cbc.ca/

You know -- I know you know -- that I LOVE music... that I'm totally addicted to it like a 1940s actor on the cancer sticks; this is, I suck it down knowing all the while that it actually is good for me AND that it makes me look cool.

But more -- I LOVE music like Henry loved June (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099762/), which is to say, more than is natural, and yet just enough for it to be more beautiful than anyone ever needs to know about...

And so, I listen to CBC Radio 3 because they love music as much as I do.  What's more, I can add their songs onto my playlist WITHOUT BUYING THEM and even if I can't upload them to my iPod (oh, poor insipid babies that won't listen to music unless you can take it with you), I can spaz out in kitchen to them while I make supper and bust a stupid move whenever I like... which, as everyone who has ever come to my house for a dinner/ dance party knows, is a lot.  A mother load.  A shit bunch.  Indeed, reminds me of Napster days -- and they were WAY cool.

So I say, ask your fine selves this:  do you dig Canadian music more than you can express?  Do you want to jump up and down to the Arcade Fire and the Stars and Wolf Parade and Metric all the time but don't have the dough to buy their CD's?  Do you want to sip wine and loll your head to Sarah Harmer and Hawksley Workman after working all week long for a job that doesn't pay you enough to blow the cash on all the awesome music you love?  And yet, at the same time, do you want to show support for the home grown greatness of this lake/ winter/ hockey/ love/ space country that we have (CBC Radio 3 records every FREE download and plays them MORE as a DIRECT result... like, you know, democracy!)?  Then there's only one thing to do, and I'll say it again:

http://radio3.cbc.ca/#

I'm sick to death of talking about economics.  Our country is built, grows, loves and explodes based on CULTURE first and foremost.  So pick up your pen, turn on the internets, and bleed your love onto the page/ screen while the seeping beauty of our music whispers as the muse.

(And hey, p.sssss.tttt -- have you got any underground music that you've recorded?  Put a link in the comments so that other folks can hear it... or even a link to your favourite Canadian tunes, wherever they might be sleeping on the webs.  We'll all thank you for it!)

These are the things

This is Barbara Sternberger, feminist avant guard film maker, who said it better than anyone else could at the Toronto G20.  You see the thing she has in her hand and the look on her face?  I'll explain now...

The day was both hot and humid, as are so many days in TO in the summer.  The place was packed too -- like sardines, or an Iron Maiden concert -- but we were there -- like sardines, or an Iron Maiden concert -- to be close to each other and feel the power of just having it out.  The music was loud and the cops -- oh man, the cops! -- were everywhere... on rooftops, undercover, overburdened, stressed out and ready.  So anyway, we walked anyway, and the music pounded and we were excited and scared and we walked into downtown where the cops lined the block entrances to the demilitarized zone and there, in the midst of all the pain and glory, the wigged out hippies and the punkers with babes in arms, the bystanders running and tweeting, was this one lady -- so strong and simple, waving a green triangular flag at the police and then walking away.  And I said to my friend, "look at that lady!  that's amazing!"  And she said:

That's Barbara Sternberg!

And Barbara Sternberg came over to us and said a punctuated hello to my friend and said, so straightforwardly, so much like a stern school marm:

'I'm going up to each of these lines of police officers and saying 'We Stand For Peace And You Stand For Violence And You Should Be Ashamed Of Yourselves', and then I walk on to the next group and Tell Them The Same.'

And even if history remembers the whole thing as a great failure -- a failure of protest, of government defence, of legal prowess -- I will always recall this woman's solo stand against everything unjust.  Everything she felt to be unjust and which she stood against nonetheless.