Mixing Points With Cinnamon

Blackspot Sneaker is a great new product by The Blackspot Anticorporation (a non-profit project of Adbusters Media), which has a mission to “establish a worldwide consumer cooperative and to reassert consumer sovereignty over capitalism.” The Blackspot Sneaker is an ethically made and distributed shoe of high quality and great appearance.

All profits from the sale of the shoes will be used to finance future social campaigns. This is a very noble initiative and a fine shoe. I highly recommend trying on a pair.

This past week I came across a stand selling various Chinese items, from calendars to traditional music. It was small but loaded with many very interesting pieces. The lady working at the stand was quite helpful, sharing the meaning of various symbols and characters and generally informing me about aspects of the art. I was impressed with the prices, quality of the items and the friendliness of the seller, so I ended up selecting some items for Christmas gifts and to add to my home. I now have two prints on my livingroom wall (the first things to grace that empty canvass), lighting it up with some golden beauty. I also selected a two disc VCD collection of Chinese folk music over video scenes of the country with the rather clunky title of The Hi-Fi World of Chinese Folk Music – Great Tunes of Yangqin that I find to be a pleasant source of background sound. I’m quite pleased with the addition to my abode and with what I’ll be sharing with others.

One of the focuses of the protest I took part in on Wednesday was opposition to the Bush-sponsored American plans to create a continent-wide ballistic missile defense (BMD) system. This plan will lead to the weaponization of space and break international bans against using such weapons. This proposed system has already started a new arms race, with China and other nations preparing counter measures. The system will be tremendously costly and provide little, if any, true protection or benefit for the people of North America and the world. I believe quite strongly that we have a need to oppose this initiative, especially those of us on either side of the American and Canadian borders. Please take the time to inform yourself on this issue and, if you are a concerned Canadian like myself, give the issue some attention by signing the NPD’s Petition For No BMD In Canada.

Matthew Good recently shared “The Battle Of Information,” a journal entry which included a look at Bush’s address here in Halifax and the the misleading way he likened his invasion of Iraq and other dangerous actions with the actions of Canadians in WWII in defending Europe from Hitler’s Germany.

Today I came across an article titled “How Hip-Hop Music is Slowly Transcending its Circular Culture.” The article looks at the pop-culture dominance of Hip-Hop, the misogynist, violent and negative face it often takes in the mainstream, the evolving aspects of the genre and the need for Hip-Hop to transcend the limitations it has imposed upon itself to become a music that can positively represent people.

I’ve come to appreciate the scent of cinnamon. I’ve been surrounding myself with it all the time, and I believe it’s approaching a place as high in my esteem as vanilla. Perhaps it’s the fact that it tastes so good in coffee. Either way, cinnamon is beautiful