New Media

I resolve to focus more on achieving long-term goals in 2010.

In the past, I’ve probably spent a bit too much time concentrating on activities that would provide me with a quick return (ie. cash). That’s all well and good, but lately, I’ve been looking at what it’s going to take for me to really build a legacy that makes the world a better place — the kind that gets you a Wikipedia entry, last-minute reservation at a fancy restaurant or at least a Duddy Kravitz-style coffee shop tab.

In practical terms, this means devoting more time to causes, getting back to writing fiction that somebody will actually want to publish, and really building my business and other professional writing. Of course, it also means continuing to develop this blog you’ve been enjoying — I’m thankful for reaching lot of new readers in 2009 and I’m looking forward to sharing my ideas and opinions from this online soapbox in 2010.

Best wishes from Vancouver to my family and friends for all that will happen in the coming year

Of course, it’s not too late for me to add a bit to my resolution made thus far. Looking for inspiration. What’s your New Year resolution for 2010? Leave it in a comment below.

UPDATE: Some New Year’s resolutions from my friends and family via Facebook
Sherry Narvey
To love you more baby!!! (NOTE FROM NEW MEDIA EDITOR TO SHERRY: I resolve to kiss you 1,000,000 more times in 2010)

Daniel Schloss
Well I quit smoking this past week. 8 days smoke-free now. So mine are to keep that up and to….get washboard abs. My new year’s resolution is caring more for my health in the coming year.

David Drucker
I always try and pick New Year’s Resolutions that are easy/fun to achieve. Like, ‘I will drink more red wine because I hear it’s good for me.’ Yeah, I think I’ll do that one this year. It’s a golden oldie.

George Petoussis
not to make any new years resolutions

Kenny Chiu
1. Get rid of at least twelve pounds in the next twelve months. 2. (extended version) respect use of metrics for resolution #1 (i.e. 12 kgs)

Canadian journalist Michelle Lang and the Canadian Forces soldiers who died this week in an explosion will be remembered for their courage and dedication to their necessary work in Afghanistan.

Justice will be served some day. Perhaps those Taliban fanatics who planted the bomb will end up in prison or a grave somewhere in Afghanistan. It may happen. But in a war where the enemy kills by stealth, hides among civilians and fades away into the night, perhaps this will not happen soon.

But in the larger picture, justice will come when the Afghan people, with the help of the international community, drive these murderous thugs from their land and reclaim that modest measure of peace and freedom that they deserve.

Justice is coming.

Further Reading and Tributes
* We Remember Them. Their Courage Inspires Us
* On Michelle Lang and being a war correspondent
* Remembering Michelle Lang
* Michelle Lang’s Blog

The upcoming Vancouver version of the Gaza Freedom March (which for some reason is not marching for freedom for Palestinians from Hamas thugs) appears to be organized and promoted with the help of UBC SPHR President Omar Amroosh Chaaban, formerly Omar Shaban, Vice-President of the Canadian Arab Federation.

As you’ll recall, Chaaban was called out by Tarek Fatah, founder of the Muslim Canadian Congress, for writing “Fuck Canada Day” on his Facebook profile. “This hateful attitude towards Canada is a direct result of how some politicians and police have refused to stand up to Islamists, either out of fear or for electoral expediency,” Fatah said at the time.

To refresh your memory, Omar says he resigned (rather than being asked to resign) shortly after the incident on July 1. CAF lost its taxpayer funding, in part for similar sorts of unwise comments, such as when Canadian Arab Federation president Khaled Mouammar called Federal Immigration Minister Jason Kenney a “professional whore”. But Mr. Chaaban (or Shaban) should certainly be lauded for his contribution to a chain of events that resulted in an end to taxpayer funding for an organization that seems to be inconsistent with “Canada’s best liberal values of tolerance and mutual respect”.

You’d think that a Palestinian group assumed to be looking for deeper support in the wider community would want a leader who is a little less of a potential liability on the public relations front. But then again, that depends on the kind of PR they really want to have. After all, we know what passes for rational discussion of Israel and Palestine on Canadian campuses.

As for the real march which now seems to have been halted on the Egyptian border (by pro-Zionist Egyptians, no doubt), that farce is brought to you by George Galloway, perhaps known chiefly outside the British Isles for this sort of disgusting conduct.

As for the goals of the protest march itself, there’s a fairly straightforward way of achieving the end of the blockade of Gaza that will go far beyond sending some crates of food and medical supplies once every three years. The Palestinians in Gaza must reject (and if necessary, overthrow) the thuggish Hamas regime. Rockets, terror and bombings against Israeli targets will not end their misery. Palestinians can win their freedom if they are willing to stand up to their oppressors.

UPDATE: Nazis for Gaza Freedom March in Toronto Thanks to Your Tax Dollars. Oh, God, this is good…

And more photos of sieg-heiling freedom marchers at Lumpy, Grumpy and Frumpy.

Something wonderful? I wish I could be that optimistic.

Here’s the deal. I found this big black monolith in my backyard this morning that I’m pretty sure wasn’t there the other day. It doesn’t seem to be doing anything. It’s just sort of sitting there, looking very angular and non-reflective.

Ted’s dog walked over to the thing. I think he was going to mark his territory. Instead, he just kind of froze when he got close. It’s an hour later and now, Rex has all the other neighborhood dogs in a circle on the lawn. He seems to be teaching all of the other canines geometry or something.

I should mention that when I woke up I had this great idea about how to to get our space program back on track so we can once again pursue the dream of becoming a space-faring civilization. I was so stoked that I drew all the blueprints for an interstellar vehicle and put together a flight plan before I was finished my second cup of coffee. I was all ready to scan what I had drawn and email it to NASA.

Then I saw another news item about how we still can’t even seem to get our ordinary airplanes off the ground without worrying that one narcissistic spoil-sport motivated by fanatical hatred is going to try to kill everyone else on board. And that even though close to 100 per cent of these types of airline security issues are caused by guys who all seem to have certain traits in common, our smartest minds are no closer to coming up with a solution that balances our very real security needs with the protection of the rights and freedoms that our civilization holds dear.

That’s too bad.

I suppose this means humanity’s dreams are on hold for a bit. I mean, we can hardly aim for the stars when human beings can’t even fly safely to heights first achieved nearly a century ago.

I guess I’ll hold on to the blueprints for a little while longer.

In the meantime, I better go check on Rex and the others. They seem to have discovered how to walk semi-upright and sing “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown”. There’s got to be a way to make some money off this.

Related to the half-blind, foolish media coverage I was mentioning in my last post — here we have a case of unquestioning feel-good coverage of an event in Toronto on Christmas Day called “Reviving the Islamic Spirit”. A perfect example of only hearing, and reporting, what you want to hear.

Evidently, one organizer, Imam Johari Abdul Malik, felt it necessary to address the odd coincidence that so much violence around the world is perpetrated in the name of a “religion of peace” against non-Muslims and even more often, against fellow Muslims. His quote:

Maybe it’s time to save the ship to say that I am going to take an oath to be non-violent,” he said, speaking of the widespread violence in the world by Muslims against other Muslims.

“And that I refuse as a Muslim to kill another Muslim and also as a Muslim to defend the rights of others.

Wait a second, Mr. Malik — you want to make a statement condemning violence and “saving the ship” by only condemning the killing of Muslims by other Muslims? In other words, non-violence only applies to his fellow co-religionists? And this is supposed to negate the extremism that has filtered through his community?

So much for a feeling of peace and goodwill towards all.

Nice reportage, Debra Black. Way to dig deeper. Useless mouthpiece.