Ecomist endorses Obama: Probably the most sense they'll make to me for the next year.

Big ups to The Economist with their endorsement of Barack Obama. I'm reading the article and I feeling like someone just said to themselves, "Okay, that's enough. Time to actually tell it like it is."

I can't help but feel like my people, as Canadians, care more about the American election than our own. This topic has been debated to death in our news media and between each other, and it's now descended into one of those topics that brings up a collective groan and "We know!"

However, it still needs to be discussed.

Is it the charisma? Is it the mudslinging? Is it the fact that there's a clear and present division between the parties in the United States instead of the feeling that all the political parties up here are the same? They might have names like Liberal and Conservative, but the differences simply don't seem drastic enough to matter.

On another note, we have a Sex Party? There's a party I could get behind.

(hint:) Click the image!

Thoughts from the Sex Convention

The weekend of October 24th to 26th was a weird one for me: aside from the usual escapades I had chosen to attend the Everything To Do With Sex Show, a convention that takes place yearly at the Canadian National Exhibition. Along with my forays into conventions of the nerdier type, my decision to go was influenced more by curiosity than interest in the subject matter. I decided “Hey, what the hell, right? How often do I get a chance to go?”

So off I went.

I decided to bring along a friend, as it’s my experience that it’s better to bring a companion to bounce opinions and emotions off of, lest one be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of weirdness that can occupy these adventures. We grabbed a subway and streetcar to the Exhibition grounds, and found ourselves at the entrance to the hall for the sexpo, which was somewhat ironically booked beside the “Healthy Infants and Toddlers” convention. I suppose it’s good that the kids didn’t know what the heck was going on, since more than one parent would probably hear “Mommy, why is that man wearing no pants?”

Upon entering the hall one is immediately offered multiple “Wet Sex Kits,” which include both condoms and lubricant. I threw a couple into my bag because Christmas presents can be difficult to shop for. A few steps father a girl in short shorts and a low top informs us that their company is giving away “free vibrating cock rings” at that booth over yonder.

How can we lose, right?

After working our way through the immense crowd and inputting obviously fake e-mails into the computers that were set up, me and my comrade were given a packet which included a sealed penis ring. One slider on the side got this thing vibrating, and a butterfly-stamped plastic piece was there for “clitoral stimulation.” Again, good Christmas gifts. Later in the convention we would go back and get more, to the delight of our group of friends back home.

What surprised me about this convention was that there really isn’t a lot to do; irony, right? The hall was a decent size, but it just seemed to be taken up by rows and rows of porn DVDs or racks of vibrators. This was more of a consumer show than an educational one, with every apparatus under the sun available for your orgasmic bliss. Some highlights my friend and I saw were: a motorbike outfitted with a bondage rack, candles labelled with a “Monkey Fart” scent, penis-shaped bongs, an exercise ball with a removable dildo attachment (for the “ultimate in discrete pleasure”) and various homemade BDSM items. There was a “Dungeon Area” where photography was prohibited for good reason: stepping inside my friend and I were greeted to topless women being trussed up and teased in various methods. It was quite... unsettling.

There were exhibitions on three different stages and seminars being held every half hour, which provided festival goers with a lot of potential things to learn, such as “Eco-Friendly Sex Toys,” “G-Spots and P-Spots:Doubl[ing] Their Pleasure,” “Sensational Oral Sex,” and “Kink 101.” When we walked by, we heard a middle aged lady talking about the errors that some people make while using anal beads; onomatopoeic noises were included about how the beads should sound while they’re making an exit from your lover’s rectum. Other features of note were pole dancing and fake orgasm competitions, as well as a “Got Ass” (think like the “Got Milk” slogan) show and “Firefighters of the Caribbean.”

Really, I’d like to say there’s something for everyone at this type of convention, and that might be true; however, to the casual observer like me, the experience is a little bit daunting. Obviously you wouldn’t approach this even with a closed mind, but there are still things that make you cringe. If you aren’t there for something specific, like buying the latest “gear” or looking for a rare (or cheap) DVD, there isn’t a whole lot to do; it only took my friend and I about an hour and a half to see the entire convention’s sights.

Besides this caveat, I can’t that that I didn’t enjoy myself; really, it opened my eyes to a lot of new things and along with the nerd convention, it exposed me to an environment where everyone has the same common interests. Really, I’d recommend it to anyone looking to broaden their horizons or just get a really good laugh at some of the weirder stuff: I was definitely tempted to buy that “Sexercise” ball just to see the look on a friend’s face. If you’ve been to a sex convention, good on you; if you haven’t, add it to your list of things to do before you die. Your libido will thank you for it.

Kevin Smith makes a hilarious movie

If there's one director who's won my respect, it's Kevin Smith. I've loved Clerks and its sequel, but haven't gotten around to see his other films of note: Chasing Amy, Mallrats, and Dogma.

He's got a new film coming out called Zack and Miri Make a Porno, which star the somewhat unconventional duo of Seth Rogan and Elizabeth Banks. I'm actually don't have much bad to say about Rogan; I'm glad he's moved away from the Judd Apatow movies that have typecast him as a bumbler, and really, that're losing their comedic appeal. You can only make so many "sex, beer, and weed" movies before you start to get old. Elizabeth Banks is a fox. That's the only statement I really have to make about her.

So the story’s set up that Zack and Miri (I’m digging that name...) are two friends living together who need to scrape together rent money, fast. They decide “Okay, let’s make a porno,” which really, is flawless logic. As Wikipedia synopsises tell me, they eventually realize that their platonic friendship might not be so platonic. This makes me happy, as it encourages people like me that beautiful women will fall in love with big goofs with good intentions; who says Hollywood has to be so superficial anyways, right?

Haven’t seen the flick yet, but I should soon. Kevin Smith’s one of those guys that manages to impress me with both his nerd-ery and down-to-earth nature. If you guys can get a copy of An Evening With Kevin Smith, or An Evening with Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder, please, by all means, watch them.

Thoughts from the 5-Star rating

I fear I might be starting to roll down the slope to being a media whore.

Really, I think it's just because of the excitement I had when I bought Rock Band 2 this past Sunday. I've been playing like a fiend since, and I'm happy to say I'm prograssing quite nicely. However, is this socially acceptable in a hipster-filled universe? Is liking a game based on "popular" music "cool"?

I've always wondered when playing a Guitar Hero or Rock Band-style game: are these games ruining these songs forever? Will a Beastie Boys or Jet cover band be instantly dismissed as "Rock Band Wannabes" if they play "Sabotage" or "Are You Gonna Be My Girl?" Will anyone who hears Rage Against the Machine's "Bulls of Parade" instantly that time they aced it on Expert difficulty while ignoring the political nature of the song? Is the meaning of the song at risk of being lost?

I guess what I'm trying to ask is: is there an unforseen risk to putting your music on Rock Band, in another video game's soundtrack, or a commercial? Do you lose credibility? And I'm not just saying from the kiffeyeh-wearing hipsters, either; I mean from the people who've bought your records and expect more from you?

Maybe I should get into those stupid scarves another time... or maybe I won't, fearing the wrath of female friends I'd prefer to keep.

Anyways, just some thoughts at 1:50 AM.

Thoughts on a deadline high

Now I know what it's like to have a deadline high.

For the past couple weeks my Culture of News class has been covering the Canadian Election and it's been hell on Earth for a number of people. We basically have to pick an electoral riding, and if you live in a riding, you basically get first dibs.

So begins my adventure in the boring riding that is Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale.
So ended my adventure in the boring riding: tonight I went to my candidate's victory party and laughed my ass off at the legions of neckbeards there hooting and hollering for every Conservative that won a riding, and booing every Liberal/NDP/Whoever that won a riding. It might just be the bitter NDP supporter in me but I couldn't help but think I was in the wrong meeting: did I stumble into a dual politics/D'n'D game?

Anyways, I speed home at 11:45 pm, ready to add that imperative first paragraph and make any literal last minute changes to my assignment, and fire it off at 11:55.

Jesus christ, I'm still shaking.

I guess it's just the thrill of producing with 5 minutes left on the clock, but I got an extreme buzz from it.

I think I was meant to be a journalist.

I swear I've got the "itis"

Ah, the Thanksgiving weekend; a time to sit back, relax, and stuff your face full of food to the point of immobility. I kind of needed this break for the craziness of University, so after going through the laundry list of things my family needed fixed since I left, here I am, enjoying my lack of things to do - or so I think.

I'm a big fan of wasting time through supposed organizational tools. Whether it be putting my schedule on my phone and then dismissing the alarms when they go off, or organizing my life on Google Calendar then forgetting all about it, I'm all for it; it kills time and leaves me with a feeling of accomplishment. At the moment I'm giving Todoist.com a spin because really, I get a lot more done when I have the satisfaction of ticking a task off a list.

Yeesh, I feel like I'm forcing this, but what else can I do on a Sunday night besides sleep and appease my loyal readers? Anyways, I have work to do, so I'll be back later in the week!

Cheers

Battle in Seattle: movie, or boxing event title?

I figure it's been a while since I reviewed any upcoming movies (or at least their trailers), so here we go.

If there's one thing I love, it's politically charged movies. If there's one thing I love even more, it's a politically charged riot movie. Sadly, I haven't seen much of the latter lately, or really... ever.

Battle in Seatle is going to change that. It's actor Stuart Townsend's first directing job, and surprise surprise, it's got his "wife" Charlize Theron in a leading role. It's depicting the events of the 1999 WTO protests in Seattle which started peacefully,but descended into rioting and an eventual State of Emergency. From what I've read Townsend depicts all sides of the "argument", showing the portesters, police, and the anarchists who eventually turned it all to shit.

Really, I've got to commend the trailer; it looks like a kick-ass movie. I either don't remember the events that it depicts, or I was just never informed: does this present a vulnerability in tthe audience the film wants to reach? Obviously this film is targetted to Americans who might remember what happened, but what about people who don't? Are they going to allow themselves to be potentially influenced in their opinion of the protesters and the police by a film?

I guess the trick is to go into this with an open mind and possibly with some research; but really, that wouldn't be fun, would it? I guess it would ruin the movie, too, but... meh.