The National Capital Region will soon welcome a new CFL football club. This will be the third time the team rises from its ashes: the Ottawa Rough Riders went bankrupt in 1996, and again in 2006 under the Renegades moniker. At the time, Franco-Ontarian football fans (and those in nearby
Continue readingTag: Pop Culture
Writings of J. Todd Ring: The new epidemic: Death cults and the culture of despair
An article in The Atlantic speaks to the growing death-fetish that is gripping more and more youth. It is a bad omen for the state of modern industrial civilization as a whole, I would contend, and it indicates a broader trend toward anxiety, hopeless and despair, which must be confronted
Continue readingThe Adventures of Diva Rachel: Why does the Ottawa Sun get away with this double standard?
The Diva is perplexed. Behold, today’s Ottawa Citizen cover. It is a heart-wrenching account of an adult who died of a drug overdose. His family is going through the grieving process, as the headline indicates. Earlier this year, the Ottawa Sun had another cover story about a young life ended
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: NOT Offended By Brad Paisley and LL Cool J’s “Accidental Racist” Lyrics
By: Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive: Last week “Accidental Racist”, the new duet by country singer Brad Paisley and rapper LL Cool J made a lot of people uncomfortable. Angry even. It caused an online backlash. A pop music critic with the Toronto Star said: ‘Accidental Racist’ makes Brad Paisley and LL Cool
Continue readingThe Equivocator: Stop reading this and go watch Borgen.
Seriously. Click here to purchase the first 2 seasons. Need more convincing? Here is why I enjoy”Borgen” so thoroughly: I am a political nerd. Like most political nerds I am able to quote (and subconsciously merge with reality) all 7 seasons of “The West Wing.” For a few months one of
Continue readingLaw is Cool: Chess Master, You May Approach the Bench
Ever want to take on an opponent in court from the comfort of your living room? This legal themed chess set might provide an outlet. “Approach the Bench” was designed by a lawyer’s son as a gift to his dad. After realizing there aren’t many legal-themed chess sets out there, the
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Lisa Lampanelli Goes “My Nigga” and “Beyotch” About Lena Dunham
This is how Lisa Lampanelli, the self-anointed Queen of Mean, described the following photo of herself with Lena Dunham, the creator of GIRLS: “Me with my nigga @LenaDunham of @HBOGirls – I love this beyotch!!” Your take? Racist? Sexist? The Canadian Progressive recommends: RCMP’s Misogynistic Response to Galliford Sexual Harassment Claim
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: CBS bans breasts, buttocks, genitals, this Pink stuff at Grammy Awards
By Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive, Feb. 9, 2013: Nearly ten years after Janet Jackson’s famous wardrobe malfunction, the CBS is on high alert concerning nudity. A “Wardrobe Advisory” email the network’s Standards & Practices department sent out to representatives of stars scheduled to perform at Sunday’s 55th Annual Grammy Awards is warning performers
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Idle No More: An audio essay by the CBC Radio’s Jian Ghomeshi
Jian Ghomeshi, the host of “Q”, a national daily cultural affairs talk program on the CBC’s Radio One, weighs in on the Idle No More grassroots movement for First Nations rights in Canada. Ghomeshi tackles the slogan, the hashtag, and the movement. RELATED: Canada’s First Nations leaders confront Harper Gvt
Continue readingThe Equivocator: Uranowski’s First Law of Involuntary Suspension of Disbelief
Uranowski’s First Law of Involuntary Suspension of Disbelief Even if you didn’t know that the 1999 masterpiece “Deep Blue Sea” was about super-intelligent sharks before hand, Saffron Burrows’s character (Dr. Susan McCallister) interacts with a 3D computer model 14 minutes into the movie showing us all that the sharks mentioned in
Continue readingThe Adventures of Diva Rachel: Top Twenty Things Harper Can Do with Money Saved from Cancelled F-35 Purchase
Looks like Christmas came early : the news leaked that the much-criticized F-35 military jet purchase, first estimated at $16Billion or $25Billion or $30B or $40B, has been cancelled. Did Harper finally come to his senses about a jet which was rumoured not to function in nordic climates, have radar
Continue readingmark a rayner | scribblings, squibs & sundry monkey joys: Teaser from The Fridgularity: How the Grinch Stole Christmas
The Fridgularity is a satire of Internet culture, so that means it’s rife with pop-culture references, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas is one of them. I can’t tell you any more, as that would be a spoiler. But I … Continue reading …
Continue readingLaw is Cool: Law Student Booted Off the Bachelor
Gabrielle Dipersico is a 1L who just got booted off the television sitcom, The Bachelor. Her lesson from the ordeal? Maybe next time I won’t be as direct with people, I guess. Let’s see how that works out for you in practice.
Continue readingPaulitical Satire: Justin Trudeau Excites People – And That’s a Good Thing!
So, I’ve been following the recent chatter about Justin Trudeau (or JT as some people have come to call him, both ironically and not) with interest and a bit of a laugh. I thought that my writing about this was done with my previous post on the topic. However, I’ve
Continue readingThe Adventures of Diva Rachel: Stephen Harper trumpeted his lust for Brit colonialism in 2006 speech
At the heart of our relationship is the golden circle of the Crown which links us all together with the majestic past that takes us back to the Tudors, the Plantagenets, the Magna Carta, habeas corpus, petition of rights, and English common law […] all those massive stepping stones which
Continue readingThe Adventures of Diva Rachel: La francophonie affaiblie au fédéral
MISE A JOUR: Le HuffingtonPost Québec publiera ce texte dans les jours qui viennent. En ce Jour de la Francophonie en Ontario, l’heure et au bilan du fait français dans la province la plus peuplée et dans le reste du Canada.La Loi sur les langues officielles fut adoptée par le
Continue readingPaulitical Satire: Your iPhone is Making You an Idiot!
So, last week was iPhone launch week, and as per usual a newer, sexier device is now out there for everyone to drool over. Have you seen it…it’s pretty sexy. Despite the general horniness that people have for the newest piece of Apple tech, I don’t think we ever really stop
Continue readingPaulitical Satire: Back to School Tips – Movie Monday
So, while all the little little kiddies went back to school last week, the bigger kiddies are heading back to classes today in most cases. Given that, I thought I would dispense some “I wish I knew then what I know now” typed advice for students going to University and
Continue readingPaulitical Satire: Holiday Movie Monday
So, the last weekend of summer is upon us loyal readers! I hope that you are currently enjoying the last day of the last long weekend, of this wonderful summer that was. It’s not everyday the Movie Monday falls on a holiday, so I wanted to give you all a
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