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I received a mass distribution email from Charlie Angus, MP [NDP, Digital Affairs Critic] regarding the need for ACTA transparency and public consultation on the subject. If you haven’t heard much about ACTA, it’s an international treaty on copyright that is being negotiated in secret with little or no oversight into the issue. I encourage you all to read the email [below], as well as Michael Geist’s blog regarding the issue. I feel that this is a fundamentally important issue that each Canadian needs to know about.

Dear Friend of Fair Copyright,

Thank you very much for taking the time to make your voice heard on the fight for fair copyright in Canada. In addition to yours, I have received well over 25,000 emails, letters, Facebook messages, faxes and phone-calls from everyday Canadians who want their elected officials to heed the call for fair copyright legislation in Canada for users, creators and innovators – NOT just the U.S. music and film industry lobbies.

Make no mistake, your emails and letters have made a huge impact. Without the enormous groundswell of support for fair copyright, the Conservatives never would have undertaken the consultation process that they did. Will they listen to what they heard? That remains to be seen.

A factor that threatens the development of fair copyright in Canada is the ongoing Anti-Counterfeiting Treaty Agreement (ACTA) negotiations. These talks have been conducted under a heavy veil of secrecy that excludes citizen engagement, denies public or media oversight, and undermines domestic copyright laws like those currently being considered in many countries around the world, including Canada.

Please read on for more info, but I want to make sure you take this opportunity to add your voice to those opposed to the ACTA secrecy. If you’re on Facebook, please join this group and ask your contact list to do the same: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=288885939910&ref=ts#.

Documents that have leaked from the talks show that negotiators are hammering out a deal that would criminalize internet users. It would require ISPs to spy on individual internet use and shut down access to content based any potential allegation of infringement.

The most sinister of these is the “three strikes” proposal. It sets out that anyone who is accused – NOT convicted – of illegal downloading three times is summarily disconnected from the internet and prevented from obtaining another account.

Please join the chorus of voices calling for transparency and accountability on the ACTA negotiations, so that our government doesn’t negotiate away Canada’s ability to determine what fair domestic copyright laws should be.

Sincerely,

Charlie Angus, MP
Digital Affairs Critic, NDP

Well…US Election Day. In fact, by the time I post this entry, all polls in the US should be closed and a new President will be coronated in the US.

Good fucking riddance.

Maybe it’s because I’ve had my fill of elections and politics this year, or maybe people around me are all over-hyping this election cycle, but I am so sick and tired of listening to Obama-This-Maverick-That, Hope Vs. Experience, or Biden gaffs and Palin gaffs. I really just want it all to end. And no, I don’t really care who wins.

Now, I understand why Obamaniacs are so excited. Obama is charismatic, young, hopeful, and an all-round smart fellow. He instills hope where little hope exists. He inspires in a time when inspiration is needed. He would make a great President…in 2012 and beyond. I’ve listened to his speeches and they are truly remarkable oratory masterpieces. His speech writers deserve a lot of that credit. However, I am gravely concerned about his policies and its sustainability in the current and foreseeable economic conditions. I am concerned about his experience in understanding broad global issues, and how the US will continue to shape the world’s geo-political, social, economic, and military landscapes, despite the US’s waining influence. I am simply worried that Obama will rely too heavily on hope and clever words to get him through the next 4 years.

With that said, I’m not a McCain supporter either. Yes, he has strong leadership and foreign relationship experience under his belt, and that is certainly worthy in my books. He, too, is a smart man, but his age will be large concern. John McCain truly means well for his country, and he has proven it before. However, based on observation of his campaign alone, I can tell that he [as well as his predecessor George W. Bush] rely too heavily on the opinions of his aides and advisors. His sudden shift towards catering back to the conservative base and his rash appointment of Sarah Palin can only be attributed to receiving poor and unsound advice from Republican advisors. A real maverick who would have made sound judgments and legislature in the White House has been diluted into a Republican puppet. This is a huge loss for the American people and the world.

As I hope I’ve shown, I’m not a big fan of either political party in this election. As a matter of fact, I’m not a big fan of US politics as a whole. The entire system is now a 4-year, multi-billion dollar cycle that enforces stereotypes, divisions between socio-economic classes, and idolatry that rivals the great religions on this planet. The entire system still tries to shut voters’ minds off from thinking about the real issues at hand and making informed decisions, and instead continually offers a better vision for the future without actually describing concrete ways to get there. Both Obama and McCain are guilty of this. As alluded to by Clotaire Rapaille in his work The Culture Code, Americans view their President as a modern day Moses who will lead them to their Promised Land. Because this mindset is so deeply rooted in the society, this problem will persist for many many years to come.

Despite all my grievances, whoever takes over the White House come January next year will be a competent leader. There is little doubt of that. It is, however, important to remember that no matter what was said or promised during the campaign, don’t expect things to change overnight, or quickly…or even slowly. The next President will face many challenges, including the Senate and Congress. Don’t expect any of the extreme and populist campaign promises to be fulfilled. Let’s be honest; whatever happens tonight and whoever gets elected into office, a politician will be running the US, and a politician will do what a politician does best – get re-elected.

So let’s not delude ourselves into thinking big changes are coming down south just because they’re replacing the old guy. Things will change for certain, but the fundamentals of the system is unlikely to change regardless, and that is probably our biggest problem that we face today.

Hmm…only 3 Years, 363 days, 23 Hours and 30 Minutes until the next election. I’m already half an hour late following the new election bandwagon…Palin 2012 anyone?

So after a few weeks of failing to watch Religilous, I finally got off by ass down the street to the theatre to indulge it. My thoughts? Hmm…mixed.

I’ve always had a minor bone to pick with Bill Maher. He’s had an extreme view about religion; one that I mostly agree with. Religion is Ridiculous [thus the name of the movie]. I guess my problem is how he reacts to it – that he simply treats all of them as idiotic mindless drones. I.e. Complete lack of disrespect.

I both respect him and revile him for this behaviour.

I respect him for being so upfront and honest about this. We definitely don’t see that often enough. Yet, I still think that this lack of respect is inherently vulgar. I feel he goes a bit too far sometimes with his stance – not unlike Michael Moore. In that light, Religulous feels very similar to some of Moore’s recent films. Entertaining, mostly factual, undoubtedly extreme.

Maher does a good job of instilling doubt over Religious issues in those who already had doubts. However, he also tries to paint all those with Faith with the same brush. Now I know my fair share of religious induviduals and I can say that there is an expansive range of ways these people express and follow their respective faiths. It is impossible to equate all this as a singular phenomenon. I find Maher’s approah in this regard to be stubborn and fundamentally flawed.

Still, the film was very entertaining and despite Maher’s strong approach, it was definitely worth a watch. It certainly isn’t for everyone, but those who are ‘privileged’ [paraphrased from the film] enough to be without religion will enjoy it.

I give the film 3.5/5. Whatever that means…

I was going to write about this a few days ago when I actually went to the temple (I believe it was a Wednesday). Still, better late than never.

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