Your Imagine Nation or Your Life

Your Imagine Nation or Your Life: this young poet has some serious issues to face. Not all young poets make it through these difficult years. The worst find themselves abandoned on the streets of the Dominion of Bland Gland, unable to explain how they got there.

If you see a troubled poet, key THE-911-POET. At the sound of the beep, press the GPS key. That's all it takes to rescue a vulnerable poet from a fate worse than mediocrity. Poet Polls released a 5-year study last spring, revealing that the most vulnerable poets have had a chapbook published, but nothing since. The first five years after a first chapbook are the most dangerous for poets.

"It's just a culling of the poetic herd, removing strains of pulp friction."

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Canadian Cowgirls Perform @ Royal Agricultural Winter Fair 2009

This is my video of the Canadian Cowgirls who are performing in the Coliseum at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. I recorded their performance over two days from two different locations and assemble-edit them together.

I apologize for the amateurism. It’s a low quality camera, and the zoom is difficult to manipulate. The video editing was done using a freeware program, the lowest form of software. The editing was done in Java House, an eclectic restaurant on Toronto's Queen Street West.

I hope that in spite of my shortcomings, the sprit and talent of the Canadian Cowgirls will shine through. Here is a YouTube video of the Canadian Cowgirls performing in light last year at the Royal. Watch this Cowgirl do the stand up for 9 seconds

I also hope that it will generate interest in attending the Royal Fair where Canada’s farmers bring the best of the country to the city.

Enjoy.

REMEMBER REMEMBER REMEMBER

Cobourg's Pete Fisher presents a video tribute to our fallen.


A Remembrance Day tribute by "koreanincanada"


Author identified: Credit to igleniglen. This video is a Remembrance Day Tribute to Canadian Forces. There are a few versions of this floating around. This is the one that I like the best.

"DEEP HATRED OF WOMEN" Personal Slur made by Debbie O'Connor

Debbie O'Connor wrote on Ben Burd's blog:
"It is very clear to me that you have a deep hatred of women, and I hope I never run into you in a dark alley somewhere, I would be terrified."
--Thursday, August 13, 2009 7:51:00 PM EDT

Prince Charles & Camilla Open The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair

It has been my pleasure the past ten years or so to work up in the control booth at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, programming and controling the text for the jumbotron in the Coliseum. These pics were taken from on high.

Graffiti Stroll Down Queen Street Alley

This video presents a fraction of the grafitti to be seen in the back allies along Queen Street West.

Contrary to the personal smear by Cobourg's self-appointed poverty activist, Debbie O'Connor, asserting that I hate women so much that I might beat them up in back allies, I have taken several out-of-town women for tours of the alley. They appreciated that I was there to provide them with the comforting security to tour such back allies in a big metropolis. (Pat Steer, Kathryn McGlynn and Judy Sinyard are three such women that spring to mind that I escorted down the alley without beating them up. )

These are the alleyways that Rick Mercer has often used for his rants. The whole alley system is a mere two blocks from where I lived for 27 years.

Welcome to my neighbourhood

Click on image to enlarge

Wednesday, Nov 4, I return to Toronto, the city that the rest of Canada hates. The hate is held mostly by a small town mentality of petty bigotry, otherwise known as snobs.

Toronto is a poetic verb, whereas Northumberland is largely rolling nouns with rivulets of prose flowing inbetween.

I will not be returning to Cobourg until the end of the month. In the meantime, I thought I'd like to put my Toronto experience (past & present) on my Cobourg blog. After all, Toronto was the playground for my imagine nation for over 35 years. It plays a big part of my life, especially culturally.

It has always been interesting to compare that experience with my small town upbringing. Life in a metropolis provides the benefits of social anonymity, whereas life in a small town brings the benefits of social intimacy. There are cheerleaders to either side of the zeitgeist, and those who live both in parallel-simultaneity.

Today's story is about a February 20, 2008, fire; the Queen West burnout which was happening a block and half away from where I lived.
I woke circa 6am, showered, dressed, went out to Bathurst Street to catch the streetcar that wasn't coming. A swarm of red lights were swirling at the intersection of Queen, si I walked towards the light to see what was happening.

Below was what was happening when I turned the corner. Flames weer shooting out of one store at ground level. I stood there mesmerized for about five minutes before walking back to side streets to get to Spadina Avenue to catch a streetcar.

The residuals of the fire followed me all the way to Spadina; black ashes and some still glowing were raining down on the old neighbourhood. The extent of the smoke-out can be seen below.

Betty Scoop & Stoop Parrots Billiam Hayes

Click on image to enlarge