Best of the Bean and the Good 2008

There is an innumerably long gap between Christmas and New Years in my opinion. Maybe it's the days spent digesting Christmas dinner in a haze of lying around. Maybe it's the "everything is closed" syndrome, which leaves little else but the malls open. Maybe it's the running around to other people's houses partaking in their booze, food, drinks, etc. Or maybe it's my crazed need to do something (mark that - anything) with my time other than simply sitting around. At any rate, they are long days from December 26 until January 1 in my mind.

The only saving grace in this march of days from one year until the next, are "Best of" and "Worst of" lists associated with the passing year. Now, truthfully these are poorly placed media vehicles of review for the most part. Many act as reminders of things we don't need reminders of (hellllllooooo Sarah Palin). Yet a few act as lists of truly the good - and oh the joy I get from being able to say "Seen it!" "Read it!" to the endless lists of books, movies, music, etc., that emerges.

And so with my love of The List, how fair is it that I produce my own top 10 list of loves from the Bean and the Good for 2008. These are things that made my year livable - heck , even enjoyable. So...

10. The Toronto Weather Office. Who says government bureaucracies can't be fun? In its on-going effort to push the lexicon beyond the norm, the Toronto Weather Office (part of Environment Canada) has given us the commonly used terms of "humidex" and "wind-chill factor." But in 2008 they were on a mission to push the public's vocabulary even further and came up with..."snowmagedon." Snowmagedon was the Toronto Weather Office's description of the storm-to-end-all-winter-storms that took place during the weekend of December 19th. It was a term picked up by media across Canada to describe the dumping of snow across the middle and eastern parts of the country, and is now referenced across the web to describe snow-systems of galactic proportions. Who woulda thought a bureaucratic office wheeling and dealing in meteorology could be so creative?

9. The Boston Independent Film Festival. From one little festival I got a year of joy. Always the film geek, I was enticed by previews of Guy Maddin's My Winnipeg and Bruce McDonald's direction of a pre-Juno Ellen Page in the digitally shot, multi-edit Tracey Fragments (not to mention the score by Broken Social Scene), was almost too much to handle in this bare-as-bones film town. And get to see them, I did! But then that gift kept on giving - since April the good folks over at the BIFF have kept me in the good with FREE movie passes to films (often before they make it to theaters). Hands up everyone who saw a screening of Happy Go Lucky with Mike Leigh present? Or a free preview of Burn After Reading? Takers on the advance screening of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Taraji P. Henson present? No? Well - me, me. I did! I did!

8. Maclean's. There are so many, many reasons to hate Rogers Communications (not the least of which is the lip service Peter C. Newman had to pay to Teddy upon his passing - wow, bet that wasn't planned). As a Torontonian you can blame Rogers Communications for screwing a lot of stuff up - the untimely renaming of Sky Dome, the Blue Jays, exorbitant cellphone fees and, like, the millionth time you called them about messed up cable. But damn - when they get things right, Rogers gets them right. I will say it here, forever to be cast in the blog - I LOVE MACLEAN'S. It's the little magazine that could and does. Try describing its perfect alchemy to an American with its mix of news (kinda like Time), but with awesome column, opinion and humour pieces. Oh yeah, and Barbara Ameil (I think she's dropped the Black) too. With their stealth force of writers and columnists (Gatehouse, Coyne, Wells, Ameil, Fenschuk) it's got enough metal to stand tall against any periodical in the world. Now if only they could drop Richler and pick up Mallick before free agent season starts it would be beyond perfect.

7. The JFK Library and Museum's Public Forums. If you haven't really figured it out yet, I trend toward the Geeky in life, and so feeding my intellectual/thinker/political type-itch for 2008 has been the JFK Library and their Public Forum series. I mark it a good year when you're able to see Robert McNamara actively going senile at an event honoring Ted Sorensen; hear Gloria Steinem rag on Sarah Palin; and be inspired (and realize how little market research does for the world) by Muhammad Yunnus, Banker to the Poor. Aye, it has been a good year for the Geek. Next up: Gwen Ifill talking about her much publicized The Breakthrough: Politics in the Age of Obama, and James Fallows of The Atlantic talking China. Can I hear a what-what?

6. The Rebirth of Toronto's Cultural Institutions. Last year during my Christmas-break home I spent time going-through Toronto's own redesigned Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). Daniel Liebeskind's unorthodox rethinking of the museum left me wondering if...well...Toronto could handle it all. Then this year I've been left aching by my inability to yet visit Frank Gehry's re-envisioning of the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO). As I've written in this blog before, having the modern masters of architecture redesign these cultural institutions is a masterstroke for the locals and the tourists by the city of Toronto and its provincial and federal partners. Through the cultural institutions, and arts policy, Toronto has been able to reinvent itself - a feat Boston seemingly has no interest in, and an attitude perhaps borne on the Bean's part of too much emphasis on selling history to y'all. Boston needs to get the memo - and quickly.

5. The Boston Restaurant/Pub/Bar Scene. It's too chill to describe somehow, but the Boston Bar/Pub/Restaurant scene is its own polis. The scene has its seedy parts, don't get me wrong, but for the most part Boston is about relaxed and reinvented cool in its local establishments with great chow and crafted libations. High on my list of kudos - Deep Ellum, River Gods, the Middle East and People's Republik. Perhaps it's a push by the student population to find bastions of chill among the books and sorrows of school but Allston and Cambridge are the original home of these oases. Perfect for a cold winter's night or a refreshing treat during the summer.

4. TTC. As noted above, I go out sometimes. And when I go out, I often need to get home. Many times this is via public transportation. And in a city where NOTHING is organized public transportation-wise, I appreciate a public transportation system - ANY system - that is active until AFTER the bars and restaurants close. Hence my love for the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) grows. Thank you TTC for operating subways until 1:30 am, buses until 2am and buses on major routes ALL NIGHT LONG. These feats go completely unmatched by the T of Boston. I will never forget the look of shock on two visiting students eyes when I told them not to stay out too long if they planned on using the T which shuts its subways down at 12:30am - and those students were from OHIO! They even got it better in Ohio!

3. The Slutcracker. Ah Bostonia! There are things you - er - do quite well. One thing that Boston, I honestly believe, manages to negotiate through many potential quagmires is the vice-that-is-not-vice spectacle. Again, kudos to the student population on this (I think), but there are so many things (mostly shows - art, theater, etc) that Boston manages to put on and celebrate that in other towns would be left to the wretched-of-the-wretched folk. The Slutcracker is a great example of the vice-that-is-not-vice world. Put on this very holiday season at the Somerville Theater, The Slutcrakcer was a burlesque version of The Nutcracker...and if you think about it, it does make complete sense. I'll keep this G-rated but needless to say the...climax for me came with the advent of the...very masculine form candy cane...and the...licking of said cane. Ah too brilliant (and funny) for words! Toronto has not caught on to the vice-that-is-not-vice chain yet. Perhaps that is "the Good" in Toronto still yet speaking - we can be such a conservative town. Next up on the vice-that-is-not-vice tour: Sex and Drugs Trivia (not even kidding, it does really exist). You get the picture.

2. Arts & Crafts. I liked camp too, but not enough to give the camping activity of yore kudos. This, my friends, is the best damn record label happening right now. In an era of the death of the record label, these guys may single handedly bring it back. Based in Toronto, and formed out of the music collective that is Broken Social Scene, Arts & Crafts Records aim to sign the unsignable (the artsy types) and give them freedom to make their music the way they want. I can honestly say I adore every single act they have signed to date. The music of Los Campesions, Feist, The Constantines, Bredan Canning, Jason Collette, the Stars and, of course, Broken Social Scene themselves --- all, All, ALL warm my heart. I cannot thank those behind the label enough for bringing my attention to all of these awesome artists -- which is exactly what a record label should do, by the way. These are artists whose music helped me make it through the year. Although, tribute must also be given to Joel Plaskett and the Emergency in particular (non-Arts & Crafts artists) whose "Everything's Gonna Turn Out Fine" was particularly helpful through September and October.

1. The Beat L.A. T-Shirt. Whether it really deserves the top spot I, myself, still debate, but it was one of the greatest most spontaneous outpourings of hometown pride that I've seen. The Beat LA shirt appeared during the Celtic's push for the NBA Championship against the L.A. Lakers. And after one appeared, the shirt was everywhere. Basic it was. Simply a white or green background, with contrasting single color ink, the shirt just said "Beat LA" sometimes appearing alongside Lucky, the Celtics' mascot. It was classic, elegant and pridefull. Non-Bostonians must realize that this is a city at war. It is at war with cities on both coasts - New York and L.A. Destined to be characterized as the little brother to these bigger towns, Boston is willing and able to take on, and out, anyone that is a challenger. After loosing the Superbowl to the Giants (called "the Choke" locally) and the Sox missing the playoffs, this city saw LA as cruising for a bruising. And the Lakers got it.

What to watch for in 2009? In The Good: Does Ignatieff have any affect on bringing local Toronto politics to national attention? Do the media companies survive? How bad is Bay Street hit? Will the Leafs get their act together now that we've bid adieu to Sundin (that hanger-on)? Will the Toronto Star please fire Rosie DiManno? In the Bean: Well the talk will be all Tom in my books - Will he be back after the knee injury? Will he even stay with the Pats? Does he appear in Nike Ads with Paolo? Does he retire to the life of mans-keeper or professional dog walker? And most importantly - is Giselle vilified Janet Gretzky style in the Boston papers upon their nuptials? Bring on 2009...

And in the Vein of Ceremonial Persons in Ceremonial Roles...

...I present to you Stephen Harper's recent nominees for the Senate. After arguing in a prior post that one of the biggest problems I see with many of the appointed roles in government today is that "largely ceremonial" roles are garnering "largely ceremonial" nominees, Harper turns around and vindicates me completely. I'm sorry but Nancy Greene as a Senator? I too am glad she won all those medals for downhill skiing during the Winter Olympics in 1960-something, but THAT ALONE IS NOT A SENATORIAL QUALIFICATION! Neither is journalism.

All of this leads me to much annoyance. Not only are we putting highly under qualified persons into roles of leadership, but these fools have a say in how the country is run. What is Harper thinking?!

But then I thought of my survival argument also from last post as well, and, really, isn't this all too smart of Stephen Harper. I mean, hey, if a largely ceremonial governmental appointee like the Governor General can save your ass, isn't that something you want to repeat?

And then there is Harper's argument about making our Senate elected. Putting stupids into the posts, does rather bolster his argument now doesn't it?

Alright, I'll give it to you Stevie...brilliant...and so slimy and disgusting at the same time. And having the newly coronated Liberal leader Iggy over for tea and talks - I can only assume that comes from the "saving my ass" spectre as well.

All of it brilliant but slimy.

Trying for the Lee Atwater award?

What's wrong with Politics these days?

Well, in short, everything.

On both sides of the border there seems to be a vast mix-up about who is in charge of what, how much power one should exercise, morality of political action (and activism?) and, perhaps most importantly, how much an Illinois senatorial seat should go for. Well, that last point mostly pertains to the US but who knows what the story would be if Conrad Black were still in charge of the Tribune.

Increasingly jokes are being made of these crises, but really one can begin to think of the Canadian state and at least the state of Illinois (if not the US) as failed democracies. And here the joke is on us, more than on the politicians - or at least it should be if we do in fact still live in democracies.

In Canada the legitimacy of the federal political system is increasingly mired in shameful action. You know its bad when the American political comedy community decides to take a swipe at us. But who is to blame for this mess up in northern North America, is almost impossible to say. It is certainly hard to point a finger at one particular political figure.

Although it is tempting to point the finger in Canada at Stephen Harper alone (our power hungry, out-for-blood PM), I think there is more to the story than just him. True, if you introduce a mini-budget, that virtually promises a halt in funding (and subsequent bankruptcy) of the federal political opposition parties, you gotta figure it's going to upset them. Why this political risk and gamble didn't occur to Mr. Harper and his Minister of Finance Jim Flahrety before they made the announcement is more than beyond me.

But Harper probably didn't take my HIS 120 class - Force and Statecraft - where we were constantly reminded by our professor that the actions of actors are almost always ones that guarantee their survival. People are self interested. That's why Harper decided to cut off funding to the opposition parties, and why the opposition parties decided to band together.

It's also why Stephen Haper decided to prorogue parliament. And, make no mistake, it was his decision not really the Governor General's. That decision by Harper is also barely constitutional, and completely undemocratic. One can hardly imagine that when the Fathers of Confederation sat down in Charolettetown to enact this portion of the BNA, that allowed Governor Generals to prorogue parliament, they did so to save Stephen Harper's ass. In all probably it was meant for it to be used in times of national or international crises only - not personal power crises.

Then there is the Governor General herself, Micheaelle Jean. Remember back in school when your teachers talked to you about how the Governor General's role really wasn't that important? That his/her duties were mostly ceremonial? Well, not so much anymore huh? Jean is perhaps the most politically active Governor General we have ever had. Unfortunately her action has largely been inaction, and allowing for the laissez faire.

That inaction as political action, the unmitigated desire to fulfill the Prime Minister's requests even when HE is the largest benefactor, can only be evidential of the stupidity of the role. The problem with the "largely ceremonial" ideal is that we started to pick largely ceremonial candidates to be GG. Think about it - what the hell does hosting a program on the CBC have to do with qualifying you to act as the head of state?

God, I miss the Mulroney years (yeah, I can't believe I'm saying that) because at least QUALIFIED individuals were Governors General. Remember Jean Sauve (a judge in the Supreme Court) or Ray Hnatyshyn (former MP)?

I do love the Heather Mallik piece on this. You have to wonder if Jean even had the idea of the morality of her actions ever enter her head? My guess is no - she is honestly too underqualified to have even considered the political nature of her actions. She was too busy planning her next tea party. A largely ceremonial one, I'm sure.

Then (ah, yes, then) there is the flagging morality of the Liberals. How a group of individuals can be so conspiratorial on a consistent basis is beyond me. Not even the Conservatives can mimic this. I find it hard to believe that both party leadership candidates LeBlanc and Rae would spontaneously decide that the leadership of the Liberal party was not for them without some sort of external influence thrust upon them. Nor can I see how Dion would go from hero to zero so quickly after nearly leading an Opposition Coalition to the overthrow of the party of power.

It makes you wonder what exactly is threatened in these instances. I mean this is a party that has had two Coronations of leaders. You gotta wonder if Ignatieff, and Martin before him, do literally employ a band of thugs. Maybe its weekend work for the Rock Machine, or Hell's Angels? I suppose it would be an additional source of income for biker gangs, and makes for such a good 'in' should the leader ever become PM.





(A friend of mine on his Facebook status had the audacity to say he was "ready to party" after news broke about Ignatieff ascendancy. With all my might I had to hold back the urge to comment "Yeah, XXX - you always did love a good coronation")

So you see America - all of this Canadian political conspiracy makes the actions of Gov. Blagojevich seem rather inconsequential. I mean you caught him for one thing, didn't ya? Try wrestling with a slippery Liberal or Conservative on legal issues and watch them squirm out of it. Trust me, we've tried to pin stuff (really obvious stuff) on our politicians and it doesn't work. Which to my mind really adds credence to my biker gang-political party connection - heck we even have some evidence of it.

So as much as it sucks to be from the state of Illinois right now, and Governors seem to have a spotty track record generally in the US (think Clinton, Spitzer, Blagojevich), you can sleep safely knowing that politically active Attorney Generals, and FBI agents are keeping you safe at night.

Mind you, that's probably because these legal overseers are generally qualified for their jobs.

Canadians can't even trust their head of state, unless she's throwing a largely ceremonial tea party.