did you give your Yanks?

As Thanksgiving weekend wraps up for our boisterous neighbors from below I begin to wonder, why is this particular holiday so widely embraced with such acceptance and enthusiasm? Historically speaking, it marks a time when colonists plundered villages -- murdered, enslaved and diseased indigenous peoples. Sadly now, this embarrassing truth is disguised by a myth which is laden with racial and cultural stereotypes. Moreover, Canadians and Americans alike, treat Thanksgiving like it's some inconsequential Disney tale of ubiquitous harmony between the John Smith type of character and his Native American cronies.

While Americans enjoy a succulent thanksgiving dinner in celebration of a horrific historical event, may they also give thanks for the painfully American things in this world...

here's lookin at you...

(photo cred: The Satorialist)

Dear Mr. Perfect,

Could that suit, adorned so flawlessly with that vibrant red tie and impetuous poka-dots be anymore sartorially sound? Even your vintage briefcase emulates its ornate and handsome symmetry. And that hat, how you wear it so cunningly. Tilted at such a precise angle, only a glimpse of your strong stoic veneer peers from beneath it. You are one tall glass of marvelous.

it's just that easy

Citizen journalism has never been easier following Web 2.0 - a world sculpted by a plethora of opinions, participation and information than one could even begin to sort through in a lifetime. Ah yes, the democratization of the internet debate. Is society faltering because we are being blindly lead by the superficial opinions of the amateur blogger rather than the supposedly professional researcher? Despite all the vested interests even employed journalists my bestow, Andrew Keen, the author of a book I read this summer entitled, “The Cult of the Amateur” would presume so. Why he ventured away from his cozy abode, surrounded by the elite inner circle of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs is beyond me. I sure hope it wasn’t to write his book of bigotry.

Keen can hate on Wikipedia for not always being 100% accurate, and for not always publishing entries from those with PhD’s or Master degrees. He can also criticize social networking sites for their fictitious profiles and personality fabrications. Fine, I’ll even listen to him complain about how the internet, absent of its fees and filters in most cases, is singlehandedly bringing down the music industry. Indeed, he does maintain some valid observations but at the end of the day, these tirades are tiresome and trivial. Stop wasting your time and embrace the paradigm shift ushered in ages ago by the internet. Be creative and why not use it to your advantage Mr. Keen.

Speaking of which, this week Youtube - bandwidth cannibal of the decade, introduced a channel for citizen journalists. Now, with a couple ‘clicks’ of a few virtual buttons, you too can be a (fake) videographer for any possible broadcaster.

http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE5AF4QT20091117?feedType=RSS

not a dry armpit in the house

You know its sad but true, deep down everyone likes Metallica. Some of us are just outwardly enthusiastic about them and others are too ashamed to admit it. But you can't deny the sudden urge to raise that rock fist in the air and nod your head, just a little when you hear the intro to Ride the Lightening. This is the case for Kyle. Notice in this picture he is just about to burst with fruit flavor. The excitement is unbearable.

I would consider myself a fan, committed enough to download all their music up until the the Black Album. Thats right, I said it. I don’t care about you and your anti-P2P tyranny to ever purchase your music.

The 2001 Todd McFarlane James Hetfield toy will always be one of my all time favorites. The likeness is just uncanny.

your giving me a tooth ache

Of all things tacky, this takes the cake. Even a couple scoops of Ben and Jerry’s Half Baked would not make this eyesore seem at all appetizing. Careful not to choke on a cubic zirconia...

(image cred: someone, who remains nameless within my facebook network)

how soon is now?

Sipping on herbal tea over unapologetically honest conversation and gut wrenching laughter is typical of several tireless hours spent with one of my closest girlfriends (you know who you are). This time however, on a very cool, cloudy fall afternoon we opted to watch The Craft on VHS, for no other reason than to relinquish a past love affair with 90s teenaged drama and of course, to ridicule a certain ex-Party of Fiver’s acting (in)capabilities. It seems that every time I watch a childhood classic, I am horribly disappointed at myself for even thinking that I could enjoy it the same way I did a decade and a half ago. This time around, watching The Craft made me appreciate dark lipstick and even darker attire. I never thought I’d see the day when a campy, half-asked version of 90s goth could ever be revived and done well. Clearly I was mistaken.

A few 2009 fall staples that gesture at a time when sadly,

Doc Martens and baby berets dominated.

Alexander Wang, tights and a cropped jacket

Givenchy, head to toe sheer

Jean Paul Gaultier, bedazzled leather

Hairway to Heaven

I attended the Blooming Affair fashion show at the last minute. The event was fun, but the show itself was fairly predictable and drab, as it catered mainly to the Chatelaine woman. The clothing were mundane incarnations of fashion basics seen time and time again. With the exception of JBU, the clothing displayed very little, if any elements of contemporary fashion at all. The only beacon of light, and saving grace in my opinion, for the lackluster show, was the creative performance and design for Iris eyewear.

Mouths dropped in the solemn room full of conservative socialites, after edgy music queued the racy “Catwalk of Shame”. Middle aged women were in a fevered flurry over a scantily clad man wearing nothing but a bathing-suit (the size of an eye patch) and delicate female models parading about in oversized men’s dress-shirts, all adorned with a pair of chic designer sunglasses. I’m pretty sure the MC even had to summon the crowd to lower their voices after the lights dimmed and the Iris models left the stage. The person responsible for this masterpiece -- Neil Moser, a man who knows how to bring personality, presents and style to any room.

Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton 2009 Paris Fashion Week (left).

Neil Moser for Iris 2009 Kitchener Ontatio (right).

What can I say, great minds think alike.