tBlog - swanktrendz

http://www.swanktrendz.com

Hey there Gang - I've just posted about 10 new articles tonight on the website and I

welcome you to come by and browse. Not to worry - this is a non profit site - no annoying popups surveys, etc.- Just a lot of fun. New articles from Lezah, Christine, Kirk, Mike, Sashi and Andrew Hoshkiw etc.

Come and enjoy - and remember to leave a comment using the contact button. I miss hearing from you all.

Christine

Only three days left until our gift giveaway - no strings attached!

09.25.05 (11:42 am) [edit]

I know, if it's too good to be true... it is.

That's not the case here - swanktrendz really wants to say thank you and give away gifts (albeit small ones) to show our appreciation.

Go to our site http://www.swanktrendz.com

Click Contact

type your first name and email (don't worry we delete emails after the contest)

Type 0 in the content

and submit!!! It's as easy as that

Up for grabs - Designer chocolates (designed by reknowned artist Robert Davidson)
Signed, framed prints by artist Sue Coleman (Vancouver Island's pearl of an artist)
Vancouver/Canada velcro fastening cloth ball caps - non of that cheap plastic stuff.
and last but not least... $100 gift certificate for amazon.com so that you may buy books, music, whatever your heart desires...

Thank you all for being so supportive and wonderful! (As well as very good writers)

Christine

Only three days left for our reader giveaway - no strings attached

09.25.05 (11:41 am) [edit]

3 More days left for our Gift giveaways

09.25.05 (11:36 am) [edit]

Hey there - Long time no post

09.22.05 (8:43 pm) [edit]

Hello fellow t-bloggers.

As I have mentioned before - we are working extremely hard on our website http://www.swanktrendz.com

Please stop by for a visit as we have new movie reviews, concert highlights, fashion dos and don't as well as Neighbourhood Profiles (For the upcoming 2010 Olympics) I can't post everything here anymore as there are too many articles coming in, but do come and visit and if you have any comments, suggestions, criticisms, additions, simply click on the contact button and I will respond as soon as possible.

PS - I still find the time to read everyone's blogs - keep up the good work.

Christine

* more days let for Free Gifties to Celebrate Swanktrendz 1st Birthday

09.20.05 (11:26 pm) [edit]

September 28, we will be drawing the prizes for our Reader Appreciation giveaways. No strings attached - no spams and no keeping your email on File,

Simply go to: http:www.swanktrendz.com

Click on Contact

Enter your name and email address

Type the number 0 into the content

and on September 28 we will contact you if you have won!

Lots of prizes to give away, and a big thank you to our t-blogger friends :)

Christine (Adminstrator)

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* more days let for Free Gifties to Celebrate Swanktrendz 1st Birthday

09.20.05 (11:25 pm) [edit]

Happy Birthday Swanktrendz

09.10.05 (1:47 pm) [edit]

Hey there fellow t-bloggers. The swanktrendz gang is so busy with our website that we're not going to be able to post anymore.

Please bookmark our site at http://www.swanktrendz.com

Be sure to send us your comments, etc.

Swanktrendz is a year old! Happy Birthday! And, as the old ad says, you've come a long way, baby...

Let's just go back in time, shall we? Let's go back - way, way, back - to late summer, 2004. Here's what happened: Christine and I had been attending a crazy number of concerts over a very short period of time - The Killers, Franz Ferdinand/The Futureheads/The Delays, Scissor Sisters, Siouxsie... I'm sure there were even more. Anyway, during this time, we had had an on-going dialogue regarding fashions/style/taste/tren ds in music and clothing and how they were so very interconnected. We then came up with a brainwave: why not do a blog about all this stuff? We originally thought of doing a 'What Not to Wear'-type thing, featuring photos of the good, the bad and the just plain ugly - but figured we'd get sued by someone! Ha! Big chickens that we are, we decided to go the safer route and just start doing reviews and commentary on music and fashion - and look at us now!

Almost immediately, we added the website and it wasn't long before we were joined by a couple of 'the greats' - Terry, our intrepid WebMaster and not-frequent-enough contributor (hint-hint, Terry!!), and Dave, our music/books/comics guy.

By spring, Terry had created Version 2 of Swanktrendz and we started getting contributors from all over the world: Mike, who is Canada's answer to Charles Bukowski; Kirk, Scottish theatre/sports/music guy (and great actor in his own right); Malaysia's Sashi, who is universally well-versed in websites of all sizes, shapes and colours; Rob Williams, writer extraordinaire, who also calls both coasts of the USA home; journalist Andrew Hoshkiw, who hails from the far north; Becks and Posh (don't you just love that name?!?), foodies from San Francisco; Kenn, an animator from California; Laurence Simon, a techie from Texas (that's got a nice ring to it, don't you think?); Mark Thristan, a transplanted Scot now living in London; The Antagonist; and the Political Heretic (for these last two, I think their names say it all...).

Back in May, Dave ended up running off with the circus, and Kirk was working the Edinburgh Fringe Festival all summer, so we didn't hear much from them for a few months, but they're back in the fold again, just in time for Terry to work his magic and give us Version 3 of Swanktrendz! Try that 'Surprise Me' icon at the top: it's positively addictive! Also new this month will be a Vancouver section: although we have contributors from all over the world, we are based in Vancouver so will add a 'hometown' section just for us Vancouverites!

So, bigger and better than ever, we continue to grow and, we humbly hope, get even better still. Stay tuned for some great promotions and contests that we will be offering our readership this month, and remember - if you've got something to say, we like to listen. All contributions are welcome, and we're interested in both writing and photography. Don't be shy!

Friday Night Lights

09.09.05 (5:36 pm) [edit]

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Kirk’s Home

Friday Night Lights

By: Kirk Bage

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Any great sports movie needs just a few simple ingredients: exciting action scenes that actually resemble the sport being played, strong characters with points to prove, an underdog with a mountain to climb, and, perhaps most importantly, those magic words "Based on a true story". There is enough drama in real sport to render fictitious scripts in the genre redundant, and this movie digs up a wonderful story from the archives of pre-college American football in the 1980's Texas town Odessa.

Billy Bob Thornton is the only real name on the list, and he does his job well enough as the under-pressure coach, including the ubiquitous half time speech in the final game - but it is the supporting ensemble of young actors under the helmets and under the expectations of the whole town that really shine. Included in the line-up is one Lucas Black, who appeared in Thornton's labour of love, the brilliant Slingblade, almost a decade ago. Black now seems ready to break through into the A-league judging on his subtle and convincing portrayal of troubled quarterback, Mike Witchell. You may remember him best as the freaky kid from cult TV show American Gothic - but he is 23 now, and with credits such as Cold Mountain, Friday Night Lights and the upcoming Jarhead under his belt, I'm going to tip him right now as one of the next big things. He steals the film, and quite rightly the plot focuses our affections on him in the "will they, won't they?" climax and beyond.

I liked this a lot, and believe that even those who loathe sports films will be sucked in to the human story running through its heart. In slight criticism, the MTV style editing in the action sequences was a little overplayed - but otherwise, for what it is, it works on every level and comes highly recommended as a good popcorn fix. 8.5/10

Brand Crises

09.08.05 (8:09 pm) [edit]

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Mark’s Home

By Mark Thristen

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I was just reminded of a presentation I gave last year on the role of online communication in crisis communication by the following quote from an article called "Brand Rehab: How Companies Can Restore a Tarnished Image" from the Knowledge at Wharton newsletter:

"The rise of the Internet poses new problems for post-scandal communications, adds Blythe. "Blogging can kill you. Before, when we had a problem, it was addressed in the public media. Now the Internet is many times faster, more unforgiving and out of control." Increasingly, Blythe's firm is helping companies monitor statements about them on the Internet and generate their own blogs."

The internet can make you or break you - today's brands have to react to threats in "internet time".

Governor Schwarzenegger's Gay Marriage Veto

09.08.05 (8:08 pm) [edit]

By: The Political Heretic

Through his press secretary, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced his intention to veto a new bill legalizing gay marriages because the issue, he claims, should be decided by the voting public and the courts. The statement is itself rather interesting, because Republicans generally say these matters should be left with the people or at worst, those they choose to represent them. It would be nice to hear why Mr. Schwarzenegger would leave this issue with either the most representative of bodies that could debate this issue (the people) or the least representative (the Supreme Court, where justices are initially appointed by the governor and then have to seek re-election) . But that is another question best saved for another day.

Assemblyman Jackie Goldberg
and bill-author Mark Leno said the governor is appealing to the right-wing members of his party. If he is trying to cater to the right-wing of the Republican Party he is not doing a good job. Governor Schwarzenegger used his press statement to affirm gay relationships and included their push for equal respect within the history of the civil rights movement. His statement would not have cited with pride, California's domestic partnership legislation that members of the religious right hope to write out of their state laws or suggest that gay couples are entitled "to full protection under the law" if he was appealing to the religious right. Nowhere in his statement does he resort to their code words - "family values," morality, or any other reference that intentionally or not denigrates gay people's lives.

Mr. Schwarzenegger is appealing to the center. The governor's aides know most people oppose gay marriage and overwhelmingly voted for Proposition 22, and that it would likely vote to for another gay marriage ban again. But at the same time he knows the people in California, unlike those in say, Alabama or Mississippi, wouldn't go for the gay-bashing and the far right, knowing this, are downplaying any harm their proposed constitutional amendment would have on gay Californians. If they succeed, the public may fall for it and vote accordingly without knowing how it would affect gay couples' hospital visitation , inheritance, and property rights. Mr. Leno and Goldberg desperately need a reality check and they do their gay constituents no favor in appealing to their desires without giving them the tough-to-handle political facts. They will not win needed support from generally sympathetic politicians and citizens if they call everyone who opposes gay marriage a bigot, right-wing extremist, or theocrat. Some really do believe gays have no place in society and will do their best to censor their works from libraries, pressure city governments to deny them parade permits, and push the cops to crack down on every public display of same-sex affection. And yes, there are those who believe gays are entitled to everything, including gay marriage (with the "word.")

But most fall somewhere in the middle, trying to make some kinds of distinctions to placate their mixed, perhaps conflicting and uncomfortable feelings about the issue. They may support laws protecting gays from job and public accommodation discrimination but draw the line at open displays of gay affection or any state acknowledgment of their relationships. Some draw the line after sodomy laws and still others may go further and support gay marriage without the name.

The governor's expected veto may deliver the gay couples in that state from a worse fate.

Illegal Immigration and Drivers Licenses

09.08.05 (8:06 pm) [edit]

By The Political Heretic

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Heretic’s Home

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The California Assembly voted late last night to pass a bill authorizing the creation of special driver's licenses for illegal immigrants. The state senate passed a similar bill in June but will have to vote on it again since revisions were made to it while in the Assembly. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has not committed sign or veto the bill yet but he did veto an immigration license bill last year.

New licenses would be given to those illegal immigrants who apply for them. The new licenses could not be used as a valid form of identification in any financial transaction or for boarding airplanes. The governor's office claims it would rather wait until the federal government establishes its own requirements for state licenses but some Democrats say it would make the roadways safer by making sure everyone is trained and ensured. Most arguments, however, revolved around the status of illegal immigrants with some who oppose the license bill questioning why they were giving driving permission to those who shouldn't even be there and encouraging them to break the law further while those who support the bill appeal to the human needs of those who cross the border looking to send a decent paycheck to family members living at home.

Any discussion on illegal immigration would be incomplete if there was no consideration of its impact on the war on terrorism. If Mexican citizens (and most crossing from the south are probably Mexicans) could sneak across the borders with impunity, an aspiring terrorist from Saudi Arabia, Indonesia or Nigeria could do so. They need only fly to Mexico and eventually make their way up to the Mexican-American border.
Assemblyman Jerome Horton, one of those supporting the bill, is quoted as saying that "it is the right thing to do because individuals are here and they're driving and that's the reality." Mr. Horton's defeatist attitude isn't needed and should not be welcomed at a time when others who have every desire to harm us will do their best to do so. We were attacked on September 11, 2001 by religious fanatics who have no qualms about killing innocent civilians and while they may be focusing their new time and energy at our allies for now but they might strike us again sometime in the future.

Their decision to focus their efforts elsewhere provide us with a unique opportunity to address our security needs at home and aside from stronger security at our airports nothing can be more obvious than border security (and this applies to both, entrance from Canada and entrance from Mexico). The Bush administration and its successors should be working with the governors to develop tighter border security by increasing border controls and raising fines on those who hire undocumented workers and not make it easier for those who do cross the border. Hospitals that care for illegals should immediately report them to the police and border control.

As time goes by and we set up a new system to control illegal immigration into our country we may, out of our good nature, extend some sort of amnesty to those already within our country should they go to the proper authorities and register their names as such but now, when there is no such control over immigration into and out of our country, is not the time. Governor Schwarzenegger should veto this latest bill like the one that preceded it. California alone cannot be responsible for illegal immigration - not when people can move from state to across with ease.

The Ultimate Film

09.08.05 (8:05 pm) [edit]

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Kirk’s Home

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There has been a definite bias toward film in The Wasteland since its resurrection last month. Fitting then that the first bit of sustained telly I've managed to sit down and watch, since practically the start of Summer, is a programme about film. Channel 4's misleadingly titled The Ultimate Film showed in two 3-hour installments, further satisfying our modern-day addiction to statistics and lists of all kinds. There is some fatigue with this kind of thing now; there has been so many of them, and most of them are useless as documents as they are voted upon by so-called experts, who naturally harbour their own prejudices and favourites. This list differed in that it claimed to be based on actual bums-on-seats figures since the recorded beginning of cinema in the UK. A very, very different thing to box-office takings in hard currency, whether adjusted for inflation or not.

We British are notoriously eccentric, and the films we have flocked to see more than others over the decades reflects that quite plainly. For a start about 50% of the list is comprised of British films, with films like The Full Monty statistically outranking all of the Star Wars films barring the original! 50% are also from 1965 or earlier, with a glut of films the majority of people under 40 haven't even heard of populating not only the lower reaches of the list but the top twenty as well! Historically it is easy to see how post WWII escapism was in high demand, and it is easy to imagine the appeal of the movies as a main source of entertainment before television was a regular accessory in every home. Britain's hottest stars ever? Think of ten names and you still won't get it... Dame Anna Neagle and Michael Wilding have a handful of films in the list, the highest being 1948's Spring in Park Lane at #5, which attracted 20.5 million people (half the population of the entire nation at the time)!!! It truly was a different age. Of the modern era, Titanic is the only film post 1980 to make the top ten! These and many more surprises await. Of the overall winner... Well, no prizes for guessing. Even my mum saw Gone With the Wind three times, and that is saying a lot. Personally I think it is boring and, frankly, couldn't give a damn about it, but you can't argue with the figures: an estimated 35 million tickets sold in the UK alone. That's not just amazing, that's staggering... Long live the movies!

Mercury Prize 2005

09.08.05 (8:04 pm) [edit]

Swank Home

Kirk’s Home

By Kirk Bage

The Mercury Music Prize (properly know this year as The Nationwide Mercury Prize) is one of the more worthwhile awards events, as it doesn't pander to popularity alone, giving real artists of any level and any genre the recognition they deserve. Of the twelve shortlisted albums that Mercury celebrated this year - as the event acknowledges studio albums, not artists or individual songs - there were some familiar faces from the current indie rock/pop crowd: Kaiser Chiefs, Bloc Party, Maximo Park and the highest of high profiles in Coldplay (who didn't actually appear, no, no, far too big for that!), but there was a majority of lesser known talents, including new jazz band Polar Bears and indie/folk fiddler Seth Lakeman from Dartmoor. In the middle ground there was my tip for greatness early in the year, Miss K. T. Tunstall from Fife, whose reproduction of the Later With Jools Holland performance of her single Black Horse and the Cherry Tree is still one of the most electric things I've seen for years. But the whole show bristled with raw energy and stupid amounts of talent - every single act was great live, endorsing their worthiness even more. And nothing could be truer when talking about the "winner", the weird and perhaps wonderful Antony and the Johnsons - you could hear a pin drop in the auditorium as Antony himself played the piano and warbled his way through a soulful ballad in his own radically unique style. I have to admit he is relatively new to me, but once you hear him you can't forget it - it is a haunting style that jars an ear tuned to mundanity at first, but then beguiles it in a frighteningly resonant way. And that is why he got a standing ovation from the knowing crowd, and that is why he walked off with the gong, so that our awareness of this exceptionally individual talent is heightened as it should be, love it or hate it. I'm undecided but I will certainly give the album - Now I Am A Bird a very serious listen.

Crash

09.08.05 (8:03 pm) [edit]

By Kirk bage

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Kirk’s Home

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Paul Haggis, the writer of Million Dollar Baby, attempts one of the most ambitious directorial debuts in recent memory with the critically acclaimed Crash. I had thought it only looked OK from the trailer, but I thought that about 21 Grams (to which this is not entirely dissimilar) and that turned out to be one of the best films of 2004! The weight of recommendations had become too much, and so I went along this morning to see what all the fuss is about. One thing is certain - it is one hell of a movie... but it will cause differences of opinion. In scope and style it seems to owe a lot to both Magnolia and Traffic - the former for its fascination with co-incidence and the holistic effect of human action and interaction, and the latter for its boldness in tackling a potentially incendiary subject with the aid of an ensemble cast and grainy film-stock. As a fan of both films I was always going to like this, although there are problems: the situations and dialogue are at times stretched beyond the reasonable limits of believability, and, considering the incredibly difficult task of marrying so many different threads into a coherent whole, it is oddly paced and edited in snatches. However, for a first time director it is an awesome achievement - the cast are very strong, notably the ever reliable Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, in a perfectly cast role, Sandra Bullock (although it is little more than a cameo) and Ryan Phillippe, as Dillon's conflicted partner; the mood is sustained with nail-biting tension, culminating in two or three unforgettable moments as the characters "crash" together in different, but always life-changing ways; and, above all, there is a soul underneath it that propels the whole into the near-reaches of an absolute classic. Racism is a difficult subject - there are many arguments and not too many solutions, but here almost all of the key issues are dealt with, leaving you with questions, realizations and revelations aplenty without ever being trite or trying to be definitive - so much so that I feel like I need to see it again immediately! And it would be a pleasure: its ultimate success is not that it is a great piece of art or a great political statement, but that it is a great, watchable, movie with an indispensable human message. If this isn't at least nominated for a whole bunch of Oscars then I'll eat my shoes!! If you haven't already done so - See It... 9/10

Mike’s Musings - Baby Fingers

09.08.05 (8:01 pm) [edit]

By Mike

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Mike’s Home

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Lots of times when I'm temporarily stranded in a crowded place, like waiting in line somewhere for something, I pass the time by making retarded faces at babies and small children when their parents aren't looking. usually the child will giggle or make a face back. (Unless of course it's a retarded child, in which case I wouldn't have made a face at him/her in the first place, as I've been told that's cruel.)

Anyway, the point is this amuses me greatly.

Especially if it's a toddler who squeals loudly or misbehaves in some way when they see me and their parent cautions them to, ‘Be Quiet’, at which point the child will become frustrated and insist that that man over there is making faces, to which the parent will then hiss, ‘Stop It!’ or threaten to renege on the promise of McDonalds. I love this.

And besides, even if it happens to be one of those parents who actually believes what their young child says, by the time they look my way I'm either casually yawning or sullenly looking at my watch.

A) it's bulletproof
B) dance puppets dance

Which brings me to the other day, when I'm waiting in line at my insanely packed grocery store, slowly slipping into a coma of boredom. Time to rile up some kiddies.

There were no toddlers present to get into trouble, but there was a non-retarded baby in a plastic stroller a few feet to my left.

And then, before I could even gnarl my mouth or squintify my eyes, this baby gave me the finger. He didn't flash me the finger briefly. he held that puny middle finger of his aloft and proceeded to poke himself in the face with it.

Taunting me.
The bastard. (Probably)
So naturally, I gave him the finger.
A baby.
And I’m sorry, it felt good.
Try it sometime, I guarantee you can't do it with out laughing out loud. And I promise, the baby will not get upset.
But be stealthy.
I wouldn't want to deal with the wrath of an angry mom who just caught me flipping off her eighteen month old.
Are you giving my baby the finger?!?
Yeah. But he gave it to me first.
You monster! He doesn't know what that means!!
Exactly. So what's the difference?

How about rating pings on PPS?

09.08.05 (8:00 pm) [edit]

By Sashi

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Sashi’s Home

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Maybe I’m just finding it a bit difficult in getting used to Project Petaling Street’s new look.

But it’s getting harder for me to pick out ping titles that I might find interesting (and before some wag says it’s because none of them are interesting, I was referring to visually scanning through the pings). The blue titles seem to just mix with each other, and end up simply twisting my eyeballs inside out.

The end result of this is that there’d be some great post out there that will go unnoticed by me, and quite possible by many others too.

So I’m thinking here, how to avoid this? How do I easily pick out the outstanding posts out there? One way would be to solicit the assistance of other PPS readers. Maybe if you really like a post, you give it some (+) points, and if you don’t like it, you assign it (-) points. Although the (-) points thing could lead to some problems, so maybe we shouldn’t use that.

A post on SE:

This method is used in SE [sometimes NSFW] and other such community-driven blogs, and maybe if we can find a mechanism to implement it with PPS, it’ll work here too.

That way, if I look at PPS Pings, and I notice that a particular post has racked up a lot of points, I’d know that the post in question is popular enough with many readers and will compel me to check it out too.

Edrei once asked, “Who does Project Petaling Street belong to?” His answer:

So yeah, I believe that we own PPS. PPS belongs to everyone who uses it to ping their blogs. It belongs to everyone who uses it to read other people’s blogs. Just as when an artists creates something, whatever the artist creates belongs to society. PPS was created with the society in mind for the society to use and with that, it belongs to the society it was created for.

But so far, we the PPS users do not do much but ping to it, read the pings, use up considerable bandwidth, and occasionally click on the Google ads.

So how about we the users try assisting our fellow PPS pingers and readers by helping them notice those posts that we believe are truly worth their while?

Like I said, the mechanism for the rating will have to be thought out, but do you - dear reader and hopefully PPS user - think it’s something worth working on?

Stanley Park - The Novel

09.07.05 (2:38 pm) [edit]

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By Terry

I enjoy books set in my own city. They make this place seem more real to me, as though the writer's imagination has somehow amplified it and shown it to me new. I have a small shelf of such books, but most of those are historical.

Stanley Park presents us with modern Vancouver. Our protagonist Jeremy is a young chef, desperately trying to pay the bills with his own idea of what a little bistro restaurant should be: high quality but simple - and avowedly local - fare prepared more by instinct than anything else. Jeremy and his partner (and could have been/should have been beloved) keep the place running on creativity, sweat, and their own sense of adventure. But it's not working out, and the phone calls and letters from various creditors are increasing.

Jeremy's father - known only as The Professor - lives next door to a man who has amassed great wealth by running a multinational chain of high-end coffee emporiums, here known as 'Inferno'. This man's name (in a gesture of authorial burlesque) is Dante. Dante also owns the building where Jeremy's bistro is located, and takes a Faustian interest in Jeremy's future, to the tune of 95% ownership in return for Jeremy's services and instant relief from the mountain of debt. The bankrupt bistro is closed, renamed as Gerriamo's, and renovations are soon underway, guided by Dante's focus groups and highly paid advisors. Partner stomps out, furious and feeling betrayed, doesn't look back.

The Professor is studying the homeless people who live rough in Stanley Park. He likes deep research, and eventually moves in with them, digging out his own little hidden campsite, and learning how to stay dry on rainy nights. Naturally enough, they introduce him to their cuisine: squirrels, pigeons, starlings, ducks (highly prized but very hard to catch), and the occasional raccoon.

So when Jeremy is summoned to visit, it's obvious that these two trajectories are destined to collide. More than that, I won't reveal.

The book is wonderfully written, and he's got the city and the people down pat. The foodies and restaurant critics, the bike couriers drinking beer at the end of their day, the kids from the cooking school just up the street (Jeremy's new trainees), the turbocharged capitalists, the movie producers with 3 cell phones each, and the early morning produce vendors in old Chinatown.

Both the park and the city are evoked as secondary characters. The writing delivers:

Now Jeremy was looking out the window of the Rotterdammer Cafe, half a block down the street from the papered-over windows of Gerriamo's. It was just nightfall, and the cloud cover had split a seam at the horizon. There was now an orange glow from the west. And this light steadily intensified as darkness descended from the east, blooming upward, refracting, illuminating the clouds from beneath, doming out over the park and the city like the light of a great fire.
Yes, wonderful indeed. There's even street protestors, something that seems necessary to the Vancouver psyche. Stanley Park was first published in 2001, and shortlisted for the prestigious Giller Prize. It combines romance, mystery, satire, a distinct sense of place, and a strong well-paced narrative. I'll read this book again.

And I never knew before that there's a little diner in the back of the Save On Meats store on East Hastings Street, where you can get a fully-loaded burger for $3.99. I went and looked: sure enough, there it is. Hey now!
Link: http://www.randomhouse.ca/cat...

Aldergrove Fall Fair

09.07.05 (2:17 pm) [edit]

By Lezah

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Now is the time of year when gardens and fruit trees are full with the ripeness of the season. I grew up on a farm, and although we raised horses, we still had many fruit trees and each year my Mom planted a vegetable garden. So this time of year has a special kind of meaning for me: it’s literally brimming with the fruits of the season, the rewards for one’s hard work in spring, the blessing of summer and nature and everything that is right with the world.

In that vein, now is also the time for fall fairs. Now, I’m the first to admit that I go through phases – fads – whatever you want to call them. Like my must-read-every-Booker-pr ize-winner phase; or my must-eat-at-every-Mom-and -Pop-diner-so-I-can-be-ju st-like-the-guy-in-Twin-P eaks phase (that one, between you and me, was a real waste of time and money); and now, for the last couple of years, I have been going through my country-fair stage. Spring, summer, fall – for a while there, I wasn’t too discerning. But lately, I have narrowed my interest down to fall fairs.

As far as I’m concerned, the fall fair season starts at the end of August and can run right through to November. For me, it’s kind of book-ended between Vancouver’s Pacific National Exhibition, which runs for two weeks at the end of August, finishing on Labour Day, and Toronto’s Royal Winter Fair, which usually takes place during the week in which November 11th falls. Now, The Royal (as Toronto’s fair is affectionately referred to) continues to do us proud: it was featured just a couple of years ago for a whole week on Martha Stewart Living, and has the best there is to offer. Vancouver’s PNE, unfortunately, is not doing its part in holding up the torch – they’ve deep-sixed the agricultural shows, killed the equestrian events, done away with many of the pavilions, including the BC Building (home of a giant relief map of BC and an annual crafts exhibit), and replaced that with the poor man’s answer to Disneyland; but no matter. We still have some reasonable alternatives at this end of the country.

Take, for example, the Aldergrove Agricultural Fair. Now nearly 100 years old, the fair changed venue about two years ago and, at the same time, walked away with the award for the ‘Best Agricultural Fair in BC’ Award. And deservedly so: full of jams and jellies, crafts and crowds (small ones, mind you), it also offers educational exhibits, funky crafts and jewellery for sale, home-grown and home-canned goods, a small midway, 4-H exhibits – the list goes on. With a down-home, country feel, this fair is all about community, and in these stressful times, that’s exactly what everyone needs a little more of…

The Aldergrove Fall Fair is taking place on September 10 & 11 this year at the Aldergrove Kinsman Community Centre on 29th Avenue (between the Lynden Highway and 272 Street).

Mitch Hedberg

09.07.05 (2:16 pm) [edit]

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By Lezah

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“I used to do drugs. I still do, but I used to, too.”

Such is the humour of Mitch Hedberg – or, rather, was… Hedberg, described as “comedy’s answer to Kurt Cobain”, was born with a weak heart and died March 30, 2005, reportedly of a heart attack precipitated by heroin use.

Hedberg had a huge cult following, was on Letterman ten times, was a favourite of George Carlin, and killed at Montreal’s Just for Laughs Festival – to the tune of $500,000, which is what Fox Network handed him a cheque for with a sitcom deal in mind.

Hedberg’s was absurdist comedy. Twisted, and, quite often, surprisingly clean (considering his ‘stoner’ persona). Try this one:
‘The thing that’s depressing about tennis is no matter how good I get, I’ll never be as good as a wall. I played a wall once. They’re f***in’ relentless.”

If you’re interested in more, try looking up his cds ‘Strategic Grill Locations’ (1999) or ‘Mitch All Together’ (2003), the DVD ‘Comedy Central Presents: Mitch Hedberg’ (2003), or go to mitchhedberg.net.
Link: http://mitchhedberg.net

The Motorcycle Jacket

09.07.05 (2:14 pm) [edit]

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by Lezah

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I don’t think that the motorcycle jacket has ever been out of style since its inception – from the time of James Dean, it’s represented all that is a wild and out there. We’ve just been seeing a bit less of it recently.

But here’s my prediction: we will soon be seeing a lot more of this old favourite. Consider, for starters, the music that is currently popular – does that not just go hand-in-hand with the whole motorcycle jacket look? Not since the heyday of The Clash have we heard music like this, and with that type of music goes a certain fashion sensibility – one in which the motorcycle jacket figures prominently.

And if I haven’t quite convinced you? Then take a look at this: a number of designers recently have included motorcycle jackets in their collections. To name but a few, Dsquared is showing one ($2,120, www. Nordstrom.com); and D & G are offering up one with a faux leopard-skin lining ($2,990, 212-965-8000).

Finally, at an art gallery opening that I attended this spring, the piece that garnered the most interest was a vintage motorcycle jacket, highly personalized with badges, studs and the like. It was the only piece in the show that wasn’t for sale, but I know it could have sold many times over.

So mark my words: the motorcycle jacket’s back.

Rehnquist's Passing

09.07.05 (2:12 pm) [edit]

Rehnquist's Passing

By The Political Heretic

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Chief Justice William Rehnquist died Saturday night at his home in Virginia after suffering from thyroid cancer. The Chief Justice aligned himself with the conservatives on the court, consistently voting to uphold state power against individual rights in criminal procedure matters and due process clause challenges and for a narrow interpretation of our Constitutional guarantees against discrimination.

He joined Kennedy appointee Byron White in opposing abortion rights in Roe v. Wade but failed to win over Justices Sondra Day O'Connor and Anthony Kennedy when the Court revisited the issue. The late Chief Justice fought more successfully to shift the court to the right on religious establishment cases, a move that, while he hoped to overturn important judicial precedents that guarantee religious equality, did move the court to a more solid and balanced approach on those issues and moved the court to the right on federalism.

Few know how this will affect the judicial proceedings scheduled for this week. Most Court watchers expected Chief Justice William Rehnquist to retire first due to his illness but were caught off guard when O'Connor became the first to announce her resignation. Circuit Judge John Roberts will appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee this week but the president will now be required to find another replacement. The president was not caught off guard. The Chief Justice was gravely ill and had recently been admitted to a hospital for treatment before the end. He probably conducted most of his interviews when O'Connor retired so there are probably two or three candidates he might consider after the grieving process is over.

I rarely agreed with the late Rehnquist's judicial views and found myself supporting O'Connor more than any justice, but he performed his job with the dignity necessary for that office .. He presided over the impeachment of a sitting president, maintained judicial independence, and rarely engaged in the heated rhetoric offered by his fellow conservative counterparts. His loved ones will mourn his passing, but he his death spares him from further pain. May his successor come to appreciate the role as much as Rehnquist did.

Commercial Street/Drive - ‘The Drive’ as a cultural community.

09.07.05 (2:09 pm) [edit]

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Commercial Street/Drive - ‘The Drive’ as a cultural community.

By Christine

Though slightly off the beaten downtown path, this is one of the friendliest streets in Vancouver. The ambiance that exudes from Commercial Drive is that of a cultural community. It is not uncommon to hear/see people calling out to friends, stopping to chat, and discussing upcoming events. I have often found myself drawn to Commercial, just to take in the community-feel and the terrific shops.

Originally, Commercial Drive was most famous as "Little Italy." Recently, it gained worldwide recognition with the arrest Carol Gwilt who operated the Da Kine Café. Never had Commercial Drive been more notorious than when Da Kine Café was closed for selling marijuana openly. (Note: there weren’t any official complaints filed). Fortunately, Commercial is also known for its annual events such as the Fringe Festival, the Parade of Lost Souls and other street parties throughout the year.

I ventured into Deja Vu International, a hairdressing shop as well as an International School of Beauty and was immediately drawn into the discussion of current activities. Aside from a covert planning of a upcoming birthday, Luke, Nunu and the gang were all discussing the Caribbean Festival Dance being held at Deer Lake that evening. A cheerful group, they immediately began inviting me to attend the various events discussed and telling me which shops offered the best lattés, etc.

The Drive (as the locals call it) supports every sort of shop: ethnic shops, beauty shops, multi-cultural restaurants, including: Jamaican patty shops, a Caribbean food and spice store, Spanish tapas bars, Portuguese coffee shops, Indian and Mexican clothiers, European hand embroidery shop, Kokopelli hair salon, Audiopile record shop, Bibliophile Books, and Grass Roots Hemp and Drums shop. As well, Commercial has street vendors (in every sense of the word) as the wares are spread out on sidewalks displaying homemade jewellery and indie cds as well as other odds and ends.

Sitting outside JJ Bean’s House of Coffee, I was surprised to see so many ethnic restaurants within a stone’s throw of each other. The Drive is a ‘must-see’ for any food lover. Whilst jotting notes, I looked up and saw six restaurants, literally doors away from each other, offering Ethiopian, Greek, Spanish, Salvadorian, Moroccan and Asian fare. Harambe’ is an Ethiopian restaurant that received a write-up in the ‘Georgia Strait’ for its homemade “Wonder Bread’. Clovis’ menu showed a wide selection of Asian food, and Addis cafe offered Ethiopian Food. All the restaurants were at decent capacity (given that it was only 2:30 pm) and the menus posted listed varied dishes at reasonable prices, ie: $7.95 a meal ($6.00 if you’re American).

Amongst the numerous coffee shops sprinkled throughout the streets, the Cafe Deux Soleil stood out - offering coffee, food and entertainment. The food offerings were mostly on the vegan side and again, reasonably priced. Cafe Deux Soleil’s entertainment is both live and dj hosted, with poetry slamming being another popular event. (For example the CFSW Finals for slam poetry is being held Monday, September 5.)

While ‘people-watching’, and sipping the best latté in ages, I found that within the first 10 minutes, a multitude of nationalities, languages and physical abilities paraded past me. I also noticed that this area is a dog lovers’ stroll - I’ve never seen so many people saunter down the drive with their pets.

I loved the people of Commercial; chattering in an assortment of languages, hair styles ranging from no-hair to purple, pink, blue, dreds, braids, afros, long, and short. Clothing was mainly in the Boho hippie chic style - haven’t seen this many tie-dye wraparound skirts in ages. Blind, disabled, and wheelchair pedestrians were all completely at ease within the community mosaic.

Houses are scattered in amongst the shops with chic condos nestled above stores in a bright array of European colours. Detached houses in this area run between $400,000 and $500,000 for 2100 sq feet.

I had hoped to walk at least five blocks in either direction beginning at 1st avenue and Commercial, however, I was overwhelmed with images, attractions, conversations with friendly pedestrians and shop owners within the first three blocks. Altogether it took two hours to walk five blocks, and I fell in love with the charm of the Drive all over again.

The Prince Rupert newspaper wars, again

09.07.05 (2:07 pm) [edit]

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Andrew’s Home

The Prince Rupert newspaper wars, again

By Andrew Hoshkiw

I need to touch on this subject again, as there's been some development in the ongoing saga.

This week the two main opposing free "newspapers" released new issues. The Northwest Compass (NC), a tabloid-sized monthly magazine owned by the NWW, put out it's second issue, September.

Look Inside (LI), the oddly named weekly newspaper owned by former NWW employees, put out it's first issue on August 31.

There are some striking similarities between them.

They're both the same size, same ad specs, same over-use of colour.

On the back page of both papers is a large ad for the local Chrysler dealership, something both seem to have adopted from the NWW days.

And both are available online, in the format - as newspaper pages which have been converted to large JPG images.

But really, looking inside, they are hugely different. NC is mostly all content, while LI is stuffed with ads.

In fact, NC is 20 pages and contains about 8.5 pages of advertising, from 17 advertisers.

LI is 16 pages and contains about 10.5 pages of advertising, from 48 advertisers.

That's not counting house ads, or ads by the paper promoting itself. Including those, NC is about 50% advertising, while LI is about 80%.

This leaves me with mixed feelings. I should love NC and loath LI for the content, or lack thereof. But I'm inclined to believe the reason NC is so lacking in ads is not because they want it that way, but because they couldn't get anybody else to buy ads. A real disliking developed for the NWW in its final days, as it spiraled out of control.

Look at the difference in sales. LI has nearly three times as many advertisers! They're the obvious winner in terms of support from the business community.

I was a bit worried, actually. If they hadn't done well on the first issue, they probably wouldn't survive. If they have a few more just like this one, then, all they'll have to do is increase the pages, add more content, and they'll have a strong, successful product, winning the hearts of both the advertisers and the readers.
-----
Now, yet more thoughts about my current situation.

The more I think about it, being where I am is a far better place than Ryerson would have been. Rather than paying to learn to be a journalist, at a rate of at least $15k/year, I'm learning by being one, and I'm getting paid for it.

I was really looking forward to school for the social aspects though. The thought of being surrounded by large numbers of young, intelligent, like-minded people is very appealing.

Here though, with the circle of media friends I'm beginning to develop, I think I actually have that. To a lesser degree, but more than enough to satisfy me.

Of course, if I go this route, I'll have to stick it out for at least a year, maybe two, to make the experience look good on the resume. I can't see it lasting much longer than that though. I want to travel again, see more of the world and eventually live in a big city!

Hey There t-blog Gang

09.04.05 (11:23 am) [edit]

We have 10 gifts to give away and only 7 people have put their name forward! Honest - there are no strings attached. It's just our way of saying thank-you to such a wonderful community of bloggers!

Simply go to http://www.swanktrendz.com

Click contact

Type your name and email

Put the value '0' in the content area and submit.

We'd love to send some gifties around the world. I know they're not much, but hey - it's free (and we DO NOT keep email addresses after the 28th)

We'd love to gift a gift to someone on this board!

Christine

California and Marriage

09.03.05 (7:19 pm) [edit]

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Heretic’s Home

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Gay marriage has, is and will probably continue to be a hot topic in the United States for some time to come and California has not avoided the issue as noted here. The public voted 60-40 to ban state and local recognition of gay marriages in March 2004 but the latest controversy involves a vote by the state senate to recognize gay marriage and a legal battle over the wording of an initiative that bans not only gay marriages but other forms of recognition short of it. Religious conservatives hope to place the issue before the voters on the June 2006 primary ballot.

The state senate voted to recognize gay marriage along a 21-15 partisan vote with Democrats for the most part voting to affirm it and Republicans voting against it. The General Assembly has yet to bring it up for a vote and no one knows if California's Republican but moderate governor will veto or sign it. Conservatives will no doubt contest its legal applicability in the courts since Proposition 22 explicitly bars any recognition of gay marriage.

And they will have a good chance of winning. If a proposition is to have any legal significance it cannot, by any means, be ignored by a legislative body. Challenges to the proposition must be made by either a new proposition designed to overturn it or through the courts itself.
Should, however, Proposition 22 itself be declared unconstitutional as some fear, the conservatives who pushed for it need only press for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage and that requires the same majority vote they won by a comfortable margin with Proposition 22.
Gay marriage is, for gay rights activists, a losing battle in California so gay marriage is not the issue; California's recognition of gay couples' domestic partnerships is.

Religious conservatives are, as mentioned above, pushing for a new initiative which would ban gay marriage and any form of recognition (civil union, domestic partnerships) short of it and the precise wording that will be put to the voters is being fought over by the opposing camps and both campaigns are using the court system to legalize and "confirm" their disingenuous campaign tactics.

The gay marriage activists know they will lose whenever gay marriage comes up for a vote. In the last general election, marriage initiatives came up for a vote in 11 states and in each one it passed, many by comfortable and even overwhelming margins. Libertarian Montana voted for it (even as the public there voted to legalize marijuana) and liberal Oregon joined Midwestern populist states like Michigan and conservative heartland states in banning gay marriage. They know Californians rejected gay marriage 3:2. with Proposition 22 and the religious conservatives will likely win any constitutional amendment by a comfortable margin as well. Their efforts to downplay the religious rights' emphasis on gay marriage is understandable in light of that fact but the gay marriage rights activists cannot genuinely say marriage is not the issue when their supporters in the legislature and within the legal community are fighting for it. They cannot say this initiative has nothing to do with marriage when their Supreme Court is hearing child custody cases, when San Francisco's mayor officiated over gay weddings, or when the upper house of California's legislature passes a bill recognizing a gay couple's marriage.

For their part, religious conservatives know they will have a harder time winning approval of the measure if the public were informed of its deleterious effects upon a stigmatized minority than it would if it merely affirmed something that most believe to be a fact of life (I will leave to the side the question of whether that is a fact of life or not; its perception as such is enough to prove my point). The public would have no problem voting to affirm marriage's heterosexual definition as a union between man and woman but support may wane if the public knew the law would ban state protection of a gay couple's hospital visitation, child custody, and property rights. Voters who might otherwise vote to give heterosexual unions special status might view the measure religious conservatives seek as a means to deprive gay couples the common decency and respect they would themselves ask for during times of hardship and consequently reject the proposal if they knew of its harmful effects.
The religious conservatives know this and that is why they are asking the Court to reject Attorney General Bill Lockyer's wording of the initiative, which notes, in its summary, the harmful effects it would have on gay people's hospital visitation and property rights. But their effort is just as disingenuous as the gay activists' campaign. They know that the public has little to fear from the gay rights' activists campaign. Had this measure been stripped of any reference to other forms of gay recognition short of marriage, there would have been no need to push this legislation in the first place. Gay marriage was rejected in California by a comfortable margin and it would be rejected again. Gay marriage is a red herring, one that the gay activists may be pushing, but ultimately to their own detriment. At issue are the very real tangential benefits gays now acquire through domestic partnerships, the very things religious conservatives don't want the public to know they are voting on. How honest and Christian of them.

May they have the same level of success in winning their interpretation of the amendment that gay marriage activists had in fighting Proposition 22.

Isadora Tavens Practical Nurse ~ Herbalist

09.03.05 (9:44 am) [edit]

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When I was traveling in Jamaica this past March, I had the good fortune of meeting Isadora Tavens. We connected immediately and spoke/emailed at great length about various actions we could take to assist some of the marginalized people of Jamaica. I felt as though I had known Isadora my entire life, and her core ‘goodness’ emanated from her - drawing people to her like moth to flame. She is the consummate ‘earth mother’ destined to enlighten and assist her fellow man.

I received an email from Isadora stating that she was visiting the United States and was available for consultation. Here are some examples of her impact on others:

“I suffered with migraines after an
injury. After one shamanic healing
they were gone. I am elated!”

Sandra Mitchell
Pharmacy Technician
Largo, FL

“Since surviving the crash of a small airplane
in 1976 I have walked with leg braces. I met
Isadora in Jamaica and was drawn to her healing
energy. I received a shamanic healing and now
have new energy and movement in my left leg.
My left foot continues to get new movement and
it is much more solid and connected. Isadora is a
very caring person.”

Sharon R. Mayo
Albuquerque, NM

“After my first Aromatherapy Healing
Journey I was able to let go of things I was
struggling with. Serenity has become my top
priority. My complexion is clear and glowing
and other people comment on how good I look.”

Meghan McNeeley
Primary School Teacher
Chicago, IL

“Isadora was put on earth to be
a wise woman.”

Steven Horne, AHG
Past Pres., American Herbalists Guild
St. George, UT

“I don’t know how she does it but
there is healing wherever Isadora is.”

Daniel Slaim~Plipat, M.D.
Family Practice Professor
Bangkok, Thailand

Isadora will be conducting a Health and Well-being workshop in Wisconsin and I encourage people in the area to attend. The information on the workshop is as follows. In addition, Isadora will have her website ready to view in October of 2005 at isadoraflowers.com.

Center for Healing Arts Herb & Eco School Presents
Classes with Internationally Known Natural Health Expert visiting from Jamaica and Chicago, IL

Isadora Tavens, Practical Nurse ~ Herbalist
Flower Essence Practitioner
Soothing the Nerves
Herbs, Flower Essences and
Practical Tips for Everyday Living
Sunday, September 11, 2005 10:00 a.m.~ 12:00 p.m. $35

Stressed out? Nature has the solution. Join us for this multifaceted "tour" through nature's healing garden of safe, time~tested remedies for stress, anxiety, overwhelm and plain old crankiness. Discover flower essences, herbal teas and extracts, baths, homemade sachets and a sprinkling of aromatherapy and homeopathic remedies to keep you sane and joyful in this hectic modern world.

Light for the Dark Night
Flower Essences and Consciousness
for Depression and Despair
Sunday, September 11, 2005 1:00 p.m. ~ 2:30 p.m. $25

With their colorful beauty flowers effortlessly uplift us. The unseen beauty of their healing essence restores color and light when our inner light is challenged by darker emotions. Gentle yet powerfully transformative, flower essences from England, Australia and the U.S. will be presented to address, discouragement, hopelessness, the "dark night of the soul" and disappointment in love. Learn how the soul force of the flowers brings healing to our souls.

Inner and Outer Beauty Naturally Through Herbs, Flower Essences,

Oriental Visual Diagnosis and Consciousness
Sunday, September 11, 2005 3:00 p.m.~ 5:30 p.m. $40

This class begins with an intriguing look at what your body is trying to communicate through your hair, skin and nails from the wise perspective of Oriental Visual Diagnosis. ( What do those lines between my eyebrows really mean? Why hangnails? ) Next, we'll explore effective natural remedies to preserve beauty and to correct dry skin, acne, cellulite and other imbalances. Isadora will "name names" recommending the best teas, herbal formulas and skin care products all readily available. Discover flower essences that support beauty. Join us for this fun, down to earth exploration of traditional ways to enhance the glow of your true inner beauty.

Attend the full day’s program for $85

To register contact:
Center for Healing Arts Herb & Eco School
29588 State Road 40, New Auburn-Long Lake, WI 54757
tel: (715) 967-2300 e-mail: fireweed@citizens-tel.net

" Every step I take in the Light is mine forever." ~Vivekananda

Reader Appreciation Giveaways!

09.02.05 (5:23 pm) [edit]

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Swanktrendz will be celebrating its first anniversary on September 28th. We have come a long way from its first inception (whilst driving home from a concert with Lezah). We’ve watched our site go from a rather simplistic Claris Pagemill attempt to a highly efficient software program developed by Terry Lowe (which is for sale if you contact the editors).

To say ‘thank you’ to our readers, we have decided to give away some decidedly British Columbian gifts, as well as a $100.00 gift certificate for Amazon.com. The gifts are as follows:

4 - Sue Coleman signed prints to be awarded as individual gifts (see an article on Sue Colemen using our search feature)

3 - Vancouver/Canada cloth ball caps - very sturdy, velcro fastened

2 - boxes of Robert Davidson designed ‘art’ chocolates (from our own 4th Avenue Fine Art Chocolate shop)

1 - $100.00 (US funds) Amazon.com gift certificate

To enter, send an email via the ‘contact’ on our index page and
give us your name and answer a simple equation (2 x3) - 6 =?

Only enter once per email address.

The winners will be posted on September 28th/05 and we will email you for your mailing address. All emails and contact information will be deleted from our database on September 29th.

Thank you for participating in a terrific first year. Please be aware that we welcome all letters, accolades, corrections and criticisms as we are hoping to add a ‘Letters to the Editor’ feature. Feel free to submit an article from your ‘neck in the woods’, for publication as well.

Happy birthday Swanktrendz!

09.02.05 (1:57 pm) [edit]

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Contributed by Lezah

Swanktrendz is a year old! Happy Birthday! And, as the old ad says, you've come a long way, baby...

Let's just go back in time, shall we? Let's go back - way, way, back - to late summer, 2004. Here's what happened: Christine and I had been attending a crazy number of concerts over a very short period of time - The Killers, Franz Ferdinand/The Futureheads/The Delays, Scissor Sisters, Siouxsie... I'm sure there were even more. Anyway, during this time, we had had an on-going dialogue regarding fashions/style/taste/tren ds in music and clothing and how they were so very interconnected. We then came up with a brainwave: why not do a blog about all this stuff? We originally thought of doing a 'What Not to Wear'-type thing, featuring photos of the good, the bad and the just plain ugly - but figured we'd get sued by someone! Ha! Big chickens that we are, we decided to go the safer route and just start doing reviews and commentary on music and fashion - and look at us now!

Almost immediately, we added the website and it wasn't long before we were joined by a couple of 'the greats' - Terry, our intrepid WebMaster and not-frequent-enough contributor (hint-hint, Terry!!), and Dave, our music/books/comics guy.

By spring, Terry had created Version 2 of Swanktrendz and we started getting contributors from all over the world: Mike, who is Canada's answer to Charles Bukowski; Kirk, Scottish theatre/sports/music guy (and great actor in his own right); Malaysia's Sashi, who is universally well-versed in websites of all sizes, shapes and colours; Rob Williams, writer extraordinaire, who also calls both coasts of the USA home; journalist Andrew Hoshkiw, who hails from the far north; Becks and Posh (don't you just love that name?!?), foodies from San Francisco; Kenn, an animator from California; Laurence Simon, a techie from Texas (that's got a nice ring to it, don't you think?); Mark Thristan, a transplanted Scot now living in London; The Antagonist; and the Political Heretic (for these last two, I think their names say it all...).

Back in May, Dave ended up running off with the circus, and Kirk was working the Edinburgh Fringe Festival all summer, so we didn't hear much from them for a few months, but they're back in the fold again, just in time for Terry to work his magic and give us Version 3 of Swanktrendz! Try that 'Surprise Me' icon at the top: it's positively addictive! Also new this month will be a Vancouver section: although we have contributors from all over the world, we are based in Vancouver so will add a 'hometown' section just for us Vancouverites!

So, bigger and better than ever, we continue to grow and, we humbly hope, get even better still. Stay tuned for some great promotions and contests that we will be offering our readership this month, and remember - if you've got something to say, we like to listen. All contributions are welcome, and we're interested in both writing and photography. Don't be shy!

Terry Fox

09.02.05 (1:53 pm) [edit]

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Contributed by Lezah

2005 marks the 25th anniversary of Terry Fox's cross-Canada run for cancer. For the uninitiated, Terry Fox is a modern-day Canadian hero who is responsible for raising over $360 million for cancer research in the last twenty-five years.

Born in 1958, Terry grew up in Burnaby, BC and was a natural athlete. Unfortunately, when he was 18 he developed bone cancer and his right leg was amputated above the knee. While recuperating in hospital, Terry decided to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. His proposal was to run a marathon a day - 26 miles (42 kms) - on one leg in order to raise cancer awareness and to gather donations. He had a bare-bones budget (little more than a van and his best friend as helper/driver), but with the support of his family and the optimism of the young, he embarked on his journey which he called "The Marathon of Hope".

Terry started off from the East Coast will little fanfare and even less recognition for what he was accomplishing, but by the time he had run from the Maritimes into Quebec, the media and the nation was watching. And it was a painful sight. In case you've never seen the footage: just go to your memory banks and try to pull up an image of what many of those Iron Man competitors look like at the finish line - then imagine what it would feel like to do something like that day after day after day after day - and then add in the fact that this young man was doing it with just one leg. I go to the gym on a daily basis, but I could not even imagine running a 10 km race with two legs - but doing 42kms on one? And then to repeat the whole thing again the next day. And the next. And again - and again - and again...

Terry ran across Canada for 143 days straight, in all kinds of weather - or at least, he ran as far as Thunder Bay, Ontario. By the time he got to Thunder Bay, he was desperately in need of a doctor, and in fact, I once read somewhere that he was so weak on that day after his run that he could not even walk up the stairs to the doctor's office unassisted. And the news was bad - his cancer was back. That was the last day he was able to run, and Terry flew home and died on June 28, 1981 at the age of 22.

Since that time, school children participate in the Terry Fox run every year. And this year, on the 25th anniversary of his Marathon of Hope, there are over 9000 participants registered for the run which will be Friday, September 16.

Adidas is helping out this year, too: they have created a replica of the shoe Terry wore on his run and have reproduced it for limited edition sales in honour of Terry Fox. During his run, Terry wore the Adidas 'Orion' (he actually wore out 9 left shoes in the course of his 143 day run) and now Adidas has reissued this shoe, renamed it 'Terry', and on the insole have added a map showing the route of Terry's run. Adidas have produced a limited run of 6500 which is expected to sell out quickly, and at $100, all proceeds will go to the Terry Fox Foundation.

For more information on Terry Fox, pick up a copy of Douglas Coupland's book, "Terry".

September

09.02.05 (1:29 pm) [edit]

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Contributed by Lezah

September: the dog days of summer are winding down, fall is in the air, and it’s the start of both a new school year and a new TV season.

That’s right, all the fall shows are starting up within the next month, and it’s something of a crapshoot for a while. The return of old favourites, sifting through the great, the good, and the not so great – it all takes time.

Stay tuned to see what we have to say about the new TV season – but until then, here’s some other stuff to keep you occupied for the month:
Thursday, Sept. 8 – Toronto International Film Festival begins
Friday, Sept. 9 – NYC Fashion Week kicks off
Tuesday, Sept. 13 – World Music Awards on the box
Sunday, Sept. 18 – the Emmys
Friday, Sept. 23 – Austin City Limits music festival begins

September

09.02.05 (1:07 pm) [edit]

Sin City (2005, dir. by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez)

09.02.05 (1:01 pm) [edit]

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Contributed by David Dedrick

Another two-movie year for Robert Rodriguez: this year brought us The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl In 3-D and Sin City and in 2003 we saw Spy Kids 3: Game Over and Once Upon A Time In Mexico. I sometimes fear that he’s just pumping them out, but I have to admire his work ethic. Once Upon A Time In Mexico - a continuation of the Mariachi series - was an underrated gem, but Spy Kids 3 lacked the panache of its predecessors - especially the second - and seemed perfunctory. Once Upon A Time In Mexico’s problem was its title; implying as it did a connection to Sergio Leone’s violent, but stately sagas - Rodriguez is too ebullient and in too much of an all-fired headlong rush to have the epical gravitas and scope of Leone. It’s still lots of fun though. Anyway, Leone already made Once Upon A Time In Mexico; it’s called A Fistful of Dynamite (or, Duck, You Sucker!). (Q: Which one of these two titles is better? A: Neither.)

I haven’t seen Shark Boy and Lava Girl yet; I’m a bit put off by the perceived indulgence of making a film based on one’s own child’s screenplay. (It was such a success for Francis Ford Coppola in New York Stories, after all.) So I reserve judgment. Sin City, however, is one of my top picks for movie of the year.

First, let me say a few words about Sin City, the comic upon which the movie is based. It’s written and drawn by Frank Miller, who has consistently revolutionized comics content throughout his career: his run on Daredevil, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Ronin, to name but a few. He always challenges his audience, but he also challenges himself; he constantly alters his drawing style from project to project - still keeping one foot in his Kirby-esque roots. For Sin City, Miller chose an austere style of high-contrast black and white; as though every person and object in this world existed in the glare of some high-intensity spotlight. Occasionally Miller might introduce a single colour in a story to emphasize an important feature - a beautiful woman’s blue eyes, for instance - but black and white remains predominant. The stories are as stark as the art; they’re pulp fiction, more in the brutal manner of Mickey Spillane than the wry acerbity of Hammett or elegance of Chandler. The characters are the stock character of noir: the femme fatale, the femme who is a fatality, the burnt-out cop, the noble gumshoe, the hooker with a heart of gold, the two-bit hood, the corrupt authorities at al.

Although Miller was wary of a typical Hollywood desecration of his work, Rodriguez has done a masterful job adapting the work for the screen - obviously in close collaboration with Miller who gets credit as co-director and his name above the title. Converted by George Lucas to digital movie making, Rodriguez is now its biggest proselytizer; and Sin City is the first film to show the artistic rather than the technological possibilities - without the innovations of digital its unlikely that Rodriguez could have rendered this film as faithfully as he does. The actors were filmed against a green screen, giving Rodriguez unlimited control of the look of this film: the backgrounds and special effects are added later using CGI; he can tweak the lighting effects, add spots of colour, change the gradations of black and white, heighten the emotional intensity or the essential unreality of the movie’s events: the thick, slashing rain that falls like white pencils from the sky or the bright, white blood that seems less like blood than a void on the screen are examples of the heightened unreality that recall its comic book roots. It also looks like one of those German Expressionist films from the silent era.

And let’s talk about the acting in this film because its so good. Carla Gugino is great as a hardened parole officer; Rosario Dawson impresses as a tough cookie of a prostitute; Brittany Murphy, with her dark eyes and sad face, was born to play the ill-used barmaid; Elijah Wood gives a creepy performance as he attempts to break The Curse of Frodo©; Josh Hartnett pops by to play a self-deluding hitman with an unconvincing moustache; Jessica Alba lights up the screen - literally, with the help of a CGI-generated halo - as a stripper with a past; and an almost unrecognizable Benecio Del Toro has a small role as a... no, I can’t say anything without spoiling the fun. Rodriguez is also clever enough to cast the charismatic actors, Rutger Hauer and Powers Boothe, in two relatively small roles that with little screen time must be powerful and memorable; it’s their corruption and depravity that are the motor that drives events in Sin City.

The film is made up of some short stories surrounding three longer ones. The first with Bruce Willis as a decent cop in a dirty world, hunting a monstrous child-killer with connections in high places is great; both touchingly sentimental and highly cathartic with someone getting a much deserved shit-kicking. Willis gives an excellent performance and no one plays noble suffering more nobly than he. Clive Owen plays a man with a murderous past who must help the hookers of Old Town dispose of a big, big problem. Owen is the right mix of seediness, desperation and steely resourcefulness that, although you can see the end coming about a mile down the road, you’re happy when he gets there. Basically, it’s all an excuse for gunplay, Ninja-style hi-jinks and blowing things up “real good”. And Rosario Dawson in thigh-high leather boots. (Am I complaining? Am I complaining?) The bravura performance, though, goes to Mickey Rourke as Marv, the nearly human killing machine with reality/fantasy issues. Rourke, barely recognizable in his Marv make-up, brings such humanity and zest to his role that you can’t help but smile as he goes about his killing job. And kill he does. Marv pummels, clobbers, gouges, shoots, strangles, stabs and worse as he avenges the murder of a kind prostitute all the way to the top. Rourke is note perfect - right to the shocking end.

I can heartily recommend this film to everyone who loves movies, who aren’t too squeamish and enjoy their violence and action with a wry chaser. Or you can show it to people who are squeamish as some kind of a joke. Whatever. It’s out on DVD now, but be warned: a two-disc extended special edition is coming out later this year. Sin City 2 is in pre-production for 2006. Hooray!

Katrina

09.02.05 (12:24 pm) [edit]

Image by the BBC

By The Political Heretic

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Swank Home

Heretic’s Home

I really can't say much about Hurricane Katrina. I don't live there and never had the unfortunate experience of having my livelihood claimed by a natural disaster nor can I say there are people I know to have experienced that problem. Some stories are best left for others to cover. The ones who really deserve a voice are the ones who are there - the ones trapped on their rooftops, the ones immersed in contaminated water, and the ones being moved from one shelter to the next. I nevertheless do wish to share these few words that I received in an e-mail at work.

Imagine you woke up this morning and realized that just like yesterday ... everything you owned was gone.

Imagine you had to go to the bathroom but couldn't because 15,000 people had already used the toilet without being able to flush it.

Imagine you haven't bathed in three days.

Imagine you want to brush your teeth or wash your face but you can't because the water is contaminated.
Imagine you have no idea when you'll be able to take a shower.

Imagine no television.

Imagine no cell phones.

Imagine. No. Electricity.

Imagine the sun as your only source of light and when it retires for the day ... total and complete darkness for the next ten hours.

Imagine intense daytime heat and no method of cooling off.

Imagine losing your job because your workplace is gone.

Imagine watching those around you turn into savages, unable to cope with the anxiety and fear that everyone around you is struggling to deal with, and they begin taking out their frustrations in violence and breaking the law.

Imagine you haven't had a decent meal to eat in days. And the food that you are eating ... well ... it's starting to become scarce.

Imagine your health and your energy level quickly deteriorating.

Imagine not really knowing what's going on around you as people scream and babies cry constantly.

Imagine sitting on the roof of your home, trapped by toxic waters filled with alligators, venomous snakes and rats. You're sunburned and conserving all your energy to flag down helicopters to rescue you and when a helicopter does fly by it takes one look at you, decides you're healthy enough to wait longer for rescue and bypasses you.

Imagine being stripped of your home, your job, your possessions, your rights, your health, your dignity, your hope, your confidence, your faith, your sanity, your money, your friends and your family.

Imagine dealing with all of this and still trying to map out a plan for your future. Your new home. Your new job. And yet ... no money to attain either.

But know that it is much worse living it and hope that for most there is someone they love to help share in it.

Supergrass - Road to Rouen

09.02.05 (12:21 pm) [edit]

Swank Home

Kirk’s Home

By Kirk Bage

Supergrass are a band that have always interested me. In Gaz Coombes they have a lead man who always seems to be on the edge of greatness, but never quite reaches the consistency to get there.

First and foremost, the Oxford trio are great musicians and can play around with styles and tone effortlessly - there is always a sense of dirty funk in there somewhere, mixed with a set of seriously good pop songs, as 1993's Supergrass are 10 showcases brilliantly. For me they are the band that The Stereophonics never were - and that is down to their secret weapon: a wicked sense of humour! Just skip to track 5 here if you need convincing - Coffee in the Pot epitomizes the daft, yet ever intelligent feel that almost won them a Monkees-style TV show a few years back, until the execs decided the world needed S-Club 7 more!

There is a lot on this latest album to like, admire and, in a while perhaps, even love - 1st single and stand-out track St. Petersberg is as good as anything on their last two albums, falling only slightly short of the best tracks on their most accomplished (in my opinion) album, In It For The Money, from 1997.

Labeled 70s Rock Revivalists by many, Supergrass are so much more than that, and I look forward to letting the less immediate tracks wash over me, and hopefully to seeing them gain new fans on the back of this sophisticated new release. I used to think of them as a very ‘studenty’ band - now they seem like a band for students who have grown up a little, and, although quite a few will, I don't see anything wrong with that. 8.5/10

Ray - Kirk’s Movie Review

09.02.05 (12:20 pm) [edit]

Swank Home

Kirk’s Home

Ray - Kirk’s Movie Review

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As I've said before, it is much easier to win an Oscar than it used to be, and so when this high profile biopic started to get average reviews outside of the lead performance, I let it go at the cinema and consigned it to the DVD list. I think I was right to do so as, at its worst, this is little better in style and originality than a TV movie, and only the recreations of the insatiable music stand out.

Interpreting a person's life in an interesting way has caused better directors than Taylor Hackford to fail before now; it is just a difficult genre. The most annoying thing in this example is how we spend two hours and twenty minutes following the man's amazing life from infancy to his early forties, and then we are given a two minute montage to sum up the remaining forty years! What is all that about?

A lot of the structural problems come down to editing, and you can't help wonder if the director's cut solves this issue - but at this point I can't be bothered to find out.

That aside, the central performance from Jamie Foxx is exceptional and worthy of high praise - superficially he could be accused of doing little more than a good impression of Ray Charles Robinson, but that would be unfair. At no point does he descend into characature, and although there are not too many actual dramatic scenes, when they do come he is more than up to the task, allowing you to sympathize with the character whilst being painfully aware of his faults.

Once again (as with The Machinist) here is an actor and a performance worthy of a better film that doesn't materialize. But I sense this is just the beginning for the outrageously talented Mr Foxx. 6/10

Mike's Musings Winged Forelimbs

09.02.05 (12:18 pm) [edit]

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Mike’s Home

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"Look! A beautiful white dove."
"That's not a dove. It's a poisonous snow-bat."
"Oh... (long pause).. Do you love me?"
(yawn and a stretch) "Nope."

Reader Appreciation Giveaways!

09.02.05 (9:54 am) [edit]

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