Blog posts by Chris Campbell
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March 10th 2010
Non sequitur
Last night I saw Alice in Wonderland, the new Tim Burton and Disney collaborative take on the Lewis Carroll classics Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking Glass (1871). Although I enjoyed it - mostly on the aesthetic and visceral level of 3D nausea-inducing delirium (no, I wasn't high) - I realized that I'd never been a very big fan of the literary nonsense genre. Of course, it's fun to watch and listen to - after all, who-zle doesn't like a foozle? (more) -
February 24th 2010 | 3
The size of the scandal
After years of tax fraud, misappropriated funds and adultery, it hardly seems surprising when another church-leader scandal hits the headlines - from Jim Bakker to Jimmy Swaggart to Ted Haggard. Their scandals explode because of their inflated church-celebrity status. But what about those stories that never hit the front page, that slip through the news in the back pages? It's not just the big league church leaders that should cause high scandal. One of the most disturbing patterns of misconduct can be found in the figure of the youth pastor, those leaders entrusted with the care and spiritual development of burgeoning adults. (more) -
February 10th 2010 | 2
Hankering for handkerchiefs
In keeping with the latest issue of The Uniter, themed with a focus on the environment, I have a few words to say about handkerchiefs. Granted, the topic isn't nearly as sexy as street cars in Winnipeg or winter biking, but it's one of those little things. From personal experience, I can say that some people think it's quaint and old-fashioned. Others think it's disgusting. Some people wonder if it's monogrammed with my initials (I wish!). And some people just plain laugh - probably out of a combination of all those things. In short, these days it's just plain unexpected to carry a hanky. (more) -
January 28th 2010
Obama states the union
On Wednesday, Jan. 27, Barack Obama delivered his State of the Union Address for 2010. True to form, he spoke convincingly of hope and change in the face of incredible difficulties, calling the American people to unite despite their differences. But unity is hard-won. I maintain a healthy skepticism of politics, but I cannot help but enjoy Obama's optimistic approach to the American variety. (more) -
January 14th 2010
Auld lang syne
The new year is here - and with it, all the resolutions that add something of hope and depression to the winter season. It's relatively easy to understand the big to-do about new year's celebrations: the previous year passes (in the form of an old man holding a huge clock that continually ticks away the moments of our lives) and the new year arrives (in the guise of a neonatal baby wearing a jaunty sash, bathing in confetti). The new year represents all the hope of the new beginning a fresh year promises. Or, at least, the resolution to make it new and fresh. (more) -
December 4th 2009
A holly jolly holiday
Where did this Christmas thing come from? The holiday season has traditionally been a time of celebration, even apart from "the reason for the season," so let your holiday light shine and share the joy! (more) -
November 23rd 2009
Enhance your dance
Pick yourself up when you feel "Your body start to shiver" - "For no mere mortal can resist" - just play some vintage Michael Jackson and dance out from under "The evil of the thriller." Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Centre security consultant Byron Garcia institutes dance to curb prison violence and rehabilitate prisoners. (more) -
October 29th 2009 | 1
Ponderings on news media…
News media has virtually exploded as a cultural institution in the past 20 years. Who, back in the '80s, ever heard of a "news junkie"? But now it seems that news-hungry people can be found all over the place ... The accessibility of information and place brings a consciousness of the far-flung regions of the globe. The physical distance, that once required days or even weeks to traverse, can now be bridged in hours; in the case of information, this connection occurs even more quickly, in mere minutes or seconds - depending on your Internet connection speed. But what does this access to information mean? (more) -
October 19th 2009 | 3
I am copy. I am style.
Do you know what a "Copy and style editor" does? I catch grammar-gremlins and keep them in paper cages. Boo yah. (more) - Page 1 of 1 ::
