I've been listening a lot to these guys lately. Many have made comparisons to the Beatles. However, upon a closer listen, these guys definitely have a musical style all their own.

What have I been up to?

• Paying attention to lots of news items.
• Seeing "Happy Feet" last night.
• Working hard on my research project.

Other than that, it's good to be back here in Burnaby.

Pictures from Friday

Here's me and my friend Nicole posing for the camera.

I largely agree with this.

But even if more women become involved in politics will that solve the real problem?

The real problem being, of course, that such a large percentage of the population still feels completely disenfranchised. Look at the voter turnout rates for the last few federal elections.

Pretty pitiful.

Our political parties need to begin discussing ways to enact more substantive (and less symbolic) changes within government to allow for more input from common citizens.

Only in this way will all people, not just women, become more interested in politics.

It's the weekend.

And I have nothing to write.

The Explanation

Okay, everyone.

So, what is with this Ryder and Calhoun stuff? Well, in reality, Frank Ryder and Jamie Calhoun were created by myself and a provincial government aide and are the names of fictional residents of Vernon who wrote into the Morning Star newspaper during the 2005 Provincial Election. The purpose of these pseudonyms was to get letters published in the paper and appear neutral.

It worked.

Ryder got his letter published, but unfortunately, Calhoun's must have been lost in the mail.

On a more psychological level, I've come to think that the Ryder and Calhoun personas represent two sides of a very conflicted political debate within myself.

On the one hand, Ryder is a raging right-wing conservative who, among other things, blames homeless people for their drug addictions and lack of affordable housing.

On the other hand, Calhoun is a preaching left-winger who thinks that the world's problems can be solved by adopting the ideas of Marx and Marcuse.

I've got to find some kind of middle ground.

For a while, I ventured into partisan politics and I didn't like the results. Many times, I found myself turning my brain off in order to not object to something.

That is not good.

A democracy is healthiest when its citizens get engaged in the debate by critically thinking about issues. I stopped doing that. And largely, that's why I stopped writing.

I hope this forum lasts for a while. And I also hope that it gives me a chance to engage both Ryder and Calhoun in political debates.

And now it's time for coffee.

Here I am writing again.

Hopefully this is a good thing.