Post three
Don't worry, I won't always post things with a number at the end of the headline.
Good afternoon! I’m back for a weekend file. Nothing too extensive. Just a few timely links, a couple music remembrances, and that’ll be that. Hopefully you enjoy it, and share this post, and/or this newsletter, with a friend or two. It’s as easy as hitting the buttons below.
Let’s start with the Song of the Day. As sometimes happens, it was a tie today. Two of my all-time favourite Canadian rappers, both of whom should’ve been bigger in the U.S./International markets. First is the legendary Maestro Fresh-Wes (MF-W), an MC who anyone growing up in the late 1980s and early 90s knew as rap’s hottest Canadian star. He followed up his first record with an album called “The Black Tie Affair”, which produced this catchy hit – no rapper ever included the late, great Bam Bam Bigelow in a fresher song – as well as this more mainstream release:
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MF-W led the way for many MCs to come, including fellow Torontonian k-os, who produced all kinds of crisp, concise music. I easily could’ve chosen this song as Song of the Day:
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But, for as great as that cut is, I chose this one as the tie for the Song of the Day:
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How great is this song? It’s physically impossible for you to listen to it and not start moving your body to the beat. K-os is a masterful artist who, like MF-W, built the base for all other Canadian rappers to stand on. And I count myself very fortunate to have grown up in a city and country whose multiculturalism allowed kids like us to benefit from music with Jamaican roots, Caucasian rock, and numerous other styles. In fact, I was lucky enough to go to the same high school as legendary, pioneer MC Michie Mee, who put out this unforgettable track:
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I don’t care what you may say about problems with multiculturalism; having people like Michie and other non-Caucasians in your otherwise white-bread, suburban life makes that life better and richer. I feel the same way about my French-Canadian friends. How awesome is it to grow up in a bilingual society? Very. The correct answer there is “very”. Sometimes I think Canadians don’t show enough appreciation of Quebec and what the French-language culture brings to our table. Canada is not perfect by any means, but we have gotten a lot of things right. And our culture of acceptance – not “tolerance”, a word which to me denotes a grudging allowance; but rather, a positive acceptance of all the tremendous things multiculturalism brings – is one of those things we got right.
Moving on! I absolutely loathe this story, but had to mention it: Kaley Cuoco called Olympian Who Struck Horse 'Classless,' 'Disgusting'. She’s absolutely correct – anyone who would punch an animal is a first-rate asshole who instantly should lose the gift of being close to any animal. Unless an animal is attacking you, there are no excuses for this behaviour. The hate that has to be in your heart in order to punch an animal needs to be expelled immediately, and you shouldn’t easily get a second chance to redeem yourself. An extended “time out” should always be the proper response, and it might take years for that “time out” to end. Horses are one of the most beautiful, gentle creatures on this planet, and it turns my stomach to see anyone lash out at one, or send one to slaughter. We should be doing all we can to save as many of them as possible.
Elsewhere, in hockey news, greybeard Joe Thornton chose to sign with the Florida Panthers in what is likely to be his final NHL season. Thornton thinks what a lot of us think – namely, that the Panthers are a team on the rise this year – and although he doesn’t have much left in the tank, if head coach Joel Quenneville manages his minutes properly, Thornton can still contribute something worthwhile.
Lastly: the situation in Afghanistan is a massive disaster. But I’m so proud to see Canada stepping up and accepting 20,000 refugees from that country. It is a humanitarian emergency there, and all civilized countries should be following Canada’s lead and finding new, safe homes and protection from the Taliban for these poor refugees. They have helped us, and it is time we repay the debt we owe them.
And we’re done! Enjoy the rest of your Sunday – and if you haven’t subscribed yet, please consider doing so. I’ll be sending out a couple of paid-subscriber-only posts this week, and I’d love to send them to you. Just hit the button below, and you’re off to the races. Thanks!