Art & Life for September 2005

Photo of the Month

September is on the move…back to school, back to business, falling leaves, falling temperatures…

Oh the humanity of it all…

This month's featured humanity is Philosophy:

Marx argued that all profit was derived from exploitation of the worker, and using Hegelian deduction said all bourgeois economics --wages, profits, etc. -- came from an alienation of labour. Essentially, profit is the result of labour performed by the worker beyond that which is necessary (creating value for the employer.) I think if Marx had only replaced the word "worker" with the word "consumer" he'd be bang-on!

I remember the good old days, when banks would send you a pre-paid envelope for your Visa payment. First the pre-paid system bit the dust, then they replaced the regular sized envelope with the "baby" envelope even though the remittance stub said something like "Do not fold." Finally, there ceased to be an envelope at all. I know some of you smarty-pants are going to say, "But, Char, you Luddite, there's always online banking!" But that's not the point. The point is the constant alienation of the workaday schmuck for profit and the total lack of surplus value for the consumer! My mind can't even begin to comprehend the number of zeros on the end of the profits banks like Royal, CIBC and others are pulling in. Surely, they can do a few customer-centric things like include an envelope, have real people answering the phones instead of automated phone hell, stop calling the drones that you finally reach the "customer service" agents or "customer care" personnel - because they don't.

Wine of the Month

Marchesi de' Frescobaldi Pomino Bianco 2003

It's always exciting when you discover a new wine - and this was no exception. The occasion was perfect - I was with a friend in a little tapas bar toasting the talent and success of a mutual friend - the enormously talented Kenneth Hemmerick -- and his vernissage. It's mainly a chardonnay with a splash of pinot blanc. Miss Bunni and I agreed this little wine was strong on apple notes, a little sparkly and finished with peach undertones. It was declared "zippy and zesty!"  3.5 stars (out of five) $18.05

Enseduna Prestige Vin de Pays des Coteaux d'Enserune 2001

Almost black in colour, this Languedoc-Roussillon wine was deeeeelightful! Incredibly rich on the nose, our house taster said it had accents of rosemary, blackberries (the fruit, not the wireless email device) and wet wood. Called "simply irresistible", it was originally purchased using only scientific oenophile methodology - we thought the label was cool. 4+ stars (out of 5) $19.85

Cool Sites for Wasting Time

Please let this be a joke! - Bumvertising

A Very Big Beer Ad

Consistently beer ads are some of the most creative, and over-the-top productions. This one is very cool and revels in its over-the-topness.

Walk Sydney
This man has set out to walk every city street in Sydney, documenting his progress along the way. His site is filled with photos, of the streets, secrets and surprises he has come across. He's walked thousands of kilometers - and he's 91.

Stuff That Disturbs Me

• My mother was in hospital in late August --She's fine! All is good now!-- however, at the time I wanted to reach her room. I went on the Internet to find the phone number for the hospital in Toronto, but it didn't show up in the first few results. Confused, I scrolled down. The reason the hospital was not in the top 5 Google search results was that some unthinking designer labeled the title of the homepage as "Homepage." Names, people!!! WE NEED THE COMPANY NAME ON THE HOMEPAGE. How difficult is that to understand? Next, when I clicked on "Finding a patient" I got these helpful instructions: "Call The X Hospital, and ask for Patient Inquiry. Provide the name of the patient that you are inquiring about, and the Patient Inquiry Representative will give you the room number and extension only." Do you think there was a telephone number on the page? No, that would have been too easy.
• McDonald's trying to go up-market and placing lavish fold-out ads in Gourmet Magazine.
• That new mascara that babbles idiotically about a 360 degree curl. (I've never seen loop-de-loop eyelashes before!)

Stuff I Love

This month? This month I am grooving on:

• Sharpie permanent markers
• The cooler temperatures and orange leaves
• Dog, The Bounty Hunter - honest!!  In the period of a week I had 4 people tell me about this show, each confiding a guilty pleasure in watching it. So, what's a girl to do, but tune-in and watch as each week Dog and his wife Beth and various family members (can anyone keep track of who's who?!) go after some poor drug-addled, glue-sniffing lost soul who has no idea what day or time it is and -what?!- there was a hearing?!! Beth's outfits are enough to keep tuning in week after week. Sure, Dog is single-handedly taking the "A" out of A&E, but it's a fun ride.

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