links

• Yukon-based Democrats get set for Super Tuesday

“This time it’s so close that there’s actually some hope in the smaller states like Alaska that the delegates that can be picked up in those states will actually matter come time for picking the Democratic nominee”

• Video: Is McCain the new Reagan? - guardian.co.uk

“The Observer’s US correspondent, Paul Harris, asks whether John McCain - despised by many within his own party - can inherit Ronald Reagan’s mantle and unite the conservative right.”

• The Big US Vote - thetyee.ca

“For most Canadians the U.S. presidential election is like the major league baseball play-offs and the World Series; we love the finals but don’t get too interested in the foreplay.”

• Wayans starts a Web channel - Globe and Mail

“Whether inspired by the ongoing Hollywood writers’ strike (which appears to be inching closer to a resolution) or attracted by the freedom that the Internet offers, more and more artists are turning to new forms of digital media. One of the latest is actor/writer/comedian Damon Wayans, who recently showed a prototype of his new online-video project — called WayOutTV.com — to delegates at a media investment conference.”

• Should I vote for Clinton or Obama? - Salon.com

“And here’s a comment I’ve made many times in recent weeks, before the Democratic debates, after the Democratic debates, at my office, at restaurants with friends, over professional lunches: ‘I have no idea who I’m going to vote for.’”

• An Edwardian puzzle - Comment Is Free

“As for me, I’m pretty content with either, given that I’ve lost my first choice. Like on many other things, I happened to agree most assuredly with John Edwards when he said the Democratic field this year was an embarrassment of riches - while the Republican field was just an embarrassment.”

• Becoming a Black Man - Colorlines

“I got pulled over 300 percent more than I had in the previous 23 years of driving, almost immediately. It was astounding.”

• African-American portraits and snapshots, 1900-1975 - Boing Boing

• National Post Editorial Board on Afrocentric Schools: In Toronto, separate but equal

  There is no mystery as to why so many blacks do poorly in Toronto schools. Students do not come to school a blank slate. Rather, they bring with them the intellectual attitudes, cultural values, behavioural expectations and peer associations that characterize their home life and community.
• McGuinty doesn’t approve of plan to create black-focused school - CBC News
  “He’s facing accusations of hypocrisy for not taking action to stop the board from creating the school, when he so vehemently opposed the funding of religious schools during the election.”
• Website promotes red dots to stop junk mail - CBC News
  “The Red Dot Campaign aims to draw attention to a little-known Canada Post policy that allows people to stop unaddressed junk mail arriving in their mailbox or dropping through their mail slot.”
• Nude in San Francisco

  “These girls aren’t flashing their boobs on Baker Beach in front of the Golden Gate Bridge, or doing cartwheels in a park, and the street signs aren’t in some language you’ve never seen. They are fully nude and boldly walking around the beautiful city of San Francisco.” (and they’re far braver than I’ll ever be. - admin.)
• 10 Things You Can Do to Cheer Yourself Up - Dumb Little Man
  The 10 things seem so simple — get outside, listen to music - reach out — I can’t help wondering if they’d work for someone who’s in the throes of depression, or if they’re more suited for someone who is “feeling a little down.”
• Cambodian street kids spearhead Khmer food revival - National Post

  “First kill your tarantulas by pressing hard on their bodies then remove the fangs and wash the spiders thoroughly, advises the glossy in-house recipe book from Phnom Penh’s Romdeng restaurant.”
• Mary J Blige on drugs, abusive relationships and self-hatred - Guardian Unlimited Music
  I still can’t give [Isaacs] all of me. I need something to walk away with, just in case he decides to walk out the door. I pray that one day I get to say, you know, ‘Here it all is,’ but - this is real talk - sometimes I really don’t want it.” (Mary ain’t never lied. - admin.)

The “I’m avoiding my homework by providing links for you, so you’d better enjoy them!” edition:

• Is this the new MacBook Air? — Wired has their own ideas about what Apple’s newest portable computer might look like. Speculation says that the MacBook air may dispense with a wired Ethernet port, optical CD/DVD drive, and is supposed to be “super thin”. Now if only they can deliver it for under US$1299…
• Jessica Alba talks about race in Hollywood — I’ll be frank — I’m not what you’d call a Jessica Alba fan because (1) I’m not a heterosexual man with traditional taste in women and (2) because she agreed to star in “Good Luck Chuck”, but Alba’s views made me see her in a new light. After the interviewer added Eva Mendes to a (short) list of leading ladies of color that Alba rattled off, Alba replied, “But is Mendes greenlighting movies?”, quickly cutting to the real racial inequality in Hollywood. (via Racialicious)
• You’re never too young for your first Brazilian — via Feministe, an Australian company is marketing Brazilian waxes to ten year old girls, using the argument that “(n)obody really likes hair in their private regions and it has a childlike appeal.” At ten years old, almost *everything* has a childlike appeal, but what squicks is that in this case, childlike = sexually appealing.
• Spaceship-grade aluminum houses available in Canada — because who hasn’t dreamed of living in an escape pod? (via io9)

Because I haven’t done one of these in awhile:

The Canon G9: A Camera For Professionals - an article by professional photographer Darren Wiggett on why he’s making the Canon G9 his every day camera. I’ve been waffling between the G9 and the Panasonic Lumix DMC LX2 because I want something portable that I can keep in a purse, but that still shoots RAW. Wigget’s put up a gallery of G9 photos so you can see what the camera’s capable of.

Americans opt for healthy eating, not diets - Wait, I thought we were still calling it a “lifestyle change”?

Iowa Caucus Top US Front Pages from Newsdesigner.com - My personal favorite? The Boston Herald’s “SHAZAM” headline because it invokes the power of the (Gomer) Pyle.

Premier of Saskatchewan outraged by Canadian Idol snub - “I think it’s more than a little bit ironic that we are apparently good enough for the Rolling Stones, but no longer good enough apparently for ‘Canadian Idol,”‘ Wall told the Canadian Press.

Really, Brad Wall? You mean there aren’t more pressing issues in your province that you could focus on? Oh wait - it’s Saskatchewan. Moving on..

It’s been a sexuality/gender kind of day…

• A Modest Proposal: The Thorny Issue of Sexual Consent: PortlyDyke clears it up for those of us who can’t seem to understand that even if you’ve been having sex with someone for a dog’s age, it’s still good practice (and good manners) to ask them if they’d like to have sex with you.
• In Praise of the Male Form: Why don’t we see more male nudes in media that is geared toward hetero- and bisexual women (and I’m sorry, Playgirl doesn’t count)?
• Take It Off, Baby: I’ve been to my fair share of queer-friendly, sex-positive, burlesque shows with women of all different shapes, sizes, and ethnicities but I’ve also wondered why the performances seem so similar to those that are tailored for the heterosexual male gaze? Even when both peformers are lesbians, there is still the dynamic of the actor/acted-upon, with the more masculine-identified character taking a more passive role.