I'm ... Back!

Well, it's official: I'm back. And it's also goin' to be 2006 on those rent cheques to Clyde Lad's landlady from now on.

Watched the Times Square thingummy on the telly at midnight. Then I wended my way to a nearby club/dance hall/bar they call Parking. The music was on the whole uninspiring but for the 1980's Safety Dance by Montreal's very own sexy Men Without Hats. I know the long-defunct band's hit was a defining musical moment and that lead singer Ivan Doroschuk was totally cute. But hard to imagine that it was basically the only thing that got me onto the dance floor.

(Sample what turned on Clyde Lad by clicking right here or even better as in download the whole entire song right here and scroll to the bottom of that page!)

Oh, yes: there was the current Madonna as well. But other than that, my dears, there was precious little of note, as in really zilch. Imagine paying a cover charge for that! And that was for the privilege of paying even more after that for drinks... Well, entrepreneurs know a racket when they see one...

Anyhow. Back home I indulged in a custard-filled mille feuilles pastry. Yes, Virginia, there IS a right way to eat a mille feuilles; maybe I'll even share the secret with you one of these days.

And as if that weren't enough I also ate my way thru a bag of chips, or crisps if you prefer calling them that... (And I do too but so few people around Montreal do know what I mean then.)

And I guess, my darlings (and that's all of you!), that Clyde Lad is definitely back bloggin'. Get used to it!

Love as always,

Clyde Lad

xoxo

Class Warfare...

Well. Guess what happened on my way home this evening?! Just as Clyde Lad was rounding a street corner he noticed a cyclist in a distance then a police cruiser stopping by. Then as I walked by the police constable was distinctly overheard saying to the cyclist what's your friend doing urinating on a NICE CONDO.

Yes. You see it appeared the said cyclist had a friend whose back was turned and had obviously felt the call of nature. Don't know the end of the story. But there's definitely something riling in the attitude of the police constable.

You've only got one guess as to why it's reprehensible! If you guessed that's because of discrimination on the basis of the thickness of one's wallet, you guessed right. You see the spreading gentrification of this 'hood over which I'm so pleased to rail against again as the phenomenon seeks to marginalise even more the already-marginalised. And the police obviously are not on the side of the marginalised.

The police represent the powers that be. The powers that be all have money. They have condos (aka condominium apartments) which they own and are thus considered proper citizens that need defending from the improper actions of the have-nots. The have-nots like me who live in rented premises, that is. (Imagine!)

But the police didn't do anything about public defecation in front of my house (not a condo!) or public urination in broad daylight (see this post) because they pick and choose their victims carefully. According to their own preconceived notions. Notions that go against human dignity and I'd venture to say against the basic human rights enshrined in law by both the Quebec and Canadian governments. Human rights that prohibit financial profiling.

Shame to the Montreal Police Force for what they did tonight! They seem to be a law unto themselves. If ever Clyde Lad had any doubt about whose side the local police force were on he doesn't any more...

Peace & Love,

Clyde Lad

ps As a result of the above I'm only too happy to remind all of you of the upcoming international anarchist weekend and book fair right here in Montreal with people from all over. The whole thing is now just a mere few days away...

These Roses Rock!

Clyde Lad's been enjoying a little book over the past few days. The surprise being it's not the kind of a book I ever imagined enjoying. 'Cuz it's a book about ... roses.

And Clyde Lad usually finds the subject of roses just too saccharinely sweet. Ok. They smell kinda good. But that's about it. Up until now.

The book that changed everything is Rose Haiku . Quite simply a gem! And, and as you all know, praise from Clyde Lad is praise indeed!

Be that as it may the various sections in the book just flow so smoothly. As in they're even exciting. It reads like a novel. Even if it's poetry. The Seasons of the Rose section blew me away with its exciting pace and suspense! And yes, my dears, it's all poetry... And poetry will never be the same from now on...

Imagine cobbling together all sorts of teensy-weensy little haiku from a number of contributors from around the world and getting a successful book... That's what veteran book editor, Angela Leuck, managed to do...

In a nutshell: run, don't walk, to a bookshop that sells it. Clyde Lad got his copy, from Nicholas Hoare's tucked away in Westmount's posh Greene Avenue. Actually after seeing the book I couldn't resist securing extra copies as fun little presents!

Mucho Love,

Clyde Lad

ps The book's also available online from the publisher Price-Patterson by clicking here. Aren't I just making this so easy for you all!

Anarchy, News & Music

Mayday has been used internationally to indicate distress in the field of telecommunications. An airline pilot could use that if the need ever arose to show there's an emergency situation aboard.

Then again there's May Day. That's traditionally been observed on May 1st yearly to honour workers all around the world. (In North America the government-sanctioned Labour Day is in September.) Thus it was today there were marches all over the world.

Montreal had a march too. All sorts of groups took part in the march thru the downtown area. With their own grievances against the government etc.

The media duly reported on it. But a local TV newscast decided to take a moralising slant on it all. They decided their viewers were morons who couldn't be trusted to think for themselves. The Quebec TV network TVA (link's in French & you can watch the very news clip) labelled the anarchists in the march as ''trouble-makers''.

Should we accept that news outlets give those who disagree with the powers that be that label? Why couldn't the news folks just stick to reporting the facts. And let us make up our own mind. Why preach down to us/me!

Anyway the Montreal celebrations or protests also featured a show by the hugely popular hip-hop French-language group Loco Locass whose Amour Oral ( or Oral Sex, click on the French for a video clip and follow the English instructions) CD has catapulted them to stardom in French Canada.

Loco Locass haven't shied away from strongly dissenting with Government policies. And by the way rap music is gaining in popularity in French Quebec. Thanks to the group's political stance!

Clyde Lad says we should preserve our freedom to diversity of opinions. You've heard of bio-diversity? The same should apply in the area of opinions. The media notwithstanding...

Peace & Love,

Clyde Lad

ps Read all about the upcoming 6th annual Montreal Anarchist Bookfair here. You can even adopt a visiting anarchist for a weekend!

Shittier than Shit

Running errands round Montral's Village today there were a couple of sights worth sharing with you.

First. There's the dog shit that I narrowly averted on my street. And it had obviously been there for a while as it was nearly cakefied. Hadn't seen it before today just 'cuz I hadn't walked that part of the street over the past few days. You could call that the story of the dog that shat (or shit, as the Webster's New Collegiate gives the past tense) and of the human companion who didn't stoop and scoop.

Second. An interesting graffito (or, if the singular is too pedantic, try graffiti) that ties in nicely with what I really, really want to talk to you about today: Revolution! (See the title of the previous post.) It just read all in red:

'' Revolution. There's no other solution! ''

And that's so totally true. It stinks to see the filthy rich just gettin' richer. Quite often by crook. Just this past week the Montreal-based worldwide aluminium conglomerate Alcan was in the news 'cuz they haven't paid any corporate taxes on their immense earnings in Canada since 1999.

Just see what happens to you if you try dodging taxes. But then corporate welfare is OK according to the Canadian Government. Alcan has apparently been paying taxes in other countries where it operates... That's the shittier of the 2 stories...

Sorry if today's language offends you; but Clyde Lad's just got to call a spade a spade...

But peace & love to all,

Clyde Lad

Revolution!

After I told her the truth she dropped me. Yes, the phone rang earlier today. One of those usual calls. That we all get every now and again.

She was persistent even after being told I wasn't interested. Peddling some magazine offer. I repeated I wasn't interested. This time blurting out that I simply couldn't afford it. As in I just don't have a red penny left... And that's the truth...

And when people find out you don't have a penny to your name they leave you alone. You then become completely uninteresting.

To merchants and people in general too. To anyone basically. If you don't have a financial weight to throw around they don't pay attention to you. At all. You cease to exist.

And that's the way it's been for me lately. I've been waitin' & waitin' for money owed me. And I'm in dire straits as a result of huge corporations takin' their own sweet time.

The heartless human beings there are doin' their very best to drag things out. Just doin' their jobs. But that's how that big bank and that big insurance company make their huge profits. For their faceless shareholders.

And the people working for them are getting bad karma for the evil they're doing. Poor them. But poorer me for now. My rent's just around the corner...

Love all the same,

Clyde Lad

Changing

Guess what? Clyde Lad's now a red-head. What got into me? Just that I'm into changes. Changing anything and everything in my life. A spring thing? Perhaps...

The hair's a symbolic thing of the way I've been feeling. Watch out! Then it was on to deleting one computer file after computer. And ending up reclaiming 16% of the hard drive!

Then it was on to books. As in those I won't read again. So there are now growing piles of books to be sold or given away. And much useless clutter has been binned too.

I need a change. Or changes. Who knows what's next! But I'm feeling lighter. So changes are good for the soul!

Love,

Clyde Lad