民族音楽学者
Pictured above is Jonathan Nordstrom. He was the bassist for Captain Tractor, a super-successful band from the province of Alberta, and an extraordinary friend to anyone who had the honour of knowing him. Though we were close friends bandmates when we were younger, I subsequently wandered off to wander the Earth, always knowing that Continue reading R.I.P. Jon Nordstrom (1974 2026)
It is truly a dismal day in Canada as we mourn the passing of Catherine O Hara, an icon of comedic acting whose work on the legendary show SCTV had Canadians laughing hysterically for generations. The show revolved around a fictitious television station, and the various people that worked or appeared on its many shows or Continue reading Catherine O Hara (1954 2026)
Every year I post a New Year s message in which I choose a word/theme for the coming year. But, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. So look at the picture above. It says more than I could ever say about the importance of doing, and the irrelevance of talking about doing. Continue reading My Annual Message (2026 Edition)
During this holiday season I am grateful for many things: the chance to improve my Arabic writing (abjad), helping my Japanese students prepare for their various theses, recent improvements to my jazz drumming, and so on. But we must remember that such achievements were only made possible by our cultural ancestors, of which bebop jazz Continue reading The Mighty Kenny Clarke
It is with great sadness that I learned today that legendary jazz drummer Jack deJohnette died at 83 years of age on October 26th. He had a HUGE influence on me, and I listened to his music incessantly. It is hard to describe to non-fans of jazz how incredibly important he was to drummers that Continue reading Jack de Johnette: 1942 2025
As we discussed in Part One, the buying and selling that takes place in an area is called economics. In Part Two we discussed home economics, our personal approach to running the micro-economy that is our apartment or house, i.e. the various supplies and demands that we have. How much money will we spend or Continue reading Economics For Total Beginners: Part Three
As we discussed in Part One, the buying and selling that takes place in an area is called economics. So what happens in, let’s say, in the economy of a small town? We’ll start with an imaginary restaurant called Dan’s Burgers. Dan’s burgers sells nothing but hamburgers. They are good quality and come in a Continue reading Economics For Total Beginners: Part Two
I often get asked about what my hobbies are… and I always tell people that my main hobby is economics, i.e. investing. And almost always people respond by talking about how complex or confusing economic theory is, or how the stock market requires you to be a math genius. Both are so completely not true Continue reading Economics For Total Beginners: Part One
Japanese artist Yayoi Kusayama is world famous for her installations: large rooms filled to the brim with polka-dotted objects, and mirrors, etc. She is possibly the most famous abstract artist to come out of Japan, and deserves incredible credit for her artistic achievements… since she has been voluntarily institutionalized for mental illness since the late Continue reading The Amazing Story of…
As you all know I am a huge fan of both science fiction, and creating quizzes based on interesting early to mid-twentieth century franchises. Thus, I bring to you yet another such quiz, this time based on the crime serial The Green Hornet, featuring Britt Reid — a wealthy young publisher by day who fights Continue reading THE GREEN HORNET: 1940s Serial Quiz