Distributing Dissent
Seeds of change doc now available on the web
Anthony Augustine
Seeds of Change — www.seedsofchangefilm.org/?p=watch_film
— After a prolonged battle with the University of Manitoba
over the release of Seeds of Change, the documentary is finally
going to see the light of day. As promised, Jim Sanders, Ian Mauro
and U of M professor Stéphane McLachlan are allowing the
controversial documentary to be downloaded as a torrent file or
to be directly streamed from their site. Aside from examining
the ethics of genetically modified crops, Sanders (of Dada World
Data) also explores the connections between the increasing corporatization
of farming and the effect that might have on our food choices.
The film taps into local communities and farmers, speaking to
the very people who are directly affected by the changing modes
of food production. A number of other filmmakers have tackled
this weighty subject, but few have made such an impact with their
first attempt at a full-length doc.
SNFU— www.snfu.com
— Although Edmonton’s SNFU disbanded after touring
to support their ninth album, In the Meantime & in Between
Time, they still have to be considered one of Canada’s premier
punk bands. Along with Victoria’s Nomeansno and Winnipeg’s
Propagandhi, SNFU has defined what it means to play punk rock
with integrity and undying conviction. Check SNFU Radio for classic
cuts such as Time to Buy a Futon, Reality is a Ride on the Bus
and Drunk on a Bike.
March Madness — ncaasports.com/mmod
— With March Madness right around the corner, most basketball
fans will soon be busy filling out tournament brackets and trying
to figure out who will make a run for the Final Four. For the
second straight year, you don’t have to settle for checking
box scores on the web for the first three rounds of the tournament
— CBS will actually be streaming 56 games to kick off a
hectic month of basketball. Last year there was a charge for the
service, but now the NCAA is the first major organization to allow
its games to be streamed on the web for free. Considering plenty
of matches are scheduled during working hours, you can bet larger
IT departments will be looking to block access to this site to
prevent lagging networks on a Thursday morning. Remember, you
can always use a proxy if you really need to see Duke play and
your stick-in-the-mud IT department isn’t being co-operative.
Pre-registration is necessary to access the service.
Vitamins for You — www.myspace.com/vitaminsforyou
— Former Winnipegger Bryce Kushnier has relocated from Montreal
to Toronto and has been busy working on material that will make
up The Legend of Bird’s Hill, which is set for release this
summer. Kushnier’s delicate laptop pop gets a bit of a makeover
on cuts such as Wished I Lived Near and Six O’clock Whisper,
with both tracks anchored by a solid 4/4 beat. If you liked the
direction of his recent remake of The Arcade Fire’s No Cars
Go, you’ll be all over the rest of the new material he’s
been uploading to the ubiquitous MySpace.
Anthony Augustine is a freelance music and pop culture writer
who spends way too much time in front of the computer. He also
hosts a weekly two-hour electronic music program on CKUW 95.9
FM Got a site you think he should see? E-mail him at anthony.alloneword@gmail.com. |
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