Gorgeous George Galloway

Weird evening. I paid $15 to sit in a theatre to watch a live video broadcast of George Galloway speaking from New York. It seems I could have watched it from home, for free, on RabbleTV.

I don’t mind paying $15. George Galloway is a magnificent speaker. Even if you don’t like what he has to say, you have to admire the man’s effortless articulateness. It really was a remarkable performance, giving a speech to a camera in an empty room, without benefit of sensing his audience’s reactions, and managing to bring said audience to their feet with his impassioned words and sensibilities.

I’m too tired to go into what he talked about. I think it’s safe to say that if you agree with Galloway’s positions on most things in the world, which I do, then you would have found his talk inspiring, though not particularly informative. If you don’t agree with him, you would find his words frustrating. He does not serve to convince the opposition, nor I think to sway the undecided. But he does good work and he motivates the believers.

Though I’ve called him a buffoon on many instances, I do admire the man. He walks the talk.

In Other News…

It’s no secret that I’ve been working on a new book for a few months now. It’s advanced to the point where I was able to apply for a Canada Council grant. I’m proud to report that the Council found my work to be of good quality, and thus it was “highly recommended” for funding.

However, it seems there was not enough cash in the trough this year, and I was denied a grant. And so I feel my first pinch in this economic crisis. Damn! Here’s the letter:

Oh well. Ontario Council, here I come….