Surprise Surprise: The Phil Blog

I admire the individuality of my walkman cell phone. It's a device that lets me choose the tone of my day and gives me the choice of listening to conventional radio. It doesn't treat me like a confused sheep or an ice cream product posted "Made in Canada" but with significant content from New Zealand. My attitude towards life can be as blissful as a Celine Dion tune or as torturous and melancholy as... a Celine Dion tune.I gave the conventional radio station a try the other day and was enjoying the influx of new tune to supplement the outrageously drowsy elevator music that I, and around ten percent of the radio audience in Toronto are used to, according to last industry survey.Considering we're into a new year, and another minority term of federal government over in Ottawa, I was startled to hear an ad from our gorgeous friends, the Conservatives."Let's make government work," screamed this ad's overall tone and bit, "we need to reach a consensus bladdy-blah..."Is this because Stephen Harper was denied a majo

Why is it so hard to vote?Even with minority governments, the time in which we can exercise such a fundamental right is so easily wasted and ignored by an uninterested public.I turned eighteen years old the day before municipal elections were held back in 2006. All I had to do, even without my name on the official voters' roll at the time, was to bring appropriate identification. It was easy, quick, painless and I got to say it was a calming feeling.Earlier that day, a female friend and I were trolling (which is probably a lousy way to describe it) on Yonge Street in Toronto, entering an adult-themed shop just because I could as a person over the age of majority. It wasn't as painless or calming as voting, but for some voters they would rather enter an adult shop than vote at all.For the record, I glanced and gave a disgusted look considering my naivete and baby face to boot, dragging my suddenly amused female friend out of the store.People are definitely not liking the government as we see it in general. I'm