Sharp arguments

05 Wednesday Aug 2009

Posted by Ricky Leong in journalism, media, newspapers, politics

Tags

alberta, calgary, calgary sun, canada, column, freedom, kirpan, politics, religion, religious

My Calgary Sun column today was about a recent incident where concert-goers trying to attend a show by a Punjabi artist were told they could not attend because they were wearing kirpans.
I’ve been receiving lots of negative e-mail reaction to my commentary, in which I argue kirpans are religious symbols and are inherently harmless. My reply has been almost identical in every case, and I feel compelled to share the gist of my replies here with everyone.

Allowing people to wear kirpans is not a threat to Canadian identity or the religious freedom of the majority. No one is forcing non-Sikhs to wear a kirpan, just as Christians aren’t forcing non-Christians to carry a cross.

If someone chooses to use a kirpan (or anything else) as a weapon, it says more about the person than it does about the object, doesn’t it?

What do you think?

Really wide view

30 Tuesday Jun 2009

Posted by Ricky Leong in art, photography

≈ 1 Comment

Check out this link for awesome panoramic images:
http://www.panoramaml.com/

Still snowy

25 Monday May 2009

Posted by Ricky Leong in fun, random

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Tags

alberta, canada, landscape, mountains, random, rocky mountains, rural, sky, snow

Beautiful scenery along Hwy. 22, just north of Hwy. 3.

Makeover means new link

16 Saturday May 2009

Posted by Ricky Leong in Internet, journalism, media, newspapers

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Tags

calgary sun, calgarysun.com, Internet, journalism, media, news, newspaper, web

The Calgary Sun website recently got a radical makeover.
The result is a much cleaner layout for better reader navigation.
There are also new features, including RSS feeds and browsing for your mobile phone.
The change also means my columns have a new home.
Please go check it out if you have a moment.

‘Final Edition’ – the end of the Rocky Mountain News

15 Friday May 2009

Posted by Ricky Leong in Internet, journalism, media, newspapers

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Sent to me by a colleague. Worth watching if you haven’t seen it.

Final Edition from Matthew Roberts on Vimeo.

Equate this

12 Tuesday May 2009

Posted by Ricky Leong in fun

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Tags

alberta, bouldering, calgary, canada, climbing, crux

An interesting-looking hold at Crux Climbing and Bouldering in Calgary:

Evil cul-de-sac

10 Sunday May 2009

Posted by Ricky Leong in fun, photowalking, random, urban

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Sparkling streamliner

09 Saturday May 2009

Posted by Ricky Leong in art, photography, trains, transit

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Another oldie, this time from the start of my railfanning days.

This image was taken on a sleepless night, looking forward on the upper level of the Park Car (domed observation car) aboard the Ocean, Via Rail’s Montreal-Halifax overnight train. We were somewhere west of Rimouski, Que., at the time. What you see here is a long exposure, with passing lights reflecting off the fluted, stainless-steel bodies of the train cars.
This photo was once featured in the Gallery section of Trains magazine.