So I made the mistake of checking some of the message boards the other day, and I saw that a lot of people are a little nervous about the cruise: Will there be too many bands? Is Sixthman removing the BNL content from this cruise and trying to make it a clone of The Rock Boat? Will they still have that delicious chocolate cake? Rest assured, folks, this cruise should prove to be at least as good as S&D I (remember, that's why we skipped S&D II). We've invited more of our friends, and there will indeed be more music than last year, but there won't be any less BNL content. One comment we got from folks last year was that they wished that there was more music going all day long. So, with this in mind, and because it's a bigger boat this year, we've added a bunch of new acts, including the much-requested Great Big Sea and Carbon Leaf, our friends Kurt Swinghammer, Jason Collett and Howie Beck, along with many familiar faces from last year. On S&D I, Sixthman had booked a few acts onto the cruise who weren't part of our little club, but they were so popular onboard, that we've invited them back (namely, Oakhurst and Gaelic Storm), and there are a couple of new Sixthman finds this year too. But, in all, I'm sure you'll find you won't lose the true BNL flavour that made last year so fantastic. And if I lose my voice again, I promise that I'll rip my throat out and burn it in a special ceremony on the Lido Deck during one of Acid Wish's sets!

Two chances Canada has had to lead, rather than follow. The cbc news piece is a good wake-up call to holier-than-thou Canadians, and the YouTube clip is a really good explanation of what's so scary about Canada's new copyright bill, rumored to be introduced on Tuesday. Climate Change and Copyright

So, George Bush, who intentionally mispronounces the word “nuclear” as “nucular” (I mean, you think no one would correct him?), suggests that the fact that Iran abandoned their nuclear program back in 2003 is cause for even MORE alarm. Why? Well, first of all, I suspect it’s because there isn’t enough alarm out there already. Secondly, in Bush’s opinion, the fact that they shut down their program four years ago means that they can START IT UP AGAIN, and somehow that’s supposed to be even scarier? How’s that now? Well, as Bush tells us, so long as they have the knowledge of how to manufacture nuclear weapons, they are a threat. So. How do we eliminate that threat? I assume that war must be the answer; or the systematic rounding-up and execution of all scientists and intellectuals in Iran. Why not everyone with an Internet connection? And why limit it to Iran? This war isn’t about economics, or fundamentalism, or idealogy. It’s about knowledge, and who is allowed or not allowed to have it. Scary.    

So, those of you who keep track of these kinds of things know that I’ve been pretty involved in trying to convince Canada’s Conservative government to think twice about adopting US-style copyright legislation, as the business of content creation has driven itself to the brink of bankruptcy by bullying and pushing our fans and consumers farther and farther away from us. Well, the bad news is that word on the Hill suggests that Canada is about to introduce new legislation which is even more oppressive and draconian than even the most restrictive countries (read: the United States), even at a time when countries like Israel and the UK are passing new laws which acknowledge the new state of affairs, especially when it comes to digital media. Our new legislation, as it stands right now, will not make anything better for Canadian art, culture, or business. It is simply bowing to trade pressure from the USA, who has been steered largely by the big Hollywood film studios. It’s not too late, yet, but we don’t have much time. If you are a creator; a musician, an author, a filmmaker, or a fan and consumer of art or culture, this is the time to write a letter to your Member of Parliament, and/or to your local or national newspaper of choice. We need to let Ottawa know what a mistake this would be. If you’re a Facebooker, a Fair Copyright group has been set up, and in less than a week, we have nearly 1500 members already. It’s a great source of ideas and information. If not, check out these websites: www.michaelgeist.ca or http://www.faircopyright.ca/.