Leather Side Bag

Reading the winter edition of DVMAN, a Swedish men's fashion magazine that arrives about two seasons too late here in Canada, I was struck by a spread of must-have accessories beautifully laid out across five full glossy pages, complete various plaid backgrounds to complement. One of these pieces was a stunning black leather messenger bag by Swedish brand Rahnsäter. Further research showed similar bags from luxury manufacturers world wide, with price tags averaging around the $600 USD mark.

Then Suddenly it came to me why I was so interested in the style of bag (besides my soft spot for accessories in general). I had seen one very similar to it, years before, in a local army surplus store!

They are called Map cases, and are generally available for between $20-$50 at any army surplus store or on eBay. What is even more exciting is if you are not a 100% leather fanatic, synthetics or hybrids were also available.

I would expect these to become perhaps more expensive and en vogue as time goes on, as I am not the first to realize this connection. As well, I have been told by a gentleman in the surplus business that most of the worlds militaries are now using only non-leather goods!

Thank you to the Stylish Gent for the image. Another great blog with some excellent ideas!

The lesser of evils?

Today Stephen Harper–with the approval of Governor General Michaëlle Jean–announced that he will be proroguing parliament until January 26th, 2009. This is probably the best possible option for society for three main reasons: first, this will remove the extreme insecurities a large number of Canadians have had with a possible coalition government; second, this effectively gives an ultimatum to the Tories that they have a 1 1/2 months to negotiate bail-out options with the oppositions; and third, it allows the bail-out options be put side-by-side with the rest of the budget.

It is not the perfect option however, and some would suggest the worst. There is the idea that by Michaëlle Jean going along with the prorogue, she is overstating her power as the country's sovereign. This is a tricky one, historically and practically, many would agree that there is a case. However, the coalition itself is treading on thin ice, due to the non-coalition agreement it has with the Bloc Quebecois.

I am personally not a fan of Stephen Harper's conservatives, however, the next best option was a border-line coalition government, led by a man who has failed to lead his own party.

Thus, the lesser of evils?

Post Script:
On a related note, I highly recommend reading "The Lesser Evil: Political Ethics in an Age of Terror," by Michael Ignatieff.