Editing a graphic novel

I'm about to start the most daunting project I'm likely ever going to do: writing and illustrating a graphic novel. The project, titled The (Un)Holy War, is about a politically incorrect televangelist by day, caped crusader by night. The story will bring an element of dark comedy to a relatively satire-free topic.

The story is centered on a young televangelist with an ultra-conservative political and religious worldview who attempts to prevent society’s secularization and moral decay.

He decides to don medieval knight’s armor and embarks on a crusade to quash those he holds responsible for corrupting society and to create his ideal version of society – even if it means betraying his principles in the process. 

The project involves multiple drafts, and multiple edits of the story. I hope that the editing process will take me until the end of August to complete; however there is a good chance that I'll be editing beyond that target. 

In addition to writing and editing the story, I'll have to draw storyboards. This process will take a very long time as I will likely be drawing each page numerous times. The reason I will draw each page several times is because I'll want to have several different page layouts to choose from. Once these roughs are drawn out, they will have to be imported into Adobe Illustrator, where I will have to painstakingly ink each cell. 

In a project like this, the editing goes well beyond writing copy. You have to consider factors such as page layout, and editing illustrations. Although this project will be one of the most difficult I've ever attempted, I look forward to the experience I'll gain from it. 

New Blog

So, I decided to upgrade - kind of...

This blog is about to come to an end, to be replaced by a new one.

It's taken me forever to actually get around to creating the new site and getting it set up. Follow the link to view the new and (hopefully) improved Dave's News & Views. The new blog will feature articles I've written for The Projector, and will strictly focus on current affairs and politics.

So, you might be asking yourself: "What will happen to this blog?"

The short answer is, well, I'm not sure yet...

For the time being I will continue to use this blog to post miscellaneous articles of general interest, as well as school assignments.

That being said, content might be scarce on this blog while I rebrand it over the remainder of the summer. Thanks for your anticipated patience while I figure out what to do with this site.

For the love of God, edit your text messages!

There's nothing more annoying than writing a text message only to discover moments after you hit the send button that the built-in auto-correct changed a word within your message. Most of the time, the mistakes are minor, however sometimes those mistakes can be rather funny.

There are countless websites that display unfortunate auto-correct mistakes.

Luckily there are some online resources that can help you disable that pesky auto-correct.

If there is a lesson to take away from all of this is that despite software that's meant to prevent mistakes exists, errors still occur. It's still important to edit your messages before they get sent out, or you wind-up with an unfortunate spelling mistake and possibly embarrassing text message.

Strikethroughs in Articles

Editing within an article adds to comedic effect

Canada's newest "media darling" Brigette DePape

I was reading a clever editorial by Kelly McParland in the National Post about Canada's newest - and perhaps most famous (for now) - activist Brigette DePape and noticed something rather odd that immediately jumped out at me: a strikethrough in the copy.

McParland's choice to edit a word by adding the strikethrough was very clever and added to the comedic effect of the editorial. Although it's slightly out of context, the following is the paragraph which includes the strikethrough:

What next for Ms. DePape? Bungee-jumping from the CN Tower in support of more bike lanes? Careening from floe to floe as she personally rescues baby seals? Single-handedly storming the shores of Gaza carrying bullets  foodstuffs for the freedom fighters of Hamas? Anything is possible when you’re young, opinionated and inventive.


I've noticed more and more articles using this device. I suppose editing your copy in such a manner - whereby the reader can see what you intended to write - can be humorous depending on the subject matter.

Its use in McParland's article certainly aided in injecting a level of humour to the overall article.

Editing Yourself Online

There's one sphere of life that's becoming harder and harder to edit, your online life.

I was rather annoyed to discover several pictures of myself tagged in Facebook photo albums. Although the pictures weren't necessarily compromising, I was still rather annoyed by the fact that somebody else had the ability to dictate how others perceive me online.

There is no longer any effective method to edit yourself on social media networks. It's difficult to edit what others see about you, and even if you were to untag yourself in images, those pictures still float around online for anyone to see.

Your ability to edit yourself, not to mention keep certain aspects of your life private are virtually non-existant. In an article that appeared in the Guardian, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said that privacy was no longer a social norm. I believe he might be right.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg

We've forgone our ability to edit our online lives, not to mention our privacy the minute we signed up for Facebook.  Although the social media site is a great tool to stay connected with friends and family, the negatives are becoming all to clear. 

Borrow vs Lend

My absolute biggest pet peeve in the English language…

Often, I wish I could edit people’s everyday speech. For the most part, I can let grammatical errors slide, but in some cases I lose my mind.  

Not me, but same reaction... 

No error irritates me more than the improper uses of the words borrow and lend. For whatever reason, I’ve noticed that many don’t know when to use these words properly.  Every time I hear it used improperly, it’s as though somebody is scratching their nails on a chalkboard, or stabbing me in the head. Slight exaggeration, but still, I think you get how much it bugs me.

Improper use:

I borrowed him my books. (Argh!)

You may lend my books. (Double argh!)

Proper use:

I lent him my books. (Yay!)

You may borrow my books. (Double yay!)

I have yet to figure out why these words are so complicated. There are a billion websites dedicated to explaining when you should use either word, yet people still screw these up on a near-constant basis. 

Political Correctness

How editing life to keep things politically correct is ruining everything.

Well, that might be a slight exaggeration...

Pretty soon I won't be able to call him Santa Claus because it might offend somebody... The safer, more PC option is to call him SC. 

I believe there's a difference between editing, and censorship. There are words that can offend, and speech that is hateful. If an editor comes across something like that in print, I think it should be edited to reflect sensitivities. In my opinion, that is the right thing to do, and would be a perfect example of good editing.

Sometimes, however, editing can go too far and turn into unnecessary censorship. In our quest to not offend anybody and keep things as neutral, bland, and politically correct as possible, we end up censoring things that don't need it.

We live in a society whereby - as aptly pointed out in a recent article in The Telegraph - we are constantly "treading on egg shells in (our) desperation not to offend." This extends to such things as trivial as holidays.

At some point in recent years, we quit celebrating Christmas. In our Western society's attempt to avoid alienating non-Christians, we stopped celebrating a "Merry Christmas" (or is it "Merry Xmas" now?), and started celebrating "Happy Holidays." This, in my opinion, is an example of extreme editing, or censorship run amuck.

And there are countless examples of such attempts at keeping things PC and really aren't hard to find. We can't reverse the process, however with a bit of common sense I think it's possible to edit truly offensive things, and leave the rest alone.

I'll end this post with truly unnecessary censorship, courtesy of Jimmy Kimmel.

YOU LOOK SO LOVELY IN THE MOONLIGHT

The Moonlight Sonata of Beethoven Blatz is a play written by former Creative Communications instructor Armin Wiebe. He’s the author of three novels set in the fictional town of Gutenthal, Manitoba, and wrote the award-winning novel Tatsea. The Moonlight Sonata of Beethoven Blatz was Wiebe’s first foray into playwriting.

The play was produced by Theatre Projects Manitoba, and directed by Kim McCaw. It was staged at the Rachel Browne Theatre in mid-April.

Photo of Armin Wiebe

The Moonlight Sonata of Beethoven Blatz is play about a Mennonite couple, Obrum (Tom Keenan) and Susch Kehler (Tracy Penner), who live on the outskirts of town and are unable to conceive a child after two years of marriage. Obrum, a hard-working farmer purchases a piano in a state of disrepair. He invites Beethoven Blatz (Eric Nyland) to fix the piano, with the hope that Blatz will eventually teach Susch to play the instrument. The story unfolds from there. 

The central theme of the play is about unfulfilled desires that are seemingly unattainable. Obrum and Susch want to conceive a child, but are unable to after two years of marriage. Blatz wants to play music with his sweet Sonya, who presumably died in his homeland.  Teen (Daria Puttaert), Susch’s best friend, wants to foster an unconventional relationship with her.

Picture of the set used in the play

In so far as the play went, I enjoyed it for the most part. The one aspect of the production I did not like was the repetitiveness. Susch kept repeating ad nauseam that she was unable to conceive a child, and that it made her feel empty and unfulfilled as a woman and wife. I personally didn’t think that point had to be emphasized quite as much as it was. I think it was quite evident that that was Susch’s major grievance.

I also thought the play went through too many periods of inaction and introspection. The play had many scenes that weren’t really necessary. The characters’ desires and inner conflicts were evident, and the scenes that provided constant introspection were, in my opinion, pointless. If some of these scenes were removed, the pace of the story would be greatly improved, and there would be no lulls in the play.


During a talkback with Wiebe following the play, he explained that the play was an adaptation of a short story he wrote 15 years ago. I thought it was very interesting that even though the original story was written so long ago, that the process of revising and editing it to the point where it could become a play was constant.   

Regardless of my minor issues with the play, I thought as a whole The Moonlight Sonata of Beethoven Blatz was amusing and entertaining.  

A FUTURE IN MEDIA PRODUCTION?

Not this guy...

Well, it's official. I know how to use Final Cut Pro - poorly... but that doesn't matter.

I shot this montage as a school assignment. It's supposed to be humorous, but I'll let you be the judge. The music track is by Wolf Parade, and the song is Modern World. I got my sister to star in the montage. Many thanks to her for putting up with my incompetent directorial debut.  I'd like to think that if I had to do it over, it would look much better...

That being said, I still like what I shot. Enjoy! (hopefully...)

NO SUCH THING AS PRIVACY ONLINE

As a student in a communications program, I use various social media tools, whether it be Facebook, Twitter, or blogging for that matter. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that there's no such thing as privacy online. The very notion that something you put on Facebook is private is, quite frankly, laughable.

This is why I found this story very amusing...

According to an article I read on CTV's website, a junior Conservative staffer named Tony Phillips used his Facebook page to blast Stephen Harper's media strategy. Harper's team has placed restrictions on the number of questions the media can ask him while campaigning.

Phillips works as a communications and legislative assistant to British Columbia MP Dona Cadman. He's clearly in a position where he should keep his views to himself; however, he decided to write "when Sun Media starts to attack our AMAZING government, you know stupidity has prevailed amongst communications people."

'Stupidity' it seems, has made its way to Cadman's communications people...

MP Dona Cadman

Now, I don't necessarily disagree with his statement. Harper should be more open to questions from the media. However, Phillips is in a position in which he never should have made those comments in the first place. As a staffer for a Conservative Party MP, those kinds of statements should have been kept to himself.

The funny thing is that I genuinely believe he thought those comments would only be seen by his friends. This becomes quite clear given what he told the Canadian Press.

The Canadian Press contacted him for an interview regarding the statements he wrote online. Phillips stated "I can't comment on that because that's a personal Facebook page and being in the political position I'm in, that would not be the best career move for me." He added, "I did (share my opinion) with my 800 (Facebook) friends, of which you are not one of them."

The moral of this story you ask? Don't write compromising statements on Facebook about your employers. Privacy settings are a joke, and anything you write will ultimately come back to bite you in the ass -  as I'm sure Tony Phillips has learned.

THE UPPER CRUSTER

It’s time for a little shameless self-promotion… 

But is it really self-promotion if I'm not selling anything? Probably not, no matter... 

As a part of studies in the Creative Communications program at Red River College, students are required to complete a magazine assignment. In groups of three or four, we have to come up with a magazine concept, write the articles, take pictures, and work on the magazine's layout.

Going into the magazine project I heard horror stories about how difficult and irritating the project could be. Luckily, I had the good fortune of working with a great team consisting of Michelle Choy, 
Dylan Hughes, and Andrew Parker. We quickly came up with a unique (pardon the cliché), innovative, entertaining and funny (in our opinion anyways) satirical magazine.

The concept we came up with was a satirical magazine that makes fun of the wealthy, or in other words, the upper crust of society. We though a fitting name for the publication would be The Upper Cruster.

Although this magazine concept will never see the light of day on store shelves anywhere, I think I can speak for everyone in the group when I say that we’re proud of the work we’ve accomplished.

One reason I think the magazine project was so much fun was because of all the stuff our group did over and above the requirements. Each member took on a fake persona: Michelle was the wealthy socialite Duchess Beatrice; Dylan took on the role of Reginald Tort the ageing war hero who fights against the poor; Andrew was Charles Charleston Fairweather, the wealthy playboy; and I took on the role of Stone Chambers, the no-nonsense businessman. Essentially each persona embodied an aspect of high-class culture and allowed us to write articles with a skewed, upper class view of the world.

Stone Chambers - looks a lot like me doesn't he... 

We also had some fun promoting it online. Andrew took the initiative and created The Upper Cruster Blog. The articles are funny, and definitely worth a read. Furthermore, we created a Facebook page for The Upper Cruster, and each fictitious character has their very own Facebook profile.

The most enjoyable part of our project was when we produced short promotional videos for the magazine. We didn’t really know how they would turn out, or how well they would be received, however so far we’ve had positive feedback from some individuals who have seen the videos.

So far, the videos have been viewed over 400 times since they were posted to YouTube a little over a week ago. If you haven’t had the opportunity to check them out, visit Kenton Larsen’s blog, YouTube, or watch them here.   

The magazine is printed, and handed in. There’s only one thing that remains: the Magazine Trade Fair, in which we will be promoting The Upper Cruster. Feel free to come visit our booth in the atrium and learn more about The Upper Cruster at The Roblin Centre – formerly known as Red River College’s Princess Street Campus – on Thursday, March 31 from noon to 4pm.

Here are The Upper Cruster videos for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy (I hope)!

THERE'S A BLUE DOOR, THERE'S A RED DOOR

Is there a window I could use to bypass both doors, Iggy?

As a political studies graduate, I revel in electoral campaigns. I find them fascinating and entertaining. During elections, I'm usually glued to my TV and reading every newspaper article I can get my hands on in order to keep up to date on the latest developments.

Frankly, I must confess, if a federal election is triggered in the next couple days - which to my chagrin will likely occur - I will for the first time ever join the chorus of Canadians who are suffering from electoral fatigue.

I'm also a card-carrying member of political parties at the provincial and federal level - though I won't say which ones, I'm sure one can figure out my political leanings based on previous posts - I am not compelled to participate in the upcoming election by voting. In fact, I'm going to sit the next one out.

No blue door, no red door, no orange door, no green door. This election campaign, I'll be staying indoors.

SUMORU

In terms of funny/disturbing ads, I think this one might take the cake. It's an advertisement for the 2011 Subaru Forrester. It's a funny parody on traditional car ads. It's a funny ad, if not mildly disgusting...

As funny as it is, would it compel you to go purchase a Subaru Forrester? Enjoy the ad!
And check out more funny ads I've blogged about here.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media is at the vanguard of new techniques to communicate with clients, friends, family and so on. Tools like Twitter and Facebook allow people from far reaches of the earth to communicate with each other, and engage each other on a level that was virtually unthinkable in years past.

Businesses have been keen to use social media to engage customers. According to The Wall Street Journal, the most successful business firms which use social media use it to engage customers in a two-way dialogue and to invite people and get them involved. The way businesses use Twitter and Facebook is different than the way individuals use these social media devices; not to mention there are some drastic differences between these tools. What then can businesses learn from the way its customers use social media?

When individuals use social media such as Twitter, it is typically to interact with people they may not necessarily have a connection to. It's a rather impersonal tool, where unknown individuals can follow your messages, and view your profile. This is in stark contrast to Facebook, where users must be accepted as friends in order to follow, or view certain information about a user. Typically, only friends view your profile.

Individual users on Twitter typically use it as a means to communicate a simple message, usually related to something they've seen on TV or on the Internet, whereas users on Facebook use it to communicate personal messages directed towards friends and family.

What this means for the business community is quite clear: campaigns to reach a customer base would be far better served on Twitter than on Facebook. Facebook is far from the ideal location for a business to pitch its wears in comparison to Twitter.

That being said, a well organized, integrated campaign which uses both tools will undoubtedly be more productive and yield better results than either individually.

WRITER V. PUBLISHER

As author Matt Dugan can attest to, publishing a book or a manuscript is apparently a terribly difficult process. He worked on a novel for two years before is publisher nixed it, and sent him back to the drawing board. It would be tremendously disheartening to put in two years of work only to be told that it won't be published.

Author Matt Dugan (Photo from InsideToronto.com)

But as Julie Wilson - also known as Book Madam - pointed out on her blog, there are now far more options at the disposal of authors. The traditional relationship between authors and  publishers is changing.

However, just because authors are able to bring their work to market doesn't mean they ought to. Although publishers can stand in the way, they do provide legitimacy to work. If I had a brilliant story idea, I would still work through traditional channels.

I implore you to check out bookmadam.com for a more in-depth analysis of the emerging trend in publishing.

TOP SONGS OF 2010

You may be wondering why I'm coming out with a list of my ten favourite songs of 2010 now, a month into 2011. The reason, frankly, is quite simple: it took me until now to narrow my list down to ten songs. In any case, the following is a (very eclectic) list of my favourite songs of 2010 in no particular order - it took me a month to compile a list of 10 songs, it would take me at least another month to rank them...

Erykah Badu - New Amerykah, Pt. 2: Return of the Ankh

Universal Motown Records 

Window Seat is an amazing song performed by an accomplished R&B artist with an amazing voice. There's no greater song to listen to when you just want to wind down after a busy day. 

Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma 

Warp Records Limited

There's so much happening in this entire album that you'll have to listen to it several times just to appreciate the skill with which Flying Lotus crafted his songs. Galaxy in Janaki is one such song that you'll likely have to listen to over and over again to truly appreciate it.

Daft Punk - Tron: Legacy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Walt Disney Records

I anticipated the release of the Tron: Legacy soundtrack more than any other in 2010. Overall, it wasn't my favourite of the year, but the song Derezzed made this album worth the wait. 

Beach House - Teen Dream

Sub Pop Records

10 Mile Stereo is a great song with a cool nostalgic feel. Nothing else needs to be said. Check it out.  

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

Sonovox

The Suburbs, nominated for a Juno, is a good album by the Arcade Fire. Most music critics will argue that Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) is the best song off the album. Don't get me wrong, it's an amazing song,  but it's not my pick. Rather the closer, The Suburbs (Continued) is my favourite song of the record. It's a short, dark song that gives me chills whenever I listen to it.   

James Blake - Klavierwerke EP
R&S Records

It's really hard to describe why I like this song, but give I Only Know (What I Know Now) a try. It's an eerie, progressive sound that is worth a listen. 

Foals - Total Life Forever
Warner Music UK Limited

I'll be the first to admit I didn't like album Antidotes by Foals; However with Total Life Forever, Foals have redeemed themselves in my opinion. If you haven't heard this album yet, I suggest you go pick it up. Nominated for the Barclaycard Mercury Prize, it's one of my favourite albums of 2010, and it was hard to choose only one song to put on this list. But for the purposes of this list, the title track Total Life Forever is my pick.

Quick side note,  I would also recommend getting their iTunes Festival: London 2010 EP. 

Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot... The Son of Chico Dusty

The Island Def Jam Music Group

This could be one of the most underrated albums of 2010. Sir Lucious Left Foot is a great hip hop album created a musical visionary, who manages to blend various styles of music into a new and exciting genre. I recommend the song Shutterbugg featuring Cutty. 

Broken Bells - Broken Bells

Sony Music Entertainment

The Mall and Misery is a great song performed by Shins frontman James Mercer and Danger Mouse. I'm not getting lazy, there's just really nothing else to say. Go listen to it.

Caribou - Swim

Merge Records

Hands down my favourite record of 2010, Swim by Caribou. Nominated for the Polaris Music Prize, and a Juno, this record is critically acclaimed, and rightly so. Pick up the album and listen to it from start to finish, you absolutely won't regret it. Having to choose only one song, I'll suggest you listen to Leave House, but the whole album is great. 

CRIME AND SAFETY

The following article was written as a city council meeting assignment. Having covered both a school board meeting and a meeting at Winnipeg City Hall, I can say that I appreciated my time at city hall considerably more.

I've always followed politics with a keen interest, having done my post-secondary studies in politics. I appreciated the process, the dialogue, and the clearness with which the meeting unfolded. The press is always present to hold councillors accountable for what they say, and what they do.

This is in stark contrast to the conduct of the Winnipeg School Division board meeting where, as a rule the press isn't present. I genuinely got the impression that we were intruding when we were at the school board meeting. Trustees were willing to answer questions, however I never got the feeling they really wanted to talk.

In any case, the following article covers the council meeting on January 26, 2010.


Crime and safety dominated the first city council meeting of 2011 at Winnipeg City Hall on Wednesday. Councillors approved a motion to increase the number of police officers by 58 by the end of 2012. In doing so, city council fulfilled Mayor Sam Katz's 2010 election campaign promise to add new officers to the Winnipeg Police Service. Although the motion was carried unanimously, some councillors expressed concerns about where the money for the new officers will come from.

(Photo from winnipeg.ca) 

According to Katz, crime and safety are Winnipeggers' number 1 priority. He noted that 18 of the new recruits will be assigned to a cruiser which will operate on a three-shift rotation, 20 officers will serve on foot patrol, and the other 20 officers will be fighting street gangs as part of a gang prevention unit. 32 officers will be added in 2011 at an estimated cost of over $1 million, and the remaining 26 will be added in 2012 for an estimated price tag of over $4 million.

Mayor Katz (Photo from mbchamber.mb.ca)

When referring to the street gang problem, Katz stated that he was fully aware of the troubles faced by at-risk youth. Katz hopes that the addition of 20 new officers dedicated to combatting gangs will be effective. "We know they are vulnerable, specifically young aboriginal people," he said, adding, "we need more resources."

Councillor Ross Eadie, who represents the Mynarski ward, echoed Katz's sentiment that crime is an important issue to Winnipeggers. "There really is a want from the people to bring more police officers to protect communities at risk," he stated, however adding that those resources "have a lot of financial implications."

Jenny Gerbasi, Fort Rouge - East Fort Garry ward councillor, said finding funds for the new officers was a major concern. Although the city is operating with a funding shortfall, Gerbasi didn't want to see existing programs that prevent crime cut in order to pay for the new officers. "We will need some fiscal accountability, " she said. "We have to find a way to pay for it without taking away from programs that prevent (crime). (Katz) didn't say where we're getting the money from. It's a big question mark."

Councillor Jenny Gerbasi (photo from winnipeg.ca)

Scott Fielding, the chairperson of council's finance committee and councillor for the St. James - Brooklands ward, said that although the budget isn't finalized, he doesn't foresee additional officers coming at the expense of existing programs.

Fielding said that the funding for new police officers would be covered by new revenue streams, such as property taxes generated by new homes. He added, "the city's revenue stream always goes up, we'll generate the funds."

WINNIPEG SCHOOL BOARD MEETING

Here's a copy of an article I wrote about a Winnipeg school board meeting. The meeting was riveting, and so is this story. Let it captivate your imagination.


Environmental concerns took centre stage at the Winnipeg school board meeting on Monday, January 10. Trustees representing the Winnipeg School Division were faced with three separate motions introduced by trustee Mike Babinsky, which aimed to reduce the environmental impact of plastics. Although none of his motions were carried, it did not dampen the veteran trustee's spirits. That's because one of Babinsky's main objectives was to create a dialogue about reducing plastic waste in Winnipeg School Division institutions. 

Trustee Mike Babinsky (Photo from cbc.ca)

The three motions Babinsky proposed were all subsequently referred to the policy/program committee for further analysis. Among the motions, Babinsky suggested banning the sale of plastic beverage bottles and eliminating the use of plastic containers by students and staff. He also proposed that the school board lobby the provincial and civic governments to establish a refundable deposit for plastic bottles similar to ones established in other provinces. 

Some of the other trustees were reluctant to support Babinsky's motions without further consultation. When referring to the motion to ban the sale of plastic beverage bottles in Winnipeg School Division schools and buildings, Trustee Joyce Bateman noted that it was "critical to consult with our students, our staff and our parents." She added, "to miss the opportunity for consultation would be a waste."


The most contentious of the motions introduced by Babinsky was the proposal that the Winnipeg school board should lobby local governments to create a refundable deposit for plastic bottles. Trustee Kristine Barr said that the motion was "not within (the school board's) mandate," suggesting that "if all (the trustees') personal issues became agenda issues, (the board would) be here until Tuesday morning."


However, Trustee Anthony Ramos came to Babinsky's defense on the lobbying issue. Ramos said "dialogue does put it on everyone's mind that we are behind the rest of the country," adding that if the Winnipeg school board's efforts could produce a shift in consumer consumption "we should keep it on (the board's) radars."


Ultimately, Babinsky was expecting the motions to create further discussion. According to the trustee, his goal wasn't to force the environmental issues on anyone, but rather it was to foster more discussion. "I'm not trying to ban little Johnny's mom from packing a bottle of water for him to have with his sandwich," rather, he stated "I was expecting further dialogue."


Babinsky noted that further dialogue could lead to positive changes in behaviour, and pointed to the shift he noticed in the use of Styrofoam cups to coffee mugs in school break rooms. He said there was no ban on Styrofoam, and all it took was an idea to change consumption. Babinsky said fostering continued dialogue is about "encouraging our staff further" to make positive environmental changes. 

RADIO GA GA

I don't mean to mislead any Queen fans out there, but this article isn't about the classic rock band in any way shape or form - besides which, I really don't like the song Radio Ga Ga - nor is it about the (for reasons that I don't understand) popular singer Lady Gaga.

 

Sorry folks, this blog isn't about oddly dressed performers... 

Rather, this is a short article I wrote in my spare time. It was never intended to get published in a newspaper, I swear it... In any case, I hope you enjoy this story about a new radio station in Winnipeg. 

For the second time in less than three years, CHUM Radio Winnipeg changed the format of one of its radio stations. On December 26, 2010 Curve 94.3, which played an eclectic range of pop alternative music, ceased to exist. Curve was rebranded as a 60s and 70s radio station called FAB 94•3. The question remains, will a radio station with a narrower focus in its format attract a large enough demographic to compete against other local radio stations?

Photo from ctvmedia.ca 

Curve, branded as “Winnipeg’s Pop Alternative,” took to the airwaves on August 29, 2008 replacing the former Q94 FM. The radio station’s eclectic range of music was intended to appeal to a target audience aged 25 to 40.

BBM Canada, a not for profit organization which gathers information on audience behaviours, released statistics at the beginning of December, 2010 which ranked Curve in tenth position with a 2.9 per cent share of radio listenership in Manitoba. Curve’s ranking dropped from the previous year, when it came in ninth position with 4 per cent of listeners. In 2010, Hot 103 was the music station with the highest share of listenership in 2010 with 11.8 per cent.

According to a media release issued on December 26, 2010, CHUM Radio Winnipeg vice-president and general manager Chris Stevens stated that the change in format was due to listeners’ input. Stevens stated that “Winnipeggers spoke, and we listened. We're thrilled to bring a brand new radio station to (Winnipeg). FAB 94•3 will feed the musical appetite of a large and passionate demographic.”

The change in format has already led to mixed reviews from younger radio listeners.

Keith Burke, an 18-year-old University of Manitoba student, preferred Curve’s eclectic format to the new 60s and 70s format on FAB. “I listened to Curve and other stations like Hot 103. I liked that they would play older songs, especially songs from the 1990s, and newer songs too,” he said adding “I liked the mix of old and new.”

For some radio listeners, FAB’s format is an improvement from Curve’s. According to Samantha Schimnowski, a 22-year-old dietetic aide, Curve’s eclectic radio format did not appeal to her. “I never really listened to Curve much, it wasn’t really my kind of music,” she said, adding “I’m not a fan of pop music.”

Schimnowski said that she feels that the new format on FAB is “definitely a step up from the music they were playing on Curve,” but conceded that she “would rather still just pop a cd when I’m in the car.”

FEELING FINE?

How are you doing after five years of Conservative government? Michael Ignatieff would like you to say you're no better off now than you were before Stephen Harper took office.

Photo from cbc.ca 

When Ignatieff kicked off his 20/11 Tour in Winnipeg and unveiled his new ad campaign, he stated that "when (the Liberal Party) asks Manitobans if they are better off - and if Canada is better off - today under Stephen Harper compared to five years ago, the answer is resoundingly 'no.'"

This statement seems to indicate something interesting about the Liberal strategy, which is evident in the choice of language in Ignatieff's speech. The Liberal Party is still clearly focusing its attacks on Harper's credibility rather than his conservative government as a whole. So far, the tactic seems to have failed as the Liberals are still polling behind the governing Conservatives. 

I personally question why Ignatieff is still beating this dead horse, so to speak. If attacking the leader of the government hasn't worked to improve the Liberal Party's numbers in the polls after years of trying, a rational individual would think it best to switch gears and try another tactic. 

The problem Ignatieff and the Liberal Party still faces is that they are unable to propose meaningful policy alternatives that resonate with the Canadian electorate, which at the same time differentiates their views from the Conservative Party's. I suspect that in the short term, or so long as Ignatieff is leader of the opposition,  we can look forward to more of the same. 

DISCRIMINATION BY ANOTHER NAME

Harry Lali, a candidate running for the provincial NDP leadership in British Columbia, made a statement on Thursday, January 6, that's sure to get every liberal-minded Canadian citizen tied in a knot.

(Photo from cbc.ca)

Lali made the statement that "(e)quity quotas are anti-democratic and discriminate, specifically against older, white males. As leader, I would welcome back older, white males into our NDP family. I say to older, white males, don't stand outside the tent and complain. Come and join my campaign team."

Critics will immediately pounce on him for making the statement that equity quotas are anti-democratic and discriminate against white males. I can almost guarantee that the portion of the statement he made within the same speech in which he states "(w)e need to empower women and equity groups through an incentive-based and target-based approach, but NOT through equity quotas" will be largely ignored by his detractors and the media.

The reality of the situation is that equity quotas are anti-democratic and discriminate. The purpose of these measures was to eliminate the glass ceiling that prevented women and members of visible minorities from reaching the same heights within organizations as their predominantly white male counterparts.

There is no doubt that equity quotas, or employment equity, has had an impact on the number of women and visible minorities entering the workforce and political parties, and competing for high profile jobs. But at a certain point, we must, as a nation, collectively reevaluate equity quotas.

Anyone who has ever applied for a government job, whether at the civic, provincial, or federal level, will have no doubt read the disclaimers noting that preference will be given to members of one of the four employment equity designated groups. Members of this group include aboriginal peoples, members of visible minorities, persons with disabilities, and women.

On the one hand, I'm glad governments proactively disclose this information; on the other, I think it's a discriminatory practice. When you make the statement that you are hiring members of specific groups, it bluntly gives the impression that you are hiring based on sex and race.

What's worse is that keeping such a practice in place also demeans members of the employment equity designated groups. It virtually gives the impression that members of those groups got their jobs simply due to the fact that they fall within the desired criteria rather than solely based on their qualifications.

Make no mistake, members of these equity groups are just as qualified as those who are not, and they were historically mistreated and under-represented in the workforce. However, current hiring practices leave a sour taste. We shouldn't be hiring based on guilt over historical mistreatment. I believe on hiring based on merit, plain and simple.

I firmly believe in an incentive-based and target-based approach that would empower women and minority groups as Lali suggested. Quotas don't fix problems. They act as a fancy window-dressings. But as noted, it is unlikely that much attention will be paid to that portion of his speech. The media will undoubtedly choose to focus on the more controversial portion of his statement which, taken out of context, looks confrontational and controversial.

Lali took a stand, but he'll probably fall on his sword.

WHERE DO THEY GET ALL THOSE FANCY BANNERS FROM?

Does the unfurling of a banner work as an effective way to get people talking? Is it newsworthy? If you look at Greenpeace's track record, one can argue that it certainly does.

Photo from msnb.com 

There are countless examples of Greenpeace's work around the world. The vast majority of the time, environmental activists climb, or repel, off of buildings to display large banners with a political message.

Take for example one of Greenpeace's PR stunts, when members climbed onto two buildings on Parliament Hill to display two large banners protesting Canada's inaction on climate change, as well as protesting Alberta's oilsands, in December, 2009 ahead of a United Nations conference on climate change.

Photo from thestar.com

The story instantly drew media coverage because, as was reported by the National Post, among others, it was the "biggest security breach in years and raised questions about how to keep Parliament Hill a people's place while barring those who could seek to do harm."   

The stunt certainly fit the bill as a newsworthy story. The stunt was timely as it preceded a United Nations conference. It was a national news story that had great impact, as it was incredibly unexpected, and the security breach was unprecedented. 

If anything, this pseudo-event was very effective in that it got people talking about it all over Canada.