I support you

I’m not generally the type to re-post videos and insist others watch them (maybe that goes back to my Rankin Inlet days when trying to watch a minute-long YouTube video took half an hour) but I’m going to make an exception.

I figure if word about Jamie Hubley’s suicide has made it to B.C., and all over my Facebook, most people who read this blog will be familiar with his story. But for those who aren’t, Jamie was a teenage kid from Ottawa who committed suicide last week. Another case of a gay kid being bullied to death. This time, the son of an Ottawa city councillor, not that that should make his death more important, but certainly has made it more public.

It seems every couple of weeks there’s another story in the news about a kid who takes his own life because he or she (though most often he, it seems) can’t deal with the bullying, the negativity, the hurt anymore. Sometimes it goes back to sexual orientation, but not always.

And that’s where this video comes into play. Because yes, gay kids feel ostracized. But so do adults. Kids are cruel to each other, and adults are cruel to themselves. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I’ve lost a friend to suicide. I have had several friends who have dealt with depression, and I’ve had my own dark periods.

I woke up this morning wanting nothing more than to just cry. So for about three hours, off and on, I cried. Why was I crying? I have no idea. My life is good, I have a job, I have a cute little apartment in a cute little house, I have a bit of money in the bank so if I feel like it, I can afford to treat myself. Even yesterday, as I was biking home from work I was thinking to myself what a wonderful life I am living, and how lucky I am. But none of that shone through this morning, as I wallowed in bed.

What’s going to get me out of this slump is my friends. I called one, and she let me talk. I texted another, and I’m going to spend the night with her family out of town. Both were exactly what I needed.

And that brings me back to this video, and what this young man is talking about. Sometimes those three little words — “I support you” — are all it takes. It’s so simple, so universal. Sometimes people just need to know others support them. It doesn’t matter how huge or trivial your problems may seem, a little bit of support can make all the difference.

So watch this. Feel inspired. Feel amazed at Scott’s depth, and tell or show someone in your life you support them. It can’t hurt.

How my blog got me a job

Well maybe.

The jury is still out on that one, but it most definitely ‘groomed’ me for my new job.

As of next month, I’m going to be a ‘digital reporter/editor’. Whatever that truly means is beyond me, but what it seems to mean, in part, is I will be managing our local CBC website.

And guess what, it uses a blogging platform.

So somehow, in the strange world of the web, blogging (albiet not very regularly at times) over the past 5 years has put me in the perfect position to take this on.

Our website has been ‘live’ for 1 day and it already looks better than the ones being done out of Vancouver. Maybe that’s cocky, but it’s the truth.

(mine) http://www.cbc.ca/daybreaksouth/

(theirs) http://www.cbc.ca/onthecoast/

Pictures, people. Pictures make the difference.

 

Just a phone

As a girl who has recently been given a iPhone for work (and who now has to carry THREE- that’s right THREE- cell phones around everywhere) I am a little nostalgic lately for the dates of the simple phone.

I remember when my dad had one of the original Motorola flip phones for the job he was doing at the time. I remember fighting with my sister over it. I seem to remember playing games on it, but that seems a little advanced.

 

Now there’s this. John’s Phone.

No texting. No screen. One ringtone. 3 weeks standby time.

Kind of refreshing eh?

The photo and the kiss seen ’round the world

What does this say about our culture right now?

Some argue this was egged on by social media. But then look at the story’s dissemination! The beast feeds itself. The whole event is surreal. Surreal enough to be one of those things that becomes historic.

Over a game.

What in the world do people think they have to be angry at? All this was so unnecessary. I’d have rathered if they just lost in Boston in Game 5. At least then maybe people wouldn’t have been so revved up. So prepared.

I have friends and colleagues who were attacked in the riots. One went out basically to “watch the back” of another, who was working solo in some very hostile crowds. They had a skateboard swung at them. Because they were media.

I read earlier today that a police officer was slugged in the head with a brick. Needed 14 stitches.

And then there’s this:

I find it terrifying people get to this point.

The private radio experience

I drove to Seattle and back over Easter — great trip. Photos to come.

But when I was there, I did something I’ve not done in a very very very long time:

Listened to PRIVATE RADIO. *gasp!!

And it truly was an experience. I did a fair bit of driving when I was in Seattle itself, and didn’t change the station off of the one I first landed on when I got in the city. And they literally played the same 5 songs evey single hour. I couldn’t believe it. Now, granted it’s not like I’m up on what the cool kids listen to, so maybe it was a much needed pop-music crash course (and eye-opener — apparently Rihanna likes S&M??).

But this catchy little number has been in my head ever since. Don’t think I’ve heard it here in Canada — has anyone else caught it? Am I ahead of the trend now, or sadly behind?

Either way, you can’t beat masked monkeys and coordinated dance moves.

WAS THIS DRAWN ON AN ETCH-A-SKETCH?

It’s not that I don’t pay attention to pop culture. It’s just that I don’t do the You Tube thing. I don’t really watch videos online. I think that’s because that became really popular and common when I moved up north. And because my internet cost 60 bucks a month and only gave me 2 gigs of bandwidth a month (and worked more or less at the speed of dialup) and it just wasn’t practical.

So I’ll admit, I’m a little behind the ball on this critique of WORST “MUSIC” “VIDEO” ever.

I’ve been hearing this song actually for a week now (maybe more). My colleague, who has 2 teen kids (one with a razor-sharp sense of irony and who is on my facebook because I think she’s hilarious) has been singing it (at least the “Friday Friday Friday” part) but somehow remixed it with Beiber’s “Baby Baby Baby” chorus, and the 15 second song loop from the dancing singing Saddam Hussein action figure toy that has appeared at the bureau since I got back from vacation.

Yes, seriously.

So this evening my loving sister forced me to watch the truly toxic “Friday” music video. If you, like me, haven’t seen it — you need to.

The following is a live-stream of my horror as expressed to my sister while watching this abomination.

WAS THIS DRAWN ON AN ETCH-A-SKETCH?
THIS IS NOT SINGING
THAT KID IS NOT OLD ENOUGH TO DRIVE
OMG FRONT SEAT OR BACK SEAT? LIFE IS SO HARD!!
“We we we so excited?” SHE HAS LOST THE ABILITY TO USE VERBS.
I think she’s brain damaged.
At least she knows the order of the days of the week?
I’m very worried for the future.

Getting fired over Twitter

The MotherCorp now encourages journalists to actively be part of the Twitter world. The collective agreement doesn’t cover this one.

Read here: http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/online-public-relations/what-chrysler-did-wrong-remembering-the-human-side-of-social/

 

ALSO:

Give a gal 6 hours in an airport and she begins to tinker with her much-neglected blog and blog template.

I know this is a graphic-heavy style, do you folks find it clunky to load and/or read?

Let me know.

Taking a leaf out of NTV’s book

One of the funny, but not all that surprising parts of cable television in Rankin Inlet (and I expect other parts of Nunavut as well) was the inclusion of Newfoundland Television (NTV). Funny, because it is/was a really low-budget station from half a country away, but not surprising because of the sheer density of Newfoundlanders up north.

One of NTV’s trademarks was its random filler music videos. Almost every commercial break, at the very end, they would play about 40 seconds of a song/music video. Always ending abruptly before the show resumed.

I don’t totally know why they did this, I figured maybe they didn’t have to pay royalties if they only played a segment of the song. Maybe it was an easier way of timing out the commercials, who knows.

But now MTV (Canada) is doing it too. The channel really doesn’t show any music videos anymore. Just reality TV about short orange italians. And pregnant 16 year olds. And they’ve gotten in trouble with the CRTC for it too. But what they ARE doing now is “promoing” music videos, by showing 40 second clips, and then directing people to their web site to see the full song.

It’s exactly what NTV has been doing for years. But with more web traffic as a possible bonus.

Yes, I’m shocked too

I never thought I’d see the day when I’d write a blog post about Justin Bieber.

I know so little about this teeny-bopper, I don’t think I’ve ever consciously heard one of his marshmellow-y songs (though I’m sure I have, just didn’t know that’s what I was listening to) and had to double-check the spelling of his last name in that first reference.

But I am starting to feel really bad for the kid. He’s now allegedly tied up in some sort of legal fight because he may have pushed another kid who may have made some snide comment about Bieber’s sexual orientation earlier this week in Vancouver.

But then I read a version of this article in our local paper. I almost didn’t even read the headline because next to it was a quarter-page photo of Bieber, and as a general rule I ignore all things Bieber.

Here’s the general idea:

Toronto radio station CFNY has been reprimanded by the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council after a host made comments about Justin Bieber fans that the council concluded “inappropriately sexualized children.”

(and this one is pretty rough)

According to the council’s account: “To a female fan, Blundell said he had tweeted, ‘Save your energy for puberty or to fend off your dad tonight while you’re sleepin.'” About the one male fan who had contacted him, Blundell said, “He’ll be chuggin’ before he’s 18 … if he likes that music.”

I don’t understand. What is it about this child that simultaneously makes tweens scream and other subsets of the population turn into toads?

This can’t possibly be the fair price of fame.