Of Politics & Possibility

Being a comma

2012-02-01T14:59:00.000-05:00

Disclosure: I bought the latest Coldplay album last weekend and haven't been able to stop playing it yet. Thankfully (for the husband's sake), I only really play it while I'm in the car and he's not usually with me.

There's this one lyric that just keeps playing over and over in my head and I'm not quite sure why but it's something that I've been mulling over the past few days.

"I'd rather be a comma than a full stop"

I never really thought about it too much when I first heard the song, but it's latched onto my cortex and won't let go. I guess the question that it raises is, what exactly does it mean to be a comma instead of a full stop?

Other than the huge life changes that went on last year for me, I'm planning a few more this year. I've been working at an amazing facility where I teach therapeutic riding and I love it so much that I'm working on my certification. It's not really a change, but it's moving me into a different career path than where I am currently.

So, back to my original question. What does it mean to be a comma instead of a full stop? I interpret it as being more in the moment and moving with the flow of life instead of trying to cling to things and force them to work the way you want them to.

Here's to living in the moment in 2012.

Event planning 101 or How I survived planning my wedding solo without ending up certifiable

2011-11-11T09:02:00.000-05:00

Planning (and surviving) a wedding is an awful lot like consciously choosing to avoid a mental breakdown. There are meetings, scheduling conflicts, and (quite frequently) wine.

I just survived my first.

Wedding, of course.

After nearly two years of planning, plotting, and drinking, it's all over. And I have managed to wrangle five key tips for event planners and future brides:

1. Make a battle plan. Set up a strategy and plan every last task that has to be done down to the hour. You may be cross-eyed after doing this,but it'll make life a lot easier in the long run. While only half of your tasks will have hard deadlines, it doesn't hurt to set personal ones for everything else, this way you can schedule yourself to death in advance and still have a bit of wiggle room for when the s*** hits the fan.

Never underestimate the importance of caffeine.

2. The devil is in the details. Pick three things that you really want to focus on and stick with them. If you try to focus on every little detail and make every little thing special, you're likely to fail and/or go insane. Besides, if one tiny thing is forgotten, only you and your team will know. Everyone else will be too busy having a great time.


Always look on the bright side of life. Monty Python does.

3. Never underestimate the importance of flexibility. Sometimes things will go wrong and you'll have to improvise, fast. You'll have to roll with the punches and live with it. Depending on how flexible you really are, you can either have a blast, or end up crying in the corner. Take your pick.

Despite losing power, we still managed to rock the night with a capella
versions of pretty much any song we could think of.

4. Things will get overwhelming. There are a lot of decisions to be made that rest on your shoulders and people will judge you on. Everyone will deny it, but let's face it, this is an event that uniquely represents you (in the case of the brides) or your organization (in the case of event planners).

Take the time to slow down and take a breather, even when you're convinced the world will end if you do, it will be a good thing. Being calm will help you deal with the ups and downs or at least come down from that crazy night-before-the-event adrenaline-high that'll have you crashing hard.


Sometimes, holding a big ball of fur can be helpful. Sometimes, not so much. Especially when that ball of fur really wants to get at, and destroy, your big expensive dress.

5. Build, and rely on, a great team. They can be your support network and helpers. They will be the ones to pick up the slack when you're exhausted and keep you cheery when all you really want to do is burn all of those ribbons to cinders.

Having the support of a great group is key.

Bonus tip 6. Enjoy it! It's been a long haul and it's finally happening/over! Find moments for yourself and savour your victory. It all goes by in a whirlwind and it's nice to be able to remember it. Pictures are great but they tend to lessen in meaning if you don't remember the event depicted happening.

The boy soldier and the teenager

2010-11-22T15:25:00.001-05:00

I recently had the opportunity to read A long way gone: Memoirs of a boy soldier by Ishmael Beah. It's an amazing, thought-provoking, tragic, and at times gruesome, story of Beah's time as a child soldier in Sierra Leone.

I won't go into how awesome the book is - you should really check it out for yourself. What I will talk about is the reaction of one of my students to the book.

I tutor a few kids a week in English and one of them is reading a novel about child soldiers in Uganda. I started to tell him about Beah's book and he begged me to read him a description from the book. He wanted me to find the goriest part and read it (I didn't). He thought it was so cool (and so do his friends from class) that kids in other countries actually get to use guns and kill people.

Needless to say, I stopped reading pretty quickly. I'm still not really sure as to how to react. I'm disturbed that he couldn't relate to this being real and not fiction.

I'm contemplating having him read Beah's book once he's finished the novel, to give him some perspective and do a mini research project on the Lord's Resistance Army. Maybe then he won't be so quick to wish we were at war so he could fight.

Of seven year olds and pole dancing

2010-10-25T23:45:00.002-04:00

I came across this thanks to the Toronto Star.

I'm going to start by saying that I do not endorse this style of dancing by girls so young, but I found the whole controversy surrounding the issue quite interesting. Parents are outraged that their children, usually daughters, are learning erotic moves and wearing smaller, sexier outfits.

The more interesting question that this whole scandal has raised (for me, anyway) was at what age is it appropriate to teach these moves and introduce these costumes? When is it okay to teach girls that grinding, groping yourself, and doing moves that would usually require a pole are dance moves that are competition or dance-floor appropriate?

We'd like to think that kids can be kids until they have to grow up, but is 7 years old really the time for them to have to grow up?

Another year, another Relay for Life

2010-06-23T10:55:00.007-04:00

Recently I had the opportunity to participate both as a team leader and a committee member in the Canadian Cancer Society's Relay for Life. Having been a participant for the past few years, it was interesting to see the other side of things.

A large portion of my evening was spent walking around the track at Brampton's Fair Grounds taking pictures of teams in costume and generally making sure that everyone was having a good time. (Pics can be seen at the Brampton/Caledon/Georgetown/Dufferin County Unit's Facebook page.)

The main thing that I noticed about this year's Relay compared to the last few was that the focus had shifted from individual team members to families. There was a sports area set up for kids as well as a bouncy castle and even a clown doing balloon animals. Having all of these things made the event more kid-friendly and I saw that a lot more families were present for the event, compared to last year.

I think it was a brilliant move on the part of the committee to have more kid-friendly activities. Apart from drawing more families to the event, it made the whole evening feel more like a social get-together where the focus was on celebrating victories over cancer, remembering those who have lost the battle, and symbolically fighting cancer as a community.

Congrats to the Unit's successful event and I'm looking forward to next year's.

Why the PR Game Shouldn't be Played by Science

2010-04-30T16:17:00.005-04:00

Wired posted this great article on Monday "Why Science Needs to Step Up Its PR Game" and while I find the premise quite intriguing, I have to disagree strongly. As a PR professional myself, it's quite easy to get frustrated with the lack of success in persuading public opinion that science often has.

The point, however, is that the purpose of science is not for persuading. The facts should be unbiased and speak on their own. It is the job of activists and PR-type professionals to persuade, it is the job of scientists to provide the material with which persuading will occur. If scientists were to start employing PR professionals to "sell" their ideas, the objectivity of the scientists would be lost and their information would be biased. If information can be argued to be biased, it can be dismissed and, despite the potential validity of this information, it will not be able to be used as for further research purposes and therefore will be ignored and valuable resources will be wasted.

I would argue that instead of using PR to promote science, we should be using PR to change the perception of scientific research and to help the public to better understand just what it is that science really is.

Maxwell House brews up some good feelings with a bitter aftertaste

2010-04-23T16:37:00.005-04:00

I was watching TV last night when one of the Maxwell House commercials came on and I actually paid attention for once. It's a bit old (2008) and is referencing their "Brew Some Good" campaign (orchestrated by OgilvyOne Toronto) where Maxwell House donated $226,000 to nominated charities instead of spending it on a commercial.

The reason that I paid attention was because Maxwell House donated to C.A.R.D. (a.k.a. the Community Association for Riding for the Disabled), which just so happens to be a pet cause of mine. The ad had me completely convinced that I should support Maxw ell House at least by buying their instant coffee when I'm going camping. (I'm very particular about buying whole beans instead of ground coffee, so switching over completely isn't feasible.) However, after a little research, I found out that the donations and their Brew Some Good Week were a one-time deal in celebration of their reformulated 100% Arabica bean coffee.

If Maxwell House really wants to celebrate by rewarding "Canada's top do-gooders", the donations should be on-going or at least offer yearly competitions, and Brew Some Good Week would also be a yearly thing organized by Maxwell House. If the company can afford to throw that kind of money at charities once by reducing costs on their commercials, logically speaking they can do it again. And again.

Nice PR stunt Maxwell House, but I'm not buying.

Updates and apologies

2010-04-06T13:37:00.001-04:00

You've probably noticed that this blog has been, well dead. So as stated in the title, I've got both updates and apologies.

My life has been quite chaotic up to the point of disrupting my work life. I've been working as a communications consultant while juggling other responsibilities, so unfortunately this blog was left on the backburner to burn.

But no more! I will be doing my absolute best to post on a minimum of a bi-weekly basis about PR in the news.

Seal meat is on the menu at Parliament

2009-11-18T10:19:00.007-05:00

Let's hear it for Stephen Harper! He's finally made an obvious statement of support for the seal hunt: seal meat is now on the menu at the Parliamentary restaurant.

I'm pleased that the government is supporting this important part of Canadian history. This is a a step in the right direction for support of the seal hunt. I have to wonder, however, if this is a PR move based on the controversy that PETA has brought about.

Harper hasn't typically had a good relationship with First Nations peoples and also hasn't really had their support. It could be argued that this sudden acceptance of the seal hunt is a bid for votes, or maybe he really wants to support this way of life. I'm hoping for the latter.

Identity theft with a twist

2009-10-14T23:29:00.007-04:00

It sounds like something out of a nightmare: "Girl finds dead mother hawking cure-all on Facebook." Helen Breimer died 9 months ago of cancer and her Facebook account was hacked to promote a "miracle cure-all" colon cleanser. The account has since been shut down but this is just one example of many of how commonplace identity theft is becoming.

The main point that I got out of this article was that this was just one case of many. Nothing particularly different or important happened in this case but it makes for a good story.

On the contrary dear readers, something important did happen. Shelby Breimer found her deceased mother's profile active and touting the importance of this "miracle" drug. The company, Teloxys Technologies Ltd, has yet to apologize and did not remove the content on its own and Facebook hasn't returned any of Shelby's calls.

The biggest question, for me anyway, would be how to seek justice. A person's privacy has been violated here and no one seems to be willing to do anything about it. How well does this reflect on Facebook and why do none of the news stories seem to have picked up on this?

Sustainable cooking - an oxymoron?

2009-10-01T19:09:00.006-04:00

The Brighter Planet has just launched a contest à la Julie-Julia Project to "Master the Art of Sustainable Cooking." I'm both intrigued and skeptical.

It's a great contest idea both for raising awareness of carbon footprint reduction/conservation and for challenging people to think more about what they eat. I'm pleased to see that they've launched the contest right at the beginning of the fall season when food is still plentiful from farmer's markets and relatively easy to get locally. The types of foods that are readily available are also low-effort foods (you don't have to do too much to prepare them).

What I'm really wondering is if people would be willing to stick with the challenge during the winter months when local food isn't as easy to get and when people are craving higher fat foods that require more preparation and more ingredients.

All right, I'll bite. For the month of October, I'm going to try to follow all of the tips listed in the contest, paying particular attention to getting foods from local sources.

Wish me luck.

Howling to the wolves

2009-09-09T00:00:00.005-04:00

I was recently fortunate enough to participate in one of Algonquin Park's most famous activities: the wolf howl. According to the report, the wolf howl that I attended was the only one this year to get a response from the guides' calls by wolves.

Apart from anything else, I was very impressed with the level of organization from the staff. Although there was a relatively small group for the howl (around 600 people) the staff were more than ready to leap into action and help everyone out.

The naturalists were knowledgeable about wolf ecology and were able to explain it in a way that everyone was able to understand. All in all, it was a great event to raise awareness of wolves and to help combat people's prejudice against these amazing predators.

Ingenuity for sale

2009-08-13T22:25:00.008-04:00

Being the uber biology nerd that I am, Gmail often suggests sites that I should check out and most of these are biology-related. This little gem, on the other hand, is completely chemistry.

Made with Molecules, Raven Hanna's brain child, uses recycled materials and local sources for her jewellery and clothing designs. The part that I love the most is the integration of molecular images and art. Who would've thought that ethanol could look so elegant or that oxytocin could look so cuddly?

I have to admire Hanna who decided to do something that she loves and make it into a viable and thriving business. It makes me want to take a page from her book, but I don't really think that anyone would pay me excessively for drawing ducks.

Oh well, there's always PR as a fallback.

Where have the writers gone?

2009-07-17T23:51:00.013-04:00

An article in The Toronto Star caught my eye recently, it was written by a member of the Associated Press regarding a new study that found that a jockey's riding style can cut a horse's race time by 5-7%. Although the topic is very interesting to me, what really caught my eye was the fact that the scientific paper in question was briefly summarized but the most important part was left out: how does a jockey *actually* do it? (The answer, by the way, is by balancing their weight and springing with the horse, a jockey is able to propel the horse forward, much like a child on a swing.)

After some sleuthing on my part, I finally came up with a similar article from the New York Times, written by a staff member, which actually details the findings of the paper and even delves a little into the practical implications of the findings. I guess it boils down to this: why did The Star decide that it was okay to print an incomplete article quickly instead of taking the time that the New York Times invested and having a complete, well-rounded article?

The argument could be made that money is the main problem, but all that I seem to be hearing in the news is about the job cuts that are being made to American papers. So why was this acceptable? The geographic area for the Toronto Star includes two large race tracks: Woodbine and Mohawk, so it's not as though racing wouldn't be of interest.

So I find myself questioning again, why is this acceptable?

The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese

2009-07-08T23:57:00.002-04:00

Early birds may get the worm, but people who sleep in have more mental stamina than early risers. According to Dr Peigneux's findings, people who get up later are able to keep their energy levels steady and are able to focus for longer periods of time. People who fell into the "early risers" category got up between 5am and 6am and people who were considered to be "late risers" got up around noon.

The really interesting issue that this article brought up for me is the social stigma that people who sleep in are lazy and don't want to work. Is this really the case or do these people just have different circadian rythms? I know I'm definitely not an early bird - I tend to wake up fully around 10am, so should I try to keep resetting my 'clock' to the average work day timing or should I just give up and go with what my body tells me to do?

Kinda makes stop and think about how more effective you could be at doing your job or just about anything if you were to follow your circadian rhythm instead of following the societal norm.

I wonder does this mean I can convince my boss to shift my work hours?

Updates from the newly graduated

2009-06-26T17:20:00.000-04:00

I'm taking a page from Stacey's book here and finally posting after a long hiatus. I finished my internship for school, graduated, and am working on contract as the Media Relations Officer/Fundraiser for Long Point Waterfowl. I've got a couple of posts that were on the back-burner, so I should be back to posting regularly within the next few days.

Nicole & I at convocation

Thanks for reading!

Ever been obliviated?

2009-03-31T14:54:00.007-04:00

Toronto researchers at Sick Kids Hospital recently announced that they are now able to erase painful memories from the minds of mice. Harry Potter, Orwell, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind comes to mind.

The possibilities for this technology are endless and so are the ethical dilemmas. I'm not really sure where to start, but neither are the researchers.

Mostly, the technology has been proposed to help detach people from the strong emotional reactions that accompany traumatic memories and are usually associated with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). In theory, PTSD will be reduced, but I think that the potential for this technology to be abused is very strong.

Hopefully this will have strong restrictions to the use of it and will only be used as a last resort.

United Way for the third world?

2009-03-16T17:07:00.005-04:00

On Thursday, March 12th I went to the launch dinner of Belleville's own Streams of Hope, which bills itself as the United Way for the third world.

I was very impressed with the overall message behind the organization: 100% of funds go to help organizations that already exist within the countries in need. Streams of Hope is able to do this by being entirely volunteer based.

That's right. They have no paid staff.

From a donor's perspective, this is pretty sweet for me! I know where the money is going and I'm fortunate enough to know the people who are involved in going over to visit and help the third party organizations in person to make sure that the funds go to what's needed the most. Overall, I think it's an awesome idea for a non-profit. Finally, someone's getting it right.

Charity starts at home

2009-03-09T11:19:00.007-04:00

Have you ever wanted to make a difference but didn't know how? Danny Brown of Press Release PR can help with that. Danny is spearheading the 12 for 12k challenge:

- 12 months
- 12 charities
- 1200 people
- $10 per person
- $12,000 per person

Sound like something you'd be interested in helping out with? Visit the site here for more info! This month's charity is Share Our Strength, which is campaigning to end child hunger.

Technology gone too far?

2009-03-02T15:11:00.010-05:00

I stumbled on ViaGen's site recently and was curious as to what the services the company offers. ViaGen is a cloning company that offers equine, bovine, porcine, and pet cloning services.

I'm not really sure as to how I feel about the company. Everything is presented in a rose-tinted kind of way "Ever wish you could have offspring from a champion gelding? Cloning offers the possibility to fulfill that desire by producing an intact male that is genetically identical to a champion gelding."

The site goes on to caution that "Not every animal is suitable for cloning" but reassures the reader that cloning is "a valuable tool." No mention of ethics is made; they could be cleverly included in a FAQ section.

Never mind ethics, has the laws behind cloning caught up with the technology yet? If enough people clone a champion racehorse and race them in the same race, how would officials decide on the winner? Is ViaGen a sign of greed gone out of control or a new step forward in keeping racing bloodlines pure?

Pictured above: Clayton, clone of Scamper, barrel racing champion

Who says procrastinating isn't useful?

2009-02-23T23:27:00.010-05:00

This past weekend, instead of "lazing about" (read: cramming in as much school work as humanly possible into 48 hours) I decided that I should go get educated on social media, so I went to PodCamp Toronto 2009.

I can't really describe everything that went down at PodCamp, suffice to say I learned a lot about the technical aspects of making a video from Geo Perdis, how to use social media for non-profits from John Sheridan, and what's new and upcoming in Canadian social media from Sean Moffitt.

I ended up taking a lot of notes, learning a lot about how to integrate social media with my (starting soon!) job as a communications officer, and even networking a little bit. Not to mention I had an awesome chicken souvlaki pita for lunch at Mutual Street Deli.

I'm looking forward to see what next year brings. Hopefully I'll be good enough that I might have some input to give instead of mainly taking.

Image courtesy of LexnGer; Roast beef sandwich from Mutual Street Deli.

Chillin' with the birds

2009-02-20T16:29:00.002-05:00

Climate change is pushing American birds further north, into Canada. Way to go Toronto Star on picking up on this!

According to the Audubon Society's most recent report, warmer weather in the US has led to the range expansion of 58% of species observed in the Christmas Bird Count. These birds are moving further north into the colder weather.

This may sound crazy at first, but it really makes a lot of sense. The birds aren't equipped to deal with warmer temperatures so they move further north (into Canada) to where the temperatures are closer to the seasonal range that they are used to.

The biggest problem now is how to reverse this trend. The most obvious solution would be to reverse the temperature changes, unfortunately this is a complicated issue that isn't fully understood yet. The best solution for now is a band aid one at best: conserve the suitable habitats that currently exist and hope that the species can hold on for long enough until the temperature changes are at least halted.

Happy (belated) birthday Darwin!

2009-02-16T12:22:00.011-05:00

Did you know that Darwin's 200th birthday was on February 12th, 2009? A smorgasbord of events were organized in honour of one of the most important scientists in history, not to mention the slew of articles that were released.

One article in particular caught my attention, or rather the related material that was listed after the article. The link provided led me to a site called "Dissent from Darwin" and was a petition from a number of "scientists from prominent organizations" who are "skeptical of claims for the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life."

This petition was started by the Discovery Institute, which puts itself forward as a "forward-thinking" organization wanting to make "a positive vision of the future practical." All of this sounds great on the surface, until you read further into how the organization functions. Now the truth comes out.

Discovery Institute was founded on the beliefs of "God-given reason" and "the permanency of human nature." Does this really sound like the beliefs of a science-oriented, logic-based organization? I would have to disagree.

What's puzzling is that the proposed alternative to Darwin's theory is intelligent design. That's right, intelligent design. Again, I have to question what the real reasoning behind this organization is. Could this be a new form of creationists' arguments against evolution? Who knows. All I know is I'm not sold on intelligent design. I think I'll keep curling up by the fire with a glass of wine and read On the Origin of Species.

Queen's playing the name game

2009-01-21T21:03:00.010-05:00

It's a little known fact that Queen's University was nearly bought out by the University of Toronto in 1878 after losing nearly all of its money after their bank made some bad investments. An also little known fact is that Robert Sutherland, the first black man to graduate from a university in North America and a Queen's graduate, donated his entire estate to the university in 1878 and saved it from bankruptcy.

In March 1998, after decades of students lobbying, Queen's finally named a room after Sutherland. Students were pleased for the time being, until more recently, they began again lobbying for a building to be named after Sutherland. The value of his estate in 1878 was enough to constitute the university's entire budget for that year. Students are frustrated that the university refuses to name a building after the man who saved the university so long ago.

Alternatives to naming a building have been suggested including making a statue of Sutherland, which is impossible because no images of him exist. After pressure was applied by the media, Queen's has decided to consider the proposal to name a building after Sutherland but require "more research" before they can come to a decision.

I'd love to know exactly what kind of research naming a building after someone requires. It seems like a no-brainer to me, but I guess that's why I'm still a student and not in management.

Oh deer! Population changes from trophy hunting

2009-01-15T18:08:00.019-05:00

The National Post recently ran an article about trophy hunting and how it has changed the population dynamics of herds. The article talks about the human tendency to target larger animals as trophies, leaving the smaller, weaker animals to survive. The problem arising from this is that the smaller animals are surviving long enough to breed, so ensuing generations are physically smaller in size.

The issue is that humans are changing these populations at a rate which exceeds that of natural selection. This means that hunters are working their way through the largest members of the population until its necessary for them to hunt the medium-sized members of the population and so on.

The proposed solution to this problem is to hunt less or start hunting the smaller animals in addition to the large ones. Good luck convincing trophy hunters that this is the only solution to this looming problem. It's going to take an integrated marketing strategy on the part of the Ministry of Natural Resources before people start getting the message.

Coke sells its soul for a polar bear, part 2

2009-01-11T22:21:00.010-05:00

Apologies that it's taken me so long to update this and comment on Coke's holiday blitz. The main reason that it took me so long is that Coke has taken down the part of its site that dealt with the holiday campaign for polar bears and has instead replaced it with multiple direct links to the WWF site. But that's a good thing, right? Not in my case.

Early in November, I noticed the fine print that Coke had included on their site stating that they would donate up to a maximum of $100,000 provided that 1.4 million PINs were entered on their site by December 31st.

It took me a while, but I finally managed to find a site with information about the monetary donations made by Coke this season. Apparently they succeeded in getting the 1.4 millions PINs because Coke proudly proclaims that it has donated $100,000 from its loyalty program in 2008 for polar bear conservation efforts.

I'm a little suspicious of this. Neither Coke nor WWF has issued a news release or any related materials on their respective sites. No news agencies have picked up on this story; even the bloggers are silent. These large corporations have remained suspiciously silent towards a potentially huge PR campaign that could bolster their images in a positive light.

More updates to come once I've found out more.

From Shylock to the workplace, a pound of flesh can cost a lot

2009-01-07T16:43:00.006-05:00

According to a recent study done by Professor Cawley of Cornell University, for every 7.2 pounds that a woman gains she will earn 1% less than a female colleague whose weight remained the same. Weight is often closely tied to first impressions and the overall image of a person. Being in PR, image management is a really important part of the industry, so this article got me thinking: does a company have the right to ask their employees to manage their weight?

The immediate answer would be no, but I think it should depend on what company it is that we're talking about. If a company makes money almost solely from the physical appearance of its employees, say a modelling agency, then it's reasonable to expect that the company would have a weight clause in the contract that a model signs. Is it reasonable to think that a company where the revenue is based other streams should be concerned with their employees weight? I'm not so sure.

Is it infringing on an employees' rights when a company promotes the skinny and holds the not-so-skinny down? It's not really a clear-cut issue and I'm not really sure as to how I feel - all I know is that I'm outraged that weight gain can play a part in my future wages. Being so early in the new year, I'm still on the eating healthy and working out more track from my New Year's resolutions, so I'm still thinking along the lines of losing weight, but it has nothing to do with a job. And that's the way it should be.

Consuming the Christmas spirit... one present at a time

2008-12-24T21:57:00.008-05:00

I was watching CP 24 earlier this evening so that I could see the hour when Santa came on tv and answered phone calls from local children. I thought, what an awesome idea! Letting kids talk to Santa would be a great way for me to bolster my Christmas spirit, which has been flagging a little this year. Boy was I wrong!

As I sat on my couch for a few minutes and started listening to the program, I realised that something was horribly wrong. A little girl, around two years old, had called Santa to ask for a digital camera. The shocked announcer asked if she knew how to use one to which she responded "Of course! Mommy lets me use hers, but I want one of my own."

I had to get up and turn off the tv. What, I asked myself, is wrong with this world that a two-year old will only feel happy if she has the latest in digital technology? As I started thinking more about Christmas, I realised that a lot of my disillusionment stems from the strong link to consumerism that the holiday has developed within the past little while.

I decided that the only way for me to get rid of these "holidays blahs" was to go online and see if I could find anything that might bring me out of my holiday-induced funk. I discovered an entry on the Streams of Hope blog that directed me to the Doctors Without Borders' Top 10 Humanitarian Crises of 2008, which brought everything into a sharp focus. Perspective restored, and holiday cheer brought back if somewhat muted, I have remembered the more important message of the holiday: spending time with loved ones and appreciating what you've got.

Happy holidays to everyone!

Fashionable drunk to stay

2008-12-16T16:08:00.008-05:00

The Fashion Design Council of Canada announced today that Robin Kay, the president, will not be fired. After making a drunken speech almost two weeks ago at Toronto Fashion Week, the Council met and decided to keep her. This, after l'Oreal, the main sponsor of the event pulled out.

The chair, Joseph Mimran, stated that l'Oreal being replaced by LG had nothing to do with Kay's behaviour. Interesting. Do major sponsors usually drop out of large events for no reason? I was under the impression that this wasn't a common practice, clearly I was wrong.

Joseph Mimran's statements beg the question: How can you distance yourself from such a mess up when you make no effort to other than let time pass by? The answer is that you can't. The FDCC is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, instead they're doing drunken clean up.

Future voters unite! ...with bracelets?

2008-12-11T17:11:00.005-05:00

I was Christmas shopping today and trying to find something to get for stocking stuffers for my Mum. Naturally, I went into Claire's, which always has bracelet charms and other nifty things to stick in stockings. Unfortunately, I didn't find anything, but on the plus side, I found these.

The first thing that I thought was "Why would these be here? Voting in the States is done." Then I almost slapped myself upside the head after realizing what I had thought. I consider myself to be politically active and I like to keep up to date with politics, but what does it say when voting is mentioned that I automatically think about the US?

It's probably a good thing that Michaëlle Jean agreed to prorogue parliament on December 4th, because with the mess that we're currently facing, I don't even want to think about voting again.

The conference is on!

2008-12-05T21:20:00.009-05:00

Happy day! After many months of planning, my pet project will be happening on February 13, 2009. More info to come as I get working on it.

Cheers!

Your soul for a plastic bag, Mr Miller

2008-12-03T20:15:00.007-05:00

After a meeting with Galen G. Weston, Toronto mayor David Miller is proposing to move the plastic bag ban deadline back from December 2009 to February 2011. I find myself reminded of the spring bear hunt fiasco that went down with Mike Harris.

In 1999, Mike Harris was persuaded (read: given money) to discontinue the spring bear hunt. Bear populations have since risen to the point where it's common to see a black bear within city limits in Northern Ontario.

Miller is showing his true priorities beautifully by catering to large corporations within Toronto who really have no excuse when it comes to environmental issues.

Since taking over as executive chair in 2006, Weston has focused on promoting the environmentally-friendly line of products. In talking Mayor Miller into pushing back the dates for the plastic bag ban, Weston is showing his true colours. Weston is obviously more interested in making a profit than helping to reduce the environmental impact that his stores make.

If the biosphere is destroyed because of your lack of involvement, who will you sell your products to Mr. Weston?

Buyology looks at how consumers tick

2008-12-02T22:09:00.004-05:00

I stumbled on Martin Lindstrom's site recently and I must say that I'm impressed. He talks a lot about product placements in tv shows and movies and how marketing needs to change. This idea resonates with me in particular after finding that my favourite show, the Biggest Loser, has become riddled with product placements to the point where I'm not sure if the show is really 'real' anymore.

Lindstrom talks about Buyology, his brainchild, which is the revolutionary coupling of science and marketing techniques to identify what really works with marketing. The results, thusfar, have been enlightening to say the least. Studies have revealed that certain types of product placements can have deletrious effect on brand recognition instead of spurring purchasing.

Martin drops tantalizing hints about the information that can be found within his book in his video reports from Adage.com, unfortunately the full information can only be found in his book.

Updates to come when I get it!

Nestle bottled water a source of controversy

2008-12-01T16:34:00.012-05:00

Nestle is doing what it's done best lately: stir up controversy. The company is now claiming that bottled water is "the most environmentally responsible consumer product in the world." Sounds too good to be true, right? Exactly. The statistics thrown up by Nestle are convincing on surface, but a little more research is required before everything comes to light. Companies selling bottled water are in trouble, particularly in Toronto and London where bottled water bans will potentially go into effect in 2009.

Nestle's CEO, Kim Jeffery, made a speech at the Beverage Forum in May 2008 to correct what he calls the "seven myths about bottled water." As I watched the video of the highlights, I realised that the "corrections" presented by Mr. Jeffery didn't have any numbers behind them. Where were the statistics supporting his arguments? What I did notice was that argument #3 "No one in our [beverage] industry... is doing enough to prevent plastic from going into landfills" held the most statistics but they didn't really support his argument. He argues that the industry does a lot to prevent this and that banning bottled water won't actually have an effect on this issue.

Jeffrey notes that 25% of plastic bottles are recycled, but blames the 75% that go to waste facilities on the lack of availability of curb-side recycling programs. What he fails to note is that bottled water is a contributing factor to this problem. He doesn't acknowledge that Nestle is contributing to this problem and instead shifts the blame to the cities and consumers. That's a great way to retain a customer base.

One of Nestle's main values is respect for people, community, and the environment. I'm curious as to how they're living up to these values when they keep trying to pull wool over everyone's eyes.

IABC rubs elbows with Dostoevsky and Tchaikovsky

2008-11-27T23:09:00.002-05:00

The latest Toronto IABC event e-mail was sent out today and I browsed over it thinking that the holiday event was an awesome idea. Who wouldn't love celebrating the holiday season at an authentic Russian bar stocked with over 70 different types of vodka?

I kept reading the brochure that was sent out and finally came to the bottom where something seemed a little odd. The tag line for the event read "Join the Communist (cator) party" with the 'st' crossed out and 'cator' written in.

I've got two issues with this:

1. Communism isn't really something to joke about - especially not where Russia is concerned. They've got a long and somewhat ugly history with communism.

2. There's a Communist Party of Canada. Why cause confusion by seeming to endorse the party?

I'm assuming that someone on the design team was trying to be cute and play with Pravda's tag line (Join the communist Pravda vodka bar party - with communist crossed out)but, in my opinion, it failed miserably. I'm left wondering at the appropriateness of using that as a tag line and whether or not the IABC is sending out exactly the message that they want to be sending. Perhaps IABC should think their tag lines out a little more carefully for next time.

As they say in Russia, chtob vse byli zdorovy!

Mustangs stampede the Vanier Cup

2008-11-22T21:36:00.011-05:00

The Vanier Cup is the crown jewel of Canadian University football. This was the first year that I attended, mostly because it's been a while since Western has made it.

I was really impressed with the level of management that I saw at the game. Ontario University Athletics (one of the organizing bodies) had its own event management staff present and so did the Ivor Wynne Stadium, Western, and Laval. The city of Hamilton even had a presence with their boys in blue.

It was a good thing that the police were at the game; over 16,000 people attended and a few of the fans did get a little out of hand. I witnessed a Laval fan waltzing over into the Western side of the seating and harass some of the Western fans so much that a beer bottle was chucked at his head (yes, it did connect).

All in all, the crowd was controlled really well by all of the event management staff around the stadium. The game went smoothly with only a few small hiccups that weren't even noticeable enough to make the news. It just goes to show that after 43 years, they've got it down to a science.

Dance Piper, dance!

2008-11-18T17:08:00.001-05:00

Many people are familiar with the Brothers Grimm story, the Pied Piper of Hamelin. What a lot of people don't know is that it's based off a true story from Hamelin, Germany, dating back to 1284.

Interestingly enough, history seems to be repeating itself. Hamelin is experiencing a boom in the rat population unfortunately, the Pied Piper has yet to show up. An abandoned garbage dump has fostered a burgeoning population of rats, which are now flooding into the city and causing problems.

Ironically enough, the 725th anniversary of the Pied Piper is coming up soon and with the city finally admitting that they have a rat problem, maybe they're hoping that the Piper will show up again to help out?

I can't really criticize Hamelin about their image; the city is famous for having a rat problem. I guess I can only hope that the city pays the Piper this time.

Cities against Toronto? Jealous, jealous, jealous!

2008-11-13T21:55:00.004-05:00

Toronto is the city that everyone loves to hate, right? Wrong! Since November 2007, the Toronto Star has been running a column called Acts of Kindness that highlights random acts of kindness that are "committed" around the GTA. Articles are submitted by readers who want to share any acts that have happened to themselves or someone that they know.

After reading last month's stories, I started wondering why David Miller doesn't try to capitalize on this column and use it to improve the image of Toronto? Toronto as a brand is recognizable world-wide and positively received, so why is it that the opinion of Toronto within North America is so negative?

I guess it doesn't really matter right now. What does matter is that nothing is being done to make the brand image a more positive one or to find out why Toronto has become the butt of so many jokes.

Coke sells its soul for a polar bear

2008-11-12T10:23:00.006-05:00

Coke is starting a campaign in honour of its mascot - the polar bear! Coca Cola has pledged to donate $100,000 dollars to World Wildlife Fund this holiday season to help protect polar bears and their arctic habitat. Sounds awesome, right? I thought so too until I noticed an asterix after the $100,000 on the site, so I scrolled down and found this:

"If 1,400,000 are entered at iCoke.ca between 12:00:00am EDT November 1 – 11:59:59pm EST December 31, 2008, Coca-Cola Ltd. will make a $100,000 contribution to polar bear conservation efforts. PIN under cap = 500 iCoke Coins. PIN expires November 1, 2009."

Pardon me? An ultimatum? How ridiculous is that? If you crunch the numbers, then Coke is only donating $0.06 per 591mL bottle or 12 pack of Coke sold!

Coca Cola is a large corporation and can definitely afford to be donating $100,000 to World Wildlife Fund without consumer support, never mind having to put a condition on the donation so that they can afford the donation. Coke is trying to generate good press for themselves by what appears to be a charitable gift, when in reality they are still making a profit off this deal and saving face. I think if people become aware of the conditions placed on this donation, there will be negative backlash against the Coke brand which will ultimately hurt the brand and potentially even the World Wildlife Fund brand also.

For shame, Coke, for shame.

[UPDATE: Analysis of post-campaign now posted here!]

Hello iceberg! Government of Canada makes warfare a game

2008-11-08T12:38:00.009-05:00

I was watching tv last night and I saw a commercial that I thought was for a new war game. Imagine my surprise when the poppy coin logo came up and the announcer advised me to "keep the memory alive" by keeping a poppy circulation coin.

I sat there stunned for a minute before I could really process that this was a serious ad to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the end of World War I. I have to wonder who was asleep at the PR wheel for this one. I also have to wonder what the government was thinking when they approved the release of this ad. I'm guessing that they're trying to reach younger audiences and thought that video games were the way to go?

A completely CGI commercial gives the whole experience a surreal feeling and, in my opinion, makes a mockery of this historic event. Who knew the Government of Canada held our veterans in such low regard?

The Body Shop

2008-11-03T20:51:00.000-05:00

I was recently sent an invite to join a group on facebook, encouraging me to boycott the Body Shop for ethical reasons. I have to admit that I was a little confused at this point. The Body Shop is the most ethically-based company that I can think of. So I did a little research and came up with some disturbing results. It turns out that The Body Shop was bought out by l'Oreal in 2006.

If Anita Roddick, the founder of The Body Shop, were still alive today I would love to ask her why she sold her company to one whose values so clearly clash with her own. First and foremost, The Body Shop is against animal testing. Period. The company was founded with the belief that animals shouldn't be subjected to testing for the development of beauty products. Roddick also believed that the beauty industry put too much emphasis on being perfect and that the industry should instead focus on enhancing the natural beauty of women.

Where are those values now? The Body Shop's site still preaches that animal testing isn't condoned by The Body Shop, but its parent company still uses it so how can this be? The severe clashing of brand values brought Anita Roddick under fire after the selling of her company but it didn't seem to make a difference. The sale still went on and despite initial protests, the sales for The Body Shop are close to their pre-sale values.

I guess you could say that selling her company was a smart move money wise on Roddick's part, but was it worth it when you take into account the damage that it caused to the brand, was it really?

Halloween: re-branded and re-done

2008-10-31T12:36:00.014-04:00

Happy Hallowe'en! Or should I say Happy Samhain? Depending on your religious beliefs and whether or not you were born these last two centuries, the answer may be different.

Samhain is the end of the Druidic year when the Druids believed that the lines between the living and the dead were blurred and souls of the dead would return and roam around with the living. Feasts were held in honour of the dead but, the dead weren't mourned, they celebrated in memory of their lives.

With the increase in popularity of Christianity in the 800s, Christian leaders began looking for ways to convert the pagan population. The best way to do this? Re-branding pagan holidays to incorporate Christian ideals.

First, All Soul's Day was created so that the people could remember their dead and have a feast in their honor. Sound familiar? Only, this feast was a Christian one, with praying to the appropriate saints included.

It was a brilliant move on the part of the Christians! Re-branding Samhain to Hallowe'en was a smart way to bring over reluctant followers who still wanted to hold on to the old ways, not to mention it created a sense of history for Christianity in Ireland when the religion was new to the area. I guess you could call Christians the original brand managers.

Happy Samhain everyone!

Wal-mart insists "only the small survive"

2008-10-28T23:55:00.003-04:00

I was watching tv last night when a commercial for Wal-mart came on and I nearly killed myself laughing. The general gist of the commercial is that Wal-mart is lowering their prices on the majority of items in response to the current economic crunch being faced around the globe. What had me laughing so hard and wondering at the same time who forgot to proof this commercial was the line recited by a manager to an employee "only the small survive."

At best, this can be considered to be a slip of the tongue, as Wal-mart has been hounded for the past while over its tendency to out-compete smaller, locally owned businesses. A google search of "walmart small business" results in over 3.5 million hits, most of which criticize the company for under-pricing their items in order to force the closure of competitors and ensure a monopoly on the market. At worst, this off-hand comment can be seen as antagonistic and arrogant, coming from a company that is so large and successful at establishing itself in areas despite local protests, that Wal-mart comes across as being callous and a bit spiteful.

Wal-mart has been the butt of many jokes, the best of which, in my opinion, was from the Onion in 2005. Lo and behold! PR is actually mentioned! It might be time for Wal-mart to take PR a little more seriously.

Thusfar, only a few people have picked up on the "only the small survive" commercial and written about it, I suspect it's only a matter of time until Wal-mart's corporate image is tarnished a little more with this most recent slip up.

This begs the question: who was asleep at the PR wheel and why didn't anyone notice the iceberg they were sailing towards?

Banrock Station: the environmentally aware wine

2008-10-26T08:14:00.010-04:00

I was surfing around on the Ducks Unlimited site when I came across a list of their partners and was surprised to find one that didn't seem to fit. It was for Banrock Station, a winery in Australia that so happens to make my drink of choice.

It turns out that Banrock Station prides themselves on being an environmentally friendly and aware brand. To date, they've put $5,000,000 AUD towards conservation, area rehabilitation, and wetland restoration.

Banrock Station focuses on wetlands in particular because they are an integral part of the biosphere, particularly in Australia where over 50% of them have been destroyed. The winery has even gone so far as to restore their main vineyard back to a wetland and have added guided tours and an educational centre focusing on the importance of wetlands.

I have to raise a glass and toast Banrock Station for choosing a seemingly-unrelated cause and doing so well with it. Right down to their company welcome page, Banrock Station makes it clear that their dedication to the environment is one of the fundamental principles that the winery was founded upon, instead of the company following the current "green" trend.

Cheers!

Youth + politics = oil + water?

2008-10-22T13:29:00.001-04:00

As you may be aware, yours truly participated in Me to We day this past week. I was thrilled to find out that despite being a volunteer at a booth outside of the Ricoh arena, I was still allowed to watch the majority of the speakers perform. I was even more thrilled to find out that Justin Trudeau would be speaking and that I would have time to stop and listen to him.

First of all, understand that he has a presence and it's an even bigger one in person than on television. He is absolutely mind-blowing to listen to in person! Justin managed to hook me into his speech (see clip 6) right from the beginning:

"As my good friend John Turner, former prime minister, just said: 'young people don't tend to get involved enough in politics.' And for me it's easy to say 'it's young people's fault not to get involved,' but more I think it's politics' fault not doing enough to bring in young people."

I did listen to his entire speech, but that first point of his got me thinking. It's true that youth aren't really involved in politics. I'm only getting into it now myself because I am of an age where I'll be taking all of the big life steps soon (e.g. buying a house, getting married) and the way that the country is run will affect me more profoundly than it previously did. When I first went to university, I saw politics as something that you were interested when you were older because there was no way that any politician would've cared about my opinion.

After listening to Justin's speech, I realize that I was probably right at that point, however students entering university now thinking what I did are probably wrong. As the baby boomers age, the political arena is going to undergo a drastic change and (hopefully) be more youth-friendly.

The beginnings of these changes can be seen today: Justin Trudeau was elected MP in the Montreal riding of Papineau on October 14th. Today's youth will be looking to Justin to increase awareness of the issues close to their hearts in the political arena and at the country-wide level. Justin Trudeau is a well known activist for many different issues, in particular the empowerment of youth. I believe that Justin is just the man to be getting youth more involved with politics and how the country is run.

Justin is a new breed of politician who listens to all generations and is more than willing to dive in and get his hands dirty. All too often, I've felt that my representative didn't represent my ideas and views and that I probably wouldn't be listened to because I am so young. Justin Trudeau's ideas of "building personal connections" is exactly what I think politics should be all about. Hopefully he can spread his ideals around in the political arena and they finally get picked up by the other powers that be.

Me to We day 2008

2008-10-17T02:45:00.008-04:00

Free the Children's second annual Me to We day was held today at the Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto. It was my first time volunteering at/attending Me to We day and I've gotta say that I was impressed. For such a large-scale event, it was very well organized. My volunteer training the night before was a little rushed, but I realized the next morning that this was a necessity and that the best way to learn was on the "job".

Over 8000 students came from all over North America to listen to Justin Trudeau, Michel Chikwanine, Mia Farrow, and other speak, as well as musical guests Crash Parallel, Sarah Mclachlan, and others. The main message of the conference centres around youth empowerment: age doesn't matter - you can make a difference. It was definitely inspiring to listen to the variety of speakers that Free the Children had lined up for the day, ranging from the political (John Turner) to the emotionally-gripping and awe-inspiring (Michel Chikwanine).

Me to We day succeeded in motivating me to think about Free the Children as more than just another charity for helping those in need. Don't get me wrong, but there are a lot of charities out there helping people in need by one method or another. Me to We got me thinking about Free the Children as something that will help both people in need and the people doing the helping. So often, youth hear about the terrible things that are going on in the world and feel unable to do anything about it. Me to We day proves them wrong by showing them how to act and how to make a difference.

Bravo, Free the Children. I'm looking forward to next year.

Gumming up The Biggest Loser

2008-10-13T10:16:00.002-04:00

I usually make it a point not to watch reality tv. Most of the shows are either really obviously scripted or just so ridiculous that I can't take it seriously, however I have to admit that I've recently acquired a guilty pleasure: The Biggest Loser. It's a feel-good kind of show that you can actually believe in. Or so I thought.

About three episodes into this season, I noticed Jillian (my favourite trainer and all-around hard ass) pushing a new Motorola product on one of the contestants as a workout aid. I figured it was probably a good idea, afterall the product is a lot like an ipod only it has a built-in belt clip. What's not to like? Or so I thought.

Last week's episode involved a painfully-obvious attempt at selling gum. Not any gum though, low cal gum! Low cal gum that can reduce your sweet craving! Sounds good, except that's pretty much verbatim for what one of the contestants said. I have to start questioning, is Extra writing a script now? This "candid" moment brought to you by Extra! Cringe-worthy.

I have no issues with product placement within a show, but when it's obvious, it gets really annoying. Annoying to the point where I won't buy the product because they're just trying too hard and I have to wonder what's wrong with the product that it can't be sold in a commercial. I know that associating low cal gum with The Biggest Loser makes sense from a brand values perspective, I have to wonder if this helps the gum or hurts the show. My vote is on hurting.

Call me crazy - I love mental illness (awareness)!

2008-10-08T20:45:00.005-04:00

I happened upon a blog this weekend being advertised by the Toronto Star that took me by surprise. The surprising thing was that this blog is about mental health and Sandy Naiman, the author, talks openly about her battles with mania.

I am in love with this blog! I love that Sandy takes these issues that are still taboo in society and talks about them openly. Even the title of the blog "Coming out crazy" creates a certain impression and sense of intrigue. Sandy explains that admitting to someone that you have a mental illness is similar to a gay or lesbian coming out of the closet 20 years ago.

There's this stigma associated with mental illness that only certain people will suffer from it or happens for a reason and it's never really possible to be fully cured or sane. Even the site for the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health's National Mental Illness Awareness Week has a kind of tone to it that, although positive, makes it seem that mental illness is a cross that you have to bear and that you need a lot of help and medication before you can "lead a productive and fulfilling life."

Interestingly enough, Canada Post is the main sponsor of Mental Illness Awareness Week. First of all, this brings "going postal" to mind and all of the associated negative stigmas. I have to wonder at Canada Post's motivation behind sponsoring this campaign. Admittedly, Canada Post is the first major Canadian corporation to adopt mental health as their pet cause, however I have to question whether or not this is the right company to promote mental health. Mail service has a negative association with mental health and CAMIMH is almost trying to re-brand mental illness to break away from the negative stereotypes and make it more personal and easier to relate to.

Fish to fry in Ontario

2008-10-03T11:54:00.002-04:00

I was flipping through the Toronto Star, when I came across a short blurb about the Ringwood Fish Culture Station. Briefly mentioned is how the government opened the station in 1982 but was forced to cut funding in 2006. Not mentioned, is why the government opened the station.

During the 1980s, there was growing concern of the rapidly declining stocks of Canadian fish. In response to this, the government started to fund hatcheries in hopes of bolstering the declining populations and even re-introducing species to areas where they had been extirpated. Fisheries opened all over the country and the government kept pouring money into them, until budget cuts forced an end to the spending spree. What the government failed to inform that public was that the money spent on hatcheries might as well have been thrown into the water in hopes of a dam springing up.

Fish instinctively return to their hatching site for spawning, thus hatchery-born fish never stray very far away from where they were born, so it would be impossible to repopulate areas with hatchery-born fish unless the hatchery was near to the desired site. Unfortunately, most sites are so polluted or being used for other commercial purposes that setting up a hatchery there isn't possible. Also, because the fish are raised in artificial conditions, they are unable to attract a mate from the wild population because they haven't learned the proper mate attraction rituals.

As if it wasn't enough having the government pouring money into hatcheries, the article goes on to proudly state that the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters and the Toronto Sportsmen's Show raise $50,000 annually in order to keep the Ringwood facility running. My quibbles with this do no stem from the organizations that support the facility. On the contrary, I'm pro-fishing and pro-hunting. What does irritate me about this article is that the OFAH is using the fundraising as a PR gesture and it's an incredibly useless one at that. These associations should be focusing more on the conservation of key breeding habitat instead of funding breeding programs that have been shown, through scientific research, to be ineffective at best or harmful to the natural populations at worst. At least if their money is being spent on endeavours that can bring scientifically-proved benefits to the species, it can bring positive attention for both parties, which is something they could use considering the controversial nature of OFAH.

Agricultural minister in hot water

2008-09-27T11:42:00.001-04:00

Gerry Ritz, the federal minister of agriculture, has recently been under fire for tasteless comments made at a government conference call about listeriosis. He opened the call with "This is like a death by a thousand cuts. Or should I say cold cuts." Later, after being informed of another death in PEI, he quipped "Please tell me it's Wayne Easter." Wayne Easter is a liberal MP in PEI who has followed Ritz's ministry closely. Ritz later apologized to Easter and to the public at a press conference on September 18th.

It's interesting that these comments are coming to light now, considering they were originally made on August 30th in a private conference call. The implications of these comments coming to light are astounding. On the one hand, the media is able to bring to light the minister's inappropriate use of gallows humour and make the him pay for his callous comments. On the other hand, this represents a breach of informational security from within the government.

Although currently a minority government, the government still needs to present a united front so that the public can have faith in their ability to lead the country. The current focus on everyone's mind seems to be the upcoming election, which will likely have us see a change in the political powers that be. Rather, the current focus on all politicians' minds is the election. The rest of the world is being thrown off by all of these "scandals" that keep popping up from within the Harper government.
I am mildly amused by the dirty tactics that are being used for this election; the Liberals must be really worried about the sway of the Conservatives if they're hounding Ritz so hard about a comment made during a private conference call. I won't support Ritz - his comments were completely inappropriate - however, the Liberals and NDP are positively drooling over this mess up and calling for his resignation. (I'm sure that it's not only the Liberals and the NDP that are coming up with these ideas, but they seem to be the most vocal when it comes to the news.) These parties are playing up the comments and downplaying the timing. Ritz's comments were made on August 30th, which was at the beginning of the crisis; when his comments are taken out of context, such as during the present day, they seem more cruel than they were meant to be.

Call me crazy, but shouldn't politics be more about public relations and less about backstabbing? With all of these scandal stories that have been leaking about the current government, I'm not so sure that I'm comfortable enough with the current state of all of the parties to vote. Here's hoping that something changes between now and October 14th.

Sanlu group baby formula recall

2008-09-21T12:21:00.002-04:00

Now here's an interesting case of PR gone wrong. The largest producer of powdered milk in China, Sanlu Group, has been forced to recall their baby formula after melamine was found in the product. Melamine is a chemical that is high in nitrogen and is used in glue to promote thickening; it will boost the protein rating of a product because most standard tests measure nitrogen levels as the indication of protein levels. Thus far, the tainted milk has claimed the lives of four children. It is estimated that more than 6250 children have kidney stones due to the product.

Claims are arising that the company was aware of the problem with their baby formula as early as March, but the product recall on started Thursday, September 11th. In fact, up until last Friday, September 19th, the company's commercials for their baby formula were still accessible on the site. As of September 20th, the company's website has been shut down and visitors are greeted by an apologetic letter from the company's new chairman. The previous chairwoman was fired and then taken into custody. The mayor and deputy mayor of the corporate town were also fired, so were a handful of quality inspectors and the head of the government quality inspection office.

The way that Sanlu has handled this crisis can only be called a PR nightmare. I give them credit for firing the quality inspectors, government officials, and chairwoman, but the firing of their mayor seems questionable. Who are the people supposed to look to as a spokesperson during this crisis? The Prime Minister of New Zealand has stepped up to the plate, because Sanlu is 43% owned by a New Zealand dairy cooperative, however I have to question if she is the appropriate spokesperson. Sanlu is now trying to use their new chairman as their spokesperson, but I again question this. Their spokesperson should be someone trusted by the community, possibly even someone well known. Obviously, the chairman has been thrown in the deep end. I hope he can swim!

The downfall of plastic bottles?

2008-09-17T12:44:00.001-04:00

Environmental groups have been advocating the evil of plastic bottles for years, mainly based on their nasty tendency to end up in landfills. Finally, a health-related reason to steer clear of plastic bottles!

A recent joint study through the University of Missouri and Environmental Health Sciences, a nonprofit organization, has found evidence that bisphenol A, BPA, is linked with an increased risk of heart disease and diabetes. This chemical is a hormone disruptor and has been linked with health problems even when found in small concentrations.

I'm not going to quibble over the details of the study. I do find it interesting that not many environmental groups have picked up on this. It seems to me that a study finding toxic chemicals in plastic bottles would bolster support for environmental groups that encourage the general public to stop using plastic bottles in favour of metal ones. I must confess that I am guilty of using the plastic bottle, but after reading the study, I suspect I'll soon convert to metal.

If you're interested, the article can be found here.

[Update: I bit the bullet and bought a metal bottle. I had to let it soak in water for a while before my drinks stopped tasting like metal, but I like it so far a lot better than plastic. No plastic taste anymore!]

Inspiration behind the URL

2008-09-15T22:04:00.000-04:00

So a few people have asked me as to what the URL of my blog means. In return, I asked them what they thought I meant. So far I've gotten some interesting responses.

"elusive"
"desertification"
"loss of resources"
"time"

Personally, I was thinking along the lines of elusive. There's an image that pops into my head when I hear the phrase "a fistful of sand." I think of a child on the beach wanting to hold onto the moment for as long as possible, so they pick up a fistful of sand. The thing is, the harder they try to hold onto that fistful, the faster it slips away. To me, politics is a lot like that fistful of sand. The harder a person tries to hold onto the power that they've gained, the faster it slips away. Hence, "fists full of sand."