A flattering thing happened today.
I expect to double my readership, at least, and I have to say, it was kind of weird being the one who was answering the questions: Click here for Steve Berman's blog interview.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Innocent Question
Why do men talking about violence invariably use language that separates the violent act from the man?
A study released by the US Defense Department two weeks ago estimated that reports of unwanted sexual contact in the military, from groping to rape, rose 37 percent in 2012, to about 26,000 cases.
It's turned into a bit of a scandal, so much so, that at the graduation ceremonies for the military elite at West Point on the weekend, the US Defence Secretary said, "The scourge of sexual assault must be stamped out"
Two days earlier, at the Naval Academy, Barack Obama said, "Those who commit sexual assault are not only committing a crime, they threaten the trust and discipline that makes our military strong"
Why couldn't Obama have said something more like, "Men, you will not under any circumstances have sex with a woman against her will. You will not grab a woman's body parts. This counts for women in the countries in which you serve and for women you're serving with. It applies to all women. It also applies to all men. You may not attack anyone sexually. This is a direct order from your Commander in Chief. From Me to You. Seriously, stop it."
It might not work, but it would certainly send a stronger message than mealy-mouthed, distancing phrases and the passive, 'must be stamped out.'
A study released by the US Defense Department two weeks ago estimated that reports of unwanted sexual contact in the military, from groping to rape, rose 37 percent in 2012, to about 26,000 cases.
It's turned into a bit of a scandal, so much so, that at the graduation ceremonies for the military elite at West Point on the weekend, the US Defence Secretary said, "The scourge of sexual assault must be stamped out"
Two days earlier, at the Naval Academy, Barack Obama said, "Those who commit sexual assault are not only committing a crime, they threaten the trust and discipline that makes our military strong"
Why couldn't Obama have said something more like, "Men, you will not under any circumstances have sex with a woman against her will. You will not grab a woman's body parts. This counts for women in the countries in which you serve and for women you're serving with. It applies to all women. It also applies to all men. You may not attack anyone sexually. This is a direct order from your Commander in Chief. From Me to You. Seriously, stop it."
It might not work, but it would certainly send a stronger message than mealy-mouthed, distancing phrases and the passive, 'must be stamped out.'
Monday, May 27, 2013
Shifting Sands? Yes and No.
They weren't kidding, those folks who told us the world would change in ways we couldn't even imagine with the advent of the Internet.
Certainly no one could have predicted how the media could change in 20 years. I'm not just talking about how the news is gathered and presented, I'm talking about who gets paid and how media companies fund their work, not to mention the world of online citizen journalism.
An example: at my first 'real' job, in the radio newsroom in Orangeville in 1994, we didn't have the 'net. Our word processor was an electric typewriter. Installing a dowel so we could use a roll of paper effectively was an innovation I came up with.
Today, in our area, there are still two newspapers and a TV station, but we have a second radio station, several websites promoting local businesses and in Collingwood, at least four blogs written by people following and digging away at stories in local politics.
A lot of us still get our information from newspapers, but very few of us are paying for it. Since radio has always been a medium provided to its consumers for free, it's been interesting to watch newspapers struggle to adapt to the funding model our sales force has been using forever.
Worldwide, spending on advertising is up. But with so many media platforms, the market is fragmented and the budgets of newsrooms in radio, TV and elsewhere continue to shrink. It's ironic that Google is making a killing, since the ads it sells go right next to the content provided by newspapers, even while those very papers have trouble getting advertisers to buy space.
Add to shrinking revenue, the traditional media's need to be part of new media, and you've got a recipe for big changes as reporters scramble to find ways of getting the job done.
'There used to be standards!' cry some, 'There used to be credibility!' say others.
Well, it seems to me, the 'doing more with less' thing applies to traditional media more than to any other group.
As for those long-lost standards, do you remember the name of the guy with the information about Watergate? Me, neither. He was anonymous for about 30 years after the scandal broke. Just one guy, unnamed, and the information he had, ended a presidency. The Globe and Mail says it has ten sources for the shocking story it published in Saturday's edition. Ten.
Certainly no one could have predicted how the media could change in 20 years. I'm not just talking about how the news is gathered and presented, I'm talking about who gets paid and how media companies fund their work, not to mention the world of online citizen journalism.
An example: at my first 'real' job, in the radio newsroom in Orangeville in 1994, we didn't have the 'net. Our word processor was an electric typewriter. Installing a dowel so we could use a roll of paper effectively was an innovation I came up with.
Today, in our area, there are still two newspapers and a TV station, but we have a second radio station, several websites promoting local businesses and in Collingwood, at least four blogs written by people following and digging away at stories in local politics.
A lot of us still get our information from newspapers, but very few of us are paying for it. Since radio has always been a medium provided to its consumers for free, it's been interesting to watch newspapers struggle to adapt to the funding model our sales force has been using forever.
Worldwide, spending on advertising is up. But with so many media platforms, the market is fragmented and the budgets of newsrooms in radio, TV and elsewhere continue to shrink. It's ironic that Google is making a killing, since the ads it sells go right next to the content provided by newspapers, even while those very papers have trouble getting advertisers to buy space.
Add to shrinking revenue, the traditional media's need to be part of new media, and you've got a recipe for big changes as reporters scramble to find ways of getting the job done.
'There used to be standards!' cry some, 'There used to be credibility!' say others.
Well, it seems to me, the 'doing more with less' thing applies to traditional media more than to any other group.
As for those long-lost standards, do you remember the name of the guy with the information about Watergate? Me, neither. He was anonymous for about 30 years after the scandal broke. Just one guy, unnamed, and the information he had, ended a presidency. The Globe and Mail says it has ten sources for the shocking story it published in Saturday's edition. Ten.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Oops, I did it again
The first time I interviewed Mike McCluskey, I thought he was a tiny bit crazy, but I'm starting to understand him.
Mike is from Wasaga Beach and is a runner. Big time. He has taken part in the Boston marathon a bunch of times. (note: to run the Boston marathon, you have to qualify at some Other marathon. I think you have to qualify each and every time. So, for my friend Nancy, who's run Boston more than a dozen times, that's what, five million miles?) The latest time we talked, Mike was preparing for the 30k Around the Bay in Hamilton. He was using the race to raise money for the YMCA in Wasaga Beach. Did I mention Mike's in his 60s?
I freely admit I took up running at the tender age of 41 because my pants were getting too tight. There was more to it, too, but preparing for and running my first 5k forced me to buy the shoes and hit the trails. I ran the sporting life 10k a few weeks ago as a way of keeping off the 25 pounds I lost in that first effort.
But I have no explanation for this latest race. No explanation other than I kind of love having a race in my future. January to Mother's Day, when I was training for Sporting Life, I felt a sense of purpose that is sometimes missing from my everyday routine. One of the girls who ran that race with me apparently feels the same way. She started started running even later in life than I, but it appears she's hooked, too. Today, she's on the streets of Barrie, sweating out her kilometres, while I lumber and lope down the trails in Collingwood, both of us planning for the next race.
On Father's Day, our sweethearts will be in Michele's garage, puffing away on Cuban cigars while we pant our way around the Barrie Waterfront.
They say once you have three of a thing, you're a collector. I will have a third 'race shirt' after Barrie. Boston's a very, very long way off, but I can see the path which opens toward it.
Mike is from Wasaga Beach and is a runner. Big time. He has taken part in the Boston marathon a bunch of times. (note: to run the Boston marathon, you have to qualify at some Other marathon. I think you have to qualify each and every time. So, for my friend Nancy, who's run Boston more than a dozen times, that's what, five million miles?) The latest time we talked, Mike was preparing for the 30k Around the Bay in Hamilton. He was using the race to raise money for the YMCA in Wasaga Beach. Did I mention Mike's in his 60s?
I freely admit I took up running at the tender age of 41 because my pants were getting too tight. There was more to it, too, but preparing for and running my first 5k forced me to buy the shoes and hit the trails. I ran the sporting life 10k a few weeks ago as a way of keeping off the 25 pounds I lost in that first effort.
But I have no explanation for this latest race. No explanation other than I kind of love having a race in my future. January to Mother's Day, when I was training for Sporting Life, I felt a sense of purpose that is sometimes missing from my everyday routine. One of the girls who ran that race with me apparently feels the same way. She started started running even later in life than I, but it appears she's hooked, too. Today, she's on the streets of Barrie, sweating out her kilometres, while I lumber and lope down the trails in Collingwood, both of us planning for the next race.
On Father's Day, our sweethearts will be in Michele's garage, puffing away on Cuban cigars while we pant our way around the Barrie Waterfront.
They say once you have three of a thing, you're a collector. I will have a third 'race shirt' after Barrie. Boston's a very, very long way off, but I can see the path which opens toward it.
Random
So, today, a woman leaps to her death on the subway tracks in Toronto and someone steals her purse, which prevents police from getting the woman's ID to notify her family.
Yesterday, two guys in London run down a soldier in a car, then get out and chop him up with machetes and a cleaver.
Earlier this month, a man from Hamilton vanishes from a test drive while trying to sell his truck online. He turns up dead, his body 'burned beyond recognition'.
A five year old boy in the US shoots his two year old sister to death with the gun he received from his parents as a birthday gift last year.
I'm seriously starting to see the appeal of cat videos.
Yesterday, two guys in London run down a soldier in a car, then get out and chop him up with machetes and a cleaver.
Earlier this month, a man from Hamilton vanishes from a test drive while trying to sell his truck online. He turns up dead, his body 'burned beyond recognition'.
A five year old boy in the US shoots his two year old sister to death with the gun he received from his parents as a birthday gift last year.
I'm seriously starting to see the appeal of cat videos.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Tuesday Morning Allegory
Well, if Michael Enright can create a fable about the political escapades, I figure I can write my own fan piece. With apologies to the Sunday Edition:
I lost a girlfriend a couple of years ago. She and I had been very close companions for quite some time, sharing laughs and good times and, as girls are wont to do, some of our deepest thoughts and fears and hopes. I trusted her with my secrets and she shared hers with me.
Over time, there were small things about my friend that annoyed and irritated me, but for a long time, they were not annoying or irritating enough to threaten the friendship. However, the irritations and annoyances eventually began to pile up.
Gradually, as she departed my home or I left hers, I became less and less eager to make our next plans. I still considered her a good friend, and always included her on my dinner party list, but there was a subtle shift in what had once been terra firma. Then, The Incident took place. It wasn't a huge thing; I didn't catch her slagging me to a mutual friend, stealing my jewels or making a pass at Sweetie, but The Incident sure was a big thing when added to the pile of smaller troubles that had been accumulating.
Suddenly, I found myself asking whether my girlfriend was really a friend at all. Each memory of a good time together suddenly seemed to come with a, 'but..' and a secondary, less pleasant memory attached. Sure, we have fun when I invite her to dinner, but why is the meal always at my place, with me doing the cooking and cleanup? Sure, we have a lot of laughs at lunch, but why is it I who has to make the call to plan it? There was that joke, told at my expense, a cutting remark,'You look almost... cool in that outfit,' and I feeling less than great about myself and my choice of pals. As my Sweetheart put it, my friend started making more withdrawals than deposits in our mutual emotional bank account.
Little things all seem too small to mention but when the One Big Thing happens, the friendship, already faltering, can not be saved. Or can it?
I wonder whether the massive collection of not-so-little things are now enough for to be a final straw for fans of Rob Ford. I wonder whether the Senate stuff will be a flag on the top of the steaming pile of control freakishness in the PMO.
It will be very fun to watch and see whether Ford Nation will come apart, and whether 'The Conservative Base' will be compromised after seven years in power, which is, if you follow politics, usually about when the rot sets in.
I lost a girlfriend a couple of years ago. She and I had been very close companions for quite some time, sharing laughs and good times and, as girls are wont to do, some of our deepest thoughts and fears and hopes. I trusted her with my secrets and she shared hers with me.
Over time, there were small things about my friend that annoyed and irritated me, but for a long time, they were not annoying or irritating enough to threaten the friendship. However, the irritations and annoyances eventually began to pile up.
Gradually, as she departed my home or I left hers, I became less and less eager to make our next plans. I still considered her a good friend, and always included her on my dinner party list, but there was a subtle shift in what had once been terra firma. Then, The Incident took place. It wasn't a huge thing; I didn't catch her slagging me to a mutual friend, stealing my jewels or making a pass at Sweetie, but The Incident sure was a big thing when added to the pile of smaller troubles that had been accumulating.
Suddenly, I found myself asking whether my girlfriend was really a friend at all. Each memory of a good time together suddenly seemed to come with a, 'but..' and a secondary, less pleasant memory attached. Sure, we have fun when I invite her to dinner, but why is the meal always at my place, with me doing the cooking and cleanup? Sure, we have a lot of laughs at lunch, but why is it I who has to make the call to plan it? There was that joke, told at my expense, a cutting remark,'You look almost... cool in that outfit,' and I feeling less than great about myself and my choice of pals. As my Sweetheart put it, my friend started making more withdrawals than deposits in our mutual emotional bank account.
Little things all seem too small to mention but when the One Big Thing happens, the friendship, already faltering, can not be saved. Or can it?
I wonder whether the massive collection of not-so-little things are now enough for to be a final straw for fans of Rob Ford. I wonder whether the Senate stuff will be a flag on the top of the steaming pile of control freakishness in the PMO.
It will be very fun to watch and see whether Ford Nation will come apart, and whether 'The Conservative Base' will be compromised after seven years in power, which is, if you follow politics, usually about when the rot sets in.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Run Results: sore legs and no embarrassment
It's my blog, so my results from the Sporting Life 10K go first (they're the only first I achieved) I'm pretty proud of completing my first 10k, mostly because I left the race on my feet rather than in an ambulance. Also, as my running companions pointed out, each of us set a PB (personal best)!
Here are my results, and the age categories and finish times of as many other runners from around here as I could find. If you see someone you know, give 'em some props for health and fitness, won't you?
Me: 40-44 1:10:10
From Wasaga Beach:
LYDIA BAKSH 60-64 58:40
SHELLEY HYLAND 35-39 56:34
ZACH HYLAND -19 56:38
RICHARD LOWE 65-69 1:09:57
ANGELA GERVASE 35-39 52:46 Stayner
CAITLYN COE 20-24 1:09:06 Creemore
From Collingwood:
---->JOHN GIFFEN 60-64 (3rd in his age category) 40:42 Note--the overall winner of the race finished in 30:30. Zoikes!!
FREDERIQUE NOLIN -19 48:34
SUSAN BRINDISI 50-54 1:04:16
JANET CLARKE 45-49 54:31
JASMINE CUFF 25-29 49:14
DERRICK CUMMINS 20-24 57:26
KAYLIE DANKEVY 20-24 1:04:30
WALTER DEVOS 65-69 1:34:19
KATIE DEVOS 25-29 1:34:20
JOEL EPPINGHAUS 20-24 56:49
KARIN EULER 45-49 54:34
JENNIFER GEORGAS 25-29 1:04:08
JIM GEORGAS 35-39 1:04:07
TORY GORDON 40-44 1:10:51
TRACEY HAMMOND 35-39 56:34
JOHN HENDERSON 50-54 55:52
ADELAIDE JENSEN -19 55:10
GINTER KAROSAS 50-54 54:49
JACOB KOEMAN -19 1:31:39
SIMON KOEMAN -19 1:31:38
AGATHA KORNACKA 20-24 57:42
ANGELA KOSOVIC 35-39 1:06:32
JULIE KUJALA 35-39 56:15
KEN KUJALA 40-44 53:21
ANDREA LEWIN 35-39 53:04
KIM LIMOGES 40-44 1:01:06
SUSAN MCDOUGALL 60-64 1:25:34
JOHN MEYER 45-49 1:01:37
ANN NICHOLLS 40-44 1:10:52
ANIA NOWAKOWSKI 35-39 1:31:39
KRYSTINA PISANI 25-29 1:03:43
MEG PRATT 25-29 57:00
BARB SIEGMAN 50-55 1:03:22
HILLARY STEIN 25-29 1:00:08
MARJORIE THOMSON 45-49 1:18:52
KEVIN TUDHOPE 25-29 54:37
LORNA VISSER 55-59 55:39
CHRISTINE WEEKS 25-29 1:05:47
GREG WEEKS 25-29 1:05:48
DICKON WORSLEY 45-49 53:33
PAIGE YOUNG 40-44 1:00:21
CRYSTAL O'NEILL 30-34 47:14 New Lowell
ENNIFER PARKER 40-44 1:04:09 Blue Mountains
DAVID TAIT 50-54 59:15 Blue Mountains
Well done, folks. I plan on being a bit quicker in my next race. And maybe bringing along additional friends. Although, the four of us made for a nice group.
And BIG thanks to John and Susan for loaning me their pied a terre for the weekend. There are many home-baked goods in your future!
Here are my results, and the age categories and finish times of as many other runners from around here as I could find. If you see someone you know, give 'em some props for health and fitness, won't you?
Me: 40-44 1:10:10
From Wasaga Beach:
LYDIA BAKSH 60-64 58:40
SHELLEY HYLAND 35-39 56:34
ZACH HYLAND -19 56:38
RICHARD LOWE 65-69 1:09:57
ANGELA GERVASE 35-39 52:46 Stayner
CAITLYN COE 20-24 1:09:06 Creemore
From Collingwood:
---->JOHN GIFFEN 60-64 (3rd in his age category) 40:42 Note--the overall winner of the race finished in 30:30. Zoikes!!
FREDERIQUE NOLIN -19 48:34
SUSAN BRINDISI 50-54 1:04:16
JANET CLARKE 45-49 54:31
JASMINE CUFF 25-29 49:14
DERRICK CUMMINS 20-24 57:26
KAYLIE DANKEVY 20-24 1:04:30
WALTER DEVOS 65-69 1:34:19
KATIE DEVOS 25-29 1:34:20
JOEL EPPINGHAUS 20-24 56:49
KARIN EULER 45-49 54:34
JENNIFER GEORGAS 25-29 1:04:08
JIM GEORGAS 35-39 1:04:07
TORY GORDON 40-44 1:10:51
TRACEY HAMMOND 35-39 56:34
JOHN HENDERSON 50-54 55:52
ADELAIDE JENSEN -19 55:10
GINTER KAROSAS 50-54 54:49
JACOB KOEMAN -19 1:31:39
SIMON KOEMAN -19 1:31:38
AGATHA KORNACKA 20-24 57:42
ANGELA KOSOVIC 35-39 1:06:32
JULIE KUJALA 35-39 56:15
KEN KUJALA 40-44 53:21
ANDREA LEWIN 35-39 53:04
KIM LIMOGES 40-44 1:01:06
SUSAN MCDOUGALL 60-64 1:25:34
JOHN MEYER 45-49 1:01:37
ANN NICHOLLS 40-44 1:10:52
ANIA NOWAKOWSKI 35-39 1:31:39
KRYSTINA PISANI 25-29 1:03:43
MEG PRATT 25-29 57:00
BARB SIEGMAN 50-55 1:03:22
HILLARY STEIN 25-29 1:00:08
MARJORIE THOMSON 45-49 1:18:52
KEVIN TUDHOPE 25-29 54:37
LORNA VISSER 55-59 55:39
CHRISTINE WEEKS 25-29 1:05:47
GREG WEEKS 25-29 1:05:48
DICKON WORSLEY 45-49 53:33
PAIGE YOUNG 40-44 1:00:21
CRYSTAL O'NEILL 30-34 47:14 New Lowell
ENNIFER PARKER 40-44 1:04:09 Blue Mountains
DAVID TAIT 50-54 59:15 Blue Mountains
Well done, folks. I plan on being a bit quicker in my next race. And maybe bringing along additional friends. Although, the four of us made for a nice group.
And BIG thanks to John and Susan for loaning me their pied a terre for the weekend. There are many home-baked goods in your future!
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Ready to Run
A 4am alarm weekday mornings is a strange thing that you never really get used to. I am told Buddist and Christian monks keep hours similar to mine in morning radio, but I am no monk, so a week of 'real' wakeup times (read: 7am or 8am) is a treat. This has been one of those weeks. I've been on a 'staycation', using up last year's vacation time, which had been saved up in the hope of a trip to Australia. Unattainable this year, but perhaps not next year, or maybe the year after.
I have spent a great deal of this week running, preparing to run, thinking about the run I'm about to make and making plans with my running partners for when and where we will meet up in advance of the race.
In January, two girlfriends and I signed up for this Sunday's race down Yonge Street courtesy of the folks at Sporting Life. We're not planning to set any records. We're in the group that aspires to complete the 10k in 60-75 minutes. I'm finishing my training runs (water tower to the Batteau sideroad and back) in 1:09, so I figure at least I won't be the Very Final person to cross the line at Fort York Sunday morning.
As far as I'm concerned, the race is already won, because it forced me back onto the trails. I ran a shorter race in the fall of 2011 for various reasons, one of which was to lose some of the pounds I packed on in the first few years of marriage. Just a few extra snacks on the couch each evening really adds up. Starting last fall, some of that weight crept back, and I figured another race might be in order. While the number on the scale each morning hasn't moved since the start of this year, I'm certain there have been other benefits. I feel stronger and somehow more... useful.
Wish us luck elbowing our way through the 27,000 people who are planning to run in the chilly weather expected on Sunday in Toronto. Each of us will have our own reason for being there. Some, like me, are doing it to stay in our smaller pants. Some are raising money, others are on a journey I may never understand. I'm not going to offer any deep thoughts about distance running, marathoning, the bombings in Boston or crazy people in general; so much has been said so much more eloquently than I could ever devise.
But I will say this: running changes more than the shape of legs and shoulders and the readout on the scale. Two years into my journey in fitness, I now measure my days by which ones I Get to run, not by which ones I Have to run.
I have spent a great deal of this week running, preparing to run, thinking about the run I'm about to make and making plans with my running partners for when and where we will meet up in advance of the race.
In January, two girlfriends and I signed up for this Sunday's race down Yonge Street courtesy of the folks at Sporting Life. We're not planning to set any records. We're in the group that aspires to complete the 10k in 60-75 minutes. I'm finishing my training runs (water tower to the Batteau sideroad and back) in 1:09, so I figure at least I won't be the Very Final person to cross the line at Fort York Sunday morning.
As far as I'm concerned, the race is already won, because it forced me back onto the trails. I ran a shorter race in the fall of 2011 for various reasons, one of which was to lose some of the pounds I packed on in the first few years of marriage. Just a few extra snacks on the couch each evening really adds up. Starting last fall, some of that weight crept back, and I figured another race might be in order. While the number on the scale each morning hasn't moved since the start of this year, I'm certain there have been other benefits. I feel stronger and somehow more... useful.
Wish us luck elbowing our way through the 27,000 people who are planning to run in the chilly weather expected on Sunday in Toronto. Each of us will have our own reason for being there. Some, like me, are doing it to stay in our smaller pants. Some are raising money, others are on a journey I may never understand. I'm not going to offer any deep thoughts about distance running, marathoning, the bombings in Boston or crazy people in general; so much has been said so much more eloquently than I could ever devise.
But I will say this: running changes more than the shape of legs and shoulders and the readout on the scale. Two years into my journey in fitness, I now measure my days by which ones I Get to run, not by which ones I Have to run.
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