2011 February » nothing in winnipeg

The Metro-textual Blog

Musings

Feb 282011

Apparently, Winnipeg news now comes in theme parties. Last week, the theme was judges gone wrong; this week, it is newspaper madness! Everyone start making your theme-party pirate hats! The announcement today that Metro Canada, a chain of free weekday newspapers targeted at a young, “metropolitan” demographic, set off a Twitterbomb. Then the story landed on my to-do pile during my news shift today, because that’s how these things work. And so it came to be that this afternoon, I chatted with Metro Canada president Bill McDonald. Most of our chat can be found in my story. I don’t have my [...click for more...]

Choose Your Own Nothing In Winnipeg Blog

Caretakery

Feb 252011

Executive blogkeeping decision: I need to get my last post off the top of my blog. I tried, folks, I tried. I stayed up ’til 4 a.m. last night, trying to force something out. Then I woke up on the couch at 8 a.m. and tried again. But everything I tried to write was coming up anger. Anger and sheer exhaustion that this is the millionth time we’ve discussed these things, and that they will be discussed a million times more. Everything I tried to write was stung through by the ugliness that buzzes at the edge of every story about [...click for more...]

An Open Letter To Justice Vic Timblamer

This Is Why The World Sucks

Feb 242011

Dear Queen’s Bench Justice V. Timblamer:* Good afternoon! I’m writing to thank you for your recent sentencing decision in the case of convicted rapist Kenneth Rhodes. Everyone’s talking about it! As the owner of not one, but several orifices that are capable of being sexually penetrated against my will, it is very important for me to know that the severity of a violent crime committed against my body is largely dependent on whether or not I was sending out signals that “sex was in the air.” In fact, until I had read your decision, it had never even occured to me that [...click for more...]

Reasons to Love Your Photog No. 3

This Is My Job

Feb 202011

Because sometimes, when it is the slowest of all slow news days, and when your work email is down because technology is a jerk and you are combing the Forks and braving the throngs of squealing children flooding through the Manitoba Museum, your photog takes one look at a kid posing inside a replica cosmonaut helmet at a really quirky space exploration exhibit, and has an idea. “I think we just found your blog picture,” he says. Of course, no matter how much you love your photog, they can’t do much for the smears of mascara you couldn’t clean off [...click for more...]

Hearts, minds, and suicide headlines

Musings

Feb 202011

I am told the second-year Creative Communications students have been discussing reporting on suicide lately, including such issues as whether media reporting drives up suicide rates. Me? I don’t think the question isn’t whether or not we should report suicide, because the question isn’t useful. The question we should ask in every case is, why would we report this? And how is it news? When tragedy strikes, news is the first salvo in a public dialogue: it is the names, the details, the charges. Who was the deceased? Why are they dead? What does this mean for the rest of us? It is [...click for more...]

The Double Em Martin TEDx Awards

Musings

Feb 162011

Well hello again! Now that I’ve had some time to “percolate,” to borrow Dave Pensato’s lauded phrase from my story today, it is time to make my full TEDx wrap-up. In short? I had a great time. I met some great folks, got in on some really energizing discussions, and was consistently impressed by the quality of talks on the stage. And I left feeling very positive — which is unusual, because despite my love of ideas, I am generally fairly cynical about the human species. Organizers mentioned how the breaks were designed to facilitate discussion. And I think that [...click for more...]

Towards A More Diverse TEDx Manitoba

Musings

Feb 152011

Like so many others out there in Winnipegland, I had a fascinating experience with TEDx Manitoba today. I will certainly be doing a lot of blogging about the many ideas shared and swapped at the event. It was inspiring, to be sure. Sadly, I don’t think my article in tomorrow’s paper is that great, but I think most of you will understand that it was hard to accurately capture the scope of the ideas presented, while explaining the event itself, and doing so in less than 40 minutes of writing time and under 500 words. Anyway, more on that later. For now, a humble suggestion to [...click for more...]

Late Night Linky-Post No. 1

Spreading The Love

Feb 112011

Who doesn’t like a good linky-post? Nobody doesn’t like a good linky-post! So here is my first linky-post, because endlessly posting links on Twitter gets old to me. From me to you, a round-up of some of my must-read and must-see items from around the web this week: LOCAL + I love One Man Committee’s in-depth exploration of Princess Street. + We’re talking incarceration and crime up in hurr! I left a million-word comment, I’m sure James is thrilled. + Kenton Larsen was there when some Food Network guy totally bombed at a charity dinner, and it sounded sort [...click for more...]

No, Really, There’s Nothing In Winnipeg.

Odes to Winnipeg

Feb 102011

Over on Twitter, Ryan Reyes noted: Most don’t realize #Winnipeg has a deep pool of local talent. We have to overcome our inferiority-complex. Thoughts? It’s a good question. So good, in fact, that asking it has spilled enough ink in this city to repaint the Exchange. I started writing about arts and entertainment in this city in 1999. This issue of overcoming our inferiority complex was top o’ many people’s minds back then. I have been assured it was top o’ many people’s minds well before then, too. This inferiority complex even inspired the name of this blog. And it’s obviously on [...click for more...]

Lede With The Latte - Plus, a Bonus CNN Rant

Around The World, Musings

Feb 092011

Coming in a little late — due to lingering surgery-blahs, and general malaise over my life - but as many have seen, the Free Press is taking an apparently unconventional step and opening a News Cafe. But is it really so unconventional? I’ve known of the idea for months now, though I was privy to few details other than dreams. The first time I heard of it was on an early episode of John White’s and my now-defunct radio show, when Bob Cox phoned in live from Ink and Beyond. I think the shape of it eluded me then. I’m a muller. [...click for more...]

Older Entries