I am proud to say that my letter to the editor regarding Thomas Steen's victory in the 2010 Winnipeg Civic Election was published in the Winnipeg Free Press today.
Ever since a classmate told me I was in the paper, I've been telling people about it all day. Though I found it strange though that they didn't call me to confirm I wrote it before they published it, I was still ecstatic when I opened the Winnipeg Free Press to page A15.
A friend of mine photographed my blurb and posted it on Facebook, so here it is!
Some of my classmates also had their letters published in today's paper, and tomorrow's paper will likely feature others opinions. I really enjoyed this experience and hope that they, along with myself, continue to write editorials. It's good practice writing and a good way to get your name out there.
Also, my dad is an avid reader of the letters to the editor and he said it was nice to see so many well written letters. He hopes that he sees our names appear in there again. (thanks Pops!)
I'd like to thank Kenton Larsen for "inspiring" us to write letters, my parents for being awesome and reading the paper every day and Thomas Steen for creating controversy to write about.
I am baffled by Thomas Steen’s win in the Elmwood-East Kildonan ward last night. Though I could predict that the NDP vote would be split between Shaneen Robinson and Rod Giesbrecht, I thought one of them would still have the numbers to be victorious.
Being in attendance and meeting all the candidates at their forum last week, I didn’t feel that Steen was as prepared as his competition. He read all of his speeches off his paper and when asked a yes or no question he responded with “yo”. Listening to Steen talk, I got the impression that he doesn’t know what he wants to do and doesn’t have a lot of strong ideas or points on how he’s going to improve the community.
I think that a lot of people were unsure of who to vote for and saw a familiar name on the ballot and filled in the little bubble beside it. Being an ex-Winnipeg Jet star, I also think hopeful hockey fans elected him with the expectation of Winnipeg becoming an NHL city again.
In no way do I think that being "popular" or "famous" makes anyone qualified to represent a community. When I attended the forum last week, half the words that came out of Steen's mouth sounded like gibberish because of his Swedish accent and lacking English language skills. Now, I am not discriminating against people with accents but communicationskills are of top priority in politics. If the guy is barely understandable, how is he supposed to be the voice for the 42,135 residents in the Elmwood-East Kildonan area?
I am disappointed in the choice this community made. I was given the impression at the forum last Wednesday night that they were ready for a big change, and improvement. I feel like this ward is back in high school, voting for Steen because of his popularity, and not his qualifications.
Steen fighting, but not for the residents of Elmwood-East Kildonan.
Election results in the Elmwood-East Kildonan city councillor race:
Thomas Steen: 3,921 Shaneen Robinson: 3,705 Rod Giesbrecht: 3,501 Gordon Warren: 264 Nelson Sanderson: 236
There's something about bacon that is just so irresistible to most people. It's potent smoky smell, crispy texture, easily consumable strips and ability to make so many foods taste better.
But bacon has been reaching people through more than just their stomachs. The love of bacon has expanded to products unrelated to food that you'd never expect.
Recently, on a trip to Toad Hall Toys in the Exchange District for advertising class I saw a few "bacon" products that were really intriguing.
Do you have chapped lips, and want to taste like bacon to your boyfriend? Then Bacon Balm is the product for you.
Need somewhere to keep your money? What about a bacon wallet?
Read all the stories in your bathroom book? I'm sure the I Love Bacon book is a good way to pass the time.
Have bacon stuck in your teeth? Bacon floss to the rescue!
Experience bacon's wonderful odor, and be hungry all day with a bacon air freshner.
Bacon bandages are the only way to go for cut protection.
There aren't many times where I would refuse to eat bacon but some people just take it too far with the stuff. I absolutely refuse to eat a Double Down Sandwich from KFC. That thing is just pushing bacon's awesomeness a little too far.
I heard about Facebook for the first time at a dance competition in 2007. One of the girl's competing in my class was from Ontario and was talking about keeping in touch on Facebook. Wanting to fit in, I nodded and pretended that I knew what she was talking about.
Honestly, I had no idea what Facebook was. At the time, other networking websites such as MySpace and Nexopia were still popular among my friends. I promptly went home after the competition and went to see what Facebook was. There was no turning back from there, I've been addicted ever since.
With Facebook being accessible on my iPhone I've been even more addicted since I got it last December. When I heard about The Social Network coming out, I was so excited to go see it since I didn't really know anything about Facebook's creators or history, just how it worked.
I thought the movie was going to be a promotional almost advertisement for Facebook, but I was very wrong. They told the story of how it was created and what's happened within the company from then until now.
If I were Mark Zuckerberg, I would be very happy that a movie came out profiling my company. In my opinion, all publicity is good publicity. Even though it shows him being sued and going through court, people are still going to remember the movie, his name and more importantly, Facebook.
Though the movie doesn't show Zuckerberg in the most positive light, it didn't make me hate him either. I felt that they showed a good balance of both sides of the story, letting the viewer decide whose side they were on for themselves. On one hand, I felt bad because Zuckerberg did end up firing his friend, but I thought that he wasn't happy about it. He was just thinking of what would be more beneficial for the company. Everyone has the right to be selfish.
I would've expected him to be slightly unimpressed that some people would see him in a bad light because of the movie, but he didn't seem to care. I think he should have showed more compassion since it is an honour to be featured in a film and people might think he's just a self-centred egomaniac who thinks he's indestructible.
It was necessary for him to react to the film, I just don't think he did it in the right way. He should have clarified things more.
For example, he characterizes the film as fictional and insignificant, according to the PR Post'sarticle. He doesn't answer any questions as to why or how this is. If he's going to make claims he needs to be able to back them up.
Overall, I did learn a lot from the movie that I didn't know before and enjoyed it for that aspect. After reading about Mark Zuckerberg's response to the movie on the PR Post, I have lost some respect for him. But, I still love Facebook and will continue to frivolously check my friend's status updates, creep on their pictures and press "like" too many times a day.
Check out this YouTube video of Isk & Honi's "Facebook Addict Song" posted by LurveMyMusic.
It was like clockwork, every day when my parents got home from work before I freed myself from elementary and secondary education, they would ask "what did you learn at school today?"
"Nothing" I would answer, being the intellect that I was, I mean I already knew everything right? Not so much, I just didn't get excited about what I was learning and talking to your parents wasn't "cool".
Now, I openly tell my parents what I'm doing in school because I think it's cool and exciting. Sometimes, I think they want me to shut up. Today, I wish they had asked because I'd have such a great answer.
Here is what I learnt at school today.
First, my fellow classmates informed me that you can't go wrong with packing your lunch. Though, some days you just don't have the time (we are in CreComm after all), it's the most cost effective and you can guarantee you will be eating something you like (as long as your mom doesn't pack it!).
Secondly, I was informed that students are unknowingly censoring themselves. They're afraid of voicing their opinions, fearing humiliation, judgement and rejection. I say, there's no such thing as a bad opinion (as long as it's backed up by facts of course) so let your voices be heard!
Thirdly, I learnt that the best place for students to purchase gym memberships from is the YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg. (Okay, maybe I already knew this a couple weeks ago, but the "Body Break" presentation was fun!)
Fourthly, my peers informed the class that lake friendly products are definitely worth it. Though the laundry detergent is definitely not worth buying, other cleaning products that are lake friendly were highly recommended. (Note to self: remember this when you move out and have to start cleaning)
Last, but certainly not least, I found out that garbage bags made from recycled materials are comparable in price and quality to other regular garbage bags. I also learnt that garbage bag "potato sack" races are HILARIOUS.
That is what I learnt at school today. I was very impressed by my classmates research, efforts and awesome presentations. Congratulations to everyone and thanks for a great day!
This blog post is dedicated to my parents, Dean and Glenda Shiells.
Are you a Winnipeg student looking to join a gym, but you're not sure where to start? Don't worry, we've done all the work for you and have come up with a recommendation.
Our group, Hannah Pratt, Paul Lagimodiere, Lizzy Symons, Dylan Hughes and I, chose to do gyms for our Buyer Beware project and conducted a lot of research to eventually come up with the "best" gym choice. We were going to target all potential gym-goers but narrowed it down to focus on students after research was done.We didn't really know what we were getting ourselves into but I think it's safe to say we're happy with our results.
Our primary research consisted of calling all the gyms and then visiting them as prospective members, getting tours and getting information. We also conducted interviews and a survey to get a better idea of who the "student gym-goer" really is. We found that the student gym-goer is most worried about cost and location of the gym they're going to join. Also, students who go to the gym are there for more than just the work out, but for the social experience.
Here is a chart of prices of membership the different gyms:
Secondary research was conducted by studying each gym's website, consulting past articles on the subject and searching videos on the topic. It backed up our findings with each gym and strengthened the reliability of our information.
We found an article from Mar. 16 in the Manitoban called Making a Good Impression: How Finding a Gym is the First Hurdle by Ben Poggemiller that was almost exactly what our experiences were when researching the facilities. We also found a video on CBC that displays a woman who wasn't been treated well at her gym and was continued to be charged after she cancelled her membership.
Judging by price, location, hours, additional services and staff we finally came to a conclusion. We found that because it has the best price, the most locations, reasonable hours, all additional services (there are a lot of them!) are including in the membership fee and the staff was the friendliest and most helpful the YMCA-YWCA is the winner of this competition. Though some of the other gyms have longer hours on weekdays, options of tanning and massage at an extra cost and a more focused fitness client base, the YMCA-YWCA was ultimately the best choice for students. They focus more on community, which makes it easy for students to socialize which is a huge part of their gym culture.
Now that you know where you're going it's time to learn what to do when you're there!
PostFiction is a collection of "postcard fiction" -- short stories or poems that fit on the back of a 4 X 6 postcard or photograph.
For our Group Professional Project in creative writing class we, Class 3 of Creative Communications 1st year students, have created PostFiction. We will be collecting submissions from authors of fiction written on the back of a postcard of photograph.
As long as the writing fits within 4x6 and is fiction, you're golden. You can choose whether or not to include your name on your work.
We will be hosting an event in late November which will display the postcards. More information on the event will follow. Also, all submissions will be put up on our website http://www.postfiction.net/.
So get brainstorming and get your PostFiction written today! You don't want to be the only one who hasn't sent one in!
Send to (before November 1): PostFiction 758 Beverley St.
Winnipeg, MB R3E 2A6
Buyer beware has taken over my life for the last few weeks. I've been doing primary research and though it's been fun we realized that some surveys would be beneficial to our research to better help make a decision for YOU, the consumer! Help us help you by taking this survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RLZ6JXR
Wednesday morning from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. a mayoral forum was held in the Red River College downtown campus' cafeteria with candidates Mayor Sam Katz and Judy Wasylycia-Leis.
During this event I decided to take my first crack at live tweeting. I used hashtags #mayoralforum and #rrc. Here`s a few examples of what went on during the forum.
You can cut the tension with a knife at the mayoral forum.
Oh Sam and Judy, you've already proven that you can avoid answering questions now cut it out!
I have never heard so many interruptions in 20 minutes before.
"You can feel the love in the room here at Red River College" -Richard Cloutier from CJOB
@hayleybrigg calls Judy out on giving good jobs to ex criminals instead of more deserving people.
Richard Cloutier cuts Wasylycia-Lees off to let Katz talk.
"everyone in this room needs to know there's a quality job out there for them" -Katz on employing #crecomm grads!
"you don't want me to get the airhorn out" Cloutier says to Wasylycia-Lees!
"let's talk about reality Judy, we've never had a defacit, you're making this stuff up" -Katz
Environmental issues, Katz wants to get into composting and recycling and increase transit popularity.
Wasylycia-Leis thinks the biggest environmental problem in our city is Mayor Katz for not completing rapid transit yet.
The crowd seems to prefer the idea of LRT over BRT in Winnipeg
Cloutier brings up the youth curfew again, neither candidate is "for" it and Judy brings up community centers...again!
Katz wants to be mayor because Winnipeg is his home and wants it to be a place where we can live, work and play.
Katz's vision for the next 4 yrs: rejuvenate downtown, more people using alternative transportation, making the city safe.
Church ministry qualifies you to be mayor according to Wasylycia-Leis
Katz asks the audience if they know he owns the Winnipeg Goldeyes. "It's not a secret" he says.
Judy tells Sam what is "the right" thing to do with Canwest park and water issues.
"Thanks Mom" - Katz to Wasylycia-Leis on telling him what to do.
Katz addresses that 45 million dollars has been given to community centers already.
Public perception vs actual evidence: Katz says perception is reality and that's what you deal with.
Judy calls the city "dirty" and "behind the times" in environmental issues.
Winner? I'd say Katz takes it.
To view the complete live tweet, follow me on twitter! @terrynshiells
I recently dusted off my old alto saxophone and took it for a spin after some classmates convinced me to. I thought that it would probably sound pretty rough but I'd still remember how to play after two years.
Boy was I wrong! My sound wasn't actually terrible, not as smooth as it was in the peak of my high school jazz band career, but still pretty good.
Instead, I found myself struggling with learning songs by wrote and was significantly slower at reading sheet music.
I thought that for sure the sound would suffer since I only played saxophone for three years and learned music theory from playing other instruments and singing since I was really young.
I guess it's true that if you don't practice something you won't be able to do it forever. Determined to regain my musical theory skills and saddened by my lack of creating for the past two years I've created a list of things I want to accomplish within the next two years to help keep me sane during CreComm.
1. Practice alto saxophone once a month, playing by wrote and off sheet music.
2. Sing karaoke at least once in front of friends who haven't heard me sing before.
3. Learn how to play my dad's acoustic guitar.
4. Get up to expert on RockBand.
5. Sing in the shower every day.
6. Be in a band!
I miss music and am disappointed that what was once the focus of my life is now merely a memory. This list will help bring that joy back into my life and keep me sane! :)
kən
