Rage against the Machine - corporate vandalism of public spaces. · Saturday September 19, 2009 by colin newell
Shame on the Bay Centre in Victoria B.C. Canada for their abuse of a public space: the sidewalks of Victoria B.C. Canada. In a cynical attempt at being gritty, edgy and on the fringe this latest attempt by a local marketing agency falls flat like so much scattered waste from a sea gull.
In my often downtown forays into the urban shell, I spend a lot of time looking into windows and into faces – never are my eyes forced downward on to the sidewalk other than to change course from some inadvertently deposited animal dropping. So what is up with the dated concept of guerrilla marketing by Eclipse Creative in Victoria?
I mean – do they have a permit for this? Or is this another one of them brilliant IKEA IDEAS?
In a recent conversation with one of their agents (who will remain nameless…) she revealed… “Permit? I do not think so. Do we need one? Gee. I don’t know…”
It seems the Bay Centre “Maintenance Crew” used the stencils provided to them by Eclipse Creative to spray a water soluble material onto the public sidewalks.
So what is stopping me from spraying over their message with my message?
Which is: “get out of my face already…”
Do you have any idea how fast I would have the cuffs slapped on me if I created my own special and unique message on a public sidewalk?
Anyway. Eclipse Creatives attempt at edginess is so yesterday. As a former member of the Prada team pointed out, this was so done in the 90’s.
Welcome to the 21st century baby.
Buzz not achieved.
Try again.
Comment [6]
Bonus Blog Summer Sofa Surfing Sidewalk Styles · Thursday August 20, 2009 by colin newell
Have been meaning to rant on this for a long while…
It all started with a sofa on the sidewalk.
Which in wet Victoria B.C. Canada comes as something of a surprise.
Discarded stuff. For some reason we live in a city with residents that feel that garbage self-disposes. Hell, we dump raw sewage into the strait of Juan de Fuca so dumping our sofas on the boulevard is not that much of a stretch. I guess they think the rain will flush it away.
But I have been seeing more shite on the sidewalks lately.
- Old televisions. Big ones at that.
- Computer monitors. Yep. CRT ones. No surprise here.
- Microwave ovens. Seeing a trend here?
- Coffee makers. Say’s it not so.
Lately I have been seeing a veritable Potpourri of detritus (Hey Cheryl!) on our city streets that seem to include…
- Children’s toys – they grow up so fast.
- Booster seats – as above
- Strollers – again, I hope the kids are OK
So. For residents of Victoria B.C Canada, I ask you: What is up with all the sidewalk refuse?
Comment [5]
Summer Food Fun and Drink Chapter 13 The Two Old Goats on Tour North by Northwest · Saturday July 11, 2009 by colin newell
We were interviewed on CBC’s North by Northwest – and here is the mp3 about The Two Old Goats.
or click here for the mp3 if you cannot see the above widget.
Goats on the bleat! CBC North by Northwest Interview!
There is some talk that my band, The Two Old Goats, might be doing a limited series of live performances on Vancouver Island this summer and fall – and maybe beyond, with is a second project in the works. Who knows. I will advise.
Above is a snippet of a show we were featured on a ways back on CBC Radio 1, North by Northwest.
The “Goats” featuring Charlie Burton and yours truly, Colin Newell, got a good amount of air play nationwide as well as on NPR in the U.S.A.
You can get buy our CD and get concert updates over on our band site – e-mail me for details!
You can also have a listen to some of the solo Charlie Burton projects over on www.charlieburton.ca
March 3 2010 update – 100% of all CD sales will go to the Red Cross and World Vision efforts in Haiti and Chile.
Spring into nasty grand parenting · Friday April 3, 2009 by colin newell
I do not have any kids. I Never had a real urge to make a contribution to the gene pool.
And for the most part I am glad that there are some folks out there doing it on my behalf…
to a point that is…
My wife and I were in McDonald’s at lunch for our one guilty pleasure; I enjoy an Angus Burger, a side of fries and some iced tea. We eat healthy all week long – so from time to time… we need to re-balance if you know what I mean. Too much of a good thing and all…
Anyway – sitting upstairs at the normally quiet Cedar Hill and Shelbourne location at noon today… something caught my attention.
It was the expression of my wife tuning into a conversation between grandpa and his seemingly well behaved grand-son… that caught my eye – And I tuned into it a millisecond later.
Grandpa was saying… and I quote: “If you do not stop your messing around, I am going to kick your ass!”
Apparently the small boy, according to what we could see, was being overly jovial and chatty being near the excitement of the kiddie playground on the main floor…
The 4 year old responded, “That is not a very nice thing to say Grandpa…”
Grandpa responded, “And it isn’t going to be a very nice thing to happen to you if you don’t smarten up!”
A Great-Granny was sitting with them and she kind of looked on, oblivious to the conversation between the grand-thug and the young boy…
This is 2009 – and I was astounded that I was hearing this violent exchange directed at a small child. And I was baffled as to how to respond…
saying to my wife… “Shall I go over there and KICK his ass?”
No. Probably not a good idea.
I was (we were) in fact, witnessing an event of child abuse unfolding and I was at a complete loss as to what to do about it. The conversation ended with the above exchange between the 2. The kid settled down a bit and the grand-thug settled into reading his paper.
But what of after… the later on for that 4 year old?
Sometimes violence is subtle – and one needs to be diligent to protect our young. In this particular case… well, I just don’t know.
Maybe the parents of this child will read this. Now that would be ironic.
One other thing: Moms and Dads… when you are out with your small children… Watch them! When we were coming into the McDonalds today, a young Mom and her Son and Daughter were with her. The boy was dawlding, kicking imaginary stones and counting the cracks in the sidewalk. He fell back about 20 feet as she went into the food outlet ahead of him and did not turn around until the door closed behind her.
He could have been grabbed in a heart beat by a clone of grand-thug above.
Anyway. Just a suggestion.
My new chapter with the Island Prostate Resource Centre · Thursday March 19, 2009 by colin newell
In my 35+ years as a technical professional at a local University, I would find time in my schedule to do committee work, employee contract negotiations and mediation.
These and other volunteer positions put me in contact with a varied segment of my workplace. I found listening to people and offering creative solutions very rewarding.
Eventually, I would mentor younger leaders in this activity and move onto larger committees centered on well-being, work-life balance, including mental and physical health.
As fate would have it, my mortality came into sharper focus, at age 40-something, with some unusual blood test results: a higher than normal PSA (Prostate specific antigen) reading indicating immediate action was required. Off to a urologist, a biopsy and a bunch of research on my part! As it turned out, after numerous MRI screening sessions, more blood work, more physical examinations and – nothing was ever found. I was in the clear… for now.
It dawned on me after my clinical experience, that for every man that detects an anomaly such as this, another 5 men are blithely unaware that anything is amiss. So what’s the cure? Simple: Dialog, awareness, conversation and empathy.
Somewhere along the way, the Movember movement found me… or I found them. Movember originated in Australia and is all about medical research, education and awareness. During the month of November, participants eschew the often daily ritual of facial hair removal… growing a myriad of variants on the moustache.
I did 16+ years as a Movember team leader and, at times, a regional ambassador… a thinker… A talker… A media go-to… And ultimately, a fund raiser. Eventually I had done everything I felt I needed to do with Movember. A tip and friendly conversation with my Urologist, between the physical examinations and blood letting, led me to a Vancouver Island resource center and its executive officer Leanne.
For me, I had the broader view with Movember but I was losing sight of the big picture in my very back yard. I need to be clear, Movember does great work but I found that there were things that needed more attention, particularly the one-on-one personal touch.
The best moments of my journey thus far, on the subject of male mental and physical health, were the taps on the shoulder from younger lads (and older guys) struggling with something that made them feel alone. I was “first contact” for them. Listening to their stories and struggles — and giving them a bit of direction to the right resource or even some encouragement was life altering in many instances.
I would soon discover that the Prostate Resource Center would be the “first contact” point for hundreds of men annually. Much to my surprise, the resource center receives no base budgeted funding from anywhere but the generous pockets of sympathetic benefactors who see the benefit of front line resources.
They are the leanest of teams — and now I am finding my own place in this group — finding my voice as it were in a new chapter of my life as a servant to the community as a whole. I look forward to what awaits me with this group.
