I give up. I just can't watch the CBC News Network anymore. Not for a while at least. Not until all of this Rob Ford stuff has blown over.
For the last little while, CBC News Network has been doing its best job to imitate CNN with its extensive, in depth, overblown, overdone coverage of what is going on in Toronto, also known in some Canadian circles as the centre of the Universe.
Having lived outside of Canada I can safely say it isn't. In fact, the place I used to call home was way bigger, more beautiful, and a far more interesting place than boring Toronto ever could be.
I guess News Network figures it is giving its audience what it believes it wants.
I love how big of a deal it is because it is getting recognized and reported outside of Canada on networks like CNN, and on programs like The Daily Show.
It's almost as if foreign coverage, in particular American foreign coverage seems to give the story more validity or relevance.
Well I've had it.
I started watching the news a lot this year because as a journalism student I feel it is very important to keep up to date with what is going on in the world.
I do have to write current event quizzes so this does provide a bit of the inspiration for my sudden interest in news, but seeing as I don't have to take another current events' news quiz until next semester (watch the class get a current events' news quiz tomorrow - if we do it's my fault and I want to apologize to the rest of the class) I think I'm going to skip watching the news, and in particular, CBC News Network for the next little while.
Hopefully when I start watching again in the new year all of this stupidity will be off the air.
cheers
rymr
Monday 18 November 2013
Monday 11 November 2013
The Jets Get it Right
Last night's Winnipeg Jets' game was a little bit special. It wasn't because the Jets were able to win the game in a shootout, but because the team and the organization took the time before the game to honour a veteran of World War Two, a season ticket holder and a fixture at most Jets' home games.
During the national anthem at the MTS Centre the fans get loud when they emphasize the True North part of the song. Another tradition tied to the national anthem before the game is to show Len Kopiaski saluting up on the jumbotron scoreboard.
During last night's game they brought him out onto the ice surface. He needed his walker to stand up some of the time, but most of the time he was using one of his hands to prop up his usual salute.
At the end of the song he was again shown on the scoreboard and given a louder than usual round of applause from the appreciative fans.
Last year I actually sat just a few seats over from where he sits. During one of the period breaks a few of the fans came up to him and shook his hand. They even asked for a picture and he was kind enough to oblige them.
Usually at the MTS Centre, the fans are cheering on their sports' heroes. Although that was the case last night, at least for some time the sports' heroes had to share the applause.
It wasn't just for Len Kopiaski, but for all soldiers who have served.
I'll stand for that any time.
cheers
rymr
During the national anthem at the MTS Centre the fans get loud when they emphasize the True North part of the song. Another tradition tied to the national anthem before the game is to show Len Kopiaski saluting up on the jumbotron scoreboard.
During last night's game they brought him out onto the ice surface. He needed his walker to stand up some of the time, but most of the time he was using one of his hands to prop up his usual salute.
At the end of the song he was again shown on the scoreboard and given a louder than usual round of applause from the appreciative fans.
Last year I actually sat just a few seats over from where he sits. During one of the period breaks a few of the fans came up to him and shook his hand. They even asked for a picture and he was kind enough to oblige them.
Usually at the MTS Centre, the fans are cheering on their sports' heroes. Although that was the case last night, at least for some time the sports' heroes had to share the applause.
It wasn't just for Len Kopiaski, but for all soldiers who have served.
I'll stand for that any time.
cheers
rymr
Monday 4 November 2013
Winnipeg's Great War
Ever since I read the book "All Quiet on the Western Front" I have been facinated by the history of World War One. This passion was furthered after watching the great series on the Canadian HIstory Channel, For King and Empire, hosted by Norm Christie. The book, Winnipeg's Great War, is not about military history. Jim Blanchard, author of the book told our class that he didn't want readers looking for a book on military history to be dissapointed. This book is about the social history of Winnipeg.
The title of the book draws inspiration from the name originally given to the First World War. It was called 'The Great War".
As a Canadian who is of Mennonite decent I was very interested to read about how my ancestors were affected by the First World War.
In case you don't know Mennonites are a pacifist group that came to Canada because we were kicked out of every other country because we didn't want to fight in any wars.
We also wanted to be able to preserve our language and our culture. The book deals with the culture of Winnipeg at the time and how this affected the school system.
Winnipeg was a very different place during this period in history. It wasn't the multicultural society that we have today. It was a society that considered itself British first and then Canadian. This would change after the war.
One comment Blanchard made as he spoke to our class stuck out at me. He felt that the Canadians who had fought in the war had done 'the right thing'.
There's no questioning the bravery that the soldiers fighting in the first war, or any war for that matter, have inside them.
But I do question whether or not what they did was 'the right thing'.
World War One was wholesale slaughter such that the world had never seen before. It was new technology such as the machine gun, combined with barbed wire to create killing zones where nothing could survive.
Earlier tactics were now useless to the commanders who had been put in place, not because of ability but because of birth, status or patronage.
Things would have to change but before they were, countless numbers of people were senslessly slaughtered. Territorial gains were measured in meters.
But this wasn't a book about military history, so perhaps I was a little disapointed by that.
It did seem to go on tangents a lot and lacked focus. Chapters seemed to go everywhere and it was hard to follow at times. Characters came in and out of the book. Some received a sentence, other paragraphs and pages.
If anything, for me it lacked a heart - something to tie it all together.
As part of this assignment I went and shot some video footage of places mentioned in the book.
I went to the Manitoba Legislature where there is a statue to commemorate all those who died in the war.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8WebcKjmCM
The next stop was City hall. The new city hall was erected on the same sight as the old one which was designed by Charles and Earl Barber. For more information on them and the old building check out this link: http://timemachine.siamandas.com/PAGES/winnipeg_stories/CITYHALL1.htm
The old city hall is gone, but I did have a chance to take some video across the street at two of the buildings designed by the same architects which are now a part of the downtown campus of Red
River College.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3U0faGvtHHA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFZtmo5rhbM&feature=youtu.be
After visiting city hall I decided to take a stop at Valour Road. On Portage avenue there is a nice sign with a First World War soldier on it. On the street itself is a gold light post with a plaque and a reef to commemorate the three soldiers who were born on this street, had enlisted together and all won the Victoria Cross. Sadly, two of these soldiers died during the war.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gcs0GgIGXPc
Click on any of the links to see some of the video I shot of these sights in Winnipeg.
cheers
rymr
The title of the book draws inspiration from the name originally given to the First World War. It was called 'The Great War".
As a Canadian who is of Mennonite decent I was very interested to read about how my ancestors were affected by the First World War.
In case you don't know Mennonites are a pacifist group that came to Canada because we were kicked out of every other country because we didn't want to fight in any wars.
We also wanted to be able to preserve our language and our culture. The book deals with the culture of Winnipeg at the time and how this affected the school system.
Winnipeg was a very different place during this period in history. It wasn't the multicultural society that we have today. It was a society that considered itself British first and then Canadian. This would change after the war.
One comment Blanchard made as he spoke to our class stuck out at me. He felt that the Canadians who had fought in the war had done 'the right thing'.
There's no questioning the bravery that the soldiers fighting in the first war, or any war for that matter, have inside them.
But I do question whether or not what they did was 'the right thing'.
World War One was wholesale slaughter such that the world had never seen before. It was new technology such as the machine gun, combined with barbed wire to create killing zones where nothing could survive.
Earlier tactics were now useless to the commanders who had been put in place, not because of ability but because of birth, status or patronage.
Things would have to change but before they were, countless numbers of people were senslessly slaughtered. Territorial gains were measured in meters.
But this wasn't a book about military history, so perhaps I was a little disapointed by that.
It did seem to go on tangents a lot and lacked focus. Chapters seemed to go everywhere and it was hard to follow at times. Characters came in and out of the book. Some received a sentence, other paragraphs and pages.
If anything, for me it lacked a heart - something to tie it all together.
As part of this assignment I went and shot some video footage of places mentioned in the book.
I went to the Manitoba Legislature where there is a statue to commemorate all those who died in the war.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8WebcKjmCM
The next stop was City hall. The new city hall was erected on the same sight as the old one which was designed by Charles and Earl Barber. For more information on them and the old building check out this link: http://timemachine.siamandas.com/PAGES/winnipeg_stories/CITYHALL1.htm
The old city hall is gone, but I did have a chance to take some video across the street at two of the buildings designed by the same architects which are now a part of the downtown campus of Red
River College.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3U0faGvtHHA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFZtmo5rhbM&feature=youtu.be
After visiting city hall I decided to take a stop at Valour Road. On Portage avenue there is a nice sign with a First World War soldier on it. On the street itself is a gold light post with a plaque and a reef to commemorate the three soldiers who were born on this street, had enlisted together and all won the Victoria Cross. Sadly, two of these soldiers died during the war.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gcs0GgIGXPc
Click on any of the links to see some of the video I shot of these sights in Winnipeg.
cheers
rymr
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