Thursday, October 20, 2011
Prostitution in Vancouver
I have long been an advocate for legalized prostitution; I think that it's important to acknowledge that the ignorance by police departments locally equate to a sanctioned activity that generates a significant amount of untaxed income. It's not just that prostitution can be passively ignored in Vancouver; it can only be true that it is actively avoided. You can't actually believe that the back of every newspaper in the city is littered with the ads of legitimate massage parlors and prude escort agencies. A quick trip down Cordova Street between Campbell and Main Street after 9 PM is not paraded by girls who just really like chatting to passing men. You can't quite say the same about Hastings Street's broad assortment of the drug riddled, mentally ill, and poverty stricken. East Cordova is loitered only by the prostitutes here.
Even those with the most strict morals, in terms of what these girls do, should be able to agree on a few things. I hope that any good person can believe that people have the right to the protections of the police. I believe that even the most hardened of them should be allowed to wake in the morning without a looming threat of death lingering about them. I believe that what we do in our sexual lives should be a choice. I believe firmly that even those opposed to what some of these people do, would still believe that all sexual acts should be of mutual consent.
In the world that we've fostered for prostitution to live in, this is not the case. Prostitutes are so wildly more vulnerable than any other occupation I can imagine. Picture a job more dangerous than one in which you are very likely a woman, work with strangers in the nude in (very) close quarters, and your customer base wants a fairly accessible product that, for one reason or another, they can't acquire for free. They want something that someone else in their life will not commit to doing uncompensated. Imagine working undocumented, with no regards as to where you are, or who you are with, at any given moment. No list of staff, no time clock. Imagine working an areas that are intentionally as private as possible. In the same sense that a failure to defend one's trademark equates to abandoning it, I believe that a consistent failure to defend the laws set equates to an annulment of those laws.
The limbo that prostitution lives in has allowed some atrocious consequences to those who reside in it. It has allowed gangs to profit from these operations and allowed them to funnel an untaxed and undocumented revenue into their coffers. It has allowed pimps, essentially bosses, to charge their workers with violence, rape, and unimaginable stress. It has prevented Canadian Revenue Services from collecting considerable sums of money in exchange for the rights and freedoms guaranteed (in writing) to every Canadian. It has given gangs an incentive to target young girls and lead them into drug habits. It has allowed anyone the possibility to murder without consequence. It has also come to light that it has allowed Vancouver Police to exchange their duty to arrest these girls for free sexual favours.
Wherever people stand morally (and legally) on prostitution, it's worth noting that this state of purgatory is the most damaging to society. The police don't act on arresting the prostitutes because they are well aware of a few things; they know that (like marijuana) they would not receive overwhelming support from the general public. They know that prostitution is a massive industry and would require an incredible amount of resources not available to them and an attempt to cease the industry would likely only result in the workforce being pushed further underground. Shutting down Craigslist's "personal services" section only pushed somewhat more discreet ads to the personals section. They also know they like freebies. Prostitution's illegal status is absolutely as unwieldy as prohibition was, and as it can't be ceased, it should be legalized. We can take these girls off the streets and offer them the protections (and taxes) provided to every citizen of the United Nations. We can take gangs and drugs out of the equation. We can take underage girls out of the equation. We can save families. We can save lives.
Friday, October 14, 2011
New Music Friday - Shimmering Stars
So, it wasn't long before I learned in the studio that almost anything sounds pretty good if you drench it in reverb. This has never been truer than with Shimmering Stars - which is essentially a full album of echoes. They cite a lot of old artists such as The Everly Brothers and Del Shannon as influences, which lends to the lo-fi recording style, but I don't even think the cited Bo Diddley's early recordings sound this poor. Not even live, not even when they're ripped to Youtube.
The reverb can be a bit frustrating when the songwriting is as good as it is here, and when these guys are on, it's spectacular. It's the kind of 1950s throwback that makes me want a letter jacket, a malt, and to go for pinks. Whatever that means.
A few of their tunes are up as free downloads on Bandcamp, and they're worth picking up.
The reverb can be a bit frustrating when the songwriting is as good as it is here, and when these guys are on, it's spectacular. It's the kind of 1950s throwback that makes me want a letter jacket, a malt, and to go for pinks. Whatever that means.
A few of their tunes are up as free downloads on Bandcamp, and they're worth picking up.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Occupying Vancouver (And Missing the Point)
In the United States, an unlawful assembly is defined as a meeting of three or more people with the intent to "carry out a lawful or unlawful purpose in a manner likely to imperil the peace and tranquillity of the neighborhood."When three or more people actually succeed in such an event, they have definitively committed the criminal act of rioting.
I think it's fair to say that a gathering of, say, 700 people marching across the Brooklyn Bridge to protest the maligned middle class and the tilted personal wealth in the United States is something of a mild threat; the title, "Occupy Wall Street" has a strong and somewhat militant tone. A protest can show not only passive resistance but organizational strength in unwieldy numbers. A protest, even a peaceful one, is something of a threat display to an opposing institution. Governments aren't generally fans of letting legitimate concerns snowball from small gatherings into massive displays of solidarity. They block streets, close businesses, delay work, and have the potential to turn unwieldy.
In a few days, a group called Occupy Vancouver intends on standing in solidarity with those who march in Washington by... doing something. Their website states that they will "demand a true democracy" and "will create a platform for people to speak and provide an audience that will listen." For starters, I'll call you when I learn what the true democracy is, as there are longstanding debates and arguments over what a true democracy is; from anarchism to totalitarianism democracies. I'm also not particularly keen on a group of uncertified loons spending the afternoon soapboxing on what they think needs to happen to Canada. Currently, their list of speakers includes a Grade 12 student, a guy suing Pfizer, and a man who wrote a book on the importance of smoking cannabis in ancient cultures.
New York's fiscal concerns are legitimate; the country hinges on bankruptcy as every moment passes. One percent of the nation now owns 40% of the wealth, entitling protestors to moniker themselves as "99 Percenters." They've been hurt for the past 11 years by the Bush tax cuts and their extension, by a campaign system that required 5.3 billion dollars of Barack Obama's supporters to succeed, and by the opportunistic abuse of several major firms of the bailouts they've been given. I don't believe we have that here, and so for us to protest so maladroitly under their umbrella seems more than slighting; it seems downright embarrassing. I agree that Canada has it's problems; I've heard everything cited from exorbitant telecom costs to the fire sale of government-held properties to private interests, but I don't agree that Occupy Vancouver bears focus in this regard. Rather, it seems like a shallow attempt to ride the popularity of Occupy Wall Street with little focus at all.
I think it's fair to say that a gathering of, say, 700 people marching across the Brooklyn Bridge to protest the maligned middle class and the tilted personal wealth in the United States is something of a mild threat; the title, "Occupy Wall Street" has a strong and somewhat militant tone. A protest can show not only passive resistance but organizational strength in unwieldy numbers. A protest, even a peaceful one, is something of a threat display to an opposing institution. Governments aren't generally fans of letting legitimate concerns snowball from small gatherings into massive displays of solidarity. They block streets, close businesses, delay work, and have the potential to turn unwieldy.
In a few days, a group called Occupy Vancouver intends on standing in solidarity with those who march in Washington by... doing something. Their website states that they will "demand a true democracy" and "will create a platform for people to speak and provide an audience that will listen." For starters, I'll call you when I learn what the true democracy is, as there are longstanding debates and arguments over what a true democracy is; from anarchism to totalitarianism democracies. I'm also not particularly keen on a group of uncertified loons spending the afternoon soapboxing on what they think needs to happen to Canada. Currently, their list of speakers includes a Grade 12 student, a guy suing Pfizer, and a man who wrote a book on the importance of smoking cannabis in ancient cultures.
New York's fiscal concerns are legitimate; the country hinges on bankruptcy as every moment passes. One percent of the nation now owns 40% of the wealth, entitling protestors to moniker themselves as "99 Percenters." They've been hurt for the past 11 years by the Bush tax cuts and their extension, by a campaign system that required 5.3 billion dollars of Barack Obama's supporters to succeed, and by the opportunistic abuse of several major firms of the bailouts they've been given. I don't believe we have that here, and so for us to protest so maladroitly under their umbrella seems more than slighting; it seems downright embarrassing. I agree that Canada has it's problems; I've heard everything cited from exorbitant telecom costs to the fire sale of government-held properties to private interests, but I don't agree that Occupy Vancouver bears focus in this regard. Rather, it seems like a shallow attempt to ride the popularity of Occupy Wall Street with little focus at all.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Bandcamp Friday
I've been spending a good bit of time on Bandcamp - it's a great opportunity for an artist to throw up some tunes for free and get noticed nearly immediately. Weekly, I sift through dozens of bands that sound like they've been booked at 1067 Granville to find the best freebies the city has to offer.
Currently, I've slipped a little for Honey Larochelle. This pop-R&B sensation has just returned from a European tour on the success of Clean Lust and Dirty Laundry; an album produced by Sleep Deez (Beyonce, Black Eyed Peas), Lions Share (Anthony Hamilton, Pharoahe Monch), Caviar (T.I), Danish Reggae producer, Pharfar (Beenie Man), and a bevy of others.
I recommend picking this whole album up before she needs to buy some bread and butter.
Currently, I've slipped a little for Honey Larochelle. This pop-R&B sensation has just returned from a European tour on the success of Clean Lust and Dirty Laundry; an album produced by Sleep Deez (Beyonce, Black Eyed Peas), Lions Share (Anthony Hamilton, Pharoahe Monch), Caviar (T.I), Danish Reggae producer, Pharfar (Beenie Man), and a bevy of others.
I recommend picking this whole album up before she needs to buy some bread and butter.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Part of the R.L. Stine Universe
Growing up, I read R.L. Stine's Goosebumps series religiously. As a matter of a fact, I read all of them, as my friends and I would often pool together our money to buy into the popular title every month via the Scholastic Books program. Granted, I was tired of them somewhere around our third visit with the Living Dummy, but I plodded on for bragging rights - to say I read them all.
I'm certainly not alone in this department, as the title remained incredibly popular and the franchise has launched several other series' in relation to the books - Goosebumps Horrorland first appeared in 2009 and is ongoing; marking the 18th year of the franchise.
The franchise has also branched into other mediums; a very successful TV series was adapted in the mid-90s, and a similarly veined show, The Haunting Hour, returned to the airwaves last year. Coincidentally, the series is filmed in my old stomping grounds; Langley & Aldergrove, and the show is providing a unique opportunity to be part of the R.L. Stine experience.
The show's production crew has graciously donated an on-air experience opportunity to a winning bidder, and the proceeds will be used to benefit a local Relay for Life (cancer charity) team; the interestingly named "Xavier got Scotty's Hotties All Jazzed Up." The winner will receive a tour of the set, a look into how the show is filmed, and a possible experience appearing as an extra in the show itself. This is a unique opportunity for those who need that one last Goosebumps experience. I encourage any nostalgia-laden fan to bid, if only to challenge the actors on Goosebumps trivia.
Link
Sunday, September 25, 2011
What's in a name?
I'm not sure if this is particularly unique to Vancouver, but we seem relatively resistant to corporate control. Enough so, that I'd be particularly wary about signing into naming rights with the lot of us. I work in the tourism industry, and repeatedly throughout the day note the improper names of several venues, as I find the official names only true if endorsed by the people of the city.
It seems as though a renaming of BC Place has already been locked in (personally, I hope they name it Dead Spider) and I wanted to go through a brief rundown of some of Vancouver's unendorsed renamings.
1. Metropolis at Metrotown / Metrotown
The mall was originally named Metrotown, but as Metrotown started to become the name of the surrounding area, the management group decided to rename the mall Metropolis during an expansion to separate itself from the surrounding area. This proved entirely uneventful as everyone understood the difference between Metrotown (mall) and Metrotown (area), but was important to Metropolis as they wanted to separate the difference between buying retail at the mall and buying retai at, say, the nearby Crystal Mall.
2. Telusphere / Telus World of Science / Science World
This was a bad, bad idea for Telus, and I speculate it's one of the reasons they didn't pick up the naming rights to (now) Rogers Arena. Science World in 2005 was a relatively run down facility in bad need of repairs and upgrades, and I credit Telus with stepping in and offering 9 million to renovate the facility. However. They failed to recognize the significance of Science World in the minds of Vancouverites as a shining glowing waterfront beacon and a reminder of Vancouver's entrance to the world stage during Expo 1986. Initially, they renamed the facility Telusphere, which was met with derision and hatred by most, and the negative backlash eventually gave way to naming the facility "Science World at Telus World of Science" - a name nobody ever uses.
3. Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium / Nat Bailey Stadium
Scotiabank was wise here. Nat Bailey was an incredibly popular and successful Vancouverite, the founder of White Spot, and he used his successes avidly to support little league baseball. His devotion to the sport was so notable that on his death, the former Capilano Stadium was renamed to honour him. Scotiabank carefully seems to target the field itself as an addendum, and seems fully aware that though their name may appear in print, that it will never be used verbally in reference to the stadium.
4. GM Place / Rogers Arena
When GM Place opened it's doors in 1995, people were largely accepting of GM Place - the stadium was built without the fiscal support of taxpayers and Canucks fans were still glowing with the pride of the 1994 Stanley Cup run. Besides, associating cars with hockey didn't seem too sacrificial; It sure beats affiliating with life insurance or a bank. To GM's concern, the building in the press was often referred to as the Garage. When the lease GM had with then-Orca Bay Entertainment expired, Rogers swept in and bought the rights. The building's outer face was soon renovated with a statue of Roger Nielson and is now referred to as "the Rog" - counterculture Rogers likely had not anticipated. The common name serves in reference to the Garage, Roger Nielson, and Rogers.
In summary, I think there is commercial value to renaming a building - the sponsor's name will appear repeatedly in print and paper. However, there is real risk of offending and alienating your target audience. BC Place served 307, 000 Lions fans during the 2009 season, and like Science World, was built for Expo '86. It's unfortunate that as taxpayers, we've allowed corporations the luxuries of naming rights to our buildings and that we can no longer afford these buildings to commemorate BC and the great people who have served it. I don't think anyone would complain about Terry Fox Place.
It seems as though a renaming of BC Place has already been locked in (personally, I hope they name it Dead Spider) and I wanted to go through a brief rundown of some of Vancouver's unendorsed renamings.
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| Courtesy of Venture Vancouver via CC-BY-ND 2.0 license. |
The mall was originally named Metrotown, but as Metrotown started to become the name of the surrounding area, the management group decided to rename the mall Metropolis during an expansion to separate itself from the surrounding area. This proved entirely uneventful as everyone understood the difference between Metrotown (mall) and Metrotown (area), but was important to Metropolis as they wanted to separate the difference between buying retail at the mall and buying retai at, say, the nearby Crystal Mall.
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| Courtesy of quinet via CC-BY 2.0 license. |
This was a bad, bad idea for Telus, and I speculate it's one of the reasons they didn't pick up the naming rights to (now) Rogers Arena. Science World in 2005 was a relatively run down facility in bad need of repairs and upgrades, and I credit Telus with stepping in and offering 9 million to renovate the facility. However. They failed to recognize the significance of Science World in the minds of Vancouverites as a shining glowing waterfront beacon and a reminder of Vancouver's entrance to the world stage during Expo 1986. Initially, they renamed the facility Telusphere, which was met with derision and hatred by most, and the negative backlash eventually gave way to naming the facility "Science World at Telus World of Science" - a name nobody ever uses.
 |
| Courtesy of Canadian Veggie via CC BY-NC-ND license |
3. Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium / Nat Bailey Stadium
Scotiabank was wise here. Nat Bailey was an incredibly popular and successful Vancouverite, the founder of White Spot, and he used his successes avidly to support little league baseball. His devotion to the sport was so notable that on his death, the former Capilano Stadium was renamed to honour him. Scotiabank carefully seems to target the field itself as an addendum, and seems fully aware that though their name may appear in print, that it will never be used verbally in reference to the stadium.
 |
| Courtesy of The West End via CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 license |
4. GM Place / Rogers Arena
When GM Place opened it's doors in 1995, people were largely accepting of GM Place - the stadium was built without the fiscal support of taxpayers and Canucks fans were still glowing with the pride of the 1994 Stanley Cup run. Besides, associating cars with hockey didn't seem too sacrificial; It sure beats affiliating with life insurance or a bank. To GM's concern, the building in the press was often referred to as the Garage. When the lease GM had with then-Orca Bay Entertainment expired, Rogers swept in and bought the rights. The building's outer face was soon renovated with a statue of Roger Nielson and is now referred to as "the Rog" - counterculture Rogers likely had not anticipated. The common name serves in reference to the Garage, Roger Nielson, and Rogers.
In summary, I think there is commercial value to renaming a building - the sponsor's name will appear repeatedly in print and paper. However, there is real risk of offending and alienating your target audience. BC Place served 307, 000 Lions fans during the 2009 season, and like Science World, was built for Expo '86. It's unfortunate that as taxpayers, we've allowed corporations the luxuries of naming rights to our buildings and that we can no longer afford these buildings to commemorate BC and the great people who have served it. I don't think anyone would complain about Terry Fox Place.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
An Expulsion from Lions Bay
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| Lions Bay, courtesy of Stv via CC BY-NC-SA license. |
Some residents have recently raised concern about the volume of traffic by outsiders, and the apparent lack of respect that non-residents seem to carry for the area. Their concerns range from full and unregulated parking areas to water conditions, and this group of residents wishes to ban access to non-residents by utilizing a gate system.
This raises a lot of concern for me as a Vancouver citizen. They already have a potentially unlawful restriction on non-resident scuba divers in the area, and what entitles a city exclusive access for it's residents? Though ownership of the beach lies with Lions Bay, anything below the high tide line, that is, the beach itself; resides on Crown land. From a legal standpoint, I doubt that Lions Bay will have any real property rights to the beach, and I hope that Crown pursues this argument aggressively, or other municipalities may follow suit in preventing access to their properties by non-locals. There is a slippery slope argument to this as well. If we allow Lions Bay to ban access to their beach, what is to stop other neighbourhoods from banning access to their beaches, ultimately increasing traffic at smaller beaches until they choose to cut off access themselves due to the increased volume?
From a moral standpoint, shouldn't Canadian, crown-owned beaches be for the enjoyment of all Canadians, local and non-local? I think it will be noted by the general public that the affluence of Lions Bay residents will not go unrecognized by the general public and it's hard not to perceive this movement as elitist and ignorant. Diversity has long been a cornerstone of our culture, and I take pity on those who do not believe that Canada is for the enjoyment of all.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
CheckPoint Theatre
I regret to have neglected this blog - my blogger in crime stopped updating hers, and I stopped updating mine. Also, I've been crazy busy with a few things I want to give a shout out to.
The first is CheckPoint Theatre. I've taken on a role as social media manager for them, and have enjoyed the meetings, the coffee meetups, and my half-day displaying my piss poor stage building abilities. A carpenter, I am not. Yet. You can check out my writings for them here.
Pics below of some of the crew building the set.
The first is CheckPoint Theatre. I've taken on a role as social media manager for them, and have enjoyed the meetings, the coffee meetups, and my half-day displaying my piss poor stage building abilities. A carpenter, I am not. Yet. You can check out my writings for them here.
Pics below of some of the crew building the set.
Also, Fixtherapy.com, owned by resident Vancouver resident blogger and registered massage therapist Char Hunter is currently up and running well. I've been serving for them as a marketing director for some time now. She's both professional and a delight to work with.
I'll soon be back to blogging about Vancouver events and news stories when my legs recover from the 20k run I'll be on tomorrow morning.
Congrats to Jarrett on his move to NYC. While only a brother of a friend, there's an endearing and wonderfully personal account of him courtesy of two (of his) great friends over on Jen's blog. Sounds like he's got some great friends sending him off.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Apology Edits
One of the Vancouver rioters decided to post an apology to the city online. What came off, however, was a whining rant. She has edited the post as reaction from the web has been swift, but I still had the original as I had entered the text into a word count generator. Via Camille Cacnio.
Dear City of Vancouver and all its residents,
Yes, this is me in the picture above.
Yes, this is me in the 1:30-1:33 mark of this youtube video.
I am not proud of my actions and have made a visit to the Vancouver Police Department, over the weekend to turn myself in. This blog will serve as a public apology to those that I have offended with my actions, to clarify certain issues, and to address a few peripheral issues that I take as a concern.
My Apologies
I apologize to the City of Vancouver for participating in this riot.
I apologize to the residents of Vancouver for having to deal with the consequences of the event.
I apologize to my friends and family that have been affected by my actions.
I apologize to the Canucks for reacting in a way that is unsportsmanlike.
I apologize to Black & Lee, its employees, and all the customers who have been affected by my actions.
I apologize to Burrard Acura, my managers, my coworkers and its customers. In no way, shape or form does Burrard Acura condone this type of violence or misconduct. It is not necessary to associate my actions with the good reputation of Burrard Acura.
I apologize to Enspire Foundation, its’ volunteers, sponsors and supporters. Enspire Foundation is a reputable non-profit organization that does not condone violence or misconduct behaviour in any way, shape or form. To additionally make things clear, I have not been active with Enspire for quite some time now, so there is no need to associate my actions with the integrity of Enspire Foundation.
I apologize to UBC Athletics and Recreation and to the UBC Rowing Team, the coaches, the athletes, my coworkers and manager, its other employees, its participants and its clients. In no way, shape or form does UBC Athletics or the UBC Rowing team condone violence or misconduct, and should thus not be associated with my actions. To additionally clarify, I have not been a part of the UBC Rowing Team at all during the last term.
Lastly, I apologize to the Faculty of Science. The faculty of science in no way, shape or form condones violence or misconduct. My actions should not be reflective of the good research and work that they have performed.
My Story
I know a lot of you don’t believe me, but the truth is that I take full responsibility for my actions and am sincerely apologetic for what I did. What I did was completely out of character for me, but I did it because I was influenced by mob mentality. I want to shed light onto the thought process that was in my head so that maybe you can all get a little bit of an understanding and sympathize for people like me, who made wrong decisions but have now become victims of this social media form of mob mentality.
Why don’t I think I deserve all this treatment?
Because for one, I’ve admitted to my mistakes, two, I am ready to deal with the consequences in a judicial manner, and three, because (may I remind you that) I am responsible for theft – a fairly minor action compared to vandalism and arson. Please remember and understand that I am not responsible for the riot.
I did not vandalize any buildings.
I did not set fire on anything.
I did not break any glass.
I did not instigate the riot.
I did not physically harm anybody.
I did not jump on any cop cars.
I did not even plan on being in the riot.
On any regular day I would not condone looting.
However, at the time of the riot everything just seemed so right.
At the time, being a part of the riot was simply to fulfill the adrenaline rush I was looking and hoping for – an adrenaline rush that I previously got from post-winning games: hugging randoms, dancing on the streets, honking car horns non-stop, and high-fiving just about everybody. In the same way that everybody enjoyed collectively showing pride in our team, it was enjoyable to express my disappointment in a collective manor.
I had no intentions of defiling the city. I love Vancouver as much as you do – I’ve lived here since I was 7 months old. But in my immature, intoxicated perspective all I saw was that the riot was happening, and would continue happening with or without me, so I might as well get my adrenaline fix.
And what was going on my head about the stealing?
As bad as it sounds, the stealing was purely fun for me. I had no intentions with the product. I just wanted to get a souvenir at the time. I took two sized 42 mens dress pants. I’m a woman’s size 6-8. I don’t have any brothers, cousins, boyfriends, fathers, grandfathers or anything else of the like that are size 42 in mens. I did not plan on selling them either.
*FYI: The pants will be returned, but are not yet returned because the cops want to schedule an appropriate time and date to do so.
I’m a UBC student, and an adult. Shouldn’t I know the difference between wrong and right?
Well yes, I should…but in certain circumstances our perspectives get seriously skewed. It was extremely hard to see the consequences in taking a couple pants, when around me people were lighting up cars, smashing windows and inflicting physical pain on one another. My train of thought at this point was that “the place is already broken into, most of the contents of the store have already been stolen, so what difference does it make if I take a couple things?” Not convinced? Maybe Christopher Schneider, assistant professor of sociology at UBC, can convince you. In his recent quote in the Vancouver Sun he states:
“When the riot started unfolding …you have a lot of law-abiding citizens hanging around downtown who otherwise would’ve got out of Dodge…When you have a mob or riot-like activity, individual accountability tends to go out the window. People see other people setting fires and they think, ‘I’m going to set a fire too, and I won’t get caught.’ These types of people typically wouldn’t set a fire on their own.”
But still, a lot of you don’t find credibility in the theory of mob mentality
I’ve heard people discredit the theory of mob mentality in the case of the 2011 Vancouver Riot. People say that it is clearly possible not to be influenced by others, because for one, majority of people left downtown right away and didn’t participate. And further, that many people who stayed didn’t do anything but watch/take pictures/film. Therefore anybody who tries to reason out by citing the theory of mob mentality is just finding a scape goat. Not true. I would know. John Tauer, physiology professor of the University of St. Thomas would probably also know. In a Minnesota newspaper he states that “many factors…create a mob mentality — though emotion and alcohol do top the list.”
And that’s really what it was for me. I was immature, intoxicated, full of adrenaline, disappointed in the loss, filled with young rage, and have a “go-out-and-do-it” kind of personality. It had nothing to do with anarchy because I am definitely not an anarchist. I am a law-abiding citizen that has had a clean slate criminal record before this night. I had no intentions on harming the law, the city, any businesses or any people. It was a spur of the moment kind of thing and I just got caught up in the chaos.
As soon as I left the riot I knew that what I did was wrong.
As soon as I left the riot I knew that what I did was wrong. My levels of alcohol and adrenaline in my blood had seriously died down, and I was no longer surrounded by the mob. It’s a little funny to me that that was so, because this is exactly what Schneider was explaining earlier: that people lose their individual accountability when in a mob.
If I knew that I was wrong, then why didn’t I do something about it sooner?
I knew that I was going to return the pants and tell the cops that I made a mistake, but why did I wait 2.5 days instead of .5-1 day? Well, that would be out of pure nervousness…nervous to tell my parents and my sister. I was raised in a good family and I was more nervous to tell them than the cops. I had to be okay with admitting it to them before I could go out to the cops.
The infamous smile
And still, a lot of people will never find remorse for me because I had a huge smile on my face. But like I said earlier, it was fun at the time. I thought it was pretty funny because this is the only time that I would ever do something like this. The smile on my face was an “I’m such a badass I can’t believe I’m doing this!” kind of look.
If you still don’t believe I’m a good person, here’s a little side story for you:
As many of you already know, I am majoring in Conservation Biology at UBC. I strongly belirve in ecological conservation and sustainability. That night, I saw a few people that were trying to knock trees down. So what did I do? I yelled at them, saying “Pleaaseee, not the treees!!!!” And what did they do? They stopped. And I felt like a hero.
The “21st Century Witch Hunt?”
In social media sites such as facebook and twitter, we have seen the following actions regarding the riot:
mass amounts of people acting in ways that they would not normally act
people thinking its okay to harm others because everybody else is doing it as well
ensuring that peoples’ lives are destroyed, by making sure everybody collectively e-mails, phones and spams their families, their jobs, their schools, and all others that they are associated with (do it for your country! no wrath! vengeance is ours! the lives of others are miniscule the actions that they have mistakenly done!)
trying to ruin the reputation of all organizations that they are associated with
threatening associations to ruin their reputation if they do not disassociate themselves with that person
exaggerating what that person did in order to make their actions seem completely unforgivable
Does this sound a little bit familiar? I don’t know about you, but to me this sounds like people are trying to retaliate by yet another form of mobbing – the thing about this form of mob mentality that astounds me is that this time they’re doing it sober. As Beer writes in a recent blog that I ran into, “Let’s hope the guilty are found and punished, but also try to make sure the online search for them doesn’t devolve into a 21st century witch hunt.”
Furthermore, the VPD does not support the negative behaviour that has been so prevalent online. In fact, many of you should even be careful of what you say online, because everything that you say online is basically written in stone. And anything that you say can and will likely be used against you in court. If not in the judicial court, then in this new-aged social media court that everybody seems so happy and willing to partake in.
The judicial court is designed to give accused individuals the punishment that they deserve based on the actions that they have made, and protect them from punishments that they do not deserve. It is made up of people that have received years of education and training. This new social-media court that we see is made up of people who likely know very little about rightful punishments. They make decisions based on emotions and try to incriminate individuals in harsh ways that are extremely unnecessary. We need to leave the decision making to the experts, who can separate themselves from emotional decisions provide just punishments.
The VPD defined harassment for me the other day: that it is multiple attempts of unwanted communication. They further advised me to file harassment on anybody who did not leave me alone.
A Peripheral Aside: Notes on Feminism & Racism
There are a few things that I have seen on social media sites that have come across to me as a major concern. First off, a little bit about racism:
Since I am a Canadian citizen, I am aware of my rights. Let me show you a little insert from the Canadian Charter of Rights:
Equality Rights
EQUALITY BEFORE AND UNDER LAW AND EQUAL PROTECTION AND BENEFIT OF LAW / Affirmative action programs.
15. (1) Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.
(2) Subsection (1) does not preclude any law, program or activity that has as its object the amelioration of conditions of disadvantaged individuals or groups including those that are disadvantaged because of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.
Racism is not accepted in my country, so to the following people, and all others of the like, if you are going to make racist remarks, then maybe you should leave our country.
@Mo Hill, I’m glad you own a colour TV. I suggest also owning a time machine. That way you can go back to the 1960′s, when colour TVs first started selling in large numbers…and when racist remarks like yours were much more appreciated. Also, Mr. I’m-so-Canadian, learn how to spell colour right. In Canada we spell colour with a ‘u‘. It’s because we are part of the British Commonwealth. Were you aware of that? If not, try reading up on it on Wikipedia. (PS, that is what people in the kom-pyu-ter-world call a hy-per-link – sound it out, it’s not too hard!) You can click on it and it will direct you to the Wikipedia page I was talking about. You can also find other important information on there, such as, articles on stupidity, imbeciles and mental retardation. Hope that helps, xox!!!).
Here’s another thing that bothers me: why is everybody so surprised that a female partook in the riot? What is with this attitude that females are incapable of doing what men can do? Maybe it takes an event like this to show you misogynists that woman are fully capable of anything you can do. And if my actions lead to that revelation in your obscure little heads, then maybe it’s a good thing that I partook in this event.
My Theory & Thoughts on the situation
What do I think of this whole situation?
I think it has been completely blown out of control.
I think that people are all over my case for several reasons:
1) I’ve lived here all my life so I am bound to have made a few enemies along the way.
It seems abnormal how passionate some people are at trying to ruin my life. Well you know what? I think it’s sad how much you all want to ruin my life and how I have become the centre of your worlds.
2) I’m a UBC student that works two jobs, volunteers and am athletic.
Well guess what folks? People who work hard make mistakes too. And to the guy who called me a “disrespectful spoiled little bitch,” you are completely wrong. I was raised by hardworking parents and was taught to work hard for myself. I work hard to pay for my own rent, my own groceries, my own bills, and my hobbies. I have additionally also been fully responsible for financing my own education. I have been working since I was 14 years old – as soon as I was legally able to do so. I have been responsible for obtaining my volunteer opportunities and my work opportunities. So please people, find it in your humane hearts to let the cops deal with the rest of this.
3) I have been dehumanized.
Nobody has sympathy for a picture. I have been painted out as a criminal, and not the person that I really am. Everybody associates me with all the bad things that have happened in the riot. I do not agree at all with how far the riot went. If you must know, I wasn’t even at the riot when it was at its peak. And to the girl that messaged my sister on Facebook, I sincerely apologize that your boyfriend got stabbed, but I had nothing to do with that. I wish him the best and I hope he gets better. But please separate me, and especially my family from these horrible things that have been done. Remember, the only thing that I did was take a couple things from a store. It’s fairly minor compared to the rest of the acts that were done.
4) People don’t know how else to vent their anger
I honestly think that the reason why people are so strongly targeting people like me is because people are upset. They are drunk off of emotions, and want to do everything they can to fix their city. I completely understand that and like I said, am not proud of myself! Collaborating to clean up the city? Excellent way to remediate the mess. IDing people? Very helpful for the VPD – saves time and money for the cops and in the end for our city. Harassing people, ruining their lives, and finding unlawful punishments? Not at all helpful. It gives the cops more things to deal with, and is in a way a form of anarchy. The laws were made for everybody to follow: criminals and spectators alike. So for you to disregard the laws makes it seem like you are an anarchist…starting a mob…based on social media…starting to get the picture yet?
Anyways, long story short, venting your anger on people does not make the situation better, so feel free to ID people and help in ways that you can, but don’t ruin our lives!
My Requests:
In the Canadian society that we all know and love, we are taught to be righteous individuals, to stand up for our rights, and to be loyal to society. Well great, props to everybody for being loyal to society by IDing people. They (we) will get what they (we) deserve. But you guys are completely forgetting that we have rights as well. It is completely unrighteous to be spending your entire day(s) contacting us, re-posting our pictures, and having everybody collaborate to ruin our lives. Not even the VPD spend that much time on us, so please simmer down a tad bit.
Not only that, but Canada prides itself in being a peaceful country. We Canadians are loved around the world because we know how to handle ourselves and we avoid war as much as possible. The actions that I have seen on social media sites are embarrassing to our country and our reputation. These actions do not reflect the kindness that us Canadians are all known and loved for.
So please, give me, my family, my friends, my school, my employers, and everybody else or everything that I am or was associated with a break. It’s called mistakes. I learned from my mistake, I am not proud of my mistake, and I will make sure not to be influenced by people as easily as I was. I will make sure to make proper judgements on all my decisions in life. I am prepared to do community work, pay fines, and if worst comes to worst, even a criminal record. The same goes for Nathan Kotylak, Sienna St. Laurent, Jason Li and all the others who deserve a break.
As angry as this blog is (a natural response after seeing people repeatedly trying to – successfully – ruin your life), I am again very sorry for my actions. I have reported to the VPD, will return the pants when they want me to, and am currently waiting to see what I will be punished with.
I want to save this last paragraph to my friends and family who have supported me through this difficult time. Without your help I may have lost my mind already. To those who know me and have turned their backs on me, please delete me from Facebook and disassociate yourself from me as much as possible because I don’t want to have anything to do with you.
Thank you ever so kindly for your time.
Sincerely,
Camille Cacnio
AKA: “Looter”, “Flip”, “Anarchist”, “Criminal”, “disrespectful spoiled little bitch”, “skank”, “lowlife”, “disgrace”, “POS”, “troglodyte”, “scum of the earth”, and much much more.
Dear City of Vancouver and all its residents,
Yes, this is me in the picture above.
Yes, this is me in the 1:30-1:33 mark of this youtube video.
I am not proud of my actions and have made a visit to the Vancouver Police Department, over the weekend to turn myself in. This blog will serve as a public apology to those that I have offended with my actions, to clarify certain issues, and to address a few peripheral issues that I take as a concern.
My Apologies
I apologize to the City of Vancouver for participating in this riot.
I apologize to the residents of Vancouver for having to deal with the consequences of the event.
I apologize to my friends and family that have been affected by my actions.
I apologize to the Canucks for reacting in a way that is unsportsmanlike.
I apologize to Black & Lee, its employees, and all the customers who have been affected by my actions.
I apologize to Burrard Acura, my managers, my coworkers and its customers. In no way, shape or form does Burrard Acura condone this type of violence or misconduct. It is not necessary to associate my actions with the good reputation of Burrard Acura.
I apologize to Enspire Foundation, its’ volunteers, sponsors and supporters. Enspire Foundation is a reputable non-profit organization that does not condone violence or misconduct behaviour in any way, shape or form. To additionally make things clear, I have not been active with Enspire for quite some time now, so there is no need to associate my actions with the integrity of Enspire Foundation.
I apologize to UBC Athletics and Recreation and to the UBC Rowing Team, the coaches, the athletes, my coworkers and manager, its other employees, its participants and its clients. In no way, shape or form does UBC Athletics or the UBC Rowing team condone violence or misconduct, and should thus not be associated with my actions. To additionally clarify, I have not been a part of the UBC Rowing Team at all during the last term.
Lastly, I apologize to the Faculty of Science. The faculty of science in no way, shape or form condones violence or misconduct. My actions should not be reflective of the good research and work that they have performed.
My Story
I know a lot of you don’t believe me, but the truth is that I take full responsibility for my actions and am sincerely apologetic for what I did. What I did was completely out of character for me, but I did it because I was influenced by mob mentality. I want to shed light onto the thought process that was in my head so that maybe you can all get a little bit of an understanding and sympathize for people like me, who made wrong decisions but have now become victims of this social media form of mob mentality.
Why don’t I think I deserve all this treatment?
Because for one, I’ve admitted to my mistakes, two, I am ready to deal with the consequences in a judicial manner, and three, because (may I remind you that) I am responsible for theft – a fairly minor action compared to vandalism and arson. Please remember and understand that I am not responsible for the riot.
I did not vandalize any buildings.
I did not set fire on anything.
I did not break any glass.
I did not instigate the riot.
I did not physically harm anybody.
I did not jump on any cop cars.
I did not even plan on being in the riot.
On any regular day I would not condone looting.
However, at the time of the riot everything just seemed so right.
At the time, being a part of the riot was simply to fulfill the adrenaline rush I was looking and hoping for – an adrenaline rush that I previously got from post-winning games: hugging randoms, dancing on the streets, honking car horns non-stop, and high-fiving just about everybody. In the same way that everybody enjoyed collectively showing pride in our team, it was enjoyable to express my disappointment in a collective manor.
I had no intentions of defiling the city. I love Vancouver as much as you do – I’ve lived here since I was 7 months old. But in my immature, intoxicated perspective all I saw was that the riot was happening, and would continue happening with or without me, so I might as well get my adrenaline fix.
And what was going on my head about the stealing?
As bad as it sounds, the stealing was purely fun for me. I had no intentions with the product. I just wanted to get a souvenir at the time. I took two sized 42 mens dress pants. I’m a woman’s size 6-8. I don’t have any brothers, cousins, boyfriends, fathers, grandfathers or anything else of the like that are size 42 in mens. I did not plan on selling them either.
*FYI: The pants will be returned, but are not yet returned because the cops want to schedule an appropriate time and date to do so.
I’m a UBC student, and an adult. Shouldn’t I know the difference between wrong and right?
Well yes, I should…but in certain circumstances our perspectives get seriously skewed. It was extremely hard to see the consequences in taking a couple pants, when around me people were lighting up cars, smashing windows and inflicting physical pain on one another. My train of thought at this point was that “the place is already broken into, most of the contents of the store have already been stolen, so what difference does it make if I take a couple things?” Not convinced? Maybe Christopher Schneider, assistant professor of sociology at UBC, can convince you. In his recent quote in the Vancouver Sun he states:
“When the riot started unfolding …you have a lot of law-abiding citizens hanging around downtown who otherwise would’ve got out of Dodge…When you have a mob or riot-like activity, individual accountability tends to go out the window. People see other people setting fires and they think, ‘I’m going to set a fire too, and I won’t get caught.’ These types of people typically wouldn’t set a fire on their own.”
But still, a lot of you don’t find credibility in the theory of mob mentality
I’ve heard people discredit the theory of mob mentality in the case of the 2011 Vancouver Riot. People say that it is clearly possible not to be influenced by others, because for one, majority of people left downtown right away and didn’t participate. And further, that many people who stayed didn’t do anything but watch/take pictures/film. Therefore anybody who tries to reason out by citing the theory of mob mentality is just finding a scape goat. Not true. I would know. John Tauer, physiology professor of the University of St. Thomas would probably also know. In a Minnesota newspaper he states that “many factors…create a mob mentality — though emotion and alcohol do top the list.”
And that’s really what it was for me. I was immature, intoxicated, full of adrenaline, disappointed in the loss, filled with young rage, and have a “go-out-and-do-it” kind of personality. It had nothing to do with anarchy because I am definitely not an anarchist. I am a law-abiding citizen that has had a clean slate criminal record before this night. I had no intentions on harming the law, the city, any businesses or any people. It was a spur of the moment kind of thing and I just got caught up in the chaos.
As soon as I left the riot I knew that what I did was wrong.
As soon as I left the riot I knew that what I did was wrong. My levels of alcohol and adrenaline in my blood had seriously died down, and I was no longer surrounded by the mob. It’s a little funny to me that that was so, because this is exactly what Schneider was explaining earlier: that people lose their individual accountability when in a mob.
If I knew that I was wrong, then why didn’t I do something about it sooner?
I knew that I was going to return the pants and tell the cops that I made a mistake, but why did I wait 2.5 days instead of .5-1 day? Well, that would be out of pure nervousness…nervous to tell my parents and my sister. I was raised in a good family and I was more nervous to tell them than the cops. I had to be okay with admitting it to them before I could go out to the cops.
The infamous smile
And still, a lot of people will never find remorse for me because I had a huge smile on my face. But like I said earlier, it was fun at the time. I thought it was pretty funny because this is the only time that I would ever do something like this. The smile on my face was an “I’m such a badass I can’t believe I’m doing this!” kind of look.
If you still don’t believe I’m a good person, here’s a little side story for you:
As many of you already know, I am majoring in Conservation Biology at UBC. I strongly belirve in ecological conservation and sustainability. That night, I saw a few people that were trying to knock trees down. So what did I do? I yelled at them, saying “Pleaaseee, not the treees!!!!” And what did they do? They stopped. And I felt like a hero.
The “21st Century Witch Hunt?”
In social media sites such as facebook and twitter, we have seen the following actions regarding the riot:
mass amounts of people acting in ways that they would not normally act
people thinking its okay to harm others because everybody else is doing it as well
ensuring that peoples’ lives are destroyed, by making sure everybody collectively e-mails, phones and spams their families, their jobs, their schools, and all others that they are associated with (do it for your country! no wrath! vengeance is ours! the lives of others are miniscule the actions that they have mistakenly done!)
trying to ruin the reputation of all organizations that they are associated with
threatening associations to ruin their reputation if they do not disassociate themselves with that person
exaggerating what that person did in order to make their actions seem completely unforgivable
Does this sound a little bit familiar? I don’t know about you, but to me this sounds like people are trying to retaliate by yet another form of mobbing – the thing about this form of mob mentality that astounds me is that this time they’re doing it sober. As Beer writes in a recent blog that I ran into, “Let’s hope the guilty are found and punished, but also try to make sure the online search for them doesn’t devolve into a 21st century witch hunt.”
Furthermore, the VPD does not support the negative behaviour that has been so prevalent online. In fact, many of you should even be careful of what you say online, because everything that you say online is basically written in stone. And anything that you say can and will likely be used against you in court. If not in the judicial court, then in this new-aged social media court that everybody seems so happy and willing to partake in.
The judicial court is designed to give accused individuals the punishment that they deserve based on the actions that they have made, and protect them from punishments that they do not deserve. It is made up of people that have received years of education and training. This new social-media court that we see is made up of people who likely know very little about rightful punishments. They make decisions based on emotions and try to incriminate individuals in harsh ways that are extremely unnecessary. We need to leave the decision making to the experts, who can separate themselves from emotional decisions provide just punishments.
The VPD defined harassment for me the other day: that it is multiple attempts of unwanted communication. They further advised me to file harassment on anybody who did not leave me alone.
A Peripheral Aside: Notes on Feminism & Racism
There are a few things that I have seen on social media sites that have come across to me as a major concern. First off, a little bit about racism:
Since I am a Canadian citizen, I am aware of my rights. Let me show you a little insert from the Canadian Charter of Rights:
Equality Rights
EQUALITY BEFORE AND UNDER LAW AND EQUAL PROTECTION AND BENEFIT OF LAW / Affirmative action programs.
15. (1) Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.
(2) Subsection (1) does not preclude any law, program or activity that has as its object the amelioration of conditions of disadvantaged individuals or groups including those that are disadvantaged because of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.
Racism is not accepted in my country, so to the following people, and all others of the like, if you are going to make racist remarks, then maybe you should leave our country.
@Mo Hill, I’m glad you own a colour TV. I suggest also owning a time machine. That way you can go back to the 1960′s, when colour TVs first started selling in large numbers…and when racist remarks like yours were much more appreciated. Also, Mr. I’m-so-Canadian, learn how to spell colour right. In Canada we spell colour with a ‘u‘. It’s because we are part of the British Commonwealth. Were you aware of that? If not, try reading up on it on Wikipedia. (PS, that is what people in the kom-pyu-ter-world call a hy-per-link – sound it out, it’s not too hard!) You can click on it and it will direct you to the Wikipedia page I was talking about. You can also find other important information on there, such as, articles on stupidity, imbeciles and mental retardation. Hope that helps, xox!!!).
Here’s another thing that bothers me: why is everybody so surprised that a female partook in the riot? What is with this attitude that females are incapable of doing what men can do? Maybe it takes an event like this to show you misogynists that woman are fully capable of anything you can do. And if my actions lead to that revelation in your obscure little heads, then maybe it’s a good thing that I partook in this event.
My Theory & Thoughts on the situation
What do I think of this whole situation?
I think it has been completely blown out of control.
I think that people are all over my case for several reasons:
1) I’ve lived here all my life so I am bound to have made a few enemies along the way.
It seems abnormal how passionate some people are at trying to ruin my life. Well you know what? I think it’s sad how much you all want to ruin my life and how I have become the centre of your worlds.
2) I’m a UBC student that works two jobs, volunteers and am athletic.
Well guess what folks? People who work hard make mistakes too. And to the guy who called me a “disrespectful spoiled little bitch,” you are completely wrong. I was raised by hardworking parents and was taught to work hard for myself. I work hard to pay for my own rent, my own groceries, my own bills, and my hobbies. I have additionally also been fully responsible for financing my own education. I have been working since I was 14 years old – as soon as I was legally able to do so. I have been responsible for obtaining my volunteer opportunities and my work opportunities. So please people, find it in your humane hearts to let the cops deal with the rest of this.
3) I have been dehumanized.
Nobody has sympathy for a picture. I have been painted out as a criminal, and not the person that I really am. Everybody associates me with all the bad things that have happened in the riot. I do not agree at all with how far the riot went. If you must know, I wasn’t even at the riot when it was at its peak. And to the girl that messaged my sister on Facebook, I sincerely apologize that your boyfriend got stabbed, but I had nothing to do with that. I wish him the best and I hope he gets better. But please separate me, and especially my family from these horrible things that have been done. Remember, the only thing that I did was take a couple things from a store. It’s fairly minor compared to the rest of the acts that were done.
4) People don’t know how else to vent their anger
I honestly think that the reason why people are so strongly targeting people like me is because people are upset. They are drunk off of emotions, and want to do everything they can to fix their city. I completely understand that and like I said, am not proud of myself! Collaborating to clean up the city? Excellent way to remediate the mess. IDing people? Very helpful for the VPD – saves time and money for the cops and in the end for our city. Harassing people, ruining their lives, and finding unlawful punishments? Not at all helpful. It gives the cops more things to deal with, and is in a way a form of anarchy. The laws were made for everybody to follow: criminals and spectators alike. So for you to disregard the laws makes it seem like you are an anarchist…starting a mob…based on social media…starting to get the picture yet?
Anyways, long story short, venting your anger on people does not make the situation better, so feel free to ID people and help in ways that you can, but don’t ruin our lives!
My Requests:
In the Canadian society that we all know and love, we are taught to be righteous individuals, to stand up for our rights, and to be loyal to society. Well great, props to everybody for being loyal to society by IDing people. They (we) will get what they (we) deserve. But you guys are completely forgetting that we have rights as well. It is completely unrighteous to be spending your entire day(s) contacting us, re-posting our pictures, and having everybody collaborate to ruin our lives. Not even the VPD spend that much time on us, so please simmer down a tad bit.
Not only that, but Canada prides itself in being a peaceful country. We Canadians are loved around the world because we know how to handle ourselves and we avoid war as much as possible. The actions that I have seen on social media sites are embarrassing to our country and our reputation. These actions do not reflect the kindness that us Canadians are all known and loved for.
So please, give me, my family, my friends, my school, my employers, and everybody else or everything that I am or was associated with a break. It’s called mistakes. I learned from my mistake, I am not proud of my mistake, and I will make sure not to be influenced by people as easily as I was. I will make sure to make proper judgements on all my decisions in life. I am prepared to do community work, pay fines, and if worst comes to worst, even a criminal record. The same goes for Nathan Kotylak, Sienna St. Laurent, Jason Li and all the others who deserve a break.
As angry as this blog is (a natural response after seeing people repeatedly trying to – successfully – ruin your life), I am again very sorry for my actions. I have reported to the VPD, will return the pants when they want me to, and am currently waiting to see what I will be punished with.
I want to save this last paragraph to my friends and family who have supported me through this difficult time. Without your help I may have lost my mind already. To those who know me and have turned their backs on me, please delete me from Facebook and disassociate yourself from me as much as possible because I don’t want to have anything to do with you.
Thank you ever so kindly for your time.
Sincerely,
Camille Cacnio
AKA: “Looter”, “Flip”, “Anarchist”, “Criminal”, “disrespectful spoiled little bitch”, “skank”, “lowlife”, “disgrace”, “POS”, “troglodyte”, “scum of the earth”, and much much more.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Living With Lions
I want to congratulate Vancouver natives Living With Lions on reaching a dream, a goal, a conquest of virtually every punk rocker out there. They've upset the Department of Canadian Heritage. Their new album aesthetically resembles a bible and is (in)appropriately titled Holy Shit.
While I think that the head of the Department of Canadian Heritage has the right to his own opinion, and the right to be in touch with FACTOR, a publicly funded subsidy program for major and minor artists alike, I hope that the result of these conversations does not influence the choices of FACTOR, or embarrass Duncan McKie. I think that it's fairly clear that Canadian musicians are working outside of a model that is self-sustaining, and the Canadian government has opted to recognize and aid this to help continue the progression of Canadian arts. You can see a list of approvals here; they include large names including The Trews and Shawn Desman, two very prominent and nationally recognized acts.
Which is exactly why I don't think that the Heritage Minister should be allowed to weigh in on an album cover that may offend a religious group. The album cover does not promote hate, and the concept of offense here is rather subjective. Personally, I'm annoyed that my tax dollars are spent on sexually driven music about moneyshots being played on radio stations targeted at young girls, courtesy of Mr. Desman. But I'm going to let it slide, because I understand that pop music is largely sexually driven, vulgar, and marketed towards teens. To deny Shawn the ability to talk about sex in his music would be to hinder his ability as an artist. I think it's a fairly easy argument that to deny a rock or punk artist his ability to be provocative would be to deny the form of art itself.
I encourage people to contact FACTOR and show them some appreciation for allowing the progress and development of Canadian music, and applaud him prematurely for resisting the pressures of the Canadian Heritage minister.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Capture the Flag
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| Photo courtesy of eych-you-bee-ee-ahr-tee via CC BY-NC license. |
When I was a kid, the high school thought it'd be a great idea to add Capture the Flag to part of P.E. While most of us hid and took our free hour in what was, at the time, a relatively dense and lush forest immediately behind the high school, some bit and decided to actually play the game in a hinterland of stinging nettles.While I usually hid in the bushes, I'm considerably more interested now in the strategy element of the game that was wildly neglected in high school.
Capture the Flag is currently finding a resurgence in urban areas among adults; there are currently organized games in many large cities including Toronto, Washington DC, and San Francisco. Vancouver's game is about to be merged with Vancouver Improv Everywhere to host a monthly event in the heart of the downtown core. Judging from their blog, they seem to be a fun group of people with nicknames like The Major, Statsman, Klopp, and a bevy of sexual innuendos unfit for publication.
The event is free and is to begin at Yaletown Skytrain Station between 3:30 - 4 PM on Saturday, June 4th. Please expect to arrive early, as I doubt they'll be waiting for you, soldier.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Brewery Creek Beer Festival
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| Beatty Street Drill Hall, 1901 |
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| Museum of Nature, Victoria |
The whole event was overseen by new Vancouver band The King Rails, who provided some awesome rock and roll throwback for the 850 beer aficionados in the hall. There is a growing microbrewing scene in Vancouver and neighbouring coastal cities. I personally recommend The Alibi Room and St. Augustine's for their incredible variety, or Steamworks and the under-promoted Granville Island Brewing Taproom for brews produced hyper-locally.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Musician Mike Taylor Assaulted Outside Surrey Bus Station
Mike intervened when a fellow bus patron was being harassed by a few youth late Friday night. Having just completed a gig with Acoustic Groove at the Shangri-La Lounge, he was en route home to his daughter and his very pregnant wife when he stood his ground against five youth, who were tormenting an unknown rider while taking pictures. Mike held his ground against the youth, who in turn, shouted racial epithets at him.
Waiting at Scott Road Station for a transfer, he was attacked by the group of kids, between the ages of 14 and 18. They punched and kicked him unconscious outside the station, where he was later found by police.
Mike has been released from the hospital suffering from abrasions and kicks to the head, and the five youth have since been arrested. His guitar has been recovered and is being held as evidence.
As Mike has been left unable to work and is soon expecting a second child, an account has been set up for him at Vancity. Account 427245, Branch 18, Coquitlam.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
The Black Capped Chickadee
A recent visit to the Vancouver Art Gallery reminded me of the painful struggle to learn the call of a particular bird. Alternatively dubbed the "Nelson" bird, the Black Capped Chickadee makes a good point to weaken the confidence of any grown man within earshot.
Perhaps you didn't shave this morning. Perhaps the bird saw your bank account. It doesn't matter; it just wants you to know that somewhere, you're being outperformed.
You can listen to it's Simpsons referencing mock here.
Perhaps you didn't shave this morning. Perhaps the bird saw your bank account. It doesn't matter; it just wants you to know that somewhere, you're being outperformed.
You can listen to it's Simpsons referencing mock here.
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| Photo Courtesy of jackanapes via CC-BY-NC-ND licence. |
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Day 18 - My Beliefs
I was about 14 or 15 when Romeo & Juliet came out - the relatively unknown Baz Luhrmann made a one-off side project; a sample-laden piece including Everybody's Free sung by child wunderkind Quindon Tarver entitled Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunglasses). Good, sound advice to live your life by.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Day 16 - My Views on Mainstream Music
Some would expect a blogger - especially one with a notable punk background and with a job as an independent promoter - would loathe the idea of mainstream music. But the dreams of the 90s are dead, and it's time to move on. Cobain's guitars have been moved to the Experience Music Project, Tom Morello carries around his acoustic guitar, and Green Day stopped writing about masturbation so they could write a contemporary rock opera.
I can't take issue with the songwriting either - long gone are the days of superbudgets for brand new artists. You need to be able to stand on some pretty serious merit to be in this game. Nicki Minaj - the current No. 1 spot, is largely there because of some absolutely ruthless guest verses on Kanye West's Monster and Ludacris's My Chick Bad. Bruno Mars' debut, Doo-Wops & Hooligans has been met with critical success alongside popular acclaim. It's been widely reviewed as one of the, if not the, best debut album of the year.
It's likely my age showing, but I'm sometimes baffled by contemporary mainstream music charts. I don't even know where it all comes from, but the sheer depth of music these days is simply too much for me to keep up with anymore. The No. 2 album on the Billboard 200 right now is by Red. I don't even know who that is. The No. 3 spot is held by Ricky Martin, of whom I haven't heard since I stopped shaking my bon bon sometime in the mid-90s.
The financial woes of the major labels has led to some of the stiffest competition I've ever seen, and despite the business, the music is as healthy and vibrant as ever. The Decemberists even went to No. 1 this year.
I can't take issue with the songwriting either - long gone are the days of superbudgets for brand new artists. You need to be able to stand on some pretty serious merit to be in this game. Nicki Minaj - the current No. 1 spot, is largely there because of some absolutely ruthless guest verses on Kanye West's Monster and Ludacris's My Chick Bad. Bruno Mars' debut, Doo-Wops & Hooligans has been met with critical success alongside popular acclaim. It's been widely reviewed as one of the, if not the, best debut album of the year.
It's likely my age showing, but I'm sometimes baffled by contemporary mainstream music charts. I don't even know where it all comes from, but the sheer depth of music these days is simply too much for me to keep up with anymore. The No. 2 album on the Billboard 200 right now is by Red. I don't even know who that is. The No. 3 spot is held by Ricky Martin, of whom I haven't heard since I stopped shaking my bon bon sometime in the mid-90s.
The financial woes of the major labels has led to some of the stiffest competition I've ever seen, and despite the business, the music is as healthy and vibrant as ever. The Decemberists even went to No. 1 this year.
Day 15 - My Favorite Tumblr(s?)
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Day 14 - My Earliest Memory
My earliest memory is of holding a baby girl, the child of some family friends. The rest is pretty fuzzy, but I know that if I were a father, I'd be pretty nervous about letting an 18 month old boy have a newborn in his lap.
I'm still friends with the family, and the girl works downtown in Vancouver as a legal assistant.
I'm still friends with the family, and the girl works downtown in Vancouver as a legal assistant.
Day 13 - Somewhere You'd Like to Move or Visit
I'd like to visit Russia. This has been a lifelong goal of sorts - I've long since been interested in Russian history. I find the dramatic political changes over the country in the recent past have been particularly fascinating - a country that has quickly shifted from a monarchy to communism to a semi-presidential republic.
My interest in Russia has been kept at bay mostly because of the dangers and expenses of traveling there - I don't speak Russian and would feel wary heading out to see some of the less popular areas. But the differences that you'll find in the architecture and the culture make it one of the most fascinating places on Earth.
As a heads up, I would not like to move there.
My interest in Russia has been kept at bay mostly because of the dangers and expenses of traveling there - I don't speak Russian and would feel wary heading out to see some of the less popular areas. But the differences that you'll find in the architecture and the culture make it one of the most fascinating places on Earth.
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| Photo courtesy of AlphaTangoBravo / Adam Baker. |
As a heads up, I would not like to move there.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Day 11 - What are the first 10 songs that come up with your iPod on shuffle?
1. Randy Newman - You've Got A Friend in Me
2. David Grey - Babylon
3. Moby - Porcelain
4. NIN - 31 Ghosts IV
5. Feist - 1234
6. The Black Keys - Countdown
7. Loverboy - The Kid is Hot
8. The Smears - Highway IV
9. Ben Folds - Bitches Ain't Shit (Dr. Dre cover)
10. Michael Jackson - Black or White
I promised myself I wouldn't skip anything to try and gain hipster cred and expected this experience to be miles more embarrassing. I'll stand behind the lot of it; Loverboy is awesome.
2. David Grey - Babylon
3. Moby - Porcelain
4. NIN - 31 Ghosts IV
5. Feist - 1234
6. The Black Keys - Countdown
7. Loverboy - The Kid is Hot
8. The Smears - Highway IV
9. Ben Folds - Bitches Ain't Shit (Dr. Dre cover)
10. Michael Jackson - Black or White
I promised myself I wouldn't skip anything to try and gain hipster cred and expected this experience to be miles more embarrassing. I'll stand behind the lot of it; Loverboy is awesome.
Day 10 - Discuss Your First Love and First Kiss
My first kiss was behind the high school at 4 in the morning. I had spent the night talking to my sister's best friend who was going through some extremely difficult times. My sister had left her MSN up one night (I had the only computer in the household, and it was in my room) so I reached out to her best friend via that MSN account. As she wanted to chat, I switched accounts and we chatted all through the night. By early morning, we'd decided to meet. She said she needed to be held. She kissed me almost immediately, and the experience was almost overwhelming.
I became a rock to that girl - in a way explicitly expressed by her parents repeatedly, and over the next few months we fell in love. She loved my sense of humour and tireless patience. I loved her spontaneous behaviour and her tomboyish charm.
We fell apart when she moved away and she began an affair. On a hunch, I talked to the guy she was cheating on me with who confirmed my suspicion - he didn't know either.
We still talk from time to time. I was initially glad that her life was troubled after I'd left - Scott broke up with her and she contracted mono. But her life carried into a downward spin that I wish I could help more with.
I became a rock to that girl - in a way explicitly expressed by her parents repeatedly, and over the next few months we fell in love. She loved my sense of humour and tireless patience. I loved her spontaneous behaviour and her tomboyish charm.
We fell apart when she moved away and she began an affair. On a hunch, I talked to the guy she was cheating on me with who confirmed my suspicion - he didn't know either.
We still talk from time to time. I was initially glad that her life was troubled after I'd left - Scott broke up with her and she contracted mono. But her life carried into a downward spin that I wish I could help more with.
Day 9 - How I Hope My Future Will Be
We already covered the 10 year dealie, by which I hope to be more or less set up professionally. So, I'll leave you with my den. A want of a small room in which I can reside in peace. It will be the home of hundreds of compositional snippets and samples. I haven't decided where the small liquor cabinet will go, though I've long since decided it will not have a fridge due to the noise. At the north of the room; a 40 inch TV which will double as a secondary monitor for my laptop. All this will reside atop a simple desk free of frills and shelving. This will all be enclosed by a pair of reference monitors - NS10s for work, and some 1531s for some pretty hilarious show. At the south of the room, a nice reclinable loveseat. I found a model I like, but in ten years, we'll likely all be sleeping in space sofas. A coat of Canucks dark blue, and all lit with dimmable wall lighting.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Day 8 - A Moment You Felt The Most Satisfied With Your Life
This is another impossible one - it's really difficult to pin the day I was most satisfied with my life - life is a series of struggles and challenges and differences. The real answer to this question is likely so uninteresting that I can't recall it. There is little regret to have for a three year old. If we are to flip this question; to find the times when we feel as though we have done the most with our lives; the answer to that question should almost always, depending on the time, be the day we're in, failing some recent setbacks. However, I do not feel like this was the original intent of the question - I believe they wish to know the time we were happiest - also an impossible question. So, instead, you'll learn of a day I was particularly satisfied.
In a business class I took, I met an audio engineer who was formerly involved with huge stage acts - Garth Brooks, KISS, Steve Vai - and applied to volunteer for him. The first time he called me was such a success that I was asked back within weeks to help construct the set and do some stagehand work for a show out in Surrey for Canada Day. It was as long a day as it was an incredible one - I set up drums and did some tuning for Chilliwack (to the jealousy of some of my peers), I coincidentally saw a friend there who was working for a politician and helped her get backstage to get some promotional shots, my grandfather stopped by to watch me work. But by 9 PM or so, I got one of the biggest kicks in my life.
The first real album I ever owned was Tom Cochrane's Life is A Highway. I was a child who didn't even know who Cochrane was at the time, but fell in love with that album. Being able to meet him and Red Rider was one of the biggest thrills in my life. One of the real joys I had working backstage was being able to talk to these people about the industry and the life without the glazed image they often provide for fans. He was an awesome guy, who put on a great show, and when it was all over, I was as happy as a guy could be breaking down scaffolding in the dusk.
In a business class I took, I met an audio engineer who was formerly involved with huge stage acts - Garth Brooks, KISS, Steve Vai - and applied to volunteer for him. The first time he called me was such a success that I was asked back within weeks to help construct the set and do some stagehand work for a show out in Surrey for Canada Day. It was as long a day as it was an incredible one - I set up drums and did some tuning for Chilliwack (to the jealousy of some of my peers), I coincidentally saw a friend there who was working for a politician and helped her get backstage to get some promotional shots, my grandfather stopped by to watch me work. But by 9 PM or so, I got one of the biggest kicks in my life.
The first real album I ever owned was Tom Cochrane's Life is A Highway. I was a child who didn't even know who Cochrane was at the time, but fell in love with that album. Being able to meet him and Red Rider was one of the biggest thrills in my life. One of the real joys I had working backstage was being able to talk to these people about the industry and the life without the glazed image they often provide for fans. He was an awesome guy, who put on a great show, and when it was all over, I was as happy as a guy could be breaking down scaffolding in the dusk.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Day 7 - My Zodiac Sign
My Zodiac sign is Virgo the virgin. We're also the only Zodiac sign to fail to meet Wikipedia's quality standards, which speaks volumes about our supposed desire to be perfect in everything we do. We're picky, critical, and occasionally pedantic. We take on some of the qualities of the virgin, namely humanity and modesty. We're extremely practical and logical and yield considerable brainpower alongside our energetic work ethic. This bodes well for us in business. We're devoted to our lovers. We're neat and clean. We don't buy into the razzle dazzle. We're attentive to our health concerns. We're prone to worrying.
I don't want to speak too much about how my Zodiac sign falls in line with me - I'm of the personal opinion that you'll find what you're looking for, if you want to. When I read the paper, I prefer to read the horoscope at day's end rather than it's beginning; did that job opportunity happen? Was their a miscue in the workplace? As I wasn't looking for these things, it's much easier to see the shortcomings of the Zodiac's premonition.
I do think I'm critical; it's a skill that serves me well. To go on about this would either come off as defensive or gloating, and, I'd rather do neither. Besides, I have a house to clean.
I don't want to speak too much about how my Zodiac sign falls in line with me - I'm of the personal opinion that you'll find what you're looking for, if you want to. When I read the paper, I prefer to read the horoscope at day's end rather than it's beginning; did that job opportunity happen? Was their a miscue in the workplace? As I wasn't looking for these things, it's much easier to see the shortcomings of the Zodiac's premonition.
I do think I'm critical; it's a skill that serves me well. To go on about this would either come off as defensive or gloating, and, I'd rather do neither. Besides, I have a house to clean.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Day 4 - Religion
I've had longstanding issues with religion - I prefer not to discuss the subject unless provoked. But, this is part of the 30 day challenge, and so I will indulge, if only an hour or two behind the times.
I love some of the morality that religion can provide - I find it absolutely necessary for a man's development to take some of the cornerstones of religion very seriously, especially that of humility and faith. I find it extremely valuable to the permanence of society that we trust in a few things; that we can grow individually, that we can grow collectively, and that we must all be treated, if not equally, then with dignity and respect.
I find it important to identify that the people that monitor some of the religions I've been more familiar with have been working outside the original teachings of the works they're supposed to adhere to. I understand the need for the church to develop and broaden it's viewpoint on the world. Like anything, a failure to adapt would mean the end of any church at all, and the teachings of Christ can be interpreted in many different ways. I cant partake in anything that doesn't see a woman or a homosexual as an equal member of their society.
I think that some people seem to identify with their god as a scare tactic to keep them motivated, and this disturbs me greatly. I often will use the analogy that my god is a lamp post somewhere. It has as much control over my life as some omnipresent force, and that point is absolutely inarguable as long as I identify a faith in my lamp post god. It really doesn't matter.
I love some of the morality that religion can provide - I find it absolutely necessary for a man's development to take some of the cornerstones of religion very seriously, especially that of humility and faith. I find it extremely valuable to the permanence of society that we trust in a few things; that we can grow individually, that we can grow collectively, and that we must all be treated, if not equally, then with dignity and respect.
I find it important to identify that the people that monitor some of the religions I've been more familiar with have been working outside the original teachings of the works they're supposed to adhere to. I understand the need for the church to develop and broaden it's viewpoint on the world. Like anything, a failure to adapt would mean the end of any church at all, and the teachings of Christ can be interpreted in many different ways. I cant partake in anything that doesn't see a woman or a homosexual as an equal member of their society.
I think that some people seem to identify with their god as a scare tactic to keep them motivated, and this disturbs me greatly. I often will use the analogy that my god is a lamp post somewhere. It has as much control over my life as some omnipresent force, and that point is absolutely inarguable as long as I identify a faith in my lamp post god. It really doesn't matter.
Friday, January 28, 2011
03 - Drugs and Drinks
There's little sense soapboxing on the latter; I've had more than my fair share of the sauce. I've resolved to drink a bit less this year, and I'm pleased with my current consumption level. I think that if there were more to do in Vancouver socially during the colder winter months, we all wouldn't spend our nights pouring drinks down our throats¹.
I haven't touched a lot of drugs - I didn't try pot until high school was long over, and I wasn't very impressed, to be honest. I ended up choking up black phlegm the next day to boot, which was the end of that. I don't think it should be illegal at all, intent to distribute or not, because you'll find less health concerns in a dime bag of pot than you will in a cheeseburger or a cigarette. If anything, I think it should be entirely legalized so the city of Vancouver can take a major financial motivator out of the hands of gangs, and tax it the same way they do everything else.
I'm somewhat impressed with Vancouver's progressive drug laws; they've set up InSite, a place for heroin addicts to safely exchange needles, shoot up in peace, and discuss with health professionals any issues they have, including rehabilitation. Taking a hard line on hard drugs isn't cheaper, and it doesn't fix anything. People are human, and need to be educated on the issues of drugs, as it's fairly clear to see that the hard lines in the States haven't actually prevented any drug use at all.
¹That being said, Vancouver has a wonderful theatre scene. But, it's also very expensive and fails the face-time that most people are looking for.
I haven't touched a lot of drugs - I didn't try pot until high school was long over, and I wasn't very impressed, to be honest. I ended up choking up black phlegm the next day to boot, which was the end of that. I don't think it should be illegal at all, intent to distribute or not, because you'll find less health concerns in a dime bag of pot than you will in a cheeseburger or a cigarette. If anything, I think it should be entirely legalized so the city of Vancouver can take a major financial motivator out of the hands of gangs, and tax it the same way they do everything else.
I'm somewhat impressed with Vancouver's progressive drug laws; they've set up InSite, a place for heroin addicts to safely exchange needles, shoot up in peace, and discuss with health professionals any issues they have, including rehabilitation. Taking a hard line on hard drugs isn't cheaper, and it doesn't fix anything. People are human, and need to be educated on the issues of drugs, as it's fairly clear to see that the hard lines in the States haven't actually prevented any drug use at all.
¹That being said, Vancouver has a wonderful theatre scene. But, it's also very expensive and fails the face-time that most people are looking for.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Day 2 - In Ten Years
Life, to me, is not about having a few hard set goals, and working towards them to the best of your ability. When I was younger, I threw around the term "life is fluid" a lot, and hardly understood the true gravity of what I was saying. So, instead, let's play with where I aim to be in ten years. I'll likely be managing a small label or business. I already have one artist under contract, and, in my opinion, have worked hard to carve our way to some success. I think social media is something that's exploding right now, and it's a key time to capitalize on this.
I see myself settled, in a long term relationship with some kind of intend of foreverness, be that with a ring of sorts or a privately conducted contractual agreement (Ha!) I love kids, but if having them in ten years isn't something that is healthy for me, it very likely wouldn't be fair to them. This will also be influenced greatly by formerly mentioned contractual life partner.
I plan (jokingly) on being rich, but this isn't very likely to be true. What I make will likely be poured back into synth bundles, software packages, and keystations. I plan realistically on living somewhat modestly, as the real joy of life isn't found in cash. Though, if I fall into it, I certainly wouldn't complain.
PS - For those that are in the know. I'm shellacking the cat.
I see myself settled, in a long term relationship with some kind of intend of foreverness, be that with a ring of sorts or a privately conducted contractual agreement (Ha!) I love kids, but if having them in ten years isn't something that is healthy for me, it very likely wouldn't be fair to them. This will also be influenced greatly by formerly mentioned contractual life partner.
I plan (jokingly) on being rich, but this isn't very likely to be true. What I make will likely be poured back into synth bundles, software packages, and keystations. I plan realistically on living somewhat modestly, as the real joy of life isn't found in cash. Though, if I fall into it, I certainly wouldn't complain.
PS - For those that are in the know. I'm shellacking the cat.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Music as a Deterrent
As a friend pointed out, I haven't blogged in a few days. Starbucks seems to have turned up the music in the location I frequent on Tyne & Kingsway. This may be in response to the longevity of a visit; looking around this place reminds me of an old-school lan party.
I understand the sentiment, but it's hard to see a coffee shop follow the trend of the bars around here; playing loud music so you'll shut up and drink.
Don't get me wrong; I love music. I listen to tons of it. My last.fm profile tells me so. But there should be a line between a nightclub and a pub/social house/lounge. Actually, the idea that some of these places will define them as lounges strikes me as ironic, as the volume at which they play music is enough to rile up George Wendt.
They do it because studies have shown that the louder you play music, the more people will drink. This makes perfectly good sense; it's extremely uncomfortable to chat in an environment so loud. I've been in lounges that play music so damned loud I've left with a bloody throat. I sound like Lawrence Tierney for the next couple of days.
I understand that Alibi Room charges more for beer than a lot of places; but I can understand why. There's a value to having people drinks less in volume of higher quality beer in a setting suite for conversation. If you look around, it's clear that this is a social gathering house at it's purest form; there's no televisions (though they briefly had a couple downstairs that seem to have been removed), there's no clocks, and there's no goddamned music. There's a time and place to listen the subtle nuances of Peter Buck, and there's a time to chat over some pints. I applaud the few Vancouver establishments that follow through with the latter.
I understand the sentiment, but it's hard to see a coffee shop follow the trend of the bars around here; playing loud music so you'll shut up and drink.
Don't get me wrong; I love music. I listen to tons of it. My last.fm profile tells me so. But there should be a line between a nightclub and a pub/social house/lounge. Actually, the idea that some of these places will define them as lounges strikes me as ironic, as the volume at which they play music is enough to rile up George Wendt.
They do it because studies have shown that the louder you play music, the more people will drink. This makes perfectly good sense; it's extremely uncomfortable to chat in an environment so loud. I've been in lounges that play music so damned loud I've left with a bloody throat. I sound like Lawrence Tierney for the next couple of days.
I understand that Alibi Room charges more for beer than a lot of places; but I can understand why. There's a value to having people drinks less in volume of higher quality beer in a setting suite for conversation. If you look around, it's clear that this is a social gathering house at it's purest form; there's no televisions (though they briefly had a couple downstairs that seem to have been removed), there's no clocks, and there's no goddamned music. There's a time and place to listen the subtle nuances of Peter Buck, and there's a time to chat over some pints. I applaud the few Vancouver establishments that follow through with the latter.
Friday, January 14, 2011
How to Win at Taboo
Every few weeks, a bunch of my friends end up at Guilt & Co. playing Taboo. The premise is relatively simple, if you've seen Million Dollar Pyramid; you have a single taboo word that you need to elicit from your partner without saying five associated words that are listed on the card. Do as many of these as you can in about 62 seconds¹, tally the score, and pass the turn onto the next group. An example card would look something like this;
Some things in the game are really obvious; the go-to on a card like this would be to explain that it's a breakfast food that isn't pancakes that requires batter, and that it visually resembled a grid.
People however, tend to fail at the transititional game, which, to me, is the most important. The movement to grab a new card and quickly scan it for unmentionable words without losing the beat is the most important element between equally matched pairs.
1. Thank you, okay, so.
I find that these words open up every transition I make. They keep me talking, they thank the person who correctly guessed my clue (which relieves tension), and I've already got an approach for the next card. One that I didn't have to think about, because I'm still reading.
2. Analyzing card difficulty
I find that a lot of filler words will keep you talking, and can give very subtle clues about your card. If I get a card that says "malevolent" and I can't say evil, I can tell the person how incredibly difficult my card is by saying something like "Oh, man." or cursing it. They'll then know that we're not working with something easy. Saying something like "Oh! Hey!" lets them know that this should be an easy card for them to deal with.
3. En français?
In Canada, the cards have two different words on each side; often, they're just a French equivalent, but this is not always true and can burn you if you're not careful. It's also much more difficult to read the unspeakable words upside down. If the upright word on the card you're about to flip is in French, when you flip it, you'll see English. It's important to know when the opposite is about to be true, so you can rotate the card before settling it in the tray for play.
I hope this helps. If you're a Vancouverite who'd like to lose at Taboo, give me a shout.
¹I tested this with a copy at home. For science.
Some things in the game are really obvious; the go-to on a card like this would be to explain that it's a breakfast food that isn't pancakes that requires batter, and that it visually resembled a grid.
People however, tend to fail at the transititional game, which, to me, is the most important. The movement to grab a new card and quickly scan it for unmentionable words without losing the beat is the most important element between equally matched pairs.
1. Thank you, okay, so.
I find that these words open up every transition I make. They keep me talking, they thank the person who correctly guessed my clue (which relieves tension), and I've already got an approach for the next card. One that I didn't have to think about, because I'm still reading.
2. Analyzing card difficulty
I find that a lot of filler words will keep you talking, and can give very subtle clues about your card. If I get a card that says "malevolent" and I can't say evil, I can tell the person how incredibly difficult my card is by saying something like "Oh, man." or cursing it. They'll then know that we're not working with something easy. Saying something like "Oh! Hey!" lets them know that this should be an easy card for them to deal with.
3. En français?
In Canada, the cards have two different words on each side; often, they're just a French equivalent, but this is not always true and can burn you if you're not careful. It's also much more difficult to read the unspeakable words upside down. If the upright word on the card you're about to flip is in French, when you flip it, you'll see English. It's important to know when the opposite is about to be true, so you can rotate the card before settling it in the tray for play.
I hope this helps. If you're a Vancouverite who'd like to lose at Taboo, give me a shout.
¹I tested this with a copy at home. For science.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
To My Husband/Wife
I've recently started reading a pair of Tumblrs; tomywife and tomyhusband. I was initally taken aback by how starkly different the two of them seemed; but I was really unsure if I had some kind of male bias going on. The guy seemed really wonderful and helpful, whereas the girl came off as pushy and demanding. It made me think that she appreciated the relationship less than he did. So, I took the last four pages of the blog, and decided to break down the posts into five categories;
It's pretty clear who the better catch is. The girl only made a single, attachment-free offer in fourty posts. And even it is unclear; she offers to bring the bacon home, but will she share? He can't have yellow mustard, must tend to her on Mother's Day, and generally behave as she envisions Paul Rudd.
He's the kind of guy who shares headphones at the airport, will pick up the Chinese food when it snows, and will offer you his blazer when it's cold.
I wish them the best, but hope that she knows what she has. And people who think that they're better than yellow mustard deserve a visit from the Murph Mobile.
- Demands
- Compromises
- Requests
- Offers
- Blanket statements
Comment Type | To My Wife | To My Husband |
Demands | 6 | 23 |
Compromises | 5 | 5 |
Requests | 0 | 3 |
Offers | 12 | 1 |
Blanket Statements | 17 | 8 |
It's pretty clear who the better catch is. The girl only made a single, attachment-free offer in fourty posts. And even it is unclear; she offers to bring the bacon home, but will she share? He can't have yellow mustard, must tend to her on Mother's Day, and generally behave as she envisions Paul Rudd.
He's the kind of guy who shares headphones at the airport, will pick up the Chinese food when it snows, and will offer you his blazer when it's cold.
I wish them the best, but hope that she knows what she has. And people who think that they're better than yellow mustard deserve a visit from the Murph Mobile.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Had a great night out with the Bean last night; had dinner at Tony's Oyster Cafe, had drinks at Cat's Social House, and saw a round of the Ultimate Improv Championship. Finished off with a hookah at the Persian Tea House a half hour before they closed. It was dizzying and wonderful.
I thought that the first group we saw at the Improv was the better team, though they lost to something of an improvisational stand-up comedian who offered more audience interaction, but lacked almost any spontaneous hilarity. It's hard to appreciate what it takes to create a 25 minute musical based on the invention of the telephone with not so much as a quick huddle; it's pretty easy to make cheap jabs at the audience for the same time period.
I'm still in the hunt for a good offline editor; when I was on Livejournal years ago there were several of them.
I thought that the first group we saw at the Improv was the better team, though they lost to something of an improvisational stand-up comedian who offered more audience interaction, but lacked almost any spontaneous hilarity. It's hard to appreciate what it takes to create a 25 minute musical based on the invention of the telephone with not so much as a quick huddle; it's pretty easy to make cheap jabs at the audience for the same time period.
I'm still in the hunt for a good offline editor; when I was on Livejournal years ago there were several of them.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Hello, new friend.
I haven't blogged, in a personal format, in years. It's 2 AM now, though I figured it'd be time to throw my first post up, as I've just set up an account. I wrestled with the name for a bit, and unfortunately livingwithlions has long since been abandoned.
Tonight was interesting. I've just started to read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and have enjoyed the book so far. Instead of coming off as smarmy or sarcastic, it takes the Victorian zombie theme pretty seriously.
Next up? I need to find a tool or widget so I can update this without having to log in.
Since you had to read this tripe, here's a pic of a sea lion I took.
Tonight was interesting. I've just started to read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and have enjoyed the book so far. Instead of coming off as smarmy or sarcastic, it takes the Victorian zombie theme pretty seriously.
Next up? I need to find a tool or widget so I can update this without having to log in.
Since you had to read this tripe, here's a pic of a sea lion I took.
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