Employed in a dying industry

It's a terrifying thing, wondering if or when you might lose your job.

The Halifax Chronicle-Herald recently laid off two dozen reporters and editors. Two dozen. I'm not sure how big the staff at the paper is, but two dozen sounds like a lot to me. I work at a paper where there aren't even two dozen employees between all the departments. There are six people in our newsroom, half of them editors.

I compare the paper I work for to the Chronicle-Herald simply because of similar situations. The Chronicle-Herald lost its competition, the Daily News, last year. My paper lost its competition, the Carleton Free Press, in the past few months.

On a story from The Coast the stories of a few laid-off reporters from the grand ole Halifax daily are told. And it was heartbreaking. Some of these people are like me. Relatively new to the journalism industry. Just brushed aside by the corporate honchos. It's shocking.

Now the word comes down that CBC is planning on dumping some 800 employees. So when even the national broadcaster is cutting people loose, what chance does someone at a community-based, twice-weekly paper have?

People want to save the media, particularly newspapers. The print media is struggling to stay afloat. The Rocky Mountain News closed, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer shut down the print operations, San Francisco almost became the first city in North America without a major daily newspaper.

Newspapers have failed to evolve with the rest of the media. Some have figured out bits and pieces, putting together multimedia packages for websites. In fact, the Rocky Mountain News produced a fantastic video detailing the death of that historic publication. But many papers have yet to learn their lessons. This is the 21st century. When the internet provides 24-hour, up to the minute news, why would you read a paper, particularly a weekly? Why not get your news online?

I'm all for the salvation of newspapers. I enjoy having the physical product in my hands, but why should I pay for information I can get online for free? It makes no sense.

The other problem is a newspaper that essentially ignores the internet. Like the one I work for. The website for this paper, and every paper owned by this company, is utter garbage. It's simply the print edition stories posted online, in a difficult to navigate, ugly interface. We just got an award for having the second best website in Canada for a paper this size. Which suggests to me at least we're not alone in not having a clue about the website.

Like I said, a terrifying thing.

-BT

Comedian extraordinaire

I'm a big fan of Colin Mochrie, the Canadian comedian probably best known for his long-running gigs on the American and British versions of the improv comedy show "Whose Line is it Anyway?"

Well, a friend of mine apparently saw Colin doing the weather on CP24, the local news program in Toronto. The man is the Canadian answer to Samuel L. Jackson. He pops up in everything.

So in honour of Mr. Mochrie, I present a version of the classic game "Hoedown" from the British "Whose Line", which was performed in honour of him. Colin is well known for his skill at the game, and often finishes his verse with an excellent pun.

Enjoy.

Crazy Motherf***ers

Just a short post on the stupidity of a certain demographic.

Transport truck drivers.

Sunday evening, I was making the drive from Woodstock to Quispamsis, in what would charitably be described as a blizzard. Poor visibility, slick roads, not really a good night to be driving.

So imagine how I felt, seeing this giant truck coming up in my mirror, doing normal highway speed, or above.

I realize these trucks are a little more secure than a small vehicle, but they also don't exactly stop on a dime, and they certainly don't handle like a small vehicle. So if I can only manage 70-80 km/h on a four-lane highway, these idiots shouldn't be going any faster than me, never mind 40 or 50 more.

So how about our law enforcement officials maybe take a stand against this kind of dangerous behaviour? I know it's a bad idea to drive in bad weather like that, but sometimes it's necessary. So for those of us forced to share the road with these maniacs, do a little to protect us.

-BT

Six more weeks? Or is it just a month and a half?

Groundhog Day is more than just a comedy classic starring Bill Murray. It's an annual tradition where we gather around various holes in the ground to see if the furry forecasters will doom us to another six weeks of winter or not.

This year, many of the more famous prognosticators, including Nova Scotia's own Shubenacadie Sam, were spooked by their shadow, so we get another six weeks of winter.

Now, I'm all for tradition, and I've always thought this one was kind of cute. But let's not kid ourselves. Winter ends when it ends. Officially, that'll be March 20th. But I live in Canada, which means winter ends sometime in April or even May. Tradition or not, unfortunately, the little guys can't really relieve the misery that is a Canadian winter any sooner.

Although, if there's any scientists out there, maybe you could find some way to actually link the end of winter to the groundhog's shadow?

Just a thought...

-BT

A little piece of history

For your viewing pleasure. Some of the talking heads say it isn't "memorable", but I think they're missing the point. Enjoy.

Part 1:


Part 2:

Hail to the Chief

It's been a rough couple of weeks for your humble scribe. Getting back to work after the holidays sucked a lot out of me. But never fear, for I've been inspired, and have returned after my absence.

Barack Hussein Obama was inaugurated today, becoming the 44th President of the United States, and ending eight years of the retarded child emperor, George W. Bush.

As a Canadian, watching the inauguration made me long for the kind of leader that my neighbours to the south find themselves welcoming. Obviously, we have a different system of government, and our prime minister isn't the same kind of figure as a U.S. president. But still, our leader is supposed to be the face of our country, and should inspire the Canadian people.

Instead, we find ourselves with a button-down accountant as our leader. Just as Bush will likely be remembered as the worst president in American history, Stephen Harper may be remembered as the dullest prime minister in Canadian history.

As Obama spoke to the two million plus people in Washington, and the millions (maybe billions) watching on television, I got the sense that things were going to be okay. Maybe not right away, but eventually. When Stephen Harper speaks, I have to fight the urge to yawn.

I'm proud to be a Canadian. But recently, I've started to think it might not be so bad to be an American. It would mean living in a country where people actually care what their politicians say and do. In Canada, apathy is slowly becoming more prominent.

We need an Obama of our own.

Happy New Year

"Another year over, a new one just begun"

I rang in 2009 in a very different way from 2008. Last year, I was at Disney World, watching the fireworks at Epcot, surrounded by thousands of people. This year, I spent the evening at a small gathering, enjoying the company of a dozen or so people.

Celebrating the beginning of another year, one often pauses to look back at the year gone by, and I'm no different. I figured I'd put together a list of some of the most memorable events of 2008.

In no particular order:

• The New York Giants upset the undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, winning 17-14, in perhaps the greatest upset in the history of pro sports.
• Illinois Senator Barack Obama is elected the 44th president of the United States on Nov. 4, becoming the first African-American elected to the office. Obama picked up 365 electoral votes, soundly defeating Arizona Senator John McCain.
• Prime Minister Stephen Harper apologized to Canada's First Nation peoples for the residential school system.
• The 2008 Summer Olympics take place in Beijing in August. American swimmer Michael Phelps wins a record eight gold medals. Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt sets two world records in the 100 and 200 metre dashes, and makes it look easy.
• Canada's opposition parties attempt to defeat the Conservative government and form a coalition government. Prime Minister Harper manages to hold off the coalition until at least the end of January, after convincing the Governor-General to suspend Parliament.
• A global financial crisis, drawing comparisons to the Great Depression, sends world economies spiralling downward.
• The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers renewed their rivalry, meeting for the first time in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1987. The Celtics defeated the Lakers four games to two, winning their league record 17th title, and first since 1986.
• An outbreak of the bacteria listeriosis from a Maple Leaf Foods plant in Ontario, led to a massive product recall, and at least 20 deaths.

Some good, some bad, some just ridiculous. That was 2008 in a nutshell.

On a personal level, there were a few highlights. I graduated from university and got my first job in journalism.

And what about 2009? Unfortunately, I can't predict the future. If I could I'd be out buying lottery tickets right now.

I have some hopes of my own, and some things I'd like to accomplish. I've made New Year's resolutions in the past, but I usually can't keep them. They're quite often too much to handle. This year, I decided to make a short list, mostly of easy resolutions to keep, things that really won't be difficult, but will certainly improve my life. That's what I think a resolution should be about, making yourself better. With that in mind, I'll share a few of my New Year's resolutions.

• Read at least two books a month. I used to read a lot. But through university, I just couldn't find the time to read for pleasure. Now, I have more time. I'm working a regular job, with regular hours, so I want to take the time and get back into reading. I won't limit myself to two, but I figure two books in 30 days is reasonable.
• Watch more old movies. I watch a fair number of movies, but it's mostly films from the last 15-20 years. There's so many of those great old classics out there, from the Golden Age, that I've never seen. Even as recently as the 1960s and 70s. From my perspective, those are relatively old movies, and there's some real classics out there. Part of this resolution will probably involve watching the American Film Institute's top 100 movies of all time. (see list here)
• Go to the gym at least three times a week. I've been an irregular visitor to the gym as of late. Three times a week is a good start, as I try to get back into a regular workout routine. As the year progresses, the number will certainly increase. Three times a week probably won't include any time I spend swimming either.
• Kick the caffeine habit. I'm not a huge coffee drinker, but I tend to have at least one a day, and more often than not, at least two cups. It's really just something I want to do for myself. It upsets my stomach, and leads to acid reflux (TMI perhaps). I'll be drinking much more green tea in 2009.
• Move on to a job in Ontario. I work in Woodstock, a town of 5,000 people. This is not my final destination, by any stretch of the imagination. Since I started on my career path as a journalist, my ultimate goal has always been to work in Ontario, specifically Toronto. Whether it's for one of the major newspapers like the Globe and Mail or the Toronto Star, or for a magazine, a radio station, or anything else media-related, When I write a similar post to this as we ring in 2010, I fully intend to be writing about my experiences in the big city.

A new year, new possibilities, new challenges. Sounds a little corny and cliche, but it is what it is. Hopefully, the year past was a good one for you, and 2009 brings good things as well. If you're interested, share your thoughts on 2008 and 2009 in the comments.

Happy New Year to one and all.

-BT