First of all, thanks so much for subscribing to this. I'm always amazed when people are interested in what I have to say and your willingness to sign up for this without really knowing is gratifying. I have an idea of what this will be, but I find it's best to let these things evolve organically based on what works and what doesn't. If you have any feedback, let me know.
If you're in Prince George here's a protip: a walk around Cottonwood Island Park is an excellent idea right now. Most of the riverbed is dry, and the ice is melting in all sorts of cool formations, and you can kick it and it makes interesting sounds. I took lots of pictures, but this is the only one I've uploaded so far:
Another discovery I made this weekend is that the Exploration Place has this cool fish tank now where you can crawl into a little area and go right inside to watch fish, making for photo opportunities like this one. I think it's aimed at kids but life is more fun if you're willing to do things aimed at kids as an adult, I think. Case in point: if you go to the river, you might be able to find this bouncy log.
Last Friday was quite the rollercoaster. Earlier in the week I had seen that Jamie Bell, the actor from Billy Elliot had asked Jamie Bell, the Prince George musician, for his @jamiebell Twitter handle. I thought it might be a fun interview and it was- but I had no idea how much interest it would generate.
Friday's episode of Daybreak had some really nice radio moments for me. Since it was International Day of Forests, International Day for the Elimination of Racism, and World Poet Day, we thought it might be fun to get a poet to write about forestry and racism. Jeremy Stewart rose to the challenge, using a method called "flarf" poetry. Our associate producer Audrey McKinnon set his reading to music, and the results are really enjoyable.
Also from Audrey, a nice story about some of the art on display at the Two Rivers Gallery right now. Larry Parenteau was raised in foster homes and lived on the streets, and used art as a refuge. But with a Mohawk and tattoos, people tended to avoid him as he tried to sell his work on the street. The thing is, Larry isn't really a salesman. Fortunately, his friend is- and there is some great interplay between the artist and the salesman in here. Again, you get something by listening to this that simply reading about it doesn't accomplish.
And finally, a listener sent us this video of orcas chasing down sea lions. Really quite something.
Some things I'm thinking about:
The Bulldozer Rests. In 2005, 43 people died in B.C. forests. In 2011, that number was down to zero, and that was thanks in no small part to MaryAnne Arcand. Born in the Cariboo, and living in Prince George, she was a tireless advocate for worker safety with the Central Interior Logging Association and B.C.'s Forest Safety Council. She succumbed to cancer last week at the age of 59.
In a documentary on The Sunday Edition titled "The Bulldozer Rests," you hear her passion. "The resignation that's just the cost of doing business... if we'd had 40 soldiers in Afghanistan killed or 40 policemen in the line of duty this year... but oh, well, that's just the cost of business. And that's the part that really makes me sad." To me, her life speaks to the differences that can be made no matter where you are - find a problem that needs solving and don't let anything stop you. Have a listen.
"Rape culture" is bad branding. Denise Balkissoon doesn't disagree that there are huge issues facing women and girls in our society, but fears the language used by advocates isn't helping the cause: "'Rape culture' is insider jargon for those who already agree, an argumentative firework that explodes with sad anger, leaving only an obscuring cloud of smoke. Put another way, 'rape culture' is bad branding." She points to drunk driving campaigns which target friends who let friends drink and drive as an example of where we should go.
I still don't know how I feel about Upworthy. I read this New Yorker article about Upworthy's team and came away with the same sort of mixed feelings I've always had. The common criticism is that they let people feel good about themselves just for clicking "like" but look: those likes have translated into $8 million, money that they are now using to focus on climate change, poverty, and human rights. And they aren't doing it alone- they are using the money to partner with Climate Nexus, Human Rights watch, and a non-profit investigative journalism organization called ProPublica. In this blog post and the New Yorker article they have an attitude of not really caring about the cynical urban media and wanting to focus on spreading good- something they seem to be doing. Even now I'm looking at their website and they are tackling important issues I don't see represented in most media outlets. And yet, the presentation is so cloying I find myself cringing at every headline. I guess it's a "do the ends justify the means" sort of question.
Also:
This should be interesting. Via Vancouver is Awesome:
"An organization called Student Energy has somehow managed to get the president of Northern Gateway, a noted environmentalist as well as the executive director of the Coastal First Nations to debate together, for the first time (I must stress how awesome this is), on the radio tomorrow. On a college radio station, no less."It airs tonight at 7 pm. Livestream it here.
CBC Music has unveiled its Searchlight contest. For your convenience, I made a playlist of all thenorthern B.C. artists entered. There's a few that I already know and am fans of: Black Spruce Bog, crones, Doug Koyama, Isaac Smeele, King Crow and the Ladies From Hell and
Twin Peaks and I'm making some new discoveries such as Supertanker, the Magician, Stretch-9, good nightmare. Have a listen and vote for your favourites.
I know that's a lot of music, but here's three more songs I've had on repeat:
- Jamie Bell & the Cutests Band Ever have an album teaser
- R&B singer Miguel and rapper Wale cover "Bennie and the Jets" and it's way better than you expect
- Converse got Frank Ocean, Diplo, and 50% of the Clash to do a song together
Thanks for listening! I'm really curious about whether this format works for you-- too much information? Not enough? If you have anything you'd like to say, just hit "reply."
- Andrew
