John Lennon: Still Missed 30 Years Later

Thirty years ago today John Lennon was murdered outside The Dakota in New York. Deranged 'fan' Mark David Chapman fired the bullets that killed one of the most iconic men in music history who was also an important supporter of the anti-war and civil rights movement in a time of turmoil in America. Unfortunately Lennon never got to experience his later years like had been planned in "Just Like Starting Over";

Our life together is so precious together
We have grown, we have grown
Although our love is still special 
Let's take a chance and fly away somewhere alone

It's been too long since we took the time
No-one's to blame, I know time flies so quickly
But when I see you darling
It's like we both are falling in love again
It'll be just like starting over, starting over.

Thirty years on and his message of peace still rings true, and people still mourn his death every single year. It's a shame he had to go so soon, but the message of peace and hope for a better a future can still be held by everyone, and his music both solo and with The Beatles will never be forgotten. Thirty years ago today, RIP John Lennon. (9 October 1940 – 8 December 1980)

 

War is over...if you want it. 

Pepsi Ripped off The Grateful Dead?

Today I was looking at a can of Pepsi sitting in my kitchen and I realized something...it totally looks like the Grateful Dead's "Steal your face" logo. Is it a conspiracy to make me want to listen to The Dead?! If so it worked, I'm listening to some China Cat Sunflower right now! I don't drink soda but I guess I can say...well, thank you Pepsi?!

Steal Your Face

Pepsi Logo

 

 

 

They look a lot alike to me, but hey you be the judge!

Corporate Greenwashing and Telus

The other day I was checking my e-mail like I normally do and received a message from Telus. Telus only sends me e-mails for two reasons, to let me know about rising costs or when I forget my password. Unfortunately this e-mail was about a price increase, and this was just to receive the bill.

Telus informed me that if I wanted to continue to receive my paper bill I would have to pay them an additional $2 a month. Fortunately for me though I'll be saving the world by giving that $2 to the Nature Conservancy of Canada. Wow! Now I'm forced to give a to an organization I already give a fair amount of money to anyways due to Telus being a bunch of greedy bastards.

I'm all for helping the environment as it is the biggest cause I support, but if Telus really did care they would print their bill on recycled paper, or hemp paper, or even paper made out of elephant feces. (yes it exists, I have some) Instead the are forcing a 'green fee', this is really just a way for them to save money by not having to print paper to save them money, and knowing customers don't want to pay more will switch to the e-bill. Some customers don't have this option, such as people without the internet and have no option but to pay it.

Telus presumably saved killed all of these animals after this photo.

I will be switching to the e-bill but Telus wont be donating anything for me saving the world by saving paper. Again if they truly cared they would make a substantial donation to the Nature Conservancy for every customer who goes paperless which they are not. Telus should not be using animals in their ads, they do no more than any other company to save the planet and they don't care, so why try to go green now?

So hats off to Telus for joining the ever growing list of companies pretending to be green by screwing the customer. As if I didn't already have enough reason to hate the company; now I will surley be switching cell cariers come August when my contract expries. Greenwashing doesn't work, customers see through it and don't like it. If you want to be green do something about it, but please don't screw the customer to save you money!

Death Don't Have No Mercy

Today was a really shitty day for me, not the usual Monday blues, no it was strep throat! Woke up this morning struggling to swallow and breathe so I realized it was time to miss my first day of school. I departed to the walk in clinic, unfortunately rather than a walk in walk out clinic it was more like a walk in and get gawked at by old people and angry babies. Bad scene yes, but finally an hour and a half later the doctor sees me, tosses me penicillin for the strep throat I knew I had, went to Shoppers and got my meds.

The thing is all that happened today wasn't that bad, I mean bad enough but at least I have more than months to live. I hopped on the Avondale expecting to hear half senile old men complaining bout all those damn kids on their lawn, but today was different. I actually got choked up on a bus; my life was put in perspective for that ride as I listened to two older fellas talk.

There was a man in his early 60's with a thick grey beard talking to an even older 70+ decrepit looking fella. The older of the two begins by asking grey beard how his day is, but it's not the usual, he tells him he just found out he has Emphysema and it's probably going to kill him. He says 40 years of smoking was bound to catch up on me, I just never thought it would be today. He casually asks the older man how he is doing, he explains how he has a check up soon and should be in perfectly fine health. He then says to grey beard, I guess you wont be making it to England for Christmas this year, the grey beard pauses, looks around then says I guess not, I'll take it as it comes and gets off the bus.

The thing that got me the most in that conversation was the fact that both of the men were seniors and have just accepted death at their door. Even a man with one foot in the grave, so calm cool and collected; I thought then and there that his life must have been exactly as he wanted because he seemed to have no regrets.

Even though I am still young now it just puts your life in perspective, the reaper can call at anytime, take life as it is and dig every minute of it because one day it will be gone. I hope when my time comes I can come to accept the fact that it's the end and as my life flashes before my eyes I'll say, fuck, I lived one good life, cuz in the end death don't have no mercy.

The War on Drugs: An American Embarrassment

June 17th 1971; the day the so called 'War on Drugs' began. Then United States President Richard Nixon had finally kick started the war that had begun in 1914 and had still made little progress since then, but deep down there was a more sinister plan involved; that consisted of blackmailing developing countries, padding the pockets of government agencies and putting the minorities in prison.

Study after study has proven that this drug war is complete and utter bullshit, one recent one among many was published by Prof. David Nutt the former UK drug czar. Nutt an intelligent man on the issue claims that alcohol is more dangerous than the "hard drugs" heroin and crack cocaine. This has been said by many before but yet as "free" citizens we have been brainwashed into believing all drugs lead to a downward spiral to anyone who uses them. It's no wonder Calafornia's Proposition 19 failed, though by a narrow margin, there are too many people still brainwashed into believing drugs are bad. This blog will examine why the drug war is retarded, why it will never end in our time, and why you should care.

How it all began:


Why The Drug War Fails:


Why People Use drugs (Risk vs. Reward):
Bullying the developing world into submission:

*This I a work in progress, being as I am currently working on some other writings, want my info to be 100% accurate, so patience and it will come!

I am a Victim!: A Slightly Exagerated Tale of my Life

 I am a victim of marketing! I'm sitting here smoking a cigarette, and drinking a beer...why? I'm a victim of years of the beer and tobacco industry feeding me bullshit. If I smoke I can be cool like the Marlboro man, he's rugged ain't he? Sure he had cancer but he also had a horse! Well shit if that's the case then this beer should equal party times...where are the ladies though...Am I having a good time, no?! I'm a victim to the system, the very system I hate, I've come to the realization I'm just as much of a slave to everything I hate! I love beer and I love cigarettes but both big beer (kinda) and big tobacco have won me over....how did this happen though?

Growing up an Americanized Canadian I've been exposed to ads from the beer and tobacco industry my entire life. It's really a shame it's all just hit me now, it has a thousand times before but it all makes sense why targeting to the young really does work, and at the end of the day it's fucked!


Tobacco:
It's quite reasonable that in today's society to find smoking disgusting, it's dirty, it smells, people probably look down on me as low class, but it's cool ain't it?! It must be right, why else would I do it?! I mean it feels good, it tastes good, or is it literally all smoke and mirrors deceiving me courtesy of big tobacco. Honestly it's bad, but I've always thought that smoking has looked cool, how though? This seriously needs to be analyzed.

Joe Camel cool!

Growing up in Windsor, an Americanized Canadian I've been exposed to tobacco my entire life, people used to smoke in restaurant and still do in Detroit, it was only just until a couple years ago that stopped in Canada. As a young boy who read my parents Sports Illustrated and Rolling Stone, I saw tons of tobacco ads, if athletes and musicians dug it must be cool right? Big tobacco may be paying now but they won me over, Newport always had fun couples in riding snow mobiles and hugging, Marlboro had the alpha male, and Joe Camel was just too cool for school...they had me hooked before I knew it...a victim of advertisers. I guess it's not my fault and even if I kick it smoking will always seem cool in the back of my mind.

Booze:

Beer goggles or reality?

I am a victim of the alcohol industry because they have and always will promise good times. The beer I'm drinking tastes good but where is the party? Where are the ladies, and where is the buzz...I suppose a few to may bottles away still. I mean fun times aren't easy, and at this point in time it's getting harder and harder to find a good time that doesn't involve getting wasted/hammered/trashed. I mean shit, I can't remember the last time I had a gathering of friends where booze wasn't involved which I guess is kind of sad. (It does happen, just exaggerating a bit) Again, I feel I am a victim of my surroundings. Everyone I knew have always been good people my parents enjoy drinking as do family and friends so it has always been tolerable. As a drinker since the age of 16 it kind of bothers me that it has always been so accepted, I mean is the temporary pleasure going to lead to further reward, I highly doubt it. I've done my best to avoid the beer giants of Labbat & Molson both foreign owned but still I'm still buying into drinking is social and that's it.I guess it's how it always will be, but at the end of the day, all I can feel is I am a victim to two industries destined to kill me.

All in all this isn't my best blog as it's just observations but it just goes to show how two major dealers of death can capture a young mind and influence it forever. I would never promote prohibition either substance as I feel as free citizens we should be able to beat our bodies with what we please, but it just goes to show advertising works. As cynical as I am to big whatever I am a victim as much as anyone as a much as I try to bash the Wal-Mart's of the world, I am just as much as a sellout and a victim to the man as everyone else even if unwilling...It's really all just a means to an end anyways.

Urban Sprawl: Destroying the World One McMansion at a Time

I just finished reading an article in the Toronto Star about the so called 'Ford Effect'. Apparently there are a whole lot of anti-government Conservatives in favour of urban sprawl in the GTA. I think these people for lack of a better word are stupid. Now I don't agree with the McGuinty government on everything but I do feel the Places to Grow Initiative is very important. The idea that urban sprawl and constant development further and further away from city cores is just ridiculous.

Obvliously stopping new development is impossible because development does bring money into the economy and keeps people working; but restoration of older neighbourhoods and builidng in a cities core can be way more beneficial than pure sprawl and also boost the economy.The reason growth control is needed though is to protect some of Canada's best lands in Southern Ontario because once it is developed it's never coming back, and urban sprawl just leads to more troubles in the end. Urban sprawl sucks in so many ways, below are a few reasons;

1) Subdivisions:

The joys of subdivisions.

While the so called American dream is to have the perfect house with the white picket fence, 2.5 kids, beautiful wife and family dog is nice, it is just not feasible with the amount of people and population explosion in the last 40-60 years. Sadly this is still the dream home to many...where can they find this house? A subdivision of course! Subdivisions began to gain popularity in the 50's with Levittown, (an early planned community) after war veterans began to settle down and start families away from the hustle and bustle of the city but still close enough to the daily commute. Unfortunately as more subdivisions popped up they began to get further away from the city, and they went from the welcoming picket fence and smiling family to the generic house, the uninviting privacy fence, and of course the McMansion. Today a subdivision is just a generic neighbourhood, houses that look the same, people that are too busy working to realize they have their heads to far up their ass to enjoy the simple pleasures of life because they are either commuting to work, working, or staying holed up in their house avoiding human contact with their equal private fearful of the world neighbours. Yes in their subdivisions and maybe even gated ones they are shielded from the inner city crime, minorities, human interaction, and a soul. Subdivisions are one of the main things wrong with society today; keeping everyone gated in their little property is not the way humans should be by nature.

2) The Paving of Paradise/the Rise of Big Box Stores:
"They paved paradise and put up a parking lot." Joni Mitchell was right on, with urban sprawl and just outside subdivisions these new bedroom communities could flourish. Now that people lived in the suburbs they did not need to support their local retailer in the downtown core. No, now the stores came to them, massive paved wastelands begun to be built over once fertile farmland and beautiful woods to make way for the Wal-Mart's of the world along with other major chains. These chain stores have led to shopping cores losing their atmosphere and magic; if I’ve been to one Sport Check/Chapters/HMV I’ve been to them all, they all hire mediocre staff with little knowledge or care because they are paid a minimum wage salary to push goods for a mega chain that does not care about them. These stores can never provide the service and knowledge an independent shop with people who care can. So bad enough that massive parking lots are now everywhere but these mega stores are now places where people are forced to work because they’re the only spots in town to buy everything and the only places to shop because they ran everybody else out of town.

3) Killing the World One Car at a Time:

A typical trip through Toronto.

Naturally with folks living farther away from work in the sprawling bedroom communities they needed transportation. Of course in your average sprawling community this was not planned out to well, as most sprawl along major roads, ex 401, traffic moves slowly and you idle. Basically you better have a car or you are screwed, but hey even if you do you can still comfort in the fact during the four our drive to work you can read a book, do your hair, and maybe even brush your teeth. Unfortunately cars make pollution and with extra cars on the road taking longer to get to work from Sprawl Ville congestion builds, cars idle, and pollution is everywhere. Fortunatley if your city has money, they'll build more lanes! More lanes equal more lanes to idle in and more people can live in the community to fill them! It's really a perfect system...not!

4) Didn't we Just See that Same House/Store/Restaurant &The McMansion

A McMansion

Finally urban sprawl has led to generic communities with no sense of identity. A perfect example of this is Mississauga Ontario; a city I feel has done everything wrong all in the name of getting bigger to develop a bigger tax base to build more shit. My first and only time in the newer part of Mississauga was awful, you can drive miles and miles and see maybe three different models of houses, all with two cars, one tree, and absolutely no soul what so ever...it's the same with all the giant big box stores and chain restaurants. What set's this mess of cars and ugly buildings apart from any other sprawling community? Nothing I suppose but yet people continue to move there and seem to enjoy it. The generic neighbourhood also breeds urban sprawl the McMansion, a McMansion is the giant home with more rooms then any upper middle class-to so called 'high society' family needs. These houses are architectural monstrosities, some with so many garage doors they begin to look warehouses. The other problems with these homes is that they are usually built on small lots so you get a  nice small yard so the family never needs to go outside and see the light of day and can become the typical fat and lazy Western family the rest of the world perceives us as, but that's a whole other issue.

As I am trying to get across in this blog, urban sprawl sucks, everything about is mostly bad. Instead of expanding cities far and wide, let’s move back to the core, build vibrant downtowns, and build up, the sky is the limit. It's really the only smart way to build cities as the population explosion continues and hopefully people will begin to realize how much sprawl really sucks!

Toronto Trip

This past Wednesday I made my first visit to Toronto that wasn't just sitting around Union Station for the first time in years. The visit to Toronto included a visit to the Steam Whistle Brewery, Royal Bank of Canada, and ended at CBC where we viewed a live taping of the George Stroumboulopoulos talk show.

The Steam Whistle Brewery was a great way to start the day, who doesn't love a drink before 12 in the morning?! We toured the brewery first and I decided to try some hops, and man was I ever sorry! The rest of the tour consisted of watching the workers do their job and then a fire alarm went off. Good times were had by all and I finally got to sip an ice cold beer at the very end.

The RBC visit was a little less exciting, firstly we had just had beer and then it was lunch time so being full was making me quite tired. We learned about how the bank got to sponsor the Olympic torch run along with Coca Cola, but in the end RBC got most of the glory for helping communities all along the way. The one thing that will stick out in my mind though will be the crazy man and the video of his daughter with the torch...and of course Celine Dion blaring! Ughhhhh!

Finally we got to visit the CBC and see how a real television studio works. My goal was to meet Peter Mansbridge but of course I missed it. I settled with their mediocre at best museum and watching The Queen in 3D. From there we went to the Strombo show and George interviewed Jeremy Hotz who was really funny, and George ended up being a really cool and humble guy himself. He was actually exactly the way I imagined him to be which made the show a lot more enjoyable.

At the end of the day after a long bus ride home I was just thinking that it was a pretty cool class trip, and an experience I wont soon forget. I got to better know much of the class, and just get a better understanding of how PR and the working world works in general. So all and all good times were had by all it seems.

How to Look and Act Like a Business Person

Today in introduction to public relations we were talking about the business world, and how work no longer ends after the 9-5 shift. Social media has made the world a very different place. No longer can the stressed office gopher sip on his bottle of gin in the desk, and the secretary must refrain from suggestive photos on Facebook, and what ever you do don't get drunk in public...unless of course you're no less than three towns and over the mountain from where you live.

Actually thinking about it the world was always like this; the office drunk was just tolerated, the frisky secretary was unknown of outside of work, and liquid lunches was the standard. I was just thinking of making a list of sorts of how to become a corporate drone in the 21^st century and how it can pay off big time, so here goes:

1) Be a Suck-up to the Boss:

The Office suck-up

The key to success in the office is sucking up to the boss, by all means, bosses love suck-ups. To succeed one must first remember to take it slow, nobody likes a suck-up from the get go, start out small, be the guy who does his job half assed enough to not get noticed but still good enough that you don't get fired. When the boss decides to talk to you one day about your extreme averageness simply rat on every co-worker who has ever said anything bad about him, taken pencils and pens, or showed up even five minutes late, from that point on you'll have him and it'll only be promotions from there until one day you become CEO and then realize that you actually know nothing about running a company because you are a suck-up and then the vicious cycle begins yet again.

2) Be Safe on the World Wide Web:

The only way to protect yourself from the damages of the inter-web is to never leave the house, and don't own a computer, also not showering is sure to keep the commoners away and keep you out of any potentially career ending drunken photos. For those of us that don't live in a cave it is not that easy unfortunately. There are some ways to look like a 'moral' and 'self respecting' worker on the net, the easiest solution is delete all negative photos, for the average youth that will be all of them but 3, and don't forget to change your info, mention Mary Jane as an interest and your career is over before it begins. An easier way to get by on the net though is to simply put a fake name on the fun profile and set up a new 'professional' one. This is the one where you can put all the pictures of yourself as a loving husband hard worker, and serious business man. Include interests such as work, perseverance, and my family. The boss loves a family man, and you will surely be promoted sooner than later. Protip: Use Facebook to suck-up, (see section 1) try updating your status with comments like, “Work was really rewarding today, I really feel my boss appreciates me and I will continue to strive to do my best in the office everyday. <3 work!”

3) Change Your Look:

Dressed for Success

Nothing can ruin your great resume in a job interview worse than a poor appearance. If you are thinking about entering the interview rocking long hair, wife beater, and jeans don't even bother, hell a Harvard grad probably wouldn't even get hired like that. How you look means everything, that fancy diploma from that super expensive University means nothing without the right look. This can be countered by looking 'right'. To look like a future cigar chomping corporate bigwig all you need is a suit, nice shoes, a John Edwards haircut and a pair of glasses to make you look smart. Yes when you are dressed for success you can go from buying cheap $10 dollar hooch at the liquor to store to a $400 dollar a week cocaine/polyester suit habit in no time! The boss will be happy that you don't drink plus actually care how you look, and the cocaine will keep you up for those long crazy nights at the office.

4) Know How to Talk:
Finally you must know how to talk. Every boss wants someone who can speak English in a way that they say absolutely nothing, but sound like they are saying something important. Instead of saying I filed that report this afternoon say...well I don't know bust out a thesaurus and throw in some big words that no one understands, no one cares what your saying, but you at least sound smart and the boss will respect you. Protip: Hush by rockers Tool has a line that goes “I can say what I want to even if I'm not serious.” In the office you can't...that could lead to sexual harassment accusations or worse!

Follow these four tips, and you will move on up in the working world and discover that you are going from crappy apartment downtown to four million dollar mansion in no time! Yes it will be in some prestigious gated community without poor people...unless of course they are shining your shoes.

All kidding aside, seriously I'm starting to think that the corporate world is impossible to succeed in. You can't drink, you can't grow your hair, you can't say what you want, you can't date your co-workers, and most importantly you cannot be yourself. I really hope this view changes in the future as the youth of the day and our creative minds change the future for tomorrows workplace, a place where I can have a liquid lunch, where pants are optional, and most importantly I can scream fu** when something goes oh so horribly wrong...if not maybe I'll just open my own mega company, ya Brandon's Auto Parts, Battle Axes, and Assorted Meat Products, sounds cool at least...Until that day I'll continue to fake a smile, tighten my collar, bite my tongue and pretend everything is alright!

Life On Boblo Island

After a long conversation last night with my girlfriend, we began talking about life on Boblo, at least kind of, it started with a debate about whether it was Canadian or American, but it is in fact Canadian! Boblo island is located in Amhersburg Ontario, it's proper name is Bois Blanc Island, but everyone just calls it Boblo. It was originally an amusement park from about 1898 and unfortunately closed in September of 1993. It closed after nearly 100 years; unfortunately money talks, and rich developers bought the island to build houses and a golf course and gutted and destroyed most of the amusement park, but some of it is still there. I enjoy the fact that I was able to visit as a child, and my mom worked there as did many teens her age back in the day, so naturally it still has a special place in my mind.

The Boblo Chapel

I've rambled on far too much about the island, the plan is a PR campaign (kinda) for the island, with a little bit of a crazy and impossible idea that came to me. The island still has some buildings, such as the large dance hall, the Bavarian inn, a tower, and some other pavilions which I have no idea what their purpose was. My random idea is to live in the chapel, the inspiration came to me after seeing Alice's Restaurant starring Arlo Guthrie based off of the song on the same name, more info available at (IMDB). So the plan was to buy the old chapel live in it and put pews on the wall, an orange shag rug, and a wallpaper ceiling, among many other crazy ideas. Then we came to the idea that I would $250, 000 and with that we would buy a bunch of virgin Mary statues, and a pheasant. The pheasant was destined for glory, we would raise him from birth he would speak English and go onto to be top of his class at a wonderful university, and naturally one tear would fall from Jess' eye as he received his degree and overcame all the people keeping him down telling him he was "just a pheasant." From there he would go on to start a successful fortune 500 company, and we would have a party at the church with all our friends and the rest of the island would be saved from the big rich developers because we'd have money to own the rest...

Unfortunately that is a crazy dream, but seemed really cool and still does at the time, and maybe will come true if I think hard enough...but again maybe not. Now you may be wondering how this all relates back to PR, well the plan is to colonize the island with like minded individuals, with money to share. We could by the abandoned buildings and have a small community where we grow everything on the island. Parties every weekend at the dance hall and could times for all. The possibilities are endless. The new island colonists could market this to the public as a bohemian paradise where you are free to do as you please, but still contribute to society off the island.... (more to come/pictures and many fixes to random ramblings to come...)

Belleville Needs a Rock Venue

I've just been sitting in my room listening to some really cool Canadian rock bands like Black Mountain, The Pack A.D, The Trews, and The New Pornographers, among many others. I was looking into tour dates for many of these bands, and although many are not huge, they all skip Belleville. This got me thinking, I've come to the conclusion that the music scene in Belleville is either dead or non-existent...

In a city with about 49, 000 people and a huge college crowd I don't see why there isn't more of a scene, and if Belleville could attract major act's or any acts for that matter it would be great for the community, and something for myself and fellow college students to do other than well....nothing. Now I don't know the first thing about logistics or what it takes to attract bands to Belleville but as I see it now there is nothing! Go out on a Friday or Saturday night and there are no shows going on other than the occasional cover band or 'DJ' spinning club tunes. So I think us folks that like to rock need a venue to call our own.

I propose that someone with money (reading this blog hopefully, but most likely not) will open up a genuine rock and roll bar/venue. It would attract students, encourage kids to pick up an instrument and jam, and offer local bands a place to get their music heard. The possibilities this city is missing out on, after the Slash show I don't see why we can't move from the boring 'friendly city' to the rockin' city! Gimmie some fun, this city just ain't providing any right now....

*rant.

The First Post!

So this is blog post number one. I have another blog that is currently sitting dormant as it was radio related and this one will be all about Public Relations, at least most of the time. This blog will probably only be read by people that know me but in case you don't I'm Brandon Smith and am enrolled in Post Grad PR at Loyalist College. For this first blog I will write a bit about what I've learned/think of the program thus far.

The program has been mostly fun times so far, we kicked it off by having pizza building a marshmallow tower and and playing volleyball. It was a good first or second day for everyone, it was a great way to get to know each other, and it was on a Thursday. It's great that we have Friday's off, it boosts the awesomeness of Thursday's and a long weekend every weekend is alright with me!

In class on a daily basis we've been learning the fundamentals of be a successful PR person by seeing gaffs made by companies and the past and also what they have done right. It will all come in handy in the working world one day.

I'm excited to see where this school year ends up, I've already made a few new friends and learned a few new things. The teachers are pretty cool, and the assignments seem like they'll be mostly interesting too. So three cheers for Loyalist PR, there is a real cool year ahead of me!