Who in their right mind doesn’t love musicals? I, for one, definitely adore musicals. Particularly because I used to participate in musical theatre shows when I was back in Mexico. And besides, let’s face it, I’ve always had a soft spot for the Vancouver theatre scene. The kind folks at Pacific Theatre know my weakness for musicals, and how excited I get when I am lucky enough to give away tickets for shows.
These tickets allow one lucky reader (and a Plus One) to have a taste for the great theatrical work we have in Vancouver. So, this time, Pacific Theatre has given me a pair of tickets to give away for their musical GODSPELL. The keywords that GODSPELL includes made me laugh – Singing! Dancing! Sheep! Goats! Thou shalt be thrilled!
GODSPELL will have a relatively long run (from May 28th to July 3rd) but given how popular musicals are, and how much fun this one looks, I think it’s better to get tickets soon. Directed by Sarah Rodgers, my understanding is that this production of Godspell is embedded within an episode of 1970’s sketch comedy show Laugh In, putting Jesus and Judas alongside Goldie Hawn, Lily Tomlin, Dick Martin. It sounds like it will be a funny musical. The shows will go from Tuesday through Saturday at 8pm with 2pm matinee on Saturday at Pacific Theatre, 1440 W 12th Ave. There will be an artist talkback Friday, July 4th. For tickets ($17-34, GST incl.) call 604.731.5518 or go to the Pacific Theatre website.
For a chance to win a pair of tickets, tell me before May 25th, 2010 at 2:00pm, in a comment on this blog entry, about your last experience with musical theatre. If you have a Twitter account, please include that in your name (e.g. “Tracy Smith, @tracysmith”). Have you ever attended a musical, and if so, how did you like it? I will draw a lucky winner at 2:00pm on May 25th. As usual, my contest rules apply: I’ll contact you by email and/or Twitter, and if I don’t hear from you in 24 hours, I will redraw a winner. Good luck!
Whenever friends of mine or other touristy folks ask me where to go to get a real taste of Vancouver, for some reason I always think of Granville Island. To me, Granville Island is the epitome of Vancouver. Beautiful outdoor patios, great restaurant, wonderful little artsy shops, and terrific views of False Creek, the Burrard Inlet and Yaletown/Downtown Vancouver.
However, there’s an additional reason why I love Granville Island. One of the reasons is that this “island” is really not an island. It’s a beautiful peninsula, and more importantly, it’s a peninsula that has seen a radical industrial-to-urban transformation. As I wrote before, my doctoral dissertation used an interdisciplinary framework that borrows heavily from economic geography and urban planning. Thus, I’m always keen to look at empirical examples of how cities and regions have transformed from heavily-industrialized centers to posh, sophisticated urban developments.
In particular, I have an absolute fascination for the fact that Granville Island has a concrete factory (which I have to say, looks like it’s actually operating!) Every time I go to see a show on Granville Island at The Arts Club or for a drink at the Backstage Lounge, I end up walking by the cute little exhibit of how cement is made (pictured to the right). Not only am I a specialist in urban/industrial restructuring, I am also a chemical engineer, so anything that has to do with chemical processes gets me all excited. Moreover, I find the little exhibit a great educational tool that sparks interest in the younger crowds.
I dug around the archives of the Granville Island website (on their Heritage page) and found out that the concrete factory is still in operation (Ocean Construction Ltd). I always find (as you noticed in my previous post) the co-existence of industrial and urban spaces rather fascinating. I probably will start a series of posts on the transformation of Vancouver, as I already have done some research on Mount Pleasant (an area of Vancouver that also suffered a substantial industrial-to-urban transformation)
Summer of 2007 marked a really important time in my life, as I spent Pride Day (August 1st) with some of my closest friends, mostly hanging out on English Bay, watching the Pride Parade and drinking gin-and-tonics. These are three things I love separately, but in combination it’s just amazing: a bunch of good friends, awesome hors d’oeuvres AND gin. Yes, gin as in the spirit that comes in all of the James Bond’s cocktails. I have been a gin-and-tonic lover since I started dating my now ex (yeah, about 6 years ago – wow, how time flies). And yes, I kept the taste for the spirit. When in doubt, gin is the answer (always, of course, with moderation).
This week, along with a number of friends from a variety of local media outlets, I joined Merlin Griffiths (the Brand Ambassador and Master Mixologist for Bombay Sapphire) and Canada’s Grilling Guru Rob Rainford. I had already had the pleasure of meeting Merlin last year and I loved every single concoction he prepared. This Bombay Sapphire is very useful, actually, because both Merlin and Rob offered the latest tips and tricks.
While I do not entertain as much because my apartment is small, it is always nice when I do some house-sitting to be able to offer my guests a good lunch or dinner experience, associated with the season. They suggested ways in which we could enhance the summer entertaining and make it an unforgettable experience. The actual event itself was for me unforgettable. Minna Van, dearest friend of mine and co-founder of The Network Hub was my Plus One for the evening. I also was also very appreciative of the fact that I was given a complimentary Bombay Sapphire gift set. I love me some sweet swag. Overall, a great event, in my opinion.
And I did learn a lot about how to use gin in drinks AND in food! The only problem I have with these delicious drinks (including the fantastic lavender cocktail) is that they go down SO fast and SO easy. I’ll say it now again, drink with moderation! Thanks to Bombay Sapphire and all the PR team behind the summer BBQ loft event. It was very nice to see some new faces (including Dawn Chubai) and some old good friends (Vanessa, Emme, Raj, Peter, April, Lorraine, Marnie, amongst others!).
I was having a quick online conversation this morning with Steff on Twitter about a very cute photo of us (which you can see if you check my Northern Voice 2010 wrap up post). I was telling Steff that I think there’s something magical about photos of three people. For some reason, I find that these photos (where 3 people are pictured) are a lot of fun. These are some of my own photos of threes (some with me, some just of my friends).
It is, I think, almost common knowledge that a large percentage of the gay male population in Vancouver lives in the Davie Village (within the West End of Vancouver). The Davie Village has also been (reportedly) the geographical location where most gay-bashing attacks in the past few years have occurred. These elements notwithstanding, the Davie Village also hosts Qmunity, the GLBT support centre, and numerous gay-friendly and gay-owned businesses. It’s been a long journey, but some progress has been made in Canada, and in particular in Vancouver, to make society more accepting of homosexual people. As I’ve mentioned to a few Mexican friends who have visited me here, nobody gives a damn if you have a girlfriend, a boyfriend or both or neither.
May 17th marks the International Day Against Homophobia. I have written about it before on my blog, and it’s a topic that is near and dear to my heart. Coincidentally, this year, Mental Health Camp Vancouver’s theme is breaking the silence and speaking about mental illness and mental health. This year, the IDAHO theme is on homophobia in sports. With the exception of Mark Micham (Olympic Water Diving Champion), I don’t think that there are many openly gay athletes, because the stigma continues there. I’m really delighted that in Canada, homophobia is not as rampant as in other countries. From the IDAHO website:
In Canada, recognition, for lesbian and gay communities, has been first and foremost a judicial acceptance brought about by the adoption of the Charter of Human Rights. However, judicial advances will remain only that until a complete, unlimited social acceptance of homosexuality is achieved and homophobia wiped out. To achieve this goal, the Fondation Émergence proposed in 2003, along with partners, to hold each year a special day dedicated to the social recognition of homosexual experience
When I was talking to my Mom on Monday night (Mother’s Day), we were chatting about how progressive Canada was. Given Canadians’ position towards an increasing acceptance of GLBT rights, I’m absolutely thrilled to be living in this wonderful country. Let’s hope other countries follow suit. In celebration of IDAHO, on Monday May 17th, I will be wearing a pink shirt. You don’t have to, but if you feel so inclined, feel free to join.
This past Saturday morning, as I was getting ready to head down to UBC, I began a self-reflection on what I had learned on the first day of Northern Voice 2010, looking forward to the second. It dawned on me that Northern Voice has a special place in my heart, and it’s hard for me to define exactly what it represents to me. I looked back on Flickr at my oldest photos, and I realized that the first photo of a Northern Voice event I ever uploaded was one my good friend Rebecca Bollwitt took of the two of us (now, these self-portrait photos have become a tradition for us).
This is my third Northern Voice conference in a row, and the first one in which I have spoken (at Government 2.0 and Teaching with Social Media). I am trying to find ways to define what Northern Voice 2010 represents to me, and I think the one way in which I can define it is
Northern Voice is the place, the space where once a year, I am able to bridge the “in between” (as my good friend Nancy White would put it), where I bridge the online and the offline space. Where, after the dust settles, after all the introductions are over, I get to see and hang out with good old friends.
Northern Voice, to me, means also talent, brains, sharing knowledge and ideas, collaborating. I was delighted to be part of two panels, and to listen in on other panels and talks by many friends to whom I am quite close.
Northern Voice, to me, is community and friendship. As the community grows, so do our families and it is important for the organizers of Northern Voice to realize that our generation is in the segment of the demographic pyramid where many of the participants at NV are parents.
And at the end of the day, for me, Northern Voice is the conference where we get to share knowledge, friendship and community. Let’s make the most of the future Northern Voice conferences. Let’s thank the organizers and volunteers for all of their hard work. Let’s give a round of applause to everyone who spoke at NV and to everyone who attended.
More importantly, let’s keep our community strong and not let anything divide us. Because, as you know, I think dissent is incredibly important in keeping the conversation going, but I also think it’s important to provide constructive criticism. In order to do that, please take this short survey (if you attended Northern Voice).
As you can imagine, this term (January-May 2010) was stressful for me. On top of my consulting, my research, and my involvement with the social media community, I was teaching two courses at the undergraduate level (at The University of British Columbia), and two courses at the college-level. I’m not very used to having teaching loads up to 2-4 (2 courses in the fall, 4 in the spring).
I have submitted grades and thus officially, the Spring academic term is over for me. I’ll still be doing teaching over the summer, but it won’t be nearly as stressful as this term used to be (or at least, I hope so). The one thing I have to say is, despite how stressful the term was, I absolutely love teaching, and I wouldn’t trade my life as an educator for anything. May 15th is Dia del Maestro (Day of the Teacher/Professor/Educator) in Mexico, so I plan to have a celebration for myself.
Kerkis Greek Taverna
3605 W 4th Ave
Vancouver, BC V6R
As we made our way towards Jericho Arts Centre for an evening of The Wedding Singer (produced by Fighting Chance Productions), Jason and I thought about the fact that we might need some food before the play. Frankly, given my crazy schedule (which has consisted of marking, marking and more marking, peppered with some social events), I wasn’t even all that hungry.
But I’m glad we settled for Kerkis Greek Taverna (we needed to eat close by, within walking distance from the Jericho Arts Centre). I hadn’t been to any of the Kitsilano restaurants in the area of 4th and Alma in a few months, so it was a good refresher. Moreover, I had a chance to try a new restaurant, hang out with a friend (Jason) and also eat Greek food, something that I really need to do more often. Kerkis Greek Taverna’s Dine Out Vancouver menu was a mere $ 18 for three courses. My appetizer was dolmathes, a dish I really enjoy as it’s light and tasty, with a main course of chicken souvlaki with rice and vegetables.
I’ve eaten Greek food all over this city. From Bouzyos on Commercial Drive to Stepho’s on Davie to Alexis (now relocated to Cambie and almost 18th Avenue), I can safely say that I have tried good Greek food (though I’m still curious about the strip of Greek restaurants near Broadway and Cambie)
And I’d have to say that I’d rank Kerkis Greek Taverna high up with some of the best Greek food I’ve tried. The souvlaki was excellent, the dolmathes were to-die-for and while I couldn’t finish my dessert (I chose ekmek, because had I had the baclava, that would have been about 4,240 calories I can’t afford right now). Overall, a very nice meal, and not expensive considering how much food prices have risen in our fair city.
Es una verdadera pena que de los últimos 14 Diez de Mayo, siempre me toca estar en un país extranjero en lugar de en México (Canadá e Inglaterra, las últimas veces), cuando llega esta fecha para celebrarte, Madre. Pero como siempre, sabes que aunque nunca te olvido, nunca dejo de pensar en tí. Nunca pasa un día sin que piense en cómo estás, sin que me preocupe por tu salud, tu bienestar, etc. Aunque en ocasiones es difícil que nos comuniquemos (ya que muchas veces no contestas mis correos, ni tampoco entras a Skype con frecuencia), espero que sepas que siempre estas en mi pensamiento y en mi corazón.
No existe ninguna otra persona en este planeta a quien yo quiera más que a tí, madre. Me diste la vida, me diste todas las oportunidades que me han convertido en la persona que soy ahora, en el hombre triunfador, exitoso y rodeado de gente que me quiere y me respeta. Eres una mujer con una capacidad extraordinaria para amar, para trabajar, para dar de tí misma y para proteger a la gente a la que amas. Estoy orgulloso de ser tu hijo y te agradezco todo lo que has sacrificado por mí. Porque sin tí yo no sería ni la décima parte de lo que soy ahora.
Espero que mis triunfos y los de mis hermanos sean hoy y siempre para tí un recordatorio de lo increíble que eres y que te quiero y te respeto por sobre todas las cosas. Madre, hoy y siempre gracias por darme la vida, por luchar por mí en todo momento y por darme el privilegio y el honor de ser tu hijo. Si volviera a nacer pediría que fueras mi madre de nuevo.
A few weeks back I was reflecting on the fact that I had become really dependent on having an iPhone. Ever since my friend Mike YurechkoiPhonified me, I have been absolutely dependent on my iPhone. For a day-and-a-half, I had to resort to using my old Motorola (which is basically the least tech-ie phone you can find) and I felt SO LOST.
I use my iPhone to answer emails, read my Twitter stream on the go, listen to music, and take photographs. I don’t think I can function without a smart phone anymore. That makes me wonder – how the heck did I survive THIS long without a smart phone?
Although I teach at the university (undergraduate and graduate levels) in the English language, I am never sure if calling my female friends who are mothers, “mommy friends” is the right phrasing. But knowing me and being fully aware that my intention is noble, I hope they’ll forgive me if they don’t like being called “mommy friends”. As I told my friend Gwen Floyd, I’m at the age where many of my female friends are either pregnant or have already had children. I have been lucky to be witness to the changes that have occurred in their lives, especially in the case of friends of mine who are new moms (like my good friends Arieanna Schweber, Karen Hamilton, Michelle Evans).
Motherhood is something I completely adore and respect. I tell my friends that I try my damnedest to be a good Uncle Raul, and I consider the children of my female friends, like nephews and nieces of my own. The fact that I am friends with many moms who blog, or are on on Twitter, Facebook and other social networks, makes it all the more important for me to recognize the wonders of life and childbearing.
Karen (who is expecting), Air (who has two children of her own) and Aiden (son of Arieanna and Ianiv)
I have been lucky that I can count amongst my good friends a large number of mommy bloggers, or more accurately, moms who blog and tweet. When I have needed the help and support of the mommy blogging community, many of my good mommy-blogging friends (including but not limited to Terra, Kerry, Shannon and Susan, amongst others) have rallied to help in any way they can.
To all the Moms who I am lucky to count amongst my friends, whether you are a mommy blogger, or are not in the online community at all, my very best wishes for all of you to have a fantastic Mother’s Day. And since Mother’s Day is not celebrated in Mexico until tomorrow, I will be publishing my celebratory post then, for my own Mom (who is the most amazing woman on the planet).
This is a republished version of my original review on Lip Gloss and Laptops. You can read the original post by clicking here.
I have to admit I’ve been always wary of anything “summer”, particularly when it comes to colognes. For me summer was usually the period of my life when I would work like crazy (in my chosen field during undergraduate, chemical engineering). Of course, I would work outside of school in my extra-curricular activities but I didn’t think I had enough time to go out and enjoy the summer, let alone try out a new cologne. This summer, I’m trying two. Actually, this spring as a matter of fact. I have recently tested CK One Summer and Eternity Summer for Men, thanks to my good friend Airdrie, whom as you know is the host of Lip Gloss and Laptops. I have done a few cologne reviews here, including my most recent one – Kenzo Power
I am, without a doubt, a CK boy. If you ask my Mom which fragrance did she remember me by, before I settled on Herrera for Men, she would definitely name one of the CK fragrances. I clearly remember I was finishing my 5th semester of chemical engineering when I decided I’d start using Eternity for Men. I’ve gone through all the CK fragrances – CK, Eternity, Euphoria, Obsession, Truth. All. Of. Them.
Before heading out to UBC this past Monday, I tried CK One Summer on my skin. The fragrance itself is definitely summery, light, fresh and entirely free-flowing. As soon as I tried it on, I could feel the top notes (watermelon, lime, pear). The middle notes include verbena and water lily, but it was harder for me to smell them. The base note has patchouli, akin musk and vetiver as well as cedarwood (both of which gives it the ‘masculine’ touch – wooden notes).
I definitely think that CK One Summer is going to be one of my two fragrances of choice this Summer of 2010. They both had a good ability to attach to my skin. It’s a cologne you can wear in the outdoors, to a social function or even to your office. I would feel confident to wear this cologne to UBC, as I am sure my students will enjoy the smell of this cologne these last few days of the term.
My liveblog of Alexandra Samuel, PhD on “Coping with Social Media” will not include Twitter to avoid problems with Cover It Live.
Saturday May 8, 2010 12:56
1:04
Alex had the experience of being frustrated with having to cope with social media. Suddenly, every day she turned on Facebook, Twitter, confronted with so much information, and the sense that she can’t keep up, she had an experience of being overwhelmed.
Strategies not so much for coping WITH social media, but a way of turning social media into a coping mechanism, a way to cope with the web and the information overload, and making life easier.
Saturday May 8, 2010 1:04
1:05
First confession – Alex is a fairly anxious person. She had to confess that she spent a lot of time worrying about what she doesn’t do OFFLINE. Twitter makes you aware of the things you’re not doing offline.
Saturday May 8, 2010 1:05
1:05
Before Twitter, people went to parties that Alex didn’t get invited to, and she wasn’t aware of that!
Saturday May 8, 2010 1:05
1:06
Columns are your best friend. You organize your friends. According to how they relate to you.
Saturday May 8, 2010 1:06
1:07
She has created a list of people who are interesting and NOT in the field of social media.
Saturday May 8, 2010 1:07
1:09
These strategies are helping Alex ground herself because it ties into the relationships she cares about. On a similar vein, Alex has structured how to work with Facebook.
Saturday May 8, 2010 1:09
1:10
Alex has a list on Facebook for WTF – I have no clue who this person is but I probably need to know who they are. I also triage my news feed. So she hides the people who she doesn’t need to pay so much attention on a day to day basis. What she is moving towards use it to have conversations with people she loves.
Saturday May 8, 2010 1:10
1:12
For Alex, part of the reason why she got into social media and social networking sites, she loves to write. She stopped going to look at her Google Reader.
Saturday May 8, 2010 1:12
1:14
Alex had stopped consuming news. So now she uses iGoogle, a personalized thing. Not everything that she finds mildly interesting, but in a very targeted way. So Alex has a middle column on iGoogle of news, and a left hand side with her mentions online and her right hand side, social media.
Saturday May 8, 2010 1:14
1:14
When you start engaging with online content rather than everything you remotely want to know, you have now more interesting conversations, now Alex pretty much knows the major items, because that’s what she sees, so not losing the forest for the trees. Taking the problem of information overload and tri-aging.
Saturday May 8, 2010 1:14
1:15
Alex says that she has the world’s handwriting.
She has made the switch to just putting all her notes on her computer, the tool she uses is EverNote. Everything is on the web. You take the notes wherever you are.
Saturday May 8, 2010 1:15
1:17
Alexandra is unable to resist forms.
Saturday May 8, 2010 1:17
1:17
She signs up for so many freaking betas.
Saturday May 8, 2010 1:17
1:18
Alex is now talking about GMail and consolidating her emails, using Filters and Folders. Her strategy is to create a bunch of different labels, and to use those labels.
Saturday May 8, 2010 1:18
1:19
She has an “external CC” inbox.
Saturday May 8, 2010 1:19
1:21
Alex uses IMAP to map and mirror her email structure on her external mail application, etc.
Saturday May 8, 2010 1:21
1:23
Alex can deal with her Inbox within 24 hours because she needs to get to the bottom of that pile on a regular basis, it’s been very transformative.
Saturday May 8, 2010 1:23
1:24
Alex has become so much more decisive. It has spilled over to other parts of her life, and frankly she’s become much more decisive in allowing herself to say NO to things. More disciplined.
Saturday May 8, 2010 1:24
1:27
The truth is pretty much everyone Alex knows, the web exacerbates our insanity? We’re totally hooped. Alex is challenging us to take the “gut level” test – if having an email in your INBOX means that you feel a knot in the gut, then it’s time to take control over again. You can use these tools, if you decide to put your experience first and whatever everyone else does
RT @harrietglynn: In @dbarefoot’s Doing Good seminar. Apparently, Lu, did not “do good” last night. #nv10
Saturday May 8, 2010 11:10 smuttysteff
11:10
getoutofcanada:
blog comments are like crack. crack the drug. @darrenbarefoot #nv10
Saturday May 8, 2010 11:10 getoutofcanada
11:12
Raul:
You can look at the whole Twitter feed – who cares?
Saturday May 8, 2010 11:12 Raul
11:13
ToriKlassen:
RT @BryanAlexander: #BlogsAreDead: they haunt some fields, like politics, standing for feared argument. And also closed blogs’ persistence is ghostly. #nv10
Saturday May 8, 2010 11:13 ToriKlassen
11:13
tonidelrio:
Learning about KIVA http://bit.ly/cnKglS a way to connect the developing world with the developed world. #nv10
I use SM to tap new people fir stories who are not friends of The Newsroom. – Lisa Johnson #nv10
Saturday May 8, 2010 11:13 tbains
11:13
tuchodi:
Twitter timelines and CBC’s news. INteresting connection #nv10
Saturday May 8, 2010 11:13 tuchodi
11:13
Raul:
The journalists are on the hunt.
Saturday May 8, 2010 11:13 Raul
11:14
Raul:
They use Facebook – maybe the family is fine with Facebook memorials – they ask. But Lisa Johnson – it can be YOU who we are trying to get information about.
Saturday May 8, 2010 11:14 Raul
11:16
Raul:
No herding cats, more like recombinant DNA (Kirk Lapointe).
Beware digital nihilism – beware of those people who say that print is dead, that there is no future for print journalism.
Saturday May 8, 2010 11:16 Raul
11:16
Raul:
We will die before the newspaper does.
Saturday May 8, 2010 11:16 Raul
11:16
HHG:
How about other artistic mediums? Perhaps medium “dies” but actually feeds all that comes. Evolution of blogs…@fncll #nv10 #blogsaredead
Saturday May 8, 2010 11:16 HHG
11:17
Raul:
The newspaper is not dead.
Saturday May 8, 2010 11:17 Raul
11:18
Raul:
There is no audience problem, there’s no news problem, there IS a business problem.
Saturday May 8, 2010 11:18 Raul
11:18
Raul:
At the moment, Kirk spends more than 50% of his time on digital, <5% revenue.
Saturday May 8, 2010 11:18 Raul
11:19
Raul:
Even in the 21st century, you get what you pay for.
Saturday May 8, 2010 11:19 Raul
11:21
Raul:
Topic, not article, is the centre piece.
Saturday May 8, 2010 11:21 Raul
11:21
Raul:
Our starting point needs to be the topic. When we considering that there is something worth considering, how will we assemble all these assets and produce them? We don’t think about stopping.
Saturday May 8, 2010 11:21 Raul
11:22
robscoms:
Journalists need to stop thinking about stories, its about topics. The paper is the final edition of the website. @kirklapointe#nv10
Saturday May 8, 2010 11:22 robscoms
11:22
YuleHeibel:
“Topic, not article, is centerpiece” = @kirklapointe in Journalism session #nv10
Know more each day about your audience. Now we need to analyze our audience, we need to understand who they are, what it is that they are consuming and what they are not consuming and find time to do some of the more important news. We need to understand our audience. I would argue that almost noone we are not gathering our audience. WE are building content intuitively.
Saturday May 8, 2010 11:23 Raul
11:24
Raul:
Know SEO > CP style. Knowing SEO might be more important than understanding the style. After all, how are you going to find your audience? Maybe a little while ago, that would attract your audience. Today
Saturday May 8, 2010 11:24 Raul
11:25
Raul:
Engagement is not a frill.
When you get comments – you need to engage them. You can’t engage in every conversation, but you want to keep the thread on, and when you have an opportunity to do so, you need to really believe that the community will be there.
Community: the flesh is willing, the spirit is not weak.
Saturday May 8, 2010 11:25 Raul
11:26
Raul:
The next decade is messy, but I can be fired more easily than you. I encourage the journalists that are around me, to experiment. The ones that stay put, I can’t do much, except keep encouraging them.
Here is a rough, unedited crib of my speaking notes this morning at Northern Voice 2010
Richard Simeon defined public policy in 1976 as the study of the set of governmental actions, decision-making processes and analysis of public decisions. Governments execute public policies primarily to serve their citizens. The most important job in the field of public policy, as indicated by Harold Lasswell, is to answer the questions who gets what, when and how? Three dimensions are key: the scope of government policy, the means and the distributive dimension. In my talk, I will be talking about social media in politics and public policy in terms of what they contribute to the distribution and provision (who gets what) of public services. More importantly, my talk speaks to the notion of citizen participation in public policy and how social media can aid in this participation.
At the core intersection of social media, politics and policy we find the same elements as with every analysis of online networks: information, behavior and relationships. If you are interested in exploring how citizens’ behavior can be affected (and enhanced) by social media, you need to look at information and the growth of interrelationships between citizens and government officials. So, all three dimensions are always present in this kind of analysis.
I am, by training, a public policy scholar. I teach and do research in the field of public policy at the domestic and comparative levels. The last decade of my life has been spent trying to understand why governments chose specific (more regulatory) instruments to govern as opposed to leaving it to citizens to govern themselves (self-regulation). I have been interested in cooperative behavior for over a decade, so it is only natural that the use of social media by politicians and public servants intrigues me. My talk with have two sides: the positive (or how the world works) and the normative (how the world SHOULD work)
The existing academic literature that intersects public policy, politics and social media seems to be sorely lacking an in-depth understanding of how policy-making really works, and how it can be improved using social networking sites (SNS). Since my fellow panelists have touched on specific case studies at the federal, provincial and local level, I will explore one of several elements that shows promise: social media to encourage citizen participation in the public policy making process.
Social media shows promise in helping governments deliver public services. Translink, the regional authority in the Lower Mainland responsible for transportation, provides timely advisories through several of their Twitter account (@SkytrainLady). The recent examples of the BC Government engaging citizens through a blog for the Modernization of the Water Act are also ways in which social media is being used for service delivery and citizen engagement.
However, given recent concerns on the erosion of privacy, it is only natural that politicians and bureaucrats may feel fear about joining social networks and/or participate in online conversations. The recent case of Raymond Lam’s resignation, the outrage over an Alberta politician’s tweets. The responses that Prime Minister Stephen Harper receives on Twitter. I could easily understand the rationale underlying a negative reaction towards participation of politicians and public servants in social networking sites. That’s from the positive view of policy making.
But from the normative perspective, I would like to encourage politicians and public servants to participate in social networking sites, to explore ways in which social media can be integrated (please note I said INTEGRATED, not ADDED ON TOP) in the policy development process.
In my work, I have studied a myriad ways in which environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs) participate in policy-making processes. I have proposed a framework to understand how ENGOs influence the dynamics of domestic policy-making (the first and second order pressure transmission mechanisms, Pacheco-Vega 2001, 2005a, 2005b, 2006, Pacheco-Vega, Weibust and Fox 2010). The abbreviated version of this framework is – ENGOs can engage in direct lobbying (first order pressure transmission) or go through indirect lobbying (second order pressure transmission). The interesting phenomenon that the rise in popularity of social networking sites has generated for public policy making is that it has shifted the balance of power and the trajectory of communication.
Because of the nature of information transmission processes in the online realm, data and facts can be openly, transparently and widely distributed. Rather than being pawns in a hierarchical governance architecture, unwitting recipients of information in an asymmetrical game, the use of social networking sites enables citizens a level playing field. Social media effectively transfers power to the citizens, by increasing accessibility to previously unapproachable politicians and bureaucrats.
Whereas before the rise of social media, one had to write and snail-mail politicians a series of letters, we can now send them a quick tweet or drop a fast comment on their blogs or Facebook pages. Social media has shifted the pressure that would otherwise be second order to a quasi-direct, first-order pressure. Explained in simple English – your politicians and public servants are now more accessible than ever.
In closing, I want to reiterate my quick, back-of-the-envelope contribution to this debate, from the perspective of someone who does at the same time what Randall Ripley calls “policy analysis” and “policy theory”. I am simultaneously interested in explaining why some alternatives are implemented and why specific governmental decisions are made (policy theory) and in providing advice to governments what alternatives to choose. And it is in that context and based on the evidence I have seen in my quick-and-dirty overview of the literature and the case studies that I suggest governments at all three scales (municipal, federal and provincial) to continue to explore avenues to increase public participation using social networking platforms. Because, ultimately, government officials are elected to represent and serve the public. And what better way to do this than to involve the public in the decisions that they ultimately will have to live with? Delivering public services in a transparent, open, just and accountable manner will thus become a sign of a good government.
I have 8 nieces and nephews with ages ranging from 19 to 3 years old, and I’m a doting uncle. So, while I have all my nephews and nieces far away, I’m happy that my blog gives me a chance to help youth and children even if they’re not directly related to me. I have always been a big fan of non-profit organizations who work in building skills for children and youth.
Recently, Miriam Shanahan from Trips For Kids Vancouver contacted me and asked me if I would be willing to write about their organization.
She explained to me that “TFK is interested in helping the next generation understand the importance of leading healthy lifestyles, for themselves, the community and the environment at large. TFKs unique programs, facilitate youth in achieving these objectives; Trips for Kids’ Leadership Program offers youth aged 14+ to attend skills development and team-building workshops and engage in one-on-one coaching with adult mentors.
Program graduates are then given the opportunity to put newly developed leadership skills into practice by co-facilitating rides and mentoring younger riders. These Leadership programs happen in the midst of interactive mountain biking excursions; there is both a daylong and overnight adventures, which incorporate and advocate the teaching of off-road cycling skills, trail etiquette, and environmental education/stewardship, in a fun and active atmosphere.”
Miriam is a volunteer for the organization herself, and she indicated that “[A]s young, active volunteers ourselves, we strongly believe in what we advocate in our excursions; promoting healthy lifestyles, leadership skills and an innate responsibility for every person on both an environmental, as well as at the community level. We feel it is our responsibility to motivate and empower the next generation through our programs. We hope that youth who are engaged, active and building friendships, will help knit a stronger community fabric and deepen cultural understanding.”
Miriam also informed me about a fundraiser they’re organizing, DOWNBEAT, to take place on Thursday May 13th at District 319 (location: 319 Main Street), in which all proceeds from the event support the facilitation of their 2010 spring and summer programs. There are some amazing professional photographers and filmmakers who will be helping with their interactive social event. Miriam told me that one of them Jordan Manley, has shot for everyone from Snowboard Canada to Oakley, Arcteryx, and Whistler Blackcomb.
I don’t think I can make the fundraiser, but hopefully you will be able to, and check out Trips for Kids, maybe you can make a donation for a bike or in kind support. This sounds like a really cool initiative.
I became totally infatuated with this song, since I went and saw “The Wedding Singer” by Fighting Chance Productions. Admittedly, this is such a beautiful song! And I do look forward to my own wedding day. Yeah, at some point I have thought I might want to get married, particularly since I was witness to several weddings this year, including the one I live-blogged, the one of my friends Tanya and Barry Desrosiers.
I was amongst the lucky ones who was able to attend a special screening of Iron Man 2 last night. Anybody who knows me knows that I’m a superhero and comic geek. I would be the very first in line to watch Superman, Batman, any movie that has superheroes, really (even the really stupid ones like ‘Not Another Superhero Movie’). I am a devoted fan of X-Men, and Spiderman has owned my heart for years.
When I first wrote about Iron Man 2, wanting to go see it (the first movie was a surprisingly good one), I was a bit worried that the sequel to the first movie would be bad. You know how these things happen. Batman was great, Batman 2 began the debacle. For the most part, the Mexican saying “segundas partes nunca fueron buenas” (sequels have never been good) applies. Not in Iron Man 2, though. The sequel is as good as the first movie.
In Iron Man 2, we find a Tony Stark who has revealed to the world that he is Iron Man. He protects the people, and to the government of the United States, obviously, this is a threat because the weaponized suit gives Stark a monopoly over who gets to be the hero. The movie pits Iron Man/Tony Stark against a slew of villains, the government of the US one of them, a renegade Soviet specialist in weapons (Ivan Vanko/Whiplash) and a competitor in the business of providing technology to the government (Justin Hammer). As Stark mentions in one line of the movie, “he successfully privatized world peace”. In this movie, Robert Downey Jr. becomes again one of my favorite actors. He humanizes Stark to a fault. Iron Man isn’t your typical superhero who has mutant powers or has been bitten by a radioactive spider. He’s a human who develops the technology and the skills to become a superhero. But inside the semi-indestructible Iron Man suit, there’s a human being who is capable of feeling sadness, loss, anger, love and happiness.
Tony Stark is a billionaire who is bent on protecting the world at his own expense and putting himself and the people who love him the most at risk (primarily his secretary, Pepper Potts, a Gwyneth Paltrow who also redeems herself by being strong yet feminine – I never really adored Paltrow since she won that Oscar I still don’t think she deserves for Shakespeare in Love, but in this movie, I really really like her – ). Jon Favreau, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Sam Rockwell as the villain Justin Hammer, Don Cheadle in a great performance as Iron Man’s sidekick War Machine, and the always lovely Mickey Rourke as Whiplash round the cast.
I am giving Scarlett Johansson (Natasha Romanov, Black Widow) a special mention and a word of praise because, against all odds, against my own better judgement, and against my own predictions, she BECOMES Black Widow. Displaying an amazing versatility as a superheroine of her own, Black Widow helps Iron Man and War Machine in their battle against Whiplash and Hammer. Rockwell gives his usual “I’m bad but suave” performance, a bit of a disappointment since I saw a very similar character in Charlie’s Angels.
But the movie is, overall, amazing. There are, obviously, some corny, too-Hollywood-for-my-liking moments. But, without giving the rest of the plot away (which probably is online by now on Wikipedia, quite frankly), I would encourage my readers to go see Iron Man 2. It’s a great spring/summer movie and can’t wait for a sequel that has Black Widow as the main character.
Side note: stay until the end of the movie, after the credits. They give away an important element that you may want to see!
Since everyone is doing it, I’m going to jump in the bandwagon for celebrations of Cinco de Mayo, and recommend that you give two of my posts with suggestions on Mexican restaurants here and here a read. Also, I’m curious to know where would you get some of the best Margaritas in town? Leave your suggestions in the comments section!
I met Jeremy Latham through the online world, particularly as he was one of the first people who read my blog and he was already good friends with many of those who would (in time) become some of my very good friends (including Rebecca and John Bollwitt, Jordan Behan, etc.) We met a few months later at one of the WordCamps and we’ve been very good friends ever since. While he lives in Campbell River and thus I don’t get a chance to hang out with him often, I do cherish our friendship.
Credit: AW Samuel
Jeremy shares his birthday with another of my very good friends, Dr. Alexandra Samuel (yes, I know you don’t like the PhD thingie attached to your name, but heck, it was a lot of work for me to get my PhD and I imagine it was too for you!). A fantastic thinker, efficient multitasker (I don’t know how she manages to be Mom, wife to Rob Cottingham AND all the consulting, research and writing stuff that she accomplishes). Must learn these tricks. Alex’s thinking and provocative ideas have helped me shape how I present a combined view of Raul as the rigorous academic and as the social media personality, for which I’m grateful.
Two other of my friends share the same birthday, coincidentally, Cinco de Mayo (the celebration abroad of Mexican heritage and of the win of Mexican troops over France in the late 1800s in the Battle of Puebla). Since everyone is doing something Mexican-themed today, I’ll raise a Margarita to all of my friends whose birthdays are today, including Jeremy and Alex. Feliz cumpleaños!
Despite the fact that I keep little to no contact with the Mexican community in Vancouver, I feel as Mexican as a chile relleno. Thus, it always gives me a little bit of a weird feeling when people say “Happy Cinco de Mayo“, particularly in Anglosaxon North America (it never happened to me in Europe, and it certainly never happened in France!) Most of the time, I think, my knee-jerk reaction comes from the fact that I think that some anglosaxon North Americans think that Cinco de Mayo is (incorrectly) Mexico’s Independence Day. Which is not the truth, as I have written before, September 15th is Mexico’s Independence Day (when it finally broke free from the shackles of Spaniard ruling). When I started seeing a couple of tweets (by Mark Busse and Chuck Leduc Diaz) when they mentioned the Battle of Puebla (which pitted Mexican vs French armies, and against-all-odds, Mexico won), I came to realize that perhaps Cinco de Mayo IS more relevant in Mexican history than I’ve given it credit for in the past. It is true, in Mexico, other dates are celebrated much more (like November 20th, the day of our Mexican flag, or even May 1st, which is a statutory holiday, in celebration of International Work(er) Day). When I was growing up, we sometimes would get May 5th as a holiday, but it is not statutory.
I think that for ex-patriates from Mexico, and for Mexican-Canadians and Mexican-Americans, Cinco de Mayo is probably primarily a celebration of their Mexican heritage. For me, Cinco de Mayo has little relevance, but come to think about it, it’s kind of nice to see the community I am surrounded by to celebrate a piece of Mexican history. That’s one of the great things about living in a multicultural city like Vancouver.
I can’t make it to Net Tuesday today (Tuesday May 4th, 2010) but I am very good friends not only with the organizers (Elijah Van der Giessen and Ben Johnson) but also with many of the participants of Net Tuesday. For those of you who don’t know what Net Tuesday is, my quick one-liner summary is “the social media/tech meetup for those interested in tech in non-profit”.
Once the event is over, I’ll close the ScribbleLive tweetage and convert it into HTML so it’s more easily readable.
It’s not often that my professional passion (PR and communications) and my personal life collide. But happily, they have, and I’m grateful to Raul for giving me the opportunity to let you know what I’m doing and why it’s important to me.
I was fortunate to land a small PR gig to help generate buzz around a rather unique fundraising event on May 15th. ORBIS Canada, part of ORBIS International, is launching a national Pull for Sight campaign in Vancouver to raise money to fund the development of Kids Sight Centres in developing countries around the world. That’s just one of the manyinitiatives that ORBIS has undertaken over the past 28 years.
Picture this, people. Brave teams of 20 people are going to literally PULL a 73 ton FedEx cargo plane 12 feet. The team that pulls the plane in the fastest time will be declared the winner. Is that neat or what? It’s a great cause to rally around your friends, family, co-workers, customers – anyone who is enthusiastic and (obviously) healthy – to support ORBIS’ efforts. But these teams need to donate at least $1000 to the campaign – that’s $50 per team member. That’s not something every potential team has at their disposal, and we don’t want to lose anyone who wants to pull for the cause. We need local businesses and corporations to help, which is why I’m reaching out here.
Why do I care? Why has this become more than a contract and more personal? That’s pretty straightforward. I’ve been legally blind since birth. I’ve been lucky to grow up in Canada and have access to wonderful ophthalmologists all my life. I know first-hand how precious sight is.
Why should you care? According to the World Health Organization, almost half a million kids go blind every year. That’s just about one child every minute. And much of that can be prevented. ORBIS’ focus with this plane pull is on restoring sight and preventing blindness in children in countries that are too poor to do either. And every year, 40 Canadian ophthalmologists, nurses and other medical personnel volunteer for these sight-saving missions. They deserve our respect, and support.
So, sign up as a team or team sponsor now, come out on May 15th (it’s free, but donations are welcome) and cheer everyone on. It will definitely be quite a sight.
Here are the details.
When: The ORBIS Pull for Sight will be held Saturday, May 15th, 2010, 10 am-1 pm (rain or shine)
Where: FedEx Apron at Vancouver International Airport, 3151 Aylmer Road, in Richmond, BC. There is ample free parking on the FedEx Apron grounds, and complimentary shuttle bus service, provided by Vancouver International Airport, will be available to and from the Templeton Skytrain Station.
Register your team or sponsor a team prior to the event by visiting www.orbiscanada.ca/planepull or call 1-877-672-4722.
This post was contributed by Cathy Browne (Cathy is a friend of mine and was the Public Relations and Media Concierge for Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2009 and will be again for 2010)
For those of you not keeping score at home, even though my degree is in Environmental Studies, and I teach in the department of Political Science, my doctoral dissertation actually built an interdisciplinary analytical framework that borrows from several disciplines, in the natural science and engineering, social sciences and humanities and even a bit from the business administration. A major theme in my thesis is economic geography.
For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated with aspects of cooperation amongst individuals and firms (firms understood as individual units within industries). As a result, the notion of agglomeration of businesses in or around a specific geographical area (co-location) has been top of my academic mind for the past decade or so. I wrote my Masters’ thesis on a game-theoretical model to analyze strategic alliances between large pharmaceutical firms and small biotechnology firms. And my PhD thesis is filled with economic (industrial and urban) geography references.
When I walk around Vancouver, and specifically, the West End, I am always amazed by the little corner stores I see. I wrote, for example, about the little store on Carolina and 12th a few weeks back. This past week, I walked around the lower part of the West End (a few blocks east of Denman Street) and a few blocks south of Robson Street. I was, as usual, completely enchanted with the fact that within a residential neighbourhood, we have so many cute little businesses, including a grocery/market and a hairdressing salon.
One of my primary research questions for the past few years has been what drives the transformation of industrial landscapes within urban centres, and what drives the shift in land use from industrial to urban. My inquiry into the geography of industrial decline (a topic that was in vogue in the mid-1970s in Great Britain, with the work of Keeble, and more recently in Canada with Dr. Ian MacLachlan at University of Lethbridge in the mid-1990s, and in the mid-2000s with my own doctoral research) has left many people puzzled. Why would I choose to understand industrial plant closures?
The conversations I have had with those who scratch their heads when I tell them I enjoy understanding processes of industrial restructuring have helped me clarify why I undertook that study for my doctoral dissertation: because there is no better way to create successful strategies to succeed (in an entrepreneurial sense) than to understand what made businesses shut down. And gaining that understanding through an economic geographical theoretical and empirical lens gives us a better understanding of what benefits can industrial agglomeration yield us. Spatial proximity of other businesses can be of value.
In walking around the lower West End, I’ve been witness to the success of small businesses that are geographically located in a fully-residential area. These businesses haven’t shutdown and continue to survive and even thrive. What makes these little shops so successful? Is it perhaps the new urbanism paradigm that seeks to increase density and livability?
Whatever it is, I know for a fact that it’s a topic that my friend Lisa and I will be exploring in a research paper that we will probably write over the summer.
Who in their right mind doesn’t love musicals? I, for one, definitely adore musicals. Particularly because I used to participate in musical theatre shows when I was back in Mexico. And besides, let’s face it, I’ve always had a soft spot for the Vancouver theatre scene. The kind folks at Pacific Theatre know my weakness for musicals, and how excited I get when I am lucky enough to give away tickets for shows. 
