Monday, November 19, 2012
Friday, November 2, 2012
Phil Conway and local community spirit: a former This Week reporter looks back
(This letter to the editor was published in the August 22, 2012 edition of Barry's Bay This Week.)
Dear Editor,
It was with sadness as well as fond remembrance that I recently heard of Phil Conway’s passing. I worked for him as a reporter back in 1993, when he was publisher of this newspaper, and remember his cheerful and forgiving nature as if it were only yesterday.
Beyond representing his hometown as a local municipal councillor, he was also a staunch representative of the Madawaska Valley’s community spirit, a spirit that I view as being defined by a strong sense of hospitality. (When I refer to ‘hospitality’, I mean it in this case as an innate virtue – something that is practised without forethought because it is simply the natural thing to do.)
Thinking about Phil, as well as Barney McCaffrey, who also passed away earlier this year, got me to reflecting on my time in your community, where I was frequently the recipient of the above-noted hospitality. A few quick examples come to mind:
-My impromptu tennis lesson with then-Deputy Reeve, the late Eric Huestis. Concerned that I was wearing loafers on the court, he told me I’d perform better with more appropriate footwear, and insisted I drive all the way back to my trailer near Combermere to retrieve my running shoes, and then come back to resume the lesson. “Don’t worry,” he said, “I’ll still be here.” Sure enough, he was.
-A particular venture to someone’s house to snap a picture – while I have long since forgotten who it was or the reason for the picture, I do remember that they wouldn’t let me leave without first sitting down for beer and pickled eggs in the backyard.
-At another backyard photo shoot, this time a small family reunion and cookout in the middle of the afternoon, the host got wind that it was my last assignment for the day. Someone handed me a plate and, before I knew it, it was late at night and I was still there, locked into a marathon of food and conversation, almost forgetting that this family reunion wasn’t my own.
All of the above occurred just within my first few days on the job, and came to represent typical encounters in my travels. As time went on, I would of course meet, write about and photograph many more of the characters that make up your community. And being a music guy, I also have particularly fond memories of the Tuesday night they let me play the drums (badly) at the Wilno Tavern’s weekly blues jam.
Then there was Phil himself – larger than life, constantly enthusiastic, and always with a beaming smile on his face. Whenever he had a joke to tell, you could see that boyish twinkle of benign mischief that seemed to be his signature. Conversely, whenever he had to impart criticism or corrective advice, he always did so in a way that respected the dignity and humanity of the person on the receiving end. (Being a greenhorn, I was that person on more than one occasion.)
The last time I saw him was in the winter of 1995, when I breezed through town and stopped into the office to say hello. He and his wife, Helen, greeted me with the same level of warmth and good cheer as they did on my first day on the job. Similar to my experience with the folks at that cookout, it felt like I was visiting my aunt and uncle rather than my former employers. It is truly a regret that I allowed myself to drift out of contact with them after that.
I will always be grateful to Phil and Helen for giving me the opportunity to serve (and get to know) their community as a young reporter just fresh out of college. Although I may not have realized it then, I was having the time of my life.
James Deagle
Ottawa, ON
Dear Editor,
It was with sadness as well as fond remembrance that I recently heard of Phil Conway’s passing. I worked for him as a reporter back in 1993, when he was publisher of this newspaper, and remember his cheerful and forgiving nature as if it were only yesterday.
Beyond representing his hometown as a local municipal councillor, he was also a staunch representative of the Madawaska Valley’s community spirit, a spirit that I view as being defined by a strong sense of hospitality. (When I refer to ‘hospitality’, I mean it in this case as an innate virtue – something that is practised without forethought because it is simply the natural thing to do.)
Thinking about Phil, as well as Barney McCaffrey, who also passed away earlier this year, got me to reflecting on my time in your community, where I was frequently the recipient of the above-noted hospitality. A few quick examples come to mind:
-My impromptu tennis lesson with then-Deputy Reeve, the late Eric Huestis. Concerned that I was wearing loafers on the court, he told me I’d perform better with more appropriate footwear, and insisted I drive all the way back to my trailer near Combermere to retrieve my running shoes, and then come back to resume the lesson. “Don’t worry,” he said, “I’ll still be here.” Sure enough, he was.
-A particular venture to someone’s house to snap a picture – while I have long since forgotten who it was or the reason for the picture, I do remember that they wouldn’t let me leave without first sitting down for beer and pickled eggs in the backyard.
-At another backyard photo shoot, this time a small family reunion and cookout in the middle of the afternoon, the host got wind that it was my last assignment for the day. Someone handed me a plate and, before I knew it, it was late at night and I was still there, locked into a marathon of food and conversation, almost forgetting that this family reunion wasn’t my own.
All of the above occurred just within my first few days on the job, and came to represent typical encounters in my travels. As time went on, I would of course meet, write about and photograph many more of the characters that make up your community. And being a music guy, I also have particularly fond memories of the Tuesday night they let me play the drums (badly) at the Wilno Tavern’s weekly blues jam.
Then there was Phil himself – larger than life, constantly enthusiastic, and always with a beaming smile on his face. Whenever he had a joke to tell, you could see that boyish twinkle of benign mischief that seemed to be his signature. Conversely, whenever he had to impart criticism or corrective advice, he always did so in a way that respected the dignity and humanity of the person on the receiving end. (Being a greenhorn, I was that person on more than one occasion.)
The last time I saw him was in the winter of 1995, when I breezed through town and stopped into the office to say hello. He and his wife, Helen, greeted me with the same level of warmth and good cheer as they did on my first day on the job. Similar to my experience with the folks at that cookout, it felt like I was visiting my aunt and uncle rather than my former employers. It is truly a regret that I allowed myself to drift out of contact with them after that.
I will always be grateful to Phil and Helen for giving me the opportunity to serve (and get to know) their community as a young reporter just fresh out of college. Although I may not have realized it then, I was having the time of my life.
James Deagle
Ottawa, ON
Monday, October 1, 2012
Alphabetical Tabloid (Front Page)
For bpNichol
across ALL AMERCIA & AND and Angels ARMAGEDDON arthritis BIG BLESS BUCKS CASH COME COMING COUPONS evil FINAL FREE GIVEAWAYS! GOD Good herald hordes he's INSIDE INSTANTLY JACKO KILLS LIVES Magic making millions MIRACLE MUCH MUCH of over PAIN predict: PROPHECIES psychics Second seers spice still Top triumphs TRUE!
TRUE! triumphs Top still spice seers Second psychics PROPHECIES predict: PAIN over of MUCH MUCH MIRACLE millions making Magic LIVES KILLS JACKO INSTANTLY INSIDE he's hordes herald Good GOD GIVEAWAYS! FREE FINAL evil COUPONS COMING COME CASH BUCKS BLESS BIG arthritis ARMAGEDDON Angels and AND & AMERICA ALL across
across ALL AMERCIA & AND and Angels ARMAGEDDON arthritis BIG BLESS BUCKS CASH COME COMING COUPONS evil FINAL FREE GIVEAWAYS! GOD Good herald hordes he's INSIDE INSTANTLY JACKO KILLS LIVES Magic making millions MIRACLE MUCH MUCH of over PAIN predict: PROPHECIES psychics Second seers spice still Top triumphs TRUE!
TRUE! triumphs Top still spice seers Second psychics PROPHECIES predict: PAIN over of MUCH MUCH MIRACLE millions making Magic LIVES KILLS JACKO INSTANTLY INSIDE he's hordes herald Good GOD GIVEAWAYS! FREE FINAL evil COUPONS COMING COME CASH BUCKS BLESS BIG arthritis ARMAGEDDON Angels and AND & AMERICA ALL across
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Update
This is turning out to be a hectic summer on several fronts for Yours Truly, resulting in a continuing shortage of time for blogging activities. (There has been some writing activity, which I'll get around to discussing here when appropriate. For now it shall remain under wraps.)
I hope to be back to typing in this space on a regular basis once some offline things come together.
I hope to be back to typing in this space on a regular basis once some offline things come together.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Filmgoing in the age of advertising-as-entertainment
It used to be that studios would parlay the success of a movie into products. The Star Wars series, which George Lucas spun into a veritable licensing orgy, would be the quintessential example of this. (It's no accident that the studios and the entertainment media now refer to a film series as a "franchise".)
Then, with the release of films like the Lara Croft: Tomb Raider® and Resident Evil® series, the reversal began, where movies were now "inspired by" products, in this case video games, rather than the other way around.
At least the above-noted products were creative works with something resembling characters and a storyline. With Battleship®, which has been a spectacular and expensive flop so far, we now have acommercial film based on a mere product. (To say that a simple guessing game has an inherent "storyline" or even a sense of drama is bit of a stretch.)
The thinking seems to be that brand recognition itself is enough to get vast numbers of people swamping their local megaplex. If this really is the case, expect to see films with titles like McDonald's®, iPad®, or Professional® 4L Wax Build-Up Remover.
So let's do the math on what is shaping up to be the current filmgoing experience: audiences are paying ever-higher ticket prices to watch movies based on products, with product placements scattered throughout. Not to mention that the cartoons/newsreels/short subjects that used to precede the feature attraction have long been replaced by commercials.
I realize I'm being a Negative Nelly, and should just lighten up. Afterall, summer is almost here, and that means Hormel® Chunk Meats: Chunk White & Dark Chicken will be hitting the big screen. Life is sweet!
Then, with the release of films like the Lara Croft: Tomb Raider® and Resident Evil® series, the reversal began, where movies were now "inspired by" products, in this case video games, rather than the other way around.
At least the above-noted products were creative works with something resembling characters and a storyline. With Battleship®, which has been a spectacular and expensive flop so far, we now have a
The thinking seems to be that brand recognition itself is enough to get vast numbers of people swamping their local megaplex. If this really is the case, expect to see films with titles like McDonald's®, iPad®, or Professional® 4L Wax Build-Up Remover.
So let's do the math on what is shaping up to be the current filmgoing experience: audiences are paying ever-higher ticket prices to watch movies based on products, with product placements scattered throughout. Not to mention that the cartoons/newsreels/short subjects that used to precede the feature attraction have long been replaced by commercials.
I realize I'm being a Negative Nelly, and should just lighten up. Afterall, summer is almost here, and that means Hormel® Chunk Meats: Chunk White & Dark Chicken will be hitting the big screen. Life is sweet!
Saturday, May 19, 2012
The Quebec student rioters: legitimate protesters or bored hooligans?
I don't care how you cut it - a modest tuition hike does not constitute a valid reason for college and university students in Quebec to riot and throw Molotov cocktails, particularly when they already enjoy the lowest tuition rate of any of their counterparts across Canada.
The real shame of the current tumult - as well as that Vancouver faced in 2011 over the outcome of a silly hockey game - is that it makes a total mockery of legitimate protest. There are parts of the world, across various epochs of history, where oppressed populations have stood up and collectively asserted themselves in the face of tyranny.
And in such cases, there is always honesty about the true issue of the participants' dissent. I just can't find it in myself, however, to sympathize with that much rage over wanting to save a few bucks on tuition. Something else is at work here - either some sort of ulterior motive on the part of a core of organizers, or else this is a case of a younger generation being completely and utterly incapable of dealing with their own boredom in a constructive and intelligent fashion.
At least the rioting Vancouverites weren't being dishonest by attaching some highfalutin justification to their cause - the pictures of drunken hooligans proudly smirking for the camera with broken windows and burning cars behind them told us all we needed to know about their amorality. They were being as honest as they were empty-headed.
Their Quebec brethren should at least be upfront about what they are really fighting against. If there is something in Canadian society that is that oppressive, someone please let me know, as I'd gladly stand among their ranks as a matter of civic duty.
Otherwise, if they're merely using tuition hikes as an excuse to blow off excess steam, they'd be better off taking up a contact sport of some kind. Or moving to Vancouver. (Rim shot.)
Protest in one form or another is often the first step of an individual or group towards genuine self-emancipation, and thus is among the noblest of human activities. I'd call these students "protesters", but I think far too much of legitimate protest to do something like that.
The real shame of the current tumult - as well as that Vancouver faced in 2011 over the outcome of a silly hockey game - is that it makes a total mockery of legitimate protest. There are parts of the world, across various epochs of history, where oppressed populations have stood up and collectively asserted themselves in the face of tyranny.
And in such cases, there is always honesty about the true issue of the participants' dissent. I just can't find it in myself, however, to sympathize with that much rage over wanting to save a few bucks on tuition. Something else is at work here - either some sort of ulterior motive on the part of a core of organizers, or else this is a case of a younger generation being completely and utterly incapable of dealing with their own boredom in a constructive and intelligent fashion.
At least the rioting Vancouverites weren't being dishonest by attaching some highfalutin justification to their cause - the pictures of drunken hooligans proudly smirking for the camera with broken windows and burning cars behind them told us all we needed to know about their amorality. They were being as honest as they were empty-headed.
Their Quebec brethren should at least be upfront about what they are really fighting against. If there is something in Canadian society that is that oppressive, someone please let me know, as I'd gladly stand among their ranks as a matter of civic duty.
Otherwise, if they're merely using tuition hikes as an excuse to blow off excess steam, they'd be better off taking up a contact sport of some kind. Or moving to Vancouver. (Rim shot.)
Protest in one form or another is often the first step of an individual or group towards genuine self-emancipation, and thus is among the noblest of human activities. I'd call these students "protesters", but I think far too much of legitimate protest to do something like that.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Yes, this blog is sleeping...
Just a quick note to say that this blog is in "sleep mode" for now due to some things I'm working on offline. When these things come to fruition I'll give this blog a reboot to bring it into line with my efforts out there in meatspace.
Stay tuned.
Stay tuned.
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