O, Zoomer, where art thou?

Since Moses Znaimer waved the flag for the Zoomer Generation I'd like to think of myself as having a lot of zip and zap.

Zoomer Media resonates with my demographic and I wasted no time in contacting Anthony Quinn at the Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP)after reading his success story on the Sheridan College website. A go-getter like myself I liked the way he tracked down Moses Znaimer to get a job. Generous to a fault Anthony referred me to executives at Zoomer Media. Maybe Anthony sensed a kindred spirit as I sought out a niche in the Canadian media landscape.

An internship with the Ontario Public Service marked the last few months of a busy and productive 2010 as I completed the Media for Global Professionals postgrad program at Sheridan College.

Now that I am armed with newly minted credentials (with top marks to boot!) I am still casting my net about hoping to catch a position with Zoomer Media (an initial contract, perhaps?).

O, Zoomer, where art thou?

The Homeless Man and How Hope Springs Eternal

What a lovely story to start the New Year! The Columbus Dispatch featured a story on a homeless man who had a God-given voice made for radio --- Ted Williams --- and the rest as they say is media history. Mr. Williams did the introductory voiceover on the 'Today' show, was the subject of a joke by Jay Leno (about Angelina Jolie wanting to adopt him), and who's calling next? None other than Ms. Winfrey herself for her brand new OWN --- the Oprah Winfrey Network!

As someone who's been through the wringer herself --- I call it my Un-episodes --- UNemployment/UNderemployment --- and now with newly minted postgrad Media for Global Professionals credentials from Sheridan College I can relate to being vulnerable --- NOT waiting for a handout but for someone who'll believe in me. Mr. Williams was oh-so wonderfully lucky! He fell through the cracks due to the circumstances in his personal life but his talent cannot be denied.

So it's 2011 and I'm casting about for that golden opportunity. It might come in the form of a passing videographer who was intrigued by the homeless man's sign or the fortuitous alignment of the planets.

In any event, I believe in what the poet Robert Browning said: "Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp - or what's a heaven for?"

Political campaigns in the 21st century

I never thought I'd live to see the day that we'd be using the terms 'traditional media' vs. 'non traditional media'. That we'd be blogging our opinions about a candidate or sending tweets (wasn't that a sound birds made?)in real time (did we have 'false time'?)about political campaigns, from the White House, 24 Sussex, G20 summits, the Olympics --- well you get the idea.

So much has been said about how Barack Obama took advantage of 21st century technology to win the White House. Then-Senator Obama realised the power of social networking and had no qualms about harnessing its massive reach to make history.

Do we even remember how simple it was to watch the news on television? We turned on either of the three major networks --- ABC, NBC, CBS --- and watched the news. That was all there is to it. Now you hear Larry King say 'follow me on Twitter'or if you missed your favourite newscast, one can always log on to a network's web page and read/listened/watch it all there. Their online editions have sound and video for your newswatching pleasure. So do print organisations --- my favourite online news sites of what used to be the print media have video and audio links.

The world has become a global village. Thank you, Mr. Mcluhan. I still remember the morning I watched the attacks on the World Trade Center --- we refer to that tragedy as '9/11' a brief time capsule of a catastrophic event. I was watching the 'Today' show when the screen suddenly changed to the first Tower with smoke coming out of it and then the second plane plowed into the second Tower. All in real time! 'live' as they say in broadcast parlance. All major networks had wall-to-wall coverage. It affected me so much that I couldn't sleep for a month!

Remember how dailies used to print 'extra' editions when there was breaking news of great importance? And newsboys would hawk these editions like town criers "EXTRA! EXTRA! read all about it!" It's heartening to note that in this day and age of the internet Washington dailies printed extra copies of the news of President Obama's inauguration. People wanted hard copy keepsakes instead of just reading about this historic event online or buying the video later.

So whether a politician is running for local or national office his or her campaign will inevitably have a social media component. They cannot afford not to. Voters can access information literally at their fingertips and even exchange tweets with a candidate or be a Facebook follower.

The upside? It's everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-a-candidate-but-were-no-longer-afraid-to ask.

The downside? The hackers who hack into a politician's account and throw everything haywire or assume an identity to get information.

As for me, I'm glad we're no longer writing on cave walls or sending messages via carrier pigeons.

Three cheers for Social Media!

And so starts the Year of our Ford

With apologies to the Globe and Mail's Marcus Gee from whose article on Mayor Rob Ford's first day as helmsman of the City of Toronto I'm borrowing the title of this blog post.

And so it has begun ... with gag gifts of gravy packets left behind by outgoing mayor, David Miller, and his team the Ford era unfolds before us.

Let's review the five most important factors that led Rob Ford to City Hall:

1. Stop the gravy train, indeed! That was the mantra of Team Ford. No more wasteful spending! Words that resonated with the citizens of Toronto and which they took to battle leaving Ford's rivals in the dust. Belt-tightening is going to be the order of the day.

2. More subways and buses instead of Transit City. Ford considers marathons and charity runs as events that snarl traffic in Toronto.

3. The barbs aimed at Ford questioning his character, his weight helped boost his campaign instead of being detrimental to it. Ford's handlers like to point out that a Stephen Marche column in the Globe and Mail using the word 'fat' 17 times added to the campaign's coffers. And who likes to be called names? Perhaps voters looked at it as bullying and voted for him.

4. The Oxycontin episode was handled well. Read the inside story here.

5. Ford's campaign bypassed traditional media outlets. Text messages were used instead of IPhone apps. Rob Ford was exposed to town hall-style telephone calls talking to respondents a la talk radio. And most telling of all his rivals' campaigns started to stumble. All that noise about a supposed photofinish between Smitherman and Ford never materialized. Ford was swept into City Hall with an overwhelming 47 per cent of the vote.

For a sampling of how voters felt about Rob Ford, read it here.

Rob Ford's handlers never put him in an Armani suit. The electorate wanted someone down-to-earth and not a politician with airs who wouldn't give them the time of day. Ford was probably the only councillor who answered his phone. Who does that?

Note to government leaders: you might want to learn from Toronto's new mayor. He's all for substance over style.

Hey, about swapping mayors?

If politics weren't humourous we'd all be sporting long, morose faces. A recent Craigslist ad offered to swap Toronto mayor-elect Rob Ford for Calgary's new mayor, Naheed Nenshi.

Yes, you read it right, Nenshi is Canada's first Muslim mayor. The anti-Ford Craigslist advertiser obviously has an axe to grind against Toronto's newly minted mayor. The ad focuses on Nenshi's Harvard background and other qualifications that Ford doesn't have.

In any event, Nenshi, who was born in Toronto,and learned about the Craigslist ad expressed no interest in moving back to 'Hogtown'.

Uneasy rests the head that wears the crown, so they say, but Mayor-elect Rob Ford can breathe a sigh of relief that in spite of the embittered Craigslist advertiser, he'll fulfill his mandate as Toronto's duly elected head of the city.

Can we get on with our lives now?

Aung San Suu Kyi's release

I picked up a free copy of the Toronto Star outside the Eaton's Centre and made my way to Union Station. The first thing that caught my eye was the possible release of one of the most famous political prisoners of our time --- Aung San Suu Kyi --- and her much awaited release from house arrest.

Given the time difference between Myanmar and Toronto I hurried to Sheridan College to check the news online. Sure enough the online newssites were abuzz with news of the Nobel Peace Prize winner's release from more than seven years of house arrest.

The BBC called it Myanmar's 'Mandela moment'. Listen to it here.

Aung San Suu Kyi paid a heavy personal price in her fight for democracy in her homeland. She could not visit her British husband when he was dying of cancer fearful that the Burmese military junta would block her return. He died in the UK without seeing her. According to her brother-in-law, Adrian Phillips, he hasn't spoken to her in twenty years so the whole family is delighted at the news of her release.

What's next for Aung San Suu Kyi?

Her lawyer, Nyan Win, told reporters that she will resume active politics and 'make organizing tours throughout the country,'

Like Nelson Mandela before her, Myanmar's pro-democracy leader showed grace after her release and called for 'talks with all groups to achieve national reconciliation'.

French lessons and other expenses

Talk of learning French and billing the taxpayers for it! Retiring councilor Adam Giambrone has been criticized for learning the language of Voltaire and Toronto taxpayers are the poorer for it.

Not to be outdone is Sandra Bussin. She's Ms. Big Spender herself. Consider this: she has spent $43,000 of her $48,000+ annual allowance. Not many of us even make that kind of money in a year!!!

While Rob Ford clocked in at less than $70.00 ---$65.79 to be exact --- which he reimbursed out of his own pocket.

Perhaps Mr. Ford's mantra of 'stopping the gravy train' makes sense after all.