Words with Friends
You like words don’t you? And you like beer, right? And other people?
Then is there an event for you, tonight!
Words with Friends (known as #yegwords on Twitter) is happening Thursday night at Bohemia (which is a cool little arts bar in the Oliver area). Put on by Wufniks magazine’s Jason Lee Norman and poet Kasia Gawluk it will be an evening of words, drinks, new and old friends, and more words (these may come in the way of poetry and short stories).
Head on out if you’re looking for some words. Or wordy-friends. Or beer.
You know, it feels like Edmonton’s starting to embrace its writing scene.
This event says that to me. The monthly Story Slam gaining more attention says that (the latest one happening last night at the Haven Social Club. And our pals at the Unknown Studio have been recording Story Slam for their podcast. The Edmonton Public Library’s newest Writer in Residence, Marty Chan, has an ongoing presence online and around the city, which will raise the profile of writing in general.
If we’re not careful we’re going to start churning out more award-winning writers in Edmonton.
Slammin’
To the right, stories that will make you laugh, cry, think. To the left, pizza.
I don’t think we’ve talked about Edmonton Story Slam before. So let’s talk about Edmonton Story Slam.
It’s a monthly event put on by the Edmonton Story Slam Society. They claim it as the world’s third regular story slam competition. (You may be familiar with the idea from The Moth, storytelling out of New York City.)
Basically, 10 speakers get five minutes to tell the audience at Haven Social Club a story. It can be a real story or something totally made-up. It’s all in the storytelling.
Some of the slam winners in the last year include folks you’ll see pop up at LitFest, in local magazines, Omar “A.O.K.” Mouallem, and some people you may never have heard of. You just don’t know who’s got a good story in them.
Maybe you’ve got a story to tell. Story Slam might be the place to do that.
*****
Our pals over at The Unknown Studio stopped by a recent slam (the year’s “slam-off” actually) so you can take a listen in episode 17 of this season.
March Movies, or Gregg is a super film-genius
By Gregg Beever
If you’ll check last week’s episode of The Unknown Studio you’ll hear me successfully predict this year’s best pictures winner as The King’s Speech; without seeing the film, even! It takes a hefty set of balls to choose the heavy favourite; I have those balls…and they are hefty.
While talking to Adam and Scott, I also predicted the Oscars to be wildly boring and unfunny. 100% correct there. As the major body which judges the quality of show biz talent, cannot the Academy find writers who can craft a funny joke? About the funniest bit was Kirk Douglas’ turn at presenting an award, but I suspect his best jokes were unscripted, and thus unintentional.
I flipped back and forth between the Oilers game and the Oscars, each becoming a larger and larger source of irritation. With the Oilers down (again) and Anne Hathaway about to sing, I wondered briefly if bludgeoning myself with the empty dinner plate laying on my coffee table might provide adequate relief. (more…)
Uncle Pauly’s Big Finish
That’s all folks! There’s still time to donate to needy Christmas charities, but our extra push is coming to an end.
Thanks to you, generous Edmontonians, some of the fears that those charities would fall very, very short of their holiday goals is being alleviated. We just wanted to remind everyone that your help, whether it’s $10 or a small toy, really does go a long way.
Before we announce the winners, we want to thank the businesses, individuals, and organizations that donated a prize to help us help others make the season a little brighter for those less fortunate.
- We’ve got a $25 Chapters/Indigo/Coles card, a $25 iTunes card, a $25 Empire Theatres card, and a $25 Zellers/HBC card thanks to Paul “Uncle Pauly” Poulsen, InvestInEdmonton, Edmonton’s BEST Landlord and Five by Five Creative.
- 2 mugs, and buttons courtesy of The Unknown Studio.
- Marilyn Kontz crafted two coffee sleeves (I keep referring to them as coffee cozies) and Transcend Coffee is giving one donor a 6-month subscription of coffee.
- The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra was immediately helpful, offering two tickets to the first performance of the new year, Saint-Saens’s Second Piano Concerto.
- One lucky Edmontonian will be receiving the Viking Weekly Review delivered to their home, as well as a toque and scarf, thanks to Lorraine Poulsen, editor.
- We’ve got a treasure chest of goodies, literally a little treasure chest, thanks to the Katz Group.
- Gord Lacey has offered up Season 1 DVDs of The Cleveland Show and Cougar Town.
- And we have a $100 Future Shop gift card thanks to Richard at Global Analyzer System.
I assure you the draw was random and I couldn’t see the names I was choosing, until placed beside the prizes. On top of those warm, fuzzy feelings they got for donating to worthy charities at Christmas the following people will be enjoying something extra thanks to Uncle Pauly.
Greg gets to eat at great Edmonton restaurants with his Original Fare gift card (the edmontonian donated that prize). Jill will have a little extra to spend at Chapters, Empire Theatres, iTunes, and HBC stores. John will be sipping his lattes from Unknown Studio mugs, well regarded in the mug world. Sarah will be sipping new and exotic coffees from Transcend, while keeping her hands burn-free with coffee sleeves by Marilyn. Chris will be attending the first ESO concert of the new year. Joseph gets to stay warm in a new toque and scarf from the Viking Weekly Review, a newspaper he’ll become familiar with in 2011. Karen gets golf balls, chocolate, and other goodies I couldn’t identify in a treasure chest. Joanna will be watching the first seasons of The Cleveland Show and Cougar Town again and again. And Deja will be buying electronics at Future Shop.
We’ll be contacting the winners soon.
Thanks to Paul for coming up with the idea. Thanks to everyone that sent us a photo, to everyone who donated because of our contest, and to everyone who donates time, money, and stuff, to charities and non-profits the whole year through.
Your kindness made our heart grow three sizes, Edmonton.
Keep Giving
When Paul heard about Christmas charities struggling to feed people this December, when he heard kids would go without a toy, he had to do something.
So, Paul said to us, “Hey, let’s give people a chance at prizes for their donations.”
All you have to do for a chance at our Christmas goodies is send us a photo of you donating to a charity this holiday season. We already told you that you could win a $100 Original Fare gift card and Unknown Studio mugs and buttons.
But we really want you to kick up those Christmas donations (remember, nothing crazy, $10 or a $10-ish toy). So, let’s up the ante. (more…)
In case you missed it…
…check out our video on demand of Saturday Night with Samsonow! The latest episode is from September 25, featuring a report on the Dawson Bridge from The Unknown Studio’s Adam Rozenhart, and School Board Trustee Candidate Sarah Hoffman!
P-A-R-T–Y? Because we gotta!
Hey, our fore fathers didn’t fight for our right to party so we could sit at home watching people who think they can dance.
Heck, no.
They’d have wanted you to head down to Whyte Avenue’s Wunderbar for 7pm this evening to enjoy some local entertainment, local cake, and beer from all over.
A blog (and podcast) only get to turn 1 once.
We’d love to you see you tonight, so come say “Hi.”
You don’t even have to bring presents. (Though they are accepted.)
Fast, Football, Festivals, Free, and Fantastic
Longboarders are going to have to be brave to tackle the race through our river valley. Yikes!
As for our headline…when the alliteration shoe fits…
This weekend sees the end of another year of fringing. But, fret not, the 29th Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival lives on in our hearts.
Oh, and in these holdover plays.
Hope this smoke clears out because there are a few outdoor movies this weekend. Finding Nemo (another F!) is playing tonight at the Valley Zoo. (Oops! It was last night. Thanks for the heads up, Mike.)
Movies on the Square is back too, with Diary of a Wimpy Kid tonight, and Fantastic Mr. Fox Saturday night. Stony Plain has an outdoor movie too.
It’s Free Cookie Friday at Luzarra. Get over to Whyte Avenue and buy a coffee so you can get a cookie. That caffeine and sugar will only help you start the weekend better.
The tune-ups are done and the Prairie Football Conference is into the real stuff this weekend. The second-best team in the country, the Edmonton Wildcats, begin their season home to the Regina Thunder. Sunday at Clarke Park (beside Commonwealth Stadium).
The winless Edmonton Huskies also begin the regular season this weekend. They’ll take anything they can get after going 0-8 last season. They host the Calgary Colts Saturday night at Clarke.
This is actually quite a decent level of football if you can’t bear to watch the Eskimos embarrass themselves anymore. Tickets are also reasonably priced.
Another non-Eskimos option is the Edmonton Capitals. Tonight’s game is also chock full of diabetes info, courtesy of the Canadian Diabetes Association. (The Capitals are ALSO showing a movie outside, after their Saturday game. It’s The Rookie.)
DEDfest is back to scare the crap out of you, and generally make you squirm.
DEDfest may get you thinking about Hallowe’en, which may get you thinking about fall, which may get you thinking about farmers harvesting their crops, which leads me to mention the Corn Maze is open.
Let’s dip into the ShareEdmonton calendar for some fun.
Clearer air would also help the participants in the Edmonton Dragon Boat Festival, happening at Louise McKinney Park.
As mentioned earlier this week, Saturday is the Canadian Derby at Northlands. It’ll be all fancy hats, fast horses and…bikini girls…
Hawrelak Park’s got the blues. Dun, dun, dun da, dun…The Edmonton’s Labatt Blues Festival…Dun, dun, dun da, dun…
Don’t forget you can always seek shelter from the smoke in a nice, cool movie theatre. Gregg can tell you what’s likely worth your money.
And on Monday, we’ll be celebrating our first year alongside another one-year-old, The Unknown Studio. Come on out to Wunderbar, throw us a toonie, enjoy some fine beer, and hear life-affirming passages from celebrity autobiographies. Party pants not required.
—–
While messing up the Finding Nemo showtime I also forgot to mention The ARTery’s kick-ass weekend. The Get Down is playing Friday night (there’s still time, it’s still good) and Saturday is an artists’ garage sale/pancake breakfast/bbq/block party. Told you it was kick-ass.
Long weekend = One more day of fun
It’s the Heritage Day long weekend, Edmonton, so get out there and soak in all that summer.
Over the next four days (counting Friday night) there’s a lot to do in Edmonton.
Capital Ex continues at Northlands. A Taste of Edmonton is still at Churchill Square. (Both run until Sunday.)
And, of course, Heritage Day means Hawrelak Park becomes the Heritage Festival. It’s the 35th go-round for Heritage Fest, with more than 60 countries and ethnicities represented. There will be culture and food, all three days of the weekend, in the park. Plan your adventures with the map.
The winless Eskimos play tonight. Meh.
Friday night is a really good music night. Juliette Lewis is playing the Starlite Room, Metric (and Hot Hot Heat) are at Capital Ex, Fred Eaglesmith is in Stony Plain at the Blueberry Bluegrass and Country Music Festival, and there’s that little thing called the Big Valley Jamboree over in Camrose.
On Sunday, The Old Wives are playing at Lyve on Whyte and Audio/Rocketry is at the PawnShop.
And Capital Ex has more music at the Telus Stage Saturday and Sunday. Plus, The Be Arthurs can be found at Centre Stage.
There are dinosaurs!!
ShareEdmonton had an event that really caught my eye. (What can I say, I have a soft spot for chess.) This weekend is the Edmonton Chess Festival. Checkmate.
I also keep forgetting to mention Saturday as a great farmers’ market day. You’ve got the year-round Old Strathcona version, or summer’s City Market Downtown.
It’s the end of the month, so you can check Gregg’s July movie preview and his new look at the August releases, if you’re hitting the movie theatre.
Don’t tire yourself out this weekend, since Folk Fest starts Wednesday night, and the Fringe is on the horizon.
And, because I’m going to mention it all of the time, the edmontonian and Unknown Studio will be celebrating their first birthday(s) Monday, August 23.
Help us with the greatest birthday present ever
We don’t know if you know this, but our pals, Scott and Adam, over at The Unknown Studio, are HUGE Star Trek fans.
HUGE.
Like, they will have important and interesting guests on their show and spend precious podcast seconds, minutes even, talking about Star Trek. They love it that much.
So, they’re celebrating one year of podcasting in our fair city and we here at the edmontonian wanted to buy them something for their birthday. But what could we get them? What could say that we’re good friends and we pay attention when they talk?
Something Star Trek, of course.
But not just anything. No. Something awesome. Something great.
A live phone call from Marina Sirtis, the actress who starred as Counselor Deanna Troi on Star Trek: The Next Generation (Adam’s favourite of the Treks) for seven years.
That’s why we’re asking you to help us out, Edmonton. Chip in a few bucks by clicking that PayPal button below and help us buy a fantastic present for two of the city’s biggest Star Trek fans. We’ll get Ms. Sirtis to call Scott and Adam at a big birthday party, later this summer.
Donate to the Unknown Studio Star Trek phone call fund now, donate often! (We’ll be sure to write your name in the birthday card.)
If we don’t make it to $300 we’ll just get them a Happy Birthday greeting from Mr. Belding.
Edmonton Summer Headlines
Summer!
Mikey Maybe raps faster than my shutter speed.
Oh, man, have we been waiting for this. We had that long winter (though not really the coldest or the snowiest) which included a tease of spring taken away so rudely in late May with snow (snow!). But Mother Nature can’t touch us now.
Sure, she could pour rain on us like she is southern Alberta, and it could get way too hot and dry for too long and that would be uncomfortable, or it could be humid, but this is not a time to complain.
We had a fantastic weekend, weather-wise, festival season is rolling along, and we are now officially entering summer. Enjoy it, Edmonton, we know how short and sweet it is.
No stage can contain the awesomeness of an Old Ugly show.
Oh, and speaking of fantastic weekend, we checked out the Old Ugly show, Saturday night at The Hydeaway. (I feel like I’ve mentioned this before…) You can see photos of Mikey Maybe killing it on the mic in these here Headlines. I’m not usually a hip hop fan but Old Ugly, via The Joe, Mikey Maybe, et al., is really opening my ears.
By the way, wish our buddies, Scott and Adam, a happy first birthday, over at The Unknown Studio. We think they’re swell, and really add something to the Edmonton media, and non-media, landscape. Happy Birthday, Unknown Studio!
from the Edmonton Journal:
Tears, smiles bid Edmonton’s Parkdale school adieu (Enjoy the suburbs, Edmonton Public School Board.)
These young, bright minds are the shape of Edmonton to come
Harbinger of truth sees hope for future (It’s National Aboriginal Day.)
Is province liable for foster mom’s live-in partner?
Lucy lonely in zoo, let her, Edmonton protesters urge (Isn’t Lucy the elephant part of the Valley Zoo’s new arctic exhibit?)
‘Alberta driving the heart of the economy,’ Ignatieff says
When legislature ThunderDome crumbles, election may loom (The dome is being fixed. Do the governing Tories feel their chances getting a facelift too?)
The Syncrude death duck trial is expecting to have a verdict Friday. The Journal has a three-day series looking at what happened up there to kill all the ducks. But are tailings ponds just the cheap and easy way out?
from the Edmonton Sun:
Mother of bus-driver stomper apologizes to victim
Edmonton police chief remains in hospital
A little blunt honesty might be a good thing (Still talking about Canadian TV shows that are awful. And you helped fund.)
from Metro Edmonton:
Adding some life to LRT station (We need retail space at LRT stations.)
from The Canadian Press:
Victoria Stafford’s dad kicks off fundraising bike journey on Father’s Day (Victoria Stafford is the Woodstock, Ontario girl abducted and killed last year. Rodney Stafford rode from Ontario to Jasper – a favourite holiday of Victoria’s – last year. This year he’s starting here.)
from 630CHED/iNews880:
Green festivals take over downtown Edmonton (I took in Bikeology and Park(ed) too, they were fun.)
Homeless for the Night sets a new fundraising record for YESS
from CBC Edmonton:
Northern Alberta wheat farmers optimistic
from CTV Edmonton:
Bikers take noise test before fines kick in
from Global Edmonton:
Deadly explosion rocks north Edmonton (Sunday afternoon was nothing normal for residents of one north Edmonton neighbourhood. And some jumped into action.)
And while we’re enjoying sunny, hot weather in Edmonton the southern portions of Alberta are being drenched in rain and floods are a real threat to people.
What a year
This was the first photo I used in a post. We're all about the nostalgia.
As I mentioned in the Headlines today, we’re 1.
(Notable people we share birthdays with: The Unknown Studio, sort of…Edmonton reporter Simon Ostler…Queen of the Cougars, Courtney Cox…K-9 star Jim Belushi…Neil Patrick Harris, freakin’ NPH…Ice Cube…Waylon Jennings…and Helen Hunt…not bad company at all.)
We had to go back and check when we actually posted for the first time last year, since it’s been a long year. It’s been a lot of blogging, but, as with most things, life also gets in the way. So I mean it when I say the edmontonian has had a long year. Heck, I was really blown away when looking through our old stories. It was lots of “We did that? We talked about that already?”
I like hearing the guys at The Unknown Studio joke in their podcasts that Scott never thought they’d see one year, and Adam gets to gloat. (They’re also turning one!) I feel the same way, sometimes.
the edmontonian is a blog. But it’s just a website. It’s a news aggregator. But it’s also a content creator. It’s an online magazine. It’s about Edmonton. It’s a conversation. It’s just a blog. It’s a place where anyone can share their stories, whether in an actual post or photos or just in the comments.
I think I’ve seen, in the last year, how titles and jurisdictions and mediums matter less. I really don’t think it matters if you’re putting out stories of Edmonton on TV, newspapers, radio, online, in magazines, in photos or videos. People want information, they want discussion, they want to solve problems and celebrate victories. Personally, I feel the Internet can do a combination of that better than traditional mediums (if only for interaction and constant updating) but as long as newsrooms and blogs and people telling stories are after truth I think it’s all good.
Truth being stories about this place we live in, good and bad. Truth being facts not plainly stated or available, sometimes only revealed through digging of crusading reporters. Truth being that we’re all in this, so we better find some common ground and try to solve problems, be for something and not against everything.
And truth being that we’ll talk about stuff like broken doors and mall openings because it’s fun and funny, not because we think it will attract eyeballs.
And I like to think this is all part of a wider connection of blogs, podcasts and passionate Edmontontians that are changing, not just how the city approaches things, but also, the way people get their news.
There you go. Edmonton’s got a world-class online, and tech, community. That’s how you become a great place to live, you do it without trying.
Don't go shopping for glasses with Sally. She'll just take photos of you to make you look like a perv.
It’s been a wild year. I can’t believe we’re still here, and I’m glad we are. I can’t believe people readily write for us and team up with us. I’m blown away when people talk about us, or thank us for talking about their blog or their issues.
It’s humbling. And it’s not something I always got, or recognized, when working in daily news. This little blog has changed my life.
Thanks for sticking with us for one year. We hope to be thanking you again in 365 days.
What the bleep is going on?
I’ll tell you what’s going on!
Right after I tell you what I’ll be up to this weekend.
I’ll be at MediaCamp Edmonton tomorrow. It should be a good time.
Being a “camp” it’s going to be one of those un-conference thingys. That’s where the participants (me and 200 of my friends) pitch OUR ideas. There are no set sessions, no planned speakers. We will dictate what the day is about.
So, if the day is terrible it’s our own fault.
It’s about collaboration, basically. The room will be full of traditional media (newspaper, radio and TV folks, my old peeps), new media (bloggers, podcasters, online journalists, my new peeps) public and media relations (the corporate, organizational, and government “spin-doctors” and storytellers) and developers (people who know what the heck is actually inside our computers and how to use that to create new software, new forms of storytelling, new things).
It’s a free event, so if you fall into any of those categories you can come on down to the Shaw Conference Centre tomorrow.
By working together, for at least one day, we should be able to figure out some new ways to tell stories, new ways to use the Internet, mobile technologies, emerging tech, new software, and each other, to build better communities. My definition of a better community, here, is one that knows more about itself, more about what’s going on and how it all works
I’m also hoping to talk my way into some of that sweet Journal moola The Unknown Studio guys are always flashing around town.
You can follow our shenanigans through the Twitter hashtag #yegmediacamp. You should also be able to search”yegmediacamp” after Saturday, to find blog posts, photos and videos of what we talked about.
The Edmonton Journal will also be streaming the opening panel, live at 10am.
But, enough about me. Let’s talk about what you could get up to this weekend. (Unless you’re also going to MediaCamp. Then, you should come over and say “Hi.”)
Tanner Gordon is playing, and releasing a CD, tonight at NAIT’s Shaw Theatre.
You could always see a movie.
The Edmonton Symphony for kids has “Mozart, Boy Genius.”
The City of Edmonton has a couple of events. The Muttart Conservatory is holding its annual bedding plant sale. That should get you in the spring mood. And the Valley Zoo is celebrating mothers.
By the way, it’s Mother’s Day on Sunday.
The Edmonton Rush continue their first-ever playoff run. They’re in Washington for the National Lacrosse League Western Final. Follow the action at the Rush or NLL website.
Now, this feels a little light. Let’s see if ShareEdmonton can’t help us out.
Ah yes, before the big event next week you can help #YegHelp with a few bucks tonight. CityTV’s Ryan Jespersen (ask him about fantasy hockey) and his wife, Capital FM’s Kari Skelton will be doing the guest bartender thing over at Lux. Drop some money into the tip jar to help Royal Le Page’s Shelter Foundation. I went last year, but tonight I’ll be hanging with newsy and PR friends.
There’s the Women + Health Conference at the Radisson south.
The Twitter crowd will be singing Saturday night. Singing!
Sunday sees an important, and kind of cool, event at the Shaw. It’s Homeless Connect 4. This is when homeless people can get connected (see what I did there?) to services available. Plus, they can get a haircut and really simple stuff we would take for granted.
See ya!
If it’s good enough for Spock, it’s good enough for Guru Digital Arts College
This weekend, nerds from across Alberta, Canada and the world will be descending on our neighbours to the south for the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo. (I know, I know. What is this, the Calgarytonian? But bear with me, there’s a local element to this, I swear.)
One of the nerds making the trek south is Owen Brierley, Executive Director of Edmonton’s Guru Digital Arts College (GDAC).
Owen Brierley
Now, you may be familiar with Guru for a couple of reasons; Owen and many of the instructors are very active on Twitter, Owen and our friend Mack Male teamed up to co-host last month’s Gala Guru/Twestival party, and Guru has recently signed on as a sponsor for both the upcoming MediaCamp, and our buddies (and fellow League of Extraordinary Media members) at the Unknown Studio.
“The thing that we’ve always wanted to see is Guru as a hub for activity of some kind,” Owen explains. “For things that are related to the digital world.”
Anyway, since GDAC is clearly an evil empire looking to further its reach on these here INTERNETS, Owen is taking the Guru show on the road with a booth at this weekend’s Comic Expo in Calgary. It’s a bit of a brassy move, since there aren’t a ton of schools (art or otherwise) on the exhibitor list. This is Guru’s first year at the Expo and Owen says it came about unexpectedly.
“It was through recommendations actually,” he says. “Friends of mine were like ‘You should be here. This is amazing!’”
“Based on that, we looked into it, and we saw that Leonard Nimoy was going to be there and you know… if Spock’s going to be there, then we’ve got to be there.”
Guru Digital Arts College teaches a six month diploma program in Digital Media Production; they’re also about to launch their first ever Interaction Design and Game Level Development Diploma.
“We’ve consciously put effort into making this small-classroom, short, intense program as valuable as we can make it,” says Owen.
“It’s connecting with this alternative audience that isn’t your standard post-secondary learner.”
If you want to follow Owen’s Comic Expo antics this weekend, check out Guru’s twitter feed. And if you’re on foursquare, stop by the school here in Edmonton and check out Owen’s challenge – you might get a free coffee out of the deal.
(Full disclosure alert: Yep, Guru is part sponsor of MediaCamp, an event that Jeff is involved in organizing. Yep, Guru is sponsoring our friends’ podcast. And yep, I am currently a student at Guru Digital Arts College. So I clearly have a pro-Guru bias – but I was not induced to write about the school. Except in the sense that I’m locked in Owen’s basement. And he won’t let me out until this is posted. Send help immediately.)
Oh what a night!
This is the #YegSwap debrief and recap. So, if you were there (thanks for coming) let me know if I forget to mention something, please tell us your own thoughts about the night, and let me know if there are blog posts/photos/video out there I haven’t linked to. Also, tell us if you still love your new stuff or if you’ve already got swapper’s remorse.
Also, before I forget, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you to our volunteers (We love you!), our musicians, The ARTery (which we need to talk about more at a future date), and thanks from me to the other organizers.
I want it all! (Photo: Mack D. Male)
I’m going to say, even though it was said a bunch of times (including when Scott and Adam introduced our final act of the night, The Joe), that the 1st annual #YegSwap was a success.
This was an event put on by The League of Extraordinary Media, which (right now) includes this blog, the podcasts The Unknown Studio and User Created Content, and TrueBritl.com, a blog by iNews880′s Twitter star, Brittney Le Blanc. To quickly sum up what The League is all about: our blogs and podcasts have joined forces to take our Edmonton-related musings into the real world. Mayhaps there will be cross-posting of content too. Hey, we’ve got to compete with the “real” media, you know.
the edmontonian‘s co-founder, Sally, and Brittney thought a swap meet would be a good time. That this idea came about after an afternoon of home shopping channel viewing is somehow relevant.
I was, of course, on board right away. Not only could it be fun, it could be a way to join together some of Edmonton’s online “newsrooms.” And pay homage to a local community cable show so enjoyed by myself in my Toronto days.
We were fortunate enough to land some amazing musical talent for the night. I do not know where a lineup like this will be heard for a mere $2. (more…)
It’s the weekend so let your hair down
Oh, and I don't want to brag or anything, but you should probably put this little baby in your calendar right now. I'll see you there in 2 weeks.
Let your hair down? What?! Who event talks like that?
I’ll try and up my hipster-era lingo throughout the rest of this post.
You can haz events.
Actually there are a few cool things going down this weekend in the Y-E-G.
First things first, let’s dig into the ShareEdmonton goody bag and see what we pull out.
Ooh…an Oilers game. Do people still go to those? For fun?
ShareEdmonton’s got a lot of Edmonton Public Library events, and I keep seeing this one, about gaming for teens. It’s cool that the library isn’t just about books anymore, and kids have a place to go do something fun instead of joining a gang.
You don’t hve much time left to RSVP for the Open City Workshop, but it’s a neat idea bringing developers, city staff and other people together to talk about what kinds of government information should be open and available, and what could be done with it (like build an iPhone app, or write an in-depth news story).
MacEwan University is hosting an open house, Saturday. Just don’t ask them about the pool.
If you want to drive out to Elk Island National Park there’s a Star Party. Take in the night sky without all of the city’s light pollution.
Then, you’ve got Pre/Post, The Consonance and The Madhatters playing Saturday night at the Pawnshop.
A band you might have heard of is playing the Shaw Conference Centre Sunday.
Or perhaps you want to check out the Newfoundland Screech Comedy from the Rock Tour, at the Kingsway Ramada? Yeah, I thought you might.
Help a fellow citizen, a public servant
(Reprinted with permission from Adam at The Unknown Studio.)
I’m sure many Edmontonians heard and were disgusted by the vicious, unprovoked attack on a City bus driver this week. According to passenger accounts, someone boarded the bus, got miffed that the driver wouldn’t allow him to ride unless he paid, and even when passengers fronted this guy the change to ride, he started punching the driver, dragging him off the bus and mercilessly beating him.
When I heard this story, I felt sick to my stomach. Of course it was a random act of violence. That’s what made it so terrifying.
Thankfully, as City Councilor Don Iveson pointed out in a recent tweet, the alleged perpetrator was apprehended:
“An ETS bus operator was assaulted very seriously this morning. Police caught the guy. Assholes beware, buses have cameras http://is.gd/5bMXA“
But now an Edmonton-area family has to worry about a father and brother who did nothing but his job. I asked the City of Edmonton on Twitter if there was somewhere people could donate money to help the family out. Hey, it’s the season of giving, and I don’t know about you but if my dad were in a condition like that I would be so grateful to have the community rally behind me and help out.
That’s what it means to be part of a society. Helping others.
The City responded this afternoon:
“Trust fund has been established @ River City Credit Union (any branch) for ppl who wish to donate to driver Tom Bregg’s recovery.”
I know it’s not a whole pile of cash, but I’m going to be donating $50 to this fund, and hopefully Tom Bregg’s family will have one or two less things to worry about this holiday season.
I challenge each and everyone of you readers out there to throw some money toward the Bregg family as well. Pledge your donation in the comments, and get to any River City Credit Union branch and donate to the fund.
And stay safe out there, everyone.
Things that Give me Nightmares, Vol. 3
[Previously on THINGS THAT GIVE ME NIGHTMARES: Giant Disembodied Fashion Monster Legs at Southgate)
On Saturday, Samsonow and I were invited to be a part of the Unknown Studio podcast. It was lots of fun and left me in an excellent mood, which made it all the more distressing to arrive home and see this nightmare wagon parked in front of the house:
AHHHHHHHHHHHH! Clearly, I thought, this can only mean one thing: the juggalos have finally come for me.
But I don't wanna be a juggalo 4 life...?
And so I stayed up all night, waiting to have my door kicked in and to be dragged off to juggalopalooza, or juggalocamp, or whatever they call their AGMs. Just me and my boyz hitting the road (and by hitting the road, I mean abducting me and throwing me in the back of the R van with a bag over my head to weep in terror as Insane Clown Posse plays at top volume).
Anyway, this didn’t transpire. Instead, I watched Superbad twice in a row on Showcase, and then passed out around 6 a.m., eventually waking safe on the couch to chirping birds and an episode of the 700 Club. When I peeked outside, the nightmare van was gone. The juggalos had moved on, and I had lived to see another day.
Except that I came home today and saw this:
The juggalos have assigned parking?!!
…THE JUGGALOS HAVE ASSIGNED PARKING?!
…THE JUGGALOS HAVE ASSIGNED PARKING!!
Oh God, get out of the house! GET OUT OF THE H…
***a loud thump. the line goes quiet. in the background, the faint sound of ICP’s ‘Hall of Illusions’ can be heard.***
END SCENE.
We are now Unknown
Once or twice around here we’ve probably dropped the name of a locally produced podcast called “The Unknown Studio.”
Today’s note is all about Sally and I being guests on the latest episode of the show.
We had a great conversation about media, news, Edmonton, community and a bunch of other stuff I can’t remember. We also had a great time, since the hosts (Adam and Scott) have razor sharp wit and always ask good questions.
Final edit notwithstanding, we also talked about websites such as the edmontonian and podcasts like The Unknown Studio and the place they’re finding in the media realm. We discussed the fact they are welcomed as media or news ventures but the people behind the venture need to recognize the responsibility that comes with that.
Enough of me boring you, head over to The Unknown Studio website to listen to the show. While you’re there, I’d recommend listening to their earlier programs – all worth your time. You can also have The Unknown Studio update directly to your iPod since it’s on iTunes.
Unknown hosts Scott (at the computer) Adam (with the beard) and guest Sally prepare for podcast glory.
What a busy weekend you have
There will be martinis.
Ah, the weekend. Our brief taste of freedom each week. Let’s enjoy it, Edmonton.
How about you get your thoughts provoked over at the Global Visions Film Festival? I believe it’s Canada’s longest-running documentary film festival.
The first Saturday of the month means time for the Handmade Mafia to provide you with awesome goods.
The Yardbird Jazz Festival kicks off tonight. Sweet.
Over at the TransAlta Arts Barns, the Night of Artists takes over for the weekend.
The Barns close out the weekend with a Yogathon for Charity.
Perhaps you’re feeling a bit peckish. Well, you can head over to the Shaw Conference Centre for the Rocky Mountain Wine and Food Festival.
The Likwid Lounge is hosting a veritable smorgasbord of aweseome Saturday, with a fundraiser show for a new independent record label. The lineup includes The Joe, A.O.K., Zebra Pulse and Audio/Rocketry.
As mentioned in the headlines this morning, Farmfair International IS ON.
The Alberta Ballet kicks off its Edmonton season with Romeo and Juliet.
The Edmonton Classical Guitar Society has “Between Two Continents on Eight Guitars,” or G8.
Maybe you’d like to see what Grant MacEwan University has to offer. There’s an app for that.
You can always see what Edmonton’s ChangeCampers are doing to change things around here.
If you’re a fabulous lady 50 or older there’s the “Fabulous at 50 Experience and Martini Party” (as noted in the sign above).
Perhaps you want to get rocked gently, by Andy Kim at the Century Casino?
With Remembrance Day coming up the Cosmopolitan Music Society presents “Lest We Forget: A Musical Tribute” at the Winspear Centre.
Finally, Said the Whale plays Brixx tonight.
And while it’s not exactly a weekend event, in the new week you’ll be able to listen to/download the new podcast from The Unknown Studio, with guests me and Sally. I shower the Unknown Studio boys with love until they blindside us with their 60 Minutes-style questioning.
The Great Unknown
I don’t want to make this seem like the greatest thing since sliced bread, but I think there’s an Edmonton podcast you should check out.
It’s called The Unknown Studio and it’s good.
Hosted by Edmontonians Adam Rozenhart and Scott C. Bourgeois, it’s an informative and entertaining hour. (The boys are also on Facebook.)
The podcast comes out every two weeks and has already amassed an array of topics.
On the Edmonton side, they’ve talked about bugs and insects in the city (this podcast is definitely worth listening to), the Fringe, the Oilers, the growing city and planning issues, and the latest installment hits up the Pure Speculation Science Fiction Festival, happening this weekend.
They’ve also touched upon topics that have little to do with Edmonton, aside from the hosts and guests residing in our fair city. But that still makes it a good percentage local.
Plus, it’s funny. Have I mentioned that? It is.
The Unknown Studio is a great example of how topics that might not seem interesting (say, bugs) can end up being a compelling hour of listening because the hosts ask questions you would ask, the guests are real people and you can actually learn stuff while being entertained. It’s actual infotainment. Without water-skiing squirrels.
And you can be lazy like me and just subscribe to the podcast in iTunes so you get it automatically. Hilarious and informative podcast every two weeks? Yes, please!
(Bias note: We have been invited on the show. But I was listening to the podcast before they asked to go steady.)
Ask more questions
While that headline could be taken in a philosophical manner, it shouldn’t be.
Nope. We’ve just added a handy “click here for e-mails when there’s a new comment,” kind of thing to our posts. Now you can comment, click to be notified of any other comments, and really be part of a conversation.
Plus, it’s really nice to be notified by e-mail of comments on something you’ve commented on because you can be lazy and not have to check back.
But I know you check back here. Like 10 times a day. Right?
RIGHT?!
Ahem. Thanks for being part of the Edmonton conversation.
I believe this image shows what I'm talking about.
—–
Hey, while I’ve got you here, let me be the first to officially invite you to the 1st birthday of the edmontonian and The Unknown Studio. It’s going to be Monday, August 23.
So don’t go balls-out crazy the last weekend of the Fringe. You’ll nee energy to party with us. And eat cake.
Don’t forget to help us pay for the greatest birthday gift of all. And if you come to the party you’ll get to see the gift as it happens.
Jul 26, 2010 | Categories: Letter(s) from the Editor(s) | Tags: birthday, comments, conversation, unknown studio | 1 Comment »