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an innocent N otBYSTANDER The wint er By Les Brost
B
ack in 2007, life was good for Albertans. We went into the winter of 2007-2008 with the hot breezes of Boomtime still on our backs, like frisky young stallions that had yet to feel a saddle. Wasn’t all of Canada talking about the possibility of a new national order? Wasn’t Alberta the country’s New Jerusalem? What a difference two years make. The signs are as clear as elk tracks in new-fallen snow that 2010 will be a year of deep discontent. 2007’s randy young stallion has morphed into a spavined bronc who trusts no one, not even himself. Angry and frustrated, Albertans feel powerless to act on those feelings. Anger festers and deepens over opportunities lost and dreams shattered. The anger spans generations, with the old watching governance collapsing in a health care system they trusted to care for them in their sundown years. Middle-aged Albertans fear that they lack time to recover from the recession’s blows. And young Albertans know that they will be stuck with the bills for yesterday’s giddy growth. It’s not surprising that folks are angry and frustrated. Alberta’s political party system is dysfunctional. Premier Ed Stelmach, who rose to power as a competent compromise candidate, has not lived up to expectations. Current public opinion polls show the extent of the damage. Some unhappy backbenchers have already jumped ship. To staunch the bleeding, the Premier overhauled his Cabinet. Some deadwood was tossed over the side, and some good new folks took their places. Still, it was an exercise much like putting lipstick on a buffalo cow: It caused a ruckus in the corral and it didn’t do much for the buffalo. Meanwhile, not-so-Steady Eddie rides the surly bronc of public opinion with two hands on the saddlehorn and one boot in the stirrups while praying for a miracle. Nor are the Opposition parties reassuring. Alberta’s Liberals chose not to rebrand their party, a decision that has not resonated with many Albertans. The New Democrats are earnest, willing and marching to music that most Albertans refuse to hear. Then there is the Wildrose Alliance, rapidly flowering as it gobbles a big chunk of the political nutrients once reserved for
of our discontent with Marty & Mark
T
wo of our top television
anchors have a few things in common. Both are exceptionally tall...musicians... acreage owners on opposite sides of the city. One is into horses... the other horsepower. Naturally, I’m referring to CTV’s Daryl McIntyre and Global Edmonton’s Gord Steinke. Every evening, these gents bring Newly sworn-in cabinet, January 2010 us the news with their blonde co-anchors. Government of Alberta photo I thought readers would like to know more about them. First, Mr. McIntyre. the keester? Will we support centrist Alberta’s Conservatives. However, the very Daryl spent the early independent candidates who are name of the party reveals its fragility. It’s a part of his childhood community-based, intelligent, hasty shotgun wedding of social in Edmonton before pragmatic and principled? Could we conservatives with strong leanings toward moving to Vegreville use the old tools of “boots on the economic populism to economic rightfor a couple of years, ground” and “community first” with wingers who are social liberals or then to a farm north the new social networking tools to elect libertarians. of Vermilion, where Independent MLAs? Wouldn’t that be a Yet, the failure of our political parties is he graduated from radical departure? not the fountainhead of our deep high school in Could we truly reinvigorate Alberta’s melancholy. Albertans’ widespread sadness 1981. Twenty-three democracy? Can we give our current stems from the knowledge that this time— yre years ago, he political parties the wake-up call they so unlike the ’80s—we created this situation Daryl McInt began as a richly deserve? Do Albertans care enough ourselves. We chose dogma over weekend anchor and reporter at to take back their government from the pragmatism and shallowness over depth. CFRN. In May, he will have anchored the flacks, spin-doctors, and corporate Ralph Klein—he of the infamous 6 o’clock news for 21 years. rainmakers currently stage-managing our “Ralphbucks”—reminds us of our Best part of the job? “I love to write, political charade? culpability whenever he emerges from the to satisfy curiosity, to learn about my Could it happen here? There is still hope. political graveyard, like Banquo’s ghost, to backyard and the world, and to tell people After all, this is the province built on hope. I snipe at Mr. Stelmach. all about it. Writing, reading and believe that many Albertans believe—no, So, are we truly helpless? Yes, the storytelling are a pleasure. I also enjoy the political party system is currently failing us. they know—that Alberta can be a better adrenalin of being live on the air with little Yes, we face some unappealing alternatives. place. This province and its or no safety net. “ people deserve principled, So, are we really vulnerable greenhorns on Worst part of the job? “There is little pragmatic leadership. fortune’s back, one buck away from the or nothing that I personally consider For me—and perhaps for arena dirt? negative. Perhaps some of the external Or are we only choosing to ride this rogue you—it’s time to cowboy up forces that I have no control over can be and start looking for a bronc? Do we have an opportunity to make irritating, but my job is much like anyone different kind of MLA. √ radical moves to reshape our political else’s. There will always be good and bad landscape? days… but I truly love what I do.” Wow! Talk about a scary choice of words. Les Brost is the head of Southern Star How hard is it to stay immune from Communications, a member of the Using the adjective “radical” in the same the bad news you have to report: “You University of Alberta Senate, and breath as “Alberta” hasn’t happened here simply recognize that you can’t stay Edmontonians Transformer, and a keen since the days of Wild Bill Aberhart. immune. Instead, I focus on the observer of the world around us. Are we angry enough- and desperate importance of the story. There are some lbrost@edmontonians.com enough- to boot the current party system in stories that bring a lump to my throat but
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it’s my job to report them. I would much rather be aware of the bad news in the world rather than bury my head in the sand and focus only on the good. There is no real perspective without both.” You’ve been known to jump into singing country music at times. Is it a secret dream to be a musician? “I suppose it is a bit of a dream but I also have sufficient ability to self-analyze... I know it will remain simply a dream. I can play a bit of guitar and carry a tune (if a bucket is handy), but the reality is there are thousands of people who can do exactly the same thing I can. What makes a musician is desire, inspiration and hard work and I appear to be sorely lacking in those areas regarding music. This past year, Daryl won a prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award for his story on CTV trouble-shooter Valerie Ozckowski’s health issues. It was one of the most compelling pieces of journalism I’ve ever seen. How tough was it doing that story? “I actually struggled with deciding whether to do the story or not, simply because of the fact Val is my friend and co-worker. However, I realized that I was the best person to tell the story because I knew Valerie would trust me to do it right. I’m pretty sure that became a taller order for Valerie than she realized, but that’s easy to understand. It’s difficult to hand such a personal story over to someone else to tell.” You carried the Olympic torch. How cool was that? “What I’ll always remember is not me and the torch—it was people and the torch. The crowds who’d gathered to watch were brimming with excitement. Children especially were fascinated with it. I’ll always remember those reactions.” Advice for young up-and-comers in media? “I try not to take myself too seriously but I always take my job seriously. There are a lot of people who want to get into broadcasting or are just beginning their careers who are there for the wrong reasons: being on TV is not a good reason. My advice is to get past the perceived glamour…focus on being good journalists or broadcasters... focus on doing the best job you can for the best reasons, not purely for personal gain. The fact is success will come because you’ve taken the high road.” Hobbies? “My wife Mary and I have played Polo for 15 years. There are only three of us playing in Edmonton and we generally load up the horses over the summer and visit other clubs to play. Ours is “grass roots” polo; down to earth people doing it because it’s just so much fun. We have an acreage we were fortunate to buy just before real estate prices went through the roof so ours is a rural life. That includes shoveling manure, building fences and doing chores. We have a dog named Dolly—she’s not actually named after Carrie (Doll) by the way—plus a couple of cats.” Anything you’d like to add personally? “I’d simply say thanks to all the people who’ve watched over the years and continue to. Time has flown but it’s been fun.” Gord Steinke’s hometown is Saskatoon, and he’s worked at Global Edmonton for 18 years after stints at CBC Regina and KSTP Minneapolis. He and co-host Lynda Steele are the longest running anchor team in Edmonton,
having joined forces in 1995. They have a great on-air/off-air relationship. I asked Gord to share a favourite memory: “One evening, we were in the middle of a live newscast and something struck her as funny about a light-hearted feature. And she completely lost it on-air... out of control laughter... so the director switched cameras to me suddenly and I had to finish her story. The only way I could keep it together was by jabbing a pen into my leg under the desk. Lynda had tears rolling down her face through the break and into the next segment.” Gord is heavily involved in the community, and works on several projects. “I lost my sister Jan to a drunk driver so anti-drinking and driving programs are close to my heart. Also my wife and I have both lost family members to cancer… on a positive note, my mom is a breast cancer survivor... so we’ve been involved with Kids with Cancer charity work. I host a motorcycle fundraiser every June (Revving up for Kids) which also includes The Parade of Heroes where we give cancer kids a ride through Hawrelak Park in May.” Best part of the job? “The news changes daily so every day is a new adventure. Plus, I’ve really enjoyed doing my Your Town segments over the past four years where I Gord Steink travel to rural Alberta e and explore the hidden treasures, people and history in these communities.” Worst part of the job? “I think it’s impossible to stay immune from the bad news. It does have an impact on me. But, these stories are a fact of life unfortunately, and I deal with it the same as our viewers do. You try to keep things in perspective.” Gord also holds several media awards including the best major market newscast award in Canada from the RadioTelevision News Directors Association. As well, Your Town nabbed two nominations from the Alberta Motion Picture Industries Association. His book Mobsters and Rumrunners of Canada is a Canadian best seller. Gord won best rock album of the year, single of the year and best new artist from the Alberta Recording Industries Association. Advice for young up-and-comers in media? “In this business, a strong work ethic is very important. Time management is extremely important and you have to be a team player. It takes a lot of people to put together a newscast and each individual plays a crucial role in getting a newscast on the air.” The horsepower in Gord’s life is his beloved Harley Davidson motorcycle. He also loves to spend time with outdoor activities like fishing and hiking. Quality time is spent with his daughters Shauna and Jenn, wife Deb and loveable mutt, Daisy Duke. There you go... the life and times of two of Edmonton’s much admired and respected prime time broadcasters. √ Marty Forbes is the recently retired VP and general manager of The Bear, EZRock and The TEAM 1260 Sports Radio. Contact marty@edmontonians.com
T
he community we live in
continues to amaze me. God help those gone from and suffering in Haiti. In typical Edmonton fashion, our hearts swell with compassion and fundraising efforts. I hate that the earthquake in Haiti happened—but when something needs to get done, Edmontonians step up to the plate and swing for the fences. Another reason to love our city.
must be difficult for visiting sound techs to get the right mix. Good news: There’s a new sound system in the building. The sound for Colin James was pretty much the best I have heard in that room for a rockin’ band. Bravo.
On the other hand... Last month I moaned on and on about the lack of snow plowing. Well, great news. Around the 18th of January, the city announced it would take four to Wilco five days to “blade” the side streets and avenues. Yee Haw! Well, as I write this, it’s now nine days after the announcement... and nothing in my Tickets...who has tickets?... neighbourhood. Oh well, I sure like that My pick for must-see show in February new Expo Centre at Northlands—guess has to be Wilco. The Chicago band plays it’s better to have that than clean streets. the Jubilee on the 15th. Not sure if it is By the way, blading is not plowing. It sold out yet, but you may want to get just scrapes snow and slush some duckats. Be prepared for a wall of down to the ice. There... I’m sound. done bitching about the street conditions. Cheers.
Fellow VoxPopper Marty Forbes
Speaking of cheers... No, not the bar nor the TV show. Wow. I had a look at the new digs for Rawlco Radio. They own Magic 99 and a new station TBA soon. It is a very nice facility. Good to see a local media organization building and not slashing. Good luck with the new station. I sure hope the format is AAA—Adult Album Alternative.
spends a lot of time at his Phoenix retreat... and amuses himself with small trips on his flashy motorcycle. On a recent sojourn, he says, “Three of us did a 750k-run through the southern Arizona
And, speaking of music... Made my way to the Winspear Centre to see Colin James and Suzie McNeil in January. It was so great to see Colin play again. Solid show. This was my first time seeing Suzie. She has a fine soulful voice.
Frisking Forbes… desert... and ran into three full border stops. We had a little fun with the guys who told us some amazing stories about the drug trade coming across from Mexico. Great sports... very smart guys.”√
Colin James
Mark Scholz, owner of MES Communications Inc. offers a variety of services including production, creative and entertainment. For more information or to suggest a story idea, email mscholz@edmontonians.com
eil Suzie McN I adore the Winspear Centre—a real jewel in Edmonton’s crown. Although, I have been disappointed with the sound of some louder bands—it was not good at all for the Derek Trucks Band show a while back. This has nothing to do with the crew at the facility; they are world class. The room has unbelievable acoustics. But, if a band gets in there and plays too loud, it
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Poll
CELEBRATING
21
STATION A
YEARS
With Linda Banister
lthough the past decade has witnessed an increase in the popularity of personal media devices such as iPods, MP3 players and satellite radio, local radio continues to flourish. At the same time, new local stations continue to emerge, including Edmonton’s newest hit music station, HOT 107 (situated at 107.1 on the local FM dial). With local radio in mind, this month’s Poll Station asked Edmontonians about their radio listening habits.
FOUNDER DICK MacLEAN
Vol. XXI
FEBRUARY 2010
No. 2
SHARON MacLEAN Publisher and Advertising Director Telephone: 780.482.7000 Fax: 780.488.9317 e-mail: info@edmontonians.com edmontonians.com
DO YOU LISTEN TO THE RADIO? WHEN AND FOR HOW LONG?
HOW DO YOU FIND OUT ABOUT NEW RADIO STATIONS?
INSIDE NOT AN INNOCENT BYSTANDER Political unrest/Brost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
27% 50%
CIVIC BUZZ Mandel support/Norwood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
OPINION Overcoming the fear factor/Chapman . . . . . . . . .7-8 Linked: Energy/Deters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 VISIONARIES Twenty10 Needs.../Croucher . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10-11 Marsden/Gazin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Social Media 101/Schwabe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 LIVELY LIFESTYLES MenuMagic/Berry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Absolute Bodo/Bodo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
BARB DETERS Editor
editor@edmontonians.com COLUMNISTS Linda Banister John Berry Linda Bodo Les Brost Marty Forbes Bruce Hogle David Norwood Erin Rayner Mark Scholz Walter Schwabe Nizar J. Somji FEATURE WRITERS Ken Chapman Cheryl Croucher Barb Deters Greg Gazin Rick Lauber Marg. Pullishy PHOTOGRAPHERS Terry Bourque Cheryl Croucher Rocco Macri SPECIAL PROJECTS Edmontonians Transformers Tom Bradshaw Les Brost Steffany Hanlen Dr. Larry Ohlhauser
16% 13%
16%
MEDIA MINUTE Newcomers contribute/Hogle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 SIZZLING IN EDMONTON Labour or Love?/Rayner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Percent
POLL STATION Hot 107/Banister . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
81% Percent
VOX POP Marty Forbes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Mark Scholz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Responded that they listened to local radio while in a motor vehicle
Responded that they listened to local radio while at home
Responded that they listened to local radio while at work
The vast majority of survey respondents reported they had listened to a local radio station both in the past 30 days (95 percent) and in the past seven days (94 percent), while 78 percent said they had listened in the past 24 hours. The majority (81 percent) reported listening to local radio while traveling in a motor vehicle, half (50 percent) listened at home, and 16 percent at work. Radio listeners were then asked at which time(s) of day they generally tuned in. Eighty-five percent listened in the morning (5:00 am to 9:59 am), and more than half (55 percent) in the late-afternoon (3:00 pm to 5:59 pm). Just under half (46 percent) listened in the mid-day (10:00 am to 2:59 pm), 33 percent in the evening (6:00 pm to midnight), and 13 percent overnight (midnight to 4:59 pm). More than half (53 percent) of all local radio listeners tune in at least one hour per day, including 19 percent between one and two hours per day, eight percent between two and three hours per day, and 25 percent over three hours per day.
WHAT ARE YOUR LISTENING PREFERENCES? Next, radio listeners were asked to choose, from a list of three options, the feature most important to them when selecting a radio station. Nearly half (46 percent) picked news and information as most important, one-third (33 percent) indicated steady music play without talk or interruption, 15 percent selected entertaining DJs, and six percent were unsure. When asked if there was anything else they look for, 46 percent replied that music genre was important; 15 percent chose news, current events or local information; 12 percent indicated DJ or radio personalities; eight percent preferred programming with limited commercials; six percent looked for talk shows or logical debates.
8% Learned about new radio stations by word of mouth
Learned about new radio stations by scanning the dial
Learned about new radio stations through TV advertising
7%
3%
Learned about Learned about new Learned about new radio new radio stations radio stations stations through magazine through billboard through or radio or newspaper advertising advertising advertising
When asked how they learn about new radio stations, respondents most frequently reported word of mouth (27 percent), by searching through stations (16 percent), and on TV news (13 percent). Other frequent mentions included in newspapers or magazines (eight percent), from billboards or signs throughout the city (seven percent), other radio stations or radio advertising (five percent), and advertisements in general (three percent).
DO YOU LISTEN TO HOT 107? Lastly, respondents were asked a series of questions about Edmonton’s newest hit music radio station, HOT 107. Among radio listeners, 26 percent had heard of HOT 107. Eleven percent reported that HOT 107 was either their favourite radio station or the favourite of someone in their household. √
Monthly Poll Station Online Question Visit www.edmontonians.com to register your opinion
Want a question included in the Edmontonians Poll? Contact Linda at 780.451.4444 or e-mail lbanister@edmontonians.com. Linda Banister is a certified management consultant and the owner of Banister Research and Consulting Inc., a full service provider of market research and program evaluation services. Visit www.banister.ab.ca.
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THIS MONTH’S COVER
LinkedIn—the professional network of choice for Ken Chapman & Kim Kerr Published by 399620 Alberta Ltd. on the first day of each month at C-100 Park Side Tower, 8920-100th Street Edmonton AB CA T6E 4Y8. ©All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted or reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. Manuscripts: must be accompanied by a stamped, selfaddressed envelope. Edmontonians is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts. All stories Copyright ©Edmontonians Publications Mail Agreement No. 40023292 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Circulation Department C-100 Park Side Tower, 8920-100th Street Edmonton AB CA T6E 4Y8 Email: info@edmontonians.com
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C ivic Buzz with David Norwood
B
Mandel scores... AIRPORT TAKES A HIT
councillor system. Many incumbents get re-elected by default, and I’m sure that appears, Mayor Stephen there will be a few surprises in the 12Mandel will likely have ward system next election. Mandel has announced whether or not he also established committees to deal with will seek a third term. An informal and the city’s issues.” unscientific poll undertaken by yours Mandel’s open support of an integrated truly (including input from members of downtown arena and entertainment Connect2Edmonton—C2E) revealed district, and the fact that he and City that almost everyone polled very much Council are actively working with other wants Mandel to run for a third term, for interested parties on the concept, is a variety of reasons. By this column’s another indication of his will to move deadline, the poll was running 58 to 1 in favour. Those who have met the Mayor— forward. Many of those polled want Mandel to run again to ensure that the and there are thousands—can generally agree that he is personable, articulate, witty and focused. He Mandel—pondering knows what he wants, and this is the future bound to frustrate some. On the other hand, because he does know what he wants, the odds are a good many of Mandel’s visions for the city will be achieved. The consensus among those with whom I spoke is that he demonstrates not only leadership but the ability to get things done. Standing up for Edmonton’s interests, for example, resulted in a better new LRT lines are started before he steps regional planning body, the Capital down, fearing that the project will falter Regional Board. Now, the city, as the if he isn’t in place to push it forward. largest municipality by far of the 25 in Expo 2017 is another event he has been the region, has much more say in what championing, and my unscientific poll goes on than before. indicates that many want him to stay to One C2E member expressed the be sure that it actually happens. following view, which generally reflects This isn’t to say that Stephen Mandel the opinion of others: “... thorny issues has been able to accomplish so much have been dealt with, thanks to Mandel’s entirely on his own. His council colleagues leadership. The Capital Region issues obviously have played a major role, some and the City Centre Airport are two more than others. At the same time, major issues that could not or would not however, there is a consensus that under have been dealt with by previous another mayor, many of these issues would administrations. Another issue that has remain on the table, awaiting resolution. been resolved is the six-ward, two-
y the time this column
Overwhelmingly, people believe that he has brought effective leadership to the city and its elected council, while maintaining a balance between differing factions and points of view. That makes a difference. Here is something more from C2E: “Yes, I think that Mandel should run this term. Edmonton has a great future, and it’s on the way to maturing into a dynamic Canadian city. We should re-elect him to allow him to fulfill his vision. Other councillors could grow, with some contending for mayor in 2013.”
My recent column about Edmonton’s air service (The Best Air Service Ever) may well have been a jinx. Since then, a number of changes have occurred, some of them good, others not so good. The loss of Mexicana’s nonstop service to Mexico City is, in my view, a real blow to this city’s aspirations to be more than just a spoke in Calgary’s hub. A combination of factors led to the decision to suspend the route, including the H1N1 virus,the economic downturn and the necessity for Mexicans to have Canadian visas. At the same time, Mexicana increased its Calgary schedule to five flights a week from four. Edmonton Airports stresses that the Edmonton-Mexico City service is suspended, not cancelled, noting that both Edmonton International Airport and Mexicana “are committed to reintroducing the non-stop service at a later date.” Let us hope it is reinstated sooner rather than later. Edmonton, along with other Canadian cities, including Calgary, is losing its non-stop connection with Salt Lake City. This is the result of the recent merger of Northwest Airlines with Delta Airlines. The latter absorbed Northwest and drastically reduced service out of its Salt
Lake City hub, concentrating more on Minneapolis-St. Paul. Delta added an additional flight (to three daily) from Edmonton to Minneapolis, though all flights are now using regional jets rather than Airbus A319s. Overall capacity hasn’t changed, and the extra flight offers more flexibility. Another step backward is the reduction of both Air Canada and WestJet’s nonstop services to Los Angeles from daily to four times weekly each (AC immediately, WestJet in May). This is curious because flight statistics indicate that annual passenger traffic from Edmonton to LAX exceeds that to Las Vegas (92,500 and 83,000 respectively). On the other hand, WestJet is introducing seasonal, threetimes weekly non-stop service to both San Francisco and Kamloops. The re-introduced Edmonton-Houston service appears to be doing well; important in this is Air Canada’s code-sharing with Continental Airlines on the route. Also of interest is that Lufthansa has begun codesharing with Air Canada on the EdmontonLondon Heathrow route (along with existing code-sharers British Midland and Jet Airlines). At the best of times, the airline industry is in flux, flirting with financial uncertainties, and these are not the best of times. Edmonton Airports’ C2E representative notes that, in August 2010, Edmonton International Airport’s seat capacity will actually be up 1.4 percent over August 2009. That’s a good sign, and we can only hope that it gets better. √ David Norwood is a freelance writer/editor. Contact dnorwood@edmontonians.com
M edia Minute Involvement in Haiti our priority A with Bruce Hogle
s has been the case
whenever called upon, Canada and Canadians are providing phenomenal assistance to the people of Earthquake-struck Haiti—the most dysfunctional and impoverished nation within the Western Hemisphere. Let’s be brutally frank: It will be years before the Caribbean nation can be rebuilt and have any sense of normalcy restored. Our Haitian-born Governor General Michaelle Jean, understandably emotional and tearful, commended Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government for being amongst the first to provide help and commit to long term assistance. She urged her people to be strong and have courage and, in the process, put a human face on this tragedy... touching all Canadians. Ottawa’s actions were quickly followed by the Red Cross and Salvation Army, among others, as well as provincial and municipal governments. Premier Ed Stelmach announced that “…Alberta will provide $500,000 to the Red Cross to aid in the rebuilding of this shattered nation… and work closely with the Red Cross to provide whatever personnel assistance we can to relief efforts.” Then there’s our highly competent military and law enforcement personnel who will assist in eventually bringing law and order to that devastated country and its citizens. Let’s also not forget banks, grocery chains, churches and schools… and the millions of dollars donated by individual Canadians.
adopted Elias and Jaydin, both under Kudos to incredible volunteers from four, from Haiti. They repeated that all walks of life... such as Edmonton’s process in 2007 when they returned to Sylvie Montier, co-founder of the adopt brothers Mannie, 8 1/2, and Canadian Search and Disaster Dog Association. She and two BC colleagues, Rowan, 6. Remarkably, when New Orleans was crushed by Hurricane accompanied by their dogs, rescued six Katrina in 2005, this loving people buried under rubble before the couple adopted Glenn, 7 1/2, UN search was called off and Ray, 5, from that city. because of little What this is all leading up chance of finding to is two words: priority and others. And, 24 involvement. year old Sarah When I think of those Wallace of Devon, words, I think of people who moved to Haiti like Daniel Weinstock, three years ago to Jeremy Webber and work as a midwife, Charles Taylor who—on has established a n ia behalf of 150 Canadian charity called “Olive with Hait n a e J e ll Tree” projects. Michae t René Pavel, n Preside Others, like ...Jacmel, May ’09 June ’09 Edmontonians Roma
Newcombe and Ailine Savoie, plus Gerlinde Sarkar of Saskatoon, are assisting Haiti’s “God’s Littlest Angels” charity. For the past 13 years, it has been providing intensive nursery care for premature and malnourished Haitian children, and placing abandoned children with adoptive families. Speaking of adoptive families, I’m reminded of the column I wrote about David and Erin James, who live on a half section between Devon and Spruce Grove. After raising seven children of their own (another died at birth and one of a brain tumour), the James in 2001
academics—wrote in The Journal that Prime Minister Harper used prorogation for his own political convenience. Further, they added, there was the danger of precedence. What they failed to mention was that in the history of Canada, parliament has been prorogued
104 times, including three times by Pierre Elliott Trudeau and four times by Jean Chretien. So, in the scheme of things, who cares? Personally, I’m more concerned about meaningful issues, such as what the PM is doing in Haiti. When he stepped up, he and his government earned full marks—and the gratitude of our Governor General and those Canadians originally from Haiti. If these 150 academics are truly concerned about the wellbeing of mankind, why don’t they make as their immediate priority, their involvement in Haiti? How about taking leaves of absence to spend 2010 in Haiti, helping build new schools and educating future leaders of this woebegone nation? If that’s too short notice for their respective institutions, the next academic year will be soon enough. Thousands of committed Canadians— including our Prime Minister and Governor General—put priority and involvement into perspective. They see the big picture—a laudable aspiration for Messrs. Weinstock, Webber, Taylor and their academic friends. √
Bruce Hogle is the former news director at CFRN TV and retired head of the Alberta Press Council. Contact bhogle@edmontonians.com
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www.sizzlinginedmonton.com With Erin Rayner
Labour OR Love W
hat happens when you love your clients so much it hurts your business? In the name of Valentine’s Day, I am inspired to write about what I think is a common affliction among new or young business owners: unrequited customer “love”. Some call it under-valuing your services or under-charging for your product. Have you ever noticed the English language is lacking in words to describe various forms of love? For example we use the same “love” word to describe the feelings felt between parent and child as we do for romantic feelings in an intimate adult relationship. Here, I’m using the word “love” to describe a strong affinity for a client’s vision, mission, service or product. A case in point is my Aunt Fern. She isn’t “Sizzling in the City” but she has owned Fern’s Dog Grooming in Beaumont for the past six years. Granted, she has long passed the three-year turning point and managed to keep her business, providing an income for her family. Like many business owners, including me, she has had to ask herself
some tough questions in terms of strategic direction, pricing and profit. As she worked her magic on my ‘fur-child’ Miles, we discussed the three-year turning point in business, and she told me about something her accountant friend shared with her. He said “Fern, you love your clients. I can see it. You love your clients more than you love your business, and it will cost you in the end.” Wow, could I relate. Last year, I realized I was burning out by trying to save some of my beloved clients—from themselves... from indecision or bad decisions... from the economy... from everything that could damage or put into question their commitment—and mine— to their vision, success and cause. In the process, I was sacrificing my sanity and my company. Working with a number of very worthwhile non-profit organizations and for-profit businesses with strong and inspirational visions, I have fallen into the trap of “loving” the client’s vision or cause so much that I’m blinded by the reality of the client’s situation, their inadequate budget, or over-the-top expectations.
For example, a hotelier I know has this amazingly forward, environmentally sustainable philosophy that is beyond the current standard or expectation. He plans to demolish some of the buildings on his site in order to reclaim the land and return it to its natural state. It still sounds crazy to me to cut the capacity of your business to grow a meadow, but it will be this kind of “craziness” that turns the tide on the environmental doom and gloom we’re reportedly facing. This hotelier also had an idea for a series of programs for the public on various outdoor topics from astronomy to wildlife. My team and I were so engaged in creating a strategy to have his business succeed that I didn’t see, to my detriment, that we were much more interested and committed to his success than he was in actually committing the time and money to make his idea and our supporting marketing strategy successful. It was similar to dating someone and liking who they have the potential to become more than you like who they are right now. It takes a while to figure out what’s going on when someone who has the potential to be a great boyfriend or
girlfriend really isn’t at that point in reality. Likewise, it took me a while to figure out that my team and I were more invested in this client’s vision than he was. I am blessed to know what my passion is in this life. I have been lucky to work with some amazing organizations, but it was an epiphany for me to realize that I can’t save my clients regardless of how much I “love” their product or vision. I can only offer my service and advice and it is up to them to save themselves. What a liberating revelation. As to my Aunt Fern, she has since raised her prices in response to her friend’s comment. When I asked how she felt about it, she said she was nervous at first but not one client has said anything about the 10 percent increase in price... probably because they know she loves her clients. Eventually, someone will balk at her raised prices and, when they do, she now knows that although she loves her furry clients, she loves her business more. √ Erin Rayner is president of ED Marketing and Communications Inc. Contact erayner@edmontonians.com
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OVERCOMING THE FEAR FACTOR:
Nothing scary about social media
for business and government
By Ken Chapman
IT’S THE CULTURE, STUPID! In the traditional communications culture of government and business, they created and owned the message. For over a century, they controlled its timing, and decided who received it. In that command-and-control, topdown hierarchical world of conventional government and business, the “leader/boss” was all powerful. Not anymore. Now anyone with a computer and an Internet connection is a media and message creator… and a publisher, too. They are also critics, thought leaders and trend setters, with real reach and attentive audiences. Message control and distribution is decentralized. The power has shifted to the individuals from the institutions. Now it’s about shared power among people. It is no longer about having power over people by small groups of dominant elites. The informality of social media makes contact more “associational” than the “systematized” approach of the conventional corporate and government culture. The ability to communicate by simply clicking a mouse makes the power of a message grow virally as well as virtually. This organic, informal distribution of communications is in sharp contrast to the conventional, formal approach of traditional public relations and advertising one-way message broadcasting. All this adds up to red flags of fear and pangs of angst for those who still hold to the hope that they can control the media, the medium and the message.
WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE? It’s all about overcoming the constraints of the conventional corporate/governance culture. Contact and communications with customers or citizens is no longer mediated by a small cadre of mainstream media editors and reporters. It’s not the only game in town any more. Bloggers broke every major story in the 2008 U.S. presidential election, according to John Ibbitson who covered the election for the Globe and Mail. It seems that the leap from commandand-control, one-way messaging to the social networking chaos of the Internet is too daunting for those in policy
making positions in industry and government today. If it is true and the world has really changed, then how do these conventional minded moguls ease into this brave new world to help them overcome their fears? Personally, I believe, the answer lies with LinkedIn. First, I want to explain the various platforms and their mandates and merits so you’ll understand my reasons.
IS SOCIAL NETWORKING THE GAME-CHANGER? I won’t even try to list all the options but will share my observation of the characteristics of some on the major services. What is interesting is the hesitation of government and major business segments, like the oil and gas and energy sector, to embrace the opportunities these new trends and technologies offer. The most omnipresent social networking platforms are Facebook, Twitter and blogs—platforms that seem to baffle business and government. But, there are some that fit more appropriately into the business relationship culture. Among the best known and highly respected is LinkedIn. It offers more comfort and hope for business and government early adopters to engage in a professionally based interactive, participatory and business oriented social networking space. The Facebook experience is about friends, family and creating communities of interests. The sharing of experiences and events with people of like-minds and related interests helps to form quasi kinship relationships. It is becoming an events promotion and a place for expressing personality and perceptions but at a “friend”-based model. I find Facebook effective in communicating more personally with people using the direct message feature. For example, I have used it extensively to share information and insights with a number of politicians on public policy issues and concerns. MySpace is similar but seems to attract a different demographic. I am not involved in MySpace, but get drawn into it on occasion because of my love for music. It is a competitor to Facebook, although not as popular. I see it is an effective haunt for many struggling and established musicians who use it to independently self-promote their talents.
Twitter is something else again—one of the most interesting tools for information sharing. Twitter itself is not much. I consider the streaming scroll of chronological disparate messages in the form of “tweets” to be an enormously frustrating waste of time. However, using tools like Hootsuite or Tweetdeck to organize messages into subject areas or themes all of a sudden makes Twitter a cutting edge community-building and connectivity tool. The Twitter culture has adopted the use of “hashtags” (the number sign to the uninitiated) to organize the “Twitterverse” into themes. Embedding a hashtag into a message means users can follow an amazing range of subjects. Another clever adaptation is the use of airport call letters instead of city names. So if you want to know what is happening on Twitter about Edmonton, you search #yeg and all the recent action will appear for you. I dare say there is likely a hashtag for every aspect of life on the planet. If you can’t find one, you merely start one.
SOCIAL NETWORKING: TOO PERVASIVE TO IGNORE Here are a few scary statistics to give you a sense of how pervasive social networking is globally. Looking at Facebook, we see over 350 million users worldwide and 50 percent of them are active every day. There are over 55 million status updates posted daily, and over 2.5 billion photos uploaded and posted every month. Add to that the more than 3.5 billion pieces of content to web and blog links, photosharing and news stories. There are over 700 thousand local businesses with active in Olivier Taup Fan Pages. Facebook itself boasts over 53 billion fans. Twitter is a newer platform that had about 30 million users in July 2009 and 73 percent of them joined in the first half of 2009. Only 30 percent of all users account for over 97 percent of activity… so the concentration of users is high. You either get Twitter or you don’t—those who do are big-time participants on the platform.
Bloggers are big Twitter users. While a recent study showed that only 14 percent of Americans used Twitter, it is well used by bloggers: more than 80 percent of selfemployed and corporate bloggers Tweeted to promote their blogs… over 60 percent to check out the “buzz” about their businesses… and 73 percent of selfemployed and 55 percent of corporate bloggers for marketing purposes. LinkedIn is more of a professionally based networking platform that still has all the relationship finding, creating, building and nurturing elements of the other platforms but is more focused on networking for doing business. One of the most successful evangelists for LinkedIn as a business and government based social networking site is Olivier Taupin, the CEO of Linked:Group out of Seattle, Washington. He has been coaching corporate executives on the use of social media for more than five years now. Taupin has created a number of interestbased “groups” of business people using LinkedIn. The largest is in the human resources and recruiting area called Linked: HR. Another is the largest group of business people in the oil and gas sector called Linked: Energy. His message is straightforward and emerges out of the conventional models of business and government network, but he puts it on steroids through a professional based social networking culture. As a social networking evangelist, Taupin tells both sectors they cannot ignore this relationship and business building revolution any longer. According to a Neilson Online study in March 2009, social networking was the fourth most popular use of the Internet, e-mail was fifth. ComSource said in May 2009 that social networks had 147 million unique visitors in the USA—74 percent of the entire American Internet audience. Anything that big and powerful and pervasive cannot be ignored. The Internet culture hates broadcasting and spam but it loves authentic virtual relationships and those generate word-ofmouth messaging from friends and “influentials”.
Continued on page 8
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Continued from page 8 Word-of-mouth is the most effective means we know of to get a message out. People trust other people more than they trust advertising. To prove this point, Taupin quotes a July 2009 Neilson Company survey that found the degree of trust from various forms of advertising was the highest when recommendations came from people you know—a whopping 90 percent trust level. Online consumer opinion polls and newspaper editorial content were trusted at the 70 percent and 69 percent level respectively, while TV was at 62 percent.
WHAT IS THE ACCEPTABLE SOCIAL MEDIA ANSWER FOR GOVERNMENT AND BUSINESS?
The old-school thinkers are sensing they are in some serious jeopardy in both the marketplace and at the ballot box.
IS THERE VALUE FOR BUSINESS AND GOVERNMENT? Businesses see themselves using social networking for the same reasons, whether it is a Fortune 500 enterprise or Fred’s Shoe Shine: According to a recent study, 81 percent use it for enhancing customer/client relations and brand building. Brand building is the perceived value, but the actual reasons are networking and finding out and influencing what people are saying about a business—equally applicable to governments but, obviously, with a
There are a lot of government and man Ken Chap corporate communications people anguishing over that big question. The cities of Edmonton and Calgary are leading the municipal charge. And, it’s rumoured the Alberta Public Affairs Bureau is putting the finishing touches on a social media policy that will provide guidelines to departments. Can elected representatives be far behind? Many big institutions that have used their current communications and relationship building culture and ventured out to populist social networking have been burned—some badly. The consequences have been for the commanders of the control model of communications to proceed cautiously or not at all. Many businesses have adapted and adopted the new world disorder as a new normal for relationship creation, building and nurturing. Many are seeing the benefits of being authentic, genuine and political and public consultation twist. authoritative about their efforts and There are other practical uses of social enterprises in the horizontal, trust-based, networking. Recruiting is a big one, both open, transparent, accountable power-shared finding and inquiring about qualities and world of social networks. Governments, not qualifications of staffing opportunities. But, so much! the big payoff for convention-bound The powers-that-be in these conventional traditionalists is finding communities of sectors know they are losing the battles for similar interests at the executive, public attention. They sense that they are management and professional levels. These losing the benefit of the doubt about the are the folks who are the change agents in legitimacy of their social licenses to operate. most organizations—usually the same
people who are reluctant to make the necessary changes to take positive advantage of Internet based social networking. Using tools like groups in LinkedIn, these upper level leaders can ease into social media in a way that is more of an extension of the conventional business networking models. Groups comprise like-minded, similarly engaged people at comparable operational and management levels. They join to gather around and share information and opportunities in an area of mutual interest. Someone once called LinkedIn Groups “Facebook for grown- ups.” The ability for business and government managers to find new strategic partners and alliances and to validate suitability can be done virtually via LinkedIn. The principles of engagement are just as they are in the traditional golf clubs, professional lunches,
THE BOTTOM LINE Business and government will eventually adapt to the rough and tumble world of Internet based social networking out of necessity. In the meantime, they need to start somewhere. They need to stop being paralyzed by their fear from the culture shock of this horizontal, communitybased, power-sharing communications reality of the Internet. If engaging in transformation is not part of your culture, then default to incrementalism as the go-forward strategy. A smart starting place for incrementalism engagement might be in the professionally based social networking platform of LinkedIn. And, although it’s not the finish line for effective engagement in the wider and wilder world of social
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All this adds up to red flags of fear and pangs of angst for those who still hold to the hope that they can control the media, the medium and the message. ~ Ken Chapman and industry conferences and conventions. LinkedIn is faster, cheaper and easier… an extension and enhancement of the traditional way to recruit staff, find strategic partners, and keep up on what is happening in any area of interest in the familiar “real life” model. This sense that LinkedIn Groups is more an extension and enhancement of existing behaviours will likely be comforting enough to warrant tentative steps toward Internet based social networking. It’s these manageable, familiar and incremental steps into the networked world that will be more acceptable than the wholesale rethinking of finding, creating and sustaining relationships at the heart of populist social networking.
networking for either government or business, it’s definitely a good place to start. Bottom line: Be brave. Embrace the elephant in the room that is social media. If you don’t learn to live with it, expect to be crushed as it rolls over on you. √ Ken Chapman is a lawyer, a lobbyist and the ultimate wonk. He revels in public policy and political issues. His recent passion is citizenship re-engagement through Reboot Alberta. Check out his blogs: www.ken-chapman.blogspot.com and www.rebootalberta.wordpress.com Visit his company site at: www.cambridgestrategies.com
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Linked: Energy membership: Worldwide-35,000, Texas-3,000, Alberta-379 By Barb Deters
A
lberta is the Energy Capital of Canada—one of the top oil and gas producers with the largest reserves in the world. How can it be that the province’s oil and gas sector is so sorely under-represented on Linked:Energy, the largest energy group participating on LinkedIn? How can it be that an industry that is facing growing scrutiny from environmentalists and politicians isn’t forging alliances with this growing energy network? How can it be that, of more than 35,000 Linked:Energy members Tingle Michael worldwide, only 379 are from Alberta? Instead of burying its head in the oilsands, surely the oil and gas sector should be taking every advantage of the global reach of a social media network specifically designed for business and professionals. Linked:Energy is the brainchild of Olivier Taupin, who is the founder and CEO of Linked:Group, a high-tech social media company. He and his partner Jean-Marie Slove own some of the world’s largest LinkedIn groups including Linked:HR with more than 200,000 members. According to Taupin, they advise many corporations on how to use social networking for “brand image development, lead generation, and talent acquisition”. They recently secured funding to launch a new consulting firm focusing on business social networking tailored to the needs of large corporations. An integral aspect of Taupin’s on-line communities is the support provided to manage, moderate and promote group members. For Linked:Energy, that responsibility falls with Michael Tingle, the chief evangelist and group manager. Based in Ontario, he has over 19 years of business development experience in the renewable energy and energy management sectors, and is currently the director of corporate business development at ORTECH Consulting.
Tingle points out that Linked:Energy “includes all of the industries involved in the production and sale of energy such as fuel extraction, manufacturing, refining and distribution, as well as the green or renewable energy sectors. The biggest discussions, between our members, always revolve around climate change. Besides discussions; jobs, events and networking make up the rest of the areas of value to our members.” According to his webpage, “LinkedIn limits the number of groups you can join, but you can join 50 subgroups” which means “postings are far more specialized and targeted... and increase your networking capabilities.” Linked:Energy subgroups include executives, venture, oil and gas, energy efficiency, carbon capture and storage, bio-energy and wind power to name a few. When asked why the Alberta energy sector should join Linked: Energy, Tingle was quick to respond: “Recently, I noticed a discussion about request for a subgroup for Houston. They were calling themselves the ‘energy capital of the world’. Being Canadian, I thought Alberta should vie for that title. Albertans should join our group because of the vast opportunities to learn, socialize and promote themselves, and the great Kim Kerr Province of Alberta. It is amazing how Alberta and Canada are viewed by our members.” Tingle confirmed the dismal level of involvement by Alberta companies. “It is right—210 from Calgary, 41 from Edmotnon, 28 from other areas—a sad number... but I am going to change that with some effort. I am starting a campaign today to become larger than the 3,000 Texans that are in our group.” Those efforts will be supplemented by Sales Visionaries Inc., an Edmonton-based company started by Kim Kerr. It is the sole Alberta distributor for Taupin’s ULP Networks, Inc., under which Linked:Group currently operates. Kerr heads up a team of Internet sales and marketing strategists. She created Linked Alberta, a social network for professionals, and the Linked Alberta Marketplace subgroup
where companies can introduce their products and services. For Kerr, the relationship with Taupin’s networks is a natural progression. “Recently, when looking to connect with people in the energy industry, we were able to talk with members of Linked:Energy. Connecting with others who have similar interests is a ‘warm’ connection, and preferred by most over cold-calling. “We are working with a local company that develops high-tech services for the energy industry, and they’re looking to us for market research and to assist with scoping out their most likely customers. We’re making solid connections on LinkedIn via the Linked:Energy and other groups.” The gauntlet has been thrown in the ring. It’s time for Alberta’s energy sector to get on board and grow its virtual identity and reputation. √
Support services for Linked:Energy™, Linked:HR™ and other Groups available through Sales Visionaries ChiefEvangelist™…a “community” leader service that turns members of your on-line business group into enthusiastic advocates for your brand, represents clients’ objectives and maintains social networking best practices. GroupBuilder™…service uses proven processes, coupled with trained staff, to quickly build large LinkedIn Groups of highly targeted professionals. Results are guaranteed and measured daily.
GroupModerator™…is a professional moderation service for your on-line business community, based on the Group Rules and Moderation Process.
SocialTraffic™…is a software application that harnesses the power of RSS—Really Simple Syndication—technology to drive large amounts of traffic from your LinkedIn Group to your corporate website. For further information, contact: Sales Visionaries Inc. 780.756.4638 • info@salesvisionaries.com
Do you have Neuro Muscular imbalance? Some of the most common indicators include: • • • •
Frequent or long lasting migraines and headaches Tingling in the finger tips Ringing in the ears Blurred vision •
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Jaw clicking and pain Neck, shoulder and back pain Limited movement in the neck Vertigo (loss of balance) Short, broken or worn teeth
What is Neuro Muscular Dentistry ? When a person grinds their teeth, is missing teeth or gets a jaw injury the body’s natural equilibrium is thrown off. This can result in neck and jaw pain and broken teeth owing to muscle imbalance and excessive pressure being put on the teeth. The whole body is affected. Neuro Muscular dentistry focuses on non surgically reestablishing the balance using physiotherapy and Neuro Muscular Dental Orthotics.
How does Neuro Muscular dentistry work? First we find neuromuscular balance using a TENS unit to relax the jaw muscles. Then using specially designed Dental Orthotics we allow the jaw muscles to remain in that comfortable position. Because the jaw muscles have become accustomed to accommodating the neuromuscular imbalance it may take a few months for the muscles to become accustomed to the new more comfortable position. After you are symptom free for about three months we can discuss how to maintain your symptom free smile using crowns or neuromuscular orthodontics.
How quickly can I expect to see some relief of my symptoms? For some people the changes are felt very quickly – within the first month. For others it can take longer depending on the severity of the imbalance and how long you wear the Neuro Muscular Dental Orthotic everyday. Three months of symptom free living is our indication that we have successfully achieved Neuro Muscular balance. Dr. Sholina Kherani received her DDS degree from the University of Alberta in 1985. Her practice focus is on Aesthetic, Restorative and Neuromuscular Dentistry. She is a published columnist, a mentor to other dentists and participates in study groups on Pain Management and neuromuscular dentistry. She has committed in her practice to providing the Art and Science of Beautiful Smiles in a relaxed, personalized atmosphere. Dr. Kherani’s passion is changing people’s lives by improving their health and smiles using the principles of neuromuscular dentistry.
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Dr. Margaret-Ann Armour with Anne McLellan.
More women, money & cyber ports... LESS DISEASE PLEASE
By Cheryl Croucher
Challenging the norm For Dr. Margaret-Ann Armour, the launch of the WinSETT Centre is a dream come true. It’s been six years in the gestation. And, true to her roots as a chemist, she birthed the new entity with a flurry of beakers and bubbling gases in front of an appreciative crowd at the Telus Centre on the university campus. Dr. Armour has long been known for her tireless efforts to engage and promote women in the sciences and technologies. Back in the early 1980s, she was a founding member of WISEST—Women in Scholarship, Engineering, Science and Technology. The movement spread across the country. Now, through her efforts and vision, Edmonton is home to the WinSETT Centre. An acronym for Women in Science, Engineering, Trades and Technology, this is the hub for an ambitious national effort to significantly boost the numbers of women in the workforce and change the culture of such fields as engineering and trades. Dr. Armour points to the statistics. “Only 12 percent of engineers are women. The kind of percentages of women in construction is dismal. It’s four percent. In the sciences, it’s probably 35 percent, which is over the critical mass which makes it sustainable.” Research shows that one major problem is that, even when women do enter these fields, they tend to leave after about 10 years. The blame lies directly with an inflexible male dominated culture in the workplace. “An awful lot of it has to do with having a family and being able to work, and trying to balance the two,” says Dr. Armour. “Because, if it’s a work place which is still
fairly well male dominated, it has a male culture. And the male culture is, ‘you shall work 18 hours a day and always be there.’ “And women are saying, ‘I don’t want that. I don’t want that kind of lifestyle. I want a balance.’ We’re hearing that young men are saying, ‘We want a balance, too.’ So we’re hoping that things will change. But that’s been very slow.” That theme of changing the workplace culture to retain women and improve Canadian productivity was picked by the Honourable Anne McLellan in her stunning speech at the WinSETT launch. Among the first programs the WinSETT Centre will undertake is leadership training. According Dr. Armour, “Leaders need to appoint leaders. And, although we know it’s very important to have more women entering fields like engineering, if we don’t have women as leaders in engineering, the culture of engineering is not going to change. So when young women come into the workforce, they’re not going to stay.” √
intelligence to develop the world’s first direct digital x-ray system. That was 20 years ago. He quit his day job and grew the company into a business worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Now, as the head of Cybera, Winsor hopes to extend the services of the cyber network to Alberta’s entrepreneurs and business community. Cybera operates cyber ports at the University of Alberta. “There are similar facilities in Calgary, Lethbridge and, by extension, through networking all over the world,” he says. “We have lots of big screen TVs. We have cameras that track us and we can sit here and have a virtual meeting. You can see so much more when you are in what we would basically call a video conference. Others are giving it fancier names like tele-presence, virtual rooms, and so on, but it does add that extra measure. And this is just a small part of the services that Cybera offers.” Winsor is particularly keen on making Alberta’s energy sector aware of Cybera and the use it can make of the cyber facilities. Expanding the cyber network While current access to this cyber The new president and CEO of Cybera is Robin Winsor. network is somewhat limited, he says He will split his time between Edmonton and Calgary Cybera’s future goal is to as he runs this not-for profit, university based make access as pervasive organization set up to extend Alberta’s cyber and ubiquitous as that of infrastructure. His mandate is to move the telephone. Simply Cybera to the next level—into the business plug in and you’re community. connected. That’s certainly a world Winsor You can learn more understands. While working in the about Cybera’s services research department at Gulf, he used his Robin Winsor at www.cybera.ca √ knowledge of geophysics and artificial
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Dr. Norm Neumann
Dr. Stefan Bachu
Jim Edwards
Zoning in with ozone
Kick-starting industry research
Recognizing excellence
When it comes to prion research, decontamination is a huge issue. The misfolded prions that cause mad cow and chronic wasting disease are almost indestructible by traditional means. But, according to Dr. Norm Neumann of the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta, experiments with advanced oxidation and ozone treatment may hold some promise. “The pathological disease, as we know it, is; Caused by a misfolded protein causing another normal protein to misfold. And so there’s this chain reaction that goes on. Some of the work that we’re doing demonstrates that ozone can actually destroy that protein enough to inactivate the templating properties or the pathological process that we see. “We’ve seen that in a test tube—and the big question for us now is can we begin to understand this and model it in an engineering context and understand complete destruction of this? Then we must cross validate that information in animal infectivity models.” Dr. Neumann suggests that, if the advanced ozone treatment works, we may one day be able to dispose of prion infected material through something as simple as composting. √
When it comes to funding university research, one of the main granting agencies is NSERC, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. And now the Council is making more money available to encourage research partnerships between academia and industry. Former Member of Parliament and long time Edmontonian, the Honourable Jim Edwards, is now chair of NSERC. He explains the particular focus on small and medium-size business. “It’s a fact that 60 percent of the 100 largest companies in Canada use NSERC collaborations, but only seven percent of the smaller companies do... we’re seeking to fill that gap. Ultimately the goal is to improve Canada’s competitiveness. We invest more in academic-based research per capita than any other country in the G7. On the other hand, we trail very badly in terms of industrybased research. And so, we’re hoping, in a modest way, to be able to kick start that and we’re hoping to double the number of partnerships that exist within the next five years.” To learn more about the NSERC industry program, visit www.NSERCPartnerships.ca √
Just before the Alberta Research Council was merged into the new agency, Alberta Innovates-Technology Solutions, its president and CEO John McDougall honoured one of his own. He bestowed the title of Distinguished Scientist upon Dr. Stefan Bachu—the fifth ARC scientist to receive this recognition of excellence. Dr. Bachu is world renowned for his pioneering research on carbon capture and storage technology. In 2007, he shared a Nobel Prize as lead author to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on CO2 Capture and Storage. That’s the same Nobel Prize Al Gore received. Today, Dr. Bachu continues his involvement at the international level. “To start with, I represent Canada on the technical group of the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum, which is an organization of 24 countries major energy producers and CO2 emitters. It includes countries like United States, China, Brazil, Russia, United Kingdom, Norway, Australia, and so on. Secondly, I have been asked several times to give advice to various state or local governments in various countries. So yes, I am involved.” As a distinguished scientist, he intends to continue his research into the refinement of carbon storage technology. √
Capitalizing on datasets With news that its funding has been renewed, the Alberta Ingenuity Centre for Machine Learning is launching into its second phase. Its scientific director, Dr. Osmar Zian, says phase two brings some new directions. One is commercialization. The other is a major focus on biomedical applications for the machine learning and data mining technology the Centre is developing. Says Dr. Zian, “We have applications related to cancer... It can be detecting cancer. It can be providing decision support for practitioners on the treatment or the dosage we give to patients. Predicting, for example, relapse for people. But there are other examples where we will also build data warehouses to collect data from different sources and provide decision support systems that are using machine learning and data mining techniques for decision-makers, There are techniques also that we are working on for visualization of medical images. The list goes on and on. “ For Dr Zian, turning this research into tools that can help save lives is what the new commercialization component is all about. And the man who is charged with making that a reality is Robert Murakami, the Centre’s new executive director. He’s also the president and CEO of its new commercialization arm, a company called Myriad Machine Learning. It’s his job to bring researchers and investors together to help translate the science into industrial applications.
As Murakami explains, “Machine learning is really a platform technology. It is the fundamental engine for analyzing and predicting large datasets, much like predicting new investment strategies, or new trading tools for investment management... much like predicting patient movement and predictability within a hospital environment... much like predicting whether or not the existing oil wells in this province are actually being managed efficiently. And so, because it’s such a platform technology and because we know that information technology is growing at an enormous rate— and we now have a gazillion, gazillion bits of information floating around—how does all that get analyzed and how can we actually utilize it to create something better for people?” Through Myriad and the Alberta Ingenuity Centre for Machine Learning, Murakami is also setting the stage for the next generation of technology entrepreneurs, including a program that offers business bootcamps to university students. √ Cheryl Croucher hosts Innovation Anthology which is broadcast on CKUA Radio at 7:58 am and 4:58 pm Tuesdays and Thursday. Or download the podcasts at www.innovationanthology.com
Robert Murakami
Dr. Osmar Zian
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How clean are your keys? By Greg Gazin
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he assistive technology provided is amazing in its ability to erase the boundaries of disability.” That was what (the late) Christopher Reeve said about the OnScreen keyboard in Microsoft Windows. He and Muhammad Ali are among millions who have benefited from products developed by Randy Marsden of Edmonton. For more than two decades, Marsden has concentrated on creating specialized computer technologies for people with physical disabilities: quadriplegia, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, ALS and muscular dystrophy. His career took direction with a third-year electrical engineering university project when he and another student developed a communications device for his friend, Si Peterson, a quadriplegic since a gymnastics accident in high school. Upon graduation, sden with funding from the National Randy Mar Research Council’s IRAP program and the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research, they started Madentec Limited. Over the years, numerous communications products (Tracker and Discover lines) emerged that have made an enormous difference to disabled people around the world— allowing them to operate computers with blinks, tooth picks, puffs or touching of lips. Spin-off technology includes various applications for cell phones and computers. In fact, Marsden is the co-founder of Swype, the cutting edge text input software used in Samsung smart phones. But, when a dentist from France purchased his TrackerPro, it led to major changes in focus. TrackerPro is a wireless device—a small dot of reflective tape worn on the forehead, hat brim or glasses—that replaces a mouse for users with limited or no hand movement. Curious about why someone who obviously is able to use his hands would need a product designed for head movement, Marsden called the dentist. It turned out it was actually the time-savings that motivated the dentist, who explained that he needed to view digital x-rays on computers, right in treatment rooms. Marden learned that, “Treatment rooms have strong infection control requirements and, if devices were not sterilized, the dentist would have to take his gloves off to use a mouse, and de-glove and re-glove each time.” Forming a focus group of four veteran dentists to get their perspectives, he discovered that anything within two metres/six feet of a patient’s mouth needed to be wiped down between patients. “That includes almost the entire room.” But while TrackerPro might be a solution to the mouse problem, the ultimate challenge was really the keyboard. “You can’t (properly) wipe down a keyboard. And, those that did use a keyboard had them wrapped in Saran Wrap.” It had to be changed frequently, and looked unprofessional. “Keyboards are the number one cause of bacterial infections and are more germ-infested than public toilet seats.” Marsden points to studies that indicate hospital keyboards are known to spread infection more than any other surface— and more than 100,00 people died last year from hospital acquired infections (in North America). Patients entered with a broken leg but caught pneumonia and died because they caught a bug. So Marsden marshaled his team. “We’re ‘input guys’… We can do this.” They created a proof-of-concept USB keyboard: slightly
Think infection. smaller than a typical keyboard (15” versus 18-20”) to save cubicle space, with a completely smooth glass top with the lettering on the underside of the glass. With no nooks or crannies, it was quick and easy to wipe down and disinfect. Adjustable touch capacitive circuitry allowed it to be sensitive to the touch even when wearing gloves, and it made a clicking sound when a key was hit. Despite its smaller
Ali started to communicate using Marsden’s technology in the 1990s
footprint, it housed both a numeric keypad and an integrated oval touch pad, so no mouse was needed. The bottom was constructed from machined Corian (counter-top material). It weighed a hefty 3.2 lbs./1.48kg. In the pilot study, 12 keys on three keyboards—silicone, glass and standard plastic—were infected. After wiping with a Cavi-Wipe (disposable disinfecting towelette), they discovered no significant difference with the amount of remaining bacteria on the plastic and silicone keyboards. However, the glass keyboard was “100 times less infected” than the other two. “We wanted market feedback… Although we had no (actual) product to sell, we booked a booth at the American Dental Association Trade Show in Las Vegas—at the last minute in January 2008.” Unbeknownst to Marsden, his “Cleankeys” keyboard joined 27 other innovations in the new product showcase, which featured major players like Proctor & Gamble, Oral-B and Colgate. “We shared our showcase with Crest. We won Best of Show for best new product. Even better, we won by a wide margin.” Marsden would win other awards: The 2008 ASTech Award for Societal Impact (his second win); the 2009 University of Alberta Alumni Honour Award, and the Innovation Awards from the Canadian Manufacturing and Exporters Association in 2009 and the National Research Council in January. Cleankeys was a hit, but it was not meant to be a mass produced device. Nevertheless, orders rolled in—selling 4,500 units in 18 months. That number may not sound significant when you consider how many dentists there are around the world. Or, not a lot compared to the over one billion on-screen keyboards shipped with every copy of Windows since 1998 that bears Madentec’s copyright credits. But, it was significant enough to see the demand. Marsden realized that the need for a cleanable keyboard went way beyond the dentist’s office. “Most keyboards aren’t used by just one person. Think clinics, schools and airport check-ins and food services—any place people share computers.” For example, automated plants like Lucerne Ice Cream were using his product. “You can share this keyboard without sharing your germs.” It also hits closer to the Marsden home. “We have a family computer in the house and have five kids—the keyboard is disgusting.”
The need became even more apparent with infection control and H1N1 very much in the public eye, and hand sanitizers being found almost everywhere. So, with a broader demand, updating more suitable for a wider audience became necessary. It also prompted the change of the company name to Cleankeys Inc., with Marsden as the CEO, to reflect the primary focus on keyboard design and production. The forthcoming second-generation glass keyboard will be a wireless USB model that’s lighter and improves performance. In addition, another wireless model, made from high-grade acrylic with molded keywells with slight indentations, will be introduced. “Some prefer glass, because it’s inert and smoother and perceived quality, but (as an alternative), acrylic is ideal—it’s harder and less susceptible to breaking. If it’s flat, they can’t feel the keys—it’s not good for touch-typists.” They need a place to rest their fingers, a challenge with his touch sensitive keyboard. So Marsden’s acrylic model incorporates an accelerometer, an electromechanical device that measures acceleration forces like the one found in Apple’s iPhone. “It’s also like the vibration sensors in a Wii remote.” Both keyboards sell in the $400 range—high compared to typical models—but Marsden says they’re more costly to produce, and the price is niche-market justifiable. (Although we may see a consumer model down the road.) “Look at the time it saves dentists—no wrap, no gloves on and off pays off in a month or two. In hospitals, if it cuts down days not have to be spent in hospitals—that costs $5 billion a year in the U.S., not to mention the suffering and fatalities caused.” Liability is also being transferred to hospitals. “As of October 2008, U.S. insurance companies stopped reimbursing hospitals for treatment for their insured patients, if the infection was acquired in the hospital.” While Cleankeys is primarily sold in Europe, it will be launched worldwide this month. “It’s a world market we’re taking this product to from Edmonton and we’re making it here in Edmonton.” Logican, a boutique electronics service manufacturing company specializing in medical, military and industrial products in Edmonton Research Park, is building them. President Harvey Sheydwasser travels the world and sees the extent of the problem He believes Marsden’s technology will be widely adopted. “We’ve worked with Randy before and are happy to be part of the solution.” Marsden, 46, hopes to help fight infection and save lives… one keyboard at a time. √ Greg Gazin, “The Gadget Guy,” is a serial entrepreneur, freelance technology columnist, small business speaker, an avid Podcaster and producer of Toastcaster.com. Greg can be reached at 780.424.1881, gadgetgreg.com or greg@gadgetguy.ca Company Cleankeys Inc. (formerly Madentec Limited) Owner Randy Marsden, CEO Location 4664 – 99 Street, Edmonton AB T6E 5H5 Products Cleankeys Glass & Acrylic Keyboards Tracker & Discovery hands-free technology for physically disabled people Contact 780-450-8926 www.cleankeysinc.com EDMONTONIANS FEBRUARY 2010
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had an interesting conversation with Doug Elniski, MLA, Edmonton Calder. We spoke about his experiences using social media and reactions he’s witnessed from some of his colleagues within government on the subject. Elniski, in his own straightforward way, suggests that the there’s definitely still resistance within the Government of Alberta. Resistance he describes as mostly coming from what he calls the “bubble in the middle”—those people in government currently not utilizing social media— “essentially waiting to see what happens. The bureaucracy watches and measures the reaction, because people don’t want to subject themselves to criticism or some form of abuse.” As a place to start and looking to find ways to shift this reality, we expanded on how folks within the “bubble” might not want to be put in a position of testing their values daily and publicly within social media. Elniski added that in government (values) “is probably the thing you get attacked on.” He’s quite at peace with where he stands on the issues and none of this bothers him. I was interviewing him for my upcoming book, due out this spring, on Government 2.0 (Gov 2.0)—a term designed to describe the “open government movement” happening around the world. Our discussion covered opinions regarding the cultural impact of Gov 2.0 inside the Government of Alberta. What has been evident to me for some time is that it will not happen without evangelists on the inside. Even then, our premier will have to see value in doing something in this regard. What does Gov 2.0 look like and how does it change things? In a personal e-mail exchange for my book, Tim O’Reilly—who coined the term “Web 2.0”—stated that it’s “government as an open and transparent platform, a mechanism for collaborative action.” Not exactly the way many citizens would currently describe their government
Social media
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Gov 2.0—a virtual reality (at any level) I suspect, and therein lies the opportunity. Locally, we’re witnessing a move toward “open government” at the City of Edmonton. I spoke with Chris Moore, CIO for the City and head of the I.T. branch. Moore and his team have gone through a positive transformation and are leading the charge with respect to another core aspect of Gov 2.0: Open Data. On January 13th, the City released a “data catalogue” which provides various types of data in machinereadable format (rather than PDF), so that developers can build interesting solutions for citizens. Also, as part of this initiative, its geographic information systems data (GIS) will soon be released for free to those who need it or would like to develop software applications with it.
I’m aware of new websites and applications already in production with local developers that will impact our quality of life for the better. For example, (shameless plug) fusedlogic’s Route 411 transit application for the iPhone was launched on January 8th. This application allows for public transit users to identify routes, bus stops and times much more easily than traditional methods. It works with data released from Edmonton, Toronto and, just in time for the Olympics, Vancouver. Now, here’s why taxpayers will care: The City of Edmonton didn’t spend a dime of taxpayer money to improve the ETS experience by developing Route 411— fusedlogic made the investment. Tax savings is a key benefit to the Open Data concept and why, in part, Councillor Don Iveson has been a strong advocate for Gov 2.0.
On the
Iveson submitted initial questions regarding Open Data to Council last October. I asked him why he put these questions forward to Council. He said, “Fundamentally, it’s about transparency, empowerment and collaboration, and those are superb democratic values. Much of this data we have, but we don’t do a good job of sharing it or providing access. There is an imbalance of power between government and citizens, the ‘we-knowbetter-because-we-have-all-the-facts’ attitude. It can be difficult for citizens to get the facts (data). Also, I think there’s been fear in government about the loss of power when data gets in the hands of people and they won’t know what to do with it.” Iveson concluded, “Let people have the info and make an argument… and, if the argument is wrong, let the process take over...” There is simply no doubt that Government 2.0 and, by extension Open Data, is the right way to go for all levels of government in terms of direct and indirect benefits to citizens. This being the case, I believe Albertans need to call upon Premier Ed Stelmach and the Government of Alberta to hire a CIO for the province. We need to move government from a “need-to-know” mentality to one of a “need-to-share.” That CIO would coordinate with municipal level officials like Moore, as well as the feds, to bring the Gov 2.0 aspect into policy discussions enterprise-wide. The result for Albertans would be tax savings, efficiencies for government and citizens alike. Frankly, this isn’t a question of “if” Gov 2.0 is coming. It’s already here. √ Walter Schwabe is the Chief Evolution Officer of fusedlogic inc., a social media strategy firm and Alberta company since 2000. You can learn more at www.fusedlogic.com
HORIZON
FEBRUARY
February 4 to 7 Digital Alberta Digital Tableau: The Art and Craft of Digital Media The Banff Centre Registration www.digitalalberta.com February 10 Business Link: Small Business Seminar Edmonton & Calgary Promotional Strategies: Create Buzz for Your Business Presenter: Greg Gazin, Parallel 2000/ The Gadget Guy 1:00PM- 4:00PM 100, 10237- 104 Street, Edmonton 1:00PM- 4:00PM 250-639 5 Avenue SW, Calgary Registration: 1.800.272.9675 (toll-free) www.canadabusiness.ca/alberta/events February 12 Canadian Centre for Community Renewal Workshop: Peak Energy and Climate Change Presenter Richard Heinberg Post Carbon Institute Lister Conference Centre 8:30 to 4:30 PM Register at 780-716-4475
February 25 TEC VenturePrize Business Plan Competition Deadline for Fast Growth Competition Compete for over $150,000 in prizes www.tecedmonton.com February 25 Café CIC The Art, History and Chemistry of Scotch The Kings College Reservations www.cicedmonton.org February 25 The Business Link Brown Bag Session Finding Commercial Value through Innovation Presenter Beverly Sheridan, Technology Now Suite 100, 10237-104 Street 12 to 1 PM http://www.canadabusiness.ab.ca/ February 26 Alberta Emerald Foundation Deadline for Award Nominations www.emeraldfoundation.ca
EDMONTONIANS FEBRUARY 2010
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MENU
Magic with Chef John Berry
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eftovers. It’s a dirty word to some. Others say they make sure they never have any, because they don’t know what to do with them. Recycling food for many is an ugly chore. Yet you can be missing out on an even tastier meal the next night, since the sauces and spices on the meat have had even more time to infuse their wonderful flavours into the dish. Good examples of this are chilli, a red sauce made for pasta, a broccoli casserole and moussaka. They always seem to taste better the second day. Remember, never leave cooked foods out on the counter for longer than two hours. When properly stored, sealed and refrigerated, your food should hold easily for two to three days, so you can get a lot of mileage out of it. After that, toss it out. Now, if you don’t want to keep the leftovers hanging around in your fridge, simply freeze them in freezer bags or containers to prevent freezer burn. I don’t keep my leftovers longer than one month in the freezer. The biggest challenge for some people is to be creative with leftover meat or fish. I love trying to come up with new ways to utilize these leftovers. When you think about it, the possibilities are limitless. Putting a different spin on yesterday’s roast and veggies also helps folks who are on a tight budget get as much out of their groceries as they can. In fact, a lot of people take advantage of larger cuts at reasonable prices so they can extend one purchase over two or three different meal presentations. Let’s take the old tried and true turkey. There are hundreds of recipes on the Internet and in cookbooks for leftover turkey or chicken. Soups, stews, meat pies, lasagne, salads, kabobs, bunwiches, stir fries, and so on. My personal favourite is making these leftover birds, plus the vegetables and gravy, into pot pies or shepherd’s pies. Yum. One evening, I was having company, and felt like paring down my cooking time so I could spend more time with them. I had a leftover, large piece of prime rib in my freezer. It was cooked perfectly to medium-rare and throwing it into the oven to warm could result in over-cooking the meat. So I simply steamed the meat in my steamer until warm and it turned out not only perfect in terms of doneness, but it was incredibly tender and just as juicy as the day I had cooked it.
Repurposing
LEFTOVERS The leftover gravy was warmed in a sauce pan, with just a little dribble of water (or wine). I made some fresh mashed potatoes and carrots to round out the meal. Everything went… so there was no waste. Leftovers should be your friend—not your enemy—when it comes to meal planning. What was old in the pot can suddenly become new again. Here’s a couple of ways to repurpose yesterday’s dinner and serve comfort food to take the chill our of February. Cheers.
JOHN’S ITALIAN LEFTOVER BEEF STEW OVER NOODLES
JOHN’S LEFTOVER TURKEY/CHICKEN MEAT PIE 1-2 Cups diced turkey or chicken leftovers 1 Cup leftover vegetables Left over mashed potatoes 2-3 Cups leftover gravy Thyme Garlic granules, not salt. Salt and Pepper to taste. 1. Combine the turkey or chicken in leftover gravy in a mixing bowl. 2. Add the leftover vegetables. 3. Pour mixture into a well greased pie plate or casserole dish. 4. Sprinkle with a pinch of thyme and garlic. 5. Take the leftover mashed potatoes and form them into flat pancake-like rounds with your hands, and place them on top of your mixture. If there are a few spaces between them, that’s ok. Otherwise utilize them to form a pie crust. 6. Bake at 350˚F for 45 minutes to an hour. Yield: 5-6 servings. Chef’s note: This is one of the most requested dishes I make for friends. There’s nothing fancy about it... but it’s incredibly tasty and you can add or substitute anything you wish.
2 Cup leftover steak or roast, cut up onto strips 1/2” thick 1 medium purple onion, diced 1 large can of tomatoes diced 1/2 yellow bell pepper, cut into ribbons 1/2 tsp. chilli flakes (or to taste) 1 tin tomato paste 2-3 Tbs. dried oregano 1 Tbs. dried basil 1/2 Tbs. fresh diced garlic 6-8 mushrooms quartered 2 stalks of celery, diced Salt and pepper to taste 2 Tbs. olive oil Red wine—some for the stew, some for the chef 1. Sauté onions, celery, garlic and peppers in a sauté pan with olive oil three to four minutes. Set aside. 2. In the same pan, add your tomatoes and tomato paste. Add one tomato paste tin of water and one of red wine. 3. Stir. Add spices and meat and bring to a boil. 4. Simmer over medium low heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour. About 10 minutes before serving add all of the vegetables. Adjust the seasonings. 5. This can be served over leftover rice or noodles. Make sure you have a crusty Italian roll to go along with this dish. Yields: 4-6 servings Chef’s note:You can get as creative as you wish with this dish. It’s very cost effective and easy to make. √ Contact Chef John Berry at jberry@edmontonians.com Go to Edmontonians.com and visit the Lively Lifestyles Blog.
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with Linda Bodo
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3 epurpose eclaim, and edefine leisure time
I spent a great deal of time talking to hands this past year. You know the kind I mean—arms extended, palms waving, usually accompanied with rolling eyes and a scornful‘tsk-tsk’...“Who has the time?” was the phrase I heard over and over again.
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of do-it-yourselfer. So, before you toss a bottle, bubble fter my first do-it-yourself book, Enjoy Life Old ottoman = new home for pets wrap or bedsprings in the trash, consider giving them a Outside, hit the stands, I went on tour to second life. Upcycling is about repurposing—a baby step spread the word: redefine leisure time’. I toward reducing your footprint on our Earth. campaigned that DIY wasn’t just about Look for The Art of Upcycle at a store near you this saving money, it was about stress relief and creative spring or at www.absolutebodo.com. Join me and the achievements, guaranteed to promote well-being and BodoBoler at the Regina, Red Deer, Calgary and good health. I crusaded that this hobby offered a Edmonton Home and Garden Shows where I will be diversionary outlet from the demands of life while sharing inspirational projects from both books—some of creating posh accessories for the house and home. I was which have appeared in this column. Hand-wavers all about using the hand to create—not to demonstrate. welcome. √ Let’s face it. We all need to switch off from the daily grind to avoid going mad or clogging more arteries. Linda Bodo is author of Enjoy Life Outside and The Art of Some of us do it in different ways, that’s Upcycle. Visit www.absolutebodo.com for upcoming all. We read a book or s il s n old ute appearances and project demonstrations; view other DIY solve Sudoku + t e k s a ging b ture projects; or order her book. Contact: puzzles... we Wire han itchen light fea =K lbodo@edmontonians.com watch Idol or Olive oil can + bamboo surf the ’Net... sk ew ers = knive stor Go to edmontonians.com and we jog... we age visit the Lively Lifestyles blog. garden... we do yoga—all in the protecting our environment. And yes, I also name of stress learned from the hand-wavers. Free time management. I’m is precious and DIY virgins need to be just saying that gently guided into the world of do-itDIY should be yourself with easy projects that don’t considered an outlet take a lot of time. as well, one that With this new data, I compiled a list builds muscle for the of DIY concepts designed to improve soul. lifestyles with a simple mandate: Now, don’t get me • Short and sweet crafts, easy to wrong. Not everyone accomplish in a few hours or a greeted me with the weekend; hand; there were those • Repurpose everyday objects into posh who revelled at the accoutrements at a fraction of the price of prospect of DIY and high end accessories; and enthusiastically shared their passion for the handmade Bubb • Environmental savvy, self-fulfillment and stress relief are movement. From these people, I listened and learned. I l + old ewrap fundamental values. found that the DIY culture was genderless and ageless. I j = tot eans learned that there were those who took pleasure in working My second book, The Art of Upcycle, is dedicated to exactly ebag with their hands. I heard that many were concerned with that. It takes DIY to DIWise with 32 projects for every level
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EDMONTONIANS FEBRUARY 2010
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