Horoscopes. Choose your own. . .

Horoscopes

 

1.New paths will emerge for you and the choices will not be obvious. When what seems to be the obvious choice presents itself to you be wary that what seems obvious or easy is not always the best choice.

2.Dimly light rooms and an air of mystery surround you. A romantic evening may be in your future. Watch for signs of interest, and give into that desire to be wooed for once.

3.Money is not easy to come by in the future. Make changes to your lifestyle now to avoid hardships in the future.

4.Dreams of love, comfort and pleasure haunt your sleep. While they may be nightmares now, something will change soon so that you can enjoy these things as much as the rest of us.

5.The incessant plodding of everyday life will get you down. Try new things, and start doing the things you tell yourself you don’t have time for.  Time is a fluctuating phenomenon that can be managed.

6.School work plagues you even at the beginning of the term. You will begin to feel like a sinking ship, but remember that you have been given lifesaving lessons and can swim to shore at anytime.

7.Big decisions are in the future. Say yes now, or wait until there is more information available. Remember that the choices you make now will affect not only you, but the people around you.

8.Love is hidden and mysterious in the future. Awareness of your surroundings is key to hearing and seeing what the person who loves you really means.

9.Whether you live alone or with roommates, those you are closest to in proximity are having bad days as of late. While it is easy to ignore or snap back at them, remember that you have to deal with them on an ongoing basis and they are not going away.

10.The future holds great ideas for you. You will be met with disbelief that your ideas are valid, but remember to keep going. Eventually you will gather a following and they will see your side of the story.

11.Work will be frustrating for you. If it is time for a new job, start looking now while the term is still new. If you think you can tough it out, then realize that staying is a choice.

12.Do not under estimate the power of persuasion. You may think that she or he is not interested, but perhaps they are just shy. Be blunt if necessary and your actions may] be rewarded.

The media industry

News is everywhere, in every form imaginable. The world is deluged everyday with information on everything imaginable. Or is it? Who decides what is ‘news’, what people will read and how to sell it to an audience? A further analysis of any major news/media corporation reveals that they all have a plan, they all market to an audience, and they all make money.

In Canada CanWest Global is the conglomerate which produces your daily news. It owns, or operates many sectors including publishing companies including newspapers, Canadian Television and CW Media, and Australian television. A brief look at their website shows a company history which did what many others did in the last 10 years. Buy everything on the market and more. Can West is held by the Asper family. Not only does the Asper family bring you your news via Global, it also owns the National Post, many metropolitan newspapers, 21 weekly newspapers and 7 shopping guides.

Looking at the National Post web page, reveals a link to the corporate policies of CTVGlobe Media. Just like any other major corporation, CTV has a mission statement, goals and objectives. Most of these statements are similar to many other corporations, and read mundanely to comply with the business laws of Canada and conduct oneself with honesty and integrity. Another statement reads “foster a work environment based on trust and respect for all stakeholders of the CTVglobemedia community”. While ambiguous in nature, it does state that the stakeholders in the company are to be respected, and foster an agreement of trust. Underlying our daily news is a corporation, one that wants to make money and one that values high ethical standards and morality at all times.

 

Do they actually make money? Can West Media reports that revenues went up 2% last quarter, and although they lost money, it was due to holdings that were waiting on CRTC approval. So even in an economic downturn, they are still generating revenue through advertising and investments.

 

At a recent conference a speaker presented the idea that no news source is unbiased. Not only did he state that, he also suggested while no one is without bias, that doesn’t mean that the news is invalid. What the Editor of Planet S suggested was that readers need to be aware of who owns their daily news source, the television station, and web page that we get our news from. While the National Post and every other Newspaper or news media source out there have a myriad of writers working for them. The reader should remember that they are working for that company unless they are freelancers. By choosing to work and get paid by the National Post or any other company, employees follow Codes of Conduct and agree with or conform to the standards of the owners of that company.

 

The front page of the National Post may not make it obvious that it is owned by a news conglomerate, but in tiny type at the bottom of all their pages is a link to CTVGlobe Media, or another subsidiary of that company that owns them.

 

The news business is not unlike any other major business thriving or struggling today. It has a CEO, managers, employees and stockholders. This affects the content of the news that you see certainly. If an unbiased view is important to you, check out one of the other new sources. By glancing at a number of different outlets, diving into a sea of good and bad information, the whole picture eventually emerges. Every story has two sides or more, and most media outlets portray only one. While it is not a crime to portray only one opinion, readers, news savvy or not, should be aware of the fact that other opinions exist and money underlies every news source.

When "Are you gonna be around tonight?" means "Get the Hell out"

All the time. (the one true blanket statement i've ever made)

Doesn't matter if its me stating the question, or having it posed to me.

Roommates don't actually want you home for any reason, or require to see you or spend quality time together anymore than usual with you.

"Are you gonna be around tonight?" 

"I make no guarantees."

If you need clarity on what that means, it means:

"Are you gonna be around tonight, I'd like to screw some chick/guy"

"Are you gonna be around tonight, I'm sick of your face and I want to watch something I want to watch on TV."

"Are you gonna be around tonight, I want someone to cook for me cuz i'm a lazy ass."

It means everything except:

"Are you gonna be around tonight, I really like spending quality time with you watching some random Car show/Grey's anatomy. I miss you and I want to spend more time with you :(."

Sitcoming

Occassionally, every once in a while, I have a fantastic idea that would be the next great sitcom. Sometimes I even write it down. Once I actually got serious came up with a plot, charactars, did a few episodes, concentrating on the pilot, and had 50 or so pages of sitcom goodliness.

Then the computer crashed. I took it as a sign that I should not write things down. When warned about saving all the time, I reply and normally I do, but those 50 pages were cathartic in nature and over the span of 12 hours. I was planning on saving right before I went to bed - at 9am. The computer crashed at 8:37.

Long story short, the file was corrupt when i finally got the computer going again, and my laptop decided that freeing every 4 hours 37 minutes and 22 second was appropriate revenge. I know this because everytime I started the laptop, the time was 1pm and its froze at 4:37:22. 

So this sitcom. I've been told my life is humourous. I have certainly found it laughable at certain conjectures of my life, but would every one else? Would I really want something based on my Three's Company/Seinfeld twisted existance in the world to be all over TV or the internet? 

Apparently becuase I'm writing this blog. 

If anyone knows where the plug for my bathtub is . . . . or perhaps where you keep KD that's not the fridge?

Blanket Statements

I have been known to make blanket statements. In fact I relish in them. While they are generally said in jest, or frustration. I am using this post to take back every blanket statement I have ever made.

Rationale: I realize statistically, that the chances of say "All men being asses." are highly improbable. Even following a bell curve would suggest that plus or minus one standard deviation accounts for 66ish percent, not 100%. 

Thats as far as I go mathmatically, and I have taken 4 stats courses. Its not my strong point. I needed four courses just to understand it. 

Other common blanket statements I take back "Sex cures everything." Though that one I have no proof against. I am smart enough to admit that it may in some instances cause problems as well as fix them.

Among the worse blanket statements I've made. Varriations of the above are now absolved through the internets and my pennance has been paid. . . for now. I suppose until I make another blanket statement.

On almost dying every day twice a day crossing 18th Street

Is it really that hard to stop for pedestrians? Has the world sped up so much that making the next red light is more important than than not killing someone?

Crossing 18th and Lorne every day, at least twice a day has its dangers. Specifically, drivers who are either not looking, don't care, or are going too fast to stop. Then there's the added danger of the car in one lane stopping, but not the car in the lane beside it. 

I get that Semi's may not have time to stop. I still look both ways more than once, even though I as a pedestrian have the right of way. I guess if I wanted to play hard-ball I'd just stick my foot out and take my chances. However, I value my feet, and do not wish to have another broken ankle. 

I can think of two incidents since September where someone was injured at this specific cross walk. The last one involved hitting the pedestrian, then hitting the pedestrian crossing sign. . . 

Why can't people leave for work five minutes earlier, just incase, they might have to stop at a pedestrian cross walk they know is going to be busy?