A Scary, Hairy Month

Well it's the end of October and you know what that means?  No, not Halloween.  It means that the start of Movember is only a weekend away.  Movember is Men's Health Month.  Where men all over the world grow moustaches, or mo's, to change their appearance and raise awareness and money to fight prostate cancer.  You can join the movement and/or donate at: http://ca.movember.com/?home  It's actually a really funny and cool website.  The cause is supported by many celebrities all over the world. 


The rules are simple: start the first of month clean shaven and grow and groom your mo all month long.  Your mo is your ribbon for men's health.  Wear it proudly.  Tell people why you are growing the mo, tell them about this worthy cause and ask for donations.  No amount is too small.  No moustache is too cheesy.

Soup Strainer out

Money Can't Buy You Social Skills

The Social Network portrays a pre-Facebook Mark Zuckerberg as a young, insecure, genius that is looking for a way to enter the inner circle of the socially elite at Harvard.  He is so consumed with trying to fit in and get noticed by girls, and the exclusive university clubs, that he does not realize that he is surrounded by good friends that would do anything for him, including his best friend and co-founder of Facebook Eduardo Saverin.  And although Saverin put up the money to start Facebook and managed it from their shared Harvard dorm-room, Zuckerberg, forced Saverin out of the business just before it expanded from a U.S. university social website to the international phenomenon it has become.   This movie made me feel sorry for Saverin who lost his best friend and a large share in a billion dollar business.  But at the end I felt worse for Zuckerberg, whose desperation to fit in and desire to be popular ironically resulted in him being friendless and alone.   One of the final scenes of the movie, when Facebook reaches a milestone of one million members, shows all the Facebook employees partying, meanwhile Zuckerberg is sitting alone in his office. 

I don’t think that The Social Network movie will really do any harm to Facebooks popularity, however, it may cause some facebookers to stop and wonder why they use Facebook.  And maybe a few will realize they should be out spending time with their real friends instead of looking at pictures of their facebook friends, or friends of facebook friends.  I doubt the few that decide to log off will make much of a dent in the Facebook fan base.

With respect to Tiffany Gallicano’s article on PR Blog about Zuckerberg’s response to the movie ,  I think his comments about the film are OK.  He downplays its significance and factuality.  I am sure the producers took some liberties with the reality of the story so it fit into the Hollywood formula. And his quote about the last six years being about computer coding and hard work is probably true. One of the results of his inability to relate to people and obsessive work habits, is his incapacity to notice the human casualties of his decisions.  So the last six years could be about working hard for him, but incidents like the ditching of Saverin, stick out more in the minds of average people. 

 I think Zuckerberg’s announcement about his foundation that coincided with the release of the movie is just another example of his social ineptness and underestimation of an average person’s intellect.  As Gallinaco says, Zuckerberg calling his announcement a coincidence on Oprah ‘insults the audience’s intelligence.’   If billions of dollars can’t buy you friends and social skills, it should at least be able to buy you a decent PR team.  

Soupy out.

Blogger Beware

For our Buyer Beware Ad project we investigated payday loans at Money Mart. We were concerned with the rates that fringe banking companies like Money Mart charge its customers. We also wanted to compare the rates of payday loans to mainstream banking services like credit cards and lines of credit. We were interested in the government regulations regarding payday loans. And also wanted to know the reason people used payday loans rather than other alternatives out there. Our ultimate goal was to inform the public about the legitimacy of payday loans.

Our primary research included visiting Money Marts, RBC and interviewing a person that has used payday loans in the past. Our secondary research was mainly online.


Our research revealed that Money Mart payday loans are much more expensive than other mainstream banking loan or credit card services. They are a useful service for people that are caught with unexpected bills like car repairs and need cash right now. But they should not be relied upon as a regular source of cash because it can lead to a cycle of debt and poverty that is difficult to get out of. For example, in Manitoba Money Mart charges $19.50 per $100 borrowed and it is due to be paid back the following payday. A payday loan is like a credit card that is already a month overdue and the interest is compounded every 14 days instead of every 30 days.

Finding a 2005 report on Fringe Banking in Winnipeg’s North End was the research highlight for me. It contained valuable general fringe banking information and had research and survey data specific to Winnipeg.

Another important research discovery was the fact that Manitoba’s payday loan regulations are being updated on October 18, 2010.…just five days after our project is due. This was significant because it shows how topical our project is and its importance in today’s economy.

Low income and under educated users of fringe banking services are often not aware of alternatives offered by mainstream banks. And if they are aware they often choose fringe banking services because they feel more respected at those establishments than at mainstream banks.

Education is the key to preventing existing and potential fringe banking clients from getting caught in a cycle of debt that these services can often lead to; education for consumers about general financial management practices and the alternatives to the over-priced fringe banking services; and education of mainstream banks of the expectations and needs of low income clients so that potential clients feel more welcome at their banks. This education of consumers and bankers will increase bank clientele and help improve the financial management skills of low income individuals so that they do not have to rely on fringe banking services.

Soupy Out

Mayoral Forum at RRC

Well, Mayor Sam Katz and challenger Judy Wasylycia-Leis were at Red River College on Tuesday to answer questions about their respective mayoral platforms. I am by no means a Katz supporter. In fact I want to believe that Wasylycia-Leis can be a new voice for Winnipeg's impoverished and marginalized. But sadly I left the two hour forum with a little less faith in Judy's ability to lead the city and a little more respect for the job Katz has done over the last six years. I am not saying that I am ready to jump on Sam's band wagon. I still think that there is a lot of stuff in this city that he does not address and a change is needed. But after the forum my head told me to vote for Katz, and my heart was still looking for a good alternative.

Soupy out

Blitzen Trapper at West End Cultural Centre

I went to the Blitzen Trapper concert on Monday night.  Seems like a long time ago now....about six CreComm assignments have gone by since.   But it was a really amazing show.  It was the first time I have ever seen them live.  They had a great rapport with the audience, even taking requests, including one for a Townes Van Zandt song they weren't sure they remembered how to play. 

In addition to their generous attitude toward the fans, this folk rock band from Portand Oregon, really impressed me by reproducing some of the cool, original sounds they make in the studio, on the stage at the West End Cultural Centre.  I was expecting a pared down version of some of their hits, because I thought a lot of their sound might be achieved in the editing room.  But their on stage sound was even more diverse than their albums.  Two out of the three guitarists would intermittently stick their guitar pick in their mouth and  rattle off a sweet little diddy on the keyboad which was setup on a bench in front of them.  And they used lots of differnet kinds of percussion instruments, including bells and bead-filled fruit. The third guitarist also mixed it up with different instruments, even bringing out a melodica during one of the encore songs. 

By the way, that guy in the photo is not in Blitzen Trapper.  He is just this dude I met at Red River College today.  I just randomly asked him, "hey do you know where I could get a picture of a melodica for my blog?" And he said "Do I!" and he reached into his back pack pulled that baby out.  Nice guy.

But anyway, where was I?  Oh yeah, so Blittzen Trapper is a very talented group of artists, that put on a rockin' show. They are not afraid of trying new, interesting things.  The $20 I spent to enjoy their show at the WECC was well worth it. 

They also come across as a  group of genuinely nice guys that puts the audience first.  By playing requests, coming back out for two encores and complimenting our locally brewed beer, they worked some PR magic. 

Check out the video of their 2008 song 'Furr' below.  It's a cool collage style video and catchy little tune.  After a show like the one they put on the least I can do is try to convert a few more fans for them.

Enjoy,

Soupy out.