In Times Like This.

In times like this.

Where people are bringing out the evilest of symbols, there is no statement. Only silence.

Where sexual assault and harassment are high, there is no statement. Only silence.

Where the President many of you supported and asked people to support belittles anyone that is not a rich white male, there is no statement. Only silence.

However, where many Christians have recognized the need to change and adapt. And be welcoming of the LGBT, you claim this.

You write this as if you are the only people with any knowledge of Scripture. You claim there is confusion on “sexuality and transgenderism” . Yet it seems you are confused. Or woefully ignorant. You forget that Scripture has more to say on topics like poverty, fairness, and loving your neighbour.

You write this as if you are leaders. Yet, day after day, people see your lack of leadership where it is vitally needed.

In times where your voice is actually needed, poverty, fairness, loving your neighbour, standing for the marginalized there is no statement. Only silence.

Yet you make this statement on sexuality.

They say 80% of communication is non-verbal.  It’s what you don’t say more than what you say.

Today we heard your silence.

Shame on you.

https://cbmw.org/topics/news-and-announcements/cbmw-releases-coalition-statement-on-biblical-sexuality/

So, there is a Problem.

Yes the sun rose today. And, yes the sun will  set tonight. And yes, the sun will rise tomorrow.

But, it doesn’t take away the hurt. And the problem.

Let’s start here. 4 out of 5 Evangelical Christians voted for Donald Trump. I’m going to assume this has to do with the fact he’s “Pro-Life”.  I’m struggling to see the “Pro” in this. He;s restricted pretty much every other people group other than the rich and entitled. To even remotely put him in line with the idea of Scripture is complete and utter nonsense. For Christian leaders standing behind him and declaring him to be Christian is an insult to people who have been  deeply hurt and value Christianity. Trump values aren’t only not Christian, or Pro-Life, they aren’t even  pro-birth.

This man is the President Elect of the United States.

Let’s look at the idea of hard working and honest people getting what they deserve. While the FBI cleared Clinton of wrong doing, there was woman after woman after woman after woman after woman coming forward complaining on how he sexually assaulted them.  Not just 10 years ago. Not 15. Over and over again. His way of denial is saying how ugly these women are. Again, Christian leaders who talk about Biblical sexuality endorsed him.

Yet this man has the wealth and the power to continue to run a campaign.

This man is the President Elect of the United States..

While Christians and others are concerned about “Religious Freedom”, this man wants to restrict freedoms. Not just criminals. Muslims, Mexicans, Canadians, Syrians, LGBT, Homeless, and any other people group you can pick on. This is a man endorsed by the KKK. This is a man that believes so much in freedom , that he asked and encouraged people to beat up protesters.

This man is the President Elect of the United States.

You blame the media? Let’s talk about that for a minute. While many organizations and journalists and researchers did amazing work into his finances, his character,and his history, apparently that was “media bias”. Instead, influencers like Rebel Media, Breitbart, Alex Jones, who quite frankly are only interested in money and click bait were able to impact this election. Instead, people bought into a rigged election system. Trump fed them and fed them. And they got fat. Of course, they were interested in what’s best for the nation right?

This man is the President Elect of the United States.

You say thank God I’m in Canada. Really people? Remember when a guy in Edmonton yelled the N word at a black man? Or how about Abbotsford where a man, who has still not been arrested by the way, hurled racist insults at a Hindu man. You say that’s the west? Kellie Leitch, who is running for CPC leadership, is from Ontario. And let’s not forget that two women were bullied out of a PC Leadership race in Alberta. Let’s not forget the insults after insults many get for sharing their views on Twitter.

Perhaps influenced by the President Elect of the United States.

For us who have been bullied, intimidated, belittled, disqualified, condemned, and judged, last night was a problem. For those not from the USA that was afraid of breakfast as Van Jones mentioned. For those just want to be considered normal, there is a problem. For the women who in 2016, still can’t get equal pay for equal work, there is a problem.The message was man up treat people like shit, intimidate and threaten them. Laugh at them. Hurt them. Take your pound of flesh.

And you too could be The President Elect of the United States.

Yes, the sun will rise and the sun will set. And, maybe things will be ok.

But right now, we are angry, disgusted, defeated and demoralized. And no, we will not move on.We will continue to stand.And share.And talk. This isn’t a right or left issue.This is a human decency issue.

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Christ Followers, Where are you?

Last night, I stopped by the Vancouver Art Gallery. Vancouver Pride was having a candlelight vigil honouring the victims of the tragedy in Orlando. About 500 people attended

It was a very respectful event,They honoured the victims in a peaceful manner. They even mentioned the names and asked the crowd to repeat the 9 that they knew at the time.

They also spoke forgiveness towards the Muslim community. Suggesting that some Muslims were afraid to show because they may feel that some are anger. They even suggested a dialogue.

They spoke up against fundamentalism of any kind.

They reminded the crowd of the battles of before and how they prevailed.

Considering the circumstances they kept it very respectful and honouring.

However, I was struck by something.

Where was the Christian Community?

There are a few churches close to the Vancouver Art Gallery. The only one that had a representation was the United Church. He was one of the speakers.

But where was everyone else?

You can say that it wasn’t a Christian that shot them. However, there are many that have pointed of the anger and the hurt from Christians towards the LGBT community. And many of those feel that this had an impact on what happened.

It seems the first time that Christians speak out is when they remind people of the Scriptures. You know, the ones that condemn homosexuality. The ones with signs and the insults. There was even a video from a certain “pastor” praising the attack.

This was an opportunity to do what churches call each other each week. Go out and reach the community.  Be as Jesus said “Salt and Light”.

Yet last night, it seemed… nothing.

Maybe you have services. But what if you actually cancel the services and go down to the vigil?

You reflect on the love of God. And how God loves all of us.

Yet in a time to show it….silence.

Which is interesting because the time to speak out  from many preachers  like Franklin Graham, John Piper is…often.

That message speaks volumes. The fact that they couldn’t attend the vigil also speaks volumes.

You say Kevin you are making a generalization. There are many Christians that love LGBT. There are very few Christians that hate LGBT. It’s only the loudest that speak. They are the minority.

II say It’s not enough anymore.

It’s  Christsplaining. It’s as useful as “Thoughts and Prayers”.

If we truly love our neighbours, this would be the time to go out and  show it.

Not hide your head in the sand.

Term 2: The Update at VanArts.

Well.

 

As of this writing it is Friday March 4.

 

I finished my Final Exam for Term 2.

 

First, let’s get the rough stuff out of the way.

 

Although I have been focused on the task at hand, I have had my good and bad days dealing with the scam. The last couple of weeks I have noticed how hard hit it hit me. As an example, I did an assignment called Pecha Kucha. In a nutshell Pecha Kucha is a presentation style that is 20 slides in 20 seconds. You talk for 6:40. My talk was on courage. It was during that presentation, I realized how hard the incident hit me. It’s not just about the money. The money stuff isn’t great, but it is what it is. I’m still working at the movie theatre. It’s the mental and emotional stuff as well.

 

As an example, there was a job opportunity that came my way. I checked it out, and even did due diligence. It turned out the company was quite shady. It was frustrating to deal with.

 

But, one key phrase that has helped me is a quote from the movie Creed.

One Step.

One Punch.

One Round at a time.

 

I’m learning and trying to take things slower. Even though I want things to happen NOW.

 

That’s the rough stuff. There is good stuff too.

 

While not perfect, I am developing a style for radio. Each time I’m on, I feel like I’m building something. As an example, adding interviews and commentaries on my show. It is adding an element to my work. While not quite there, it’s coming.

 

It’s also quite interesting to see the progress of all of us in class for the last 6 months. We are all starting to develop niche’s that will be interesting to watch going forward. There are some very talented people in our class.

 

In addition to work and school, I have been busy doing other stuff. I have contributed to Mitch Milani’s show called The Bottom Line View. It’s a mostly sports talk show. However, he is reviewing all of the Super Hero Movies ever made.

 

I also have become a member on Co-op radio out here in Vancouver. They are all volunteer radio. I’m starting to work with a show called Each for All. They focus on Co-op and social good. There are other shows I’m hoping to work with. Perhaps at one point, I will pitch my own show to them. But not yet.

 

.Tonight (Or Friday Night), I will be hanging out at CKNW with Drex. That should be fun. I’m hoping to visit some other shows at other stations as well

 

There is also my own Podcast. I still plan to keep that going of course. I have some updates for some shows coming soon.

 

Every time I’m on the mic doing whatever, I feel like it’s great practice. No matter what I do and how I do it, it will help me get better.

 

I would like to thank the many of you that have supported this journey. Words cannot express how much that has meant. That has been a huge help too me personally.

 

Thanks to my classmates James Murray, Luke Weber, Chelsie Ostrom, Keith Watson, Mitch Milani, Paula Zerpa, Diego Molina, Saige Pacholok, Dick Shredder, Bob Swan,Brandon Ross, Trent Alcock and Alex Robinson.

 

And to the instructors Martin Strong, Dave Smith, Kyhan Smith, Scott Hastings and Julia Howgate.

 

(I didn’t tag you as this would end up on on your wall).

 

Halfway there. From rainy, but beautiful Vancouver.

 

One Step.

One Punch.

One Round at a Time

I’m angry.

 

 

So I have a bit of a rant today.
I’m angry.
I’m angry about the layoffs at Postmedia.
I’m angry at the fact that hard working and talented writers were let go.
While Postmedia executives are reported to pocket $1 million dollars in bonuses.
I’m angry that these executives are interested in the news they want to hear. Not the news you want to hear.
I’m angry that in an industry where we need and by the way have talent, there are people that can’t find work.

I understand there are business needs. I understand that we are watching the death of the newspaper.

But it is not the death of the of information. We still seek and crave news. And stories. And information.Not just from one perspective. But from several. Not just a headline. But actual content.

There are journalists that want to tell those stories.With words. With pictures. With voices.

I’m angry that Postmedia just told people that they are not interested in that. They are interested in making their model work. Not adapt and support people who have dedicated themselves to their craft.

Yesterday  was a terrible day for journalism good journalism in Canada.

And I’m angry that people like Paul Godfrey took advantage of that.

It’s been a while, but here is an update from #Yvr

I have gotten a few messages asking how’s it going out in Vancouver?

My answer is typically Good.

Then I stop. Not realizing people would like an expansion on good. I’m not always the best talking about myself.

So hence this.

Term 1 at VanArts is over as I did my final exam today. So I thought I would give you some thoughts on how things are going here

First what is working. I use the term working instead of worked because these things are developing.

I have stepped out of my comfort zone. As an example today being American Thanksgiving, I would be sitting home watching all the football games and chilling out. Not this year. I’m at a Starbucks  reflecting on my term. When I came into this program, I had a plan on what I would do. Tell the news and sports. The plan didn’t include having voice characters.  That was until I co-hosted with Chelsie Ostrom and we did some characters. Now I have a couple that I use that still needs work. I’m also working on a couple more characters. It’s been an example of developing skills. I’ve also taken some chances that quite simply did not work at all. But,they are learning experiences.

I also developed my own Facebook/Twitter page for when I’m hosting called The KevOle Show. It’s a working title for now. I also have my first demo out and am working on a second and third and fourth one. As well as a website.

I also have been having auditions for some movies. Thanks to Janie Fontaine for setting these up. I have had a few.As of yet, no movies. But this was not the plan. But it has been a great way to know what is going on. And, practice.

So those are good things being worked on that I can and will continue to develop.

Not everything was awesome.

The toughest day was Friday November 13. You will remember the day well as this was the day of the attacks in Paris. It also was the day a massive earthquake hit Japan. So, for those who aren’t aware, this is how our day works. One person takes turns doing different roles on the show. So one is the “Jock”, one does news, one does sports, one does entertainment, one does traffic. That day I was on news.And  One of the things I have learned and continue to learn is importance of “prep”. Practice your reads before you go on. Let me take you through my process.

News is scheduled to go on at 1:50-

1:40-My instructor Martin comes too me and asks me about news.

He points out there is a developing situation. Turns out Japan and Paris were breaking at the same time. At the time, I didn’t know how bad Paris was. So I had to quickly rewrite the news for Japan.

1:55-I was just about to step outside for a minute when we learned much more about what was developing in Paris.

Nothing can prepare you for that. My emotions and adrenaline were running and it would be accurate to say nice guy Kevin was not present but ass Kevin was. (Sorry classmates) So for me, I will remember the day for very different reasons. To be honest, I’m still processing how I feel about that. I have some terms I use in my head. One of the terms is story. But that wasn’t a story and to use that term is downplaying the significance of it. As I said, I’m still processing that and will for some time.

In terms of “home”, I’m more and more comfortable every day with Vancouver/Richmond. It feels like home.However, it’s tough to deny that a good chunk of my heart is in Alberta. No better example than with the passing of Manmeet Bhullar. Although I never met him myself, I know many of the Alberta Political community did and my heart went out to all of that.As well, I still keep an eye on the Alberta Political Scene. And of course, your Facebook and Twitter posts 🙂 I keep an eye out here too, but right now the most exciting thing here is deleting emails. But I think that will pick up. However, I’m making friends here. I found a church community and people seem to like me. I even had two lovely Thanksgiving meals here.

The job search was tough.However, I’m grateful to be working at the movie theatre. It’s not a lot, but at least it’s money. I’m also doing some Mystery Shopping as well.

As far as the Podcasts, I have done two here. That is due to schedule. School and work and looking for work have been priorities. I do have plans for more. They will come.

There are two big takeaways I have that I would like to share with you.

The first thing is good things take time. This is a term from the church community I’m involved with and it sticks with me. There is no instant success., It’s hard work every day. Every day I’m on the microphone, or in the production room, to the TV room, it’s practice. It’s an opportunity to get better.One of the instructors was taking about comedy this week. He was talking about how while you watch a comedy and it seems “fun”, it’s very serious. It’s preparation.It’s practice. It’s being professional.  It’s making the effort. It’s being disciplined. And it takes time.And time. And time. And that practice, that effort, that discipline is what turns someone or something that is good to someone that is great. So far, I feel “good”, but long way from being “great”.

The second relates a bit to the first, but it’s a quote I read from Manmeet Bhullar actually. It’s  this Work hard and the stars will align.  I know that seems overly simplistic and perhaps spiritual but it resonated with me.Permission to be vulnerable, but I have felt a little down at times here. Particularly with the job hunt part.  The audition part not so  much as this is somewhat new for me.However, I refused and continue to refuse to give up. I take things one day at a time.  I’ve been in tough situations before. So working hard will produce sometimes.

So thank you for reading, caring, and supporting. Shout out to my classmates Trent, Saige, James,Luke, Chelsie,Paula, Alex, Brandon, Bob, Colton,Mitch, Keith, and Michael. Also instructors Scott, Martin, Dave, Kyrian, and Brad.

That’s enough talking about myself.Term 2 is next.

School starts Tomorrow!!!! Something you may not be aware about some students….

So I know this weekend, there has been a lot of conversations around Syrian refugees. And it is an important conversation that hopefully opens eyes and challenges hearts.

Now, we are focused on #peegate.

However, I would like to make you aware of something else.
School starts tomorrow. It is an exciting time for many as they are going forward to pursue an education to get a job. To contribute to society in some way. To feel better about themselves. To be better people.

The problem is as school starts tomorrow, there will be many students that will not have a place to stay. At our orientation Friday, several hands went up when asked who needs a place.

I understand that there are many issues surrounding this topic. Here are a couple;

If you call a potential and say you are a student, there is hesitation. If you say you are working, there is more openness to rent.

The cost of coming up with in some provinces, not all, of coming up with one month’s rent plus one month’s damage deposit.

You say live in a Hotel? The Y on Beatty and Robson costs $900 a month. Which being a student, is above my own personal price range.

I find it odd that in a country where we say that we value education, that we would allow students to be homeless. An unsettled student is going to be an disorganized student. A disorganized student will be an unsuccessful student.

We are better off with successful people doing what they are good at.

So be aware and educate yourself on the issues in Syria. If you need too, have a good laugh at #peegate or whatever scandal that comes up today.

But, maybe we can be a bit more aware that there are some Post Secondary Students that will start school living on the streets.

Agree or Disagree: This restaurant owner was right yelling at a screaming child.

Perhaps you have been there.

Sitting silently in a restaurant. Enjoying the company of your friends. When, suddenly, a child is screaming. You are distracted for a moment. You mat even get frustrated. But, you are polite and understanding and stay silent.

Or, maybe you are the parent. You are having a much needed night out. Then, suddenly, your child is screaming.And screaming. And screaming. And screaming. You are embarrassed. You are getting “looks” from the other patrons.

Now, maybe you are the owner.of the restaurant. Like Daria Neugebauer from Marcy’s Diner Portland Maine. The kid is screaming for an hour. You see the patrons have had enough. You sense the frustration. Then, suddenly, you scream at the kid to SHUT UP.

Is she right? You can hear story above.

Do you Agree or Disagree with her? Would you yell at a screaming kid in public?

If you are a parent, how would you feel about this happening to you?

Agree or Disagree: Calgary Folk Festival should ban Pseudo Indigenous Headdresses.

Last Week, The Edmonton Folk Festival announced that they would ban Pseudo Indigenous Headdresses. This was met with much support from the community of Edmonton and around the province of Alberta.

For those who wonder why they would do this, here is a good read on the topic

Meanwhile, in the fine City of Calgary, we have a Folk Festival coming up this weekend. Which incidentally, tickets are down 10 to 15 percent and is NOT sold out. They have decided to not ban Pseudo Indigenous Headdresses.

This is an article from Metro News on why the Calgary Folk Festival should do this.

Do you Agree or Disagree that the Calgary Folk Festival should ban Pseudo Indigenous Headdresses?

Agree or Disagree: The Future of Work is changing in a good way.

I like to read different things and different topics. Lately, I have been reading some topics related to employment.  Resumes, interviews, networking etc. I stumbled upon this one. It’s an interesting read on The Future of Work and Digital Proficiency. Well, I thought it was interesting anyway.

While this article is specifically talking about how technology is changing, there seems to lots of changes when it comes to employment.  How you apply, your resume and the way positions are being interviewed have changed. The types of positions you can apply for have significantly changed as well.  While we still have Accountants, Engineers, Doctors. But now you can apply for things like Social Media Specialist, Beverage Dissemination Officer, and Digital Overlord.

How  you can do your job has changed as well. Partially because of technology, yes. But, there are other reasons. Many are moving from a “9-5” shift to a variety of different shifts.  You can also work in other places other than the office. You can work from home, a coffee shop, or while you travel. The way you sit at the office has changed. We are using words like ergonomics to sit in your chair and desk more comfortably. Heck, you don’t even have to sit at your desk. You can stand as well.

So, we have lots of changes. We want to be more efficient, and effective.  We are using words like “measurable” and “corporate culture”. We have projects to improve our projects.

But is it a good thing? Do you Agree or Disagree that the future of work is changing in a good way?