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2006 In Review

December 31, 2006 23:16 +0000  |  Melanie Primus Riptown Rydium The Toronto Public Space Committee Toronto Why I'm Here 2

Note that some of these links lead to private posts.

2006 was a big year for the planet. Americans woke up and realised that their leader was insane (well enough of them to kill the Republican dominance in the House and Senate), Europe and China gained momentum on the world stage and the "War on Terrorism" did little more than make more terrorists.

Canada ousted one leading party and invited in a new one that promised to be much the same and our reputation as an environmental leader is now in the toilet. The air is dirtier, the water murkier and we're all trapped in this handbasket of our own weaving.

But contrary to what some might think upon first reading this blog, this site is not about the world, it's just about me and what I'm doing in it. ...and on my own front, a lot of good things happened this year.

On the personal front, some wonderful ladies made their way into my life. Most notably of course would be Melanie who I've been with for over 6months now. We've had our ups and downs, but I'm quite happy with her and I'm glad she's here for the New Year.

I also made a good many new friends through my activist work, not the least of which is Stephen, who I've come to hang out with outside of my responsibilities to the TPSC.

On the professional level, I hopped around a lot this year. February saw me start my career in network administration at Rydium. I loved working there, but couldn't stay for my own moral reasons so I moved onto Primus who treated me so poorly that I chose to leave after only 3months, where after a couple months of job hunting, I found Bodog, a place in which I'm currently quite content with my working arrangements.

I'm proud to say though that the biggest changes for me this year rest in the Why I'm Here section. I joined the Toronto Public Space Committee, a "within the lines of legality" political action group devoted to making this city a place for people not cars or corporations. It's been a great place to get into politics from the bottom up. I've come to learn how City Hall works, talked with councillors directly, given deputations (albeit badly) and most importantly come to understand what needs to be done, and where the power to make those changes rests.

I've worked on campaigns opposing the selling off of street furniture to companies like CBS, helped write the philosophy document for the group, wrote the code for the TPSC website that made headlines during the municipal election and now I'm heading up a very high-profile campaign to fight police cameras on the streets of the city. It's exciting work and its exactly why I came here.

So while we're all still trapped in this handbasket heading straight to hell, I suppose I can still be an optimist. I'm doing what I can to get us out of there, and I suppose that's all I can really hope for. I'm looking forward to 2007.

The Three Machines

June 29, 2006 18:16 +0000  |  Primus Rydium 2

It's taken me a few weeks to get into words the reasons around my leaving the company that has helped me grow over the last two and a half years, but I think I've finally managed to get it.

If you look at it all in the right light, there are really only three machines in the world: One that works to make the world better, another to make it worse, and a third that is essentially neutral. I'd always known that in working for an advertising company I was not a cog in the Good machine, probably not even the Neutral one -- but despite all that is wrong with advertising, I never felt that my company was playing an important role in the Bad machine... That is, I felt this way until I discovered we were running recruitment ad campaigns for the U.S. Navy.

At this point, my employer showed me and the rest of the world that it was willing to be a "greater cog" in the machine that is working in opposition to the forces that try to do Good in the world and that was something I couldn't be a part of. You can help recruit people to kill other people in an illegal war, but I won't help you do it. And so, I gave my resignation today.

I've accepted a job at a larger company which, to the best of my own research is playing an active role in either the Neutral or Good machines and better yet, they're offering me a great opportunity to learn a lot of interesting things. It's been a wonderful two and a half years here, but on a matter of principle, my choice was clear.