Category Archives: Thoughts

Consider, Life, Media

How many more?

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Watching another report about a memorial or ceremony for/about Amanda Todd, the teen ‘bullied to death’, raises the question of how many other teenagers will suicide as a result of the media coverage of all the accolades and fame Amanda Todd’s suicide garnered her?

Not that many months ago the media was focused on one community’s efforts to prevent a recent teen suicide triggering future teen suicides in the community; suicides as in more than one. The community’s concern arose from the knowledge that the suicide of one teenager will set in motion thoughts in surviving teens that lead to a cluster of teen suicides in the future.

The media’s report focused on this knowledge, and the evidence linking the suicide of one teen with future suicides among the surviving teens.

If a simple teen suicide serves to trigger future teen suicides, how many suicide deaths will the message, intentional or not, we are sending via media coverage of Amanda Todd’s suicide cause in the future? Deaths that will occur not only in Vancouver, but around the world as Amanda Todd’s death became a cause celebre for media worldwide.

Want worldwide fame? Want your name all over the local media for days, weeks, months? Want people to speak of what a wonderful person you were and what a tragedy your loss is? Want your father to get a tattoo to memorialize you? Want a memorial held at the Red Robinson Theatre in memory of you? Want to make a video and have it go viral on the internet? Want not only 15 minutes of fame, but for the 15 minutes to be extended?

No problem!

Simply, make a video, post it on line, off your self – and let the wailing and gnashing of teeth begin.

There exists ample knowledge about the psycho/socio/bio (psychological sociological biological) nature of the realities, interactions and thought processes of teenagers vis-à-vis suicide. We know that the behaviours of the media, society and individuals with respect to Amanda Todd’s suicide will inspire other teens around the world to seek fame and immortality through suicide.

Now this may not be a pleasant reality, but it is reality none the less, one of the profuse dark realities and unpleasant truths that people and societies work hard to ignore by refusing to see or burying their heads in the sand.

But: Reality does not care what you want to be fact, reality does not care what you believe to be fact, Reality simply is what IS.

The question is not whether teen suicides will result from media coverage of Amanda Todd’s suicide and the ongoing circus that resulted as people strove to get aboard the 15 minutes of fame parade float.

That there would be future suicides triggered was an unavoidable reality, the when and how many were dependent on whether behaviour in reaction the Amanda Todd’s suicide was deliberate and considered – or our usual thoughtless reactionary denial of reality knee-jerk rote response.

Unpalatable perhaps – but Reality none the less.

 

I Spied With My Little Eye..., Thoughts

Paper Nation

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Driving through historic downtown Abbotsford my attention was caught by the name of a new addition to the shops on Essendene Avenue, Paper Nation. I assumed that the name meant it was a scrapbooking store.

Begin challenging your own assumptions. Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in awhile, or the light won’t come in.  Alan Alda

If fate had not intervened my assumption would have had me seeing  a caterpillar and missing the butterfly.

I was on Essendene because I wanted to run into Strung Out on Beads. The only parking spot I could find was on Pauline Street which meant I had to walk past Paper Nation on my way to and from Strung Out on Beads.

Approaching the Paper Nation sandwich board on the sidewalk outside the store on my return journey to my car, I decided to pop in and take a look around.

I pushed open the door and stepped into……..Greeting Card Bliss.

The cards, Oh The Cards.

I have added Paper Nation to my Wellness Recovery Action Plan for those black days when I need a laugh, an injection of the light of humour into my mind and life.

As I sampled from one greeting card display spinner to another, the smile on my face kept growing. I am not sure what other browsers in the store thought as my card sampling brought forth laugh after laugh.

I can say that owner Bryan Heidinger was pleased by my laughter.

I have been accused of having a sense of humour that is somewhat askew. What can I say?I am a fan of Monty Python and George Carlin.

“Now that your Birthday is out of the way we can focus on what is really important…..My Birthday.” or “You shouldn’t dwell on how old you are. Be positive. Focus on the fact most people are dead at your age.”

While I enjoyed a sampling of the pointed wit cards, the cards on display and available are not limited to those with an acerbic edge.

There are cute cards, funny cards, sentimental cards, friend cards, beautiful cards, flashy cards…………. All manner of cards, including some I spotted by local artists.

There is an interesting array of scrapbooking supplies. And there are classes. And although I am not into scrapbooking myself, observation and conversation suggests that owner Bryan Heidinger is a valuable resource for those who are scrapbookers.

I was impressed enough by my visit to Paper Nation that as I was leaving I asked Bryan if it was alright if I wrote about my visit. He is waiting on business cards but gave me a fridge magnet.

**greeting cards – decorative papers – stationary – scrapbooking – card making – classes**

You can visit the website at papernation.ca or facebook at facebook.com/papernation………… but to really appreciate the store – a locally owned store – and its owner you need to drop in.

P.S. I had intended to be disciplined and merely browse, but the varied items and cards available caused me to Shop. I blame Mr Heidinger, who had stocked the store with a few items that forced me to Shop.

Consider, Hmmm

Mike the Inventor

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I met Mike within a few days of moving to Abbotsford two decades ago.

My first action upon taking up residence in Abbotsford was to get a Library card. After all, what could possibly be more important upon arrival in a new community than to secure one’s access to the local Library? As a bonus I got access to materials in all the Fraser Valley Regional Libraries.

My second action was to purchase a pool pass so I could swim lengths. I swim lengths pretty much on a daily basis; Mike is a lifeguard; it would have been hard not to have met.

Since Mike does on occasion stutter it was fortunate for me that I have a policy of being nice and polite to any individual who I may find myself depending on to save my life. The reason I say fortunate is that being polite and engaging in conversation with Mike allowed me to discover that the little patience that was required in listening to what Mike had to say was amply rewarded by the interesting things he had to say.

I haven’t had the chance to converse with Mike much in recent years as he guards mostly at the Matsqui wave pool and I had stopped using the Matsqui pool when Matsqui had become much less length swimmer friendly. Choosing to drive past Matsqui on my way to the length swimming accommodating and friendly confines of the pool at the Abbotsford Recreation Centre. So I was pleased when guard rotation brought him to the ARC pool for several months.

I cannot remember exactly how it was that we arrived at discussing the change in First Aid protocol that had tourniquet use out and packing the wound and pressure as the new standard. But that is where we arrived at.

Mike commented that he had a situation at MRC with a woman with a little child, a slip and the need to deal with a wound that had him wishing for a third hand to keep pressure on the wound will able to deal with the child and a possible head trauma for the woman.

So he had invented a device to keep pressure on a wound and free up both hands to deal with other injuries or problems. Better yet, when he had the opportunity he had gone on-line and shown me video of the device on youtube.

So today Mike enquired as to how I was and in reply I sang my appreciation of the Air-conditioner faerie who had dropped an air-conditioner at my place last year and how that was permitting me to sleep while the heat was interfering with the sleep of some people I knew.

Mike commented that he had invented a device to provide air-conditioning and that when he had the opportunity he would show it to me. And………that he had invented many devices because he loved to invent things. Which had me thinking “what a great throwaway line”; and “I know an inventor”; and wondering if there was anything he could invent to make life easier for the homeless.

Our conversation about Mike’s inventions and inventing reminded me that I wanted to ask his permission to write about the local inventor I had known for years as a lifeguard and only recently discovered his ability and passion to invent.

Mike was surprised (and pleased) with the request for permission to share the video of his wound device.

I asked “how could I not share the fact that Abbotsford has an Inventor and that he had invented a device for use in First Aid for wound care?”

If you want to see the video of the device just click on the link to Mike Fitzpatrick’s Hemorrhage Control Device.

Mike the Inventor. As Mr Spock would say, “Fascinating”.