Tonight after writing some content for a client’s site, I turned on Netflix and found …And Justice for All, a 1979 film staring Al Pacino where he plays an upstart lawyer going up against a corrupt legal system. Could use one of those these days, eh?

Well, it opens with the Pledge of Allegiance and I realized it’s not something I’ve ever paid attention to before. After listening to it, and then reading it online, I’m starting to wonder who, of the people that might recite it, have read it! The current revision reads as follows:

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

A couple of things jump out at me when I read this – and I’m no legal scholar in any country, let alone a foreign one (one that’s becoming more foreign every day, I might suggest):

1. There’s no pledge to the current sitting Government – it’s to the country, itself. There’s no pledge to one’s party or specific individuals in that party – not even to the Corporations that fund them. How many people in office are willing and able to uphold this pledge?
2. The second thing that jumped out at me is the word “indivisible.” That’s all political people in the US seem to do – truth be damned! They divide the public, divide the government, divide the media (not hard since they come ready to debate ready-made spin).

If they can’t even get this fundamental piece down, a pledge that’s recited before Congressional sessions, why bother trying!?  They just say it how it is. “This Congressional session was brought to you by Drug Company A, Oil Company C and Processed Food Manufacturers A through E. Special mention to the FDA for their token appearance including it’s director, former CEO of Processed Food Manufacturer D.”

Stopping the charade would save us a whole bunch of time if people can’t get back to the principles they claim to be about.

PS – It might be worth noting for some that Wikipedia says that the author of the Pledge, Francis Bellamy, describes him as a socialist and says the following as of March 24, 2012:

“Bellamy designed it to be recited in 15 seconds. As a socialist, he had initially also considered using the words equality and fraternity but decided against it – knowing that the state superintendents of education on his committee were against equality for women and African Americans.^“

Tonight I did something I always aim to avoid and that’s to take a West Coast Express train or transit past 5:30PM from Vancouver to Maple Ridge. The WCE is great, but after 5:30, there’s a 6:20PM train along with 7PM and 8PM buses that just don’t line up with a bus that gets me home in good time (I live about 10 blocks too far east for regular connections, apparently, but there stands a chance for improvement this year…).

So tonight it was the 7PM bus from downtown and the Translink bus didn’t get me home. It dropped me off about three-quarters of the way home at Haney Place Mall. The guy in the seat in front of me, probably 19 or 20, was passed out when I got off the bus. I left the driver to sort things out as he was heading to the back already. Here’s the driver’s process as far as I can tell:

1. Stand approximately 1-foot from the passed out fellow and announce loudly that it’s the last stop. Repeat two times.
2. Call the mothership and request a loud speaker message on the bus.
3. Listen to the following loud speaker message: “Passenger on 701 Haney Place Bus 7376. This is the bus’s final stop. Please leave the bus.” That’s based on memory and may not be word for word, but you see the tone.
4. The passenger didn’t move so the driver left the bus and headed across the street. He headed towards the police station, but who knows where he went.

So a passenger who got off the bus with me chatted about the situation a bit and we got on the driver-abandoned, still-running bus and connected with the fellow who had passed out. Checking his pulse woke him up and I suggested he leave his empty beer bottle on the bus lest he be talked to about drinking in public. Once he was awake, he was good to go – no ambulance or drunk tank needed.

So the driver walks through the bus after we remarked that we took care of things for him and he kicks the bottle along, out the back of the bus and into the gutter where it breaks. He closes the back door and walks back to his seat. I called him out and he came to the front door of the bus. Our conversation went exactly as follows:

Me: “Hey, do you live here in Maple Ridge?”

Driver: “No..”

Me: “I do and I don’t accept you kicking that bottle out, breaking it on my street and leaving it there.”

Driver: “I didn’t think it would break…”

Me: “People collect cans and bottles from garbage cans all over the Lower Mainland – even leaving it unbroken in the gutter is unacceptable. If you don’t clean that, I will report you.”

Driver: “I didn’t know it would break…”

Me; “I don’t care.”

So he cleaned it up with some newspapers like he’d get 85 different diseases if he touched it with his hands. He tried to leave some shards, but we watched closely and he felt compelled to clean as much as he could.

I was so incredibly disappointed by his response across the board. From treating the guy on the bus like a danger (seriously, he was passed right out) to littering in a city because he just didn’t care – it was rotten. I know bus drivers get paid all right, but I assume there’s more to the job than driving the bus – if this guy executed his job description to the best of his ability, they’re surely overpaid.

I’m not a big fan of New Years Resolutions. Come to think of it, I’m also not a fan of annual budgets either, but that’s a post for the work site and possibly less interesting than this one!

The start of the new year often brings about the notion that we can immediately cleanse ourselves of the pains of the previous year. While that mentality doesn’t fail us all the time, when gyms prepare for a busy January and can actually know that there’ll be a major decrease in motivated gym-goers within 6-8 weeks and other similar health-oriented companies have similar market knowledge, there’s something to how we plan.

What is missing for the resolutions that don’t survive February is often some momentum. When moving forward with big commitments, we need to be ready with the right mindset – not everything can be stopped cold turkey or started, with the ability to finish, at the drop of a hat.

Building momentum includes changing or adapting habits, accommodating the environment around us and recognizing the constraints in our lives that might cause some barriers.

New Years resolutions seem to often miss building the foundation for some of those life changes people want to initiate. The key is really to be laying the framework for positive change in life every day so that ‘resolutions’ are goals or complements and not the misleading curealls many often expect them to be.

Back in October, I sent an email through Leadnow.ca regarding Bill C-10, the Conservatives’ new Crime Bill.

It was a canned letter, but I’ve got some serious concerns about the bill, itself, as well as the fast-pace process through which it’s moving through the system. Here’s the letter I received from my MP, Randy Kamp:

Dear Dave,

Thank you for copying me on your e-mail to Minister Nicholson.  I appreciate your taking the time to write.  I apologize for the delay in responding.  While you may receive a more complete reply from the Minister, I would like to make some comments.

Our Government believes in protecting Canadians and their communities to make our streets safer.  Bill C-10 brings together nine bills that focused on issues such as sexual exploitation of children, repeat offenders, human smuggling, organized drug traffickers, and terrorism; bills that had been brought before previous minority Parliaments and debated extensively.  Our Government made a promise during the election to pass this legislation within 100 sitting days.  We were elected on it, and we are keeping that promise.  At the same time, over the past six years, we have increased supports to victims and expanded youth diversion programs to assist in crime prevention.  Bill C-10 also includes the expansion of drug treatment courts, that have been running in Canada for almost ten years, to assist those who are in need of drug treatment, not jail time.  Bill C-10 is a balanced, made in Canada solution, dealing with specific issues to help make our streets safer.

Thanks again for writing.

Regards,

Randy

Randy Kamp, M.P.
Pitt Meadows — Maple Ridge — Mission

I just can’t believe it. As written in my reply, I cant trust the Conservatives’ commitment to drug treatment when they’re taking on Insite and letting humanitarian issues drag on like those at Attawapiskat and other places across the country where people don’t even have access to drinking water.

My response was:

Randy,

Thank you for your email.

After the Conservatives’ recent attack on Insite that was nothing but a commitment to an ideology rather than a meaningful solution to a serious problem, I have very little faith in the Government’s commitment to treating people with addiction problems. When I lived on the Downtown East Side until this past summer, I often reflected how much better off my neighbourhood was because of Insite.

When I reflect on Bill C-10, I feel much more comfortable subscribing to Senator Eggleton’s perspective than putting faith in yours.

Dave

Art Eggleton really nailed it, I think. What are people thinking?

Photo by thinkpanama

What job interview question really irks you?

For me, it’s one I’ve heard probably a hundred times between working in recruitment for nearly 8 years and interviewing with recruiters and prospective employers on my own. Though I haven’t been asked this recently, a number of people I’ve consulted with on résumé building and interviewing have:

“How much did you make in your last position?”

On the surface, this question seems somewhat logical, but it’s a terrible question to ask and even worse one to answer. Here’s why it’s a terrible one to ask:

1. It suggests you’re ready to offer slightly more to make the candidate feel good and take the job you’re offering, should you offer it.
2. It implies you’re putting the candidate into a box. Knowing how much they made before suggests the value his or her previous organization assigned to them, not the value that would be contributed to your organization.

Singer Sibel Thrasher at World Kindness Concert 2011 (photo by Ariane Colenbrander / @ariancdesign)

Earlier this week, I entered a contest run by my friend, Raul Pacheco (aka hummingbird604). The prize? A pair of VIP tickets to the 11th Annual World Kindness Concert in Vancouver on November 4th. The concert is the brainchild of Brock Tully, an individual known for his several bike trips around North America and, if he isn’t already known for his amazing moustache, he should be.

I hadn’t heard of the concert before Raul’s contest and didn’t know what to expect. It turned out to be 2.5 hours of some heartwarming music and incredible stories related to music, kindness and sharing from Vancouver and around the world. The music featured an ABBA Cover Band called ABRA Cadabra, whose members were key in producing this year’s event, and an array of singers from many different genres. The crown jewel of the evening was a song by Sharon, a young woman who became friends with Brock over the past year. She had been living on the street and has recently gotten herself sober and moved off the streets. Her song was incredible, very real – I had the chance to say hello after her set and her presence was remarkable.

The concert was great and I’m looking forward to attending next year. Moving into its second decade, the World Kindness Concert seems to have gained some new momentum – I wish Brock the best of luck and thank Raul for the opportunity to attend!

Social Media Week Vancouver is gaining a lot of momentum and I’m really excited to be on its advisory board as well as working closely with the organization that’s bringing it to town, Socialized! Inc. The goal here is to celebrate the best practices of social media right here in Vancouver, and for 3 hours on September 21st, we’ll be looking specifically at the context of Social Good.

What’s that mean? “Social Good” isn’t a particularly well-defined term, but suffice it to say there are millions of people who want to see people leading healthier, happier lives without necessarily handing over large amounts of cash for the opportunity to do so. There are crises around the world that need to be resolved and without advocates for the most vulnerable people the resolutions may not be pretty.

In Vancouver and across British Columbia, there are so many opportunities to do good and improve the lives of people that organizations are often stumbling over themselves to compete for limited funding or limited volunteer time. Many are using social media tools to differentiate themselves and achieve their organizations’ missions. This day is about people sharing how.

So if you have experience in this area, know someone who does, get them in touch with me at dave@socialized.me or comment below. We’ve got a great opportunity to build a fantastic program on the day, but it can only happen with your help!

Tonight’s my last night living on the downtown east side of Vancouver and I couldn’t be more excited. The alleyway behind my building between Hastings and Cordova at Carrall Street has been seeing more action lately.

The alleyway between Hastings and Cordova at Carrall. If you look around the thing hanging in the tree, you might spot the handcuffs that are stuck up there!

There have been way more drunks as well as fights between dealers and the street folks running drugs than there has been all year. There were two assaults Tuesday morning, alone.

I remember when I agreed to move into this place in November 2010. I couldn’t wait to sign a one-year lease and move into an awesome studio apartment. The property management rep told me it was quiet and partiers from the nearby clubs wouldn’t be heard at the back of the building. She said the people on the floor with me were the kind to introduce themselves and have parties with neighbours. Well, the partiers were rarely an issue and the dozen or so times my neighbours responded to greetings were pleasant enough, but I didn’t know the area well enough to know that there was a very busy crack trade behind the building.

During the day, you walk around and get stared down by dealers. It’s uncomfortable if you don’t look away first or initiate eye contact, but sometimes it’s fun. They don’t want any trouble beyond their work, but they need to be tough and not be interfered with. Tonight, though, was the first time a couple of them were yelling to one another across the alley when a resident yelled down to quiet them down. The response from the alley was an invitation to come downstairs and perform fellatio. It was the first time I’d heard threats of any kind come over the fence and I couldn’t be happier to be leaving.

This is the most depressing area I’ve spent any length of time. There are elements of hope and great things going on here, but I was looking for a place to live and positive community around me and that’s impossible to maintain when at any time the sad, sad drug trade can come floating in your window.

Note left at our building door

In early July there was an assault by three or four people on one man. It was painful to listen to and right when it started it had escalated past my threshold of whether to call 911 versus the emergency line (you need to have one if you live here and care enough to call at all). While I called, one of my neighbours screamed and ran out. The note to the right was left by the victim a few days later.

It’s a sad place to be 24/7 and it weighs on you if you aren’t directly involved. While it’s not a terrible place to visit, and likely not unsafe for the average person wandering around most of the time (though a friend saw a kidnapping on my block shortly before I moved (in so I found out well after)), it’s not a great place to be if you’ve got other options.

I don’t think I’ll visit the area for a while after I move. I’m jaded, pretty depressed with it all and really don’t feel that optimistic that this particular corner will change relatively soon. That might be a bit pessimistic, but have a chat with a police officer next time you’re in the area and see how they’re feeling. My conversations are nothing I can write about, but it’s not particularly uplifting.

So long, downtown east side. Thanks for opening my eyes, breaking my heart and giving me so much optimism for my next move.

This is my first mobile post. A shot of my favourite cafè at the moment in Gastown. It’s also my office, really.

Two hot air balloons collide over France. Photo by Johann Dréo.

Tia Singh asked a question of her network this afternoon: “What’s the best advice you ever received?”

I’ve had this blog planned for a day, so it was easy to answer.

Watch Where You’re Going.

It was yesterday when I reflected on this advice, and I’m sure everyone’s gotten it at one point, as a child on a bicycle was peddling for all he was worth right at me as I made up the whole of the oncoming traffic on my own bike. He mirrored my every move and it was only at the last minute that I was able to avoid him.

When my brother began driving a fire truck for the local fire department, the first thing they told him was that if he drives the truck over a curb, he needs to buy ice cream for everyone on board. He later found out that they also chant “ICE CREEEEEEAM!” as they go over said curb, but his teacher told him that if he kept staring at every curb hoping not to run it over, he’ll run it over. Why?

Same reason the little kid kept aiming for me on his bike – we go where we’re watching. We often focus on what we see, what we fear or what we should avoid rather than where we should be heading. If we get bogged down by all the don’ts, obstacles and dangers in our way, how are we supposed to avoid them if we’re naturally drawn to them?

Simple – watch where you’re going.