NASH 2010

Last weekend I was given the opportunity to travel with the editorial staff of The Fulcrum newspaper to Edmonton for a national journalist conference. Once a year, member student newspapers of CUP, the Canadian University Press, get together for a mass conference consisting of seminars, workshops, critiques, and of course, social events.

I came away from this conference completely inspired, and I'm positive that there are other students out there that feel the same way. The keynote speakers were Andrew Potter, Jan Wong, Adrienne Arsenault, and Jesse Thorn -all amazing journalists, and reporters who were able to capture the minds and hearts of everyone in the room. I even was able to meet up with Andrew Potter at the Lions Head Pub inside the hotel and talk shop. By the end of the night, I was still in awe that I had the nerve to walk up to him and say 'Hi, my name is...'.

What I loved most about this conference, besides the learning aspect, was the networking. Although I will never admit it, my dad was right. For the past five years he has been telling me to take advantage of the people I meet and to network the crowd. Of course, I hated the idea of walking up to someone I didn't know, but now, that fear seems silly. I was able to meet some great people from Saskatchewan, Edmonton, and Quebec, as well as professional journalists. These professionals were completely understanding of the student journalist life, and were comfortable giving us contact information and advice that we could use in the future. The camaraderie created between complete strangers was mind boggling and was strengthened only by our common love for journalism.

I had an absolute amazing time, and I highly suggest any student journalists out there to get involved with their papers and go to the NASH conference next year. It is an opportunity of a lifetime. I was able to meet a lot of smart and intriguing people, talk with some of the greatest journalists of the decade, and drink a few beers with my fellow Canadian journalists. What could be better?

The official newsleter of Canadian University Press 72nd national conference

The official newsleter of Canadian University Press 72nd national conference

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patriotism?

While watching the hockey game two nights ago, I realized how patriotic Canadians were when it came to hockey. Everyone was wearing red jerseys, scarfs, mittens, and stick-on maple leaf tattoos. Although this may not be news to the average hockey fan, the fact that these products have become increasingly popular over the past few months is not surprising. With the coming of the Olympic games in February, industries have decided to 'Canadian-ize' their products. With all of this extra production, it does bring up the point that the Olympics have become less about the actual sport and more about the profit it brings to the countries participating.

Of course, Canada is not the only culprit. I am positive that Beijing and Sydney produced their fair share of Olympic merchandise. In fact, countries around the world are probably creating more tourist buttons and t-shirts than ever before. Prices for hotels are marked up and everything with a maple leaf on it is suddenly considered patriotic. Excel gum has put a maple leaf on every piece - but what is that really doing? Is part of their profit going to support the athletes? Or is it just taking advantage of the Olympics in order to make a little extra cash?

On the other side, it is one of the few times that the country is able to rally together regardless of cultural distinctions or political messes, and be truly Canadian. The Olympics enable us to feel proud of our nation and the competitive nature of our athletes. Wearing a red scarf, for example, makes the average person feel as if they have contributed to the success of their team, and are ultimately supporting and cheering for them.

But how much is to much? Whether this form of patriotism is enough to compete with the overbearing economic productions is a personal opinion. For me, I would like to see just a little less emphasis on twenty dollar "Eh Oh Canada Go" t-shirts and more on the hard working athletes who are hopefully going to put Canada on the map this year.

The dawn of a new age

Simply said: the new year inspires people to make resolutions. Some may be unrealistic, such as cutting out all sugar from your diet (we all know that is impossible), or some may be a pointless way of avoiding added responsibility in life, like promising to give your parents a hug every week to show your affection (although it would be considered a lovely gesture).

The year 2010 represents something different to everyone, but to me, it represents new opportunities. The world has grown so much over the past few decades, becoming more interactive and technologically savvy. As part of my new year resolution, I have decided to become part of this world. Apart from my typical "I will be healthier" resolution, I am going to jump right into this technological age and create a blog.

This blog is going to be about my many experience and observations. As of 2010, I have been alive for two entire decades, and throughout this time I have done a little bit of everything. I have always prided myself in taking advantage of opportunities that are offered to me and it has landed me multiple jobs working with summer camps, customer services, the food industry, volunteer event coordinating, phone registrar, and more recently a fantastic job working as staff writer with the Fulcrum newspaper. Throughout all of this, I have noticed little things about humanity that would shock the average reader. In essence, this blog is going to be about the little things -the things that make us tick, the things that make us laugh or cry, the things that grab our interests. Peaked your interest? I hope so.

I look forward to keeping this blog throughout 2010. Who knows what opportunities it may create.