Colleen Anderson's Blog, page 42

How Zellers Sucks

Zellers is in the realm of K-Marts, Targets and Walmarts and other low-cost stores of cheap stuff. They carry some clothing, some shoes, some pharmacy, some every day living stuff, some food. They're okay but not high on my list of places to shop. If I need a pair of cheap socks or stockings or a few cans of cat food I'll stop in and buy them on my way home. But the biggest thing that deters me from Zellers is the service. I'll go to the comparable London Drugs over Zellers even though I've noticed their prices are not that cheap anymore.

Kevin Yarr/CBC

I have never yet found a Zellers that has a fast checkout. I don't know if this is the way the cashiers have to scan things (with a scangun as opposed to a scanning plate like grocery stores have) or the way the cash register seems to need five steps to get to a receipt, and heaven help you if the cashier's been told to get people to fill out a credit form. But I do know the combination of these things with the stupidest cashiers in existence makes the checkout a tedious  and frustrating experience that would never have me shop there even if the quality was great and the prices low. Swimming through quicksand would be faster.

Here are some examples of the idiocy I've encountered. If I bought 10 tins of Yummy Salmon cat food, the cashier cannot run one through the scanner and then hit the "X10″ buttons but must scan each one individually. Imagine if you have many multiple items. Sometimes they have trouble scanning an item because it's not reading. If you have a multiple item, they never think of scanning another of the same to see if it goes through but will punch the number in and usually incorrectly at least once.

I tend to bring my own bag, to save all those plastic trees, but if you tell the cashier you have your own bag, she will not bother to put the items in the bag but just leave them on the counter. WTF? Having your own bag dictates less service? Or perhaps their little brains cannot fathom that a bag comes in other than Zellers logos.

Yesterday, this was my latest experience. I was buying two items total but wanted to pay for them separately because one was for work. I tell the woman this. She says, which one? I say, both but I'm paying separately for them. But which one, she asks. And I say, it doesn't matter because I'm buying both. Choose one. And of course she cannot place these two items into my bag, slowing everything down because as I'm getting my money the items are still sitting out and then I must take more time to put them in the bag before having my hand free to take the cash, causing everything to slooooooow down. I give her exact change for one item: four quarters, a nickel and a penny. She gives me back a quarter and says, it's American. I say, you can take this. It's the same amount. Oh. Arrgghh! This exchange for buying two simple items took about five minutes. Of course there's a line-up.

None of the cashiers I've ever seen at Zellers can do a multiple scan, grab items quickly, bag immediately, figure out simple math, let alone complicated math, or use a full brain. Zellers must pay so badly that only rotting zombie brains turning to sludge in the gene pool will apply. Or there is some ephemeral honey that attracts dumb bees. I don't know but I tend to think people are more intelligent than maybe they are. But even if they're not, what ever happened to common sense? Maybe Zellers should sell it on the shelves.

Filed under: consumer affairs, people, shopping Tagged: bad cashiers, bad service, cash, shopping, slow cashiers, Zellers

Writing: Horror Library

Today, another wee chat about writing and reviews. Horror Library Vol. IV has had fewer reviews (and maybe I've post this already) than Evolve but there are still many who could review or post yet. Since both of these anthologies are on the long list for a Stoker award I figured I'd post some of the reviews here. My story has not been mentioned very much in the Horror Library volume either. Wah! So it goes for the little monkey.

http://www.paperbackhorror.com/2010/12/horror-library-volume-4-ed-by-rj.html

http://hellnotes.com/horror-library-volume-4-book-review did say:

Horror Library Vol. IV

Mental metamorphosis and mutation of the mundane are themes in "I Am Vision, I Am Death" by Erik Williams, and Colleen Anderson's "Exegesis of The Insecta Apocrypha." In the Williams story, dreams/visions blur with the seemingly substantive. Perception of identity is fragile and dicey. Persona pales when a mysterious hitchhiker catapults the central character into a twilight zone of recognition and acceptance. The final tale in the book belongs to Anderson: It is a doozy. Insects rule in this yarn. They are the protagonist's objects of focus and desire. Obsession is taken to horrific heights, as the author weaves and

buzzes; bites and burrows; getting firmly under the skin.

http://www.zone-sf.com/wordworks/horlibv4.html

http://shroudmagazinebookreviews.blogspot.com/2011/01/horror-library-vol-4.html

For Evolve there are so many reviews that the central site to find most of them is here: http://www.vampires-evolve.com/NEWS_Page.html There are also many interviews with Nancy Kilpatrick on the same site. It may not list every review but has a goodly number and a few I hadn't see before.Black Static's magazine says:

Evolve

This is a book however in which the good outnumber the indifferent by a considerable margin, with a satisfying amount of stories that put moral dilemmas at their centre. 'An Ember Amongst the Fallen' by Colleen Anderson is one of the highlights of the collection. The story is set in a world of vampires, where humans are cattle and their masters discuss if they are capable of intelligent thought and feeling, and the worst crime is for a vampire to have sex with one of the beasts. It's a clever reversal of traditional stereotypes, reminiscent in a way of Planet of the Apes, with a subtext about racism and the story brutal enough in places to horrify, both on the visceral level and intellectually.

Montreals Rover Arts http://roverarts.com/2010/05/stretching-the-vampiric-envelope/said:

In "An Ember Amongst The Fallen," Colleen Anderson gives the reader an all-too-visual/tactile glimpse at a world where humans are used as cattle for food and blood – and the results when the metaphoric apartheid barriers are crossed.

And one more sample from A Novel Approach where he said:

An Ember Amongst the Fallen by Colleen Anderson was another troubling, yet clever story. In this version of reality, humans are relegated to the status of cattle and are harvested as such. It is ever so slightly reminiscent of Planet of the Apes in the role reversal it applies to humans as animals. If you are squeamish, you will find this story very disturbing. It was sometimes difficult to read but played interestingly to how we view our food.

So if you want to vote for Evolve or Horror Library IV or even me in the case of the Auroras http://www.prix-aurora-awards.ca/wordpress/, then I suggest reading these very good volumes (and not just because I'm in them. Writers and other artists do want to be known for their art. We monkeys of all sizes do have some vanity. All humans do.

And if you want to give input on the new cover of Evolve II then you can go to this site and vote. http://vampchix.blogspot.com/2011/02/which-appeals-more.html The two covers are called Banshee for the more blue colored one and Embrace for the darker cover. I'm not in the second volume because I didn't submit anything. Just ran out of time with other projects.

Filed under: art, culture, entertainment, fantasy, horror, people, publishing, science fiction, Writing Tagged: Aurora Awards, awards, Black Quill Awards, book reviews, Colleen Anderson, Evolve, Evolve Two cover, fantasy, Horror Library Vol. IV, Nancy Kilpatrick, reviews, science, science fiction, SF, Stoker Awards, vampires, Writing

Writing: And the Little Monkey

Creative Commons

News has just come out about the winners of Dark Scribe Magazine's Black Quill award. Horror Library Vol. IV, which features my story "Exegesis of the Insecta Apocrypha" recieved the Reader's Choice award for anthology. ChiZine Publications scored, with author Gemma Files getting the Reader's and Editor's choice awards for her A Book of Tongues in the best small press chills. http://www.darkscribemagazine.com/winners-of-the-4th-annual-blac/

As well the long list for the Stoker Awards, the internationally recognized award for dark fiction, has also just come out. ChiZine Publications showed up through nominees in two areas: Gemma Files again for First Novel, Nicholas Kaufman for "Chasing the Dragon" in long fiction. Congratulations to both of them. That's not bad for a press that's only been bopping two years. The dark fiction anthologies I was in last year, Evolve and Horror Library Vol. IV, have made the long list. My stories  have made no such lists but then I'm still a little monkey. What this means is that in the club of dark fiction I'm not that well known. One can say, well come on, it's the merit of the work but that's not completely the truth. Evolve is Canadian and though it got some distribution to the US that was new. Though I've been in other dark fiction mags before like Shroud I'm not prolifically published. This is evidenced by the fact that I was invited by the Horror Writer's Association (HWA) to be an affiliate member (not full fledged by pay rates) because of the Horror Library though in fact Evolve was out earlier and that story received many many reviews in comparison.

I've never paid much attention overall to the awards but I was told by one HWA member that other members who can nominate for a Stoker will make deals: you vote for mine and I'll vote for yours. So it's a surprise that I even got any nominations (which I was told I had) but not enough for the long list. Little monkeys must peel enough bananas and swing through the right number of trees before they're noticed in the jungle.

I've been writing for years. I'm not unknown but I'm still just one monkey in a very big jungle. Chizine is a monkey that's grown bigger with enough clout to be noticed, and head editors Brett and Sandra being editor guests of honor at this year's World Horror Convention. Some day I might be that monkey and it's enough that I was thrown a few bananas with the reviews I received last year. They're almost better than receiving an award. Here's to all those monkeys who made it to the list. Good luck to them.

Superior Achievement in a NOVEL

VIPERS by Lawrence C. Connolly (Fantasist Enterprises)

SIREN by John Everson (Leisure)

HORNS by Joe Hill (William Morrow)

IT CAME FROM DEL RIO by Stephen Graham Jones (Trapdoor Books)

SPARROW ROCK by Nate Kenyon (Leisure Books)

DESPERATE SOULS by Gregory Lamberson (Medallion Press)

THE FRENZY WAY by Gregory Lamberson (Medallion Press)

ROT AND RUIN by Jonathan Maberry (Simon & Schuster)

APOCALYPSE OF THE DEAD by Joe McKinney (Pinnacle)

EMPIRE OF SALT by Weston Ochse (Abaddon)

DWELLER by Jeff Strand (Leisure/Dark Regions Press)

A DARK MATTER by Peter Straub (DoubleDay)

Superior Achievement in a FIRST NOVEL

MR. SHIVERS by Robert Jackson Bennett (Orbit)

FREEK CAMP by Steve Burt (Steve Burt Creations)

THE MAN OF MYSTERY HILL by Tracy L. Carbone (Echelon Quake)

BLACK AND ORANGE by Benjamin Kane Ethridge (Bad Moon Books)

CARNIVAL OF FEAR by J.G. Faherty (Graveside Tales)

A BOOK OF TONGUES by Gemma Files (Chizine Publications)

AT THE END OF CHURCH STREET by Gregory Hall (Belfire Press)

MADIGAN MINE by Kirstyn McDermott (Picador Australia)

CASTLE OF LOS ANGELES by Lisa Morton (Gray Friar Press)

SPELLBENT by Lucy Snyder (Del Rey)

Superior Achievement in LONG FICTION

THE DOCTOR, THE KID, AND THE GHOSTS IN THE LAKE by Mort Castle (F Magazine)

REQUIEM FOR THE BURNING GOD by Shane Jiraiya Cummings (Cthulhu's Dark Cults)

THE PAINTED DARKNESS by Brian James Freeman (Cemetery Dance)

CHASING THE DRAGON by Nicholas Kaufmann (Chizine)

DREAMS IN BLACK AND WHITE by John R. Little (Morning Star)

DISSOLUTION by Lisa Mannetti (Deathwatch)

BLEMISH by Joe McKinney (Dark Recesses #1)

THE SAMHANACH by Lisa Morton (Bad Moon Books)

JADE by Gene O'Neill (Bad Moon Books)

INVISIBLE FENCES by Norman Prentiss (Cemetery Dance)

Superior Achievement in SHORT FICTION

THE BEHELD by Paul Bens (Dark Discoveries #160)

RETURN TO MARIABRONN by Gary Braunbeck (Haunted Legends)

SURPRISE! by G.O. Clark (Dark Valentine 2)

SEMINAR Z by J. Comeau (Dead Set: A Zombie Anthology)

THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS by Brock Cooper (The New Bedlam Project)

THE FOLDING MAN by Joe R. Lansdale (Haunted Legends)

1925: A FALL RIVER HALLOWEEN by Lisa Mannetti (Shroud Magazine #10)

SURVIVORS by Joe McKinney (Dead Set: A Zombie Anthology)

BIG ROCK CANDY MOUNTAIN by Weston Ochse (Dark Discoveries #16)

ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE by David Sakmyster (Horror World)

TROOT by Margaret B. Simon (Null Immortalis)

THE DAYS OF FLAMING MOTORCYCLES by Catherynne Valente (Dark Faith)

FINAL DRAFT by Mark W. Worthen (Horror Library IV)

Superior Achievement in an ANTHOLOGY

DARK FAITH edited by Maurice Broaddus and Jerry Gordon (Apex Publications)

HORROR LIBRARY IV edited by R.J. Cavender and, Boyd E. Harris (Cutting Block Press)

CTHULHU'S DARK CULTS edited by David Conyers (Chaosium)

HAUNTED LEGENDS edited by Ellen Datlow and Nick Mamatas (Tor)

THE NEW DEAD edited by Christopher Golden (St. Martin's Griffin)

BLACK WINGS edited S.T. Joshi (PS Publishing)

EVOLVE: VAMPIRE STORIES OF THE NEW UNDEAD edited by Nancy Kilpatrick (Edge Science Fiction & Fantasy Publishing)

NULL IMMORTALIS edited by D.F. Lewis (Megazanthus Press)

DEAD SET: A ZOMBIE ANTHOLOGY edited by Michelle McCrary and Joe McKinney (23 House Publishing)

SCENES FROM THE SECOND STOREY by Amanda Pillar and Pete Kempshall (Morrigan Books)

Superior Achievement in a COLLECTION

OCCULTATION by Laird Barron (Night Shade Books)

BLOOD AND GRISTLE by Michael Louis Calvillo (Bad Moon Books)

THIS WAY TO EGRESS by Lawrence C. Connolly (Ash-Tree Press)

WHAT WILL COME AFTER by Scott Edelman (PS Publishing)

FULL DARK, NO STARS by Stephen King (Simon and Schuster)

LITTLE THINGS by John R. Little (Bad Moon Books)

A HELL OF A JOB by Michael McCarty (Damnation Books)

A HOST OF SHADOWS by Harry Shannon (Dark Regions Press)

FUNGUS OF THE HEART by Jeremy Shipp (Raw Dog (Screaming Press)

HELLFIRE AND DAMNATION by Connie Corcoran Wilson (Sam's Dot)

Superior Achievement in NONFICTION

WEIRD ENCOUNTERS by Joanne M. Austin (Sterling Publishing)

TO EACH THEIR DARKNESS by Gary A. Braunbeck (Apex Publications)

SHADOWS OVER FLORIDA by David Goudsward and Scott T. Goudsward (Bear Manor Media)

THE CONSPIRACY AGAINST THE HUMAN RACE by Thomas Ligotti (Hippocampus Press)

WANTED UNDEAD OR ALIVE by Jonathan Maberry and Janice Gable Bashman (Citadel)

MASTERS OF IMAGINATION by Michael McCarty (Bear Manor Media)

LISTEN TO THE ECHOES: THE RAY BRADBURY INTERVIEWS by Sam Weller (Melville House Publications)

Superior Achievement in a POETRY Collection

DARK MATTERS by Bruce Boston (Bad Moon Books)

LOVE CRAFT by Bryan Dietrich (Finishing Line Press)

CHEMICKAL REACTIONS by Karen L. Newman (Naked Snake Press)

WOOD LIFE by Rich Ristow (Snuff Books)

WILD HUNT OF THE STARS by Ann K. Schwader (Sam's Dot)

DIARY OF A GENTLEMAN DIABOLIST by Robin Spriggs (Anomalous Books)

SAVAGE MENACE AND OTHER POEMS OF HORROR by Richard L. Tierney (P'rea Press)

VICIOUS ROMANTIC by Wrath James White (Bandersnatch Books)

Filed under: culture

Writing: The Green-Eyed Monster

Creative Commons--http://www.flickr.com/photos/frankhg/...

In writing, as I'm sure in other professions as well as life, the green-eyed monster can raise its hoary head. This is not one created (usually) for a story but the one that manifests at the successes of an individual. Yes, the green-eyed monster Jealousy, with its diminutive cousin Envy.

There is professional jealousy when one writer thinks another writer is unworthy of having a piece published or winning an award. Sometimes this is justified and if truly judged by informed peers, it would not win. Some awards are indeed popularity awards. One type of award is that you're popular because you have fans or readers. The second is that you just need to get enough votes and anyone, including friends, colleagues and family, can vote you in because they know you, not on the merit of your work. This happens all the time

But in the realm of jealousy, a writer feels that: how could that person win/succeed when I'm so much better? My work deserves recognition. Why isn't it being recognized?  Etc. This came up in a writers group today, where a friend of one of the writers and likewise a writer continues to cut down the more successful person, praising one moment, being scathing the next. Often jealousy is a sign of a person's own insecurities and I'm sure many of us in writing have felt that we're doing all that we can, we think we're good, what's wrong, why aren't people buying my stuff. I know I think it at times but I wouldn't say I'm jealous of someone else for succeeding. To me the sum of the parts strengthen the whole. I wonder how writer couples ever manage to make it work, though, if they aren't both successful. In fact, I know that such a state has been damaging enough to the ego to have broken up a few couples.

Jealousy of course happens in all walks of life and did happen to me, but not so much in writing. A very important aspect of SFC (SF Canada; the professional speculative writers' organization) is that we are supportive. Members can get advice, information, be silly, commiserate and congratulate. I'm sure some may be jealous but thankfully they never post such to our e-list.

I actually believe very seriously in supporting whenever I can the arts  and friends who are artists in any medium. This might be as small as saying congratulations and as big as cheering in the front row or buying someone's work. If I had buckets of cash I would support the arts more. Without art in all its myriad forms the world would be a very drab place indeed.

Why do I feel I must support artists? For many reasons but I KNOW as an artist how difficult it is to create and create well. And then on top off that, to take that creation and make it into something to be viewed, read, watched, heard or otherwise appreciated. It takes a lot to complete something, putting blood, sweat and tears into it and then no one knows about it at all. And then to get any monetary acknowledgment for that accomplishment is very difficult, especially enough to live on. Being an artist is not simple and certainly isn't the easy road, no matter what Prime Minister Stephen Harper thinks about artists attending high-end galas (that they probably paid to get to or put in a lot of work beforehand).

On our list I try to congratulate everyone who has an accomplishment/sale. It's good to give and show support and really doesn't hurt at all. Sometimes people even reciprocate. We might not all be Picassos and Hemingways. We may never make a living at our art and we might not even be that good at it. But we are all, indeed, worthy of recognition. Whether the accomplishment is small or grand, it's enough to be cheered on. Jealousy has never, anywhere or any walk, served anyone well. It's as destructive as hate. Next time you feel the green-eyed monster riding your back, try to be generous with a complement. I bet you'll get farther and feel better.

Filed under: art, culture, people, publishing, relationships, Writing Tagged: art, artists, emotions, envy, hate, jealous writers, jealousy, supporting the arts, Writing

Bizarre Entertainment: Peeing for Pleasure?

Seriously, we cannot make up stuff as strange as what is already being done. I thought it was crazed enough that there are people out there bleaching their anuses (unless you're a porn star, who cares?) but it seems a new craze(?) is urination games. This is not to be mixed up with kinky sex, for which I will not go into here. This is in fact a small field in which companies are designing games for urinals to keep men entertained while…peeing? Do we really need games in the bathroom too? There are probably many people (especially women) who text while on the can but I guess this is keeping men's minds from wandering during their bathroom visits.

When mentioning this bizarreness last night to some friends one person said he'd had a friend in Japan who went into the men's washroom (note: we Canadians say washroom though some of you might use water closet or bathroom) and there was a clown head with a gaping mouth in which to pee. As the guy started peeing the lights came on and started flashing. Already creeped out, this guy was even more disturbed when the head started to move left and right.

Fun house craziness? I suppose but it wasn't at the circus. Sega, that video game designer has made some inroads into what is called"interactive urinals."

Creative Commons: ifitshipitshere.blogspot.com

They aren't the only ones and shaping urinals into interesting designs has been going on awhile. While some are tacky like the giant mouths and others etheric like flower shaped urinals, China opened a giant bathroom facility (1,000 stalls) in Chongqing where some of the designs feature the Virgin Mary. Yes, China's human rights record isnt' very good but this seems a fairly blatant statement toward pissing on religion.

While it's nice to have good  art and overall architectural beauty, it's another thing to go into the bizarro world of games for which you piss to win or achieve some result. One designer, Marcel Neundorfe, said that it changed urination from "more than just a necessary nuisance…." into something fun. Wow, has our world become so freaked out about alone time that we can't even pee in peace and relative quiet. These games are aimed more at men but supposedly they have considered women who can use a cone to direct the urine stream.

Creative Commons: Sega Wee vs the Wii?

What do these games do? Well one has a person peeing all over virtual graffiti until its wiped away, while another compares strength of the stream and accuracy to the person who was there before, giving points. Mannekin Pls. awards you points on hard and how much you can urinate. (See image on the left http://gadgetynews.com/sega-wee-to-take-on-nintendo-wii-in-the-smallest-room/) I can see it now.

Scene: Local bar, guys watching hockey game, chatting and drinking beer.

TOM: Oh! Damn. The Canucks should have had that.

MIKHAIL: They were doing good until they lost Luongo. (notices women looking at them from the next table and smiles) Hey, where's Fritz?

TOM: (eyes still on screen) What? In the can I think.

MIKHAIL: Again? That's the third time tonight. Game's almost over. Maybe we should chat up those gals at the next table. (Tom tears his gaze from the screen. Fritz staggers in and falls into his chair. He guzzles back another beer and drunkenly waves to the waitress.)

TOM: Hey, man, maybe you should slow down. We were going to see if we could score with the chicks after the game. (nods towards the women)

FRITZ: Duuuude, you kidding. (burps loudly and grabs the next glass) I'm on a roll. About to win, jes need a bit more power. Urp!

MIKHAIL: For what?

FRITZ: The urinal game. I'm so stoked.

TOM: You're so drunk. What do you win?

FRITZ: (eyes whirling) A good piss. (passes out on the floor. Tom goes back to watching the game. Mikhail shrugs and walks over to the women.)

Sigh, I'm just not so sure these games are the best idea even if urinating is a nuisance. A nuisance? It's part of life, like eating, sleeping, washing, having sex. Oh wait, there are sex toys so why not uh…urination toys? Another game lets the urinator be the wind and try to blow up a woman's skirt by the strength of the stream. Riiight. Next thing we know there will be a Pavlovian response and guys will pee every time they see a woman in a skirt.

But maybe it's a good thing, having men aim for something while peeing. After all, with regular toilets, I've always asked how do men get women pregnant if they can't accurately hit the larger porcelain hole? A woman using a men's or unisex bathroom can find it a frightening experience. Of course the answer there is guidance systems. I'd love to say this wacky trend won't catch on but humanity has done some pretty cuckoo stuff so I'm not so sure. Still, I imagine peeing into a chortling clown's mouth is enough to give a few people nightmares.

Filed under: culture, entertainment, humor, technology Tagged: games, interactive urinal, pee, peeing, pissing, Sega games, urinals

Big Brother Watches You Sweat

Creative Commons by Unfocussed Mike

Last year, the local community gym, Britannia Centre in Vancouver, decided to go big brother on our sweaty asses. Suddenly, there were cameras cameras everywhere with these cute little signs saying something similar to "This area is monitored for your safety." Maybe it was part of the whole Olympic movement, a way for Big Brother to surreptitiously move in and monitor everything and never leave or maybe the gym was experience some great surge of violence or thievery.

However, as happens when one works out sometimes body parts need adjusting. Guys need to shift genitalia, women need to shift breasts in bras. One can turn away or go into the cooldown room and quickly make an adjustment without anyone seeing. Not so now. It's recorded on cameras. But perhaps I was just being paranoid as I sweated away so I wrote the name located on those cute little signs.

Dear ,

I have several questions about the spyeye cameras at the Britannia gym.

Was there an incident or incidents that caused the need for cameras? If so, what was it? Should I be on the lookout for suspicious and dangerous characters?
If someone were to attack me in the mat room, or elsewhere, would these cameras save me, as in, is someone actively watching them and will run to my aid, or will they just have evidence when they pick up my pieces?
Who is authorized to watch these videos from the camera?
Are they watched as they run or reviewed at a later time?
How often are they reviewed?
Where are they stored and how?
How long are the videos kept?
Are they a deterrent for public mischief or for personal harm?

I have never had or seen any altercations in the gym in all my years there. How should I feel more protected now?

Thank you,

Colleen Anderson

Having once worked for a hi-tech company I knew what some of the answers should be so I was curious to see if this person was a buffer to what was already set in stone or if they were willing to hear other sides. Here is the first response (I've only corrected the typos):

Hi Colleen,

Thanks for taking the time to communicate with me regarding your perspective on video cameras.  We have had cameras in the fitness centre since the late 1990′s.  Recently we upgraded the system.  The research is inconclusive as to the efficacy of cameras as a deterrent, that said we do need balance the needs of our community.

Staff requested the video cameras because of a number of instances where they felt unsafe with patrons who were aggressive and potentially dangerous, they were also dealing with increased number of complaints of theft inside and outside the fitness centre – bikes.  We have excellent staff who work hard to de-escalate conflict situations, this is just one tool that works alongside other strategies to assist in their work to create a comfortable space for all.  We have an obligation to support staff to the best of our abilities, this includes training, adequate staffing levels and communication tools.

They are just cameras and will not 'save' you.  The deterrent is in the collection of evidence for prosecution in the event of a crime – property or personal.  They are not used for surveillance, no one monitors or reviews recordings, images are relayed in real time to a monitor at the pool counter, but their role is not to monitor.

Footage is recorded and kept for 30 days unless there is a Britannia incident report or a police criminal report, in that case the Executive Director, who is the only person authorized to access the recordings, may request that recordings over a particular period be saved.  These recordings must be appropriate labeled, viewing logs set up and they may be saved for up to one year.  Only the Executive Director has the authority to release or view the recordings under specific conditions such as a written request from authorized law enforcement.  The recordings are labeled and stored in an area that is secured.

We follow the guidelines provided by the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of BC.

It is great to know that you have never experienced any altercations in the gym, we most certainly hope to keep it that way.  If you have any other question please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

I should point out that the gym has a large space with all the weights and other machines. Off of that is a small room, that has mats and is for stretching/cool down. There is no way to exit that room without going through the gym. Yet they decided to put a camera in this room. Stealing a mat or a dumbbell would mean carrying those rather large and bulky objects through the rest of the gym. However, next to the mat room is a balcony on which people can work out or walk outside for a breath of air. It's not large but there are no cameras on it, only pointing inside. It's much easier to take a mat or a medicine ball and toss it over the ledge to someone below. So I responded:

Dear ,

I do understand the need of some cameras at the gym, outside the building and perhaps at prime entries, but I think there is an overkill going on.

There is a camera in the cooldown room. There is no way in or out of this except through a door that enters into the gym proper. Anyone stealing anything would have to tuck it (mostly mats and medicine balls and weights) under their clothes to get it out through the gym. There isn't even room in there for people to bring a pack. If in fact something went missing and the staff said, someone stole a weight, would these videos even be looked at for something like that? If I'm being mugged in that room I'm sure someone would hear it in the gym.

So if they won't "save" me and their efficacy as a deterrent is nebulous, why are they in there? A camera at the gym doors, and maybe where people put their packs makes sense but I feel there is absolutely no good reason to have them in every corner or in the cooldown room. You also say they are not used for surveillance yet images are relayed to the counter which means in fact that people can monitor them or watch.

So anyone working there or standing at the counter can see what's going on, at least in part. This is not a secure monitoring.

I still cannot see how this measure protects staff, clients or deters thefts and vandalism. Why not have one in the locker rooms then too to make sure people don't break into lockers? I would support some cameras but not the one in the cooldown room and perhaps there are others but I use the gym and not the pool areas.

Thank you,

Hi Colleen,

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts on cameras in the fitness centre, the fitness centre has a number of blind spots which is why so many cameras, as you so eloquently stated – overkill, are required. Staff, in reference to security, requested that cameras, which have been in operation in the facility since the 1990′s be upgraded and increased as they often are working alone in the space. The fitness centre facility was originally built in 1976 and was actually a quarter of the existing space, over the years we have eliminated the pool lounge and spectator areas to make way for more fitness gear, consequently the space is extremely cut up. In order to maintain a consistent presence we required a number of cameras. You are completely correct in saying that the efficacy of cameras have not been proven OR disproven, however as an employer it is incumbent on us to address staff safety concerns. It is in poor form for Management to insinuate that we know better than the individuals involved and determine what makes them safe or feel safer.

We conducted a survey with staff and provided opportunities for patrons to comment on the use of cameras – you are the third person responding.

That said we depend on a number of tools to ensure good customer and staff experience in our facilities, this includes better conflict management training, site signage and lighting. If you are being mugged in the fitness centre – we have already failed our responsibility. The key for us is to prevent/deter any conflicts and create a positive environment.

You have not been specific about what you would like as an outcome.  I hope my comments have been helpful, if you have other concerns please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

I guess I wasn't specific when I said it was overkill. Of course I need to send another letter pointing out that the cameras rarely deter the thieves because they probably know the images are rarely perused. The camera certainly didn't make me feel better when I walked into the mat room one day to find this weirdo in his tighty whities laying on a map and humping it from what I could tell. By the time I could even find an attendant the pervert had wandered off. Had he been a different style of pervert and fondled me the cameras would have done nothing in stopping that. As I'd pointed out in my first letter, the cameras wouldn't save me, they didn't deter a pervert and should there have been pieces of me then the cameras would be surveyed. This person never addressed my comments about the non-secure monitor at the front desk after she told me that only the director could view them. So let's see:

no proof that it deters thieves
will not keep people safe, will not endanger them
no one can view but the executive director
everyone at the counter can view the cameras in present time
cameras are in spots where they do no good
cameras aren't in spots where things could actually be stolen
Nebulous…the staff would be safer
didn't stop a pervert
management doesn't know what would make staff feel safer (her words)

In the end it seems a knee-jerk reaction in this world of everything under surveillance, and as she said I was only the third person to comment it tells me we're complacent to the infringement of our rights. When the tanks start rolling down the streets I imagine it will be much the same. Big Brother took a little longer to get here than 1984 but be assured he's here.

Filed under: crime, culture, life, people, sports Tagged: Big Brother, cameras, crime, deterrents, knee-jerk reactions, muggers, spy eye, thieves

Writing: How to Make a Canadian a Star

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Okay, this might really be a small star but in Canada there are a few awards that recognize speculative writing. There is the juried Sunburst Award http://www.sunburstaward.org/, the Endeavour Award http://www.osfci.org/endeavour/index.php, which recognizes a book from the Pacific Northwest, either US or Canada (which is also juried), and the Prix Aurora Awards http://www.prix-aurora-awards.ca/wordpress/, which is voted on by readers and fans. The Auroras recognize professional and fan achievement and anyone who is a Canadian can nominate anyone who is a Canadian (even if living abroad) or a landed immigrant for the awards.

A book or magazine published in the US or any other country cannot be nominated for an Aurora but a Canadian who has a piece in it or has written the book can be. Canadian publishers can be nominated. And you, if you're Canadian can nominate anyone who is eligible. There  is a list thought it may not be a complete list of eligible works by Canadians listed here: http://canadiansf.com/node/122.

I have four works that are eligible in two categories this year and the Aurora nominations are open until April 30th. Anyone can recommend a piece and the more recommendations, then the better the chance of ending up on the final ballot. To vote on the final ballot you do have to pay a nominal fee I believe and all the info can be found at the Aurora site.

My eligible works are:

Short Stories:

"An Ember Amongst the Fallen," Evolve: Vampire Stories of the New Undead, Edited by Nancy Kilpatrick, EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing, March 2010.
"A Taste For Treasure," Alison's Wonderland, Edited by Alison Tyler, Harlequin Spice, July 2010.
"Exegesis of the Insecta Apocrypha," Horror Library Vol. 4, Edited by R.J. Cavender, Cutting Block Press, October 2010.

So far, I know that "An Ember" has received very good reviews and was called a "visionary masterpiece" by the Barnes & Noble reviewer, and  "Exegesis" has received several recommendations for a Stoker. It may not go farther than that but that's a good start. The Horror Library anthology has also been nominated for a Black Quill award.

Poem:

"Of the Corn: Kore's Innocence"  Witches & Pagans #21 , Edited by Anne Newkirk-Niven, BBI Media, Summer 2010.

The Evolve anthology would also be eligible under Best Related Work, or Best Novel. The categories are somewhat unclear still. But presumably the Aurora committee will sort that out. Of course anyone can nominate any of the works. I'll be sending in recommendations in the next month, once I've had a chance to read some of the pieces. Below is the information from the Aurora site and the site can be accessed by the URL listed above.

THE CANADIAN SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY ASSOCIATION IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE:

The 2011 Prix Aurora Award Nominations will open Jan. 8th, 2011

Final nominations must be received no later than Midnight PST on Sunday, April 30th, 2011

[The French-language Auroras have been combined with the Prix Boréal with the new name - Prix Aurora Boréal and will be administered on behalf of CSFFA by SFSF Boréal through the Congres Boréal]

THREE STEPS TO NOMINATE :

Register for membership [One-time, free, CSFFA registration on the Aurora site will enable nomination and voting for the Auroras for this and future years.]
Verify your registration
Use your new membership id# to Nominate

You may nominate via our easy to use online system or by manually filling in our downloadable nomination form and mailing it in to us.

Filed under: art, culture, entertainment, fantasy, horror, news, people, poetry, publishing, science fiction, Writing Tagged: An Ember Amongst the Fallen, Canadian writing awards, eligible stories, Endeavour Award, Exegesis of the Insecta Apocrypha, fantasy, Prix Aurora Awards, SF, speculative fiction, Sunburst Award, Writing

Crazy or Batsh*t Crazy

There has been a fair amount of media attention about the mentally ill of late. CBC's Current (in Canada) was actually highlighting depression two week's ago with Steven Page hosting, formerly of Barenaked Ladies. And then the guy in Arizona shot and killed people and when arrested it's reported that he'd been suffering from mental health problems.

Creative Commons http://7akifadi.com/page/4/

Canada and the US are both suffering from the same disease and that is cutbacks in the field of health. What happens then is that the mentally ill are released from hospitals or other health institutions and end up living on the streets or in jail, becoming drug addicts, injuring themselves or injuring others. It's important to stress that the number of mentally ill people who injure others is a very small number indeed. And mentally ill does not include personality types like sociopaths. By saving money in the health field governments actually put up costs of such things as administering the fight against crime, prisons becoming overfull, latent mental health costs, other crimes and injuries that fill up the system. I'm sure a cost analysis would show that this is not an economical way to deal with the severely mentally ill.

But in that gray area of gray matter, there are those who are not the dangerous. They can fit into society and are not devoid of regular sociability or being able to function in the day-to-day. These people fall into the other categories of the depressed and the phobic. Severe phobias limit people's ability to do different things, and severe depression can lead to a decrease in being social, integrating with others, working as well as leading to death.

It's a sad state and many people do not understand even the basics of depression. Steven Page talked about his own battle with it and it affects many many people. There is still that social stigma that should you mention you've been depressed or heaven forbid have a permanent condition schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, etc. that you're then branded as crazy. We've all used the term to describe people who might be clinically crazy or just too weird for normal society. We sometimes shy from them, are afraid of them and rarely do we understand.

I speak from experience, and will speak again and again about this because the only way to make this understandable is to talk about it and educate people. Depression often runs in families, some weird genetic fault. I don't know the mechanism but I know it runs in my family. I've been depressed and I've been clinically depressed, the second being when you meet most of the markers by which they judge such things. There are different depths of depression and it affects people different ways. I have found that I have even been affected differently each time depression has hit me.

Some of my markers are sleeping too long, aching joints, boredom, flatlining on emotions, becoming overemotional, alienation, not eating, eating too much. Sometimes it's depended on deeply I was sinking. I'll overeat but in the darkest depths I'll stop eating. It could be different for other people and of course suicidal thoughts and attempts are a big part of full-blown depression. Luckily, that's one aspect I don't really get though I came close a few years back and was probably scared out of it by the fact that someone I'd known for twenty years hung himself through a combo of a head injury, depression and the inability to pay for his meds. Anti-depressants are expensive and a depressed person finds every stress to be a very large stress.

The biggest part of depression that people don't understand is that the illness isolates in many ways. Coping becomes difficult so that even answering the phone is too hard. Making informed and balanced decisions goes out the window. Hiding becomes the way to exist and a depressed person feels alone and unloved, isolated by their brain and the world around them.

It's hard for us to know what to do if a person is depressed. After all, who wants to be around a sad sack who brings them down. Our society frowns upon weakness so even asking for help is hard to do. A coupe of times I would say to friends, "I've been depressed." This was a close as I got to admitting or asking for help. What I was really saying was, "I"m depressed. I need you to do things with me. I need you to care. I need you to call me or pull me out of myself." But how can anyone else know this? The language of the depressed person is circumvented by the illness itself. They may act like they don't want/can't handle company but they need to stop dwelling constantly on the whirlwind of darkness. This I do know but it is hard. It's not just a case of "suck it up, buttercup," it's a matter of altered brain chemistry. This is why severe depression requires  (though sometimes there is an overmedication of people just feeling sad). They aren't just feel good, happy pills. They have to fix the chemicals churning in the brain. Eating properly and exercising are also a big part of keep that brain floating on the pond instead of sinking.

Being depressed isn't so much looking through a glass darkly as it is being in the bottom of a steep dark glass. The depressed person cannot see her/his way out and needs help and support. If you know someone like this, try to get your friends and family to help reach out, to show you care and perhaps you can just throw a lifeline to someone who will be able to climb out into the light.

Filed under: drugs, family, health, health care, people Tagged: a glass darkly, anti-depressants, brain disorders, clinical depression, crazy, depression, emotions, flatlining, maudlin, suicide

Writing and Cultural Appropriation

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From time to time an author is accused of cultural appropriation, where they write in or about a culture other than the one they are most familiar with, their own. Cultural appropriation can take on many nuances, from intimations of racism and bigotry to naiveté and misconceptions of history.

An example of cultural appropriation could be a white person with Maori tattoos, a person from India eating smoked salmon, the women of the Middle Ages wearing turban-style headdresses (from the Middle East). In this sense one culture adopts aspects of another culture. Throughout history, this has always happened as one group migrated or conquered another group. Blending languages, religions, styles and eating traditions were just some of the ways in which culture was appropriated.

In the world today, especially in Western culture, relaying and exchange of information as well as goods is swift and nearly universal. This means that after a certain amount of appropriation the culture assimilates or becomes a melting pot. This is neither a bad nor a good thing but it is just the way humanity adapts. We are always attracted to or repulsed by something new, until we get used to it.

In writing, cultural appropriation has usually had negative connotations. In other aspects of politics and life, when it's mentioned in the media, it usually has a criticism attached. Sometimes the criticism is justified, say with a white writer whose story is about blacks who are only all ghetto, given to gang activity and play basketball on the street. That story may be playing off of stereotypes and only show the people in a negative light. It is usually when a writer of another culture, and most often a white author writing about another culture, that the term of cultural appropriation comes out. W.P. Kinsella is well known for writing stories involving Native/First Nations people and he's white. I don't believe he's ever been blamed for cultural appropriation because he doesn't stereotype everyone and he makes them real and three-dimensional. The criticism usually happens if someone writes of another culture but does so with cliché characters or stereotypes.

Often as not the accusation will grow to ridiculous proportions, such as; you cannot write about blacks because you aren't black. You can't write about women because you're a man. I was once told by another writer that I couldn't write about old people because I wasn't old. Now I might not have written something well or in the correct viewpoint but in fact if we started pointing the finger and saying we could not write about gender, race, culture, religion or lifestyle other than our own, then we would all be writing about ourselves. The stories would be autobiographical and all characters would have to be us. I often roll my eyes when I hear the term. While I believe in honoring and respecting all people, and trying to avoid saying "you're wrong because you're not doing it my way," I also do not believe that I cannot write about or include another culture than my own in the stories I write.

It has become the politically correct thing to say the moment a white person (usually) writes about anything other than their own people. And interestingly enough, it's usually tossed about by other white people. Definitely when we write we are responsible for not perpetuating stereotypes and racism. However, if I'm writing a period piece and the character is thinking or talking within his time and it serves a purpose to move the story forward, then I must write that character accurately with attitude and vernacular, no matter how offensive it is to our modern sensibilities. And in fact, I'm most likely making a point, or indicating some horror of the past by including such a viewpoint. It is important that before we start painting everything with the cultural appropriation paintbrush that we understand the context and the message. It is one way we can understanding of events, cultures or people different from us, by writing about them, and putting ourselves in their place.

Filed under: art, culture, history, people, politics, Writing

The Good, the Bad & the Ugly of Editing Manuscripts

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What do you get if you pay an editor to copy edit your manuscript? Several things, but it depends what you pay for, how much you pay and who you pay. Under editing there are many types, but the three most often used and confused are copy editing, substantive/structural editing and stylistic editing. New writer often say they want their manuscript proofread when what they mean is copy editing. Here are brief definitions of the three types mentioned above:

Substantive/structural editing: this is reorganizing a manuscript and clarifying its intent/plot. The editor might make the changes or direct the author on what has to be changed. Substantive editing looks at the continuity of the plot. This stage will often happen once a manuscript is bought by the publisher but individuals can hire editors to do this as well.
Stylistic editing: this is editing for a consistent style, which includes language, jargon, reading levels, themes within the manuscript. Sometimes this is combined with copy editing but it is often charged separately.
Copy editing: this is really the first step for any writer and looks at grammar, spelling, punctuation, mechanics of style, internal consistency of style and facts (there are other aspects not mentioned here but these are the basics). It can be done by the publisher but authors might go through a copy editor on their own if they're not sure of the writing skills or the overall plot. If someone has written their first novel but hasn't spent much time honing their craft through courses, workshops and critiques the it's highly recommended to have the manuscript copy edited before sending it out to publishers.

Competition is quite fierce these days and some publishers will toss a manuscript if there are too many grammatical and spelling errors. If you haven't spent years working on writing and taking constructive criticism, it's possible you may not get far. Also, many people decided to publish on their own in one format or another and this is where it's essential to have a good editor go through the manuscript.

An editor can't guarantee you'll sell your manuscript or that a publisher will like it. There are many factors in editing. Of the many manuscripts I've looked at over the years, both for publishers and for individuals, the skill of the writer has varied considerably. If a publisher buys the manuscript then the head editor negotiates changes with the author, even those done by other editors. If an individual hires a copy editor, then it is up to them to incorporate the changes into their final manuscripts. I have worked in hard copy and digital; digital allows incorporation of corrections at a faster pace for the writer but can actually take longer for the editor.

A writer may decide not to accept all edits, may not take the suggestions, might not do a suggested rewrite, and might decide to change things after the editing has been done, thus introducing errors to the manuscript. I have had clients do this and more, which means that should they submit the manuscript to a publisher it might not look like it was edited. Some have wanted to credit me or list me as the editor for which it's been an embarrassment and could be detrimental to my career. I have always told clients, You're not paying me to tell you your story is great. You're paying me to make it better.

On the other hand, there are bad editors as well. A writer is not necessarily an editor and a nonfiction writer is likely to not be a very good fiction editor. Likewise, if you write mysteries, a romance editor may not help. This is for substantive and stylistic editing. For copy editing there are the basics of grammar, spelling and punctuation that any editor can handle, but there can be a subtle nuance to genre writing and if you're looking for a stylistic editor or even substantive you want someone who knows that genre. As a copy editor I have done books on the gold rush, Canadian film, IT handbook, cookbooks, thrillers, SF, romance, autobiographical, poetry (which is its own special niche) and others. An editor needs a good foundation of information and be wiling to question some things. Fact checking is separate from editing but it's good to query the author if it says "he parachuted from the hang glider" and you ask "Can one actually parachute from a hang glider? It's then up to the writer to fix it or not.

One of my clients had first taken his books to an editing company that charged him $10,000. When I received the manuscripts it was hard to tell exactly what they had done. They had charged more than me, had not put the manuscripts into a proper word document format, had not checked headers or number, had not fixed all spelling or punctuation or grammar issues. There were major problems with the plot and the structure that my client chose not to fix, after I warned him that it would be unlikely anyone would publish it. I did fix formatting and the basic copy edit, as well as giving copious notes on the characters, dialogue, language, plot and settings.

It's hard to know what to get when you're shopping for an editor but it's fine to ask questions, get an estimate (I always give one) ask for a sample edit (and pay for it–editors will not work for free) and compare. Like everything else, you should know what you're buying. Editors cannot get your story published but they can make it better.

Filed under: art, culture, entertainment, publishing, Writing Tagged: bad writers, copy editing, editing, editing manuscripts, good editing, stylistic editing, substantive editing, Writing