Staying Alive

For the first piece of the month we've decided to share a story from the CBC's Fifth Estate. This is a particularly important piece about life on the edge for a couple of reasons, the first should be obvious once you watch the video, the second pertains more to the recent fallout from funding lapses in the federal budget for the CBC. 600 jobs have been lost and radio and television programming will be suffering signifigant setbacks because of it. This is the kind of investigative journalism that has put Canadian journalists on the map. Love or hate the CBC its pretty sad to see that it has to walk a tightrope for the difference between 35$ and 40$/taxpayer.

The synopsis of the episode is below the link. Be sure to read this to know what you're getting into as some of the images can be very disturbing to some. The entire content of the video and synopsis is CBC content, I'm just trying to draw attention to how a local population can be living life on the edge.

http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/2008-2009/staying_alive/video.html

Staying Alive
The federal government wants it shut down. The people who use it and who work there say it is saving lives. It is Insite, provincially-funded, and the first and only supervised injection site in North America where addicts can bring their drug of choice and, with the clean needles provided, can inject themselves. Insite's clients are some of the most desperate who live on Vancouver's downtown east side. Now, for the first time, cameras have been allowed inside the facility for an exclusive look at the place and the people. Follow Hana Gartner inside and make up your own mind about whether Insite is, as one federal politician has said, an "abomination", or whether there should be more of them in this country.

All our contributors get emails to let them know about new themes on the horizon, we'll post these emails a couple of days before we start posting their submissions. Here is the latest for next week's theme of life on the edge. If you would like to added to our list of contributors, email connor@thefirewire.ca


Sometimes we tip toe along the side of a pool to ensure we get a maximum surprise splash factor on a friend napping in the sun. Other times we cry ourselves to sleep knowing that our children's college fund has to be converted to our family's food fund. While individual people may deny it vehemently, as a species we have a tendency to move toward the precipice even if its just to see whats at the bottom. Looking for an example?

http://www.tarsandswatch.org/
http://www.forbes.com/2009/03/05/general-motors-auditors-markets-equity_manufacturing_autos.html
www.pbs.org/independentlens/kingcorn/

Here in Montreal the urban masses file in and out of the metro tunnels each day knowing they have the power to hurl themselves on to the tracks, and many do. I sometimes have that inclination myself, not as a suicide attempt as much as a statement of control, "all those other things are beyond me, but THIS I can determine all on my own." I have yet to act on this but its an interesting thought experiment all the same. This little group we have is a similar experiment and so I think this next theme and the context it comes in are appropriate. Starting next week we will be posting submissions rooted in life on the edge. Walk the tight rope, skip across the balance beam, hang your head off the end of your bed until your room is in a different country do it all and share it with us.

I'll try to have things up for your late night sunday surf or your monday morning escape from work. If you haven't checked out the new url yet, have a gander...

http://thefirewirecollective.blogspot.com/

DJ shadow - The Outsider (Typographic animation) from remote on Vimeo.

Here is a great little vid that I ripped from another blog (FOR SHAME!) I promise the posts will resume more regular schedule once the intranet gets sorted at the Treehouse.

Found Dotted Line!

I was cruising around Missed Connections on Craigslist the other day ('cause I DO ok?!) and I saw this little unassuming post. It seems to fit our theme so I wanted to include it. I like to think its author enjoys dried mango and dances when everyone is looking.

--------------------------------------------- - w4m - 21

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Date: 2009-02-22, 10:20PM EST

so much I couldn't even fit in a craigslist post.


nbd.
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

PostingID: 1046279380

New Digs!

Hey All!

We are trying out this new fangled blogspot business to make things a little easier from week to week. Hopefully this does the trick, it should make my web illiteracy somewhat less obvious!

Hopefully we'll be seeing you folks posting regularly.

peace

ct