Spring officially arrives next week, lifting spirits and the water level
Column: Gimme Some Grammar originally published March 17, 2006
BY MICHAEL HALL
This column contains no mentions of work camps, recreation centres, or Jim Carbery.
Oops.
- - -
I yearn for spring.
It "officially" arrives next Tuesday, but its effect is known only in more southern latitudes on this date.
For those new to town, April will be pretty nice, but it's not the end of winter. Even after the ice breaks in the first few weeks of the month, Mother Nature has been known to blow back with a dump of snow afterwards. Or two.
But the longer sunlight hours, something we're noticing already, are an encouragement. I don't suffer from SAD (seasonal affective disorder), but I'm like most people in that my spirits are buoyed by the return of sunny days.
We went though an overcast winter, it seemed. The limited daylight hours were cut back further by the clouds.
We're not out of the woods; there is the river breakup that must be monitored carefully, in case the water backs up and floods the Lower Townsite, and the wildfires that could follow if there's not enough rain.
Let's keep our fingers crossed it will be an uneventful season. There's lots of other news to keep us busy here at the paper.
- - -
Speaking of news, I've been astounded at the interest other media had in -- er, certain issues -- at the municipal level lately.
There's been a CBC Radio reporter in town all month, there was a CBC TV reporter here a few weeks ago, and other cameras and reporters have been floating around. News has turned into a job opportunity for at least one local person, who's done some work on contract for an Edmonton news outlet.
The Edmonton Journal sent a reporter and photographer here Tuesday. The following day, the newsroom here got calls from CBC Newsworld and the As It Happens radio show in Toronto, all asking about -- well, I promised not to mention it.
When I told one producer looking for names and numbers that her corporation already had a reporter here, she expressed surprise and dismay. She said she didn't know the reporters on the radio side. When I gave her the reporter's name, she actually asked me to spell it.
The CBC does some fine shows. But their arrogance and -- sorry to say this -- ignorance know no bounds.
It's such a big company that the left hand doesn't know what the right one is doing.
They also have no regard for the subjects of their stories.
It's also sad to listen to radio hosts in Edmonton chuckle when discussing the issues we struggle with here.
I really don't see the humour. Maybe I'm too close to the situation.
- - -
At the chamber of commerce open house two weeks ago, a couple of people came up to me and asked why they never heard back after e-mailing a letter to the editor.
I gulped.
To be clear: We accept all letters, no matter their opinion, and no matter their low opinion of us (or anyone else). The only limiting factors are libel, grammar and length.
Some letter writers are frequent. Think Wayne Madden and Iris Kirschner. God bless 'em.
We do no favours for either one: their letters arrive and we print 'em. I've never had coffee with either one, athough I've talked to both at public events.
The only thing I can figure out is that the e-mailed letters we never received got caught in a spam filter, or were lost in the hundreds of spam messages (that get through the filters) we receive daily. A staff member was off recently, and I was the person in charge of dealing with our main e-mail address (today@fortmcmurraytoday.com).
It was disheartening. There are upwards of 250 messages a day flooding into that account.
Because I have other tasks to perform around here, it's possible in my rush to delete ads for erectile dysfunction and body part enlargement that I trashed a good message, too.
If so, I apologize.
I've asked our staff to double-check to make sure they don't throw out the bad with the good.
If you want to ensure we get a letter, fax it after e-mailing it. That way you get our attention, and we don't have to retype it.
And please allow several days for publication, if you're trying to time your message to a current event. We must verify letters by telephone, and the people we call at their "daytime" numbers are not always available.
© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
BY MICHAEL HALL
This column contains no mentions of work camps, recreation centres, or Jim Carbery.
Oops.
- - -
I yearn for spring.
It "officially" arrives next Tuesday, but its effect is known only in more southern latitudes on this date.
For those new to town, April will be pretty nice, but it's not the end of winter. Even after the ice breaks in the first few weeks of the month, Mother Nature has been known to blow back with a dump of snow afterwards. Or two.
But the longer sunlight hours, something we're noticing already, are an encouragement. I don't suffer from SAD (seasonal affective disorder), but I'm like most people in that my spirits are buoyed by the return of sunny days.
We went though an overcast winter, it seemed. The limited daylight hours were cut back further by the clouds.
We're not out of the woods; there is the river breakup that must be monitored carefully, in case the water backs up and floods the Lower Townsite, and the wildfires that could follow if there's not enough rain.
Let's keep our fingers crossed it will be an uneventful season. There's lots of other news to keep us busy here at the paper.
- - -
Speaking of news, I've been astounded at the interest other media had in -- er, certain issues -- at the municipal level lately.
There's been a CBC Radio reporter in town all month, there was a CBC TV reporter here a few weeks ago, and other cameras and reporters have been floating around. News has turned into a job opportunity for at least one local person, who's done some work on contract for an Edmonton news outlet.
The Edmonton Journal sent a reporter and photographer here Tuesday. The following day, the newsroom here got calls from CBC Newsworld and the As It Happens radio show in Toronto, all asking about -- well, I promised not to mention it.
When I told one producer looking for names and numbers that her corporation already had a reporter here, she expressed surprise and dismay. She said she didn't know the reporters on the radio side. When I gave her the reporter's name, she actually asked me to spell it.
The CBC does some fine shows. But their arrogance and -- sorry to say this -- ignorance know no bounds.
It's such a big company that the left hand doesn't know what the right one is doing.
They also have no regard for the subjects of their stories.
It's also sad to listen to radio hosts in Edmonton chuckle when discussing the issues we struggle with here.
I really don't see the humour. Maybe I'm too close to the situation.
- - -
At the chamber of commerce open house two weeks ago, a couple of people came up to me and asked why they never heard back after e-mailing a letter to the editor.
I gulped.
To be clear: We accept all letters, no matter their opinion, and no matter their low opinion of us (or anyone else). The only limiting factors are libel, grammar and length.
Some letter writers are frequent. Think Wayne Madden and Iris Kirschner. God bless 'em.
We do no favours for either one: their letters arrive and we print 'em. I've never had coffee with either one, athough I've talked to both at public events.
The only thing I can figure out is that the e-mailed letters we never received got caught in a spam filter, or were lost in the hundreds of spam messages (that get through the filters) we receive daily. A staff member was off recently, and I was the person in charge of dealing with our main e-mail address (today@fortmcmurraytoday.com).
It was disheartening. There are upwards of 250 messages a day flooding into that account.
Because I have other tasks to perform around here, it's possible in my rush to delete ads for erectile dysfunction and body part enlargement that I trashed a good message, too.
If so, I apologize.
I've asked our staff to double-check to make sure they don't throw out the bad with the good.
If you want to ensure we get a letter, fax it after e-mailing it. That way you get our attention, and we don't have to retype it.
And please allow several days for publication, if you're trying to time your message to a current event. We must verify letters by telephone, and the people we call at their "daytime" numbers are not always available.
© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
1 Comments:
Concerning spam email: put in an obvious subject line in your email message.
Subject: Letter to Editor Ft Mac Today
is much easier to see in a sea of spam than...
Subject: i agree with your story
Byron :-{)
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