Thanks for the hate mail, sir!

In the event of Titanic's 100th anniversary, I wrote a number of articles, one of them entitled "Titanic tales: Women's voices missing from history of disaster", although it was also on other websites under the title "Where were the voices of the women?"


Although I hate to direct traffic to this anonymous person's blog, here's some hate mail I received in response to my article. It's not really a traditional method to give feedback, but sometimes you can't expect much from certain readers. 


I tried my best to clarify this gentleman's issues. This is the email I sent him: 

Dear anonymous,

Thank you kindly for your feedback. The way you approached the situation says a lot about you,  so I'll be sure to explain myself carefully to ensure your understanding.

First off, let me clarify something that you obviously don't understand. My job, like many other journalists (with the exception of columnists), is to organize information based on fact and/or expert opinion. It's also my job to find the most appropriate person or expert to give their opinion — in this case, Deborah Welch, a PhD professor with a current research focus on societal reaction to widows throughout American history. There is no trace of my opinion in the article, and I don't remember discussing the topic with you, so maybe you disagree with Dr. Welch's opinion, but not mine. 

Next, you brought up the number of deaths in women and men, saying that my information was inaccurate (note: children were not included). Although the numbers fluctuate slightly from various sources, they are all with 25 or so, making my statement of "virtually the same number of men and women" correct. Your link to the Globe and Mail article confirms that. 

Why didn't I compare the survival rate of women and children? Because that's not what my article was about. There are endless stories to be written about Titanic, which makes it important for each and every one to have a strong focus to keep  the attention of the reader — another fact of journalism that you overlooked. 

Although I didn't choose the title "Where were the voices of the women?", I think it's appropriate. Yes, you're right, men often spoke for women and their daughters. The article was not written to conclude that or otherwise, it was to put that in perspective. Dr. Welch said Titanic was "almost exclusively the playground of men," and it's true. It's fact.

That answers everything important that you brought up, the rest is childish name-calling and irrelevant accusations — ironic, considering you signed as "Dad" and your blog promotes fairness for fathers.

Hopefully you will make the best of this. 

Best,

Kyle

A touching letter by Roberta Maioni

With Titanic's 100th anniversary approaching, I've done a significant amount of research for some of the articles I've written - among them a profile of Hilda Mary Slayter, another about Titanic's feminist perspective - and came across a touching letter that is worth sharing. It was written 14 years after the wreck as a submission for a newspaper contest.

To give you a bit of context, her name is Roberta Maioni and she was 19 when she was on the ship. She's from London, England and she was on the ship as a personal maid for one of the first-class passengers. She was rescued on lifeboat 8. This is her story.

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Roberta Maioni

1926

When I say that I am a survivor of the Titanic you will know at once that my story is to be one of great tragedy, for even after fourteen years, the name of that ill-fated vessel brings a shudder of horror to those who remember it's wreck.

On the day the Titanic set out on her first and only voyage (10th April, 1912) I was just a girl in my teens looking forward with a schoolgirl's anticipation to a voyage in the worlds latest and finest liner on a tour through North America.

The weather was brilliant and the docks at Southampton were crowded with bustling people; for this was no ordinary boat departure. It was the departure of a wonder ship - a floating palace that far excelled all others in size and magnificence, and men said that she could not sink.

We passengers were crushed and pushed about by excited crowds as we struggled to reach the gangway, but once across we were swallowed up in that great vessel.

The noise made in getting the luggage aboard was deafening, but when the Titanic started on it's journey and even greater pandemonium broke loose - the cheering of thousands of people and the shrieking of many sirens.

Then - as if some unseen hand had silenced them, a hush suddenly fell upon the people. I went to the side to see what was the matter and found that the passing of the mighty Titanic had drawn another liner - the New York - from her moorings into the fairway.

Tugs soon took the New York back to her place and the majority of us went on our way without giving further thought to this incident, but some passengers took it as a bad omen of ill-fortune and were further discomforted by the fact that large numbers of seagulls followed the ship to the sea. 

This, they said, was a sign of impending disaster. I had no time for such forebodings, for I had entered a fairy city and spent the first few days of the voyage in exploration and in making friends.

On the fateful Sunday evening I went into the music saloon to listen to the band and found myself in company of a man who had previously taken a fatherly interest in me. He was travelling alone and seemed to suffer from his loneliness, for he had been one of the passengers most affected by forebodings.

When ten o'clock came and I was called away to bed, he begged me to remain with him a little longer, saying he was sure something awful was about to happen. Perhaps he was influenced by the fact that the band was playing such pieces as 'Ave Maria' and 'Nearer my God, to Thee'.

His seriousness and pessimism frightened me, so for once in my life I was quite glad to be sent to bed. I bade him 'Goodnight' and never saw him again.

After I had been in bed for about an hour and a half, I was awakened by a terrific crash, followed by the rending of metal, the rushing of water and the shouting of men.

I was about to get up when a steward came and said, 'Miss we have struck an iceberg, but I don't think there's any danger. Should there be I'll come back and let you know.'

I prepared myself for sleep once more, but in a few minutes the steward was back again, telling me not to be afraid, but to dress quickly, put on my lifebelt and go on deck. I put on the first clothes that came to hand and found my lifebelt. I could not fix this, but the steward came and did it for me.

Still realising nothing of the danger I was in, I joked with him about the funny way in which it was fixed. He did not answer, but smiled very sadly, and shook his head. Then I knew that something serious had happened.

I was carried by a swarm of other passengers to the boat deck, and shall never forget the strange sight that met my eyes. There were pieces of ice all over the deck and groups of men and women, looking gaunt and fearful in their night attire or in odd garments hastily donned.

Some of them were talking calmly, firmly believing that her watertight compartment would save the Titanic from sinking. Others were frantic with excitement or dumb with terror, huddled closely together in silence as though they knew they were about to be parted by death.

There were men swearing horribly and women quietly sobbing and I knew that many of them were praying as they never prayed before.

But there was no panic, and I, with the fortitude of youth, looked on in wonder.
It was bitterly cold.

I watched them preparing to lower the lifeboats. I heard the order, 'Women and Children first'. I saw women parting from their husbands and fathers. Some women clung to their husbands and refused to leave them, but the ship's officers pulled them apart - the women to live and the men to die.
An elderly officer, with tears streaming down his cheeks, helped us into one of the lifeboats. He was Captain Smith - the master of that ill-fated vessel.

As the lifeboat began to descend, I heard him say, 'Goodbye, remember you are British'.

We dropped over 60 feet down the side of that huge vessel and it seemed an eternity before the lifeboat reached the water. There were about thirty-five of us in the boat including three of the crew - a seamen, a steward, and a cook.

These men had been told to get away from the Titanic as quickly as they could, lest the lifeboat be drawn under by the suction of the sinking vessel.

When we were at a safe distance they stopped rowing and we watched the Titanic sink rapidly into the black depths. She was ablaze with electric light until the last minute.

Then I heard the terrible last cries of the twelve hundred men, women, and children left aboard her, rising above the din of the explosion of the boilers. For a moment the sky was lighted up, with black masses thrown up into the air and we saw that dreadful iceberg towering above us, like some grim monster about to devour it's prey.

Then came the awful silence - more terrible than the sounds that had gone before.

The sea was calm, otherwise no one would have been saved, but by now it was studded with the wreckage and with bodies of the dead and dying.

Some poor souls reached the lifeboats, only to be pushed back into the relentless ice-cold sea, for the boats were full and in grave danger of swamping.

We had one loaf of bread in our lifeboat and this had been trampled upon. There was neither drinking water, compass nor clock and our single lamp would not light. Because of this we drifted away from other lifeboats.

We rowed all through the night, taking turns at the sweep.

I took my place and remember that my long hair was very much in the way for it often caught between my hands and the oar and caused me terrible pain.

They steered our boat towards the lights of a tramp steamer in the distance, but we had no means of attracting attention and the steamers lights slowly passed out of sight.

The disappearance of the tramp steamer seemed to leave us on the ocean - a handful of people in an open boat - and we were faced with a worse fate than drowning.

To add to our misery the sea became rough and our boat was pitching and tossing helplessly.
At last the morning came and we saw several icebergs around us, grim spectres that would crush our frail craft like an eggshell.

As our eyes became accustomed to the light, however, we saw the objects that we had taken for a iceberg was a ship - the cunard liner Carpathia - called to our rescue by the heroic wireless operators of the Titanic, Mr. Phillips, whom we left behind to perish. He stayed in his cabin to the very last, directing vessels to the scene of the disaster.

We soon reached the Carpathia and were taken up her great side one more time in a kind of a cradle- just a piece of board, strong hands and a willing hands at the top.

This was no easy operation, for the lifeboat was being dashed along the Carpathia's side and while waiting to be taken up we were jerked backwards and forwards by the fury of the waves.

As soon as I reached the deck, kindly hands put a rug around my shoulders and pressed brandy to my trembling lips.

I was safe, thank god, and little the worse for my adventure.

It was a terrible story, but I shall never shrink from telling it, for above the horror of the tragedy there stands out the noble British gentlemen who perished that we women might live.

Here's what randomly inspired me today

You’ve probably noticed that social media is on the rise. You may not have noticed that it’s at full-speed, and it’s taking over.

You, like many others including myself, are probably struggling to understand it. It’s overwhelming to even consider answering the flurry of questions that come to mind.

One particular question has been poking me in the sides more vigorously: how are artists taking advantage of these tools and claiming their fame so efficiently?

Here’s what made me wonder. Here’s what randomly, yet pretty significantly, inspired me.

Two weeks ago:  My friend shows me a YouTube video on his iPhone of five people that produced a song with only one guitar.

Five days ago: I’m at a get together with a group of friends when someone plays that same video, but this time, I sit down, listen and watch closely. I realize that the group is amazing. They’re five unique pieces to one incredible puzzle.

I noticed that each person had a special job, whether it was singing a verse or the chorus, using the body of the guitar to establish a beat, or even adjusting the machine heads to tune the guitar accordingly as the song progressed.

We ended up watching the video about four times throughout the evening.

Today: I’m on my way to a coffee shop to do some homework and I turn on the radio. You know exactly what was playing.

I needed to know more. Homework could wait.

It turns out the video has almost 60 million views and it’s only been hosted for one month. Who are these people?

It turns out that the song I heard on the radio was the original song, called Somebody That I Used To Know by Gotye. The cover video, done by Walk Off The Earth caused so much hype that the original song has gotten some extra spotlight.

I’ll go as far as saying the cover is very different, and in my opinion, better because of the variety in character and overall quality of the song. I think the YouTube community will agree, considering the original only has about 80 million views. Yes, it's a lot more, but the cover has gained 3/4 of the views in a much shorter amount of time. 

With a bit more research, I’ll admit that I was disappointed to find out that their fame has stemmed from a compilation of cover videos—I was really hoping for more original music from the fivesome.

On the bright side, watching their videos is still enjoyable. It’s easy to see that they love their fans and that they keep them in consideration when they produce their music (although I can only take so much of recycled music.)

Usually covers are hit or miss and if you produce so many, you’re bound to have a few misses, which drives people away. In this case, the success of Somebody That I Used To Know has carried the audience past that.

Finally, I haven’t figured out why this WOTE group is so famous. My only guess is that people love their character. Each individual has a distinct style and plays an important role when they participate in the videos.  Personally, I’ve subscribed to them and I’m going to follow their journey, but that’s only temporary. If I don’t see any original music soon, I’ll slowly drift away and go back to my iTunes library… I just can’t help it. They’ll become some indie band that I used to know. 

Ovechkin: Nothing left but personality

It looks like it’s time for Alexander Ovechkin to start looking for a back-up plan as his career continues to head downhill—and faster than expected.

Although the Washington Capitals are sitting in a playoff spot just past the midway point in the season, Ovechkin is caught in a serious struggle trying to match his last season’s measly 85 points.

Don’t get me wrong, someone who’s in the range of getting one point-per-game is not someone to look down on, but if this same person had three 100-point seasons just two years ago and racks in $9.5-million per year, it’s a different story.

He was an exemplary athlete for all aspiring Russian hockey players.

Now, with a gold and a silver medal under their belt, the Russian WJHC team is producing a number of players with the potential to bump Ovechkin into the history books.

At a staggering 6’3”, hovering around 230lbs with the occasional big hit, maybe Ovie should switch his NHL path and aim to be the next Scott Stevens. And… maybe not.

Excuse my bias, but I’m one of the countless hockey pool buffs who completely wasted their first-round picks on this sluggish, wide-shooting, ex-star.  I should’ve taken Crosby, at least then I’d have a good excuse for lack of performance.

On the bright side, yeah, he scored—no pun intended—a spot on the all-star roster. This came as a bit of a surprise to me, especially after having found out which players didn’t make the team. 

He surely wasn’t chosen as a result of his latest performances, which brings me to one of his strong points: his extravagant personality.  I can honestly say that I don’t care if his attitude is unnecessary, cocky or flashy.

You don’t often see low-budget rap videos and bad chocolate bar commercials from hockey players, but Ovechkin seemingly has no standards when it comes to media. It’s so over-the-top that it’s enjoyable and worth watching.

All in all, I guess I don’t really have a point to prove with this post, but I do have a question for the Caps management. How does $124-million for 13 years sound nowadays?

Americans get support to stay in shape

Widely known to be one of the most obese countries in the world, our southern neighbour has been given another opportunity to trim the fat.

Medicare is an American health insurance program that now includes preventative care for their clients who have a body fat percentage over 30—and that’s a big step forward.

Specifically, this new coverage includes screenings, counselling and anything that plays a role in preventing obesity. It also includes coverage for symptoms or diseases relative to being overweight, such as strokes, diabetes, etc. The counselling sessions are provided for the first six months and can be extended to a year, as long as the patient manages to lose at least 6.6 pounds after the initial time period.

This is all good news because it’ll serve as a reminder for the U.S.'s questionable reputation concerning their healthy lifestyles, or lack thereof. Films like Sicko, Super Size Me and a number of YouTube documentaries hold a mirror up to Americans' above-average waistlines.

Even with this new opportunity, the path to physical fitness is not any easier for the average American. Medicare is not for everyone and the new support is merely a couple of prevention methods, leaving the already-overweight population--all 33.8 per cent of it--right where it was standing.

Medicare’s criteria narrows the eligible population to seniors over 65, people who are disabled, people with rare conditions, etc. The program covers approximately 43 million Americans out of the entire U.S. population. However, this could spark the interests of private insurance companies and put them in a position where they'll need to extend their coverage as well.

Some Americans have been given the tools to stay fit.  Now it's up to them to take advantage of that.

Ottawa Zombie Walk 2011

This may not be your thing, but it's worth taking a look at the creativity and labour that people put into their costumes. Let me know what you think.

This year's Zombie Walk was accompanied by great weather. The route, which zig-zagged throughout the city, was from MacDonald Park on Cobourg St. all the way to Parliament Hill. Crowds showed up in big numbers and the turnout was much greater than the past couple of years.

If you are in this video, or would like access to the photos, please feel free to contact me.

Follow me: http://www.twitter.com/kylekipp

Students organize "Dance for a Wish"

Algonquin’s event management students have donated over $300,000 to the children’s wish foundation over the past four years, all through events they setup with no budget.

Students who enroll in the program must organize one major event in their second term—based on what they learn in class—to raise as much money as possible for charity.

“It’s hard because people want to help by waiving venue fees, but that still leaves us with costs for equipment,” said Sonya D’Silva, who is currently in the flurry of organizing everything with her team.

D’Silva and her five classmates are putting on an urban hip-hop showcase, which will host dance troupes such as Culture Shock Ottawa, Driven, Thrive, and Hype, to name a few.

“We’re performing a very high-energy set that will get people up and having fun,” said Nicolas Najm, artistic director of Ottawa's Culture Shock troupe.

He explained that donating to causes like the Children’s Wish Foundation is exactly what his troupe stands for. It’s a non-profit organization that prioritizes giving back to the community. More specifically, youth at risk.

“Youth outreach is our mandate,” he explained.

The entire setup must be complete by January so that the group can begin putting up posters and selling tickets. Again, these steps aren’t covered by any budget, although the college does lend each group $100. It’s the students’ job to find a company interested in the cause that is willing to help.

In the end, they must raise a minimum of $1,000 and entertain one silent auction. The minimum can be achieved by selling food during the intermissions, searching for sponsors, independent donations, etc.

“You can’t do it if you’re not organized. You need to have time management skills and work well as a team, because you rarely ever work alone in this industry,” said D’Silva.

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http://twitter.com/dance4awish

http://facebook.com/cultureshockottawa