Baby crying on Santa’s lap…
Head Tale
Yet Another Librarian's Blog
“Spirit of Giving” – WestJet Does It Again
Just like last year, WestJet has created a viral-ready commercial/marketing gimmick/promo video for the Christmas season.
Instead of surprising travelers on a cross-Canada flight with gifts they asked for at the start of their journey like they did in their inaugural video last year, this year WestJet provided personalized gifts for residents of a town in the Dominican Republic.
WestJet is a leader in using commercial messages that evoke positive, feel-good emotions and which work especially well during the Christmas season – something you should keep in mind as you watch (and enjoy) this video. Ultimately, it’s still a commercial and as “nice” as the company is being, they’re also purposely manipulating you to improve their bottom line (one article stated their bookings went up 77% after last year’s campaign while one commenter to that article pointed out that part of giving to charity is not expecting something in return – something that’s obviously not the the case with these marketing campaigns.)
Two Dozen Retailers Won’t Open on American #Thanksgiving (And They’re Shaming the Ones That Will)
Some of the best known companies in the United States including Costco, Home Depot and TJ Maxx have taken a family-first approach to American Thanksgiving after watching “Black Friday” (the day after Thanksgiving named as such since it’s the day many retailers “get in the black” for the year) increasingly encroaching on one of America’s biggest family holidays.
It’s always great to see companies that recognize the importance of their workers having good work-life balance and the difference this can make to their own bottom lines, even if it means sacrificing one day’s profits.
SparkleTour.ca #yqr #saskatchewan #yxe #moosejaw #princealbert
[Edit: Yikes! When I posted this, didn’t realize there was a mini-controversy about a local radio station stealing the name and data from the original Sparkletour web site. Bah-humbug!]
It’s now less than a month to Christmas.
Sparkletour.ca helps you get into the spirit of the season with an ever-growing list of houses worth checking out in Regina and other cities around Saskatchewan.
The Useless Web
Who knew something so useless could be so entertaining?
Music Monday – “I’m grateful for what you did for me/I can see things now I never would have seen”
Having a real Spirit of the West run of posts lately. Here’s another one – the first video they ever shot from their official YouTube channel…
“Political” – Spirit of the West
Saturday Snap – Decorating the Christmas Tree
I think Pace forgot where the star goes…
Friday Fun Link – Spirit of the West’s John Mann Dancing
Without being too hyperbolic, I have to say there aren’t many bands that have played as big of a role in my life as Spirit of the West – everything from the many fond (and forgotten!) memories at bars, parties and pubs in University to recording the song I used to soundtrack my first ever promo video for Ryan Meili’s 2009 campaign for the Sask NDP Leadership to the ring tone that plays every time I get a call from my wife – Spirit of the West has provided a soundtrack to many of the best moments of my life.
As soon as I heard the news, I booked tickets to the upcoming show in Regina and last night, Shea and I went to Casino Regina to see them, not sure what to expect. (And if you want a good indicator that you’re not a 20-something college student anymore, seeing SotW at a Casino instead of in some grungy, dim-lit bar is a good clue! As is the fact that when they called “Sociable!”, you had a sip of Diet Pepsi instead of beer!) 😉
The first song of the concert (“Canadian Skye”) had a vocal that was a bit rocky and I couldn’t help think “Oh my god. What if the whole show is like this?” but by the second song, John’s voice was crystal clear, sounding just as it has in concerts and on CD for the over 20 years I’ve been a fan. Honestly, except for the semi-conspicuous iPad attached to his mic stand and lack of guitar-playing/storytelling, you would not know anything about his medical condition from the performance last night.
I’m not sure what song it was but at one point, early in the show, my eyes welled up with tears – simply from watching him dance, as he always does, with gleeful abandon, and so many thoughts hit me – how we’re all getting older, we’re all dealing with different serious issues – our own health, the health of our loved ones and everything else that life throws at us – and yet, here was a man who’s just past 50, facing a serious medical diagnosis that will make his brain and memories wilt away and yet, he’s still dancing as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
I searched YouTube long and hard for a video that captures the joy of John Mann’s dancing – there’s nothing up from the Regina show yet but I found this one which is a great illustration of what I’m talking about. (You may have to forward to the 4:04 minute mark if my embed doesn’t work properly)
But then, in researching this post, I also came across this video for a song John recently wrote about his diagnosis. Although labeled as “Untitled”, I think “The Power to Forget” is a fitting title.
And my eyes welled up with tears again…