Perception Is Reality

Guest Post – G20 Weekend: A Civil Society Failure (Part 2)

Tabish Bhimani — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 15:57:22 +0000

(This is a guest post by Scott that continues from June 29th)

After they had charged about 25-30 feet, they stopped and held the line. The crowd started signing ‘Oh Canada’ and sat down in the road to protest the charge. What happened next, made me want to stand up and fight. As soon as we were done singing, the police charged at us again. Some of them even used their shields as offensive weapons. Theres a difference between using a riot shield as a tool for crowd control, and using it as a battering ram.

(videos follow)

To me, this was an aggressive move. One that came very close to starting a riot.

Human nature is such that one can only be pushed so far before eventually, the person pushes back.

I could sense this in the crowd because everywhere they went, there was a roadblock of police, not really letting them go anywhere. After that, I decided that I had seen enough and should probably not test my luck. So that concluded my G20 weekend.

Now thats what happened, but how do I really feel about it? How do I feel about the Police’s lack of presence on Saturday, and the over-presence on Sunday? How do I feel about the suspension of civil liberties? Well, I’m not sure to be honest. I have been on both sides of the line (I worked crowd control for Caribana 2006) and I know that when you get your orders, you don’t question them, you follow them. Thats all the cops on the front line were doing. And for the most part, I commend them. Crowd control is NOT an easy job to do. Especially when there are crowds in the masses they were in this weekend. But at the same time, I am of the mind that at one point or another, a line has to be drawn and public order has to be maintained. But that point should only be after civil unrest has occurred. Had they decided to suspend civil liberties on Saturday during/after the violence, I would have been okay with that because civil unrest had broken out, and that tactic would have been needed to ensure that order would be continued once it had been maintained.

I feel like the various Police departments went a little bit too far.

They were there to keep the peace, but sometimes their actions caused people to get agitated.

Some of the arrest methods were just wrong. Having the line swell with officers, and then have 15-20 dart out like flies, cover a protester and drag them back behind the line. It was aggressive, scary and sometimes caused people to panic, which in turn caused others to panic. The hardest part about being in a situation like that, is that I sometimes deal with men on a daily basis, giving my occupation. So I know how it is from a police perspective.

I definitely do not agree with the draconian style of policing on Sunday. We are a country that has a constitution based on certain liberties. Liberties that make this the greatest country in the world. Liberties that make many immigrants leave their homelands. Those liberties were removed. While I understand the reasoning for it, I don’t agree with it. I saw protesters walking by with signs, signs which were broken while they passed by police.

Even out of the bad, I did find some good.

I talked to people who I’d normally pass on the street and not give a second thought. Although a lot of their stories were sadly the same with feelings of police oppression, but for the weekend, it felt like my opinion matter to the people around me and they going to make sure my voice was heard. It was a pretty good feeling.

I saw a lot of things this weekend. Things I never in my wildest dreams think I would see in my lifetime. I’m glad that I was there this weekend, because it was an absolutely incredible experience. But I pray to God that I never have to see this in my home again.

(Afternote: After the part where the cop told me to ‘get bent’, i should of mentioned that we were on Queen Street West, in front of the courthouse, 5 blocks north of the Restricted Zone)

Guest Post – G20 Weekend: A Civil Society Failure (Part 1)

Tabish Bhimani — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 15:10:58 +0000

The following is a guest post by my friend, Scott Young. Please note: the material is emotionally charged.

My weekend started out just like a lot of other Torontonian’s. Stay as far away from downtown as I possibly could. But as the weekend wore on, the news reports came in on what was happening down there. I knew that this was history and I knew that I would never be apart of anything like this again. So I charged up the phone and headed downtown.

What I saw was chaos… Utter Chaos. Broken windows everywhere, buildings defaced, walls spray painted. It looked like the wild west, just in an urban setting. But what was most unsettling, was seeing all of this destruction, and not seeing a police presence anywhere in sight. This was Yonge St. One of the busiest streets in the country.

As we made our way towards Queen St W by Nathan Phillips Square, things began to change. Slowly, the closer we moved towards the Restricted Zone, the more of a police presence. And then some hooligan decided to torch a cop car on Queen. We made our way over, but was met with a VERY menacing ‘thunk thunk thunk’ of the riot squad night sticks.

The guys in the riot gear, well, were downright terrifying. The didn’t even look human. They had an emotionless stare, a stare that said ‘if you so much as make one more step closer, you are going to regret it’.

They looked like animals. Like animals that were on a leash, knew they were on a leash, and were just itching for the word ‘GO’ to start knocking some heads in. They were there scare people, and scare they did.

What they did was dehumanize the average person. By dehumanizing people, it makes it easier to become physically confrontational, if need be. I believe the Police (I saw Calgary PD, Montreal PD, TPS, Barrie PD, RCMP, Waterloo PD, Peel Regional, York Regional, to name a few) for the most job, did a fantastic job. I was able to approach most of them, talk to them, heck, I was even able to kid around with some of them. The ones that weren’t on the front lines of either the riots or the Restricted Zone. Those guys weren’t pulling any punches. They looked at you like you were an animal, an animal that had to be tamed, and they were going to do it, one way or another.

The most troubling aspect about the weekend, was the Police on Sunday. After Saturdays ‘incidents’, police decided that all civil liberties would be suspended. People were stopped, ID’d, searched and sometimes detained, all without a warrant. This isn’t what I envision when I think of Canada and Toronto. I envision a place where people are free to come and go whenever and wherever they please, and to voice their opinion without persecution.

Police decided that all civil liberties would be suspended.

What I saw this weekend was exactly the opposite. People who fit a certain description, were stopped, searched, detained and ID’d without warrants. I was not searched, but i was ID’d. However, my cousin who I was with at the time, was. She panicked a little bit, so I stood in. I said that we would fully co-operate with the search and we did. After they were finished, I told the officers that this was not only a violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, as well as it violated the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights, and asked for the officers name, rank and badge number and told them that we would be filing a complaint under such grounds because the area in which they could search and ID without a warrant was within 5 metres of the fence. I was told to ‘Get Bent’.

Everything was pretty quiet for us for most of the day. We wandered around, took pictures, chatted with some officers. And then we reached Queen and Spadina. We had heard some commotion was happening there and went to check it out.

What I saw, I will never forget for the rest of my life.

Police (from my vantage point) had blocked off the the intersection from all 4 sides. We heard some faint thunking from behind us. I turned and saw 3 Public Order Units (not the Goomba troopers, but they still had shields) marching west on Queen flanked by officers with shotguns, all tapping their shields in unison. They passed us and formed a line across Queen West, and told us to stay back. For the most part we did. There were a few people trying to get a good vantage point for a picture, and they were told to get back. While this was happening, we watched as officers from the south side of Spadina box in about 30 people, then another 200 more. At that time, the cops directly in front of us charged at us. There was no one in the street blocking traffic (not that there was traffic to block), no one protesting, provoking them.

There was no warning. No call on a loud speaker, no yells to stay away.

They just ran at us. I was up towards the front of the protesters when this happened. I had looked down at my camera to see the recent picture i had just snapped, heard a yell, looked up and saw a wall of riot shields coming at me very quickly. I had to quickly turn, grab my cousin and drag her over a bike and wooden fence, just so she wouldn’t have been trampled.

Part Two will continue tomorrow

What The Transformers Have In Common With International Development

Tabish Bhimani — Thu, 27 May 2010 06:31:11 +0000

In the first installment of the Transformers movie, in the ending battle, Megatron says to Optimus Prime,

“You still fight for the weak, that’s why you lose!”

If I was Optimus Prime, I would say, yes. I still fight for the weak. I still fight for the destitute. It is not my tradition, my culture, my religion to give fight for the weak and the destitute.

But I have not lost. In fact, everyday is a victory. For all of us. For over 25 years, the volunteers and donors of the World Partnership Walk have brought hope to over 3 billion people who live on less than two dollars a day. In the recent Montreal Millenium Summit (where Al Gore gave the keynote), stats said that about 50% of people previously living in extreme poverty have made their way up.

We are the hope for the future. Collectively. We are communities of change. Help keep the momentum going. Continue to give hope. Sponsor Me. Join the walk.

Why do I walk? I walk so that the mother who has to traverse over 5 KM to get fresh water for herself and her family, wont have to.

5 Ways to Personal and Professional Development This Summer

Tabish Bhimani — Fri, 14 May 2010 11:25:42 +0000

Hi, friends!

Summer’s nearly in full bloom and many of us will have a little extra time to spare. If you haven’t found a job or an internship, fret not. This is an opportune time to prepare yourself even further for the next best opportunity. If anything, it’s a great time to improve your personal knowledge. So here’s 5 ways to what I call, PPP (Personal and Professional Progress).

1. Watch a TED video

Many of you know of TED. In their own words, they are ideas worth spreading. Watch at least one video a week. You will learn something knew. And the remaining 6 days will allow you to internalize what you have learned. Make an active effort to think about the implications of the ideas that are discussed.

Recommend, “Pattie Maes and Pranav Mistry demo SixthSense.”

2. Follow a Tweet Chat

I’m a big advocate of twitter. I have only recently begun using it, and already I have gained significant benefit from it. To gain the most benefit, follow a tweet chat. It’s where people with like minded interests come together and interact. Try to follow at least one, but no more than three. Don’t overwhelm yourself with an excess of information. Steady flow of information is good for you to be able to process it. This isn’t a race.

Recommend, #PRStudChat. Also follow #HAPPO (or #HappoCAN if you’re in Canada).

3. Volunteer

Giving of your money is generous. It’s wonderful! Keep doing it. But giving your time and knowledge is greater. This summer, participate in at least one charity event. Whether its a walk, a hike, or otherwise. Volunteer your skills and experience to the cause.

Recommend, World Partnership Walk in Montreal on the 6th of June, 2010.

4. Meet with old friends

It’s important to have a good time. To go back to those roots which at one time refreshed and rejuvenated you. There are high chances that you will recall those emotions and feelings of joy and contentment connecting back. This will definitely allow you to view things with a rekindled perspective. Equally importantly, the old friends that you meet might be your lead in to the industry you want to work in. They will not only be your gateway to goodness past, but also your progressive future. Follow up.

Recommends, A day long excursion at the Old Port in Montreal and/or a barbecue atop Mont Royal.

5. Treat yourself to solitude.

Some people call this meditation. Spending time alone with yourself in an active manner is necessary for an even healthier progress. The best communicators to respond effectively are the best listeners. Listen to your body and to your spirit. You will be armed with knowledge and will be able to respond appropriately. It is also good for your physical body. Furthermore, it is good to build patience, concentration, and persistence.

Recommends, a minimum of 15 minutes daily learning to relax your body by mentally stating to each body part to relax. Follow this with any visualization of achieving a personal or professional goal. Always imagine the goal in the here and now. Something done is better than something in the process of being done.

Do these things and you’re one step closer to self-actualization.

Al Gore says, “It can be done, it must be done!”

Tabish Bhimani — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 06:42:26 +0000

Al Gore was referring to accomplishing the Millenium Development Goals in the recent Montreal Millennium Summit whose slogan was Learn, Talk, Act.

And it was through learning, talking, and consequently acting, that we will be able to accomplish the eradication of global poverty, and move towards a society of an all-inclusive global economic upliftment.

“People sometimes don’t like to hear it described this way, but ladies and gentlemen, this is a moral issue. It is a challenge to our understand of who we are as human beings,” Gore said addressing the question on many people’s minds: why should we care?

Why Should We Care?

As Canadians, the question isn’t why should we care, but rather, why do we care. There are thousands of Canadians who join hands day in and day out to keep the momentum building, to make sure that we make a difference within our lifetimes: a difference that is sustainable, and long-term. And we have seen this difference: about 50% of people previously living in extreme poverty, have made their way up. Change is sometimes slow, but evident. It is an irrefutable fact, that as Canadians, we have brought hope to tens of millions of people.

“Shared Sense of Common Purpose”

“How did you rise to solve a crisis that so many said was impossible to solve?” the future generations will ask of us, said Al Gore. He was referring to this evident change and accomplishment that we have achieved, and continue to achieve.

“I want part of the answer to be that on the 40th anniversary of Earth Day in Montreal in the Palais, men and women from all over came together to lift the struggle against extreme poverty…and rally the forces of conscience and common sense.”

How You Can Keep The Momentum Building

It’s being done. Right before our eyes. And we are doing it.

Learn about the issue. Go to the World Partnership Walk website and learn about the issue. But more importantly, learn about how these issues are being overcome, and how you (yes, you) have played a major role in bringing an end to extreme poverty.

Talk about the progress. Those days are long gone when people could talk about problems inconsolably. We are now in the era where we can be confident about our abilities and future as a collective global village. Because we truly are a global village. Share your personal stories of hope and change with your friends, and invite them to participate and learn about the World Partnership Walk. Also follow the Twitter hashtag, #WPW

Act in any way that is possible. Sign up for the World Partnership Walk (Montreal has an exclusive, fully-functional, bi-lingual portal) as a fund raiser, an ambassador, a volunteer. Sign up on a team that already exists, or create your own. Take the leadership position. Donate any amount that you can, and ask your friends and family too. If someone can’t donate, ask them to donate collectively as a Family. Remember, 100% of the funds raised go to the development work, and you get tax receipts.

Because Canadians Can!

Canadians Can!

Tabish Bhimani — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 00:44:12 +0000

Dear HAPPO community,

I would like to sincerely thank you for the support and warm welcome you have given to me as the Montreal champion for Help a PR Pro Out (HAPPO on Twitter). I only hope and pray that I can continue what innovative visionaries, Valerie Simon and Arik Hanson have started, growing the community in Canada, via the #HappoCAN tag.

Please share your expertise, advice, opinions, and words of wisdom with me as I embark on this journey along with fellow team mates, Steven Wang and Bryan Cromlish.

I have a request: HAPPO has grown thanks to the phenomenal participation of community members. It is only through your participation and assistance that we can get the Canadian community running. Even if you aren’t in Canada, you can help! Just spread the word to your Canadian colleagues: whether they are leaders in the PR industry, or students who will be future leaders. Let the world know. It is our responsibility to the communities that have given us so much to give back by fostering their growth. Your participation is directly the cause of this growth.

So as we brace for HAPPO 4/30 Let us remember, that Canada Can! Also join the HAPPO LinkedIN group. It is a great opportunity to network and will significantly increase your chances to make lasting connections and set you on your path to a brilliant, exciting, and engaging new career!

Help a PR Pro Out

Tabish Bhimani — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 23:04:08 +0000

Hello PR Colleagues!

Many of you may have heard about the multiple Public Relations chats on Twitter, such as #PRStudChat and #HAPPO. I want to take a couple of lines to talk about #HAPPO, and a new initiative, #HappoCAN

Essentially, #HAPPO is about helping people network and find jobs in the PR Industry. It was started by Valerie Simon and Arik Hanson, two brilliant PR professionals, but more importantly, two of the most important community members with a passion to grow, learn, share and impart knowledge and information. Kudos!

This is a wonderful thing! There are many opportunities and just as many success stories.

Why #HappoCAN?

#HAPPO has been great, and it continues to grow. And it has focused mainly on the USA. As #HAPPO grows, I strongly identify a need for something similar in Canada. Because there are very few opportunities that are Canadian, they get buried in the extensive amount of information. Also, because #HAPPO is identified more and more with the States, I feel that it deters Canadian PR pros from participating in the conversation.

Enter #HappoCAN. If you’re a Canadian, residing in Canada or abroad, or if you’re an international citizen, looking for PR opportunities in Canada, #HappoCAN is for you. Because this only works if everyone participates and identifies with this need, your participation is crucial!

Please help spread the word about #HappoCAN and join the initiative. Because Canada Can!

#HAPPO is taking place this 4/30. Please join us for the Tweet chat!

Marginal Utility of Social Media

Tabish Bhimani — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 04:50:48 +0000

In economics there is a concept called diminishing marginal utility. Essentially, this concept states that as you utilize more of a good or commodity, the satisfaction or pleasure you derive from it decreases between each consumption.

So, if I was to eat one slice of pizza, followed by another slice, followed by a third slice, the utility I would derive from subsequent consumption would decrease.

I am beginning to entertain the idea, that social media has diminishing marginal utility.

Please don’t hate: after the utopia concept of the wonders that social media can do, people like Malcolm Gladwell and PR expert Geoff Livingston have moved away from social media.

It seems that the more eggs you put your basket in, the more baskets you have. but the more emptier they begin to look. The more social media you utilize, the less control you have over it. There is too much decentralization and you cant always utilize them efficiently, and logistically speaking, it becomes too much of a hassle.

the result? poor social media policy.

The next time you hear, read, and subsequently discuss social media in terms of PR, think about how much utility can be derived, before it starts diminishing.

What do you think?

How Twitter Helped Haiti – #BeMyGuest

Tabish Bhimani — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 22:47:18 +0000

David Clare writes a blog ‘The PR View’ at www.theprview.co.uk. David studies Public Relations and Marketing at the University of Lincoln. In his third and final year, he will graduate at the end of May this year. David wrote a dissertation on the uses of Twitter in Crisis Management and has a deep interest in the use of Social Media for Public Relations.

What Happened

On Tuesday 12 January, at 16.53 Haiti time, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti. This was quickly followed by two aftershocks, measuring 5.9 and 5.5 on the Richter scale.

The first aid relief didn’t arrive till two days later, by then an estimated 100,000 casualties were reported.

While many miracle stories of people being pulled out of the rubble over ten days after the quake, Port-au-prince experienced rioting and looting.

By Friday 22 January, after another aftershock had hit, the rescue effort was officially called off, however international teams kept up the search for survivors, with the most recent person pulled out 14 days after the quake hit.

The estimated number dead is 230,000.

Twitter

The earthquake received a huge response on Twitter.

In the UK, the major charities for worldwide aid form under the DEC -Disaster Emergency Committee. These include; Oxfam, the British Red Cross and World Vision and ten other charities.

DEC, @decappeal, have had a presence on Twitter since October 2nd 2009.

For the Haiti crisis, the DEC already had systems in place to act immediately and could instantly start Tweeting.

While it is unknown the exact amount that their Twitter account have contributed, we do know the SMS donations are mostly Twitter driven, which is likely to provide a considerable amount. For example the American Red Cross texts, mainly driven by Twitter, account for $8m.

Haiti trended for a long time on Twitter, by my count it was a trending topic every minute of every day for three weeks. Haiti has now stopped trending, however it was even longer than the initial three weeks till this happened.

Celebrities were extremely influential in the Twitter response to the disaster. The king of Twitter and most followed user, Ashton Kutcher, posted constantly on the issue, and is now setting up a new campaign to stop child slavery in Haiti with wife Demi Moore.

Final Thought

I expected that Haiti would last longer as a story on Twitter than it would on traditional media. This seemed to be the case, three weeks on Haiti was still trending on Twitter regularly, while traditional media was loosing coverage.

Now however, Haiti rarely trends on Twitter. It seems that the news of celebrity couple Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore recieved more coverage in traditional media than on Twitter.

Since the Haiti crisis, my respect for Twitter users has gone up and then back down. While Haiti did trend for significant amount of time (and then of course Chile), it is irritating that #nowplaying and Justin Beiber trend continuously.

It seems Twitter is great for breaking news, but I encourage people to use it for other reasons than as a news source. My personal use for Twitter is networking, and I believe this is where it shines.

Please do not forget Haiti. To donate please click here.

Pete Codella: Online Newsroom

Tabish Bhimani — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 06:33:21 +0000

Pete Codella, of Codella Marketing has an interesting video up on MyRaganTV about online newsrooms:

What Every Media Site Should Have

I am a very strong advocate of online newsrooms and I understand that generally having a presence online is one of the best things you can do. Why is this? Well, One of the reasons is that it costs close to nothing to build your brand online, specially with free social media services. This is especially great for students attempting to stand out for prospective employers.

There’s many other reasons that Pete Codella himself highlights in the video as benefits of having an online presence, and no wonder he has a successful, unique service, called NewsCactus. Just look at what NewsCactus clients are saying (navigate the website, as you learn more about the service).

However, there’s some things I disagree with. For one, Codella says,

“the more baskets your information is in, the more opportunities you have to rank high…”

It’s marvelous if a company can put its eggs in multiple baskets. But it only works when the company has enough eggs to show. More baskets mean less eggs per basket, and the less visible they are.

If a company uses all the social media and uses their website or other online presence as a center point of consolidation, this is good. But there are two issues that one must take into account:

Can you keep up with the need to constantly update your various presences with relevant information?
Is it feasible, or even necessary? In other words, do you have a following, or a target market that you can reach by expanding across the multiple networks.

It should go without saying, that a company must build its multiple networks one by one (or simultaneously if it is affordable, and meets the conditions mentioned above.

It is a really progressive idea to get involved in all facets and be everywhere, but in a situation of crisis, it may become much more unmanageable.

A simple example is the very prominent Australian bank, BankWest. BankWest has multiple YouTube accounts. EverydayOlympics has been stagnant for over a year now, and HappyBanking has been quiet for an equally long time. This is the same with their Twitter account.

The idea is, if it doesn’t need to be done, don’t do it. It’s Ockham’s Razor of sorts. And while I admire Pete Codella’s unique online newsroom service, I believe that being ubiquitous doesn’t work all the time.