This Blog is Moving!

23Nov09

Yup.

In a matter of days all of the posts on peoplearepeople.wordpress.com are going to be  moved over to my new (to be announced) URL.  I’ll post the new address here shortly, once I’ve finished working out the kinks in the new design and layout. 

Having a .wordpress.com address has been OK, but it hasn’t provided me with enough flexibility.   Being able to design my own blog template has been frustrating, but I’m enjoying the process.  I’m also looking forward to the possiblity of getting my posts into Google’s search database.

Like I said, everything that’s posted here will be moved over to the new blog (including the lovely comments you’ve left me).  The only changes will be a more personalized layout and a new web address.  I hope to have things fully integrated by the end of the week.

I’m super excited!

Filed under: Shameless Self Promotion   |  Leave a Comment

20 Free Ways to Beautify Your Blog

19Nov09

 

[download this Blogger template here]

Free Blogger Templates

 1. Free Templates are a little generic if you ask me, but the site has a large selection.

2. I like the clean layout of Blogger Free Templates as well as its diverse selection - the site has everything from wacky to plain. There’s also a user rating system.

3. Dzine Blog features 36 stunning Blogger templates, completely free of charge.

4. Blogger Templates Blog  has over 183 pages of free Blogger templates, some of which have made Dzine’s Top 36.

5. Instant Shift features 120 of its favourite free Blogger templates.

Free WordPress Templates

6. Free WordPress Templates and Themes.

7. Smashing Magazine’s Top 100 free WordPress themes of 2009.

8. Free WP Themes has 221 templates.

9. Top WP Themes.

10. And of course, there’s always WordPress.org.

FREE BLOG PHOTOS

11. Try Google first. Search words you want to try are “public domain photos”, “free stock photography” and “free blog images”.

12. Flickr Creative Commons is quickly becoming my favourite source for blog photos. An advanced search enables you to find beautiful, free-to-use photos for your blog.

13. SXC  is a great place for stock photography, although not all of the pictures are free.  Make sure to check for restrictions before posting. I’ve uploaded some of my amateur photography to the site – you can check out my profile and download pics for free here.

14. Free Blog Photos works like a search engine. It’s a cool idea but I had trouble getting my searches to load.

15. Golden God has a great post about finding photos for your blog.

FREE FONTS

16. I used 1001 Free Fonts for my website. There’s almost too much selection! I spent half a day searching through this site’s seemingly endless fonts.

17. Smashing Magazine’s Top 20 high quality, free fonts.

18. Font Freak boasts over 5000 fonts. I find the layout of this site busy and distracting, though.

19. Urban Fonts has over “8000 freeware fonts” and a nice, clean layout to boot.

20. Acid Fonts has some cute Christmas fonts.

Filed under: Technology   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: free blog photos, Free Blogger Templates, Free Fonts, Free Wordpress Templates

Nicole Kidman on Women’s Rights

04Nov09

Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman stood before congress last month on behalf of UNIFEM, calling for an end to violence against women.

The actress, who was in Washington to testify in favor of the International Violence Against Women Act, admitted that Hollywood can perpetuate negative stereotypes by portraying women as “weak sex objects”, but was quick to point out that she had “no interest” in such roles.

Although Kidman is clearly committed to her post as Goodwill Ambassador for UNIFEM – she traveled to Kosovo in 2006 to meet with abused women and helped launch an advocacy campaign in 2007 – I wonder if the organization would have benefited from choosing another, more suitable, spokesperson.

While it’s undeniable that Kidman has built her career upon a foundation of talent and hard work one need only look at her to see that she too has fallen victim to society’s sexist ideologies. In recent years Kidman’s taut forehead has made her into an unwitting poster child for excessive cosmetic surgery; last week, images of the actor’s apparently immobile face seemed to spark just as much online debate as the actual lobbied cause.

While I don’t believe there’s anything inherently wrong with plastic surgery, I find Kidman’s insistence that she is “completely natural” unsettling. I’m equally disturbed by the way that “role models” like Kidman endorse society’s collective fear of the aging woman by freezing their faces beyond the point of recognition.

The idea that a woman’s allure can only be maintained through youth constitutes a double-standard that is, at its root, abusive. The fact that UNIFEM has opted to elect an ambassador who has, by her own actions, perpetuated negative beliefs about feminine beauty is curious to say the least.

A woman who is paralyzed by insecurity often requires as much counseling as a woman who has suffered at the hands of a man. Perhaps UNIFEM would benefit from acknowledging and mentoring women who have inflicted abuse and self-denial upon themselves.

They can start with their own ambassador.

Filed under: Celebrities, Women   |  1 Comment
Tags: Feminism, Nicole Kidman, UNIFEM, Plastic Surgery, Hollywood, violence against women

No Burqas on the Street

03Nov09

[photo by deepchi1]

French immigration minister Eric Bessom initiated a debate on French national identity last week, declaring that the country should cease to tolerate burqas – the head-to-toe covering garments worn by many Muslim women – arguing that they run counter to the country’s equality values. Bessom’s statements echo those of French President Nicolas Sarkozy who spoke out against the burqa in June of this year, declaring that the “oppressive” garments are “not welcome” in the territory of the French Republic.

Bessom has not called for a ban on the burqa but the country is considering the option. Despite their minimal presence in France, the garments of Islam have been a point of heated debate for some time: In 2004, a political firestorm erupted when France proposed a law prohibiting Islamic headscarves and other visible religious symbols from appearing in French public schools. A slew of public debates and demonstrations followed.

As contraversial as the garments of Islam may be, legislating a full-out ban will do little to help France’s cause. Any law that prohitbits a woman from wearing a burqa is every bit as tyrranical as the traditions that brought the garment into frutition. While some outsiders view Islamic garments as a symbol of oppression, there are women who don burqas as an expression of free will. To deny a person the right to dress as he or she pleases demonstrates a blatant disregard for human rights.

The “fight” to advance women’s freedoms should not be rooted in coercion. Rather than attempting to prohibit public displays of the burqa, the government of France should empower its citizens with freedom of choice. The most effective way to create positive change within a society is through education and open dialogue – not legislation.

It is only when the government of France begins to view burqa-clad women as equals – instead of as “prisioners” in need of rescue – that an amicable resolution can be achieved.

Filed under: Politics, Women   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: burqa, Eric Bessom, Feminism, France, French Identity, Muslim, Nicolas Sarkozy

Song of the Day – Little Boots – Every Little Earthquake (Yes Giantess Remix)

23Oct09

I have much love for Little Boots. For me, her music calls to mind fond memories of Jem dolls, lite brites and neon plastic jewellery.  Fun.

Here’s “Every Little Earthquake”, remixed by Yes Giantess.  Come to think of it, you should check them out too. I had the opportunity to interview YG’s lead singer last month and he was SUCH a nice guy.  I love when good people find success.  It’s truly inspiring, no?

Anyway, here’s Little Boots.  Enjoy!

Filed under: Music   |  Leave a Comment

Metric at Massey Hall, Toronto – 10.21.09

22Oct09

Metric performed at Toronto’s historic Massey Hall last night and I was there, screaming like a madwoman.

Hands down, this was one of the best concerts I’ve been to in a long time and that’s saying a lot; I didn’t think anything could top the Underworld concert I saw back in August.

I will be posting a full-length review for Quiet Color later today but for now, here are my initial thoughts:

- The Stills opened the show. This was the second time I’ve seen them perform live. Lead singer Tim Fletcher appeared to be in a far better mood than he was at the Chill on The Hill show.  Julien Blais is an incredible drummer.

- Emily Haines is awesome.  Amazing, even.  She looked phenomenal last night.

- I don’t like Massey Hall as a concert venue - it’s too big to feel intimate and it’s too small to have the mystique of a stadium (yes, I think that stadium concerts have a certain “mystique” about them – what with the pot smoking kids and the smoke machines and all).  What’s more, the seats at Massey Hall are small and crammed together.  A plus side though: pretty much every seat in the house will give you a great view.

UPDATE: Here’s my review for Quiet Color.

Filed under: Canada, Music   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: massey hall, Metric, The Stills, Toronto

Balloon Boy is Big Business

21Oct09

On October 15, 2009 the media bombarded us with images of a curious-looking weather balloon drifting through the air. According to the headlines it had become untethered at a private home in Colorado and floated upwards of 7,000 feet before landing a few hours later. Inside the balloon, purportedly, was 6 year-old Falcon Heene.

What initially sparked fear and panic was later revealed to be a giant hoax. Falcon had never been anywhere near the weather balloon – he’d been hiding in a box in the attic the entire time, as instructed by his clearly-deranged father. It turns out that the Heenes are nothing more than a family of fame-mongerers, the masterminds behind a sick publicity stunt aimed at drawing attention to their upcoming reality TV show.

It’s been a week since the Balloon Boy incident and major news networks continue to prattle on about it. Online, people have debated the “newsworthiness” of the story, calling for an end to its coverage.

Yet it continues to make headlines.

Most, if not all, of us have extended this story’s fifteen minutes of fame in one way or another – including those of us who have lamented its coverage. News networks haven’t conspired against us to report solely on the ridiculous and the absurd – instead, they report what sells, and right now Balloon Boy is selling.

Competition is fierce among major news networks. Not only are they forced to contend with one another, but they must also find a way to stay relevant in the face of online social networking, the blogosphere and user-generated content websites like YouTube. The need to report a story first has become more important than anything else – more important than relevancy, more important than fact-checking, and certainly more important than journalistic integrity and we, as a public, seem to be eating it up.

We may collectively despise characters like John and Kate Gosselin, Octomom and the Heenes, but we can’t seem to turn away.

If you’re able to ignore the fame-hungry train wrecks that trapeze across our televisions on a daily basis, I applaud you.

I, obviously, am not that highly evolved.

Filed under: Media   |  1 Comment
Tags: John Gosselin, Kate Gosselin, Falcon Heene, Balloon Boy, Balloon Boy Colorado, Octomom

Bah

14Oct09

Here we are less than two weeks into October and the shops have already begun shoveling Christmas down our throats. 

Fearing a less-than-fruitful holiday shopping season, major retailers like Wal-Mart are rolling out the Christmas trees ahead of schedule in hopes that their festive decorations and miniscule price cuts will get people back into stores, buying useless crap that will end up in a Goodwill donation bin in a few months’ time.

Speaking of useless crap, the Christmas toy of the season has been announced.  Allow me to introduce you to Zhu Zhu, the curious-looking toy hamster:

Zhu Zhus do just about everything a real hamster does – from scurrying through a hamster maze (sold separately for around $30.00) to running on a hamster wheel (sold separately for another $30.00) to sliding down a hamster slide (sold seperately for another – you guessed it – $30.00).

Apparently the shops are having trouble keeping Zhu Zhus on the shelf and it’s only a matter of time before they start fetching hundreds of dollars on ebay. At $20-$60 a pop for the hamster alone (sixty bucks will get you a “collector’s edition” Zhu Zhu) the cheapest Zhu Zhu is about four times more expensive than a living, breathing hamster - but perhaps it’s a good thing that Zhu Zhu enthusiasts aren’t buying the real deal. Anybody stupid enough drop over a hundred bucks on a Zhu Zhu plus accessories shouldn’t be trusted with a live animal (or a child for that matter, but I’ll save that rant for another day).

Once upon a time, Christmas was a joyous celebration (or so I’ve been told). Now, thanks to over-commercialization, layoffs,  extreme bullying and bone-crushing debt  have come to define the season above everything else.

Sigh.

Hold on to your reindeers, friends. Xmas 2009 is shaping up to be a looong and bumpy ride.

Filed under: Business   |  3 Comments

Cherylsantamaria.com

09Oct09

Finally!

My website is up and running! Click on the icon above to view it or you can access the site from the handy “Website” tab at the top of this blog. When you’re on the site, I strongly advise that you refrain from clicking on “View Source” as this will reveal the MESSIEST CODE EVER!!

If designing a website has taught me one thing, it’s that I’m a very bad coder.

Like, horrible.

Oh, well.  I’d appreciate your feedback, though. I’m still trying to work out the kinks and any broken links/formatting errors are in the process of being fixed.

Cheers!

Filed under: Shameless Self Promotion, Uncategorized   |  2 Comments

Billy Talent Announces New Canadian Tour Dates (2010)

09Oct09

[photo source]

… Aaaaaaaand here they are:

Mar 3/10 Victoria, BC Save On Foods Centre
Mar 5/10 Penticton, BC South Okanagan Events Centre
Mar 6/10 Kamloops, BC Interior Savings Centre
Mar 8/10 Prince George, BC CN Centre
Mar 9/10 Dawson Creek, BC EnCana Events Centre
Mar 11/10 Red Deer, AB Enmax Centrium
Mar 12/10 Medicine Hat, AB Medicine Hat Arena
Mar 13/10 Lethbridge, AB Enmax Centre
Mar 15/10 Edmonton, AB Rexall
Mar 16/10 Calgary, AB Pengrowth Saddledome
Mar 18/10 Regina, SK Brandt Centre @ Evrez Place
Mar 19/10 Saskatoon, SK Saskatoon Credit Union Centre
Mar 20/10 Winnipeg, MB MTS Centre
Mar 22/10 Sault Ste. Marie Essar Centre
Mar 23/10 Sudbury, ON Sudbury Arena
Mar 24/10 Montreal, QC Bell Centre
Mar 26/10 Ottawa, ON Scotiabank
Mar 27/10 London, ON John Labatt Centre
Mar 28/10 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre

Filed under: Canada, Music   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: Billy Talent