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I have always had my flu shot.  I religiously find the local vaccination clinics and go out of my way to be one of the first people to get the flu shot.  Why?  Well, I’m one of those At Risk type people having had asthma since birth.  I’ve had my flu shot for years and years prior to the shot being covered for all Ontarians by the province. 

This year would be no exception to my rule.  I was scouring the internet to find all the information I could on the flu vaccination.  I learnt that I should first get the pH1N1 vaccination and it would be available to me starting Tuesday, October 27^th.  Great!  Or so I thought.

I was a bit hesitant to go to day 1 of the vaccination clinic.  There was only one location and there was quite a bit of hype about pH1N1, to say the least.  However, a few friends did go day 1 and they shared their experiences with me via text message and Twitter.  What they shared was disturbing.

There were huge line-ups prior to the 10am start time of the vaccination clinic.  By 9am a friend estimated there were over 300 people waiting in line with many more coming in.  By 11am there was a reported 1000 people waiting in line according to KFL&A Public Health.  By noon people coming in were being told to come back another day.  People shared with me that they waited 4 to 5 hrs to get a shot and KFL&A Public Health reported the wait was as high as 6 hours.

At approximately 11am I received a message that pregnant women were being greeted at the door by a nurse and brought to the front of the line.  This confused me.  The person who gave me this message was a person who, like me, fit in the At Risk list of people who should get the pH1N1 shot.  At no point was he given the option to be at the front of the line.  I was a bit confused why pregnant women were given what I thought was preferential treatment above everyone including other At Risk people.  To settle the matter, I called Justin Chenier, Communications Officer for the KFL&A Public Health.  He confirmed that pregnant women were brought to the front to be treated and this was done so by the decision of Dr Ian Gemmill.  Dr Gemmill made the decision that there were too many risks and complications for pregnant women to wait in line for hours.  Pregnant women were given the option to move to the front of the line.  However, other At Risk individuals were not given the option to move to the front of the line.  I further inquired if the pregnant women were brought to a special waiting area where they could wait.  Justin said no.  The pregnant women were treated first before all others.

Why was the KFL&A Public Health treating everyone with no priority for At Risk individuals besides pregnant women?  Why all this confusion?  Well, it could have had something to do with the advertising of the pH1N1 immunization clinic.  In every Kingston newspaper, there was an advertisement indicating the immunization clinics for the area.  The advert indicated the pH1N1 vaccine would be given to all ages and seasonal flu vaccine was only for 65 and over.  I originally found the same advert for pH1N1 last week on the KFL&A Public Health’s website (they have since replaced it with a proper advertisement indicating that this week only at risk people should come to the clinic but I still have my newspapers in the recycling bin).  Furthermore, in every interview of immunization staff of the clinic, they stressed that “No one would be turned away” [ You can read an example here http://www.thewhig.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2149548 ].  If you want a pH1N1 vaccine shot, you can because they have lots to go around.  In other words, first come – first served.  [ This frustrated mother best sums it up here http://ckwstv.com/index.cfm?page=news&id=1373 ]

On day 1, people in line were assured that 3000 vaccines were allotted for each day of the immunization clinic.  Did they reach 3000 vaccinations?  The simple answer is no, they did not.  According to their own account, KFL&A Public Health gave out approximately 1500 to 1700 vaccines on day 1.  Somehow, I doubt they can truly tell us percentages of At Risk group vaccination compared to the general population.

Has Public Health failed Kingston?  I think it’s an astounding YES in that regard.  Failing to treat all At Risk groups and to be complacent is serious.  At no time were people screened in line to see if they were part of an At Risk group.  There were no separate lines for At Risk groups.  Everyone were treated the same with the exception of pregnant women.  They even failed to treat as many people as they wanted to in a day.  How can we trust KFL&A Public Health?  How can we?

“To err is human”, is a popular phrase.  We all have our faults which make us human.  To recognize errors and correct them is a trait we learn in life.  I’m not convinced that the KFL&A Public Health has recognized their errors nor corrected them.  Perhaps I can think of a few suggestions to help them.  Let’s see:

-         Toronto Public Health has recognized the urgency of treating At Risk groups and has created special immunization clinics for only At Risk groups.  These clinics turn away anyone who doesn’t fit into the category giving priority to those in need.

-         A consistent message should be priority.  The first seasonal flu immunization clinics indicated only 65 and older could get their seasonal flue vaccine.  KFL&A Public Health should do something similar for the pH1N1 immunization clinics and stick to that story.  They should discontinue advertising to the media they “won’t turn anyone away”.

-         With the left over 1000 or so of pH1N1 vaccines that are allotted every day there should be a separate clinic for At Risk groups.  Since only 1500 to 1700 vaccines were given out, the left over 1500 to 1300 could be sent to a separate clinic treating only At Risk groups.

On a regular basis, I find myself filling out an application form or sending my cover letter and resume off in hopes of attaining that dream job I always dream of.  You know the dream, right? Where you sit around, do very little, get a HUGE cheque every day, and have fun doing the work you are asked to do.  Well, that job is very hard to come by.  That doesn’t stop me from trying.

I keep trying and trying to find that perfect job.  So I’m constantly creating new cover letters and applications.  My poor resume hasn’t been updated in a year or so.  I thought it was time to review the resume.

I took a look.  Read a few things.  Added some highlights.  Then, it hit me. I haven’t truly portrayed me and all my facets.  Should I?

I think that many queer people may experience something similar.  Do you got out and write on your resume that you are part of the Pride Committee and have been for years as the Treasurer, especially when you are applying for a job that requires bookkeeping?  You’re kinda putting yourself out on the line by saying you are part of the Pride Committee. Pride Committee = GAY!  Do you want potential employers knowing?  Or are you worried that it won’t be welcomed by a new employer? But why shouldn’t you since that bookkeeping job requires experience.  This is a conflict many people deal with.

In my case, I’m comfortable with telling any stranger on the street that I’m Miss Tyffanie Morgan, Miss Gay Kingston! It’s a very proud thing for me.  But how do I convey that on a cover letter or resume?  How do I say to an employer, “Hi, I’m FABULOUS!  I’m a very personable person who is loved by millions (ahem) and was honoured by the community with the title of Miss Gay Kingston.”  How do I do that?

I want to know if it’s possible for me to cash in on my personality for a new 9 to 5 job.  Is it possible?  Is it advisable?  I’m not sure.  What do you think?

Hi SweetPeas!  I’ve been racking my brain the last few days trying to come up with a concept.  Let me back up and tell you of my little story.

A little while ago, maybe only a few months ago, I discovered the scary fact that Canada only has a handful of Queercasters.  What is a Queercaster?  A Queercaster is someone who is queer/gay/lesbian/bi/trans/2spirited/rainbow coloured who creates a podcast or a vidcast.  So literally, there were only 3 Queercasters that I could find listed in the iTunes directory in Canada that have been actively creating podcasts (there were a few who had created podcasts but hadn’t produced new content in over 6 months to a year).

Why so few?  I’m not sure exactly why there are so few Canadian Queercasters.  I know that there is a demand in Canada for podcasts and vidcasts with a queer bent.  Goodness knows, I went out looking for queerness on the internet.  I found many American Queercasters and even a few from outside America; Twinkleboi being #1 on the list of non-Americans!  There are many other Canadians looking for Queercasters but can only satisfy their need by looking outside Canada.  You only have to listen to Wanda Wisdom of LuckyBitchRadio to know that she has many Canadian listeners.

Anyway, I started getting the idea of somehow organizing something to help promote Canadian Queercasters and Canadian Queer Online Content.  I created a facebook group and started posting those who had podcasts.  Soon I moved toward adding others who had YouTube accounts to vlog on.  I soon realized that there potentially are MANY queer people in Canada on YouTube who vlog or create any type of video for YouTube.  How do I get everyone under one roof when the posibilities for social media are so great?

This is where I got confused.  Should I limit my undeveloped concept to exclude those who solely create content for YouTube?  Is this wrong?  Should I only focus on people who create podcasts and vidcasts that you can subscribe to through iTunes or through a personalized rss/atom feed?  I want to be inclusive and only exclude non-Canadians

I turned to the definition of New Media.  Can I find the answer there?  Is New Media strictly Podcasts?  Can this solve my dilmena?  Well no.  I realized if I wanted to be inclusive and promote Canadian Queer Online Content that would include EVERYTHING New Media which includes Blogs, Vlogs, Podcasts, Vidcasts, the kitchen sink if you could leave a comment on it, the gammot!

So this is where it is.  LIMBO!  Do the Limbo… do di do….

Maybe I’m hoping for someone to say, “Tyffanie, it’s alright.”  I’m just a bit hesitant to exclude.  Is there some way to incorporate without turning this task into a huge production requiring a workforce of hundreds?

Many questions, not many answers.

Another last minute question: Should I remove the twitter blog postings on this?

There was a recent storm of blogging and twittering in regards to a well know blogger who accepted money from a large Canadian store to buy items from the store and discuss those items in a blog posting.  Basically, the blogger was paid for a blog post.  He was completely transparent about the situation and even talked about the deal in later posts.  That blogger wasn’t me but Chris.  At least I think it was Chris..

There was much discussion as to whether or not Chris was wrong in accepting money from the store in order to write a blog post.  I, myself, never saw much concern with accepting money to blog.  I don’t really see any issue with accepting money as long as your content/product isn’t affected or manipulated because of that money.  I have no problems.  Do what you want to do.  I’ll do what I want to do.  Give me money! 

Even more recent I did a random Google search for my name “Tyffanie”.  I always like to find out how well my website is ranked on Google’s top searches and to see what new celebrity or porn star started using the spelling of my name.  There was this one porn star from the United States in Georgia, not sure what happened to her.  Nonetheless, I was checking Google and I discovered a search link:

Breakfast with Tyffanie – Canadian Podcasts @ Culture.ca

Breakfast with Tyffanie is an informal breakfast chat with Ms. Tyffanie Morgan from Kingston, Ontario, Canada. She chats about days events, news, shows, …
balados.culture.ca/explore/feed/20673 – 34k – Cached – Similar pages

It was no longer a good link but thanks to Google Cache, I was able to view what the page had looked like.  It appears that this Culture.ca website had been aggregating my rss feed.  They were sharing the feed.  But I didn’t get any emails that they were?  I didn’t request if they could share my feed?  Mind you, I’m not complaining.  I just wanted to know what this Culture.ca website was all about.

In my investigations (ie, typing in http://podcast.culture.ca), I found out that the website had been run by Canadian Heritage.  More specifically, the Canadian Culture Online Branch of Canadian Heritage.  I read a bit of Canadian Culture Online Branch information and was fascinated.

Apparently, there have been grants and initiatives to help promote Canadian Online Content focused on our vast Canadian Culture.  I guess my little podcast was a little example of Canadian Culture.  Yeah!  But wait, grants = money.  Is there Canadian Government money available to podcasters like me?

After further reading, I found out that the Branch was not directly funding podcasters but other non-profit agencies such as the National Film Board who then began a program called Citizen Shift.  If this sounds familiar, Bob and Mark had interviewed Tim McScorley of Citizen Shift on the Canadian Podcast Buffet #122.  Tim said there are possibilities for money from Citizen Shift for new content created for Citizen Shift (for more details of requirements, check out Citizen Shift especially the terms of service).  So everything is making some sense now.

This begs to question then.  If Chris’ actions and content were subject because he received money from a Canadian store, would it be different if he received money from the Canadian Government?   If I accepted money from a non-profit organization funded by the Canadian Government promoting Canadian Online Content, would my actions, motives, and content be questioned?

I think the main argument with accepting money from a company is whether or not that company will ask you to change your content or manipulate it in some way.  For instance, by giving you a free iPhone, you might feel pressured to give Apple a good review.  Is this any different with the government?  Perhaps, perhaps not.  The government won’t be asking you to write or podcast a good review about the Prime Minister anytime soon.  Then again, they might.

There is even another interesting argument that I had heard at a ReelOut queer film + video festival panel discussion with independent Montreal film producers/content creators.  The independent Montreal filmsters talked in depth about the use of “found media”.  “Found media” is a term they used to describe media that is found and used without researching the current owner and giving financial reimbursement for the use of the media.  For example, using an old video clip in your own film to help the development of your film.  Why do these renegade filmsters use “found media”?  Well, because they can’t afford to pay the owners of this “found media” nor do they want to be penalized for their use of “found media”.

Sound familiar?  Many podcasters may use “found media” in their production of content.  How many times have you heard a song that you know isn’t Creative Commons?  Is the use of “found media” wrong?  In the podcasting world, yes!  Using “found media” in Citizen Shift is wrong (check terms of use).  That means that those Canadian podcasters that do use “found media” won’t be eligible for money.  Those podcasters who want government money would need to change their content and format to avoid “found media”.  Interesting.

Well, I don’t know what to say here.  I’d love to hear other’s points of view.  Is monetization of online content good or bad, yes or no, Cheech and Chong?  If offered a government grant, would you take it?  If offered a lump sum of money from a company, would you take it?  Is there a difference?

I’m done.

Fine fine fine… after reviewing EVERYONE’s New Year Resolutions, I’m caving in and creating my own.  What can I say, I have no back bone

1. Finally buy that elliptical that I promised I would buy last New Year.  For some reason, I couldn’t find any time to purchase an elliptical.  But I did find time to buy an air conditioner, start a radio show, and converse on facebook for hours and hours and hours… and hours…
2. Buy a House.  I’m actually at that stage in my little existence where I am getting ready to make the big leap to purchase a house.  I just have to wait to become permanent at my job.  Once I am, watch out Kingston!
3. Finally make a firm decision on whether or not I’m staying in Kingston.  That’s right SweetPeas!  I’m a walking contradiction.  I want to buy a house (which would imply setting down roots) but I also think I may want to move to Toronto.  Toronto has many more opportunities for me with Drag, New Media, my current career.. and boys   So I have to finally make my decision if I want to move to the big smoke.
4. Travel more.  I don’t travel enough.  I have promised many people all across the globe that I would visit them.  Do you think I have done anything to make that happen?  No.  So I need to travel more and follow through on some or all of those promises.
5. I want to become more engaged.  If you think I am engaged enough, I would disagree.  I feel I can do more.  I could mentor or outreach and become more engaged.  Engaged in what?  Everything   lol!  But more focused on queer news, culture, and politics.

Well that’s it, SweetPeas!  Please share your resolutions with me by commenting below, sending me an email tyffanie[at]tyffanie.com or by calling 1-888-741-6171

Happy New Year!!!

On this episode of Gender Bender, Jessy and Tyffanie speak with DJ DSy aka Ricky Morgan who is Miss Tyffanie’s Drag Sister.  Listen as they gab about Kingston, HIV/AIDS, and shoes.