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The Citizen, 2016-03-24, Page 5THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2016. PAGE 5. Other Views Death by selfie is on the rise The selfie. Could there be a more iconic (and ironic) ambassador for these egocentric times than the fad of taking photographs... of ourselves? The selfie. A full face snapshot of, well, me — or you — taken anywhere and instantly posted worldwide. The photo often features a thumb in extreme close-up, a by now all -too -familiar smiling face and... oh yeah, something famous in the back- ground. "Hi! This is me standing in front of...some temple! I think it's Rome. Or maybe Thailand. Cute, hey?" It's not always a monument in the background. Many selfies feature the selfie taker schmoozing with other people — preferably famous ones. Justin Trudeau's hair must be in about 11 million selfies by now. Same goes for Donald Trump and his orange flying buttress. "Hi! This is me with... some politician, I think" Or maybe it's the maitre d' at Scaramouche! Cute, hey?" The overriding motivation of all selfies is ultimately egotism. It's not enough to take a photo of Michelangelo's David or the Aurora Borealis dancing over Whitehorse — now it's crucial that the photo show the photographer grinning in the foreground. Kim Kardashian is reigning queen of the selfies. She earned the crown with the publication of a 352 -page book featuring photographs of (you guessed it) herself — lolling by the pool, vamping up a staircase, getting in and out of luxury automobiles, standing in front of... well, you get the idea. The book is called (wait for it) Selfish. And now the latest selfie-inspired fashion fad — suicide by selfie. Not a sick joke, a sick fact. People are literally dying to take selfies. More than 50 selfie-related deaths have been recorded around the world. India leads the pack with 19 deaths since 2014. Technically, they're not suicides, just fatal accidents. Like the Indian college student who lost his balance while teetering on a rock near a dam and trying to record the feat on his smart phone. He slipped, fell in and drowned, as did another student who tried to save him. In January, 2014, three students on a class trip decided to take a group selfie with a speeding express train in the background. Not, it turns out, far enough in the background. The train struck and killed all three of them. Death by selfie has become common enough for the government of India to declare certain high risk areas such as cliffs and coastlines with no barriers to be `no-selfie zones'. Why selfies and why now? Well, we can thank the ubiquitous front -facing smart phone camera as well as photo -sharing programs like Snapchat and Instagram that make it quick and easy. Oh, and good old reliable stupidity. Last month a 43 -year-old Washington man fatally shot himself in the face while taking selfies of himself and his girlfriend fondling an automatic pistol. The girlfriend told the police that they "had taken photos with the gun several times that day, loading and unloading bullets multiple times." Darwin rules. NIMBYism and municipal growth Recently Morris-Turnberry Council decided that, despite the concerns of some neighbours, it would take steps that could allow a developer to take currently unused land and build a used car lot called Turnberry Motors. The concerns of the neighbours, for the most part, were about the increased traffic, potential safety issues and noise and light. In the end, however, comments like those made about having to look at car lots and how they can often not be the most attractive things to see, or to hear, tipped the hand of the people complaining about the potential lot, in my mind. As a matter of fact, the complaints seemed to be that some nearby residents wanted to see the car lot somewhere else and actually referred to not wanting to see or hear things in the neighbouring backyards. I've seen a lot of people complain about things because they don't want it close to their land including solar panels, wind turbines and landfills, but this is the first time I've actually heard people complain about something they didn't want in their backyard. I have to applaud Morris-Turnberry Council's decision to proceed with this kind of development despite the "not in my backyard" mentality of some neighbours. When I was away at school, I did study journalism, but my primary foci were communication studies and contemporary studies. The former was for obvious reasons, I hope, however the latter may confuse some folks. Contemporary Studies is a bit of a grab bag. We studied history, psychology, technology and even community planning It was during a higher-level entry into the community planning courses when I first stumbled on to the idea of not in my backyard (NIMBY) mentality. Tasked with developing a basic city, many people ran into problems when they tried to place things like industrial plants next to residential areas, or high -pollution facilities next to other polluters. I was at school in Brantford which was a highly -industrialized location decades ago and there was plenty of history to teach people exactly what NIMBYism was. Denny Scott Denny's Den ai....iiili i When it finally came time to present my city, my professor asked if I hadn't paid attention to the discussion on NIMBYism because I had an automotive factory next to residential areas. I said I had paid attention, but could recall at least one example of where production near to residential properties actually proved a boon to the community. When called to task, I told my class and professor about the community I had grown up in; Goderich. I explained to them that I could throw a rock from my paternal grandparents' back door and hit the plant where they produced Champion, and later Volvo, graders. After some quick Google Earth show and tell, I received full marks for the plan and my presentation. I said to my classmates and my professor that NIMBYism is something that had never crossed my mind because communities as small as Goderich or Seaforth or Egmondville would take what kind of companies they could get to try and grow. I guess, however, I was destined to be proven wrong. The people against this Morris-Turnberry development have complained about there being too much light from the site, too much noise from the vehicles and the fact that their children will no longer be able to play in the now vacant lot. To me, that seems a small price to pay for a local business that can only serve to bring more tax dollars and more visitors into a community. Before anyone accuses me of not being in touch with what it could mean, however, I think it's important to point out that I live in a residential area that has, within it, some pretty high traffic businesses. Across the road from my home is a local business that has people stopping in all the time. They also have transport trucks that need to park on the road occasionally and have their own vehicles on the road to deliver goods and services. Just behind my home is a huge agricultural implement dealer which makes for light and noise when other businesses might not be open. Just beyond that is the Emergency Services Training Centre and Fire Department of North Huron fire trucks, which means every time there is a fire call, I'm hearing any sirens that have to be activated. Now, one differentiating factor between my position and that of the concerned Monis- Turnberry neighbours is that I knew these businesses were here when I bought my home, but, even if I didn't, I would welcome them. Why? Because the bigger and better the businesses around the less my taxes are going to be and the more vibrant my community is. These people are trying to shut down a commercial development when every other municipality in the area is tripping over each other trying to bring small-, medium- and large -size commercial and industrial endeavours home. I could get frustrated when, early in the morning when I'm trying to enjoy a coffee on my deck (this during the warmer seasons) because there are vibrations and loud noises coming through the trees from large farm equipment. I could also get angry when I have to wait for traffic as a transport truck is blocking the street. I could also get frustrated if my peace and quiet is invaded by a fire call. However, to get frustrated at a business making sure that there are livelihoods for people in my community and tax dollars keeping the roads clean seems to be a pretty selfish way of looking at the situation to me. To say you don't want to have to deal with the light or the noise or increased traffic near your home from a potential business venture is to say you don't want the spinoffs that having businesses in a community provides. So I tip my hat to Morris-Turnberry Council for looking to try and have this business call the municipality home. Sometimes people need to worry less about what they see out their windows and more about the overall health of their community and it seems like most of council is aware of that situation. Shawn AA,.Loughlin Shawn's Sense Put your money... Much has been made in recent weeks about the ketchup wars — the challenger French's against the world champion Heinz — and it's further proof that the winner is up to us. The issue was brought to the forefront recently when an Orillia man posted that Canadians should support ketchup made by French's — a company known for its mustard — because it swooped in and saved a Leamington tomato plant after Heinz announced its closure. French's began producing ketchup at the site with Canadian -grown tomatoes, saving a reported 250 jobs, and untold community economic spin-off, along the way. At its core, the issue is a simple one; and one to which Huron County residents are no stranger. To see a local company flourish, you must buy its products and you must shop at the store. Those who run the company, after all, are your neighbours. In the ketchup wars, the neighbourhood is just a lot bigger and it was a case of Canadians supporting other Canadians. The campaign to support French's and shun Heinz began on social media and caught fire as a source of patriotism. It was followed by the decision of Loblaw stores to no longer carry French's ketchup, insisting that it didn't sell. In the days since, there have been many news stories featuring internal memos saying that French's was cannibalizing sales of the Loblaw house brand, President's Choice, rather than cutting into the Heinz market share. Even so, Loblaw representatives have insisted that French's ketchup isn't selling, despite the "social media buzz" surrounding it. Whether this is true or not almost doesn't matter. It reflects the growing slacktivism (defined as actions performed via the internet in support of a political or social cause, but regarded as requiring little time or involvement) where people are willing to "support" an idea or help "spread the word" about a cause, but neglect to actually practise what they preach or walk the talk, if you will. Anna Lappe, an author, educator and expert on sustainable food systems said it best. While it may not seem like it, the power is always in the hands of the consumer. "Every time you spend your money, you're casting a vote for the kind of world you want," Lappe is quoted as saying. And while Lappe's area of expertise does happen to be food and here I am talking about the ketchup wars, her mantra applies to many aspects of life. If a store on the main street of either Blyth or Brussels were to close, there's no doubt that news would be met with the universal feeling of "well, that's too bad". However, if that were to happen, you have to ask yourself how often you shopped at that store. And if the answer is never, or once a year, for example, then despite your feeling that it's too bad that a main street lost another store, you didn't really do anything to keep it open. If when Blyth Cowbell Brewing's beer is in stores later this year, you plunk your money down to buy some, you're supporting that company, the jobs it creates and the charities it supports — voting for it. The same has always been said about cosmetic companies that test on animals. If you're against animal testing, but buy products tested on animals because they happen to be cheaper that week, you're not putting your money where your mouth is. Vote with your money, not with a "thumbs up" on Facebook, and you'll begin to see the world change the way you want it to.