Locke-Taylor Magazine: A Taste Of What's To Come

Recently, i have began writing for an online magazine called Locke-Taylor. It is a fashion magazine that focuses on the greater Hamilton area. It focuses great local businesses, fashionable people in the area, fashion editorials, and DIY's. This magazine is new, launching its first edition at the end of October 2014. Seeing this website being created from the ground up has been truly eye opening to see the online creative process.

Working with other creative people in the Hamilton area has made me feel connected to the city i have grown up in for the first time. I have always felt that i was a weird beta fish in a decently sized pond populated with gold fish. I did not think many people had the same aspirations or interests. I feel lucky to have found this opportunity, and i am having a really fun time doing it.

Writing for a new online magazine is time consuming, but rewarding. Seeing that the website is garnering over 2000 views a month, based solely on word of mouth and social media is amazing. It is also rewarding to know that there are people in the area that are interested in the work you are doing, and interested in contributing to the magazine.

We are currently putting the finishing touches on the winter editorial, with plans for it to go live on December 8th. In the mean time, we have uploaded fresh content such as DIY's to tide the readers over. We teamed up with a local florist, Joanna Aitcheson, to do a video on how to create your own Christmas wreath. Not being much of a DIY-er, this wreath was very appealing and seemingly easy to make.

I am so excited to see where this journey takes me. Testing my creative writing chops in an outlet that really appeals to me is something that i have been waiting for.

To see the past issue of Locke-Taylor Magazine and catch the next issue (coming December 8th), check out Locke-Taylor.com

Locke-Taylor is also active on social media:
Twitter- @Locke_TaylorMAG
Instagram- LockeTaylorMagazine
Facebook- Locke-Taylor Magazine

Wise Words From Chris Rock

Yes, Chris Rock is a notoriously funny man who can make anyone laugh on cue. What most people do not know about Chris Rock is that he is amazingly smart and tactile when speaking about current events. Most people shy away from speaking on hot topics such as race, gun control, and the power of riches, but Chris Rock meets these questions head on.

On November 30th 2014, New York Magazine released an interview with Chris Rock in promotion of his new movie "Top Five." During a promotional interview, most actors/comedians stick to a light and funny interview to attract people to see the movie. Chris Rock however, discussed Ferguson, Bill Cosby, and the problems with Fox News. He is not afraid to piss people off, and his opinion is well informed.

The interview starts right off the bat with a statement about Fox News. Rock states, "Jon Stewart has said the reason Fox News works better than CNN is because the people at Fox News figured out how to make themselves into victims." A poignant point. 

Perhaps his most interesting insights are when discussing race and the current issues happening in Ferguson. When asked about his view on the problem he said, "When we talk about race relations in America or racial progress, it’s all nonsense. There are no race relations. White people were crazy. Now they’re not as crazy. To say that black people have made progress would be to say they deserve what happened to them before. So, to say Obama is progress is saying that he’s the first black person that is qualified to be president. That’s not black progress. That’s white progress. There’s been black people qualified to be president for hundreds of years."

This is not a view point many people take when talking about race. The way we phrase progress can sometimes regress the capabilities and rights of other races. There should be no glass ceiling, there should be no qualification issues. 

While this interview was very serious, a Chris Rock comedy special really stands out for being politically forward. In the clip below, Chris Rock states his views on gun control. The video is from 1999 (post Columbine) and was very controversial at the time: 

Chris Rock is someone we need to hear more from. He is fearless and intelligent. He has the ability to be comedian, but also be interesting as hell. I cannot wait to hear what he has to say next. 

I would encourage all to read the full New York Magazine article here. Its lengthy, but worth it: 
http://www.vulture.com/2014/11/chris-rock-frank-rich-in-conversation.html?mid=twitter_nymag

Black Friday vs Cyber Monday- Who Will Be The Victor?

In previous years, Black Friday was just something you would hear about on the news concerning the United States. Stories about people waiting in line for two days to buy the TV they want for sale. Stories about people dying from getting trampled when they open the doors for the sales. Stories about fights breaking out in the middle of stores over products. Black Friday, to me, was a terrifying event that happened the day after the US Thanksgiving. It made me thankful that i did not live in the US.

Its seems that the Black Friday sales have spread north. Canada has now started to buy in to the craziness of the Black Friday sales. This perhaps is due to the spread of more American stores taking over in Canada, most recently being Target.

With the advertisement of so many sales, i started to buy in to the Black Friday hype. Not even a mud slide and massive amounts of traffic could stop me. I was on a mission to get some sales and finish (*start) my Christmas shopping. Easier said than done.

The mall was rammed. There were teeny boppers everywhere. More importantly, the sales sucked. Unless you were interested in getting some sort of electronic device at a store like Walmart or Target, all you were going to get was 10% off your purchase at most. Is this what people are trampling each other for in the United States? Doubt it. This is the cheap knock off of the real Black Friday!

So i left the mall empty handed and was reminded of this amazing thing called Cyber Monday. Cyber Monday is the online equivalent to Black Friday. The difference being that the sales are actually good, most places offer free shipping, and you can do it all from the comfort of your own home (sans teeny boppers- unless you live with one).

The sales were so good that some online retailers websites crashed. To my dismay, while finishing a purchase, the Aldo website crashed. A follow up with Aldo's Twitter announced that the site would be back up soon and the sale would be extended an extra 24 hours. It is also important to note that it seems Aldo broke the internet, not Kim Kardashian.

For those of you who are planning on skipping the line on Boxing Day, these are the websites i found with the best sales:
www.aldoshoes.com
www.urbanoutfitters.com
www.asos.com
www.callitspring.com

Cyber Monday: 1
Black Friday: 0