The dead thread

[Snark]

Originally Posted by Wharn

The posts here are rarely positive, though, so the increase in activity may be good for the forums but may be bad for the city overall. I've said it before and I'll say it again, but most of the posts in the SSP Local London are complaints about:

a) Stupidity of our government
b) Traffic and road conditions
c) Liver and Onions
d) Urban core decay
e) Generally poor planning

Maybe people in Waterloo just have less to complain about?

Nope, they just have a half-full outlook. For most here, the glass is always half empty. There is also zero respect for the folks trying to run a community of this size... coming from some folks here too young to even have a career yet. Perhaps it's the result of reality-TV, or the dumbed-down news media, attack-dog journalism, or the internet - where anyone's ideas can seem legitimate because it can be seen in print across the world. Whatever the case, many here think it's real simple - and if there were only some people with an IQ over 50 and weren't corrupt, and used my ideas it would all just fall into place.

If any of you guys eventually get jobs for a municipality in a technical or decision-making capacity, you're gonna get your eyes opened real wide.

Originally Posted by Wharn

Oh well. I guess that's the price we have to pay for having morally bankrupt city planners and a dumb as nails council.

[Simpseatles]

I think I should make this clear, I, as just one representation of a local forumer, love living in the London area. I've been priveleged enough to travel to many places so far in my life, but no matter where I've gone, I always come back feeling proud of the city I've grown up in. I am not saying I plan to live here my entire life, but I know I will always return. However, since I am so proud of this wonderful city, it's achievements, it's people, it's local institutions, it's history, even it's architecture, I become annoyed and disheartened when I see that it does not reach it's full potential (in my opinion). This is often due to the lack of provisional planning by our local government. I fully realize that things aren't as simple as them, one day deciding to build a freeway, or light rail system for the greater good of the community. I understand that the money probably isn't available, they might not be essential to the city, and the greater public may not even care. Nonetheless, as someone who is interested in urban planning and design, and happens to be younger (therefore I'm unintelligent) I can sometimes jump to conclusions, and demand things of the people running this city, that may not be within their means. I'm more interested in the big picture of the things I want for London. A healthy, urban city with an exceptional public transit system, a strong, diversified economy, a halt to the suburban mentality, a beautiful downtown streetscape and skyline, and a renewed sense of it's place in Canada, and the world.

I could list the things I enjoy about London for many pages, but there are still things I want to change, so naturally that's what I tend to emphasize. I don't know for sure if these projects are necessarily as important as I think they are, but they are things I believe the city needs. The fine people at city hall make those decisions, and are entrusted to make them wisely. They may, or may not agree with my image of the city, but their actions can still be the subject of ridicule. I apologize if I, or any of my fellow forumers have simplified, or made poorly thought out attacks at them, because I am sure the decisions they made and the actions that followed were not as simple as they appear.

[MolsonExport]

criticism is an essential component of the democratic process. It is criticism, and the responses thereto, which compel change. Criticism is a part of every job....as a professor, I take it from students, from the reviewers of the journals that I submit my work to, from colleagues, from scholars around the world when presenting my research at international conferences, and from my wife.

From a local/provincial/national standpoint, I would argue that it is unpatriotic NOT to criticize our leaders.

Respect is not automatic. It is not simply achieved. It must be earned, and reforged. The higher the position, the higher should be the standard.

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by Snark

Nope, they just have a half-full outlook. For most here, the glass is always half empty. There is also zero respect for the folks trying to run a community of this size... coming from some folks here too young to even have a career yet. Perhaps it's the result of reality-TV, or the dumbed-down news media, attack-dog journalism, or the internet - where anyone's ideas can seem legitimate because it can be seen in print across the world. Whatever the case, many here think it's real simple - and if there were only some people with an IQ over 50 and weren't corrupt, and used my ideas it would all just fall into place.

If any of you guys eventually get jobs for a municipality in a technical or decision-making capacity, you're gonna get your eyes opened real wide.

I have lived in London all my life, and I want to see the city succeed. When the city succeeds, we all succeed.

I am 25 years old and as a junior marketing consultant/graduate student I feel I bring a critical eye to how organizations are run. You have to have criticism in order for anything to be its best. Companies and municipalities don't like to hear criticism, but if they are going to be the best they can be, they have to at least listen to what consultants and other outsiders are saying. I've dealt with it in consulting - organizations like doing things the way they're familiar with, and they don't want to change. People like the status quo.

I do come across as a pessimist here. But we need to focus on where things could be improved in order for the City of London to be the best it can be.

[Wharn]

Originally Posted by Snark

Nope, they just have a half-full outlook. For most here, the glass is always half empty. There is also zero respect for the folks trying to run a community of this size... coming from some folks here too young to even have a career yet. Perhaps it's the result of reality-TV, or the dumbed-down news media, attack-dog journalism, or the internet - where anyone's ideas can seem legitimate because it can be seen in print across the world. Whatever the case, many here think it's real simple - and if there were only some people with an IQ over 50 and weren't corrupt, and used my ideas it would all just fall into place.

If any of you guys eventually get jobs for a municipality in a technical or decision-making capacity, you're gonna get your eyes opened real wide.

Our leaders have to earn our respect. So far, I am not satisfied that they are running this city to its full potential. I can appreciate the difficulty of running a city this size, but our council largely acts like they're running a town of 40,000 instead of a city of 400,000. There is little or no desire to improve the way things are done, the most remotely controversial issues are avoided completely, and the city stagnates as a result.

People, instead of demanding better, often just brush it off and say "if you don't like it, why don't you run for council? It's a tough job!", as if the responsibility of improving your community rests completely on your shoulders. One day, I may just do that.

[ForestryW]

Originally Posted by Snark

Nope, they just have a half-full outlook. For most here, the glass is always half empty. There is also zero respect for the folks trying to run a community of this size... coming from some folks here too young to even have a career yet.

Originally Posted by Snark

If any of you guys eventually get jobs for a municipality in a technical or decision-making capacity, you're gonna get your eyes opened real wide.

I have an degree in urban planning and while I may not have had the long illustrious career that you would respect, I DO have the kind of knowledge that allows me to think critically about municipal politics. Running a large city IS hard. But I look around the world at planning initiatives that have worked in other cities and I wonder why they don't work in London.

You can forgive people's lack of pragmatism by saying that their job is just too hard if you like, but where will that take the world?

Originally Posted by Snark

Perhaps it's the result of reality-TV, or the dumbed-down news media, attack-dog journalism, or the internet - where anyone's ideas can seem legitimate because it can be seen in print across the world.

Reality TV? Dumbed down news media? What does this have to do with anything....??? I'm just as cynical about mainstream media as you but I don't see the connection at all.

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

criticism is an essential component of the democratic process. It is criticism, and the responses thereto, which compel change. Criticism is a part of every job....as a professor, I take it from students, from the reviewers of the journals that I submit my work to, from colleagues, from scholars around the world when presenting my research at international conferences, and from my wife.

From a local/provincial/national standpoint, I would argue that it is unpatriotic NOT to criticize our leaders.

Respect is not automatic. It is not simply achieved. It must be earned, and reforged. The higher the position, the higher should be the standard.

Agree, agree, agree. People who don't expect new ideas and progressive leadership from planners and politicians because their jobs are just too hard will get society nowhere.

I might add that maintaining the status quo takes just as much energy as social progress.

[haljackey]

Stumbled upon this today:

Want to know what London's biggest, most active forum is? http://londonmoms.ca/

Who knew?

[K85]

Suppose if there was one for drinking, football and hockey, strip joints, and cars, we'd beat em'.

[MolsonExport]

speaking of strip clubs, I heard that London will be losing two, on account of allowing the stripping to lapse for more than 6 months. (Never been to any here in London...my bachelor days were spent in the debauchery capital of Canada [Montreal). Somebody told me that the girls of the Beef Baron (love that name) are easy on the eyes.

[haljackey]

Love London now has a twitter account! Follow us if you have one!

http://twitter.com/#!/LondonOnCanada

[jcollins]

This place still seems busier than Love London. SSP London has really picked up the pace over the last few months. Any reason why?

It's also a bit surprising that those words haven't been blocked like the other site that's run by the same company (WW)

And that there wasn't the same reaction to LL's creation as there was to WW's

[Simpseatles]

Originally Posted by jcollins

This place still seems busier than Love London. SSP London has really picked up the pace over the last few months. Any reason why?

While this is still busier than Love London, things have really been picking up there lately! Seriously, we're at about 4-5 posts per day now, which is much better than when I first joined.

[MolsonExport]

London threads in SSP have been hopping. I visit daily; previously only weekly. The formerly brisk traffic in the KW-local is at a standstill.




why would I want to watch waiting? On account of some stupid actor's (who I don't even recognize) bored face? I hate these Netflix ads. Especially the one with Jennifer (can't act for beans) anniston in the bucket hat, and Kutcher (blackeye) with Diaz looking like retards.

[ldoto]

yes lovelondon.ca - The new place to discuss London and area! yes

[MolsonExport]

^don't abandon SSP!

[Whisper09]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

^don't abandon SSP!

Oh we will... we will.... we will... we will... we will... we will... we will...................

[flar]

You guys should stay on SSP, you can visit the Canada section and the photo section and City discussion section, and get a wider perspective and interact with people from other cities.

I pop in here once in a while because I used to live in London, but I don't care enough to visit LoveLondon.

[jcollins]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

London threads in SSP have been hopping. I visit daily; previously only weekly. The formerly brisk traffic in the KW-local is at a standstill.

Ya it's sad to see what's happened to the KW section. WW did their thing and then SSP WR just died. Then again WW has seen its posts and viewership decline over the past month or so too.

[jcollins]

Originally Posted by ldoto

yes lovelondon.ca - The new place to discuss London and area! yes

Im not sure about that. Maybe.

All I see is carbon copies of what's going on at WW. Even a lot of the threads are the same. And the layout is identical.

[go_leafs_go02]

Originally Posted by flar

You guys should stay on SSP, you can visit the Canada section and the photo section and City discussion section, and get a wider perspective and interact with people from other cities.

I pop in here once in a while because I used to live in London, but I don't care enough to visit LoveLondon.

exactly the same for me...

This site also allows people elsewhere to learn about London. your other site will get no attention from guests most likely.

Not interested in another site when I participate here, in Vancouver's and very occasionally Hamilton's.