Martian Musings

A wish for Gabbie

2011-05-03T18:49:00.000-04:00

Here's a radio documentary that I did in my final term at J-School.

It's about a family in Waterloo has just one wish – to cure their three-year-old daughter’s disease. Cystinosis is a rare genetic disorder that affects about fifty people - mostly children – in Canada and approximately two thousand worldwide.

Bollywood Breakdown - The Love Song

2011-04-12T03:23:00.001-04:00

In our second episode, Mariam and Carl decode an important part of Bollywood - the love song, as well as giving their top 10 picks in the last decade.

Below are Youtube links to the videos with English subtitles:
10)Jashn-e-bahara - Jodha Akbar
9) Suraj Hua Madham - K3G
8) Bol Na Halke Halke - Jhoom Barabar Jhoom
7) Roshni Se - Asoka
5) Zara Zara - Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein
5) Kal Ho Na Ho - Kal Ho Na Ho
4) Tum Se Hi - Jab We Met
3) Khuda Jaane - Bachna Ae Haseeno
2) Main Agar Kahoon - Om Shanti Om
1) Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai - Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

This was aired on CHRW during the Arts Bulletin on April 12, 2011.

The lowdown on zines

2011-04-07T08:45:00.002-04:00

As a part of our current affairs show, I was assigned a field piece. So tipped off by my classmate Ed (of von Something-something), I set off to the Indie Media fair at the London Central Library.

And here's what I came up with:

This was aired on CHRW on April 6th, 2011 and as a part of the Arts Bulletin on April 12th, 2011.

Decoder Episode 1

2011-04-07T03:52:00.008-04:00

In this episode:
- How London's politicians use Twitter
- What is a zine?
- The power of 'Like' button on Facebook

Join hosts Ian and Meg as they decode the media's message.

Credits:
Hosts: Ian Jacobs and Meg Radford
Sound: Ed von Aderkas
Producer/Director: Angela Richardson
Stories by:
Political tweets - Alix Matthews-Mahe
Zines - Mariam Ahmad
Social Capital - Bethany Cairns and Matt Walker

Aired on CHRW on April 6th, 2011.

Almost done and Potterwatch

2011-04-06T00:00:00.000-04:00

A year ago, I was in Dubai packing my life up into two suitcases and heading over to London (Ontario, not UK) to begin a new life as a journalist.

Now I'm almost at the end of my degree and I've certainly come a long way. So have my classmates. Some have launched online portfolios, while other have started podcasts (as you can see on the links sidebar). We've begun collaborations and in a sense formed an informal media network, with a variety of content and programming.

So do check out my classmates' podcast, Potterwatch. I've made a guest appearance:

Bollywood Breakdown - 7 Khoon Maaf

2011-03-14T23:40:00.000-04:00

This is Bollywood Breakdown - your guide to decoding Indian cinema.

Mariam Ahmad and Carl Haggman decode 7 Khoon Maaf (Seven Murders Forgiven).

7 Khoon Maaf is a black comedy drama thriller film directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, starring Priyanka Chopra as a femme fatale, who goes on to kill all her 7 husbands.

Aired on March 8th 2011 during the Arts Bulletin on CHRW.

Special Thanks to Wendie Crouch.

The Cake is a lie, but the learning is real

2011-02-17T02:27:00.001-05:00

On February 10th 2011, Digital Extremes invited renowned literacy expert Dr. James Gee to speak at Museum London.

The topic – how videogames can make us better teachers. Mariam Ahmad has more.

Aired on February 15th, 2011 during the Arts Bulletin on CHRW.

Politics of Methadone

2011-02-16T16:29:00.000-05:00

Check our group project on methadone clinics in London:

A for profit group is challenging the city's one-year ban on new methadone clinics.

Tears for Egypt

2011-02-04T09:49:00.001-05:00

Check out our group project on the Egypt protests here.

Tears for Egypt

As violence erupts on the streets of Cairo, Egyptians in London hope for change but fear for their loved ones.

Research & Brainstorming in an online world

2010-12-04T13:38:00.000-05:00

Here's a link to a group project I did for an online journalism course.

Radio: Gaming in KW

2010-11-22T17:02:00.000-05:00

This is a radio documentary I did - a companion piece to an earlier article:

Current Affairs radio: The Shift

2010-11-22T16:59:00.001-05:00

Here's a current affairs show I did it in the radio part of J-School:

Hosts: Mariam Ahmad & Sean Leathong
Producers: Angela Richardson, Cara Campbell
Reporters: Melania Daniel, Adela Talbot

Special thanks to our instructors Wendie Crouch and Meredith Levine, and Ian Jacobs (O Noir).

This was also aired November 16th, 2010 on CHRW.

TV Feature: Pakistan Flood Relief Efforts in London

2010-10-25T16:59:00.000-04:00

So here's the first of stuff I've done in J-School:

Although relief efforts for Pakistan's flood victims have been slow, many in the Canadian community are still doing all they can to help. Mariam Ahmad has more.

Print Article: A fantasy weekend

2010-06-14T16:59:00.004-04:00

The adventurers walk silently in single file, peering through the dungeon’s
darkness. They hear something panting in the far distance.

Suddenly, the monk falls down a pit, stopping inches above a gigantic beast.
His comrades, a rag-tag band of elves, a vampire and a barbarian, scramble to
pull him out the pit.

“Good news,” says Tymonis. “I’ve found the hellhound.”

He groans as he rolls a one on the 20-sided die.

The dungeon master shouts “epic fail” as he decides the monk’s fate.

A group of Kitchener-Waterloo residents congregate at Sameer Arshad’s
apartment to play Dungeons & Dragons every other Saturday. But what makes
this ‘nerdy’ pastime different from all the other role-playing games is that some
players are from across the country.

They join the weekend game via video-conferencing. “We currently have three
computers with webcams,” says Arshad, the game’s dungeon master, as he
positions the webcams on the game board. “Two for Montreal, one for Barrie.
We even had a player from Dubai.”

Arshad sets up a game board while recounting the players’ last encounter,
placing small figurines on various parts of the ‘dungeon’. He uses coffee-cups
to represent large dragons, a beer mug for a helicopter and a toilet paper roll
for a large tree. Occasionally, a player rips a piece of ‘bark’ to hold crumbling
pieces of pie.

For many of the players, Dungeons & Dragons is more than just a weekend
pastime.

Deborah Haggman, a hospital administrator, feels the game brings her closer
to her family. “I was interested in the game since I was a young adult,” says the
56-year-old. “But I never knew anyone who wanted to play. I was invited to join
my son’s group recently and it’s been a great experience.”

She adds that she never feels awkward about playing with a younger group.

“It doesn’t seem to be about age or who you are,” she says. “They are all very
accepting and it seems easy to play.”

Haggman’s son, Carl, agrees. “Its interesting to see my mom get happy and
excited about something,” says the 30-year-old.

He then proceeds to let Magnus - his in-game character - run up a wall and
slash a dragon’s head off in one neat slice of his mind-blade. “This was
personal,” says the psychic-warrior as he stashes the dragon’s head in his
backpack. “That dragon had messed with my head far too many times.”

Meanwhile, Tymonis hangs precariously on a rope over the hellhound. Myr,
the dark elf, attempts to levitate her friend out of the beast’s clutches using
telekinesis. She whispers an incantation as she waves her hands over the pit.
Her spell hits its target and the monk flies out of the pit and into the group,
toppling everyone. “Thanks for saving my bacon,” gasps Tymonis.

Adam Glauser, who plays the hapless monk, prefers playing Dungeons &
Dragons in real life than in its digital format. “The video game or online version
can be really frustrating,” says the 29-year-old software developer. “The video
games are only as good as its program – so it’s not as creative as the tabletop
version.”

The merry band of adventurers then torch the dragon’s den with a volley of
fireballs – excluding a red dragon. They annihilate that beast with a rapid
succession of ice arrows. “You can only kill a fire dragon with ice damage,”
explains Glauser.

The game ends in a virtual blaze of glory.

Print Article: Battle of Culloden

2010-05-24T17:03:00.010-04:00

Visitors to Fanshawe Pioneer Village were in for a treat during Victoria Day weekend as local historical groups performed a two-day re-enactment of the Battle of Culloden. The battle, which pitted Scottish Highlanders loyal to Charles Edward Stuart against the British government, was the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. For many Scots, this battle was a turning point for modern Scotland.

Doug Robinson, a historian and story-teller at the event, recounts the Act of Proscription, a British Parliamentary ruling after Culloden which stripped Highlanders of their heritage. “For almost forty years after the battle, we couldn't wear the plaid, speak Gaelic, sing our old traditional songs or teach children our own history,” he said. “We could be put to death.”

Robinson believes re-enacting battles like Culloden helps children understand and remember historical events. “By doing historical events like these, we've got kids in Grade 2 and 3 who probably know more about their history than their grandparents did because they're exposed to it so much.”

The event not only saw an authentic re-enactment of the battle, but of life at the Jacobite camps. Many volunteers chose to camp out at the Pioneer Village's Tecumseh Field and experience being an 18th century Highlander. “We research what people wear, equipment they're carrying, the weapons they're firing, even the food that they're eating at camp,” said Leigh Hodgins, a Barrie school teacher. “It's porridge for breakfast, beans for lunch and meat over the fire. If you haven't brought a plate, you're eating off your hands.”

Hodgins added that many items at the campsite, including the wooden furniture, were
made for the event. “The majority of what we have in our camp we've made ourselves. We have people who do the wood, we have some who sew, we have people who work with
leather. So we pretty much are self-sufficient within this group.”

For many like Robinson and Hodgins, historical re-enactments aren't just a past-time – its a way of life. “You have people who start for some reason, but then fall in love with it,” said Robinson. “They start discovering their history and their place in it even if their family didn't emigrate until a generation ago. It becomes much more than a hobby.”

The First Kiss...

2009-10-13T19:42:00.003-04:00

She looked up, smiling ruefully at her luck. If she ever believed in a god of any kind, she would have been shaking her fists towards the heavens as well. No, she didn't believe in anything. She didn't want to open herself to anyone anymore. Not after what happened.

She shut her eyes and went back to a time not long ago, when everything felt so right. They were at the bus stop, waiting for the shuttle to arrive. She prayed it would be late, just so that she could have a few more moments with him. He looked so grown up, yet so much like the brat she loved to punch.

"You almost look decent in uniform" she said, ruffling her hands through his hair. As she tried to mess it up like she always did, she realized he didn't have the same amount of hair anymore. He understood what she wanted to do and laughed. He then grabbed her in a head-lock and proceeded to grind his knuckle in her perfectly blow-dryed hair, while she screamed in mock protest and tried to wiggle out of his death grip.

After a few moments of silliness, they stopped to catch their breath. He turned to her and said: "I want to ask you something because I may not get the nerve to say it again."

She chuckled as he paused and took a sip of her drink. "Were you going to say you love me and want to marry me and have all my pretty little babies? Because you know how cute my babies will be...right?"

He turned a deep shade of red.

She choked on her water, sputtering water all over him. "Oh my god!" she gasped, "Please tell me that I was wrong!"

He kept quiet. "What if you weren't? Would that be so wrong?"

She looked at him again and thought to herself. Yes, would that be so wrong? She knew she loved him as a friend. Could she possibly love him that way too?

Her train of thought was cut short by the shuttle's arrival. He turned to her and said, "You don't have to decide now. I'll be gone for a month. You can give me your answer then." He grabbed her in a big bear hug. As they embraced, he pecked her on the cheek, whispering "If you feel the same way, don't kiss me like a brother next time." He broke away from her and hopped on the bus.

As she watched him leave, she already knew how she would greet him next time.

A man coughed.

She snapped back to the present. He lay there before her, looking angelic. She could swear he was snoring, as if in deep slumber. He would wake up any minute now, yelling "Surprise!". And she would punch him for pulling such a horrible, tasteless prank.

She waited. She knew the people standing around her thought she was crazy, but she knew better. This was all a stupid prank. He can't pretend to hold his breath for more than a few minutes. He'd get tired and scratch his ear or twitch his nose. And she'd tackle him.

The man coughed again. She could sense him shifting impatiently, waiting for her to do something. She didn't want to move. She knew if she made any move or sound, she would lose him forever. She would truly face reality and realize that she was all alone.

This was not how she imagined their first time would be. She took a deep breath and said "I'm ready". She told herself she wouldn't cry, at least not here. She moved closer to him, caressing his cheek. It felt so cold.

Trying desperately to hold back the tears she sensed would break any minute, she leaned forward and took in ever detail of his beautiful face, wishing she hadn't been so camera-phobic. She would do anything to have a picture of him. With him.

She covered the final distance and pressed her lips against his soft, yet cold lips. Her first...and last kiss.

Coming Soon

2009-07-11T13:13:00.001-04:00

Watch this space.