My friend Tara from High River/Okotoks sent this to me. It's about being Canadian. Works for me.

We never claimed to be perfect,
That means we’ve learned to be humble.
We say excuse me and I'm sorry…as well as please and thanks,
Even when it's not our fault we apologize.

Sure one arm of the torch didn't rise,
But when the earthquake struck Haiti, Canadians raised their hands to say…”We’ll help.”
And yah, there is a fence around the torch,
But you can walk right up and shake hands with our prime minister and most
famous Canadians.
We put Gretzky in the back of a pickup, in the rain, not surrounded by
police…and he was okay, And by the way... the great one is Canadian…
and HE wasn’t complaining!

It has been pointed out that some buses broke down last week…
but let’s not overlook the fact that our banking system didn't.
We didn't get the "green ice maker" right this time…but we will, eventually,
Just like we did when we invented the zamboni.

Citius altius fortius
If you don't reach higher how do you get faster and stronger?
Was the first quad jump perfect?
Should we not have given snowboarding to the world "in case" it didn’t take off?

We don't have the tax base of the US or the power of the Chinese but, per capita,
we ponied up for some pretty kick-ass venues in the worst global recession ever.
Sure, some folks couldn't afford tickets, but our health care is universal.

We have shown the world that we can raise our voices in celebration and song,
but moments later stand in silence to respect a tragic event...together...spontaneously…
and unrehearsed.

What's more, we don't need permission from anyone to have a slam poet,
fiddlers with piercings and a lesbian singer tell our story to the world while
our multilingual female Haitian-born, black head of state shares a box with her
first nations equals.

We’ve shown the world that you can strive for excellence,
but not get hung up on perfection.

So take your cheap shots.
We're bigger and better than that.
What's more we're finally starting to believe it!

Do you believe?

You'll recall in the Olympic hockey game on Tuesday night between Canada and Germany, Canada scored a goal that went through the net. The goal was not counted until the play was reviewed, in large part, because the goal judge didn't put the red light on.

Here is a picture of that goal judge. He saw nothing.

A number of our radio stations are now making it a regular practice to post on the social media sites Facebook and Twitter. Congratulations!! This is a great point of engagement between you and your audience.

One thing to keep in mind when you post. Think two way communication. Think engagement. Create a reason for the audience to reach back to you. Use social media not just to push information to your audience, but also to pull information back from them. A few ideas that might work.....

• "What song should we play for the drive home at 4pm? Takin' Care of Business by BTO or Satisfaction by the Stones? Post your preference on the CXXX Facebook page and we'll play the song that get's the most votes at 4".
• "If you were Mike Babcock who would you start in goal tonight against the Russians? Luongo, Brodeur or Fleury? Tell us which one and why on the CXXX Facebook page right now. Someone who posts will win a pair of tickets to see the Anytown Flyers take on Mellonville this weekend".
• "If you could ask the Mayor of Anytown one question, what would it be? Post your question on the CXXX Facebook page and we'll use some of your questions when we talk with Mayor Joe Blow in our regular Ask the Mayor segment this Friday".

These sort of posts invite conversation and interaction, and that's what social media is about.

Have fun!!

Everybody is talking about the Olympics.

Generally speaking, the games in Vancouver has been going well. The crowds have been good. Our Canadian athletes have had success. The celebrations at the medal presentation have been off the charts. The opening ceremonies have been widely praised as some of the best ever. There is a lot to feel good about.

Yet there is an element of the media (largely the left wing element) that continues to not only look for problems, but to magnify them, and if necessary, manufacture them.

It is VERY IMPORTANT that we don't get sucked into this vortex on our radio stations. Our job is to keep our comments fresh, positive, and upbeat. I'm not talking about fiddling while Rome is burning, but I am suggesting that we make the choice to see the good first and the the rest second. If we make that simple adjustment in attitude it will be reflected in our on-air comments.

Let's take a moment right now to recalibrate. The glass is far more than half full.