Ouch! This Winnipegger got thrown out by his love because of some sultry text messages he didn’t even send; his phone sent them.
This must be like when your phone dials someone while it’s in your pocket. Note to new phone owners, especially those with Virgin Mobile, remove your pre-defined text messages. Also, this says a lot about what market Virgin Mobile is targeting: booty call?
Last week, I was shocked to learn that my dear friend Asher Webb had passed away. It was very unexpected, and most definitely accidental.
I first met Asher online in the late 1990s, as he was one of the few Winnipeggers whom had a web presence at the time. He had some quotes on his web page, espousing positivity, and I had messaged him to compliment him on that. We began to exchange emails more regularly and eventually we began hanging out at his Exchange District haunt.
Asher wasn’t just a dear friend of mine; he was a friend of the community.
He is best known as the executive director of the Osborne Village Business Improvement Zone (1996-2007) and organizer of the fabulous Canada Day festivals in the village during his run as the ED. He was responsible for co-ordinating Winnipeg’s first public conference on HIV & AIDS.
He was also involved as a board member of the Graffiti Gallery, the Gas Station Theatre and was one of the founders of Gio’s Club and Bar, an institution in the Winnipeg gay community. He was also instrumental in Glen Murray’s campaign to be Mayor in 1998 as one of Murray’s campaign leaders. In fact, it was Murray who was one of the first to know of his passing.
Asher was passionate about everything he did, and he wasn’t afraid to let you know if he disagreed with you. And if you had a bad day, he was the first to hold you and assure you that whatever was causing you stress would pass. Asher was a friend to many and his presence provided profound comfort for so many people.
Even though Asher has passed on, he will live forever in our hearts and I will do my best to honour his spirit in doing more of what he did; caring.
“Dreams are reality yet manifested…GO FOR IT!” ~ Asher Webb
After having the Winnipedia project dead in the water for a little over a year, I decided to take the site offline pending a re-tooling. In the meantime, I am proud to say I’ve been recruiting some history buffs to get involved, but we need more buffs! (heh)
If you’re interested in Winnipeg’s rich history and you’d like to meet others with the same interest, email me at alexATalexreid.ca (replace AT with @).
Documentaries are good.
Especially those that focus on the local institutions of a community; that ’something’ that supports and fosters a subculture of the community. The Royal Albert Arms is definitely that ’something’ worthy of praise, and Randy Frykas captures it in his new doc Call to Arms: The Story of The Royal Albert.
“The Royal Albert is of a dying breed”, says Producer Jeff Newman.
“Most of the world’s legendary punk clubs have closed their doors, and with each one a piece of music history is extinguished. It’s time to talk about how important the place is, the careers it’s launched and the culture it preserves. At The Albert, people feel a sense of belonging and they’re utterly passionate about it. There’s a sense of ownership among the bands and the fans that comes across so clearly in ‘Call to Arms’.”
Check out this new doc at The Royal Albert this Thursday, October 8th – doors open at 8pm, screening is at 9pm, and tickets $5 at the door.
Alex Reid lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
