It Happens When Nobody's Watching

Agency Jung von Matt in Hamburg, Germany has won a Cannes Silver Lion for their powerful digital print ad on domestic violence. The outdoor ad for Amnesty International features an eye-tracking camera whereupon the image of a seemingly regular couple changes to an act of domestic violence when the observer looks away from the poster, accompanied with the tag line "It Happens When Nobody's Watching".

For more info, click here.

Yard Sale for the Cure

This is Rachael Smith. In 2004, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Following a gruelling 9 month battle, Rachael saw the light at the end of the tunnel, and decided to give something back to the medical community that had seen her through her darkest hours. Throughout her entire journey back to health, one thing [apart from love and great medical care] had remained constant for Rachael and her family - the pile of junk in their basement.

This is when lightning struck. Cue Rachael's desire to help others in her position, cue a cause that always needs fighting for, cue the pile of junk in her basement. Yard Sale for the Cure was created as a means to raise funds for Breast Cancer research.

Saturday, May 30th 2009 at 8 AM in Toronto is when Yard Sale for the Cure is to kick off for this year. There's still time to become a host if you'd like to sell it all from your front porch. Or you can browse other Yard Sale for the Cures by checking out the location guide.

For further details on becoming a host for 2009, click here.
Wanting to shop? Check locations here.
Wish to donate some money? Click here.

For the full Yard Sale for the Cure story, click here.



Images from YardSaleForTheCure.com

Reminder: Tonight

Just a reminder that tonight is Rock 4 The Kids at the Revival. The benefit concert for Sick Kids Toronto has been recruiting bands to battle it out for the last couple of months, and are now ready to play. Music kicks off at 7:30 PM.

For more on Rock 4 The Kids, click here.
For directions to the Revival, click here.

Watch: The Story of Stuff

If you have a spare twenty minutes across the next week or so, give The Story of Stuff a go. This is an animated "short" about consumerist society, written and hosted by Annie Leonard. It's easy enough to understand if you're a baby to the term consumerist culture; similarly, it's invoking enough if you're already a sociological/ecological veteran. A great film to watch when we're in the midst of a recession - when our existing business structures are breaking down, what can we be doing to shift industries in a more humanitarian and environmentally friendly manner?

The film is produced by Free Range Studios, a production company built on the ethos of "Creativity with a Conscience"; namely providing creative branding, strategizing and execution for those on a mission to save the world. To view Free Range Studios, click here.

To view The Story of Stuff, click here.

Portfolio Night 7

Y&R Toronto have announced they'll be hosting this year's Portfolio Night 7 in the T Dot, woot! Designers, get them portfolios all shiny! The fun kicks off on June 11th, 2009. For those of you who've never heard of Portfolio Night, it's the brainchild of our friends over at ihaveanidea; an evening where aspiring Art Directors or Copywriters [i.e. students] are given the opportunity to show their portfolios to 3 different Creative Directors. Each student spends roughly 20 minutes with each of their 3 CD's. This is a great opportunity to get some feedback on your work, and for potential recruiters to see what's out there, so please try to check it out.

Not in Toronto? Don't worry. Portfolio Night is happening all over the world. For more information, click here.

CALLING ALL BANDS!

For more info on Rock 4 The Kids, click here.

Gig: Carnival Cabaret

So I know it's Monday. You're tired / annoyed / want your bed back. Instead of mourning about it not being the weekend, let's plan for next one!

The Reservoir Lounge is hosting Carnival Cabaret on Sunday, March 22, 2009. Proceeds from the event will go to support Project Sugar Dance Company. It's a fundraiser, people, so make sure you bring five dolla bills!

Doors open at 8 PM, and the fun kicks off at 8:30. Random Task Force will be there along with Luke Nicholson [above left]. If you've ever wondered what Cold Play would sound like if they found jazz instruments, Nicholson's band is it.

The evening also includes live dance from Project Sugar and stand up by Chelsea P Manders. Improv troupe The Royal Convicts will also be there.

For more on Project Sugar, click here.
For directions to the Reservoir Lounge, click here.

PWYC, $5 minimum

Victory to Leslieville!

We couldn't be happier. The Ontario Municipal Board has rejected plans to open a big box shopping complex in Leslieville. Yay to saving our fun neighborhood! Congrats to the East Toronto Community Coalition for their lengthy dedication and effective campaign finally paying off.

Read more here.

Volunteer on your Cell Phone

I have to admit, I'm a terribly selfish volunteer. Last year I had the grandiose idea of becoming a Big Sister, until I realized that my 9-5+ schedule would not work out with my future Little Sister's 3 PM after school program. A brief brush with becoming a kitten feeder at The Humane Society followed [Sundays? Thursdays?], as did contemplating being Saturday staff at St. Michael's Hospital, but apart from all my thought-that-counts volunteering, that's as far as I made it. The thought.

For those having similarly pressing schedules and an unshakable desire to volunteer, The Extraordinaries have devised a program that can suit all volunteer time constraints. Through what they refer to as "micro volunteer opportunities", you can now volunteer for many organizations simply by using your cell phone. [And no, peanut gallery, not to make the call!]

How would you like to identify craters on the surface of Mars for NASA? Or tagging images for the Smithsonian? Or fact checking items for reporters on the run? If you have a smartphone and a pocket of time [waiting for the bus / a client approval / an internet upload / parking space], it's possible.

The Extraordinaries

View more presentations from benrigby. (tags: extraordinaries spare)

For more on The Extraordinaries, click here. Hats off to all the volunteers who do find the time.

DAREDALLION WEEK!

Woo hoo! Today officially marks the first work week of March - we've made it through the worst of winter, the sun is starting to break through the frosty clouds and - today is the first day of DAREDALLION WEEK in Australia. Darers, beware!

Daredallion Week is an event where participants are encouraged to take on a dare of hilarious proportions to fight against men's cancer. To view all of the latest dares, click here. Stuck for a dare idea? Use the dare generator here.

My personal fave is from Rodd Messent, who pledges to sign all of his work and personal emails for one week with: "with cuddles and love, Rodd". Check Rodd's progress here.

Up until this point the Darers have been collecting pledges, and will execute their dares once their pledge marked is reached during this week. The dare that launched it all features Adam [oh yes, Adam] on Bondi Beach trying to get airborn with helium ballons:



Awesome.

For more info on Daredallion week, click here.

War Child: Benefit Album

Speaking of great covers, a benefit album for War Child is being released in Canada on March 3. War Child asked music legends to pick one of their most classic tracks and to nominate an artist or group they'd like to see cover it.

The Full Track List is as follows:

1. Beck (Bob Dylan - “Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat”)
2. The Kooks (The Kinks – “Victoria”)
3. The Hold Steady (Bruce Springsteen – “Atlantic City”)
4. Hot Chip (Joy Division – “Transmission”)
5. Lily Allen feat. Mick Jones (The Clash – “Straight To Hell”)
6. Yeah Yeah Yeahs (The Ramones – “Sheena Is A Punk Rocker”)
7. Franz Ferdinand (Blondie – “Call Me”)
8. Duffy (Paul McCartney – “Live And Let Die”)
9. Estelle (Stevie Wonder – “Superstition”)
10. Rufus Wainwright (Brian Wilson –“ Wonderful & Song For Children”)
11. Scissor Sisters (Roxy Music – “Do The Strand”)
12. Peaches (Iggy Pop – “Search And Destroy”)
13. Adam Cohen (Leonard Cohen – “Take This Waltz”)
14. Elbow (U2 – “Running To Stand Still”)
15. The Like (Elvis Costello – “You Belong To Me”)
16. TV On The Radio (David Bowie – “Heroes”)

For more info on the album and War Child, click here.