Videos

Here you will see documentation of many things I care about such as homelessness, poverty, addiction, mental health, political activism, internet concerns, social unrest and even some great music videos to lighten the atmosphere.

I’ll post my most recent videos, a YouTube multiplayer with most of my videos and a playlist with more videos or you can go to my YouTube page to see all my YouTube videos. I have more videos on my Vimeo page for your enjoyment and enlightenment.

You can comment on content seen on this page by going to the bottom of the page. Every page on the site will have a comment section at the bottom. You will also find on this page, documentation comment and music in support of solidarity in the face if the escalating oppression if people involved in legal protest under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. From brutal arrest tactics without benefit of warrants, Mass indiscriminate  arrests under trumped up charges, Brutality and threats of sexual rape in holding cells where basic services required by law, such as adequate for and water and sanitary toilet facilities and access to legal representation have been ignored by authorities. Massive high tech surveillance without warrants of justification against law abiding citizens for the crime of exercising their legal rights to descent.These are the undeniable steps to eliminate all semblance of Democracy and convert our society into a police state where the rule of law is rapidly becoming extinct. New jails are being built to incarcerate political prisoners whose only crime are the exercising of their constitutional rights. One of the most damaging indicators of these unconstitutional actions on the part of the authorities was the recent enforcement and arrests made under a non existent law that Toronto police chief utilized to arrest and charge multitudes of innocent civilians under the controversial fence law at the G20 Summit..

If you or your group are planning an event and would like me to record it in a video, send the details of the event to me at ronzig@rogers.com If you wish, I will post the video on my websites and you can distribute it to people you feel would like to see it and even post it on the internet. I can create a short version (trailer) for news media or other publication. If the event is important I will consider doing it for free, or at nominal rates.  Because of time constraints I am not able to comply with every request.

If you wish to take advantage of free or reduced rate video production, to ensure that your event is covered, please consider these guidelines. Describe your event including why you think it should be recorded i.e. social significance, what activities will be involved that will make the video visually interesting to the audience, is the event easily accessible by TTC, (if not, will transportation be provided?), who will act as spokesperson to be interviewed? Be sure to include the date and start and end time of the event. AND APPLY EARLY. My calendar fills quickly.

added Nov 5

Occupy Bay Street Day 1
On Oct 15/11 about 3000 concerned citizens representing numerous activist groups & unions along with a large contingent of nonaligned individuals congregated at St James Park at King and Church Streets. They were there to show their support for the Occupy Wall Street protest that had been going on for some time by then. Toronto was only one of numerous Canadian cities that took part in this movement and along with a great many American cities; several cities in Europe and around the world took part. The plan was to follow the lead of the Occupy Wall Street group and remain there as long as it took to gain a strong commitment for radical change in the social structure of the planet. By no means a small undertaking, yet so necessary that hundreds of thousands of people worldwide either joined in or voiced their support of the mission. I attended on the first day and had planned to be there every day until the end but health issues prevented me from returning. I did however have an opportunity to speak with a number of people and record the mood and surprising number of people of all ages and from many divergent walks of life. I hope what you see here will help you to understand what it was all about.

 added Sept 27

What It’s Like To Be Homeless

I was a crack addict for 20 years and homeless in Toronto for the last ten of those difficult years. When I quit using crack cocaine and got off the streets on March 2, 2005 I decided that I wanted to do something meaningful to educate the general population about the realities of homelessness and addiction. I had in mind the production of a documentary on the subject, but there was a huge hurdle I had to overcome before I could even begin. I didn’t even know what email was let alone how to go about creating websites or producing films. I began looking for courses I could take to learn what I needed to know and was stopped in my tracks. Every course that would provide the expertise I needed cost $15,000.00 or more. Undaunted, I began the arduous task of teaching myself. Fortunately I found that the Toronto Board of Education has a Continuing Education program where I could take introductory courses in the fields of study that I would require and they were available to social assistance recipients for only $10.00 each. I took several of these 9 week courses, 2 hours per week and although they were rudimentary and could not begin to prepare me for my project, they did show me what was possible and what hardware, equipment and programs I would need to acquire and master to realise my dream. Over the following 6 years I worked arduously at preparing myself and now I am at the production stage.

An unanticipated benefit became apparent along the way, for I found that I was able to become a pretty good photographer and artist and these have given me countless hours of joy as I produced works that primarily deal with social issues in an artistic channel.

I have created a website to showcase my photography, art and video work at www.RonzigsGallery.com and have about 20,000 still images up on my Flickr site at http://www.flickr.com/photos/9326442@N08/ as well as about 250 videos on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/RonzigsGallery?feature=mhee

I also created www.DownButNotOut.ca, my activism website where I began covering the topic of homelessness and addiction and eventually expanded to cover a wide range of issues which trouble our society such as the declining middle class, the New World Order which is rapidly becoming a reality as foreseen by George Orwell in 1984, police state vs. democracy, new restrictions to internet access, the never ending wars of imperialism that plague the world, global climate disruption and ever increasing limits to access to meaningful education.

I have never sought outside funding through grants, sponsorships or loans to do my work and fund everything myself out of my old age pension, various photography and video contracts I have worked on and the sale of my videos, photography and art. If you like what I do and would like to help me continue, please consider purchasing a DVD of this documentary or a print from my large selection of photo and art images.

The idea for “What it’s Like to be Homeless” came about by accident. I was out shooting interviews for my other new documentary, “When the Middle Class Becomes Homeless” when I met the young couple in this film in Nathan Phillips Square. They were still in their sleeping bags and just waking up when I approached them to ask if they would be willing to be interviewed for my documentary. They agreed and Pete my assistant on the project and I set up the cameras and got ready to shoot the interview. The conversation actually commenced while we were setting up and I had to jump into the shot once the cameras were rolling. My intention was to shoot about 15 minutes of interview hoping to get 5 minutes of useable material for “When the Middle Class Becomes Homeless,” but the discussion was so intense and opportune that I kept the cameras rolling for an hour and fifteen minutes. When Pete and I were leaving I said that I couldn’t in good conscience cut this down to 5 minutes and decided right then that this should become a standalone film in its own right. The result is “What it’s Like to be Homeless,” a 40 minute film discussing homelessness from the point of view of actual homeless people. You will find some of the vocabulary shocking and I guarantee that it will shatter some of your misconceptions about the topic for we, the homeless people in Canada are by and large very different from the stereotype that our political leaders want you to accept.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Ronzig

What It’s Like To Be Homeless

Recently, I was at City Hall early in the morning and chanced upon a young homeless couple who were just waking up from sleeping on the concrete in Nathan Phillips Square. I approached them and asked if they would like to speak on camera about what life is like for them as a young homeless couple.. They agreed and What It’s Like To Be Homeless is the resultant film I produced from this incredibly revealing conversation. Anyone who wonders how homeless people survive or what they feel or how they become homeless in the first place would benefit from viewing this amazing exposé.

http://www.downbutnotout.ca/

When the Middle Class Becomes Homeless

The theme of the Commffest Film Festival this year is homelessness. After being asked by the organizers to produce a documentary on the topic I set to work. The world premiere of the resulting film, When the Middle Class Becomes Homeless was Sept 25, 2011. Every hour of every day, another middle class Canadian cartwheels into the bottomless abyss of homelessness. More and more members of the middle class are losing their jobs and everything they have worked a lifetime to accumulate. On a recent visit to a homeless shelter I was struck by the change in the type of residents I found there. Nearly half of them were recently successful members of the middle class who still carried cell phones and dressed in middle class style, looking like they were on their way to a job interview & making them indistinguishable from your next door neighbour or you for that matter. There is an unproclaimed epidemic threatening the very fabric of our society. Homelessness among the middle class is sweeping through our civilization at an alarming rate and nobody is talking about it. They speak of the shrinking or declining Middle Class, but not of what happens to a middle class family when they are no longer members of this group. The causes are myriad, but there is only one reason why this is happening to our fellow Canadians; Governments at all levels have acquiesced to the agenda of the dominant elite that is currently striving to transform Canada into a 2 class society consisting of the ruling elite and those who serve them.

http://www.downbutnotout.ca/

added Oct 4

After screening WHEN THE MIDDLE CLASS BECOMES HOMELESS is an audience discussion about the film that was recorded after the film was screened at the TIFF Bell Lightbox.

http://www.downbutnotout.ca/

Go to http://www.ronzigsgallery.com/videos.php to learn how you can obtain a copy of the film for yourself.

added Feb 10

Toronto Mini Video Tours:

is an all new series of videos that I am producing that will run on this  YouTube player on my website at http://www.ronzigsgallery.com/videos.php. It will feature walks through various neighbourhoods of the city, pointing out points of interest & my comments on them. There will also be videos taken through the windows of TTC vehicles as I find my way around town which will reveal aspects of the city that may have gone unnoticed even to lifelong residents. These videos should be helpful to tourists and newcomers to the city & even to old hands like myself. 

You can ask me to do a mini tour of your neighbourhood by emailing me at Ronzig@rogers.com

added Feb 9

 Walking Tours: Toronto

If you would like a video tour of your neighbourhood produced by Ronzig, email me at Ronzig@rogers.com

Walking Tour John to Spadina on Queen St

For a colourful change in your routine, try a visit to Queen St W. Today we will wander along Queen from John St, the home of Much Music and previous location of Speakers’ Corner and City TV to Spadina Av where you will find the world famous Horseshoe Tavern juxtaposed against the pervasive McDonald’s. You will discover consumer electronics at bargain prices, some of Toronto’s finest fashions, decorating ideas for your luxury condo or renovated turn of the century mansion, music and musical equipment outlets, rare books and much, much more. You will mix with an array of locals from artists, travelling youths and homeless derelicts, to entertainment and media personalities, advertising and commercial arts executives, local entrepreneurs and curiosity seekers all co-existing happily in this eclectic environment. Of course, you will be thrilled to find exotic culinary delights to savour on one of the ubiquitous patios as you marvel at the varied costumes of the passers-by. Watch the video for a sample of what is in store for you when you come.

Walking Tour Spadina Chinatown

For an exotic change in your routine, try a visit to Chinatown. Centered at Spadina & Dundas, the area includes Spadina Av from Sullivan St to College St and Dundas St W from McCaul St to Augusta Av. You will discover consumer electronic at bargain prices, toys for the children, medicinal herbs, spices, fresh produce and meat at low prices, household utensils and decorating ideas, throngs of oriental and occidental shoppers and curiosity seekers and of course, exotic culinary delights to re-energize you as you continue to explore the area. Watch the video for a sample of what is in store for you when you come.

 Transit Tours: Toronto

If you would like a video tour of your neighbourhood produced by Ronzig, email me at Ronzig@rogers.com

Transit Tour

Queen Streetcar Yonge to Waverley Rd

Feb 2/2011, Toronto, forecasters issued a winter storm warning and predicted weather conditions would be worse than we have seen in years. I got up at 4am to go to the boardwalk to video the lake in turmoil. I also hoped to get some good footage of traffic as Torontonians emerged from their homes to hazard the weather on their way to work. Fortunately it wasn’t as bad as they expected, but I did get some great clips. At 7:30, I took the subway from where I live at Yonge & Eglinton and shot video of the trip to Queen St where I transferred to the Queen streetcar for the ride to the Beaches.

added Feb 7

 Videos by Ronzig's Gallery

In these 5 YouTube players you will find most of the Videos I have uploaded to YouTube over the past 6 years. I have covered a wide range of topics from activism and protests to concerts, art shows and finally to  Tourism and Zombies. I hope you enjoy them.

Since the YouTube players will only hold 50 videos, I have to keep adding new players as I add new videos.

(They are all in chronological order. I apologize for any duplications or omissions)

 added Feb 7

Toronto Tours for the Budget Conscious

In this YouTube player I will take you on tours of Toronto, sometimes walking and other times riding in Toronto Transit vehicles, (subway, bus, streetcar). Together we will visit some of my favourite places, enjoy free entertainment events, savour supreme culinary delights that are affordable for almost anyone, explore famous landmarks and attractions, discover some of our multitude of fine parks and go shopping at stores that won't rip you off.

Whether you are a first time visitor to my home town or you were born here like me, there is a wealth of new information about Toronto to be found here.

As well as using them to purchase art, Gift Certificates can also be used to pay for professional video or still photography recording of special events such as weddings, birthdays, bar mitzvahs, etc.

Because art makes a treasured gift to a loved one and is difficult to choose the right piece, I have gift certificates available for purchase so your loved one is certain to approve of the selection.

With a Ronzig's Gallery gift certificate, your loved one can select any art in any media or size that is offered on this site. By purchasing a Ronzig's Gallery gift certificate your loved one is certain to approve of the selection.

Gift Certificates are presently the easiest means to make a direct purchase of a specific piece over the internet.  First, choose the image that you would like from this site or from any of my work on my Flickr site and record the EXACT filename. Then go to the order page and choose the size and media you would like. Click the Buy Gift Certificate icon and apply the dollar amount to a combination of gift certificates to make the total and IN THE PERSONAL MESSAGE BOX on the gift certificate order form, just tell me the exact filename and size and media type you wish to purchase. I will ship the finished work if ceramic tiles within 12 business days or if prints on photo paper or on canvas, within 5 business days. (allow 10 business days if framing is required)

Gift Certificates may be purchased for a dollar amount equal to the value of a specific piece of art on this site or combined to total this amount.

Just click the Buy Gift Certificate icon below and you will be directed to a PayPal page for secure purchase options. You don't need to be a member of PayPal and all major credit cards are accepted.

Please note: For all orders of less than $50.00 a $10.00 shipping and handling fee will apply

Secure transactions by PayPal

Index of Ronzig's web pages

Website:

Ronzig's Gallery

Go to Ronzig's Gallery digital photoArt, photography,  video, photographic & video recording services, Mini Video Tours of Toronto, Collector Series Postcards featuring an assortment of his best images and art on ceramic tiles top home page.

Learn about Ronzig and Ronzig's Gallery: What is digital photoArt? Ronzig's guerrilla photography and video. Art on Ceramic Tiles. Collector Series Postcards featuring an assortment of his best images, Mini Video Tours of Toronto. And photographic and video recording services.

View some of Ronzig's best work in a slideshow or individual images from Ronzig at Ronzig's Gallery of digital photoArt and photography.

You can contact  Ronzig's Gallery by email, telephone or by snail mail to his address to inquire about Ronzig's digital photoArt, photography, Collector Series Postcards featuring an assortment of his best images. video, photography & video recording services, Mini Video Tours of Toronto and art on ceramic tiles or to purchase his products or services. You will also find numerous links to other websites where Ronzig has a presence.

Read the Legend of Ronzig the Wizard and his battle with his evil twin brother Ronzak the Sorcerer in the story of the ongoing struggle between good and evil that has been going on since the creation of the universe.

This is where you can order  Ronzig's products and services from Ronzig's Gallery such as digital photoArt,  photography & video recording services, Mini Video Tours of Toronto, art on ceramic tiles & Collector Series Postcards featuring an assortment of his best images.

Ronzig creates spectacular panorama works either as photographic images or as Digital photoArt that are available in standard sizes up to 44" x 13" on either canvas or archival quality photo paper (larger sizes available by special order).  Ronzig's Gallery will also embed a panorama image into the glaze of a series of ceramic tiles to create a unique wall or floor covering surface to your specs.

Ronzig's Digital photoArt & photographic images from Ronzig's Gallery cover a broad array of subject matter and themes resulting in highest quality art works to suit any preference. These images are all available on ceramic tiles & Collector Series Postcards as well a more traditional canvas and archival photo paper in a wide range of sizes to suit your requirements.

All of Ronzig's best work is available on Collector Series Postcards on archival photo paper, suitable not only for mailing a unique greeting to friends and loved ones, but also for framing as a group to hang on your wall.

Ronzig has done work for a wide range of clients from law firms to developers, health services facilities and the City of Toronto, all of which would certainly provide excellent references to Ronzig's Gallery.

Most of Ronzig's best work, be it video, photography or Digital photoArt is available as stock video clips or stock photo & art images at extremely reasonable prices for royalty free applications that you are producing.

Most of Ronzig's best work can be embedded into the glaze of ceramic tiles, resulting in virtually indestructible art works suitable for architectural uses such as surfaces for walls, floors, counter tops, back-splashes, fireplace surrounds or mantlepieces. As home furnishing uses they provide unique surfaces for tables or any other flat surfaced furniture. There is a series of 4" x 4" tiles with a protective backing designed for use as coasters that are bound to intrigue your guests as you entertain. Of course they make timeless stand alone art suitable for framing or placing on a stand for display.

Ronzig produces a wide range of videos, including Documentary works, event recording such as children's birthdays, activism and social protest works, art films, Mini Video Tours and special effects clips. Ronzig's Gallery is fully equipped and has access to support professionals to create original works with multi-camera filming, still photography and custom music for any production. He is presently working on a special fx movie, The Legend of Ronzig the Wizard, for which he the writer, art and costume designer, producer director and star.

Website:

Down But Not Out

As well as Ronzig's Gallery, Ronzig built and maintains Down But Not Out, a website dedicated to social activism and providing information about many of the current issues that threaten to destroy our planet and the social structures we have developed. This link will take you to the Home page of Down But Not Out which was recently ranked as the 12th best website about homelessness on the internet and the following information will explain each of the pages on the website. You will have the opportunity to comment on what you learn here and read the many comments of other visitors to the site.

Learn more about Ronzig and why he created Down But Not Out and why it began as a website discussing the issues of poverty, homelessness and addiction and how it evolved into much more, encompassing issues a wide ranging as politics, war imperialism, conspiracy, economics, health, the environment and more.

Having been a crack addict for nearly 2 decades, during the 2nd of which I was homeless, I have acquired an in depth understanding of addiction, how & why it begins, what it does to a person, what is involved with getting free of this curse and the social implications of this ever increasing plague on civilization. I disclose some little known and often ignored information and insights that will assist you in coming to a better understanding of what addiction is all about.

I have created a page where visitors to Down But Not Out can contribute by telling their story about how the issues discussed on the site has affected them or someone they care about. I encourage you to read what others have to say and please tell us your story. You can remain anonymous if you prefer.

There is an extensive examination of the economy on Down But Not Out with discussions about the recession, economic collapse, the increasing disparity between the rich, the poor and the middle class. I delve into the phenomena of the shrinking middle class and the emergence of a 2 class society where an economic elite rule and the rest of us are rapidly being relegated to economic slavery.

Whether you call it Global Warning, Climate Disruption or choose to adopt one of the euphemisms that opponents to addressing this impending disaster use to seek to reduce the significance of the crisis to protect their ill gotten financial profits, it is a scientific fact that our global environment is on the brink of collapse. If meaningful and immediate action is not taken the human race along with almost all other forms of life on the Planet Earth will soon face extinction.

Whenever I have time I try to post notices of significant events that you may wish to attend including rally's, protests, political meetings, or other relevant items here. I also use this page to post notices of upcoming art shows where my work will be on display.

The social, economic and political issues revolving around health and healthcare are currently creating an environment where universal healthcare in Canada is under attack. It is evident that the elite no longer wish to ensure adequate health services for an aging population. They see no need to preserve individual health when there is no shortage of replacement economic slaves to step in when one of us succumbs to preventable illness and dies.

There is a worldwide epidemic of homelessness that has emerged in the past couple of decades to plague society and the wealthiest nations, ones with more than sufficient resources to provide housing for their populations are the worst at addressing the situation. Having lived long enough to realize that even when our society was steeped in relative poverty compared to today's situation, homelessness was never a significant problem until recently as the elite grab more and more of the world's wealth and resources, leaving the rest of us to struggle just to keep a roof over our heads.

With the advent of the internet, hope for a just society has been restored, yet there are sinister powers threatening to crush that hope. Just when internet should be reaching the point of universal global access, these powers are forcing an increasing internet divide, where surprisingly millions who once could afford access are being economically deprived of this crucial commodity, for a commodity is what it has become and it is for sale at price not reflective of costs, but of what the market will bear. Perhaps we should be considering defining internet as a Necessary Service that is available to everyone at affordable rates of free of charge.

With the corporatization of mainstream media, it's difficult to find any honest reporting in this media, as they tend to stick like flies on flypaper to the elitist party line. However even the most cynical of these outlets of information are forced to include a modicum of honesty in their reports when faced with the vast amount of conflicting evidence distributed freely on the internet. It is beneficial also to be up to date on what they are saying in order to point out the inadequacies and outright lies that they distribute.

Over the years, Ronzig has been in the news on several occasions, both as the subject of articles and as interviewee. Of course I've commented on many news items as well. you'll find some of these pieces on my news page.

There is a disturbing trend in politics that is increasingly threatening the very fabric of Democracy, or the sorry excuse for such that we have  adopted. I'm speaking of the merging of the Capitalist manifesto into the political agenda to the effect that today's politicians see their job almost exclusively as serving the requirements of capitalism and corporate profits rather than the needs of the citizens who are the true backbone of any nation.

Ever wonder how it is possible that in the richest civilization that has ever existed on the planet, extreme poverty is reaching epidemic proportions?  The answer is obvious. Every single year for the past 3 decades the wealthiest 5% of the world's population have taken control and ownership of a greater proportion of the world's resources leaving less for each of the remaining 95% of the people who have to live on this planet. In every industrialized nation the middle class is under attack and is shrinking annually as people are forced down the economic scale into the burgeoning poverty class. The truly terrifying aspect of this is the fact that the members of the middle class which is the primary target of this attack believe that when the middle class is eliminated they will be part of the elite upper class of rulers rather than economic slaves of these rulers. Because of this the middle class votes consistently for politicians who serve this elite ruling class and don't even realize they are voting for their own destruction.

In a society which professes to be primarily Christian is it not a paradox that we have created such an un-Christian attitude toward our neighbours? By assuming the philosophy of "Looking our for number ONE", we find it easy not only to allow our brothers and sisters to suffer and actually perish because they can not afford to pay for the basic requirements of survival, nourishment and shelter, but many of us are arrogant enough to hate them for their predicament. How are we to overcome this tide of apathy and animosity which in the end will destroy us if we fail?

If you group is interested in Ronzig's experiences and philosophies, I do speaking engagements and will talk on any of the topics covered here. I have had great success with audiences while speaking about homelessness & addiction, Democracy & politics as well as photography & art and would be pleased to accept a request to speak to you group.

Primarily because of American Imperialism the world has been in a constant state of war for the majority of the past 6 decades. Isn't it amazing how we can call making war on another nation a Police Action or Peacekeeping Action to camouflage the fact that we are invading a nation to seize control of its resources or to use it as a staging zone for our aggressive moves on its neighbours, yet we call defensive retaliation Terrorism? We call the slaughter of innocent civilians Collateral Damage to hide the fact that more than 80% of the people we kill in our wars are civilians primarily women and children. I find it disturbing that Prime Minister Harper has eagerly jumped into bed with the Americans and is arming Canada to fight along side our neighbours to the South as we seek to seize control of far off nations. We stand idly by and allow Israel, the puppet state of the Americans which exists solely because of American arms and financing to commit wide scale genocide in its attempt to eradicate the legitimate populating of the region from the planet.

 

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