Saturday 31 October 2009

THE EXPERIMENTAL ESKIMOS Trailer

"Director Barry Greenwald reunites Peter Ittinuar, Zebedee Nungak, and Eric Tagoona to reflect upon the profound impact the experiment had on their lives and identities as Inuit people. The men candidly recount their stories in this bold and thought-provoking film about assimilation, empowerment,
and the triumph of the human spirit."
-- Michele Latimer, Hot Docs

Friday 30 October 2009

Polar bear plus grizzly equals ... ?

By Matt Walker
Editor, Earth News

Bear line up
Clockwise: A female hybrid, male hybrid, polar bear and brown bear (all pictures courtesy of Alexandra Preuß)

What do you get if you cross a polar bear with a grizzly brown bear?

Scientists can now answer the question, following the first study of a polar bear/grizzly bear hybrid.

Only one hybrid bear has ever been seen in the wild, so the study evaluated two hybrid bears kept in captivity, which are among 17 such bears known to exist.

While each hybrid has inherited characteristics from either parent, some traits, such as partially hollow hair, appear to be a blend of the two.

"Hybrids between polar and brown bears in the wild are very rare. Only one confirmed case is known," says Dr Ute Magiera, the conservation coordinator of Osnabruck Zoo in Germany.

We were surprised about the offspring, because for 24 years nothing happened
Dr Ute Magiera
Osnabruck Zoo, Germany

That hybrid bear was shot in April 2006 by an American big game hunter on Banks Island, Northwest Territories, Canada.

Premier Floyd Roland and Patricia Russell at the Yellowknife Canada Day celebrations.

Premier Floyd Roland and Patricia Russell
at the Yellowknife Canada Day celebrations.
Premier Floyd Roland and Patricia Russell at the Yellowknife Canada Day celebrations. by you.
I just licensed this image to the Toronto Star... it should appear on about page 3 or 4 of this Friday's issue. When I saw them at the Yellowknife Canada Day celebrations I knew there were very few pictures of them together.. so I just had to grab the image...

Premier Floyd Roland & Patricia Russell at the Yellowknife Canada Day celebrations.
©2009 George Lessard

DSC_8186
http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/3684260115/

Wednesday 28 October 2009

Who Owns the Arctic? An interview with Michael Byers

Michael Byers is the Canada Research Chair in Global Politics and International Law at UBC. He is the author of the new book, Who Owns the Arctic?, new book that explains the sometimes contradictory rules governing the division and protection of the Arctic and the disputes that remain unresolved. He was interviewed by Am Johal.

http://rabble.ca/columnists/2009/10/grand-arctic-promises

Tuesday 27 October 2009

Fort Smith woman designs new NWT Métis sash

Fort Smith woman designs new Métis sash


Lisa Hudson has only weaved two sashes and one of them will now identify Métis people in the Northwest Territories.
The NWT Métis Nation (NWTMN) had talked about creating a distinctive sash for years and wanted something unique for its members. The NWTMN called for submissions in June and selected Hudson's sash at a September meeting. Her sash encompasses the many unique features of the NWT landscape.

More at:
http://www.srj.ca/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=88&twindow=Default&mad=No&sdetail=4209&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=1957&hn=srj&he=.ca

Mikilaaq Centre's Book Launch: "Follow the Trail" Arviat, Nunavut


A collection of stories and amazing images that relate some of the authors’ experiences in Arviat, Nunavut’s friendliest community.
Share the beauty - Share the journey!
Limited quantities - Act quickly!
•192 pages, 9 x 12 inches
•Soft cover
•Filled with color photographs
•Published - November 2009
•$40.00 + shipping if applicable
For inquiry or to order your copies, contact Lynne or Nadine at:
Mikilaaq Centre
P.O.Box 179
Arviat, NU, X0C 0E0
867-857-2521
mikilaaqcentre@yahoo.ca
nadine_centre@yahoo.ca


Hello everyone,

Many of you are aware that we have been working feverishly on a book. This is the culmination of our work after the previous 3 calendars. Yes, no calendar this year, a book instead.
Please don't hesitate to forward this advertisement to friends and colleagues. If you are interested to sell some that would also be great. We hope the books to be ready for shipping by mid-November.

Thanks for your help and support,

Lynne and Nadine


Mikilaaq Centre
Box 179
Arviat, NU
X0C 0E0
tel 867-857-2521
fax 867-857-4940

Monday 26 October 2009

ICC Jam - part 2 - Greenland

Entertainers from Canada, Greenland and Alaska gather to celebrate the first Canadian meeting of the Inuit Circupolar Conference in 1983. Features Charlie Panigoniak and Lorna, Povungnituq throat singers, Greenland's Tukak Theatre, and amazing drum dancers from Alaska.

ICC Jam - part 1 - Canada

Entertainers from Canada, Greenland and Alaska gather to celebrate the first Canadian meeting of the Inuit Circupolar Conference in 1983. Features Charlie Panigoniak and Lorna, Povungnituq throat singers, Greenland's Tukak Theatre, and amazing drum dancers from Alaska.

ICC Jam - part 3 - Alaska

Entertainers from Canada, Greenland and Alaska gather to celebrate the first Canadian meeting of the Inuit Circupolar Conference in 1983. Features Charlie Panigoniak and Lorna, Povungnituq throat singers, Greenland's Tukak Theatre, and amazing drum dancers from Alaska.

Saturday 24 October 2009

Small Islands, Big Impact - featuring President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives

The Indian Ocean archipelago of the Maldives is the smallest country in Asia - it packs 325,000 people into a land area just under 300 square kilometres. With no place more than six feet above the sea, it is on the frontline of climate change impact. As the polar ice melts and sea levels rise, these and other low-lying islands will be the first to go under water. Coastal erosion, salt intrusion and extreme weather events will make many islands uninhabitable much sooner.

Mohamed Nasheed, President of the Maldives, sees it both as a human rights issue and a security threat. On the eve of the Copenhagen Climate Summit, he makes an earnest appeal for the world to defend the frontline states, such as his. He also emphasizes how democracy and good governance are vital for countries adapting to climate change. His message to the world leaders: Don't be stupid! The deed is done, so instead of finger pointing, let's see how we can cope with impacts.Produced by TVE Asia Pacific in collaboration with COM+ Alliance of Communicators for Sustainable Development

Wednesday 21 October 2009

Ningeokuluk Teevee of Cape Dorset (Nunavut) finalist in 2009 Governor General’s Literary Awards

Children's Literature — Illustration

Ningeokuluk Teevee, Cape Dorset (Nunavut), Alego,
text by Ningeokuluk Teevee, translation by Nina Manning-Toonoo.
(Groundwood Books / House of Anansi Press; distributed by HarperCollins Canada)
(ISBN 978-0-88899-943-6)

Ningeokuluk Teevee's pencil drawings express beautifully a manner of dress, food, land, air, cold, warmth, surprise and age. The storytelling is a heart speaking to a heart, capturing the spiritual relationship that a child has with the world she lives in. This gentle book will warm hearts.

http://www.canadacouncil.ca/news/releases/2009/wi128999467161854957

Yellowknife Art Expo Nov 7th - Call for Artists and volunteers!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Caitlin Lacey <caitlinlacey@yel.mackay.ca>
Date: 2009/10/21
Subject: Art Expo Nov 7th - Call for Artists and volunteers!


Call to all Artists

interested is exhibiting for show and sale at

Aurora Arts Society – ART EXPO

November 21 and 22, 2009

Space is Limited - Register Today!

 

The Aurora Arts Society is sponsoring Yellowknife's 2nd annual Artists Exposition or

Art Expo on November 21 and 22 from 11am -5pm at the Multiplex DND gym.

This show and sale presents the finest examples of artistic expression in one place.

 

This year the ART expo is a 2 day event!

 

Registration deadline is November 6th Fee $150.00 per artist.

 

To Register or more info: Please contact Astrid Kruse 920-7497 or astrid@theedge.ca

 

_____________________________________________

 

 We are looking for volunteers to help out with the Aurora Arts Society Booth and the Coffee Bar at the Expo!

Volunteers please email Lynda Comerford at  lyndaco@theedge.ca

 

 

 


IKALUKTUTIAK/CAMBRIDGE BAY - Midwives for Cambridge Bay

[excerpt]

Erika Sherk
Northern News Services
Published Monday, October 19, 2009

IKALUKTUTIAK/CAMBRIDGE BAY - Expectant mothers in Cambridge Bay will soon have the chance to give birth closer to home now that the hamlet's birthing centre has hired its first midwife.

NNSL photo/graphic

Sharyne Fraser is Cambridge Bay's first full-time midwife. At least one more is expected to join her in the coming month.

Another midwife is on the way, and a third will hopefully be in place by the new year, according to Clara Evalik, the regional director for Kitikmeot health and social services.

Pregnant women are now sent to Yellowknife or Edmonton three weeks before their delivery date, said Evalik.

"It's supposed to be an exciting time, giving birth to a baby," she said. "But when you're in Yellowknife on your own and the family members are not a part of the birth, it's unfortunate."

Kelly Lear is due February 26. She is taking early maternity leave to be extra careful during her pregnancy. "That's how badly I want to stay in town," she said. Her pregnancy is low-risk so far and that's the way she intends to keep it.

"Just the thought of going down (South) for a month before, sitting twiddling my thumbs, it would be very easy for any woman to set into depression," she said. "Being home around family makes it so much easier."

Total Solar Eclipse 2008 - Totality on the Tundra

The total solar eclipse of 1 August 2008 observed from 27,000 ft. in a King Air 200 over Taylor Island, Nunavut, Canada. Totality was 1 minute 39 seconds. Video shot by Stephen Bedingfield of the Totality on the Tundra group.

A windy afternoon in Resolute Bay, Nunavut

Video taken February 23, 2009 in the late afternoon

Tuesday 20 October 2009

Inuit want say on renaming Northwest Passage

Inuit want say on renaming Northwest Passage

[excerpt]

"... Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., the Inuit agency that oversees implementation of the land claims agreement that created Nunavut in 1999, has pointed to provisions of the deal that ensure Inuit input in "any review of place names that fall within the land and marine areas" of the territory — including "all the archipelagic waterways that have historically been linked to the concept of a Northwest Passage."

NTI president Paul Kaludjak, in an Oct. 14 letter addressed to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the three other federal party leaders, said the proposed name change should recognize "the reality of continuing Inuit use and occupation" of the sea routes through Canada's Arctic islands.

"NTI would be happy to work on a non-partisan and expedited basis with all four parties . . . the Inuit Heritage Trust and the Government of Nunavut," said Kaludjak, "to identify a process for naming the Northwest Passage that would respect the (land claims agreement), Inuit history and culture, and the contribution to Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic."

In an interview Tuesday, Kaludjak said the Northwest Passage "has an Inuktitut name already." He said the term "tallurugik," which refers to the distinctive seascape of the Arctic archipelago, has been understood for centuries to refer to the water route through the islands...."

ARCTIC SHIPPING Melting ice could transform Alaska economy

ARCTIC SHIPPING
Melting ice could transform Alaska economy

[excerpt]

(10-18) 04:00 PDT Nome, --

Alaska - Most days in Nome, you're not likely to run into anybody you
didn't see at the Breakers Bar on Friday night. More than 500 roadless
miles from Anchorage, rugged tundra and frigid Bering Sea waters have a
way of discouraging visitors.

So it was a big deal when the World - a 644-foot-long residential cruise
ship with condos costing several million dollars apiece - dropped anchor
during the summer for a two-day look-see.

"We never had a ship anywhere near this size before," Chamber of Commerce
director Mitch Erickson said. "My guess is they've probably been
everywhere else in the world, and now they're going to the places most
people haven't seen yet."

That's about to change.

The record shrinking of the polar ice cap is turning the forbidding waters
at the top of the world into important new shipping routes.

Four other cruise ships also docked in Nome recently. The U.S. Coast Guard
deployed its first small Arctic patrol vessels last year. Fleets of
scientific research vessels steamed north all summer, while ships
surveying the vast oil and gas deposits under the Arctic seabed have
talked of using Nome as a base.

In fact, this town of 9,300 on the edge of the Bering Strait sees itself
as the gateway to a newly accessible maritime frontier. Nome's ship
traffic is eight times what it was in 1990, and the town recently spent
close to $90 million renovating its port to accommodate bigger ships.

Read more:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2009/10/18/MNH31A487M.DTL#ixzz0UV2sN5N2

Nunavut's Breastfeeding Challenge

Breastfeeding Challenge

Kassina Ryder and Gabriel Zarate
Northern News Services
Published Monday, October 19, 2009

NUNAVUT - On Oct. 3, mothers gathered at locations across the territory to feed their babies in the annual Breastfeeding Challenge.

NNSL photo/graphic

Sula Enuaraq, Canadian Prenatal Nutrition Program's co-ordinator for Iqaluit, nurses her daughter Aaliyah Degrasse. Behind, Nunavut's territorial CPNP co-ordinator Vesselina Petkova enjoys one of the healthy snacks available at the event. - Gabriel Zarate/NNSL photo

Across Nunavut, 21 of the 25 communities registered to take part in the event. In Iqaluit, eight mothers gathered at the Public Health building.

"This is my first time taking part, but I've been breastfeeding forever," laughed Maani Brown.

Maani is presently breastfeeding her sixth child, most of whom were weaned only when their younger sibling arrived.

The Iqaluit co-ordinator of the Canadian Prenatal Nutrition Program was also a participant. Sula Enuaraq nursed her daughter Aaliyah Degrasse.

"I did this last year, but there wasn't as many last year. But this year it turned out pretty good," she said.

Enuaraq listed some of the health benefits of breastfeeding, both for babies and their mothers. Children who are breastfed get fewer infections than those on formula, and mothers who breastfeed are less likely to get breast cancer in later life.

She also pointed out that breastfeeding saves mothers a lot of money in Nunavut, where formula must be shipped up from the south.



More at:
http://nnsl.com/northern-news-services/stories/papers/oct19_09br.html

Creator of Nunavut's justice system ends 'adventure'

Justice Beverly Browne was a judge in Nunavut before it was Nunavut. She
began her career on the bench in a tiny, isolated courtroom on Baffin
Island in 1990, in what was then the Northwest Territories. After becoming
Nunavut's first senior judge when the territory was created in 1999, she
helped build its justice system.

Earlier this month, she headed south. She's now sitting on Alberta's Court
of Queen's Bench in Edmonton.

full story at:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/creator-of-nunavuts-justice-system-ends-adventure/article1330258/

Sunday 18 October 2009

Vote Falvo for Council

Yellowknife City Councillor Paul Falvo is seeking re-election

NAHO CEO, Paulette Tremblay Announces Video Contest

The Honouring Life Network (HLN) is kicking off World Suicide Prevention Day by hosting an online video contest to raise awareness about suicide prevention for First Nations, Inuit and Métis youth!

The HLN is looking for youth aged 17-30 to submit a short video that will raise awareness about suicide prevention and mental wellness initiatives in First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities.

Launch: September 10, 2009.

Deadline for submissions: November 10, 2009.
More at
http://www.honouringlife.ca/en/youthCorner/videoContest

Étincelante by 'Emily Novalinga

Nunavik poet dies suddenly in Montreal
Emily Novalinga, 55, gained award last month
http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/418_nunavik_poet_dies_suddenly_in_montreal/

7 minutes, art et essai, 2005, Québec, (Poème lu en Inuktittut, sous-titres français)
Réalisation et production: Brigitte Lebrasseur

SYNOPSIS: Étincelante est une vidéo d'art créée à partir d'un poème d'Emily Novalinga, une poète inuite du Nord du Québec (Nunavik). Lu en Inuktittut par l'auteur, le poème dénonce la violence faite aux femmes. Le texte est appuyé par des images de la toundra et par une bande sonore originale.

MENTION:
Nomination pour un Golden Sheaf Award, catégorie Aboriginal, Festival du court-métrage de Yorkton, 2006

Saturday 17 October 2009

Prayers for injured snowmobiler Darryl Tait

Prayers for injured snowmobiler

Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services
Published Friday, October 16, 2009

http://nnsl.com/northern-news-services/stories/papers/oct16_09t.html

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Yellowknife friends and admirers of snowmobiling daredevil Darryl Tait are praying for him to pull through after a terrible accident last weekend landed the 19-year-old in hospital.

NNSL photo/graphic

Darryl Tait recieves his silver medal in the Half pipe competition for snowboarding at the Arctic Winter Games Kenai Alaska.

Tait, a rising star on the extreme snowmobiling sports circuit, was attempting a back flip on a dirt track in a freestyle demonstration at the New Hampshire Grass Drags in Fremont, New Hampshire on Oct. 11 when the snowmobile failed to complete the rotation and both Tait and the machine came crashing to the ground.

"I don't know if the machine quit in the rotation, we haven't gone back to analyze the parts," said his father Jamie Tait on Wednesday from Boston, Mass., where his son was hospitalized.

"The long and short of it is he got a very badly broken back between T-5 and T-6 (vertebrae), and crushed lungs and ribs, shoulder blades. He's not stable enough to go in and stabilize his back yet."

Jamie is the former owner of Summit Air and his family were residents of Yellowknife until early last year. The family has since moved to Atlin, B.C. after living in the city for eight years.

NH Grass Drags Rave X Crash

Daryl Tait crash

NH grassdrags RAVEX freestyle show, Darryl Tait crash

NH grassdrags RAVEX freestyle show, Darryl Tait crash near end

Reflections in the Snow-Covered Hills » Blog Archive » ?I felt like a leper walking the streets?

Reflections in the Snow-Covered Hills » Blog Archive » ?I felt like a leper walking the streets?

[excerpt]

"...I don’t normally write about Government of the Northwest Territories policies, but I’m going to make an exception today. It’s not that I don’t care about them; it’s more that they’re usually not particularly relevant to the type of writing I do here.

But Oil Can Boyd’s post caught my eye. Oil Can’s a young blogger who used to work for the local paper. I’m rather fond of the fellow, and I immediately identified with his story about trying to get people to give interesting quotes for a “streeter”, the lowest form of journalism. Streeters suck. Standing on a sidewalk trying to get people to answer a stupid question is just awful. (Using them as any sort of barometer of public opinion is even worse, but for very different reasons.)

I used to try to do them in Inuvik. I was always unsuccessful. Very few people wanted to talk, and those who did never had opinions that made good soundbites. The lesson, if I’d bothered to think about it, would have been that matters of public interest deserved a real hearing and full discussion, not a two-minute roundup of random shoppers’ top-of-mind thoughts. But I never really thought about that; I only knew that nobody wanted to go on tape.

After I moved to Yellowknife, I noticed that people here didn’t want to do streeters any more than folks in Inuvik did. But somehow they’d discovered an excuse that always made the reporters go away. You might want to write this down, in case you want to get rid of pesky reporters in the mall, too:

My boss won’t let me talk to reporters. ..."

Slingin Lingo

Slingin Lingo

From a former Yellowknifer reporter...
"...I felt like a leper walking the streets of Yellowknife.

While working as a reporter for a local paper in the NWT’s capital city, I endeavored to complete a Street Talk column, where residents – their names appearing beside their photo – would be asked to rate the territorial government’s performance over the last 12 months.

Covering an often controversial and contentious legislative assembly, I had my own opinions, but figured I could have been a little insulated by spending too much time in the newsroom. With an important session set to start up the day the column would have gone to press, I wanted to get a sense of how people on the street really felt about the way the government was running.

I did not run out in naively. I realized it would be a difficult task because since I started at the paper – both in Yellowknife and Iqaluit – I had run into many an instance where a resident would refuse a comment based on their employment with the government.

It was frustrating, but I understood...."

In tune with the world

In tune with the world

Andrew Rankin
Northern News Services
Published Thursday, October 15, 2009

http://nnsl.com/northern-news-services/stories/papers/oct15_09sat.html

[excerpt]

INUVIK - Since late August Inuvik has been the home of the Canadian Arctic's only remote sensing satellite receiver that's able to pick up images from all around the globe, and is thought to be an important tool in sustainable development research.

The dish has a 31-ton antenna located at the Upper Air site. It is part of a global network of three such stations in the world. The other stations are located in Sweden and Norway.

NNSL Photo/Graphic

A team of workers assembles the remote sensing satellite receiver at the Upper Air site, last August. - photo courtesy of Peter Clarkson

The Natural Resources Canada is a major stakeholder in the ground station which involves both public and private investment.

Stuart Salter, the department's director general for the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, said Inuvik was chosen as the site for the dish because it's in a perfect location to receive the images from remote sensing satellites that fly in near-polar orbit, about 600 to 800 km from the Earth.

"They download an enormous amount of data," said Salter. "What we really, really care about is information about Canada.

"Inuvik is almost ideal in its geographic location. It's a long way north, it has road access, it has power. It has all the things that you need."

TETLIT'ZHEH/FORT MCPHERSON - Keeping a language alive

Keeping a language alive

Katie May
Northern News Services
Published Monday, October 12, 2009

[excerpt]
http://nnsl.com/northern-news-services/stories/papers/oct12_09j.html

TETLIT'ZHEH/FORT MCPHERSON - Sisters Karen Mitchell and Eleanor Mitchell-Firth are used to being mistaken for women twice their age.

NNSL photo/graphic

In her spare time, Eleanor Mitchell-Firth from Fort McPherson does Gwich'in translations on a contractual basis for several agencies. If she could make a living from it, she says she would do translations full time. - photo courtesy of Eleanor Mitchell-Firth

It often happens when strangers learn - before meeting them in person - that they are Gwich'in translators, and expect to see two elders, passing on the words of their ancestors.

But Eleanor and Karen, both 41, are part of a younger generation of Gwich'in helping to document a language still spoken by only about 275 NWT residents. They each have 16 years of experience translating English to Gwich'in and vice versa, often for the Gwich'in Language Centre in Fort McPherson. Their work is used to create teaching materials for schools, instructional pamphlets for government agencies and brochures for businesses. They take on contracts for translation assignments in their spare time while juggling day jobs and families.

"It's something that I can take with me wherever I may be," Karen said.

"As a translator, the English language is watered down for me. Like if I say 'I love you,' for me that word doesn't carry much meaning whereas if I said it in my language it just defines what I really mean by 'love.'"

Eleanor, who just recently completed a translation of a pamphlet that explains how to vote, said one of the biggest challenges is many modern English words don't exist in Gwich'in.[...]

Friday 16 October 2009

Fire trucks on Yellowknife's Franklin Avenue

Fire trucks tear down Yellowknife's Franklin Avenue

Cape Dorset Print Collection 2009

Interview with Colin Depsey, Manager of Northern Images, Yellowknife NWT Canada on the opening of the Cape Dorset Print Collection 2009
http://www.northernimages.ca/

Northern Images (a division of Arctic Co-operatives Ltd.), is a chain of commercial galleries owned and operated by Inuit and Dene art and craft producing Co-operatives in Nunavut, and the North West Territories.

The Canadian Press: Inuit angry over U.S. proposal to eliminate all trade in polar bears

The Canadian Press: Inuit angry over U.S. proposal to eliminate all trade in polar bears


[excerpt]

Inuit angry over U.S. proposal to eliminate all trade in polar bears

By Bob Weber (CP) – 6 hours ago

Canadian Inuit are outraged over a U.S. plan to use an international treaty to eliminate all trade in polar bears anywhere in the world.

They say it would cripple one of their few industries and they're calling on the federal government to step in.

"We're fighting with Goliath here," said Gabriel Nirlungyak, director of wildlife with Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., which oversees the Nunavut land claim.

"We want our government to defend us."

Early Learning Activity Guides Now Available in Yup’ik

Early Learning Activity Guides Now Available in Yup'ik
by Alaska Native Knowledge Network - Friday, 16 October 2009, 12:48 pm
---------------------------------------------------------------------
For more information, contact:

Barbara Brown, Best Beginnings
bbrown@akhf.org (907) 297-3309
Patty Ginsburg for Best Beginnings
marthag@ak.net (907) 3512-2222

=====================================

Early Learning Activity Guides Now Available in Yup'ik Fun, culturally
relevant activities to help build babies' brains

Guides describing activities that help build babies' and young children's
brains are now available in Yup'ik. Copies of Mikelnguut Ayagmek
Elluarrluki Anglivkallrat are available free of charge from Best
Beginnings, (907) 297-3300 or
http://www.BestBeginningsAlaska.org.

The activity guides contain fun, culturally relevant activities to help
babies' brains grow in ways that will help them succeed in school and in
life. There are three guides: infant (birth to 18 months), toddler (18
months to 3 years), and preschooler (ages 3 to 5).

Activities for the Yup'ik version were reviewed by Yup'ik educators from
RuralCAP for cultural relevance, with many new activities added and others
modified or exchanged. All translations were done by Marie Meade, a Yup'ik
translator originally from Nunapitchuk, who now lives in Anchorage.

The guides were funded by grants from the Alaska Children's Trust and the
Alaska Department of Education & Early Development, with additional
support from BP and ConocoPhillips Alaska.

All activities described in the books are based on the State of Alaska's
Early Learning Guidelines, developed by the Alaska Department of Education
& Early Development and the Alaska Department of Health and Social
Services. Last year, Best Beginnings published activity books in Spanish,
and an English version came out earlier this year.

The guides are designed to assist parents, and other adults who work with
babies and young children, in understanding child development and offering
fun activities that encourage healthy brain development.

Research shows that children's brains develop at an incredible rate from
birth to age 6 and that the type of learning which takes place in the
early years has a profound effect on how children fare later in life.

Suggested activities in multiple languages are posted regularly on Best
Beginnings' Web site (http://www.BestBeginningsAlaska.org).
###

Note to reporters/editors: An interesting feature of the translation work
by Ms. Meade was an epiphany she had regarding the correct Yup'ik word to
use for "activity." While she had been using a word meaning "making your
child well," she realized the best word was actually one about "engaging
your child."

She was so thrilled with this realization that she went back and changed
all the appropriate references in the previous book. Translation is an
art, not a science, and the fact that Ms. Meade found the perfect word to
resonate with her readers - one that will capture exactly what we hope
these books will inspire - is testament to the skill and care required for
high quality translation.

_______________________________________
Please send your contributions for the ANKN Listserv to Alaska Native
Knowledge Network <fyankn@ankn.uaf.edu>.

This is a moderated listserv. If you have any suggestions, questions, or
comments, please email Alaska Native Knowledge Network
<fyankn@ankn.uaf.edu>.

If you know of someone to be included, please contact ANKN.
ANKN website: http://ankn.uaf.edu
ANKN Listserv Archives: http://ankn.uaf.edu/Announcements/

CBC News - Arts - Cape Dorset studio marks 50 years

CBC News - Arts - Cape Dorset studio marks 50 years

[excerpt]

Prized Inuit artwork from the Kinngait print shop in Cape Dorset, Nunavut, was celebrated in an Iqaluit museum Thursday night, marking the Cape Dorset studio's 50th anniversary.

Considered to be Canada's longest continuously running print shop, the Kinngait Studio in Cape Dorset has been behind prints by acclaimed Inuit artists such as Kenojuak Ashevak, Kanaanginnaa Pootoogoo, Okotaq Meekeegak and Petaloosie Saila.

Thursday 15 October 2009

Inuit artist Normee Ekoomiak dies

CBC News - North - Inuit artist Normee Ekoomiak dies

"Normee was loved and respected by those in the homeless community and all those who were privileged to share his life."

Ekoomiak was a victim of Canada's residential school system and struggled with addictions throughout his life.

Two years ago, both of his legs and eight fingers had to be amputated because of infection.

Ekoomiak's doctor and friend, Dr. Jeff Turnbull, said despite the challenges he faced, Ekoomiak was a pleasure to be around.

"He was battling those demons throughout his whole life, but he carried that with great dignity," Turnbull said.

"He was never hostile or angry about things. He was always very peaceful. It was a great inspiration for all of us."

Turnbull recalls how Ekoomiak let people at the shelter know that he was an artist.

"One day, he just let it slip out that he liked to paint," Turnbull said.

"We gave him some painting supplies, and he said, 'I'll paint something like I had in the National Gallery.'"

Turnbull said nobody believed Ekoomiak was a real painter until he put brush to canvas.

"He certainly proved us wrong."

CDETNO Certificate of Membership

Mission et mandats

Mission
Promouvoir, stimuler et appuyer le développement économique et l'employabilité des francophones et des francophiles des Territoires du Nord-Ouest.

Mandats principaux
Développement économique et employabilité

Mission & Mandates:
Promote, stimulate and support the economic development and employability of Francophones and Francophiles in the Northwest Territories.
Mandates
CDETNO provides economic development and employability.
http://www.cdetno.com/

Wednesday 14 October 2009

Phytoplankton Bloom in the Bering Sea

Phytoplankton Bloom in the Bering Sea

[excerpt]

Image
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/imagerecords/40000/40716/bering_amo_2009281_lrg.jpg


Peacock-hued splashes of color brightened the Bering Sea off the Alaskan coast on October 8, 2009, as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite flew overhead. This true-color image shows streaks running roughly northwest-southeast, north and east of Alaska’s St. Paul Island. A close look at the bright areas reveals that they vary in color, and have uneven, swirling edges.

The color likely results in part from blooms of phytoplankton—tiny, plant-like marine organisms that thrive in cold water rich in nutrients. Like their terrestrial plant cousins, phytoplankton convert sunlight to energy, and the green chlorophyll that facilitates photosynthesis, combined with the blue of the sea water, often creates a brilliant blue-green.

Tuesday 13 October 2009

Travel costs leave mushers on ice: Iditarod Features

Travel costs leave mushers on ice: Iditarod Features | adn.com

[excerpt]

Team Norway, a tight-knit group of Scandinavian dog mushers whose talent helped fuel the international appeal of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, is staying home this year.

Two-time champion Robert Sorlie teamed with Norwegian friends and mushing partners Kjetil Backen and Bjornar Andersen to form a potent packet of performers that finished outside the top 10 just once in its last 10 races here.

Sorlie, of Hurdal, became the first foreign musher to win the world's most popular long-distance sled-dog race, expanding its international popularity.

Both Sorlie, in 2002, and Andersen, in 2005, were rookies of the year. Andersen's fourth-place rookie finish was, by far, the best rookie showing since the Iditarod's early days when many of the mushers were first timers. He remains the only first-timer to reach Nome in fewer than 10 days.

Expense is keeping the Norwegians home.

Radio Project records and translates stories from Gwich'in elders

Legends to broadcast across Canada
Project records and translates stories from Gwich'in elders

Daron Letts
Northern News Services
Published Monday, Oct. 12, 2009

http://nnsl.com/northern-news-services/stories/papers/oct12_09eld-arts.html

[excerpt]

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Radio listeners across the country will soon enjoy five Gwich'in legends broadcast over the CBC.

NNSL photo/graphic

Dick Miller, a documentary producer from CBC Halifax, works with Inuvik actor Bonnie Ross last February to record a radio play based on Gwich'in legend. - photo courtesy of Leah Shaw

The stories make up an episode of the national CBC radio program, Ideas, scheduled to air on Monday, Oct. 26, 2009 at 9 p.m. (MTN).

The Gwich'in Social and Cultural Institute collected and recorded the legends in partnership with the public broadcaster's Radio Legacy Project, an ongoing initiative in which radio dramas based on First Nations oral traditions are produced for a national audience.

Producers with the CBC approached the institute about the project in 2007. In 2008, Alestine Andre, Heritage Researcher with the institute, accompanied B.C. CBC producer Leah Shaw as she met with elders from the Gwich'in communities. They recorded stories by Elizabeth Greenland of Inuvik, Mary Kendi of Aklavik, Annie Norbert and Gabe Andre of Tsiigehtchic, and Eunice Mitchell of Fort McPherson.

Sunday 11 October 2009

Bullied by bylaw, says homeowner - Ticket revoked but city clears yard anyway

[Note: In this story the new NNSL reporter James Chester and the copy editors have allowed a misspelling of the name of the trailer park to slip through... it is spelt correctly as Northlands... with an "s". See the condo's official website http://ykcondo8.com/index.php ]

Bullied by bylaw, says homeowner
Ticket revoked but city clears yard anyway

James Chester
Northern News Services
Published Friday, October 9, 2009

http://nnsl.com/northern-news-services/stories/papers/oct9_09c.html

[excerpt]

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Upholding citizens' rights has always been important for army reservist Marie-Angelo Urbancig, and now he has gone head to head with Yellowknife's bylaw department.

NNSL photo/graphic

Marie-Angelo Urbancig stands in his yard, where the city removed three vehicles. Urbancig wants the chance to defend his case in court. - James Chester/NNSL photo

Urbancig is involved in a battle with the Municipal Enforcement Division, which enforces bylaws in the city. The conflict began over a year ago when he was advised by a bylaw officer of a complaint about the state of his property in the Northland trailer park.

Now, with three of his vehicles and other property confiscated, Urbancig is angry that he has had no chance to defend himself in court.

The 52-year-old man was warned on July 25 and Oct. 15, 2008 by bylaw officers (and the second time, an official with the fire department) to clean up his yard. On June 17, 2009, he was served a clean-up order and says he was told he would be monitored closely.

The deadline was July 17, when he stayed home awaiting an inspector. When nobody came, Urbancig assumed his efforts had been satisfactory and thought the matter was closed.

The order itself was not unreasonable, he says. "I always admitted my guilt." According to Northland manager Mike Roy, "there's a lot of properties in here that are unsightly but it wasn't to the extent of his at that time … you couldn't even make it to the door."

"People had been to his property since (June 17) and determined that it wasn't cleaned up," says Doug Gillard, manager of the Municipal Enforcement Division.

On Sept. 9, Urbancig was handed a summons for "failing to comply with an order" under the municipality's Unsightly Lands bylaw 3979, asking him to appear before a Justice of the Peace on September 28 at 7 p.m..

When Urbancig got to the court, the doors were locked. When he returned home from work the next day, his belongings had been confiscated during the day.

In an e-mail on September 30 to Urbancig, Gillard admitted there had been a mistake and the court date on the ticket should have been Sept. 29.

Saturday 10 October 2009

10 Things About Canada I Didn't Know - thestar.com

10 Things About Canada I Didn't Know - thestar.com

Northwest Territories communications coordinator Julie Warnock says the NWT is home to what she calls mercenaries, missionaries and misfits. "One of my first days I was driving around. It was minus-40 and this guy came out of an ice fog wearing a fedora and riding a unicycle; and carrying a suitcase."

Friday 9 October 2009

Iqaluit retiree not on hook for boarding home bill

CBC News - North - Iqaluit retiree not on hook for boarding home bill

Shared via AddThis

[excerpt]

Retired Anglican minister Michael Gardener 'will not pay a penny' to the Nunavut government after he was billed $17,000 for staying at an Ottawa medical boarding home, said Health Minister Tagak Curley.

Curley responded to public outrage sparked when the 79-year-old, who is from Iqaluit, was told he could no longer stay at the Larga Baffin, a boarding home for eastern Nunavut medical patients who have to travel to Ottawa for treatment, because he was not an Inuit land-claims beneficiary.

"He will not pay a penny, zero per cent," Curley said Thursday.

"The fact is that the balance will have to be covered by someone else. Mr. Gardener will not have to pay a penny."

The John Howard Society of the NWT Logo

George Lessard
is pleased to announce, that at the John Howard Society of the Northwest Territories AGM Oct 8, 2009 he was elected to serve as Vice-president of the Society. The society's office is located in the basement of the Tundra Building (867) 920-4276...

JOHN HOWARD SOCIETY PARTNERS FOR HOMELESS DAY SHELTER

YELLOWKNIFE (October 1, 2009) – The Honourable Sandy Lee, Minister of Health and Social Services, Mayor Gordon Van Tighem, City of Yellowknife, and Richard Morland, Interim President and Chief Operating Officer of BHP Billiton’s EKATI Diamond Mine are pleased to announce their partnership with the John Howard Society. The John Howard Society won the request for proposal and will operate the day shelter in Yellowknife.

The day shelter will be operated as a pilot project for three years to allow the facility’s usage and future capability to be evaluated. The day shelter will be open and ready for use by the fall.

For more information contact:
Damien Healy
Communications
Department of Health and Social Services
Government of the Northwest Territories
Tel: (867) 920-8927 Fax: (867) 873-0204

Max Hall
City of Yellowknife
Tel: (867) 920-5624 Fax: (867) 920-5649

Deana Twissell
Superintendent of Corporate and Community Affairs
BHP Billiton Diamonds Inc.
Tel: (867) 669-6107 Fax: (867) 669-9293

Lydia Bardak, Executive Director
The John Howard Society of the NWT
(867) 920-4276

Thursday 8 October 2009

CBC News - North - Cuerrier leaving as Nunavut francophone head

CBC News - North - Cuerrier leaving as Nunavut francophone head
[excerpt]
Daniel Cuerrier is resigning as director general of l'Association des Francophones du Nunavut, after working 10 years to promote the French language in the territory.

"It was time to move on and get involved in new challenges and new projects," Cuerrier told CBC News, adding that he does not plan to leave Iqaluit.

He has informed members of the AFN that he will stay on as interim director general until his successor is appointed.

No vaccine for Catholic schoolgirls - Canada - Macleans.ca

No vaccine for Catholic schoolgirls - Canada - Macleans.ca

In a 5-2 vote, the Yellowknife Catholic school board has decided against allowing human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination shots in its institutions. This will make it more difficult for girls to get the shots, increasing their risk for the sexually transmitted infection, which is the primary cause of cervical cancer. “This is not ideal for the work of public health,” says Sandy Lee, minister of health and social services for the Northwest Territories.

In Calgary’s Catholic schools, where the board refused to allow the shots, only one in five girls has been vaccinated against HPV (70 per cent of girls in public schools have received the shots). A similar situation could occur in Yellowknife, where girls are sexually active earlier than in most of Canada, and the rate of STIs is eight times the national average.

But Mary Vane, chair of Yellowknife’s Catholic school board, says those risks are outweighed by the right of parents to make decisions about their children’s health. “The only way to really ensure that the parents are in fact making that decision totally is to have [the shots] at public health.”

Wednesday 7 October 2009

George Lessard's photo exhibition at the Association franco-culturelle de Yellowknife,


My photo exhibition running all October of 2009 at the Association franco-culturelle de Yellowknife (AFCY) 5016, 48e rue Yellowknife (Territoires du Nord-Ouest) X1A 2P2 Canada Tél. : (867) 873-3292 Bureau Téléc. : (867) 873-2158 http://afcy.info My large format panoramic images can be seen at http://panoramas-by-george.notlong.com and my regular photos are at http://photosbygeorge.notlong.com



--
Posted By George Lessard, The MediaMentor to The MediaMentor's Photo Blog at 10/07/2009 12:23:00 PM


---

GEORGE LESSARD
Information, Communications and Media Specialist
451 Norseman Dr.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
X1A 2J1, Canada

Yellowknife Land Line # (867) 873-2662
Yellowknife Cell # (867) 445-9193
E-mail: mediamentor@gmail.com

".... In the last 3 yrs ... . I've seen more Northerners than most people have in a lifetime ..."
Online:
http://mediamentor.ca
http://lessardcard.notlong.com
SKYPE: themediamentor
http://twitter.com/mediamentor
http://www.facebook.com/mediamentor
Home Pages: http://mediamentor.ca
My panoramic images
http://panoramas-by-george.notlong.com
My YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/mediamentor
Photos: http://photosbygeorge.notlong.com
Photo Illustrations: http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/sets/72157603627797568/
Etcetera:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/sets/459582/
Bookmarks: http://del.icio.us/themediamentor

Member:
Canadian Association of Journalists http://www.caj.ca
Canadian Artists Representation / le Front des artistes canadiennes http://www.carfac.ca/
Canadian Artists Representation Copyright Collective http://www.carcc.ca/

2010 Winter Games Globe & Mail contest for amateur writers and photographers

The Globe and Mail has launched Journalism Dream Contest, a search for one amateur reporter and one amateur photographer to cover the Olympics for the company.

According to to a press release about the contest:

"Amateur writers and photographers are asked to submit stories or photos about any recent sporting event they have covered – from a professional game to a local softball tournament to backyard shinny.  The entries will be uploaded to a dedicated web site, www.journalismdream.com, where Canadians will vote and determine the top 50 stories and top 50 photo entries.  The winners will be selected by a Globe and Mail panel.

"The two winners will travel to Vancouver and post regular reports and updates, which will appear in The Globe's newspaper and web coverage of the 2010 Winter Games in February."

According to the rules listed on the website, the winners will receive round trip economy airfare for two, fourteen nights accomodation, event tickets for the game (as chosen by the company) and $1000 spending money. Any addition costs are covered by the winners.

The writing winner will also receive an Acer Aspire 8935 laptop and the photographer winner will receive a Panasonic DMC-L10 Lumix Digital SLR camera with interchangeable lens.

The writer must submit a minimum of five articles, while the photographer must submit a minimum of five photos, which may or may not be published by the Globe.

Rules:
http://journalismdream.theglobeandmail.com/rules.asp
Entry point:
http://journalismdream.theglobeandmail.com/entry_form.asp
Prizes:
http://journalismdream.theglobeandmail.com/prizes.asp

Tuesday 6 October 2009

Presentation to National Defence House of Commons Committee on the issue of Arctic Sovereignty | Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami

Presentation to National Defence House of Commons Committee on the issue of Arctic Sovereignty | Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
On Thursday October 1, 2009 Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami President Mary Simon presented to the the House of Commons Committee on National Defence. She requested the committee take into account that, “asserting Arctic Sovereignty in the Canadian Arctic must include Inuit.” The presentation, available here, argues that Inuit have been used to assert Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic historically, as in the case of the high Arctic relocation in the 1950s. Further, with the settlement of five comprehensive land claim agreements, since 1975, Inuit argue that these constitutionally protected treaties with the Crown contribute to Canada’s assertion of sovereignty in the Canadian Arctic.

Among the six recommendations in the presentation, ITK President Simon suggested the creation of a joint Inuit-federal authority to oversee increasing ship traffic in the Northwest Passage in the Arctic.

The presentation also highlights the actions Inuit have taken to ensure Inuit rights across the circumpolar region are respected in domestic and international forums in discussions relating to Arctic Sovereignty. A Circumpolar Declaration on Sovereignty in the Arctic has been developed by the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) to ensure Inuit rights are respected in this way. The declaration was highlighted in the presentation by Mary Simon at the House of Commons Committee. The Declaration is available here as a PDF document.

Monday 5 October 2009

More Aboriginal rock art uncovered in Australia's Northern Territory

Australia Network News:Stories: Aboriginal rock art uncovered in Australia's Northern Territory

"...The Jawoyn Association - which represents the traditional owners of the area - has uncovered three thousand rock art sites.

At two of the sites it's found paintings of the Tasmanian Tiger.

The Association's Cultural Manager Ray Whear is convinced it's the extinct animal.

The Association is recording its findings in a database which on completion will be the largest indigenous rock art collection in the world...."

Mercury in Fish Linked to High Blood Pressure - US News and World Report

Mercury in Fish Linked to High Blood Pressure - US News and World Report

"... Dewailly and his colleagues conducted a survey of Inuit residents of 14 Nunavik communities in northern Quebec, where the traditional diet is based on fish and marine mammals.

It found an average blood mercury level of 50 nanomoles per liter of blood, much higher than the 4-nanomole level of the general U.S. population. It also found a relationship between blood mercury levels and blood pressure after adjusting for other factors, such as smoking and physical activity.

Studies have shown that exposure to environmental mercury can affect the endothelium, the delicate lining of blood vessels, and decrease the ability of smooth muscles to relax, which could explain the slight increase in blood pressure seen in the study, Dewailly said..."

With A Little Help From My Friends - PM Harper National Arts Centre performance backmasked?

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Apparently, Canadian Prime Minister, Stephan Harper in not only a big Beatles fan, but he is also proficient at masking messages contained in his music subliminally. Something he learned from the B...
Apparently, Canadian Prime Minister, Stephan Harper in not only a big Beatles fan, but he is also proficient at masking messages contained in his music subliminally. Something he learned from the Beatles' White Album I'm sure. Here is the proof!

On Saturday October 3rd, PM Harper performed a Beatles cover tune - With A Little Help From My Friends - at the National Arts Centre in front of an enthusiastic crowd of wealthy elite. Whilst wowing them with his rendition of the song, it seems he had an ulterior motive designed to infuse listeners with messages to deflect any lingering thoughts directed at his recent comment at the closing of the G - 20 Summit in Pittsburgh, PA on September 25th, in which he stated, Canada has "no history of colonialism".

This comment has sparked much contention in the media north of the 49th with much of the comments coming directly from Canada's First Nations. Moreover, Canada's newly elected National Chief tof First Nations, Shawn Atleo has publically demanded an apology for his statements south of the border to a world audience. Well, without getting too involved in the politics of that, one can simply delve into it on any of the many sites announcing this grand "faux pas"! National Chief Atleo story can be found here! ..."

Minister Strahl Announces Appointment of Serge M. Lamarche to Inuvialuit Arbitration Board

NationTalk.ca - Minister Strahl Announces Appointment of Serge M. Lamarche to Inuvialuit Arbitration Board - Politics - Native Newswire

"...Ottawa, Ontario (Oct. 2, 2009) - The Honourable Chuck Strahl, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Metis and Non-Status Indians, announced today the appointment of Serge M. Lamarche for a three-year term as a member of the Inuvialuit Arbitration Board...."

Arctic Mark in Stanley Park

Arctic Mark in Stanley Park

"...10/04/2009

Goodbye My Friends!

Yes, it's true - the time has finally come to end this blog. I haven't been using it very much for the last several months, and I feel that its time has come and gone. It's been an amazing four years since I started this blog in August, 2005, from Ulukhaktok (Holman), Northwest Territories, Canada. In June, 2007, I changed the name of this blog from "Arctic Mark" to "Arctic Mark in Stanley Park" upon my move to Vancouver, BC. I tried to keep it going from Vancouver, but I've just run out of steam. I have other priorities in my life now, and I just don't feel the same desire to write a regular blog, and post photos, etc. Facebook (and to a much lesser extent, Twitter) has admittedly stolen some of the thunder from the blogging experience, in my opinion. So I must bid a sad farewell to "Arctic Mark" (in this form, at least), and hope that you have enjoyed sharing my journeys with me over the last four years. I'm sure our paths will cross again...



Goodbye, and au revoir,

Arctic Mark

xoxo..."

Sunday 4 October 2009

Welcome to gordformayor.ca

Welcome to gordformayor.ca

Re-elect Gordon Van Tighem for Mayor of Yellowknife, NWT

HMCS WHITEHORSE

http://www.navy.forces.gc.ca/whitehorse/0/0-s_eng.asp


HMCS WHITEHORSE

HMCS WHITEHORSE is the 6th of 12 ships built under the Maritime Coastal Defence Vessel Project.  The current HMCS WHITEHORSE is the second warship to proudly carry that name. She was christened in a traditional ceremony in Saint John on 25 June, 1994. HMCS WHITEHORSE first sailed from the builder's yard on 05 September, 1994.

HMCS WHITEHORSE was officially accepted by the navy on 11 October, 1994, and then manned by her first official crew. After a series of readiness inspections and performance trials, WHITEHORSE sailed from Halifax on 16 January 1995, bound for her new home port of Esquimalt, BC via the Panama Canal. She arrived there on 17 February, 1995.

WHITEHORSE was commissioned into Her Majesty's service on 10 May, 1997 in a traditional ceremony held in Esquimalt. She now serves proudly as part of Canada's Pacific Fleet.  

The Maritime Coastal Defence Vessel project will provide the Navy with twelve steel-hulled ships designed for multi-roled operations, including coastal surveillance and patrol, training and limited mine countermeasures.  The basic equipment configuration includes surveillance radars, 40mm gun and .50 calibre weapons, a modern communications suite and state-of-the-art navigation systems.

Specific mine countermeasures roles are achieved through the use of modular, transportable and easily installed 'payloads' for ocean-floor mapping, minesweeping and bottom-object inspection.

These vessels will also provide support to other government departments such as Customs and Fisheries, can support search and rescue operations and environmental disaster response.

The Naval Reserve has been tasked with the mission to carry out this mandate of maritime presence, and all but two positions out of a crew of approximately 35 are filled by members of the Naval Reserve.  The first of the class, HMCS KINGSTON, was commissioned in the fall of 1996, and the last, HMCS SUMMERSIDE, was accepted by the Navy in 1999.

HMCS Whitehorse is currently alongside for maintenance.


 

HMCS YELLOWKNIFE

HMCS YELLOWKNIFE is the 7th of 12 ships built in Halifax, Nova Scotia, under the Maritime Coastal Defence Vessel (MCDV) project of 1993.  HMCS YELLOWKNIFE is the first warship to be proudly named after the City of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. She was named in the ship-launching tradition on 5th of June, 1997.

HMCS YELLOWKNIFE


HMCS YELLOWKNIFE was officially accepted by the Navy on 16 Oct 1997.  She was then manned by her first official crew and began a series of sea readiness inspections and performance trials in Halifax. Once these inspections were complete, she embarked on the coastal transfer deployment from Halifax to Esquimalt, British Columbia.  After visiting a number of ports including Cape Canaveral, Grand Cayman Island, Panama, Peurto Vallarta and San Diego, HMCS YELLOWKNIFE entered Esquimalt, and joined Canada's Pacific Fleet.

YELLOWKNIFE was commissioned into Her Majesty's service on 18 April 1998 in a traditional ceremony in Esquimalt. She now serves proudly as part of  Maritime Operations Group Four. 

http://www.navy.forces.gc.ca/yellowknife/0/0-s_eng.asp




Foundation at base of claim | Who's suing? | Columnists | News | Edmonton Sun

Foundation at base of claim | Who's suing? | Columnists | News | Edmonton Sun

"...Frieda Martselos of Fort Smith, N.W.T. sues City of Edmonton..."

New Analysis Brings Dire Global Warming Prediction - washingtonpost.com

New Analysis Brings Dire Global Warming Prediction - washingtonpost.com

"... Climate researchers now predict the planet will warm by 6.3 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century even if the world's leaders fulfill their most ambitious climate pledges, a much faster and broader scale of change than forecast just two years ago, according to a report released Thursday by the United Nations Environment Program. ... Other findings include the fact that sea level might rise by as much as six feet by 2100 instead of 1.5 feet, as the IPCC had projected, and the Arctic may experience a sea-ice summer by 2030, rather than by the end of the century. ..."

NunatsiaqOnline 2009-10-04: NEWS: Nunavut communities await supplies from crippled Avataq

NunatsiaqOnline 2009-10-04: NEWS: Nunavut communities await supplies from crippled Avataq

"...His store, like Northern stores in Igloolik and Repulse Bay, is waiting for its entire sealift order to arrive. That includes soda pop, trucks, skidoos, bikes and food.

This means there’s no more paper to make photocopies, no food for school lunch and snack programs and only limited janitorial supplies at a time when schools are supposed to ramp up cleaning efforts to prevent the spread of swine flu.

Other personal and commercial sealift orders are also stuck on the Avataq.

Igloolik resident Maren Vsetula, who plans to open a bed and breakfast in the community, is worried. Building materials she needs to renovate her home are still en route.

Meanwhile, no one at Igloolik’s Atagotaaluk School can use their photocopy machine — because there’s no more paper.

“We’re hoping that the ship eventually gets in before the ice,” said a school employee, who wished to remain unnamed in this story.

Other goods still aboard the Avataq include food for the school’s lunch and snack program, as well as cleaning supplies.

The delay in receiving the supplies by sealift came after the Avataq, broke down in Hudson Strait near Salluit. ..."

Saturday 3 October 2009

Call for Proposals - Graduate Student Fellowships - Canada's Role in the Circumpolar World

Graduate Student Fellowships - Canada's Role in the Circumpolar World

http://siempre.arcus.org/4DACTION/wi_ai_getArcticInfo/4347

Call for Proposals

The Northern Governance Thematic Network of the University of the Arctic, with support from the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, is pleased to announce ten available fellowships for Graduate Students, valued at $5000 each.

The objectives of the fellowship are to:
- Foster innovative research and policy development on a range of issues related to Canada in the circumpolar world;
- Encourage and promote research of circumpolar studies by Canadian graduate students; and
- Encourage research in the field of the circumpolar world in the interest of higher education, scholarship, and an informed public opinion.

Research papers will focus on one of the following two areas:

1. The Arctic Council as a mechanism to advance Canada's foreign policy objectives, including:
- To deepen the exchange of best practices and explore a more robust discussion on policy issues and coordination;
- To increase the outreach and advocacy role of the of the Arctic Council; and
- To identify key emerging issues regarding sustainable development and environmental protection facing the Arctic requiring further study/research.

2. Canada in the circumpolar world:
- Future political trends and challenges facing the region;
- How arctic states can best manage emerging issues in the region bilaterally and/or multilaterally (e.g.,  pollution / environment, emergency response, search and rescue);
- Opportunities for Canada to take a leadership role (e.g., conservation and sustainable use of the arctic marine and coastal environment).

To qualify, the applicant must be a citizen or permanent resident of Canada, actively pursuing a graduate degree (Master's, PhD, or equivalent) in circumpolar and/or northern research, and in good academic standing. The application package must include a completed application form, a one-page paper proposal/abstract, and a letter of
appraisal from a supervisor. Application materials can be submitted electronically to Greg Poelzer (greg.poelzer@uarctic.org) or mailed in hardcopy to:

Greg Poelzer
International Centre for Governance and Development
9 Campus Drive, Room 280.1 Arts
University of Saskatchewan
Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A5

Application Deadline: Sunday, 1 November 2009.
Successful applicants will be notified by 1 December 2009.

For further information, or to obtain an application, please go to:
http://www.uarctic.org/singleNewsArticle.aspx?m=539&amid=7679.

Or contact:
Greg Poelzer
Email: greg.poelzer@uarctic.org

This column will change your life: Are some emotions untranslatable? | Life and style | The Guardian

This column will change your life: Are some emotions untranslatable? | Life and style | The Guardian
"...(Did you know the Inuit have 17 different words for "tired urban myth about Inuit languages"?)..."

CFP: Re-Exploring the North: Social and Natural Transformations in the Circumpolar North, AAG Annual Meeting 2010, Washington, DC

From: Andrey Petrov [andrey.petrov@uni.edu]

Call for Papers
:

Re-Exploring the North: Social and Natural Transformations in the Circumpolar North


Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers
Washington, DC
14-18 April 2010


The Circumpolar North is rapidly transforming. Over a century ago, geographers pioneered Arctic exploration. Now, once again, geographers are on the cutting edge of (re)-exploring rapid economic, political, environmental, and climatic change in the region. This session invites papers examining any aspect of changes in the human, physical, cultural, or environmental geography of this region. We especially welcome contributions that present results from fieldwork and other research activities undertaken during the International Polar Year or those funded by the National Science Foundation. Outstanding papers will be considered for publication in Polar Geography.

Please, send your abstract to me by 20 October 2009. You will also be able to directly register at the AAG website and forward me your PIN (see below). We would appreciate if you indicate your interest in this session in advance so that I could plan accordingly.

AAG abstract submission instructions:

In order to submit an abstract, go the AAG website (http://www.aag.org/), click on '2010 Annual Meeting'. You will then need to 'Register to Attend' for the conference and 'Submit an Abstract'. Once you do, you will receive a PIN number. Send that to me (andrey.petrov@uni.edu) and I will include your paper in one of the sessions. The deadline for submission of abstracts is 28 October 2008.

There is a slightly new procedure for organizing sessions this year and it might be possible to include your paper in one of these sessions through the AAG website. However, to ensure that you are included, send me the PIN and I will pull together the papers that are submitted into appropriate panels.

Organizers:

Andrey N. Petrov, PhD
Department of Geography
University of Northern Iowa
205 Innovative Teaching and Technology Center
Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0406
andrey.petrov@uni.edu

Timothy Heleniak, PhD
Department of Geography
2181 LeFrak Hall
University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742
heleniak@umd.edu
Cell: 301-385-4984

-- Via / From / Thanks to: - -
Northern Research Network
research.north@gmail.com
http://northernresearchnetwork.electrified.ca

Submit inquiries and announcements to:
research.north@gmail.com

Radio Around the World: Arviat Nunavut vs. New York City, N.Y.

Radio Around the World: Arviat vs. New York City
By Aliza
I never thought I'd give a presentation on growing up in New York City, but this week I ended up speaking in front of two classes at Nunavut Arctic College in Arviat about life in the big apple. Photoslide show and  everything. ...
<http://roundtheworldradio.blogspot.com/2009/10/arviat-vs-new-york-city.html>

NTI Rebukes Prime Minster Harper on Colonialism - Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.

NTI Rebukes Prime Minster Harper on Colonialism - Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.

(Iqaluit, Nunavut) Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. 1st Vice-President James Eetoolook expressed his surprise at Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s statement, made at the G20 summit, that Canada “has no history of colonialism.”

“The Prime Minister cannot make such an inaccurate statement that clearly contradicts history. The history of Inuit interaction with the Government of Canada is a study in colonialism. Our history includes relocations, residential schools, forced settlements, dog slaughter, no voting right until the 1960s, no recognition of our land rights, and many other forms of colonialism that are still very fresh in our minds. What is more, this remark even contradicts his own statement in his Residential Schools Apology.” said Eetoolook.

Friday 2 October 2009

Healing, skills program gets rave reviews

Healing, skills program gets rave reviews

[excerpt]

The 10-day camp was held on Siksilik Island, about 15 miles across the bay from Rankin.

The annual program, which promotes culture, traditional skills and emotional healing, is sponsored by the Kivalliq Inuit Association and has been highly regarded across the region for more than a decade.

The camp is only available to women who went through residential school or were affected by it (intergenerational victims).

The program is funded through the Aboriginal Healing Foundation.

The female participants who attended the 2009 camp were Annie Amaujak, Lucy Pingushat, Eva Okatsiaq and Sarah Aulatjut of Arviat, Georgina Ipkarnerk and Sheila Niviatsiak of Chesterfield Inlet, Marie Shimout of Coral Harbour, and Rankin's Nellie Kusugak, Marlene Tulugak, Debra Taipana and Mary Tatty. Somebody's Daughter featured a top-flight group of elder instructors.

In charge of teaching traditional sewing skills were Alexina Nanordluk and Tapisa Siusangnark of Repulse Bay, along with Elizabeth Nibgoarsi and Hattie Alagalak of Arviat.

NNSL's Bruce Valpy pretends to do television

Good lord NNSL.. buy a microphone so people can hear you... the sound is embarrassing.. spend a couple of hundred bucks and do it right... in video audio is as important as grammar in print.... poor audio is a barrier to communication..

High drama in the Arctic: to install or not to install a traffic light

High drama in the Arctic: to install or not to install a traffic light

Shared via AddThis

Thursday 1 October 2009

Yellowknife: Culture Jam: Hijacking Commercial Culture

WHEN: Friday, Oct 9th at 7:30pm
WHERE: Northern United Place Auditorium / YK United Church
COST: By donation at the door

Culture Jam: Hijacking Commercial Culture
Jill Sharpe / Canada / 2002 / 57 min

A new breed of revolutionary stands poised along our information highways
waging war on logos and symbols. They're "Culture Jammers" and their
mission is to artfully reclaim our mental environment and cause a bit of
brand damage to corporate mindshare. Director Jill Sharpe's subversively
savvy one-hour documentary film - culturejam - Hijacking Commercial
Culture- bursts our last bubble of illusion about free speech in public
space and gives us spanking brand-new hope at the same time. Scream at the
TV, but don't touch that dial! Yet. In the hour long film, Culture Jam:
Hijacking Commercial Culture, we follow three outlandish jammers; media
tigress Carly Stasko, Reverend Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping, and
Jack Napier with the Billboard Liberation Front. Armed with DIY anti-ad
stickers, custom neon, and stuffed mice on crosses, these jammers hijack,
subvert and reclaim corporate media space. Enter the intriguing worlds of
midnight billboard raids and the mid-afternoon hijacking of public space.

Ultimately Culture Jammers wage a war of "meaning". They use the tools of
the medium to re-wire the "message". Will Disney's Mickey represent a
"world of laughter" or will he become the anti-Christ representing
"sweatshop labour practices". The verdict of public perception lies in a
battle between billion dollar PR campaigns and guerrilla tactics of rebel
activists. A relatively young movement, contemporary Culture Jammers first
appeared in the early 80's in San Francisco. But court jesters of medieval
Europe, and movements like Dada, Surrealism, and the Situationist
International of Paris, as well as the recent range from punk to "post",
all provide a philosophical lineage for this new brand of rabble rousers.
French Situationist Guy Debord declared in the 1960's that we inhabit the
"society of the spectacle" - where leisure and real living had been
replaced by pre-packaged media simulated experiences. The moment has come
for a new message to take back the medium. Through their interventions
culture jammers make a spectacle of ad-culture.

Hard hitting, controversial, wacky and engaging, this film captures the
drama of jammers in action and asks: Is Culture Jamming civil
disobedience? Senseless vandalism? The only form of self-defense left?

For more information check out our website

http://www.cinemapolitica.org/yellowknife

or join our googlegroup

http://groups.google.ca/group/cinema-politica-yellowknife

Nunavut residents feel alienated

Nunavut residents feel alienated
Residents of Nunavut feel public services have slipped since the territory separated from the Northwest Territories 10 years ago, and they feel alienated from their government, according to a report made public Thursday.
Full Story:
http://links.cbc.ca/a/l.x?T=jncickgeeknpgnfbebeabfkelj&M=26

Benefits of Inuit role in directing Arctic shipping highlighted

Benefits of Inuit role in directing Arctic shipping highlighted


[excerpt]

http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Benefits+Inuit+role+directing+Arctic+shipping+highlighted/2055704/story.html

The leader of Canada's 50,000 Inuit says the country should strengthen its
claims to the disputed Northwest Passage by creating a joint Inuit-federal
"authority" to oversee ship traffic in the Arctic sea route.

In a presentation on Arctic sovereignty to the House of Commons defence
committee, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami president Mary Simon said Thursday that
such a "creative partnership" between the federal government and Canada's
original Arctic inhabitants might launch an era of "tackling challenges in
ways that could be freshly beneficial for Inuit and for Canada as a
whole."

The Canadian Rangers, a federally funded Inuit patrol troop that monitors
northern outposts, already participates in Arctic search-and-rescue
operations and in security exercises conducted by the Department of
National Defence.

"It might be productive to explore the possibility of a joint
Inuit/federal government Northwest Passage authority that would offer a
pro-active regulatory regime against the expected increase in ship
traffic," Simon said in her presentation. "If we can have a seaway
authority for the St. Lawrence on a joint Canada-U.S. footing, there is
room to consider an analogous authority for the Northwest Passage built
around an Inuit/federal government partnership."