Friday 30 April 2010

Yellowknifer 3rd round Western Hockey League Bantam Draft choice for Everett Silvertips

Breakdown of the Silvertips' draft

Here are the Everett Silvertips' 12 selections in this year's bantam draft, listed with their position, height, weight and hometown:


3rd round (40th overall)
Tye Hand, defenseman, 6-foot-2, 170 pounds, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. A stay-at-home defenseman with good size who plays physical. Playing for Kelowna (B.C.) Pursuit of Excellence he had two goals, 14 assists and 70 penalty minutes in 42 games. He is Everett's first player from the Northwest Territories

http://www.everettsilvertips.com

The Everett Silvertips Hockey Club
2000 Hewitt Ave. • Suite 100 • Everett, Washington 98201
Ph: (425) 252-5100    Fax: (425) 257-0700    info@everettsilvertips.com

See also
http://www.whl.ca/2010-whl-bantam-draft-final-results--p142431

Thursday 29 April 2010

NWT Legislative Assembly Welcomes Elder Parliamentarians

Legislative Assembly Welcomes Elder Parliamentarians

(Yellowknife, NT) April 29, 2010 – The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, the Honourable Paul Delorey, will be hosting the first ever Elders Parliament the week of May 3 – 7, 2010. Through an application process, nineteen individuals over the age of 50 from across the North have been selected to take part in this exciting program. The participants will attend meetings and briefings during this week-long event in preparation for Elders Parliament session, in which they assume the role of a Member of the Legislative Assembly.

Elders Parliament follows on the heels of a very successful educational outreach program, Youth Parliament, which the Legislative Assembly has hosted for the past ten years. During Elders Parliament, the participants will have three opportunities to sit in the Chamber. The first opportunity will be on Tuesday, May 4 when the participants take part in a mock ‘Territorial Leadership Committee’ (TLC). Each participant who wishes to be part of the Executive Council will have the opportunity to make a short speech about what they would do if they were a Minister in the NWT. Once all participants have had the opportunity to speak, seven names will be picked by random draw and of those names chosen, six will become Ministers on the Elders Parliament Executive Council and one will become the Premier of Elders Parliament. The second opportunity to sit in the Chamber will be on the afternoon of Wednesday, May 5. The Premier of the Northwest Territories, the Honourable Floyd Roland, will address the Elders Parliament participants and will have a round table discussion on a common vision and roadmap for future political development in the NWT. On Thursday, May 6 the participants will sit in the Chamber for the Elders Parliament ‘session’ where they will read their statements and debate issues of their choice.

The participants, by constituency, are:
Deh Cho – Mrs. Margaret Field
Great Slave – Ms. Lena Pedersen
Hay River South – Mrs. Alvina Sibbeston
Inuvik Twin Lakes – Mr. Tom Wright
Mackenzie Delta – Mr. John Norbert
Nahendeh – Ms. Agnes McPherson
Range Lake – Mr. Blake Lyons
Thebacha – Mr. Michel Labine
Weledeh – Mr. Philip Liske
Yellowknife South – Ms. Catherine Doctor
Frame Lake – Mr. George Lessard
Hay River North – Mrs. Dawna O’Brien
Inuvik Boot Lake – Miss Marjorie Elanik
Kam Lake – Mrs. Esther Braden
Monfwi – Mr. Ted Blondin
Nunakput – Mrs. Georgina Jacobson-Masuzumi
Sahtu – Mrs. Cathy Pope
Tu Nedhe – Mrs. Therese Villeneuve
Yellowknife Centre – Mr. Felicito Domingo


Chamber sittings are at the following times:
Mock ‘TLC’ - Tuesday, May 4, 2010 at 9:00 a.m.
Round Table Discussion with Premier Roland – Wednesday, May 5, 2010 at 1:00 p.m.
Elders Parliament session – Thursday, May 6, 2010 at 1:30 p.m.

The public is invited to come watch the Session from the Public Gallery and can also view proceedings on the Legislative Assembly’s broadcasting network. Media are encouraged to arrange interviews with the participants prior to the sitting day.

For more information, please contact:
Danielle O’Neill, Public Affairs and Communications Advisor Legislative Assembly of the NWT
P: 867-669-2230 or toll-free 1-800-661-0784
F: 867-873-0222
E: danielle_o’neill@gov.nt.ca
Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories P.O. Box 1320, Yellowknife, NT X1A 2L9 10-07
Telephone: 867-669-2200
Fax 867-920-4735
http://www.assembly.gov.nt.ca

Monday 26 April 2010

MSNBC - NWT PWNHC's Tom Andrews - Ancient tools revealed by melting Arctic ice

Ancient tools revealed by melting Arctic ice

Finds include 1,000-year-old ground squirrel snare and spear-throwing tools

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36788692/ns/technology_and_science-science/
[excerpt]

Image: 340-year-old bow
A 340-year-old bow reconstructed from several fragments found near melted patches of ice in the Mackenzie Mountains in the Northwest Territories of Canada.
Tom Andrews

updated 49 minutes ago

Warming temperatures are melting patches of ice that have been in place for thousands of years in the mountains of the Canadian High Arctic and in turn revealing a treasure trove of ancient hunting tools.

Ice patches result from layers of annual snow that, until recently, remained frozen all year. As Earth's temperature has warmed in recent decades due to the accumulation of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, some of the ice patches have begun to melt away, sometimes revealing ancient artifacts to the surprise of archaeologists.

"We're just like children opening Christmas presents. I kind of pinch myself," said Tom Andrews, an archaeologist with the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre in Yellowknife, Northern Territories, Canada, and lead researcher on the International Polar Year Ice Patch Study


Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre's Tom Andrews hopes to save artifacts as ice recedes

Contact: Ruth Klinkhammer
r.klinkhammer@ucalgary.ca
403-220-7294
Arctic Institute of North America

Ancient artifacts revealed as northern ice patches melt

Scientists hope to save artifacts as ice recedes

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-04/aion-aar042610.php

YELLOWKNIFE, NT – APRIL 2010 – High in the Mackenzie Mountains, scientists are finding a treasure trove of ancient hunting tools being revealed as warming temperatures melt patches of ice that have been in place for thousands of years.

Tom Andrews, an archaeologist with the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre in Yellowknife and lead researcher on the International Polar Year Ice Patch Study, is amazed at the implements being discovered by researchers.

"We're just like children opening Christmas presents. I kind of pinch myself," says Andrews.

Ice patches are accumulations of annual snow that, until recently, remained frozen all year. For millennia, caribou seeking relief from summer heat and insects have made their way to ice patches where they bed down until cooler temperatures prevail. Hunters noticed caribou were, in effect, marooned on these ice islands and took advantage.

"I'm never surprised at the brilliance of ancient hunters anymore. I feel stupid that we didn't find this sooner," says Andrews.

Ice patch archeology is a recent phenomenon that began in Yukon. In 1997, sheep hunters discovered a 4,300-year-old dart shaft in caribou dung that had become exposed as the ice receded. Scientists who investigated the site found layers of caribou dung buried between annual deposits of ice. They also discovered a repository of well-preserved artifacts.

Andrews first became aware of the importance of ice patches when word about the Yukon find started leaking out. "We began wondering if we had the same phenomenon here."

In 2000, he cobbled together funds to buy satellite imagery of specific areas in the Mackenzie Mountains and began to examine ice patches in the region. Five years later, he had raised enough to support a four-hour helicopter ride to investigate two ice patches. The trip proved fruitful.

"Low and behold, we found a willow bow." That discovery led to a successful application for federal International Polar Year funds which have allowed an interdisciplinary team of researchers to explore eight ice patches for four years.

The results have been extraordinary. Andrews and his team have found 2400-year-old spear throwing tools, a 1000-year-old ground squirrel snare, and bows and arrows dating back 850 years. Biologists involved in the project are examining dung for plant remains, insect parts, pollen and caribou parasites. Others are studying DNA evidence to track the lineage and migration patterns of caribou. Andrews also works closely with the Shutaot'ine or Mountain Dene, drawing on their guiding experience and traditional knowledge.

"The implements are truly amazing. There are wooden arrows and dart shafts so fine you can't believe someone sat down with a stone and made them."

Andrews is currently in a race against time. His IPY funds have run out and he is keenly aware that each summer, the patches continue to melt. In fact, two of the eight original patches have already disappeared.

"We realize that the ice patches are continuing to melt and we have an ethical obligation to collect these artifacts as they are exposed," says Andrews. If left on the ground, exposed artifacts would be trampled by caribou or dissolved by the acidic soils. "In a year or two the artifacts would be gone."

###

NOTE: Photos available on request

For media interviews with Tom Andrews:
Tel: 867 873-7688, Email: tom_andrews@gov.nt.ca

For information on Arctic Science Promotion program:
Ruth Klinkhammer, Director of Communications
Arctic Institute of North America
Tel: 403 220-7294, Email: r.klinkhammer@ucalgary.ca

This media release is part of the Promotion of Arctic Science, an Arctic Institute of North America project made possible with the generous support of the Government of Canada Program for International Polar Year.

The mission of the Arctic Institute of North America at the University of Calgary is to advance the study of the North American and circumpolar Arctic and to acquire, preserve and disseminate information on physical, environmental and social conditions in the North. More information can be found at www.arctic.ucalgary.ca





Geologists balk at Yellowknife prospector Mark Brown's plan to sell off the world's oldest rock

RT @Northern_Clips: Geologists balk at Yellowknife prospector Mark Brown's plan to sell off the world's oldest rock
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/geologists-balk-at-prospectors-plan-to-sell-off-the-worlds-oldest-rock/article1546619/ #YZF #NWT

[excerpt]

He has already removed about 200 kilograms of fallen rock at the site and, if demand is there, is prepared to dynamite the gneiss outcrop itself.

That prospect concerns geologists, who say the rock is a unique window into the world as it once was – and is best studied intact. The study of ancient rock presents one of the few opportunities scientists have to learn about the forces and processes that shaped the Earth billions of years ago, a time when, it's now believed, the first bits of life began to emerge.

"It's a very important location for Canada and for the world and for everyone who is interested in the early Earth," said Robert Creaser, acting chair of the University of Alberta's department of Earth and atmospheric sciences. Older meteorites have been discovered on Earth, as have older mineral grains, but none much bigger than a human hair.

That makes Acasta "quite important from a heritage point of view," Mr. Creaser said.

To anyone but a geologist with sophisticated dating tools, the rock itself is indistinguishable from that in the vast regions of the Canadian Shield.

But the sheer age of the rock is, Mr. Brown said, "a mind-blower" that imparts a metaphysical experience of permanence. He calls it the Rock of Ages, a deliberately religious metaphor for an object whose natural setting carries a mystique so great, he said, that "I can establish my own church there."

Not only that, he believes the rock has all manner of money-making potential. People have talked about using it for headstones or chess pieces. Bits of the gneiss have gone to the Royal Ontario Museum, the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., and to universities, collectors and researchers from Denmark to Japan. Mr. Brown has even heard from a man so eager for an authentic encounter that he is determined to fly to the site – air charters cost about $4,500 – and collect a piece for himself.

"It's just raw, 100 per cent what-can-you-do-with-it? sort of material," Mr. Brown said.






Saturday 24 April 2010

Ice Attack video - Oooguruk Island #Alaska #Arctic Ocean

RT @tedneville: Works on manmade Oooguruk Island #Alaska #Arctic Ocean This happened last year: YouTube- June 23 2009 http://ow.ly/1CENr

Friday 23 April 2010

Media & Devlopment Awards and Funding Opportunities

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: The Drum Beat <drumbeat@comminit.com>
Date: 23 April 2010 20:59
Subject: The Drum Beat - 539 - Awards and Funding Opportunities

The Drum Beat - Issue 539 - Awards and Funding Opportunities
April 26 2010
===
This issue includes:
* 17 AWARDS opportunities.
* THANKS to 2 renewed CI Associates!
* Development CLASSIFIEDS: review and/or submit.
* 9 FUNDING opportunities.
* Your PERSPECTIVE? HIV-positive people & media exposure.


===


From The Communication Initiative Network - where communication and media
are central to social and economic development.

Subscribe to The Drum Beat: http://www.comminit.com/en/user/register
Access this issue online at http://www.comminit.com/en/drum_beat_539.html

Drum Beat Subscribers: 45,322
Page Views across The CI website, since Jan 1 2010: 1,307,968


===


This issue of The Drum Beat includes a selective medley of awards and
funding opportunities with deadlines between April 25 and August 15 2010
and others with rolling deadlines, selected from a more complete list
summarised on The Communication Initiative (The CI) website. Details about
the prizes are in the full descriptions, including criteria, deadlines,
and previous winners. Please access the links provided below for the full
descriptions.

There are additional awards and funding opportunities available on The CI
Global website; please see the Awards and Funding Opportunities sections:
Awards http://www.comminit.com/en/awards.html
Funding Opportunities http://www.comminit.com/en/funding.html

If you have information about other contests, prizes, and funding
opportunities that address communication for development issues and
strategies, please send details and links to drumbeat@comminit.com Many
thanks!


===


AWARDS
http://www.comminit.com/en/awards.html


1. "10 Ideas for Tomorrow's Africa" Competition
Launching a "Call for Ideas" for prospective proposals in favour of
Africa's development within the next decade. The 10 ideas selected will be
presented by their authors during 10 small-scale conferences to be held at
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Headquarters in mid-June 2010. These 10 contributions to the thinking on
Africa's future will also be published in a special issue of UNESCO's
SHSviews magazine.
Deadline: April 30 2010
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/313892


2. John Humphrey Freedom Award
Presented to an organisation or individual from any country or region of
the world for exceptional achievement in the promotion of human rights and
democratic development. The award consists of a grant of CAD$30,000
(US$24,900) and a speaking tour of Canadian cities to help increase
awareness of the recipient's human rights work.
Deadline: April 30 2010
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/15515/348


3. Stop TB Partnership/Lilly MDR-TB Partnership Journalism Award
Recognising outstanding reporting and commentary in print and on the web
that increases the public's knowledge and understanding of tuberculosis
(TB) and multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) in countries affected by the
disease. The winning articles must be published between March 1 2009 and
March 31 2010 in a general circulation newspaper, magazine, or web news
vehicle.
Deadline: April 30 2010
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/265734/38


4. World of Children Health, Humanitarian, and Youth Leadership Awards
Seeking to honour and bring acclaim to outstanding children's advocates
and the work they do, as well as to raise public awareness about the
issues affecting the world's children through 3 distinct awards: the
Humanitarian Award for an individual making a lifetime contribution to
children in the areas of social services, education, or humanitarian
services; the Health Award for an individual making a lifetime
contribution to children in the fields of health, medicine, or the
sciences; and the Founder's Award [2 granted] for Youth making
extraordinary contributions to the lives of other children.
Deadline: May 1 2010
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/267925/303


5. AfriComNet Award for Excellence in HIV and AIDS Communication in
Africa
Calling for nominations for the Award for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
Communication in Africa, which aim to recognise outstanding contributions
made by individuals/organisations in the field of strategic HIV/AIDS
communication and to encourage innovation and high-quality in strategic
communication in Africa.
Deadline: May 15 2010
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/266968/347


6. m-Billionth Award South Asia
Recognising innovative practices in the field of mobile applications,
mobile content, and development across South Asia in 9 core categories.
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/313216/307
Deadline: May 15 2010


7. International Children's Day of Broadcasting (ICDB) Award
Inviting radio and television broadcasters who participated in the 2010
ICDB with programmes on the theme "All Rights All Children." Broadcasts
must have taken place on or around March 7 2010, should be for young
people, and should have been created with some aspect of youth
participation.
Deadline: June 15 2010
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/268191/2754


8. Young Hands Together for Diversity International Art Competition
Inviting children and young people between 6 to 20 years to enter artwork
on the theme "biodiversity" and what it means to young people around the
world. This competition is part of a worldwide youth education initiative
on biodiversity to provide children and young people with useful
information and help them participate in protecting, preserving, and
improving biodiversity in their communities.
Deadline: June 15 2010
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/311510/306


===


CI ASSOCIATES
http://www.comminit.com/ci_associates/members

We'd like to highlight two organisations:

* Commonwealth of Learning http://www.comminit.com/en/node/274762 and
* Institute of Development Studies http://www.comminit.com/en/node/271608

with gratitude for their RENEWED CI Associates contributions.

Please consider joining these and other CI Associates who are helping
preserve, sustain, and advance this growing knowledge sharing and social
networking process. Many levels of participation are open!
For a full list of current CI Associates, please see:
http://www.comminit.com/ci_associates/members

For details and to sign up, please see:
http://www.comminit.com/en/ci_associates/ Thank you.


===


9. Fred L. Soper Award for Excellence in Health Literature
Recognising significant contributions to the health literature in Latin
America and the Caribbean and promoting the highest standards of research
(specifically, research that emphasises regional impact). Only articles
published in scientific journals listed in the Index Medicus or in
official Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) journals are eligible.
Preference is given to studies involving more than one discipline and to
papers related to infectious disease.
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/267192
Deadline: June 15 2010


10. UNESCO International Literacy Prizes
Inviting submissions of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO)'s Member States' projects and programmes
for the UNESCO International Literacy Prizes, which intend to reward
well-established and innovative practices documenting how literacy skills
(basic skills in reading, writing, and numeracy) contribute to
empowerment, enabling people to better direct and control their lives..
Deadline: June 15 2010
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/270199/38


11. World Summit Youth Award
Encouraging the active participation of people under 30 years of age in
the emerging information society. The award is intended to be a global
"youth for youth" initiative for selecting and promoting best practice in
e-content and technological creativity, demonstrating young people's
potential to create digital opportunities.
Deadline: June 20 2010
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/12900/307


12. Asia-Pacific Child Rights Award
Seeking Asia-Pacific broadcasters and producers to submit entries for this
award, which is given each year for the best television programming on a
child rights issue produced in the Asia-Pacific region.
Deadline: June 25 2010
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/268333/303


13. Sheila McKechnie Foundation Awards
Inviting nominations of people campaigning to make a positive change in
society. The award offers custom-designed training and development
opportunities over 6 months to help awardees acquire skills and knowledge
to become more effective campaigners, including advice on how to get media
coverage, fresh ideas to boost campaign profiles, and tips on how to
influence politicians. There are a total of 8 awards, 1 of which is for
international campaigners; the remainder are for campaigners in
communities across the United Kingdom (UK).
Deadline: Midday June 28 2010
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/292326/348


14. Plural + Video Festival Awards
Inviting youth ages 9 to 25 around the world to submit short videos
promoting harmony in diverse societies to the PLURAL+ Video Festival to be
held at the Paley Center for Media in New York City in the United States
(US). The festival will address key issues in today's youth communities,
such as migrant integration, inclusiveness, identity, diversity, human
rights, and social cohesiveness.
Deadline: June 30 2010
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/297521/2754


15. Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award
Honouring one individual or institution that has demonstrated long-term
commitment to, and outstanding leadership in, advancing democracy or
advocating human rights through peaceful means in the region. Nominations
should be made by at least 2 credible international democracy or human
rights organisations or individuals.
Deadline: June 30 2010
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/269680/348


16. MEDEA Award
Aiming to encourage innovation and good practice in the use of media
(audio, video, graphics, and animation) in education. The awards also
recognise and promote excellence in the production and pedagogical design
of media-rich learning resources.
Deadline: July 31 2010
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/300011


17. AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Awards
Recognising outstanding reporting for a general audience and honouring
individuals (rather than institutions, publishers, or employers) for their
coverage of the sciences, engineering, and mathematics, including work
published in US newspapers, radio, television, magazine, and online media.
The Children's Science News award is open to journalists worldwide for
work distributed via any medium - print, broadcast, or online, reporting
science news for children up to age 14.
Deadline: August 1 2010
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/269120/2754


===


FIND JOBS, CONSULTANTS, BOOKS, AND OPPORTUNITIES!

Development Classifieds - http://www.comminit.com/en/classifieds -
includes listings of jobs, consultants, requests for proposals, events,
trainings, and books, journals, and videos for sale - related to all
development issues and strategies.

All posts are free to review. See http://www.comminit.com/en/classifieds

POST OPPORTUNITIES

If you are interested in posting your organisation's vacant positions,
consultancy offerings, requests for proposals, events, trainings, or
books, journals, and videos for sale, please see
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/275395/ads or just go to "Post a New:
[type of opportunity here]" on the Development Classifieds website:
http://www.comminit.com/en/classifieds/


===


FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
http://www.comminit.com/en/funding.html


18. Open Society Fellowship
Supporting idea entrepreneurs from around the world by enabling
professionals, including journalists, activists, scholars, and
practitioners, to work on projects that inspire meaningful public debate,
shape public policy, and generate intellectual ferment. The fellowship
focuses on 4 areas: National Security and the Open Society, Citizenship,
Membership and Marginalisation, Strategies and Tools for Advocacy and
Citizen Engagement, and Understanding Authoritarianism. Fellows' projects
may include books, articles, outreach for documentary films, online media,
or efforts to seed new campaigns and organisations.
Deadline: April 28 2010 and ongoing
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/270575/2754


19. Women PeaceMakers Program
Inviting 4 women from around the world who have been involved in human
rights and peacemaking efforts in their home countries to participate in a
8-week residency programme that offers women leaders an opportunity to
document, share, and build upon their unique peacemaking stories.
Deadline: June 1 2010
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/289657/38


20. Images to Stop Tuberculosis
Promoting creation of outstanding photos depicting prevention and
treatment of tuberculosis. An international jury of photography experts
and representatives from the United Nations and other partner
organisations will select the winning photographer, who will receive
US$5,000 in prize money and a US$5,000 grant to produce photo reportage
about tuberculosis.
Deadline: July 30 2010
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/298693


21. Alter-Ciné Foundation Documentary Film Grants
Offering a yearly grant to young film and video makers born and living in
Africa, Asia, and Latin America to direct a documentary film on the theme
of rights and freedoms, including social and economic rights, women's
rights, the right to culture, and artistic creation.
Deadline: August 15 2010
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/282407/348


22. Freedom to Create Grants
Offering funding to projects that use the arts to create transformational
change in the developing world. The organisation invites applications from
those using art in its various forms to educate, build, heal, and inspire
people - from educating communities on a particular issue, to inspiring
people to change the status quo, to building capacity.
Deadline: Rolling deadline
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/311744


23. Scholar Rescue Fund (SRF) Fellowships
Providing fellowships for established scholars whose lives and work are
threatened in their home countries. These fellowships permit professors,
researchers, and other senior academics to find temporary refuge at
universities and colleges anywhere in the world, enabling them to pursue
their academic work and to continue to share their knowledge with
students, colleagues, and the community at large.
Deadline: Rolling deadline
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/274884/348


24. Roma Initiatives Fellowship
Inviting proposals from Roma activists to support work on questions of
social policy, human rights protection, employment policy, culture,
education, health policy, and other topics important for the inclusion of
Roma in society. Fellows' projects and initiatives should also contribute
to advancing the goals of the Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005 - 2015. The
fellowships are intended primarily for individuals active in the field of
Roma rights.
Deadline: Rolling deadline
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/147160/348


25. Civil Society Health Policy Action Fund
Inviting proposals from Southern civil society organisations for between
US$25,000 and US$30,000. This fund is open to support health
organisations, networks, and coalitions in 21 International Health
Partnership (IHP) countries over a one-year period.
Deadline: Rolling deadline
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/313153/348


26. Global Fund for Women Grants
Supporting women's groups that advance the human rights of women and girls
through small, flexible, and timely grants designed to cover operating and
project expenses.
Deadline: Rolling deadline
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/206000/38


===


VOTE in our POLL on HIV Media Exposure Risks
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/310787/347

What reception or risks do HIV-positive people in your community face when
their status is exposed in the media? (you may choose more than one;
please add clarifying comments)

* repercussions of physical danger.
* banishment.
* loss of family support.
* increased personal access to treatment.
* increased community and peer support.
* none of the above (please explain).

VOTE and COMMENT at http://www.comminit.com/en/node/310787/347


===


This issue of The Drum Beat was written by Julie Levy.


===


The Drum Beat is the email and web network of The Communication Initiative
Partnership - ANDI, BBC World Service Trust, Bernard van Leer Foundation,
Calandria, CFSC Consortium, CIDA, DFID, FAO, Fundación Nuevo Periodismo
Iberoamericano, Ford Foundation, Healthlink Worldwide, Inter-American
Development Bank, International Institute for Communication and
Development, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for
Communication Programs, MISA, PAHO, The Panos Institute, The Rockefeller
Foundation, SAfAIDS, Sesame Workshop, Soul City, Swiss Agency for
Development and Cooperation, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNICEF, USAID, WHO, W.K.
Kellogg Foundation.

Chair of the Partners Group: Garth Japhet, Founder, Soul City
garth@heartlines.org.za
Executive Director: Warren Feek wfeek@comminit.com


===


The Editor of The Drum Beat is Kier Olsen DeVries.

Please send material for The Drum Beat to The CI's Editorial Director -
Deborah Heimann dheimann@comminit.com

The Drum Beat seeks to cover the full range of communication for
development activities. Inclusion of an item does not imply endorsement or
support by The Partners.

To reproduce any portion of The Drum Beat, see
http://www.comminit.com/en/editorialpolicy/global for our policy.

To subscribe, see http://www.comminit.com/en/user/register

Monday 19 April 2010

Bolot Bochkarev, Siberian Journalist + URLs

Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=126393645869

@yakutia  http://twitter.com/yakutia
Rep. of Sakha (Yakutia) #Siberia #Russia #Blog
http://ow.ly/1AuJe
&
My name is Bolot. I am a journalist. Based in Yakutsk. Ask me a question about the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Siberia / Russia, and get the answer.
http://ow.ly/1AuKz
http://askyakutia.com/

The YouTube channel was created to enhance http://YakutiaToday.org, http://AskYakutia.com, http://eYakutia.com and http://ColdUnited.com
YouTube
http://ow.ly/1AuSh
http://www.youtube.com/bolotbootur
Flickr
http://ow.ly/1AuTa
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bolotbootur/

Weather Forecast: Yakutsk, Russia

Bell Mobility's reaction to NWT 911 class action lawsuit?

Bell Mobility just sent me this message just after the courts in the Northwest Territories have decided to ponder the possibility of authorizing a class action lawsuit on the 911 fees issue.

"... Useful information about your Mobility service


We would like to confirm the recent change(s) that were made to your mobile number 867-445-9193. These changes took effect on 18 Apr 2010.

The following service(s) have been removed from your account:
Sys Access Fee $8.95, 911 Fee $0.75   ..."

Now I would interpret that statement to mean that my bill will drop in price an equal amount.

Would you? If it did not, what would that tell you about Bell Mobility?


Sunday 18 April 2010

Indigenousfuturisms Science Fiction Writing Contest $1000 Prize

Indigenousfuturisms Writing Contest $1000 Prize

Imagining Indigenousfuturisms
Science Fiction Writing Contest

$1000 Award

Open to Native, First Nations, Indigenous, and Aboriginal students currently enrolled part-time or full-time in any accredited university, college, or high school.

This year's Judge: Acclaimed SF, experimental fiction, and horror writer Stephen Graham Jones (Blackfeet),

author of The Fast Red Road—A Plainsong, The Bird Is Gone—A Manifesto, Ledfeather, and much more. http://www.demontheory.net/

Entrants should submit a personal statement (one paragraph) containing affiliation or descent, student status (the where, the when, the why, and the how much more), and goals for their sf writing, along with the previously unpublished writing sample.

Contest Deadline: November 1, 2010
Winner announced in December

Send personal statement and
previously unpublished sf story (up to 4,000 words)
to Professor Grace L. Dillon (Anishinaabe)
as attachments :: dillong@pdx.edu
Or mail to Professor Grace L. Dillon, Native American Studies Program, Portland State University, POB 751, Portland, OR 97207-0751.

Sponsored by the Native American Studies Program
Portland State University

WritingContestPoster4.pdf

http://naisa.org/sites/naisa.org/files/WritingContestPoster4.pdf

New Publication: Franz Boas, Arctic Expedition, 1883-1884

From: Ludger Müller-Wille [ludger.muller-wille@mcgill.ca]

New Publication


Boas, Franz 2009. Arctic Expedition 1883-1884. Translated German Newspaper Accounts of My Life with the Eskimos. Edited by Norman F. Boas and Doris W. Boas and translated by Rita Terris and Thomas Huber. 66 pp.

Published by and available from Norman F. Boas, M.D., 6 Brandon Lane, Mystic, CT 06355 U.S.A., tel. 1.860.5728441, email: ndboas@sbcglobal.net -Price per copy: USD $15.00 + $5.00 (U.S. postage & ins. or applicable international rate).


This publication includes two collections of popular articles that Franz Boas wrote for one of the major Berlin dailies, the liberal Berliner Tageblatt (founded in 1872), and the New Yorker Staats-Zeitung, called the Staats for short (founded 1834), serving the German population in New York City and being the third largest daily in New York in the 1880s. In 1883, to obtain much needed funding for his expedition, Boas landed a commission with the Berliner Tageblatt to write a series of articles about his ensuing sojourn among the Inuit and whalers of Baffin Island for a handsome sum of 3000 Reichsmark for which his father put up the required bond. In all, he wrote 18 articles that where published between March 30, 1883 and April 27, 1885 that were mostly well placed in the Sunday edition and in some cases syndicated to other German newspapers; 16 of these articles are included in this book. The two additional articles were issued in the Staats during the winter of 1885. The articles are accompanied by maps, drawings and photos that were part of the original publications and were added by the editors.

These writings in German by Boas are now available in English for the first time and provide a deeper insight of Boas' immediate reaction to and assessment of studies with the Inuit. (Études/Inuit/Studies 8, 1, 1984: 117-120)

Other recently published works by Norman F. Boas available directly from the author (see contact above):

BOAS, Franz 2007. Eskimo Story (Written for my Children), My Arctic Expedition 1883-1884. Edited by Norman Francis Boas. Mystic, CT, Seaport Autographs Press, 56 pp.

BOAS, Norman Francis 2004. Franz Boas 1858-1942. An Illustrated Biography. Mystic, CT. Seaport Autographs Press, 321 pp.

--  via thanks to:
Northern Research Network
http://northernresearchnetwork.electrified.ca

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

Mickey Akabak from Nunavut auditions in Ottawa for CBC's Dragon's Den

CBC's Dragon's Den auditions in Ottawa
http://ow.ly/1zPSH
included Mickey Akabak from , #Nunavut touting golf putters, modelled after Inuit hunting harpoons

[excerpt, see URL for video]

"...Mickey Akabak came all the way from Nunavut.

"I came in on a flight light night, because the schedule didn't include Iqaluit," said Akabak.

He was demonstrating golf putters, modelled after Inuit hunting harpoons.

Though he admits golfing is not all that popular or prevalent in Canada's far north, Akabak said he learned the sport while he was a student in Ottawa.

He's effectively taken what he learned here as a student, and merged it with traditional Inuit techniques for steadiness.

"It's a harpoon technology that has been proven for millennia, since Inuit started hunting," said Akabak. "Rather than hunting seals, we're hunting for golf balls."..."




Saturday 17 April 2010

Thursday 15 April 2010

Freedom of the press at jeopardy at #Inuit meeting in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada

Nunavik April 13, 2010 - 5:42 pm

Makivik blocks independent press from covering annual meeting

Reporter unable to cover Quebec minister, self-government discussions

SARAH ROGERS

"Sometimes when we say things, they get twisted and reported in the Nunatsiaq News," Makivik president Pita Aatami said April 13 at the organization's annual general meeting in Kangiqsualujjuaq. (PHOTO BY PASCAL POULIN)

(Updated April 15, 2:30 p.m.)

KANGIQSUALUJJUAQ — Makivik Corporation, which manages more than $200 million on behalf of 10,500 Inuit in northern Quebec, decided to kick all but a government-subsidized radio network [Taqramiut Nipingat Inc.] out of its annual general meeting this week in Kangiqsualujjuaq.

Pita Aatami, the president of Makivik Corp., did not mince words during his welcoming address to the organization's annual general meeting in on April 13, saying the media is focused on problems of Inuit in northern Quebec.

A day later he told the only independent media operating in the region, the Iqaluit-based Nunatsiaq News to leave the meeting for the week.

"[The meeting] should be open to reporters because we read the newspaper," said Kangiqsualujjuaq resident David Annanack, a one-time Makivik board member and former municipal councillor.

"Beneficiaries should have the right to read about it. The way I see it, someone is shooting themselves in the foot by not allowing media in."

The decision by Makivik leaders means no reporters will be allowed in to listen to a presentation by Pierre Corbeil, the Quebec minister responsible for aboriginal affairs, who is scheduled to speak to the meeting on April 16.

"We're no different from other populations around the world," Aatami said to the gathering of about 40 delegates representing Inuit communities in northern Quebec.

"But because we're so few in the region, when something happens, everyone knows about it. Journalists are always looking for a story, especially when something has gone wrong," Aatami said.

Aatami may be referring to media coverage of the plight of children in the region.

In April 2007, investigators from Quebec's human rights commission came out with a report that slammed youth protection, social services and youth justice in Nunavik.

Investigators found that in Nunavik "a large number of children are physically, psychologically and sexually mistreated. Some children, despite their young age, are addicted to alcohol, drugs or other substances that cause serious physical or mental disorders."

They found the region's social network failed to give children and youth the protection to which they are legally entitled.

They produced 21 recommendations on how Nunavik, lead by Makivik, and working with the provincial government, should act to correct the situation within a year, with Quebec premier Jean Charest taking the lead to make sure change happens.

Now it's two years later, many of the problems remain, according to recent media reports, which have also called attention to the region's struggles with alcohol and drugs.

On April 14, the second day into its week-long assembly, Makivik declared the rest of its annual general meeting "in camera."

In Kangiqsualujjuaq, the Makivik meeting remained open to local residents and continued to be broadcast throughout the region on Taqramiut Nipingat Inc. Inuktitut-language radio.

But Makivik asked the Nunatsiaq News, an Iqaluit-based newspaper, which has covered the region for more than 15 years to leave.

The Nunatsiaq News is the only independent news organization operating in northern Quebec.

The newspaper reported in 2008 about $1.5 million in bonuses that the Makivik-owned airline First Air handed out in bonuses to its executives, including $600m00 to Aatami.

Jean-François Arteau, a Makivik lawyer and personal assistant to Aatami, said the decision to close the meeting to media was taken earlier this week.

The decision was taken by the entire board of directors.

Makivik's definition of "in camera" is that the meeting is closed to anyone but beneficiary members, Arteau said.

While Nunavimmiut have access to the meeting live on radio, many are readers of the region's only newspaper.

Aatami declined an interview with Nunatsiaq News on the board's decision.

The annual general meeting kicked off April 13 at the community centre in Kangiqsualujjuaq, the easternmost village in the region, situated 25 kilometres from Ungava Bay on the George River.

On Thursday morning, the assembly heard from Nunavik self-government negotiators Minnie Grey and Harry Tulugak, who are drafting a final agreement, which is supposed to be put to a ratification vote by Inuit in the region sometime this fall.

Part of their mandate is to communicate the details of the process to the people of Nunavik.

The final agreement will form the basis of the Nunavik Regional Government, expected to be functioning by 2013.



Geological Survey of Canada: Mapping the Arctic Podcast

Mapping the Arctic

Umbrella The new Geological Map of the Arctic is the most complex document ever produced in the 168 year history of the Geological Survey of Canada (Natural Resources Canada). The map is a collaborative effort incorporating data contributed by the geological surveys of Canada, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia and the United States. Mark St-Onge, co-leader of the international compilation project led by Canada that will result in the release of a new Geological Map of the Arctic in 2010, explains how so many nations worked together to produce it.

March's Shell London Lecturer, Martin Blunt, discusses the difficult relationship which can sometimes exist between scientists and the media, particularly when controversial subjects such as climate change are being reported. He talks about his work on carbon capture and storage, and its vital role in helping to reduce the UK's carbon emissions.

Wednesday 14 April 2010

Nunavut Broadband’s new features stalled once again

NEWS: Nunavut April 14, 2010 - 4:19 pm
Nunavut Broadband's new features stalled once again
Hoped-for applications on Qiniq postponed indefinitely

http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/9879_nunavut_broadbands_new_features_stalled_once_again/


[excerpt]

Long-suffering customers of Nunavut Broadband Development Corp.'s Qiniq
network have been told to brace for more delays in rolling out much-hyped
new services and service enhancements.

"This recent development is due directly to issues concerning the timing
and speed of funding flow from Infrastructure Canada, complicated by
matters beyond our control in the Northwest Territories," Nunavut
Broadband's president, Darrell Ohokannoak, said at Nunavut Broadband's
annual general meeting April 8.

NBDC's roughly 4,500 customers have anticipated for years the company's
roll-out of video-conferencing, real-time audio, large file transfer and
intra-community communication since they were first announced in March
2007.

The corporation has now "postponed with no new date set at this time"
those services, which had already been delayed by the NBDC lawsuit against
the Qulliq Energy Corporation, finally settled in 2009.

Other delayed services include shared documents, off-peak-hours, large
file transfer and dedicated bandwidth.

All these services are collectively the corporation's "Infrastructure II"
expansion.

Infrastructure II has been delayed again and again, with the most recent
postponement from October 2009 to March 2010.

But then SSi Micro — the Yellowknife-based provider which won the Nunavut
Broadband contract for these services — requested they be postponed
indefinitely.

Palin earned est'd $12 million since resigning

Alaska Dispatch
Apr 13, 2010 [too short to excerpt, forgive me]

According to an estimate by ABC News, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has
personally earned at least $12 million since she abandoned her executive
post in July 2009. The ABC estimate was compiled using public records and
published news reports. Because the former governor does not publicize her
earnings, and information about two large sources of revenue (the
multi-year deal with Fox News Channel and a second book deal with
HarperCollins) are still under wraps, ABC is careful to note its estimate
is likely much lower than the real total. Read much, much more, here. It
seems strangely fitting that the main character in a real-life,
21st-century version of Horatio Alger's "Ragged Dick" would start out
earning $125,000 a year in public service.

http://alaskadispatch.com/blogs/palin-watch/4873-palin-earned-estd-12-million-since-resigning

Read much, much more, here
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/sarah-palin-earned-estimated-12-million-july/story?id=10352437

Ragged Dick, Or, Street Life in New York with the Boot-Blacks by Horatio
Alger

http://www.gutenberg.org/catalog/world/readfile?fk_files=98785&pageno=1

Ulukhaktok bear killed by Inuit hunter may be rare polar-grizzly

Ulukhaktok #NWT bear killed by #Inuit hunter may be rare polar-grizzly hybrid http://ow.ly/1yvXF #pizzly or #grolar 

[excerpt]

The mounted remains of the first  grizzly-polar bear cross, shot in 2006 by U.S. hunter Jim Martell. A  possible second of the rare cross breeds was shot last on Victoria  Island in the Northwest Territories.
 

The mounted remains of the first grizzly-polar bear cross, shot in 2006 by U.S. hunter Jim Martell. A possible second of the rare cross breeds was shot last on Victoria Island in the Northwest Territories. Photograph by: Handout, Edmonton Journal

EDMONTON — An animal shot last week by an Inuit hunter travelling on the sea ice in the Northwest Territories has sparked debate over whether another polar bear-grizzly hybrid — a so-called "pizzly" or "grolar" — has been discovered.

The creamy white animal, which was shot near the community of Ulukhaktok on Victoria Island, is almost picture-perfect in terms of colouring for a polar bear.

But its big head, long claws and ring of brown hair around its hind feet are more in keeping with the profile of a grizzly bear.

Scientists say it's possible the animal is a hybrid — a rare product of a polar bear and grizzly mating in the wild.

Although several suspected sightings have been made in recent years, only one hybrid — an animal shot by an U.S. hunter in 2006 — has ever been confirmed in the wild.


Monday 12 April 2010

Frustrated with no 911 service, customers fight back

Telecommunications

Frustrated with no 911 service, customers fight back

Bell Canada

Yellowknife's James Anderson is taking Bell to court in a case with implications for cities and towns in at least nine provinces or territories.

Frustrated with no 911 service, customers fight back

CTV.ca - Grant Robertson - ‎21 hours ago‎
When James Anderson dials 911 from his cellphone in Yellowknife, he gets a recording telling him to hang up because the emergency number doesn't work. ...

[excerpts]

"...
In a groundbreaking case that could force Canada's wireless companies to surrender some of the $160-million they collect each year from 911 fees on cellphone bills, Mr. Anderson is taking Bell Canada to court. He argues that for years the company has been charging him – along with tens of thousands of other Canadians in remote communities – for a service that doesn't exist.

It is a case with implications for cities and towns in at least nine provinces or territories where 911 service is not offered, but the cellphone companies still charge a 911 fee on monthly bills. Lawyers representing Mr. Anderson will appear in a Yellowknife courtroom this week seeking certification as a class-action.

[...]

However, when those charges are spread across the country, 911 fees add up to an estimated $160-million or more each year, according to regulatory documents obtained by The Globe and Mail and subscriber figures made public by the wireless industry.

Landy Marr Kats LLP, a well-known Toronto firm that specializes in class-action suits, is representing Mr. Anderson in the case, and estimates Bell has been charging at least 50,000 customers in the North such fees for years, including more than 20,000 in the Northwest Territories.

However, if the case is granted class-action status, it could spread to include cellphone customers in the Yukon, B.C, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia, since those provinces also have communities where 911 is not offered but fees are collected.

The case comes after several near tragedies in Yellowknife over the years where cellphone callers not from the area instinctively dialled 911 only to be told there was no service.

In one example, Kevin Doyle and Jessi Moekerk were driving across a snow-covered field last winter that was actually a hidden pond. When their truck broke through the ice, Mr. Doyle reached for his cell phone to dial 911 but got the recording.