Killing Rumours

Yes, the rumours are out there - musicians are all artsy-fartsy, wimpy even. Hey, I understand. The word "pianist" is funny enough. Careful, how you say it now.* Anyhow, where was I? Oh yes, musicians are a tough bunch. Case In point - Bach. (Happy Birthday by the way, Johann). Now, this guy was dedicated to his art.

When he was 20 he traveled - on foot - 400km (one way) from his house in Arnstadt to a place called Lubeck. And why would any sane person want to travel to Lubeck? He wanted to see an organist there by the name of Dieterich Buxtehude. Buxtehude was the foremost German organist of the day so Bach came calling to learn from the great master and perhaps score employment with him. Apparently, the choir he was responsible for back in Arnstadt was about as musical as a....well, I can't think of a good analogy here but Johann was looking for a change. The only problem was that he didn't have permission from his Arnstadt employer to take this trip. He was dismissed shortly upon his return.

And why did he return? Why go back to Arnstadt and substandard musicians when you could learn from a master like Buxtehude? Turns out even Bach had limits to how far he would go to pursue his love of music. One of the stipulations Buxtehude laid out as a condition of employment was that the successful candidate (Handel of "Messiah" fame also applied) had to take his fair daughter's hand in marriage. Now, I have yet to come across any record of Bach's take on this prospective bride but evidently he wasn't very impressed as he best a hasty retreat back to Arnstadt soon after meeting her. (Handel also did like wise).

Bach also later got into a fight with a bassoonist after insulting the guy. Who knew bassoonists were so sensitive? But the instrument does look like a piece of bamboo and the business end of a bong had a love child so there you go.** The scuffle came to blows and Bach even drew out a dagger and was prepared to defend himself when the bassoonist stumbled into his arms. The two fell over, grappling on the ground before a few music students pulled them apart.

Bach later spent a month under house arrest for forcing the issue of his dismissal. Sure, it was the county judge's residence he stayed in and not one of those dank, dirty dungeons but still...weren't all these old dead composers supposed to be and prim and proper, dull and boring? Bach was only a couple years younger than me at the time and I know confinement of any time drives me crazy.

So three little anecdotes of mental and physical toughness from Bach. Gifted organist? Definitely. Outdated compositional technique? Maybe. Wimpy?...This tough old Saxon? Never.

*This sentence may or may not be a reference to an event years ago where my sister who was perhaps 3 or 4 blurted out in front of polite company about how her big brother was a "pianist"....only she mispronounced "pianist" for another word which I won't mention. Yes, I was embarrassed at the time (even though I didn't get it). Yes, sis and I still joke about it.

**For the record, the bassoon is my favorite reed instrument.

Hungarian Highlights - Part 17 (Salgotarjan)

Link to Part 16

Frankly Salgotarjan is an ugly city, a place where Soviet-era architecture and socialist monuments still reign. Tucked up close to the Slovak border, the area had a few couple of interesting castle ruins along with an old mine in the city itself.

Salgotarjan was the only place in Hungary I visited where communist-era monuments are still on display.




My hotel was easily the most colourful building in town.


Entrance to the "banya" or mine.


Inside the mine.




A poignant reminder that coal mining was, and remains, a dangerous job.


The ruins of Salgo Castle.




A view from Salgo ruin toward Salgotarjan.


This ruin is Somosko Castle. It actually sits across the border in Slovakia. There is a trail leading from Salgo Castle to Somosko. I decided to get out my hiking legs and head for it. Predictably, I got lost in the surrounding wooded area (forest navigation is a skill I've lost after a few years of living in Nunavut) and since I didn't want to be wandering around aimlessly in a border area, I had to be content with this sole picture instead.

Arctic Bay Online Atlas Launch

Check out the new website featuring an interactive map of Inuktitut place names from the area surrounding Arctic Bay. This is a joint project from Inuit Heritage Trust and Nunavut Youth Consulting. It's a little slow loading on my computer at the moment but my connection has been on the slow side the past couple days. Be sure to check it out. I've added the link below to my sidebar as well. I'm definitely going to peruse this new website and hang on to it as a valuable teaching resource.

Arctic Bay Atlas


Press Release


March 23, 2009
Launch of Arctic Bay Online Atlas
Inuit Heritage Trust and Nunavut Youth Consulting are pleased to announce the launch of the ‘Arctic Bay Online Atlas’ website. It will be launched on March 30th, 2009 from 10:15 a.m.-12:00 p.m. at the Nunatta Campus of Nunavut Arctic College. Presentations and light refreshments will be served.
For the past three years, Inuit Heritage Trust and Nunavut Youth Consulting have been working in conjunction with Nunavut Arctic College and the Geomatics and Cartographic Research Centre at Carleton University. In addition to over 300 traditional names, there are interactive maps in which you can hear the place name spoken, you can follow the 2008 Pangagujuinq Nunavut Quest dog team race from Iglulik to Arctic Bay, as well as explore videos and images of different places and learn about some of the artists in Arctic Bay.

“Inuit Heritage Trust is happy to be supporting the exploration of different ways traditional place names and mapping can be presented online” says William Beveridge, Executive Director of Inuit Heritage Trust.

Cybercartographic atlases are on-line, 'living atlases' that use a dynamic, interactive mapping interface, along with other forms of mapping and multi-media information to engage people in creating online interactive maps related to their communities.

“Drawing on the wisdom of our Elders, the youth of Arctic Bay have collected valuable information to preserve our local history” says Ron Elliott, Nunavut Youth Consulting project manager. The project has provided employment for youth, valuable learning opportunities and a website which will act as a store house for the information gathered. The project in its entirety has been running for 5 years and started as a Literacy partnership between Nunavut Youth Consulting and Nunavut Arctic College.
For more information, please contact:
Ericka Chemko, Project Manager, Inuit Heritage Trust (867) 979-0731, echemko@ihti.ca
Ron Elliott

Buffalo Roll

As I was editing a few of my older pictures today, I came across a nice little set of a group of bison I drove past during a trip to Wood Buffalo National Park. What a sight to see! Just wanted to share.

Little Blog Meets Big World

It's rare that I get hits from so many countries in the span in a single day. Or perhaps I do and just lucked out and checked my stats at the right time. At any rate, I find it quite satisfying to have such an array of visitors, spanning almost every continent. I do get visitors from Australia and the occasional one from either South Africa or Egypt....perhaps they've just fallen off the page.

Perihelion

According to the calendar Spring has arrived, although you wouldn't know it from the chilly temperatures here. My thermometer read a chilly -37C when I awoke this morning. While I don't know the exact science behind it, I believe it has to do with the fact that the sun (and we get plenty of that now) heats up the upper atmosphere enough so that the underlying layer of colder air is forced down closer to the ground. Warmer temperatures appear to be just around the corner though judging from the forecast. At any rate, the thin cloud cover today produced a rather large halo (called a perihelion I believe) around the sun which made for a dazzling view from my classroom window this afternoon.

Teacher Retention In Nunavut Revisited

This is the time of year when things get busy with staffing - teachers make decisions about whether they will remain or not and postings for vacant positions begin to appear. A little over a year ago I wrote a post on the issue of teacher retention in Nunavut. I've found over the past year that this is among my most viewed posts on this blog with prospective teachers contacting me after happening upon this entry. I thought I would link back to the original post and provide a small update in the hopes that interested teachers will find it useful.

Regarding what I wrote back then in terms of "Do's" and "Don't's" and how to make the most of your experience I can't really think of anything new to add. I thought about doing up something along the lines of a section of "Frequently Asked Questions" but since for many people that could be a very long list and I don't want to bore anyone with reams of information its probably best to send me off an email. That way, anything I'm not sure about I can get back to you on. I would also encourage you to visit any of the Nunavut (or other fine Northern blogs) on my sidebar. Some are written by other teachers in a better position than I to comment on certain communities.

So what's the update? As part of its push to fill more teaching positions with Inuit, Nunavut Arctic College in cooperation with the University of Regina will see its first graduating class of NTEP (Northern Teacher Education Program) students here in Arctic Bay this spring. The program has been offered here in Arctic Bay and will be run in other small communities in the future. I believe there will be 6 graduates this spring. Most of them I suspect will apply for teaching positions here at our school though they can of course apply to schools in other communities. So we will have new faces on staff here in the fall.

As for my own future, I haven't made any firm commitments though I have to say that after 4 years I'm feeling a little settled and I'm definitely not looking forward to the prospect of moving all my junk any time soon. And not to jinx myself since it may just be wishful thinking on my part but I can now confirm that after a few days pondering it over, I did decide to submit a resume for the principal position at my school here. So you never know.

Fire Alarm With A Twist

This afternoon at the school we had a fire alarm with a twist. The little twist was that there actually was a fire of sorts. Recess had just ended and I was doing some paper work for a class I teach when the alarm went off. I thought nothing of it at first, until the lights went out just as I was exiting the classroom. Outside I didn't see anything out of the ordinary although a colleague mentioned smelling something burning down around the office area. But I didn't see any obvious signs of fire.

Shortly after I saw a small group of students running around the side of the school toward the back. Perhaps something was up, I thought. So I followed them to see if there was anything untoward going on. Normally when I don't have students under my care, as was the case at that exact moment, I try to make myself useful by helping out with the younger students. So that's what I decided to do. Reaching the back of school I still didn't notice any danger although a side door, leading into the hallway where the wood shop is located, was wide open.

There was no sign of smoke and then a bell sounded giving the all clear. It wasn't until I was back into the high school hallway that I noticed a distinct odour...a fire extinguisher smell. In the main hall I noticed the door leading down the stairs to the wood shop was closed. So something had happened. I was about to return back down the hall when curiosity overcame me. I headed downstairs to the shop for a peek. Turns out a spark from a grinder had ignited some saw dust and a piece of wood. The small amount of smoke and the fire extinguisher that a staff member had grabbed to put the fire out had triggered the fire alarm.

I have been in a situation 5-6 years ago where there was quite a serious fire at a school I was working in and its not an experience I would wish on anyone when you have a building with 500 students evacuating. Needless to say, it was a relief that there was no damage and no injuries as a result. Whew! I can now return to my regularly scheduled day.

I'm So Guilty

Seems that there is classical music fit for just about any occasion given some of the CD titles that have arrived in recent days..."For A Lazy Afternoon", "For Coffee Lovers", "For A Sunday Morning", "For A Dinner Party", "Dinner For Two"...and now this...



Whoever said classical music was boring?

FOX News....Where 2+2=5

The recent stupidity of FOX News commentators mocking Canada and its Armed Forces was a surefire way to get my blood pressure up. Afterall, the rumours about social studies teachers are out there. We're nothing if not patriotic. I was going to put a link to the video but I'd rather not sully my blog with the reeking detritus that is FOX News commentary. Rather, I started thinking what if I had to write report card comments for Red Eye host, Greg Gutfeld. I wonder how they would read?

Hmmm....

Greg Gutless....er....Gutfeld...(Is that a surname or a neurological disorder?)

Dear Ms. Gutfeld

Greg....

- engages in destructive self-stimulating behaviours (ie. banging head against the blackboard)
- insists on spelling his name with a "6"
- does not appear to be toilet trained yet
- frequently mentions sleeping with a stuffed George Bush doll
- fails to grasp that "pizza" is not a state capital
- refers to Dick Cheney as "my daddy"
- does not understand the benefits of toilet paper
- engages in highly inappropriate touching with class bully Bill O'Reilly
- frequently states that Ann Coulter is his biological father

Additionally, if you could bathe your child on a daily basis and send them to school with a drool bucket (or failing that, a large bib) it would be greatly appreciated.

(Feel free to add your own)

And yes, I know this tool issued an apology but hey, sorry Greg, its not good enough. Gutfeld, Benson, Schulz (nice tie by the way....were you ever beat up in school? I bet you were)....wipe the retarded grins off your faces, grow up, learn what comedy is, learn about your Allies, get educated and grow a brain!

Kivitoo

In my last post I mentioned a place name Kivitoo (alternatively spelled Kivitu). Its a place about 50km (31 miles) north of Qikiqtarjuaq (Broughton Island) off Baffin Island's east coast, a place that has worn many hats over the years. A number of people from Qik had cabins in the area and return their every spring for fishing and caribou hunting as they have been doing since time immemorial.

Kivitoo aka FOX-D


The place, lying on the coast, just outside the boundary of Auyuittuq National Park provided an anchorage for Scottish whalers, who set up shop there during the whaling season. Evidence of these early visitors can still be seen today in the form of the many old barrels scattered around. These barrels would hold the whale oil which the whalers harvested from the whale carcasses. In the early 20th century, the Sabellum Trading Company established a post to take advantage of this. As the whale population became fished out, the whalers moved on to pursue other populations and the trading post was shut down in 1926.

Kivitoo was reincarnated in the 1950's when a small radar was constructed as part of the Distant Early Warning Line. A small village sprang up on the coastal plain below the heights and a runway, serviced by DC-3's was constructed. FOX-D, as the site was referred to, was constructed as an "Intermediate" site, helping to link together the slightly larger "Auxiliary" sites of Broughton Island (FOX-5) and Cape Hooper (FOX-4), located further north heading up the coast toward Clyde River. So close was Kivitoo to the FOX-5 site at Broughton that you could in fact see the lights from its tower on a clear night. FOX-D was never very large, supporting a rotating staff of only a handful of people. As the DEW Line became obsolete, the site was closed in 1963 and the surrounding Inuit population moved south to Broughton Island (Qikiqtarjuaq).

FOX-5 - now dismantled; for photos of FOX-5 from August 2004, see here.


Unfortunately, I only have a precious few photos from the area around Kivitoo in my personal possession and none of FOX-D itself other than what I could find online. I was only able to visit there once. I was participating in a community walk back in the spring of 2004, raising awareness of the problems of suicide that seem such a plague on Canada's North. Anyhow, I camped there over night in a cabin across the bay from FOX-D. It was rather foggy and overcast which limited my photo-taking opportunities considerably. I was also fighting cold fingers and developing a case of snow blindness but that's a whole other story. The whole area has a raw and rugged beauty to it and given the chance I would love to return.

Rugged Beauty

These photos were all taken in the vicinity of Broughton Island and Kivitoo on the east coast of Baffin Island during 2004-2005.

Club Sandwiches....not so simple, PETA

So I've now returned from the store armed with the prices for all the ingredients I need to make my club sandwich. I should mention that here in Arctic Bay we have two grocery stores, the Northern (formerly the Hudson Bay Company) and the Co-op. It was the Northern that I went to since a) it was closer and b) hey, I was hungry, I want a club sandwich. I sought out prices for the least expensive item (if available).

The price list....

Bread - There wasn't any bread on the shelves when I checked actually, but I did purchase a loaf of "Country Harvest Prairie" bread yesterday on my way home from work...cost - $5.25

Mayonnaise - Again, there wasn't any on the shelves. But I did purchase a bottle early in the week (a very small one I might add) for $3.45

Cheese - Kraft Cracker Barrel 200g...$5.49

One head of Lettuce - $4.19

Tomato - Again, there weren't any in stock. I then decided to head over the Co-op. I found one. One single tomato. But seeing as it looked like it had seen better days, I decided to make due without.

Chicken - sliced chicken, Best Value 175g - $2.95. Incidentally, I also saw a 2kg bag of crispy chicken in the freezer - for the low low price of $71.49.

Bacon - Maple Leaf 500g - $9.49

Mustard - well, given the prices so far, I'll just bum some off my room mate. I'm sure he won't mind.


Sub Total - $30.82 - and I don't have everything on my list
GST - $1.54
Grand Total - $32.36

And in case you think I'm making this all up, I invite you to take a peek here at some prices typical of those found in isolated northern communities. They come courtesy of Kendra at Tales From The Arctic.

Now, I'm no hunter. I know the cost of hunting supplies can get pricey too. But I'd venture that a bullet for a seal costs no where close to $32.36.

Club Sandwiches??....um sure PETA, sure

A few days ago I came across an interesting picture courtesy of Stageleft. Don't club seals, club sandwiches? Club Sandwiches? Don't these MENSA wannabes realize these things contain meat?? Ah well, you can always ignore idiots. I can't however, ignore my taste buds. I love club sandwiches! Since these protest groups are so powerfuly suggestive (afterall they dupe the gullible out of millions every year to promote their warped value system) I suddenly felt the urge to eat a club sandwich. Now, since we have no sandwich/sub shops here in Arctic Bay, this means I'll have to be creative and make my own.

Club sandwiches.....mmmm....I'm thinking nice fancy bread, lightly toasted, bacon, chicken, perhaps some turkey, a little mayo, a little cheese, some lettuce and throw on some tomato. My mouth is watering already! Ok, I have my little shopping list. Off to the store we go!

(to be continued......)

Impressive Stats

As I've been a little preoccupied lately thinking up ways to mock and torment the anti-seal hunting crew, I've neglected to keep up on my nephew's hockey progress. His team won their quarter final series against Clarington and then moved on to play Barrie, Ontario, a team I believe they also faced last year. All the games were close but Cole's team ended up dropping the series three games to one. While his season is at an end, he is still a busy lad. Try outs for next years AAA Bantam team are upcoming and my sister told me that he was also recently selected to take part in a pretty exclusive hockey clinic. Only 72 players from his age group from across Canada are invited to take part and only 10-12 goalies, of which Cole is one. If I recall he'll be working with the goalie coach from the Detroit Red Wings so it should be a fantastic and unique experience for him I'm sure. To close off, here my nephew's stats from the season that my sister passed along to me. Not included are the playoffs and one of the tournaments he played in but I post them here anyway for the sake of posterity and gloating.

Games Played - 23

Wins - 18

Losses - 3

Ties - 2

Shut Outs - 6

Goals Against - 39

Goals Against Average - 1.69

Saves - 334

Save % - .895

Welcome Spring!

Sure my thermometer reads -33C at the moment, but today marks the start of my favourite season so I don't mind it at all.

Education in Arctic Bay: The Early Years

The modern era of education in the NWT (which also included Nunavut at the time) had its beginning in 1955. This was the year in which a unified system of school administration was established under the newly formed Department of Northern Affairs and National Resources. The late 1950's saw a flurry of school construction.

Here is my understanding of the growth of the school here in Arctic Bay. Any mistakes are my own and I welcome any corrections and clarifications.

Arctic Bay's first school began as an old Department of Transportation building that was converted into a small grade 1 to grade 4 school in 1958. The first teacher, Margery Hinds, was also a witness to the "High Arctic Relocations" in 1953 when a group of Inuit from Inukjuak in northern Quebec (along with a few families from Arctic Bay and neighbouring Pond Inlet) were moved to what is now Resolute Bay. Subsequent teachers included the good and the not so good. Kenn Harper, who taught here from 1968-75 is a businessman, historian and one of the few Southerners I know of who speaks Inuktitut fluently. He still resides in the North and his columns featuring Arctic history are published weekly in Nunatsiaq News. Maurice Cloughly, who taught in a number of different school in addition to Arctic Bay, is infamous for the number of charges of sexual abuse he was been convicted on.

In 1958 the community, had a population of approximately 300 (which I assume also included the outlying camps) and a school population of 15. In 1967, a new two-classroom school was constructed on the site of the current school with additional classrooms added in 1970 and 1976. By 1970, the school had a staff of 3 teachers and 66 registered students from grade 1 to 6. In 1971, the school was given the name "Inuujaq School" after an elder. While I'm not 100% certain I believe the meaning of the name has to do with a small, yet developing person. In 1985, the current gym, which also doubles as a community hall (Qaggavik Hall) was added. A high school wing with 4 classrooms (my neck of the school) was also added at a later time, although I don't recall the exact date.

Here is the original school building as it appeared circa 1958.



A local elder, Atuat, demonstrates drumming at the school, 1966.



Adult education at a hunting camp near Arctic Bay, 1966.



This photo really doesn't have anything to do with the topic of education but since I came across it, I thought I'd include it anyway. The flurry of activity that is known as sea lift time in Arctic Bay, 1965.



In this last photo we see Reverend Edmund Peck with new converts, Blacklead Island, Cumberland Sound, near Pangnirtung, date unknown. Reverend Peck, as I wrote about previously, was instrumental in the growth of syllabics, a writing system for Inuktitut.

Way Way Up Turns Three!!

Well, I'm not three (occasionally, I might act it) but this blog now is. I added a stat counter to my blog shortly before its first anniversary and I've just recently surpassed 100, 000 page loads, a modest number by blogging standards I'm sure, but I'm happy with it. I'm only aware of a couple other Nunavut blogs on my sidebar that pre-date mine so who knew my little blog would endure this long?

I actually don't have all that much to say to mark the occasion but I'd like to thank all my readers for the stopping by. I hope you find my blog interesting and entertaining. Feel free to ask questions as some of my best posts have come about as a result of reader queries. As always, look for more arctic photos, rants, information and general quirkiness in the year to come.

Taima.

Ok....I'm Officially OCD Now

My latest order of Cd's has arrived - a complete edition of Mozart. I've only just begun to scratch the surface. I've heard pretty much everything that's been recorded but I know there are still a few small odds and ends I haven't heard yet. Usually when it comes to box sets I find you have to sacrifice quality for quantity. But I took a quick look through some of the orchestras and artists and things are looking promising so far...the Philharmonia Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Mozarteum-Orchester Salzbug and the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks (trying saying that five times fast) among others.



For some reason I had it in mind that it was a 127-CD box set. Also turns out that (predictably so when it comes to numbers), I was a bit off. The box actually contains 170 Cd's. Storage space is now becoming a bit of an issue. If my library hasn't hit the 1000 CD mark by now then I must be pretty close. If this keeps up, either my room mate or myself may soon be sleeping outside. Good thing the weather is getting milder.

Seriously, What Are These People Smoking?

The title pretty much summed up my thoughts when I read this news item. Originally it was Clare that brought this to my attention. (Sorry Clare, at this time I can't confirm or deny having ever worked for Halifax Transit.) Honest to god, the people in this story must suffer from a severe case of cranial-rectal inversion -- and I'm not talking about Halifax bus drivers, but the idiot protesters, specifically their reaction to it all.

Bridget Curran feels her group "felt intimidated and threatened." Well big boo hoo. Protesters such as yourself do the exact same thing. What's a matter? You hold the same beliefs as groups that advocate and justify violent means of protest. Or is that only okay in situations where YOU aren't the target?? Hypocrite!

By not pressing charges, Curran said people could perceive that it's permissible to charge at demonstrators if they don't like their message.

But hey Watson and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society charge and ram ships and that's OK. Now I'm not advocating violence in any way here but excuse me if I roll my eyes a little at Curran's self-righteous, "holier than thou" mindset.

These Steep and Lofty Cliffs

Once again
Do I behold these steep and lofty cliffs
That on a wild secluded scene impress
Thoughts of more deep seclusion;
and connect
The landscape with the quiet of the sky

-- W. Wordsworth

Hungarian Highlights - Part 16 (Eger)

Link to Part 15

View of Eger Castle


Eger Castle.


View from the castle overlooking Dobo Istvan Square with the Minorite Church to the left and the Basilica in the background.


One of the rebuilt structures inside the castle walls.


Museum inside the castle walls.


I'm not sure when this minaret was built. The mosque that it was attached to is now long gone. I DO remember that I climbed 97 very tight and winding steps to reach the top - about 200 feet up.


The minaret.


Eger Basilica.




18th century Minorite Church

Digging Deeper

Paul Watson's claim that the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is a group "with little resources" rang a bit hollow with me so I decided to investigate his claim a little further. It was then that I happened across this page from the website ActivistCash.com. This site tracks how a number of activist groups pad their wallets. Quite interesting.

The top donation from a Foundation for the years 1998-2002 was the Whatley Charitable Trust. They gave the SSCS $160 000 during these years. As far as I can tell, they also donate to the Sierra Club and Greenpeace. Curiously, this foundation's mailing address seems to be in Jefferson County....Alabama. Apparently, climate change has caused a mass seal migration to the Deep South so that these people can now speak authoritatively on seals.

The SSCS's top individual donator....Ann Johnston. And who is Ann Johnston? According to Activist Cash --

Ann Johnston gave SSCS almost $2.7 million in stock in 1997. Her husband, Pritam Singh, is a real estate developer and a member of SSCS’ financial and management advisory board. According to the Key News Journal, he’s under investigation by the FBI for his questionable business dealings. One Key West attorney has also filed a civil lawsuit against Singh, alleging almost 20 years of criminal activity -- including racketeering and fraud. Singh was fined $1.2 million by the federal Office of Thrift Supervision in 1995. And he quietly settled a lawsuit filed by members of his sales staff who said he illegally withheld their commissions.

Johnston’s 1997 stock donation included shares of a company named Northern Development Associates, a for-profit business which is now 100-percent owned by Sea Shepherd.

Number 3 on this list is Mike Galesi, who donated a tad over $172 000 from 2000-2002. According to the SSCS's own website, Galesi (who also sits on the organization's Financial and Management Advisory Board)

is a successful businessman and entrepreneur from the New York metropolitan area. He runs a commercial real estate business that began three generations ago. He and his partners now own and operate properties up and down the eastern seaboard where they redevelop strip shopping centers and office buildings.

The number 3 donator on the list (contributing a little over $147 000 from 1999 to 2001) is Susan Bloom a long-time donor to the most extreme factions of the environmental and animal-rights movement. Bloom was the founder and main financier of the British Columbia animal-rights group Bear Watch, which employed David Barbarash, a former “spokesman” for the terrorist Animal Liberation Front (ALF). Paul Watson has hosted at least one Bear Watch fundraiser.

Wow....and this is only three! With heavy weights like this behind you, I hardly think Watson and the SSCS are starved for cash.

But wait! There's more. Again from ActivistCash.com -

Crew members are charged $1,000 for the honor of working long hours on an expedition. Watson has long claimed (as recently as his 2002 memoir) that he has kept his vow to “never accept a single dollar for myself from charitable donations.” The group’s 2001 tax return, however, indicates Watson was paid $40,000 as president and CEO. He also makes money from lectures, books, and teaching at the Arts College of Design in Pasadena.

The Fund for Animals and PETA have also made donations according to this list ($37 500 and $22 500 respectively). Evidently stupidity loves company.

Celebrity supporters of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society include Richard Dean Anderson, Linda Blair (of Exorcist fame), Pierce Brosnan, James Cromwell (he starred in the movie "Snow Walker"; which saddens me) and Martin Sheen (apparently Ohioans are more knowledgeable about seals than Inuit....right)

NOW.....what do all these people/groups have in common? They are all white southern elitists who think they know more about the environment and its protection than a group of people whose lives and culture and been closely bound to it for more than 4000 years.

Oh Wow! Another Protest.... zzzzz

Apparently, today is the "International Day of Action Against Seal Hunting". Well, sound the trumpets!! What? You didn't know?

This is the day you dress up like a "bloody idiot"** and make a fool of yourself.

Protests in Calgary, Detroit, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Seattle and Vancouver among other places. How nice to live in such temperate climes where you can remain divorced from and ignorant of, the natural world. Some of these groups of course want you to boycott Canadian fish products. To which I say, too damned bad. We don't get fancy soy burgers in the stores up here like you might in suburban Vancouver or L.A.. (Or at least not very easily. And then, if we did, they'd costs you an arm and a leg.) So, this is my food.......




If you don't like it.... well, tough.


** Seriously, protest sites I've seen encourage participants in Windsor, Ontario to "wear red and bring signs/posters."

....And The Seal Hunt Begins

Sun Dog Views and Skies of Blue

Sun dogs in the sky this afternoon and I went out to capture a few photos. It's been well over a year since I saw my last sun dog and that was in Rankin Inlet. Getting the full shot would have entailed walking some distance up a fairly steep incline so after several minutes of trudging and trying I had to satisfy myself with these shots below.









A random view of my little arctic neighborhood.


I love the blueness of an arctic sky in spring. It is easily my favourite time of the year.