The Ottawa Nomad

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[studentlifenetwork]

Here’s a fun prank: tell your mom she’s going to be a Grammy.  Pause for effect.  When she looks good and scared, add “… audience member!”  Hilarity ensues. That’s right, you could take your mom (or anybody! I’m just biased in favour of moms) to the 55th Annual Grammys.  You and three guests could be walking the red carpet, rubbing elbows (and ONLY elbows, let’s not go crazy here) with the stars, and witnessing performances by The Black Keys, Fun., Mumford & Sons, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, and more on February 10th.  We’ll send you there: tickets, hotel, airfare.  The whole shebang (and shebangs are expensive these days, yo.). All you have to do to enter is sign up: getustothegrammys.com.  Contest closes February 3rd.

[luckieststudent]

The Student Life Network is giving away the best prize pack in Canadian student history.  It starts with $20k for school and five Dell XPS Ultrabooks to share with friends. 

Register to win at: http://luckie.st/Pokwls  Canadian students 13+ only.

[theottawanomad]

Album Review: Boxer the Horse - French Residency

In this week's fulcrum I review PEI indie-pop-rockers Boxer the Horse. If you are a fan of Canadian music this band should definitely make it into your roadtrip playlist for this summer. Check out the review here. 

[theottawanomad]

How does Ottawa like it? Kinky

This weekend I covered Sexapalooza here in Ottawa for the Fulcrum. Check out the article in the online edition here. 

[theottawanomad]

Elias-Fossils

you can check out my review of Vancouver-based band Elias' new album Fossils here!

[theottawanomad]

Where's the bathroom? 

by Colin Sutherland - Judique, Nova Scotia

[theottawanomad]

They're lying in the soil. I'm not talking about the trees.

A forest near Vimy Ridge in northern France in January 2011.

Photo by Colin Sutherland

[theottawanomad]

Near Mabou Cape Breton

Photo by Colin Sutherland

[theottawanomad]

Bear71: The first rule of survival is don't do what comes naturally

I recently encountered a fascinating experience on the NFB website. It was an interactive documentary exploring the growing interactions between the human and animal population in Banff National Park. The experience left me questioning science, consuming information on Bears and wanting to hear more from the wise voice of Bear71.

"Its hard to say where the wired world ends and the wild one begins" -Bear71

The interactive documentary co-created by Leanne Allison and Jeremy Mendes follows the story of a Bear tagged by Parks Canada staff as she reflects on her life in an increasingly wired and human-invaded wilderness. Although the experience follows Bear71's story the user has a chance to explore the wired world that is Bear71's home through video feeds, an interactive map, photographs and video clips forced upon the user throughout a 20 minute multimedia experience. 

Although at first I questioned the anthropomorphism of Bear71 in the film I realized that the narration voiced by Mia Kirshner was not human at all and was instead an all-knowing interpretation of how a Grizzly might view the situation. Bear71's sarcasm and logical approach to understanding events relative to wildlife seems natural rather than unfounded. I was left feeling sorry for this creature that on a certain level I understood.

"Cubs change everything" -Bear71

Bear71 has so much to offer. Its interactive interface is only the beginning. The script is filled with powerful anecdotes, ironic video clips, and the experience as a whole is rich with media giving the experience multiple dimensions. 

Bear 71 from National Film Board of Canada on Vimeo.

I think the film brings a number of issues to light.

First I think it shows how Banff as Canada's first National Park has evolved over time. It has been at the forefront of attempting to 'remedy' the relationship between humans and animals. I think it shows some of the realities of life for the true residents of the park and the negative influence humans have had despite their best intentions.

"I did what comes naturally. I roared. And then I charged" -Bear71

It also seems to be an experiment in the definition of a documentary. It tests what it means to explore a subject through film. Here the audience become active users rather than passive consumers of the experience. 

Bear71 also shows what it means to be wild or perhaps what it means to restrict wildlife to a romanticized concept of what it means to be wild. Bear71 tells us of her stories and does a very good job of arguing this point through her various stories about the natural habits of Grizzlies and the often astonishingly ignorant things humans are doing with wild space. 

"They can start a revolution with a smartphone but they can't remember to put a lid on a bear proof can" -Bear71

If you have 20 minutes to spare I definitely suggest checking out this 'film', you can follow this link to the National Film Board of Canada's website and check it out. Bear71 can be found on tumblr here and on Twitter here. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. 

[theottawanomad]

Check out my review of local hip hop artist Alex Silas' new album in this week's edition of the fulcrum. You can download and hear this U of O student's music here.

[the-northern-life]

An American Toad: Bon Echo Provincial Park

[theottawanomad]

About a year ago I began my semester long journey in France following the footsteps of soldiers in the first world war. Working as a student guide at Vimy Ridge and Beaumont-Hamel was one of the most rewarding experiences I've had in my life. I hope all the friends I made are doing well and I suggest this program to anyone interested in learning about our rich Canadian (and Newfoundland) History. 

[theottawanomad]

My Dying Language

As always this blog post is interactive, feel free to visit the hyperlinks to learn more about what is mentioned in this post. 

I find myself in the same difficult spot more often than not, defending the Quebecois with regard to their actions toward language preservation. There are a number of reasons I support a bilingual Canada. I think speaking and understanding multiple languages allows people to understand reality from a different perspective. I think different languages allow Canadians to express themselves within their cultural context whether that be English, French or something else all together. I also think the inclusion of the french language forces Canadians to remember a part of our history that makes us, as a country, unique from other North American countries. The main reason that I support a bilingual country and the preservation of the french language in Canada though is not related to the Quebecois but instead it is rooted in my family's own history and the destruction of our ancestors' native tongue within Canadian borders. 

To add some context to my story I want to talk a bit about my family. My father grew up in a primarily anglophone suburb of Montreal during the October Crisis. From his point of view his own government asked him to leave his province because he was not a francophone. This experience with the frank and straightforward discrimination against his culture has not left him and rears its head each time the french language debate comes up at the dinner table. My mother on the other hand comes from a small village on Cape Breton Island on Canada's East Coast. The province of Nova Scotia (New Scotland) was home to a thriving Gaelic speaking community. Her village, Judique, is now the home of the Celtic Music Interpretive Centre.

Judique(Siùdaig) is believed to be the location of the first Scots Gaelic song written on North American soil but even with this rich historical fact very few are left that cans speak the language fluently. It might seem melodramatic to say this but the reality is that with each funeral in this small community a part of the Canadian Gaelic language dies. My grandparents and my other relatives of that generation grew up and spoke Gaelic as their mother tongue farming and fishing on the Atlantic coast and up in the rugged hills of the island. Although there are a number of forms of Gaelic, this Scottish form thrived in Cape Breton until recent history. My Father claims, as he does every time we go to Cape Breton, that Gaelic was one of the most spoken languages in early Canada's history. As much as I never really believed him it's indeed true that in 1850 it was the third most spoken language in British North America with over 200,000 speakers.

On some of the road signs of Cape Breton Island one can often see the names of villages displayed bilingually, both in English and Gaelic. For a moment you may be tricked into believing that Canadian Gaelic is alive and well in Canada but you would be wrong. I think my extended family is a great example of the reality. My grandmother still speaks the language and even thanked her the guests to her 90th Birthday Party in her mother tongue. My mother and her sibling know probably a handful of greetings and sayings but probably knew much more when they were children. As for my generation there are two stories. One is mine here in Ontario where my only exposure is a printed out sheet of Gaelic sayings and nouns in addition to the random words I grew up thinking were English. My cousins, still on the Island, are being exposed to the language once again, it is now a requirement to take a Gaelic language class. Those on the island also have much more access to institutions like the Gaelic College of Celtic Arts and Crafts and university level classes at some of the universities in the province. 

I think what hurts me most is that even though this language is rooted in Canadian history little has been done to protect it. When my relatives wonder why the Quebecois are so protective of their language I think its very ironic because our people are the best example of what can happen if a group does not safeguard their mother tongue. I think there a great strides being made in Cape Breton but I think there needs to be more. The decendant can only make so much of an effort to learn the language but there needs to be more of a community lead push to protect and endorse the preservation of this language. 

I don't think Gaelic is alone in this predicament. There are hundreds of languages that are being lost. As Wade Davis often points out in his literature every time a language is lost humanity if losing a valuable perception of reality and a great source of knowledge (for those fond of TED talks here is a link). In Canada the languages of our Native peoples are also in danger. In Europe language diversity is valued and celebrated why is Canada so bent on watering down our culture? Why do we insist on narrowing our minds down to one language? what are the advantages of speaking multiple languages? I think these are questions we should be asking ourselves.

Don't get me wrong, changes are being made to protect Gaelic in Canada but this action cannot only be on paper. Gaelic needs to be spoken, sung and written here in Canada for it to truly thrive. To get more involved with supporting the preservation of Canadian Gaelic check out the Gaelic Council of Nova Scotia.

Here is a link to my favorite Gaelic song performed by the Rankin Family

To learn more about the history of Gaelic in Canada here is great link brought to you by the Nova Scotia Museum

[theottawanomad]

2012

It's become a bit of a tradition for me to publicly share my resolutions and goals for the coming year. It also happens to be my twenty second birthday so today is as good a time as any to set my standards high for myself for the coming twelve months. It's no secret that 2011 was my favorite year of life, I plan on making 2012 just as epic.

This year's goals are less tangible and much more based in broad-based in nature. Most importantly are themes of living life and making the most of what I have at my disposal. There are seven, so sit tight.

1. Keep it local. My first goal is dedicated to my friends from Ottawa. If you know me at all you know that I rarely stay in one place for too long. In the last 12 months I've been to eight countries, worked abroad, spent the summer in the backwoods of Ontario and visited a few Canadian provinces as well. This year I want to try and keep it local. I feel like there is so much I have yet to see around Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal. I definitely need (and want) to spend some time catching up with my friends and have some mighty grand adventures while we're at it. This goal is actually more about investing real time and meaning to my friendships and relationships than anything else. 

2. Run, run, RUN! Looking back on my goals from last year  my good friend Emma pointed out that the only one I did not fully achieve was running a half-marathon. Needless to say this is very close to the top of my list this year but is really about keeping active. This year's sports to improve upon include swimming, cross-country skiing, cycling and rock climbing.

3. Ottawa Art Scene. Starting in the fall I made it a semester resolution to go to as many concerts as possible. This autumn I did have the chance to see Said the Whale and Ra Ra Riot, two of my favorite bands. In 2012 I want to make music, and more broadly art, a bigger part of my life in Ottawa. That means getting a membership to the Bytowne, reading up on some art history, getting to more concerts and being open to anything Ottawa throws at me.

4. Write. Even though I dropped out of Journalism I still love to write. I want to make blogging, writing and running after stories a bigger part of my life. This goal isn't really vague but very much specific. Hopefully I can make sure it happens. If anyone followed my old blog you may have noticed that last year I only posted four times...sorry Europe and lack of internet at Bon Echo Provincial Park distracted me.

5. Aim High. This one if pretty self-explanatory. I've taken a bit of a relaxed view on life over the last few years but now I'm ready to bring out Takin' Care of business Colin. I really believe in the concept that if you want and work hard enough you can get what you want. In the words of my favorite East Coast friends, "Let's Geter' done"

6. Get outside. I realized the other day that I haven't been downhill skiing in almost three years. This is obviously a travesty. Well let's not be dramatic. I think what I was really horrified at was the fact that I have not taken the advantage of what Winter has to offer here in Ottawa. This year I want to make the most of all four seasons. I want to be outside and active. Hopefully this CBC Massey Lecture series on Winter will give me some inspiration to make the most of this frigid time of year.

7. Keep it Green. This one is number seven not because its the least important but because I want to add some luck to this cause. Over the holidays I read The Golden Spruce by John Vaillant.The book looks at the murder of an ancient Golden Spruce on the Queen Charlotte Islands in British Columbia and the social, cultural and environmental repercussions caused by the actions of an activist of sorts (It was a great non-fiction read and I definitely suggest it to anyone). Over the last two years my environmental ethic has been relatively dormant but this book reignited it. I'm always down to compost and use less paper but many anecdotes from this book made me remember why I recycle in the first place. Now before you conclude that I am the biggest hippie in the world (I know how this sounds), I think everyone must look at the things one can do for the environment and how those actions go beyond destruction of the physical landscape and can have positive social and economic impacts. This year I want to reawaken that environmental ethic in my daily practices. I'm sure this topic is going to be expanded upon in a later post. 

Those are my goals this year. I hope you all have a wonderful New Year and thank you all for your birthday wishes. 

[theottawanomad]

Cape Breton Christmas Eve

[cvltivate]

submitted by Raj the spacekangaroo

[theottawanomad]

invisible minority

Every time I fill out a government of Canada job application I'm always struck by the section on whether or not the applicant is a visible minority. I think it is important that this group is represented in our public service but at the same time I question if this approach attempts to represent all minorities that we have in Canada. 

As usual our north american obsession with the aesthetic has lead us a astray. Not all minorities are visible, I like to call this group the invisible minority.

Gay, Lesbian, Trans, those in debt, new immigrants from 'white' nations, and the working poor are some I feel are left out of this questionnaire. If one was to pass us on the street we may look like everyone else but perhaps from a financial point of view or through some underlying societal norms we may be very much at risk. Now if one was to be both a visible minority and an invisible minority then maybe you might have a chance of being represented  but we are often forgotten.

I guess I am speaking from the point of view of the gay community. You never see the Federal Government encouraging young gay men and women to enter the political ring, but then again the House of Commons is having enough trouble getting women represented...What I want to say is that even though a minority may not be plain to see does not mean it does not exist. Not everyone can be seen with the naked eye.