Friday, December 31, 2004

Performers at the 2004 SSFF


2173472, originally uploaded by The MediaMentor.

Here's a nice little composition with the images of the 2004 South Slave Friendship Festival

Thursday, December 30, 2004

Pictures of the South Slave Friendship Festival (SSFF) Aug 2004


2018504, originally uploaded by The MediaMentor.

The SSFF is Fort Smith's annual music festival. Visitors and musicians come from around the world to enjoy the entertainment, more images of the SSFF can be seen by clicking here.

Pelicans flying over the Slave River

... over the Rapids of the Drowned on the Slave River at Fort Smith

Tourist Information Centre, Fort Smith, NWT

This landmark is just outside the Fort Smith Tourism Information Centre at the town's new Recreation Centre and celebrates the Wood Bison found in the Wood Buffalo National Park

The flag of Nunavut


The flag of Nunavut, originally uploaded by The MediaMentor.

Monday, December 06, 2004

Pictures from the 2004 Annual Christmas party of the Francophone Association of Fort Smith (AFFS)

Click here to see the full set of pictures
Click here to see a slide show of all the pictures
You need a recent browser with FLASH to see thes picture properly...
Prints of the photos are available.
4" x 6" prints are $5.00 each
8.5" X 11" prints are $25.00 each.
Order by number.
If you ave any problems, call me at 872-3455 to arrange to see the pictures.
NOTE: These photos are only for sale to the families of the subjects.

DSC_5472-v2-mini
The Christmas Tree

Saturday, December 04, 2004

Taqramiut Nipingat Inc


Taqramiut Nipingat patch, originally uploaded by The MediaMentor.

In 1982 I was asked to work for TNI to teach all aspects of TV and radio production & management at this Inuit owned broadcasting network in Salluit, a little village in Nunavik (the Ungava region or Arctic Quebec).
More images can be seen at:
More pictures at TNI

Tokyo Video Festival's Award of Excellence


Award of Excellence, originally uploaded by The MediaMentor.

While I was a student at the Banff Centre, I produced "Rumblesphinx" which won the "Award of Excellence" from the 10th Tokyo Video Festival... more images from the videotape are online at:
More pictures from my video, Rumblesphinx

Friday, December 03, 2004

The flag of the Northwest Territories, Canada


The flag of the NWT, originally uploaded by The MediaMentor.

English language tutoring at Aurora College

by yours truly, George Lessard....

Wednesday, December 01, 2004

My Flickr RSS feed

An RSS feed of my Flickr photostream

Inuit Amoutie detail


Amoutie detail, originally uploaded by Arviat Nunavut.

This shows the detail work that Arviat Inuit women put into the creation of their traditional clothing.
Arviat, Nunavut, Canada

Three Generations of Inuit Women..


Three Generations.., originally uploaded by Arviat Nunavut.

...show off their traditional Inuit women's "amautie" at the Canada Day celebrations on July 1st.
Arviat, Nunavut, Canada

A ship's visit to Arviat, Nunavut...


A ship's visit..., originally uploaded by Arviat Nunavut.

Ships bring in almost all heavy goods to Arviat. There are no roads or railroads to any Nunavut community... all are "flyin" communities... meaning that the only regular way to get into the communities is by air... so heavy goods, food and all supplies are much more expensive than in Canada's southern communities.

An old arctic willow tree


An old arctic willow tree, originally uploaded by Arviat Nunavut.

This little Arctic willow is on the tundra near Arviat, Nunavut. As with all "trees" on the tundra that are this big (about 6" high) it is actually quite old...

Season's Greetings 2004


Season's Greetings 2004, originally uploaded by The MediaMentor.

Photo by Kathy Beaupre kaybeaupreAThotmailDOTcom, design by George Lessard mediaATwebDOTnet

Tree climber answers mayor's Christmas prayer
WebPosted Nov 29 2004 02:28 PM MST

http://north.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=smith-tree-christmas-11292004

FORT SMITH, N.W.T. - The Christmas season officially started in Fort Smith on Sunday with the traditional lighting of the town's 30-metre spruce tree.

Decorating the 100-year-old tree in the centre of town has been a community tradition since the Great Depression.

But it almost didn't happen this year, after the N.W.T. Power Corporation staff who usually decorate the tree were unable to do it this month.

That sent Mayor Peter Martselos on a quest for a tree climber.

"I have to look around to find someone to climb the tree. I tell you I had many nights I never slept because I was worried who was going up and if there was an accident or something it won't be Christmas in Fort Smith," he says.

"But we found David Burke and he climbed the tree to the top and that's why this year it's special, because we have a star at the top and lights from top to bottom."

Hundreds gathered in the downtown Sunday night to cheer as the tree was lit up with brand-new strings of lights.

Martselos says the new energy efficient lights are more expensive, but are sturdier and said to last 100,000 hours.

Monday, November 29, 2004

Col. Francois Lessard


Col. Francois Lessard, originally uploaded by The MediaMentor.

British and Canadian army units were returning to camp at Belfast, after a long burning expedition, when they were attacked by a Boer commando. British General Smith Dorrien ordered Col. Fancois Lessard from Quebec to organize he Canadians (Mounted Rifles and artillerymen) to fight a rea guard action to protect the back of the retreating British army. Because of his outstanding work Lessard was pictured as one of only two Canadians honoured to be among 75 British general pictured in a huge colour portrait called "Celebrities of the Army."
More information can be found at:
http://www.goldiproductions.com/Pages/BoerWar_Museum/Boer/Boer30_battles3.html

Map of the Lessard Family's first land in the new world..

On February 10, 1651, Etienne obtained a land from Olivier Letardif one of the members of the Company de Beaupre.
This land was 10 frontal acres on the St-Laurence river and 5 miles in land.
To help him develop the land which he called St-Etienne, he hired men; Michel Marquiseau, Urbain Jamineau et Jean Chauvet aka Lagerne.
On March 8, 1658 Etienne gave away to the Catholic Church two frontal acres located on the West end of his land so that a chapel can be built.
This chapel became the Ste-Anne-de-Beaupre basilica.
Etienne gave this land to M. Gabriel de Queylus Vicar general in New France.
The first contract was done by notary (public) Audouart. It was ratified by The Bishop of Laval on December 17, 1666 and renewed by a second contract in 1684 by notary Genaple.
Note: In 1922 after the fire of the basilica another contract had to be signed by Napoleon Lessard the direct descendant of Etienne and the Redemptorist Fathers. By this contract Napoleon gave away the Lessard's right to a bench in the church.
In the 1681 census Etienne declared to be 59 years old, married to Marguerite Sevestre 45 years old and to have 10 children; Etienne 28, Charles 26, Pierre 24, Marie-Therese 20, Anne-Dorothee 15, Noel 12, Joseph 10, Prisque 7, Jacques and Dorothee (twins) 4 years old.
The couple had a daughter named Marguerite born September 4, 1664, she died December 7, 1665.
He also declared as owner of:
3 Guns
7 Cows
40 farmable acres, on which he grew wheat, barley, peas and cabbage.

Etienne de Lessard


Etienne de Lessard, originally uploaded by The MediaMentor.

Born in 1623 in Normandy France.

Etienne de Lessard arrived in Quebec in 1645.

Lieutenant junior grade of the militia of Cote de Beaupre, he became co-lord of the Lanoraie fief in 1688.

Married to Marquerite Sevestre, Etienne de Lessard was survived by a large family of six boys and two girls.

Etienne de Lessard, son of Jacques de Lessard and Marie Herson, was born in Chambois, diocese of SEE (Orne) in Normandy.

In 1645, at the age of 22, he left France on a ship to come to New France (Canada). At the time only a few people from Europe lived in the colony of France.

Etienne owned a boat and was associated with Martin Grouvel who was a navigator from Quebec.

The Lessard Family Crest


The Lessard Family Crest, originally uploaded by The MediaMentor.

Sunday, November 28, 2004

LOUIS-PHILIPPE HÉBERT 1850-1917 Sculpteur national (PDF 3.8MB)

LOUIS-PHILIPPE HÉBERT 1850-1917 Sculpteur national (PDF 3.8MB): .... English text of the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec's catalogue for the exhibition of 2001

Louis-Philippe Hébert's "...Soupir du lac..." at the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec

"... Soupir du lac, 1902, fonte - 1908 - Hébert was probably the first Québec sculptor to take an interest in the Amerindian nations. Generally, his portrayal of them echoes the image of the "noble savage" instituted by Jean-Jacques Rousseau in the late 18th century and largely echoed by the Romantic movement..." A quote from Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec's modern art collection embraces fifty years of artistic creation and reflects the diversity of styles that emerged from 1900 to 1950. This period is marked by a penchant for Paris, art capital of the world, among many Québec artists.

HÉBERT, LOUIS-PHILIPPE in the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online...

...(he also signed Philippe), artist, sculptor, and teacher; b. 27 Jan. 1850 in Sainte-Sophie-d’Halifax (Sainte-Sophie-de-Mégantic), Lower Canada, third of the 13 children of Théophile Hébert, a farmer, and Julie Bourgeois; m. 26 May 1879 in Montreal Maria Roy, niece of architect Victor Roy, and they had eight children, including Henri*, a sculptor, and Adrien*, a painter; d. 13 June 1917 in Westmount, Que., and was buried 16 June in Notre-Dame-des-Neiges cemetery, Montreal

My great-grandfather... Louis Phillippe Hebert....

was born in Ste-Sophie d'Halifax, Quebec, Canada... the son of an illiterate farmer through talent and hard work, became the creator of images that represent many of the major players in Canada's history.... this is the National Historic Monument plaque that marked his birthplace.

My great-grandfather...

...Louis Phillipe Hebert... the sculptor who brought the skill of bronze casting to Canada... to learn more about him... visit my web page about him and read the Bio and works list of Quebec sculptor Louis-Phillipe Hebert

Sea ice on Hudson Bay...


Sea ice on Hudson Bay..., originally uploaded by Arctic Annie.

.. at Repulse Bay, Nunavut... the first flickr photo from a friend of mine who is a Nurse there...

Sunday, November 21, 2004

Buy Nothing Day Poster


Buy Nothing Day Poster, originally uploaded by The MediaMentor.

George's Christmas Gift Exemption Certificate

Buy Nothing Day posters are available to download. A printer is all you need to support BND and give your friends and family permission not to buy you gifts. To get your own blank copies, just visit http://www.adbusters.org/metas/eco/bnd/

Saturday, November 20, 2004

The Metis Sash

The Sash is a finger woven belt made of wool approximately three metres long. Traditionally it was tied at the waist to hold a coat closed, including being used as a scarf or rope.
Each colour of the sash represents:
Yellow - Prosperity
Blue _ The depth of the Metis Sprit
White - The connection to Mother Earth
Red - Blood shed
Green - Fertility
Dark Blue - The dark period of repression and disposession.
This display was part of a presentation at Aurora College's Thebacha Campus the week of November 15th, 2004.

For more information on the Metis Sash, click here
Metis Sash Information

NorthernMost Hosts Training Program Course


NorthernMost Hosts, originally uploaded by The MediaMentor.

A training program given Rosanna Strong (3rd from left) of "Strong Interpretation PO Box 2671, Yellowknife, NT X1A 2R1 Ph./Fax 867-873-554 at Aurora College (Ft Smith) November 18 & 19 2004

Link to my Flickr Pictures

George Lessard's pictures

Sunday, November 14, 2004

Calypso belbosa - Fariy Slipper

Taken in June of 2004 at Fort Smith Northwest Territories Canada 60°00'N, 111°58' W

The Dog River


The Dog River, originally uploaded by The MediaMentor.

A tributary of the Slave River... just over the border in Alberta from Fort Smith... Francois Paulette was kind enough to invite me on a very nice boat trip to the Dog river with his family.

Saturday, November 13, 2004

When is a "security" deposit a "cleaning" deposit?

See how the landlord of 426 Calder Ave. Ft Smith arranges to keep $669.32 of a $1,000 "security deposit" on this 3 room basement apartment in Fort Smith

Click here to see the full set of pictures as I left it on September 30... click on the individual pictures to see more detail... see if you can see anything that was damaged and in need of repair.

To see a slide show of the pictures... click here
Take a look at the pictures and decide for yourself if $669.32 is a fair price to charge for the "repair" of this basement apartment.

If you are renting in the NWT or are about to rent one.. you need to read this information from the Rental Office of the Northwest Territories, by clicking here
This note on the "Security Deposit" is taken from the above page..

What is a security deposit?
A security deposit is money given to a landlord by a tenant. The money is held by the landlord until the end of the tenancy at which time the security deposit may be used for rental arrears or tenant damages.

How much money can a landlord request as a security deposit?
In the case other than a weekly tenancy, the security deposit may not be greater than the amount equal to one (1) months rent.(Section 14[1]


You can download a PDF version of the official Residential Tenancy Agreement of the NWT by clicking here.

Hal Logsdon, Rental Officer for the NWT
Rental Office
3rd Floor, Panda II Mall
PO Box 1920
Yellowknife NT X1A 2P4
Telephone: (867) 920-8047
Fax: (867) 873-0489
Toll Free: (800) 661-0760
can be reached via e-mail at via Kim Powless

You may choose to leave your opinion on this... or telling us about your experience with landlords in the NWT by clicking on the little pencil just below this....

Thursday, November 11, 2004

Professional Memberships

Canadian Association of Journalists
Canadian Artists Representation / le Front des artistes canadiennes
Canadian Artists Representation Copyright Collective

Some of my online work

My weblogThe MediaMentor's Blog
E-mail lists I moderate....
Creative-Radio
MediaMentor
Journalists for Human Rights
Nunavut Circumpolar List
The Thebacha List
Nunavut CAP Sites

Remembrance Day 2004 in Fort Smith

Images of Fort Smith's 2004 Remembrance Day ceremonies are online.
Remembrance Day MontageRemembrance Day Montage 2004
The following link will bring up up a slide show of the pictures I took of the ceremonies and the parade to the cenotaph in Fort Smith.
This link will take to see the full set of pictures. Click on any picture to see the full size version.

SOME ABORIGINAL VETS YET TO BE COMPENSATED
After years of being denied compensation, some Aboriginal veterans in the Yukon have finally received a financial settlement from the federal government. But for others, the stuggle continues.
FULL STORY

Monday, November 08, 2004

TASSS bake sale buyers...


TASSS bake sale buyers..., originally uploaded by The MediaMentor.

On October the 30th, 2004... TASSS (The Artists of the South Slave Society) of Fort Smith had a bake sale and raised about $350,,, These are some of the folks who supportted the arts by buying some of the goddies.. I manned the table and recorded these faces as a way of saying thanks to them.

Daynee Paulette Benefit Concert Images online

Our hearts go out to Jerry and Jamie Paulette in their time of crisis. Funds raised at this concert will go to assisting them and their family while they are staying with their daughter in Edmonton. They and their family thank you all.

We pray that, God willing, Daynee will recover soon.

The Daynee Paulette Benefit Committee would like to thank the following for their kind and generous support to this concert.

Fort Smith Metis Local
Northwestern Air Lease http://www.nwal.ca/
Uncle Gabe's Friendship Centre
Keaser's Store
Northern Store
Gallery Restaurent
Gartal Holdings http://www.gardtal.com/

And all the volunteers and performers too!

Here is a slide show of the images I took at the concert that I've put online for Daynee, Jerry and Jaime to see in Edmonton. To see them too, just click here.

Sunday, November 07, 2004

Stone dragon stair carving... Beijing

Stone carving on some stairs at the Empress's Summer Palace in Beijing
ths carving cried out to be photographed... such a wonderful dragon...

Another stone dragon carving

Stone carving on a wall at the Summer Palace
All the work at the Summer Palace was great... but the stone carvings were by far the most intricate I have seen... they even surpass IMHO the temple carving I saw in Orissa, India.

The old gods eye the new god in Beijing

Old gods & new gods in BeijingThe first weekend I was in Beijing... one of the other Foreign Experts took me to the Beijing antiques fair... reall just a large field where folks were standing around next to their goods... Funny thing... the next week the authorities closed it down... to clean up the city for the International Women's Conference that was held later that year.

Saturday, November 06, 2004

Money in China


Money in China
Originally uploaded by Beijing Foreign Expert.
We were paid $500 US dollars oer month as a Foreign Expert... (half in US dollars the rest in yuan) dosen't sound like much... but when you know that a meal for ten people with a dozen Beijing Beers cost less that $10 US and we had free accomodations... I was able to save about $200 US every month...
This is a one yuan note of the time (1995).

My Beijing Residency Permit

Everyone who lives in China needed to have an official permit from the government to be able to live where they lived... this is the inside of my permit to live in Beijing.

The inside of my China Daily Press-Pass

I spend almost a year working at China Daily in Beijing as a "Foreign Expert" brought in by the Foreign Expert's Department of the government of the P.R.C. It was a great way to learn about China and the way of life there in 1995... and get paid for it too!

A handle...


A handle...
Originally uploaded by Beijing Foreign Expert.
... on a beautiful bronze urn at the Empress' Summer Palace in Beijing... 1995

My first test of Audioblogging

this is an audio post - click to play

I have downloaded it to my Mac and played it there... The audio quality seems to be quite acceptable and would certainly work as a way of doing news reports for a radio station... and since it is free... would certainly be of interest to community radio stations... Why not try it yourself to check the quality? George

Friday, November 05, 2004

Myself in Tianjin


Myself in Tianjin
Originally uploaded by Beijing Foreign Expert.
... video taping a beautiful bronze pot... I'm in the yellow jacket... with our minder looking over my shoulder in the background.

An inukshuk outside of Arviat, Nunavut, Canada

An Inukshuk...

Inukshuk


Inukshuk
Originally uploaded by Arviat Nunavut.
.... a tradional artistic expression in Canada's Arctic.

Three generations..


Three Generations..
Originally uploaded by Arviat Nunavut.
... show off their "amautie".. the Inuit woman's traditional costume at the Canada Day "tradional clothing" competition.

The graveyard in Arviat, Nunavut...


The graveyard...
Originally uploaded by Arviat Nunavut.
.... is a difficult place to lay the community's souls to rest... the permafrost makes digging the graves quite difficult.

A ship's visit is an important moment in all Nunavut communities...


A ship's visit...
Originally uploaded by Arviat Nunavut.
All heavy cargo gets delivered to town via ship as Arviat has no road or rail connection to the outside world... just air and water connections... as with all of Nunavut's communities.

A steel hull


A steel hull
Originally uploaded by Arviat Nunavut.
.. said to be the remnants of boat that brought some southern settlers to Arviat, Nunavut.

An old arctic willow tree


An old arctic willow tree
Originally uploaded by Arviat Nunavut.
... near Arviat Nunaut reached about 6 inches in height.

A sunset...


A sunset...
Originally uploaded by Arviat Nunavut.
... a the end of Arviat's road-to-no-where

A ptarmigan...


Ptarmigan...
Originally uploaded by Arviat Nunavut.
in in its fall, 'tween season, feather display.. photographed on the "road to nowhere" just outside of Arviat, Nunavut,