scum on the snow

Bush sneaks through host of laws to undermine Obama.

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Bush Insider Who Planned To Tell All Killed In Plane Crash: Non-Profit Demands Full Federal Investigation

"... the Bush IT expert who has been directly implicated in the rigging of George Bush's 2000 and 2004 elections, was killed last night when his single engine plane crashed three miles short of the Akron airport..."

RoveCyberGate.com

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New post at sentient Developments about the almost-next Prime Minister of Canada; Ignatieff and Obama: Intellectuals on the rise.

"... it's reassuring to see both Canada and the U.S. poised to bring in leaders with roots in academia -- incoming leaders who are engaged in public discourse and who have the requisite qualifications to lead their countries. In the case of the U.S. it's a done deal; as for Canadians it's still within the realm of wishful thinking..."

Pre-Columbian Tribes Had BBQs, Parties on Grave Sites.

"... This is part of a growing body of research that shows that groups of people in lowlands in Brazil had large, socially complex groupings, sociopolitical organization and social patterns including feasting..."

Evidence from dirty teeth: Ancient Peruvians ate well.

"Starch grains preserved on human teeth reveal that ancient Peruvians ate a variety of cultivated crops including squash, beans, peanuts and the fruit of cultivated pacay trees..."

Jennifer Ashawasegai receives Debwewin Citation for journalism excellence

"... presented the award... by Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief John Beaucage at the Canadian Aboriginal Festival..."

New impact crater discovered in western Canada, using technology to strip vegetation from imaging.

Climate change wiped out cave bears, 13 millenia earlier than previously thought.

Terra Preta, Native "Superdirt" made Amazonian civilisations possible.

"... The special soil has been touted as a way to restore more sustainable farming to the Amazon, feed the world's hungry, and combat global warming..."

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Group Works to Identify Remains in Guatemala

"... For 12 years, the Forensic Anthropology Foundation of Guatemala (FAFG) has been exhuming clandestine graves that hold victims killed in political massacres.
Most of the people killed in Guatemala's 36-year civil war were indigenous. The army's scorched-earth policy sometimes leveled entire villages..."

Wikipedia entry; Rio Negro Massacre.

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Patagonia Indian tribe faces extinction.

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My budy Mark has posted new piece at his Boxers and Writers blog.

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Translated page for Peruvian activist, Hugo Blanco. His Wikipedia page and a translated page of his online paper, Lucha Indigena, which seems to translate to Indian Fight.

Senor Blanco was arrested in October, and quickly released, for supporting struggle for farmer's rights.

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Cirque Du Soleil is seeking artists to represent Canada at Expo 2010, in China. Deadline extended to January 21, 2009.

Carwash owner recruits graffiti artists to decorate business.


Newspaper Wrapped Canadian Art Attic Discoveries Make Over CAD$250,000 At Bonhams' Toronto Sale.

8th Annual Festival of Native Film & Culture to Present Diverse International Films March 4 - 8, 2009.

Pop legend Felipe Rose, helping the Rez's for blizzard relief efforts.

"... Felipe has often used his long standing fame to help make a difference for the Lakota people living on reservations in South Dakota. He has also donated his time for many years for various programs and projects benefiting all Native people. His involvement includes helping with organizations such as the American Indian College Fund, Unity, United Nation Tribal Youth Council, and One Nation Walking Together..."

The Indian Cinderella.

Writing forensics used to confirm Norval Morrisseau's signature.

New large petroglyphs portraying giraffes found in the Sahara.

German crew films Native American scene in Salem

Crook County removes book from schools after parent complains

"The Crook County School District has temporarily removed a book from classrooms after one parent complained to the school board that the National Book Award winner was "trashy" and "inappropriate."... "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian," which is based on (Sherman) Alexie's own experiences, follows a boy who leaves the Spokane Indian Reservation to attend an all-white school "where the only other Indian is the school mascot"..."

Why Copyright; Canadian Voices on Copyright Law.

A people, at last. Overdue recognition for Japan's ethnic minority, before it disappears.

"... the Ainu called their place Ainu Mosir, "the land of human beings", Hokkaido means "the road to the northern sea", and the Japanese settling of their new frontier was every bit as brutal as America's..."

FBI Art Theft Program.

New native art gallery opens

"Gordon Dick fulfilled a decade-strong dream this month with the opening of Ahtsik Native Art Gallery on Pacific Rim Highway, north of Port Alberni..."

VANOC draws on indigenous symbols but fails to support indigenous athletes.

Peary Centennial Expedition.

"... On February 17, 2009, polar explorer Lonnie Dupre, a team of Arctic explorers and Inuit companions will begin an epic 1,600-mile dog sled journey through the polar reaches of the high Arctic in the footsteps of Robert E. Peary... homage to the Inuit people, unsung heroes of countless Arctic expeditions, whose culture now hangs on the edge of existence due to the ravages of global warming and pollution."

New Tim Giago article; The Slow Death of American Newspapers

Another Native blog; Sweetgrass Coaching

NishTV

"NishTV is Northern Ontario’s hottest website that captures the heartbeat of the Anishinabek Community. We use video-media in a youthful, trendy and positive way to give the Native experience more zest and coolness. Our aim is to represent and give exposure to those cool people who never get recognized for the things they are doing or who need a little exposure because they are stepping out in the community with arts, leadership, business or other creative projects..."

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Asteroids made by Neave Games

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Tags: Hugo Blanco, RoveCyberGate, Micheal Ignatieff, Terra Preta, Forensic Anthropological Foundation of Guatemala, Boxers and Writers blog, xLucha Indigena, Giraffe Petroglyph, Ainu, Peary Centennial Expedition, NishTV, Canadian blog, First Nation, Native blog,Bingorage, Broken Vulture Art, blog,pics

Deer Camp 2008; mixed results, still good times.

All pics (except the Muski pic) click to enlarge.

Before deer season, one of our hunters sent me this pic and description of the work being done by the MNR, with Sturgeon research near Nipigon, Ontario.

"The fish was caught just into Black Sturgeon Lake at the mouth of the Spruce River. 49º 17' 14.66" - 88º 50' 49.32"
The Black Sturgeon system empties out of Black Sturgeon Lake and travels through 3 lakes to the south before eventually draining into Lake Superior at Black Bay.
We have tagged 3 fish at a set of rapids about 5km upstream in the river itself. Last fall we tagged 2 fish at the above location and 5 more this fall.

Sturgeon have recently been designated a Species at Risk in Ontario - see http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/Species/index.html
for more details. Tagging these fish with transmitters allows us to learn their seasonal movements and habitat requirements. We have also been able to locate spawning areas from these fish. We track these fish by boat once a week and have set up a base station at the mouth of the river to record their movements from the Lake up the River."

:Bryan Livingston

Brian later sent me this pic of a St. Lawrence River Muskie; click the pic to check out "Musky Hunter" entry for this fish.



Here's a couple of monster Walleye that I pulled outta da lake, just before we started deer-hunting.



The modified slip-bobber rig that I was using as the weather turned colder. The small oval bobber on top of the large black/white bobber is fixed-position, so that I can tell when the slip-bobber ices up and prevents the line from fully deploying. Bobber stops are too small to see at a distance. Under the bobbers are several split shot and a snelled #4 octopus hook.



Tosh, in his cold weather walleye gear. Plenty of snow on the dock and the first skim of ice forming on the water. Frozen beer foaming out of the bottle neck.



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Johnny Cat guarding the rifle cases.



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Mark and I took an afternoon to put together the new two-seater treestand. It was seriously heavy (ladder not shown). There had been a plan to put it up on the side of a ridge overlooking a poplar meadow, bog and cedar hollow; a perfect spot that would take us a whole day to install, no doubt. The property's landowner had leased the area to another group of hunters, however, and we never got around to putting it up anywhere else.





Tosh bagged the first deer of the trip, second day at sunset. Young buck, small four point rack, good size body. We used the "rickshaw" to get it off the field; this device has really cut dragging times over open ground.







Dad bagged the second deer; the big buck of the expedition. Although the rack wasn't that large, a thin-beamed seven-pointer; but, the body mass was about two hundred pounds before dressing. Good deer. Yay, Dad!!









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The rest of the first week went slowly. The weather was constantly windy, whether dry or drenching, and the rut hadn't started, yet.
This property belonged to a friend of one of our group. The centre of which was taken up by an old gravel quarry which has overgrown beautifully, resembling some of the mule deer country out west, surrounded by boreal forest. The day was noisy and unproductive, with several grouse crashing about at all times. I was fortunate to see a weasel, fur gone to ermine, bouncing around the foot of my stand. I was far too entranced to take a picture, however. The rest of the first week was a bust. It became insanely wet and windy, keeping the deer deep and bedded. Most of our guys had to leave and get back to the real world and their jobs; the die-hards, the real deer-hunters, the vaguely-employed... we stayed to get the job done.





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Mark finally broke us out, a week after the second deer was on the pole. Nice doe. He also got a second deer, a small buck, of which we seem not to have taken any pictures. At least we finally had snow by this point, and a possibility of the rut taking off.





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Note snow; the Off Lake property.



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On the last day of non-resident deer season, at the last hour of legal hunt, I finally got my deer.
Let me tell you about the hunt, first:

I had gone to sit at the head of a bog which was crossed by a skidder trail. From where I was sitting, I could see across the bog, down a major deer highway (upwind) and down the trail behind me. A great spot. A great spot with nothing happening on it. After freezing my tuckus off for a couple hours and choking loudly on some inhaled cola, I decided to walk back to the truck and sit on the intersection f trails, there, because we have taken deer there at last light, previously.

Hanging out at the truck seemed a little defeatist, but I decided to rattle and call again, since the wind was favourable. Ten minutes after rattling, I moved from the back of the truck to the front and then looked up; there was a deer standing broadside down the trail, about 80 yards away. It hadn't been there before I moved.
The deer gave me plenty of time, I needed it because the cold left me shaking. I leaned against the truck and took the shot. The deer wheeled and ran back into the bush, the way that it came from. I figured that it was a miss.

I called the guys on the radio to let them know that I had taken the shot and waited for them to get there. We waited nearly half an hour before walking up to check out the shot site.

No blood.

But; there was hair, dark hair. Okay.

We walked in and found the deer bedded, about fifty yards in. It tried to get up and couldn't, we finished the deer off and dragged it back to the truck before dressing it. A good-sized spiker buck, to finish off Deer Camp 2008.



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Bryan sent this pic a week later, having got his buck in the Great Nipigon Deer Hunt 2008.



When Dad and I went to pick up the wrapped deer steaks, chops, roasts and sausage, this great buck was waiting to be serviced by Kent at Cloverleaf foods, in Emo.



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Dad and I went out to the cabin a couple more times and spent a few more days trying to add another deer to the five taken, but we saw no more deer in the woods. There was a foot of snow in the bush and temperatures had plummeted; in addition, a brisk north wind has been blowing fairly steady. The deers did not come out to play.

After the last trip, we arrived back at the house to find deer tracks all around our cedar trees, browsed; clearly we were being dissed in our own yard. Oh well...
next year.





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Tags: sturgeon, muskellunge, Musky Hunter, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Walleye, slip bobber rig, Whitetail Deer, two seater trestand, buck,doe, ermine weasel,cedar browse, Canadian blog, First Nation, Native blog,Bingorage, Broken Vulture Art, blog,pics

Great opening for NOCAA-10 show.

I would like to thank Dave and Rene, at Definitely Superior Art Gallery, for the opportunity to show my work and be part of this great show. The performances were fine, the visual art was stimulating and the conversations with viewers, satisfying.
The Ontario Arts Council and Canada Council for the Arts also supported the opening and exhibition. I'll update this posting with any new articles/reviews about the exhibit.

Websites that mentioned the NOCAA-10 opening and show.

My buddy and West Bank Art School alum, Will Lahti's blog.

Article in Thunder Bay Source, The Group of 10.

Event listing, at TBShows.com.

Definitely Superior art gallery website, current exhibitions page.

Event listing at the city of Thunder Bay webpage.

Event listing at The Argus, Lakehead U. student newspaper.

Route list page, at ArtZoom.ca

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The sleeping Giant (from Prince Arthur Hotel) under ravenous cloudbank.



The Giant, engulfed by winter fog



Christian Chapman and one of his entries at NOCAA-10;



Danny CutFeet and one of my fave pieces in the show, "Chief".



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The opening at Definitely Superior Art Gallery was accompanied by several performance artists. Performances included spoken word, pop music, jazzz and hip-hop "flow".

Chris Waite, spoken word.



Shy-Anne Hovorka. Her webpage and myspace page.



Robin Ranger and the Department of Rhythmic Affairs, the Myspace page.



Solomon, his myspace page.



Tenka provided ambient electronica for the opening, but was not present that evening.

Michelle Derosier had the third gallery space for her video installation, featuring clips of her work. Her company website, Thunder Stone Pictures.

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Broken Vulture Art / Bingorage / Eric C. Keast contributions to NOCAA-10 art show:

Strange Bait.


Pungi Whisi Niaas.


Miss LoonTrout...


Juggler Wants To Switch To Bass.


Myself and "Krustayn Versus Mecha Sasquatch"


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Some pics of the gallery walls.









Rene has a "Vanna moment" with my Juggler painting.



The river above Kakabeka Falls, as we put TBay behind us.



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Tags: NOCAA-10, Ojibway Art, Northwestern Ontario, Definitely Superior Art Gallery, Eric Keast, Richard Fedorick, Christian Chapman, Danny Cutfeet, Michelle Derosier, Shy-Anne Hovorka,Solomon, Robin Ranger, Department of Rhythmic Affairs, Tenka, Chris Waite, Northwestern Ontario Contemporary Aboriginal Artists, Canadian blog, First Nation, Native blog,Bingorage, Broken Vulture Art, blog,pics

Help find Maisy and Shannon

Last seen in Kitigan Zibi / Ottawa area September 6, 2008.

Maisy


Shannon


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FindMaisyandShannon, homepage.
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Tags: Kitigan Zibi, findmaisyandshannon, MAISY ODJICK, SHANNON ALEXANDER, missing, Canadian blog, First Nation, Native blog,Bingorage, Broken Vulture Art, blog,pics

Petition in favour of a coalition government

The conservative party is trying to deny the coalition of NDP, Liberal and BQ from booting their arrogant butts out of the Prime Minter's office and creating the next government.

The last straw that made this incredible circumstances necessary was the Conservatives hamhanded pledge to stop public financing of electoral campaigns (basking in the oily glow of their tarsands backers).

The Tories have been able to hang on as a minority government, as long as they have because the opposition did not wish to put itself in the position of forcing an election. Then Stephen Harper broke his own "fixed date" election law to call the most recent election, feeling that the timing favoured his party.

And now, that the combined opposition has decided to form a coalition government, Stephen Harper is threatening the country with something called "prorogation". Essentially closing the government and taking his ball home until he sees fit.

So; the point of this blog post is to encourage you alls, Canadians, to sign the petition asking the Governor General to give the Conservative extortionists the constitutional smackdown and shepherd the coalition government into reality. Especially after they started gutting arts and culture funding in Canada.

:Eric

PS My American friends...
Ignore the big words and look at the shiny thing.

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Tags: Oust Stephen Harper, prorogation, Canadian parliament, Canadian government, House of Commons, coalition petition, Governor General of Canada, Canadian blog, First Nation, Native blog,Bingorage, Broken Vulture Art, blog,pics

NOCAA-10 brings the Bingorage.

Hey Bingoragers!!

I've been so wrapped up in hunting, fishing, carousing, bingo-calling and paint-tweaking the last few weeks that I forgot to mention that I will be showing several pieces at the Definitely Superior Art Gallery in Thunder Bay. I am particularly honoured to have my piece "Miss LoonTrout got a crappy boobjob..." as the main image in the promotional flyer.

There will be performance artists, as well as visual artists.

10 Northwestern Ontario Contemporary Aboriginal Artists;
December 6, 2008 - January 10, 2009.

"NOCAA-10" - Opening: Saturday, December 6 @ 7pm

So. If you're in the neighbourhood, drop by. Let me know if you came to it by the blog post. Thanks.

Click the poster for Def. Sup. "Current Exhibitions" page.



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Tags: Northwestern Ontario Contemporary Aboriginal Artists, Thunder Bay, Definitely Superior Art Gallery, NOCAA 10, Ojibway Art, Native Art, Canadian blog, First Nation, Native blog,Bingorage, Broken Vulture Art, blog,pics