quick Ottawa roadtrip - redux

Helping Helped my sister move into a different place, down in the land of embassies and museums. Here's a pic of an Xmas gift, given to her a couple years ago.
One of the first pieces that incorporated beadwork.



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A set of online Northwest Coast wood carving galleries.
Thanks TC.

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The death of Native Theatre... or, not? An
article by Drew Haden Taylor at THIS Magazine.

One of the Theatres mentioned in the article is Mixed Blood Theatre, in Mpls. They, apparently, accept script submissions. Good luck all you Auteurs.
From the "Get Involved" menu item:

Mixed Blood welcomes submissions of contemporary plays that pursue and realize the company's mission and aesthetic. Mixed Blood uses theatre to address pluralism, usually manifest in race, culture, language, disability, gender, nationality, affectional orientation, and political worldview. Predictably unpredictable, the theatre particularly invites polyglot plays, scripts from the global stage, and work that advances the art form. Send query or query plus 10 pages to Aditi Kapil at Literary@mixedblood.com. Email preferred; snail mail accepted with SASE. Allow 2-3 months for response.

A DHT play, In a World Created by a Drunken God is playing at Thunder Bay's Magnus Theatre, until February 10.
TBSource article.

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A Native actor has finally won the Special Jury Prize for Acting at the Sundance Film Festival. She is Tamara Podemski and you may have seen her in the movies, "Dance Me Outside" and "The Rez" or in the theatre productions of "Rent" in Canada and on Broadway.

Congrats.


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I know that the Children's literature section is huge. Big enough to have a blog dedicated to following Native American inclusions in it, American Indians in Children's Literature.

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There is an overabundance of diabetes in the local Native people's. First Nations across Canada and American Indian Tribes are all dealing with this hangover of the modern diet. So far, so good with my blood sugar, but I don't take it for granted that thet will be stable forever. Found a free, downloadable tracking program for diabetics, in case you could use one. Pass it on.

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Curious about trying a Linux operating system?

I've been trying for a while to get one working; first on my old computer, now on the new box, but still stumped. Maybe this installer will work for you.

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Tags: tamara podemski, drew hayden taylor, sundance, linux, diabetes, ottawa, children's literature, mixed blood theatre, native theatre, native playwright, acrylic painting, beadwork, native art, Bingorage, Broken Vulture Art, blog, pics

Krustayn Versus MechaSasquatch - Overview and update

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Pic clicks for Krustayn Versus Mecha Sasquatch Gallery.
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Latest addition; Beadwork component.


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Random Stuff:

A review of Scalped, a "Sopranos on the Rez" comic series from DC/Vertigo comics, reviewed at BlueCorn Comics. Yeah, I know... not a very politically-correct title.

"Traditional Ojibwa Religion and Historical Changes" at Google Books.

Another LIST; The 50 most loathsome people in America; at The Beast.

If you make music, here's a challenge: Write, create and record an album in 28 days. RPM Challenge.

30 essential (and free) pieces of software, in one spot (The Simple Dollar blog).

A Yellowknife Co-Op is recycling glass.

Young filmmakers shine at film festival. Story at Indian Country, Today; online paper.

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Tags: krustayn versus mecha sasquatch, acrylic painting, canvas, native art, ojibway, first nations art, beadwork, free software, native film, yellowknife, rpm challenge, ojibway religion, scalped, Bingorage, Broken Vulture Art, blog, pics

Perseverance Theatre is an Alaskan Native Theatre troupe that has performed, and will be performing, Macbeth (shhh... the "Scottish play"), in Tlingit.

...At the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, in March.

"Perseverance Theatre (PT) is dedicated to "tapping the potential of Alaska through the passionate creation and presentation of theatre." This mission statement originates in our organizational values: engaging community, pursuing excellence, embracing risk, and seeking self-discovery...
PT is a theater of place which places a special emphasis on working with Alaskan artists. We maintain a local resident acting company and training and development opportunities are an essential element of all our artistic operations. We are also committed to engaging artistic work which speaks directly to the Alaskan experience. Moby Dick (2001) was a World Premiere fusion of Melville with the whaling traditions of the Inupiat Eskimos."

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The "Artist-How-To" page. Looks like one lady's collection of arts and craft tips. Some ebooks for sale, as well. Some useful stuff.

An online film festival, the Streaming Festival, is seeking applications (and video, presumably); February 7, 2007 deadline.

If that interests you, then perhaps the Film Arts Foundation is something that you don't even know you need, yet.

Beware... the megacryometeors.

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Only click on this pic if you want the big, BIG original pic file.
No codes or hidden meanings, just odd stuff cobbled together.



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Tags: pics, perseverance theatre, native theatre, theater, film festival, streaming festival, how to, smithsonian, national museum of the american indian, native art, tlingit, Bingorage, Broken Vulture Art, blog, pics

ammonia and mugs

If this Rolling Stone article doesn't turn you off factory pig-farming, then your stomach's made of thicker iron than mine.

From the R.S. article:

" Taken together, the immobility, poisonous air and terror of confinement badly damage the pigs' immune systems. They become susceptible to infection, and in such dense quarters microbes or parasites or fungi, once established in one pig, will rush spritelike through the whole population. Accordingly, factory pigs are infused with a huge range of antibiotics and vaccines, and are doused with insecticides. Without these compounds -- oxytetracycline, draxxin, ceftiofur, tiamulin -- diseases would likely kill them. Thus factory-farm pigs remain in a state of dying until they're slaughtered. When a pig nearly ready to be slaughtered grows ill, workers sometimes shoot it up with as many drugs as necessary to get it to the slaughterhouse under its own power. As long as the pig remains ambulatory, it can be legally killed and sold as meat. "

*But... remember that small family farms can produce healthy, morally unambiguous pork. Check your local farmer's market.

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For Shawna.
Portrait pic click for larger, detailed photos.










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Random stuff:

kaleidoscope.

Doonesbury's gone all relevant, again

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Click for "Concert Ticket Generator".

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Tags: johnny cash, native art, portraits, digital art, doonesbury, hogs, factory farming, Bingorage, Broken Vulture Art, blog, pics

Ricardo Montalban, unavailable

"Smoke Signals" star, Adam Beach, will be joining the cast of Law and Order: SVU ('Variety' article)!!!!!!!!!!

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From Desert Rock Blog:

Rally to Oppose Desert Rock Power Plant!
Feb 5, 2-3PM
Round House Rotunda (northwest corner of Paseo de Peralta and Old Santa Fe Trail)

-Please Attend and help us show the Legislature we don't want this!
-Deliver a letter to your legislators.
-Come early, as parking near the Round House is very hard to find.

The 2007 New Mexico Legislative Session has begun, and one major, problematic bill
that we expect to be introduced soon is a huge incentive for a giant coal-fired power plant in New Mexico.
This plant will spew over 10 million tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere each year, essentially
wiping out New Mexico's attempts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions for decades to come.

Desert Rock is just one of over 150 coal-fired plants that the cynical coal industry is attempting to rush into construction before Congress imposes limits on greenhouse gas emissions. Protests have erupted across the US to stop these plants, including in conservative states like Texas, where an alliance of mayors is opposing 12 proposed plants.

The company proposing Desert Rock, Sithe Inc., claims the plant will be "clean". Such is not the case: It will still spew over 10 million tons of CO2 per year, and it appears that Sithe is hiding other pollution emissions with misleading analysis and taking credit for emission reductions at other plants.

This IS a renewable energy/energy efficiency issue: Serious development of large-scale "Concentrating Solar Power",
or"CSP" is now possible and is finally beginning in the West. PV is really taking off. We believe a combination of CSP, PV, wind power, and strong efficiency programs could meet most or all of the load growth in the near term. But inappropriate plants such as Desert Rock will suppress that possibility by diverting rate payer money to the wrong places.

A little something to remind yous of summer.

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I met painter Jim Denomie in Minneapolis, about twelve years ago and just re-found him yesterday while surfing. His website is called Wabooz Studio. Great galleries, there.
Here is an interview (w/ audio) with Jim, from late 2005.



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Bockley Gallery pages. Located in Minneapolis. Todd has represented some great Native artists.

New artist directory; Fine Art America.

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open letters and history

Hello Mr. Boshcoff; I am a resident of Fort Frances. I am an artist, a writer and a publisher of my own website. I am concerned by an article that I just read that Minister Maxime Bernier is considering removing "fair use" rights from Canadian Copyright law.
As a producer of content I allow use of my materials by others. As a self-published commentator upon art and culture and occasional critic, I use passages of text from different sources to illustrate my arguements and kudos. If a set of too-restrictive copyright laws are enacted, legitimate free speech could be endangered. When copyright lobbyists lament about the unpaid artists, they are really asking for protection for multinational media corporations that are fighting for a dying distribution paradigm; companies who have already fleeced their artists and wish to pick the bones, in perpetuity.

In short; I hope you would consider challenging the potential loss of "fair use" protections that the government seems to be considering.

Here is the URL for the CBC article:
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2007/01/11/copyright-canada.html

I will republish this email as an open letter on my site (bingorage.blogspot.com), other mp's and perhaps to other "opinions pages".
Thanks.
:Eric

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A similar letter was sent to the Prime Minister's Office. Here are the responses:

Dear Mr. Keast:

On behalf of the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, I would like to thank you for your e-mail, in which you raised an issue which falls within the portfolio of the Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of Industry. The Prime Minister always appreciates receiving correspondence on subjects of importance to Canadians.

Please be assured that the statements you made have been carefully reviewed. I have taken the liberty of forwarding your e-mail to Minister Bernier, so that he too may be made aware of your comments. I am certain that the Minister will give your views every consideration. For more information on the Government's initiatives, you may wish to visit the Prime Minister's Web site, at www.pm.gc.ca.

L.A. Lavell
Executive Correspondence Officer
for the Prime Minister's Office
Agent de correspondance
de la haute direction
pour le Cabinet du Premier ministre

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Dear Eric:

Thank you for your email.

I have received numerous emails on this topic as a result of the CBC report you mentioned and I share your concerns.

Please know that I will be watching closely to see what changes the Conservatives propose to the Copyright Act.

Yours sincerely,

Ken Boshcoff M.P.
Thunder Bay-Rainy River
Room 349, Confederation Building
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6

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A cool flash animation of the spread of the "major' world religions.

Gives a great visual representation of the tenuous nature of religions' areas of influence. As a former archaeological worker and student, I was struck by the similarity to plots of pottery styles spreading out over a geographical area, over hundreds or thousands of years, then ebbing and shrinking as the styles (upon which archaeologists base and name long forgotten "cultures") eventually disappear. The people don't disappear of course, but their tastes in pottery -and religion- wax and wane, over time.



If you cannot see the animation, here is the site.
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Random links:


The 'Prime Directive' is stupid.

The Virtual Museum of Métis History and Culture

Myrtle's Caribou Hair Sculptures (tufting)

Maybe there's hope... Scientists, Evangelicals Battling Global Warming. If we choose to stop the destruction of the earth; that would be a good thing.

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Tags: global warming, climate change, caribou hair tufting, virtual museum of metis history and culture, prime directive, trans humanist, native art, papier mache, paper, painting, history of religion, copyright law, open letter, Bingorage, Broken Vulture Art, blog, pics

stolen paintings in the midwest

" Yes, my home was broken into this evening. A big f##k-you and die to the thieves. In addition to several of Bunky's paintings being stolen, 2 rings valued at over $6000 were stolen, all my media equipment (4 cameras in total), digital voice recorder, 3 camera lenses, printer, and my 46 inch TV. (total loss of almost 15K)

If anyone has any information, please contact the Milwaukee Police at 414-933-4444. And of course to the s##t-heads that stole my stuff...you are going to have really, really, really, really bad karma. I'd like to say that I feel sorry for you, but I don't. Eat s##t and die....

:Alyssa

B>PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE RE-POST!!! "

Update: Jan.11/07-17:47CST:
These paintings are still listed as stolen and missing, as far as I know.
Keep your eyes peeled in the Milwaukee/midwest area.
If you have news / updates of their status, let me know by email, or comments.
I will update this posting, when I find out more.
:Eric

Thanks.

"PeopleOfColor","NapoleonDynamite","LostBoy","ShrekAndWarDonkey"



Bunky Echo Hawk

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Tags: stolen art, native art, bunky echo hawk, milwaukee theft, Bingorage, Broken Vulture Art, blog, pics