Mount Allison University in Sackville was founded in 1839, and along with maintaining its deep historic roots, its focus firmly is in the future - it was one of the first Universities in the country to have a completely wireless campus. I was welcomed warmly by the President of Mount Allison, Dr. Robert Campbell and his wife Christl, and had lunch with them and students, faculty and administrators of the University. I then addressed a large gathering of the Mount Allison community and spoke of my time in Canada as Ambassador and the wonderful relationship that exists between our two countries. I think the deep historic ties that unite our two wonderful countries are nowhere more evident than in the Atlantic Provinces.
But the next may be a step forward. From the Detriot Free Press:Rumored US Ambassador Bad News For Canada
April 7 2005
Counterbias.com
Robert FursPaul Cellucci’s departure from his position as U.S. ambassador to Canada was a joyful day for most self-respecting Canadians. Now that Cellucci, loved by the U.S. administration for his line-toeing and hated by Canadians for his bullying attitude, has moved from telling Canadians what to do, to writing a tell-all book that only self-loathing Canadians (and Canada-hating Americans) will read.
The decision has not yet been made, but reports are surfacing that a replacement for Cellucci is ready to be named. By the time you read this, George W. Bush’s administration may have already appointed Bush buddy David Wilkins as U.S. ambassador to Canada.
Wilkins, a Republican and Speaker of the South Carolina legislature, is even less suited for the job than anyone’s lowest expectations could hope. While Cellucci, being a former governor of liberal Massachusetts, was at least close in proximity to Canada, Wilkins hails from South Carolina, a hell of a distance from the 49th parallel.
The Globe and Mail notes that Wilkins knows “relatively little about his neighbour to the north”, and “has little international or trade experience”. Superb qualifications for the job, no?
Adding even more negativity to the mix: Wilkins will no doubt be a perfect fit for Canada’s progressive socialist paradise. I can’t wait for the first time this religious conservative tells our country that gay marriage is bad, mmkay, marijuana is bad, mmkay, and all us atheists are going to hell.
The National Post reported that Wilkins is also a protectionist, who denounced Canadian softwood producers as having “unfair trade practices” – he was Speaker when South Carolina “passed a bipartisan motion in 2001 calling on the President and the U.S. Congress to uphold trade sanctions” on Canada. This bodes well for what is to come, surely, if Mr. Wilkins is indeed appointed.
Nonetheless, ambassadorships are a plum role more often than not given to loyal allies of the person in charge of doing the hiring – in this case, George W. Bush. Of course, Wilkins has been nothing but a great friend to the president.
He’s raised thousands of dollars for George W.’s two presidential runs, and played a big role in Bush’s wins in South Carolina (the 2000 primary, the 2000 presidential election, as well as the 2004 election as Bush-Cheney ‘04 state campaign chairman). In 2003, Wilkins was a "Ranger" – which meant he raised over $200,000 for Bush.
And as such things go in politics, he must get compensated for his help. These things don’t come free. So, is it safe to say that Bush will be naming Wilkins as ambassador simply because of his steady loyalty and hard work for the Bush family? If only it were so – if only it were so.
The disturbing thing about Wilkins, a tax-cutting, corporate, religious, protectionist conservative being America’s face to Canada, is the fact that, well, he’s got about the worst resume Bush could’ve chosen for someone to be America’s face to Canada.
As a tax-cutting, religious, protectionist conservative, you can bet that Canada will be facing more bullying, more talking down to, and more righteous indignation from Wilkins than we ever received from Paul Cellucci.
It all fits in with Bush’s new face of, rather than working with the world community, choosing to propel the fist of America-first power into foreigner’s faces. It began with choosing Condoleeza Rice as Secretary of State, then anti-U.N’er John R. Bolton as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, neo-conservative ideologue Paul Wolfowitz as head of the World Bank – and now, apparently, David Wilkins as U.S. ambassador to Canada. There’s definitely a pattern here.
If Mr. Wilkins is indeed appointed, as is expected, the upcoming feuds, controversies and outrages should at least prove entertaining, and make everything coming from Massachusetts moderate Paul Cellucci’s mouth pale in comparison.
Granholm good choice for ambassador to Canada, eh?
By TODD SPANGLER
FREE PRESS WASHINGTON STAFF
It’s Inauguration Day here, but in Ottawa, they’re speculating who might be the next U.S. ambassador to Canada.
One name getting mentioned — at least by the Ottawa Sun’s Greg Weston — is none other than Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm. (Although, as Weston also puts it: “Truth is … no one seems to have any idea who will be president-elect Barack Obama's new rep in Canuckistan.”
The columnist opines that most insiders and observers seem to think that “if Canada gets lucky” the choice will be Granholm, herself a native Canadian. As Michigan governor, of course, she is well versed in the issues facing the auto industry — an important one for Canada too — and the Great Lakes.
Granholm, meanwhile, has maintained she is interested in remaining governor, though she is term limited and must leave office in 2011.
If Granholm were to get the Canada posting, she wouldn’t be the first Michigander in the office. Former Michigan Gov. James Blanchard served as U.S. Ambassador to Canada from 1993-96.
I had just been looking up information about Obama visiting Canada on his first state visit and came across a few recent news articles relating to the border crossing. It turns out there are plans to build another bridge about a mile down the river from the Ambassador. Chances are I won't be living South of Detroit in the foreseeable future, so it doesn't affect me directly, but especially if the original Ambassador Bridge will no longer be used (as in Moroun's alternative plan below) it in a way makes it a more important memory...in that retiring a jersey makes it seem more important...but either way it would be interesting to see the bridge from another perspective if I am ever back that way.
The leftmost Canada-bound lane in the middle of the Ambassador Bridge on the border between Detroit, Michigan, United States and Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Latitude 42.311908 Longitude -83.073970. From that spot on the Ambassador Bridge one can see the American and Canadian sides of the Detroit River separating the cities of Detroit and Windsor. The openness of the area, the visually pleasing nature of the waterfronts, and the fact that boats and swimmers are at least physically free to cross the border is symbolic of the fluidity in which I left and returned to Canada many times a year.
I’ve been across the US/Canadian border many times throughout my life but that specific place is important to me because it is where I really thought about the concept of home. Having lived most of my life in the US, but traveling to go “home” to visit family was special for me and formed my view of where my ‘place’ is. The from repetition and being told I was going home, the physical act of being there and seeing the surroundings and crossing the border make me feel at home every time I was there, although until now, except for one year, I had not lived there since I was four years old.
January 15, 2009Downriver Detroit-Canada bridge plan wins OK
But span faces hurdles, possible legal challenges
BY JOHN GALLAGHER and NIRAJ WARIKOO
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERSThe U.S. Department of Transportation has given final environmental clearance to build a new bridge between Detroit and Windsor -- though the project faces considerable hurdles before it becomes a reality.
Technically, the "record of decision" signed by U.S. officials Wednesday allows Michigan to begin acquiring land and planning construction for the new bridge, to be built about a mile downriver from the Ambassador Bridge.
However, the Detroit River International Crossing project must get further approvals from governments on both sides of the border, and it must overcome stiff resistance, including threatened lawsuits, from Manuel (Matty) Moroun, the Warren-based businessman who owns the Ambassador Bridge.
Michigan also would need to acquire land in southwest Detroit's Delray neighborhood, setting up possible battles with residents.
Despite those hurdles, Gregg Ward, the operator of a hazardous-materials ferry between Detroit and Windsor, called the U.S. action "one more positive step toward a new bridge."
The Department of Transportation said that, if approved, the new bridge could open as soon as 2013. But that seems unlikely given the extent of issues yet to be dealt with.
Some state legislators have objected to spending more state money on even planning a new bridge, let alone finding the estimated $1 billion for construction.
Moroun, meanwhile, has pledged for years that he will go to court to block construction of the DRIC bridge project because it would compete with his own plans to build a privately owned bridge next to his Ambassador Bridge.
Dan Stamper, president of Moroun's Detroit International Bridge Co., said Wednesday evening that the U.S. environmental study was flawed and open to challenge.
"I'd say it was a step forward, but they have a long way to go, and they've now opened up their study for people to pick it apart," he said.
Asked whether Moroun's company would go to court to stop the DRIC project, Stamper said, "We haven't waived any of our rights to protect our business."
Meanwhile, former state Rep. Steve Tobocman, who represented the southwest Detroit area for the past six years, said planning for the bridge must include ways to mitigate the impact on the Delray community.
"Obviously, there's going to be some pollution," he said. "There's going to be more truck traffic and noise and vibrations and air-quality concerns. We're going to be sure we can work to create community benefits."
Residents and business owners in the area generally support the project, said state Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who succeeded Tobocman.
"The southwest Detroit community has been in support of the Detroit River International Crossing from the beginning because they've been included in the discussions," Tlaib said.
Tlaib and others also see the project as a way to help revitalize southwest Detroit and the region by creating businesses and jobs.
Debra Williams, 61, a resident of the Delray area, said she supports the project, but hopes officials provide help for any homeowners who might be displaced, address environmental concerns and create greenways along with jobs.
The U.S. government's environmental review for the Detroit side of the project began in March 2003. The project is a joint effort by four units of government: Michigan, Ontario and the U.S. and Canadian federal governments.
A similar review of environmental impacts on the river's Canadian side conducted earlier this year by Ontario and Transport Canada is nearing completion.
The politics of bridge building are complicated on both sides of the border. On the U.S. side, conservatives contend that Moroun, as a private businessman offering to pay his own way, should be allowed to build his second bridge at no cost to taxpayers.
But Canadians oppose Moroun's plans. They say any new international border crossing should be publicly owned, as would the DRIC project. And, they said, Moroun's plans to twin the Ambassador Bridge would disrupt neighborhood life in Windsor.
For years, Windsor politics has been roiled by protests to the stream of trucks coming from Canada's 401 expressway down Huron Church Road through Windsor to the Ambassador Bridge. A new Moroun bridge, critics have said, would only worsen that problem.
The Canadian government passed a law in 2007, the International Bridges and Tunnels Act, which asserts control over any new international border-crossing projects.
Even if Canadian federal authorities approve Moroun's plans, Windsor city officials have pledged to block him from building a new bridge.
The Ambassador Bridge, opened in 1929, has been privately owned for many years by Moroun, head of a trucking and real estate network. Moroun's company wants to build a six-lane span next to the four-lane Ambassador, close the old bridge, conduct maintenance and reopen it for only emergencies and special events.
With hundreds of billions of dollars in U.S. and Canadian trade crossing the Ambassador each year, mainly in the form of auto parts, the Detroit-Windsor crossing ranks as one of the most important trade links on an international border in the world. The bridge had nearly 3 million crossings in 2008.
Planners for the DRIC project rejected almost all of the possible routes, including a twinning of the Ambassador Bridge, because of impacts on Detroit and Windsor residents. They narrowed their list to the single crossing spot approved Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Contact JOHN GALLAGHER at 313-222-5173 or gallagher@freepress.com.
Additional Facts
U.S. pushes ahead with new bridge
Windsor Star
Friday, January 16, 2009A new bridge that will link Windsor and Detroit crossed a key hurdle late Wednesday when the U.S. government gave final environmental approval for the multi-billion-dollar project.
The decision allows the State of Michigan to begin property acquisitions and design work.
"It's a key milestone to ensure this project moves towards construction," Doug Hecox, spokesman for the U.S. Department of Transportation, said Thursday. "This signifies, as far as the U.S. government is concerned, all environmental reviews have been completed," Hecox said. "This has been a pretty rigorous process. What this decision does is indicate everything looked at is fine."
The bridge will link the downriver industrial communities of Brighton Beach, in Windsor's west end, and Delray.
Construction of the bridge, plazas and roads to Highway 401 on the Canadian side and I-75 in Detroit is expected to cost about $5 billion. It will create an estimated 12,000 jobs on the Canadian side.
The Detroit River International Crossing project still needs state, provincial, local and Canadian government approval before construction can begin.
The Ambassador Bridge -- which has a competing proposal to build a twin span -- has said it may take court action to block the new crossing.
Bridge president Dan Stamper could not be reached Thursday for comment, but told the Star last week he believes the DRIC process has "fatal flaws."
"We have no information on that and generally don't comment on litigation," Hecox said.
He said the bridge should not be looked at as a replacement for the Ambassador Bridge since there will be plenty of traffic for both crossings.
"This has been a long time coming and will help improve traffic flow in the Detroit-Windsor area. It can't come soon enough," Hecox said.
"It will augment the area so people won't have to wait as long to cross. Waiting is something economically on both sides we can't afford anymore."
Construction of the bridge is expected to begin in 2010 and be completed by 2013.
The approval by Washington turns over the lead on the DRIC bridge project to the Michigan Department of Transportation.
MDOT spokesman Bill Shreck said property purchases on the Detroit side are unlikely to begin until summer.
Preliminary indications are that 257 residential dwelling units, 43 active businesses, and nine non-profit entities will need to be bought out.
"This is extremely positive," said MP Brian Masse (NDP -- Windsor West) whose riding includes the site for the new bridge. "I didn't know it was this advanced. It's a signal Washington is very serious about getting a span built through this process. It's reassuring that on their side there are no hiccups.
"Over 75 years ago, they created a rail tunnel, vehicle tunnel and Ambassador Bridge at a time when there were no transport trucks or as many commuters. But they had the foresight to lay the groundwork that helped make this a manufacturing base for decades.
"We need this to happen for the sake of the next 50 to 100 years. If we fail there will be negative consequences for decades. This is our opportunity to seize and make it a reality."
A Transport Canada official called the environmental approval "another significant milestone" for the DRIC partnership.
"It's critical because this is an end-to-end solution that will need approvals from all levels of government," said spokesman Mark Butler.
The DRIC process is in the midst of a 32-week review by Ontario's environment ministry and a parallel review by federal environmental authorities, he said.
The two sides are hoping to issue a joint approval sometime this summer. A key hurdle will be whether the city can iron out differences with the Ontario government over how much of a new $1.6-billion feeder highway in Windsor should be tunnelled.
"The final decision will either say 'go ahead,' or 'no it can't go ahead because of significant adverse effects' or it will be referred to a tribunal or mediator," Butler said.
Mayor Eddie Francis said the city has been working closely with Ottawa because the feds must acquire city property in Brighton Beach for the bridge and plaza.
"We are very comfortable with those discussions taking place," he said. "We hope soon the federal government can make a similar announcement."
TWIN SPAN PROJECT
The fate of Ambassador Bridge owner Matty Moroun's twin span proposal remains uncertain. The U.S. Coast Guard station in Cleveland was assigned as lead authority on whether a federal permit will be issued to the billionaire transportation mogul in the U.S.
But a top Coast Guard official in Cleveland said Thursday the application was recently taken over by Coast Guard authorities in Washington and would not comment on its status. Moroun has been lobbying the Bush administration heavily to also give him final approval before he departs on Tuesday. One source suggested the administration may do that.
Lindsay Boyd, chairman of the Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce, said the chamber has worked closely with counterparts in Detroit to push DRIC forward.
The local chamber supports DRIC and Moroun's proposal, he said.
"If we have two, what's to stop this region from being the next Chicago or Boston?" Boyd said. "But (the DRIC bridge) would be the biggest single shot in the arm we need to start in terms of the jobs it would bring, getting us past this downturn and giving Windsor time to reinvent itself economically.
"This is excellent news and brings it that much closer to the reality of getting shovels in the ground. There is one less thing to worry about now with the federal approval given in the U.S."
State transportation director Kirk Steudle said construction on the Michigan side is expected to create 10,000 jobs and 30,000 indirect jobs.
"This is a significant milestone," he said. "Once built, the new crossing system will boost U.S. and Canadian trade by expanding the busiest trade corridor in the western hemisphere.
"We will be building the most modern border crossing system in the world."
Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson -- who joined with Francis last summer on Detroit's waterfront to lend his powerful political support in favour of the DRIC bridge over Moroun's proposal -- also applauded the decision in Washington.
"This great news could not come at a better time," he said in a statement. "Construction of this new crossing will be a huge stimulus to our sagging economy. The green light has been turned on. Let's get going."
- - -
IN THEIR WORDS
"The new border crossing system empowers Michigan's economic recovery and revitalization .... An expanded Detroit-Windsor border crossing system will benefit every traveller who relies on safe, efficient border crossings." - Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm
"It makes me feel wonderful. I know there are a lot of obstacles to come, but I think governments will do the job on this in these economic times. I thought the waiting period would be longer ... but it looks like it went through with flying colours" - Activist Mary Ann Cuderman
Do you like rock music? My view is simple and it is this: good rock music expresses one or the other of two primary human impulses: sex and violence. Especially good rock music touches on both sex and violence. Now of course pretty much all cultural and artistic practices and content address the transcendental human problem of uncertainty. Hence the great themes of culture: love and hate, birth and death, survival and nothingness. And good rock music provides a ceaseless energetic, assertive and contemporary flow of strategies for addressing the basic uncertainties of life and for accessing and constructing life.
President Campbell rocks Brunton — Jan. 28
2009-01-12 15:48:47SACKVILLE, NB — Brunton Auditorium will hold a capacity crowd at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, January 28 as Robert Campbell, President and Vice-Chancellor of Mount Allison, gives a public lecture entitled “Do You Like Rock Music?: The Enduring Attractions, Complexities and Frustrations of Contemporary Popular Music.” Everyone is welcome to attend and there is no admission charge.
Perhaps this seems a surprising lecture topic from a man known, especially quite recently, for his research on postal systems. However, Dr. Campbell is also an aficionado, and indeed an expert, on contemporary popular music, something which many students, faculty, and community members might not know about him. With an encyclopedic knowledge and an extensive collection of pop music recordings, Dr. Campbell holds his own next to the best popular music scholars.
When reflecting on his own love affair with music, Dr. Campbell identifies two “lives” — one in the mid to late 1960s and the other from the late 1970s onwards. He is not just a collector of recordings, but during these periods has witnessed landmark concert performances, from the Beach Boys and Cream in Montreal to the first London concert by UB40 and the Clash. This love of music has become a family affair; Dr. Campbell has attended over a dozen live concerts with his children in Toronto, a year of club shows in Amsterdam, and plans next summer to see the likes of Blur in Hyde Park. He says his favourite individual pop artists of recent times are Paul Weller (The Jam, The Style Council), Damon Alburn (Blur), Thom Yorke (Radiohead), and reports that the most space on his iPod is currently populated by New Order, Radiohead, and Manic Street Preachers. His talk on January 28 takes its title from the third album of Brighton-based band British Sea Power, and reflects on the nature of the contemporary popular music scene.
Elizabeth Wells, head of the music department, comments, “We are delighted to welcome Dr. Campbell to our speaking series to expand our offerings on music from a wide variety of cultural contexts. Although some people associate the ‘conserv’ strictly with classical music, we also offer courses in jazz, musical theatre, and most recently, the Beatles. Dr. Campbell’s talk enhances our dialogue with the community on what matters and intrigues us about music of all kinds.”
Dr. Campbell’s talk will take place on Wednesday, January 28 at 4 p.m. in Brunton Auditorium. Like all Colloquium Musicum events, it is free and open to all.
—30—
Photo caption: Mount Allison University President Dr. Robert Campbell will present a public lecture on pop music on January 28 at 4 p.m. in Brunton Auditorium.
University president by day, Radiohead fan by night
Published Monday January 26th, 2009
Music Robert Campbell added to school's music department speaking series as a punk power pop aficionado
A1SACKVILLE - He's a typical suit and tie wearing university president known for his public policy insights a career in academia and a fondness for researching postal systems.
But that isn't the Mount Allison University president students will see this week.
Robert Campbell, a Radiohead fanatic with a history of club hopping around the world, will talk about what he does after the university day ends.
In a lecture on the Sackville campus, the man who conducted a review of Canada Post will tell all about his concert-going days when he was in Montreal clubs with the Beach Boys and Cream and a decade later in London to witness the Clash during the emergence of punk.
He and his family also recently took a sabbatical in Amsterdam to spend nights hanging out in the power pop scene.
"It's a private life thing, but in this particular case it might be fun," Campbell said. "But I'm a public policy guy, not a musicologist."
His name has been added to the school's music department speaking series as a punk power pop aficionado.
A Montrealer growing up in the 1960s, Campbell took to live concerts to see the Rolling Stones, the Beach Boys and James Brown when they first began their touring rounds.
But with his teenage days then behind him, he launched into an academic career.
"And that might have been the end of the story for me," he said. "As adults you get up, you get serious, you have a career, you have kids and then, dare I say it, you go to the Eagles concert 40 years later."
But Campbell decided to get his Ph.D. at the University of London in the late 1970s.
The British punk scene took form and pulled him in.
"That to me was like I won the jackpot," Campbell said.
"I was a graduate student with lots of time on my hands. I could go to clubs, I could travel around, I was anonymous enough as a student to do these sorts of things."
He saw the Clash, the Skids and UB40 live in small British clubs.
"I was smack dab in the middle of the British invasion and pop explosion and that was an epidemic," he said.
"From the late 70s on it's been a part of my life ever since."
Campbell has a regular flow of British power pop delivered to him in the mail, music he gets to listen to during his morning jog or on airplanes to conferences.
His iPod is currently filled with New Order, Radiohead, and the Manic Street Preachers, part of what he says is 95 per cent British post punk and power pop, with some electronic work mixed in.
His favourite bands of last year include Vampire Weekend, an American indie rock band, and Ting Tings, an English pop duo.
"I like relatively aggressive, lively music," Campbell said of his tastes.
"It has to fit with my morning run through the Sackville marsh."
He doesn't crowd surf, isn't the owner of a litany of black T-shirts, and you won't find him in the pit of bodies mashed together in front of the stage, but certain concerts will move Campbell to buy plane tickets and assemble his family.
With four university-aged children, two studying in Holland, and a wife equally passionate about music, a concert is the perfect means to meet up.
The 2008 summer break found the family in Amsterdam to see Radiohead. A few years earlier, on sabbatical he saw more than 30 shows in small Amsterdam clubs.
Campbell already has tickets for the family to see Blur in Hyde Park after school's out this summer.
"It's definitely a family thing for us," Campbell said.
Campbell's lecture, scheduled for Wednesday, will focus on his world tour of concerts, talk about why we listen to the music we do, as well as taking a look into the nature of the contemporary music scene.
"One of the attractions of rock 'n' roll is its energy and I think each generation of kids has to come up with a strategy on how to survive and how to access the world," he said.
"There are different strategies on how to do that. University is one, politics is another, getting socially engaged, and then music is another."
Happy New Year, everyone. That's a somewhat belated greeting, I know, but life's been busy for a while. All that vacationing and textbook buying and settling in and whatever else. My apologies.
You last hear from me in Kingston. From there I meandered my way back to Sackville and I moved back into residence on Sunday, the 4th of January.
It's nice to be back in Sackville ... I think. It was definitely good to get out for a couple of weeks but, for the time being at least, it's home and it's always good to be home. I was thinking about it, and there are only two things that made the places I stayed at during the break not home (while my room in res in Sackville is) and those were: living out of a bag and having left my towel in my room in Thornton. I hate living out of a bag, and using a towel that isn't my own is ... unsatisfying. Not in terms of hygiene or anything like that ... but because I like my towels and I missed mine. So ... home is where your towel is? I'm beginning to think so. This also stays in line with the eternal wisdom of Douglas Adams who says that the towel is the "most massively useful" thing one can own and that anyone who can "hitch the length and breadth of the Galaxy, rough it ... win through, and still know where his towel is, is clearly a man to be reckoned with." I missed my towel.
School started on the 6th, and so today completes our first full week of classes. The first week isn't really very intense because people are still trying to register and drop the class and profs are spending a lot of time introducing the class and handing out the syllabus and whatever else. The Winter semester does seem to pick up speed a lot faster than the Fall term, though. I had my first three hour lab today (not counting the one I had to TA last week) dissecting a lamprey. That's for my class Comparative Chordate Anatomy. My other classes are: Evolution, Animal Physiology, Ecological Genetics and Cultural Geography. I'm making up for only being able to take on Biology class last semester by taking four this term. We'll see how that turns out. It's certainly going to be a hell of a lot more work. I'm expecting it all to be very interesting, though.
Other than new classes and a few new people around, life is pretty much the same. Winter is starting to get comfortable. It's (supposedly) -17 C tonight. The forecast says that we're going to have sub-zero temperatures the rest of the week. Quite honestly, anything above 0 C seems improbable, but it's definitely reasonable to be grateful for single-digit temperatures.
I've also managed to pick up a Back-to-School-Flu which arrived with depressing punctuality. It started on Friday morning, picked up speed through the day, and was in full form on Saturday which meant I spent most of the weekend curled up in bed reading and drinking tea. Aside from the fact that I feel sick, I don't really mind. It's nice to have an excuse to sit in bed and read a book and drink tea and drug myself into symptom-free happiness. Really though, I want to beat this flu into submission before it beats me.
On that note, I think I'm going to go home. Oh, right. I forgot to mention that my computer is still out of commission and so, for now, I'm going to have to use the lab for all my computing purposes. This may mean slightly more irregular blogging than what I (attempt to) do during the school year (i.e. every Saturday morning). I'll try to be good.
I hope everyone has a stellar week.
I've been trying to figure out how I was going to write this post. I didn't want to do the regular "Here are 99 reasons to become a Mountie!" That seems too...not me? I'm sure I could hammer out 99 reasons to go to Mount A, but by the end they would probably be "Because we're awesome!" "Because I'm here!" "Because you didn't get in anywhere else!" Exactly, not the best reasons (except for me. I'm a great reason to go to Mount A.)My dad suggested I do a list of reasons not to go to Mount A, a reverse list of sorts. I worked on that for a bit, but again, it just wasn't feeling right. I know, it seems odd, usually these blogs are pretty random. I sit down, start off on a tangent and finish up with a semi-clear post. But this one has actually had some thought go into it. The post itself probably won't reflect that, but hey, I tried!Why go to Mount A? When I was choosing what university to go to, the most important piece of advice I got from my parents was to go somewhere where I would be most comfortable. I had never heard that. Nowadays everyone is focused on school's reputations, how great their academics are, what kind of athletic programs they offer, etc. I'm not saying those things aren't important, but the comfort factor is, in my opinion, the most important one. You could go to the "best" university in the country, but if you aren't comfortable, if you aren't able to engage in your classes, to branch out and meet new people, are you really in the right place? Choosing a university is so much more than choosing a school. You're choosing your home for the next four years. I spent 8 months out of the year in Sackville at Mount A. I love coming back to Burlington, but more and more, I feel like Sackville is becoming my home.I have a friend who went to school in the Mid-West, far away from Burlington and his family and friends from here. He was telling me how hard it was to be that far from Vermont. However, one of his friends at school told him that all of his friends at school considered him family and while they weren't technically related, they were there for him, like family. It's corny, I know, but for those people, like myself, who are far away from home, your friends do become your family. At Thanksgiving, most of Thornton stayed in residence, so we had a gigantic potluck on Sunday night. I was amazed not only by the number of people who turned up, but by how homey it felt. Everyone brought what they could, the food was amazing, and we all just sat around eating and hanging out. That was one of things I told all of the new students when they arrived in September. Your residence and your friends there do become like a replacement family for you. Your Dons are your parents, RA's become older brothers and sisters, and House Exec are...your best friend who always wants to have a good time.In looking back at my choice, I sometimes second guess myself. Did I make the right choice? Should I have picked another school? But I always come back to the same answer. Mount A was the best choice. There are so many things that I've been able to do in my short time in Sackville that I would not have been able to do at other universities. For example, early this school year, I was running in the morning in the Waterfowl Park. It was a grey, gloomy day, and I didn't expect to see anyone else out there. Instead, I ran into (not literally) the President, Dr. Campbell, out for his daily morning run. Not only did he know my name, but he stopped and chatted with me for a bit, teased me for listening to rap music when I ran, and told me to stop by his office to pick up his running music, New Order. Sure enough, when I went by on Monday, he had left two CDs for me, with a note detailing his favorite tracks. That experience has stuck with me. I talk to my friends at other universities and they can't imagine a school that small. But that's the beauty of Mount A. That's why I can't wait to get back. And those are my 99 reasons why you should go to Mount A.
It seems like forever since I've written but I guess when you're busy time just flies. Hard to believe that we're only a couple of weeks into the semester. I feel as though I have so much work to do when in fact it is still very little. It likely feels this way since I am also trying to get my applications out for fall programs. The deadlines approach so fast that you can hardly believe it. All I can say is one step at a time and everything will get done in time.
Besides having to get those applications out I am having a hard time balancing my school work with everything else that seems to be coming up to be done or to focus on instead of sitting and doing work. Its been an exciting time with all the coverage of Barack Obama's inauguration and the announcement of Oscar contenders for this year. I made a strategic plan as to when I was going to work and when I was going to take time for myself to see friends and have fun. It started out well last week, I did everything on the days I scheduled and I was on track with my work. Friday was a turning point. One of my classes was canceled because my professor was ill. This through off all my plans for the day. I had only brought enough work for two hours and now it had turned into six before the girls I car pool with would be heading home. I had to improvise; I started working ahead of my schedule which sounds good in theory, but ended up throwing me off for the entire weekend. Friday night I knew was going to be a write off as I was going to see Robocop as a midnight movie with Jamie (the boyfriend) and some friends. Of course a midnight movie means getting home in the early hours and sleeping in late. I did start working on Saturday but plans arose for dinner out with friends, which lead to watching a movie at at friend's place and then going home to bed. Sunday wasn't too bad I worked in the morning and headed off to a baby shower in the afternoon...now that's a reality check, to see one of your close friends having their first baby (hard to believe that my friends are at that point in their lives). So here we are today, my afternoon class still being canceled because of illness so I'm working away to catch up on what should have been done sooner. So on my stress level-o-meter I'm at about a 6. Once I have my first application out and some work caught up I will be less stressed.
I decided to share one thing that always makes me feel happy in times of stress...enjoy the video!
Until next time,
Victoria
on a side note....don't forget the How Green are you? video campaign. Deadlines are Feb 15. For more info go to http://www.mta.ca/environment/
Life Through My Eyes- Walk a mile...
Tomorrow, it will be two weeks that I've been back at MTA and I'm already looking at a pretty busy calendar. For example, this weekend was packed with fun events and there's even more to come.
On Friday, some friends and I celebrated two of my friend's birthdays. About 20 or so people came and more people drifted in and out as the evening wore on. We began with loads of food - chips, salsa, candy, drinks, etc. Nothing healthy of course. Then the cakes came out and the birthday girls blew out all the candles (and refused to tell us what they wished for). Then we danced for about two hours and then we all watched MAMMA MIA! Yes, I know it's a complete chick flick and has no real point to it but it just makes you happy! Especially when you watch it with other girls who'll sing just as loud as you. The boys of course left, except for two who were brave enough to stay behind (though one of them mentioned today that they still have 'Mamma Mia' stuck in their head). At the end of the movie, we replayed our favourite scenes and danced along. It was great exercise and we were all gasping for breath at the end. Good times. (In the picture above, that's me holding the cake - you can slightly see my arms)
Then on Saturday, there was a pool party for our house but I couldn't make it unfortunately. I heard it was a lot of fun though! That night, there was a concert at George's, which is part of Stereophonic. Stereophonic is an annual event put on by CHMA Radio (MTA's radio) in which various artists and bands come to sing and play in Sackville for about 5 days. None of the concerts overlap so you can go straight from one to the other! I only managed to attend the one on Saturday and it was fantastic! Groups like The Stance, Shotgun Jimmie, The Stolen Minks and the Tom Fun Orchestra came and played. It was pretty much a full house and the atmosphere was definitely invigorating.
It was a great weekend and this weekend, there's more stuff coming up! Like 'FAME! The Musical!' Which is put on by the Garnet and Gold Society and is always something to see. They put on a show every year and it's usually worth going if you can! Last year, it was Cinderella and they did an awesome job. Then on the 30th, there's the Free the Children Fashion Show which I'll be in, modeling and posing (I have to learn how to walk all over again apparently).
It seems that no matter how small Sackville seems to be, there's always something going on! Keep posted for more updates!
The transition from high school to university was, in many ways, refreshing. It was like the slate was wiped clean and I could be whomever I wanted to be. I didn't have to worry about any more drama erupting which so often happened in high school. I didn't have to worry about cliques, or bullying because none of that exists anymore. That's what I hated most about high school - the constant "grouping" of people and how people thought they were superior to others. To me, popularity doesn't exist and never has... but it wasn't always that I saw life in this perspective.
***
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
She stood in the cafeteria line, conscious of her surroundings, yet wouldn't make eye contact with anyone. She shifted her weight from foot to foot. She kept her head down and continuously coughed to rationalize her silence. I watched as she tried to make conversation with a group of girls in front of her. I could tell she worked up a lot of courage to get words out, only to get shut down. They rejected her, thinking they were superior and this girl didn't live up to the privilege to be talked to. I watched this girl and my heart ached for her.
I had seen her in the hallway, alone. I had seen her eating lunch a few times, alone. So here she was again, in the lunch line, alone. I tapped her on the shoulder and smiled, "I really like your sweater! Where'd you get it?" She looked down and stuttered over her words. I could tell in her voice she was emotionally damaged. I continued to make conversation with her and she left the lunchline with a smile on her face.
I was glowing inside, knowing that I shon a little light on her day.
So what is popularity? Why do people feel superior than others? Why do people look down upon others? So, some people wear hand-me-downs, and maybe don't wear makeup. Is that any reason to snub them in the hallway or bully them?
I think I just realized this recently. I mean, everyone realizes it but never does anything to make it better. So, how about not being one of those people who look down at others? Why not partner up with that person in Biology class who sits in the corner? That person who always gets picked last for teams... why not pick that person first? Why not go out of your way to smile and say hi to a person who looks like they need it. It could make their day a whole lot better, maybe even their life.
So before you make fun of that person who doesn't quite seem to fit in, put yourself in their shoes... and maybe you should talk to them, instead of talking about them. Let them know you care.
I care. Do you?
Hello Buckaroos,I know I promised that I would be posting regularly on Mondays. However, I have a massive paper due tomorrow for my Canadian Modernism course. I am still working on it. Much to my chagrin (as my Dad likes to say). Ho-hum. In the mean-time, here is an interesting photograph that I saw today. There are two things that I couldn't help but notice1. The pac-man sticker eating Obama's apple logo. How sweet is that?2. The photographer's effort to symbolically image the young senator as a new face for the changing values of traditional Americana. Notice any similarities between this image and those famous Uncle Sam posters? What does Obama want? Well, this photo has put it all on the proverbial table: youth, enthusiasm, a progressive attitude, liberalism, snazzy blue ties, etc. He is change. He is not the same Uncle Sam that saw the US through the War of 1812. His agenda is fresh, and will not demand that you buy bonds. Obama has become the national personification of what the United States needs to be in this new era. Sure, Uncle Sam was a fictional character, but he still represented something bigger than himself. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe my essay has forced me into an overly-analytic mood. I'm no political science student, but I like what I see...So, check back tomorrow night and I promise I will have an update for you at that time. It has been a good week, so I have lots to say.Kellenkdbarrett@mta.ca
Pudding pudding pudding,
It's been ages, I know. Here's the trouble: whenever one takes more than a few days to get around to writing one of these things, one begins to think that one should make up for the delay by providing one's readership with something truly epic in scope. The longer one waits, the less adequately epic one's adventures seem to be.
This is not to say that good times have not been had. Most prominently, perhaps, in terms of things that might interest you, Stereophonic just wrapped up.
Stereophonic is this big shiny crazy happy mid-winter music festival put on by CHMA in the shire every year. It features a whole lot of different performers playing in a whole lot of different venues over the course of a weekend and then also some weekdays just to be cheeky.
Confession #1: I only went to two shows this year.
Confession #2: That was one more than I went to last year.
I know, I know, I'm supposed to be the big live music nerd. I have a reputation to uphold. But if there's one thing I love to do even more than upholding my reputation, it's failing to meet expectations. In any case, the two shows I went to sure were swell.
The first was on Friday evening at the Vogue, and began with a performance by a young man whose name I forget but who sang a rather charming little song about a halfway house, accompanied by really impressive facial gesticulations. (And no, the word "expressions" would not be more accurate in this case. The dude was unmistakeable gesticulating. With his face. Which I suppose is a good thing to be able to do if you play an instrument which occupies your hands. The funny thing is, he didn't gesticulate with his hands or his face when talking in between songs.) Following him we had a lovely little dose of local fella Al Tuck.
Confession #3: This was my first time seeing Al Tuck perform. Shameful, brothers and sisters, shameful.
Anyhow. Al Tuck turned out to be quite the charming dude I've always been told he was, so that was nice, and then we heard from a guy I had seen before, Mount Allison's own Pat LePoidevin.
Confession #4: If it were not for Facebook, I would almost certainly have spelled Pat's last name hugely, hilariously, humiliatingly incorrectly.
Pat played some songs I'd heard before and some songs I hadn't. Of particular note: the story of a musical encounter with a wise polar bear named George. Swoon. (Oh my goodness the internet knows about it already! Funnily enough, it seems that that footage was taken by my fellow blogger Geoff. Crazycakes!)
Speaking of people who make me swoon, Julie Doiron was next on the bill. If you are not yet aware of/in love with Julie Doiron, I submit the following for your consideration:
Definitely somebody Sackville has reason to be proud of. She's lovely, just lovely, hopping around the stage in her sockfeet, sweetly ranting about bicycle theft in between songs. (By the way, if you stole Julie Doiron's bicycle, you should know that the brakes don't work. Unfortunately, this discredits my theory that my own bicycle is safe from theft simply because it barely works.)
Now, as gorgeous as all of the aforementioned folks were, my real reason for crawling out of my hobbit hole for this particular show was yet to come...and his name was Old Man Ludecke.
Confession #5: I may have cried a bit when he played Willie P. Bennett's Caney Fork River.
Now, there are many good things to be said about the Vogue Cinema, but you can't say it's the most dance-friendly venue in the shire, what with the permanently affixed seating and all. Nonetheless, that sweet little man with his sweet little banjo got us all up on our feet for the last few songs, cheerfully jostling each other in the aisles as we shared what little space there was.
Confession #6: I definitely bumped heads with a shadowy figure at the back of the theatre during one of the intermissions.
Confession #7: It turned out to be my employer. Oops.
Walking home from the theatre, my friend Charlotte remarked that the evening had been a huge renewal of faith for her: specifically, faith that people can be drawn to participate in simple, beautiful things if given the opportunity. I thought that summed up the overall feeling the evening left me with quite well.
The next morning there was a "Pancakes for Parkinson's" fundraiser at the Anglican Church, which was nice because I like pancakes and my room-mate likes toppings, so we went together and were well breakfasted. Then at 2:00 PM, I was back at the Vogue once more for the second of the two Stereophonic shows I chose to partake of this year: the Bluegrass Jam. Although it was the same venue and lighting set-up as the previous evening's entertainment, the atmosphere was quite different. Rather than being a crowd of students with the occasional adult, this was a crowd of seniors with a tiny smattering of younger folks, most of whom were connected to the radio station. Apparently this was the first specifically bluegrass show in the festival's 6-year history, and it definitely seems like it was about time. As the fella who produces the Buegrass Jam show on CHMA remarked into the mic,
"Bluegrass fans are probably some of CHMA's most dedicated listeners. I know this because any time we have a mix-up with the Jam we get big bunches of you calling in to tell us right away."
I had been particularly excited for this show because, while there are frequent bluegrass shows in the Sackville area, they tend to be a touch outside of the student transportation/price range. As I mentioned earlier regarding the Blues Society nights at George's, student shows are nice, but multi-generational shows are better. Bringing bluegrass into the Stereophonic schema is awesome. Thanks for doing that, Stereophonic people. Looking forward to more next year!
The next day was Sunday, and I was relieved to wake up to snow, because it was a pleasant change from it being just plain bitter fucking cold all the time. To quote Dr. Blagrave:
"In Sackville we can be reasonably assured that the weather is going to suck tomorrow, and that it's going to suck a different way the day after that."
Anyhow. The day increased in awesome when I got a call from a nice boy named Tim (who happens to be in Dr. Blagrave's class with me, funnily and irrelevantly enough), inviting me to a drum circle which I could hear over the telephone was already in progress. So I bundled up and headed on over. I wound up playing my knees more than I played any actual drums. This is not to say that there was a shortage of drums, just that I am mindbogglingly sucks at maintaining a decent beat on anything that is not my own person. Between the Old Man Ludeke show and this, I seem to have given myself a lot of tiny cute bruises on my thighs, but whatever. Totally worth it, and byt the end of the afternoon I had actually worked my way up to an egg shaker, and then a real drum. All in all, it's nice to have friends who have drum circles and like you enough to call you up when they're happening. You should try is some time!
At some point that has been lost in the fuzzy excitement of my formatting-addled mind, I finished, in a humble, drafty sense, a script I have been working on for the better part of the past two years. I'm feeling equal parts relieved and terrified about this. The relief is probably fairly obvious, but the terror comes in right after it and tells me, in a voice like every girl who understood the ways of the world infinitely better than I in middle school, that if I think the hard part is over now, I am an idiot. Then it kicks me in the face. Then it tells me to get back to work. Then I do.
To that end: I dropped the script off at the bookstore to be photocopied this morning. Friends are coming over to read it out loud on Saturday night. As soon as I can stop not liking the idea of everybody hating this thing I've been dodging their company to work on for the past as-long-as-I've-known-anybody-I-know-here-and-then-some, I'll be fine. This of course means that I'm going to be having an ongoing aneurysm of the soul for the rest of the forseeable future, I think. That'll be okay, so long as it's a productive one, right?
The only problem with writing is that it makes you like, completely disgusting. Oh well.
By the by, to tide you over if I take too long between entries again (because I know you're like, 100% dependent on my daily observations), it might interest you to know that I also maintain this here twitter account. So, you know, you can keep updated on the important stuff, like when I misplace kitchen utensils and completely fail to not be an embarrassing internet fangirl dork. BECAUSE YOU NEED TO KNOW THAT OR THEY WON'T LET YOU INTO THIS SCHOOL.
Seriously.
Okay, this is just getting silly. I love you, pudding. I love you possibly more than I love pudding, although now that I mention that, I sure haven't eaten pudding in a long time, and that's a shame.
NO MORE SILLINESS, EMMET!
Fine, fine. But I love pudding. Ambiguously.
More Life (and pudding),
Emmet
After an amazing and dynamic vacation, it was finally time to return to Sackville and to Mt. Allison for more university adventures! Last Sunday I flew from Vancouver to Toronto, and then from Toronto to Moncton. I then took a cab from Moncton to Sackville. After a long day of travel, I crashed back onto my Sackville bed and slept.
On Tuesday, classes started for the second semester. I always love the first week of classes - it's very exciting. You get to meet new professors and get excited about learning new material. You also get to meet up with all of your friends and hear all of their amazing holiday stories. The other cool thing about the first week is that everyone is NOT stressed out. The last time we all saw each other was in December, a time when everyone was worried about exams. This week, everyone is relaxed and refreshed. Also, no one really has too much work or reading to do this week, so we can all go out at night for dinner and talk, drink, dance, and have fun.
This is going to be another insanely busy semester for me, but I am looking forward to it. I am doing more studies in music theory and history as well as composition. I am also taking a really cool course in the history of musical theatre taught by the amazing and hilarious Dr. Elizabeth Wells, who is the head of the music department here. For one of my drama credits, I am assistant directing a play called Blood Relations, written by Canadian playwright Sharon Pollock. It explores the infamous life of Lizzie Borden, who in 1892 was on trial for the murder of her parents by the use of sticking an axe in their heads. Although she was eventually acquitted, many still speculate she was actually guilty. This week we started doing some readings with the cast and started to discuss characters. It is already jumping off the page! I am very excited to see where it all goes. The show opens in the first week of April.
Yesterday was my 21st birthday, which was pretty awesome! My dream would have been to go to Vegas, get drunk, and marry a Vegas showgirl; however, that just wasn't in the cards (no pun intended)! Instead, I was at the Windsor Theatre helping run the annual Evening of Monologues, which gives students a chance to get up on stage and perform a monologue for an audience in a casual workshop-like environment. I have been organizing the event with my friend Breanna over the past few months, and last night was the culmination of our work. We had 10 actors, and each one brought an amazing performance! Breanna and I acted as the emcees for the evening, and in our annual tradition, we made up funny intros for each monologue. The theme we took this year was The Lessons We Learn. I brought back my Tintamarre character Max, who is a very curious and innocent five year old boy who wears a red bow tie and has the cutest voice you have ever heard! Breanna played Mrs. Isabel, my teacher. After each monologue, she would ask me what the lesson was and what I learned. I would then make some childish remark that was silly, but often true. From this, she would correct me with a ridiculously false and sometimes offensive answer. It's hard to explain, but suffice it to say it was very cute and funny. More importantly, the evening was a huge success. We ended up getting over 80 people out for a theatre that only holds around 60. We had to put people in the aisles, on the floor, and even some went backstage! We had to turn people away. And the audience we had were amazing - they responded well to all of the actors and our schtick. It was the best birthday present ever!
Things are moving along well with the musical I am writing. Today we held auditions for our workshop reading we are going to do in March. We had 7 people come read and sing for us, which was cool. It was neat to hear our music and dialogue read by other people. We are doing some more auditions tomorrow and then we will cast it all.
So as you can see, there is never a dull moment here at MTA. It's only the first week and already I am crazy busy with exciting work.
Take care everyone!
Landon
lsbraverman@mta.ca
Well it has come at last! The snow is here! I left Sackville on Tuesday afternoon when the ground was bare and came back Thursday to find snow!! I was only gone few days, but I’ve had a lot of work to catch up on, so I apologize for the delay in posting. I’m writing on the bus right now. I seem to be spending lots of time on the bus this week, though I still don’t like traveling by them. They make sense when you think about it, but they are just not as convenient as my own vehicle would be. Well my life hasn’t been overly exciting of late, aside from traveling around Southern New Brunswick. I was asked to go to Saint John for a presentation on the 19th at Samuel De Champlain, the francophone high school in the area. I think it went well for the first one that I did by myself, but I did learn a lot about how to deal with an unresponsive crowd. I think out of the 73 people that came to the presentation there may have been 4 or 5 of them considering Mount A for their post-secondary choice. It isn’t too bad for a francophone school, when you consider that Mount Allison is an English speaking university. I think I may have convinced a few more…they were just too shy to ask questions.
--
Random though:
If I had a MasterCard commercial it might look something like this:
Spending 13 hours on a bus: $124.34
Waking up at 6 am to catch the bus back to Sackville in time for class: 4 hours that I could have been sleeping.
…I couldn’t figure out a priceless moment, leave one below and I might post it next week….
--
I did get to spend some time at home, in Rothesay while I was down for the presentation, lots of good food. A change from meal hall is always nice, though they usually have some good options. I think now that I am in my 2nd year I am starting to get tired of meal hall. I do like having a kitchen in Res. but I just don’t use it that often. I think the reality of the matter is that I would have to buy groceries if I were going to cook for myself, which I am just too lazy to do sometimes. If only I had a Barbeque. I had a conversation with one of the guys I work with, Josh, all about BBQ and how it can just become an event. I think that it is more of a lifestyle choice than anything. Perhaps I will start an organization. PET=B, people for the ethical treatment of Barbeques. I respect Vegetarians, and Vegans, but to be honest, I don’t think I could enjoy food if Meat wasn’t considered food. I would probably be limited to Popcorn and French fries at that point. Oh, and Chips and Diet Coke, but still, I enjoy a good Steak, and Bacon is good with anything.
Vegetarians beware, if it ever came down to it, you may be fair game for BBQ as well, “Humans, Free Range & Grain-Fed”...
I had the chance to go to the World Barbeque Championships this summer, while I was living in Whistler; it was like Meat-Heaven, mountain side. Ok, enough about food. I am hungry now.
I think my next blog just might have some pictures of the snow I’ve been talking about, and maybe even some funny YouTube videos…never know what you’re gonna find.
Alrighty, the bust is pulling into Fredericton, and I will post this once I’ve got an Internet connection. I guess I didn't really post too much about Mount A today...maybe next time there will be more Mountie thoughts.
Talk to you next week,
Patrick
P.S.
Oh, I forgot to mention in my meat mania, that Mount A was named Canada's most Vegetarian Friendly University in Canada...
