(S)no(w) day

Two of the most popular words for those who work in the North are "blizzard forecast", especially when they are followed by two even more popular words, "snow day." Well, we had the first two words yesterday, but unfortunately they weren't followed by the second two today, much to everyone's disappointment.

Winter has most certainly arrived though and, reluctantly, the Canada Goose has finally had to come out of its metaphorical mothballs; does anyone actually use mothballs any more? Other than male moths? Who knows? Who cares?

Happy Halloween.

Room with a view

Now here's something you don't see every day; I looked out from my classroom window yesterday, and what did I see? That's right, a giant cucumber.

Or at least half a giant cucumber.

My life is never dull.

What were they thinking?

I just saw a commercial on TV.

It was for a mattress company called Sleepy's.

Their slogan was "Give the sheep a rest and get a good night's sleep."

Shall I tell them or will you?

Gone to the dogs

As I am sure you are aware, husky dogs have traditionally played a central role in Inuit life, and whilst the Honda and Ski-Doo have long since replaced the dog team as the preferred form of transport in these parts, many huskies continue to be kept as pets. Some huskies are still bred to race though, and events such as the Ivakkak cross-Nunavik race (similar to the Iditarod in Alaska) are highlights of the cultural and social calendar.

Basically what I'm trying to say is that there are an awful lot of dogs in town, and with such numbers come the inevitable strays. Many are friendly, and will tag along with you as you walk, but every now and again you will come across the odd renegade stray, and life then becomes just that little bit more interesting.

One of my work colleagues was confronted by such a stray recently, and for a few minutes she was forced to do her best impression of one of those police dog handlers that you sometimes see at displays; you know, when they wear huge 'Michelin man' padding on their arms then get their expertly trained dog to attack them. Trouble was, she had no assistance from the Michelin man! Luckily, the man who drives the sewerage truck was on hand to help beat her canine assailant into retreat before any real damage was done - not quite the Milk Tray Man I know: that's how things are done up here - but Cujo is still on the loose, somewhere.

Twice this week I've been followed by a rather imposing looking stray husky on my way to work, and whilst my perambulations about town have so far been uneventful, I get the worrying feeling that it's only a matter of time. Dominick tells me that you should look at a dog's tail to work out what mood they're in, but it's the other end that I'm worried about. Oh well, best summon some of that British stiff upper lip, I guess. Now, what would Barbara Woodhouse do...?

The ultimate houseboat

Hello dear reader! It's good to be back online after a weekend when Shatner Net was at its Kirk-esque best (or worst, depending on your opinion).

Thought I'd let you into a little secret about our houses up here. Rather than building them on site, we have a deal with Ikea who ship them in for us on the big container ships. Most arrive flat-packed, but on rare occasions they are shipped in ready-built, as evidenced in this rare series of photos:

All we need now is some lingonberry jam and a bag of meatballs.

Much ado about nothing

In case you didn't know, we had an election here in Canada yesterday - if you only get your news from CNN, you wouldn't know - the result of which left the nation in almost exactly the same position as it was before the vote. Prime Minister Stephen Harper continues to head a minority government, albeit with a slightly reduced minority than before (if that makes sense), and the general feeling here is that the entire exercise was a waste of time and money, especially given the current financial climate. And our friend, Mark Canada, didn't make it. Guess he'll have to go back to Mr Universe.

The turnout was just 59%, the lowest figure since Confederation in 1867, and that goes to illustrate the general level of apathy that seemed to exist around the whole process. Although I've lived here for more than three years now, I'm still an 'outsider' in many respects, and the political process is one example; I can't vote until I become a Canadian citizen, although I have now been here long enough to make an application.

In my role as a political outsider, it's my observation that this voter apathy must be caused, in part, by the distinct lack of charisma shown by the leaders of the main parties here. To be a successful leader you must be able to inspire the masses; inspire them to get up and vote for you in the first place and then to inspire them to back your policies once you've been elected. It would seem that the 'inspiration factor' is not prevalent here at the moment, a view that is supported by the wistful remembrances that so many Canadians have for the likes of Trudeau and Chretien.

With all this in mind, I would like to suggest that there is in a fact a perfect candidate for Prime Minister out there, and the party that could secure his services would surely win by a landslide. He would make sure that the nation's institutions were run to code, and he'd get it all done in the space of an hour (including commercial breaks). Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you the next Prime Minister of Canada:

Mike Holmes will Make It Right!

It's grim up North...

Well, following a brief scare back in September, it looks as though winter is finally upon us up here. It's been a grey, dank, blustery day today (like Manchester in July), and as I write the snow has now started to fall in earnest. And in Inukjuak. I've always wondered where 'Earnest' is, as they always refer to it on the news: 'fighting has begun in Earnest', 'the election campaign has begun in Earnest', and now 'winter has begun in Earnest.' Not quite sure where it is; think it might be in Saskatchewan.

Only last Friday we were out walking on the beach in shirtsleeves, such is the changeability of the weather in these parts, and local opinion is divided as to whether the snow will settle, but it would seem as if that is it for us now.

Not sure where 'Shirtsleeves' is either. Alberta, maybe..?

Tamaani talks

It's always easy to be critical, far more difficult to be complementary; as Alexander Pope so poetically put it, 'to err is human; to forgive, divine.'

With this in mind, I'd like to draw your attention, dear reader, to the comment left by Alain Lance in reference to my post 'Connection interrupted.' It would seem that progress is being made regarding our internet connection up here, so I would like to complement the powers that be for their efforts and I will keep you informed as to any further news. Maybe this is a victory for the power of blogging...?

End of an era

As I'm sure our non-Canadian readers will know, hockey (ice hockey to Brits) is Canada's national sport (technically it's lacrosse, but we'll conveniently ignore that fact for the moment), just as it's soccer in England and drinking in Ireland. Now, this past week has marked the opening of the new hockey season, and it has also marked something of the end of an era. CBC's Hockey Night In Canada is the premier hockey show over here as well as being the world's oldest sports-related programme still on air - to call it a national institution would be something of an under-statement - and after forty years the show has decided to change its theme tune.

I say decided, but it would really be more accurate to say forced, because the reason for the change was a copyright dispute with the theme's publishers, resulting in the commissioning of a new theme via a nationwide competition. The new music has been written by a schoolteacher from Alberta, and speaking as a relative outsider with no emotional ties to the old theme, I must say that I like it (I also think that it sounds not unlike Jean Michel Jarre's Rendezvous IV). See what you think; the first clip is of the old theme, and the second is of the new one:





The whole issue has been a major talking point over here, and although it has not quite forced parliamentary debate (there is the little matter of an election coming up, after all), emotions have run high in some quarters. Many Canadians view the old theme as the nation's second national anthem, and apparently some mischievous tour guides have been known to pass it off to visitors as the national anthem. The old theme will live on though as CTV, a rival network to the CBC, has bought the rights to the music for its own hockey coverage, but even taking this fact into account, it certainly is the end of an era for hockey fans all over Canada.

I want to be elected

Now here's a funny story...

I've been trying recently, with varying degrees of success, to get my students interested in the forthcoming general election (as I write, polling day is just one week away). To this end, I have some information about the candidates for Nunavik posted on the wall in my classroom, and last night two of my colleagues, Dominick (who we've met on the blog before) and Dave (who we haven't - hello, Dave!), were reading it on the way out. Much to our amusement, the Liberal candidate goes by the the extraordinarily appropriate name of Mark Canada, although I think he must have changed his name by deed poll (he was previously Frank Canada).

Anyway, the discussion moved on as we made our way down the stairs and towards the front door, and Dom and Dave's conversation (in French) ended with Dave chanting 'Harper, Harper, Harper!' (Stephen Harper being the current, Conservative, Prime Minister) as we reached the door and bumped into...Mark Canada!

If Alanis Morissette had been there she would have undoubtedly exclaimed 'well, isn't that ironic?' which would have led the rest of us to respond 'no, Alanis, it's just a coincidence.' But I digest...

Seriously though, what are the chances, eh? (did you notice my lapse into Canadian then?). Dave quickly recanted his support for Prime Minister Harper, and we learned that Mr Canada (gosh, he now sounds like a contestant in Mr Universe; 'ladies and gentleman, please welcome our next contestant, Mr Canada!') was on a whistle stop tour of Nunavik in a bid to drum up some last minute electoral support. I duly booked some of his time in order that he come and speak to my students, and this morning his whistle stopped in my classroom, where he outlined his party's plans for the North.

Such a visit is quite a big deal in an area of the country where politicians normally fear to tread, and as one of my students commented, you might not agree with his politics but credit to him for making the trip. Whether he'll gain any extra votes as a result of his enterprise is up for debate, but one thing is for sure; Dave will always look twice before he uses the stairs in future!

OMG! You're such a good debater!

I have to admit that I have been fascinated by the ongoing U.S. election campaign, or more precisely, the television coverage given to it, or even more precisely, CNN's coverage. Last night was the Vice-Presidential debate, and the level of pre- and post-analysis served up by CNN had to be seen to be believed. Despite all this coverage though, I think this chart serves as the best summary of Governor Palin's performance (click on the chart to enlarge it):

Those of you who saw the debate will realise just how accurate this is!

We are the Famous Five

Well, I now have five students, although I must say that I have yet to have them all in the same room at the same time. Consequently, I suppose there is a chance that I just have one or two students with a good line in false noses, glasses and wigs. A bit like Val Kilmer in The Saint.

Oh no, wait a minute...I said a good line.