Circumpolar Musings: Internet Resources

Google maps Iqaluit with backpack cameras

Amanda Graham — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 04:01:15 GMT

(CBC News, 21 March 2013) -- Over the next couple of days, residents of Iqaluit may see pedestrians carrying some strange-looking equipment on their backs. They’re members of a team working for Google Maps to photograph the city for Google Street View. Team members wear a backpack called a trekker, which has a camera system mounted on it to capture 360-degree street level images. Chris Kalluk, who works with Nunavut Tunngavik in the land department in Cambridge Bay, is one of the trekker operators. "I want more people to be able to visit here without leaving their homes,” he said. “Also to be able to see the place before they come up. They'd have an essential feeling of what it's like up here before they actually move up here or come visit." Kalluk said he's excited to be part of Google's first winter visit to Nunavut. Last summer, the company was in Cambridge Bay taking photos there for Street View. The Google team will be in Iqaluit until Sunday.

TEDx Anchorage brings TED talks to Alaska

Amanda Graham — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 00:03:56 GMT

(Ben Anderson/Alaska Dispatch, 23 March 2012) -- Sitting in a room listening to a lecture doesn’t sound like a good time for a lot of people. But the TED -- that’s short for Technology, Entertainment and Design -- lecture series has made a name for itself by providing riveting discussions on cutting edge science, technology, aesthetics and ethics and has attracted big personalities like filmmaker James Cameron and Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. Anchorage is home to its own TED series, one of many offshoots of the main program known as TEDx, signifying an independently organized, usually local event capturing the spirit of the larger TED series. On Saturday, the third-annual TEDx Anchorage event will take place with a full day of free lectures from a variety of Alaskans looking for ways to make the 49th state a better place. The event this year is being held in the Wilda Marston Theater at Anchorage’s Loussac Library, and much of the time and logistics have been donated by willing volunteers. Speakers have been nominated and then voted on by committee to find a variety of subjects and voices, all of which fall under the broad theme of “Finding our Voices.” According to event coordinator Carolyn Kinneen, there’s been more interest in this year’s event than in year’s past, especially at the event’s Facebook and Twitter pages. “When I put out the call on Twitter and Facebook for potential speakers, people responded, and a lot of our speakers eventually came from folks in the community who talked to me about them,” Kinneen said. “Multiple people proposed each one of (the eventual speakers).” Once a speaker has been nominated, a committee votes on each, eventually whittling the field down. There will be 19 speakers this year, giving talks of about 15 minutes apiece, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with periodic breaks. The event is free, so audience members are permitted to wander in and out depending on which speeches pique their interest.

Republic of Sakha-Yakutia maps. Download for free.

Amanda Graham — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 17:57:47 GMT

(AskYakutia.com, 21 March 2012) -- One of the most frequently asked question in regards to the Republic of Sakha-Yakutia, that occupies 1/3 of Russia and 1/2 of Siberia and the Far East, is, of course, “Where online to download region maps?” Always in my reply, I sent links that I could recall at once. Praise god, there is the list now. Recently, Artem Petukhov, a friend of mine, who runs his local Adventure Club blog in Russian, has compiled the list of maps available online for free download. If you are an active traveller – motorcyclist, 4wd driver, mountain trekker, hiker, whatever, you might wish to check out the following maps...

Instant Arctic know-how

Amanda Graham — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 17:52:51 GMT

(Barents Observer, 21 March 2012) -- The Fram Center in Tromsø, Northern Norway, has launched a new blog – Fram Shorts, where scientists from some 20 different institutions will inform about research to an international audience. Through short videos Fram Center staff will present their work on research and surveillance of environment and climate in the Arctic. Fram Shorts is launched as a blog and on You Tube, Facebook and Twitter. www.framshorts.com The Fram Centre is the short name for FRAM – High North Research Centre for Climate and the Environment. The Fram Centre is based in Tromsø, and consists of about 500 scientists from 20 institutions involved in interdisciplinary research in the fields of natural science, technology and social sciences. Read also: Free access to research documents on the High North

New website calls on Icelandic president to stand again

Amanda Graham — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:37:12 GMT

(IceNews, 21 January 2010) -- Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, President of Iceland, has so far kept quiet over the news that a group of supporters has opened a petition website asking the incumbent head of state to stand for re-election in June. The President has been in office since 1996 and convention dictates that four terms is the maximum; although there is no law preventing him from standing for a fifth term. Ólafur’s supporters hope that if 40,000 or more people sign the online petition then the President will succumb to their wish for him to stand again. In his new year address to the nation, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson (arguably) indicated that he would not stand at this years presidential election; but when pushed for definite confirmation since then he has repeatedly refused to comment. The website was opened yesterday at a press conference in Reykjavík; presented by its creators. The supporters of the President include former government ministers Guðni Ágústsson and Ragnar Arnalds, Vísir.is reported. The petition site had 1,828 signatures at the time of writing and the message those signatories are sending is as follows: “We the undersigned urge you, Mr. Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, to put yourself forward as a candidate for the presidential election this summer. We trust you more than most other people to stand watch for the interests of the people during the difficult times which lie ahead.”

Yukoner's Windy Arm pond hockey video goes viral

Amanda Graham — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 22:45:18 GMT

(CBC News, 15 December 2011) -- A pond hockey game involving Yukon College students went viral on the video-sharing website YouTube this week. Gabe Rivest stumbled upon a smooth-as-glass lake on Windy Arm, which is part of Tagish Lake in Yukon. He grabbed six classmates and they hit the ice Sunday. Rivest posted video footage of the playful game on YouTube for his family and friends to see, but he was surprised when Sportsnet posted the video on its website. In just three days, more than 100,000 people had checked out Rivest's video. "I was totally not expecting it," he said. "I guess for lots of people in the world, it's probably a very amazing thing to see. It was unreal to be there." Rivest is now in Whistler, B.C., to coach the Yukon snowboarding team. He said he can hardly keep up with all the email he has been getting about the Windy Arm video [see it for yourself].

IceNews changes alphabet, read all about it here!

Amanda Graham — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 00:57:28 GMT

(IceNews, 21 November 2011) -- Regular readers will begin seeing subtle changes to the writing on IceNews as we begin presenting the names of people and places as they actually are, with all the accents, umlauts and special characters included. The idea that people are easily confused by áccénts and ümläüts is pretty insulting to ‘people’ and the added information they provide allows for non-native speakers to pronounce things correctly. Another reason for avoiding special characters has always been that search engines do not like them. We hope, however, that this is less true than it once was. We will continue to use simplified spelling in tags in order to make searching easier.

Iceland’s Hekla volcano live on webcam

Amanda Graham — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 18:55:54 GMT

(Iceland Review, 13 November 2011) -- The volcano Hekla in south Iceland can now be watched live on the website of telecommunications company Míla, which recently placed a new webcam in the vicinity, facing the mountain. Hekla is a 1,491-meter-high volcanic ridge and one of the best known and most active volcanoes in Iceland. It has both been called “the queen of Icelandic volcanoes” and “the gateway to hell.” Although there are no signs of an immediate eruption in Hekla, some scientists have speculated that it might be preparing for one. Míla now has nine webcams in Iceland, most of which are located in the southern part of the country. The company first put up a live webcam during the volcanic eruptions on Fimmvörduháls and Eyjafjallajökull in 2010, mbl.is reports. Click here to read more about risk assessment for Icelandic volcanoes and here to read about Katla, which might also be preparing to erupt.

Video: Time lapse view from space - Northern lights

Amanda Graham — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 18:51:00 GMT

(Michael König, 12 November 2011) -- Time lapse sequences of photographs taken with a special low-light 4K-camera by the crew of expedition 28 and 29 onboard the International Space Station from August to October, 2011. Music added. List of locations on the Vimeo page.

National Geographic: Scandinavia's Sami Reindeer Herders

Amanda Graham — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 21:02:04 GMT

(Jessica Benko with photos by Jessica Larsen/National Geographic, November 2011) -- Two hundred miles north of the Arctic Circle, near the jagged tips of Norway's crown, the sun does not set for weeks on end during the summer months, and the midnight sun bounces off fields of midsummer snow. The solstice comes and goes, but the Sami reindeer herders are too busy to pay much attention. "We're always in the middle of calf marking at this time," Ingrid Gaup says, referring to the yearly ritual in which the herding families carve their ancient marks into the ears of the new calves. In the Sami's homeland, spread across northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia, the notion of time is untethered from the cycles of the sun and is yoked instead to something far more important: the movement of the reindeer.

Voices of Vision: Yukon Aboriginal Self-Government

Amanda Graham — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 16:22:52 GMT

(Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada) -- The Yukon is a land of trailblazers in Aboriginal self-government. Since 1995, 11 of Yukon's 14 First Nations have become self-governing, and account for more than half of the national total of self-governing First Nations. In this podcast series, Voices of Vision: Yukon Aboriginal Self-Government, some of the key people who have been involved in the continuing journey of self-government and implementation share their stories in their own words. The podcast series, Voices of Vision: Yukon Aboriginal Self-Government, was created in partnership with the Council of Yukon First Nations, the Government of Yukon, the Government of Canada and Self-Governing Yukon First Nations.

Aboriginal Peoples: Mapping the Future - Land Claims

Amanda Graham — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 17:36:17 GMT

(CBC News, June 2011) -- Land: the great misunderstanding between Aboriginal Peoples and governments throughout Canadian history. In aboriginal spirituality, land cannot be separated from the creatures that it supports and feeds, including humans. Still today, the Ojibwa speak of Pimachiowin Aki, land that gives life. For a modern industrial nation, the word "land" means wealth: agriculture and industry, mines and forests, cities and suburbs, roads and pipelines. For over 200 years, native Canadians have been relegated to the outskirts of their original land. But they have not renounced their rights and they wish to take part, too, in the country's economic life. This special report presents the context of discussions between governments and native groups on this issue.

Who Owns the Arctic? A Resource Guide

Amanda Graham — Tue, 10 May 2011 01:32:02 GMT

(Canadian Studies Center, University of Washington) -- The Center co-sponsored the February educator workshop, Who Owns the Arctic?, with the World Affairs Council (WAC). WAC produced a tremendous resource guide downloadable here with extensive resources on Arctic studies.

Tunber.com on Arctic

Amanda Graham — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 06:47:10 GMT

Tunber.com has decided to take search engine performance to the new qualitative level by combining the experience of its partners and competitors and introducing its new innovative feature which allows users to get information about the subject right the way even without being redirected to other websites: The Arctic (pronounced /ˈɑrktɪk/ or /ˈɑrtɪk/) is the region around the Earth's North Pole, opposite the Antarctic region around the South Pole. The Arctic includes the Arctic Ocean (which overlies the North Pole) and parts of Canada, Greenland (a territory of Denmark), Russia, the United States (Alaska), Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland. The word Arctic comes from the Greek αρκτικός (arktikos), "near the Bear, arctic, northern" and that from the word άρκτος (arktos), which means bear. The name refers either to the constellation Ursa Major, the "Great Bear", which is prominent in the northern portion of the celestial sphere, or to the constellation Ursa Minor, the "Little Bear", which contains Polaris, the Pole Star, also known as the North Star.

Website aims to help people learn Alaskan native Eyak language

Amanda Graham — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 18:09:25 GMT

(Eye on the Arctic, 4 January 2011) -- A new website launched on January first seeks to help people learn the Eyak language through weekly words and help from linguistic experts. The language of the Eyak people of the Cordova area is considered extinct. The last fluent speaker, Chief Marie Smith Jones died in 2008. Alaska Native linguistics expert Dr. Michael Krauss documented the language in such meticulous detail that it was possible for someone to learn Eyak. The question became would people do so? The website's project director Laura Bliss Spaan says she first met Chief Marie 20 years ago and was struck by the story of the disappearing Eyak language. Bliss Spaan worked with Chief Marie and Dr. Krauss, helping to document the sound and inflection of the Eyak language. When they put together language kits, they had an unusual request for one from a young man in France, who became fascinated by the Eyak language at age 12. Bliss Spaan says the young man, Guillaume Leduey now speaks Eyak fluently and last year came to Alaska. Chief Marie's granddaughter Sherry Smith says her grandmother said the language would come back through the children or through a person from afar. Smith says she's working to make sure her 18-month-old daughter carries out the first part of that vision. Smith says the young Frenchman Guillaume, will be helping out with lessons on the new website, assisting with difficult pronunciations. Smith says it's crucial to use the language and modernize it for relevant use today, developing words for computer, cell phone and other present day items.

Old Crow residents anticipate improved Internet service

Amanda Graham — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 19:59:48 GMT

(Whitehorse Star, 30 December 2010) -- Old Crow residents will soon enjoy faster Internet service. Yukon Senator Daniel Lang recently announced a combined investment of $242,500 to improve the Internet capability for the community, 1,000 kilometres north of Whitehorse. The project is being financed by the federal and Yukon governments and Northwestel Inc. ... The company is chipping in $80,000. ... The $90,000 in federal money is coming through CanNor’s Strategic Investments in Northern Economic Development program. It focuses on long-term economic growth, economic diversification and capacity-building in the three territories. The $72,500 in territorial money is from the business and industry development branch as it works towards improving the Yukon’s business environment through supporting the development of strategic infrastructure required for economic development.

‘I always did say I would go to Ottawa’

Amanda Graham — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 17:50:41 GMT

(Justine Davidson/Whitehorse Star, 31 December 2010) -- One of Dawson City’s finest is going to Ottawa to take on the rank of chief superintendent and director of the country’s aboriginal policing branch. Brenda Butterworth-Carr is the first Canadian aboriginal woman ever to hold the rank of chief superintendent, the fourth highest in the RCMP hierarchy. A member of the Tr’ondek Hwech’in First Nation, Butterworth-Carr began her career in 1987 as a special constable in her hometown of Dawson. From there, she went to Regina to train as a regular officer and began her climb toward the upper echelon of Canada’s national police force. ... Butterworth-Carr is replacing the former director of aboriginal policing, Russell Mirasty, who was promoted to the rank of assistant commissioner in October. Mirasty is a member of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band. Butterworth-Carr’s new role will include responsibility for crime prevention and community policing, as well as First Nation policing.

Materials: The Canadian Northern Project | Exploring the Arctic Archipelago

Amanda Graham — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 03:26:11 GMT

(TEACH Magazine, 2010) -- The question of Canada’s sovereignty in the Arctic Archipelago is both important and very current. A number of countries including Russia, the United States and Denmark are claiming part of the Arctic Archipelago as their own territory. This website, brought to you by the editors of TEACH Magazine, explores this topic in a variety of ways.

The elements of The Canadian Northern Project are as follows:

A Graphic Novel that explains the scenario behind The Canadian Northern Project;
A Teacher’s Guide that breaks down all of the elements of the project. (It is recommended that teachers read this first.);
10 Challenges (Tasks and games students must complete before moving on in the project);
Four comprehensive Lesson Plans;
Curriculum Links;
Resources (Links to background sources for the major topics and issues);
Teacher and Student Wiki applications;
News (Information reports on the issue of Arctic sovereignty); and
An Online Summit (Where students submit their white paper exploring solutions to the Arctic sovereignty question).

Tlicho Dene crafts sold online

Amanda Graham — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 04:16:57 GMT

(CBC News, 11 November 2010) -- Traditional Dene crafts from the Tlicho people of the Northwest Territories are being sold around the world from an online store. The Tlicho Investment Corp. created the website last year to help its artisans sell everything from beaded leather moccasins and cellphone cases to birchwood baskets and stone baskets. "The website promotes the Tlicho way of life," said Gisele Marion, who oversees the website. The online store has opened up the market for more than 30 elderly Tlicho artists, many of whom have never used a computer before. "Once I start sewing, I don't stop all day long. Just eat and then back to sewing again," said Celline Wanazah of Behchoko, N.W.T., who is known for her moccasins and floral beadwork. The Tlicho people were formerly known as the Dogrib until 2005, when they signed a historic land claim and self-government agreement with the federal and territorial governments. Marion said the Tlicho crafts website sells around 20 items a month, with crafts costing anywhere between $40 and $1,000. Artists whose items are sold online are paid upfront for their crafts or offered a consignment option. Marion said the online medium offers anonymity to some artists who do not want extra attention. "Some people like to keep their privacy, and the Tlicho people do have a modesty about them when it comes to their products," she said. Before the website was launched, many Tlicho artists sold their products locally. Marion said many artists are proud to know their work is selling overseas. "We've been able to do that," she said. "The furthest package we've sent was [to] France." The French customer bought a Tlicho dictionary for $10.

New social network aims for Alaska Natives

Amanda Graham — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 07:27:19 GMT

(Dan Bross/KUAC – Fairbanks APNR, 26 October 2010) -- There’s a new Facebook-like website for Alaska Natives. Alaskanvillages.org was created by Iditarod musher and Native rights and sobriety activist Mike Williams. Williams of Akiak says Native people need a new tool to stay in touch. The website feature individual pages for each village where messages can be posted. Williams says it mixes elements of Facebook and Craiglist, and is open to anyone. Williams says Alaska Natives living in urban areas often feel isolated from their culture, and that the immediate communication allowed by the Internet, can play a role in sustaining and reviving it. Williams, a mental health counselor, says a rash of suicides in southwest Alaska villages in recent months has heightened the need to connect. He’s organized local healing circles, and has mixed feelings about technology’s effects on Native people, but says it can be a positive tool.

The Inuit Way: A Guide to Inuit Culture

Amanda Graham — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 19:08:13 GMT

(George Lessard/The MediaMentor, 2 August 2010) -- In 2002, the Nunavut Department of Education decided that this booklet, created by the Pauktuutit Inuit Women’s Association and then out of print, needed to be reproduced so that it could be made available to teachers and others moving to the territory to work so that they could acquire a basic understanding of the Inuit culture. I was asked to scan and redesign the original publication so that it could be easily reproduced as a PDF file with an ordinary computer and printer. This file, The Inuit Way: A Guide to Inuit Culture, contains the English, Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun versions of the original publication. There is a newer version available at http://www.pauktuutit.ca/publications_e.html ©2002 Pauktuutit Inuit Women’s Association http://www.pauktuutit.ca

Online Whitehorse Green Guide is now available

Amanda Graham — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 23:11:23 GMT

This first edition of the Whitehorse Green Guide is in the form of a website with a search tool allowing for on-line access to information gathered about where to find ‘green’ products and services in Whitehorse. The website includes additional resources and information on green principles and practices and provides links to other supporting information and resources.

The Whitehorse Green Guide has been developed to help people in Whitehorse identify where and what green products and services are available in Whitehorse and to provide information to help people make more sustainable choices. We encourage everyone to ask more questions about their purchasing options and become more conscious of the impact different choices can have on the environment.

Southeast Native Alaska radio station to begin broadcasts

Amanda Graham — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 05:12:12 GMT

(AP via Anchorage Daily News, 14 February 2010) -- JUNEAU - A new online radio station will give voice to the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures in Southeast Alaska. Tribal Voice Radio is scheduled to launch at 8 a.m. Monday at www.tribalvoiceradio.com. It was approved in December by Central Council Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. "The main goal is to capture the language, clan stories and ways of life of the Native people," said project coordinator Simon Roberts. "We're looking at being able to give back to the culture a new life and gather all the communities here in Southeast as well as the Tlingits and Haidas in Canada." Roberts has worked the last six months with the Tlingit and Haida's Employment and Training team and marketing coordinator Thomas Gallant. Roberts said the team sent out eight hand-held recorders to the council's cultural representatives to collect clan stories and interview Native elders, artists, dancers and drummers. "Anything that happens, any current events, they'll be able to be there to record what's going on and give voice to each one of the Native communities so we're all one voice under one roof," Roberts said. Content of community submissions may range from contemporary or traditional Native music to family recipes, such as how to smoke salmon or dry seaweed. Tlingit and Haida Central Council President Bill Martin said Tribal Voice will help bring Southeast Native culture 14,000 members living outside the region. "Being on the Web means we have a greater access to all of our constituents who are scattered throughout the country," Martin said. Other major contributors to the project include Juneau-based Sealaska Corp., which gave access to its online lecture series. SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium will contribute a 50-minute weekly program on anatomy and health.

Arctic fiber-optic cable could benefit far-flung Alaskans

Amanda Graham — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 06:42:28 GMT

(Elizabeth Bluemink/Anchorage Daily News, 13 January 2010) -- Alaska Native corporations and a multinational firm are planning to build the first fiber-optic cable between Asia and Europe through the Arctic. The project, estimated to cost roughly $1 billion, involves laying 10,000 miles of undersea fiber-optic cable from Tokyo, along the Alaska coast, through the Northwest Passage, past the southern coast of Greenland to London, company officials said Wednesday. The cable would have two landing points in Alaska — Dutch Harbor and Prudhoe Bay. It would be a major gateway linking Alaska to the rest of the world, particularly to the Pacific Rim, said Walt Ebell, chief executive of the Kodiak Kenai Cable Co., one of the companies involved in the project. He said the project is in large part possible because the shrinking polar ice cap, which has spurred increased vessel traffic in the Arctic Ocean. Though the Asia to Europe project will rely on private financing, KKC has already requested $350 million in federal stimulus grants and loans to lay undersea fiber along the Alaska coast, from Kodiak to Prudhoe Bay. Most of that Alaska line — the portion from Dutch Harbor to Prudhoe — would be part of the larger Asia-to-Europe cable that the company also is pursuing, executives said. If the Alaska-cable portion is funded and built, it could provide high-speed, reliable Internet to Bethel, Kotzebue, Nome and other communities. In the future, the network could be expanded to bring broadband Internet to 142 villages, company executives say. For now, most rural Alaska communities rely on satellite-based Internet, which is expensive and sometimes transmits data to households and businesses even more slowly than a dial-up Internet connection. "It's really, really slow," said Denise Michels, the mayor of Nome, one of 14 rural communities that have written letters in favor of the Kodiak Kenai Cable project. She said high-speed Internet could create a lot of economic opportunities in her town and improved communication between local doctors and national medical experts. "It would be so great to be connected like the rest of the U.S.," she said.

Web resource: New website a showcase for Nunavik

Amanda Graham — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 06:48:02 GMT

(Sarah Rogers/Nunatsiaq News, 6 January 2010) -- KANGIQSUJUAQ - Nunavik’s heritage is at your fingertips, with an eye-catching website, called “Nunavik: A Land, Its People,” the latest reference for newbies and residents alike. The newly launched site, produced by Montreal researcher and photographer Luc Bouvrette, is now one of over 500 virtual exhibits funded through the Virtual Museum of Canada. Bouvrette first came to Nunavik on business five years ago — then a place about which he knew little. Taken by its rich past and present, Bouvrette said he wanted to give the region the credit it deserves. “My first impressions were twofold; there were the people that I met,” he said. “Even having the smallest contacts by talking with people at the co-op, I felt very at home. And then there was the natural beauty.” That beauty is captured in Bouvrette’s many photographs, creating a rich visual display on the website at bit.ly/8piUAT. Limited by time and money, Bouvrette has spent his time in four villages, Tasiujaq, Kangiqsujuaq, Puvirnituq and Kuujjuaq. Based on these visits, Bouvrette offers a colourful introduction to Inuit culture that takes the visitor beyond the well-worn icons of igloos and dog sled teams. The website’s culture section provides a sensory experience, including audio of a trio of women from Kangiqsujuaq performing different styles of throat-singing. Viewers can also scroll through a gallery of drawings by students at Arsaniq school. In another section, readers can enjoy accounts from Nunavimmiut elders and youth.

The electronification of Russian regions

Amanda Graham — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 05:13:00 GMT

(BarentsObserver, 4 January 2010) -- All state services in the Russian regions are to be made available electronically by 2015, President Dmitry Medvedev underlined in a recent State Council session. The meeting, which was devoted to the development of information technologies, was attended by the governors and a number of cabinet ministers and high-ranking officials. It took place on 23 December. The governors who do not cope with the mission will be dismissed, the president threatened in his speech, newspaper Kommersant reports. According to Minister of Communication Igor Shchegolev, Russian small businesses today spend ten percent of their turnover on overcoming red tape and the Russian population altogether spend up to 25 million days per year on getting public services. There are a total of about 1,500 public services which will be made electronic by 2015, newspaper Kommersant writes.

Web resource: Environmental Atlas of Europe

Amanda Graham — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 02:12:50 GMT

(GISUser, 15 December 2009) -- Microsoft is working with the European Environmental Agency (EEA) to use its Bing Maps, Silverlight multimedia technology and Azure cloud platform to show how climate change is affecting certain regions in Europe. The Web site, called the Environmental Atlas of Europe, will inform people about climate-change stories and interesting projects, such as wine farmers in the Tuscany region of Italy who run a carbon-negative farm to a city in Denmark that uses 100 percent renewable energy, said Bert Jansen, technology lead for the EEA. [Of interest to Circumpolar Musings readers, one of the places to explore is Lapland.]

On getting the Internet: Having the internet for Christmas

Amanda Graham — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 05:35:38 GMT

(Rick Steele/Tech@Work, Yukon News, 11 December 2009) -- Earlier this week, I spent an hour or so tipping some cold ones with two computer techies, and sharing reminiscences about the early days of internet in the Yukon. It was 15 years ago this month that the first internet connection in the territory sparked to life—a 56 Kbps link to BCNet in Vancouver, with a bank of 20 14.4 Kbps dial up modems on line for testing purposes. In those days, my two drinking companions were still fresh, sparkly eyed little Unix munchkins, in their late teens and early 20s. Now in their mid-30s, they are well-heeled, professionally comfortable, and more or less domesticated. They have inherited and fulfilled the future opened to them by that feeble, unstable little connection made in December, 1994. The difference between them and me is that they saw that future coming; and I, though I was an active player in making it come, did not. I thought I was doing a short-term volunteer job, so that the schools and Yukon College and some government departments could get some of this internet stuff. Then I would go back to my day job as a writer and desk top publisher—an occupation I thoroughly enjoyed, even as it slowly starved me to death.

Web resource: DiscoveringTheArctic.org.uk

Amanda Graham — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 04:54:29 GMT

The site is operated by the Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) in partnership with the British Antarctic Survey, Scottish Association for Marine Science and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. You can contact us by email at education@rgs.org. The site was developed by the Royal Geographical Society with IBG in partnership with the British Antarctic Survey, Scottish Association for Marine Science and the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office. All content available from this site is subjected to copyright and may be downloaded and used for educational purposes only. Images may be downloaded from the Resources/Image Library section only. The use of any other imagery throughout this site is not permitted.

Web resource: WWF's The Circle

Amanda Graham — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 23:39:45 GMT

The Circle is a magazine produced by the WWF International Arctic Programme since January 2009, replacing the Arctic Bulletin. The Circle is published four times a year, and each issue focusses on one specific Arctic-related topic. The Circle is distributed free to around 3,000 arctic stakeholders worldwide, including government officials and elected representatives, indigenous organisations, conservationists, scientists, NGOs, libraries, and business executives. The goal is to inform decision-makers, scientists and the interested public about arctic environmental and development issues. The new name is an obvious reference to the Arctic Circle, but it also suggests all the systemic linkages and circular self-perpetuating processes that keep the Arctic in balance. Many of these systems are now being destabilized by threats such as climate change. This publication aims to bring forward ideas on how to address the threats, and keep the Arctic in balance. For further information about The Circle, or to contribute an article, please contact Lena Eskeland, leskeland at wwf.no or <a href="http://www.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/arctic/publications/the_circle/info.cfm" target="_blank">fill in the online form.</a >

Web resource: The Arctic Governance Project

Amanda Graham — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 05:29:15 GMT

Welcome to the Arctic Governance Project. This is a dynamic website providing several opportunities for visitors to offer insights and opinions on Arctic Governance. The Project invites all interested parties to contribute to the dialogue through the website.Climate change – coupled with globalization—has triggered a rapidly accelerating cascade of events leading to profound environmental and socioeconomic changes in the Arctic—both on land and at sea. In response, demand is growing for science-based innovation in the conservation, management and governance of Arctic resources. This demand, in turn, has generated an outpouring of new ways of thinking about governance in the Arctic—resulting in a range of concrete proposals and policy alternatives for sustaining arctic communities, ecosystems and biodiversity.The project draws on the insights from traditional ecological knowledge and cutting edge scientific knowledge.The Project has assembled an array of global perpectives and proposals on governance solutions in its Arctic Governance Compendium. The Project's leadership and a diverse cross-section of researchers and stakeholders will subject these proposals to careful scrutiny at the the Tromsø Summit in January 2010.

New website to help First Nations work together

Amanda Graham — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 21:46:09 GMT

(Chris Oke/Yukon News, 7 December 2009) -- Setting up a modern government doesn’t come cheap. Since the Umbrella Final Agreement was signed in 1992, 11 of the territory’s 14 First Nations have signed a self-government agreement and had to create agreements, policies and legislation from scratch. And they were often doing it alone. A new resource aims to put an end to that isolation. Last week, the Yukon First Nation Self-Government Secretariat launched a new website and resource centre. Working in tandem, they will help Yukon First Nations share information, strengthen partnerships and build on past successes. “We were finding that the cost of establishing a government is just astronomical,” said secretariat director Pauline Frost. “And then you’ve got someone down the highway having to draft and write the same piece of legislation and policies.” A couple years ago, the self-government secretariat received requests from First Nation leaders that it look into some sort of central agency to house the resources necessary for land claims implementation, said Frost. “To be thriving, successful governments, we need to share this information,” she said. “There’s a lot of really good information and best practices out there, and we have a number of First Nations in the Yukon that have the years of experience in terms of setting up a government. “They’ve got a lot to teach, but there is also a lot to be learned.” The resource centre will contain a wide range of land-claims and related self-government documents, legislative templates, human resources documents, policies, and so on. All of this will be available for public use. There will also be two workstations with computers, printers and scanners. The companion website will provide electronic versions of much of the information to be found in the resource centre, as well as links to related organizations and research areas.

TV: Arctic Meltdown: Three-part series by David Suzuki

Amanda Graham — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 01:48:03 GMT

(CBC) -- Arctic Meltdown is a three-part series on CBC News Network, 3, 10 and 17 December 2009. Narrated by David Suzuki, the three-part series Arctic Meltdown documents the drastic changes the Arctic has seen over the last few years. From new companies rushing to claim the Arctic's plentiful resources to the effect climate change has had on animals as well as plant life, the documentary, directed by Kristina Von Hlatky, asks the big question: as the Arctic meltdown continues at an ever-accelerating pace, who will protect it? Streaming video available online (follow the title link).

Webzine: Online cultural magazine will unite the North

Amanda Graham — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 00:03:58 GMT

(Chris Oke/Yukon News, 4 December 2009) -- There’s a new circumpolar arts and culture magazine in town. Other northern literary magazines have popped up in the past, but they haven’t had much staying power. Out of Service, for instance, only published three issues before given in to the irony of its name. Lily Gontard was the fiction editor for Out of Service. She’s also worked at a number of literary magazines Outside, including the Malahat Review and Geist magazine. Gontard continues to be a regular contributor to the endnotes section of Geist. Now she is the senior editor of Arctica. “I’ve worked in magazines from the bottom, doing the schlepping around, to doing the editing and managing,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to start a magazine up here. “Magazines are a lot of work, but it’s fun—it’s fun to create something and the people that are working on Arctica are all really enthusiastic.” You won’t find the magazine in the book store’s periodical section though. There won’t be a print edition. Instead, issues will be published online with new additions added monthly. “The way publishing is going, everything is going online—even books are now being published online,” said Gontard. “I think we’re seeing the end of paper publications.” ... Arctica already has an editorial board member from Iceland and another in Alaska. For Canadians, the North is very much about rural existence, but in Scandinavia it’s not rural at all - its where most people live, said Gontard. “To see what people are doing in Iceland, Finland, Sweden and Norway will be very interesting for us and our readers.” Arctica isn’t just about writing. The editors hope to post exciting work in visual art, photography, video and audio. But everything will have to be about the North. “It’s the niche of this magazine,” Gontard explained. “Each magazine has to have a focus and the more narrow that focus is the easier it is to attract readers.” Readers will know that they can come to Arctica for that cultural and artistic taste of the North. Arctica already has the content selected for the first issue, which will be launched sometime in mid-December. ... For more information contact arctica@arcticamag.ca

Discover Nunavik through a virtual exhibit

Amanda Graham — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:23:21 GMT

(Université de Montréal Nouvelles (alerted by The Circumpolar Blog), 1 December 2009) -- Luc Bouvrette, a Université de Montréal professor, has created something unique to enable people from around the world to discover Nunavik – a virtual exhibit called A Land, Its People. The exhibit is available in French, English and Inuktitut and features magnificent photographs, stories and legends. The virtual show also includes Inuktitut throat-singing recordings that audiences can perform along with thanks to a karaoke application. A Land, Its People is financed by The Virtual Museum of Canada. On the Web: A Land, Its People; About the Forum en clips report; About the Forum.

Issue 16: Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears online magazine

Amanda Graham — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:31:56 GMT

(Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears via Circumpolar Blog, 22 November 2009) -- Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears is an online professional development magazine for elementary teachers which focuses on preparing teachers to teach polar science concepts in an already congested curriculum by integrating inquiry-based science with literacy teaching. Such an integrated approach can increase students' science knowledge, academic language, reading comprehension, and written and oral discourse abilities. ... Twenty thematic issues of the online magazine are planned, each of which will include standards-based science and content-rich literacy learning across five departments (In the Field: Scientists at Work, Professional Learning, Science and Literacy, Across the Curriculum, and Polar News and Notes). Engaging science activities, compelling images, rich text, and multimedia resources such as podcasts and videos will capture the interest of both students and teachers. Strategies for integrating technology, addressing misconceptions, and ensuring equity in the classroom are topics of emphasis.

Free syllabics fonts downloads (MAC & PC) plus keyboards

Amanda Graham — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:01:15 GMT

(George Lessard/The MediaMentor, 20 November 2009) -- Euphemia covers most languages that use the Canadian syllabic script including various Cree orthographies, Inuktitut and the historical Carrier/Dakelh script (dulkw'ahke). Three fonts are available with free end-user licences in TrueType-OpenType format (.ttf). Pigiarniq, Uqammaq and the Inuktitut Keyboard Driver Macintosh keyboards for Inuktitut are available with Mac OSX 10.3 or later. They are compatible with both the version of Euphemia available here as well as the version of Euphemia that comes with OSX, as well as any other Unicode-encoded Inuktitut fonts or UCAS fonts. If you wish to have the latest version, and/or a version of Euphemia that has the extra features (smallcaps, old-style figures etc.) you can download the version from this site. http://www.tiro.com/syllabics/resources/index.html

A photographer's polar obsession

Amanda Graham — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:12:37 GMT

(NPR, 13 November 2009) --Today on All Things Considered, host Melissa Block speaks with National Geographic photographer Paul Nicklen about his new book, Polar Obsession. Listen here. How many people can say with nonchalance, "I've had good friends of mine ... eaten by grizzly bears"? Paul Nicklen can, for one. He's a National Geographic photographer who was raised in Canada's Arctic and has spent the past 20 years documenting extreme polar regions. Nicklen had a unique childhood. He grew up in a small and remote Inuit community on Baffin Island with no radio, no TV and no telephone. His idea of fun included lying in blizzards until his body went numb, building sleds and tending pet seals. It was a secluded youth -- and to anyone else, a bit extreme. But to Nicklen, it was as idyllic as childhood gets. "I was taking care of dog teams by the time I was 5," he tells NPR's Melissa Block. "It's just a completely different world, and ... I fell in love with it." So it makes sense that his idea of fun today includes many of the same things: extreme temperatures, exploration and animal friendships. After a brief stint at the University of Victoria to earn a biology degree, Nicklen made a prompt return to Canada's Arctic, where he began a career as a nature photojournalist. "As I got to be older, as a biologist and photojournalist," he says, "I realized that these are the tools I can now use to protect the place that I fell in love with as a kid."

Native Leader Byron Mallott speaks about ANCSA

Amanda Graham — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:11:08 GMT

(Morgan Howard/NativeCo, 5 November 2009) -- Alaska Native leader Byron Mallott talks about the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and the Native corporations founded under the act. Mr. Mallott is speaking from the board room of the Sealaska building in downtown Juneau, Alaska. NativeCo.com is proud to have Mr. Mallott on our Board of Advisors. This lecture/discussion (58:02) is part of a series of talks sponsored by Sealaska Heritage Institute to celebration Native Awareness Month. Video is provided courtesy of Kathy Dye and the Sealaska Heritage Institute.

Arctic Portal and University of the Arctic: Virtual learning tools survey for students and teachers

Amanda Graham — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:41:16 GMT

(UArctic News, 2 November 2009) -- This project will develop a virtual classroom, a platform for excellence in distance education giving enhanced and content rich opportunities for on-line discussion and alternative forms of interactive teaching.The Arctic virtual learning tools project joins together the University of Arctic, which educates northern people in both rural areas and in cities in all eight Arctic countries and Arctic Portal, which is the website that hosts among others IPY, the Arctic council and its working groups, the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) and the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry (ICR). This project will develop a virtual classroom, a platform for excellence in distance education giving enhanced and content rich opportunities for on-line discussion and alternative forms of interactive teaching. The classroom will be managed and distributed through the Arctic Portal and it will be open for on-line teaching conducted at the University of Arctic members and other partners. In order to find out what are the needs of the potential users, the survey on virtual learning tools will be conducted during the October-November 2009. The survey is open for those who have taken part in on-line teaching or conferences and for those who are just planning or thinking of doing the on-line teaching in the near future. You can fill in the online survey:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dFVQQnVjMWtMQVFKS2lOZVlISDhfZXc6MA
Please read instructions before filling out the survey. The survey will be available until November 13th, 2009. After completions of survey, please feel free to forward this link to your colleagues, thanks!

New online circumpolar art and culture magazine

Amanda Graham — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 07:21:38 GMT

Arctica Magazine (www.ArcticaMag.ca) is a new monthly online circumpolar art and culture magazine set to launch in December 2009 and it needs your content. The magazine will publish literary fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, short video and photo essays about the circumpolar region, but created by anyone. Deadline for submissions for the first issue is October 26, 2009. Send your short stories, creative non-fiction or poetry pasted into your email, or attached as a Word or RTF file to submissions@arcticamag.ca Prose up to 3,500 words will be considered; five poems or three pages of poetry (single spaced). To submit a video (3 minute limit) or photo essay, email a link for viewing. For more information, send an email to arctica@arcticamag.ca. Arctica Magazine is published by the Arctica Cultural Society, based in Whitehorse, Yukon. -- Lily Gontard, www.gontard.ca, 1-867-332-4919

Projected reduction in snow 2080-2100

Amanda Graham — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:35:17 GMT

Snow cover change, 2080-2100 Source: GRID/Arendal

(Random Graphic of the Day/Maps and Graphics at UNEP/GRID-Arendal, 17 October 2009) -- Using one specific climate change model (ECHAM5) and the SRES A2 emission scenario (run 2) the projected loss of snow amounts to decreases of 60–80 per cent in monthly maximum snow water equivalent over most middle latitudes by the end of this century. The largest decreases are projected over Europe, while the model projects increases are in the Canadian Arctic and Siberia. Snow presents an important factor for ecosystems, water and human activities, and future changes in snow cover and snow extent will have important effects.

Website takes show-and-tell approach to history

Amanda Graham — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:47:10 GMT

(Jane George/Nunatsiaq News, 19 October 2009) -- Learning about the history of Inuit contact with whalers, First Nations and explorers is as easy as emptying out a backpack, thanks to an interactive trilingual website launched Oct. 16 in Iqaluit. The website, Takurngaqtaq (encountering something for the first time) or, in English, Inuit Contact and Colonization, traces the history of contact between Inuit and other peoples from about 4,000 B.C. to the 1920s. The site uses the metaphor of the “container” to present and organize information. “The idea is to chronicle the evolution of the Inuit peoples as they passed through the decades leading up to and including contact with non-natives” said Erica Chemko of the Inuit Heritage Trust, the project manager for Takurngaqtaq. The goal is to see students critically look at the impacts of contact on Inuit society by looking at historical change as it is presented in the containers, she said. Each container has its own set of items related to sewing, cultural knowledge, tools, weapons, food and implements, trade. For example, the Inuit container used to describe the era of contact with whalers includes an image of a package of tea. When a student clicks on it, a link opens up to a section with photos and information about food and implements used during that period. ... The Takurngaqtaq website is designed to support the Nunavut social studies curriculum for Grades Seven. Teachers can access instructional modules on the website to help them learn how to use it with their students. The website’s English and French versions are completely translated, but its Inukitut text still needs more work due to a lack of funding earmarked for Inuktitut translation, Chemko said.

1MB broadband access becomes legal right

Amanda Graham — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 22:55:49 GMT

(YLE, 14 October 2009) -- Starting next July, every person in Finland will have the right to a one-megabyte broadband connection, says the Ministry of Transport and Communications. Finland is the world's first country to create laws guaranteeing broadband access. The government had already decided to make a 100 MB broadband connection a legal right by the end of 2015. On Wednesday, the Ministry announced the new goal as an intermediary step. Some variation will be allowed, if connectivity can be arranged through mobile phone networks.

Video Essay: Games Inuvialuit play

Amanda Graham — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 17:10:09 GMT

(Rick Bowmer/AP, 16 September 2009) -- Bowmer captured the 40th Annual Circumpolar Northern Games that celebrate the traditions of Tuktoyaktuk, a small native community on the northern shores of Canada.

Army of Iceland on Facebook

Amanda Graham — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 18:31:08 GMT

(IceNews, 12 September 2009) -- More than 150,000 Icelanders are logging in to the popular social networking website Facebook, according to the market research company Buzzpoint. With exactly 46.89 percent of Icelanders owning a Facebook account, the country now holds claim to a new world record in Facebook activity. Norway ranks not far behind in second place with exactly 40 percent of the population registered on Facebook. According to similar research, Facebook has over 250 million users worldwide despite being blocked intermittently in several countries including Syria and China. Only three countries in the world have a larger population than the total amount of registered Facebook users: China, India and the USA. The USA does however claim the highest number of registered Facebook users, with 70 million citizens logging in on a daily basis. However, due to Iceland´s per capita ratio the country still holds the world record.

tusaalanga.ca brings Inuktitut learning to the world

Amanda Graham — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 19:35:27 GMT

(tusaalanga.ca via The Circumpolar Blog, 24 August 2009) -- Tusaalanga is a dynamic website that brings Inuktitut learning to the world wide web. It was created by the Pirurvik Centre, an Iqaluit-based company dedicated to enhancing Inuit language, culture and well-being. Thanks to the support of the Nunavut Department of Culture, Language Elders and Youth and the Department of Canadian Heritage, Tusaalanga is now available in French.

Relaunching OOKPIK.ORG: Building a community for circumpolar youth

Amanda Graham — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 20:56:50 GMT

(IISD announcement, 19 August 2009) -- We are proud to announce that the community website for circumpolar youth has had a total makeover. It’s a completely new Ookpik! The site is designed for circumpolar youth, with contributions from circumpolar youth. Over the past two years, Ookpik has been managed by a series of young northerners and this practice will continue. OOKPIK is your gateway to Arctic networks, knowledge, opinions and events.

Inside Greenland [slideshow]

Amanda Graham — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 19:00:44 GMT

(Reuters, 28 July 2009) -- Reuters features Inside Greenland, a gallery of interesting images from photographer Bob Strong.

Talk about technology… Web site out to preserve, spread area’s Native dialect

Amanda Graham — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 17:58:40 GMT

(Patrice Kohl/The Redoubt Reporter, 29 July 2009) -- People have spoken Dena’ina on the Kenai Peninsula longer than any other language, but the chances of hearing anyone speak Dena’ina on the peninsula today are slim to none. Fewer than 50 Dena’ina speakers remain, and the last speaker of the Kenai dialect of Dena’ina, Fred Mamaloff, died in 2006. Of the few remaining Dena’ina speakers, most live west of Cook Inlet in the Nondalton area. All but one are over 60 years old. Having lost its last speaker, the Kenai dialect of Dena’ina — Kahtnuht’ana Qenaga — faces the threat of being forgotten, but Kenai Peninsula College, Kenaitze Tribe and Cook Inlet Tribal Council have launched a project to help preserve Kahtnuht’ana Qenaga. The project has opened access to Kahtnuht’ana Qenaga study guides and archived audio files on a newly created Web site, http://qenaga.org/kq Audio files include pronunciation samples, vocabulary and stories. For words that may appear daunting, such as nilqun qegh’utda (meaning, day after tomorrow), audio samples help open Kahtnuht’ana Qenaga up to peninsula residents and others wanting to learn more about the area’s Native tongue. ... or Kenaitze tribal members, studying Kahtnuht’ana Qenaga is an important part of understanding the tribe’s history and connection to the peninsula, said Sasha Lindgren, cultural and educational program director for the Kenaitze Tribe. “The language ties directly to place,” she said. “Place names are not named after people. They’re named after distinguishing characteristics of the land. … So by learning our language we become even more connected to the land and our history, and it explains things to us.” Kahtnuht’ana Qenaga Web site helps reveal this connection in a series of interactive maps of the peninsula on which places are labeled by their Kahtnuht’ana Qenaga names. By clicking on a place name on one of the maps, visitors can see a photo of the place, listen to an audio clip pronouncing the Kahtnuht’ana Qenaga name, read an English translation of the place name and see the name commonly used for the place today.