CBC

I’m the “Oh Canada” Contributor on Squidoo

ohcanada

This was originally posted to the Squidoo network when I was accepted as the “Oh Canada” Contributor.

ohcanada Why become the Squidoo Contributor for “Oh Canada”?

First, I am Canadian. Born in down town Toronto, grew up in and around Ontario but mainly in the town of Port Union (which became Scarborough, a suburb of Toronto). I have travelled across Canada on the Via train, Greyhound bus, and by camper van, staying in youth hostels and the odd fancy hotel when the budget stretched enough. I’ve been from the ocean in Vancouver out to the ocean on PEI (Prince Edward Island). I have yet to be north enough to see the Canadian tundra – but I have been to Timmons and Thunder Bay at least twice.

Secondly, I really love to find out about Canadian art, history, culture, people, places, traditions…. all of it. When I see the word Canada on something it pops out at me and I will read whatever it is about. Even something I would otherwise not have an interest in or not even like all that much. I absorb Canadiana, greedily. That doesn’t mean I immerse myself in everything, there is only so much of me I can give, but I like to know the good, bad, and the ugly so I can create a whole picture of what Canada is and who we, as a people in the world, are.

I think it is a shame for people to say they are Canadian if they have not done some travelling to see Canada and meet more of the people than they find in the area they begin in. Canadiansare told we don’t have a real identity so we often defend ourselves with what culture, art and history is uniquely our own. That is a shame too because it just shows how well we know Canada is the country which people think of as nice but don’t really know who we are.

So, that is why I have taken on the challenge, the project, of being the Contributor for “Oh Canada”. I want to teach the world (at least those who stop by here) about Canada and Canadians.

I Really do Love the Canadian Flag

February 15th is National Flag of Canada Day

What is the Canadian National Anthem?

Listen to us sing it!

(The original post had videos here).

The Canadian anthem is “O Canada”. Here are people singing it, making their own versions. One of these is a video without singing, but I remember watching this as a kid.

My Background (like an About Me).

I am a proud Canadian and I do like to write about, research, and teach the world about Canada and Canadians.

I photograph abandoned, derelict farm houses. I like the history, the feeling of something surviving in spite of time and neglect. I like the way old buildings give us so many links to both our past and our culture. Travelling around Ontario (day trips and some over nights) I take a lot of backroads, get coffee in local restaurants and I keep in touch with other explorers across Canada through the groups I founded and moderate on Flickr.

I especially like Canadian music, literature and movies/ TV shows. Here we get so much media from the US it can be overwhelming. I make a point to support our own Canadian media by watching and listening to CBC, the oldest Canadian broadcaster and the most Canadian focused of them all. If you want to know about Canadian music, writers and others you can count on the CBC to have current news and old facts in their archives too.

I studied Canadian Literature as a course in high school and college. I do read a lot of everything, not just Canadian, but I am aware of Canadian writers and did belong to an online group (until it folded). I had thought to start up another group but that does take a huge amount of time and energy so it on a project on the backburner. Meanwhile I continue to write my site for writers and it does have some focus on Canadian resources (just because that is what I find most useful for myself, as a Canadian freelance writer).

As the Oh Canada Contributor at Squidoo I would be happy to bring some niches of Canadian culture, history and art to light.

Canada Day in 2017 Will be Canada’s 150th Birthday

1867 – 2017

Canadian Heritage
The Canadian heritage site from the Government of Canada.
Canada 150
In 2017 Canada will have it’s 150th birthday.
Flickr: Canada Day
Canada Day photographs on Flickr.
Imagi Nation 150
Canada’s Sesquicentennial from Calgary, Alberta.
Explore 150
Explore150 is a uniquely Canadian project that brings together mobile technology and youth engagement inviting young people to discover, celebrate and share the beauty and inspiration offered by natural, cultural and historical sites across Canada.
The CBC Digital Archives
CBC is the Canadian media and broadcaster. There is more than one, but CBC is across Canada and (as far as I know) has the most history.
The Canadian Encyclopedia
Today in Canadian history.
These were the comments with the original post on Squidoo. Also the poll.

Continue…

Canadian Content Contributor on Squidoo

I put my name in to be the Canadian Contributor on Squidoo.

This is what I wrote:

I am a proud Canadian and I do like to write about, research, and teach the world about Canada and Canadians. I already publish a content feed on Scoop.it about Canadiana. Mainly bits of things I find online or happen to think of myself. Scoop.it gives me a place to stash links, share ideas and knowledge. I have over 3,000 views and 41 subscribers, not a lot but it does give me a nice start for promoting any Canadian posts I make as the Squidoo Contributor. Anyway, that’s just numbers. The fact is I was born in Toronto and have grown up all over Ontario. As a younger woman I travelled alone across Canada on the Greyhound bus, staying in youth hostels, meeting other young travelers/ backpackers. I do love it here and travelling (on a shoestring) was a great way to see more than the cleaned up tourist places. These days I photograph abandoned, derelict farm houses. Travelling around Ontario (day trips and some over nights) I see a lot of backroads, get coffee in local restaurants and I keep in touch with other explorers across Canada through the groups I founded and moderate on Flickr. I especially like Canadian music, literature and movies/ TV shows. Here we get so much media from the US it can be overwhelming. I make a point to support our own Canadian media by watching and listening to CBC, the oldest Canadian broadcaster and the most Canadian focused of them all. If you want to know about Canadian music, writers and others you can count on the CBC to have current news and old facts in their archives too. I studied Canadian Literature as a course in high school and college. I do read a lot of everything, not just Canadian, but I am aware of Canadian writers and did belong to an online group (until it folded). I had thought to start up another group but that does take a huge amount of time and energy so it on a project on the backburner. Meanwhile I continue to write my site for writers and it does have some focus on Canadian resources (just because that is what I find most useful for myself, as a Canadian freelance writer). I have probably written too much but I would very much enjoy covering the topic of Canada for Squidoo. Partly because as a Contributor I hope to be given some extra promotion on the site and then be read and heard. (So important to feel someone is actually reading and listening). Also, I would be happy to bring some niches of Canadian culture, history and art to light.

I’m sure I had paragraphs but they didn’t work with the form used. So it is a solid block of text, mainly here for my own amusement.

Best Wishes Will and Kate!

I’m watching the Royal Wedding. Switching between CTV and CBC, both are talking about different things but CTV seems to be keeping it more in the present rather than rehashing everything and anything. It was nice to see Diana a bit in old news though. Poor Mom, wouldn’t she love to be here, meeting Kate and wishing them well.

Am I the only one having a bit of a cry? Two young people with so much ahead of them, so much extra pressure for them too. I hope all goes well with the wedding, I don’t see why it wouldn’t. I bet it is planned and checked to within an inch of it’s life. There is probably very little room for error, or surprises.

Local TV Channels Going PPV in Canada

I’ve signed the petitions for the local TV stations to get paid through the cable companies . I know this will mean another increase to my bill from Bell TV. I am even willing to pay another dollar or so per channel to keep watching A channel, CBC , CTV and etc.

Ideally, this would mean the local channels could stop running ads. If I’m paying for the service I’d like to stop having the ads (ideally). I know this will not happen and I’m not even writing to ask for that.

What I am asking for however, is for CTV , the A Channel and all the others to cease and desist with the practice of turning the sound up when commercials are running. Then turning the sound down again when the programming starts. This is something which has really ticked me off from the very beginning. I have completely stopped watching some channels, like YTV , over this.

As a consumer who will be soon paying for the local channels I do not think it is too much to ask for CTV, the A channel and the others to treat us (the paying customer) with a little courtesy and respect.

I will also send this to Patrick Brown , our local MPP here in Barrie. Maybe my request will just be ignored but I really do think this is little enough to ask for in return for paying for the service.

Hair Tan Lines and Other Useless Stuff

My hair has a tan line. Like an expiration or best before date where the dye stops and the old colour (my natural colour) begins. I love my natural colour, I’m not too fond of those insolent grey hairs that started coming in along with my natural colour.

People tend to say I look a lot younger than I am. I feel my age in some ways. But, really, what is your age? It’s just a number. A number of years. I don’t feel 80 yet and I don’t feel 20 still. So, somewhere in there, is where I am.

I’ve given up TV for now at least. It is all just a fuzzy mess if I forget and switch it on. I’ve gone without TV for a few years before. The only thing I missed were The Gilmore Girls but I caught up a lot in re-runs the past year or so. These day I like Being Erica. CBC runs it on the web, so I don’t have to miss anything. I just open up their site each week and watch it, commercial free even.

I was wondering if going back to dial up Internet would really be all that noticeably slow. My high speed isn’t fast. Firefox hangs frequently. But, then I remembered that it isn’t the websites and blogs we wait to load, it’s the frugging ads! If you wonder why it costs so much for Internet, now you know. The ads take more time to load than the text or image content on the page. In nearly every case. Web designs work to keep page load time quick and simple. Ad companies don’t give a flying squirrel how long you sit there and wait for everything to load. Bastards!

I want a web browser that I can censor out some of the worst offenders. Like the old pop up window blocker. Now we need one to block out ad domains like doubleclick.net/ com. That one fouled up my browser this morning. I had to restart the whole computer. I had just reformatted the whole PC last night so it began with a clean drive, no junk and no cookies and nothing else that could have caused a jam up.

That is about all I am going to blab right now. I still have to take out the garbage tonight. I’m still stalling cause it is cold. :(

Congratulations Elicia Mackenzie!!!

EliciaMackenzie


Elicia Mackenzie wins to become Maria in The Sound of Music in Toronto. Found some of her singing from the Maria? contest on YouTube .

From Macleans :

“I have confidence in sunshine, I have confidence in me!” MacKenzie, 23, sang to reporters at the CBC studios after a live finale in which she landed the role of Maria von Trapp in a Toronto production of “The Sound of Music,” set to open Oct. 3.