The StoryKeepers: Canadian Aboriginal Writers and their Work

They say you should write about what you love. So today, and for the next few months, that's what I'm going to do.

I minored in literature in university, and I love to read. I am particularly partial to literature - I rarely read books about business or biographies or current events. And within the vast realm of literature, I'm one of the odd types who loves Canadian literature. And to put an even finer point on it - I love Aboriginal literature. I'll seek out virtually ANY new fiction by a First Nation, Métis or Inuit author. I am fascinated by the characters, and the ways that authors infuse their culture and heritage into their stories. It's partly because I can relate to some of the stories of small community life or quirky families; but it's also because I think some of the most interesting and exciting new works being published in Canada today are by Aboriginal novelists, playwrights and poets.

But a taste for Aboriginal fiction is not an easy addiction to feed. They're not often best sellers; the publishers are often small, the print runs are limited, and often libraries or big bookstores don't carry them. It was this dearth of information that led me to write StoryKeepers eight years ago, featuring interviews and profiles of contemporary Aboriginal writers.

So for fellow book lovers, starting next week I am going to write periodically about what I love: Aboriginal literature, the writers, their stories, and my thoughts on these books - some classics, some hot off the press. And I am going to call this series - what else? -  the StoryKeepers. These won't be reviews, strictly speaking - think of them as reflections, or overviews with some opinion thrown in! My goal? To spark your interest in a little known facet of Canadian literature.

Happy Reading!

Training for Healthier Communities

Community Health Centre, Arctic Bay, Nunavut

Much of the responsibility for community health in Nunavut lies in the communities themselves, in the hands of front line community health workers. A major element of their challenging job is to educate other Nunavummiut on health issues ranging from disease prevention to public safety throughout the territory.

It's a demanding task that requires training and professional development support. In June, the Government of Nunavut’s Department of Health and Social Services (H&SS) contracted Aarluk to help coordinate regional training workshops for community health workers across Nunavut. One workshop will be held in Iqaluit from November 28th to December 2nd for workers of the Qikiqtaaluk (Baffin) Region, and a second workshop will be held from January 9th to 13th for workers of the Kivalliq and Kitikmeot regions. Patti Black and Geoff Rigby of Aarluk are now working with Janelle Budgell and the H&SS Advisory Committee to develop a schedule for training sessions and coordinate logistics for both of the upcoming meetings.



h/t Geoff Rigby

Virtual Recruitment Links Employers and Job Seekers

One of the challenges facing both employers and job seekers across Aboriginal Canada is the challenge of linking potential jobs with potential employees across the vast distances that separate our communities. It's a challenge that the Aboriginal Human Resource Council (AHRC) has been wrestling with for years: but new technology may soon provide the answer. Stonecircle's Kory Goulais, Ron Ryan and Jennifer David will be working with the Aboriginal Human Resource Council (AHRC) on organizing and supporting the Council's first ever Aboriginal Virtual Recruitment Fair.

The technology comes from a company called iCongo. AHRC will recruit employers from across Canada in a variety of sectors. AHRC will also invite Aboriginal job seekers by contacting various First Nations, Aboriginal organizations and ASET holders. Interested employers will then create their own 'virtual trade show booth' on the designated web site. On the day of the fair (still to be determined, but sometime in mid-November), Aboriginal job seekers will be invited to 'walk' through the trade show booth area, click on companies or orgizations that have job openings or find out more about certain sectors of the economy, and have live chats with potential employers.

It's a unique way to provide Aboriginal people, particularly those living in rural and remote areas, with an opportunity to find out about what kind of jobs are out there.

Stonecircle is in charge of all the logistics and support for the recruitment fair, working with Craig Hall and Subash Biswal of AHRC. We'll announce in this blog when registration is open; you can help us share the news about this groundbreaking event.

And Always Remember, Kids...

Local Business Supports Inuit Broadcasting

In a strong demonstration of support for the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation’s Nunavut Media Arts Centre, RL Hanson Construction Ltd. has committed to haul freight for the project at no cost from the sealift dock to the building site.

“We believe in the project, and we’re ready to contribute,” said Bob Hanson, owner of RL Hanson. “This is one way for us to help make it happen.”

RL Hanson Construction Ltd. is an Iqaluit-based company specializing in general contracting, sealift delivery, grading, gravel hauling, heavy equipment operation, bussing and snow clearing. As a Nunavut-based business, Hanson sees the many benefits the new Nunavut Media Arts Centre will bring to Nunavummiut. “Our kids grew up watching Takuginai,” says Hanson. “Inuit broadcasting is part of our family, and it’s part of the culture.”

Consinema Movie Review: The Debt

Rating: 4 out of 5 Popcorn Bags

Title: The Debt

Director: John Madden (Shakespeare in Love, Proof, Killshot)

The Pitch: In 1997, two former Mossad agents, Rachel (Helen Mirren) and Stefan (Tom Wilkinson), both  national heroes because a of celebrated mission they undertook three decades earlier,  learn shocking news about the third member of their team, David (Ciarán Hinds).

Plot Summary: The story is anchored in a 1997 at a book launch by Rachel's (Mirren) daughter, who has written about the team's legendary mission on the other side of the Berlin wall. The story unfolds in the past and the present through Rachel's reverie during the book launch.We can't tell you much more than that - only that it works.

The Verdict: John Madden has built a career on period pieces (Shakespeare in Love), character dramas (Proof), and thrillers (killshot). In this remake of a 2007 Israeli thriller, he gets to combine all of the above along with flashbacks, multiple locations, and different actors playing the same roles in different time periods. It could have been a confusing mess, but it's not; it adds up to a smart, suspenseful, Le Carré-esqe espionage thriller.

What Shines: The acting is superb. But what else would you expect from this cast? Take Jessica Chastain (vulnerable), Helen Mirren (scarred), Martin Czokas (charismatic, dangerous), Tom Wilkinson (morally ambiguous - again?), and Jesper Cristensen (smoothly malevolent). Throw in a love triangle. The script, direction and performances skilfully link the younger characters with their older iterations.

What Sucks: While the performances are excellent, some of the characters don't seem to fit the narrative. Sam Worthington's role, meant to be a lost war baby, seems as though it wandered in from another script. And Ciaran Hinds needs a script where he doesn't mope around like a giant slab of Celtic Melancholy.

Watch Out For: The scene in 1967, in which the team have five minutes to smuggle an ex-Nazi who will not remain unconscious, onto a heavily guarded train surrounded by a barbed-wire fence.....absolutely nail-chewing suspense!

Congratulations Mary Simon!

Governor General’s Northern Medal

Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami President Mary Simon was awarded the Governor General's Northern Medal this week. The award, created in 2005 by former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, recognizes Mary Simon's outstanding contribution and commitment to assuring social justice for Inuit in Canada's northern communities.

From all of us at CCG, congratulations on a medal well-deserved!

For more information on the Governor General's Northern Medal, click here.

Pairijait Tigumivik Society

The Pairijait Tigumivik Society (PTS) in Iqaluit is responsible for the operation of the Tammaativvik Iqaluit Boarding Home and the Iqaluit Elders’ Centre, both of which provide important accommodations and support services for the elderly and for Nunavummiut passing through the Territory’s capital.

Last year PTS began working with Terry Rudden of Aarluk on formalizing its management, operational and management practices into a comprehensive manual of policies and procedures, addressing everything from Board Governance to emergency evacuation plans.  The work is now in its final stages with Geoff Rigby carrying out final research in Iqaluit to complete the manual during the first week of October. As Jim is always busy, and is particularly fond of being interviewed at length about policies and procedures, a fun time will be had by all. Right, Jim?

h/t Geoff Rigby

Stars on Gladstone and Helping the President: The Weekly Poll

Last Week's Poll: The New TV Season

Last week we invited our Constant Readers to recommend a consulting-themed television series we here at Consilium could produce in our spare time. (I mean, how hard can it really be, with all the smart folks and cell-phone cameras we have around here?)  Well, the audience has spoken, and our readers are never wrong (right?), so here's how our pilot concepts fared in the crucible of public opinion.

• Top of the Flipcharts (the zany antics of a consulting firm whose staff are all musicians, occasionally bursting in mid-facilitation into fully choreographed production numbers) garnered a miserable 5% of the vote. Put away the accordion, Fred.
• So You Think You Can Consult? (featuring Victor, Chuck, Jennifer and Donald Trump) didn't fare much better  at 11%. You're fired.
• Ron's Anatomy: (cynical, hard-bitten rookies,  wise and sensitive older mentors) and Probie! (cynical, hard-bitten mentor, wise and sensitive rookies) did better, - a respectable 23% each.

But the clear winner was "The World's Oldest Profession - Great Consulting Assignments Through History", with 38% of the votes. All Righty, Then. Our first episode will bring you the hitherto untold story of  Hierasiel, the largely unsung consultant who was hired by Noah to calculate square footage/feed ratio computations for populating the Ark. (This, mind you, in an era when the abacus was cutting edge data processing). Hierasiel is credited with persuading Noah to leave behind the dinosaurs; unfortunately, he disappeared from history when Noah decided to leave him behind as well.

This Week's Poll: Helping Obama

This is, of course, a proudly Canadian blog. Still, we must confess a certain fascination with our good neighbours to the South, whose politics always seem to involve so much more drama than our domestic variety. This month, for example, we have the spectacle of a likeable President who retains a high level of personal popularity while scoring some of the lowest approval ratings in US history. Well, he seems like a nice guy; so we thought we'd put one of the most powerful policy and research teams in the world at his disposal - to wit, our Constant Readership.

President Obama, we know you're a regular  reader of this blog. Pay heed while our audience tells you how to revive your flagging fortunes.

1) Invade something. True, it's a little tough on the country that's being invaded, but it's worked for Presidents before you. Try to pick a place that won't give you too hard a time, with a name that people can pronounce.

2) Spend more time in Europe. They seem to like you better than the folks back home, and the photo ops are great. Bring the wife. Hang out with the Queen. Whatever.

3) Buy a kitten. Everybody likes kittens. And then you can hold a national contest to name it. Then take it on tour. Heck, you can stretch that for months!

4) Get sick. Nothing too serious or debilitating, of course, but it should have a really dramatic name to maximize the sympathy factor. Some options: apocrine pedal bromhidrosis (smelly feet), Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (creases in the earlobes), or recidivistic gluteal furunculosis (a recurring boil on the buttocks).

5) Record a duet with Tony Bennett. Hey, it worked for Amy Winehouse.

Alright, Presidential Advisers - let's advise us a President!

Beyond the Workshop Evaluation Sheet: Or, How to REALLY Evaluate Training.

Effective training isn't easy, and it isn't cheap. For employers, it means investing in course fees, employee downtime, and trainer costs. Before you make that investment, you want to make sure that the course, seminar, or workshop you're paying for is actually going to achieve its goals. The best way to do that, of course, is through evaluation.

Unfortunately, most training program evaluation is done badly.  That’s unfortunate, because only  evaluation can tell you whether or not the training actually worked.

So how do you do it right?

More Weird Google Searches That Led You Here

Time once again for a sample of the week's top five strange Google searches that have led readers to this blog. You really have to wonder what people were looking for when they went looking for... "alien hydro pole". (Wow. What a great band name. Geoff, are you taking notes?) "Atwood Tattoo". (An even BETTER band name. Like "Spock's Beard".) "There is one name for adventure". (And who would have thought it was "Consilium"?) "The Years I've Also." (Uh...yes? The years you've also...what?? The suspense is killing us here!) "Carnivore dance girls behaving badly". (We think you must be looking for the PricewaterhouseCoopers blog.) Stay tuned - more to come.

A Co-Op For Fort Albany?

While co-ops are common in First Nation and Inuit communities in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, they're relatively rare in some southern Aboriginal regions. In fact, at this point, there are no co-ops at all in the Mushkegowuk region on the Ontario James Bay coast.

That may be changing.

Chris Metatawabin of the Economic Development Department of Fort Albany First Nation has asked Fred Weihs of Stonecircle Consulting and Peter Dixon of MacLeod Farley and Associates to deliver a three-day Co-operative Development Information and Planning Session in the community of Fort Albany, during the last week of September.  Fred previously worked for several years as an adviser to Inuit co-operatives in Nunavut.

Through a series of small group information and planning sessions, and a large community information and consultation meeting, the community will look at the feasibility of developing a co-operative enterprise to provide new opportunities for community development.  The Co-op Information and Planning Session has received financial support from Fort Albany First Nation, Wakenagun Community Futures Development Corporation, and the Canadian Co-operative Association’s First Nations, Métis and Inuit Co-operative Development Program. 

Happy Birthday Helen!

Aarluk co-founder and shareholder, Helen Klengenberg, was a founding member of Aarluk Consulting Inc. back in 1994, and has since been instrumental in making it Nunavut's most successful Inuit-owned consulting firm. Without you, Helen, none of this would have been possible. From all of us at the CCG, Happy Birthday  and warmest wishes on this special day!

Today, It's Pronounced Aaaaarrrrrrrluk.

Because it's THAT DAY again.

Traditional Knowledge and Science - Finding Common Ground

Climate change and weather. Herbal medicine. Wildlife populations. For thousands of years, indigenous populations have developed a body knowledge, based on long-standing experience of their environments, to guide their communities. 

For Aboriginal people, traditional knowledge is literally a matter of life and death; the ability to read weather patterns, prepare a medicinal tea, or predict where the caribou will be crossing are essential skills. In Nunavut, the term Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ) has been used to describe Inuit knowledge of changes that have occurred in the past, and traditional ways of approaching these changes or problems. 

At the same time Western  science has developed its own tools and approaches, based on what is usually called the "Scientific Method". Both ways of knowing have their strengths and their uses. But "science" and "traditional knowledge" frequently clash in the North, as government and Aboriginal organizations struggle to come to terms with such urgent and real-world issues as the impact of climate change on communities or the need to set a polar bear quota. When a group of local hunters provide one interpretation of events and scientific researchers provide another, how can the two bodies of knowledge be reconciled?

The Nunavut Wildlife Management Board (NWMB) is the principal regulator of access to wildlife in  Nunavut under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement. The mandate of the NWMB to ensure the protection and wise use of wildlife and wildlife habitat for the long-term benefit of Inuit, as well as other residents of Nunavut and Canada. The challenge of integrating IQ and science is right at the heart of their mandate.

To address that challenge, in 2008 the NWMB commissioned a “Report on Options for Design and Implementation of a Database for Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit Studies.” The intent was to create an IQ database to help NWMB include IQ  in its decision making processes, in accordance with the Nunavut Land Claim Agreement and the Nunavut Wildlife Act. The report, completed by Fred Weihs of Aarluk and George Wenzel of McGill Unversity in October 2008, concluded that six phases were needed in order to develop such a database: Needs Assessment, Design, Implementation, Testing Phase,  Documentation , and Publishing . 

Fred Weihs, Geoff Rigby and Galin Kora have begun working with George Wenzel on the Needs Phase, determining the scope of information available to develop an IQ database, establishing how a database should be organized and searched, and defining access. Interviews with key stakeholders are underway, and Aarluk will be presenting a report with key findings and recommendations to the NWMB on September 22^nd, 2011.

h/t Geoff Rigby

Happy Birthday Lei!

Lei, illustrating accounting fundamentals during the Annual
CCG Parking Lot Hockey Tournament.

We here at the CCG take employees' birthdays very seriously. On top of a complimentary birthday lunch, we put a lot of time and effort to find the perfect gift for all employees. For our finance guru Lei, boy did we nail it: fiscal year-end reporting! Happy Birthday, Lei! You can start crunching those numbers, right after lunch...

Why TV is Good For You

Tell Me Why I Just Love Mondays...

If you've ever been a researcher getting ready to run a survey, you have, at some point, paused and asked yourself - when exactly should I send this out? Which day of the week works best?

We here at the CCG have been using SurveyMonkey for years to meet our client's online survey needs. It's quick, inexpensive, user-friendly, and very smart - it lets us cut down hugely on data entry costs, saving you time and money on your projects.

SurveyMonkey just gave us another reason to love it. They've published the results of their own analysis on rates of response, based on days of the week. They selected a random sample of 20,000 individual respondents who received a survey invitation by email (using the SurveyMonkey email collector) in 2009 and 2010, focusing on two of the most popular types of survey: surveys of customer satisfaction, and internal surveys of employees within an organization.

The result?

Response for external surveys were 10% higher than average for survey invitations sent out on Monday, and 13% lower than average for invitations sent on Friday. And for internal surveys, the disparity was even more dramatic.

For more information on the survey results, visit the Survey Monkey blog post. Oh, and be prepared from now on for a Monday morning flood of cheerful questions.

2011 Nunavut Tradeshow & Conference

The 2011 Nunavut Tradeshow & Conference, hosted by the Baffin Regional Chamber of Commerce, is almost here. From September 27-29 in Iqaluit, businesses, government departments, hamlets, non-governmental organizations and many other Nunavummiut will convene to discuss everything from the weather to strategic partnerships and opportunities. The Aarluk crew are completely up to speed on current weather, so feel free to stop by our booth to talk about it (or any other services we might be able to provide you).

Aarluk has been a proud participant in the Tradeshow for years now, and this year, we're bringing a friend.   The Otus Group will be partnering with Aarluk to provide Business Strength Assessment services in Nunavut over the following year. For more details, you’ll have to come see us - we look forward to seeing both familiar faces and new faces next week!

We’d also like to thank the BRCC staff in advance for their sleepless nights leading up to (and during) the tradeshow. From our experience managing conferences, we know how much effort it takes to make large events like this run smoothly. It’s usually a delicate balance of preparation and adaptability, and BRCC always manage to pull it off. So kudos, in advance!

Old Film, New Television: The Weekly Poll

Last Week's Poll: BlockBusted?

Last week we bemoaned the summer's failure to produce a definitive blockbuster film, and asked for your views on whether we were just being grumpy or it had, in fact, been an exceptionally uninspired season. Here's what you thought.

1. Pirates of the Caribbean IV, X-Men and The Help fared worst - only 8% of you thought they deserved the title. Sorry, Johnny - even Keith's cameo couldn't pull that one out of the fire.
2. Transformers and Planet of the Apes didn't do much better - only 12% each.
3. Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows came the closest - 22% of you deemed it blockbuster-worthy.

Let Hollywood Tremble: the winner, according to the readers of this blog (who are NEVER) wrong, was the ever popular None Of The Above. Clearly, the world is ready for another Flintstones live action remake.

This Week's Poll: The New TV Season

We were chatting at our Monday staff meeting about how formulaic television has become - how the new season is nothing but repeats, revisioning, revivals or reworkings of old ideas. That led to a discussion about the unusually high percentage of ex-TV people we have in the company, and the realization that if we put our minds to it, we could, in fact, put together a series that was bold, uncompromising, and above all, outrageously original, a complete break with the usual network fodder.

So tell us: which series would prefer to see us work up into a radically new pilot?

1. So You Think You Can Consult? In which a panel consisting of Victor, Chuck, Jennifer and Donald Trump assess the efforts of would-be consultants as they try to conduct a program evaluation.
2. Probie!, a gritty drama in which a sensitive rookie learns the ropes from a group of cynical, hard-bitten older consultants while struggling through some of the toughest boardrooms and bedrooms of the Nation's Capital.
3. Top of the Flipcharts: the zany antics of a consulting firm whose staff are all musicians, occasionally bursting in mid-facilitation into fully choreographed production numbers.
4. Ron's Anatomy: a gritty drama in which a group of cynical, hard-bitten rookie consultants learn warmth and humanity from a sensitive older mentor while struggling through some of the toughest boardrooms and bedrooms of the Nation's Capital.
5. The World's Oldest Profession: produced for the history channel, this documentary series takes a look at the Great Consulting Assignments of History, starting with the first recorded cost-benefit analysis. "Okay, Eve, on the plus side, apples ARE very nutritious. However...."

Our application to Telefilm awaits only your vote.

h/t Kory Goulais

Aboriginal Maternal and Child Health

The Health Council of Canada has just released a major study and report entitled "Understanding and Improving Aboriginal Maternal and Child Health in Canada", available on the Health Council's website, here. The Council also just released a short video highlighting one of the promising practices. You can see that video here.

The report highlights the challenges and frustrations faced by First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities, particularly mothers and young children, and those who support them. We all know about the great health disparities between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people; this documents looks squarely at the problems, but also the solutions, and profiles a number of best practices that Stonecircle identified and wrote up as part of our work on this project.

We hope this report will be widely seen and distributed to policy makers, government leaders and the non-Aboriginal medical and health profession as a clear picture of the shocking disparities and the innovative anwork being done by communities and organizations to improve the lives of Aboriginal families.

P.S. Stonecircle gets a brief mention, see page 17 :)

Would You Like To Restart Your Computer Now?

Play Fair with The Consultants

Being the third of Greg's tips on how to write an RFP that will get you the proposals you're hoping for.


Last month we talked about the importance of NOT overloading your RFP with unnecessary mandatory requirements. And a couple of weeks ago we suggested some of the basic information you should include in your RFPs to help consultants focus on your real needs.

Now a touchy subject near and dear to the hearts of consultants everywhere...

TIP No. 3: Play Fair with the Consultant.

When we receive a Request for Proposals, we take it at face value. We assume you're looking for competitive bids from a range of firms, that you'll make your choice on the basis of the selection criteria you've provided, and that you actually intend to proceed with the project.

Now, if you read that incredulously and asked yourself when exactly we climbed off the saucer from Planet Naive, be assured - we know that's not always actually the case.

• We've been asked to bid on RFPs by clients who have worked with the same consultants for years, who have asked that consultant to draft the RFP they're inviting us to bid on, and who are allowing other firms one week to develop a complex project plan and budget requiring a level of detail that only an insider has.
  

• We've been asked to bid on RFPs by clients who have no set budget, or even an estimate; they're asking consultants for proposals because they're curious about how much their goals will cost to achieve, and they'd like someone else to do the research and planning.
  
  
• We've been sent RFPs that casually mention that the work will proceed "if and when funding is received" - in essence, if we write a proposal that the client can take to a funder, the client will consider us when it comes time to do the actual work.

And what, you may ask, is really wrong with any of those scenarios?

The first one is simply unfair. It can take a consulting firm weeks to prepare a detailed proposal;  that investment in time is made in good faith, on the assumption that clients are going to give it a thorough review and fair consideration.

The second one is more tricky. Some clients really don't know what a project will cost, and want to get a range of options from various proposals. That leaves clients with the challenge of trying to compare apples, oranges and bicycles; none of the bids will have a common base or budget that allow you to evaluate their relative merit on the basis of a comparable scope. Even if you are not sure what a project will cost, you probably DO have a budget; by providing at least a range, you will get a much better sense of what you'll get for your money and who can offer more or better work.

The third scenario is a reality, especially for many non-profit and Aboriginal clients. However, fewer and fewer firms are willing to bid on a project if there's no assurance that there's any actual work. A simple and fair alternative is to pay a consultant or researcher to help you apply for funding, make no commitment to them regarding the actual project work, and issue your RFP once the funding is in place.

Apart from simple considerations of ethics, trust, and good faith, there's a very practical, business reason NOT to make consultants waste their time writing proposals you're not going to consider. It costs YOU money. Consulting fees are calculated on the basis of how much it costs to operate a company, plus a profit margin. Every unsuccessful proposal drives that operating expense (and eventually the price you pay for service) up. You're not only doing us a favour by playing fair: you're keeping your own costs down as well.

Consinema Review

Rating: 4 out of 5 BradBags of popcorn

Title: Our Idiot Brother

Director: Jesse Peretz (former bass player of the Lemonheads) and Evgenia Peretz (Vanity Fair Contributor). (A curious triviological aside: both are heirs to the Singer Sewing Machine Fortune.)

The Pitch: Well-meaning hippy pothead unintentionally wreaks havoc on the lives of his three New York dwelling sisters.

Plot Summary: After an 8-month stint in jail and early parole for good behaviour, Ned finds himself no longer welcome at the organic farm where he lived/worked with his girlfriend. To add insult to injury she insists on exclusive custody of his beloved dog "Willie Nelson". His three sisters have all "made it" in the Big Apple pursuing one or another of the paths to "success" - one is raising a family, one writes for a high profile magazine, and one is an artist. Although they'd all really rather be on their own, each succumbs to her sisterly obligation and insists he's welcome to stay with them any time. He does. Chaos and hilarity ensueth, naturally. 

The Verdict: Okay, this is one of those favourite filmic themes that traces its way all the way back to myth - the wise fool whose innocence is initially laughable, but whose essential moral purity challenges those around him to evaluate their own beliefs, lives, and priorities. Done badly, it can be trite (cough ***every second Robin Williams movie***cough). Done well, it's a wonderful device for holding a mirror to contemporary folly. This one actually works. 

What Shines: Although Ned isn't a bundle of hilarity any more than his sisters are, he's something much more: genuinely and contagiously likeable in a Capra-esque way. The movie never feels corny because of the way Paul Rudd underplays Ned. It gives him an amiability that doesn't feel sentimental, just laid back. More child-like than childish, and self-assured. The plot and relationship with the sisters is sort of messy, but what family dynamic isn't? I recommend this movie for ANYBODY who has a family. 

What Sucks: Because it's formulaic, and because we know what has to happen (even if we don't know exactly how), the movie it too long. Ned is pushed from sibling to sibling, amusing oddity leads to irritation leads to insight...yep, we get it, we get it! 

Watch out for: Ned's relationship with secondary characters in the movie. Everybody looks as if they can't believe they're falling for this. And they do. And we fall right along with them.

Mishtuk: Community-Driven Forestry

The link between forestry and Aboriginal communities is a close one, and Mishtuk is aiming to make it even closer.

Waswanipi Mishtuk Corporation is a Cree-owned company, based in Waswanipi, Quebec, that provides forestry services in areas such as harvesting, silviculture, and road construction. Mishtuk also owns and operates a sawmill under the name of Nabakatuk, employing over 20 people from the community.

Stonecircle's Kory Goulais and Ron Ryan worked initially with Mishtuk to facilitate a strategic planning process. That original involvement has led to a review and revision of corporate policies and procedures. Working with Derrick Neeposh (President and Director General) and Chris Cooper (Assistant Director General) Stonecircle has developed new and culturally appropriate attendance, incentive, and bonus policies, and work on a larger, comprehensive policy framework will be complete this fall.

Beep - Beep - Beep...

iPaddles and the Sprockets of Summer: The Weekly Poll

Last Week's Poll: The iGimmick

When Apple CEO Steve Jobs stepped down, it was rumored that Apple has at least one major product queued for release next year to join the iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad. We invited you all to speculate on what the next iToy was going to be. Your predictions:

• Neither the iEye (a hand-sized three-d camera) or the iAye (a special naval edition of the Ipad) attracted much interest - each drew 20% of the vote.
• The EiEiO (a special tablet device for children) fared a little better, attracting 30%. 
• You definitely liked the iOU (for digital banking), the preferred choice of 35%

But the clear favourite was the the iPadL, an Apple tablet waterproofed for use in canoes, to be sold exclusively at Starbucks and Mountain Equipment Coop, the Mecca (Meccas? Meccae?) of aging Ottawa Cool.

 This Week's Poll: BlockBusted?

The Sprocket Club meets on Fridays at noon in the Consilium Boardroom to watch movies. The only criterion is that it has to be a film that one Sprocket Club member thinks EVERYONE in the world should know about, and that at least one of the other members haven't seen.

As we glided out of August, our conversation turned last week to the question of a summer blockbuster, or lack thereof. Opinion was divided on which of the summer's films, if any, had achieved that magical mix of buzz, box office returns, and, oh, yeah, quality (nearly forgot that one) that would crown it THE Movie of the Summer of 2011. 

Well, you know what it's like around here. Variety is calling for our ratings, IMDB is clamouring for our opinion, and Johnny Depp wants to know whether Pirates made the cut. (Pirates? Cut? Get it?)

So which of the summer's offerings would YOU anoint as Official Blockbuster?

1. Pirates of the Caribbean IV
2. Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows
3. Transformers III
4. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
5. X-Men First Class
6. The Help 
7. None of the Above

All right, Film Critics - let's criticize us some film.

A Change is Gonna Come

We know we've hit the mark with a blog post when we receive emails from people complaining how hard it is to read. 

Thanks, everybody, for your input. And you're right. The white type on scrolling blue format looks great on a big, large format, high resolution monitor; it's not so easy to read at home on a smaller or older monitor.

So take heart. We are currently designing a new, integrated Consilium-Stonecircle-Aarluk website and blog, and will be giving you a sneak peek shortly.

The Editors.

Tastes Like Chicken!