Posted "Danceathonic" New Year's Eve epic track to SoundCloud

Wishing everyone a great 2013, now that the world has not ended, with my epic New Year's Eve track "Danceathonic." You can download all 5 minutes of its danceable goodness at https://soundcloud.com/citizenofhalo4/danceathonic

Worst online shopping experience ever ... FutureShop.ca Web-only Sales

What a way to spend Christmas Eve ... in an online queue waiting for the FutureShop.ca Web servers to allow me to conduct a checkout of an item I ordered during this pre-Boxing Day Web-only sale that started at 8 pm EST. I got through the checkout process once and the system was processing my credit card, then failed because it could not connect to another server for a credit card security check. Way to go FutureShop.ca! I phoned their Customer Service and spoke to a very nice young woman who basically could not tell me anything, not even if my credit card had been charged. Her suggestion, which was my conclusion, was to go through the whole process again. We wished each other a Merry Christmas.

On my second round, more errors and an even longer wait in the online queue. I finally get to the order page, put in a different credit card, and the system goes off to process the payment then finally comes back with another error page: "An error occurred while processing your request." Followed by a reference number that's part of the Checkout process URL.

The folks who programmed the system obviously didn't proofread or test the process very thoroughly. On the Queue Status page below the bar that measures your progress in terms of a meaningless percentage the first thing it says is "Once you reach the front of the queue, you'll automatically be taken to the checkout." Actually, that's not true, because when your progress bar reaches 100% a greyed out button turns red and you have to click "Continue Checkout" to go anywhere.

This reminds me of online computing in the 90s. Over 1.5 hours wasted. My first two attempts were in Internet Explorer 9. My third attempt, ongoing as I write, is in Google Chrome, which was noticeably faster up to the Queue Status page.

Success with Google Chrome! Let that be a lesson for me, never try to order anything online with Microsoft Windows' Internet Explorer.

Are you still here or have you transmigrated to another Earthlike world?

It's now officially the End of the World Day according to those who have misinterpreted the Long Count Calendar of the ancient Mayan civilization. Are you still here or do you think you've transmigrated to another Earthlike world that's just like the one and the life you thought you left behind?

Welcome to the end of the world Mayan style

It's supposed to be the end of the world tomorrow Mayan style. Hope you're ready for whatever happens, even if it doesn't. At least it's a Friday. TGIF takes on a whole new meaning.

For more news on the 2012 phenomenon check out those Google News results.

DavidMattion.com and CameraWorkers.DavidMattison.com temporarily down

Update for December 19, 2012

Spoke by phone with the billing people who weren't much help. Checked the site this morning and it's been restored but it's back to version 7 of the software. Time to look for a new Web hosting company.

Original post, December 17, 2012

I just learned this morning, December 17, 2012, that the reason DavidMattison.com and CameraWorkers.DavidMattison.com are inaccessible is due to a hardware failure of the Web server from the hosting company I'm using. I've been trying to get in touch with them as well about a billing issue but their much-vaunted 24/7 live support is not working even during their business hours.

Canadian Photography postage stamps for 2013 unveiled

In Canada Post's Details magazine for January-March 2013 (vol. 22, no. 1), there's a writeup about the new "Canadian Photography" stamp series wherein I'm named as one of the "virtual photography task force" that recommended particular photographs for the stamps (p. 25). I'm very pleased to see that two of my recommendations made the first year: a portrait of an Inuit woman by Geraldine Moodie and a portrait of Yosuf Karsh by Arnaud Maggs. I was one of two consultants from British Columbia. This stamp series is being issued over five years up to 2017 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Canadian Confederation. You can the 2013 issues by  looking through the online Details pages at http://www.canadapost.ca/shop/stamp-collecting/details-january-march-2013.jsf

Now the real fun begins in the USA

Now that President Obama has been elected for a second term, another historic victory for the first Black President of the USA, the real fun begins. It was quite an exciting night for both candidates. Republican Party nominee Mitt Romney was very gracious in his speech conceding defeat. Wouldn't it be great if Obama offered him a seat in his cabinet? Looking at the way the Electoral College vote split across the country, it's pretty clear that Obama really has his work cut out for him, especially since the Republicans have retained control of the House of Representatives. So we'll see how much reaching across the aisles, rather than preaching and praying across the aisles there will be. The next big test of his presidency will be this fiscal cliff financial disaster.

Uploaded "Spell Like Calvertron" remix contest entry to SoundCloud

A couple of days ago came across a contest with a nice first prize, not that I have much hope of winning it. It's a remix contest using music loops from a dubstep producer with the stage name of Calvertron. Contest sponsored by PrimeLoops.com. Decided to appeal to his vanity and called mine "Spell Like Calvertron". My piece uses loops from a nifty software version of Texas Instruments' Speak & Spell. My SoundCloud entry is under my Citizen of Halo 4 nom de plume.

Submitted third entry to Halo 4 Remix contest

Submitted my third entry to the Halo 4 Remix contest, a remix of the "Awakening" track. It's on my SoundCloud account I set up for the contest as well as via the Halo 4 Remix Contest site.

Uploaded "Tabla Mint Jam" excerpt to SoundCloud

Worked on this one over two days. The percussion beats are from REX loops of Indian instruments, with two or three different tabla parts. The guitarish and vox-like sounds were made from a single MIDI track I created and run through a couple of software synths and then enhanced, or mangled (in a good way I think), with Native Instruments' Guitar Rig software FX. The result is "Tabla Mint Jam", a one-minute excerpt from the five and half minute long jam you'll find on one of my SoundCloud accounts. I hope to upload the full version to Nimbit.

The f-bomb that keeps on ticking

What do actor Tom Hanks and the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama have in common?

They both used the f-bomb in October 2012.

Tom Hanks purposefully on a talk show while speaking in character from one of his roles in the movie Cloud Atlas and the Dalai through a transcription error while speaking at Brown University in Rhode Island.

Submitted two entries to Halo 4 Sountrack Remix Contest

Three tracks from the upcoming Halo 4 soundtrack are available for remixing in the Halo 4 Soundtrack Remix Contest. I've submitted two entries for "To Galaxy" and "Revival". Both remixes were created mostly by applying various sound effects.

You can listen to them through the contest Web site or via a SoundCloud account I set up as Citizen of Halo 4.

Submitted "Electron Ghosts in the Machine" to IndabaMusic.com weekly contest

IndabaMusic.com's weekly contest for October 3, 2012 is on the theme of spooky music for Halloween. I created a piece (no music loops were used) I called "Electron Ghosts in the Machine". I think it's very danceable, with a strong beat, and spooky in a techno-glitch sort of style.

Submitted entry to MIDIchords.com trance music contest

Submitted my entry to MIDIchords.com's trance music contest that closes October 5, 2012. Voing takes place between October 6 and November 2, 2012. As of October 2, only eight entries including mine, which I called "Take a Chance on Trance" (sadly, the title does not appear with my entry).

Uploaded second entry, "The Vampires' Waltz", to Beatport Halloween contest

I realized I had a pre-existing track I could submit to the Beatport Halloween music contest. So I added some of the Beatport-supplied sounds to "The Vampires' Waltz" and uploaded it. I think it's one of my better pieces.

Uploaded "Oh My Horror Dah Beatz Is Loose" to Beatport Halloween contest

Halloween is my most favorite musical time of the year. I love the dark, ominious sounds of a haunting soundtrack. So when I came across Beatport's Halloween Producer Challenge 2012 I couldn't resist.

I called my submission "Oh My Horror Dah Beatz Is Loose". If it's not too much trouble, maybe you can have a listen (it's about 4 minutes and 45 seconds of your time) and then, if you like it, vote for me.

Uploaded "The Vampires' Waltz" excerpt to SoundCloud

Since Halloween is about a month away, I decided to put some licensed music loops together into a little chillout dance number I titled "The Vampires' Waltz". You can listen to the excerpt on my SoundCloud account.

Uploaded IndabaMusic.com Weekly Brief entry "Chilled to the Dub" to SoundCloud

I entered the IndabaMusic.com Weekly Brief for September 12, 2012 with a piece I called "Chilled to the Dub". I also uploaded an excerpt to SoundCloud.

Entered Motion Beat "Vinid - Time Out of Mind" remix contest

I worked on a remix entry for "Vinid - Time Out of Mind" over two days for a contest sponsored by Motion Beat that closes on August 31 September 7, 2012. Extending the contest sucks as the contest opened on July 20 and with seven entries as of August 31 each of us has just over a 50% chance of winning. I suppose Motion Beat was a little worried about the quality of the submissions. I submitted my entry on August 30. Six of the seven entries were made in the last two weeks of August. Entrants are supplied with MIDI files, which were pretty sparse and all of which needed editing to remove extraneous controller events and other garbage so I could get them to work with my software synthesizers. You can listen to a preview of my entry via RemixComps.com or the widget below. I am the Trance Doctor and I thank you for listening.

Uploaded "Dark Matter Investigation Pattern Query" to SoundCloud

Imagine you are on a starship Investigating dark matter, the stuff we can't see that makes up most of the universe's mass. Are these the sounds you might hear as you listen to some of your dubstep synthed music while you pursue your "Dark Matter Investigation Pattern Query"?

When the shark bites, you're "Shark Bait"

IndabaMusic.com's weekly contest that started on August 15, 2012 is on the theme of sharks. I put together an aggressive track I entered called "Shark Bait".

"Lost in the Sun" by Ivy remix contest entry

Didn't spend a lot of time on this, simply added some interesting FX to the various audio stems that were provided for this remix contest of a song called "Lost in the Sun" by the group Ivy. My remix sounds like the original except that the instrumentation, due to the FX used, is a bit more in your face. I couldn't really make out the lyrics in the original and you definitely can't understand them in my remix!

"Night of the Living Coffeemaker" contest entry

Unusual contest from Samplephonics to create a two-minute track using a single sound source. I chose a recording I made in 2011 of my coffeemaker. Sliced it all up and applied a lot of sound effects to the different audio to come up with an ambient horrorscape I called "Night of the Living Coffeemaker". Have a listen if you dare. It might make you appreciate your coffeemaker even more.

Voting now open for KDM "Bend It Over" remix contest

Public voting is now open for the KDM "Bend It Over" remix contest I entered sponsored by Vinyl Related Records and DivisionBass Digital. My track is the Trance Doctor Remix. As they say in the trade, there's some quality shit here.

Update for August 10, 2012: Did not place in the top three.

Olympic 2012 opening spectacular

Watching the 2012 Summer Olympic opening ceremony. Highlights so far were the Industrial Revolution transition and raising of the Olympics Rings, Daniel (James Bond) Craig and HM the Queen together, and Rowan (Mr. Bean) Atkinson in a spoof of "Chariots of Fire" -- music and the film. An amazing spectacle for sure.

My first digital music store opens at Nimbit Music

I created my digital music store through Nimbit Music. My Trance Doctor storefront's not fully enabled and there's only one track there for you to listen to or purchase (a mere $0.99 of awesome tribal-techno beats), but have a go at it and let me know what you think. I have at least 3, maybe 4, audio CD's worth of music to upload (yes, audio CD quality, not MP3s). At the moment (July 13, 2012), that's the only audio format Nimbit Music is supporting. You can pay by four major credit cards (VISA, MasterCard, American Express or Discover) or by PayPal.

Entered KDM "Bend It Over" remix competition

Decided on a Canada Day (July 1) 2012 whim to enter a remix contest sponsored by UK's Vinyl Related Records. The remix is of the artist KDM's track "Bend It Over". The music is of the dubstep/drum and bass genres. I liked what I heard of the original and love a good musical challenge, so over two days completed and submitted my entry.

It's online at http://www.vinylrelatedrecords.co.uk/competition/ and the track is titled "KDM - Bend It Over - (TranceDoctor Remix)" (SoundCloud link). Have a listen and favorite me!

Steampunk Challenge is on, Greater Victoria Public Library

The Greater Victoria Public Library has issued a Steampunk Challenge, an online scavenger hunt designed to test your information literacy skills. It's for middle and high school students, but looks like a lot of fun, so anyone into Steampunk and puzzles ought to give it a try.

Cool your ears on my entry in the Jazzy/Chillout Remix contest

I completed an entry in an audio remix contest sponsored by SoundtrackLoops.com. The contest is titled the Jazzy/Chillout Remix Contest. My entry, Jazzy Chillout - (Trance Doctor Remix), can be found here. This is not a popularity-based contest, so judges are involved. Three winners will be chosen. The contest closes June 30, 2012 at midnight Central Standard Time US.

Canada, land of heritage cultureless opportunities

Vancouver Sun journalist Stephen Hume has written a scathing piece, "Moving historic artifacts to Quebec 'stupid, insensitive'" about Prime Minister Harper's Conservative government's insensitive and economically unjustified cut to the National Archival Development Program and the warehousing of countless artifacts from their local communities to a warehouse in Gatineau, Quebec.

Smoking out the wrong stuff at Library and Archives Canada

Ian Milligan, writing for ActiveHistory.ca back on May 22, 2012, provided a great overview of the immediate and coming cuts to Library and Archives Canada programs and services, including the elimination of the National Archival Development Program (NADP) and the axing of the interlibrary lending (ILL) service. He called his essay "The Smokescreen of ‘Modernization’ at Library and Archives Canada".

J.L. Granatstein in Globe & Mail on Library and Archives Canada's decimation

Historian J.L. Granatstein has written a most excellent rant against the ongoing decimation of Library and Archives Canada under the direction of the Librarian and Archivist of Canada, whom it seems, would rather carry out the wishes of his politician master the Hon. James Moore rather than do the honourable thing and resign. Take a look at Granatstein's indictment of the radical changes at LAC in the Globe & Mail (June 12, 2012) titled "Who will preserve the past for future generations?" Sadly, one of the cuts Granatstein missed was the elimination of the National Archival Development Program (NADP). Granatstein is the author of Who Killed Canadian History?, so perhaps a sequel might be Who Killed the Library and Archives Canada?

LinkedIn security breach (June 7, 2012), change your password

In case you have not heard or been informed, as I was not, LinkedIn.com has had a security breach and 6.4 million member passwords were stolen. The theft was publicized on Thursday, June 7, 2012. As of June 10, 2012, all LinkedIn has done is to post a notice on its site that you should reset your password. In my case, the site remembered I was logged in from a previous visit and did not automatically log me out. I'm not sure whether that's a plus or a minus.

Uploaded "What Tribe R U?" excerpt to SoundCloud

Didn't allow myself enough time to finish this track and enter it in an electronic music contest that closed on June 5, 2012. This excerpt from "What Tribe R U?" on SoundCloud is about the middle two minutes. The total track length is around four and half minutes. Crank up the volume and your bass setting to feel the groove.

Uploaded "That Old Disco Vibe Excerpt" to SoundCloud

I hadn't thought of the passing of the Queen of Disco Donna Summer when I worked on this, but someone suggested it sounded like disco, hence the title, "That Old Disco Vibe Excerpt". What you're hearing on SoundCloud is the last minute.

Society of American Archivists opposes the desecrecation of the Canadian archival system by Harper's government

Quoting (with some corrections) from the e-mail submitted to ARCAN-L on May 11, 2012:

Gregor Trinkaus-Randall, 2011-2012 President of the Society of American Archivists, has issued a letter to the Hon. James Moore, opposing the April 30 decision by Library and Archives Canada to eliminate the National Archival Development Program and [by extension] the Canadian Council of Archives.

The full letter is available online and can be found at

http://files.archivists.org/advocacy/Moore_NADPandCCA_051112.pdf .

More Times-Colonist coverage of Prime Minister Harper's attack on Canada's heritage sector

Eric Sager of the University of Victoria's History Department wrote a scatching denunciation in the May 11, 2012 issue of the Victoria Times-Colonist of Primer Minister Harper's government's attack on the Canadian heritage sector from downsizing of the Library and Archives Canada to the elimination of the National Archival Development Program (NADP) to the gutting of Parks Canada which maintains federal heritage sites.

His blistering attack is titled "Harperizing Canada's history and heritage". When the government celebrates the bicentennial of the War of 1812 to the tune of $28 million, but cuts the 26-year NADP funding of $1.7 million that has helped archives across Canada, the optics, as they say, do not look good. The cuts to Library and Archives Canada are equally serious. It's like taking the teachers out of the education system, the librarians out of libraries, the curators out of museums, oh wait, they're next.

Heritage Minister James Moore's weak defense of these cuts in relation to Library and Archives Canada that more effort will be expended on digitization is simply not practical in the face of the staffing loss. Furthermore, while self-service might work fine at Home Depot or Safeway (my experience with both is staff are still needed) and airport terminals, you can't compare a retail experience to a research experience where expert staff have deep knowledge of a subject, whether it's library publications or archival records.

Other Canadian archives are already experimenting with the kind of service LAC now offers where archivists are only available on call or by appointment. Yet some of these archives have not yet told their researchers through their Web site what they can expect when they arrive, that the long-standing practice of staffing a reference desk with an archivist is no more. If you walked into the Toronto Public Library and were told you had to make an appointment to see a reference librarian, what would you think? Welcome to Self-Service Canada!

Uploaded "The River of Ambience Excerpt" to SoundCloud

Uploaded an excerpt from a 6-minute meditative piece I call "The River of Ambience" to one of my SoundCloud accounts. You can download the one-minute excerpt. If you loop it in a music player it will likely give you the save effect as the 6-minute version.

CBC Radio interviews with CCA Chair on NADP cut

A couple of CBC Radio interviews today, May 7, 2012, with Lara Wilson, Chair, Canadian Council of Archives, about the federal government's elimination of the vitally important National Archival Development Program. Self-disclosure: I'm employed on contract funded in large part through NADP. The work I do on behalf of the Archives Association of BC reaches across Canada and around the world. The first is scheduled for "All Points West" at 4:10 pm PDST. You can listen live online via a link on the program's Web page at http://www.cbc.ca/allpointswest/. The second is scheduled for "As It Happens" tonight. This was a pre-recorded interview per Lara's e-mails to the ARCAN-L mailing list. This program starts at 6:30 pm PDST. You can listen live online via a link on the program's Web page at http://www.cbc.ca/asithappens/.

Online petition to help save National Archival Development Program

Please consider adding yours to the online petition created by archivist Heather Home at Make it Better - Write a Letter: Help save Canada's National Archival Development Program. If you're on the Facebook, you can also add this site as an app and recruit up to 16 friends to sign. The goal is 10,000 online signatures.

Archivists’ On to Ottawa Trek, May 28, 2012

Here is the announcement, in English followed by French, from the ARCAN-L mailing list on May 3, 2012 about the Archivists' On to Ottawa Trek taking place on May 28, 2012 at Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Ontario to protest Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative Government's attack on the archival community through the elmination of the National Archival Development Program and deep staffing and service cuts to the Library and Archives Canada. Your written and recorded hertiage is now definitely an endangered species in the Canadian cultural landscape: On April 30, 2012, Library and Archives Canada (LAC) eliminated the National Archival Development Program (NADP), a $1.7 million contribution program administered for the LAC by the non-profit Canadian Council of Archives (CCA) and distributed to 13 provincial and territorial archives councils to support archival activities locally. Through these councils, NADP funding is on the ground in our 10 provinces and 3 territories, ensuring that Canada’s history is preserved in local communities. Canada’s archival councils provide support to archives and archivists so that they may better serve all Canadians. The NADP was a vital component of LAC’s legislated responsibility to foster preservation, promotion and access to Canada’s documentary heritage. As stated in the Act: 7. The objects of the Library and Archives of Canada are… (b) to make that heritage known to Canadians and to anyone with an interest in Canada and to facilitate access to it;… (f) to support the development of the library and archival communities. 8. (1) The Librarian and Archivist may do anything that is conducive to the attainment of the objects of the Library and Archives of Canada, including (i) provide professional, technical and financial support to those involved in the preservation and promotion of the documentary heritage and in providing access to it; The elimination of the NADP will result in the collapse of 11 of the 13 provincial and territorial archives councils, councils that support the day-to-day functioning of archives across the country. Many of these councils were forced to suspend operations immediately. Archival institutions that invested precious resources into the preparation of NADP funding applications were forced to suspend projects that had already been approved by the CCA. Countless jobs will now go unfilled.Consequently, archives’ mandate to make government transparent, to make information available to citizens, and to preserve records of Canadian culture and society will be greatly diminished. In addition, the federal government has sent more than 500 surplus notices to Library and Archives Canada, which will ultimately have its staff reduced by 20%. LAC has also cancelled its Inter-Library Loan program; cut reference staff; imposed a "new service model" that requires the public to make an appointment for reference requests; cut library cataloguers by a third; and cut private archivists and media specialists by 35%, which means not only that significant Canadian heritage will not be acquired, but that researchers will not be able to talk to experts who knew their fields as these experts simply won't exist any more. At the same time, the government unilaterally shut down libraries in the Transport, Immigration, and Public Works departments. The effect of these cuts and closures are absolutely devastating and amount to nothing less than a merciless attack upon the archives community and those who depend on access to archives for their work and study. But these attacks are not isolated; the Conservative government has systematically targeted organizations and institutions that collect, preserve, analyze, and make available information for Canadian citizens. Statistics Canada was previously the target of Tory assaults, as was the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL) in Eureka, Nunavut. Statistics Canada was forced to abandon the mandatory long-form census, which was vital for distributing government resources on an equitable basis, while PEARL research was instrumental in collecting data related to global warming. Furthermore, in a time of supposed austerity the Conservative government has allocated an additional $8 million dollars for the Canadian Revenue Agency to target registered charities engaged in political activities. As archivists, we say “Enough!” We will not allow the federal government and senior management of LAC to compromise, assault, and destroy the Canadian archival network and the heritage that it preserves and makes available. We will not allow ideologues to tear apart the work of generations of archivists. We will not allow archives to fall prey to one-sided cultural wars. We will fight back. On May 28, join us in the Archivists’ On to Ottawa Trek. Like our forebears in the 1935 On to Ottawa Trek who protested government mismanagement during the Great Depression, angry archivists and our allies from coast to coast will descend on Ottawa and other locations across the country on May 28 and we will be heard. For more information, check out: http://archiviststrek2012.tumblr.com/ Twitter:@ArchivistsTrek Facebook: Fight the Budget Cuts to the Library and Archives Canada Archivistes, en marche vers Ottawa – 28 mai Mission Le 30 avril 2012, Bibliothèque et Archives Canada (BAC) a éliminé le Programme national de développement des archives (PNDA), un programme d’aide financière de 1,7 million de dollars administré, sous la responsabilité de BAC, par le Conseil canadien des archives (CCA), organisme sans but lucratif. Ce programme répartit ces sommes d’argent entre 13 conseils provinciaux et territoriaux d’archives afin de soutenir les activités archivistiques sur une base locale. Par l’entremise de ces conseils, le financement du PNDA touche directement les 10 provinces et les 3 territoires canadiens et veille à ce que l'histoire du Canada soit préservée dans les communautés locales. Ces conseils d'archives du Canada visent à fournir un soutien aux services d’archives et aux archivistes afin qu'ils puissent mieux servir tous les Canadiens. Le PNDA était un élément essentiel de la responsabilité légale de BAC afin de favoriser la préservation, la promotion et l'accès au patrimoine documentaire du Canada. Tel qu’indiqué dans la Loi: 7. Bibliothèque et Archives du Canada a pour mission : b) de faire connaître ce patrimoine aux Canadiens et à quiconque s’intéresse au Canada, et de le rendre accessible; f) d’appuyer les milieux des archives et des bibliothèques. 8. (1) L’administrateur général peut prendre toute mesure qui concourt à la réalisation de la mission de Bibliothèque et Archives du Canada et, notamment : i) apporter un appui professionnel, technique et financier aux milieux chargés de promouvoir et de préserver le patrimoine documentaire et d’assurer l’accès à celui-ci; L'élimination du PNDA se traduira par l’abolition de 11 des 13 conseils provinciaux et territoriaux d'archives ; ces conseils assurent le fonctionnement quotidien des services d’archives à travers le pays. Nombre de ces conseils ont déjà été contraints de suspendre leurs opérations. Les institutions d'archives qui ont investi des ressources importantes dans la préparation de demandes de financement du PNDA ont été contraintes de suspendre leurs projets qui avaient déjà été approuvés par le CCA. De nombreux emplois ne pourront donc être comblés. Par conséquent, le mandat des services d’archives visant à assurer la transparence du gouvernement et à rendre l'information disponible aux citoyens, ainsi qu’à préserver les documents de la culture et la société canadiennes, sera grandement diminué. En outre, le gouvernement fédéral a envoyé plus de 500 avis de postes excédentaires à Bibliothèque et Archives Canada ; par conséquent, son personnel sera réduit de 20%. BAC a également annulé son programme de prêt entre bibliothèques, le personnel de la référence a été coupé sous les auspices d’un «nouveau modèle de service» qui exige que le public prenne un rendez-vous pour toute demande de référence. BAC a aussi coupé les catalogueurs d’un tiers, alors que les archivistes des secteurs privés et les spécialistes des médias connaissent des coupes de 35 % ; cela signifie non seulement qu’une part significative du patrimoine canadien ne sera pas acquise, mais aussi que les chercheurs ne seront pas en mesure de rencontrer les experts qui connaissaient leurs domaines de spécialisation, car ces experts n’existeront tout simplement plus. Du même souffle, le gouvernement a unilatéralement fermé les bibliothèques dans les domaines du transport, de l'immigration et des travaux publics. L'effet de ces coupures et de ces fermetures est absolument dévastateur et constitue rien de moins qu'une attaque aveugle aux acquis de la communauté des archives et à ceux qui dépendent de l'accès aux archives pour leur travail et leurs recherches. Mais ces attaques ne sont pas isolées; le gouvernement conservateur a systématiquement pris pour cible les organisations et les institutions qui recueillent, conservent, analysent et rendent l'information disponible aux citoyens canadiens. Statistique Canada a été la cible d'agressions des conservateurs, comme fut le Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL) à Eureka, au Nunavut. Statistique Canada a été forcé d'abandonner le formulaire long obligatoire du recensement, ce qui était essentiel à la distribution des ressources du gouvernement sur une base équitable, tandis que la recherche PEARL contribuait à la collecte de données liées au réchauffement climatique. En outre, dans ces périodes d'austérité, le gouvernement conservateur a alloué un montant de 8 $ millions de dollars supplémentaire à l'Agence du revenu du Canada pour cibler les organismes de bienfaisance enregistrés engagés dans des activités politiques. Comme archivistes, nous disons: «Assez, c’est assez !». Nous ne permettrons pas que le gouvernement fédéral et les cadres supérieurs de BAC compromettent, attaquent et détruisent le réseau canadien des archives et le patrimoine que BAC et les autres institutions d’archives de ce réseau conservent et mettent à la disposition des Canadiens. Nous ne permettrons pas que des idéologues puissent détruire le travail de générations d'archivistes. Nous ne permettrons pas que les archives paient seules le prix de guerres culturelles. Nous allons nous battre. Le 28 mai prochain, joignez-vous à nous pour cette manifestation : Archivistes, en marche vers Ottawa. Comme nos prédécesseurs qui, lors de la Marche sur Ottawa de 1935, ont protesté contre la mauvaise gestion du gouvernement pendant la Grande Dépression, nous, archivistes en colère, et nos alliés, d'un océan à l'autre, allons descendre à Ottawa et d'autres endroits à travers le pays ce 28 mai, et nous serons entendus. http://archiviststrek2012.tumblr.com/ Twitter:@ArchivistsTrek Facebook: Fight the Budget Cuts to the Library and Archives Canada

Another nail in the coffin of Canadian culture

I've been personally impacted by another nail in the coffin of Canadian culture courtesy of Prime Minister Harper's Conservative government. I manage a Web site and a database that's been funded through an annual grant from the federal government to a non-profit society. That funding's been elmiminated effective immediately with no warning to either the many individual organzations or the umbrella organizaton that administers the grant applications. I'm talking about the National Archival Development Program (NDAP), money for which came out of the Library and Archives Canada's budget. In 2001 the British Columbia Ggovernment made a similar budget cut when it eliminated its grants to community archives through revenue from gambling (see https://aabc.ca/resources/grants-and-funding/ under Community Gaming Grants). The elimination of NDAP is not, at least in Britich Columbia, a case where costs can be passed on or offloaded to the province simply because there no longer is a comparable funding program to NDAP in our province. Of course is Harper's government cancelled but one of those fighter jet orders that money could pay for NADP for many more years to come.

Canada tough on crime and criminals, not on foreign criminals

There's a story circulating about a quite famous personage who used to live in Canada. He gave up his Canadian citizenship in order to enjoy the privilege and honor of being part of the British government which had been denied him by a former Prime Minister of a Liberal government. His business dealings in the United States eventually saw him convicted of fraud and he spent time in prison there. His wife is a Canadian media personality and lives in Toronto. Today Canada has a new business-friendly government that claims it's tough on crime and criminals, especially foreign criminals. So how is it that this individual was granted a one-year residency permit? Why would Canada want to admit into the country a man who spent time in prison and who is not even a Canadian? In Section 36 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, only the Minister can make an exception to allowing a convicted criminal into Canada, so it's kind of odd that the Minister responsible for immigration is blaming his officials and claiming protection under the federal privacy act for not disclosing details. I think this would be a case where the public interest should be satisfied and I suspect the federal privacy act has an exception to that effect. After all, this individual is not a Canadian and he is a convicted criminal. Canadians have a right to know why he's being allowed into Canada.

Where has the time gone?

I can't believe it's been over four, almost five months, since I last posted to my personal blog. Where has the time gone? I kind of got tired of writing so I simply stopped. Music making made up for the loss of that creative outlet. Now I feel like writing some more but who knows for how long. One thing is, I can't stand the new look of Blogger.