tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47845206045155783752024-03-21T17:55:32.393-07:00twenty-first century thoughts.Nick Fayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09123988585130895723noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784520604515578375.post-88825043212543604242016-01-24T09:14:00.001-08:002016-01-24T09:14:08.574-08:00Pop Music and Privilege.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><i>"Taylor Swift can play a mean guitar but that's just one of the perks of growing up the child of a hedge fund vampire! Thanks." - Facebook</i></b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A few weeks ago, I engaged in a Facebook debate with a bunch of friends regarding Taylo<span style="background-color: white;">r Swift. The conversation was focused on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGDkg3QiJmk" target="_blank">video of her playing a stripped down version of "Wildest Dreams"</a>. The thread started with a large majority of people discussing how <a href="http://gawker.com/taylor-swifts-parents-are-assholes-1561366839" target="_blank">Taylor's parents' (hedge fund managers)</a> wealth was the main reason for her success, and basically ended with "Capitalism sucks and rich people are the worst".</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">I picked an opposing viewpoint. Yes, her family is filthy rich. Yes, her money helped to propel her to stardom. Yes, she had the luxury of being able to focus on art instead of putting food on the table. At the end of the day, she is very talented. I believe that she is good enough that she would have been able to "make it" without the money, and that we shouldn't vilify people just for the sake of having money. Is there really anythin stopping most low-income teenage skids with a few spare hours and a $50 Kijiji Squier guitar to hone their musical and songwriting chops? Anyone can do it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My sentiments were in the minority in that debate. I've been revisiting many of those arguments over the past few weeks and I've put serious thought into how my privilege has affected my life and musical career.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl6wl2zf-R6a6DCPehX8wTXM5EH3FV2EDmvYTeIwHNofuDIUMP-E3DzuooQq4yZdA9g1rzgjd9qMmP9rzxXWG2rhEeLNFp3OoBZWCE1pYsupBxEg5fVJcE8o_rjOjxM4YuEQyn7MiEx6k/s1600/money-music.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl6wl2zf-R6a6DCPehX8wTXM5EH3FV2EDmvYTeIwHNofuDIUMP-E3DzuooQq4yZdA9g1rzgjd9qMmP9rzxXWG2rhEeLNFp3OoBZWCE1pYsupBxEg5fVJcE8o_rjOjxM4YuEQyn7MiEx6k/s320/money-music.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><i><a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/120996/mumford-sons-coldplay-other-privileged-musicians-taking-over-arts" target="_blank">"Surely Noel Gallagher is no better than Nick Drake just because he went to a Burnage comp rather than Marlborough?"</a></i></b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I did a minimal amount of digging and read a few different articles around the relationship between socioeconomic status and artistic success.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />The <a href="http://www.medicaldaily.com/artists-musicians-and-actors-tend-be-middle-class-it-has-nothing-do-how-much-money-352712" target="_blank">first article I stumbled upon</a> cited a study that found the major reason artists and musicians are from the middle class is a result of education. Decades ago, a study like this would've been enough to appease me that success in artistic careers is completely attainable! You just need to<span style="background-color: white;"> choose the right career path and go to school. However, <a href="http://www.macleans.ca/interactive-how-canadian-tuition-fees-have-changed-in-the-last-5-years-by-province/" target="_blank">tuition continues to skyrocket</a> and po</span>st-secondary education is rapidly becoming an experience reserved for upper-middle class families. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The<a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/120996/mumford-sons-coldplay-other-privileged-musicians-taking-over-arts" target="_blank"> second article explored the changing demographic of English musicians</a>. Mumford and Sons, James Blunt, and Lily Allen were among the acts dissected as being from upper-middle class acts dominating the pop music landscape. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There is no doubt that the pop music landscape is primarily dominated by the wealthy. As a musician slowly drifting more towards writing pop music, these articles did nothing to quell my ever-increasing feeling of guilt that I continued to feel for pursuing my musical dream. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Songs from the Suburbs</i></span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My father was a farmer, and my mother worked at local credit unions for most of her career. I lived in the suburbs all of my life, and grew up going to guitar, violin, and vocal lessons. My musical dream was sparked at summer camp. There was something about poorly sung Alkaline Trio and Blink 182 covers around a campfire that struck a chord with me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Following high school, I began to immerse myself in the vibrant Saskatchewan music scene. With semi-subsidized (via my parents education savings) university education, rent free accommodations in my parents basement, and flexible part-time/summer jobs the world was my oyster to explore. My music was the shuck to pry that oyster open (I AM THE WORST AT WRITING WORDS EVER). I spent partial summers roving across Canada, playing shows. I looked at it as a chance to go on vacation, and explore our country. Many people will never even get the opportunity to leave their home province, let alone driving from coast to coast playing unprofitable shows.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fast forward to today. I have a University degree in Marketing. I am currently working for an amazing crown corporation. My girlfriend and I recently put a down payment our first home. We have a Provincial government that is dedicated to supporting and nurturing their artists through financial and professional support. I possess the ability to write grants that help fund my music projects as a result of my education and professional experience. Getting to where I am musically (which isn't that far, to be honest) is a result of my privilege. I believe I would still be as good of a songwriter and musician as I am today, but there is no doubt that my financial situation has helped our band achieve more success.<br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i>Thankfulness Vs Entitlement</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />My entire life is the definition of privilege. I am aware of this. It has been increasingly weighing on me. Do my musical peers view my music with an asterix as a result? I respect them, and I want their respect and approval. Should I have refused the financial support to go to university from my parents? Maybe I should've moved out of my rent-free basement earlier? Am I a greedy person for taking advantage of what was provided to me?<br /><br />I've witnessed quite a few attitudes of "you are the worst if you are wealthy" and I still resent that. Yes, there are many predatory, self centered, greedy capitalists. Yes, there are major flaws with capitalism. But I know lots of good, morally and ethically strong people who are wealthy or well off. I have grown to believe that a major root cause of the greed lies in how society views privilege, and what these lucky and fortunate ones do to help others attain privilege.<br /><br />Our society has a pervasive culture of entitlement. My child DESERVES good grades. I DESERVE to get the starring role in the drama production. I am ENTITLED to success and wealth. Personally, I have decided to make a conscious effort to change the way that I think and act. I will strive to be thankful for the luxuries that have been afforded to me, and I will try to be better at helping others reach the same level of privilege that I have realized.<br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i>So what?<br /></i></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I know that I need to do a better job of being thankful, and do more to help the less fortunate attain the same luxuries that I have enjoyed over the years. I need to engage people on in real life and on social media, and challenge their sense of entitlement and apathy towards the less fortunate. <br /><br />While I figure out a game plan of how I can be of more value to the less fortunate, I have decided that I will donate all of the digital sales of our new EP to <a href="http://carmichaeloutreach.ca/" target="_blank">Carmichael Outreach</a>. People don't really like to buy music, so it probably won't be worth that much, but it's low hanging fruit for now. I don't plan to use this fact as a marketing tool outside of this blog post, a quick blurb on my Bandcamp, and maybe an Instagram post to show the public that I'm actually donating the money. I need to be better and do what I can. I hope other people feel the same way too.<br /><br />Nick.</span></div>
Nick Fayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09123988585130895723noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784520604515578375.post-4669268694174757372013-03-13T07:51:00.000-07:002013-03-13T13:03:42.604-07:00URSU Election: Why Slates Suck<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Anyone who has spoken to me regarding University of Regina student politics is likely aware of my distaste of slates in URSU Elections. Recently, I published my thoughts regarding slates on Twitter where some felt the need to defend them.<br />
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This blog post is my attempt to convince UofR students that there is little-to-no practical value of having these "political parties" involved in our students' unions elections, other than getting people elected for the sake of getting elected. I will be using tweets that were directed at me to either prove my point, or make a counter point on why slates are bad.<br />
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First, we'll start with the "Pro-Slate" Side. There are certain arguments that keep recurring in this debate. here are some of them:<br />
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<b>Slates make it easier to get things accomplished on the board. Without them, board members would just fight/banter and not get anything done.</b><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">
@<a href="https://twitter.com/nickfaye">nickfaye</a> running a slate also eases the path in making decisions. Like on the board with elected slate members with shared views<br />
— Nathan Sgrazzutti (@NSgrazz) <a href="https://twitter.com/NSgrazz/status/309084334982303745">March 5, 2013</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">
@<a href="https://twitter.com/nickfaye">nickfaye</a> @<a href="https://twitter.com/nsgrazz">nsgrazz</a> the individual executives would fight, banter, and argue for an entire year and achieve nothing<br />
— TylerWillox (@tylerwillox) <a href="https://twitter.com/tylerwillox/status/309086080781672448">March 5, 2013</a></blockquote>
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<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> <br />
So to summarize this commonly shared argument, some believe that "it is good to have everyone thinking the same thing and on the same side (slate), so that URSU can get more things done with less people raising concerns".<br />
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First off, the structure of most boards/unions are not "slate based". City Hall is an example of an organization that is able to function without the presence of slates, living proof that democracy can function and thrive without political parties. I don't buy the argument that intellectual and knowledgeable University Students elected to represent the best interest of their faculty, fellow students, and university require a slate in order to work together and do the job they were elected to do. Counter to the above argument, URSU most certainly would be able to function without them.<br />
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While it's true that Provincial and Federal Governments are elected based on a poltical partisan system, a single party is elected with a majority (with the exception of a minority or coalition government) and is responsible for making decisions. If a slate gets the majority of their members elected in URSU, they don't "win" the election. Union representatives are still required to work with members of every slate and standing, the structure and rules of the students' union are completely different. They are two completely different electoral/governing structures, and any parallels made between the two are irrelevant in this particular case.<br />
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My second point is that having everyone with similar or shared views may contribute to "groupthink", and could actually hurt URSU. Debate is a healthy component of democracy, and it shouldn't be limited, provided it is reasonable and constructive in order to accomplish things more efficiently (a concept our Federal Government doesn't seem to grasp). If too many candidates are elected with the same viewpoints, URSU runs the risk of lacking a healthy variety of perspectives and opinions to make informed decisions. Students' concerns may be neglected in the aftermath of their representatives pursuing a goal or viewpoint that their slate believes in. Not saying that this happens all the time, but it is a very real consequence of having a board made up of members holding very similar viewpoints.<br />
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<b>Members elected from slates have done a good job of governing URSU in the past.</b><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">
@<a href="https://twitter.com/nickfaye">nickfaye</a> @<a href="https://twitter.com/nsgrazz">nsgrazz</a> our slate improved URSU's brand to the university, stabilized the owl from $194,000 deficit, and saw some of the largest<br />
— TylerWillox (@tylerwillox) <a href="https://twitter.com/tylerwillox/status/309087043726757889">March 5, 2013</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">
@<a href="https://twitter.com/nickfaye">nickfaye</a> @<a href="https://twitter.com/nsgrazz">nsgrazz</a> voting <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23s">#s</a> in the history of URSU<br />
— TylerWillox (@tylerwillox) <a href="https://twitter.com/tylerwillox/status/309087137234571265">March 5, 2013</a></blockquote>
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While it is true that the slate mentioned above had a successful year in running URSU, it is difficult to attribute the success solely to the presence of a slate. It is likely a credit to the quality and popularity (voting #'s, engagement) of the candidates that were elected that year. It is the quality of the people elected that should be voted on, as it is the individual that URSU will benefit from, not the slate. It just so happened that the slate members elected were perceived as being/were quality candidates, which isn't always the case.<br />
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My point here is that many not-as-competent/inferior candidates are often elected over students who are more qualified/better candidates simply because they are not on a slate.<br />
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Take the following scenario: Candidates on slates encourage all of their friends to vote for them and their other slate members. These people are likely to mindlessly vote for everyone on their friend's slate instead of taking a small portion of time (literally 10 minutes) to learn about other candidates and be an informed student voter. Many of the students that are doing this may have good intentions. They simply are trying to ensure the success of their friend's "team". However, these voting patterns put other slate-less candidates that are often more qualified and capable at a disadvantage. Usually, this situation results in two possible outcomes for the slate-less candidate: A) the potentially more-qualified candidate loses the election solely based on the fact that they didn't receive the slate votes from the friends of the other slate members or B) the slate-less candidate creates another useless slate for the sake of improving their chances. This situation has played out multiple times over the years, and unless the candidate is foolish or stubborn (as I was in last years election), students usually choose option B resulting in more silly political slates designing goofy/lame shirts and playing more loud music in the Riddell Centre. My point here is that candidates seem to be creating slates for the sole purpose of helping them get elected, and really good candidates that may deserve to be on the council could get left behind.<br />
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My last point is that in some cases, petty political grudges between slate rivals during previous elections and terms may encourage elected board members to sabotage progress made by past "slate governments". Using Mr. Willox's example in the tweet, much of the progress and success that was realized by URSU that year was wiped out by the following year's slate. For example, the Owl was completely neglected and lost a healthy amount of money after posting strong profits the year before. It's fair to assume that this may have had something to do with the good relationship that the previous council (whose president belonged to a slate the ran against the would be President of the other slate) with the organization. In my opinion and observation, it seemed like the neglect was rooted in spite towards the previous slate. Petty political differences and resentment stemming from slate disagreements such as this happen all of the time, and they impede URSU's progress. Without slates, the risk of these types of petty political grudges is mitigated, which in turn would lead to more stable and steady progress for the students' union.<br />
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<b>Slates provide URSU with an agenda to follow throughout the year.</b><br />
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Most times, student issues and agendas are (or should be pretty much be) common long term goals such as lobbying the University and Government for lower tuition, increased funding, parking, day care, transit, etc. The problem is that slates always feel pressured to make a long list of promises to student voters around elections, as parties do in Federal/Provincial elections. Normally this is all fine and dandy, except for when the elected slate members start feeling pressure to deliver on all of their promises when they run out of time.<br />
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One year is not a lot of time, and what often winds up happening is that an URSU comprised of slate members spread themselves too thin to properly deliver and address issues they promised to student voters. Instead of doing one or two things really really well, they over extend themselves and wind up doing a poor job on five or six things. Often times, more pressing/time sensitive issues arise in the course of the year, and these are given a backseat to slate campaign promises. Slates encourage our representatives to "promise the moon" at election time, instead of being real, swiftly reacting to change, and creating manageable/attainable goals.<br />
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<b>Slates encourage people to run in elections. Without them, people wouldn't run.</b><br />
<b> </b> <br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">
@<a href="https://twitter.com/nickfaye">nickfaye</a> Some people like running WITH other people. Remove slates and people who runWITH others don't run, and 10 positions go unfilled.<br />
— Mike Young (@MikeAndrewYoung) <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeAndrewYoung/status/309081925799251968">March 5, 2013</a></blockquote>
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This is a foolish argument. If this is really the case and we can't find people to run, then maybe we need to progressively change the way that URSU is elected instead of using slates as a band-aid solution to attracting students to run and vote in the elections.<br />
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<b>In Conclusion...</b><br />
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This is not a debate over whether or not URSU can function with slates playing a key role in elections. The union will get elected this year, as it has in other years, and it will function fine with or without the presence of slates. The debate here is if removing slates would increase the quality of our elections and council.<br />
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Here are some questions I ask you to consider: Is allowing slates providing our students with the best electoral format, and encouraging them to take an active interest in their candidates? Are some of URSU's strongest leaders being overlooked or pressured into making new slates solely for the purpose of increasing their chances at being elected? Do slates really provide us with enough value to keep them around?<br />
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Personally, I don't think that there is enough value in keeping slates in URSU's electoral system. I believe that URSU would function perfectly fine without them, and that members would still work together to improve every student's experience at our university. I believe that students would be encouraged to take a more active role in learning about individual candidates, instead of mindlessly voting for every candidate on a friend's slate. I believe that the frequency of disturbances caused by petty political grudges would diminish, and that URSU would function better with less turbulent regime changes. I believe that councils would create better/real/more attainable goals, and address more pressing issues as they arise.<br />
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I believe that for these many reasons, that the time has come to put an end to slate based student politics at the University of Regina.Nick Fayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09123988585130895723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784520604515578375.post-51929227056516558302012-12-12T10:31:00.003-08:002012-12-12T11:27:09.315-08:00Nick Faye's Guide to the Best Music of 2012So, twenty-first century thoughts has been going for close to two years now, and I realized that I have posted very little musical content. This seems ridiculous, as I am very much a musician that listens to a lot of music. I usually make this list in my head every December. I figure I may as well share it with the internet as it's been a while since I've posted anything on the blog. My list may be a bit obscurely designed near the end of the article, but I had a really tough time deciding.<br />
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<b>NOTE:</b> There's a good mix of local artists from Saskatchewan, which honestly has nothing to do with me trying to achieve a "ratio" or propping up friends that play music. The albums/artists are on this list because they are really really, REALLY good. I think it speaks to the level of talent in this Province. We should all be very proud!<br />
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Without further ado.. I present:<br />
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<b><u>Nick Faye's Guide to the Best Music of 2012</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
<b>10) Grizzly Bear - "Shields"</b><br />
This album completely snuck up on me, which is pretty bizarre seeing as I jammed <a href="http://grooveshark.com/#!/album/Veckatimest/3123816" target="_blank">Vecktimest</a> religiously over the last few years. I remember patrolling Facebook during a homework procrastination session earlier this autumn when I stumbled across the video posted below. Shields is a very good album, as Vecktimest was before it.<br />
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Highlights on the album include "Speak in Rounds", "A Simple Answer". "Yet Again" adds to the band's already impressive catalogue of great singles.<br />
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<b>9) Japandroids - "Celebration Rock"</b><br />
I took a trip to Montreal this past May. I spent most of my time riding bikes, eating bagels, drinking beer, and exploring the city. It was fitting that an adventure of this magnitude required a soundtrack to mirror the nature of my shenanigans. Celebration Rock provided the anthem for many a bike ride or drunken Metro ride back to Saint Henri.<br />
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The band released my favourite song off of the album, "Younger Us" as a single over a year and a half ago. Celebration Rock fed off of the same pulsing energy in the song, dripping with a careless youthful attitude that made it difficult not to emulate. The album is concluded perfectly by one of my favourite songs, "Continuous Thunder". In my opinion, it's one of the most appropriate final songs I've heard for an album in a while.<br />
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Fun Fact: My speed would increase by an average of 10 KM/H while listening to this album in my car!<br />
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<b>8) Action Bronson - "Blue Chips"</b><br />
I had a conversation regarding Action Bronson with a good friend of mine earlier this summer. This was his response after I asked him how he felt about Blue Chips: "He's filthy, and it's really good." I couldn't agree more. The mixtape was released <a href="http://www.djbooth.net/index/mixtapes/entry/action-bronson-blue-chips-mixtape/" target="_blank">FOR FREE</a> earlier this year. Go download it. It's worth your computer's resources.<br />
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I really dig the Laissez Faire vibe of the mixtape. Many of the tracks include Action making "mistakes" or "screwing up". Instead of retaking the track, many of the cuts were left in the final mix. Whether or not this was intended or not, it managed to create a unique flow and make for some really cool listening. Action Bronson is one of my favourite artists in hip hop today, and Blue Chips is great.<br />
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<b>7) Andy Shauf - "The Bearer of Bad News"</b> <img alt="8)" class="emote_img" src="https://s-static.ak.facebook.com/images/blank.gif" style="background-position: -96px 0px;" title="8)" /><br />
Not many artists are able to put out <a href="http://andyshauf.bandcamp.com/album/sam-jones-feeds-his-demons" target="_blank">an awesome EP</a> and an even better album over the course of 8 short months. Andy Shauf completed such a task when he released The Bearer of Bad News in November. I remember hearing the EP for the first time earlier in the year. I texted Andy to ask if I was crazy, or if I was hearing clarinets in his new songs. The answer was yes. There are LOTS of clarinets. He plays them in this album as well. It sounds awesome. CLARINET HEAVY.<br />
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I'm proud to call Andy Shauf a friend. The sky is the limit for this guy. It's been a pleasure to watch him and his songwriting evolve to where it is today. The man writes evocative and bone rattling songs that transport listeners to his world of heartbreak and darkness. I don't think I've ever shown his music to someone that didn't wind up purchasing one of his albums or attending one of his shows.<br />
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Highlights include "I'm Not Falling Asleep", "Wendell Walker" and "Jerry Was A Clerk". This man tells elaborate and interesting stories that are sure to grab your attention.<br />
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<b><span id=".reactRoot[1].[1][2][1]{comment10151150900702341_24258440}..[1]..[1]..[0].[0][2]..[0]">6) </span>Zachary Lucky<span id=".reactRoot[1].[1][2][1]{comment10151150900702341_24258440}..[1]..[1]..[0].[0][2]..[2]"> - "Saskatchewan" </span></b><br />
It's no secret to readers of this blog that I love Saskatchewan. I spent a good chunk of my summer driving this province's highways as a consequence of splitting my time between Regina, my father's farm and Camp Monahan on Katepwa Lake. Saskatchewan was the soundtrack of the many long drives I was required to make.<br />
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I have listened to this album quite frequently since it's release this past March. Serene and reflective, Lucky has managed to create a perfect soundtrack to passing through ghost towns and family farms. The guitar work is superb, Carly Maicher's vocals perfectly complement the mix, and the pedal steel provided by Lucas Goetz (of <a href="http://music.cbc.ca/#/artists/The-Deep-Dark-Woods" target="_blank">The Deep Dark Woods</a> fame) adds the necessary Western ambiance that the album needed.<br />
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As with Andy, I have been friends with Zach for a long time. Since our very first "mini-tour" some 4 years ago, he's continued to improve and this album is his best effort yet. Few musicians work as hard or tour as frequently as this man. His hard work is evident and on display in Saskatchewan.<br />
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<b><u>5) Frank Ocean - "Channel Orange"</u></b><br />
This was the undisputed "city-cruise album" of the year. I really don't have that much to say about this album other than that I think it's awesomeness speaks for itself. Frank Ocean absolutely destroys on this album.<br />
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There are a solid 5-7 songs that I would consider to be REALLY GOOD. My personal highlight is Earl Sweatshirt's perfect contribution to "Super Rich Kids".<br />
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So.. Here's where things get weird. I have a really tough time ranking things, especially when the "things" that I am required to rank are all music that I love. Thus, I have determined that I have a four way tie for best album of the year. Is this a cop-out? Yes. Do I really care? No. Drumroll please!<br />
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<b>NICK FAYE'S TOP ALBUM(s) OF THE YEAR:</b><br />
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<b>TIE 1) Ladyhawk - "No Can Do" </b><br />
Anyone that knows me can attest to my love for this band. I started listening to Ladyhawk during my first year of University in Saskatoon, six long years ago. They were the perfect band for a 17 year old angsty student to sink his teeth into. Writing songs about young/naive love and blurry scenes from seedy bars (which my fake ID and I could identify with), the band was my best friend at that point of my life. I missed them play a show at Amigo's with Black Mountain that year, and I regretted it for the next five years.<br />
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The band stayed quiet in the years that followed. When they did play, it was always at inconvenient times. I took one of my favourite bands to be dead, as more time passed without any activity.<br />
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I took the bus to school this September. I stumbled upon a link to their first single, "You Read my Mind", off of their new album that was released in October as I was browsing my tweets waiting for the bus to leave. All I remember is listening to the song on repeat for the entire 55 minute commute (efficient Regina Transit is efficient...) with a goofy smile plastered on my face. Ladyhawk was back, and they sounded better than ever.<br />
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No Can Do is a good album. Focused and precise, the album hits everything that needed to be hit after their hiatus. "You Read my Mind", "Bed Bugs" and "Window Pane" are songs that are as sweet to my ears as honey is to flies. Perfection.<br />
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I finally got to see them live in October in Calgary. It was a special evening. I knew most words to every song except for one. Thank you Ladyhawk. Thank you for coming back into my life.<br />
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<b>TIE 1) Bry Webb - "Provider" (released late 2011, but who cares)</b><br />
Provider was released in November of last year. I don't really care that it wasn't released in 2012. It's my list, and it's close enough to the end of the year that I choose to include it.<br />
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To be honest, I had never heard of Mr. Bryan Webb (I was familiar with his previous band, The Constantines) until I saw him and his band live this past May. I went to watch Zach Lucky at The Artful Dodger. Despite being very sleepy I decided to stick around for the rest of the show. They were very good live, and I purchased the album on vinyl. Little did I know the musical impact Bry Webb would have on my year.<br />
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Provider is a rite of passage for a man deciding to make a drastic change in his lifestyle. Webb, the former front-man of the always popular Constantine's decided to trade his tour van for a baby stroller. He started a family with his wife and they had a child. This album is a documentation of this transition. Provider paints a portrait of a man coming to terms with the new responsibilities that come with fatherhood, and it does so beautifully. It speaks to me personally as a musician, as this is a reality that I may be faced with in the future.<br />
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Double steel guitars (pedal and lap), ambient tones and stellar reverbed vocals provide the soundtrack to this journey. Bryan is a masterful musician. The album shows that he can still write powerful and evocative songs. Personal favourites off of the album include "Asa", "Zebra", and "Lowlife". If there ever was a peaceful album to play as you fall asleep, this is it.<br />
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PS - It won't let me embed it to this page, but <a href="http://vimeo.com/34861551" target="_blank">this is the video</a> I wanted to post to the blog. Watch it.<br />
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<b>TIE 1) Cloud Nothings - "Attack on Memory"</b><br />
I have to tip my hat to Mr. Justin Schumacher for advising me to check out Cloud Nothings earlier in the year. I was in Montreal, looking for new music to listen to when I gave Cloud Nothings my first listen. Attack on Memory is a high octane musical journey that I am glad to have in my library.<br />
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The first two songs of the album are quite different from the rest of the album. "No Future/No Past" begins at a dark drone and continues to increase in intensity throughout the song. The drone builds nicely into "Wasted Days", which consists of pure intensity for almost nine minutes. I was pleasantly surprised that these two songs, although very good, were leading off the album. These two songs are drastically different from the rest of the album. It's different, but it works.<br />
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The remainder of the album is a mix of catchy/melodic garage rock that still manages to retain a healthy level of grit and polish. The album effectively explores themes of lost memories, vanishing youth and romance. Similar to Japandroids, Attack on Memory is a garage rock symphony that I've had the pleasure of enjoying over the last year.<br />
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<b>TIE 1) Rah Rah - The Poet's Dead</b><br />
I remember the first time I watched Rah Rah play live. They played at the Exchange in Regina with either Go Jeff!, Sylvie, or National Frost in 2007 - it's funny how time flies and people forget these details. They had only been around for a short time and the buzz surrounding their music was spreading across the city. I had yet to hear their music at that point, and I attended the show that evening with a pessimistic/negative attitude towards the band. I was preparing to hate their music solely based on the hype behind their music and that everyone else liked the band (I was an angsty/irritable teenager at the time). That first show was so much fun, and it was evident that the band had the songwriting chops and musicianship to succeed. That was the night I became a Rah Rah fan.<br />
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The Poet's Dead is the strongest statement the band has made in their 5 year career. Going Steady and Breaking Hearts were good, but they were simply appetizers for what was to come with The Poet's Dead. Top notch production, intricately placed/interesting instrumentals, and three distinctly different and talented vocalists make for a unique listening experience. Marshall Burns has always been great at telling stories, and Erin Passmore's voice is as soulful as it's ever been.<br />
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"Prairie Girl" is a great song, "Fake our Love" provides artistic insight into life as a musician touring on the road, and "First Kiss" was the perfect song for a dude (AKA - this guy!) trying to convince a girl to like him/dealing with unrequited love over the summer. These are awesome songs that you should be listening to.<br />
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I was privileged to have received an advance copy of the album in May from a friend. I listened to it in the summer. I listened to it in the fall. I'm listening to it now. I'll probably listen to it in the future. The band is comprised of some of the nicest and most legitimate human beings that have ever been involved with our local music scene. Regina is better for having them in our community, and we should all be proud of their success. This band is, and will continue to be great.<br />
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What do you guys think? Agree? Disagree with my choices? Feel free to provide your picks in the comments section!Nick Fayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09123988585130895723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784520604515578375.post-40338517234304331962012-09-17T08:39:00.001-07:002012-09-17T08:39:18.913-07:00Summer Recap: 2012Hello to all! I hope everyone is well, and that life is getting back to normal now that autumn is settling in. I guess it's been a while since I've posted a blog on here, so I'll get to it. Last year I did a recap of my summer and I think I'll do the same right meow to try and shake off the "Bloggers Rust".<br />
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My summer was a hodgepodge of adventures. (I really hope hodgepodge is a real word) As detailed in previous blogs from earlier in the summer, I went out to my Father's farm whenever I had some spare time to help my dad seed/cut grass/shingle/etc. I also took off to Montreal and Toronto for a few weeks in May/June to ride bikes, eat tasty food, meet new friends (and catch up with old ones), go to museums/art galleries, take in a Blue Jays game, and check out some shows at NXNE. That was pretty darn rad.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">God bless you, Montreal</td></tr>
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After Montreal, it was back to Saskatchewan and out to Camp Monahan on the beautiful Lake Katepwa. I spent two weeks training campers how to be Counselors, and the last four weeks running an Overnight program, where campers would leave main camp and hike a mile along lakefront cattle grazing land to get to a more rugged and natural campsite. I was responsible for preparing the necessary food (ie. pre-cooking pasta sauce, taco meat, getting enough marshmallows for smores, filling up water jugs, etc), transporting the campers' gear to the site via pontoon boat, making fires to the cook food on/chopping firewood, and ensuring the campsite was in order. Minus the copious amounts of campfire smoke inhaled, my clothes smelling like perma-campfire and waking up at 6:00 AM to start a fire everyday, it was pretty darn fun.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My office during the summer.</td></tr>
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I played music at a couple of weddings and cabin parties around the Qu'Appelle Valley and decided that I would make an effort to explore some cool sites within driving distance of Regina. The excellent <a href="http://www.sukanenmuseum.ca/" target="_blank">Sukanen Ship Museum</a> near Moose Jaw (with their website in all of it's grade nine level HTML glory), <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Muddy_Badlands" target="_blank">Castle Butte in the rugged Big Muddy Badlands</a>, <a href="http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/sk/motherwell/index.aspx" target="_blank">Motherwell Homestead National Historic Site</a> near Abernethy, and the very enjoyable <a href="http://www.fortquappelle.com/history.html" target="_blank">Fort Qu'Appelle Museum</a> were all explored and visited by yours truly over the last few weeks of summer. Mix in a wedding in Calgary over Labour Day, and performances on the big stage opening for Rah Rah and Arkells for the University of Regina Welcome Week/ at the SaskMusic showcase for the CCMA's in Saskatoon, and you're looking at a pretty good summer!<br />
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Anyways, I won't bore you with any more details of my summer. As always, I tend to learn a lot about myself during my summer adventures. Here are a few things that I noticed this year:<br />
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<b>Read good books</b><br />
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This does not include Fifty Shades of Grey or Twilight, just in case I needed to clarify. I truly believe that summer was genetically created to encourage people to read more. You actually need to put forth a serious effort to avoid the urge to read under a tree in the sunshine on a hot August afternoon. Here is the list of books that I crushed this summer:<br />
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- Factorum by Charles Bukowski<br />
- This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald<br />
- Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy<br />
- Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Alborn<br />
- Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut<br />
- The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck.<br />
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You might notice that my list is empty of any "Efficiency" or "Business" literature (ex: 5 ways to increase your personal brand, TED talk-esque stuff, etc). I enjoy those interesting reads as much as the next person, but I would encourage you to stay away from these types of books during the summer. You have three other seasons to read material that will maximize your life/work efficiency.<br />
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Take a step back, open up a fiction novel and let the stories transport you to a new world. Not only will a good book detach yourself from the hustle and bustle of the corporate world, but reading a well crafted story will awaken a certain part of the brain that textbooks, newspapers and "Efficiency" literature does not. Save the Marketing blogs and Canadian Business magazines for after summer!<br />
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<b>Go to outdoor places that you like</b><br />
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Canada is pretty damn awesome. Saskatchewan is also awesome. The best time to explore and to see the countryside is in the summer. It can be difficult to pull yourself away from work and other commitments in the city, but if you can it is most certainly worth it. Drive out to your family farm, go fishing, climb a mountain, take a golf trip, camp out, or just go for a drive down the highway.<br />
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You'll gain a new appreciation for our wonderful Province/Country, and you'll likely feel a lot more relaxed and focused when you get back to work, school or home. Get out there and explore before winter settles in!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You stay golden, Saskatchewan.</td></tr>
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<b>Do something that scares you </b><br />
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I find that summer has a weird effect on a lot of people, including myself. Maybe it is the byproduct of sunshine and hot muggy evenings? Perhaps it is due to the high number of beers that have been consumed on patios<b>?</b> It's tough to say, but people get restless and act in ways that they don't usually act in the summertime. I believe that the best way to deal with what I like to call "Summer Fever" is to do something that truly scares you.<br />
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I did a couple of things that terrified me this summer. Most notably, I got a tattoo. I really hate needles and I've never really been sold on the permanent nature of a tattoo, yet here I am. Do something that pushes you out of your comfort zone. Go skydiving, tell someone you fancy how you really feel about them, try a new food, go on a last minute trip, apply for a job that you wouldn't normally! Channel the haze and restlessness of Summer Fever into a cool experience and do something that you wouldn't normally do!<br />
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Those are the big things that I noticed from this summer. I'm going to try getting back into the swing of things now that school is back on. I'll be getting into some political nonsens next blog. I'll finally get around to publishing my long overdue thoughts on the cancellation of the Saskastchewan Film Tax Credit and the proposed stadium in Regina.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Stay fit and have fun!</span></span>
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<br />Nick Fayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09123988585130895723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784520604515578375.post-73096750994972490832012-06-20T13:10:00.002-07:002012-06-20T13:28:26.468-07:00Montreal Protests Through the Eyes of a Western Canadian Business StudentHey! Thanks to everyone that checked out the blog series I did about the week I spent working on my dad's farm. It took a while to post, and it is a lot to read, but I appreciate everyone who took some time to check it out.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">In case you were wondering (you probably weren't wondering), I spent the last few weeks hanging out in the beautiful city of Montreal at my good friend's apartment, who is currently a student. The night before I flew East, I got a text message from her telling me that she had a pot and wooden spoon with my name on it, and to be ready to hit the streets to join in the protests when I arrived the next day. Never one to turn down an interesting life experience, I obliged. </span><br />
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For those of you that are not aware of the history behind these particular protests, I will give you a condensed history. The protests began <span style="background-color: white;">on February 13th </span><span style="background-color: white;">over a decision by the Province to implement a $</span><a href="http://www.mels.gouv.qc.ca/enseignementsuperieur/droitsscolarite/index_en.asp?page=cout" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">325 a year tuition increase over five years</a><span style="background-color: white;"> (a total increase of $1625). Over 150,000 students are estimated to be on strike in protest of the tuition hikes. However, the protests became more complex and widespread after the </span><a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/anti-protest-legislation-passes-in-quebec/article2436933/" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">Quebec government passed a controversial and what many call undemocratic anti-protest law (AKA "Law 78")</a><span style="background-color: white;"> which further </span><span style="background-color: white;">fueled</span><span style="background-color: white;"> the flames. The protests continued to grow and peaked when </span><a href="http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Thousands+take+streets+100th+strike/6661077/story.html#ixzz1vdbjshYj" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">crowds estimated at over 200 000 (ie: the entire population of Regina) gathered on the 100th night of the strike</a><span style="background-color: white;">. Not long after, the majority of Montreal neighbourhoods began to participate in nightly marches dubbed <a href="http://vimeo.com/42848523">"casseroles"</a>, which was inspired by the original protests in Chile in the 1970's during the reign of Augusto Pinochet.</span><br />
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The next evening, hours after I stepped off of the plane, we went out into the street a few minutes before 8 PM, when the protests typically begin every night. It was cloudy, and I wasn't really sure what to expect. At 8 o clock the sound of a single pot echoing through the empty streets and cloudy skies. It was an eerie feeling, and I couldn't help but think of a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRM2YcGpmxg" target="_blank">scene in The Warriors</a>. That single pot clanging in the distance was soon joined by our instruments, and we formed a crowd and headed to a local park. We spent the evening wandering around with hundreds of other people in the small neighbourhood of Saint-Henri hitting pots and pans, watching as young children, grandparents, students, shop owners and lawyers wearing little red squares of felt wandered around the in a festive parade. People would flick their porch lights on and off, and families would bring their pots/pans/bongos/snare drums to the balcony to cheer on our parade as we marched below in the street. The look of joy on some of the children's face as their parents encouraged them to make noise was priceless. As the rain started to fall, we headed back to the apartment at around 9:30. The sound of pans in the pouring rain continued well after 11 PM. The entire experience was truly remarkable.<br />
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Back in Western Canada it may be difficult for people to understand the protests. Many (including myself when I first heard of the protests) are quick to judge. Some have called the protests "embarrassing" and refer to the students as "ungrateful" as a result. I believe that it is difficult for people outside of Quebec to properly pass judgement on the issue based solely on what the media reports.<br />
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After going to Montreal, talking with the people and having many debates with many different viewpoints on the issue, it is clear that these protests are not simply about tuition hikes anymore. These protests are a byproduct of frustrations over <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/quebec-awash-in-kickback-money-inquiry-told/article4353628/?cmpid=rss1" target="_blank">the corruption that has plagued the Government of Quebec and City of Montreal for decades</a><span style="background-color: white;">. How is it fair that students are forced to pay more for education to finance the kickbacks and inflated construction contracts given to mafia organizations?. These protests are the result of people speaking out against corrupt, greasy and often undemocratic practices of our Federal Government (<a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2009/12/30/parliament-prorogation-harper.html" target="_blank">Proroguing parliament TWICE to avoid dealing with controversial issues</a>, <a href="http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20111215/senate-vote-ends-wheat-board-monopoly-111215/" target="_blank">abolishing the Wheat Board without holding a plebiscite for farmers</a>, <a href="http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/10/06/%E2%80%98rules-were-broken%E2%80%99-over-g8g20-summit-spending-auditor-general/" target="_blank">questionable spending habits during the G20 summit that have been condemned by the Auditor General</a>, <a href="http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/1131446--conservative-bill-c-30-will-let-police-spy-on-canadians-online" target="_blank">bills that would infringe on Canadians online privacy</a>, <a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1168971--hiding-f-35-fighter-jet-costs-shows-conservatives-in-contempt-says-rae" target="_blank">hiding the true costs of fighter jets from Canadians</a>, <a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1213384--federal-budget-2012-omnibus-bill-c-38-set-to-pass-commons" target="_blank">pushing through giant omnibus bills that should be broken up</a>, and <a href="http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/canada-politics/conservative-government-probably-set-record-limiting-debate-parliament-204051240.html" target="_blank">putting strict limits on debate on important matters</a>, etc, etc, etc.. I could go on...).</span><span style="background-color: white;"> As mentioned before, this isn't an issue that is isolated with the students. It is a community of frustrated people from all demographics, peacefully voicing their disapproval.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvME8wLAUskDgrheULeODsZEEQueCIIw3AhxXVGsDyk2OxBAI2W4KOyU-x0S_GcGWn2OuukV29ocAq3CEOJOY3c6Io9UzwwELVUHgl2ga4vilH9Wj5SuKvkmxzqNdrWSXankN4NWU82So/s1600/IMG_5030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvME8wLAUskDgrheULeODsZEEQueCIIw3AhxXVGsDyk2OxBAI2W4KOyU-x0S_GcGWn2OuukV29ocAq3CEOJOY3c6Io9UzwwELVUHgl2ga4vilH9Wj5SuKvkmxzqNdrWSXankN4NWU82So/s320/IMG_5030.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">People out and about protesting.</td></tr>
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True, Montreal is a city with a history of violent civilian incidents, such as when the Montreal Canadians (booo. Go leafs) won a playoff series a few years ago and <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/story/2008/04/22/mtl-habs.html" target="_blank">took to the streets to riot</a>. However, the protests have been mostly peaceful. There will always idiots that show up to disturb the peace, vandalize and fight with police but those are the same worthless bags of skin that steal BBQs and live to senselessly break stuff/cause chaos. It is unfortunate that TV crews spend so much time broadcasting these buffoons to the outside world.<br />
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The main point that I am trying to make, is that it is refreshing to see people care enough to do something and voice their frustration in an effective and peaceful manner. My <a href="http://www.uregina.ca/external/communications/releases/current/nr-05082012.html" target="_blank">tuition at the University of Regina just went up by 9%</a> for the next school year, and I didn't even flinch. The film tax credit was recently cancelled in Saskatchewan and although the industry launched a spirited campaign and <span style="background-color: white;">a large portion of people are against </span><span style="background-color: white;">the decision, the cuts will proceed. We're not particularly good at effectively voicing our opinions in Western Canada anymore. </span><br />
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Now I'm not saying we need to hit the streets to protest necessarily, but I believe there are times that we have to do a better job of organizing our thoughts and effectively communicate them to our Governments. <span style="background-color: white;">Quebec is a very passionate province, and I really believe that we could use a fraction of that passion out West. </span><span style="background-color: white;">Voicing our opinions and views once every 4 years by voting in elections is not substantial enough to say that we are doing our job as a democratic citizen. Get informed, be critical, develop your own opinions and be a part of the perpetual conversation.</span>Nick Fayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09123988585130895723noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784520604515578375.post-88892326769495941582012-06-11T12:31:00.004-07:002012-06-11T12:49:44.761-07:00Five Days as a Farmhand: Thoughts and Stories from a City-Kid on the Dusty Plain<h3>
<b>Part 5 of 5 - "Early Morning Rain, Bad Coffee and the Drive Home"</b></h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A majestic Prairie sunrise before rain settles in.</td></tr>
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I was advised the previous evening that I would need to get up early to help my dad load the seeder one last time before I left to go back to the city. 5 AM came swiftly after effortlessly falling asleep the night before, and I put on my clothes, shoes and hat and walked out into the cold morning air. We were fortunate to have good weather all week, but the forecast called for rain on Friday and Mother Nature did not disappoint. </div>
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My Father and Grandfather asked my for my help to complete a few tasks before I left back for the city. I loaded up the truck with 15 bags of canola, drove them to the other side of the yard and helped to fill up the air seeder before my Father went out into the field to try and get some seeding done before the rain settled in. I loaded up the truck one final time and Grandpa drove into the yard shortly after. I helped him grease the equipment as more grey clouds rolled in. </div>
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After everything was completed, I went back into the farm house and made my Dad some sandwiches for lunch. The rain started to fall, and remembering that the big trucks, sheds and quonset were still open I grabbed my coat and ran outside. I quickly pulled the tarp over the canola in the big blue truck, shut the heavy steel doors of the quonset and ensured that there were no tools or items that would be damaged by the rain in front of the shed. The transformation did not take long, all of 15 minutes, for the yard that was previously scattered with equipment to be packed away and ready to wait out the storm.</div>
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I ran back to the house in the rain and changed out of my wet and grungy farm clothes into my city uniform. I loaded up my Geo with the few possessions I had brought with me, the empty leftover containers to bring back to my Mother and all of my vintage finds from the night before. It was time to head back to civilization. <br />
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<i><b> "The Journey" </b></i></div>
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I set out from the farm on the same road that I arrived on at about 7:30 AM. It boggled my mind to think that I had already been working for two and a half hours, and cursed my lack of sleep as the rain repeatedly hit my windshield. I chose not to eat breakfast and opted to grab breakfast on the road at A&W. Food seemed like an afterthought compared to what I was really looking forward - COFFEE. I hadn't touched the stuff since my drive out, and I was sure that a steaming hot cup of black gold would keep me energized and occupied during the drive.</div>
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Turning off of the grid road on the the main highway, the rain intensified and I cranked my windshield wiper power as high as it would go. I was cruising along thinking about coffee when a duck flew directly into my passenger side window. As in I didn't hit it, it actually expelled energy to fly into my car. My shock quickly turned to sadness, as I felt pity for the poor animal which surely must have either perished or was severely injured from the impact (the dude hit my window pretty damn hard). That sadness was shortlived, as I logically concluded that the duck wouldn't have hit my window had it been more intelligent. Natural selection so-to-speak. The situation reminded me of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xL9xCWphV8s" target="_blank">Louis CK's deer comedy sketch where a deer runs into his car</a>, which I spent the next 30 minutes of my drive reciting and chuckling about. </div>
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The rest of the drive to Fort Qu'Appelle was uneventful and I ordered a Bacon N' Egger, hashbrown and a medium coffee from the A&W drivethru. I demolished the food, and got back on the highway to Regina. I took my first sip, and felt my heart sink. This was not coffee. This was dishwater that was cleverly packaged, advertised and distributed under the same name. I kept sipping the disgusting coffee as I drove, thinking that maybe it would get better if I gave it another taste. It never did.</div>
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I approached the Prairie oasis of Regina from the East, and I began reflecting on the week, as I often do. This outing was different. I could sense the change that was to come, as one can feel the air change on a hot summer day before a violent thunderstorm settles in for the evening. I felt rejuvinated after the week of hard work and reflection, and recalled that I had arrived with a particularily troubled mind on Monday. The time in the country had been good for me. </div>
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For my Father, his impending retirement is a reward for decades of hard work and sacrifice. He would miss many of my concerts, my sister' vocal recitals and my brother's soccer games because he would be busy in the field. Summer vacations were few and far between, as that was when work needed to be completed to ensure plentiful yields and healthy crops. We often talk about the future, and he looks forward to buying a fishing boat, taking golfing lessons and being able to go on summer outings with the family which he rightfully deserves. My father's retirement represents a drastic change in our family's lifestyle. The days of spending hours in the sweaty grain truck during harvest are almost gone, where the satisfaction of collecting the crop that is the byproduct of months of hard work is realized. My Grandfather will no longer spend his hours tinkering with machinery and repairing equipment in the yard. I will no longer have a summer employment opportunity if I find myself without a summer job (as was the case this year). The way our family will change, mostly for the better, but it will be still be different and take time to adjust to.</div>
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Our farm is one example of <a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/touch/business/agriculture-food/Bigger+farms+with+fewer+cattle+Canada+Census/6602047/story.html?rel=3576246" target="_blank">the many family farms that have been passed down for generations only to be swallowed up by bigger farms</a>. This is the way of the West, the way of the World. There is no room for small family owned operations. What was once a way of life for the people of the Prairies is now viewed as a business or a commodity to large operations and foreign investors. </div>
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I finished my last moments of reflective thinking as i navigated the final few blocks of suburbs and pulled into our driveway in Northwest Regina at around 10:00 AM. I had a snack, took a shower and went to bed. It had been a long week of work, and it felt great to be back in my own bed.</div>
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</div>Nick Fayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09123988585130895723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784520604515578375.post-82257572148733513042012-06-04T07:23:00.001-07:002012-06-04T07:39:09.285-07:00Five Days as a Farmhand: Thoughts and Stories from a City-Kid on the Dusty Plain<h3>
<b>Part 4 of 5 - "Boredom, Farm-Speak and The Second Floor"</b></h3>
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Another morning in rural Saskatchewan! On this particular day, I intended to sleep until 7 AM and go about my business as usual. This plan was short lived, as my Grandfather woke me up at 6:30 to attach the <a href="http://www.balogauction.com/farm-sales/2012/kenalta/IMG_2640.jpg" target="_blank">packers</a> to the tractor and help him grease the tractor. With my father already out in the field (he usually wakes up at about 5-5:30 every morning and starts working. Insane) Grandpa went out to pack the soil down on the fields that were recently seeded by my dad, and I went inside to eat breakfast and read my book for a few minutes. This was to be my last full day of work, as my plan was to head back to Regina the next morning.<br />
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After driving out to the field to help my Dad fill up the air seeder, I loaded up the half-ton with another 15 bags of canola and got back to sorting bolts and organizing tools in the shed.<br />
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<i><b>"Fighting Boredom"</b></i><br />
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As brainless and easy of work as it is, I have always been bored as hell when given the task of sorting tools or bolts in the shed. This particular day I decided to tune into a radio station that I often listen to from Yorkton (<a href="http://www.941thefox.com/" target="_blank">94.1 Fox FM</a>). They play the weirdest variety of music. I remember a few years ago while picking raspberries in the garden they played the most random play list known to mankind: Volcanoless in Canada (sweet!), Jessica Simpson (wut.), Coheed and Cambria (cool!) and finally Creed (uhhh.). I remember standing in the raspberry patch looking around me after the sequence of songs had played, searching for someone to confirm that my ears weren't playing tricks on me. Alas, only our dog, Lucky (RIP) was around to stare at me excitedly.<br />
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The farm has always been a place of quiet isolation. It serves one purpose: Work. We didn't even get cell service in the yard until about 2-3 summers ago. In my world, the farm consists of 4 individuals: Myself, Grandpa, my Father and Lucky (RIP).<br />
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I do remember one particular incident when I was around 8 or 9 years old. My Dad and another neighbouring farmer organized a "play-date" at their farm one day. I was VERY excited, as they lived at this farm year-round (we only inhabit ours during the summer) and I anticipated that they would have some really cool toys to check out. I arrived that morning, and the other kids and I set out to explore the various toys and games that they had.<br />
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Everything was moving along as I had imagined, when something similar to the following exchange occurred:<br />
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<b>Oldest Son:</b> "It's 11 o'clock Nick, it's time for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100_Huntley_Street" target="_blank">100 Huntley Street</a>! Put the toys away guys!"<br />
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<b>Me:</b> "Uhhh, what is that?" (as the other siblings hastily put away the toys)<br />
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<b>Other sibling:</b> "Only the greatest TV show ever! We watch it every day."<br />
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<b>Me:</b> "I thought the Simpsons was the greatest show ever? Or Tin Tin.."<br />
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<b>Oldest Son:</b> "No no no, you've never watched 100 Huntley Street before? Man you've got to check it out. It's the best worship show EVER!"<br />
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They rushed to the TV and insisted I joined them on the couch as they anxiously recited the name of every upcoming segment on the show. I've seen people get pumped up about TV shows before, but they were bouncing off the walls and literally jumping up and down on the couch with excitement the entire time. It was really weird. That terrible TV show occupied most of our play-date, and I sat on the chair and sadly watched the dormant toys in the corner. That was the first and last play date I ever went on at the farm.<br />
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Right before lunch I got a call from my dad out in the field reporting that he had a flat tire on the cultivator. I grabbed a few <a href="http://www.northerntool.com/images/product/images/144842_lg.jpg" target="_blank">jack hauls</a> from the shed and some boards that we would put under them so they wouldn't sink into the soil when we lifted up the cultivator and I helped my Dad take the tire off. He took the rim to the Bankend Co-op for a new tire, and I went back to the house for lunch.<br />
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<i><b> "Farm-Speak"</b></i><br />
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After I was done eating, I made my Dad a few sandwiches (he didn't get to eat lunch due to the trip to Bankend) and as I was driving out to the field to deliver them, a Cargill truck was driving by our place and stopped as I approached him. Rolling down my window, he tossed a cold Mountain Dew into my window (random, right?) and we struck up a conversation. Now, one does not simply speak conventional english when in the country talking about farming. There is a regional dialect called "Farm-Speak" that I am semi-fluent in. I quickly shifted languages to try and blend in:<br />
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<b>Truck-Guy:</b> Hey there! Hard at work, buddy?<br />
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<b>Me:</b> Ohhh yeah, you know just goin' hard while the rain holds up!<br />
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<b>Truck-Guy:</b> Heard that! Dad's got ya runnin' seed hey? You stayin' out of trouble??<br />
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<b>Me:</b> Haha yeah yeah, given'er beans. (lift farm cap, put hand through hair, put cap back on with the beak slightly more elevated than before) Dad gives me all the shit jobs. Y'know how it is this time of year hey!<br />
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<b>Truck-Guy:</b> Yessir, so how many acre's you guys get down? Last time I came by your dad was goin' hard with the fertilizer.<br />
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(This is where I broke character. I quickly contemplating making up numbers on the spot, but I know absolutely NOTHING about acreage. My only option was to slip back into "City-Kid" mode.)<br />
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<b>Me:</b> I honestly have no idea. My dad just tells me to do stuff, and I don't question what it's for or how far ahead we are until he tells me we're done.<br />
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(The gig was up. Truck-Guy realizes I'm not a farm-boy.)<br />
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<b>Truck-Guy:</b> Uhhhh allrighty.. Well you just tell Al that (name I've forgotten) from Cargill stopped by. I know he deals outta Balcarres but he'll know who I am. Better go get that seed to your pops there.<br />
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I consider this a failure of a "Farm-Speak" interaction. Usually I do much better. As his white F150 drove off into the dust, I took lunch out to my dad in the field and spent the rest of the afternoon sorting bolts and tools in the shed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpqc2UkzGvr_tQM_b-d-oYFsX6bez93r0HbfylqxHU31VTF44g5MPro3Gxv2_4Jpa6jASPVYBNBEJH7X4l2D2pZYjvv4Vy1BP7YC3ih1lway5ceV7IckwzVuoe-Oen7FlvyOBkhK0nChs/s1600/IMG_5022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpqc2UkzGvr_tQM_b-d-oYFsX6bez93r0HbfylqxHU31VTF44g5MPro3Gxv2_4Jpa6jASPVYBNBEJH7X4l2D2pZYjvv4Vy1BP7YC3ih1lway5ceV7IckwzVuoe-Oen7FlvyOBkhK0nChs/s320/IMG_5022.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whiskey after a hard day of work.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Not long after I was done organizing the shed, Grandpa came back to the yard and we had some whiskey in the house (Dad was still out in the field). This was always one of my favourite activities once I was old enough to partake. It was almost like a rite of passage in my eyes: Having a drink with my Dad and his Dad after a hard day of physical labour. After the drink, Grandpa drove home to Kelliher. I mopped the farmhouse and had another rye and coke as I waited for the floors to dry, listening to the only sound in the house, the ever present ticking of the clock on the wall.<br />
<br />
<i><b><span class="st">”</span>Upstairs<span class="st">”</span></b></i><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuISPXp32dqjh_XsUZrj50MaAol_Z9lnS9DvjuLbkUkfrrD1JAV5NRcTWzSRty_YDZufi-LqGsI_y8DXJzlEbF5bAtkmKiM3kThQdTHsaHJHpMsdyVsRkCQlx4chQyLKRD2VpMj7QSLq8/s1600/IMG_5024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuISPXp32dqjh_XsUZrj50MaAol_Z9lnS9DvjuLbkUkfrrD1JAV5NRcTWzSRty_YDZufi-LqGsI_y8DXJzlEbF5bAtkmKiM3kThQdTHsaHJHpMsdyVsRkCQlx4chQyLKRD2VpMj7QSLq8/s320/IMG_5024.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vintage finds upstairs.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<i><b><span class="st"></span><span class="st"></span></b></i>
After the floors were dry, my Dad came home at around 9:30 and we ate supper. As I often do on the night before I leave the farm, I climbed the stairs to the second floor to explore and search for cool vintage clothes, trucker hats, belt buckles, artifacts, etc. As the years have passed, I have become familiar with the majority of the contents upstairs and I have almost exhausted it's bounty.<br />
<br />
I have found that things that were once not of interest to me have become more interesting as I age and my tastes change. In High School, I was on the hunt for belt buckles and trucker hats. I have also discovered many useful vintage suit jackets that I often wear. This time around I took interest in some retro cuff links and tie clips (particularly useful to a business student required to frequently dress formal), some good records (I set up a turntable that was also discovered at the farm last year) and an '89 Grey Cup Champions hat, which I will likely wear to Rider games this year.<br />
<br />
I also found a shoebox full of my Dad's Polaroids, transcripts, student cards and other random memories. It was a remarkable feeling to look through significant items from my fathers life that were gathered neatly in a red and blue Reebok shoebox. <br />
<br />
I asked my dad about his earlier days out at the farm. He explained that he took two years of Commerce at the University of Saskatchewan before he decided to take a break and move to Regina to take an Accountant Clerk position. It was here while working in Regina that he met my mother who was working and taking classes. After working his way up to a full fledged accountant, he began to complete the CMA program and was approximately 75% completed when he decided to move back to the farm and focus full time on farming (while completing tax returns for clients in the winter months). My mother and father were married in 1984, and they lived in the farmhouse for five years until my birth. My mother moved back to Regina to complete her degree and work in the city and my father would split his time driving back and forth from the farm and the city.<br />
<br />
When I look at my father's life path, it really just reaffirms my belief that it is difficult to look ahead and plan for the future. There are so many unforeseen intangibles that can affect life when you least expect it. As someone who is currently trying to find his own way and develop a life path, seeing these family artifacts and hearing stories about the different times in my parents' life is reassuring. Change is ever-present and it is better to adapt and embrace life's journey, wherever it may wander.<br />
<br />
-----<br />
<br />
After I was satisfied with my pillaging upstairs, I went back to my room, gathered my belongings and packed my bags for the journey home the next day.Nick Fayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09123988585130895723noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784520604515578375.post-6757796369261181082012-06-01T07:40:00.000-07:002012-06-01T07:50:48.318-07:00Five Days as a Farmhand: Thoughts and Stories from a City-Kid on the Dusty Plain<h3>
<b>Part 3 of 5 - "Dust Devils and Lunchtime"</b></h3>
<br />
I was fortunate enough to "sleep-in" until 7:00 AM on this glorious Wednesday morning. My dad woke me up and gave me a list of tasks to do for the day.<br />
<br />
I began my day by crawling up into the bucket of the grain trucks and sweeping/shovelling out any leftover Nitrogen and Sulfur that we used for fertilizer the previous day. We would eventually load up the trucks with Phosphates for when we began to seed Canola later in the day.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibmVFgxNh0xSmuU-Y3uAQROHkvILWb8-y01kUsM_yN-tidpagzWWtOWUuYG3q3_bRXrmIXRGTCvywNe2e7LFntmK3I7_JSCj3r8KEPlvVEAJHTf4S_RbBtY7LBEHB1naJT0LrJ3oVVMAw/s1600/IMG_4997.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibmVFgxNh0xSmuU-Y3uAQROHkvILWb8-y01kUsM_yN-tidpagzWWtOWUuYG3q3_bRXrmIXRGTCvywNe2e7LFntmK3I7_JSCj3r8KEPlvVEAJHTf4S_RbBtY7LBEHB1naJT0LrJ3oVVMAw/s320/IMG_4997.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The big trucks that I climbed in to sweep and empty. I usually drive the blue one!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Following the cleanup, we had to switch the shovels over on the <a href="http://www.beukeveld.nl/images/stock/implements/dolbi/cultivator.jpg" target="_blank">cultivator</a>. <a href="http://img.tradeindia.com/fp/1/465/656.jpg" target="_blank">Seeding shovels</a> are lighter than <a href="http://www.agcoparts.com/fileUpload/eCommerce/category_images/47C10B7_01.jpg" target="_blank">conventional shovels</a>, and experience less resistance when in the soil. They are used specifically for seeding. I was given a hammer to hit the shovels off of the cultivator, and a screwdriver to clean the mud out of the grooves that the new shovels would soon occupy. It was a nice hot morning, but windy as hell. Behold the following Prairie equation: Strong winds + dry soil = DUSTSTORM. It was very dusty, and I had a runny nose and had just put sunscreen on. The dust formed a nice little dirt coating on every inch of exposed skin, and I couldn't help but feel like Pigpen (<a href="http://media1.break.com/breakstudios/2011/9/20/pig-pen-lrg.jpg" target="_blank">the kid that always has a dust cloud around him in the Charlie Brown comics/tv shows</a>). I would take frequent breaks while knocking the shovels off to turn my face away from the oncoming dust devil.<br />
<br />
Most of my friends are aware of my distaste of chapsticks. It is my personal belief that even occasionally using chapsticks encourages dependency on the little tubes of moisturizing lip chap. I also never use lotion, for the same reason. A consequence of my opinion on the matter is dealing with moderately chapped lips from time to time. The strong wind took its toll on my lips, and I caved. I did in fact use chapstick for the first time in almost a year once I got back to Regina. Just in case you were wondering.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVDSWHRX0OeA23ydGc2fQNCaQmsQFGgHbt5w8VYUFHWzlCHi6mEEDVLNuimvIbLO0UONCXdAVpVnvqdZwrucydm2-JXQyTWA39YxMHwiarukCQwrbuziBII0S3Jwucazple560Z3gTDjE/s1600/IMG_5011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVDSWHRX0OeA23ydGc2fQNCaQmsQFGgHbt5w8VYUFHWzlCHi6mEEDVLNuimvIbLO0UONCXdAVpVnvqdZwrucydm2-JXQyTWA39YxMHwiarukCQwrbuziBII0S3Jwucazple560Z3gTDjE/s320/IMG_5011.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My father and his father, beside the air seeder that I frequently helped to fill.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
After loading up the half-ton with canola seed again (which entails carrying about 15 bags of seed that weigh approximately 55 lbs each to the truck every load) I drove out to the field and helped my dad fill the air seeder before lunchtime. This brings us to our next segment..<br />
<i><b><br /></b></i><br />
<i><b>"Farm Cuisine"</b></i><br />
<br />
The legend of the "Farm Cuisine" of Allen Faye dates back to suppers around the dinner table at my now deceased Nonna and Nonno's house (on my mothers side of the family). In an Italian household where food is regarded as a minor deity, stories of microwaved hot dogs, frozen food dinners and other processed instant food were the brunt of many jokes. I can't confirm the following, but I assume that Nonna cringed every time we mentioned our daily menu while working at the farm.<br />
<br />
Typically, my mother will prepare a care package of tasty food to eat as leftovers (usually pasta, pork chops, casseroles, BBQ steak/burgers, etc) in Regina for us to take out when we go out. My mother is a very good cook, and the food is pretty damn good. However, the leftovers are usually demolished before long by our Prairie sky sized appetites and we switch to instant/frozen food as the main form of sustenance. <br />
<br />
The fact of the matter is that eating food is not a prominent activity on the farm. It's almost viewed as more of a burden and a distraction from work than anything. The following is an average work-day sleep/meal schedule:<br />
<br />
<b>6:00-6:30:</b> Wake up<br />
<b>6:30-7:00ish:</b> Breakfast<br />
<b>Noon-1:00ish:</b> Lunch<br />
<b>3:00-3:30ish:</b> Break<br />
<b>9:30-10:30:</b> Supper<br />
<b>11:00-Midnight:</b> Sleep<br />
<br />
Growing up, I would often head inside the house and eat food (normally snack food) out of sheer boredom. I remember one time when I was much younger that I found a very old package of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eno_%28drug%29" target="_blank">Eno</a> (an antacid that you mix into your drink to make it bubbly and relieve bloated stomachs) in the cupboards. I had the idea that if you were to mix it with fruit juice, it would make some sort of soda-like beverage. It really didn't pan out as planned.<br />
<br />
On this particular day, I decided it would be fun to empty an entire package of Oreo Thinsation cookies into a package of banana pudding. There was no reason for this, other than relieving my boredom and increasing the efficiency with which I could consume calories. This creation was much more tasty than the Eno and fruit juice concoction.<br />
<br />
-----<br />
<br />
After I had finished eating my cookie/banana pudding I went out into the garden to water the recently seeded garden. Although our garden is now a fraction of what it once was, it still has raspberries, peas, carrots, lettuce, beets, onions, dill and potatoes. I remember the days when we also grew strawberries, triple the amount of raspberries, jalapenos, pumpkins, cucumbers, sunflowers and zucchinis.<br />
<br />
Picking berries/peas and weeding the garden were tasks that usually fell to me as a child, and it was one of my least favourite jobs. I would weed and pick berries for hours as my dad was in the field, and he would come back to find that I had done a half-assed job and tell me to go do the job properly. This cycle would continue for multiple check-ups until I had properly done the job, and I hated every moment of it that didn't consist of eating the peas or raspberries.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixqXD8W24UnQaJulb-zXFkLq1y9mlLVro3L43dyeNOb4anm53GA9vmt9JGiuSym_pKXVRHOLyuMpHaLBrRbFlZke4Pye0DVMogQLrp9N501pAuCcUKYGUNznHH1WB-mF6S_XKiIQgHJs0/s1600/IMG_5021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixqXD8W24UnQaJulb-zXFkLq1y9mlLVro3L43dyeNOb4anm53GA9vmt9JGiuSym_pKXVRHOLyuMpHaLBrRbFlZke4Pye0DVMogQLrp9N501pAuCcUKYGUNznHH1WB-mF6S_XKiIQgHJs0/s320/IMG_5021.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favourite back road where Saskatoon berries and wild hazelnuts grow</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
There used to be a patch of horseradish root growing wild across the road from the farm with which my grandparents would make THE BEST horseradish sauce. Saskatoon berry trees and wild Hazelnut shrubs that grow along a back road that my Grandfather will usually pick every season for pies, desserts, wines, etc. Fresh garden grown/wild fruits and veggies have always been a huge part of our family<span class="st">'</span>s eating habits.<br />
<br />
Growing up, I resented gardens for all of the maintenance work they require. I've grown to enjoy the process over the past few years. It's very therapeutic, and quite rewarding to watch something that you plant and care for bloom/grow/produce delicious food to eat. I hope one day to have a garden of my own that I can tend to during the summer months.<br />
<br />
I ended the day by finishing sweeping the quonset, moved some more seed bags and then started the tedious task of sorting bolts and tools in the shed. It was 9:30 by the time I stopped working and Dad came in from the field.<br />
<br />Nick Fayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09123988585130895723noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784520604515578375.post-71267416010998750912012-05-30T07:03:00.004-07:002012-05-30T07:14:16.779-07:00Five Days as a Farmhand: Thoughts and Stories from a City-Kid on the Dusty Plain<br />
<h3>
<b>Part 2 of 5 - "The Gormley Feud and Grandpa Faye"</b></h3>
<br />
<br />
After a short, peaceful and quiet sleep in my bedroom (the only sounds to disturb a deep sleep in the country are the distant howls of coyotes) I was awakened by my father at 6:30 who alerted me that he needed me to help him load up fertilizer. Stumbling from my bed to my clothes to the air seeder outside I assisted him and he went out into the field to begin working. I went back into the farmhouse to eat a delicately prepared gourmet breakfast of Oatmeal Crisp and 1% milk as I read a few chapters of the book I was slowly fumbling through ("This Side of Paradise" by F. Scott Fitzgerald) in an attempt to wake up. I had a list of tasks to complete around the yard, which I set out to complete.<br />
<br />
I began the work day by sweeping and shovelling dirt out from the large steel <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quonset_hut" target="_blank">Quonset</a>. It tends to get very dirty as the mud that attaches to the machinery slowly falls off while in storage and dust that blows into the open doors collects. I hadn't discovered what the Yorkton frequency for CBC Radio 2 was at this point (I became frustrated with the poor reception from the Regina station) and I decided to turn on John Gormley as I worked.<br />
<br />
For those of you that are not aware, Mr. Gormley and I have a long standing feud on Twitter. I started a half-joke/half-serious campaign for people on Twitter to #UnfollowGormley. I've explained the origin of this feud to a few of my friends, but I feel as if this is an ideal opportunity to explain how this came to be..<br />
<br />
<i><b>"The Gormley Feud"</b></i><br />
<br />
As a young child helping my father around the yard, there would usually always be a radio on. Due to the poor FM reception in years past (technology has drastically improved reception in our area) and my fathers radio preferences, we often tuned into John Gormley Live as we worked. At the time, I hadn't developed the ability to form my own opinions on politics and current world issues. Naturally, I found myself agreeing with Mr Gormley on most matters because I wasn't very knowledgeable on the topics that he was discussing, and I was easily impressionable due to my young age. My thought process was as follows: "Hey this guys sounds like he knows what he is talking about, and he's an asshole to other people which is funny.. He must be right!" <br />
<br />
Years passed, and although I rarely listened to Newstalk radio while in the city, we continued to tune in while working at the farm. Then, and even today there are opinions on various issues that Mr. Gormley takes that I agree with (there are also many that I do not agree with). Time went on, and I became tired of the rude manner that Mr. Gormley operates his radio show in. Even so, I could usually turn a blind eye to the occasional outburst and tune in to hear some one-sided debates.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjI6yoz4cD3gfHHgmV0EiR2DStKdLMrNx-G4A2ls1q9A7Dh-GT2Kmo71QUGw2FE4NTIAmZWfbklM7oDin2LjOQhy0Zf5TPYQXpw_fwvoFSc4vTby00pI3Qdr56p6E9zmJtRcH7oT6SQ9Y/s1600/gormley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjI6yoz4cD3gfHHgmV0EiR2DStKdLMrNx-G4A2ls1q9A7Dh-GT2Kmo71QUGw2FE4NTIAmZWfbklM7oDin2LjOQhy0Zf5TPYQXpw_fwvoFSc4vTby00pI3Qdr56p6E9zmJtRcH7oT6SQ9Y/s1600/gormley.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My arch-nemesis... Gormley (as Seinfeld would say "Newman")</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The scenario that was the tipping point for me personally that prompted the ensuing #UnfollowGormley campaign was a particular segment where he began to tear apart many fine Canadian musicians and bands on <a href="http://www.punknews.org/article/41409" target="_blank">their decision to boycott Enbridge's sponsorship of the Prairie Scene Festival in Ottawa last year</a>. In his rant/segment, the following occurred:<br />
<br />
<b>1)</b> He couldn't pronounce Winnipeg Punk legends "Propagandhi" correctly, instead referring to them as "Prop-a-Gand-DIE" for the ENTIRE SHOW. I'm pretty sure his producer actually corrected him a few times on air. I'm curious if Mr. Gormley also refers to "Mahatma Gand-DIE" in the same manner? Apparently having a Law Degree doesn't teach you how to use phonics, or the ability to Google the pronunciation of a popular band that you are going to be referencing multiple times on your radio segment.<br />
<br />
<b>2)</b> Proceeded to tell his listeners that he is a fan of punk music himself. Uses Green Day and Sum 41 as examples of "punk music" that he enjoys. Gormley has some HEAVY punk taste! I think I saw him in the 'pit at that Puddle of Mudd "punk concert"! Sick bro.<br />
<br />
<b>3)</b> He listed off a pile of good underground/independent bands and musicians (Molten Lava, Comeback Kid, etc) and insinuated that they are not good because "no one has heard of them". Fact check: <a href="http://www.myspace.com/moltenlavamusic" target="_blank">Molten Lava shreds</a>. There are many bands that are not household names that are top notch. Excellent (arguably better) music exists outside of the realms of Top 40 culture. Maybe if Mr. Gormley spent some of his Maytag money on culturing himself and checking out some of the AWESOME emerging local/independent music that the Prairies are producing he wouldn't spew such uninformed garbage. <br />
<br />
4) This one made me the most angry. He spent some time making fun of Ila Wenaus' name (who is an excellent musician and played trumpet in <a href="http://foxwarren.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">the latest Foxwarren album</a> which happens to be one of my favourite albums) and quips about how "that can't be a real name". I lost the most respect for him and his radio show. Resorting to making petty jokes on the basis of peoples names directed towards someone that probably mindlessly and casually signed a petition is pathetic and childish. Grow up.<br />
<br />
I get it. It's about ratings. Being an asshole gets ratings and fans, and it can convince people that have limited knowledge on a particular issue to agree with you, as it did with me at a young age. I've learned through my debate experiences in JDC West (I was on a debate team this past year) that people who have no idea or opinions on a particular issue are more inclined to believe someone that acts like an asshole a) because it is entertaining, and b) because rudeness is often mistaken as confidence. It is important to remember, that being a jerk DOES NOT necessarily mean you are correct, or that your logic is sound. Some might be impressed by the manner in which Mr. Gormley operates his show, I am not one of those people.<br />
<br />
Contrary to Mr Gormley's belief, I am not "A generous little Leftist" as he called me in a tweet once. <a href="http://twenty-firstcenturythoughts.blogspot.ca/2011/11/its-votin-time-saskatchewan-provincial.html" target="_blank">My political views are much more complex, and will shift depending on political climate/government</a> and other factors. However, calling his critics "radicals" seems to be the usual conclusion that Mr Gormley arrives at when someone disagrees with his opinions. He collects his ratings by berating/shutting down/cutting off people on his program, and being arrogant/annoying/rude. This, is why my #UnfollowGormley campaign must continue. It's also pretty entertaining to have Gormley and his followers waste their time trolling my Twitter account. Satisfaction will be mine Gormley!<br />
<br />
There you have it. The legend of the Gormley Feud explained. #UnfollowGormley Now, back to farm talk.<br />
<br />
.....<br />
<br />
After getting about halfway through the very dusty job of sweeping the quonset and suffering through some Gormley, I was instructed to go and collect the clumps of nitrogen fertilizer that remained in the bins and break them into smaller pieces. After I had gathered all of the fertilizer, my Grandfather and I spent hours smashing up the clumps of fertilizer using hammers and a makeshift combine concave/wooden block/clamp contraption that effectively helped us smash the fertilizer.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6iBWDSJ528o0vuVTg_uhixeOq_AI0g6Vm06PUpYsna6FwarqupzMSxtSYS5su1_Dio9sxOC1XEYf8bN1oxzF1qLOo8zlIuUuv9HbBpk6gejBQCkMfPFxlyz2jE5Y6I3RKslcoY6i1WGg/s1600/IMG_5004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6iBWDSJ528o0vuVTg_uhixeOq_AI0g6Vm06PUpYsna6FwarqupzMSxtSYS5su1_Dio9sxOC1XEYf8bN1oxzF1qLOo8zlIuUuv9HbBpk6gejBQCkMfPFxlyz2jE5Y6I3RKslcoY6i1WGg/s320/IMG_5004.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our fertilizer crushing contraption.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<i><b>"Edward Faye - Farmer Extraordinaire"</b></i><br />
<br />
My Grandfather (AKA: Eddie Faye) is a tough old man. At 88 years of age, it's both sad on my end and impressive for him that he can still has the drive and the strength to work circles around me. My Grandfather is a smart and resourceful man with a keen sense of <a href="http://rusticundertakings.blogspot.ca/2012/01/farmer-vision-and-junk-box.html" target="_blank">"Farmer Vision"</a>. We had a good conversation one morning a couple of months ago while drinking whiskey at my Grandparents house in Kelliher.<br />
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He started to talk about when he was the Reeve of the Municipality and Mayor of <a href="http://www.kelliher.ca/" target="_blank">Kelliher, SK</a> in the 1980's. He told me stories about sitting as a board member of various committees/credit unions/co-operatives, having the local MLA offer him a job working for him at the Legislative Building in Regina (which he turned down) and how he inherited a Rural Municipality in financial ruin and turned it into a wealthy organization with money in the bank when he left office. He explained that they saved money by local farmers completing large infrastructure projects themselves. It dawned on me that this man had accomplished extraordinary things over his lifetime, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride sweep over me as he talked.<br />
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My Grandfather is a man that gets straight to the point. One fun fact, is that he NEVER says goodbye on the telephone. There have been many times when I have stayed on the line either still talking or waiting for his response for minutes after he had hung up. I've often contemplated his reasoning for this peculiar habit, and I have come to the conclusion that it is a measure of increasing efficiency for himself (conserved energy, less time wasted on goodbye, more time and energy for other things). I also know for a fact that I have inherited his stubborn disposition. I am a very stubborn man, as is he. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Grandpa is a smart dude.</td></tr>
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In Saskatchewan, there is a type of "can-do" attitude and resourcefulness that my Grandfather and many other resilient residents exude. It has played a huge role in the history and development of our Province. If it's broken, you fix it. If you don't know how to do something, you learn how (he takes every available opportunity to encourage me to take an electrical wiring course, because you "never know when you're going to need to wire something"). You work until it is dark or until the tasks are complete, and you find creative new ways to make them easier. Fun and rest follows only after the work is done. Perseverance, resourcefulness, and innovation: these are the values that this Province was built upon.<br />
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I can tell you that already learned a great deal from this man, and I know that there is much more that I can observe in the future.<br />
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After filling the fertilizer bags with the freshly smashed fertilizer and sweeping out the farmhouse it was time to eat supper at around 9PM and hit the hay. The next day would surely be another day of hard physical labour.Nick Fayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09123988585130895723noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784520604515578375.post-38786260658823860072012-05-28T08:59:00.000-07:002012-05-28T08:59:14.197-07:00Five Days as a Farmhand: Thoughts and Stories from a City-Kid on the Dusty PlainA few weeks ago, I went out to my family farm to help my father seed his crop. Growing up, I spent many of my childhood summers in the dry Prairie heat helping my father and grandfather do the gross/dusty work that they didn't want to do, to the disappointment of my teenage self.<br />
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As a young boy, there were obvious benefits of spending time in the middle of nowhere. Shooting at gophers with a pellet gun, cruising around the farm yard on the mini bike, and hitting rounds of golf at the 9-hole Kelliher Municipal Golf Course (the best dirt greens in East-Central Saskatchewan!) were all activities I enjoyed. However, I resented much of my time that was spent there. Being a self proclaimed "City-kid", the farm was symbolic of missed sleepovers, birthday parties and good summer hang-outs with my friends in Regina. In my memory, it represents summer afternoons spent in stuffy granaries sweeping out moldy canola, weeding the garden in 30 degree heat, and fighting the clutches of boredom while sorting bolts in the garage.<br />
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This will be the last year that my family will farm the land that my great grandfather, grandfather, and father have sowed. It is the end of an era. My father is retiring from farming after this harvest, and I approached this outing with a different mindset. Seeing as many of the people in my life are not aware of what I actually do when I'm out there, I figured that I could probably churn out a few blogs and give readers a better sense of life on the farm. I brought a camera and snapped some pictures as well! Without further ado, I present....
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<h2><b>Five Days as a Farmhand: Thoughts and Stories from a City-Kid on the Dusty Plain</b></h2>
<h3><b>Part 1 of 5 - "The Arrival and the Farmyard"</b></h3>
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I left Regina in my 1996 Geo Prizm on Highway number 10 at around 10:30 AM with an iced coffee to sip on. The sun was out, and the peaks of Qu'Appelle Valley looked as inviting as usual as I rolled through Fort Qu'Appelle. As a child, this was always the most exciting part of the drive to our family farm. Seeing the waves on Mission Lake and always hoping that my dad would pull over at Dairy Queen for a Blizzard would usually be ample excitement for a good portion of the commute. I imagine that the many trips through the valley on the way to the farm helped foster the deep appreciation of the valley that I have today.
<br /><br/> Turning onto highway 35 in the Fort, I drank my coffee and listened to albums by <a href="http://zacharylucky.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Zach Lucky</a> and <a href="http://andyshauf.bandcamp.com/album/sam-jones-feeds-his-demons" target="_blank">Andy Shauf</a> (Both are excellent Saskatchewan musicians whose albums are worth purchasing) as I passed by Lipton and Leross and eventually turned off towards the Faye farm right before the Hamlet of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYjyRH2df4M" target="_blank">Bankend, Saskatchewan</a>. I pulled into the farm yard around noon, unloaded the food my mom had prepared for us to eat throughout the week and changed into my dusty farm clothes. It was time to work.<br />
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When I arrived, Grandpa was in the yard tinkering with a piece of machinery. After helping him tighten some bolts on the <a href="http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrow_(tool)">harrows</a> we went and filled up the big truck with fertilizer. My father was in the field fertilizing, and after driving the big GMC truck into the field and was told that I could start cutting the grass at the farmyard.<br />
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<i><b>"Mulch much?</b></i>"<br />
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The riding lawnmower. The object of my childhood fascination. I remember enviously watching my father closely for many years lap the farmyard, obliterating mole hills and mulching overgrown patches of crabgrass. I counted down the days until I would be able to inherit the task. Even today, this is one of the jobs that I enjoy doing, and I always looked forward to cruising around for a few hours.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My friend, the riding lawnmower (sans: gasoline in tank)</td></tr>
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There is A LOT of grass to cut in our yard. It takes about 3-4 hours to cut everything properly. Most of the terrain is just open expanses of grass, however there is a troublesome grove of elms behind the farmhouse planted many years ago that are tricky to maneuver without a branch taking off your hat or getting a twig in the eye (thus, why I wear sunglasses when I mow the backyard). This year in particular was even more tricky, as the winter winds had snapped huge portions of the trees and we haven't had time to clean up the loose branches.<br />
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I've done my fair share of deep thinking on many a sunny day while on the mower. As the sun set behind the barren but soon to be lush fields, this evening on the mower was no different. The topic of this evenings deep thoughts were on the future of the farmhouse and yard..<br />
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<i><b>"The Farmyard" </b></i><br />
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For as long as I can remember, I have always loved the two story red and green crumbling house on a hill. It was always a safe haven from the Prairie storms, and provided the location for the few breaks from work that we would have (sleep, lunch, drinks and supper). It is also a time capsule for the Faye family. Family artifacts such as old clothes, vintage kitchen appliances, Polaroids of graduations/celebrations fill the stale second floor of the house. It is comforting to wander the silent halls of the upstairs every once in a while, where time seems to stand still.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view of the farmyard from the road.</td></tr>
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After marriage, my mother and father lived in the house for about 5 years. My father farmed, while my mother worked at the Credit Union in nearby Foam Lake. It's kind of cool to hear stories from that era and see stuff from their lives still around the house, and wonder what life would be like living out in Rural Saskatchewan year round.<br />
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As I mowed the lawn that evening I spent much of my time thinking about how peaceful of a destination the farm would be if the constraints of hard work weren't around. I thought about how I've wanted to record an album there for quite some time, and how easy it would be to write songs or relax in such a tranquil and isolated place. My father has indicated that we are going to hold on to the farmhouse, the shed and some land in the main yard. I daydreamed about potential bonfires in the back, or else either maybe fixing up the house, or building a small cabin one day as a summer escape. Maybe one day...<br />
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My daydreaming was quickly interrupted by the sound of a lawnmower that had run out of gas as I was finishing up the last leg of the backyard (great planning on my part). I refilled and quickly finished up the last remaining patches of grass that were to be cut. The sun was down at this point, so I headed into the house to do the dishes that had piled up and clean the kitchen before my dad got in from the field at around 9 PM. We had a quick supper, and I was off to bed as he watched the late night news in the other room.Nick Fayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09123988585130895723noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784520604515578375.post-18282654737736190532012-05-01T09:58:00.000-07:002012-05-01T10:10:42.956-07:00Living, Functioning and "Dealing With" Depression/Anxiety<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In recent years, we've seen a shift towards respecting, understanding and embracing the stigma of mental illnesses. As someone who has firsthand experience of this, I wanted to share my insight, knowledge and experiences with you guys about what I have learned over the last few years.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />My story begins in the Spring of 2009. I was hating the major that I had already sunk 3 semesters of University into (Engineering), living in a different city than the majority of my friends and family (Saskatoon) and experiencing stupid (but very significant at the time) "girl troubles". I had made the decision that I would drop out of Engineering, I had no clue what direction I was going towards in life.</span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It was a stressful few months. I began experiencing chest pains and tightness in my chest everyday. I would start my days feeling tired after sleeping too much, skip my classes often and feel joyless regardless of the days activities - whether it was school, hanging out with friends, or other fun activities that would usually excite me and make me happy.</span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I went to the doctor, where they had me fill out a questionnaire, and I was clinically diagnosed with depression/anxiety disorder. She advised that she could prescribe me with Anti-Depressants, with which I responded with no (I was stubbornly against taking meds for something that I felt I should be able to control). I remember telling my parents and closest friends of my diagnosis, and while they comforted me and provided me with support, I couldn't help but feel as if they didn't really believe me, as if they felt I was just being over dramatic.</span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Following that terrible semester, I moved back to Regina and went to see my family doctor for a check up. There, I was prescribed anxiety medicine for anxiety attacks that I was experiencing. I remember sitting on my bed one in the midst of an anxiety attack, looking at the bottle of pills seriously considering taking one. I decided that there had to be a better way to deal with my issues. To date, I have never taken any depression or anxiety meds.</span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I began taking counselling with a super awesome dude by the name of John. I only had about 5 or 6 sessions, but they were enough for him to make me realize that anxiety and depression are mental disorders, that they can be controlled and used the analogy of an iceberg to explain the disease to me. He explained that there is much more to an iceberg than that part we can see (ie: the anxiety symptoms), that underneath the water, there are other pieces of the iceberg that support the small portion that we can see (ie: there are things that we didn't even know were affecting us that are contributing to our feelings of depression and anxiety). Most of all, it felt good to talk to someone that understood what I was going through.</span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It was the most sense anyone has ever made to me regarding the issues I was facing, and I spent a good portion of the next year discovering who I really was as a person, understanding when and how the feelings of anxiety/depression would surface, and how to train my body to analyze and deal with the issue. I still get anxiety attacks and go through periods of depression, but I'm aware of how to minimize the impact the disorders have on my life. The following are some of the most important things I have learned about living with mental illnesses:</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><br /><b>Many people live with some form of depression/anxiety</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It's weird because when I was dealing with my issues at first, I truly felt that I was the only one that could really understand what I was going through. This of course, was completely untrue. Regardless of how terrible you might feel living with this disease, it's important to note that a good percentage of the population has dealt/is dealing with the same thing. When you start talking with others about what you are experiencing, you realize that you are not alone. You realize that mental illness is not a stigma, that people are understanding and that you are not a "wimp" or weak for talking about your issues.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><b></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Explore your options when dealing with the mental illness</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Obviously different levels of anxiety and depression will require different treatment methods. Now I'm not trying to say that you should never take medicine for anything, medication is definitely needed for many different scenarios. I'm just saying that it's important to think long and hard if medication is really the route that you want to take.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Many of the antidepressants have really </span><a href="https://www.google.ca/search?q=anti+depressant+side+effects&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a#hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=OrZ&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&sa=X&ei=ifKfT8vXPImIgweyu72JDg&ved=0CCsQvwUoAQ&q=antidepressant+side+effects&spell=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=af830d975fc89a6&biw=1366&bih=664" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">nasty side effects</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, and are VERY difficult to stop taking. In addition, I have a real issue with the way our doctors prescribe these drugs. For example, I was looking for a new doctor about a year or so ago, and in a first consultation meeting I told the doctor that I had experienced depression years ago and continue to battle minor anxiety, but that I believed to have it under control, and that I didn't want to take medicine for it. He immediately launched into this huge fear-inducing spiel about how I would be 50% more likely to experience a heart attack without taking meds. I had issues with his diagnosis: 1) He had literally JUST MET ME. He knew nothing about me personally or medically, yet somehow he knew enough to try to prescribe me some heavy heavy meds? 2) I was aware of doctors </span><a href="http://oncampus.macleans.ca/education/2011/06/09/are-antidepressants-over-prescribed-to-young-people/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">over prescribing these pills</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, and that doctors are often </span><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/aug/23/health.pharmaceuticals" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">"sponsored" of "gifted" by the pharmaceutical giants.</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Needless to say, I continued my search for a new physician, which led me to my current doctor who told me that I was likely fine without the meds.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Society has become dependent on medication to solve every problem, and it's not hard to see why. We view medicine as being able to solve everything quickly. It would make logical sense that this belief would transfer over to mental illness. However, mental illness is much more complex to deal with. It is a disorder of the mind. It's not as easy as taking some Penicillin and feeling better in a few days. Antidepressants are designed to moderate/numb our feelings/thoughts, which is a pretty crazy/frightening thing to think about. They are often not needed to deal with the disease, but society wants a quick fix so we can get back to living life/being happy. Realistically, it takes much more to deal with these issues. I found that learning and discovering all I could about myself, taking counselling and trying to train my body to recognize and moderate the effects of the disease worked for me. It's important for people dealing with the disease to figure out what works for them.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Learn to live with the disease</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mental Illnesses are diseases. As with any disease (cancer, MS, etc), you need to understand your limitations, and take time when needed to ensure your well being. This may include changing your lifestyle habits. For example, I cut back on my caffeine intake, scaling back the amount of energy drinks and coffees I consumed (too much caffeine<span class="st">+anxiety attacks=chaos). I also know when I need to take a sick day if I'm feeling particularly down or anxious. People might try to give you crap about this, but it's important to recognize when you need to take some time to deal with your issues and to block all the haters out yo. Making small concessions can go a long way in improving your lifestyle with mental illness.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><b></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Don't use your disease as a crutch</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It's very important to stay positive and not to get consumed with the ongoing battle. It may seem really easy to mope around at home when you feel like crap (I'm often guilty of this), but it's important to be mindful that it is not your fault you feel this way, to push yourself outside of your comfort zone and really try to live life to the fullest. Don't let your disease keep you from experiencing things you love and creating new memories. Many people use their diagnosis as a crutch, and while it needs to be respected and understood it shouldn't be used as an excuse not to push yourself outside of your comfort zone.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><b><br /></b></span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Bottom Line:</b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> To all that are experiencing mental illnesses, you are not alone. SO many people are in the same boat as you. Although there are many aspects of the disease that are not controllable, the way you approach dealing with your challenges is controllable, has a HUGE impact on your well being. Stay positive, and try to figure out what works for you. You will grow as a person, learn more than you ever would have imagined about yourself and you will be a stronger person in doing so.</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Nick.</span>Nick Fayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09123988585130895723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784520604515578375.post-69798052694364579242012-04-21T14:36:00.007-07:002012-04-22T13:18:32.964-07:00Nick Faye's Guide to Regina Transit<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQKtuRvqGGtOk4hfmSPbdqxHSL4rRsGRxrmgH0HK9mUzSP9eaRHW1smCP3Ki0zYZ6WByeXqM4Ea2DwGFO11gh0RV8FMJpVuku99wjkSN6JLTS43Vso26wTkE8Hgiiqqsg-TveZtxH9TJs/s1600/Transp+-+Bus.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQKtuRvqGGtOk4hfmSPbdqxHSL4rRsGRxrmgH0HK9mUzSP9eaRHW1smCP3Ki0zYZ6WByeXqM4Ea2DwGFO11gh0RV8FMJpVuku99wjkSN6JLTS43Vso26wTkE8Hgiiqqsg-TveZtxH9TJs/s400/Transp+-+Bus.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5734320542858125890" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Happy April everyone! Sorry it's been so long since I've had a chance to churn out a new blog. It's been a very eventful few months that included running for URSU President and spending a few days in LA.<br /><br />This is an idea I've had for a few months now, but I've never really had time to write. Todays blog post is directed to any and all that may be interested in taking public transit in Regina as their main form of transportation. Regina Transit can be an unforgiving beast if not prepared. Follow my steps, and make the most out of your busriding experience!<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Nick Faye's Guide to Regina Transit</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1) Plan to get to the busstop 10 minutes before the bus is scheduled to be there.</span><br /><br />In most cities, getting to your stop 5 minutes ahead of time is sufficient to successfully catch your bus. This was my mantra for the first few months of taking the bus in Regina. It took me a few missed classes and multiple stressful/frantic "holy crap I missed my bus" car races to work before I discovered that this was not enough time. One day, I was at my stop 7 minutes before it was scheduled to arrive and I still didn't get there early enough. This is when 10 minutes was set upon as the official time, and so far it's been pretty accurate.<br /><br />Given a +/- 10 minute buffer (as busses are often up to 10 minutes late), you may find yourself with plenty free time while waiting for the bus. May I suggest bringing along a sudoku puzzle, or perhaps your crochet supplies? You could make a nice quilt in the time you will spend waiting!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2) Do NOT mess with the bus drivers' Subway/smoke breaks in front of the Library or Sherwood Village Mall.</span><br /><br />If there is one sacred ritual that a Regina Transit rider must be careful to respect, it is this. Bus drivers love their smoke/subway breaks. So much so that they will completely uproot the set schedule that riders are depending on to plan their commutes to get to the Library or Subway a few minutes early.<br /><br />Your bus is already 5 minutes late in getting there? Doesn't matter, the bus driver's craving an Italian BMT, you can wait a few minutes. Your bus just blew by 3 people waiting at a stop that they were supposed to pick up? Not important, Bob's waiting at the library to crush a menthol or two. This is an unwritten rule of Regina Transit.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3) ALWAYS People Watch. You could see some funny/interesting stuff</span>.<br /><br />This might be the biggest benefit of taking public transit. There are always interesting people doing interesting things going on around you on the bus. It is never a bad idea to have your head on a swivel and to be ready to observe these often comical situations.<br /><br />For example, one time a dude got on the bus in North Central with a six pack of beer and a guitar. He opened up his guitar case, cracked a beer and started playing terrible versions of Led Zeppelin songs until his stop for myself and a few other people. Also, I've noticed a healthy amount of terrible neck tattoos (one in particular was THE WORST frog on a lily pad right below the womans ear... WHY?) that are always entertaining to stare at from a few seats back. Safe to say you will not see that from inside of an F150.<br /><br />You may also encounter scary situations (such as the time a woman had a seizure onto another guy in the seat ahead of me), but you have to take the bad with the good. Most times, the bus is a pretty comical place to do some Grade-A people watching.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4) Get to know the Bus Driver, observe their tendancies.</span><br /><br />I've made an effort in recent months to become familiar with the bus drivers and their schedules. Bus Drivers are usually pretty nice, and some of them are pretty funny.<br /><br />Early one morning, I hopped on the bus tired and half asleep, ready for the commute. The bus was running until the bus driver (who happens to be my favourite on the staff thus far) turned off the bus and the lights. I was too tired to process what was going until I heard a gruff "Whoops, out of diesel guys" from the drivers seat. At this point I had just assumed that Regina Transit had dropped the ball again, and I began to stand up to trudge back to my snowy car. As soon as I got up I heard a "Just Kidding" from the front and the engine roar. It was very well played, and actually quite funny.<br /><br />You may even begin developing nicknames for the bus drivers. I have coined one woman as "The Gum Chewer", as she is always obnoxiously chewing gum and drives way too aggressively (makes for rough/bumpy trips). Another man is now known as "Paul Giamatti", as he looks exactly like the actor and I could see the sad/weary bus driver as being a perfect role for Paul to actually play.<br /><br />One thing to note here, AVOID NEW BUS DRIVERS IF POSSIBLE. Last Friday, I knew there would be trouble when my bus was 15 minutes late. When the bus finally pulled up, it was ridiculously far from the curb, and the end was protruding out into the middle lane and disrupting traffic on a bustling-rush hour Broad Street. Once on the bus and safely driving in the bus lane, the woman began to honk her horn. There was no traffic in front of us and she replied "I just don't want to hit them", referring to the vehicles that were safely driving in their lane to the left of us. Really? You can't drive in a straight line?.. The lesson here is try to avoid new bus drivers.<br /><br style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">5) Always say "Hello" when you get on the bus, and "Thanks" when you get off the bus</span>.<br /><br />Manners are important. Bus Drivers appreciate the courtesy.<br /><br style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">6) Use your commute time to relax/reflect on life, or nap if needed.</span><br /><br />I love taking the bus because I view it as an escape from the busy world that we live in. I do not find moving from the office to your car during rush hour relaxing in the least bit. Personally, I get stressed out from watching other people driving and trying to maneauver in heavy traffic. By using transit, I can hang out, think about my day, read a book if I want and have a nap if I need sleep (Efficiency!! Kill two birds with one stone - sleep and transportation). I really value my time on the bus, and I've done some of my best thinking on it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">6) Tweet cool things that you see while riding the bus.</span><br /><br />I always get value from reading other people's stories from the bus, and I hope my followers also enjoy my observations. It's an interesting place. May as well share your stories with the world!<br /><br />Anyways, follow these steps and you should be able to find your way using the terrible yet loveable bus service that is Regina Transit!<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"></span><br />Nick.Nick Fayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09123988585130895723noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784520604515578375.post-10662352930231138922012-01-29T14:07:00.001-08:002012-01-30T17:57:26.111-08:00The case for more education on Aboriginal culture, history and issues in Saskatchewan<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnve8zZMbDhJkmwG_wCkTFpxk1h9w1jVY45sujhwDh8H-mBXdGaW9PZRvSwHmvBnRU_LqCe7AZX4SL-Nzt7GYV9kOtoi6JDJDoiMhLqlVEygnRnBNmkfRpDurGWCTMKIpGu-jZiE0QJ_8/s1600/blogphoto.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 206px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnve8zZMbDhJkmwG_wCkTFpxk1h9w1jVY45sujhwDh8H-mBXdGaW9PZRvSwHmvBnRU_LqCe7AZX4SL-Nzt7GYV9kOtoi6JDJDoiMhLqlVEygnRnBNmkfRpDurGWCTMKIpGu-jZiE0QJ_8/s320/blogphoto.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703602732201203026" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>In December, a University of Regina student <a href="http://www2.uregina.ca/yourblog/?p=4096">created a petition that would make Indigenous Studies a mandatory class at the UofR</a>. Now as is to be expected with an issue as controversial as this, there have been heated debates on the UofR's facebook page, with students fiercely making their cases for both sides of the argument.<div><br /></div><div>The issue that I and many others have with the petition, is that it's self-declared goal of this petition is to "curb systematic racism". While this is an admirable goal, and it could possibly be a positive byproduct of introducing mandatory Indigenous Studies, I do not believe that this should be the primary goal of this petition. </div><div><br /></div><div>The ultimate goal should be to increase education on the First Nations in our Province in the elementary and secondary level, so that students enter the workforce and Post-Secondary institutions with a better knowledge of aboriginal culture, history and issues. This is a duty that must fall on our Provincial Government. This blog post is intended to illustrate the value of having either increased Indigenous education at those levels, or to at least subsidize this class and make it mandatory for students at Post-Secondary institutions across Saskatchewan until this can be accomplished. I've identified two main sources of value by doing this:</div><div><br /></div><div><b>1) More education on the social problems and issues surrounding First Nations people in Saskatchewan will be beneficial in finding creative solutions.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>It is no secret, that there are many social problems and health issues that plague the First Nations communities of our Province. <a href="http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fniah-spnia/diseases-maladies/diabete/index-eng.php">First Nations people have a rate of diabetes three to five times higher than that of other Canadians</a>. Saskatchewan has <a href="http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/dic-dac99/d12-eng.php">historically had one of the highest aboriginal diabetes rate in the country</a>. Rampant diabetes stemming from poor dietary habits, a higher rate of AIDS than most demographics (<a href="http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fniah-spnia/diseases-maladies/index-eng.php">15% of new HIV/AIDS infections occur in First Nations people</a>) and Mental Health issues that stem from Residential School abuse are all examples of health issues that will only continue to grow and be passed down through the generations as <a href="http://www.stats.gov.sk.ca/stats/pop/2006%20Census%20Aboriginal%20Peoples.pdf">the population continues to expand</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">In addition to health problems, crime levels are <a href="http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/060606/dq060606b-eng.htm">significantly higher on reserves </a>, and<span> <span>"<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: -webkit-auto; ">In Saskatchewan, Aboriginal people made up 80% of those who were admitted to provincial sentenced custody, compared to their representation of 10% of the provincial adult population." That's pretty insane. The recent increase in housing prices and low vacancy rates in Canadian have greatly affected many First Nations people that live in the core areas of our cities. The living conditions on many reserves are similar to that of a third world nation.</span></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div>As you can see there are significant social problems and issues that this demographic is faced with. These issues are already huge challenge to our Government's finances. Now, taking into account that this demographic is forecasted to grow at a very rapid rate in the years to come, we can see a very dark picture emerge. The problems that are currently affecting First Nations will continue to be passed down and magnified from generation to generation. The money to cover services such as health, jails and social services will balloon to budget crippling levels. I'll give you one guess as to where the finances will have to come from to cover these programs: the tax payers of Saskatchewan.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our Province should be increasing the amount of education our citizens receive on these issues. Imagine a Province where the Engineers, Business Professionals, Trades Workers, etc were aware of the challenges and issues facing First Nations people today. Imagine a Province where the leaders of tomorrow were properly educated on these issues. I can almost guarantee you that they would be more likely to find innovative new solutions to these problems with this education than if they didn't receive it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Critics of my point might suggest that "Well our Education programs are now making Indigenous Studies mandatory, that's good enough". This is definitely a good start to making this subject more prevalent in our children's education. However more needs to be done. </div><div><br /></div><div>In Post-Secondary institutions, imagine the value of a mandatory "Aboriginal Health" class for Doctors, or some sort of a "Treaty Land Resource Extraction History" class for Petroleum Engineers. It doesn't need to be the same "Indigenous Studies" class offered across every faculty. </div><div><br /></div><div>These are HUGE issues for the Province of Saskatchewan, and therefore the people that are living, working and being educated in Saskatchewan should have to learn about them. If these classes were subsidized by our government, I think many students would be willing to give up ONE free elective to take this class. It's a win-win-win situation - students get a class paid for by the Government, the Government gets the future leaders educated on aboriginal issues, future taxpayers (ie. us) save money due to creative new solutions and subsequently pay for the class. This should be a no-brainer.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>2) More education on First Nations culture will allow employers in Saskatchewan to better connect with Aboriginals in the workplace and increase amount of Post-Secondary education among the demographic.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Over the past few years, there have been a swath of "we are going to need to tap into the First Nations workforce in order to deal with the upcoming labour shortage due to the boom" advertisements around Saskatchewan. Unfortunately, these ads have been a bunch of crap. We haven't done a good enough job of this as a Province. </div><div><br /></div><div>If we look at the education statistics,<a href="http://www.stats.gov.sk.ca/stats/pop/2006%20Census%20Education.pdf"> there are significant discrepencies between the non-aboriginal and First Nations people in Saskatchewan</a>. In Saskatchewan, 72.4% of non aboriginal people 15 years and older at least graduated from high school (or the equivalent) as opposed to only 50.6% of First Nations people. Of the above numbers, 44.9% or non-aboriginals received post-secondary qualification as opposed to only 28.6% for First Nations citizens. How many of you were as shocked as I was to see the percentage of adequately educated aboriginal people in our Province is so low?</div><div><br /></div><div>Those stats alone should be enough to show that we need to do a better job of connecting with the demographic in our Province, getting First Nations children out of high school and into Post-Secondary institutions and growing this labour force. Given the rapid growth rate of First Nations people in the Province, we have access to a growing source of people that could fill Saskatchewan's skilled labour/trades/administrative/etc needs, right here in the Province!</div><div><br /></div><div>What better way to connect with the First Nations people than to have the future workforce and educators (future hiring managers, future policy makers, etc) aware of the history and culture associated with the arguably the most significant ethnicity in Saskatchewan! The way to do this is through education. Increasing the amount of Indigenous Studies in our elementary schools and secondary schools so a general understanding of the cultures are common knowledge for all citizens as they enter Post-Secondary or the workforce. </div><div><br /></div><div>Until that happens, a series of Provincially funded mandatory University classes could be beneficial to educate the future leaders of our Province.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Connecting the dots...</b></div><div><br /></div><div>I will admit, that I'm not particularly sure what the best way of educating our citizens on the cultures and history of one of the fastest growing and historically significant demographics in Saskatchewan. But I do know that if we want to be proactive in connecting with a huge source of prospective labour and dealing with the various social/health problems that First Nations communities are facing, the key is through education. We are only hurting ourselves in the future through our inactivity. Ideally, this education should come at a young age so that the culture, issues and history of these great people are well known among our citizens before they enter the workforce or enter post-secondary institutions. </div><div><br /></div><div>I don't believe it would hurt to have classes in a Post-Secondary setting either, but hey these are all just random ideas floating around. It's not my job to develop curriculum. This is where the Provincial government needs to step up and make something happen.</div><div><br /></div><div>The bottom line is that bringing this petition up at the University of Regina can only be viewed as a good thing, regardless of the original intended goal As a community and a student body, we should be discussing the different options to resolve the issues that are facing our people. Education on the Province's most important ethnicity should be a high priority. Our Province's future depends on it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Nick.</div>Nick Fayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09123988585130895723noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784520604515578375.post-10436035461948318462011-12-03T11:34:00.000-08:002011-12-03T13:47:09.988-08:00It's Christmas time! (for everyone except the Creative City Centre)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj5ab_TQZNskPfYwQL45SNvoimIHkgOq0QylMTiAPoxOFVpRE3X9COGG3oecI3lhP6qQ82aa81y3Enhzzcimvhqv9Q4Kh9GdEU0bdGHJY5wkE6H1ZqUhmCHxPkAOof2HouGLgazFw1cEg/s1600/blogcoal.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 285px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj5ab_TQZNskPfYwQL45SNvoimIHkgOq0QylMTiAPoxOFVpRE3X9COGG3oecI3lhP6qQ82aa81y3Enhzzcimvhqv9Q4Kh9GdEU0bdGHJY5wkE6H1ZqUhmCHxPkAOof2HouGLgazFw1cEg/s320/blogcoal.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681998663168186370" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"><br />Mayor Pat delivers a big ol' lump-o-coal to the Creative City Centre</span><br /><br />Hey everyone! I hope everyone is getting in the Christmas spirit! I'm currently in "finals routine", and I've got a few new blog ideas kicking around to punch out when I get bored of studying (as in, stay tuned for more posts in the next few weeks). Today, I want to talk about how the Regina City Council is choosing to withholding much needed funding from the Creative City Centre.<br /><br />So the Prairie Dog<a href="http://www.prairiedogmag.com/?p=34241"> posted a blog yesterday</a> about Regina City Council's decision to withhold funding from the Creative City Centre. Although I don't usually read the PD's articles on Provincial and Federal matters due to their obvious left-wing partisan opinions that tend to rear their ugly head, the bi-weekly does a good job of covering arts and culture in our city.<br /><br />To summarize the scenario, the Regina Arts Advisory Committee receives $800,000 annually to dish out to organizations in the city. Right off the bat, two-thirds of that funding goes to the Mackenzie Art Gallery, the Globe Theatre and the Regina Symphony Orchestra, which are all deserving organizations. The CCC was looking for $30,000 to cover admin expenses and supplement staff for the renovation work that was done to renovate the formerly dilapidated and empty space above Loggies shoes downtown. Even after viewing the Centre's complete business plan, the Committee decided not to award them their funding and dispersed a good portion of the remaining funds left to the Mackenzie and Globe. Feel free to read <a href="http://www.prairiedogmag.com/?p=34241">the PD's blog</a> for a more detailed explanation.<br /><br />Being both a musician and a business student, perhaps I can provide some unique perspectives and insight on this issue.<br /><br />As a musician, the experience and services that the Centre provides are a rarity in the Canadian arts scene. Having played approximately 100 shows over the past two years in various bars/art galleries/restaurants/houses/you name it across Canada, I can honestly say that the musical experience offered by the CCC is probably one of the best anywhere. This facility is the envy of other cities, and consistently packs the house for broke/weary/talented traveling musicians with a built in crowd and a warm, cozy atmosphere to perform in.<br /><br />The owner of the CCC is Marian Donnelly, who has an MBA in Arts Administration. Seeing as the facility has experienced excellent attendance in its first few months, the potential for the Centre to profit definitely exists. However, for musical performances the CCC only takes 25% of door sales, and leaves the remaining 75% for touring musicians. Marian believes in rewarding Canadian artists for their hard work, and this is a refreshing change from many other venue owners that I have had the misfortune of working with that take a huge cut of the revenue earned by musicians for their own profit. The CCC is rapidly becoming a premiere arts destination for both Canadian musicians and the citizens of Regina, and is directly incubating our diverse/growing arts scene. City Council doesn't believe this is worth funding?<br /><br />Approaching this from a business standpoint, I yield the same opinion. We all know that City Council has been attempting to push major condo developments (<a href="http://www.leaderpost.com/business/Capital+Pointe+back+track+Greg+Black/5373641/story.html">such as Capital Pointe</a>) as viable and exciting options for our citizens. However, in order to to sell these $200,000-$1,000,000 housing units, you need to create an exciting downtown core with a wider variety of food/entertainment options. Being close to your workplace isn't going to be a strong enough incentive for people to consider these new developments in a city where people can drive anywhere in under 20 minutes. The state of Regina's downtown is far from being attractive to young couple that have experienced downtown living in other Canadian cities, and it has been one of the biggest criticisms from people visiting our city. The CCC is a top-rate facility, in a high density area, which can only raise the profile of our downtown core.<br /><br />In addition, the Creative City Centre facilitates a fashion collective, art studios, and various workshops. Marian and other artistically renown workshop leaders work with interested artists to teach them creative skills such as songwriting and important entrepreneurial skills such as how to properly market products. This organization is helping to empower our artists with the tools they need to become successful entrepreneurs, which <span style="font-weight: bold;">SHOULD</span> coincide with the city's vision of promoting and fostering local entrepreneurs.<br /><br />Denying this organization funding completely contradicts our Municipal vision. We are talking about good people that have poured their blood, sweat and tears into renovating a dilapidated, historic building in downtown Regina for the purpose of bringing people into an underutilized downtown core and promoting entrepreneurship.<br /><br />Life will likely go on due to the hard work of volunteers without the help of the City. It would just be nice for our City Council to recognize the value of having a premiere institution such as the Creative City Centre in our downtown core. At the very least, I would be interested in hearing the Council's reason for denying them funding.<br /><br />Nick.<br /><br />PS - The Arts Advisory Committee is meeting Dec. 6 at 5:30 p.m. in the Larry Schneider Board Room (City Hall). I'm gonna try and show up, and I hope you guys do too!Nick Fayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09123988585130895723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784520604515578375.post-85637869735956785042011-09-17T10:30:00.000-07:002011-09-17T09:43:29.946-07:00What I learned on my summer vacation:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4AQMedgMZV7qBfdCqSgw-D4vXKFJP7iZBfONpGfJJL6N0vmO78bUzcrj1mo6TJiUEUCK6-ntx_3rRiaVR6nDkuB9bhIiIiFDtm2nM6Zdiis9yMezf0VjsBXL46-O_eD5URNsIJHy9ZUA/s1600/blogroad.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 294px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4AQMedgMZV7qBfdCqSgw-D4vXKFJP7iZBfONpGfJJL6N0vmO78bUzcrj1mo6TJiUEUCK6-ntx_3rRiaVR6nDkuB9bhIiIiFDtm2nM6Zdiis9yMezf0VjsBXL46-O_eD5URNsIJHy9ZUA/s320/blogroad.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5653362485714026850" border="0" /></a><br />Ok, so first let me just acknowledge how grade-ten-first-day-of-school-english-class-writing-exercise-esque my title is. Now that that's been addressed, I was extremely fortunate to have some super awesome experiences over the course of this summer. I was thinking about the summer as a whole, and I began to realize that I learned some super valuable lessons.<br /><br />I spent my summer touring the country/playing music and working at Camp Monahan, where another counselor and I guided groups of ten teenagers on hiking and canoeing trips in the Quappelle valley. These were some of the lessons I learned:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1) Good organization skills can make or break you: </span><br /><br />Cramming your summer full of awesome and fun activities sounds fun and carefree. However, good organization skills can prove super handy when you have a gazillion things on the go. The months prior to my first tour this summer were full of album recording, university club commitments, booking a month-and-a-half long tour, playing shows around the city, in addition to working a full time government job. Even once I was on tour and camp I was still booking tour dates, dealing with university deadlines, playing shows and worrying about my campers.<br /><br />Life can be overwhelming at times. Good organization was the only way which I could have even imagined to accomplish everything with my sanity semi-intact.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2) A little preparation can go a long way:</span><br /><br />Putting in an appropriate amount of prep-work was especially important as we were preparing for our hiking/canoeing excursions. We were responsible for preparing food orders, strategically packing coolers/backpacks/canoes, and ensuring the campers were safe and happy. Spending a few moments anticipating challenges and situations that may arise could end up saving you exponentially more time and energy later on.<br /><br />Good preparation is also crucial when booking shows as a musician, where a few hours of facebooking/emailing/phone calls can be the difference between having a terrible/poorly attended show and putting on a well promoted and profitable gig.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3) When you find yourself in a foreign place, take some time to immerse yourself in their culture:</span><br /><br />You don't have to leave Canada to gain a different perspective than what you know at home. In a country as vast and diverse as Canada, you need only travel a few blocks or a quick drive down the highway to experience a completely different culture. The problem is that we get so caught up in everyday tasks, timelines, and worries that it is easy to overlook important little details that can be very educational if you're paying attention.<br /><br />For example, when traveling from city to city I made an effort to pay attention to the social services and local flairs that each city would have. I would make an effort to use their public transit, ask about the health of the music scene, check to see if there were compost and recycling bins at houses we would stay at, and ask locals questions at shows about what they liked and didn't like about living in their communities.<br /><br />By paying attention and asking about even the little things, you start to paint a picture of how insanely awesome and diverse our world is, as well as areas in your own community that need improvements. I know personally, that I also found myself with a ton of new ideas and perspectives to bring back to my hometown. These cultural perspectives are important for the growth and diffusion of new ideas, and are always around you if you take the time to notice them.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4) My family is probably the most important part of my life, friends a close second:</span><br /><br />Being away from home so much (I think I calculated I slept in my bed a total of eleven times between May 7th and Aug 22nd) it is easy to lose sight of how important family is to you. Especially when you're on the road playing show after show in unfamiliar towns and eating terrible gas station food (chips, peanuts, McDonalds, etc). I found myself becoming moody and increasingly irritable as the days passed. The one thing that I knew I could count on was a comforting phone call to my parents, or a text conversation with a friend.<br /><br />Building up a positive support group around you is important, especially when you find yourself at your lowest of lows. However, the relationship between you and your family/friends isn't stricly a 'take' relationship. It's important to give back when you can. You have to put in an effort to help them and invest an adequate amount of time into them, as they have with you. At times it was extremely difficult, but I still made an effort to try. These are the people that will be with you through the thick and the thin. They are worth making an effort for.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5) There's no place like home:</span><br /><br />Out of all the places I've been this summer, Saskatchewan is still my favorite in the world (a close second to Newfoundland, by's). You don't realize how much you love a place until you leave. After spending a week in Jasper this summer (which was very beautiful), there was still something comforting and beautiful about driving back to camp in the Qu'appelle valley. Nothing can beat eating a hot plate of mom's pasta or taking an early autumn drive to the farm at harvest time.<br /><br /><br />Welp, that's all for now. I'm sure I'll be blogging more now that summer has died down!<br /><br />nick.Nick Fayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09123988585130895723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784520604515578375.post-25848110341326133992011-06-20T00:07:00.000-07:002011-06-20T09:10:23.912-07:00URSU Blues<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTgsQ7MThwOtUYXfM4Jdk6v7_o-kvhcsP355brYmy7wooi7WLrA">;<img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 176px; height: 286px;" src="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTgsQ7MThwOtUYXfM4Jdk6v7_o-kvhcsP355brYmy7wooi7WLrA" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">I've got them URSU Blues</span><br /><br />Pretty much anyone that has had a lengthy conversation with me regarding the University of Regina Students Union as of late knows how I feel about our union. To paraphrase URSU's <a href="http://ursu.ca/about">mission statement</a>, the union's purpose is to make our university a better place and to address/accommodate the needs of the students.<br /><br />Most times, the union does a great job of this. They do tons of great stuff to improve our post-secondary experience. However, I believe that our students union has become a forum for partisan politics instead of discovering and truly addressing our students' needs over the past few years.<br /><br />As of recently, I am talking about URSU taking a stance and becoming vocal regarding the Canada Post Worker's Strike. As viewed in current URSU President Kent Peterson's blog, our president has all but officially declared our union in support of the workers. The group of executives even <a href="http://ursu.ca/blogs/president/?p=111">took to the streets in Ottawa during a CFS conference to rally with workers.</a><br /><br />Now I'm not saying I'm in favour or opposed to the strike, and I believe that the workers have every right to fight for more wages, but <span style="font-weight: bold;">how relevant is the issue of a Post Office strike to University of Regina students</span>? Is this really going to drastically affect our education? Why does our union have to take a stance? Recently, teachers in Saskatchewan were negotiating with the Provincial government for a new contract. URSU also decided to take a stance in support of the teachers. This action made perfect sense, since<span style="font-weight: bold;"> the issue is directly linked to our prospective students' education</span>. Our union should only get involved with these types of issues if they directly affect our university.<br /><br />Now according to the blog, it appears as if this stance stemmed from the CFS conference in Ottawa a few weeks back. I don't like the idea of having any organizations, political parties or personal agendas interfering with the voices of our students. Between the <a href="http://www.bloggingcanadians.ca/NewDemocratBlogs/saskatchewan-ndp-convention-sunday-wrapup/">previous left-wing partisan associations of our current president</a> and <a href="http://www.newstalk980.com/audio/john-gormley-live/20110316-john-gormley-live-march-16-2011-kyle-addison-university-regina-stud">our past president appearing on right-wing radio shows to campaign for elections and promote the 'vote no' side for the CFS referendum</a>, I can't help but feel that our student union has become a theatre for provincial politics. It's a shame. The union should belong to our students.<br /><a href="http://ursu.ca/blogs/president/?p=111"></a>Nick Fayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09123988585130895723noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784520604515578375.post-31263276467400619342011-03-23T20:30:00.000-07:002011-03-24T18:56:15.876-07:00Broken Governments.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/00/11/bc/5b/legislative-building.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 550px; height: 412px;" src="http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/00/11/bc/5b/legislative-building.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />The provincial budget was handed down yesterday, and I got to witness it behind the scenes for the first time working with the Saskatchewan government. It was pretty interesting stuff (although hectic), and I have been been exposed to a torrent of various levels of politics over the last few months as a result of the University of Regina CFS referendum, URSU elections, my job and constantly reading political news while at said job. Although I still possess a love and profound interest of politics, I believe there are many faults in our modern day political climate in North America.<br /><br />Recently, I had a chance to watch <a href="http://www.starpulse.com/Movies/Polliwood/">Polliwood</a>, a documentary by Barry Levinson about Hollywood celebrities attending the Republican and Democratic conventions during the 2008 American election. The main point of the documentary was to showcase how the introduction of television to society has completely changed how people perceive government. Citizens are more concerned about their affiliation with a political party or image of their political leaders instead of actual policy or intellect. Political media channels such as MSNBC and Fox News have replaced individual thought and constructive dialogue as opinion influencers. The media has blurred the lines between reality and partisan fabricated propaganda. This is more prevalent in the USA, but it is relevant to the Canadian people as well.<br /><br />The sad reality of it is that many people are not aware of why they are voting for a political party or representative. The social pressure or desire to conform when a friend, TV program or respected peer tells us to "Vote for candidate A" often gives us an easy alternative to learning more about other campaigns or identifying flaws within our chosen party. I mean, It feels really good to be accepted and belong to a crowd of like-minded people with supposedly similar viewpoints, right? This is the type of environment that encourages groupthink, which can be counter-productive to electing and running an effective government.<br /><br />It is disappointing that we live in a society where party politics trumps what should be the main goal of parties: working together to hold each other accountable and to determine the best possible scenario for citizens.<br /><br />Healthy discussion and constructive conversation is a novelty of the past. Political parties are very stubborn, and are so engrossed in their party's agenda that they often neglect a good idea set forth by the opposition or the needs of their constituent they were elected to represent. We live in a time where slanderous political ads are the norm. Where politicians have lost all respect for fellow politicians in the opposition, and watching a question period is often more chaotic and ill-mannered than a WWE event. It is even more depressing that many people justify and encourage this type of behavior by arguing that "they started it first".<br /><br />It is unfortunate that we live in a democratic environment with so many external influences attempting to alter how we form our political beliefs. <span style="font-weight: bold;">YOU</span> should be the ones forming your own opinions. Don't allow social pressures, party politics or group-think to sway you. Discover the values and beliefs that matter to you, and act accordingly.<br /><br />Nick.Nick Fayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09123988585130895723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784520604515578375.post-60221008458744191142011-02-28T20:15:00.000-08:002011-03-01T16:41:06.432-08:00"Domed If Ya Do, Damned If Ya Don't"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYyGTEX5AULFe9Fmbd_HSKrNxj5IH5gExdJ639UF96JE2KEYkSOIZMHxJ0Fi-wWD41ONGoqk3f5hjoH5LBBvNKcVip_ShVqmUL8mSGVzPmg-h6-7zwkIZy7qL6x5s-zM1ObprjoyRv8Qk/s1600/2193977.bin"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 206px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYyGTEX5AULFe9Fmbd_HSKrNxj5IH5gExdJ639UF96JE2KEYkSOIZMHxJ0Fi-wWD41ONGoqk3f5hjoH5LBBvNKcVip_ShVqmUL8mSGVzPmg-h6-7zwkIZy7qL6x5s-zM1ObprjoyRv8Qk/s320/2193977.bin" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579272694378268338" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />There has been a lot of discussion in the Saskatchewan media and in coffee shops across the province about the proposed Regina Multi-Purpose facility for the current CP Rail yards in downtown Regina.<br /><br />Now I have loved, still love, and will love the riders forever. I've been going to the majority of home games with my dad since I was a wee lad. I have sat in the exact same seats in section 203 through the good (See: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjMaWPvypPg">2007 Grey Cup</a>) and the bad (See: <a href="http://www.totalfootballstats.com/PlayerQB.asp?id=1217503">Jimmy Kemp</a>). My family bleeds green, and it is rare to listen in on a supper time conversation without the topic shifting to the latest rider news. However, I have hated the idea of building the proposed domed stadium since day one.<br /><br />The "Riderdome" has been widely promoted for the past few years as being a key aspect of revitalizing downtown Regina. Feasibility studies were done, and it was deemed to be a legitimate possibility. Local media, sports fans, and much of the mainstream province went insane.<br /><br />The prospect of a shiny new extravagant multipurpose facility was an alluring one. How better to let the world know that Saskatchewan is rolling in it? It was to be a celebratory symbol of Saskatchewan's growth and it's triumph for the municipal and provincial governments over the last ten years!<br /><br />Throughout all of the hoopla, I kept asking myself one question: How necessary is this dome? Do we really need to spend $431-million dollars (likely over $450-million with cost overruns) on a stadium, when we could build an adequate and modern facility for half the price?<br /><br />Looking across the league at other CFL franchises, there are currently 4 stadiums being built, renovated, or that are scheduled for some type of construction: Hamilton, Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Vancouver. For the sake of comparison, let's look at the Winnipeg stadium proposal.<br /><br />Winnipeg is currently building a 33,000-seat stadium (similar to what Saskatchewan would require) on University of Manitoba land. We'll set aside the <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2011/02/05/mb-creswin-bombers-stadium-asper.html">financial mess</a> that is currently happening. The stadium has a price tag of $190,000, or likely somewhere over $200,000 with cost overruns and will be equipped with an inflatable dome for use in the winter.<br /><br />The facility is both cost efficient and functionable. The inflatable bubble will render it useful for events and activities year round, and the facility will easily meet the needs of the people of Winnipeg.<br /><br />Riderdome was a classic case of the excess, and the federal government likely viewed it the same way when it was reviewing the proposal for funding.<br /><br />That being said, Taylor field is crumbling and the riders are in need of a new facility. It doesn't make sense to continue to dump money into a 100 years old building, so something new will have to be constructed. One has to wonder if the fed's decision would have been different if the province and the city had proposed a less flashy, more functionable plan such as Winnipeg.<br /><br />Personally, I prefer watching football in Saskatchewan outside anyways. (Domes are for wimps)<br /><br />Nick.Nick Fayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09123988585130895723noreply@blogger.com0