Free speech activist Liu Xiaobo's eleven-year jail sentence court sneakily issued verdict Dec 24th

RT @RSF_RWB: China - Free speech activist Liu Xiaobo's eleven-year jail
sentence court sneakily issued verdict Dec 25th
http://bit.ly/8U1nxG

[excerpt]

Eleven-year jail sentence for free speech activist Liu Xiaobo, court
sneakily issues verdict on Christmas Day

"It is a disgrace that Liu Xiaobo is going to spend the next eleven years
in prison when all he did was defend free expression and participate in a
debate about his country's future with many other Chinese intellectuals,"
Reporters Without Borders said. "It is also disgraceful that such a
sentence was announced on Christmas Day."

The press freedom organisation added: "Where are the universal values of
freedom of expression that China is supposed to represent in Shanghai in
2010? The national and international pressure for this famous dissident's
release must be redoubled. The international community must not be
manipulated by the Chinese authorities, who are trying to minimise
reaction by concluding this case during the end-of-year holidays."

[...]

A former University of Beijing philosophy professor and winner of the
Reporters Without Borders press freedom prize in 2004, Liu is committed to
the idea that the Chinese media will one day be able to operate as a real
fourth estate and stand up to the omnipotent Communist Party. [...]

Looking Back at a Year of Training Citizen Journalists in South Africa

RT @mediatwit: Harry Dugmore: Looking Back at a Year of Training Citizen
#Journalists in South #Africa http://bit.ly/7iqZUi #idealab

[excerpt]

If you want to see citizen journalism in action -- not to mention
provoking action -- take a look at this collection of stories by citizen
journalists who have completed a six-week course in the Grocott's Mail
Citizen Journalism Newsroom.

That page features 12 stories about a critical but little-covered topic
that goes to the heart of the divergent experiences of living in
Grahamstown, South Africa. The topic? Waste management. Perhaps it's
hardly a prepossessing topic, but it's one that was embraced by the first
group of adult Citizen Journalists to be trained in the Iindaba Ziyafika
("The news is coming") Citizen Journalism Newsroom.

Summer development fellowships in the U.S. seeks journalist + other applicants

Application Deadline - January 8, 2010

Summer development fellowships in the U.S. seeks applicants
Posted on: 18/12/2009 Fellowships and Awards Deadline: 08/01/2010 Region:
Worldwide

RT @IJNet: US Summer #Journalism fellowships seeks applicants from
developing countries encouraged http://bit.ly/8NaRji

Journalists from developing countries are encouraged to apply for a
three-week summer fellowship at Stanford University, called the Draper
Hills Summer Fellowship on Democracy and Development Program. Deadline for
application submission: January 8, 2010.

During the fellowship, from July 25 to August 13, 2010, Stanford
professors and research teams will lead daily seminars and host speeches
by prominent members of American political and civil society. Fellows will
also be given the opportunity to lead discussion sessions and exchange
ideas for positive reform, drawing from their experiences at home.

Successful applicants will be mid-career professionals, fluent in English,
and have a dedication to democracy and development.

From more information and to download the application form visit
http://cddrl.stanford.edu/fellowships/summerfellows/.

Program Curriculum

For three weeks, fellows participate in morning seminars with a team of
leading Stanford professors and professional research staff from Stanford
Law School, the Graduate School of Business, the Economics and Political
Science departments as well as the Hoover Institution. The program's
all-volunteer faculty include Larry Diamond, Kathryn Stoner-Weiss, Chip
Blacker, Stanford President Emeritus Gerhard Casper, Avner Greif, Tom
Heller, Peter Henry, Erik Jensen, Terry Karl, Helen Stacy, and Allen
Weiner.

In the afternoons, prominent American business and political leaders,
academics, and journalists talk about their experiences and professions,
and fellows lead sessions themselves, sharing insight into how reform
progressed (or failed to progress) in their home countries and exchanging
ideas for positive change. Program speakers have included Carl Gershman,
president of the National Endowment for Democracy; Joan Blades, co-founder
of MoveOn.org; Marc Pomar, president of the International Research and
Exchanges Board (IREX); Maria Rendon Labadan, Deputy Director, USAID;
Judge Pamela Rymer, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit;
and Tod Lindberg and Peter Berkowitz, Hoover Institution fellows.

In addition, Draper Hills Summer Fellows also visit leading companies in
Silicon Valley, such as Google and eBay, as well as media organizations
such as the San Francisco Chronicle, KQED Radio, and nonprofit
organizations and foundations in the Bay Area.

Participants: Eligibility Criteria

This program is aimed at early to mid-career policymakers, academics, and
leaders of civil society organizations (such as representatives of trade
unions, nongovernmental organizations, the media, business and
professional associations) who will play important roles in their
country's political, economic, and social development. We anticipate
recruiting a group of 25-30 individuals dedicated to democracy,
development and rule of law promotion within their home countries
(particularly in, but not limited to, the regions of the Middle East,
Northern and Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and former Soviet Union).

Successful applicants will be proficient in spoken and written English and
will have academic and practical credentials necessary to benefit fully
from the course and actively contribute to the discussions. The ideal
participant will have extraordinary motivation, at least five years of
experience with some demonstrated achievements in a relevant sector of
development, and a keen interest in learning as well as sharing knowledge
and experiences about his or her country.

Funding

Stanford will pay travel, accommodation, living expenses, and visa costs
for the duration of the three-week program for a certain portion of
applicants. Where possible, applicants are encouraged to supply some or
all of their own funding from their current employers or international
nongovernmental organizations.

Fellowship Coordinator
Audrey McGowan
CDDRL
Encina Hall
616 Serra Street
Stanford, CA 94305
(650) 736-4277 (voice)
(650) 724-2996 (fax)
audrey.mcgowan@stanford.edu

BERYL HANNA'S FUNERAL - A PHOTO ESSAY

The wife of the Governor General Beryl Hanna (my ex-mother-in-law) died at the age of 77 on Tuesday 3rd November.  At an official funeral on Friday 13th November at the Christ Church Cathedral, the state officials and diplomatic corps attended her funeral along with the general public.  She was buried in St. Matthew's Cemetery.  Bishop Laish Boyd along with Archbishop Drexel Gomez and Bishop Gilbert Thompson officiated.  Rev. Dr. James Moultrie preached the sermon.
BIS photos / Peter Ramsa

BERYL HANNA FUNERAL - WE BURIED HER JUST BEFORE SUNSET: Beryl Hanna nee Church came to The Bahamas in 1955 at the age of 22 with two children at her side, as the husband of a fledgling lawyer and politician; a white British woman married to a black Bahamian in an era of racial discrimination.  It would have seemed to many of the elites at the time as an inauspicious start.  But obviously she knew more than they knew.  Fifty four years later and after 59 years of marriage to Arthur Hanna, national hero, former Deputy Prime Minister of the country and now Governor General, Beryl Hanna was laid to rest as a Stalwart of the Progressive Liberal Party, as Her Excellency the wife of the Governor General, with military honours, flag draped coffin and the Cabinet of The Bahamas marching behind her body.  Mrs. Hanna was laid to rest on Friday 13th November.  She was lauded by the country's leaders including the Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham and Leader of the Opposition Perry Christie, her children and her grand children, one of the children being Glenys Hanna Martin, Member of Parliament and former Cabinet Minister.  Mrs. Hanna was 77 when she died on Tuesday 3rd November.  BIS photo/ Peter Ramsay

cfp: Chinese Journal of Communication Special Edition

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Radhika Gajjala <cyborgwati@gmail.com>
Date: 2009/9/27
Subject: [Air-L] Chinese Journal of Communication Special Edition Call for
Papers
To: aoir list <air-l@aoir.org>

*****Special Issue CJoC 3(4) CFP******

Chinese Journal of Communication

Special Edition

Call for Papers

"Emerging Media and Challenges in Chinese Communities"

Editor
Professor Louisa Ha, Bowling Green State University, USA
louisah@bgsu.edu<mailto:louisah@bgsu.edu>

Submission by January 15, 2010

Launched in 2008 and published by Routledge, Chinese Journal of
Communication (CJoC) is an English language scholarly publication aimed at
elevating Chinese communication studies along theoretical, empirical, and
methodological dimensions. This special issue of the Chinese Journal of
Communication (CJoC) is to address the impact and nature of emerging media
in Chinese communities or comparison with other countries or ethnic
communities. Emerging media is defined as message delivery vehicles
achieving higher utilization among the general population, but has neither
universally accepted technical standards for content transmission and
display, nor established operation models such as revenue sources and
content strategies. Examples of emerging media are digital television,
webcasting, podcasting, cellular phones, IPTV, blogs, social media and
networking sites, etc.

China is at the forefront of emerging media. The number of Internet users
in China is the largest in the world and Chinese consumers are among the
most avid users of media technologies. The adoption of these media can
have significant political, social, and economic implications on Greater
China and present challenges to the current media industry structure
there. The use of the emerging media by overseas Chinese can reconnect
them to the mainland and connect them to the Chinese around the world.

Topics for papers could include, but are by no means limited to:

1. Political, social or economic impact of emerging media on Greater
China and other Chinese communities

2. Public perception of emerging media and their role in politics and
formation of public opinion

3. Comparison of the use of emerging media between Chinese and
non-Chinese markets

4. Comparison of emerging media use in different Chinese markets

5. Business models of emerging media in Chinese markets

6. Market competition and management of emerging media in Chinese markets

7. Comparison of the use of different emerging media by Chinese
consumers

8. Policy and regulatory issues on emerging media in Greater China.

9. Online advertising, online games, and Internet search services
development in Greater China

10. Audience measurement of emerging media in Greater China

11. Methodological issues in studying emerging media in Chinese communities

Both quantitative and qualitative approaches to the issue are welcome. We
especially encourage the collaboration of Chinese scholars and non-Chinese
scholars to submit manuscript to this issue to facilitate exchange of
ideas and offer cross-national perspectives on the issue.

Submissions should conform to the editorial guidelines of the Chinese
Journal of Communication to be found at
http://www.informaworld.com/cjoc under "Instructions for Authors."
Papers for consideration in this special edition should be emailed to:
louisah@bgsu.edu<mailto:louisah@bgsu.edu>.

Papers will undergo a double blind peer review process and should be
submitted by January 15, 2010. Informal enquiries are welcome and please
contact the special issue editor for potential topics. Planned publication
date is December 2010.

Chinese Journal of Communication (CJoC) is a refereed journal serving as
an important international platform for students and scholars in Chinese
communication studies to exchange ideas and research results.
Interdisciplinary in scope, it examines subjects in all Chinese societies
in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau, Singapore, and the global
Chinese diaspora. The journal will be published quarterly beginning 2010.

The CJoC welcomes research articles using social scientific or humanistic
approaches on such topics as mass communication, journalism studies,
telecommunications, rhetoric, cultural studies, media effects, new
communication technologies, organizational communication, interpersonal
communication, advertising and PR, political communication, communications
law and policy, and so on. Articles employing historical and comparative
analysis focused on traditional Chinese culture as well as contemporary
processes such as globalization, deregulation, and democratization are
also welcome.

Published by Routledge, CJoC is institutionally based at the Communication
Research Centre, the School of Journalism and Communication, the Chinese
University of Hong Kong . For more information and submission
instructions, please visit
http://www.informaworld.com/cjoc

--

Radhika Gajjala
Professor of Communication Studies and Cultural Studies
Interim Women's Studies Director 2009-2010
233 Shatzel
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH 43403
http://personal.bgsu.edu/~radhik
_________ via / from / thanks to: ___________________
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is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org
Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at:
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Join the Association of Internet Researchers:
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How NOT to Write About Africa

How NOT to Write About Africa

http://hollisramblings.blogspot.com/2009/09/how-not-to-write-about-africa.html

Not feeling particularly inspired to write myself tonight, I stumbled upon
a brilliant piece of writing that I had found and read once before but had
not recorded, and thought was lost to me. I was so happy to find it again.
It is actually quite famous in some circles concerned with Africa, and
it's bitter satire hits close to home when you are an expat writing in
general about Africa.

The piece was written in 2003 by Binyavanga Wainaina, a Kenyan author and
journalist. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binyavanga_Wainaina
http://www.granta.com/Magazine/92/How-to-Write-about-Africa/Page-1

Many of you will know this piece (and it is always worth re-reading!), but
for those of you who don't, especially the writers and those who are not
familiar with Africa – this is an eye opening commentary on how the west
has portrayed Africa for so long. To me, it needs to be read, sarcasm and
all. The stereotypes are disturbing and 'in-your-face'. It's brilliant.

Web Censoring Widens Across Southeast Asia

Web Censoring Widens Across Southeast Asia
Attempts to censor the Internet are spreading to Southeast Asia as
governments turn to coercion and intimidation to rein in online criticism.
Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam lack the kind of technology and financial
resources that China and some other large countries use to police the
Internet. The Southeast Asian nations are using other methods -- also seen
in China -- to tamp down criticism, including arresting some bloggers and
individuals posting contentious views online.

Governments Lacking Technical Means Use Coercion and Intimidation in
Efforts to Suppress Criticism Online

Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam lack the kind of technology and financial
resources that China and some other large countries use to police the
Internet. The Southeast Asian nations are using other methods -- also seen
in China -- to tamp down criticism, including arresting some bloggers and
individuals posting contentious views online.

That is distressing free-speech advocates who had hoped that Southeast
Asia -- until recently a region where Internet use was relatively
unfettered -- would become a model of open debate in the developing world
as its economies modernize.

[excerpt]

[WSJ]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125288982580207609.html

Humanizing Development, Global Photography Campaign

Humanizing Development
Global Photography Campaign

How do you see development? How can you portrait the human face of the
development processes? How do you show that development initiatives and
programmes improve the lives of people? This Global Photography Campaign
aims to show examples of people winning the battle against poverty, social
exclusion and marginalization. It is intended to raise awareness of the
successes in the development process. The campaign is intended to
counterbalance the frequently shown images of desolation and despair. A
photo gallery will to be permanently located at IPC-IG office and open for
public visitation. A series of photo exhibitions will also be organized in
several cities around the world. Everyone can and is strongly encouraged
to participate in this global effort and contribute with a photograph.
Join us now in showing development through a different lens! Let's promote
and share successful development initiatives!

Who can participate?

Everyone can contribute with a photograph: professional and
non-professional photographers, students, civil society activists,
government officials, UN staff members and so forth.

How can I participate?
http://www.ipc-undp.org/photo/index.htm

How will the selection take place?

The Selection Committee will choose the 50 favourite photographs that best
depict the campaign themes to compose our photo gallery. Results will be
released on IPC-IG website on 30 October 2009.

The Committee will be composed of one representative from IPC-IG; one UNV
representative from headquarters in Bonn; a professional photographer with
international reputation; a representative from a partner institution
based in Africa, one in Asia and the Pacific, one in the Arab States and
another in Europe and the CIS

What happens if my picture is selected?

If your photo is chosen you will be contacted no later than 30 October
2009 by the IPC-IG. As a reward, your contribution to this campaign and
your effort in supporting its goals will be acknowledged by a wide
dissemination of your work through a range of UN communications tools:

The selected photographs and the respective contributors' names will be
highlighted in various UN communications channels, such as IPC-IG and UN
media campaigns, releases, websites and so forth.

The selected photograph will be part of UNDP and IPC-IG photo databases
and will be shared with the United Nations Department of Public
Information in New York, promoting global visibility to contributors,
their work and participation in the global campaign.

Contributors will receive a certificate jointly issued by the UNDP
International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth and the campaign
partners.

Contributors will have their names displayed at the IPC-IG photo gallery
on "Humanizing Development", which will be launched at a public event on
November 2009.

Photo exhibitions are to be organised in order to highlight the
photographs and the contributors and to promote the campaign goals.
Exhibitions are planned to be held in New York, Brasilia, São Paulo, and
other cities in the South.

Campaign Coordinator
Mr. Francisco Filho
Communications, Outreach and
Advocacy Unit, IPC-IG
francisco.filho@undp.org
Phone: (+ 55 61) 2105 5036

Ms. Giovana Lerda
Communications Assistant
giovana.lerda@ipc-undp.org
Phone: (+55 61) 2105 5017

Karim Ezzeldin
Communication Associate
UNDP Egypt Country Office
1191 Corniche ElNil, World Trade Centre
Boulac, Cairo 11599, Egypt
Office: (202) 2578 4840-6
Fax: (202) 2578 4847
Direct: (202) 2580 9007
http://www.undp.org.eg

Developing Asia Journalism Training and Awards

---

Developing Asia Journalism Training and Awards

Background

This year's Developing Asia Journalism Awards (DAJA) will include a short
training course for a group of 20 journalists from ADB DMCs across Asia
and the Pacific. The program is designed not only to enhance participating
journalists' knowledge on various development issues, but more
importantly, to recognize and emphasize their crucial role in fostering
greater awareness of key development issues, and providing sound
information to the public that they may be empowered to make better
socio-economic choices.

The poverty impact of the global financial crisis and government responses
to the crisis, as well as the role of development journalism in promoting
greater economic and financial literacy will be the main issues of
discussion for the 4-day workshop. The program will also profile ADB and
ADBI's work on adaptation to climate change and public private
partnerships (PPPs) for infrastructure development. Practical sessions
designed to help journalists prepare clear, accessible stories that will
provide ordinary citizens with a better understanding of the economic
realities and development issues facing their countries are also included
in the program.

The objectives of this training course and the awards are to: i) enhance
the understanding and further develop the skills of journalists in Asia by
equipping them with sound and current knowledge on key economic and
development issues, and; ii) to enable and encourage them to actively
promote public awareness through informative, responsible, and empowering
journalism.

An announcement has been made to call for submission of articles related
to four issues/categories, namely,
i) poverty impact of the global financial crisis;
ii) government responses to the global financial crisis;
iii) infrastructure development;
and
iv) climate change adaptation.
The top 20 articles will be selected by a panel of judges and their
authors/writers will be invited to the four day training program that will
be concluded with an awards ceremony.

Winners and runners up of each of the four categories
including two special prizes for
- Best Development Journalist of the Year
and
- Best Young Development Journalist of the Year
will be selected and awarded at the dinner
at the Foreign Correspondents Club.

Outputs

Enhanced monitoring, analytical, and reporting skills on economic and
other development issues for Asian journalists
Greater public awareness of economic and other development issues through
the work of the participating journalists
Better public and corporate governance in Asia and the Pacific

Participants

Journalists from ADB's developing member countries

Partners

Asian Development Bank headquarters
and
ADB Japanese Representative Office.

Event Details

Event: Developing Asia Journalism Training and Awards
Venue: ADBI, Tokyo
Start date: 20 October 2009
End Date: 23 October 2009

For more information:
http://www.adbi.org/event/3263.daja.awards.2009/

[via / thanks to:]

Bazlu
_______________________
AHM. Bazlur Rahman-S21BR
Chief Executive Officer
Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication(BNNRC)
&
Member, Strategy Council
UN-Global Alliance for ICT and Development (UN GAID)

House: 13/1, Road:2, Shaymoli, Dhaka-1207
Post Box: 5095, Dhaka 1205 Bangladesh

Phone: 88-02-9130750, 88-02-9138501
01711881647 Fax: 88-02-9138501-105

E-mail: ceo@bnnrc.net, bnnrc@bd.drik.net
www.bnnrc.net

___________________
[and]
____________________________
Asiapacific-general mailing list
Asiapacific-general@lists.amarc.org
http://lists.amarc.org/mailman/listinfo/asiapacific-general

-30-

George Lessard celebrates a personal photographic milestone

GEORGE LESSARD
is very pleased to announce
that his images on Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/
have, as of
August 1st, 2009,
been seen
over 100,000 times.

Apologies for duplicate posts

--
GEORGE LESSARD

Information & Media Specialist
6402135 Canada Inc.

451 Norseman Drive
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
X1A 2J1, Canada

Yellowknife Land Line # (867) 873-2662
Yellowknife Cell # (867) 445-9193

Online Business Card:
http://lessardcard.notlong.com

Home e-mail media@web.net
Alternate e-mail: mediamentor@gmail.com

Home Pages http://mediamentor.ca
Online Activities: http://www.web.ca/~media/index.html
Photos: http://photosbygeorge.notlong.com
My Public Bookmarks: http://del.icio.us/themediamentor

Member:
Canadian Association of Journalists http://www.caj.ca
Canadian Artists Representation / le Front des artistes canadiennes
http://www.carfac.ca/
Canadian Artists Representation Copyright Collective http://www.carcc.ca/

George Lessard celebrates a personal photographic milestone

GEORGE LESSARD 
is very pleased to announce
that his images on Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/
have, as of
August 1st, 2009,
been seen
over 100,000 times.

Apologies for duplicate posts

---

GEORGE LESSARD
Information, Communications and Media Specialist
451 Norseman Dr.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
X1A 2J1, Canada

Yellowknife Land Line # (867) 873-2662
Yellowknife Cell # (867) 445-9193
SKYPE: themediamentor

Online Business Card:
http://lessardcard.notlong.com

E-mail: mediamentor@gmail.com

Home Pages: http://mediamentor.ca
My panoramic images
http://panoramas-by-george.notlong.com
My YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/mediamentor
Online Activities: http://www.web.ca/~media/index.html
Photos: http://photosbygeorge.notlong.com
Photo Illustrations: http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/sets/72157603627797568/
Etcetera:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/sets/459582/

My Public Bookmarks: http://del.icio.us/themediamentor

Member:
Canadian Association of Journalists http://www.caj.ca
Canadian Artists Representation / le Front des artistes canadiennes http://www.carfac.ca/
Canadian Artists Representation Copyright Collective http://www.carcc.ca/

Cites I've visited or lived in.

1. Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada


2. Bhubaneswar, India


3. Beijing, China


4. Butare, Rwanda


5. Arviat, Nunavut, Canada


6. New Delhi, India


7. Kolkata (Calcutta), India


8. La Paz, Bolivia


9. Sainte-Adele, Quebec, Canada


10. Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, Canada


11. Inuvik, Northwest Territories, Canada


12. Montreal, Quebec, Canada


13. Salluit, Quebec, Canada


14. Chelyabinsk, Russia

• View my profile


• Create your own travel map or travel blog


• Find Cheap Flights at TripAdvisor

My interview on Russian TV in Chelyabinsk

Copy of TV Station DVD

рубль Rubles копейка, kopeyka

рубль Rubles копейка, kopeyka
Originally uploaded by The MediaMentor

The ruble or rouble (in Russian: рубль, rubl’) is a unit of currency. It is currently the currency unit of Belarus, Russia, and Transnistria, and was the currency unit of several other countries, notably countries influenced by Russia and the Soviet Union. One ruble is divided into 100 kopecks (Russian: копейка, kopeyka), a name also used for the one-hundredth part of a Ukrainian hryvnia.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Chelyabinsk B&B

Chelyabinsk B&B
Originally uploaded by The MediaMentor

The business card for the wonderful bed and breakfast hotel I stayed in while I was in Chelyabinsk, Russia

Yours truly...

_MG_2697
Originally uploaded by The MediaMentor

In Russia on assignment for CESO http://ceso-saco.com
photo by
Yudin Andrey Nikolaevich
Chelyabinsk, Russia
Email: sunfoto@mail.ru
Web Site: http://www.sunfoto.ru

Наш адрес: ул.Колхозная, дом 36, кв. 201 Ост."Ул.Краснознаменная" (проезд трамв.) или ост. "Пр.Победы" (проезд маршр.), начало Северо-Запада
Телефоны: 233-73-88 (моб)

1. Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada


2. Bhubaneswar, India


3. Beijing, China


4. Butare, Rwanda


5. Arviat, Nunavut, Canada


6. New Delhi, India


7. Kolkata (Calcutta), India


8. La Paz, Bolivia


9. Sainte-Adele, Quebec, Canada


10. Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, Canada


11. Inuvik, Northwest Territories, Canada


12. Montreal, Quebec, Canada


13. Salluit, Quebec, Canada

• View my profile


• Create your own travel map or travel blog


• Travel Info at TripAdvisor

_MG_0452

_MG_0452
Originally uploaded by The MediaMentor

Yours truly, alongside my interpreter, being interviewed for local TV in Chelyabinsk Russia

P1010117

P1010117
Originally uploaded by The MediaMentor

George Lessard on top of the Chelyabinsk, Russia trade centre building, the highest building in the town. The Mias River is in the background.

Photo by Евгения Шумакова, the wonderful young interpreter/translator student at the South Ural State University's Faculty of Linguistics and Intercultural Communication.

©2009 Евгения Шумакова

Back in Yk from Russia

I made it back... after some 21 hours of flying time... an overnight in Moscow (where I used Skype to phone a friend in the NWT for 28 mins.. it worked really well) and plus 6 hrs at Heathrow airport in London where I bought some MAC stuff in duty free...

My baggage even arrived here when I did... the baggage gods smiled upon me this day...

I go back to work on Tuesday so I shall take at easy tomorrow... sleep in... buy food and the like... probably will also upload more pictures and perhaps another video or two... Will probably also work on my report to CESO (its already almost finished)

Here's a scan of the newspaper story that was published about my trip & work with CESO in a local newspaper.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/3436799447/

When I got back here was a letter here giving me acceptance as a guest artist at the Great Northern Arts Festival in Inuvik during July of this year... I'm looking forward to that....

And now... sleep...




---

GEORGE LESSARD
CESO-SACO  VA # 11799
http://www.ceso-saco.com
Follow my Russian trip on my Overseas Blog at
http://mediamentor-overseas.blogspot.com/
See my interview on Russian TV here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtlEjNTb3Tw
See my pictures here..
http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/sets/72157613820810814/

Newspaper Story

Newspaper_Story-3
Originally uploaded by The MediaMentor

I visited with the journalists of mediazavod.ru and they then wrote this story about CESO-SACO.COM and the work I was doing in Chelyabinsk, Russia.

Chelyabinsk, Russia on April 02, 2009

DSC_6979
Originally uploaded by The MediaMentor

Around the streets of Chelyabinsk, Russia on April 02, 2009

Russia, once more before I return to Yellowknife..

Only a couple of days left... I fly to Moscow on Saturday and overnight there for an VERY early flight on British Midlands to Heathrow airport, London... then on to Edmonton and Yellowknife via Air Canada on Sunday...

Just got back from an excursion to the Russian countryside... I was told I was going to visit with my host's friends (one who turned out to be an ex-border guard and Russian army Ranger and the other that had something to do with the design of rockets that are shot from 'choppers.. the kind that fly.. not the two wheeled bikes one rides) and would be treated to a "Russian Bath"... their version of a sauna that adds being beaten around the body with birch branches (leaves still attached) while sweating in a sauna... Indeed that did happen... after food.. so much food I wonder if the airlines seat belt will still fit on the return trip... vodka of course..

But all that started rather later in the evening after sunset because almost as soon as we got there.. there being the tiny Ural mountain home village of the ex-army guy.. he got us into his second car (a Chevy Neva 4X4) and we zoomed around the hay fields between villages until we got to a local pure water natural spring... here he collected about five gallons of spring water.. had us taste it... wash our faces in it... and then have a vodka and apple to celebrate that... then he pulls out a rifle from the back of the car.. lays it across my lap and his in the front see (barrel pointing towards his door.. thankfully...) and we once again roar off along muddy field tracks across the steppes of the Urals... before I can figure out what the heck is going on... he slides to a stop grabs the rifle and starts taking aim at a set of three little elk that are running across the field but disappear before he can get a shot off... he revs the car to action once more and we're off on the hunt anew... nothing till he spots a young buck in the remains of last year's corn field at about the same time the buck spots us ... the chase is on until the buck takes a breather by the edge of the forest... our ex-Ranger stops.. grabs the gun... takes aim and in one shot... during a hazy dusk fells the three year old buck ..

Pictures of the hunt later...

Needless to say it was an interesting trip into the Russian countryside for a sauna..

Lots of great pictures of tiny Russian village to come...

George
---

GEORGE LESSARD
CESO-SACO  VA # 11799
http://www.ceso-saco.com
Follow my Russian trip on my Overseas Blog at
http://mediamentor-overseas.blogspot.com/
See my interview on Russian TV here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtlEjNTb3Tw
See my pictures here..
http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/sets/72157613820810814/

Km Zero Chelyabinsk, Russia

DSC_7052
Originally uploaded by The MediaMentor

This is the mile zero post for the region. All distances on regional maps are measured as starting here

These images were taken from atop the highest building in Chelyabinsk, Russia and show the panorama, size of the city and some of the many factory around the town. Photo by George Lessard

Weather : Chelyabinsk and back home in Yellowknife...

 
Follow my Russian trip on my Overseas Blog at
http://mediamentor-overseas.blogspot.com/
See my interview on Russian TV here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtlEjNTb3Tw
See my pictures here..
http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/sets/72157613820810814/

Chelyabinsk, CB at 7:00 pm OMSST

Mostly Cloudy , 3ºC
Hi: 4 Lo: -4

View: extended forecast and maps | records & averages

Yellowknife, NT at 7:00 am MDT

Mostly Cloudy , -15ºC
Hi: -6 Lo: -13

View: extended forecast and maps | records & averages

 

Russian police detain beaver for biting woman

Russian police detain beaver for biting woman
RIA Novosti - Moscow,Russia

KALININGRAD, April 2 (RIA Novosti) - Police in Kaliningrad have caught a beaver after the animal bit a woman in the center of the western Russian city, a police spokesman said on Thursday.

Police said they received a call at around 3 a.m. local time (midnight GMT) saying that a beaver had attacked people. "One woman tried to caress it and the animal bit her," the spokesman said.

It is unclear why the rodent ventured into the center of the city. The spokesman said it could have emerged from a pond near the Amber Museum or a lake near a maternity hospital.

Police and rescuers arrived at the scene and caught the "offender."

"It was carefully caught and taken out of the city," the spokesman said, adding that the rodent was later released near a village.

No police officers were injured during the operation, he added.

In April last year, a large beaver broke into a food store near the south Urals city of Chelyabinsk smashing a shop window and several bottles of vodka. The animal was later safely captured and taken back to a remote part of the forest.

.
<http://en.rian.ru/russia/20090402/120879646.html>
---

GEORGE LESSARD
CESO-SACO  VA # 11799
http://www.ceso-saco.com
Follow my Russian trip on my Overseas Blog at
http://mediamentor-overseas.blogspot.com/
See my interview on Russian TV here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtlEjNTb3Tw
See my pictures here..
http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/sets/72157613820810814/

Call For Submissions / CONTACT Photography Festival

Call For Submissions / CONTACT Photography Festival 2009 / Contact918 / Toronto, ON / Deadline Date: Thursday, April 30, 2009
 
For CONTACT Photography Festival 2009, 918 Bathurst is launching a new initiative called CONTACT918

918 Bathurst is a new centre supporting culture, arts, media and education in downtown Toronto, Canada. We are an inclusive centre that supports academic, artistic, health, personal and professional career programming with an emphasis on personal development.  As a facility for educational opportunities, cultural exchange and special events, we invite people, groups and organizations to contact us with program ideas to be held in our venue. 

For more information visit us at: www.918bathurst.com
918 Bathurst St. Toronto, ON M5R 3G5. 416-538-0868

What:  Contact 918
Where: 918 Bathurst St. Toronto
When: May 9, 16, 23, 30, 2009
Time: 12 - 4 pm

Theme: Still Revolution
Photographers should submit images that will explore the ever-evolving manifestations of photographic imagery that influence the way we see the world today.  CONTACT918 creates an international online forum for photographers, and will be launched live as a digital projection for the Contact Photography festival. It emerges as an exciting digital playground that connects photographers and communities by linking the virtual with the physical.  Live rotating projections will occur every Saturday in May, showcasing the images that have been submitted by a global network of photographers.  Photographers are invited to upload images at www.contact918.com to be included as part of a slideshow, which will run at 918 Bathurst for the month of May 2009. 

918 Bathurst is a new centre supporting culture, arts, media and education in downtown Toronto, Canada. We are an inclusive centre that supports academic, artistic, health, personal and professional career programming with an emphasis on personal development.  As a facility for educational opportunities, cultural exchange and special events, we invite people, groups and organizations to contact us with program ideas to be held in our venue.

To become part of CONTACT918 or for more information visit us at: www.918bathurst.com or contact us at: info@contact918.com  
918 Bathurst St. Toronto, ON M5R 3G5. 416-538-0868
---

GEORGE LESSARD
CESO-SACO  VA # 11799
http://www.ceso-saco.com
Follow my Russian trip on my Overseas Blog at
http://mediamentor-overseas.blogspot.com/
See my interview on Russian TV here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtlEjNTb3Tw
See my pictures here..
http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/sets/72157613820810814/

Information, Communications & Media Specialist
6402135 Canada Inc.

451 Norseman Dr.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
X1A 2J1, Canada

Yellowknife Land Line # (867) 873-2662
Yellowknife Cell # (867) 445-9193
SKYPE: themediamentor

Online Business Card:
http://lessardcard.notlong.com

Home Pages: http://mediamentor.ca
Online Activities: http://www.web.ca/~media/index.html
Photos: http://photosbygeorge.notlong.com
Photo Illustrations: http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/sets/72157603627797568/
Etcetera:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/sets/459582/

My Public Bookmarks: http://del.icio.us/themediamentor

Member:
Canadian Association of Journalists http://www.caj.ca
Canadian Artists Representation / le Front des artistes canadiennes http://www.carfac.ca/
Canadian Artists Representation Copyright Collective http://www.carcc.ca/

The panorama of the Taganay mountains

The panorama of the Taganay mountains
Originally uploaded by sunuralfoto

Yudin Andrey Nikolaevich of Chelyabinsk, Russia who runs a specialty photo studio with this website http://www.sunfoto.ru/ is the client I'm working with in Chelyabinsk... He's just set up his Flickr account... this panorama of the Taganay mountain is the first image he uploaded.... It is the Cruglitsa mountains. The height is about 1050 m. As far as 20 km. from Zlatoust-sity... his Flickr account at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sunuralfoto/

04-04-09 - George Lessard in Chelyabinsk, Russia

Today is Sunday and I'm having a quiet day off at the B&B... I think I've exhausted my interpreter and host.. so they need a day off too.. Saturday was a quiet day too.. Andre set up his Flickr account at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sunuralfoto/
and had our translator Eugenia and I to his apartment where his wife cooked us a lovely meal of potatoes aux gratin and chicken with sliced fruits (including delicious local varieties of pear and apples that I've never tasted before)..

Monday I will show him how to set up a blog and connect Flickr to his blog so that he may also display his work there.

I was able to upload the video I made of the TV screen while the local TV station interviewed Andrey and I to YouTube and have several more little glimpses of Chelyabinsk on video that I shall also try to upload in the next few days...

The Yellowknife pins (with the story card) and the shopping bag I was so kindly given by Mayor Gord Van Tighem's office before I left have been great hits with those I've presented them to..

DSC_6958
Originally uploaded by The MediaMentor

Around the streets of Chelyabinsk, Russia on April 02, 2009. This glass enclosed office tower is the highest building in the city. It is the International Trade Centre. The directory panels on the ground floor behind the reception desk shows only about 25 percent occupancy. It was only finished a few months ago, but my client, Yudin Andrey Nikolaevich of Chelyabinsk, Russia who runs a specialty photo studio with this website http://www.sunfoto.ru/ was able to arrange access to the roof so we could take pictures of the cityscape... they will be on Flickr soon.


--
Posted By George Lessard, The MediaMentor to Mediamentor Overseas at 4/04/2009 10:12:00 PM


---

GEORGE LESSARD
CESO-SACO  VA # 11799
http://www.ceso-saco.com
Follow my Russian trip on my Overseas Blog at
http://mediamentor-overseas.blogspot.com/
See my interview on Russian TV here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtlEjNTb3Tw
See my pictures here..
http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/sets/72157613820810814/

DSC_6986

DSC_6986
Originally uploaded by The MediaMentor

Around the streets of Chelyabinsk, Russia on April 02, 2009 This is an early cinema built in the 1930s and is referred to as "The Homeland."

George Lessard's Pictures and Interview on Russian TV now online

OK... I've been been here for a week now and its halfway through my assignment.. it has been sunny and warm... next week's forecast calls for snow... brrrr... but I get to meet a group of local photographers and get to have a "Russian bath" saw a great saxaphone and organ concert last week.. and have been very well taken care of..

 

I am helping a Russian photographer get the hang of using the web to publicise and sell his photos... how to use photoshop in ways he did not know about and of course chating with him about all things media and photographic in the world... to expand his knowledge... All expenses for me are paid for my http://ceso-saco.com (they are the same people who sent me to Bolivia a few years back)
.. I had two weeks holiday (of my 4 weeks for the year) that were due to me by my employer http://nnsl.com where I am the photo editor... so I asked for it off and they said OK...
So a week ago yesterday (Friday) I flew out of Yellowknife via Calgary/Frankfurt/Moscow and am now here until next Friday enjoying helping a fellow photographer learn more about his business...

---

GEORGE LESSARD
CESO-SACO  VA # 11799
http://www.ceso-saco.com
Follow my Russian trip on my Overseas Blog at
http://mediamentor-overseas.blogspot.com/

See the interview or Russian TV here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtlEjNTb3Tw

See my pictures here..
http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/sets/72157613820810814/

 

Russian Report # 3

So lots of fun and work so far... today interviewd by local TV station about assignment.. hope to get video of broadcast tonight..for uploading to youtube ... took lost of pictures today from top of highest building in town... got told by a security guard not to take pictures of a government building... after pictures already taken...tee hee...

 

See my pictures here..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/sets/72157613820810814/
---

---

GEORGE LESSARD
CESO-SACO  VA # 11799
http://www.ceso-saco.com
Follow my Russian trip on my Overseas Blog at
http://mediamentor-overseas.blogspot.com/

 

Map showing the Russian region of Chelyabinsk Oblast

800px-Russia_-_Chelyabinsk_Oblast_%282008-01%29.svg
Originally uploaded by The MediaMentor

This map will give you an idea of where my assignment was in Russia.

Weather Alert: Chelyabinsk RU vs Yellowknife NT

---

GEORGE LESSARD
CESO-SACO  VA # 11799
http://www.ceso-saco.com
Follow my Russian trip on my Overseas Blog at
http://mediamentor-overseas.blogspot.com/

 

Chelyabinsk, CB at 7:00 pm OMSST

Mostly Cloudy , 17ºC
Hi: 15 Lo: 1

View: extended forecast and maps | records & averages

Yellowknife, NT at 7:00 am MDT

Partly Cloudy , -14ºC
Hi: -3 Lo: -18

View: extended forecast and maps | records & averages

From Russia... with text ... part 2

OK OK... yes I have been taking many pictures... I've a whole lovely set from my bead and breakfast balcony of ordinary Russians going to work in the morning.. walking their dogs... and the like... another set of traditional log and wooden houses surrounded by seeming towering modern apartment buildings... and just yesterday... I walked down what the British would refer to as "the high street"... here a pedestrian only street several blocks in length... got many photos of folks out for a warm spring evening stroll.. statues .. sore fronts and the like..... all this to say.. my client has high speed Internet access.. and as soon as I can get some time there I will indeed upload my pictures to my Flickr account... but I don't know when that will be...

Last night my client was kind enough to take me out to a live theatre comedy performance... normally this might be a problem because of language... but it was basically a cross between American slapstick, British pantomime and Italian comedy del arte.. so very few words required translation... the painted faces of the exaggeratedly costumed performers and their over dramatized actions communicated more than simple words would have done... a most entertaining two hours...
Strange though... apparently this troupe has been performing this production for some time... but upon arrival at the venue.. there was a not on the door apologizing for that fact that there was a change of venue and that a bus would transport us to the new venue.. (I paraphrase here) "The Performance Palace of the State Railway Workers" a very stately palace indeed.. of course a remnant of the Soviet era.. and fittingly decked out in beautiful marbles and full walled mosaics of workers at their toil... very much in the image of... um mm ... a railway station?

Twice I became part of the performance... once as a cut-away shot for the local arts and cultural TV channel.. (apparently they cover this troupe every performance as the troupe are known to often insert ad-lib political bards and commentary) and the second time when one of the many love-frustrated women characters was chasing after one of the macho males with a butterfly net... around the seats and through the audience... when they passed my seat the sing of her butterfly net landed the net right over my head... of course..this being the only obvious foreigner in the whole house and who just happened to have to wait to be seated so that he was on the edge of the wide open aisle... coincidence? sure.. I'll believe it... :-)
---

GEORGE LESSARD
CESO-SACO  VA # 11799
http://www.ceso-saco.com
Follow my Russian trip on my Overseas Blog at
http://mediamentor-overseas.blogspot.com/

Greetings from Russia ! ! ! !

After four airplanes and some 24 hours travelling, an almost lost piece of luggage ...a $30 US one block taxi ride, an overnight in Moscow and three Russian meals I'm finally in Chelyabinsk ... on a computer that the bed and breakfast has that only has a Russian spellchecker that thinks all my words are not spelled correctly...(so please pardon any English mispellings)  sigh...  I could not find my plug adaptor for my computer at home.. (I know I have two of them... somewhere) and now I know they are just the right kind... so I've not yet been able to plug my laptop in... and for some reason gmail is not showing me its rich text commands...

Well the trip went fine... I caught all the planes with no problem... In Yellowknife.. I decided to had carry my camera and computer... but put my luggage in as baggage..I was told that I could be checked by Jazz all the way to Moscow....  needless to say... I said the "pre-lost luggage" prayer several times on the way to Moscow..... and again while waiting at the luggage carousel... and waiting... and waiting.... when the luggage had stopped coming up the chute (can you say .. up the shoot??? it was coming from somehere under the floor I was on..) I waited a while.. after all sometimes luggage comes in spurts... but I figured since all the pairs of skies (oversized luggage) had already been regurgetated from the belly of the plane... that I had better strate making an effort to find my bag... more than just sitting there wathcing for it......  I looked around... anunder the flight number on the baggage crousel sign.. I say the text blink over from something in Russian to "Please contact agent".. I started looking for the "the agent"... someone in uniform... there I know I must have the right one when I saw this lady in uniform looking at a baggage claim check with a fellow in tow... When I approached her... she knew immediatly that I was looking for my bag... and after she spoak.. I know she wanted my baggage claim ticket... Seeing it she jesterd for me and the other fellow in tow to follow her... we did... into a little side office filled with passengers also looking for last bags.... after passing our claim tickets to a lady sitting behind a computer...who keyed the claim tag numbers into her computer... "the agent" had us follow her out of the office back into the baggage claim area... but much too fast.. we lost sight of her... until she noticed and came back for us.... we followed her apace into the throng of travellers... whe another "gagent" in uniform came up to her with out bags in tow... problem solved... without resorting to communication is spoken English ! ! !...

So there I am.. with all my bags in had.. standing next to another gentleman in the same condition as I... releaved and now able to think about something else than the potential of a lost bag... so I said to the other fellow... speaking to him for the first time...
Where are you from?
"Canada." he said.
Oh says I... where are you going?
"Chelyabinsk." he says...
Oh says I.. me too...
Hey.. says I.. are you by any chance a CESO volunteer too?
"Yes," he says, "my name is Peter."
Hi I'm George.. says I... glad to meet you... have you been here before?
"Yes he says.."this is my third trip."
Good.. says I... how about we partner up for the rest of the tip? (thinking about getting from where we are to the hotel for the night.. any everything that comes after... Id wish CESo had let us know that the two of us were on the same plane... )
"OK" he says... and we manage to get ourselves a taxi "consultant" who speaks English and has a wonderfully looking "official" looking yellow card haning from a string around his neck that says... in English... "Official taxi service"... Now I have my doubts about this fellow... but he says he knows our hotel... that its very near... only 800 metres away... but that ride will cost us $30 US... that seems steep... but Peter an I figure that the two of us and our baggage comes to only $15 US each and THAT seems reasonable... so we do it and after the 800 metre cab ride to the hotel (and it was indeed about a block or 800 metres away) it was worth it... until of course... we seen the sign... clearly printed in Russian and English that says
" Please be advised that our airport shuttle service runs every 15 mins."

OK.. busted... but at least we got there... had dinner and a beer... up intime for breakfast and this dispite it was "spring ahead, fall back" time change in Russia last night... and caught the free shuttle to the airport... ( I took pictures of the shuttle for the next CESO volunteers to travel this route)

So here I am in Chelyabinsk .. Its now Sunday and 8:45PM local time... that Sunday 9:50AM Yellowknife time... and I spend the afternoon chatting with the client through a lovely youg lady interpreter... having been well fed in this bed and breakfast..

Thats all for now... except to wish Kathy a Happy Birthday!!!

---

GEORGE LESSARD
CESO-SACO  VA # 11799
http://www.ceso-saco.com

Information, Communications & Media Specialist
6402135 Canada Inc.

451 Norseman Dr.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
X1A 2J1, Canada

Yellowknife Land Line # (867) 873-2662
Yellowknife Cell # (867) 445-9193
SKYPE: themediamentor

Online Business Card:
http://lessardcard.notlong.com

E-mail: mediamentor@gmail.com

Home Pages: http://mediamentor.ca
Online Activities: http://www.web.ca/~media/index.html
Photos: http://photosbygeorge.notlong.com
Photo Illustrations: http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/sets/72157603627797568/
Etcetera:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/sets/459582/

My Public Bookmarks: http://del.icio.us/themediamentor

Member:
Canadian Association of Journalists http://www.caj.ca
Canadian Artists Representation / le Front des artistes canadiennes http://www.carfac.ca/
Canadian Artists Representation Copyright Collective http://www.carcc.ca/

CESO To Whom It May Concern

CESO_to_Whom_it_May_Concern
Originally uploaded by The MediaMentor

CESO cover letter for my Russia trip

Chelyabinsk: Update - preflight

Called Air Canada and Lufthansa and my seats and mea;s are booked... low sodium meals as the planes are so dry one gets thirsty enough without salt... Printed out extra copies of my itinerary and passport pages to leave at home and take with me...  Got US $$$ ...  My boss at http://nnsl.com  (Mike Scott) arranged for me to get some office swag  to take as gifts and even offered to be at the end of the phone with $$$ assistance if I needed it... Nice touch... all that's left to to do a web based checkin with the airlines... and get to the airport tomorrow...

Weather Alert: Chelyabinsk & Yellowknife

Yahoo! Alerts

 

Chelyabinsk, CB at 6:00 pm OMST

Sunny , 0ºC
Hi: -2 Lo: -7

View: extended forecast and maps | records & averages

Yellowknife, NT at 7:00 am MDT

Light Snow , -16ºC
Hi: -10 Lo: -23

View: extended forecast and maps | records & averages

 

On the cost of living in RU, Moscow airport taxis and Russian airlines

From Chris who's been to Moscow...

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Chris Schuepp <cschueppATwebDOTde>
Date: 2009/3/23
Subject: cost of living in RU
To: mediamentor


George,

don't mix up "average monthly income" and "cost of living" in Russia. There's a huge difference. I hope you are not in for a bad surprise, because literally everybody is making money on the side in Russia. Otherwise they couldn't survive. So except for some babushki who get the regular state pension, I don't think many people in Russia live on 50 USD.

S7 is a pretty good airline. Kind of a Russian version of a low-cost European airline like WizzAir or RyanAir or EasyJet. Their website is in Russian, English and German - here's the link to the English version: http://www.s7.ru/en/index.html

By the way, you should find out where you arrive in Moscow. You seem to depart to Chelyabinsk from Domodedovo (DME) Airport, but most international flights arrive in Sheremetevo. That's pretty much on the other end of the 10-million people megalopolis and it can take you up to 4-5 hours on a taxi to make that trip. And it will cost you anything up to 200 USD if you don't get the right taxi service. They like to seriously overcharge... There's some cheap deals, but you need to speak Russian or have a Russian speaker to assist you to get that done. You don't speak Russian, do you? Anybody fixing the transportation within Moscow for you? I don't want to scare you, but Moscow seriously stinks and it can be the biggest rip-off in the world if you are not prepared.

let me know if you have any questions.

Chris

Latest update on George Lessard's pending trip to Chelyabinsk, Russia...

My passport with it's Russian visa arrived from the agency that's sending me to Russia http://www.ceso-saco.com on Friday 20 March along with my expenses cheque for $545 (with and average weekly income of $50 US in the Chelyabinsk region of Russia) which should be more than enough to take care of my needs for my two weeks there.

I leave on Friday the 27th and return to Yellowknife on Easter Sunday. Too bad I'm not  in Russia for the Eastern Orthodox celebration of Easter... I would have liked to attend a mass there to see how they do it...

I fly from Yellowknife to Calgary via Jazz, Calgary to Frankfurt via Air Canada, Frankfurt to Moscow via Lufthansa and overnight in Moscow at the "Arbat" hotel http://www.president-hotel.net/arbat/?lang=Eng
(Google search result <http://www.google.ca/search?q=arbat+hotel+moscow&sourceid=navclient-ff&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1B3GGGL_enCA220CA220&aq=t>
or at the Moscow DME Synixis Domodedovo Airhotel http://www.airhotel.ru/  (Russian only)  http://www.tomoscow.com/aeroteldom.html (depending on which docuument is correct... I'll have to check on this)...

Then the next day I'm flying on an airline called S7 (?) (Some where I think I saw it called Siberian Airlines) for a two and a quater hour flight to Chelyabinsk... no word of where I'm staying in Chelyabinsk.. some times one get put up in a hotel... other times its in a home..  should be interesting...

I'm brining a laptop and a camera... but my new MAC BOOK PRO hard crashed (Apple says it needs a service centre and that it might be the ram.. nearest one is Edmonton... so it will not return before I leave.. so I'll bring my old MAC or my PC laptop.... I bought a point and shoo digital camera to bring but I'm rethinking that and will probably bring my full SLR kit...

I'll be trying to post ongoing updates to my Overseas Blog at
http://mediamentor-overseas.blogspot.com/
and pictures to my Flickr site at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/sets/72157613820810814/
and may try to post to my Facebook page at
http://www.facebook.com/people/George-Lessard/528826696
(unless they're blocked or the connection is too slow)

That's all for now...
---

GEORGE LESSARD
CESO-SACO  VA # 11799
http://www.ceso-saco.com

Information, Communications & Media Specialist
SKYPE: themediamentor

Online Business Card:
http://lessardcard.notlong.com

Home Pages: http://mediamentor.ca
Online Activities: http://www.web.ca/~media/index.html
Photos: http://photosbygeorge.notlong.com
Photo Illustrations: http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/sets/72157603627797568/
Etcetera:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/sets/459582/

My Public Bookmarks: http://del.icio.us/themediamentor

Member:
Canadian Association of Journalists http://www.caj.ca
Canadian Artists Representation / le Front des artistes canadiennes http://www.carfac.ca/
Canadian Artists Representation Copyright Collective http://www.carcc.ca/

Weather Alerts for my Russian destination: Chelyabinsk and my current residence, Yellowknife

 

Chelyabinsk, CB at 6:00 pm OMST

Partly Cloudy , 1ºC
Hi: -1 Lo: -9

View: extended forecast and maps | records & averages

Yellowknife, NT at 7:00 am MDT

Mostly Cloudy , -22ºC
Hi: -11 Lo: -22

View: extended forecast and maps | records & averages

Chelyabinsk: Terrible accident: Chrysler Crossfire and Delivery Truck collide

Terrible accident: Chrysler Crossfire and Delivery Truck collided ...
By Trance4you
20 03 2009. A terrible high speed accident has been captured on a security camera in Russian city Chelyabinsk: a speeding Chrysler Crossfire that ignored the red light at the intersection and collided with a delivery truck. ...
<http://autoworld.wordpress.com/2009/03/20/terrible-accident-chrysler-crossfire-and-delivery-truck-collided-in-russian-video/>





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GEORGE LESSARD
CESO-SACO  VA # 11799
http://www.ceso-saco.com

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Measuring North Pole Ice

Measuring North Pole Ice Thickness

Posted: 15 Mar 2009 10:00 PM PDT

A video about the three British explorers who are trekking to the North Pole and calling in measurements of ice thickness all along the way. Embedded video from CNN Video
http://geology.com/news/2009/measuring-north-pole-ice-thickness.shtml

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2009/03/12/dcl.arctic.explorers.cnn

Weather Alert: Chelyabinsk & Yellowknife, etc.

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Chelyabinsk, CB at 6:00 pm OMST

Cloudy , 4ºC
Hi: 2 Lo: -7

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Yellowknife, NT at 7:00 am MDT

Partly Cloudy , -38ºC
Hi: -23 Lo: -33

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