Monday, May 20, 2013

Canadian Week in Review

20 May 2013

I have come across the following Canadian websites, blogs, Facebook, and newspaper articles this past week that were of interest to me, and I thought you might be interested in them, too

Websites

Genealogy Karma www.mocavo.com/karma The search engine, Mocavo, has decided to “give back” to genealogy, and they have decided to build Genealogy Karma “to empower the Mocavo community and connect researchers around the country”. They modeled it after the former Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness. They are asking if anyone can volunteer or request help from someone for projects like taking a photo of a headstone, or finding a document in a local library.

There are 151 requests already on the site.

Blogs

The Passionate Genealogist http://blog.familyhistorysearches.com Canadian blogger, Ruth Blair, was at the NGS Conference in Los Vegas last week, and sent back reports on all three days of the conference.

Facebook- YouTube – Video

Ontario Genealogical Society www.facebook.com/pages/Ontario-Genealogical-Society/259163438258 Every time I go to their Facebook page, I discover new photos about Ontario.

Newspapers

Canadian history is not just about wars and battles www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2013/05/13/canadian_history_is_not_just_about_wars_and_battles.html An opinion piece written by Clive Doucet, a writer and former Ottawa city councillor, telling us his feelings about our history. Do you agree?

Historic restoration projects earn honours www.langleyadvance.com/news/Historic+restoration+projects+earn+honours/8392979/story.html This year, owners of the Cummings residence in Murrayville, the Matheson house in Willoughby, and the Hogben residence in Fort Langley were honoured by the Langley Township in British Columbia.

Card-Carrying Cajuns? Louisiana Lawmakers Weigh ID Change http://kosu.org/2013/05/card-carrying-cajuns-louisiana-lawmakers-weigh-id-change US News reports that Louisiana lawmakers are deciding whether to let Cajun citizens celebrate their ancestry by customizing their driver’s license, adding the phrase “I’m a Cajun” below their photograph.

Seeking PM's support for heritage designation www.thedailyobserver.ca/2013/05/18/seeking-pms-support-for-heritage-designation Read what has been a long history to getting heritage status for the Ottawa River. The rivers which feed into the Ottawa, namely the French, Rideau and Mattawa Rivers, already enjoy heritage status.

Op-Ed: Victoria Day is a uniquely Canadian holiday http://www.ottawacitizen.com/life/Victoria+uniquely+Canadian+holiday/8402341/story.html#ixzz2TkBt7pMg
Victoria Day, the Monday of the May 24 long weekend, sounds like a holdover from Canada’s history as a British colony – but it isn’t. Read about the real story behind May 24th.

Pictures and Story of the Week

The Library and Archives Canada was back in the news again this week. Although Daniel Caron resigned as Deputy Head and Librarian and Archivist of Canada and Chair, Heads of Federal Agencies last Wednesday, a check of the LAC site this morning showes his picture was still there – giving the impression he was still in the position.

But he resigned because he paid $4,500 with taxpayers money to take Spanish lessons.

The bio says that “he launched the modernization initiative in order to ensure the institution would be able to embrace the multiple challenges of the digital environment. This initiative is a call for collaboration, epistemologically grounded institutional policies and policy driven decisions”.

Although the last time the page was modified was 2013-02-08

Further, he still appears on the Facebook page in a short list called The Deputy Head's Short List. Updated about a week ago, it says that “as the Deputy Head and Librarian and Archivist of Canada, I am fortunate to oversee one of the most impressive collections of Canadiana in the world. It is my pleasure to share my favourite collection items with you every week. Visit us regularly to discover fascinating Canadian treasures from our vaults”!

So I am confused. He resigned - didn't he? Why is his picture still on the LAC webpage? Is it an oversight?

You can check the website at www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/Pages/home.aspx

There were a number of news organizations, which covered his resignation. They were -

Head of Library and Archives resigns over Spanish lessons www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/story/2013/05/15/pol-library-archives-daniel-caron-resigns-spanish.html

Canada's library head Daniel Caron resigns as $170,000 in expenses found www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Library+head+Daniel+Caron+resigns+expenses+found/8391614/story.html#ixzz2Tm11WTAS

In hot water for big spending ways, Canada's top librarian quits www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/sunnews/politics/archives/2013/05/20130515-173805.html

The next Canadian Week in Review will be issued Monday May 27, 2013

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