Resto en paz, La Negra. I discovered this song through her.

Today's Edmonton Journal had a feature story about Boyle McCauley News' 30th anniversary - check it out here!

The October issue of Boyle McCauley News is online - check out what we have in store this month:

* East Meets West Cultural Event A Success
* Celebrating Our Senior Volunteers
* Letters To The Editor
* Free Guitar Lessons
* Cop’s Corner: Calling the Police
* Inn Roads Coop Celebrates 25 Years of Community Building
* Residents to Be Relocated
* Looking Back
* Shop Talk: New Businesses in McCauley
* Portrait of a Life in McCauley
* Community League Updates

Download a copy of the paper as a PDF here.

I had the privilege of taking part once again in the UN International Day of Peace on September 21. Held over the noon hour at City Hall Plaza, we had a great turnout. Students from Belgravia Elementary School sang for us, speakers told about the importance of peace, and yes, I sang "I Only Ask of God." Here are the photos. I videoed the whole event and broke it down speaker by speaker:

Belgravia Elementary School sings "Shalom" (2:47)
City Councillor Amarjeet Sohi with the Proclamation (5:58)
Raising the Flag (0:33)
Students with the group Global Effects (1:57)
Paula Kirman Sings "I Only Ask of God" (4:55)
Keynote Speaker David King, Redefining the Peace Movement (13:37)
Sharon Ingraham, Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Committee (2:36)
Raging Grannies - Circle Round for Peace (1:25)

September 21 was also the International Day of Action on Climate Change, and several "flash mobs" were held throughout the city. A flash mob is when a group of people come together and do something short and attention-getting for a few minutes. Then, as quickly as they came together, they disperse. The Raging Grannies staged a flash mob shortly following the peace event. They brought with them a bucket of what represented bitumen (the dirty oil created in the tar sands) and decided to spread it around. Here is a look - yuck!

On Friday, for the first time ever I traveled out of town to attend an activist event. OK, it was only to Fort Saskatchewan, but it was quite the drive nonetheless. Friends of Medicare was holding a rally to Save Our Healthcare outside of Premier Ed Stelmach's office. The organization bused in six loads from Edmonton. As well, a lot of Fort Sask locals were in attendance. All told, there were around 500 people there. Ed Stelmach was not in his office (and if he was, he likely would not have come out), but it made quite a media impact nonetheless. Here are the photos and a short video.

This past weekend, the Kaleido Festival was held on Alberta Avenue. It was a free family festival and featured music, food, visual art, performance art, and much more. Billed as "Edmonton's biggest block party," it is a great initiative in this area that is currently under revitalization. Here are some photos.

In life otherwise, I can't get enough of Oysterband and The Skydiggers, both bands I saw at this summer's Edmonton Folk Music Festival.

Now that school, particularly university and college, is back in full swing, activist events are starting to pop up all over the place. And so begins my running (and riding) around, camera in hand. Here is a look at what's been happening.

One of the headlines in Edmonton this past week was Bob Barker's visit to the Valley Zoo, with the hopes of Lucy the Elephant being sent to a sanctuary when her health allows her to be up for the trip. He is a very friendly and sincere man and it was great to meet him. Here is a short video of his time at the rally.

The NDP held their Alberta convention in Edmonton last weekend, and I briefly stopped by to take a few shots. The same day, the Mustard Seed church in the inner city was having an open house with guided tours, so that the public can see first hand the work of this important community organization.

After the open house, I pedaled back to the west end to cover a couple of events on Stony Plain road. September 12 was the International Taoist Tai Chi Awareness Day, and there was a free class and demonstration. A few blocks west was Dogapalooza, featuring organizations like animal rescues, service animal training, and obedience. Who let the dogs out? A lot of people - the place was packed, considering it was the event's first year.

The weekend prior was Labour Day weekend, and the annual Edmonton District Labour Council BBQ for the Unemployed and Under-Employed was held at Giovanni Caboto Park. It was the most well-attended one yet (unfortunately), and the lineup for the free food stretched all the way to the park entrance, through the playground.

Some other events I have photographed since the beginning of the month include the Corn Festival from Action for Healthy Communities, with Latin American dancing and food. Sunshine and Grass at Louise McKinney Park was a pothead haven and I didn't stay too long. That same day, iHuman Youth Society held a block party in Boyle Street, with lots of great local hip hop music.

In general photographic pursuits, I took a bike ride through Hermitage Park and visited Fort Edmonton for the final time this season. There was a car show in Churchill Square in late August. I have gone on several walks in the Buena Vista offleash area and took a bike ride around Laurier Park for the first time in several years.

Like I used to do in the days when I had more time in the afternoons on my hands (as in, when I didn't edit two community newspapers and juggle a plethora of other freelance work), I used to go out, run errands, and then park myself in a coffee shop for the rest of the day. Armed with notebooks, letters, and a book or two, I was set - combined with caffeine, it was a pastime that was creative and productive.

Yesterday, I relived those days when I spent several hours in a nearby Starbucks - OK, I know what my activist friends think of that place, but I had an early evening get-together and it was the most convenient spot for both of us. After locking up my bike in the parking lot, I passed by an elderly couple heading into the drugstore that neighbours the coffee shop. Older folks in that shopping complex are nothing unusual, but this couple caught my attention because the husband was dressed in a suit, aiding his wife who was using a walker. I had one of those intense, "these people are noticing you" kinds of feelings.

In Starbucks, I sat at a table in a comfy chair, finishing off correspondence, writing in my journal, finishing a poem. I noticed that Mr. Smartly-Dressed and his wife occupied a table near the door. After a while, I looked up, and there he was, asking me if he could have the Edmonton Sun someone who occupied the table before me had left behind. Of course he could (I did not even flip through the thing). In his dignified British accent, he made mention of my "cross." I wasn't wearing a cross - I was wearing a large, silver-coloured Star of David I purchased recently. However, I knew what he meant. He went on to ask me if I was a Jewess (yes, I do believe he used that word). I answered in the affirmative. He said he and his wife had noticed me wearing it, and figured I must be pretty proud. I said I was.

He went on to ask if the symbol had any political meaning to it. I said in this case no, it was just an indication of my culture and faith. He proceeded to tell me he was Roman Catholic, even though he wore no symbols indicating such, and said there were lots of Jews who had become Catholic, and recommended a certain cable tv channel which was Catholic-oriented and featured some personalities with Jewish backgrounds. I thanked him for the information.

Picking up on whatever suble clues I apparently give out that I am a keen student of human behaviour, he launched into a story about his family's ethnic and religious background, the worldviews of Jewish philosophers versus Greek ones, and how Jesus never discussed Aristotle. Pointing to my wire frame glasses, he said he could tell I was an intellectual and thus interested in such things. Which I am, on both counts I hope, but wonder what his reaction would have been had I been wearing my sunglasses or thicker, plastic frames.

Finally, he asked me if I spoke Hebrew. While I know a few words here and there, alas I do not. He added that I certainly do not, "look that way." Rather, I looked Northern European. Yes, I have gotten the, "That's funny - you don't look Jewish" line before, so I was gracious about it, but I always wonder what the subtext actually is. Are cultural stereotypes still so ingrained in us, that we assume just because someone is a member of such-and-such group that they have to have certain physical features?

Now, I don't assume for one moment that this man - who said he was a scientist, no less - was an anti-Semite. Nor was I offended. I just find these kinds of comments curious. A friend recently told me she thinks I look Dutch (that's Northern European, isn't it?), and I found that interesting as well. On the other hand, I have also been told that I do, in fact, look Jewish. What does that mean or imply? Does it really mean anything? Would this same person have gone up to someone wearing a cross and tell them that he or she looked Christian?

I know a lot of different people from a lot of different backgrounds. Whether or not they fit the "look" of a particular group is usually not a discussion topic. Yes, there are some ethnic body issues, but again, those are universal. White, Anglo-Saxon women have issues also. In popular culture, we do sometimes discuss personality or temperamental cultural behaviours (again, stereotypes like the hot-tempered Irishman, stingy Sottish person, or over-protective Jewish mother) and sometimes even exploit them - where would Woody Allen, or even Jerry Seinfeld, be without playing up neurotic Jewish characteristics?

I am purposely bringing up more questions than answers, because, frankly, there really aren't any answers. These are philosophical questions one can continue to mull over - just how tightly is the physical tied to the cultural?

Our September issue of Boyle McCauley News is online - and it is an exciting one because it is our first issue ever to feature four pages of full colour! That's right - we are now publishing with full colour. You can download a copy in PDF format, colour and everything, here. Here is a sneak peek at what's inside:

* Summer Camp Gives McCauley Kids Hope
* More Murals Liven Up the LRT Corridor
* Fabulous Flowers - The Natural Beauty of McCauley
* Shoptalk - three new businesses
* Artist Poster Show
* Getting Excited About School, Again...
* Home Security: A Challenge Inside and Out
* The Happy Wanderer
* Community League Updates
* Community Soccer Update

One of my great discoveries at the recent Edmonton Folk Music Festival.

In the last week or so I think I have taken more photos than the entire season combined. I did a huge photo shoot at the Fringe Festival for a social media company called FusedLogic who partnered with the Fringe to provide social networking services. Here is my huge photo set of over 600 shots. Walter Schwabe, FusedLogic's CEO, later wrote a blog post thanking the photographers and listing me as one of Edmonton's ten "trust agents."

Eastwoodfest is a community initiative of the Alberta Avenue revitalization currently happening. I managed to stroll down there on August 15 and for some shots which were later used by iNews880 as a photo gallery.

This past weekend I shot a wedding for some friends of mine. It was my first time ever shooting a wedding so I was pretty stressed about it. I was with the bridal party from early afternoon to the ceremony getting shots of everyone getting ready, then it was off to the church where, go figure, I knew the priest doing the ceremony. Then, after some basic formals, it was time for the reception. The food was mostly home-cooked, and great! I was glad to actually be able to sit down with some of my friends and enjoy myself. Some of the most memorable moments for me included two very cute little girls who had no problem posing for me, until they got dressed and it was time to go outside for their portraits. Then, one of them started crying and I had to chase the other one throughout the back yard. In bare feet. On dry grass. Fortunately, my camera was fast enough to catch them before the theatrics started.

At the reception, I sat at a table with a close friend and his son and family. His oldest granddaughter, who has really beautiful red hair, exclaimed that she was the only redhead in attendance. I said that I was the only Jewish person. Hey -- if I dyed my hair red before the wedding, I would have been the only Jewish redhead! Silly jokes aside, it was a fun time, and I also got some shots of the preparations and day before and gift-opening after. Here is a look at some of the shots on Facebook.

After the gift-opening on Sunday I headed down to the dragonboat races. Louise McKinney Park was totally full for parking, so we went to the south side and then scampered down to the riverbank. I never shot the boats from this perspective before, and the results were pretty decent.

That pretty well wraps up festival season for 2009. I am looking forward to getting out and shooting events in the fall and winter months - but not just yet. I still want to capture images in the sunshine and snow-less streets.

I spent this past weekend in Gallagher Park for the Edmonton Folk Music Festival. Does anyone ever go to Gallagher Park in the summer for any other reason? I think people ski there in the winter. I don't ski, but I sure got a good workout walking all over the park and up and down the main hill enjoying a vast variety of excellent music. I heard and saw some of my favourite acts and was introduced to a few new faves.

The highlight for me was seeing The Skydiggers on Saturday afternoon. The Skydiggers was one of my favourite bands in university and yet I had never had the opportunity to see them live yet. Did I ever feel nostalgic when the announcer said the band was celebrating 20 years! Some other memorable performances included Oysterband, Arrested Development, Hot Tuna, Great Lake Swimmers, and the Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir.

I am writing in detail about many of these performances at my music-related blog, Inside World Music. To see my full photo set from the weekend, click here.

Vote for my story at EdmontonStories.ca and you could win an iPod shuffle! My story is accompanied by a video. Here is the link:

http://www.edmontonstories.ca/story/dancing-with-the-lions

You can vote once per day.