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Brian Northgrave

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INDIAN RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS - A PICTURE OF THE PAST By Brian Northgrave (Article)

 

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Brian Northgrave

Canadians - aboriginals and non-aboriginals - agree that what matters most is a better future for First Nations youth.  There is also wide agreement that there should be reconciliation over a difficult past as we look to the future.  Reconciliation calls for trying to understand that past. 

Our reading club has tackled that challenge several times, reading and discussing books, following the media, listening to different views.   The most inclusive document is, of course, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report, that impressive 3,500 page document that took years to complete and benefited from the work of its twenty five researchers.

That Report included, as an annex, a document entitled “Indian Residential Schools – Research Study of the Child Care Programs Nine Residential Schools in Saskatchewan”.   In 1966, the Government of Saskatchewan wanted to know how the provinces nine residential schools in the province were doing.  The Province selected a consultant, the consultant prepared questionnaires, and hired people to go and talk to students, to school directors, teachers and child care workers  that were at the schools, and to former students that had attended them.  Of all the time I spent seeking to understand the Indian Residential School system, the most useful couple of hours were those I spent on reading the Saskatchewan report.

A link to The Saskatchewan report is here

COLLECTING AND REPAIRING FOUNTAIN PENS By Brian Northgrave (Article)

 

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Brian Northgrave

There are many reasons for collecting fountain pens.

One, is the aesthetics. Pens can be beautiful in several ways, including the design of the different elements - nib, feeder, the shape of the barrel and cap, as well as the colours and patterns on cap and barrel.

FLYING WITH AIRMILES - MISSION IMPOSSIBLE? By Brian Northgrave (Article)

 

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Brian Northgrave

5pm, November 5th and it is cool, rainy and windy in Ottawa, but I arrived here in Montevideo yesterday and am soaking in the sun in T-shirt weather, under clear blue skies. But can it be possible that I travelled with Airmiles?

SAINT DAVID'S REFORMED EPISCOPALIAN CHURCH, OTTAWA By Brian Northgrave (Article)

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 Brian Northgrave

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ST DAVID’S REFORMED EPISCOPALIAN CHURCH, OTTAWA

This is a brief history of the church my wife Valerie and I bought in January 1972 to live in with our three children, Ben 5, Stacey 3, and Beth 1, after some renovations to make an apartment in the church hall/basement.  The building had been up for sale for over a year, with a leaking roof, and some hymn books on the pews where the departing parishioners had left them.

About JustOttawa, and How to become a Contributor

JustOttawa is a webpage newspaper featuring articles primarily by retirees and other friends living in Ottawa.

Our purpose

Our purpose is to showcase the writing talents of our contributors and to offer interesting reading. JustOttawa has no financial or editorial stake in what it publishes, since we are a volunteer, non-profit that welcomes opinions of all stripes.

We publish

Every few weeks we publish several new items which show up on the front page.  You can click on the contributor’s name in the column on the right of the front page and summaries of that author’s previous work appears.  Click on the title for the full article.

To keep up a good volume of published material, we are hoping that readers of JustOttawa will become contributors as well.

We hope you will think about it. A review of a restaurant, film, a holiday or whatever. Or a column on a subject close to your heart.  Think about adding some pictures.  Take a look at the material already on the website, it will give you some ideas.

Remember, JustOttawa is not looking for great works of literature, but just for material that would brighten the days of its readers.  We don’t plan to edit your material, but we will look it over to see if we think we might get sued.

Once you have written something the rest is easy.  Just email it as an attachment or simply in the text of your message to me at:

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

We would prefer the use of Word, but can normally manage with WordPerfect, and documents in RTF are easiest of all. Look forward to receiving your contributions. The pictures if any should be sent in separate emails.

All the best, Brian Northgrave

STONE-FACED DOLLY'S

STONE-FACED DOLLY’S, 479 Bronson Ave (230 2088), is one of my favourite two or three Ottawa restaurants. There is a limited menu, with three or four daily specials up on the blackboard – meat/fish/vegetarian. Fresh ingredients, pleasant service, wine list includes South African, Australian. Prices? Quite reasonable, considering the high quality of the food and wine.

THE SCONE WITCH - By Brian Northgrave (Review)

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Brian Northgrave

TO BE REVISED - RESTAURANT IS NOW ON BEECHWOOD - AND STILL WORTH THE VISIT

An intriguing name and a good write-up in The Citizen a few weeks ago led us to this scone specialty shop at 388 Albert Street, tel:-232-2173. (It is right next to where the ALTERNA Bank a.k.a. CSCOOP used to be).

CHEZ FATIMA By Brian Northgrave (Review)

 

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Brian Northgrave

If you like Moroccan food or think you should try Chez Fatima for the quality of the food and the welcoming presence of its owner.

VISITING RUSSIA ON A PURSE-STRING by Brian Northgrave (Article)

 

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Brian Northgrave

If you want to see the treasures in Moscow and St Petersburg without totally breaking the bank, maybe our experience will be useful to you.  We are retirees who have just returned from five days in each city. We recommend the trip as challenging and unforgettable.

CELL PHONES AND DRIVING - BACKGROUND (Article)

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Brian Northgrave

From some digging in the Internet, it appears that there are about four standard arguments - as set out below - for both the pro and the con of legislating against hand-held cell phones while driving. Where I was unsuccessful in my digging, was finding some generally accepted statistics on accidents that could be attributed to use of cell phones while driving. If anyone turns up some, please let us know.

EXERCISE FOR THE WEAK-WILLED By Brian Northgrave (Article)

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Brian Northgrave

EXERCISE FOR THE WEAK-WILLED

I am clearly among the weak-willed.Almost every time I put on my exercise clothes, my mind comes up with any number of excuses why I shouldn’t have to exercise, at least for that day.But because, over the years, I have usually been able to combat those urges and keep at it, I may be able to offer advice that would be useful to my fellow weak-willed.

EXERCISE: A PROGRAM YOU CAN STAY ON By Brian Northgrave (Article)

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Brian Northgrave

Only since WWII have the benefits of exercise started to be understood. It has now been proven to prevent heart attacks, to prolong life, to prolong quality of life, to reduce risks of cancer, diabetes, depression and more. An expert recently said that exercise is the best treatment for, or to defer, dementia.

We know all this, but we know that we now have, for the first time, a society that is fundamentally sedentary.