Andrew Balfour’s story is an inspiring and triumphant one. Adoption at two months old to a loving family gave him a happy childhood. Then, after learning as a teenager that he was Métis, he struggled though years of rebellion, homelessness, and served a short prison sentence. Once released he turned his life around though song and continues to inspire and be inspired through a fusion of European and Aboriginal culture, the duality in himself, two strong bloodlines.
Grade levels: Senior High (10-12)
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Alice and Kevin
This indigenous Canadian film is about Alice, who is in a race against time to get basic human rights for her son Kevin, who suffers from Cerebral-Palsy. Alice became one of the first outspoken First Nations people in Canada to file a complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. Her fight for her son may well end up bringing proper care to disabled people on reserves all over Canada, forever.
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Finding Focus: Framing Canadian Métis and First Nations on Film
Finding Focus is a resource guide and DVD designed to help high school educators utilize the wealth of creative short films made by talented independent filmmakers in Manitoba and across Canada that focus on Métis and First Nations issues and subject matters. It is our hope that this book and these films, which are about diverse subject matters and are made in a wide range of genres and styles, will assist both teachers and students. This book features 15 chapters, each focusing on a short film of 30 minutes or less, dealing with Métis and First Nations issues. Topics for discussion are included in Before Viewing, During Viewing, and After Viewing sections, with a focus on established curriculum connections. The films touch on a variety of subjects including: Métis and First Nations identity, the environment, Indigenous representation in popular culture, adoption and the Sixties Scoop, and the legacy of the residential school system
Programs included on the DVD:
- Mémére Métisse
- MeskaNahk: My Path
- I’m Métis
- Choir Boy Lucky
- Two Scoops
- Against the Grain
- Empty
- Thicket Portage
- Alice and Kevin
- Tashina
- Overburden: Aboriginal Voices on Life in the Oilsands
- A Good Indian
- Indian
- 504938C
- Ikwe
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Tokaido Shinkansen
Japan’s Tokaido Shinkansen, known as the bullet train, operates on a dedicated railway line at up to 285 km/h.
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The Canadian
The iconic Canadian travels between Vancouver and Toronto; passengers travel in vintage streamliner cars built in the 1950s.
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White Pass & Yukon Route
The White Pass and Yukon route was built in 1869 to take miners and supplies to the Klondike gold fields, and was the worlds first containerized freight railway.
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North Rail Express
The highly-specialized North Rail Express container train travels from Narvik in the Norwegian Arctic Circle to Oslo, delivering cargo of fish as quickly as possible.
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The Ghan
The Ghan takes passengers on a three-day, two-night journey through Australia, from Adelaide in the south to Darwin in the north; the Pichi Pichi Railway offers passengers a trip on an original steam locomotive train.
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Viking Sea
When guests board the Viking Sea, they’re not looking for casinos, bumper cars or discos. They want outstanding scenery, dramatic destinations, and sublime Scandinavian decor, all of which they’ll receive, and then some. Join us on a 14-day journey that follows ancient Viking trading routes, from London to Scotland and the northwest coast of Norway. It’s a course this new ship has never sailed before, and while it promises majestic views and grand adventure, getting there and back will push the captain and his crew to the limit.
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Carnival Vista
Carnival Vista is the newest, largest ship to join Carnival Cruise Line, with 10 restaurants, an IMAX theater, a massive water park, and a crew of 1,400 ready to tend to the needs of its 4,600 passengers. But with a new ship comes growing pains, and on this 10-day voyage from Athens, Greece, to Barcelona, Spain, Vista’s troubles begin from the very moment she leaves port. See how the captain and crew hustle to feed, move, entertain, and problem solve around the clock in order to meet their guests’ great expectations aboard this mighty vessel.