It's Time!

Well today CMESG 2011 at Memorial begins! Please make your way to the Inco Innovation Centre (a few weeks ago this building was renamed the Bruneau Centre) to pick up your registration package and to make payment if you have not done so. You will receive your receipt, your name tag, your login and password for wireless access (if you have not already received it from the residence), some refreshment tickets for tonight's reception, some goodies from Memorial and the Faculty of Education, and a schedule that includes the room numbers for the sessions. There will be some nourishment offered to you at this time (fruit, granola bars... things you can take with you) and the opening session will begin at 5:00 pm in the lecture hall (now called Innovation Hall) of the Inco Centre followed by the opening plenary by Chris Palmer at 6:00 pm. Our reception will follow.

Please spend some time considering the offerings of the six working groups, because during tonight's opening session we will need to get a sense of the size of each group so as to assign an appropriate sized room. This would not be necessary if all our rooms were the same size but we have some larger rooms and some smaller rooms and we would like to match our groups as best we can. You will certainly be able to change your mind between tonight and tomorrow morning but it would be helpful for us to have a rough idea.

Here is the conference program online.


See you soon!

Did you know....

... That Memorial University campus buildings are linked by an underground tunnel system?

• That's right! You can come to the working group in your pyjamas! You will receive a map of the MUNnel system in your conference package at registration.

...That Newfoundland is not part of the Maritimes?

• Newfoundland joined Canada in 1949, well after the Maritime provinces of PEI, NS, and NB were established as 'the Maritimes.' Newfoundland is part of Atlantic Canada.  (This question might be on the test, so take note).

... That a person from Newfoundland is called a Newfoundlander?

• Shorter versions of this term is highly discouraged in many social circles! 

... That a great deal of caution is required for driving at night in Newfoundland due to moose? 

• Moose have been roaming the city all spring, so do not be surprised if you see one during your visit, and please be very cautious driving outside of the city at night. Your mother would not be impressed if she knew... and I might tell her.

... That a person from St. John's is a townie? (Usually called this by a bayman.)

... That a person who lives 'round the bay' is a bayman? (Usually called this by a townie.)

... That the best way to remember how to pronounce Newfoundland is with the same timing and emphasis as the word Understand?  So say it with me, "un der STAND New fun LAND" Capiche?

... That RDF means 'rain, drizzle and fog'? You got it. Hopefully for not much longer or we will need to hold up pictures of the ocean and the coastline during the bus tour. 

... That if someone calls you burnt or cracked  they are not exactly complimenting you?

... That the Newfoundland Screech Comedy Festival will run June 15th-19th? If you can extend your stay, it will be well worth it! 

Whales!

Hi all,

Just wanted to let you know that whales have been spotted in the bays just north of St. John's this week (Flatrock and Torbay) so hopefully they will pop up to say hello during your visit.

Please make sure you bring a sweater and a rain jacket (preferably with a hood) for your time here.

 If you bring an umbrella you will stand out as a CFA (Come From Away) because the wind is not too kind to umbrellas...  more soon.

Haunted Hikes in St. John's -- Chasse aux Fantômes

While you are visiting the city for CMESG, you may want to take part in one of the haunted hikes that is offered every evening from Sunday to Thursday in the historic downtown district of St. John's. [It seems that my very own small downtown street is the most haunted street in the city. That's great. Just great! :)]

You can find lots of information about the haunted hikes at The St. John's Haunted Hike website. The cost is only 10 dollars for adults and it is well worth it!

To give you a taste of things, here is a brief You Tube clip where local storyteller Dale Jarvis talks about some local hauntings.


Lors de votre séjour à St-Jean pour le GCEDM, c'est aussi possible que vous assistiez à la Chasse aux Fantômes (Haunted Hike) qui se présente les soirs du dimanche au jeudi au centre ville. [Il faut je vous dise que, apparemment, ma petite rue au centre ville soit la rue la plus hanté dans la ville.] Ça c'est super. Très super :)]

Vous trouverez plus d'information sur le site The St. John's Haunted Hike. Ça coute dix dollars et c'est vraiment vaut la peine! Aussi, vous trouverez ci-dessous un court vidéo sur ¨You tube¨ au sujet des fantômes de St-Jean, animé par Dale Jarvis, un conteur local.

Icebergs!

If you are interested in viewing icebergs while you are here in June, you may want to start paying attention to the Iceberg Finder website to locate any icebergs making their way south from Greenland. The website is full of information on icebergs and contains many photos.

Margo and I are doing our best to lure the icebergs near the St. John's coastline for you while you are here!

Si vous avez intérêt aux icebergs au cours de votre visite, vous pouvez surveiller le site web http://www.icebergfinder.com. Les icebergs viennent de Groenland chaque année et passent par l’île de Terre-Neuve. C’est possible de les voient si les conditions sont bonnes. Vous trouverez sur le site web des images, ainsi qu’une carte qui indique les positions actuelles des icebergs. Quant à Margo et moi, nous sommes en train de faire nos mieux pour attirer les icebergs à St-Jean lors de la conférence!

We are Always Half an Hour Ahead -- On est toujours à l’avance!

Just a reminder for you, that here on the island of Newfoundland, we have our own time zone... You might want to change your watches now, just to get used to it.

Il serait bon de se rappeler que l'île de Terre Neuve possède son propre fuseau horaire. Peut-être, serait-il bon de changer l'heure sur vos montres dès maintenant, afin de vous habituer! Le fuseau horaire de Terre-Neuve diffère d'une heure-et-demie de plus, du fuseau horaire de l'est, et d'une demi-heure de plus, de celui de la région d'Atlantique.

Getting to Know St. John's -- Pour mieux connaître la ville de St-Jean

If you are a first time visitor to St. John's and Memorial University, or if you haven't visited for a few years,  you will want to watch this video about the capital city of Newfoundland and Labrador - as seen in the popular CBC television show Republic of Doyle. Enjoy!

Si vous visitez St-Jean pour la première fois, ou si vous ne l'avez pas visité depuis longtemps, vous devriez regarder la vidéo ci-dessous décrivant St-Jean en tant que capitale de Terre-Neuve et Labrador. Cette vidéo provient de l'émission populaire Republic of Doyle de Radio Canada anglais.
Amusez-vous bien!

Welcome to CMESG 2011 at Memorial! -- Bienvenue à GCEDM 2011 à l’Université Mémorial!

Thanks for stopping by. Please refer to this site for information regarding the conference. Looking forward to seeing you in June!

Merci à vous pour surveiller notre site web. Veuillez consulter notre site à votre guise pour plus des renseignements à propos de la conférence. J’ai hâte de vous voir en juin!

Mary