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27
Jan

Trinidad and Tobago Carnival 2006 Video

By Cynapse 2 Comments
Categories: Life and Times and Video-Blogging



Click To Play

Carnival 2007 is around the corner and anyone familiar with the T&T carnival knows it is the greatest party on earth! If you are lucky enough to attend this year, or want to know what the hype is about, play Mas at home with this footage shot from the Main Grandstand in Port of Spain.

This video is rated “PG” - plenty of delights for both sexes.

Technical Details:

  • The original footage was shot using a Sony DCR-HC26 MiniDV video camera
  • Video files were preprocessed in VirtualDub using the Deshaker plugin (absolutely essential for home videographers who want their footage to look semi-professional. Strangely enough it is FREE and has no commercial comparison)
  • Sony Vegas Video was used for editing and producing the original video file
  • Videos will be stored at several sites but Blip TV will be the primary video source. Links to other sites will be provided at the end of video posts.

I believe video will play a significant role in the future of blogging and plan to integrate it into some future posts (where applicable).

Video Links:

View on Blip.TV
View on Google Video

19
Aug

A Dark Note from Dr. Dawg

By Cynapse 0 Comments
Categories: Life and Times and The Art of Blogging

I’m a bit late to discover this (on vacation), but tragedy has struck the household of one of Canada’s most prominent and most thoughtful bloggers -

From Dawg’s Blawg -

I shall be taking my leave from the blogosphere for a period, and may return only sporadically for the foreseeable future. My dear partner Marianne has just been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, which is not one of the better ones to have. Every moment with her has become infinitely precious, while the world outside now seems both monstrous and trivial at once.

Dr. Dawg distinguished himself in the Canadian blogosphere by providing measured and intelligent rebuttal to present NeoConservative dogma. While heavily combative in the comments sections of prominent right-leaning sites like Small Dead Animals and Steve Janke, he nonetheless earned the respect of his peers/foes. Dawg’s Blog is often a first stop for those looking for an intelligent “progressive” opinion on current events.

Condolences to Dawg and his partner.

06
Aug

Caribana 2006 Jump Up Pt 2

By Cynapse 4 Comments
Categories: Life and Times and Toronto

Click on Pictures to Enlarge
As promised here are some more shots from Caribana 2006

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I didn’t attend the Irie Festival so there isn’t much else to say about the Caribana happenings. Looking at some other blogs, Americans were impressed with Toronto’s cleanliness and friendliness. People also seemed to be happy with the organization of the event, which is no surprise since it is being run by the same association that ran Caribana during its only profitable year to date.

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Of course there were the usual trolls who used Caribana to vent their grievances with black people. I’ll spare you the lecture about tolerance and point out that Trinidad, the mother nation of the carnival, is nearly half South Asian. Moreover the steel pan bands are made up of many groups including local Caucasians, while people jumping up appeared to range from 16 to their late 60’s and appeared to cover every major ethnic group in Toronto (at one point I saw a Muslim lady covered head to toe pushing a stroller alongside a float).

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Continue reading ‘Caribana 2006 Jump Up Pt 2′

05
Aug

Caribana 2006 - Jump Up!

By Cynapse 2 Comments
Categories: Life and Times and Toronto

Click on Pictures to Enlarge

Toronto Caribbean Carnival? No, everyone -from the carnival emcees to the media- still calls it Caribana. The main parade for North America’s largest Caribbean festival took place at Exhibition Place today and it was one hell of a party.

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The weather could not have been more agreeable – sunny, not terribly humid (thanks to thunderstorms a few days prior) and a cool Lake Ontario breeze that flowed over heated revelers. That said, heat exhaustion and heat stroke were a very real risk (at one point my group scrambled to find a bottle of water for an elderly reveler who was on the verge of fainting) and so liquids were in great supply. For the most part the water was free, handed out by the bands … but of course there were enterprising minds who were willing to sell much colder water for a dollar.

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Spectators had the choice of paying $15 to get into the preferred grounds (lined along the interior of the parade route, next to the major CNE buildings) or could otherwise jockey with the masses on the strip of land next to the harbor for a view of the action. A few clever individuals from the “free” side breached the security fence and got right into the parade action, dancing with the band participants and getting some choice photo/video.
Continue reading ‘Caribana 2006 - Jump Up!’

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