CampusIntel

This summer while traveling to Prince Edward Island to see Taylor Swift at the Cavendish Beach Music Festival, my friends and I stopped into the Information Village they have as soon as you get off the bridge. For those of you who have never been to PEI, go to this place, it`s really cute! It has a Cows Ice Cream store, a museum, gift shops and places to buy PEI paraphernalia!

I`ve been to PEI many times over the years from camping trips to basketball tournaments, and I had stopped at this Information Centre before, but I had never come across what myself and my friends came across on this particular visit. We were in one of the Gift Shops looking around and one of the girls with us, Angela who is from Toronto, had never been to the East Coast before.  For her this trip was exciting, because she was able to come to Halifax to visit Alison and also get to PEI. Angela had never heard of Anne of Green Gables before, and the other four of us couldn`t believe it! My mom read me Anne of Green Gables when I was a little girl, and living so close to PEI, we were always aware of the international phenomenon that Lucy Maude Montgomery had created.

Anne of Green Gables times 5

While at this particular book store we found out that for $2 per person, supplying your own camera, you could dress up as Anne of Green Gables and get pictures with your friends and family. So the five of us all dressed up and got pictures as Anne. Of course we had a great laugh!

At the end of our “photo shoot“ we turned back into Ashley, Jill, Jessica, Alison and Angela. The girl working at the gift shop gave us a flier and told us to check out this website. So, I stuck the flier in my purse and soon forgot about it.

Two weeks after our adventure to Cavendish, I found the flier in my purse. It was for a website called Tacky Tourist Photos. So I went to check it out. It turns out this website is devoted to collecting tacky photos in monumental or recognized places of different countries or cities that have a tacky feel to them, much like the one my friends and I have of Anne of Green Gables. Literally anyone who wants to can send in a photo from anywhere in the world that is of them looking tacky on a trip! Of course, I have many so I sent some in. A few days later I recived an unexpected reply from Darren Garnick of Tacky Tourist photos thanking me for the photos. I thought that was really nice!

At Hennigar's Farm Market in Annapolis Valley, NS

After reviewing photos, they post some on their website. They are also in the process of choosing photos for their Tacky Tourist Photos coffee table book, displaying some of their best Tacky Photos! So if you have any tacky photos from trips you have taken, send them in!

I love to make lists. With check boxes, so I can check thing’s off as I go. It gives me a sense of accomplishment, checking a box. A list I have been meaning to make since school ended is a Summer To Do List (of fun things!). So, I decided to feed two kids with one apple (my rendition of  kill two birds with one stone, who would want to kill a bird?) and publish my list here, to share with everyone!

Jill’s Summer To Do List

Go to a concert – Whether it be the Cavendish Beach Music Festival, Country Rocks the Commons, the Black Eyed Peas or Backstreet Boys. I want to see a concert this summer! Concerts are so light hearted and fun. It’s a good way to get out of the office!

Go to the beach (more than once) – Every summer I say, “I’m going to go to the beach more.” And every summer I end up going once, MAYBE two times if I’m lucky. So this summer I am going to try my very best to get to the beach as often as possible!

Take dance lessons – Dance lessons would be so much fun! Especially if you’re not a good dancer (like myself), but if you feel like you don’t want to commit to dance lessons, do something like Zumba at the gym! At MSVU it’s only $6 a class, and anyone can drop it! The instructor is great, and its a lot of fun. Definitely worth trying out.

Brush up on cooking skills – I am not a very good cook, so for those of us who don’t cook well we can try and make some time this summer to try some [new] recipes (aka try a recipe). And for those really good cooks, go on allrecipes.com and try one of their Top 10 recipes!

Try a new ice cream flavour every time you get a cone – Summertime is the best time for ice cream. I usually stick with some core ice cream flavours, but I know there are some great ones out there that I never get! So the next time you stop in Avery’s or your local ice cream place, try something new!

Volunteer – The most common excuse I hear for people saying they can’t volunteer is that they’re too busy to volunteer. But since its summer and school is out, you really should have more time to volunteer. If you’re in the Halifax area and looking for volunteer opportunities there are many, including for the Friends of McNabs Island Society. This summer is their 20th Anniversary! They’re having a picnic on McNabs (July 17th). For more information about the event or volunteering check out: www.mcnabsisland.ca.

Grow your own veggies – I have the packets lying next to me right now for peas, carrots and spinach! I’m not much of a gardener, so I figure this year I’ll learn with 3 different plants and next year I’ll try for an entire garden. This is much more sustainable and better for our environment than buying from a chain grocery store. If you aren’t able to grow your own, buy local!

Those are just a few different ideas of what I am going to try and do this summer! If you have any ideas for me leave a comment!

Now that classes are finished for the summer and the temperature is starting to climb, it’s time to dig through your drawer of summer clothes and hit the mall to pick up some hot new items.  Whether you’re having lunch on a patio or going to the beach, here are 5 summer staples that you should have in your closet:

1. Distressed denim shorts. As a student on a budget, it’s hard to justify forking out $40 on a pair of denim shorts. To get the same effect for free, take a pair of old jeans and cut them into shorts. Go here for an easy tutorial. If the washing machine doesn’t distress your shorts to the degree you want them to look, take some sandpaper to them to fray the ends a bit more.

2. Two words- white cotton. Everyone has a white shirt tucked away in their closet, and summertime is the perfect time to debut it. Nothing says “fresh” more than a white cotton tee paired with distressed denim shorts and a few simple accessories.

3.  Bright nail polish. ‘Tis the season for bright polished nails! Opt for colours like fushia, watermelon and my personal favourite mint green! Check out your local drug store for your favourite hues.

4. A versatile summer dress. If you’re going to buy a dress, make sure you can wear it for multiple occasions.  This dress by American Apparel fits the bill for versatility. Dress it up by pairing it with chandelier earrings and heels or dress it down with bangles and flats.

5. Dewy skin. Okay, okay, this isn’t really something you keep in your closet, but its super important in order to achieve a stylish summer look . Start off by lightly brushing your cheeks with blush/bronzer and top it off by smoothing a light moisturizer with SPF over your face. By putting this little trick into your daily beauty routine, you’re protecting and hydrating your skin and making it look like you’re living a stress-free life.

And there you have it! Do you have any of your own style secrets for a great summer look? Please share!

I am concerned that the majority of Canadians have been misinformed about the rehabilitation and deterrence of young offenders. Many Canadians still support “tough on crime” strategies (an increase in tougher laws and longer minimum sentences) even though criminologists, sociologists, psychologists, clinical psychologists, those who work with young offenders, those who work at rehabilitation centers, etc., have found getting “tough on crime” in order to make an example of those who commit violent crimes does NOT serve as a deterrent. In fact, it has been found that this strategy only serves to increase rates of crime and violence.
               

Largely, I blame the media which often pushes for tougher sentences for young offenders and is capable of increasing support for this argument by making crime seem more prevalent and brutal than it is though over-reporting of violent atypical crimes. Studies such as the Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview from 2006 however shows violent crime has actually been steady since approximately 1991 and in fact the total number of offenses committed by young individuals are at the lowest they’ve been since 1986. Furthermore, property offenses are actually the most frequently recorded offenses committed by youth and have also seen a reduction. From 2003-2004 homicide and related offences accounted for only 0.06% of all youth cases, sexual assault 2.3% and major assault 6.7%.

Even if violent offenses committed by youth increase, tougher sentences will not be a deterrent. Implementing such a crime strategy would mean we are adopting methods from the United States which will not benefit Canada. With 714 people being incarcerated for every 100,000, the US has the highest incarceration rate of all the Western European Countries; it is blown off the charts with New Zealand in second place with only 168 per 100,000. What’s worse is, after all of this, the US has still not been able to reduce rates of crime.
              

Incarcerating youth for longer periods of time will not help rehabilitate them, it will only tell them they’ve done something wrong and society will punish them for it. Although some may argue this is the impression we want to leave, it doesn’t help situations. Most youth know murder and assault (violent and sexual), etc. is not acceptable. Those few who do not fully understand this may have mental illnesses preventing them from seeing reason (making punishment useless), or they could have been abused at a younger age, growing up to believe these things to be common practice or acceptable in certain situations. Abuse can alter an individual, it can cause them to lash out or seek refuge in those who influence them the wrong way, or turn to drugs which are often found to be a contributor to violent crimes. When individuals respond to young offenders with violence and disrespect, they will return the favour.

This being said, getting “tough on crime” is not the answer it is just a part of the problem which a large portion of us buy into because of fear and the desire for vengeance. Even publishing the names of those individuals who have been convicted for violent offenses will only hurt their chances of being rehabilitated. Who will hire or trust those individuals enough to give them a second chance after their names and faces have been flashed across every media outlet in the country? How will they be able to start over? How will they get a job or an education or a home? Where will they turn when they are trying to change their life? Try to get on the right track when no one will give you a chance. A return to a life of crime and dependence is inevitable for these individuals.

If Canadians want to fight crime they need to fight it at the start by providing help to troubled and at-risk youth. Studies have shown that individuals (youth in particular) benefit dramatically from programs provided in the community. The Compendium 2000 on Effective Correctional Programming argues programs for youth delivered in the community proved more success than those given in custody. Other studies have argued the same for cognitively based programs delivered in the community. As youth are influenced by family, peers, and the environment they need direction on how to make pro-social choices in the real world, otherwise they will be unsuccessful when faced with making these decisions.
               

In the end if you believe crime could affect you or your loved ones I urge you to do the research I have suggested is out there, and do it with an open mind. One should never blindly accept anything someone says, but after a critical look, if the research adds up, and is consistent the majority of the time…sometimes it’s a good idea to trust it in spite of your fears and doubts.

Photo Source: amazon.com

Critically acclaimed award-winning novelist of Fight Club and Choke, Chuck Palahniuk has released his latest novel, Tell-All on Doubleday on May 4, 2010.

A Random House review of Tell-All on The Cult, Palahniuk’s official website, describes the novel as a “Sunset Boulevard–inflected homage to Old Hollywood when Bette Davis and Joan Crawford ruled the roost; a veritable Tourette’s syndrome of rat-tat-tat name-dropping, from the A-list to the Z-list; and a merciless send-up of Lillian Hellman’s habit of butchering the truth” (Source: chuckpalahniuk.net).

Narrator Hazie Coogie, caretaker of Hollywood actress Katherine “Miss Kathie” Kenton, guides the mysterious tale turned murder plot when Miss Kathie’s latest suitor, Webster Carlton Westward III, is discovered to have written a celebrity tell-all memoir alluding to Miss Kathie’s death in a forthcoming Lillian Hellman musical (Source: chuckpalahniuk.net).

Tell-All thus pays homage to American playwright Lillian Hellman, who died in 1984. Following the discourse laid out in Hellman’s autobiography, The Unfinished Woman (1969), Palahniuk reproduces Hellman’s controversial starlet persona crafted during her forty-plus year career. After penning critical successes such as The Children’s Hour (1934) and The Little Foxes (1939), Hellman’s public image was tested in the 1950s when she was blacklisted by the Hollywood Movie Studios for her long-time affair with communist party member and detective-novelist Dashiell Hammet.

Palahniuk is also set to release a novel, Damned, in 2011, which he said in an interview with Doubleday is “about an eleven-year-old girl who finds herself in Hell and learns how to manipulate the corrupt system of demons and bodily fluids. Imagine if The Shawshank Redemption had a baby by The Lovely Bones and it was raised by Judy Blume, and you have my next new project” (Source: chuckpalahniuk.net). Watch for a North American tour by Palahniuk soon in support of Tell-All.

The 10^th Annual Joey Ramone Birthday Bash is scheduled for May 19 at the Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza in New York City. This year’s event is being headlined by Hank III and Morningwood, with supporting acts The Sic Fucks, The Independents (whom Ramone managed shortly before his death), Spanking Charlene, and Heap. The Joey Ramone Birthday Bashers, a parade of rock and roll underworld royalty featuring Little Steven Van Zandt, Mickey Leigh, Richie Ramone, Walter Lure, Cheetah Chrome, Thunderbolt Patterson, Ed Stasium, and Hank III will also perform at the night. All proceeds from the event go to the Lymphoma Research Foundation.

The bash celebrates the punk godfather’s life which ended on April 15, 2001 due to complications with lymphoma cancer. Shortly before his death, the 59 year old Ramone made his brother, guitarist Mickey Leigh, Rattlers, and mother Charlotte Lester promise they would celebrate his birthday that year. Now a ten year long tradition, the annual bash is notorious for its wild party atmosphere and performances from punks the Ramones hung out with and influenced alike. The first bash featured Cheap Trick and Blondie, and since The Misfits, Rocket From The Crypt, The Bouncing Souls, The Waldos, and The Saints have all hit the stage for Ramone’s birthday.

After Joey Ramone died the legacy of the Ramones thrusted into the mainstream. The seminal punk rock band responsible for stripping down pompous rock and roll in the late 70s with such worldly hits as “I Wanna Be Sedated” and “Blitzkrieg Bop” were recognized for their importance to modern rock. The first Ramones album, released in 1976 and produced by the reputed Phil Spector (Beatles’ Let It Be), is widely considered as the prototype for the first wave punk era that reshaped mainstream music.

Joey also did a lot of work outside the Ramones. In 1985 he joined Little Steven Van Zandt’s advocacy group Artists United Against Apartheid acting against the Sun City Resort in South Africa. Other acts he worked with include Youth Gone Mad, Helen Love, Ronnie Spector, Blackfire, and The Independents. In 2003, a section of East 2^nd Street near CBGB’s nightclub where the Ramones played their first shows in New York City was officially renamed Joey Ramone Place. In 2002, the Ramones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the same year that Joey’s last work, a solo album entitled Don’t Worry About Me, was posthumously released by his predecessors. On May 14, 2009, Joey himself was inducted into the Hall of Fame, as well.

Photosource: junoawards.ca

The 2010 Juno awards were held in St. John’s, Newfoundland last night. Here’s the top info.

The ceremony addressed the past year’s young superstars’ induction into the international spotlight. Like Stratford, Ontario native Justin Bieber, who at age 16 has monopolised tweeny-pop in less than a year’s time. Despite his international success including being the youngest male solo artist to have two albums in the Billboard Top 200, Bieber fell short on all three of his Juno nominations.

It seems where Bieber disappointed the judges, fellow overnight success Drake proved more substantial. The new Canadian rapper captured the Best New Artist award, and also won the Juno for Rap Recording of the Year for his song “So Far Gone.” It didn’t look like there were any hard feelings between the running mates, though, when Drake laid down a few rhymes for Bieber’s performance of “Baby.”

Michael Bublé was the biggest winner with four Junos. His hit album Crazy Love earned him both Album and Pop Album of the Year. He also took home Single of the Year for the song “Haven’t Met You Yet,” and the Juno Fan Choice Award.

Respect was paid to 70s Canadian rock super-group April Wine in honour of their recent induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Frontman Myles Goodwin accepted the honourary Juno by listing all 13 April Wine members past and present.

Metric won two Junos with Group of the Year and Alternative Album of the Year for their work Fantasies. Artist of the Year went to K’naan, who also received Songwriter of the Year for his international hit “Wavin’ Flag.” Click here for a complete list of 2010 Juno winners.

There were also a variety of performances that struck high, and low, chords of the broadcast. Lowest was Drake’s f-bomb laden rendition of “Over.” It assumedly severed traditional and new-age Canadian audiences. Whatever, props Drake, you got two Junos without even having a record out. Billy Talent rocked out to new single “Saint Veronika,” that lead to singer Ben Kowalewicz struggling to achieve respectful screamo-rock tenure. He looked like he was trying to purge a Satan fetus rather than rattle a microphone. But, the band was tight.

Then the goodies. Blue Rodeo was out in full Canadian-Country garb laying down a usual flawless performance. However, I’m reserving best Juno performance award for K’naan, along with Drake, Justin Bieber, and Nikki Yanofsky, who dazzled the audience with the Young Artists for Haiti hit “Wavin’ Flag.” A wildly catchy song written by a talented young artist, K’Naan effectively moved the audience in a way no other performer did.

Photosource: esquire.com

I’m getting sick of doing this. Last Thursday, April 8, 2010, Malcolm McLaren died due to complications with mesothelioma. He was 64.

Malcolm McLaren is most notable for being the manager of seminal punk rock bank The Sex Pistols, arguably the world’s most famous punk band. The Sex Pistols popularised the punk fashion of the late 1970s. Safety pins, ripped and torn clothing, spiky haircuts, leather jackets and bondage gear, and straight up negative attitudes toward anything mainstream – this all stems from The Sex Pistols. They also helped usher in a highly influential anti-political musical movement called anarchy punk, prominent today in mainstream music with bands such as The Casualties and The Exploited. However, The Sex Pistols were nothing without McLaren.

It all happened like this. In 1971, after giving up on formal education after a series of expulsions from various British arts colleges, Malcolm McLaren and then girlfriend, now renowned fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, opened a fashion boutique in London called Let It Rock. The shop specialised in costumes for cinematic productions and saw some success, but McLaren grew a new itch. In 1972 he travelled to New York City and hung out with inspirational protopunk group The New York Dolls, who had a huge underground following at the time. McLaren was drawn to their provocative dragqueen stage personas which countered the egotistic, no-fun direction rock and roll was heading toward. McLaren renamed his London shop Too Fast To Live, Too Young To Die and began outfitting the Dolls for all their shows. But, The New york Dolls split in 1975 after a gutsy move by McLaren: to draw attention, he dressed the band in red leather suits and used a hammer and sickle as their new logo. Dolls guitarist Johhny Thunders would go on to become the underworld face of punk, a foreshadowing fact in the later success of The Sex Pistols.

After The New York Dolls, McLaren set out to create a band with members from local London. After a scrounging period, at the newly renamed McLaren shop SEX, guitarist Steve Jones, drummer Paul Cool, and bassist Glen Matlock started producing rough-edge rock similar to The New York Dolls, and with the new do it yourself anti-rockstar ethic conceptualised by NYC punk prototypes the Ramones. McLaren found what he needed most for the band in a young man sporting a t-shirt reading “I Hate Pink Floyd.” Oh, so punk rock. This Floyd-hater was John Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten, the most recognisable voice in punk.

So, the band was complete. McLaren named them The Sex Pistols after his shop and another random controversial image. The Sex Pistols countered Top 40 music of the late 70s. They didn’t play ten minute guitar solos or have trained musical knowledge, which is the essence of punk: regular people playing rock and roll, instead of larger than life heroes who didn’t give a shit about their fans. Punks wanted to recreate the rock scene of the 50s and 60s by playing short, 3-chord rhythm and blues songs. No filler.

In 1977, the Sex Pistols blew up. New bassist Sid Vicious became the ultimate punk anti-hero complete with a nasty heroin addiction and total lack of personality on the surface. The band’s “Anarchy Tour” with up and coming London pals The Clash and The Damned, and headlined by infamous junkie-punk Johnny Thunders and his Heartbreakers, gave them a previously non-existent soapbox.

The rest is literally history. The band’s one and only studio album, Nevermind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols, was released in fall 1977. Complete with now punk classics ”God Save The Queen” and “Anarchy in the UK,” Nevermind the Bollocks reached No. 1 on the UK rock charts. It is widely considered by music historians as one of the most, if not the most influential rock album of the twentieth century. If you’ve never listened to it, do so, and play it loud.

Then, as quickly as they appeared, the Pistols were gone. They broke up after their dismal first US tour in 1978. In February 1979, Sid Vicious was dead due to a heroin overdose. McLaren went on to manage British punk rock group Adam and the Ants, and create his own music with various backing bands.

So after this brief punk history, my message ends with remembering Malcolm McLaren, punk’s PR representative. Without the pop culture and fashion vision of this man, it is quite possible that punk never would have reached the heights it now floats upon. RIP Malcolm McLaren.

Last summer Toronto based poverty advocacy group The Stop Community Food Centre initiated an informative campaign called Do The Math. The project informed Ontarians of the dismal state of social assistance in the province, with the main argument that Ontarians receiving welfare and other social assistance are unable to provide themselves, and often their families, a healthy diet. Many of these people are forced to rely on food banks and soup kitchens for daily meals, where basic essential nutrition is hard to find, The Stop officials insist.

The response to the Do The Math campaign was good. Over 4,000 Ontarians sent postcards to Premier Dalton McGuinty, asking for positive action regarding the nutrition dilemma. But The Stop is still agitated that little has been done to help with low-income Ontarians to achieve a more-equal status in comparison to their neighbours off social assistance.

Usher in The Stop’s latest poverty awareness campaign, the Do The Math Challenge. Beginning on April 6, ten of Toronto’s prominent activists, government officials and celebrities picked up a food hamper from The Stop. The mission is to live off the hamper’s bounty, which usually lasts a person 3 to 4 days, and the city’s food banks for as long as possible, but at least a week. Participants include journalist/author/activist Naomi Klein, singer for Polaris Prize winning punk band Fucked Up Damian Abraham, musicians Rosina Kazi and Nic Murray of Toronto band LAL, and Toronto Ward 21 councillor Joe Muhavic and family, among others.

The purpose of the Do The Math Challenge is to create social awareness about the plights of poverty in Toronto, which are not exclusive to nutrition concerns. The Stop advocates for better treatment of impoverished, marginalised citizens in all sectors of contemporary city-life. It uses the dismal issue of under-nourishment among social assistance users as a vantage point on Toronto, and Ontario’s, many poverty triggered problems.

Follow all the participants with updates of how the challenge is affecting them here. Take action in the fight for equality in Canada.

Recall Romeo drinking the fatal elixir so he can be with his beloved Juliet for all eternity, only to realize, once it is too late, that his maiden’s plan was to fool everyone else about her apparent death, not him. The ignorant hero’s quickness in action ironically befalls him when it matters most. The message that Friar Lawrence failed to get to Romeo: Juliet is alive. It is easy to recognize missed messages and their symbolism in drama on a strictly linear plot.

However, showing multiple characters missing integral messages becomes a daunting task, which Joseph Boyden masters in his Scotiabank Giller Prize winning novel, Through Black Spruce.

The novel opens with alcoholic bush pilot extraordinaire Will, the grandson of Elijah Whiskeyjack whom Boyden’s first novel, Three Day Road, follows. Speaking to his nieces Suzanne and Annie Bird from his hospital bed, not until the climax is the mystery of Will’s hospitalization revealed. But it only takes until the second narrative, led by Annie, to understand that Will is in a coma, and unable to speak. Thus, from the onset, a conversation is constructed between two people – Will and Annie – who cannot hear what each other is saying.

The novel bounces back and forth between Annie and Will’s narratives with each chapter. We learn that Annie is visiting her uncle on a regular basis, and has been told by Will’s nurse Eva, also a family friend, that speaking to him will help with a bountiful recovery (if a recovery is possible). So, via Annie’s attempt to nourish her uncle’s brain, we learn her story.

Annie is back from a wild adventure in search of her long-lost sister, Suzanne, who is a semi-renowned fashion model. Still oblivious to her sister’s track to New York City, Annie makes her first stop in Toronto, the last known whereabouts of Suzanne to her family. Here she meets Painted Tongue, who is later revealed to be named Gordon, and turns out to be Annie’s self-proclaimed “protector.”

Painted Tongue does not speak, and we only understand his thoughts through Annie’s perception of his actions, moans, and moods. The mute Native character is actually a previously dawned character of Boyden’s: the protagonist of a short story, aptly named Painted Tongue, which makes up part of Boyden’s first book, a compilation of his short stories entitled Born With A Tooth. The short story explains why Painted Tongue does not speak: he chooses not to, in protestation to the way he is treated while living on the streets of Toronto. An alcoholic, Painted Tongue moans his way through life, refusing to converse with the neo-colonial symbols he encounters personified in police officers, construction workers, and elite businesspeople. The reader is forced to analyse why he is silenced. And, since he does not converse through language, how Annie Bird always knows what he is thinking – right up to the point of their consummation late in the plotline of Through Black Spruce.

From Toronto, Annie and her protector move on to NYC on a tip that Suzanne is there. Here, Annie is shadowed by the spirit of her missing sister, they fuse into one being. Annie meets Suzanne’s sketchy model-world friends, frequents her clubs, and begins modelling herself. After a while, though, Annie eagerly wants to know what happened to her sister, essential to Will’s current vegetative state. Annie begins to send postcards to her mother back in Moosonee, signed by missing Suzanne, offering another tweaked message image: the sender is absent. Ironically, Annie learns that there are more postcards being sent from Suzanne from around Europe, and Annie and Gordon quickly flee home.

Meanwhile, as Annie tells Uncle Will about her laborious, often life threatening adventures, Will pseudo-responds to her from beyond consciousness. He recounts his life as a bush pilot, flying hunters and travellers in and out of uncharted territories around James Bay, which took a turn for the worse when his family was killed in a house fire. In response, he intentionally crashes his plane, but is saved by the volunteer fire department. So, he drinks to ease his pain.

Will’s conceived purpose in life triggers an adventure of his own to live in the wilderness surrounding James Bay for almost a year. He is seeking solitude, but is unaware of the outer world following him. Among many plot diversions, he comes across a beached whale’s skeleton, representing the larger-than-life obstacles he is faced with. He decides to sit in it for a while and enjoy a few nips of whiskey, when suddenly he is not alone. Will is met with a set of grandparents and their two granddaughters, who mirror Annie and Suzanne with a highly effective linking seagull feather image, and his newly recovered shame of skipping town pushes him back to his problems at home. Climactically, a keepsake of Will’s grandfather from World War One debuting in Three Day Road saves him from falling to his biggest enemies, alcoholism and depression aside.

What do all the missed messages mean? Firstly, Annie’s silence regarding an important piece of information creates the initial tension in the story. Then, she must deal with this by ironically sending many more unheard tales to her laid up uncle. Eventually, the silence theme that looms about throughout the novel transforms into a humbling force for all the characters.