ursamajormedia

Environmental impact assessments, task forces, public hearings - today, these typically precede the undertaking of major construction projects which will have significant impact on undeveloped areas. However, in 1967, when the W. A. C. Bennett Dam was built to contain waters from the Peace and Athabasca Rivers, environmental impact was not a consideration. More than forty years later, the wetlands of the Peace and Athabasca deltas have dried significantly, altering living conditions for vegetation, wildlife, and the indigenous peoples who have lived here for centuries. The "footprint" of environmental impact is deep, and, in this video, it becomes very clear that high standards of living in urbanized areas are purchased at the cost of potentially hazardous ecological change. Stewardship - the concept of responsibility towards and care for the environment - is sadly lacking. It is easy to ignore the impact of these changes when they happen hundreds and thousands of miles away from the city in which one lives. Canada and Canadians have long had an ambivalent relationship with the wilderness: on the one hand, we celebrate its beauty and enjoy its recreational opportunities, but, on the other, we show little hesitation in "conquering" and destroying it, if it will advance our standard of living. Footprints in the Delta makes it clear that we cannot continue to have it both ways. While the video focuses on one area of Canadian wetlands and natural habitat, the lesson it offers is valid for any part of the country threatened by man-made environmental change: no community is "isolated," and the changes we bring to one area ultimately affect others. The video would be a useful in courses with a significant environmental studies focus, and senior high school Canadian geography courses might find it a useful supplementary resource.

Recommended.

Review by Joanne Peters, a teacher-librarian in Winnipeg, MB.

Never Say Never showed me a young kid who is extremely musical and is caught up in his own dream. This is not a negative thing; his dream is the dream of many. That he is not full of attitude, behaving badly, or found to be a corrupt and duplicitous fame grabber perhaps puts people off, or makes them think he's not real. That's understandable. But that DOESN'T discount his great musical ability top up with not a little charm. He was generous to his fans, hard-working, full of life and connected to his roots. His success as a pop singer seems to irritate many of the reviewers here, but one has to ask, "Why did they fork over the money to watch this in the first place?" Me? I'm an older guy who was curious to see the 3rd largest grossing documentary in history. And to see this pop phenomenon I had heard quite a bit about but I really had little idea about. I was hoping that the 3D aspect would be more integrated into the film, and be more than just the concert footage, but it wasn't, and the use of it was somewhat contrived and not all that well executed. But the look into the Beiber's back story was great, as was meeting family & friends, and I was quite charmed by the kid and his grounded-ness; not something I expected from a young teen with the world in the palm of his hand. The way he related to young kids, his friends, and even a young girl busking on the streets of his hometown were all quite real & charming. In case it doesn't show, I was quite impressed by this kid.

His music isn't what I'd call sophisticated, but then he wouldn't be much of a pop star if it was. That said, his voice *is* very nuanced and he is quite a talented musician (I noted in the credits that he shared the composer credit with a variety of people, plus did a few covers) so I look forward to what he might be offering up as he matures; not something I would've thought about when I entered the theatre, I assure you.

As an aside, the night before I went I happened upon HARD DAYS NIGHT on TV and watched most of it, enjoying the small bits of 'drama' as the Beatles went from one song to the next. Richard Lester did a fine job of this film, it looked good, was of the times, and I enjoyed it once again, albeit yet another pop star vehicle of the time. To see NEVER SAY NEVER almost 50 years later gave me some perspective on this film that others may not have enjoyed. So although I give Bieber an A for Affort (!) I gave the film a 7 because I had a smile on my face the whole time and was thoroughly entertained by it.

Rock-Docs tend to be fawning ventures in most cases, with little reality and even less honesty. I thought this film had much of the latter and was pleased to see it. I would recommend this to anyone who isn't a fan and is curious as to what this young singing sensation is all about.

The film was a little long, but then I saw the Director's Fan Cut, so it is to be expected, I suppose.