February 18, 2005
Transcription
February 18, 2005
Friday, Feb. 18, 2005 Volume 35, Issue 11 Look for our Sex, Drugs, Alcohol section on pages 11-19. Check Check out out the the sports sports coverage coverage on on pages pages 24 24 and and 25. 25. $14.5m YMCA opens doors Sunday By RAY SPITERI and CRAIG SEBERT Staff Writers On Feb. 20, the new $14.5-million YMCA facility will have its long-awaited opening at Niagara College’s Welland campus. The 55,000-square-foot, membership-based facility, serving the Welland and Pelham community’s 6,500 members for over 90 years, was delayed in its, opening because of the masons’ strike and equipment problems. Construction began two years ago with hundreds of donors contributing to the building campaign, including Niagara College, the City of Welland and the Town of Pelham. Jody Kyle, YMCA vice-president of membership, says the new state-of-the art facility, which is expected to triple the current membership, will benefit from being close to the college. “It is convenient for students at Niagara. We are right on campus, and there are many different programs available to them.” The YMCA will feature a three-section gymnasium and two swimming pools, one being a 25-metre, four-lane pool and the other, a leisure pool with a sauna beside it. The weight room has the latest in technological equipment as well as a special room for beginners so they can exercise at their own pace. “We have all new equipment, and some of the machines have an electronic personal training partner program ability that can be entered into our main computer. This allows members to record their status by swiping their ID membership card, telling them how well they are doing,” says Kyle. Continued on page 4 Learning how to fly A snowmobiler enjoyed the warm weather on Feb. 12, by practicing his jumps in Stevensville, Ont., until the sky started to darken. Photo by Melissa Hunt BRTF students perform live on Cogeco Cable By IVAN ZATELLI Staff Writer Inside Niagara is a second-year production by the Broadcasting – Radio, Television and Film (BRTF) students. The first live show aired Feb. 10. Every Thursday at noon Inside Niagara will broadcast live on Cogeco Cable 10. This show will be repeated at 6:30 p.m. Thursdays and again on Saturdays at 10 a.m. Inside Niagara will run 10 weeks in a row but will miss the week of Feb. 28, when the college has Break Week. Producer Catherine Morrissey, 19, of Scarborough, says students plan and organize filming of local news, sports and entertainment, in the Niagara Peninsula. Director Ian Girdwood, 20, of Waterdown, Ont., says the students built the set. The lighting and all interpretations represent the students’ views, says Girdwood. “We all work together. Everyone In 1.3 seconds, the oncoming driver will veer into your son s lane. has their equal part.” Studio 2 in the BRTF area of Niagara College’s Voyageur Wing at the Welland campus is where the 30-minute broadcast is staged. Girdwood says the show will have a “local angle.” Morrissey adds, “It’s good for the community.” Some new segments include technology tips and fitness tips. Adopt a pet, which is a regular segment, will run weekly unless it’s “cut out,” says Morrissey. “We’re pretty confident that we’re good to go.” She says the students are on rotation for duties and will be taking turns doing various aspects of production. Girdwood says, “Everyone gets what they put into it.” Each show has two feature stories that the students come up with, says faculty member Tom Pagonis, along with tip of the week on technical or health matters. Entertainment, adopt a pet and regular news and sports are also in the program. Pagonis instructs students on production behind the scenes as directors, editors and producers. Faculty member Tom Otto works with the presentation students, the people in front of the camera. Pagonis says Inside Niagara has had its name for eight years. Continued on page 3 He will have less than a second to make a decision. Prepare for the road ahead with Young Drivers Collisionfree! Approach to Driving“ . It s the only driver training program to offer threshold and ABS emergency braking, swerving techniques, and rear crash and head-on collision avoidance. Gift certificates are available. Call us 905-680-6220 or visit www.youngdrivers.com for more details. Classroom Locations: ¥ St. Catharines ¥ Niagara Falls ¥ Welland Campus MTO APPROVED BEGINNER DRIVER EDUCATION COURSE PROVIDER The genuine YD program is not available in any high school. Catch us on the web http://www.niagara-news.com Page 2, news@niagara, Feb. 18, 2005 Two longtime educators to be honoured By MELISSA HUNT Staff Writer Feb. 21 will be a day to remember for Richard Johnston and Dr. Richard Hook. Johnston and Hook will be recognized with the Minister’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual Association of Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology of Ontario Award Ceremony in Toronto. “Our government is committed to ensuring that we have the high quality, accessible post-secondary system that is essential for Ontario’s continued prosperity,” said Training, Colleges and Universities Minister Mary Anne Chambers in a recent press release. She adds that the first Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes “both recipients for their exemplary leadership and [celebrates] their long-time contributions to our post- secondary students and our system.” Hook, vice-president emeritus of Humber College, in Etobicoke, Ont., is the former vice-president academic at that college. He led many international education and development projects and also played a role in starting the first post-graduate college program and some of the first applied degree programs in Ontario. Hook says his initial reaction to hearing about the award was shock and surprise. “I was surprised because it wasn’t expected and is certainly an honour, and embarrassed because, as vice-president academic of a large college for many years, my accomplishments are the result of the ideas, commitment and work of many, many others.” Recently, he had the opportunity to lead some important academic initiatives, he says. These include starting an office to monitor new college programs for title, outcome and credential consistency and standards. He also developed a program to monitor program quality assurance. “While I have made a contribution to these initiatives, their success relates directly to the thoughtful advice and active support that continues to come from every college filtered through their fundamental concern for student success and academic quality.” Hook says he feels like he is accepting the award on behalf of his colleagues across the system. Johnston, who retired as president of Scarborough’s Centennial College in 2004, is past chair of the Ontario Council of Regents (now the College Compensation and Appointments Council), where he helped establish two French colleges. He was a student, administrator and a member of the board of governors at Trent University in Peterborough, Ont., where he also lectured and taught. Elected to the Ontario legislature from 1979 to 1990, he is a member of the Post-secondary Education Review Panel. According to http://www.acaato.on.ca, the Minister’s Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes lifetime achievement in advancing the college, the community and the Ontario college system. The honour is reserved for “those truly outstanding CEOs [chief executive officers] and senior officers who have made an enduring difference to the college system.” Chambers concluded, “Thanks to dedicated leaders such as Richard Johnston and Dr. Richard Hook, our colleges have a proven track record in providing highquality education and training that equips students to excel in our fast-changing world.” Richard Hook, vice-president emeritus of Humber College, will receive the Minister’s Lifetime Achievement Award on Feb. 21. Submitted photo New community group aims at helping young carers By THERESA STACH Staff Writer Together, 15 community agencies in Niagara have taken the first step to help young carers across the region. These 15 agencies have joined together to form a community network called the Young Carers Initiative Niagara (YCIN). In Canada, young carers, 18 years old and younger, are taking on a care-giving role because of family circumstances that are beyond their control and result in their taking on the responsibilities of the family. In Britain, where these children are called young carers, there has beenmuch progress in providing support for them. Unfortunately, this is not the case in Canada. Here, these carers have been called “invisible caregivers” because their needs have not been recognized by the Canadian government nor by the social and health-care systems. The population of young carers in the Niagara region is unknown because it is a very hidden population. Sylvia Baago, the children’s issues co-ordinator for the Alzheimer Society of Niagara Region, says, “In Britain, the numbers were hugely underestimated. For example, the 2001 census included a question about young carers in order to identi- fy how many there were. At that time it was thought there would be about 30,000 to 40,000 across the country. The census identified 175,000 children who provided a significant amount of care for their disabled family member. “As far as here in Niagara, the Alzheimer Society has tracked 75 children on its current caseload that have a relative with dementia. Other agencies don’t keep track of the numbers [and] that is why they are called ‘invisible caregivers.’” The YCIN was established in April 2003. “[It was established] to create a network of community agencies that would work together to provide support, education and recreational activities for young carers and their families and promote public awareness of the issues involved,” says Baago. Continued on page 22 It’s Tropical 3 Mark your schedules! Wednesday, March 9, 2005 For Niagara College’s 10th Annual Student Appreciation Day Event ut Througho l dents wil u t s , e g e the Coll ays, prize w a e iv g , s re find treat mpus sto a c d n a od er draws, fo many oth d n a ls ia spec ! surprises Back by popular demand... 150 Tropical Eggs have been hidden throughout the college...find one and win a prize! It’s our way of saying “thanks” fo Niagara C r choosing ollege as your place to study, wo rk, live and play Staff of Niagara College wish to acknowledge with much appreciation, your contribution to our college community. news@niagara, Feb. 18, 2005, Page 3 Television show tradition for BRTF students Live on-air program offers real experiences Inside Niagara’s news anchor, Fay Philavanh, and sports anchor, Joe Marouelli, rehearse their scripts before they go on air Feb. 10. Photo by Ivan Zatelli Continued from page 1 The show has been at the college since 1980 and has had a few different names since its inception. He says there are about 35 students that contribute to the show. The students rotate so everyone gets a chance at the various production jobs. Asked about the amount of time it takes to make the show, Pagonis says, “The first group had more time.” He says the second and all other shows have two rehearsals to get their “elements ready.” Behind the scenes in the Studio 2 control room are, from left, Tom Otto, Broadcasting – Radio, Television and Film (BRTF) professor, Catherine Morrissey, Joanne Beaulieu, Ian Girdwood, Tom Pagonis, BRTF professor, Michael Baxter, Elizabeth Brett and, in the audio control room in the background, John Durand. Photo by Ivan Zatelli Benefit hockey game helps a child smile Inside Niagara’s Feb. 10 hosts are, from left, Tara McLain and Chris Barnatt, along with entertainment host, Joe Crawford. Photo by Ivan Zatelli Bowling for Kids Sake campaign kicked off, Big Brothers, Big Sisters holds annual event By NADINE HORTON Staff Writer A gutter ball is as good as a strike in this bowling tournament. The Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Niagara has kicked off its Bowling for Kids Sake campaign in hopes of raising $30,000. This ongoing event began on Feb. 6 at the Agro-Midtown Bowl on King Street in Port Colborne. Eastside Lanes on Division Street in Welland hosted the second bowling tournament on Feb. 16. The final and main event will take place at 968 Niagara St. N., in Welland at Bowl-O-Rama on Feb. 19 at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Anyone can participate to help raise money for the campaign. Those who register form teams of four to five people and are expected to raise a minimum of $50 in pledges per person. The money raised in the organization’s largest fundraiser will help enlist and match volunteer mentors with the children on waiting lists throughout the Niagara Region. Niagara College student Melody Owen, 21, of Welland, is taking part in this event for the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization. “I am involved in this event as a part of my special event management class in the Public Relations [Graduate Certificate] program,” says Owen. This event will give her the “opportunity to gain real-world skills with an established organization” so she can apply what she has learned in the program and “put it to use,” she says. Owen has been acting as a fundraising assistant for the event, calling local businesses to gain sponsorship and confirm teams. “I will be at the event to help with registration and setting up the facilities,” says Owen. “I will also be bowling.” Continued on page 4 By NADINE HORTON Staff Writer Helping a child smile will be much easier after Feb. 20. The Help a Child Smile Foundation (HACS) is teaming with Team Welland and 2004 national hockey champions, the Toronto Aeros, for its 14th annual benefit hockey game. Among the national hockey champions are 2002 Olympic champions Sami Jo Small, Cheryl Pounder and Jennifer Botteri. All proceeds will benefit the HACS Foundation, which provides activities, trips and support for children diagnosed with cancer and their families at the McMaster Medical Centre Children’s Hospital in Hamilton. The organization began in 1987 and was inspired by Kacey-Lynn Rainville. Rainville was only six months old when she was diagnosed with terminal cancer and died two months short of her fifth birthday. Ivan Plamondon, HACS public relations director, says, “As a rule, the events are very successful, bringing a crowd of around 1,000 to 1,500 people to the Welland main arena. To date, we have raised over $140,000 for Help A Child Smile.” Plamondon says that the event has seen its “highs and lows,” but during last year’s National Hockey League (NHL) lock-out, the event sold out the arena. “We hope for the same this year,” he says. Team Welland will be offering some “surprises” this year, says Plamondon. “Hall of Famer Joey Mullen will be attending, as well as Adam Creighton, Mark Laforest and Roger Belanger. Once the NHL lock-out is officially announced, we may have a few more NHL stars made available,” he says. The event will not be entirely centred on the game as there will be some attention focused on the HACS foundation and reason the benefit hockey game is raising money. “The event highlight includes two Help A Child Smile families receiving their one-week, allexpenses paid trips to Florida for their entire family.” Plamondon says raising $12,000 to $15,000 a year at these benefit hockey games is what makes these trips a reality for these families. For the first time, St. Michael’s Catholic High School drum line band, from Niagara Falls, will be attending to present a cheque at centre ice to HACS from their fundraising efforts. Welland Mayor Damian Goulbourne, MPP Peter Kormos and the Welland Winter Carnival Queen with her court will help launch the fundraiser. Those interested in supporting this event may purchase tickets for $5 at Lewis and Krall IDA on Thorold Road in Welland, Buckner’s Source for Sports in Welland and Port Colborne, the Welland Minor Hockey House on Fourth Street in Welland, Canadian Tire Gas Bar and Canadian Tire Associate Store on Niagara Street in Welland. The fundraiser will be held at the Welland main arena on King Street. The event kicks off at 1:15 p.m. Page 4, news@niagara, Feb. 18, 2005 New YMCA has many advantages Continued from page 1 The facility has two multi-purpose rooms that will accommodate children’s programs, instruction, Leaders-inTraining, Day Camp, Youth Action and meetings. These rooms, with play centres, will give members with children a chance to do their routine workout while having the peace of mind that their children are with them and learning in the process. Members will notice a two-lane indoor track above the gym and have access to change rooms, an aquatic viewing area above the two pools and a café, where nutritious foods and drinks will be served. The facility will have physical accessibility features, including elevators for wheelchairs. Full-time students at Niagara College can purchase a month-long membership at a discount price of $31 while other adults will pay $40. Parking for members is free. Child and youth membership for those 12-years-old and under is $24. There is a Membership Plus program at $55, which gives members full access to the lounge area, with TVs, telephones and daily newspapers as well as a steam room and health and beauty supplies. For more information about the new YMCA, including business hours, call 905-735-9622 or visit http://www.ymcaofniagara.org. Construction crews are tying up loose ends at the new site of Welland YMCA in anticipation of the Sunday, Feb. 20, opening at the Welland campus. Those with previous memberships will have their programming transferred seamlessly, while full-time students at Niagara College can purchase a month-long membership at a discount price of $31. Other adults will pay $40. Parking is free for members. Photo by Sandor Ligetfalvy Bowling fundraiser helps match 40 children with mentors Continued from page 3 In the Niagara region, over 100 children are on the waiting list for a mentor. This event has the potential of raising enough money to match over 40 children with a mentor. "This is why we ask that each person that wants to bowl should raise a minimum of $50 in pledges," says Sharon Svob, the event's fundraising co-ordinator. This event is for everyone. Not only can individuals take pledges and bowl, but businesses and school groups are encouraged to take part too. The organization wants to make this event as much fun as possible to get more people involved. They want the participants to have a good time while doing something good for the children by taking part in this year's theme, Cool Shades Crazy Hats. Prizes will be awarded to the "most creative, cool and crazy team." Svob also says, "If the bowler raises more than [$50], we have some great incentive prizes." "We do expect a really good turnout this year. The 4:30 p.m. ECE graduate obtains job as teacher from college program’s placement By ERIN MACGILLIVARY Staff Writer You’ve seen them in the hallway, cafeteria and outside but do you ever wonder what happens to college students when they finally graduate? Lorna Eidsforth, 22, of Burlington, Ont., graduated from the Welland campus’s Early Childhood Education (ECE) program at Niagara College in April 2004 and now works as an ECE teacher. Eidsforth started her placement as an ECE teacher at Tutor Time in Burlington, last year, then began working there as a supply teacher in the summer. One month after graduating, she got a job at Thistleoaks Child Care Centre in Burlington, where she now works. “I needed the courses at the college to be able to work in a junior kindergarten class in a school. All of the courses I took at Niagara pertained to the development of young children.” Eidsforth says she chose Niagara because “she liked the courses the best” of the colleges she considered. “I liked the idea of having a work placement throughout the two years there. It gave me a feel of what it would be like to be a teacher.” She says that if you are looking for a job in a daycare you do not need a diploma, but if you want to be head teacher, for which you are paid more, some places will only hire ECE graduates. “I think I was so successful in this program because I enjoy doing this kind of work and I have always enjoyed working with children.” Eidsforth’s mother Mary says she is “very proud” of her daughter. “She worked really hard to get where she is. She knew what she wanted to do and went for it. That’s why she did so well and is now really happy with her job.” ECE program co-ordinator Allison Soave who has worked at the college “on and off” since 1969 says the two-year program balances theoretical classroom experiences with practical application opportunities in child care settings in the Niagara region. “Students complete over 600 hours of placement time concurrently with class time here at the Welland campus. Niagara is one of the only colleges in Ontario that uses the concurrent model for the completion of placement experiences in the field. This model allows students to work with children half the day and spend the rest of the day in the classroom. This gives them ongoing support while they implement the skills they are learning in class.” Soave says Niagara has a high placement rate for ECE graduates, ranging from 75 to 90 per cent. She says those who choose to work as ECE teachers are deciding on a career that will have an important impact on the children and families with whom they work. “Our community can’t work without quality child care, and they will be the key to quality.” time slot for 10-pin bowling at Bowl-o-Rama on the 19th is basically full," Owen says. Svob says, "Last year we had 50 teams register. Our 2005 goal is to have 70 teams. To date we have just over 50 teams. We are optimistic that we will reach our participation goal." Anyone interested in taking part may still register. Svob says that as long as you raise the minimum pledge of $50 by Feb. 20, you may still participate. To register, call Svob at 905-735-0570 or e-mail her at [email protected]. In the end, Svob states, "This really isn't about bowling; it's about the kids." We have a winner Here’s our second of four winners for the news@niagara Dinner in 15 Seconds contest. Lindsey Saleh, 22, of Niagara Falls, a student in the Pre-Health Sciences program at the Welland campus, won a gift certificate for two at Eastside Mario’s, two movie passes and other Eastside merchandise. Our third winner will be featured in the March 18 edition of news@niagara. The contest ends Feb. 18. We would like to thank all participants. Photo by Janine Westera "It will rip your heart out and stomp on it." "Cry Freedom", a two-hour plus movie on the life of South African anti-apartheid activist Steven Biko, will be shown in a special presentation on Feb. 23 in the Hamilton Room at Niagara College's Welland campus. The event is being offered to celebrate Black History Month that is marked in February. Watch for posters that will indicate the time of viewing. news@niagara, Feb. 18, 2005, Page 5 By STEPHANIE DIPIETRO Staff Writer Niagara College Police Foundations students are getting a first-hand look into the demands of community policing. Frank Adamson, 55, of Pelham, is the chair of the Pelham Community and Policing Committee (PCPC). Bill Smith, of Pelham, is a teacher at Niagara College. He asked Adamson to give three one-hour presentations to the second-year Police Foundations students regarding the PCPC’s future direction. Smith says it is important for the students because “it is the way the future of policing is going.” Adamson says it was important for the students to learn about community policing because “I don’t know that their program actually had any real focus on community policing and what community policing is all about.” Adamson started his PowerPoint presentation with some basic information about the committee including its different roles. Some of those include identifying and responding to safety hazards, educating the public about safety issues, providing safety education materials and programs and working with local schools to identify concerns and provide programs and solutions to address them. Adamson then discussed the future direction of the committee and the different programs they are developing, including a Speed Photo by Stephanie DiPietro Students look at community policing demands From left, Inspector Rick Lundy and Sergeant Bob Hansen of the Niagara Regional Police Service stand outside on Haist Street in Pelham, which has recently become a community safety zone. Photo by Stephanie DiPietro Watch program, an offshore workers bicycle safety rodeo and programs involving Block Parents and Neighbourhood Watch. He says second-year Police Foundations students will be getting part of their 40 hours of community service, required to graduate, in some of the PCPC initiatives. In the coming weeks the students will be involved in the Speed Watch. The committee has purchased speed watch signs, which will be placed at various schools around the community. The students will be in charge of recording statistics, including the number of cars that pass by, the average speed and the number of people travelling over the speed limit. Speed Watch signs will be Adamson says the statistics will be discussed within the committee. posted locally. Any further action regarding the areas being monitored will depend many people don’t know what on the results. community policing is. After the presentation, the stu“It’s problem solving within the dents were given an opportunity to community to ensure that it’s a question Adamson. Smith says the safer and more socially acceptable students saw the presentation as a area to live in.” “learning experience,” adding 16th annual Seafood Gala growing to accommodate guests By STACY CALDER Staff Writer A larger venue and a new menu are how the Seafood Gala will accommodate its growing guest list and provide college students with valuable work experience. The 16th annual Seafood Gala will be held this year at the new Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort in Niagara Falls on April 9. “With the growing number of guests, we are always looking for a venue that can accommodate the guests and provide a great experience for the event,” says Sylvia Kadlik, executive director of the Niagara College Foundation. Proceeds benefit the college’s scholarship/bursary funds. “With the casino, we could hold up to 2,000 [people], but we are aiming for around 600 to 700 guests,” says Chris Gushue, co-chair for the Seafood Gala committee. The gala is launching a new menu choice of chicken, which reaches outside the seafood theme maintained throughout the past years. “We found not everyone loves seafood,” says Kadlik, explaining this change is to encourage non-seafood lovers to join the event. This year’s theme, Fire and Ice, was inspired by the generosity of Gordon Pryce, who gave a personal donation of a 2.38-karat diamond bracelet valued at more than $8,000. The “exquisite” ice bracelet will be raffled off the night of the event, says Gushue. “We have exciting live and silent auctions,” says Kadlik, adding auctioneer Archie Katzman will be starting the live auction, which includes a 10-day Holland America Lines cruise, use of MasterCard’s luxury box at the Air Canada Centre for 10 people and a dinner for eight with limo service at the Niagara College Culinary Institute right after the entertainment. “This is something we do quite often for charity,” says Mark Hand, corporate chef for the Niagara Culinary Institute, at the Glendale campus in Niagara-onthe-Lake. “We create a really special menu with our food and wine to give them a culinary experience within our walls.” Continued on page 7 Habitat seeking Niagara volunteers By RILEY MACDONALD Staff Writer Volunteers wanted. The Job Centre and Habitat for Humanity Niagara will be set up in the hallway outside of the Niagara College cafeteria at the Welland campus on Tuesday, March 15. Habitat for Humanity is an independent, non-profit, faith-based housing program dedicated to building affordable homes in partnership with families in need. The organization is recruiting volunteers for building tasks in the Niagara region, which include construction, registration, food services and office tasks. This is the first year it has looked to the Job Centre for recruiting volunteers, says Linda Harding, receptionist of the Job Centre. “I think there are a lot of students who need volunteer experience, and this is a good way to get it.” Habitat for Humanity International was founded in 1976 in Americus, Ga. It was developed from the concept of “partnership housing” based on Christian principles. The organization has built more than 175,000 houses in 100 countries. Habitat for Humanity Canada, organized in 1985, has dedicated more than 700 homes coast to coast since its inception. The organization currently has 64 affiliations in all 10 provinces and one territory. Through volunteer labour, efficient management and tax- deductible donations of money and materials, Habitat builds and rehabilitates simple, decent houses with the help of their partner families. Habitat houses are sold to partner families at no profit and are financed with affordable, no-interest mortgages. The homeowner’s monthly mortgage payments go into a revolving fund, which is used to build more houses. Partner families are chosen on the basis of the need for affordable housing, ability to repay a habitat mortgage and willingness to partner with Habitat by contributing 500 hours of volunteer labour, commonly called “sweat equity,” towards the building of their new home. WE D E L I V E R 572 Niagara Street, Welland * 905-714-7482 Page 6, news@niagara, Feb. 18, 2005 Jonathan Welsh dies Safe Within offers vital tips By AZRA MOMIN Staff Writer The non-profit organization Performers for Literacy lost its founder on Jan. 27. Jonathan Welsh, 57, died at his Belleville, Ont., home after a brief illness. Welsh was a famous Canadian TV personality whose interest in wine resulted in the television series The New World Wine Tour. “Jonathan made outstanding contributions to the promotion of Ontario’s wine industry as a TV host and author of a wine book that featured Ontario wines,” says Darrell Neufeld, manager, corporate communications at Niagara College. “The college was pleased to recognize those contributions by awarding him an honorary diploma in Hospitality,” he says. Welsh, who was part of several Denis Morris High School variety shows and productions as a student in St. Catharines, later gained fame for his roles in shows like ENG and Sidestreet. He got his theatre break with the musical Hair and acted in several Shaw and Stratford festival plays. Involved with various activities in and around the Niagara region, Welsh participated in the Niagara Wine Festival events as well as a fundraiser at Rodman Hall. As a Canadian celebrity who chose to remain in the country instead of going to the United States for more fame, he was committed to Canadian events. “Jonathan brought a great spirit to everything he did, from professional acting to expounding on the virtues of Canadian wines. He loved life and lived it to the fullest,” says Dan Patterson, president, Niagara College. “It was a great privilege to welcome him to the college in 2002 and present him with an honorary diploma in recognition of his many accomplishments, particularly his work in promoting Ontario’s wine industry,” he says. Welsh, a St. Catharines native, was introduced to the wine industry by Donald Ziraldo, co-founder of Inniskillin Wineries, and co-wrote the book The TV Wine Guy: Taking the Snobbery Out of Wine. His desire to encourage children to read led him to found Performers for Literacy, and he was part of several events where he read books to children. “Jonathan touched many lives through his work, his warmth, his humour. He will be sadly missed,” says Patterson. Possible to deter burglars by using simple, effective measures By BREE ELLIS Staff Writer Staying safe is a combination of knowledge and planning. Niagara College’s Joint Health and Safety Committee cites information from the Safe Within team about staying safe as an excellent way to educate you. Safe Within, found at http://www.safewithin.com, says it’s “an ever-changing site that provides news and information relating to you and your family’s safety, security, health, and sense of well-being.” Around the home there are many things you can do to keep burglars at bay. The simple addition of window or yard signs indicating electronic monitoring can decrease the chances of being burglarized by up to 75 per cent. Placing pins through the inside of window frames can help stop the windows from being opened, and a window lock is a good precaution too. It’s important to know time is critical to a burglar. Anything that slows a potential burglar is good. An effective time consumer is a double deadbolt lock. Perhaps it is not a viable option, but it’s worth considering buying a dog. Safe Within states that a dog may protect you from burglars but could put others in harm’s way. However, modern technology offers simulated dog alarms that can be set off by motion or noise vibrations. More traditional alarms may be the way you want to go, but it is important to consider carefully what you purchase. Safe Within recommends you try out alarms first before committing to one because false alarms caused by the wrong system can be annoying and dangerous. They also recommend that you check with local police for advice before purchasing. Safe Within describes false alarms as a “national epidemic” for police and advises you not to contribute to the problem. You may also have to register your system with the police, depending on local laws. Remember when you are buying a security system that your homeowner’s insurance premiums may be reduced. Consult with your insurance agent before making a final decision as to the type of system that you will install. Safety matters outside the home too. Wherever you go it’s important to take precautions. When you are travelling and registering somewhere, you should only use your last name and first initial. It is common for a woman to be robbed in locations where she least expects it, says the website, including bus stations, airports and crowded streets. Thieves often use razor blades to slash purse straps. Carry only what you need for the day in your purse, and carry the rest of your money, cards and information in a strapped-on, under-the-clothes body belt. Always walk with a purpose. Watch who’s around you and don’t look like you’re a lost tourist. For more information about safety measures on Niagara College’s campuses, contact Rick Demers, manager of health, safety and security, at 905-735-2211, ext. 7417, or Sandy Fox, director of ancillary services, at 905-735-2211, ext. 7575. Committee ensures safety on campus Work placement challenge By DAN KERNAHAN Staff Writer As if college isn’t stressful enough, the prospect of finding work placement can be equally concerning to Computer Engineering Technology (Co-op) students here. Students are required to complete 12 months of real-world work experience in their field, a challenge some students say is harder than it sounds. Rumin Bhachu, 23, a third-year student, says that she had trouble finding a posting that was right for her. “There weren’t a lot of jobs that required the skills we had,” says Bhachu. “The job postings they gave us weren’t for beginners.” Bhachu, like many students, obtained placement through her own means. Stuart Maclean, 21, gained his placement at St. Catharines’ second largest employer, Sitel. “I got the job first, then slipped my manager the co-op papers a few weeks later,” says Maclean. Maclean worked as a technical support worker on HP LaserJet printers. Maclean says he learned different skills working at Sitel. “I learned a lot about drivers and the electronics of printers,” says Maclean. “It was more related to electronics than computers.” Not all students gained employment, however, on their own. Chris Schmitz, 21, of St. Catharines, survived a three-step interview process at Priva Computers. Schmitz worked to build automation control systems for greenhouses and says he learned “a lot” from his placement. Schmitz attributes his placement to perseverance. “I applied at every friggin’posting,” says Schmitz, adding he isn’t surprised at some of the difficulties expressed by some technology students. “The technology sector’s really low right now,” he says. “There’s just too many people in computers right now.” Christine Drobnich is the co-op consultant for the program. She says it’s important for technology students to get a good placement. “Each student has different needs they want to satisfy, and we try and help them do that,” says Drobnich. Drobnich works with local employers to generate job postings for co-op students. She says that while technology jobs are not available in large numbers, the job market is getting better. “Now that things are picking up, things should turn around.” By BREE ELLIS Staff Writer They keep you safe every day. “They” is Niagara College’s Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC). It is this committee’s job to keep the college safe for students and staff. Rick Demers, manager of security, health and safety, says the committee’s job includes identifying hazardous situations and making legal recommendations to improve safety for workers. The committee also has a hand in testing equipment and workplace environments, and it obtains information from employers to identify the hazards in the workplace. This committee is a group of faculty, support staff and administration members. Sandy Fox, director of ancillary services and JHSC member, says Demers and Dave Thomson, a faculty member, co-chair the committee meetings monthly from September to June. Additional meetings are scheduled as needed. The committee receives its information about potentially hazardous areas from inspection teams who do monthly and twice-yearly inspections. See us again March 18 OUT OF INK? Angry about the high cost of ink-jet cartridges? SAVE 60 up to % …have them professionally refilled by our staff! CENTRE COURT SEAWAY MALL AAPEX We Know What We Are Doing & It Shows! VOTED#1 DRIVING SCHOOL WIN A CAR FROM OUR FLEET For course dates visit www.aapexdriving.com WELLAND ST. CATHARINES 16 Hellems Ave. 316 Lake Street 8 LOCATIONS 1-800-463-1436 WE DO IT ALL - START TO FINISH news@niagara, Feb. 18, 2005, Page 7 Asians celebrate Year of the Rooster By KIM POWELL Staff Writer This Chinese New Year is known as the Year of the Rooster. Each year is designated to one of 12 animals. This year is year 4702 by the Chinese calendar. If you were born in 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993 or 2005, you were born in the year of the rooster. The sign of the rooster indicates a person who is hardworking and definite about decisions. Roosters are not afraid to speak their minds and can therefore sometimes come across as boastful. The Chinese New Year is similar to the Western New Year in that it’s swathed in traditions and rituals. It’s a time to congratulate one another and oneself on having passed through another year. The Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on the first day of the New Year and ends on the full moon 15 days later with a Lantern Festival. This year, Feb. 9 was the first day of the New Year. Every year it is a different day according to the solar calendar. The Chinese calendar is based on a combination of lunar and solar movements. The lunar cycle is about 29.5 days. To catch up with the solar calendar, the Chinese insert an extra month every few years, like adding an extra day in a leap year. The Chinese celebrate New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day with family. It’s a time of reunion and thanksgiving. Traditionally, the celebration was highlighted with a religious ceremony given in honour of Heaven and Earth, the gods of the There were about 25 volunteers from Niagara College’s Glendale and Welland campuses that helped produce the Asian New Year Party 2005. They were working hard to host the best party in the college for all of the students, homestay families and staff. Photo by Priasto Probosutedjo household and the family gods. They are extra kind to dogs On the eighth day, Fujian people on the night of the 15th day. ancestors. Departed relatives are and feed them well because they have another family reunion On New Year’s Day, the Chinese remembered with great respect. believe this day is the birthday of dinner and at midnight they pray will eat a vegetarian dish call jai The sacrifice to the ancestors all dogs. to Tian Gong, the god of Heaven. and celebrate with all of the unites the living members with On the third and fourth days, The ninth day is for making important people in their lives at those who had died. sons-in-law pay respect to their offerings to the Jade Emperor. the Lantern Festival in the evening. The presence of the ancestors is parents-in-law. The 10th to the 12th day, friends Although celebrations of the acknowledged on New Year’s Eve The fifth day is called Po Woo. and relatives should be invited to Chinese New Year vary, the underwith a dinner. The spirits of the People stay home to welcome the dinner. lying message is one of peace and ancestors and the living celebrate God of Wealth. No one visits The 14th is a preparation day to happiness for family members and the onset of the New Year as one because doing so will bring bad luck. celebrate the Lantern Festival held friends. great community. The feast is From the sixth to the 10th day, called “surrounding the stove,” or the Chinese visit their relatives Weilu, and symbolizes family and friends. They also visit the unity and honours the past and temples to pray for good fortune present generations. and health. The first day is the “welcoming On the seventh day, farmers of the gods and heavens and display their produce. They make earth.” Many people abstain from a drink of seven types of eating meat because they believe vegetables to celebrate. This day is doing so will ensure long and also considered the birthday of happy lives. human beings. The Chinese eat On the second day, the Chinese noodles to promote longevity and pray to their ancestors and all the raw fish for success. International students celebrate 2005 New Year party at After Hours By PRIASTO PROBOSUTEDJO Staff Writer Happy Asian New Year. That’s the theme for the Asian New Year Party 2005 with the college’s international students held in After Hours on Feb. 8. This year’s Chinese New Year party was not only for international students, but also Canadian students who are studying at Niagara College’s Glendale and Welland campuses. Eric Madsen, who is a student counsellor at the college, planned to organize another New Year party, but the students also got a chance to work on it. The students were the volunteers for decorating, ordering food or making the food, organizing the seats and advertising the party. The party itself was filled with multicultural people and students from around the world. Teachers from different faculties were also invited to the party and some were helping the students. Homestay families were also invited to join this year’s Asian party. The party started at 6 p.m., with a performance by Winnie, an elementary school girl, who played a traditional Chinese flute, stunning the audience with her talent. There was also an Asian fashion show by three students from the college showing how beautiful the materials from Asian countries can be. Dinner started at 7 p.m., featuring Asian food from different cultures. Madsen introduced the students as well as the teachers volunteering for this party and thanked them for their hard work that night. He also thanked the International Department for its support. There were about 25 volunteers for this year’s event. The volunteers thanked Madsen for his ideas and helping them. They gave him a small souvenir to honour him. Madsen said, “Without the help from the students, the party would never be as good” as it was that night. Niagara College’s After Hours was filled with multicultural people during the Asian New Year Party 2005 last week. International students from Asia showed their traditional clothing in the fashion show, one event at the party held on the Welland campus. Photo by Priasto Probosutedjo Seafood gala ‘window of opportunity’ for Niagara College students Continued from page 5 Strictly Salsa, a Toronto dance company, will represent the fire element of the theme. “They are very well known,” says Gushue, explaining the dancers danced in a recent Jackie Chan movie. The event will also highlight showcases from various departments in the college. “Our students will be involved in many aspects,” says Gushue. He adds that presentations from college programs such as Photonics and Broadcasting – Radio, Television and Film are just a few of the many planned events for the night. “This is our way to translate this event through the night because this event is all about the students,” says Kadlik. “It becomes an opportunity to gain experience,” says Hand, adding, “It’s a window of opportunity” for the culinary students when they work with the Fallsview Resort staff. Reservations are $100 per person for college staff and students and $150 per person for any- one outside of the college. For more information on reserving a seat or table, contact the Niagara College Foundation office at 905641-2252, ext. 4100. For information on volunteer opportunities, contact Gushue at 905-641-2252, ext. 4277. Page 8, news@niagara, Feb. 18, 2005 Editorial Publisher: Leo Tiberi Managing Editor: Phyllis Barnatt Associate Managing Editor: Gary Erb Photography Consultant: Andrew Klapatiuk Editorial Consultant: Nancy Geddie Technology Support: Kevin Romyn news@niagara V10, 300 Woodlawn Rd., Welland, Ont. L3C 7L3 Telephone: (905) 735-2211 FAX: (905) 736-6003 Editorial E-mail: [email protected] Advertising E-mail: [email protected] Publisher’s E-mail: [email protected] Printed by CanWeb Printing Inc. in Grimsby, Ont. Pamela Hallman Editor Natalie Michlewicz Associate Editor Janine Westera Clayton Doner Assistant Editor Photo Crew Chief Advertising rules: The advertiser agrees that the publisher shall not be liable for damages arising out of errors in advertisements beyond the amount paid for the space actually occupied by the portion of the advertisement in which the error occured. This applies whether such error is due to the negligence of its servants or otherwise. There shall be no liability for non-insertions of any advertisement beyond the amount paid for such advertisement. All advertisers are asked to check their advertisements after first insertion. We accept responsibility for only one incorrect insertion unless notified immediately after publication. Errors, which do not lessen the value of the advertisement, are not eligible for corrections by a make-good advertisement. There shall be no liability for non-insertion of any advertisement beyond the amount paid for such advertisement. We reserve the right to edit, revise, classify or reject any advertisement. Your opinion is welcome E-mail: [email protected] Mail: V10, 300 Woodlawn Rd., Welland, Ont. L3C 7L3 In Person: Room V10, Welland campus. Policy: All letters must be signed and include a day and evening phone contact number for verification purposes. news@niagara is a practical lab for students in the Journalism-Print program, covering the college community and other areas of interest. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the management of the newspaper or the administration of Niagara College. Stepdad’s alcoholism: now distant memory The newspaper this week is all about drugs, alcohol and sex. I find it rather funny because I am not one of those to have “their chance” at the newspaper and want to have it on those three topics. Hey, it’s what students want to hear about, right? I am in my 20s and I love partying with my friends, but there is something that happens inside me every time I have a beer. I have memories overlap another memory from my childhood. My stepdad was an alcoholic and addicted to drugs, marijuana to be exact. My mom married him when I was 11 years old, in the Caribbean. We were a perfect little family, well, only to the people who didn’t come over at nighttime. Every night, around 5 p.m., he would come home from work. He would change and get into his dark red SLK-230 Mercedes Benz hardtop convertible and take off to the bar. My mom and I would have the best time of our life when he was gone. You know, motherdaughter stuff, until he came home. It was usually around 9 p.m., just in time to wake me. He would yell at the top of his lungs and throw anything in arm’s reach. I can remember walking down the stairs to call my mom and seeing him throwing a kitchen chair, smashing it against the wall, leaving a huge hole. After that, every time I had people over, they would ask me, “What happened to your wall?” I would have to lie, of course. My entire life was a lie about how things happened and why things I was doing were because I had to cover up another lie. My mom always told me, “This is not how I imagined my child growing up.” My mom divorced him last year. He is still making our lives hell. Yeah, I know, why did it take so long for us to get out of there? If only you knew the small details. This is only one little memory. I still have seven years after that one. For everybody in the same circumstances that I was, don’t let it get to you. Be strong and everything will work out. I had to tell my mom that all the time and look at us now. We live together and we are happier than we have ever been. She has her own company and I’m graduating from college and going into university. I guess this is a fairy-tale ending for my life, just not as it would be in a Disney movie. PAM HALLMAN ‘When is the last time you heard a man oink?’ Sex, drugs and alcohol section page 11 to 19 When is the last time you heard a man oink? Grunting, howling and whistling are common noises for men to make, but I’ve never heard a man oink. Why is it then that so often men are referred to as pigs? I wonder about the origin of this analogy. A pig is defined as domestic swine, a stout-bodied, shortlegged omnivorous animal. Yes, men, on occasion, may behave in a socially incorrect manner, but in a man’s defence, many women do too. For a moment, let your mind wander. You’re in a bar atmosphere, and you’re slightly intoxicated. If you are single, you’re probably observing attractive persons of the opposite sex and are eager to attempt small talk with them. If you’re in a relationship, you may be noticing attractive persons as well, but more than likely you are there strictly for dancing, and to have fun with your friends. Imagine the following scenarios. You’re a woman in a bar atmosphere. You’re dancing and laughing with your friends; then unexpectedly you are smacked on your rearend. A moment later the same drunken man grabs your waist and starts grinding with you. Your reaction is a blend of negative condemnation and profanity, either thought or spoken. “What a pig,” you mutter. Now you’re a man in the same atmosphere. An attractive woman, wearing a provocative outfit, approaches you. She sticks her finger in her mouth, takes it out, and then runs that same finger down your body while grinding down your front side. Your reaction is slightly different than the one of the female. You say, “Oh, yeah,” while glancing at your friends and smiling. A woman is never referred to as a pig. Instead, we are referred to as a negatively implicated garden tool. I will never understand why a man who is persistent and successful in “picking up” women is praised, whereas a woman in the same scenario would be referred to as the “garden tool.” Socially unacceptable behaviour, including the lowering oneself or another individual, is not justifiable. Men aren’t the only ones who should be held responsible for this behaviour. I have been at bars and have been disgusted with things I have seen women do. I have witnessed socially “swinish” behaviour that would make that woman worthy of being called a pig. What is it about a man’s behaviour that results in his being called a pig? I have a boyfriend who is a subscriber of Maxim magazine. He is wonderful. I have a male friend who claims he has slept with 47 women. He’s of good character. My only sibling, my brother, is a single man who respects women. His room is covered with posters of half-naked women. I also have a male friend who is “saving” himself for marriage. Neither of them is a pig. Some people may think men act similarly to “pigs.” If all men are pigs though, then I guess women are too. NATALIE MICHLEWICZ news@niagara, Feb. 18, 2005, Page 9 Columns Word of Mouth “You said it. We got it.” John Gagne, 21 General Arts and Science (GAS) Irene Lochhad, 51, Pharmacy Technician “I don’t know Michael Jackson, but it seems suspicious that he has a child’s theme park in his backyard.” “I think it’s ridiculous [because of] all the media attention, and I think he’s guilty as sin.” What do you think about the Michael Jackson trial? Mike Hedden, 20, GAS “I guess he should be locked away. I don’t think he’s guilty. It doesn’t matter if he is or he isn’t, his life’s going to be ruined anyway.” Samantha, 18, Early Childhood Education (ECE) Stephanie, 26, ECE “I haven’t been following it, but I don’t think Michael did it. I love him.” “I don’t know anything about it, but I don’t want to believe he did it.” Want to have your say in a current events topic? See us at WC and GC or e-mail [email protected] Interviews by Theresa Stach Photos by Laura McIntyre Sleepless nights, early mornings By THERESA STACH Staff Writer Column Everyone does it. You’re not alone. Everyone lies in bed and wonders about the world. How do things work? Why do people do what they do? Did you make all the right decisions and accept every opportunity sent your way? It has become a routine for some of us, a nightmare. I dread the time when I go to bed. My mind works as if it’s running a marathon with no finish line. It’s easy enough to tell me to relax or think about something else but unfortunately, like everything else, it’s easier said than done. Whether I’m tired or not, I cannot sleep. Whether something is bothering me or not, or whether I have a lot to do or not, I think and think and think until my head hurts. I’ve been told that I should just create a routine but that is almost impossible. I am a college student with an insane schedule. I work and have a small social life. I’m a reporter — reporters do not have routines. Besides, what is a routine going to do? When I go to bed I think about what’s going to happen in 10 years and why my boyfriend said what he said. I don’t worry about what time I have class in the morning or how I’m going to get my homework done beforehand. It’s more than that. I think about what would have happened if my parents were still together or if I didn’t walk away from that rude girl in the cafeteria. I think about washing my car and if I remembered to put a proper byline on my story earlier that day. Right now, even as I’m writing this, I cannot stop thinking about the what ifs and the whys. It seems that once I get one thing straightened out, another topic takes its place, and most of the time that topic is not one that really matters. What’s done is done, right? Not in my head. I always wonder if there is another way I could have done what I did or if there is something I can do to make it better. Of course, I think of all this while I’m trying to fall asleep. Some nights I’m up until 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. just thinking and I’ll have a 9:30 class in the morning. I would love to just shed all these thoughts from my head, but once I do that I find myself wondering why I would try to forget things that are on my mind and what if I forget something important? I could go to counselling, but why pay someone to listen to my what ifs and whys if I have friends and family members that listen to me for free? And I don’t think I need counselling anyway. I don’t lie in bed thinking that I am at fault or that my life is ending. I think about good things as well, like how great it was for my mom to pick me up those pants I’ve been wanting for months or how it was nice of my brother to make my bed when I had an earlier class than he did. What I need is a shut-off button for my mind. I’m a second guesser. That’s my problem. Is there help for a second guesser? I suppose all I need to do is to sort out my thoughts before I go to bed. Again, that’s easier said than done. Independent women should know their cars By KATIE VANSLACK Staff Writer Column After buying a four-litre can of Valvoline motor oil, I walk into the Canadian Tire store’s parking lot towards my car. After I pop the hood, but before I pop the cap, I feel eyes on me. Turning to my right, I see an older man walk past with a smirk on his face, “Need some help?” he says with a cocky little voice. Wishing I could slap that grin off his face, I sternly reply, “No thanks.” “What was that?” I think to myself. “Just because I have a vagina, doesn’t mean I can’t pour oil.” He must have thought he was going to be my knight in shining armour. Unfortunately for him, I’m no damsel in distress. I was lucky enough to have a dad that showed me how to maintain a car. I used to crawl under cars with him, then go put makeup on with my older sister. I guess that’s the beauty of being a woman today: we can do anything. Men can too, although they just don’t seem to take advantage of it the way women do. Let’s face it; you don’t see many men in a ballet class, although I know a few ladies who wouldn’t mind seeing those tights get a little masculinity in them. Despite the fact that anyone can do anything now, there are still women who act helpless when there’s a man around. The reason for this still boggles me, but without those women there wouldn’t be any macho parking lot men. Either way, whether you’re a damsel in distress or an independent bitch, every woman should know her car fluids. Journalists including those in the Journalism-Print program at Niagara College, are taught that their reporting must be balanced, fair and as objective as possible. In columns, the feelings and opinions of reporters are welcome, but balance, fairness and objectivity must never be disregarded. Our columns, which are clearly identified, do not reflect the opinions of feelings of the Niagara College administration or the management of news@niagara. Columns reflect the opinion of only one person: the writer. Students are reminded about the upcoming Student Administrative Council (SAC) Inc. elections during the on-line voting week of March 28 to April 1. To be nominated, students should go to their campus’ s SAC office to ask for a nomination kit, which must be returned by Feb. 25. “A year on SAC provides an excellent opportunity for students to experience first-hand the corporate world of finance, strategic planning, event planning and promotion, facilities management and day-to-day customer service issues,” says Brigitte Chiki, student services director. Page 10, news@niagara, Feb. 18, 2005 Columns Whatever reason for drinking, be responsible By ANGELA HARDIE Staff Writer Column The line that divides casual drinking and problem drinking is growing increasingly thinner. I cannot count the number of times I’ve been places where people turn one casual drink into seven or eight, rendering themselves senseless and waking up the next morning wondering where they are and why they still have shoes on. Nor do I hold the title of the immunity idol in this category. There have been times when I have had to rely on my friends to fill the gaps in my memory caused by society’s beloved drink of choice. I think what it all boils down to is the reason you choose to drink in the first place. Some people drink to forget, but that only works if you never plan to wake up. Once you open your eyes and taste last night’s nachos on your dry lips, everything you wanted to forget pulses through your head like a bad headache. (You’ll probably have one of those, too.) Instead of drinking away your problems, try to resolve them. Others drink because everyone else is. Face it: no one likes to feel left out. Don’t you remember being in Grade 10 and choking down vodka and warm orange juice from a pop bottle just because it was cool? I have news for you. You’re not 15 anymore, so make your own choices about what you like. If you want to drink Coke all night, do it. There is no rule stating that once you turn 19, you must consume alcoholic beverages only. A nice, relaxing night with friends and pitchers of beer is always fun, until you get the bill. Three short hours kicking back can costs more than two weeks’ groceries. You decide: would you rather have a night out with all the works and eat soup for two weeks, or would you like to eat chicken once in a while? Maybe it’s time to cut back a night of drinking to once a month. For whatever reason you choose to drink, you need to be responsible. Drinking then driving is the most ridiculous thing you could do. If you wouldn’t let your best friend do it, you shouldn’t either. Don’t let your friend walk home from the bar intoxicated either, even if he or she’s done it 46 times before and the street is well-lit. You’ll never forgive yourself if something happens. If you can’t drive home or walk home, call a cab. The phone numbers for cab companies are posted at the entrances to most drinking establishments, and if they aren’t, the bartender would be glad to call one for you. When you get your intoxicated friend home for the night, give that friend some water and make sure he or she gets into bed without crashing into things. If you’re the intoxicated one, have someone do the same for you. You need to be in control. Consuming alcohol can make for a good time, but letting it consume you is senseless. Mother’s death worst life experience, but calming By BEVERLY KNIGHT Staff Writer Column In October 1991, God decided it was time for my mom to join Him and all who went before her. I was very angry! Why must you take her and leave my father, a poor excuse for a human being to walk the face of the earth? Losing my mother was the worst experience I have ever had. I remember the call. I was numb. Something told me, “Not yet. You can’t go yet.” A few hours later it was time. We drove to the hospital, checked in and waited. My name was called and I was able to see her. The nurse directed me to where she was. I peeked into the room and remember saying, “That is not my mother.” The nurse replied, “Yes, that is your mother.” With those words, my legs gave out and down I went. This woman, this frail body, the shell of what my mother used to be! I was later told that my father and sister had brought Mom into the hospital a few days earlier. I, however, wasn’t notified until she was no longer able to speak. How dare you rob me of hearing my mother’s voice for the last time! She was my mother too! I will never forget what you’ve done, nor will I forgive you. The last hours of her life, I spent doing everything I could to make the transition as bearable as possible for her, unlike the two cowards at the end of her bed. Mom and I used to harmonize together and before I knew it, songs were pouring out. I remember the nurse came in and asked if I took requests. I apologized. I hadn’t realized I was singing so loudly. The nurse replied, “The other patients are enjoying your singing. You have a beautiful voice.” The physicians said Mom was in a coma, but I didn’t believe it then and I certainly don’t believe it now. I sang one particular song and with every ounce of strength she had left in her body, the corner of her mouth turned into a faint smile. Another song brought a tear to her eye that rolled down her cheek. As I wiped the tear away, I could see the pain, fear and anguish. I knew it was just a matter of time. We were asked to leave her room for a short time. While we were outside, my father said, “One of us has to tell her to let go.” All eyes were on me, and I knew I had been chosen. Yes, I gave my mother permission to let go. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do. A few hours later, her breathing changed and I knew this was it. “May the Lord guide you in every step of your journey,” were my last words to her. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Last breath. My life changed forever. My father told us there would be no funeral. Mom chose to be cremated with no service. We were not to follow her procession. She thought it would be easier on all of us. It wasn’t. A few hours after she passed on, I had a vision of two figures walking towards each other. I believe the one on the left was my mother and her father on the right. Her father handed her a white lily, which she accepted, and they turned and walked toward a mist. She stopped and turned to me and said, “I’m fine, I’ll be OK,” and with that the two of them walked handin-hand into the mist. I felt an overwhelming sense of calmness. I was happy she chose to say good-bye, although no words were spoken. Moose and Goose similar to Amazon experience By CAITLIN MCLACHLAN Staff Writer Column The temperature is tropical as sweating bodies sway to the carnal rhythm of the beating bass. Scantily clad women float and rush past in all directions, while men slink or lumber along behind them. Some gawk openly, while others gave an admiring nod from afar. What seems like the gathering of an Amazon tribe is actually, and quite similarly, a sports club called the Moose and Goose where college students gather to let loose their inhibitions. I am thrust into the scene with nothing upon which to rely but my rusty dance skills and a valid ID. The bouncer, who may as well have been a jungle man, towers at least three feet above my dwarfed 5’5”. His older counterpart, with a white moustache, takes the cover charge with grimy hands and I am shoved inside. As I draw closer to the pit-like dance floor, the clothes on the women around me seem to shrink. Unfortunately for me, I am wearing a cotton sweater. I could already feel the constricting fibres pull tighter and tighter as sweat poured onto my temple. The crowd becomes denser as more people climb into the “pit” and all thoughts of maintaining personal space are discarded. Struggling past arms and bodies I squirm my way through the tangled sea of swaying souls, until I find myself eye to eye with the stern face of a tribal warrior. Those dark eyes follow me and anticipate my fear as his nostrils flare. Trapped between gyrating women and their partners, I blink as he turns away. The temperature is still rising, and the current of bodies threatens to suck me under. At last I escape the swarm and stumble into the women’s washroom, pulling at the cotton constrictor. If I am staying, the sweater is going. Once in a stall, I tear desperately at the tiny strings that bind it to the skimpy tank top beneath. Liberation. I emerge, a new woman. My eyes are wild from the frustrating struggle with shrunken cotton and stubborn strings. The skin on my arms and stomach is exposed and even the tattoo on my back, so carefully hidden, is there for gawking at. I hardly recognize the woman staring back at me; she seems wild and confused. There is little time to contemplate the transformation because my guides have found me and are pulling me back into the “pit.” Now the throbbing bass has my heart beating to the tune and my body moves along with the swaying mass. The temperature still makes my skin sweat, but it is no longer noticeable now that I’ve defeated the constraints of my sweater. I look up, and the jungle warrior smiles down at me. And so as the saying goes: “if you can’t beat them, join them.” news@niagara, Feb. 18, 2005, Page 11 Sex,drugs and alcohol Marijuana also called the gateway drug By JESSICA KONKLE Staff Writer Government surveys indicate that most teenagers experiment with drugs before they graduate from high school. The American National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) says most drug use is experimental and the “majority of young people get through it unharmed,” although there are those who fall into abusive patterns and eventually are out-ofcontrol users. The gateway theory suggests that marijuana use leads to the use of harder drugs such as cocaine and heroin. However, there is no credible research evidence demonstrating that using one drug causes the use of another. For example, a large survey conducted by the federal government shows that the vast majority of marijuana users do not progress to use more dangerous drugs. The NIDA Household survey calculated that for every 100 people who have tried marijuana, only one is a current cocaine user. Drew Moore, 22, of St. Anns, Ont., a second-year student in the Electrical Engineering Technician program at Niagara College’s Welland campus, says that each person has to be able to make the right decision. “Drugs can suck a person in and ruin their life and the people’s lives close to them.” Most teenagers know from their own experience and observations that smoking pot does not always, or even usually, lead to the use of harder drugs. The majority of teens who try marijuana do not use it on a regular basis. Mike Watson, 21, of St. Catharines, a second-year student in the Electrical Engineering Technician program at Niagara College’s Welland campus, says that he believes marijuana is not a gateway drug. “I know a number of people who tried and smoke marijuana. They don’t do anything else.” Cory Baranieski, 23, from St. Catharines, a third-year student in the Electronic Engineering Technology program at Niagara Great opportunities make all the difference College’s Welland campus, says the decision is that of the person. “Parents should know the importance of teaching their children about drugs. If they know facts, then maybe they will think twice before trying them.” According to the most recent Monitoring the Future survey by the Drug Policy Alliance, 53.9 per cent of high school seniors experimented with illegal drugs at some point in their lifetime, 41.4 per cent used a drug during the past year and 25.7 per cent used drugs in the past month. Des possibilités formidables font toute la différence Marijuana rolling (parsley used in picture) is illustrated, as young people roll the drug with Zigzag papers. This drug is most commonly known as the gateway drug to addiction. Photo by Pam Hallman Marijuana grow labs not only illegal but present safety hazard in homes By STEPHANIE VERRI Staff Writer Marijuana grow operations, besides being illegal, also pose a danger to neighbours. As of Feb. 4, 2005, the Statistics Canada national survey of persons charged by type of offense as a rate per 100,000 population, showed that there were 152.5 people charged for possession of drugs. A leading concern today is the numbers of grow labs being raided. Gary Jarrett, supervisor in charge of fire investigations in Brampton, Ont., says he is called out to drug busts by the Peel Regional Police. Jarrett says he has been to 26 grow labs. “Under the Ontario Fire Code, the maximum penalty per violation is $25,000, one year in jail, or both. Not being a police officer, however, I’m not aware of the Criminal Code charges.” Jarrett says the marijuana found at grow houses is taken into evidence for presentation in court and held in a secure lockup in the police evidence impound area. There are many concerns related to grow labs, specifically that of the heath and safety of those living in the grow house and the neighbours surrounding the house. “[The dangers are] dust mites, mold, mildew, carbon monoxide if appliance vents are disconnected and used to vent the grow vapour. [Also], bypassed hydrometers to conceal the grow operation may cause electrocution hazards, and altering the structure to make room for the grow operation may lead to structural issues,” says Jarrett. The dangers to your neighbours also include “the deterioration of the value of your home due to lack of maintenance.” Your college education can be your ticket to an exciting career with a difference in the Canadian Forces! Vos études collégiales pourraient vous mener à une carrière passionnante et différente dans les Forces canadiennes ! Battle of the Bands set for Feb. 25 It’s a busy week for Student Administrative Council (SAC) Inc. at Niagara College. Sex, Drugs and Alcohol Awareness Day is set for Wednesday, Feb. 23. SAC’s annual Battle of Bands is set for Friday, Feb. 25, at After Hours at the Welland campus. All bands are welcome, but bands must registrar with the SAC office at the Welland campus or the SAC office at the Glendale campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Strong. Proud. Today’s Canadian Forces. Découvrez vos forces dans les Forces canadiennes. For more information visit http://www.ncsac.ca 1 800 856-8488 www.forces.gc.ca Page 12, news@niagara, Feb. 18, 2005 Sex,drugs and alcohol Foreplay heightens sexual experience By VALERIE LITTLE Staff Writer Column It’s foreplay that heightens sexual experience, not orgasm. Having fun by awakening all the senses with your sexual partner is all that’s needed to heighten your awareness of each other’s sexual wants and needs. Take the time to get to know each other’s bodies from head to toe. Foreplay can be as simple as sensual massage. Start by massaging the temples of your partner’s head and slowly move down the body. Save highly sensitive areas for last. When you start working on those areas, watch your partner squirm with anticipation and longing. Then back off and go back to another area. This teasing will make your partner beg for your touch. Have your partner close his or her eyes as you perform the massage because it will heighten the senses on a level your partner has never reached before. Using words to express how much you love and want your partner is another form of foreplay. Talk to each other about sexual fantasies you have and what you would like to do to your partner and have done to you as if you were acting the fantasy out. Closing your eyes and picturing you and your partner acting out the scenario helps. Then, at some point in the future, you and your partner should act out these fantasies. One time you can act out one of yours and the next time, one of your partner’s. Flavoured body powders and oils can be purchased and all you need is a creative imagination to have fun with these products. Try to come up with new ideas every time to avoid boredom. Telling your partner what you want when you are in a public place can be fun. Ensure nobody else hears you and tell your partner exactly what you want to do when you are alone. Not being able to touch each other creates good sexual tension. You should know your partner’s body as well as that person knows his or her body and vice versa. Take the time to explore every inch of each other’s bodies without intercourse. Open up your minds, bodies and souls. Awaken your senses to intimacy and desire. Emotional scars of rape can last for years By KATIE VANSLACK Staff Writer Rape. It’s a horrifying assault that has been experienced for centuries, leaving lifelong scars on victims’ souls. Forty-year-old Ashley Brown, of Wainfleet, Ont., says that she became a rape victim at the vulnerable age of 14. “I was in Hamilton. It happened two blocks away from the cop shop in the middle of a school yard.” Between the months of August and October of 1979, Brown was assaulted by five men, between 16 and 18 years old. She says that although there were five of them and only she and her one girlfriend, she still fought back. “I tried to fight them. I was pinned down by three. Oh, I was kicking and fighting the whole f***ing way.” Immediately after the assault she was sent to the hospital where she met her parents. She says that she’s glad that her father never found the rapists, as he would now probably be in jail for murder. Charges were pressed, yet the rapists received probation. “They dropped it from rape to aggravated assault. It was a first offence.” Brown says that she didn’t know her rapists at the time, but later realized that all five of them grew up two blocks away from where she lived. She explains that the four recovery stages that she went through were massive shock, denial, guilt then anger, which, Brown says, is the longest. She says that she had anger from the ages of 18 to 39. “I was p*ssed off at every man who walked, talked and said hello.” During her life, Brown says that she went into an abusive relationship. “I was trying to connect sex with love, but sex isn’t love.” She explains that she was subconsciously picking bad guys to prove that there aren’t any good men out there. “I was sabotaging myself.” She asserts that women go into this pattern to prove in their minds that hating is right. They’re trying to justify the hate because they haven’t dealt with their issues yet. Brown says that she never received counselling. “I didn’t want to deal with reality, so I numbed myself with drugs and alcohol.” She suggests to anyone who has been raped that they seek help. “It’s a violation of your soul. If you don’t get help, you will wither and die inside,” Twenty-six years later, Brown feels that she has been able to move on. “I think I still have a few emotional scars. I’ve dealt with most of them. It’s a trust issue. Once you realize it’s not worth the fight anymore, you start to live.” Brown says that rape victims must realize that it is not their fault. “It has nothing to do with them. It’s not personal. Rape is about control and domination. It’s not about the sexual act itself. It’s dominating someone. Rape is not a one-time crime; it’s a lifetime crime. Once it’s done, it imprisons that victim’s mind for life.” For help within the Niagara region on dealing with a sexual assault go to http://www.niagarahealth.on.ca, or call 905-682-7271, ext 7282. This photo illustration shows the lonesome effects of a sexual assault. Photo illustration by Katie VanSlack Kama Sutra, many ways of connecting through sex By CAITLIN MCLACHLAN Staff Writer Sex is about connection. Kama Sutra is about connecting many different ways through sex. It couldn’t be simpler. The fact is, Kama Sutra is far more complex than a naughty picture book of nakedness and erotic positioning. The book Kama Sutra was written in India by Vatsyayana, a Sanskirt sutra writer, based on the books written by previous sutra writers, Nandi and Babhravaya. Sir Richard Burton translated it in 1883 with the help of F. F. Arbuthnot. “I think it’s his way of describing it [sex] as a metaphor,” says Emily Marissen, 19, a student in the Office Administration program at Niagara College’s Welland campus. The book has seven parts, with chapters related to each part. The parts include the introductory, sexual union, acquiring a wife, about a wife, about other people’s wives, courtesans and how to attract others. Before a man or woman can get down to doing “the nasty,” they must first be skilled in what are known as the Sixty-Four Arts. These arts can be generalized as social skills, homemaking skills and literacy. “A woman versed in the above arts obtains the name of Ganika [public woman of high quality], ... while a man also versed in the arts gains very soon the hearts of women,” writes Vatsyayana. Once each has learned the skills, they move on to learning methods of sexual union. This includes proper and improper couplings based on proportions of sexual organs, force of desire or passion and time. “I think once you’re married, you can do whatever makes you feel good,” says Marissen, “[It] sounds like fun. I haven’t done it or anything, but sure, why not?” Vatsyayana classifies men and women according to their likeness to animals. Men are divided into three classes according to the size of their penis. There is a hare man, a bull man and a horseman. Likewise, women are compared to a female deer, a mare or a female elephant depending on the depth of their vagina. Vatsyayana then goes on to write about nine kinds of union, of which equal ones are the best. Equal unions are between the hare and deer, the bull and mare and the horse and elephant. There are also nine combinations of three degrees of carnal desire. The degrees are small, middling and intense. “I’m open to just about anything,” says T.J Surette, 21. He is a student in the Motive Power Technician – Automotive (Co-op) program at the Welland campus Skill Centre. Surette says that he “couldn’t care less” about Kama Sutra, but he believes that it “shouldn’t matter who you are; anyone could news@niagara is back Friday, March 18 practice it.” Vatsyayana also writes that there are three kinds of men and women: short timed, moderate timed and long timed. This is the length of time with which they can endure their lover’s embrace. Essentially, an aged Indian sage who spent a lot of time contemplating sex wrote the book as an instruction manual. Dome Moraes, who re-wrote Burton’s translation of the Kama Sutra, says, though Vatsyayana describes the obvious, it is “essentially an escapist book.” “I think finally the best reason for reading the Kama Sutra today is for this sensuous, dreamlike evocation of a corrupt paradise.” news@niagara, Feb. 18, 2005, Page 13 Sex, drugs and alcohol New law deterrent to impaired driving By STEPHANIE VERRI Staff Writer Every year, Statistics Canada conducts a national survey on drinking and driving on behalf of Health and Welfare Canada. As of Feb. 4, 2005 the national survey for persons charged by type of offence as a rate per 100,000 population, showed that the number charged for drinking and driving was 170.3. According to Statistics Canada, since the peak in 1981, the rate of people charged with drinking and driving had dropped 64 per cent by 2002. The drop is connected to the legislation passed by Parliament in 2000 increasing the maximum penalties for conviction to imprisonment for life for people convicted of drinking and driving causing death. Gary Jarrett, supervisor in charge of fire investigations in Brampton, Ont., says the department, Brampton Fire and Emergency Services, is called to motor vehicle collisions to provide medical assistance to the victims and to extricate the victims using the Jaws of Life, if required. “In 2004, we responded to 120 vehicle accidents.” In 2003, Jarrett says the service responded to 135 accidents related to impaired driving. Most of the victims or drivers involved in impaired driving range in age from 16 years and up. “As a front-line response organization, [we know that] driving day-to-day is difficult. Compound the problem by consuming alcohol and then trying to drive has in the past been proven to be fatal,” says Jarrett. “We have all seen vehicles after someone has been in an accident after consuming alcohol. If that’s not a deterrent, then spending time in prison may be.” Impaired driver learns ‘valuable lesson’ By ALLISON SMITH Staff Writer For Alisa*, having drinks with friends on New Year’s Eve 2004 turned into a nightmare when she was caught driving with a blood alcohol concentration over the legal limit. This is her story, told in an e-mail interview. The name has been changed to protect the identity of the person involved. “I was out with some friends on New Year’s Eve at a local bar, and we had a few drinks. When I left the bar, I was not feeling drunk, so I felt it was okay to drive. “I was pulled over by R.I.D.E. [Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere program] at one of the places they were set up that night. I was asked for my licence, ownership and insurance. I gave them willingly and as promptly as possible. I was then asked to step out of the car and I did so, after which time I was asked to follow the police officer across the road to a van that was equipped with a Breathalyzer. He explained how it worked and exactly what I needed to do. “After I blew into the Breathalyzer, the officer showed me the letter P on the screen, indicating I had failed the Breathalyzer. He then started reading me my rights, led me to the cruiser that was waiting nearby and handcuffed me before putting me in the back of the cruiser. “Once we arrived at the station, the handcuffs were removed. I was then asked to take my coat off, take my shoes off, empty my pockets and remove my belt. After that was over, I was led to a holding cell. Inside the holding cell are a cement bed, a toilet and a water fountain for drinking. The doors have Plexiglas on them and when you go pee, officers walking by can see you.” She says that while she was in jail, she kept telling herself how “stupid I was and how I could have hurt someone. I was really scared, too. It was the scariest experience of my life. The entire time, I was trying to make the best out of a bad situation by speaking as nicely and [as] politely as possible to the police.” Unless you carry a Breathalyser in your pocket, it can be difficult to tell if you are able to drive legally with the amount of alcohol you have in your bloodstream. Symptoms of impairment may not be obvious. Alcohol has a tendency to cause people to make irrational decisions. In people who have not developed a tolerance to alcohol, having 50 milligrams of alcohol in their bloodstream can cause their judgment to be impaired, states the Rotary Club of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s website, http://www.daap.ca. “I am not exactly sure how much over the legal limit I was, but I know I was only slightly over. The police told me the legal limit is 80 [milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood] and anything in between 80 and 89 they have the choice to charge you or not and to suspend your licence for 12 hours or one year. I honestly thought I was not going to blow over the legal limit.” “A person whose blood alcohol content is over the legal limit could be convicted even if the person didn’t act drunk or seem to be impaired. The punishment for this criminal offence is the same as the punishment for driving while impaired,” states the Department of Justice Canada’s website, http://canada.justice.gc.ca. “If you are not sure if you are over the legal limit, it is safer to call a cab and come back the next day to get your car. The old saying, ‘It is better to be safe than sorry’ comes into play in this type of situation,” says Alisa*. “In Canada, the legal blood alcohol limit is .08 BAC (Blood Alcohol Content). In other words, if the concentration in a person’s blood exceeds 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 milligrams of blood, the person is legally impaired,” states the University of Manitoba’s website, http://www.umanitoba.ca. “I think that the legal limit is definitely reasonable, and if you stay within the legal limit, you can still have a couple of drinks with your friends throughout the night while maintaining a quicker reaction time, obeying the law and This photo illustration depicts the possible consequences of driving while impaired. Photo Illustration by Ashley Campbell not becoming a danger to yourself drink and drive. I suggest that you licence for a year, then you can’t and others,” says Alisa*. do as you are told [or] asked. Do get to your job or anywhere else When asked how she came to the not refuse to take a Breathalyser. and your insurance will be affected decision to drive after drinking, she Do not resist arrest. Do not act like by your sheer lack of judgment.” says, “I obviously was not thinking an a** and do not treat the police She says her feelings after the at all ... if I was, I would not have like they are doing something situation was resolved were that [driven] after drinking.” wrong. You are the one that broke she was “very relieved” she had Asked what she did to keep the the law ... they are just doing received a 12-hour suspension of situation between her and the their job.” her licence and not something police calm, she replies, “I was She was in a holding cell for 20 “more serious.” calm. I did what I was told, minutes, “the time they make you “I think it taught me a valuable answered all of the questions that wait until you have to blow into lesson about life ... and I will were asked of me, didn’t resist the machine at the station. They let definitely not drink and drive like arrest overall and was trying to me go because they decided not to that ever again. If I am drinking, I make the police know that I knew I charge me or fine me. They did, will choose not to drive. had broken the law and understood however, suspend my licence for I will call a cab, a friend or a they were just doing their job.” 12 hours.” family member to come pick me Her advice for drivers dealing She says she learned that up and have someone bring me with police under similar “driving after drinking is incredi- back to my car the next day. I circumstances is to “not drive after bly stupid and it can cost you a lot would definitely do my best to you have been drinking, but since more than just a licence suspen- stop someone else from drinking we do not live in a perfect world, I sion, because if your car gets and driving. [I would] take know there will always be impounded, then you have to pay a their keys, call a cab for them, individuals that will choose to fee to get it back. If you lose your whatever is necessary.” Page 14, news@niagara, Feb. 18, 2005 news@niagara, Jan. 18, 2005, Page 15 Page 16, news@niagara, Feb. 18, 2005 Sex,drugs and alcohol American Whiskey – a.k.a. Bourbon Making friends, influencing people since 1789 By MATTHEW RUSSO Staff Writer This article is the third installment in a five-part series exploring and explaining the history and the mystery of the wonderful world of whiskey. Some purists say bourbon isn’t real whiskey, but, like it or not, the American-made cornbased product uses a similar distillation process as Scotch, Irish or Canadian rye whiskies, and deserves the same moniker. Bourbon received its strange name from the county it was originally made in — Bourbon County, Ky. In 1789 in Georgetown, Ky., a Baptist minister named Elijah Craig, established a still and began producing whiskey from a base of corn. As with all whiskie,s the rules governing the distillation process are strict and must be labeled as such. For example, at least 51 per cent, with a maximum of 80 per cent, of the grain used in the making of whiskey must be corn. Bourbon must be aged for a minimum of two years in new, white oak barrels that have been charred on the inside. “The charring of the inside of the oak barrel accelerates the colouring of the whiskey and lends a subtle sweetness and a faint vanilla flavour, which is found about a half an inch into the wood of the barrel. Adding a dash of Galliano or Bols Vanilla liqueur to two ounces of bourbon on the rocks helps to release that vanilla and offers the drinker an incredibly smooth finish,” says Dean Serneels, master bartender and founder of Flairco, and a devout bourbon fan. The St. Catharines-based Flairco Bartending Institute “educates consumers and trains modern bartenders to entertain their guests with skill, knowledge and flair,” says Matt Jones, Flairco’s director of training and special events. The real story of bourbon is in the men who created it and how they survived the American Prohibition. Colonel James Beauregard Beam, or as we know him today Jim Beam, was a fourth generation Kentucky distiller. At the age of 18 Jim joined the family business and a few years later built The Beam and Hart Distillery, makers of the famous Old Tub whiskey. The distillery was closed during Prohibition and didn’t reopen until Beam was 70 years old. The descendants of Beam have made whiskey in over a dozen different Kentucky distilleries, including the ones that carry Beam’s name today. Elijah Craig, made famous as the creator of bourbon, is also famous for being fined $140 on Sept. 26, 1798, for making whiskey without a license along with 177 of his neighbours. Jasper Newton ‘Jack’ Daniels (1846) was introduced to whiskey making as a young boy by a farmer named Dan Call. He bought Call’s still as a teenager and moved it to Cave Spring, Continued on Page 17 Squeeze the orange peel firmly over a lit match. See Page 17 for the result of this garnish technique. Photo by Matthew Russo IT’S NOT ABOUT BEING DIFFERENT… IT’S ABOUT MAKING A DIFFERENCE. Making a difference: it’s your core value. Are you someone who’s an inspiring leader, an innovative thinker and who’s involved in his or her community? Someone who wants to make the world a better place for all the right reasons? And someone who, through it all, manages to get good grades? If so, you could be on your way to an award worth $4,000 to $10,000. If you’re in your first year of a diploma or certificate program, OR second year of a bachelor degree program, find out more about the award at www.awardforexcellence.ca COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT LEADERSHIP INNOVATION ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT www.awardforexcellence.ca news@niagara, Feb. 18, 2005, Page 17 Sex,drugs and alcohol Alcoholics Anonymous can help society By JANINE WESTERA Staff Writer Alcohol can destroy lives, but there is a program that can help save them. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) was begun in 1935 by Dr. Robert Holebrook Smith. Smith’s alcoholism progressed steadily throughout his life; however, he was still able to function and was an active member in the community. When he was in his early 30s, Smith attended meetings with the Oxford Group. The Oxford Group’s biblical roots, beliefs and practises had an influence on the early works of AA. In May 1935, Smith met with another alcoholic, Bill Wilson, a meeting that led him to a permanent sobriety and the formation of AA. “The whole purpose of AA was one alcoholic identified with another alcoholic and started a process for change,” say a male AA member. “Without AA, thousands of people would die or go to jail or institutions,” says a female member of AA. There are four types of AA meetings: open speaker, closed speaker, open discussion and closed discussion. An open meeting, be it speaker or discussion, is for anyone wanting to attend an AA meeting. A closed meeting is for those who have admitted they are alcoholic and believe they may have a problem with alcohol. News reporters are unable to attend closed meetings. A closed discussion is for people who have admitted they are alcoholics and have begun the recovering process. An AA meeting commences with a moment of silence and then the members recite the serenity prayer: “God give me the serenity to accept things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.” Alcoholism is a progressive illness that can never be cured. Some AA members believe the illness represents a physical sensitivity and mental obsession with alcohol that will lead a person to alcoholism. “It’s the most destroying disease because it affects you physically, mentally and emotionally, “ says another female AA member. Most members of AA say they didn’t know they were alcoholics until they went to a meeting and talked with other alcoholics. During early sobriety, new members of AA will receive chips to mark as early as one-day sobriety, and up to nine months. On your one-year anniversary, as well as following years, the group that you’re a member of will hold a celebratory meeting where you receive recognition for your hard work. “It’s one thing to stay sober for three months, but it’s another thing to stay sober 30 years,” says another male member. AA is a program that allows people to begin a new way of life without alcohol. It has been working successfully for hundreds of thousands of men and women. “Most AA meetings are held in church basements, and there is no fee to join,” says a female member. Meetings happen all over the Niagara region and range from 10 to 17 meetings every day. AA is not a religion-based program; it is a spiritual program that speaks of a higher power that can help an individual who is searching for an inner strength. AA uses the 12 steps program to aid an individual to a path of sobriety. For more information about AA, call 905-685-7426. Bourbon still lives Continued from page 16 near Lynchburg, Tenn. Daniels understood that if his customers remembered him they would also remember his whiskey. To ensure his fame he cultivated a distinctive image for himself. He always wore a knee-length frock coat and a planter’s hat, and grew an elaborate moustache and goatee. Daniels being the most famous of the American whiskey men, his home and distillery in Lynchburg, Tenn., have been preserved in his honour and tours and tastings are available to all bourbon lovers. Famous and fabulous bourbon drinks include: Manhattan — one and a half ounces of bourbon, three-quarters of an ounce of sweet (red) vermouth, one dash of Angostura bitters and garnish with a maraschino cherry. Stir the ingredients together in a mixing glass over ice and strain into the cocktail glass. Lynchburg Lemonade — one and a half ounces of bourbon, three-quarters of an ounce of freshly squeezed lemon juice, with bitter lemon to top. Garnish with an orange slice. Build ingredients over ice in a Collins glass. Stir before serving. Godfather — one and three-quarter ounces of bourbon and three-quarters of an ounce of amaretto. No garnish. Build the ingredients over ice in a rocks glass and serve with a stirrer. Recipes taken from Peter Bohrmann’s The Bartender’s Guide. For more information on bourbon visit the websites of any of the distilleries or simply type bourbon into your search engine and get ready for a wealth of history about and admiration of the American legend that is bourbon. Welland Transit THE WELLAND ST. CATHARINES CONNECTION We’re back March 18 Spring Fever Savings! Italian Charms & Bracelets • Authentic • Great Selection • Hot Diamond • Elle Fashions • Body Jewellery We also carry: • Creed • Manual Zed • Dolce Oro BROTHERS’ JEWELLERS J EST. 1991 7:15 7:40* † 8:05 8:15 8:40* 9:00 12:30 12:40 1:05* 1:25 1:30 1:40 2:05 2:25 4:30 4:40 5:05* † 5:25 5:30 5:40 6:10* 6:30 8:30 8:40 9:10* 9:25 9:30 9:40 10:10* 10:25 6:15 AM Times 6:15 PM Times (OUT OF TOWN INFORMATION) * Connections with Niagara Transit † Connections with Niagara College Glendale Campus HANDI-TRANS INFORMATION & BOOKINGS 905-732-4181 COACH CANADA 1-800-461-7661 8:00 Operates Monday-Thursday only (Labour Day - April 30) BUS TERMINAL TRANS-CAB BOOKINGS 905-788-0646 ARRIVES NIAGARA COLLEGE 7:05 GENERAL INFORMATION 905-732-6844 905-732-2499 New Spring Collection now in! ARRIVES NIAGARA COLLEGE WELLAND TRANSIT PHONE NUMBERS LEAVE DOWNTOWN TERMINAL Matt Jones ignites the zest from the orange. Doing this accentuates the smoky flavour of the bourbon and adds a hint of orange to the cocktail. Photo by Matthew Russo ARRIVE/DEPART BROCK UNIVERSITY Operates Monday - Friday From Welland to Brock University for connections to... St. Catharines | Thorold | Toronto FARES Cash: $3.00/ride Brock/Niagara pass (10 Punch): $25.00 Semester Pass (4 Months): $260.00 transfer fee included Transfer Fee: $1.00 beyond Brock Semester Pass (4 Months): $260.00 † FREE to all full-time Brock Students with current student photo I.D. (Labor Day to April 30) The Family Store You Can Trust, Even After The Sale Seaway Mall, Niagara St.,Welland • 905-788-9634 WWW.CITY.WELLAND.ON.CA Page 18, news@niagara, Feb. 18, 2005 Sex,drugs and alcohol Is AA for you? Is AA for you? asks 12 questions to determine if you could be an alcoholic. 1. Have you ever decided to stop drinking for a week or so, but only lasted for a couple days? 2. Do you wish people would mind their own business about your drinking and stop telling you what to do? 3. Have you ever switched from one kind of drink to another in the hope that this would keep you from getting drunk? 4. Have you had an eye-opener upon awakening during the past year? 5. Do you envy people who can drink without getting into trouble? 6. Have you had problems connected with drinking during the past year? 7. Has your drinking caused trouble at home? 8. Do you ever try to get “extra” drinks at a party because you do not get enough? 9. Do you tell yourself you can stop drinking any time you want to, even though you keep getting drunk when you don’t mean to? 10. Have you missed days of work or school because of drinking? 11. Do you have “blackouts”? 12. Have you ever felt that you life would be better if you did not drink? AA members choose to remain anonymous to protect their reputation and their careers. Photo by Janine Westera Invisible caregivers part of Canada’s hidden population Continued from page 2 Young carers act as the adult of the family. They cook, clean house, run errands and do banking, and some provide physical care for the relatives, which can include bathing, dressing, helping with mobility and sometimes administering medication. In families new to Canada, carers act as translators, helping their parents understand the many complications and complex situations of the health-care and immigration systems. Because of their continuous efforts to help their family members by taking on adult responsibilities, carers often put their schooling and own social life aside. Through its lead agency, the Alzheimer Society of Niagara Region, the YCIN received a $133,500 grant over two years from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Some of the grant money is being used to conduct a survey titled Hear Me Now. The survey is designed to gain an insight into the needs of young carers, as well as their experiences as a caregiver. It will target young carers from ages eight to 18. “The Hear Me Now survey is in the final stage of development. It will soon be presented to the Brock University Ethics Committee for approval,” says Baago. “It will be distributed as soon as the Brock Committee approves it, hopefully by the end of March 2005.” Continued on page 22 Land a summer job that can make a real difference to your future. Apply for Summer Company, and learn what it’s like to be your own boss. It’s an Ontario government program for full-time students under age 29 who want to start a summer business. Receive up to $3000 to jump start your idea - and just as important - benefit from mentoring and crucial hands-on support. Click www.ontariocanada.com/summercompany or call 1-800-387-5656 today, and see where it takes you. news@niagara, Feb. 18, 2005, Page 19 Sex,drugs and alcohol ‘Furries’ more common than you thought Graphic By Siead; Base By www.bunnystick.com perhaps ears and a tail. fan, a person who is a fan of anthro the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles The common anthro is usually or furry cartoons and characters. and even Big Bird from Sesame an upright-walking animal, Furry cartoons are not as uncom- Street can be described as occasionally with hands instead mon as you think. anthro-furries of varying degrees. of paws. Characters like Mickey Mouse, Nyssa, from Canada, is an Many people consider their online role-playing character. furries to be personal characShe says that role-playing as a ters, representing aspects of fur “looked like fun” and she themselves that they perhaps finds it a “nice change of pace” cannot show in the real world. sometimes. Others simply enjoy drawing Nyssa also engages as a furry or writing about a particular in the real world, though she has character and have no deeper never gone to a convention. connection than that. Birds and reptiles are consid“Think about it,” says ered furries as well, since the Knight Shayde, a wolf furry term means any animal, not just from the United States. “It is a a mammal. Some people make better way than reality, it furs from insects and fish. The being such a rat race. type of Being a beastly creature with animal doesn’t matter to many. no mankind thoughts or worries Whether they like a fur or not is a release of things.” depends on their attitude. Shade says he is spiritually If you want to enter the world connected to wolves, a common of online role-playing, there are thought throughout the fur several furs that gather in usercommunity between people and created rooms in Yahoo Chat their preferred furs. Character animals can be (http://www.yahoo.com). “An elder tribal Pawnee once realistic, such as bear or cats, or Bankero, from the United said I have the spirit of the wolf mythological creatures, such as drag- States, is an anthro, a Native in me,” he says. American wolf. ons, minotaurs or griffins. Furry can also define a furHe has been a furry for a few Graphic By Siead; Base By www.bunnystick.com By ALICIA ANN JANSEN Staff Writer Furry conventions, although more common in the United States, are available in Canada for furry fans. Here are three large conventions happening in 2005 in Canada. C-ACE June 3 to June 5, in Ottawa, Ont., C-ACE runs in the Best Western Victoria Suites Hotel. It will have the usual convention activities, such as artists and dealers selling various merchandise, as well as contests, parties and a chocolate social. The art and dealers’ room is limited admission, however, to ages 14 and up, because of some of the content. Pre-registration runs until March 4 at $35 each and afterwards it is $40 at the door. Furries of all shapes and species gather at furry conventions to display artwork, show off their costumes and socialize within the community. For more details, go to C-ACE’s website at http://www.c-ace.org/. Feral! Feral! is held annually in Camp Arowhon, within Algonquin Park, Ont. This year it will run from Saturday, Aug. 27, to the following Wednesday. Many games, comedy sketches, water-gun fights, and workshops, such as ear and collarmaking, occur throughout the five-day camp. The most popular game is predator/prey, where they pit the wolves against the rabbits and everyone against natural elements and disease. The cost to attend varies depending on how far in advance you pay. Until July 15, the price is $275; after that it is $295. Also, specialty items can be bought for an additional price, such as special meals or camp merchandise. Registration is at http://www.campferal.com. Howloween On the night of Friday, Oct. 29, in Coquitlam, B.C., furries in the western areas of Canada and the U.S. gather and celebrate the holiday with a convention of artwork. It begins at 11 a.m. on Oct. 29 and ends at 1 a.m. the following Sunday. It will offer costuming and performing along with artwork and dealing. Since it is near Halloween, it provides a chance to go public in fur-suits. Online registration costs vary between $20 and $40 depending on when you register and if you wish additional items such as a Tshirt. For more information, visit http://www.howloween.org. Creating fursuits easy, fun Make mascot creatures or personal creations By ALICIA ANN JANSEN Staff Writer Graphic By Siead; Base By www.bunnystick.com 2005 furry conventions months but prefers to chat with people who are well formed in their characters. James, a man from Greece who plays as a husky, says he hung around in furry chats for a while just “idling” [not typing] until he decided to try it. “I like furries because I figured I am getting more adult and explicit RP [role-play] with a furry character than with a human one,” says James. Yes, it is true that people enjoy gathering, online or in real life, pretending to be animals and “yiffing,” or engaging in sexual activities. Considered by many to be perverted, furries generally do not understand why people have such a negative attitude towards their behaviour. “It is such an experience communicating through body language and little grunts and growls and murring. Words can’t express what is felt with emanated sounds and movement like an animal,” says Shade. “It’s an escape.” Fursuits are often made as an animal with which the wearer identifies, but sometimes the person will choose a fursuit just for the fun of it and to try something different. Hours spent on the floor, surrounded in fake fur and foam sheets, but finally, the masterpiece is complete! A full-body fursuit! The body of a fursuit is often taken from a Halloween costume pattern, though it can be built from scratch. With some tailoring and customization, it looks less like baggy clothes and more like flesh. Some people make them into bodysuits, while others make them large and use carved foam to create the effect of bulging muscles. Soft, flexible foam creates the muscle texture and still allows for freedom of movement. Soft foams can be carved and shaped with scissors. To begin, make a bodysuit in a plain fabric, and then build foam and fur on top of that frame to make sure one can still comfortably move. On http://www.truewolf.com/ there are good examples of several stages in the creation of a werewolf suit. It became a well-designed, poseable and detailed suit. The heads for a furry costume are generally carved from a large block of foam. The only disadvantage is that if you make a mistake, it gets smaller and smaller until you cannot wear it. Depending on the density, carving foam can be hard. Usually the more dense the foam, the longer it will last. Using scissors is difficult and opting for a saw or carving knife works better. Some designers choose to make a wire frame and cover it with fabric, though it tends to look less realistic without the solid details that can be made with foam. Wire can also be combined with foam to make hinged jaws for a headpiece that allows the wearer to “talk.” Fake fur is then sliced into coloured bands, based on animal type, and placed on the frame. See-through fabric is coloured to look like the eyes and create a place to see out of the mask. Fake fur can be purchased from many stores, but it is good to check the pile, or length of the fur, to see how well seams can be hidden. Generally, the longer the pile, the less likely a seam will be visible. Also, shaving the pile where you plan to stitch it can help prevent fur from being caught in the stitching and making the seams more obvious. http://www.nicodemus.org/fur suit/ contains links to other fursuit sites and a wide array of information for beginners, as well as the opportunity to buy a book, written by the site-owner, Nicodemus. Some places also offer to build a suit for you for a fee. Sites like this include http://www.timberwolf.org/ hosted by a fur named Brokken or http://lacy.timduru.org/fursuiting. html hosted by Lacy. Graphic By Siead; Base By www.bunnystick.com By ALICIA ANN JANSEN Staff Writer Perhaps you have seen that episode of CSI Vegas, in which a guy in a raccoon suit is killed. Did you wonder whether groups of people who dress in animal costumes and engage in fur piles really exist? Well, they do. Known under the broad term “furries,” these groups exist everywhere, including Ontario. Kahn, a male anthro tiger from Ontario, has been involved in furries since he was quite young. “As a teenager I was always curious about different sexualities and eventually that led to studying furries,” he says. He found the idea of being able to tap into the primal side “intriguing” and decided to try it out through online role-playing. A “furry” can be defined as many different things. An anthromorphic, or anthro-furry, is an animal given human attributes. This can vary from an animal with the ability to speak to having no animal resemblance except Large masks are worn as a way to change the identity of a furry, either to help the furry adapt to a persona or because the person is more comfortable in costume. Page 20, news@niagara, Feb. 18, 2005 Entertainment Canadian Idol begins cross-country tour By CHELSEY SPINOSA Staff Writer Canadian Idol makes dreams come true. That statement is true for at least one Canadian man. Kalan Porter, 19, of Medicine Hat, Alta., was crowned Canadian Idol last year and since then his life has changed. His debut album, 219 Days, is climbing the Canadian charts, and on Feb. 3 he embarked on his first cross-Canada tour. Porter says he has been into music since he was five or six years old, playing the violin, piano and guitar. “At that age it was definitely kind of pushing me and it wasn’t until I was maybe 13 that it really became my own thing,” Knowing he wanted a career in music, he says he was not sure if it was going to be in classical music or another genre, but he always wanted to pursue that path. “Last year I was taking part-time commerce and part-time music and wasn’t really liking the commerce thing at all, so I was going to take five or 10 years and give music a shot. However, it worked out a little faster.” He says he has “a lot” of musical influences that include anything from classical, to rock, and country. Asked how he went about choosing songs to perform on the show, Porter says, “I wanted to do something different on the show, and I think the music that I eventually want to do has a little bit more of a rock edge to it, but still keeping the pop melody and that kind of thing. So that’s how I went about choosing songs for the show.” Thousands of individuals auditioned for the second season of Canadian Idol, all for their own reasons. Porter says he decided to audition because he knows how hard it is to jump-start a career in this industry: “It’s so hard to get your foot in the door. You need to take every opportunity that’s out there.” Kalan Porter holds his electric violin that he plays throughout the show. Photo by Chelsey Spinosa “At the same time my parents really encouraged me to do it too because they thought the exact same way, so they were very encouraging and wanted me to get into it.” The 19-year-old says he “definitely” thinks he will have a lot to prove coming out of a show like Canadian Idol, adding he hopes people will give him the chance to prove himself and earn credibility over time. “I wasn’t sure if the whole Canadian Idol thing was for me at first, but I just thought you have to take every opportunity that’s out there, and so that’s exactly what I did.” Porter’s album, 219 Days, debuting at No. 4 in Canada, allowed him the chance to do some writing, which he says, “was huge for me.” Asked what his favourite song on the album is, the Alberta native says After All because he got to write it and it’s meaningful to him. “The story behind the song actually is I was sitting at home one day watching the news and there was all the stuff with the war in Iraq and all the chaos and stuff that’s going on in the world and at the exact same time it just happened that a complete stranger in downtown Toronto had found my wallet and was returning it for me. So it was kind of one of those hair on the back of your neck moments, just because amidst all the evil and chaos in the world, there really is good here after all.” His first single of the album is titled Single. He says he chose this song because he wanted to do something a little more rock and little more him, adding, “I felt it’s something that surprises people.” Another track on the album that draws attention is the remake of the Phil Collins hit True Colours, a duet with Theresa Sokyrka, the Canadian Idol runner-up. Porter says it was his choice to put this song on the album. “I just wanted to include Theresa because she had been there until the very end with me and she was a part of it, so I wanted to include her on the album and the song just had such an emotional connection between us and with the people watching it that I wanted to include it.” He says he has stayed in touch with “pretty much everyone” from the show although it’s been hard with all of their busy schedules. Porter kicked off his Canada-wide tour on Feb. 3 and says the fans can “expect some songs from Canadian Idol, stuff from the album and some new stuff too.” “I am going to be playing a lot of electric violin and that kind of thing. Hopefully, there’s something for everyone, some rock and some ballads.” Asked how he feels knowing that almost all of the concerts he is playing are sold out, Porter says, “It’s pretty cool because it’s one thing for people to turn on their TV and watch you, but it’s a whole other thing to have them reach into their pockets and want to come out and see you. It also puts a lot of pressure and is definitely nerve-wracking, but I’m looking forward to it and I look forward to giving back to all the people who have supported me.” The Canadian Idol says he has had “the odd fan” follow him home, a situation that was “pretty strange,” but mostly people are “really cool and I think it’s a Canadian thing. People are very polite and they just come up and say congratulations, then head on their way.” Porter says if this all ended tomorrow he could look back with no regrets. Kalan Porter performs to a sold out crowd at the O’Sullivan Theatre at Brock University in St. Catharines. Photo by Chelsey Spinosa “Whatever happens in the next five His advice to the new contestants on years or so, I just have to be really thank- Canadian Idol is to “just go for it. “Take this opportunity that’s out there and ful that I was given the opportunity because so many artists and musicians make the best of it, and that’s kind of what never get the shot. I’m just going to take I’ve done or tried to do, and I just encourage this opportunity and run with it and make other people who are out there to take this opportunity and really see what happens.” the best of it.” Kalan Porter and his bandmates played a 75-minute set. Photo by Chelsey Spinosa news@niagara, Feb. 18, 2005, Page 21 Entertainment Movie like 33 rpm record played at 72 rpms By BEVERLEY J. KNIGHT Staff Writer Video/DVD Review Living in peace and harmony, these people live in a gentle world. Deep in the Kalahari Desert where no rain falls for nine months, the African Bushmen have survived for 20,000 years. The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980) stars N!xau, an actual bushman, and his family, who have no contact with the outside world, until a Coke bottle is thrown from an airplane. Not knowing what this strange object is, they assume it’s a gift from the gods. They find different uses for the newfound item, from curing snakeskin to making music, but soon unfamiliar feelings of anger, jealousy, hate and violence surface. N!xau throws it back to whence it came, but the gods won’t take it back. He buries what he calls “the evil thing,” but the smell of blood prompts a hyena to dig it up and violence erupts once again. “I will take it to the end of the earth and throw it off,” says N!xau and sets out the next morning on his long journey. Along the way, he encounters a curious baboon that snatches the bottle. To the primate, N!xau says, “It is a very evil thing. It will bring grief to you and your family.” With what appears to be an understanding of the bushmen’s words, the primate drops the bottle as the little bushmen says, “You have done a wise thing.” He runs into the white man. Thinking they’re gods, he tries to return the bottle but they are rude and tell him they don’t want it. N!xau gets hungry and spots some strange animals grazing. He shoots a goat but a boy watching over the animals says something to him that he can’t comprehend. When the boy leaves on a strange contraption, N!xau thinks he’s going to get his family to join in the feast so he starts a fire, but when the Super Bowl had students split on picks By KEVIN MCNAUGHTON Staff Writer According to www.playfootball.com, nine of the 10 mostwatched television programs of all time are Super Bowls. Jacksonville, Fla., played host to Super Bowl XXXIX, where the New England Patriots finished their Super Bowl Dynasty with a 24-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. Sean Bell, a Computer Engineering Technician program student at Niagara College, said the game on Feb. 6 was “very entertaining.” “It was nice and close,” said the 23-year-old, adding, “I noticed, without hockey, football is the only sport on TV that’s entertaining.” Bell said he “loves” New England’s quarterback, Tom Brady, and thinks he was “earning his money” during the game. Another reason Brady was a star during the game, Bell said, is because he was the “underdog” going into the game. “McNabb [the Eagles’ quarterback] is a known name. For Brady to play calm and relaxed against him shows he is a clutch performer,” said Bell. Second-year Broadcasting – Radio, Television and Film (BRTF) program student Devin Walters said he was not surprised about the outcome of the game because “New England wins every Super Bowl,” although he would have liked the Eagles to win. Walters said he thinks Terrell Owens, a wide receiver for the Eagles, lived up to all the hype he was getting from the media before the game. Owens was questionable for the lineup when he severely damaged his ankle, underwent surgery and then played most of the Super Bowl game. “He made a lot of big plays and kept the team fired up,” Walters said. William Mazachowaky, 20, a BRTF program student, said although he has no favourite team, he was cheering for Philadelphia. “All I can say is as long as they made it to the end of the playoffs, they are a good team,” said the St. Catharines resident. Some people, such as Nathalie Haj-Ahmed, a student in Niagara College’s Social Service Worker program, were unable to watch the game. “I was working,” said the 23-year-old, although she said she’s not sure if she would have watched the game if she home. “It takes too long. You have to wait 30 minutes for a surprising moment,” said Haj-Ahmed explaining why she doesn’t watch football. “The Super Bowl is over-exaggerated,” she said, adding, “People should be watching more important stuff, like the news.” boy returns with the police, the animal is seized and he is promptly arrested and sentenced to three months in jail. A mechanic who also serves as interpreter at the trial (Michael Thys) and a zoologist (Marius Weyers) convince the authorities to release N!xau into their custody, where he will serve out the rest of his sentence. It’s during this time N!xau gets a real taste of the civilized world. A terrorist group headed by Sam Boga (Louw Wervey) takes a teacher (Sandra Prinsloo) and the school children hostage. N!xau assists in the rescue by tranquilizing the terrorists and all turns out well. His 11 weeks are up and he bids adieu to his newfound friends, heading in the direction of the evil thing to complete his mission that took him away from his humble abode. He finds what he thinks is the end of the world, throws the bottle away and returns to his family with strange tales of the white man. N!xau’s undeniable innocence of our world and his comic adventures and antics will keep you laughing throughout the entire movie. Expect to laugh when N!xau picks up a rifle he sees leaning against a tree. While he waves it around, the owner is standing with his hands up. As the bushman continues to wave the gun around, the man runs away in fear. N!xau, thinking something is horribly wrong, runs too, but soon realizes there’s no need to. He’s confused as to why the man is running, then realizes he’s holding the evil thing. The movie is like a 33 rpm (rotations per minute) record being played at 78 rpms. This 109-minute feature is terrific, not only for today’s youth but all mankind. It shows people can and do actually live in peace. Our world is full of hate, greed and violence, yet we’re civilized? Fabolous hit St. Kitts on quick Canadian tour By JANINE WESTERA Staff Writer The words, “We want Fab. We want Fab,” echoed throughout the hall. Fabolous hit the stage at the CAW Banquet Hall in St. Catharines on Feb. 5. The doors opened at 7 p.m. to the all-ages event. “It was part of a quick Canadian tour that started in Toronto, then St. Catharines and then Kingston,” says Jennifer Densteadt, 22, of Toronto. Densteadt was the publicist for the event. Errol St. Clair, 32, of St. Catharines, says he was working with another promoter from Toronto to make the Niagara region a better urban market. St. Clair is a promoter with the nxtup entertainment group (NEG). Wild 101.1 FM and NEG were the sponsors for the Fabolous concert. “Hip-hop is hot right now and people are looking for something new,” says Densteadt. Fabolous is a Brooklyn rapper whose latest single Breathe has been the number 1 most-played video and most-requested clip on the BET 106 and Park countdown. With an audience of more than 1,500 people chanting his name, Fabolous entered the stage after a slight delay. The crowd became “rowdy” when Fabolous appeared on stage about 45 minutes late. The “boo’s” quickly turned into cheers as the entertainer began his first song. Fabolous, whose real name is John Jackson, is 23 years old and was raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., in the Brevoort Projects. He is single and owns a house in Los Angeles, Calif. Page 22, news@niagara, Feb. 18, 2005 Entertainment Artist gains insight through pain By AZRA MOMIN Staff Writer The dancers look selfabsorbed, content and oblivious to pain. Yet pain is the reason they exist. Hillie Bakker, an artist for almost three decades, found a new direction and consequently a new hope as a direct result of pain. Ill and depressed from a serious head injury a year and half ago, Bakker found that her life was no longer as she had known it to be. A successful wool and fabric artist running a prominent wool farm, she discovered that the accident had forced upon her more challenges than just the resulting physical and psychological trauma. “I had slipped into deep depression,” she says. “Then I got some crayons, and I started doodling.” In order to “release the demons,” Bakker started to paint. After spinning, dyeing and weaving her own fabrics for many years, canvas seemed to be the next step, but the accident became a catalyst. “I had been doing fabric for more than 27 years, but somehow it had turned into just a job. I didn’t feel very creatively challenged with it.” And so the paintings came into being. “Art heals,” says Bakker, and that’s what she calls the collection. “All I have to do is look at the new work and I know that I am better.” You can see the distinct stages of her emotional recovery in the exhibition, which opened Feb. 13, at the Niagara Gallery. “Some of my earlier paintings are very dark,” she says. “My husband had left me, and I was still depressed with the injury. I was at an emotional stage where my feelings had to come out.” She says her feelings went up and down as she started to put them on canvas. What came out of the dark period? “I just got better and better,” she says, “and the paintings got lighter and brighter.” The earliest piece, called Leaving, is a depiction of the collapse of her marriage, and the paintings that followed are similarly dark and violent. Some of them have mysterious shapes struggling through a mass of beeswax doused in a colour so dark that it ceases to be colour. “There is a lot of emotion going on in your head, and that has to come out in some way be it music or dance.” Or paint. Bakker says through painting she was trying to get in touch with who she is, and eventually she found herself making pieces lighter in colour and texture. “I’m at a stage now where I use a lot of colour. The paintings are calmer, more peaceful.” As a note tagged to the wall reads: It is the unlikely and difficult aspects of a person’s life that fuel creation. From the violence of The Big Storm and Garden Path, to the harmonious, floating dancers of Moment In Time and Somatic Fusion, you can be a part of Bakker’s journey to health and self-discovery. Bakker plans to show her work this summer at the Agora Gallery in New York, but meanwhile you can view her art at the Niagara Gallery. The gallery can be reached by telephone at 9 0 5 - 8 9 2 - 3 111 . T h e exhibition runs until Feb. 27. Highly refined musicians rekindle passion in rock By CHRIS MCNAMEE Staff Writer Band Review “Let’s get a bottle and drink alone tonight.” In all my experience and diverse attraction to music, Minus the Bear is the first group of musicians to actually move me. I remember the first track I heard took my breath away. When I was finally able to recapture it, I could only gasp just enough air to mutter the simplistic phrase “that’s f**king beautiful.” Highly Refined Pirates is the first full-length album released by Minus the Bear. Following the debut EP, This Is What I Know About Being Gigantic, recorded before the band had ever played a single show together, and the second EP entitled Bands Like It When You Yell ‘Yar’ at Them, Highly Refined Pirates takes music into a realm of beauty, lust and positivism. Aaron Gurman has been passionately following Minus the Bear since the band’s creation in 2001. The self-proclaimed biggest fan has more than his fair share to say about why we should all dabble into the bliss of Minus the Bear. “With the quote, ‘We all bought yachts and raced them to the islands,’ the album takes you to a tropical location right from the initial start of the first track,” says Gurman. The record blends both instruments and electronic sounds, a blend that makes for some unique and abstract sound. “This direction of music has been overlooked for far too long,” says Gurman. The beats are mellow [and] smooth, setting the stage and mood for romance. The transition from one track to another is smooth and uninterrupted with instrumentals featuring some of the most bizarre and cunning guitar riffs and finger taps imaginable.” “The album is full with bursts of sonic atmospheric rifts, layered to a pure masterpiece,” says Gurman, with sheer amazement in his eyes. It’s hard to determine the essence of the album but even if I knew what it was, words couldn’t describe it. The majority of the lyrical content focuses around a bottle of drink, your favourite girl and the most perfect of intimate moments. It makes you want to just love someone. The line in the song Let’s Play Guitar in a Five Guitar Band is a good example of the lyrical mentality that can be found in Minus the Bear. “A few summers ago we spent weeks in her room just having sex and listening to jazz, and that was the life.” For anyone who has gazed into the eyes of passion or carelessly lost himself or herself in the beauty of another, this record was made for you. It is nothing shy of brilliant. Most important, the group doesn’t focus itself on stardom, just on having a good time. If there is any hope for the existence of genuine truth, passion, soul, heart or love left in music, it will be found in Minus the Bear, music’s saving grace. For more information, check out http://www.minusthebear.com for full downloadable audio and video clips or the band’s record lable at http://www.suicidesqueeze.net. Invisible caregivers gaining support in Niagara communities Continued from page 18 The department of Child and Youth Studies at Brock University is developing the research for the survey. “Once the survey is completed, the data will be analyzed and the findings will be published in a report that will be distributed throughout the Niagara region to relevant community agencies, the government and beyond,” says Baago. The grant money will also fund a conference on resilience, being planned for May 2006. Jenny Frank, a leading expert on young carers from the Children’s Society in Britain, will be one of the keynote speakers during that conference. The Alzheimer Society is doing its part in raising awareness and helping to aid the young carers in the region. “We have several programs that we run during the year: Dr. Igor’s Brain Institute, Knowledge is Power March Break camp, The Okay Corral (summer equestrian camp), A Child’s Gingerbread Christmas, A Circle of Friends (support group for young carers eight to 12),” says Baago. The Alzheimer Society sent out an open invitation to all the community agencies involved in providing services to either adults or children, and 14 agencies accepted the invitation. “We [YCIN] hope to build on the British model and improve the lives of young carers and their families by providing support, education, information and recreational opportunities. Our goal is to use a holistic approach and support the whole family,” says Baago. Need help in filling out your Year 2004 Income Tax Forms? F R E E Free Income Tax Clinics Free E-Filing for Speedy Refunds Free Income Tax Clinics Glendale Campus (across from SAC) 9:0 0 am - 4:0 0 pm Hundreds of students over the years have prepared and filed their income tax forms sing the FREE community volunteer Service...you can to! Welland Campus (near the Health Centre) 9:0 0 am - 4:0 0 pm Tuesday, March 15th MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Thursday, March 17th DON’T MISS OUT! Sponsored by the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (formerly Revenue Canada) Catch us on the web - http://www.niagara-news.com F R E E news@niagara, Feb. 18, 2005, Page 23 Entertainment Black Talon penetrates non-believers’ hearts By FAITH SIBTHORPE Staff Writer Vibrations of creativity and a love for God pulsated from the band Black Talon at Calvary Pentecostal Church in Simcoe, Ont., on Jan. 28. Youth from all over Norfolk County gave their Friday night to the soulful, intense sounds that rocked the sanctuary. Those inspired lyrics from the heart were sung with equal emotion by the strong lead singer Travis Blackmore, 24, of Kingston, Ont. The night was choreographed beautifully to arrange an alternate social activity for all young people. The church’s foyer was arranged in a café-style lounging area with free coffee and a snack bar. Music festivities began with D.J. Ruckus and continued later with the music hungry band, Black Talon. It was an opportunity for young people to enjoy a Friday night with innocence and joy, giving the choice to accept an alternative lifestyle rather than one that inevitably leads to pain. Their effortless stage presence was impressive and the Black Talon frenzy was catching with each confident note they played. I was awed as Blackmore straddled a second drum kit and played with the band’s drummer, Will Culleton, 19, of Simcoe, Ont. It was synchronized beauty and a rare sight to see. Their percussion duet stole the show, as all eyes were fixated on this musically transforming experience. The band has a refreshing outlook on life. Most young guys their age are out on a Friday night so intoxicated their depth of perception fails them and every step seems like falling off a small mountain. Honour and commitment to serving the Lord comes first in their hearts, and so do their actions. However, they have humility in trying to live a Christlike life. Blackmore says, “We still slip up all the time. We swear by accident. We’re not perfect.” Blackmore says the name Black Talon is derived from their desire to break into the mainstream of music and to have the ability to reach all people, not just Christians. Black talon bullets were banned because gangs would use them to shoot police officers, as they were the only bullets that could pierce a bulletproof vest. This name gives the band an advantage, it’s members say. There isn’t that nauseating, obvious Christian name that can be pegged a mile away. A non-Christian could buy the CD not even realizing whom the band is singing for. Blackmore says being a Christian is all about finding a different reason to live. “If you are a Christian, you are called to be different,” he says. However, they are creating music that, like a real Black Talon bullet, can penetrate a bulletproof vest. With God, their music will penetrate the hearts of the non-believer. It’s time to unwind after the show for Travis Blackmore, vocals/drums, Cory Pritchard, on bass, Brock Woodland, on rhythm guitars, keyboardist Paul Montaigne, drummer Will Culleton, and Mike Kidd, on lead guitars. Photo by Faith Sibthorpe Brock Woodland, 19, of young men, inside and out. Cory the general public a new impresKingston, Ont., is a guitarist for Pritchard, 19, plays the bass and sion of Christian music by the band. He says he strongly gives the band a solid foundation. defeating that old reputation of believes that their ministry is for Mike Kidd, 18, is young but is the being less than talented and the non-believer. “It makes more lead guitarist for the up-and-com- more than boring. Their offstage sense to get it to people who really ing band. Both are from presence is just as inebriating. need it.” Kingston, Ont. Their down-to-earth conversaThe band is an amalgamation of Their stage presence is wel- tion and respect for life and equally enchanting and handsome coming and energetic. It gives music are captivating. Creating own identity can be difficult task By VALERIE LITTLE Staff Writer Creating your own identity can be difficult when you are the sibling of a movie star. Rita Fournier, 44, of Kitchener, Ont., is the big sister of Jim Carrey, the Canadian comedian-actor known for his role as Ace Ventura in the movie of the same name. Fournier is a morning host at local radio station 91.7 Giant FM, with her co-host, Brian Salmon. She says she has worked at the radio station for about two years. “I did not go to school for radio or anything else.” Sitting in Fournier’s booth during her show, one can see how amusing and entertaining she is. She reads through the written material she has been given and makes any necessary changes to make it more personal. She is very quick and comes up with jokes spontaneously. “Usually he (Brian) says some- Rita Fournier is shown working in her booth at 91.7 Giant FM. Photo by Valerie Little thing I can jump all over. It just comes natural.” She says she also performs in a band with her three sons. Matt, 19, is on bass, Mike, 21, plays the drums and Marty, 25, plays guitar. Their band is called TranZit. She says they formed it because “they challenged me and I can never turn down a challenge.” She says all she wanted to do when she was growing up was “be a mom.” “When the teacher asked what we wanted to be when we grew up, I said, ‘A mom.’ She said, ‘That’s not a career,’ and I said, ‘That’s all I want to do.’” She has been married to Allan Fournier for 26 years. She says he tests thoroughbred racehorses for illegal drugs. “I call him a horse narc.” When asked if she wants to do her radio show until she retires, she says, “God only knows. I’d love to do TV, too, and I’d love to write books.” She says she wants to have her own television show and call it “Just Crap.” “[It will be] a talk show with artists so they can talk about all the articles that were written about them that was pure crap.” She says she wants to write a “true-life book about being the sis- ter of a big star and the crap that comes with it.” Being the sister of Carrey means she meets a lot of big Hollywood stars. She says the most interesting person she ever met, “other than Jim, would have to be Clint Eastwood. He is so incredibly charming, the coolest person I have ever met.” Five semesters to a university honours degree. Now you can do it! Are you graduating this spring with a two- or three-year college diploma? Are you considering going on to get a university degree? Two new one-semester Bridge programs at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology in Oshawa may be just what you’re looking for. One leads to the third year of a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) program, the other leads to the third year of a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Criminology and Justice. Both programs start in May 2005. For more information visit, https://futureinmind.uoit.ca/, e-mail [email protected], or call toll-free at 1.866.844.UOIT (8648). Page 24, news@niagara, Feb. 18, 2005 Sports College athletes honoured with top awards Brown College 3-1, lost 2-1 to Toronto’s Centennial College and then outscored Peterborough’s Sir Sandford Fleming College 7-0 to end the round robin. In the medal round, Niagara downed Kingston’s St. Lawrence College 1-0 on penalty kicks and then defeated Centennial 3-2, also on penalty kicks. The team’s coach is Anthony Ventresca. It was tough tournament for the women’s indoor soccer team. Niagara opened with a 1-1 tie against North York’s Seneca College, then lost 3-1 to George Brown College and lost to Sir Sandford Fleming 3-0. Niagara dropped a 2-0 decision to Centennial in the playoff round. Melissa Roberts and Jennifer Janitz scored goals for Niagara. The college’s basketball team — once ranked No. 1 in the province — had a mixed week. The team dropped its second straight game to Sault College 90-82. Chris Keith had 24 points, while Craig Bauslaugh added 23 points in a losing cause. The basketball team rebounded the next day to defeat Algoma University College at 66-63. Anderson St. Valle and Bauslaugh led the team with 15 points each. Mike Muir added 11 points in the victory. The men’s basketball team returns home Saturday when it hosts Sarnia’s Lambton College (four wins, six defeats) at 2 p.m. If Niagara finishes first or second in the West Division, it will receive a bye to the provincial championships to be held in Oshawa in ANTHONY STRANGES KELLY FREMLIN early March. Niagara plays Ancaster’s Redeemer The men’s basketball team plays home on Wednesday, Feb. 23, against Fanshawe here at the Mackenzie Athletic Centre on Wednesday. If the women’s volleyball College at 8 p.m. The women’s basketball teams also plays team wins in four sets or less, it will finhome on Feb. 23 against Fanshawe College ish first in the West Division and earn a trip to the provincial championship in at 6 p.m. The women’s volleyball team lost a North Bay. If the women’s volleyball heart-breaking five-set game against No. team loses or wins in five sets, it willfin1 Fanshawe College, of London, 26-24, ish second in the West and will host playoff game. 18-25, 26-24-23-25 and 19-17. Submitted photos A volleyball player and an indoor soccer player are this week’s Niagara College’s Athletes of the Week. Kelly Fremlin, of Chatham, gets the nod as the female athlete for the second time this year. Anthony Stranges, of the men’s indoor soccer team, wins the male honours for the first time this year. Fremlin, a first-year Pre-Health Science program student, scored 19 points in a five-set loss to London’s Fanshawe College and had 14 points in a win over Sault Ste. Marie’s Sault College. Fremlin is 14th in Ontario Collegiate Athletic Association (OCAA) scoring, averaging 3.5 points a game. Stranges, a second-year Law and Security Administration program student, was named the Most Valuable Player for leading Niagara to a gold medal at the George Brown indoor soccer tournament last week. Stranges tied for the team lead with three goals at the one-day event. The men’s indoor soccer team won gold in the team’s second tournament of the year. Besides Stranges, Dama Heimbecker, John Frank Fortino and Nathan Bisson each scored three goals for Niagara. Niagara defeated Toronto’s George Niagara defeats first place Fanshawe in volleyball By STEVE SIMON Staff Writer You can call it an upset, as the Niagara Knights dominated against the first place Fanshawe Falcons of London in men’s volleyball on Feb. 8. The Knights are in fourth place of the West division, while Fanshawe is ranked No. 1. The last time these two teams faced each other, on Nov. 26, Niagara lost in three straight sets. Last week, the first set saw Niagara going down early trailing 7-3. Niagara fought its way back, tying the score at 13. For the first set, the teams kept it close as neither could take more than a two-point lead. Then Fanshawe scored the final three points to take the first set 26-24. In the second set, Niagara jumped to an early lead, although Fanshawe was able to rebound. It was the closest Fanshawe came to taking the lead, as Niagara stretched the lead by 10 points, with the help of No. 11, captain Ryan Stone. Niagara was in full control of the second set, winning 25-14. Niagara controlled play early in the third set. Fanshawe was able to tie the score at eight, but Niagara pulled away. The Knights went on a 12-5 scoring run, winning the set 25-18. During the third set, the Fanshawe coach argued a referee’s decision call contending the ball was deflected out of the court off a Niagara defender. The decision stood. The fourth set saw Fanshawe grabbing the early lead, but Niagara tied the score at seven. Fanshawe never regained top spot as Niagara extended its lead by four points winning the final set 25-19. Kerby Bentley, the Niagara Knights head coach, says the team is “playing to the best of their ability ... their record doesn’t show what they can do.” “We expected a little more out of them (Fanshawe),” says Bentley. He added Niagara realized that they could defeat Fanshawe after the first set. “We capitalized on their mistakes,” says Bentley. This victory was important as Niagara was battling for the last playoff spot against Redeemer College of Ancaster. Redeemer has two games in hand as they played against St. Clair College of Windsor on Feb. 12. Niagara was host to Redeemer on Wednesday. College to host men’s volleyball championships It will be championship weekend at Niagara College on Feb. 24 to Feb. 26. The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) will play its 12-team men’s provincial championship volleyball tournament at the college’s Welland campus beginning Thursday night. The bronze medal game will be played on Saturday, Feb. 26, at 4 p.m. with the gold and silver medal games set for 6:30 p.m. at the Mackenzie gym. Tickets can be obtained by telephoning 905-735-2211, ext. 7583 or 7681. More information can be obtained at the website http://www.niagarac.on.ca/ocaavb. Niagara is fourth in the OCAA West Region. The top three teams make the playoffs. The tournament begins Thursday, Feb. 24, at 2 p.m., followed by matches at 4 p.m., 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. The tournament’s major sponsor is sportswear company Killer Instinct Corporation of Scarborough. news@niagara, Feb. 18, 2005, Page 25 Sports Canadians win scrappy Jr. B season finale By RAY SPITERI Staff Writer The Highway 58 battle was just that, a battle. The Welland Jr. Canadians and Port Colborne Sailors combined for 11 goals, three fights and 88 shots on net in a thrilling finale to the Junior B hockey season with Welland winning 6-5 on Feb. 13. With both clubs resting some players and playing backup goaltenders, the Canadians and Sailors threw caution to the wind and played feisty pond hockey. The game’s outcome meant nothing to Golden Horseshoe League standings. Welland forward Jacob Kisac opened the scoring at 8:50 of the first period when his weak wrist shot from the point bounced off the post and Port Colborne netminder Nathan Sinasac’s foot pushed it into the goal. The visiting Sailors responded four minutes later, through Dan Minor, setting up an eventful second period. In the middle frame, Canadians’ all-star Chase Langenraap benefited from some poor Port Colborne defending as he was left alone in front of Sinasac, burying his 22nd goal of the season and starting an offensive flurry for the home side. Welland scored three goals in two minutes. Scoring 53 seconds apart, Joe Aiken and Jesse Bedard followed Langenraap’s marker, their 17th and 15th goals of the season. This gave the Canadians a commanding 4-1 lead. In the third period, tempers reached a fevered pitch as Jordan Atkinson of the Canadians and Port Colborne’s Steve Schaeffer went toe to toe in the first of three consecutive fights. Bedard and Sailors’ forward Steve White excited the boisterous Welland Arena crowd with Jason Hill, of Welland, and Gary Welsh, of Port Colborne, capping it off after Langenraap scored his second on the night, opening up a Canadians’ 5-1 lead. Following the fisticuffs, it was the Sailors who benefited as they stormed back with three goals from forwards Matt Fox, Julian Strazzella and Brendan Mater. The lead proved too mountainous as the Sailors’ efforts fell short when John Patrito scored his 20th goal of the campaign into an empty net. Matt Fuerth managed to get a consolation goal for the visitors with one second remaining on the clock. Time ran out for the boatmen, who will play the Stoney Creek Warriors in the playoffs’ opening round. After the game, the Welland dressing room’s focus turned to the upcoming playoff series with the St. Catharines Falcons, who won six of seven regular season games against the Canadians. “It is going to be a tough and rough series,” said rugged Canadians’ forward Jason Golden Horseshoe Junior B Hockey League Standings: GP W L T OTL PTS Thorold Niagara Falls Port Colborne St. Catharines Stoney Creek Welland Fort Erie 48 48 48 48 48 48 48 37 26 26 20 15 17 10 6 16 18 20 22 25 35 5 5 3 6 9 4 2 0 1 1 2 2 2 1 79 58 56 48 41 40 23 Teams are awarded one point for an overtime loss. Overtime losses are not counted in the loss column. (As of Feb. 16) Tonight’s Games Games Fort Erie @ Niagara Falls 7:30 p.m. Welland @ St. Catharines, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 19, Games Stoney Creek @ Port Colborne, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 20, Games St. Catharines @Welland 7:15 p.m. OCCA Men’s Basketball Niagara Falls @ Fort Erie, 7:45 p.m. West Division OCCA Men’s Volleyball West Division Standings: W L Fanshawe 10 Redeemer 7 St. Clair 6 Niagara 5 George Brown 2 3 5 6 7 11 OCCA Women’s Volleyball Standings: W L Pct. Sault Niagara Fanshawe St. Clair Lambton Algoma Redeemer 9 8 6 7 4 1 1 2 2 2 4 6 10 10 .820 .800 .750 .640 .400 .091 .091 OCCA Women’s Basketball West Division West Division Standings: W L Standings: W L Pct. Fanshawe Niagara Redeemer Sault Lambton St. Clair 12 11 8 5 3 1 3 3 6 10 12 13 Fanshawe St. Clair Niagara Redeemer Mohawk Algoma 6 7 4 4 2 2 1 2 4 5 6 7 .860 .780 .500 .445 .333 .222 Port Colborne Sailors’ forward Gary Welsh and Welland Jr. Canadians’ superstar Jason Hill eye each other in a fight filled Jr. B hockey game on Feb. 13. Welland won 6-5. Photo by Ray Spiteri Sardella. team, and we will have to play like be successful against the stingy “We have to bear down and play that starting in game 1.” Falcons. as a collective unit if we want to Canadians’ right-winger Joe “We have four solid lines. We beat St. Catharines.” Aiken said the transition game will don’t depend on one or two guys Welland sniper Bedard said the be an important factor in the series to do all of the scoring. The guys team needs to continue their run of against the Falcons. here know their role, and we all good games in their “St. Catharines cover the ice have to chip in to win the series.” opening-round, best-of-seven really well and they don’t give you Welland’s victory over the series. Bedard was named the too many chances, so we have to Sailors means that the Canadians Canadians’ player of the month in capitalize when they do make win the season series against their the last home game against the mistakes and move the puck rivals with five wins and three Thorold Blackhawks. often.” losses. “We have come together the last Steve Chappell, who ended the The Canadians’ next home game couple of months, and it has a lot season with 20 goals, said the is Sunday in game two of the to do with healthy bodies. depth of the team will be playoff series against St. Everyone is committed to the important if the Canadians are to Catharines at the Welland Arena. Thorold on roll going into playoffs By STACY CALDER and BRIAN COLLINS Staff Writers The league-leading Thorold Blackhawks ended their season with a 6-3 victory over the Niagara Falls Canucks on Feb. 10. Canucks’ forward Matt Maccarone opened the scoring at 6:21 of the first period. Thorold would rebound and take the lead into the second period, with goals from Chris McLean and Chris Hunneault coming with less than two minutes to play in the opening frame. Fifty-nine total penalty minutes were handed out, including three fights, seven game misconducts, two penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct and two gross misconducts. The game’s first star was Thorold’s Mike Hedden, who scored his 33rd and 34th goals of the season. Chad McCaffrey added two goals, 40 seconds apart in the third, to bring the Canucks within striking distance. Josh Francis chipped in on both of McCaffrey’s goals. Steve Ludzik and Corey Eastman also had helpers on McCaffrey’s pair, which earned him second star honours. Blackhawks’ Brett Howden rounded out the three star selections. Not to be outdone, Blackhawks’ forward Chris Risi, who was named January Player of the Month before the game started, added his 25th goal of the year. The unassisted marker turned out to be the game winner. Thorold’s Steve Zmudczynski added his sixth goal of the year, Niagara College with assists from Hedden and J.J. Martin. “I’ve played one on one with J.J. for 15 years in my driveway. We know each other’s styles,” he said. Up next, Thorold has a bye through the first round of the playoffs. The Canucks will play the Fort Erie Meteors. STUDENTS BOWLING SPECIAL Buy One Game & Get A Second Game...FREE! Limit One Coupon Per person, per visit Licensed under L.L.B.O. Shoe Rental is extra Computerized Scorekeeping WELLAND EASTSIDE LANES 128 Division Street • Welland • 905-735-3041 Page 26, news@niagara, Feb.18, 2005 Letters to the Editor Mother of three voices opinion about mothering skills Dear Editor: I just read [Valerie Little’s] article [news@niagara, page 16, Feb. 11, 2005] “Opinions divided on breastfeeding in public.” I was very surprised to see that only 48 per cent of the students in your survey thought it was okay to breastfeed in public. In this day and age of showing off bellies and different piercings, etc., [I’m surprised] that they would be as uptight on something as natural as breastfeeding in public. I’m a mother of three wonderfully healthy breast-fed children, now ages 10, 15 and 23, and, yes, I breastfed all of them in public if they were hungry until they were at least nine months old. This could have been at the mall, a restaurant or at a friend’s home. Nursing your child gives them the healthiest start to their lives. My mother-in-law, back in 1980 (the dark ages in my mind), while we were out as a family at a local restaurant, told me that I should go into the washroom to nurse my first child. My response to her was, and still would be today, “Are you planning to take your dinner into the washroom to eat tonight?” I think if you are being discreet you can nurse your baby anywhere. Oh, and sometimes, it’s just too hot to put a blanket over your shoulder. Lindsay, and others like her, should keep up the wonderful mothering skills that are in all of us. Yours truly, Tami Foster 41-year-old mother of three Congratulations to the SAC Charity Ball volunteers Dear Editor: I have just attended the 4th Annual [Student Administrative Council] SAC Charity Ball and I want to applaud SAC and all of the volunteers involved for putting on a first-class event. I have attended the three previous Balls, and have always been moved to see the commitment and desire to help those who need assistance during their time at college. I hope that this event continues as it is so worthwhile. My only wish is that more students would attend, not only to support SAC and the volunteers, but to support this worthwhile endeavour. Believe me, it is, always has been, a fun night. Congratulations again. Saundra Patterson Your voice or opinion is welcome in our Letters to the Editor section. Our policy regarding letter submissions is this: All letters must be received on the Friday one week prior to publication. Each letter must include a day and evening telephone number for verification use only. All letters can be mailed or brought to the news@niagara newsroom, Room V10, Voyageur Wing, Welland campus. Letters can be e-mailed to [email protected] View our archive online at http://www.niagara-news.com ATTENTION! FREE TENNIS MEMBERSHIP To All Full Time Niagara College Students Plus...Reduced Court Fees Call Today For Details! Welland Indoor Tennis Club Welland Indoor Tennis Club 1100 Niagara Street, Welland 905-735-4530 news@niagara, Feb. 18, 2005, Page 27 Versatile dish gardens ‘breathe of spring’ By AZRA MOMIN Staff Writer Winter is not quite over yet. We still have the sometimes-swirling, sometimes-still whiteness of snow around us. Though not all people find this dreary, certainly everybody enjoys the small explosions of colour that signal the arrival of spring, and what better way to start than getting a little garden in a dish for yourself? “The dish gardens are very popular all year round,” says Jim Thomson, manager of the greenhouse at Niagara College’s picturesque Glendale campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake, “but this time of the year they’re like a breath of spring.” The students of the two-year Horticultural Technician (Co-op) and Greenhouse Technician (Co-op) programs use the excellent facilities of the 18,000-squarefoot greenhouse to practice their plant-growing skills. In doing so, they cultivate a variety of plants that not only are available to the public but also help beautify the campus. The students grow all plants, and there are seasonal specials throughout the year. “Right now we’re doing a lot of dish gardens with tropical plants and some with herbs,” says Thomson, “but we also have a lot of hanging baskets.” “The tropical plants dish gardens are combined with flowers for an instant splash of colour.” Ferns, English ivy and spider plants adorn the hanging baskets, which are versatile, he says, because they can also be used as table plants. Teri Sherwood is the horticultural technician at the greenhouse, along with Gary Mason, and she helps students put together the dish gardens. “That’s kinda my baby,” she Menu demos cooking at Maid of the Mist Budda boom, budda bing! Prime Restaurants will be using the Maid of the Mist campus kitchens for their East Side Mario’s Menu Demonstration from Feb. 22 to Feb. 24. Cindy Andrews is the project manager at the Tourism Industry Development Centre on Dunn Street in Niagara Falls. She says, “Things will be heating up in our kitchen as East Side Mario chefs prepare new menu items and serve them up to the franchisees from across Southern Ontario. “[There will be] Demonstrations, presentations and plenty of pasta for 90 people every day.” “Niagara College’s culinary programs have moved to the Glendale campus in Niagara-on- the-Lake but we still have a huge production kitchen and dining room here at the Maid of the Mist campus.” “It’s important that people in the college community know that our campus is still open for business, although our focus is now short-term training for the hospitality and tourism industry.” Students learn value of product branding By BREE ELLIS Staff Writer Public Relations Graduate Certificate students are constantly being given a taste of the real world. On Jan. 26, Gord Hunchak, the senior brand manager of Niagara Credit Union (NCU), gave a presentation in Al Lutchin’s PR strategies and tactics class at Niagara College’s Welland campus. Hunchak has been with the NCU for about seven years. Before that he worked with Canadian Tire Financial Services, in Welland. Hunchak, a Welland resident, works at the head office of the NCU in St. Catharines. As senior brand manager, Hunchak is responsible for marketing, public relations, community involvement and product management. He says that the “brand is the most valuable asset of the organization.” “All forms of communication, including public relations, play a key role in the building of the brand’s values.” Hunchak says he spoke to the students about real-world experiences, and those examples wqere the reason Lutchin invited him for the lecture. Lutchin says the talk was “excellent.” Lutchin often brings in specialists in the public relations field. This, he says, is to give the students a good opportunity to be “completely equipped with the best knowledge possible.” Hunchak has been coming in to speak to public relations students for three years and says “it gets better each year.” “It was a great class. Each year I get more questions.” Hunchak also finds that the students have a “desire to work in that field.” Overall, Lutchin says, that the students really enjoy these lectures by professionals in the field,”but the lecturers enjoy it as well.” After the visit, Lutchin gives assignments based on the lecture subject. In this case, the students did a case scenario to develop a brand for a company. says, “but right now we are also doing a lot of arrangements of cut flowers in vases.” The flower arrangements were available only for the Valentine’s Day holiday, she says, and were done with freesias, carnations, greenery and pussy willow. “The freesias are very fragrant, and the arrangements make a beautiful gift,” she says. Sherwood says she is pleased by the public response. “The greenhouse is unique because it’s a learning institute but it’s also a business. The students are doing all the work, and the people who come here to buy love to support the college. They also love our variety. We have just so much to offer.” Vaseem Shaikh, from Fonthill, has a somewhat different opinion. “I thought there wasn’t as much variety as I’m used to with the other greenhouses,” he says. “March is probably the time I will visit again because they will have more plants at that time and are going to have a big sale too.” The greenhouse is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and event listings as well as tips and other plant information can be viewed at http://www.niagaracollegegreenhouse.com. SAC election kits available The Student Administrative Council wants you. Until Feb. 25, election kits are available to be picked up by any students interested in running for an elected position on SAC at the Glendale and Welland campus or for the board of governors. Kits can be picked up in the SAC offices from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. Completed nomination forms must be submitted by noon on Feb. 25. There are eight SAC positions available at each campus. There is one position for a student representative to the board of governors. All candidacy requirements, campaigning and election information are available in the kits or at the SAC offices. SAC invites students to information meetings By CRAIG SEBERT Staff writer The Student Administrative Council (SAC) will hold monthly meetings on March 18, and April 8 at 3 p.m. to discuss what’s happening on campus. Any interested full-time students will be given a chance to express their ideas or opinions during an open forum at each meeting. The sessions are held in the conference room at the After Hours pub at the Welland campus of Niagara College. As a bonus, all student ambassadors will also be given recognition for their involve- ment, which is beneficial on résumés. “Anyone can join,” says Todd Graves, 21, a Public Relations Graduate Certificate student and SAC student representative. The post that was once called class representative and is now known as student ambassadors provides a liaison between the class and SAC. “It’s usually been a starting point for students who eventually run for SAC,” says Graves. Students interested in becoming a student ambassador can contact Graves by e-mail at [email protected]. Candy grams assist Red Cross tsunami relief efforts By IVAN ZATELLI Staff Writer Niagara College’s radio station The New Heat at 90.1 FM made Valentine’s Day a little hotter. Prior to Valentine’s Day, the second-year student department heads in radio and television of the Broadcasting — Radio, Television and Film (BRTF) program, sold candy grams that had assorted heart-shaped candy inside. People interested in sending a candy gram to a friend or loved one could make their request last week in front of the radio station beside the security office in the Welland campus. The candy gram contained the name of the sender, the recipient and a short message that was delivered to students in class or other college employees on Feb. 14. The radio department heads delivered the valentine treats and messages personally. All the proceeds from the sale will go to the Red Cross in care of tsunami relief. Tara McLain, 20, of Chatham, a second-year BRTF student department head in radio and television, says, “People can always call into the radio station and get yourself on the air.” Call 905-735-2211, ext. 7444. McLain says, “We’re trying to get more college students involved and even get the other campus involved as well because they are probably not aware that there is a college radio station.” Dana Huffman, 20, of Port Colborne, a second-year BRTF department head student in radio and television, says people should realize the college radio station is “just like any other radio station out there.” “We want people to liste and have conversations with us on the air.” When asked about station power and its ability to reach neighbouring communities, Huffman says, “We’re in the midst of trying to expand the area you can listen to.” Huffman and McLain add people can listen on-line at h t t p / / w w w. b r o a d c a s t i n g . niagarac.on.ca 24 hours a day seven days a week. McLain says, “We always have music playing,” but adds, “Glitches happen.” If they do, students are trained to be professional and not to call attention to the problem. Watch Inside Niagara on Cogeco Cable Channel 10 live each Thursday at noon and repeated each Thursday at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday at 10 p.m. Page 28, news@niagara, Feb. 18, 2005 Niagara College grad tells us what it’s like to be a FAST-LANE JOURNALIST By SANDOR LIGETFALVY Staff Writer Photo by Sandor Ligetfalvy thought it was unlikely that he could be an automotive journalist because the conventional logic is that former racers and technicians write for automotive magazines. He said he defied that logic because he has “a ton of knowledge,” which has taken him to Detroit, Mich., Atlanta, Ga., and the United Kingdom in 2004 alone. While working with PistonHeads.com he also spent six months last year with the Toronto Sun doing exotic car reviews, saying he is “pretty happy” where he is now. “It really doesn’t get much better than this,” he says, even though “[automotive magazines] know your job is way too much fun to get paid much.” In the next three years he is diversifying beyond the journalism job. “When [writing] becomes a chore, you want to slow down and let the passion build up.” Since 2002, he has been building a special-event photography and videography company, Vantage Intermedia Productions. He says he will be expanding into TV promos and ads in the near future. Farooq is a graduate of Niagara College’s Journalism-Print program, but also spent two semesters at Fanshawe College, in London, Ont., in General Arts and Science and went to college in Saudi Arabia. He says he chose Niagara College’s journalism program because he liked the way the instructors spoke to him, saying, “You want to be at a place where you like your professors.” He met his business partner Ron Robichaud, a graduate of the Broadcasting – Radio, Television, and Film program, while at Niagara College. Farooq said when students finish the journalism program they find it “tough to get a break” because newspapers make young journalists do “the worst jobs for the least money.” He says young journalists should try to get their work in non-college publications to build their professional portfolio. “Don’t be a sell-out,” he says, because “you lose credibility. You begin to sound like a brochure.” Canadian Idol Kalan Porter’s performance ‘amazing’ at live show at O’Sullivan Theatre Photo by Mark Brennan Spank you, spank you very much “Threesomes, sex toys and spankings.” On Wednesday, The Wet Spots, a musical sex comedy duo, will perform songs about those topics and more “hot” ones at After Hours at 9:30 p.m. The duo is rated by Georgia Strait as, “Vancouver’s best adult entertainers.” The event will have no cover charge. Information posters will be up at all Niagara College campuses. For more about The Wet Spots visit http://www.wetspotsmusic.com. By CHELSEY SPINOSA Staff Writer Who says a big voice needs a big body? The reigning Canadian Idol, Kalan Porter proves that theory wrong. The 19-year-old singing sensation with the trademark blonde, curly locks played to a sold-out crowd of 537 people at the Sean O’Sullivan Theatre at Brock University in St. Catharines on Feb. 14. It wasn’t only swooning adolescents who filled the auditorium anxious to spend Valentine’s Day with the teen heartthrob, it was a mixed crowd of young and old, each one excited to see Porter for their own reasons. Porter took the stage at about 8:25 p.m. and began his energetic 75-minute set with the song She’s So Dangerous from his debut album 219 Days. Dangerous is a good way to describe Porter, as he is not your typical pop star. The electric violin he plays throughout the show compliments his edgy rock sound. His violin skills were displayed prominently in covers of Charlie Daniels Band’s The Devil Went Down to Georgia and Steppenwolf’s Born to be Wild. Porter’s rendition of Peter Gabriel’s In Your Eyes was also a fan favourite. Porter did not spend the entire ‘Most important women’s health event of the year’ By ANGELA HARDIE Staff Writer The ninth annual Women’s Health Matters Forum and Expo welcomed women and men of all ages to its two-day interactive event last month at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The forum provided new facts and perspectives on issues in women’s health. Patrons had the opportunity to attend more than 40 interactive forum presentations and speak personally with medical professionals. The expo hall was filled with 150 exhibits that demonstrated health-related services, products and valuable information. General Motors (GM) of Canada Ltd. has sponsored the He says journalists walk a fine line, and negative commentary should be paired with positive attributes, a tactic which he calls “constructive criticism.” He advised soon-to-graduate journalism students not to take the first opportunity. Instead, he suggests, take the best opportunity. event since 1997, calling it “the most important women’s health event of the year.” Michael Grimaldi, president of GM Canada, says the event “brings awareness to some very serious health issues that women face in this country and all over the world,” adding, “We believe that supporting such initiatives is important as we work to improve the quality of life of both our employees and customers.” This year, the event broadened its program to include topics affecting all age groups, ranging from sex and dating to postpartum depression and keeping the heart healthy. Stephen Lewis, United Nations Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, presented an address on gender and HIV/AIDS. Lewis, an activist and former politician, spoke with a sense of urgency about the growing issue of the disease on the African continent and said the world has been “terribly delinquent” in its awareness of HIV/AIDS. Elaine Todres, a renowned women’s advocate, addressed her personal and professional commitment to women’s health, economic issues and her belief that “society and the health-care system have to be accountable for the optimal health of all women.” Globe and Mail columnist Margaret Wente delivered a presentation on the health scares, myths and misinformation in the media. Wente has won awards for her column writing for taking on the leading issues in today’s society and getting the public to react. Various doctors from Sunnybrook and Women’s College Health Sciences Centre, in Toronto, delivered presentations about diabetes, breast cancer and contraception. Sunnybrook and Women’s have developed a website where women can find reliable and current information about health needs. The site allows women to ask health-related questions to professionals, read women’s health news and use a research database for women’s health resources. http://womenshealthmatters.ca. Photo by Chelsey Spinosa Flying down Highway 400 in a 2004 Porsche Carrera GT, Nauman Farooq decides to test the ferocious power of the $70,000sports car. He floors the throttle in third gear, redlines it, snatches fourth gear, and suddenly the rear wheels light up, doing burnout from an “unprintable” speed. “It’s the only car that actually scared me. It’s too much car, even for me,” he says. Nauman Farooq started his career as an automotive journalist in 2001 when British automotive web-magazine PistonHeads.com gave him a six-month chance to be its North American correspondent. He began by attending press launches for new cars and soon was driving cars in weeklong test drives. He started “from the bottom” with a Dodge Neon. Within a year he was saying “wow” to the Ferrari F355-F1, and the 27-yearold now shrugs at an Aston Martin. Farooq is native to Karachi, Pakistan, and lived in Saudi Arabia for eight years before coming to Canada in 1997. His interest in cars began at the age of four. He bought his first car magazine at 10 years old. The youngster crammed all that knowledge into his brain, and as a teen, he was inspired by BBC’s car program, Top Gear. He felt it would be a distant dream to make enough money to own expensive cars, “but if I can drive every car, I can be happy.” He says family and friends night playing other people’s music, but filled the show with songs from his album. Single and After All got the crowd on its feet, while ballad I Don’t Wanna Miss You and the smash hit Awake in a Dream captivated the audience’s attention. Porter’s voice was powerful and flawless, proving just why he won the title of Canadian Idol. Jen Ellis, 18, of Hamilton, says Porter is “amazing” live. “I met him back in the Canadian Idol days and he has grown up since then as a performer. I’m really proud of him.” The maturity of the Medicine Hat, Alta., native was evident in his stage presence and mannerisms. He also knew how to work the audience and had them eating out of the palm of his hand. Melissa Gunn, 20, of Oakville, says he can put on a rock show. “He looks so innocent and then just rocks out and your jaw drops. Seeing Kalan live is an amazing experience. It’s a thrill you’ll never forget. There are basically no words to describe it.” Porter is on tour until March 31, when he wraps up at Toronto’s Massey Hall.