January 19, 2007

http://www.newsatniagara.com
Jan. 19, 2007
See Page 5
Volume 37, Issue 5
The Best Way To Connect With Niagara
See Page 8
Niagara graduates
Nature’s
Natures Ice Sculpture
awarded for SAC work
By ROBYN HOPPER
Staff Writer
Two Niagara College graduates
have been honoured.
Wesley Beauchamp and Mark
Hardwick, recent graduates, have
won a 2007 Association of Colleges
of Applied Arts and Technology of
Ontario (ACAATO) award for their
efforts as Student Administrative
Council (SAC) presidents, state
Niagara’s officials in a press release.
ACAATO is the organization
representing all 24 of Ontario’s
colleges.
Established in 2000, the ACAATO
awards
recognize
individuals,
organizations and volunteers who
have made outstanding contributions
to the advancement of Ontario’s
college system.
The award selection panel for the
sixth annual ACAATO awards was
Dr. Philip Steenkamp, deputy minister
of training, colleges and universities;
Len Crispino, president and chief
executive officer of the Ontario
Chamber of Commerce; Beverly
Townsend, past chair of ACAATO;
Dr. Brian Desbiens, past president
of Peterborough’s Fleming College;
and Tyler Charlebois, director of
advocacy for the College Student
Alliance.
College
officials
state
Beauchamp
and
Hardwick
succeeded in enhancing student
life here through initiatives such as
adding dental health benefits to the
local student health plan.
The award winners also led the
development for more Niagara
College student scholarships as
well as participating in the provincial Fund Me Now campaign,
which advocated for the provincial
government to increase funding for
Ontario colleges.
Beauchamp served as the SAC
president at the college’s Niagaraon-the-Lake campus, and Hardwick was the SAC president at the
college’s Welland campus.
Both award winners demonstrated the importance of working
together to deliver results.
“We are very proud of Mark and
Wesley and their work on behalf
of students,” said Niagara College
President Dan Patterson.
“Both young men made
important contributions to college
life.”
On Feb. 19, Beauchamp and
Hardwick will be presented with
their Student Leadership Awards at
the ACAATO annual conference in
Toronto.
Freezing rain combined with frigid temperatures on Jan. 15, left a picturesque scene around
Niagara.
Photo by Michael Dach
COMMENTARY
In a New York minute
By ROSE SOMR
Columnist
Picture yourself amid the chaos
of a New York City subway
station, clutching your briefcase
or handbag and making your way
to your job.
Now imagine a commotion. A
young man falls onto the tracks,
apparently suffering a seizure
and while every other person is
gaping at the unfortunate boy, a
train begins its regular journey to
the subway platform.
You have, it seems, only one
option: because no one else
seems to be doing anything, you
must put aside your plans and
help the person lying face-up on
the tracks.
Your experience would be like
that of Wesley Autrey. A New
York City construction worker,
Autrey was waiting, along with
many other commuters, for the
morning train when he witnessed
a teenaged boy having an attack
and then falling onto the tracks.
As if this weren’t bad enough,
an approaching train was rolling
fast toward the platform and
Autrey was faced with a choice
to either jump down and help the
young man off the tracks, which
would be a struggle at his slight
height and weight, or simply
cover him and allow the train to
roll over them.
Now, this is not an everyday
occurrence, and most of the
commuters stood and stared as
Autrey made his decision in a
second. He jumped on the track
and covered the boy, hoping for the
best as the train gained on them.
In the end, both Autrey and
the seizure victim, Cameron
Hollopeter,
were
unharmed.
Hollopeter suffered minor bruises
and Autrey’s toque saw the worst
of the injury, having only grease
stains to show for their brush with
danger.
This event, which happened on
Jan. 2, caused me to think about
what I would have done in the
same situation. Autrey maintains
he is not a hero, but that he did
what he hoped New Yorkers
would do if they were faced with
that choice.
Continued on Page 6
Police give community
chance to voice opinion
By KRISTEN COUGHLAR
Staff Writer
The Niagara Regional Police
Service (NRP) is giving the public
the opportunity to speak out.
On Jan. 5 the NRP launched Your
Community, Your Safety, Your
Future: Make It Count, to gather
the public’s perspective on various
issues and police service priorities
in their community.
Through a series of consultation
sessions the public will assist the
NRP in the development of its
2007-2009 business plan, as well
as playing a role in the way their
community is serviced.
In a phone interview, Dr. Paul
Divers, a corporate support analyst
with the NRP, says the goal of the
consultation sessions is “essentially
to get community feedback for our
2007-2009 business plan and insight
to what communities’ concerns and
issues are with respect to crimes and
the police service in general.”
Divers says they are seeking the
public’s perspective on “a variety of
things, each community’s view on
their needs.”
To promote these consultation
sessions, the NRP has utilized a
variety of services, including a press
conference on Jan. 5, newspapers,
TV and radio to enlist the public’s
involvement.
The first session was held on Jan.
8 at the college’s Welland campus,
which, Divers says, about 30 people
attended.
Commenting on the response the
program has received to date, Divers
says, “My phone has been ringing
all day with people wanting to sign
up.”
The International Ontario Editorial
Board, a branding, marketing
communications and public relations
organization, has also been fielding
calls for the NRP, who it solicited to
help with the program.
Continued on Page 2
Page 2, news@niagara, Jan. 19, 2007
International students face new challenges
ESL student Roman Schmucki, 22, of Switzerland, agrees.
He says the most difficult part of learning English is getting
the grammar correct.
Kim is one of the increasing numbers of international
students who are leaving big cities such as Toronto and
Vancouver for smaller cities.
“Toronto is messy and loud,” he says. “Welland is more
relaxed.”
Barihan Asas, 27, of Netherlands Antilles, is an international student in the Master of Business Administration program at Brock University in St. Catharines. She says she initially wanted to attend the University of Toronto but decided
on Brock because it would provide her with a “more intimate
interaction with my teachers and professors.”
The intimacy that smaller universities and colleges provide
can be beneficial to international students who are far away
from families and friends. A better relationship with their
teachers can help students struggling with the stresses of
being in school.
In the last few years, there has been a growing awareness
of Canada’s educational system, so international students
SAC welcomes Medieval Times
By KELLY ESSER
Staff Writer
Hear Ye! Hear Ye!
Let it be known that Niagara
College’s Student Administrative
Council (SAC) is offering you the
chance travel to Toronto to see
the Medieval Times Dinner and
Tournament on Jan. 26.
The event will take place in
the Toronto Castle at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $40 each, which covers
transportation, dinner, a program,
DVD, priority seating and the
tournament, and are limited to
current Niagara College students
until Jan. 22.
From Jan. 22 until Jan. 29, sales
will be open to people other than
students. Buses for the show leave
the Welland campus at 4:30 p.m.,
and at 5 p.m., from the Niagara-onthe-Lake campus.
So far tickets are selling well,
with not many tickets left. Seating
is limited, so sign up at the SAC
office.
Also coming this month, on
Jan. 23, the Mr. Lahey and Randy
show, from the TV series The
Trailer Park Boys, is coming to
After Hours. The show opens at 8
p.m., and cost is $15.
SAC is also sponsoring
Winterfest: Jan. 29 to Feb. 2. It’s
a week full of winter activities,
including volleyball, snowball
give-away, Jacob’s Ladder and free
pool in After Hours at the Welland
campus.
In The Armoury at the Niagaraon-the-Lake campus, activities
include a barbeque, open mike,
Campus Idol, carnival events and
snowboarding, which is on a PS2.
Coming Jan. 22 and Jan. 29, After
Hours will be holding Campus Idol
from noon to 2 p.m. For details, go
to the SAC office.
For more information about these
events and more that are coming
to the college through SAC, visit
http://www.ncsac.ca/.
Wine store makes big splash
By STEPHEN BOSCARIOL
Staff Writer
Since 2002, the Niagara College
Wine Store at the Niagara-on-theLake campus has been distributing
delicious wines.
“We opened on Nov. 19, 2002.
I remember that day very well
because I was a student in the
winemaking program,” says retail
store manager Kimberly Sproule.
The store has been successful in
generating a profitable income for
Niagara College.
“This is how we fund the
program, through our sales.
Everything goes into a department
we have developed called EHAD
[Environmental, Horticulture and
Agri-business division]. From
that department our revenue is
distributed to different programs,
not just ours.”
The store and the program have
won multiple awards for various
wines. This year’s bestseller is the
2004 Warren Classic Chardonnay.
“We are known for our big, bold
chardonnays and our pinots. Every
year our wines are entered into
national competitions, and every
year we come back with awards for
the best wines,” says Sproule.
Upon entering the store, a
customer will be greeted by helpful
and knowledgeable staff.
“Myself and five students work
in the store. If you are interested in
applying for a job. then you’ll go
through the same process as any
other job. Come in with a resumé,
fill out an application form and
then, if we are interested in your
services, we’ll call you for an
interview.”
The Niagara-on-the-Lake cam-
pus is the only location at which
the public can purchase wines
made by the students. Expansions
to the store will more than likely
occur within the next few years as
the winery products have grown
in number and popularity. Chances of another store opening at the
Welland campus are very unlikely.
“Depending on the day, we can
have little sales or we can have
massive sales. We are getting
too big, but there are too many
legalities involved in opening a
new wine store, so I can’t see that
happening any time soon,” says
Sproule.
The campus Wine Store is
open every day: Monday and
Tuesday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.,
Wednesday to Saturday from 10
a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sundays from
11 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Divers says community input needed
Continued from page 1
On Jan. 9, an editorial in The [St.
Catharines] Standard described
parts of the program as a tool to
gain evidence in support of new
police facilities. Divers responded
to the article, saying, “I think
as a service we are trying to be
transparent. We are mandated
under the Police Services Board
to seek public opinion on a host of
issues. We are looking at the long
term, what is going to be best for
the community and the most cost
effective.”
Six consultations will be held
throughout January in each major
district.
Session locations and times, as
well as an online survey can be
found at www.makeitcount.ca.
have been drawn to study in Canada. Even the tuition rates
in Canada, although three times higher than that of Canadian
students, are still relatively lower than in countries such as
the United States, England and Australia.
Asas says she chose to come to Canada because it was
cheaper than going to the U.S., and she felt Canada is safer
and would be “more open to an international student since
they are so multicultural.”
ESL student Hitomi Iwashita, 19, of Japan, says she
likes studying in Canada because it has a lot of different
nationalities compared to Japan where it is mostly “Asian
people.”
Social events at colleges and universities are aimed at
helping international students become more involved with
one another as well as with Canadian students.
Niagara College holds many social activities designed to
help international students adjust to life here.
It also provides students with English tutors, counselling
services and programs such as Global Connections aimed
at bringing together international and Canadian students for
their benefit.
Correction
Incorrect information appeared in several items in the Dec. 8,
2006 edition of news@niagara.
In an article on page 32, Cindy Andrews’s title should have been
Niagara College campaign chair for 2007 and president of the United
Way Board of Directors in Niagara Falls.
Also, staff participation in the United Way campaign increased
seven per cent, not student participation.
On page 1, the name of Roger Couvrette was incorrectly spelled.
Couvrette is president of the Organization of Part-time and Sessional
Employees of Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology.
The cutline for the wild photo on page 26 should have read “Rick
Regier, 20, of Zurich, Ont., hits a ball during a practice for Niagara
College’s men’s volleyball team. Photo by Jason Petznick.”
It is the policy of news@niagara to correct errors of fact.
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By MIRA NASSER
Staff Writer
International students here come from all over the world,
and many find that adjusting to a new country can be hard.
Every year, 150,000 international visa students enter
Canada to attend various colleges, universities and high
schools. They leave behind their families and friends in order
to learn English or further their education. For most students,
it is not an easy transition.
The first obstacle that students face is language. The
majority of international students entering Canada are
part of the English as a Second Language (ESL) program.
English is not their first language and, while some of these
students do know some English, the majority of them have
no formal knowledge of the language and have to start at the
basic level.
Tae-Yoon Kim, 27, of South Korea, is an ESL student.
He arrived in Toronto eight months ago and then moved
to Welland, to attend Niagara College’s ESL program. He
says learning English is “sometimes easy” but writing and
grammar are difficult.
news@niagara, Jan. 19, 2007, Page 3`
Fair Trade Niagara part of International Education Week
By MIRA NASSER
Staff Writer
ACE Niagara members were on
a quest to raise awareness during
their Fair Trade Bazaar on Nov. 30
and Dec. 1 at the Niagara-on-theLake campus.
As part of International Education
Week at Niagara College’s
campuses, ACE Niagara organized
a bazaar to promote fair trade and
exhibit the craftwork of South
African and Argentinean artisans.
Participating were Fair Trade
Niagara, Ten Thousand Villages,
the longest running and largest
fair trade organization in North
America, and Great Escapes
Candles, a Niagara Falls business.
Fair Trade Niagara is an ACE
Niagara project and has been operating for about a year and a half.
“It is an initiative that they took
on as part of their mandate and
as part of the mandate of international products to promote fair
trade at Niagara College,” says
Larissa Strong, an international
project specialist.
Fair Trade Niagara offers
producers a different way of
trading that benefits them directly.
The producer is directly connected
to the consumer without the
middle men, importers, taking
their pieces of the profit. All the
money goes back to the producer,
who receives a fair price in a fair
trade of products.
Jos Nolle, director of International Education and Development, poses with Inxili women in South Africa
during a recent trip. The Inxili women are artisans whose crafts are a part of Fair Trade Niagara.
Submitted photo by Larissa Strong
In addition to offering stable and participating in fair trade, we are The Inxiliwomen are a group of
sustainable trading conditions for trying to make poverty history and about 15 underprivileged women
producers in developing countries, in the process, we are learning as who came together because they
it is a viable way for consumers to students.”
are all crafters.
address poverty and inequality.
The products they import are
The women work together
Angelica Lasso, vice-president mostly from South Africa and are rather than by themselves as each
of ACE Niagara, says, “By made by a women’s co-operative. contributes unique skills to the
production of hand-made goods
and accessories.
The college, says Strong, is
undertaking an initiative that helps
women in South Africa living
under the poverty line have better
lives and a fair income.
“We are literally reducing their
poverty by providing extra income
for them.”
The group also imports products
from the Guarani indigenous tribe
who live under the Iguazú Falls in
Argentina.
Carol Durken, assistant manager
of Ten Thousand Villages, says
they became involved with Fair
Trade Niagara when they were
contacted and asked to work on a
Christmas bazaar.
They had worked together
once before, during International
Development Week in January at
the college.
The goals of the bazaar are to
generate awareness of Fair Trade
Niagara and promote their products
and outline the support ACE
Niagara has provided to women in
South Africa in particular.
Strong says she would like
people to understand “a little bit
more” about how Niagara College
is connected, especially with the
Inxili women.
“What we are doing as a
college is changing their lives for
the better.”
Goals met with ‘Reaching Higher Plan’ Auxiliary officers
ready to serve
By ROBYN HOPPER
Staff Writer
The results are in.
On Dec. 12, Ontario colleges released a 2006 Results
Report, which demonstrated that government investments in
college education and training have produced new programs
and opportunities for students.
“Ontario colleges provide a clear and measurable return
on the investment of public dollars,” said Niagara College
President Dan Patterson adding, “The 65-page 2006 Results
Report proves that new funding has improved the quality of
education and training delivered to our students.”
Niagara’s officials state in a press release that the report
provides a comprehensive examination of the results since
the Ontario government announced funding improvements
for colleges under its Reaching Higher Plan last year.
The provincial government’s Reaching Higher Plan
is making a difference not only for students but also for
employers, communities and Ontarians.
The report states that Ontario’s 24 colleges steer economic
growth and social prosperity in the province. The everchanging world of technologies continues to change the nature
of work in every industry area and the general requirements
placed on workers at all levels.
By investing to improve access, quality and accountability
at Ontario’s colleges, the provincial government emphasized
the vital role of colleges in creating wealth and prosperity for
Ontarians.
In the past two years, the Reaching Higher Plan enabled
Ontario’s colleges to begin rebuilding programs, services
and facilities to support economic growth.
The report shows colleges across Ontario have created
about 200 new programs. In addition to adding programs,
colleges have expanded outreach activities and services to
underserved populations, hired more faculty and student
support staff and improved services so that more students
would stay in school, graduate and find employment.
The report explains that colleges have built and equipped
state-of-the art learning facilities, developed centres of
specialization and introduced new programs to respond to
the shifting labour market and its requirements. Ontario’s
colleges have also collaborated with businesses, industries
and organizations to develop programs that will drive
economic development and meet community needs.
Following two years of funding for colleges under the
Reaching Higher Plan, the report reveals that more students
and graduates were satisfied that their college education
readied them for work. In addition, more students graduated,
more graduates achieved employment and more employers
were satisfied with the graduates they hired.
The 2006 Results Report outlines each of Ontario colleges
and the improvements made possible through the increased
funding.
The report describes Niagara College as “one of Canada’s
most innovative and entrepreneurial colleges.”
Niagara College implemented new programs to address
the varying entry levels of students including the Enhanced
Language Training Initiative aimed at new Canadians
and eight new academic programs. The programs include
Personal Support Worker, General Arts and Science College
Path, Landscape Horticultural Techniques, Practical Nursing,
Welding Techniques, Motive Power Techniques, New Media
Web Design and Bachelor of Applied Business – International
Commerce and Global Development.
The college has established an equivalency transfer
guide and process to meet students’ needs for prior learning
assessment and recognition. It has also expanded outreach
sessions for students with disabilities into secondary schools
and the community, and involved parents, educational
resource staff and referring agents.
Niagara increased its recruitment and outreach activities in
First Nation communities and expanded retention activities
for Aboriginal students through mid-term and end-ofterm interventions by First Nations staff who can provide
culturally appropriate strategies for at-risk First Nations and
Aboriginal students.
The college increased investments in marketing, expanded
the number of presentations to high schools and offered more
information sessions targeting mature students.
The report outlines that Niagara College was a founding
partner in the College Network for Industry Innovation,
which provides expertise and assistance to help industry
obtain funding for applied research initiatives.
Niagara College has used the increase in funding to
improve the quality of its learning environment, to increase
student engagement and to increase student success and
satisfaction.
“After years of under funding, we have made some
important progress,” said Patterson adding, “As Ontario faces
growing economic challenges and pressures, it is important
that we don’t slide backwards. Ontario must continue to
invest in the education and training of its workforce.”
By KRISTEN COUGHLAR
Staff Writer
Sixty-four new OPP auxiliary officers have pushed the
provincial total in that division to 760 members.
On Oct. 27, the 19 women and 45 men of the Ontario
Provincial Police auxiliary program graduated in a
ceremony at ODAS Park in Orillia, Ont.
Many auxiliary members have full-time occupations
since this is an unpaid voluntary position. Inspector
Brian Wagner, program manager, says the diversity of
skills and life experience that members’ other jobs bring
to the table is “very much” an advantage.
Wagner elaborated on this point by citing the 1998 ice
storm when hydro lines were down across the province.
“Nurses and mechanics were pressed into action. They
were very, very helpful in getting people’s lives back in
order.”
After completing seven days of training in ethics,
firearms and use of force, among other topics, the
members of the 2006-07 graduating class will go on
to serve the community through safety projects, traffic
directing and assisting at crime scenes.
Asked if there is a strong demand for auxiliary officers,
Wagner says, “There really is. I’d say there is a demand
and a lot of interest.” He says the program receives 600
applications a year.
Wagner says that this interest comes from people who
want to serve their community and gain more knowledge
of police operations. “There is always an interest to see
what police work is like.”
Interested individuals must be a minimum of 18 years
old, be a Canadian citizen, have an Ontario Secondary
School diploma, Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation and
first aid training, be of good moral character and be
physically fit.
Before being accepted to the program, applicants will
undergo an aptitude test, a psychological evaluation, a
background check and a home visit.
Wagner describes the program, which was established
46 years ago in April of 1960, saying, “It’s taken quite
some time to get it to the point it’s at now.”
Page 4, news@niagara, Jan. 19, 2007
ACE Niagara raises funds for cancer research
By MIRA NASSER
Staff Writer
Networking was the aim of the night at ACE Niagara’s
wine and cheese social on Nov. 21.
Held in the Corporate Training Centre at Niagara College’s
Niagara-on-the-Lake campus, the event brought over 125
students, faculty, alumni and industry people together
for a noble cause: raising money for the Canadian Cancer
Society.
And raise money they did. At the end of the night, ACE
Niagara raised and donated $550 to the society.
The evening started off as a networking social with the
attendees chatting among themselves while drinking wine
and feasting on a wide array of international and Canadian
dishes. The $5 ticket for the event included two free glasses
of wine donated by Kressman Winery and a diverse selection
of food prepared by students in the International Business
Management and Human Resources Management (Graduate
Certificate) programs.
Puneet Sharma, 26, is an International Business
Management (Graduate Certificate) student who came to
Canada from India. He is part of ACE Niagara and contributed
to the event by preparing an Indian dish of chicken. He says
the networking social works as a platform to meet officials in
the International Business department.
Officials were not the only guests of honour. Among
those attending were three students from Niagara University
in Niagara Falls, N.Y. They were invited for networking
purposes with the hope that the international business
department here will one day establish a connection and
have a joint program with the university.
Meeting different people and making connections may be
one aspect of the networking social but the bigger cause was
the Cancer Society contribution.
Angela Daley, fundraising co-ordinator for the society’s
Niagara unit, was a guest speaker. She says the mission is
“the eradication of cancer and the advancement of life for
people living with cancer.”
The society provides support in the local community
through peer services such as cancer patients being paired
with cancer survivors and also a volunteer transportation
program in which volunteers use their vehicles to transport
cancer patients to Hamilton and Toronto for treatment.
Daley says about half of the donations made will go toward
“valuable research that is done across Canada to further the
cancer cause” and part will reimburse volunteer drivers for
their mileage.
Donating to a charity is an important part of the ACE
Niagara networking social. Last year, the organization raised
$500 for the Canadian Red Cross to assist victims of Hurricane
Katrina and the earthquakes in India and Pakistan.
“We try to change the charities every year so we benefit
a different charity,” says Kari Spry, president of ACE
Niagara.
Robert Greene, a professor in the Business and
Entrepreneurship Division, says ACE Niagara chose the
society because “it is a charity that affects us all. Every
person has been affected by cancer in some way.”
After Daley’s speech, the acting dean of the Hospitality
and Tourism division, David Veres, involved participants in
an activity encouraging people to deviate from their comfort
zones and meet new people. He says that in order to be
successful, people have to smile, make eye contact and, most
important, be themselves.
A raffle draw was held at the end. A multitude of sponsors
donated a variety of gifts, from a dinner for two, to winery
tours for 10. Among the sponsors were The Keg, Boston
Pizza and Inniskillin and Pilliteri Wineries. All proceeds
from the draw were donated.
Greene thanked the sponsors for their contributions as well
as the ACE Niagara and International Business students who
did the cooking.
David Pastirik, co-ordinator of the International Business
Management (Graduate Certificate) program says, “The first
time, it was just a few people networking, but now it has
grown. At the event, you can see the cultural diversity of the
college.”
To learn more about the Canadian Cancer Society, the
services it provides or to make a donation, contact Daley at
905-684-6455 ext. 23.
Leading lady chefs
showcase cooking
‘nobody cooks better than mom’
By KRIS DUBE
Staff Writer
Some of the Niagara region’s
best female chefs and winemakers
are coming to the Niagara Culinary
Institute (NCI) for the annual
Showcase of Chefs.
There will be two instalments this
year, the first on Jan. 25. Featured
at this event are leading ladies
Virginia Marr, Tara- Lynn Grobb of
the NCI, Cathy O’Donnell, owner
of Willow Cakes Pastry and Lori
Elstone, manager of the Deluca
Cheesemarket, both in Niagara-onthe-Lake.
“We’re so pleased to showcase
the extraordinary talents of these
very accomplished chefs and
winemakers,” says Niagara College
Food and Beverage Manager Jorge
Dominguez.
“This is also a wonderful
opportunity for our students to work
alongside some of the top culinary
and winemaking professionals
Niagara has to offer.”
All the chefs and winemakers
work together as a team to prepare
the gourmet meal and “match
the dinner with the wine,” says
Dominguez.
This is the first time there has
been a Showcase of Chefs at which
the chefs have been exclusively
women. In past years all the chefs
have been males.
Dominguez says that he just
“wanted to try something different
this year.”
In culinary advertising there are
rarely female chefs ever seen, but
when people think of food a lot
of it comes back to how “nobody
cooks better than mom.”
Both the Jan. 25 and March
29 events will be held at Niagara
College’s
Niagara-on-the-Lake
campus. The wine reception
starts at 6:30 p.m. with dinner at
7 p.m. Tickets are $95 and can
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If gambling is taking over a friend’s life, he could use your help. Find out more at
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news@niagara, Jan. 19, 2007, Page 5
Photos by Jason Petznick
ABOVE-AVERAGE
ATHLETE
By JASON PETZNICK
Staff Writer
If you were to see him at home you
would assume that he was just another
student.
He lies on a couch, his six-foot, five-inch
body leaving no room for anyone else.
Kyle Akins, 20, of Owen Sound, Ont.,
doesn’t have any flashy mannerisms
that you would typically associate with
a college athlete. However, last year he
led the Niagara Knights men’s volleyball
team in points per game (ppg) and had
more than twice as many kills as any
other player for the Knights.
Akins has been playing volleyball for
eight years. He says he signed up for a
beach volleyball clinic at Sauble Beach
and then played for his public school
team when he was 12 years old.
That summer his mom took him to
watch the beach volleyball nationals at
Sauble Beach.
“I thought it was cool so I wanted to try
it,” says Akins.
His mom continued to fuel and support
his volleyball career. Akins says she
encouraged him to join a developmental
league when he was in Grade 11 and to
join an Ontario volleyball association
club team when he was in Grade 12.
Akins says playing for these teams
helped him develop his skills faster than
he ever could have playing solely for his
high school team.
He also had his first experience playing at
higher level, which really interested him.
Akins came to Niagara College in the
fall of 2004.
“I chose Niagara College because
I thought the business program was
superior to the other colleges I was
looking at, and the athletic program
seemed very good as well,” says Akins.
In his second year at Niagara, Akins
finished fifth in the Ontario College
Athletic Association’s West division and
led the Knights with 3.37 ppg. His totals
of 115 kills and 17 blocks were also good
enough to lead the Knights.
In this season Akins also tallied 14
service aces, putting him second on the
Knights in that category.
Heig
This season Akins is second in kills, DRFT ht 6’5”
: Niag
Ag
third in service aces and fourth in
ara C
olleg e: 20
e 200
blocks for the Knights.
Ho
4
ACQ metown:
“Last semester I got off to a fairly
: Free
O
Agen wen Sou
slow start, but I picked it up by the
n
t A
VG: 3 d, ON
end and I’ve been playing well
Seas
.37 p
on G
pg
P K
since,” says Akins.
2005
K/G
46
In the second half of this
2006
115
2.50 SA SA/
18
season, Akins says he is working
G B
34
1.89 14 0.30
B/G
to improve his blocking and
6 0
17
0.37 PTS PTS
.33
serving, as well as increasing
/G
146
4 0
his kill percentage.
.22
3.17
44
GP =
Akins says he also wants to
2.44
G
SA = ames Pla
Servic
help the Knights do something
yed
B/G =
eA
they did three times in the
Block ces S
K=K
A
s per
il
five years before he came to
Gam /G = Serv ls
e P
ice A
K/G =
c
Niagara.
TS =
Kills
Point es per Ga
per G
s
“My goal for this season
a
PTS/ me
B = B me
G=P
is to lead the team to a
locks
oints
per G
provincial championship,”
ame
says Akins.
#13 -
Kyle
A
kins
Page 6, news@niagara, Jan. 19, 2007
@NIAGARA
EDITORIALS
NEWS
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Readers are welcome to respond to columnists by e-mail at [email protected]
2006 WINNER
China, Hong Kong, Korea begin new year
For most of us, Jan. 1 means a new year, a new beginning.
But for some, this new year has yet to begin.
The Chinese New Year, a 15-day celebration ringing in the year of the
pig, begins on February 18.
These holidays are based on the Lunar Calendar, so the date changes
every year. The celebration may begin in January or February, and rarely,
in December.
I have been fortunate enough to experience the Chinese New Year first
hand. During my stay in Asia, where I taught English from 2001 to 2004, I
celebrated the new year in China, Hong Kong and Korea.
The celebration of the new year in Korea and Hong Kong is pretty much
the same as it is here. Hong Kong is the perfect example of an assimilation
of Western and Eastern cultures, with its high British and American immigration rate, as it celebrates the Western New Year’s Eve as well as the Chinese New Year.
Koreans celebrate with fireworks, the kind your dad would light up at the
end of the driveway when you were little. My Korean friends and I ended
up at a park, joined by thousands of people as they all lit fireworks and
drank beer and soju, a concoction tasting of gin and vodka guaranteed to
make anyone sick the next morning.
In China, I bombarded my Chinese friends with questions about their
holiday. It is the busiest travel time of the year as millions of people travel
across the country to celebrate with their families. It is also the only time
of year when businesses and schools close, and various mandarin orange
tree stands open, much like the Christmas tree stands that open in parking
lots here in December. The Chinese purchase and lug these heavy but tiny
orange trees home to bring good fortune for the new year.
The Chinese, known for their superstitions, are especially diligent about
them during the new year. The busiest time of year for maid and housecleaning services, houses are cleaned top to bottom to chase away evil spirits and
welcome good spirits.
Children receive red envelopes containing small amounts of money. My
friend gave me red envelopes as well, saying, “You’re celebrating for the
first time, and you’re excited like a child.”
How could I not be? It was as though Christmas came twice for me those
years.
I recognize and take with me the experience of learning about different cultures, and am fortunate enough to have friends from various backgrounds.
While distance may separate us, the traditions we pass on and the importance of family and friends continue to what binds each and every one of us.
NADINE WEBSTER
Our environment needs immediate attention
So far this winter, I’ve managed to use my snowboard twice.
Once was on a day trip to Holiday Valley in Ellicottville, N.Y., the other
was on a manmade hill behind a friend’s house using Zamboni-deposited
snow we took from behind our local arena. Two years ago things were very
different.
It’s not just the snowboarders that this unseasonable weather is affecting,
however. Steps need to be taken on everybody’s part to combat global
warming.
Although our federal government has cancelled many incentives and
rebates for creating an environmentally friendly lifestyle, taking care of the
world we live in shouldn’t be delayed until the next election.
Being energy efficient is one of the easiest ways to create a lifestyle
healthy for the environment, and your wallet. By replacing conventional
light bulbs with energy efficient bulbs, you cut back on greenhouse gas
emissions and save money on your hydro bill.
Keep furnace air filters in your home clean, and make sure your heating
and cooling equipment is working properly. Any extra stress on your
equipment, especially during winter months when furnaces are running
constantly, puts extra stress on the environment.
Using a programmable thermostat can also save you money, while further
reducing greenhouse gas emissions polluting our environment and that
contribute to global warming.
Gasoline prices, like our weather lately, have been wildly unpredictable.
Keeping your car well maintained will improve its fuel consumption. Easy
maintenance such as changing fuel and oil filters, or new spark plugs and
wires can improve your fuel economy while reducing emissions.
Check your tires regularly for proper air pressure and go easy on the brake
and gas pedals.
An even easier solution is to not use your vehicle. Find out what public
transit systems are available in your community. The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency says leaving your car at home just two days a week can
reduce greenhouse gas emissions on an average of 1,590 pounds per year.
Google ENVIRONMENT to research more ways to be environmentally
friendly in your life, and maybe next year we’ll have a white Christmas.
NATE LASOVICH
news@niagara, Jan. 19, 2007, Page 7
@NIAGARA
NEWSCOLUMNS
No need for New Year’s resolutions
By KRISTIN RASILE
Columnist
It’s Jan. 1, 2007, and today is the
first day of the rest of my life.
New Year’s resolutions come and
go each passing year, but this year
is when my resolution becomes
the solution to my problems.
My resolution is far simpler than
any I’ve had before. No plans to
drop some much-needed weight,
no false promises of being more
motivated, no more kidding myself
about saving the world. This year is
all about making myself happy. My
New Year’s resolution: stop making
resolutions. They are overrated.
With no resolution weighing
heavily on my mind, I began to
wonder how many other people
find themselves trying to “improve”
who they are as the countdown to
the new year begins.
With last year filled with selfdoubt, Diana Conte says she
needed to try and accept herself for
who she is.
“My New Year’s resolution is
to be confident and have more
confidence [in myself].” The 17year-old finds herself on a path of
self-improvement, much like I’ve
tried throughout the years.
“My goal isn’t to be cocky. It is
to make myself be happier with
who I am.”
Shying away from her previous
year’s resolution of losing weight,
Conte says she learned in 2006 she
needed to try to learn “to accept
myself for me.”
Making a resolution and keeping
it throughout the year are different
struggles, though.
“I did achieve [losing weight]
last year, but I shortly gained it
all back.” Conte says her days of
carb counting and small-portioned
meals added stress to her already
The Hour stands on its own
He’s changing the face of CBC
television.
Politics can turn any age
group off, especially the 18 to 35
demographics. However, George
Stroumboulopoulos
and
the
CBC are creating excitement by
combining politics and pop culture
from a Canadian perspective.
The 34-year-old started out on
the radio working for stations
such as The Fan 590 and 102.1
The Edge.
When he made his move to
television as a VJ on MuchMusic,
his career took off. In 2004 he
presented his case for Tommy
Douglas as the Greatest Canadian,
a TV series that ran in the fall of
2004 on the CBC. Douglas won
by public voting.
In December of 2004, Stroumboulopoulos left MuchMusic to
host CBC Newsworld: The Hour.
The show runs from Sunday to
Thursday each week at 11 p.m.
and covers politics and current
events for the first half hour and
entertainment for the latter.
The messy hair, nose ring
and trademark black shirt
coupled with bracelets and a
skull ring, have critics accusing
Stroumboulopoulos of being a
kid playing an adult role. When
did educating yourself on current
events become strictly for adults?
If he can put bodies in the seats
each night and provide in-depth
analysis on current events, what
does it matter what he looks like?
Should he wear a bow tie?
He
discusses
everything
from music to human rights,
war and health care. Blending
a comprehensive look with the
humourous side of the absurdity
that comes with all topics.
His guests have included names
like Ed Norton, the rock band
Queen, former vice-president
Al Gore, British MP George
Galloway, David Suzuki and many
more. Even the former governor
general, Adrienne Clarkson,
appeared on the show to show her
support for Stroumboulopoulos.
Critics have blasted The Hour
as nothing more than a cheap
knock off of the Daily Show
with Jon Stewart. The Comedy
Central’s current event show is
running strong 10 years after its
first show; however, after Stewart
delivers his five to 10-minute
coverage of headlines, the show
descends into obnoxious skits
and childish journalism.
Even though The Hour is still in
its infancy, the show demonstrates
maturity with a little fun.
Whether you’re a critic or
a fan, Stroumboulopoulos has
demonstrated he is the charismatic
persona to help lead the CBC into
the coming years.
Continued from page 1
However, this type of heroic
behaviour should not be limited to
New Yorkers. I think if we were
honest with ourselves, we’d say
we would be the one to jump on
the tracks, or to phone 911 while
witnessing a violent attack. But
would we really?
Based on the Kitty Genovese
Syndrome, which refers to the
famous New York City murder of
the namesake in 1964, studies show
if there are a number of witnesses,
or bystanders, one is less likely to
come to the aid of the victim.
Autrey saw this exact principle
in the New York subway station.
About 75 witnesses were waiting
for their trains and Autrey was the
only man who decided to risk his
life to save another.
While I have high hopes and a
belief in myself that I would do
the “right thing” if I were ever
in a situation such as this, I also
recognize that there are other
factors involved and I choose not
to be so naive to believe in true
heroism — it exists, but …
By RYAN MCLEAN
Columnist
Bystander risks own safety
news@niagara
Publishing dates
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Friday, Feb. 16
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Friday, April 13
stressful teenaged life.
Much like I’ve done, the Grade
12 student began to realize the
downside of upgrading her life, but
she refused to give up.
After a year of “constantly
complaining to friends and
family,” Conte decided it was
time to stop putting herself down
because she didn’t look like “those
girls on TV.”
“[Becoming thinner] was fun
while it lasted and I looked damn
good, too. No wait,” she almost
shouts, “I still look damn good.”
I find myself thinking back to
my conversation with my 17year-old cousin who decided the
most important thing for her is to
“have an open mind and a good
attitude. Instead of looking at the
bad things, I will try and look at the
good things.”
Interestingly
enough,
the
thought of centring my resolution
on the good things in my life had
never crossed my mind, my “over
pessimistic, always noticing the
bad things,” mind.
It’s Jan. 9, 2007, and, although
two weeks late, I have the resolution
of all resolutions: start looking on
the bright side.
I phoned Conte the next day to
inform her of my resolution.
“It’ll never work,” she said. “Do
you know you?”
Although she had a point, I look
on the bright side. Now I have
someone to prove wrong.
Just ignore them
By JULIANNE VAN DYK
Columnist
Saying no is not easy.
As a young person, the world
of telemarketers is new to me.
All of us should be familiar with
the suppertime telephone calls
from the person on the other end
mangling the pronunciation of
your last name.
If you are not the type to hang
up right away, what usually
follows is silence at your end
while the person on the other end
tries to sell a product or service.
Recently I had two memorable
experiences with such people.
The first began with a phone
call from what I believed to be
my bank.
The caller introduced me to a
special life insurance that would
be connected to my bank and I
would receive the first 30 days
of coverage free. Before I knew
what was happening, I was
signed up for this life insurance
I didn’t need.
After hanging up the phone,
my mom told me all I had
to do was say no right at the
beginning. After wasting my
time on the phone with these
people, then I had to waste
my time phoning them back to
cancel the insurance.
The
second
experience
happened here at the college. A
very nice gentleman approached
a friend and me and in no time
at all we were signed up for a
“very special” spa package for
a “wonderful” price. It was a
“steal of a deal” and we realized
this after he had left us sitting
there looking at the brochure
and reading the fine print.
To make the story short, we
realized this wasn’t for us, and
we chased him down to get our
money back.
What I learned from these
experiences is it doesn’t pay to
be sucked in by people like this.
Most of the time when you think
about your decision afterwards
you discover that you just
lost money on something you
don’t really need and you were
entrapped by the smooth-talking
words of the crafty salesperson.
Column Criteria
Journalists, including those in the Journalism-Print program at
Niagara College, are taught that their reporting must be balanced,
fair and objective as possible. That rule must also exist for columns
written by reporters.In columns, the feelings and opinions of
reporters are welcome, but balance, fairness and objectivity must
never be disregarded or treated lightly. Our columns, which are
clearly identified as such, do not reflect the opinions or feelings of
the administration of the news@niagara.
Columns reflect the opinion of only one person:
the writer
Page 8, news@niagara, Jan. 19, 2007
Sleeping Giant
Story and photos by ROBYN HOPPER
Haleakala
- journey to
‘house of the
rising sun’
You’re driving along the narrow
winding road, watching the ground
fade below as sky-high clouds
flourish beside you.
The slender black road constricts,
inducing anxiety and slight fear,
but the majesty of the bright blue
sky and puffy white clouds, melts
the angst away like butter.
Anguish and fascination fight the
entire trip to the top.
The journey up Maui’s Haleakala
volcano is a flight every person
touring Maui should experience.
The Hawaiian meaning for the
word Haleakala is “house of the
sun,” and the mountain is renowned
for its spectacular and one-of-akind views of Hawaiian sunrises.
I lacked the courage to make
the trek in the dark unable to bear
facing the frigid temperatures of
the early morning.
The 37-mile drive to the top of
the mountain brings you to the
Haleakala Crater at an elevation of
10,023 feet. It is one of the greatest
elevation gains in the shortest
distance in the world and the only
one you can drive.
Thriving rain forests flourish on
Haleakala’s windward slopes, with
annual rainfall ranging between
120 inches to 400 inches or more.
Beautiful, lush, vibrant green
trees, plants and countless varieties
of blooming flowers and shrubs
paint the scenery with rich,
brilliant colours of red, yellow,
pink, purple and orange. Increasing
elevation fades the vividness of
the landscape, it begins to wilt,
and a more subdued colour palette
emerges.
Colours transform into rich
earthy tones of green, red, gray and
brown. Once lush and flourishing,
the vegetation now looks infertile
and parched. The new environment
is exotic, mysterious and although
it may look barren, I learn it is
teaming with rare, native and
endangered plants and animals.
Bright white, cottony clouds
surround you like frothy bubbles
in a bath, while the treacherous
road winds and coils like a snake
making a kill. The temperature
dwindles with each elevation gain.
The volcano’s weather is
unpredictable and commonly
ranges between five degrees and 18
degrees Celsius. Conversely, the
temperature can plummet to below
freezing anytime of the year. The
daily weather can change rapidly
at Haleakala’s high elevation and
can vacillate from intense sunlight,
thick clouds, heavy rain and high
winds at any minute of the day.
Watching the elevation signs, as
you get closer and closer, is like
watching a suspenseful thriller,
trying not to fall off your seat and
dying to know what happens next.
Reaching the summit, you feel the
volcano’s great flight is conquered.
Feeling completely that you’re in
Tourists are told to watch where
they step in the sub-alpine desert,
since what looks like piles of dirt
and rocks are really miniature
unique communities of insects
and spiders, which thrive on windimported insects, other organic
matter and moisture from lower
elevations.
Hiking atop the volcano,
realizing I’m standing on a
potentially violent and destructive
mountain, an uneasy feeling floods
me. It flows away when I learn that
Haleakala’s last eruption was more
than 200 years ago.
Gazing out over the colossal
the far reaches of the untouchable
sapphire sky is an unbelievably
liberating realization. Fluffy white
clouds endlessly billow through
the sky.
Automatically, you feel the cold,
crisp air fire a chill through your
body, birthing goose bumps and a
quick shiver.
Leaving the car-packed parking
lot, a sea of rich reddish brown dirt
and rocks surrounds you, sprinkled
sporadically with lime green cacti.
Whirling brisk winds weave
through your hair as you discover
and explore the exotic environment.
crater forces the broad expansion
of your eyes to view it in one long
stretched gaze. The massive crater
is 3.5 km by 12.5 km and reaches a
depth of 860 metres.
I discover the crater was formed
between 120,000 and 150,000
years ago and some of the oldest
dated rocks are about 1.1 million
years old.
Deep sloping valleys and sharply
studded cones whipped with rich,
deep tones of red, yellow, green,
brown and black sculpt the intensely
evocative and sprawling crater.
Undoubtedly, the fantastic view
is one never to be duplicated
anywhere else in the world.
Astonishment saturates you
floating weightlessly on an island
of clouds and knowing your feet
stand on a dormant volcano at the
same moment is matchless.
Reaching down to collect a
rock from the volcano, to keep for
a souvenir, a park ranger warns
me that it is bad luck to remove
anything from Haleakala. I ask
him, “Why?”
He passed on to me the Hawaiian
legend divulging the origin of
Haleakala’s dazzling sunrise.
Demi-god Maui and his mother,
Hina. Hina would make kapa
(cloth) from tree bark, and the
strips would be dyed with brilliant
designs to form cloth. However,
the kapa would still be damp when
night fell, and Hina would mourn
that the sun moved too quickly
across the sky to dry the cloth.
Knowing his mother’s grief, the
demi-god travelled to Maui and
climbed the 10,023-foot summit of
Haleakala, where he found the sun
sleeping in the giant crater.
Maui hid until morning and
watched the sun embark on his daily
journey. As the first ray of sunshine
appeared, Maui trapped it with his
twisted coconut fiber lasso. The
great sun demanded to be released,
but Maui would not let go. “Promise
me that you will move more slowly
across the sky.” Left with no choice,
the sun struck a deal with the brave
demi-god.
The sun agreed to move slowly
for six months of the year, and then
move at his preferred pace for the
other six months. Maui hurried
home to tell his mother the good
news. As a reward, Hina made her
son a new cape and, sure enough, it
dried in one afternoon.
Wanting to be respectful of the
remarkable Hawaiian legend, I
dropped the rock.
Descending, the invigorating
experience is my only souvenir.
news@niagara, Jan.19, 2007, Page 9
M&M Meat Shops helps school fundraiser
By DUSTIN KUYPERS
Staff Writer
Quality is and always has been
a priority for M&M Meat Shops,
but whenever possible the firm’s
franchisees always find time to
interact with and help out the
community.
Robert Landry, owner of the
shop at 30 Rice Rd. in Welland,
says he always “takes pride in
taking the high road on producing
a quality product.”
Besides the quality of food,
Landry also takes pride in the role
he and other franchisees are able
to play supporting Welland and
the surrounding area.
From Nov. 27 until Dec.
2, M&M Meat Shops ran a
fundraiser
for
surrounding
schools. Every day of the week
is dedicated to different schools,
and 10 per cent of all proceeds
from the products purchased by
parents of the students are given
to the schools to spend however
they see fit.
Landry says it is nice for the
schools to get that “little extra”
they can use. He adds schools
have used the proceeds for a
Robert Landry shows off some of the delicacies offered at M&M Meat Shops on Rice Road in Welland. variety of things, including taking
Photo by Dustin Kuypers field trips, starting a chess club
Bowl for the kids with Big Brothers, Big Sisters
By JENNIFER DESCHAMPS
Staff Writer
Be bowled-over by the spirit of
generosity as Tim Hortons sets a
precedent in the community.
The Bowl for Kids’ Sake program
is one of many local fundraisers Tim
Hortons is “proud to support,” because,
according to the website www.
timhortons.com, “serving the community
means more than just coffee.”
The program, organized by Big
Brothers and Big Sisters agencies
in conjunction with Tim Hortons,
is raising funds to help provide
mentors for children from the ages
of six to 18.
The fundraising event for the
Niagara region will be taking place at
the Cataract Bowling Alley in Niagara
Falls on Feb. 17 with start times of 3
p.m., 5 p.m., 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Thanks to last year’s success in
the Bowl for Kids’ Sake campaign,
Big Brothers and Big Sisters was
able to serve over 1,200 children
in the Niagara region. The goal
for this year is to raise $340,000 in
funds to be dispersed to agencies
throughout the region, ensuring
that every child who needs a mentor
will receive one.
As a title sponsor, Tim Hortons’
involvement
includes
cash
donations as well as advertising
support. Lending the Tim Hortons
name for ads and flyers is beneficial
because the name carries weight
with it and “if we can get our
support out that way, we like doing
it,” says local Tim
Hortons owner
John A. Craig.
Craig, with his
father, owns and
operates
three
Tim
Hortons
locations
in
Welland including
563 Niagara St.,
30 Rice Rd. and
852 Niagara St.
“What sets Tim
Hortons apart is
their involvement in everything,”
says Craig. Expectations are put
on storeowners to be involved
in the community because “Tim
Hortons is a part of people’s lives.”
According to Craig, it is important
for owners to give back to the
community to show appreciation
and thank customers.
The Smile Cookies Program,
providing double-sized smiling
cookies for a limited time, is one
of the more recent Tim Hortons
fundraisers to develop. Originating
in Hamilton in 1996, Smile Cookies
helped raise funds for the Hamilton
Children’s Hospital. The program has
since expanded to help a wide range
of community programs, charities
and hospitals across
Canada, providing
a “unique way” for
Tim Hortons owners
to give back to the
community.
Craig says the
funds raised by
Smile Cookies in the
Niagara region this
past year amounted
to about $4,500 and
went to the YMCA
for support programs
to subsidize payments for lowincome families.
The Tim Hortons Children’s
Foundation is a non-profit organization
“committed to providing a fun-filled
camp environment for children from
economically disadvantaged homes,”
says the website.
Since its creation in 1974 more
than 83,000 children have been
given the opportunity to take part
in a 10-day summer session at
one of six camps operating across
Canada and the U.S.
Camp Day is the foundation’s
largest fundraiser in which 100 per
cent of proceeds from coffee are
donated to covering the entire cost for
each child to attend camp, including
transportation, food and lodging.
The Timbits Minor Sports
program provides sponsorship for
children from ages four to eight
who participate in local house
league sports teams. Instead of
worrying about winning or losing,
the focus is on learning how to play
a new sport, developing friendships
and just being a kid.
With more than 120,000
children involved in Timbits
sports, Craig says the program is
one of the most important aspects
of community involvement for
Tim Hortons. It supports a range
of sports including baseball,
basketball, hockey, and soccer
and provide jerseys and balls for
all the teams.
For further information on
Bowl for Kids’ Sake visit www.
bowlforkidssake.com or pick
up a pamphlet at one of the Tim
Hortons locations throughout
the region.
OPSEU president will not run for re-election
By TOM RISHAUR
Staff Writer
Leah Casselman, long-time
president of the Ontario Public
Service
Employees
Union
(OPSEU), has announced that
she will not run for re-election
this year.
“It was a jam-packed 12 years.
I don’t know what I’ll do now,
but it will be a new and exciting
experience,” says Casselman, 52.
Casselman, who has been reelected as president of OPSEU
six times, says with the provincial
election coming in the fall, the
new president will have time to
get his or her feet wet before any
big negotiations.
“It’s the perfect time for the
union to renew itself.”
First
elected
in
1995,
Casselman was soon faced with
a provincewide strike against
the policies of the new Mike
Harris government.
“It was mind boggling,”
says Casselman, “With 60,000
workers striking, the government
had zero respect for them.”
Sherri Rosen, president of
Niagara College’s OPSEU
Local 242, says Casselman
handled the job exceptionally
during that strike and another
in March 2006. “She was
absolutely the right president
for those historic times.”
OPSEU represents employees
of community colleges and
universities, the government,
courts,
hospitals,
cultural
institutions, ambulance services,
social service agencies and the
LCBO.
The union will elect a new
president at its annual convention
in April.
and buying basketballs.
During the summers, Landry
says they host charity barbecues
every other weekend to help
people from the community raise
money for local charities.
Landry is also happy to help
out college students, offering this
advice: “When your girlfriend
is coming over and you’re tired
of eating Kraft Dinner, pick up
a quality product from here and
have a premium meal.”
Fear not, though, all you
non-complicated undemanding
and unemotionally involved
cooking students, for all meals
come with full instructions, so
“even if you’re not a gourmet
chef, you will be able to cook
a gourmet meal,” says Landry,
laughing.
He also recommends M&M’s
nine new single-serving bowls,
which, he says, are “premium
quality and packed with a very
high meat content, so you know
you’re getting a good meal.”
Landry suggests that students
who keep their eyes open for the
sale flyers and take advantage
of the many bargains can find
affordably priced balanced and
healthful meals every day.
United Way
close to goal
By KELLY ESSER
Staff Writer
They’re almost there.
The United Way of South
Niagara has just about reached
its $1.12 million goal for the
community.
Although the 2006 campaign
fell a little short of that mark, the
$1.03 million raised is a record for
the agency.
Dan Degazio, chair of the
fundraising drive, says the
campaign is important.
“United Way volunteers spend
hundreds of hours each year
assessing programs that can serve
anyone in Pelham, Port Colborne,
Wainfleet and Welland. Last year
the United Way South Niagara
funded 57 programs at 31 agencies
— but the volunteers did wish they
had more money to support all the
things they saw as worthwhile.
This figure of $1,031,115.72 is
as a result of those deliberations.
Included in the total is the 12 per
cent that it costs to administer the
United Way each year.”
The United Way of South
Niagara funded 57 programs
through 31 agencies, including the
Big Brothers/Big Sisters of South
Niagara, The Hope Centre, Meals
on Wheels Port Colborne Inc., Port
Cares and Women’s Place of South
Niagara.
Niagara College was tabbed for
the best public sector campaign,
while the Niagara Catholic District
School Board was second.
To make a donation, send it to
the United Way of South Niagara,
800 Niagara St., Seaway Mall,
Welland, Ont. L3C 5Z4 or call the
office at 905-735-0490.
Page 10, news@niagara, Jan. 19, 2007
By BRE KIBBLER
Staff Writer
Not only has Theresa Anzovino
tossed her textbook, but she is
abandoning her classroom as
well.
Anzovino, a professor of
sociology at Niagara College’s
Niagara-on-the-Lake
campus,
says she believes experimental
education builds an engaging
learning community where the
student and teacher benefit.
“By taking learning beyond the
textbook and four walls, students
use a conceptual framework that
incorporates experience, critical
thinking, reflection and action,”
says Anzovino.
After 15 years in the voluntary
sector in Fort Erie, Anzovino left
her position as chief executive officer of a multicultural centre to
Submitted Photo
Experimental teaching styles pay off
THERESA ANZOVINO
teach at Niagara College. Upon her
arrival, Anzovino says she realized there is a diversity of learning
styles among her students.
“In order to meet the challenges
of diversity in the classroom, I try
to utilize a variety of instructional
methods,” says Anzovino.
Her Intercultural Communications class is a classroom filled with
newcomers to Canada with various
cultural backgrounds. Instead of
learning from standard texts and
handouts, Anzovino chooses to let
the students share their cultures’
different sociological aspects.
Then students compare them with
the other students’ cultures as well
as Canadian history.
“This is a teaching style that
permits everyone to see the world
with different eyes and a different mind,” writes Wilson Velez, a
student in the Enhanced Language
Training to Employment program,
in an essay about the Intercultural
Communications course.
Anzovino also connects the
classroom with the community by
taking advantage of the benefits
field trips offer.
Last term, two Law and Security
Administration (LASA) classes
travelled to the Canadian Border
Security Agency to learn more
about their field of study.
“It helped us witness our future
careers up close and personal,” says
Michele Maricic, a second-year
student in the LASA program.
Students witnessed the actual
processing of an applicant, a demonstration of the latest technology
in fingerprinting and the efficiency
of canine units.
Anzovino says she believes
that learning through involvement
reflects a teaching style that is engaged, transformative, critical and
community based.
“Often it is the field trip you
took or the real-life experience
and dialogue that connected your
classroom learning to the living
community,” says Anzovino.
Anzovino’s students often praise
her for adapting to their different
learning styles.
“Thanks, Theresa, [for] your
behaviour with people who have
to start again far away from their
countries,” says Velez.
Anzovino says all of the students she teaches and interacts
with touch her life as well.
“Students at Niagara College
have taught me that there are no
know limits — only possibilities
and opportunities.”
By LAURA NARDUCCI
Staff Writer
To us, it’s boring. With a click of the mouse,
though, it can become fun.
Some students find history to be dull and boring,
so much so that they dread attending class. The
lucky may get a teacher who treats history as an
exciting story.
Kevin Kee, Brock University’s assistant history
professor, is one of those teachers. Kee not only
wants to make history interesting, but he also wants
to take it to the next level.
For the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812,
Kee plans to have an interactive history computer
game available to students.
“I’m working with my students to create
simulations that will focus on this region and the
War of 1812.
By the end of the year in April we will have some
simulations ready for it,” says Kee, in a telephone
interview.
While playing the game, students will be able
to go through historical documents, visit historical
places in the Niagara region and see what life was
like close to 200 years ago.
Before starting this project, Kee was involved in
creating a computer game depicting life in a Frenchspeaking Quebec village in 1890.
The game is a prototype, a virtual environment
where the player can explore what life was like 116
years ago.
“It’s geared to Grade 5 students,” Kee says.
“You start in a bookstore and hear people talking
about life in 1890. They ask the question: Was life
better then or today? Someone comes up to you and
asks if you want to find out.
“You’re sent through a magic time tunnel and find
out for yourself if life back then was better or worse
than today.”
The game is in preliminary testing. Family
members and the children of other professors play
it to see what it is like.
“They are intrigued because they’ve never seen
history like this before.
“Last week I watched an eight-year-old play the
game. Even though she was younger than our target
audience, she was enraptured.”
Although Kee teaches now, he says he was unsure
of what he wanted to do in life.
“When I was an undergrad, I had a seven point
higher average in biology. I like history though, so
I made it my major.
“I won scholarships and continued school doing
what I liked at the time. Because I kept winning
scholarships, I was paid to go to school and became
an accidental professor.”
Kee worked at the National Film Board designing
websites while researching history. It was because
of this that Kee decided to combine history and
computer games.
“You can do certain things with a computer game
that you can’t do in books. In class, I tell you what
to read and you have to follow along in a linear
pattern. In a game, it’s your decision.”
Kee says most people today watch movies and
play computer games. Since most don’t read history
for fun, Kee wanted to make history more accessible
to the average person.
“Canadian history is important. People like history; we just have to give them a way to access it.”
Student loves every aspect of program
By JULIANNE VAN DYK
Staff Writer
Niagara College has another
satisfied student.
Marlene Otten, 19, is in the second year of the Recreation and
Leisure Services program at Niagara College’s Welland campus.
“It’s a lot of work but it’s fun,
especially since everyone knows
each other.”
She says her schoolwork is a lot
of group work, planning ahead,
some written work and evaluating
other programs and activities.
Her life is a busy one with a
part-time job at Albright Manor in
Beamsville and a full course load
here.
Her job is similar to the one
she hopes to have once she has
graduated, and she says she will
apply for a full-time position
there.
Otten says she is hoping to work
in a long-term care facility with
seniors or possibly in a hospital
setting.
She said the favourite part of
her course is her field placement
at the Hotel Dieu Shaver Health
and Rehabilitation Centre in St.
Catharines, where she helps out
with activities and rehabilitation
of patients.
She says, for example, last
week she took patients out on a
shopping outing. The point of the
rehabilitation is to get patients
back out doing what they like
doing.
She says she chose the program
“because I like organizing and
planning and I love people, and
the program has both.”
By RYAN MCLEAN
Staff Writer
The McGuinty government is
launching a new award for teachers
who excel at their jobs.
“We are on the side of hardworking Ontario families who want
their sons and daughters to find
opportunity,” said Chris Bentley.
“That’s why our government is
committed to promoting teaching
excellence at our colleges and
universities by rewarding the
teaching efforts of faculty who go
the extra mile to provide students
with an outstanding learning
experience.”
Winners of the leadership in
faculty teaching (Lift) award will
receive $20,000, paid out over two
years.
Asked how the ministry would
define who the best is, the ministry
turned to those who know teaching
excellence best — publicly funded
post secondary institutions, student
and faculty — to help design
the criteria and measurements.
The details are nearly finalized,
said Tanya Blazina, senior media
relations co-ordinator.
“In order to sustain and
enhance the quality of postsecondary education in Ontario,
our government believes that it is
important to recognize and affirm
our province’s leading faculty. They
help nurture and inspire our future
generations, and I am pleased that
our government has created this
award program to honour their
valuable contributions,” said Ted
McMeekin, MPP for AncasterDundas-Flamborough-Aldershot,
who joined Bentley at McMaster
University in Hamilton on Sept. 1.
Teachers are considered the
foundation of the country’s next
great minds, but not all teachers feel
a monetary value is appropriate.
“At a time when many students
Submitted Pr hoto
History becoming interactive Liberals award
‘teaching excellence’
CHRIS BENTLEY
from
average,
working-class
families struggle to go to university,
I think the money should be
directed to subsidized tuition
programs. I believe that if you
become a teacher, no matter what
level you teach, you do it because
you are committed to developing
excellence in others,” said Melanie
Douglas, teacher and secondary
schools teacher consultant.
Nancy Geddie, co-ordinator of
the Public Relations (Graduate
Certificate) program here, said in
all professions there are awards for
excelling in the job and teachers
could have the same opportunities,
but perhaps a “scholarship for
students in the name of the winning
teacher” would have more impact
than a quick payout.
“Our goal is to recognize
and support the importance of
teaching in Ontario’s universities
and colleges,” said Bentley. “This
new provincial teaching award
for college and university faculty
underlines the value we place on
teaching excellence in the postsecondary environment.”
news@niagara, Jan. 19, 2007, Page 11
Alternative lifestyle makes for life full of tough choices
‘You just have to develop tough skin and go into new things with a positive attitude’
By RACHEL TATTERSALL
Staff Writer
There are things about all of us that are
different, but some young adults live a lifestyle that other people don’t understand.
Many people have hard decisions to face
when they are becoming a teenager; one
of them is knowing whether they’re gay or
straight.
Amanda Cochrane, 20, of St. Catharines,
says she came out when she was 17, but she
knew she was gay when she was 12. Cochrane said with a laugh,
“I came out to my mother at 16 because
she read my diary.”
She says she knew there was something
different about her when she was a child, but
she didn’t know what it was. Then, when she
found out what gay was, she knew.
She says she feels that people sometimes
stereotype her and think she should have
short hair or hate boys. People have also
thought being gay was a “teenage phase,”
but she doesn’t let it get to her.
Cochrane says she feels she is treated differently at the workplace.
“I often don’t come out at work because
people begin to avoid certain conversations
with me and are not as open.”
She says the hardest obstacle she faces
as a young gay woman is that “people often pretend to be OK with gay people, but
when it comes down to it, there’s prejudice
in everyone.”
Although the laws have changed over the
years, Cochrane says gay people are still
viewed in a negative way, as they were in
years before.
She still seems to have a lot of confidence
when it comes to being open in public with
her relationships.
“When I walk down the street, I hold my
girlfriend’s hand and ignore the comments
made by passersby. I feel confident and se-
cure, and I hope that will always be so.”
Tino Berardi, 22, says he was in Grade 7
when he first had feelings for other boys. He
says he didn’t really think anything of it until
he got into high school and realized not everyone felt the way he did.
The Welland native says he also had feelings for girls in high school and dated two
girls for short periods of time. He had the
opportunity to experiment with another boy
in Grade 9, but after that experience, people
found out about their relationship and they
were not easy on him.
“Not many people were out at that time,
so I got made fun of a lot. My friends would
stick up for me though, but people from high
school have grown up and treat me better
nowadays.”
Berardi’s sister and mother are “very supportive” of his lifestyle and stand by him 100
per cent, he says.
“I came out to my mother at 18 and she
said, ‘Whatever, as long as you’re happy.’”
One drawback Berardi faces is people
sometimes spread rumours about him. People he barely knows say things about him
that are not true and this can hurt his good
reputation.
He says that this upsets him more than
anything else.
He says he never has a problem with people at work or in society. Everyone at work
is “really nice” to him and treat him like anyone else and with respect.
“You just have to develop tough skin and
go into new things with a positive attitude.”
Sometimes Berardi has bad days but, overall, he says he is happy with his life and the
way things have turned out.
“I just feel like my business is my business
and no one should judge me based on what
happens behind closed doors. I’ve accepted
the fact that I’m gay, so other people should
too. I love being gay.”
Canada becomes fourth country to recognize same-sex marriages
By KRISTIN RASILE
Staff Writer
Flipping through a dictionary won’t help define marriage.
In June 2005, Bill C-38 passed its final reading in the
House of Commons, making Canada the fourth country to
recognize same-sex marriages.
The decision to recognize same-sex marriages allows homosexual marriages to be performed in eight of 10 provinces
and in one of three territories.
Alberta, Prince Edward Island, Nunavut and the Northwest
Territories do not perform such marriages; however, Nunavut will recognize marriages performed in other provinces.
In an interview, Prime Minister Stephen Harper tells
CBC he believes homosexual couples should be recognized
through civil unions and promised a free vote on the issue of
changing the definition of marriage during last year’s campaign run.
“I think marriage is a union between two people who are
in love, regardless of their sex,” says 22-year-old Claudia
Scigliano, of Peterborough, Ont. She says marriage is “really
important” for both gay and straight couples “especially if
you want to put your spouse on your benefits.”
Lara Conte, 21, of Newmarket, Ont., says she isn’t against
gay marriage, but she doesn’t want to have to hear about it.
“They [homosexuals] take marriage too far by flaunting
it.” Conte says getting married is no one’s business but the
two people involved, but changing the traditional definition
of marriage is not something she would agree to.
“It just seems like gay people take their rights
to the extreme.”
Scigliano, a Catholic, says she is for gay marriage, but
thinks it should “be up to certain churches to decide whether
or not they want to perform these ceremonies.”
Shortly after Bill C-38 was passed, amendments were introduced to ensure religious groups and charitable organizations were not forced into performing marriages of partners
of the same sex.
The CBC website says Harper’s promise of reopening the
gay marriage debate is expected to face a preliminary vote
in December.
Since the passing of Bill C-38, about 10,000 same-sex
couples have been married and Toronto’s Gay Pride Parade
has become the second-largest annual celebration in North
America to honour gay life.
“I think same-sex couples deserve the same rights as everyone else,” says Scigliano. “I don’t see how it affects people
who are not gay, so why not?”
North Korea tests nuclear weapons
By MICHAEL SPECK
Staff Writer
On Oct. 9, North Korea said it
performed its first ever nuclear
weapons test.
The underground test was
performed
successfully,
and
there was no radioactive leakage,
according to the North’s official
Korean Central News Agency
(KCNA).
The KNCA added this was “a
stirring time when all the people of
the country are making a great leap
forward in the building of a great
and prosperous very powerful
socialist nation.”
On Oct. 3, North Korea said
it would conduct a test, causing
regional concern and diplomatic
efforts aimed at dissuading the
move. In the past, North Korea has
claimed to have nuclear weapons,
but has never performed a known
test to prove it.
“The nuclear test is a historic
event that brought happiness to our
military and people. The nuclear
test will contribute to maintaining
peace and stability in the Korean
peninsula and surrounding region,”
said the KNCA.
On Oct. 5, Canada’s Minister
of Foreign Affairs Peter MacKay
said North Korea’s announcement
had the Canadian government
deeply concerned. MacKay said
North Korea’s statement was
“very provocative,” and that the
action “is unacceptable to Canada,
as it is to the entire international
community.”
MacKay said, “Canada has
repeatedly called on North Korea
to dismantle both its missile and
nuclear weapons programs, or risk
further international isolation and
condemnation. We will raise our
objections with North Korea every
opportunity we get, and we will
again strongly urge North Korea to
return to the six-party talks.”
Niagara College Law and
Security Administration student
Chris Majtenyi, 20, of St.
Catharines, said he feels threatened
by the North Korea nuclear
weapons test.
“I think if the States invades
North Korea, then Iran will attack
the States. Then it would be like a
third world war,” said Majtenyi.
Canada should have its own
nuclear weapons program to defend
its sovereignty, says Majtenyi.
“Nobody should have it, but if
other countries are going to have
it, Canada should have it to watch
their back,” said Majtenyi.
For the past year, North Korea has
refused to attend international talks
aimed at persuading it to disarm. In
2003, North Korea pulled out of the
Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty
after American officials accused
it of conducting a secret nuclear
program, a violation of an earlier
nuclear pact.
Cpl. Jason Armstrong and Peter Rivest, 21, both of St. Catharines,
stand atop a M113 Armoured Personnel Carrier at the Canadian
Armed Forces Lincoln and Welland Regiment.
Photo by Michael Speck
Photon ics
Page 12 news@niagara, Jan. 19, 2007
news@niagara, Jan. 19, 2007, Page 13
Graduate nominated
By NADINE WEBSTER
Staff Writer
It’s an honour just being
nominated.
Ryan S. Glaves, a graduate of
Niagara College’s first class of
Photonics Engineering Technology, is
one of four graduates nominated for a
Premier’s Award.
The Premier’s Awards are presented
annually to honour the achievements
of Ontario college graduates.
“I’m actually really flattered,”
Glaves said, in a telephone interview.
“A lot of other people are just as
worthy as I am. I’m fortunate to stand
out among the rest.”
Glaves graduated from the
Photonics Engineering Technology
program in 2004, and in less than
three years, has become the laser
applications and training manager
for Foba Lasers: A Virtek Company in
Waterloo, Ont.
He joined the program when it was
founded in 2001.
“I was concerned at first of the
layout of the program, but Niagara
College has a solid background and
history of being a good technical
school,” he says. “It gave me the tools
and gave me the knowledge to take
this job.”
Glaves says he was looking
for something in the technical or
engineering field that was new to the
industry and new to industry thinking.
It was at an information session that
“the ball started rolling” and where
he learned of the job prospects for
graduates.
“A lot of people think of it as
a narrow field,” says Alexander
McGlashan, co-ordinator for the
Photonics Engineering Technician
program, “but you can use it in any
industry.”
McGlashan says the program
covers a broad range of technologies.
Students learn everything hands-on,
from lighting systems to holograms to
vacuum systems to laser machines.
“It’s very much CSI in nature for a
lot of stuff we do,” he says, referring
to the popular television show.
Glaves says what he learned at
Niagara College is applied daily in
his field.
“Most of the classes were helpful
and skilful. The courses were set up
logistically. It all contributed, adding
one little aspect to everyday duties. I
really enjoyed it. I stuck with it and I
worked hard.”
Photonics is the study of light and
the manipulation of light for a specific
application.
“People use it every day and don’t
know it,” says Glaves. He lists a
few examples, such as the bar code
scanner at the grocery store, or the
CD player in your car. Even the antireflective coating on eyeglasses is
photonics based.
Glaves says he enjoys the
responsibility of being manager.
“It’s building something new. The
responsibility to take a project and
build it from the ground up. Who
knows what it will bring?”
The Premier’s Awards will be
presented in February in Toronto.
Centre: An argon laser is featured in the photonics lab. Outer images: A photonics
lab laser is demonstrated at the Niagara College Welland campus.
Photos and pagination by Laura Narducci
Page 14, news@niagara, Jan. 19, 2007
@SPOTLIGHT
IN THE
NEWS
NIAGARA
Popular radio personality overcomes impoverished childhood
By AMY MINOR
Staff Writer
They call him The Dreaded One.
Corey Mottley, 29, of St. Catharines,
Ont., known to many as “The Dreaded One
Corey Mottley,” is one of the most talkedabout radio personalities in the Niagara
area. Mottley, the on-air personality of the
evening show on CKEY-FM WiLD 101,
says it doesn’t matter how you look at it,
music is his life.
Mottley, who comes from an extremely
underprivileged upbringing, says he
thinks he has proven he can overcome any
obstacle life might throw at him.
“I grew up in the projects. I mean, like,
literally, the projects. I was just one of
many bi-racial kids in the neighbourhood,
all surrounded by addicts. Drugs, sex,
violence, it didn’t matter what. It seemed
like everyone there never knew where
their next meal was coming from.”
Mottley says that it wasn’t the easiest or
best place in which to grow up. “It almost
sets you up for failure,” he says. Instead of
letting it bring him down, Mottley made
it his ambition to overcome it, conquer it
and live out his dreams. When asked how
he would best describe himself, Mottley
replied, “I’m energetic, enthusiastic, a
perfectionist, demanding and obsessive,”
adding with a laugh, “in a good way
though.” Mottley says that he has few
hobbies outside of work that don’t involve
music, although he considers himself to
be a workaholic who can’t seem to get
away from his work.
“Music is what I do. If I’m not doing it at
work, I’m listening to it at home or playing
it in the clubs. It’s what I do, and I love only person in the world who knows
every second of it.” Mottley says, though, absolutely everything about me.” Mottley
that in the business he has chosen, it’s not says that his daughter has him wrapped
all fun and games.
around her little finger. “She knows exactly
“In the entertainment
how to look at me to get
industry, it’s tough. A
exactly what she wants,”
lot of people only want
he says with a laugh.
to know you because of
Mottley talks for a
what you do for a living,
living. That’s what he
not who you are as a
does. If he isn’t talking
person.” He often finds
on-air, then he’s being an
it hard to relax. “When
MC in the clubs, hyping
you eat, sleep and breathe
up the crowds, but when
your work, you’re bound
asked if he could describe
to have stress.”
the best day of his life,
There are a few things,
Mottley sat speechless.
though, Mottley says
After a few moments of
he can do when he just
silence, he went on to say
wants to get away for
that his life has been so
a while.”I love sitting
eventful, there is no way
around playing with my
that he could decide.
little girl. She’s so much
“My life has been a
like me it’s sick.”
definitely amazing trip
There are a few things
up to now. There is no
that are more fun when Local radio DJ Corey Mottley way I could choose one
he’s feeling a little from CKEY-FM WiLD 101 gets day. Every day is a new
stressed. “Sex. Sex is the crowd pumped and ready miracle.” Mottley says
always a great stress for the show.
while most of his views
Photo by Amy Minor on life are rather cut and
reliever. If it were my
choice, I would relax like
dried, his thoughts on
that all the time.”
religion and spirituality are a different story.
Standing at about six foot two and with
“I fully believe that religions are nothing
dreadlocks all the way down his back, but
money-grabbing,
brainwashing
Mottley is noticed when he enters a room. organizations. Spirituality, on the other
He comes off to many as harsh, blunt hand, is a great thing to keep close to your
and quite sarcastic but there is a lot more heart. Faith just allows you to enter into the
to him than meets the eye. Mottley says unknown and to give you a reason to wake
that he has a lot of soft spots.
up every day.”
“My bird is my best friend. He is the
Mottley says the reason he is a workaholic
Ice storm leaves students in the dark
Loss of power because of downed ice-coated power lines in Welland
left Niagara College’s Welland campus students in the dark. Failure to
regain power for three hours resulted in all day classes being cancelled
on Jan. 15.
Photo by Michael Dach
now is so that it will benefit him in the future.
He can’t wait to retire and sit in a hammock
on an island somewhere with not a worry in
the world. “I’m eventually going to go home
to Trinidad and sit on a strip of white beach
that is all mine. That is why I work so hard
now.” Mottley says he considers himself to
be a complex character.
“I wish I could be a flying lion,” he says.
“I definitely think that I have the leadership
skills that it takes to be the king of the jungle.
I am confident enough to honour the lion in
its greatness. I want the wings because I have
always wanted a bird’s-eye view. I would
love to fly.”
Mottley says the best way to describe
himself is as a people person.
“I feed off of people. I will eat your energy,
multiply it and spit it right back to you. I love
being in the public eye. I love being around
people. I got this personality type to use it,
not to ignore it.”
Mottley says if he wasn’t doing what he’s
doing today, he doesn’t know what he would
be doing. He says he can’t see himself doing
anything other than being a disc jockey and
MC. It’s the profession he has wanted to be
in since he was little.
When asked what his ultimate goal in life
is, Mottley bowed his head and he grew quiet
for a while.
“If I can be half as good of a role model
to my kids as my parents and grandparents
were, I will have done a great job.”
Mottley says he has achieved a lot more of
his dreams in 29 years than a lot of people do
in a lifetime, and for that, he is thankful.
More information can be found at http://
www.wild101.com.
Diamonds fund African civil war
By MARCUS YOUNGREN
Staff Writer
Diamonds come at a cost much
greater than their retail value.
Willhemina Deke, of St.
Catharines, emigrated from
Sierra Leone, Africa in 1999.
She came to Canada during a
time of great turbulence in her
country.
Deke states the hardships
in her country started in 1991.
Neighbouring country Liberia,
torn by civil war, asked Sierra
Leone’s
government
for
permission to set up military
barracks along the border.
When Sierra Leone refused, the
Liberian-backed Revolutionary
United Front (RUF) invaded.
The RUF used diamonds
mined in Sierra Leone to fund
its war.
Deke recalls some of the
horrific things she saw during
this time.
She states, “They would
capture men, hold them down
and say, ‘Long sleeve or short
sleeve?’ Then, depending on the
answer, cut their arm off at the
wrist or the elbow.”
She declares it was not safe to
travel on the roads, adding the
RUF set up checkpoints where
men were often captured and
women violently raped in front
of their husbands.
She states that the soldiers
would mockingly tease pregnant
women on the sex of their
upcoming child. They jokingly
bickered, one choosing to believe
the child was a boy and the other
a girl. To find out who was right,
the heartless soldiers would slit
the woman’s stomach open.
“They did many terrible
things.”
On a trip to a nearby village,
Deke was captured. The brutes
killed countless individuals and
rounded up women to act as their
cooks and sex slaves.
Deke was one of those
women.
As she hiked with a group of
militia and a few other captured
women, Deke admits she feared
for her life. Little did she know
something was about to happen
that she now calls “a blessing
from God.”
After walking two miles
outside the village in which
she was captured, the leader of
the gang pulled her aside and
asked if she knew who he was.
Frightened at what the man was
going to do to her, she honestly
replied she did not know. To her
surprise, he answered he knew
who she was from university.
While attending teacher’s
college, Deke acted as a prefect,
adding, “A lot of people in
school knew who I was.” This,
combined with her outspoken
personality
and
natural
leadership skills, made her a
prominent figure throughout her
years in university.
“People have always asked
me to speak for them. I love to
help people and am not afraid to
speak my opinion.”
After her surprising release
from the hands of the RUF, Deke
managed to reach a refugee
camp in Guinea. She spent three
months there and then went to
Senegal, where she spent nine
months before being approved
to come to Canada.
Between 1991 and 1999,
50,000 to 75,000 people were
killed in Sierra Leone and
more than two million lost their
homes.
In addition to the bloodshed,
Sierra Leone lost hundreds of
millions of dollars that could
have been used to legitimately
boost the nation’s economy.
The RUF still maintains some
control over diamond mines
in the northern parts of the
country.
Dekes states many horrific
things happened and still do.
Despite this, she admits she
would have stayed in Africa if
her mother hadn’t been killed.
“Sierra Leone is my home.”
news@niagara, Jan. 19, 2007, Page 15
It’s never too late to follow a dream
him to leave,” she recalls. “But he
said he left one home [in Nazareth
during the 1948 war] and he will
not leave another one, so she took
us and left him.”
Leaving her grandfather behind
was the least of their worries.
Two of her brothers were still
somewhere in Jerusalem and they
could not reach them. Their best
hope was to continue on to Jordan
and hope they would find her
brothers there.
“When we got to Jordan, we
went to a Palestinian refugee camp
and found them there,” she says.
“They had a few cuts and bruises
from fighting their way onto a
truck to Jordan but they were okay
otherwise.”
A few months later, their parents
enrolled them in a boarding school
in Lebanon and life was back to
normal.
“For the 10 years we lived in
Lebanon, both in the north and
south, I was in charge of all five of
my brothers and sisters. The only
time we saw my parents was during
the holidays.”
It was while she was at boarding
school that Shommer developed a
love for fashion. She would spend
hours mulling over the French
fashion magazines sold in Lebanon
and, once she learned how to sew,
she began copying the designs she
saw in the pages of the magazines.
“Fashion, to me, was a way
to close myself off for a bit and
concentrate on something other
‘My priority is
now my business.
I know if I work
hard enough, it’ll
happen.’
than taking care of my sisters and
brothers.”
Upon graduation, however, her
life took a different turn. The start
of the Lebanese civil way in 1976
jeopardized her chance to continue
with fashion at a leading design
school in Lebanon. Instead, she
moved with her family to Jordan
and went to a secretarial school. It
was the first time since she was old
enough to attend school that she
had lived in the same country as
her parents.
It was while she was in Jordan
that she met the man she was to
marry. Nasser Nasser was the
brother of Shommer’s closest
friend. Within the space of a year,
they were married and she was off
to the U.A.E. to start a new chapter
of her life.
“Nasser wanted children right
away, but I wanted to wait a few
years and adjust to everything
around me. I wish I hadn’t have
done that.”
At the age of 26, Shommer went
through early menopause and
doctors in the U.A.E., England and
at the International Academy of
Design and Technology in Toronto
in the fashion design program.
She completed her studies in the
summer of 2005 and returned to the
U.A.E. to put all she had learned to
good use.
“When I came back, I was
looking for a place to open up a
fashion house. Somewhere where I
can design and sell clothes in one
place, sort of like a workshop,” she
recalls of her ambitions. “But when
Lorain Shommer, surrounded by a mess of folders and papers,
completes shipment orders from her office in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.
Photo by Mira Nasser
France told her she would never
have children. However, some
higher force must have been at play
because by the age of 32, Shommer
had two children and had defeated
the odds.
For the next 17 years, Shommer
concentrated on work and family.
Even though she worked 11-hour
days, she always had time for her
family. As the years moved on, she
realized what she wanted most out
of life was to own and run her own
business.
“I knew I wanted to open up a
café or a designer boutique. I had
the resources at my disposal, but I
didn’t have the knowledge of what
it would be like to run my own
business,” she says nonchalantly.
“So I went to Canada and enrolled
in college.”
Shommer was 47 years old when
she arrived in Canada in September
2002 and enrolled in the fashion
design program at Mohawk
College in Hamilton, Ont. After
she had earned her certificate,
Shommer continued her education
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I analyzed the market, I found it
would be too costly and the society
might not embrace it so I started
looking for something else to do.”
She chose to trade with goods
such as clothing after a friend of
hers complained that her husband
could not find any suitable uniforms
for his employees for a low cost. In
a market as volatile as the U.A.E.’s,
prices were continually increasing
as large foreign corporations took
hold in the region. This made it hard
for smaller companies to find what
they wanted at a price that would
not cost them their business.
It was with this thought in mind
that Shommer opened her own
small business to help other small
businesses. Keeping in mind she
had to satisfy clients on both sides
of the spectrum, she made them
offers they could not refuse to buy
and sell their goods. To top it all
off, she now works 11-hour days
for the benefit of her own business
and not anyone else’s.
As for her dream to go into
fashion, Shommer says it is very
much alive.
“Sometimes, you have to go to
where the money can be made but
I still love fashion and one day, I
will open up my very own designer
fashion label.”
Just as her business was getting
into full swing, Shommer got some
bad news when, on Feb. 13, 2006,
her father passed away from a
heart attack following a stroke. She
immediately returned to Jordan to
help her mother and returned a few
weeks later to the U.A.E. with her
mother by her side.
However, more misfortune was
about to hit when, 40 days after her
father’s death, her mother slipped
into a coma following a mild heart
attack and on April 19, 2006, she
passed away after complications
from pneumonia.
“My father always used to say he
could not live without my mother,
I guess it was the same for her. She
could not live without him either,”
she says. “I think my mother held
on a while longer to make sure we
were all okay and then she went
back to him. It was where she
always belonged.”
After dealing with her parents’
deaths,
Shommer
resumed
working by immersing herself in
her business. In the following six
months, Shommer would visit
a myriad of places, including
Tunisia, Spain and Hong Kong,
and establish sound connections
worldwide.
“My priority now is my business.
I want to establish myself as a real
competitor in the trades market and
make my name known. I know if I
work hard enough, it’ll happen.”
62148918
By MIRA NASSER
Staff Writer
It’s a one-woman show as Lorain
Shommer runs from one end of
the cramped office to another,
scrambling to answer phones and
write down orders.
For the first time in 30 years, she
is her own boss. It doesn’t matter
that her office in Abu Dhabi,
United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.), is
in a building 20 minutes away from
any real civilization. It doesn’t
matter that the inside smells like a
damp basement and looks like one
too. It is hers and that is all that
matters.
In a few short months, Shommer
had established her position as a
competitor in the world of trading
goods. She serves as a go-between
for clothing and furnishing
companies in China and India
who want to sell their products to
businesses operating in the U.A.E.
Her natural charm appeals to
clients as they place their orders
for uniforms or bedding for
the growing staff they have to
accommodate. She recently landed
her biggest account with one of
the fastest growing construction
companies in the Middle East to
clothe all 18,000 of their staff.
“I wasn’t expecting to have to
provide uniforms for that many
people,” she says with a laugh. “I
had to work very fast to complete
their order and, in the end, I realized
I can do it [be successful] if I really
want to and I work hard at it.”
Working hard is something that
comes naturally for Shommer.
She’s worked all her life to reach
the point where she can control her
own destiny.
Born in Jerusalem in 1955, her
childhood was spent in a boarding
school while her father worked in
Saudi Arabia with her mother by
his side. Holidays were spent with
her maternal grandparents, who
took care of her and her siblings
during their short breaks at both
Christmas and Easter.
In 1967, her tender existence
was shattered as Israeli forces
raided Jerusalem in a six-day war.
The war broke out as she and her
sister were returning home at
the end of the school year. When
they reached her grandmother’s
house, they quickly fled with her to
neighbouring Jordan to seek safety,
leaving the “stubborn” grandfather
behind her.
“My grandmother argued with
my grandfather, trying to convince
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Page 16, news@niagara, Jan. 19, 2007
@@ NIAGARA
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The Sleeping wakes crowd with lively performance
The Sleeping’s vocalist Doug Robinson screams out some powerful
lyrics on stage at the L3 nightclub in St. Catharines. The show’s lineup also included A Wilhelm Scream, I Killed the Prom Queen, I Am
the Avalanche and Silverstein.
Photo by Jennifer Deschamps
By JENNIFER DESCHAMPS
Staff Writer
The Sleeping is back on tour in
Canada, and fans are discovering
that a performance is the furthest
thing from a night’s rest.
On Nov. 26, the boys from Long
Island, N.Y., played at the L3
nightclub in St. Catharines as part
of a lineup including A Wilhelm
Scream, I Killed the Prom Queen, I
Am the Avalanche and Silverstein.
The
Sleeping,
comprising
drummer Joseph Zizzo, vocalist
Doug Robinson, bassist Salvatore
Mignano and guitar/keyboardist
Cameron Keym, say they want to
be different.
“We want to play catchy stuff
that people can sing to, but at the
same time it is important for us to
challenge ourselves as musicians,”
says Robinson.
The Sleeping’s latest album,
Questions and Answers, is quite
an accomplishment.
Mignano, 28, says he accredits
this success to being “better at
writing songs and better at focus”
on this album.
“We honed in on our songwriting
ability,” adds Robinson, 23.
When it comes to writing music,
Mignano says the style depends
on the mood the guys are in at the
time, also referred to as the “vibe”
of the room. “Our writing process
involves a lot of free jamming.”
According to Mignano, everyone
is able to contribute because there
is no structure.
“Every song has its own personal
effect on you.” While Robinson
says The Climb is a “fun one”
to play, Mignano says he likes
Heartbeat and Don’t Hold Back.
When you come to a show,
Robinson says, “don’t be afraid to
rock out and be yourself.”
Mignano also warns that you
should expect “sweat, Joe shirtless,
and me looking hot on stage.”
The guys say they enjoy
playing shows like this. Robinson
says, “Shows at small clubs are
awesome” because of the level of
intimacy and feeling close to fans.
“Kids were falling all over the
stage today,” says Mignano, with
excitement in his voice.
The Sleeping just came off the
Nintendo Fusion Tour, so they
say it’s nice to have crowds like
this again.
“Being on the road is always
amazing,” says Robinson. Mignano,
whose sentiments differ slightly,
says, “It’s either super fun or
really miserable and you wanna
kill yourself.” They agree on one
thing: touring is full of surprises
and everything unexpected will
happen.
Robinson says the band’s goals
are to “get as big as we can, keep
touring, keep playing, headline
some tours and see how people
react.”
Mignano says he dreams of
playing with bands that inspire
him, such as The Mars Volta
and Muse. Jokingly, Robinson
declares, “I would love to play
with The Wiggles.” He says in
all seriousness he would like to
play with At the Drive In and the
Deftones because these are two
bands he admires.
Robinson’s advice to young
musicians is to work for it.
Mignano says, “Very few bands
get stuff handed to them. Most
work very hard.”
The Sleeping offer these final
words of wisdom: “Stay in school.
Spread the word.”
Over-hyped, undersold: Top 10 album flops of 2006
By NADINE WEBSTER
Staff Writer
As 2007 begins, there is much
anticipation as to what the year
will bring. Success will come for
some, but we often have more to
say about the unsuccessful than the
successful (for example, Britney
Spears). Maybe it reminds us that
we’re all human or that we may be
closer to celebrity than we think.
These are the Top 10 “flops” of
2006, but feel free to add your own.
Albums selling more than
500,000 copies receive gold status,
platinum for sales over one million
and diamond for the rare 10 million
albums sold.
Numbers are based on first
week sales.
10. Beyonce, B’day
The five-time 2007 Grammynominated singer took only two
weeks to record B’day. Critics
say it shows, but Beyonce clearly
has more fans than musical talent.
The album sold 541,000 copies
in its first week and has since
gone double platinum, selling two
million copies in the U.S. and three
million copies worldwide.
9. Gwen Stefani, The Sweet Escape
Her second solo album in less
than two years seems as though it
was rushed on to store shelves. Her
first album, Love, Angel, Music,
Baby, sold seven million copies,
with one hit after another playing
on radio airwaves. The Sweet
Escape, Stefani has said, is filled
with songs that didn’t make it onto
her first album. Maybe there’s a
reason for that. First week sales
sold 392,000 copies.
8. Taylor Hicks, Taylor Hicks
Hicks, the oldest winner of
American Idol at 29, sold 298,000
copies of his debut album after his
win on season five. His Soul Patrol
fans gave him his win on the show,
allowing him to beat Katherine
McPhee, but can it bring him the
lasting fame of fellow American
Idol winners Kelly Clarkson
(297,000 debut albums in its first
week) and Carrie Underwood
(315,000), and American Idol
runner-up Clay Aiken (613,000)?
7. Janet Jackson, 20 Y.O.
This over-hyped record was
an extreme disappointment for
Virgin Records and fans alike.
Fans bought 296,000 copies in its
first week, compared to first week
sales of her last album, All For
You, which sold 600,000 copies.
You don’t need to be a whiz to do
that math.
6. Tupac Shakur, Pac’s Life
Did someone forget to tell
Tupac he’s been dead for 10 years?
Nevertheless, this is his sixth
album since the death of this hiphop icon, but not the last. A seventh
album will reportedly be released
in 2007. Pac’s Life, containing
previously unreleased material with
collaborations from Snoop Dogg,
Ludacris, T.I., Chamillionaire and
Ashanti, sold 159,000 copies in its
first week.
5. Fergie, The Dutchess
Besides needing a spell-checker
on her word processor, Fergie has
managed to single-handedly bring
the Black Eyed Peas commercial
success. Her first solo album,
selling just 150,000 copies in
its first week, reeks of sex and
badly rhymed, repetitive lyrics,
à la My Humps.
4. Jessica Simpson, A Public Affair
In the rush of who is more
over whom, Simpson and her
ex-husband Nick Lachey both
released albums in 2006. As of
December 2006, Lachey remains
in the lead, with over 545,000
copies sold of What’s Left of Me.
Simpson’s fourth album, A Public
Affair, sold 101,000 copies in its
first week, for a total of just under
220,000. The most memorable
song on her album was A Public
Affair and its video, featuring Eva
Longoria and Christina Applegate
rollerskating in a disco rink. Her
last album, 2003’s In This Skin,
sold 2.9 million copies and went
triple platinum.
3. Paris Hilton, Paris Hilton
Paris “Famous for being Famous”
Hilton’s debut album got a boost
from the Stars Are Blind single. We
wonder how many copies would
have been sold had the single not
seen repetitive radio play in the
summer of 2006? First week sales
brought in a dismal 77,000 copies.
Since Paris can’t back up her
album with a tour (even she knows
she can’t sing live), sales aren’t
expected to pick up in 2007.
2. Rockstar Supernova, Rockstar
Supernova
The band featuring Tommy Lee
(Motley Crue), Jason Newsted (exMetallica) and Gilby Clarke (exGuns N’ Roses) and vocalist Lukas
Rossi sold less than 17,000 copies
of its self-titled debut. Considering
this show was shown worldwide to
millions of people for three months,
the album sales are disappointing,
to say the least. It goes to show
music fans are not stupid.
1. Kevin Federline, Playing with
Fire
The award for biggest flop
of 2006 goes to K-Fed, Britney
Spears’ soon-to-be ex-husband.
It seems riding off the success
of Spears’ has only hurt K-Fed’s
career. His album sold a pathetic
6,000 copies in its first week, and
organizers at the House of Blues in
Chicago were reportedly forced to
give away free tickets to K-Fed’s
concert.
Haines shows softer side
By CODY MCGRAW
Staff Writer
“Hainer, you’ve got balls of steel.”
So says Star’s member Chris Seligman in an anecdote told by
Emily Haines during some colourful banter highlighting her Jan. 6
performance at The Danforth Music Hall in Toronto.
The Metric front woman had only one solo album to play from, so
these banter sessions had to make up for the short concert and high
ticket price.
The mellow tempo of Knives Don’t Have Your Back filled the old
venue as backing band Soft Skeleton vigorously kept up with the string,
brass and percussion sections as Haines softly tapped her piano.
Her excitement at having a string section was apparent as she
conducted them with her left arm during many songs.
Sweeping through the entire album almost in the order on the disc,
Haines stopped three times after about every two songs to babble
about the first week of her tour.
She quirkily asked the audience if they think the past was better than
the future, or vice versa, and interjected she was only asking because
of a song she’d heard earlier that week that may or may not be by The
Velvet Underground.
Getting a mixed response, she turned back to her piano as awkwardly
subtle as an episode of Arrested Development.
Though a valiant effort, Haines’ spunk couldn’t make the night as
exciting as a Metric concert. She clearly had too much energy to be
playing her soft album and would have been better suited commanding
the stage with her band.
On her last song, she dedicated it to her dead father and to her granny,
who is “all over the Internet.” Admitting a tear in her eye, she boasted,
“I love Toronto” and ended the night to a standing ovation.
@@ NIAGARA
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news@niagara, Jan. 19, 2007, Page 17
Top album brings fun back to rock
By CODY MCGRAW
Staff Writer
Looking back to
2006, I can’t name an
album that changed the
world. However, there
are many that made us
dance, think and have
a good time. The year
2006 was a great one
for music, especially
in Canada, as more
than half of this list
is Canadian. I hope
this trend continues
in 2007 and the bar is
raised once again. Here
are the best albums of
2006.
10. Land of Talk,
Applause,
Cheer,
Boo, Hiss
Sometimes an album
just screams “next big
thing” and that is this
EP. Vocalist Elizabeth
Powell’s sound is very
90s and upon first listen
can raise memories
of Buffy the Vampire
Slayer and when The
Blue Jays were still good.
Download: All My Friends and Summer Special
9. CSS, Cansei De Ser Sexy
The first words on this album are “CSS sucks.” You
have to admire a band that has that as its first song to
hook listeners. The impressive Cibo Matto-like pop
continues throughout, making this the perfect dance
party album.
Download: Alala and Let’s Make Love and Listen to
Death from Above
8. The Stills, Without Feathers
On their sophomore release, The Stills have adopted
a new, more upbeat sound. Hearing both albums backto-back causes one to believe they are by two different
bands. Now with the help of Broken Social Scene
alumni, The Stills have made an incredibly satisfying
album even if it does alienate some of the old fans.
Download: In The Beginning and Baby Blues
7. The Arctic Monkeys, Whatever People Say I
Am That’s What I’m Not
This album lays out what it’s like to grow up in
England. The real appeal is that the members seem
like real people, not taking themselves too seriously
despite being quite successful.
These Brits exploded onto the scene in early 2006
to critical praise, which even scored them the top
music award, The Mercury Prize. For all who miss
90s Britpop, this is the album for you.
Download: When the Sun Goes Down and I Bet You
Look Good on the Dance Floor
6. The Dears, Gang of Losers
When I bought this album I was skeptical. I hate
when I hear bands I like have changed their sound.
However, The Dears surprised me. I fell in love with
their new upbeat sound rather than their usual Smithsinspired downer ways. This album made me want to
see them live, not fall asleep as I did before.
Truth be told, Murray Lightburn is a great lyricist
and performer and shines on this album.
Download: Death or Life We Want You and Whites
Only Party
5. Emily Haines, Knives Don’t Have Your Back
As front woman of Metric, Emily Haines commands
the audience like an Amazon, but on her solo effort
she sits alone quietly while sharing her sorrows.
Her songs are slower and emotive, thereby showing
a very different side to her. Instead of making us
dance, she makes us think. Her atmospheric vocals
are as haunting as they are engaging. Download:
Doctor Blind and Our Hell
4. Tokyo Police Club, A Lesson in Crime
This may only be an EP, but Tokyo Police Club has
Overwhelmed by
Underoath
By ANDREA DYER
Noise Staff
wowed me with its infectious songs as no one else has
this year. What the band did in seven songs is more
than many artists did all year. It makes me smile to
think that this is only the beginning.
Download: Nature of the Experiment and Cheer it
On
3. Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins, Rabbit
Fur Coat
Jenny Lewis effectively did something different as
a solo artist that she has yet to do in Rilo Kiley. She
showed us she can please fans young and old with
songs about her thoughts on religion, relationships
and being an adult, while using different song types.
Her Dusty Springfield-like sound and her use of
gospel singers The Watson Twins as her back-up
singers have given her a whole new fan base as she
enters her 30s and leaves the persona of a former child
actor behind.
Download: The Charging Sky and Melt Your Heart
2. Ohbijou, Swift Feet for Troubling Times
The first time I heard this band was in St. Catharines,
opening for Raising the Fawn. I had only read about
them that day and was really irritated the band took so
long to set up.Well, they sure showed me.
To put it simply, the music on this album is
beautifully atmospheric and full of instruments to
complement the soft, incandescent vocals of Casey
Mecija. It marked the first time I stood speechless,
unable to move after a concert.
Download: To Rest in Peace on Righteous Tides
and St. Francis
1. We Are Scientists, With Love and Squalor
This is the best album of 2006 because this New
York-based trio is bringing the fun back to rock
music. With songs about drinking and having fun
being young, this album reflects the personalities of
the members and can make the stiffest person dance
as though no one’s watching.
There is something to be said about an album that
scores this high on this list, yet has the largest number
of skippable songs. It shows how well certain songs
stand out to make this truly an album to remember.
Download: Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt and
The Great Escape
Honourable Mentions: Destroyer’s Rubies by
Destroyer, Return to the Sea by Islands, TrompeL’Oeil by Malajube, Alright, Still by Lily Allen, St.
Elsewhere by Gnarls Barkley, Dancing with Daggers
by Magneta Lane, Honey From the Tombs by Amy
Millan, Rather Ripped by Sonic Youth, It’s Never
Been Like That by Phoenix and Stars of CCTV by
Hard-Fi .
10. Damien Rice, 9
Ireland’s Damien Rice appeased waiting fans in 2006 with 9. The
album’s piano- and cello-heavy opening track, 9 Crimes, drew me in
with its haunting beauty and encouraged my listening and moderate
liking of the rest of the album.
9. Justin Timberlake, Futuresex/Lovesounds
Justin Timberlake undid any wrongdoings from his former boy band
career in ‘NSYNC with this 2006 album. He brought Sexy Back and had
rap artist T.I back him up on My Love, giving the album some finesse.
Finally, a completely successful move on Timberlake’s part. Bravo.
8. Brand New, The Devil and God are Raging Inside of Me
Brand New finished 2006 strong with the release of its latest album,
The Devil and God are Raging Inside of Me. The album sticks to the
band’s typical soft verse/strong chorus style, but explores darker themes
and shines just enough with a solid track like Degasser on the playlist.
7. Set Your Goals, Mutiny!
The 2006 release Mutiny! is quite possibly what hardcore-punk has
lacked for years. The album subtly hints inexperience, but offers fans a
more important dose of fun and heart that is unquestionably fresh.
6. Lupe Fiasco, Food and Liquor
Lupe Fiasco restored my faith in hip-hop in 2006 with Food and
Liquor. Fiasco side-steps typical hip-hop subject matter and, instead,
focuses on topics such as skateboarding and family relations through
fancy and rhythmic lyrics. Fiasco is easy listening for fans looking to
ease into hip-hop.
5. MSTRKRFT, The Looks
Death From Above 1979’s alter ego turned heads in 2006 with The
Looks. Paris single-handedly had me liking the surprisingly unique
MSTRKRFT sound while Easy Love had me aching to slip into something
flashy and hit the dance floor. I can thank The Looks solely for opening
my mind to the electronic-dance world.
4. Alexisonfire, Crisis
These St. Catharines rockers can be proud of their 2006 release
Crisis. While lyrically the album stands neutral to the band’s previous
albums, musically the album came alive. With its intensity, This Could
be Anywhere in the World anchored me as a fan, and the introduction of
Wade’s vocals on various tracks gave the album a bit of zest.
3. Mugshot, Pause and Reflect
Mugshot surpasses its pop-punk counterparts by a long shot with its
2006 album Pause and Reflect. The album is catchy and upbeat. Tracks
like Eleven Eleven act as a lure for potential Mugshot fans. Pause and
Reflect is an all around good time and shows promise for the band.
2. Converge, No Heroes
The guys of Converge shattered audio-wavelengths in 2006 with
their 14-track gem No Heroes. From start to finish the album demands
its listener’s undivided attention, though the song Plagues acts as the
shining star in the band’s entire existence with the kind of metallichardcore that induces heart attacks. Vocalist Jacob Bannon presents
clean-cut aggression throughout the album, making No Heroes hard to
ignore. This album still kicks my ass every time I listen to it.
1. Underoath, Define the Great Line
Bringing back their original appeal in their latest release, Underoath
dominated the hardcore scene in 2006 with Define the Great Line.
Hard-hitting tracks like In Regards to Myself and Moving for the Sake
of Motion are balanced by the eerie instrumentals in Salmarnir and To
Whom it May Concern.
Drummer and vocalist Aaron Gillespie eased Spencer Chamberlain’s
throaty vocals with his own smooth ones. Backed by equal parts of
strong baselines and fast-paced riffs by the other band members, the
album showcases an understanding of togetherness. Define the Great
Line had heavy rotation in my CD player this year and will maintain its
rank well into 2007.
For more top
10
album lists
www.noiseatniagara.com
Page 18, news@niagara, Jan. 19, 2007
@NIAGARA
ENTERTAINMENT
NEWS
Horror film predictable
By ADAM GAMBLE
Staff Writer
The Christmas season is a time for joy and giving, a time for
spending time with family and friends and a time for ... watching
scary movies?
The much-anticipated remake of the Canadian cult classic Black
Christmas was released in theatres nationwide on Christmas Day,
2006.
In this movie, a group of eight sorority girls and their housemother
are stranded in their house and begin to receive mysterious and
threatening phone calls from a devious stranger.
The girls learn that the house has a sordid past. Several years before
the movie takes place, a young boy named Billy, who was locked up
in the attic by his abusive mother, eventually broke free and murdered
her, along with her secret lover.
Cut to the present. After the girls discover one of their sisters has
been murdered, one by one they all seem to go missing.
The film starts off with lots of suspense and intrigue, and the
character development is well established throughout the movie.
As the film progresses, however, the plot becomes predictable,
and some scenes are very disturbing and hard to watch. While this
version is a typical slasher flick, relying on shock value and computeranimated effects, the original is terrifying on its own. By using dark
lighting and simple sound effects, the original creates a naturally
frightening environment. If you are a fan of traditional horror flicks,
don’t watch the remake.
Should have missed
The Holiday
By LESLEY SMITH
Staff Writer
Two romances were interwoven.
This is the theme behind the movie The Holiday. The Columbia and
Universal Pictures film, written and directed by Nancy Meyers, not only
follows the two love stories, but also occurs on two continents.
The story begins with Iris, a newspaper reporter in London, England,
having her heart broken when the former flame she is still in love with
becomes engaged to another woman. Amanda, a movie trailer editor from
Los Angeles, Calif., is seen breaking up with her cheating boyfriend.
Feeling she needs to get away, Amanda looks into vacations and finds
Iris’s cottage on a home exchange site. By the following day, the women
have switched homes for the Christmas holidays.
Though their reason for the holiday is to get away from their failed
relationships, both women find love knocking on their doors, quite
literally.
Starring Cameron Diaz as Amanda, Kate Winslet as Iris, Jude Law
as Iris’s brother Graham and Jack Black as movie soundtrack composer
Miles, the two-and-a-half hour movie switches back and forth between
Amanda’s life and Iris’s.
It flows like most other comedy/romance movies with predictable plot
lines and foreseeable outcomes.
“I thought it was a very predictable movie in that this story has been
done a hundred different ways,” said Lauren Hoffer, 20.
Ashley Cruickshank, 20, felt the previews surpassed the movie. “I
thought that it was mildly entertaining. There was more hype for it, and it
didn’t live up to its previews.”
“The previews on TV pretty much showed the best parts of the movie,”
Hoffer, a student at Canadore College in North Bay, Ont., agreed.
Cruickshank and Hoffer also agreed on the acting in the film.
“Jude Law, Kate [Winslet] and Jack Black played their parts well, whereas
Cameron’s [Diaz] performance was brutally annoying. I wanted to chuck
a shoe at her face. I thought her acting was too fake in this moving and
too fake glam. It was sickening,” said Cruickshank, a student at Nipissing
University in North Bay, Ont.
“I enjoyed the cast except for Cameron Diaz, but I just don’t like her
acting regardless of the movie,” Hoffer admitted.
However, not everyone had negative things to say about the film.
“I liked the movie,” said Pam Smith, of Owen Sound, Ont. “It made
me cry.”
With an ending that brings both storylines together and sees everything
come to a tidy close, The Holiday may not be cinematic genius. It may
be, however, the perfect choice for a night of relaxation.
Give indieLow-budget
films fialmschance
better than
blockbusters
By ALEX EDDIE
Staff Writer
Movie Reviews
This past year we have seen many blockbuster
movies reach the big screen.
Hits like King Kong, The Da Vinci Code and
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest have
made it to theatres around the world. Some of these
are great achievements, but many people do not know
about the movies that didn’t get quite the attention
others received. Some of these low-budget films are
actually 10 times better than big budget features.
This is a list of some of the movies this year,
that were played in select cinemas or were put
straight to video.
These movies are exceptionally good and didn’t get
the attention they should have.
If you are interested, go to a video store and check
these movies out.
Hustle and Flow, 18A, 115 min. - Starring Terrence
Howard as a pimp turned rapper in the ghetto part of
Memphis, Hustle and Flow is a remarkable story of
human triumph in a place where it is a struggle just
to live.
Squid and the Whale, 14A, 81 min. - If you
are a fan of movies like The Royal Tenenbaums,
the Squid and the Whale is right up your alley.
Starring Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney as a couple
going through a harsh divorce, the film, seen mainly
through the eyes of their two children, shows the
impact a divorce has on them on in a way completely
different from that ever put on film.
Brick, 14A, 110 min. - Starring Joseph GordonLevitt, Brick is a tricky teenage detective story.
It sounds corny, but it is actually very smart and
entertaining. Teenage drama is something we see
all the time on film, but Brick is unique from films
similar in genre.
Match Point, PG, 124 min. - One of Woody
Allen’s more recent pictures. Starring Jonathon
Rhys-Meyers and Scarlett Johansson, Match Point
is about what it is like to want something you can’t
have and how far you will go to get it, even if it
means death. Woody Allen’s pictures either strike
hard or miss terribly. This one strikes hard.
Thank You For Smoking, 14A, 91 min. - This very
smart comedy stars Aaron Eckhart as a spokesperson
for a tobacco company. It gives us an idea of how
tobacco companies still manage to sell millions even
though we’re all aware of how bad tobacco is for
our health.
Shopgirl, PG, 106 min. - Starring Steve Martin,
Claire Danes and Jason Schwartzman. Based on
Steve Martin’s novel, Shopgirl focuses on a tricky
love triangle involving a beautiful sales clerk, a rich
businessman and a loser. Also catch Schwartzman
in another low-budget film made in 1998 called
Rushmore.
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, 14A, 103 min. - Starring
Val Kilmer as a hard-ass, gay private detective and
Robert Downey Jr. as a thief disguising himself as an
actor in this comedy from the guys who brought you
Lethal Weapon. With a great script, it’s one of the
funniest movies I have ever seen.
news@niagara, Jan. 19, 2007, Page 19
OLITICS
NIAGARA
NEWSP@
Ontario’s electoral structure could change
comprise the assembly meet twice
a month for eights months from
September 2006 until May 2007.
The provincial Lieutenant Governor appointed the chair, George
Thompson, a former educator,
judge and provincial and federal
deputy minister.
The assembly must determine if
the electoral system in place since
1792 needs to be changed. The report is due to the provincial government by May 15. If change is
recommended, a referendum question will be on the Oct. 4 provincial election ballot. Any changes
would need a 60 per cent “super
majority” to be passed.
As the system now works, the
candidate who gets the most votes
in the riding wins the MPP seat, or
Columnist admits his
political ignorance,
growing disinterest
reference to the South Park movie.
Apparently, sometimes South Park
does imitate life.
Apparently Canada has a minority government, whatever that
means. When I asked people I
knew what that means, they didn’t
seem to know either.
And when did Jean Chrétien stop
being the prime minister? Clearly
I don’t vote, especially after someone from the New Democratic Party, outside the LCBO, hounded me
about how the party know its target
market: students.
Annoyed by the disturbance, I
threw away the pamphlet without
even opening it.
There is really no saving me
from my ignorance of politics.
Something politicians could try
is posting what they will do for
students around schools to create
some sort of awareness.
How about holding the voting
at colleges and universities? I, for
one, would vote between classes
when bored out of my mind.
People really get into politics and
world issues, but I strongly believe
that telling someone to “shut up”
and/or “mind your own business”
can solve all the world’s problems.
There are weapons of mass destruction in Iraq? Shut up.
North Korea has a bomb? Shut
up. Madonna can’t adopt a baby?
Shut up.
Maybe that’s why I hate politics.
It’s because the topic just annoys
me. I start asking myself questions
such as if a politician pays a hooker
with taxpayers’ money is she really
being paid at all?
compete in a second and final
round.
A version of this system is used
when Canadian federal parties
elect their leaders. A recent example was the Liberal leadership,
where after each round the candidates with the least number of
votes would give encourage their
delegates to swing their votes to
the leading contenders to compete
in the next round.
Various forms of proportional
representation are being used in
Spain, Germany, Mexico and New
Zealand.
Other provinces considering
electoral reform include British
Columbia, which held a referendum in 2005. It was narrowly defeated, but another will be held in
May 2009. Prince Edward Island’s
referendum was also defeated in
2005. New Brunswick will hold a
referendum on a mixed electoral
system in May 2008.
The next local meeting will be
on Jan. 22 in Niagara Falls. The
discussion will begin at 7 p.m., at
the MacBain Community Centre,
7150 Montrose Rd., Unit 1, in the
Coronation Programming Room.
To schedule a meeting, attend
or get a complete list of meetings,
please refer to www.citizensassembly.gov.on.ca. You can send
written comments to the assembly
by Jan. 31, by e-mail, mail or fax.
You can also log onto www.tvo.
org, click on Citizens Assembly,
and read and watch videos of the
recommendations and comment as
they happen.
By RYAN MCLEAN
Staff Writer
With the possibility of a federal
election in the spring, the rules
have changed.
Changes have been made to the
Canada Elections financing laws.
The Conservative Party’s Federal Accountability Act was given
royal assent on Dec. 12 by the
Right Honourable Michelle Jean,
Governor General of Canada.
As of Jan. 1, citizens or permanent residents of Canada are restricted to donating up to $1,000
to political parties, candidates and
leadership contestants over a calendar year, compared to 2006’s
maximum amount of $5,200, and
$5,400 to a leadership candidate.
Corporations, trade unions and
unincorporated associations will be
prohibited from making donations.
In 2006, these groups were allowed
to donate up to $1,000.
This will help eliminate “big
business influence” from the Canadian political process, explained
Rick Dykstra, Conservative MP for
St. Catharines area.
Asked if this would increase the
difficulty in raising support, Dykstra said, “This makes fundraising
much more difficult and tedious.”
However, Dykstra pointed out
this would establish credibility.
According to a media release,
NDP Ethics Critic Pat Martin explained great steps were accomplished by passing Bill C-2.
“While not perfect, this bill will
give both Canadians and MPs more
tools to end the culture of secrecy
and patronage that allowed corruption to flourish.”
The direction to eliminate the
possibility of undue influence is
a positive step, according to John
Maloney, Liberal MP for Welland.
Maloney said smaller rural areas
usually don’t see the large contributions the inner cities attract,
however, “The personal impact for
me is negligible in my riding association. I rarely get donations over
$1,000.”
On the other hand, some critics
are questioning the motives behind
the recent changes.
“I don’t see any reason for entirely eliminating a company or group
from participating in the process,”
said David Chernushenko, deputy
leader of the Green Party in a telephone interview from his Ottawa
office.
“A party has to be able to communicate during an election, but if
you drastically cut out financing,
there is temptation for some to seek
covert means of support.”
Also included are these changes:
no individual can make a cash contribution that exceeds $20 without
a receipt; gifts are prohibited that
could be seen as influencing a
candidate’s position or views; only
gifts from relatives, normal expressions of courtesy or practice are acceptable.
Within four months after the
election, all candidates must send
the Chief Electoral Officer a statement detailing each gift worth more
than $500 received, the nature of
the gift, its commercial value and
its cost.
Political donations capped
Electoral Reform Special Edition
Reform
By CODY MCGRAW
Columnist
I am the first person to admit I
know nothing
about politics.
I can’t tell
you what the
difference
is
between a Liberal and a Conservative
or,
furthermore,
what makes a
Conservative
progressive.
I’m aware this is a bad thing, but
really I can’t help that I don’t care.
I leave political analysis to the
experts such as journalism student
Ryan McLean, and I stick to running Noise@Niagara.
When I rationalize this behaviour, I come to the conclusion that
I don’t want to worry about things,
which is also why I didn’t see An
Inconvenient Truth. I just don’t
want to know.
I pay thousands of dollars in tuition each year, yet I don’t question
where it goes. Inflation goes up, yet
I pay more without thinking twice.
Trusting
politicians
isn’t
something I do because of years
of TV addiction, but I continue to
let things go without forming an
opinion.
I think I would be thinking differently if I were an American and
people I knew were fighting a war
for some reason unknown to me.
No seriously. I have no idea what
the war is about.
When I read that Saddam Hussein was hanged I thought it was a
winner-takes-all regardless if he or
she got a percentage majority of
the votes.
In the 2003 provincial election,
the Liberal party received 69.9
per cent of the seats, with 46.6 per
cent of the vote. They elected 72
of a possible 103 MPPs to form the
current government.
However, with proportional representation, candidates are elected
according to their party’s share of
the popular vote.
The plurality system is used in
Canada, United Kingdom, India
and the U.S.
France uses a slightly different
plurality system by using a tworound or two-ballot system. After
the first round, the two candidates
who received the most votes will
Democratic
By RYAN MCLEAN
Staff Writer
Students have a chance at changing Ontario’s electoral system.
The provincial plurality system
is being examined for everyone to
see what changes could occur.
That system is one in which a
single winner is chosen in a given
riding by having the most votes.
The Citizens Assembly, as a
result of the drop in voter participation, is tasked with examining
what changes could be made to
encourage voter turnout.
The assembly is 104 Ontarians,
of which 103 were randomly selected from each of the province’s
ridings by Elections Ontario’s permanent register. The 52 females,
51 males and one aboriginal who
SPORTS
NEWS@
NIAGARA
Page 20, news@niagara, Jan. 19, 2007
Athletes of the week
It’s a new year for Niagara
College Athletes of the Week.
Leah Duke, of Ottawa, a firstyear Recreation and Leisure
Services program student, is the
Boston Pizza female Athlete of
the Week for Jan. 15.
Troy Winch, of Sutton, Ont.,
a second-year Recreation and
Leisure Services program student,
is the Boston Pizza male Athlete
of the Week.
Duke has been called to the
play three different positions on
this year’s volleyball team. Duke,
who stands six-feet tall, collected
13 kills and one block leading
Niagara to a sweep over Windsor’s
St. Clair College last Saturday.
TROY WINCH
Volleyball serving up spikes at Niagara
The female’s volleyball team
has a record of seven wins and
one loss.
Meanwhile, Winch, who stands
six-feet, six-inches tall, has been
one of Niagara’s most consistent
volleyball players. In last
Saturday’s games against St. Clair
College, he had 13 kills, two aces
and one block for 16 points.
The men’s volleyball team plays
Mohawk College on Tuesday in
Hamilton.
On Friday and Saturday,
women’s volleyball will take the
spotlight as the Niagara College
Invitational will be played at the
Mackenzie Athletic Centre at the
Welland campus.
LEAH DUKE
Aaron McNutt, 20, of Ajax, Ont., jump serves for the Niagara Knights men’s volleyball team in an
exhibition game against Mercyhurst College from Erie, Pa. The next home game is Friday, Jan. 26,
when Niagara plays North Bay’s Nipissing University at 8 p.m.
Photo by Jason Petznick
Brock celebrates 25 years of service at its aquatic centre
By T.J. LUCIANO
Staff Writer
Brock University’s Eleanor
Misener Aquatic Centre (EMAC)
is celebrating 25 years of service.
From Sept. 29 to Oct. 1, the centre’s
personnel were joined by past and
present contributors to acknowledge
this accomplishment.
Herb de Bray is the aquatics
centre manager. He says EMAC
was established in September
1981. The pool is 50 metres long
and eight lanes wide. The centre
employs 92 staff workers and 87
part-time student workers.
“Our role is to provide
recreational competition for Brock
and the Niagara region.” He says
the centre serves Brock University
and the community and is open to
the public.
“Our role in the community has
been a success over 25 years in
Niagara.”
The centre is “the best out of
all university pools in Canada,
definitely Ontario. This is just
as fun as the indoor facility in
Niagara Falls.”
“Kids can swing off Tarzan
ropes, dive off the boards. It’s a fun
centre.” There is “nothing else of
this magnitude,” says de Bray.
He says the EMAC is host to some
big regional events, including the
Canada Games Trials and Ontario
Championships, for universities or
open trials.
“We host all regional high school
competition, provincial university
championships, all high school
Ontario championships and the
Ontario Masters.” Some Canadian
athletes have “graced the platform
of the centre.”
de Bray says Cathy Richardson
got her degree at Brock and
was in the 1980 Olympics and
the
Commonwealth
Games.
“Dave Schemilt, 1500 finalist,
won several national university
championships.”
The pool itself has a “hydraulic
floor” that moves up and down.
It’s a “temperature differential
pool” and the “concrete expands
at a different rate.” The pool was
originally supposed to be built
in March 1981, but “slippage
occurred and there were scars at the
bottom of the pool.” He says they
renovated it, drained it and found
all the spots.
Bob Davis is one of the builders
of the EMAC and used to work
for Dr. Arnie Lowenberger, former
director of athletics for Brock.
“Anytime you build something,
you don’t expect great things.” He
says the aquatic centre at Brock
is “well-run by the aquatics staff
under de Bray.” The pool has been
“well-maintained” in the 25 years it
has existed. He says he remembered
building the structure and the
Herb de Bray stands in front of the banner promoting the Eleanor Misener Aquatic Centre at Brock
University in St. Catharines. The aquatic centre recently celebrated 25 years of service.
Photo by Michael Dach
working conditions of the times.
Margie Lizzotti, of Thorold,
is the assistant aquatics program
supervisor. She does leadership
training and makes sure all children
have assigned instructors. “When
a swimming lesson happens, we
need enough instructional staff to
cover the need.”
She says the centre has the largest
first-aid program in Ontario for a
single affiliate, which is one pool.
“We got an award for the largest
lifesaving program in Ontario.”
She says the Lifesaving Society
program has grown and is
increasing the number of families
and people who need swimming
lessons.
She says there is amazing
leadership exhibited at the centre.
There’s a “great and strong network
of people.”
“We have great leadership
personnel, which helps because
they teach in the community. When
a course is cancelled, we pick up
the slack and get them certified
any way possible.” The centre has
great “communication with other
facilities.”
“It’s wonderful. How many times
can I say it?” Lizzotti says.
She says the front desk staff must
know the pre-requisites for the
facility’s clientele. “It’s more than
just answering a phone.” Lizzotti
says they are a “huge piece” of the
recreation program.
Mike and Diane work at the
Welcome Desk at Brock. They
say the desk is a “liaison between
the community and the facility.”
They must have knowledge about
“everything in the program book.”
news@niagara, Jan. 19, 2007, Page 21
SPORTS
NEWS@
NIAGARA
Algoma psychology student lives dream in OHL
By STEPHEN BOSCARIOL
Staff Writer
Three years of hard work and
determination made him who he is
today.
Brad Good, a 20-year-old
member of the Sault Ste. Marie
Greyhounds in the Ontario Hockey
League (OHL), knows exactly
what it takes to become the best.
Whether Good is skating on the ice
or attending Algoma University for
psychology, focusing on the task at
hand elevates his performance.
“I have nine credits in everything
from computer science to political
science classes. Around exams it
gets tough to focus on both but
time management is a skill that you
just need to have,” says Good.
Good grew up playing hockey in
his hometown of Kitchener, Ont.,
where his first hockey memories
were some of his fondest.
“When I was playing hockey in
the outdoor rink at Smisson Public
School, I was probably only six
years old but those were great
times.”
Good left home when he was
17 years old to pursue his hockey
career in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.
Before leaving, his father offered
him advice that to this day sticks
with him.
“My dad told me when I was
younger to always go about your
business, work hard. A job doesn’t
need to be fancy just as long as it’s
done well. I still go by that to this
day.”
The Greyhounds play in front
of a fairly large crowd by OHL
standards. The larger the crowd,
the more the noise level rises,
further heightening the intensity
on the ice. With this in mind, Good
finds comfort in playing in front
of noisy crowds that are often
yelling objectionable phrases
and, sometimes, humourous
chants at him.
“It’s definitely intense. It’s sweet.
I always try to give them [the
crowd] their money’s worth, kind
of put on a show. My first game in
the OHL I was full of nerves, but
also excitement. You definitely
feel a sense of accomplishment
stepping onto that ice.”
OCAA STANDINGS
Men’s Basketball
Men’s Volleyball
Team
GP
MW ML GW
Durham
Seneca
Georgian
Cambrian
Boreal
9
7
5
9
8
7
5
3
3
0
2
2
2
6
8
23
18
10
12
4
Mohawk
Nipissing
Humber
Canadore
Sheridan
5
6
6
6
7
5
4
3
1
0
0
2
3
5
7
Algonquin
Loyalist
Trent
La Cite
Fleming P
7
7
8
7
7
7
6
4
2
0
Redeemer
Niagara
Fanshawe
St. Clair
7
6
5
8
5
4
3
3
GL
+/-
Pts
8
10
7
20
24
15
8
3
-8
-20
14
10
6
6
0
15
14
10
5
2
1
8
11
15
21
14
6
-1
-10
-19
10
8
6
2
0
0
1
4
5
7
21
18
17
9
3
3
7
18
17
21
18
11
-1
-8
-18
14
12
8
4
0
2
2
2
5
16
14
9
15
9
9
9
17
7
5
0
-2
10
8
6
6
Central East Division
Central West Division
East Division
West Division
Team
GP
W
L
PF
PA
+/-
Pts
Humber
Centennial
Seneca
Sheridan
George Brown
Georgian
8
7
8
6
7
6
6
6
4
4
1
0
2
1
4
2
6
6
583
531
561
455
439
323
451
502
518
413
518
490
132
29
43
42
-79
-167
12
12
8
8
2
0
St. Lawrence K
Algonquin
Cambrian
Fleming P
Durham
La Cite
Loyalist
10
9
9
11
9
10
12
8
8
6
5
4
2
2
2
1
3
6
5
8
10
830
757
675
754
646
651
791
669
608
665
858
723
700
881
161
149
10
-104
-77
-49
-90
16
16
12
10
8
4
4
Fanshawe
Niagara
St. Clair
Algoma
Mohawk
Lambton
Redeemer
Sault
7
6
5
8
10
7
7
8
7
4
4
4
4
3
2
1
0
2
1
4
6
4
5
7
581
483
417
603
838
555
505
486
424
416
380
601
844
552
521
730
157
67
37
2
-6
3
-16
-244
14
8
8
8
8
6
4
2
Central Divison
East Division
Central East Division
GP
W
L
GW
GL
+/-
Pts
Durham
Cambrian
Georgian
Boreal
Seneca
George Brown
10
10
6
10
8
10
9
7
5
3
1
0
1
3
1
7
7
10
29
26
16
12
9
2
8
11
7
23
22
30
21
15
9
-11
-13
-28
18
14
10
6
2
0
Nipissing
Humber
Mohawk
Sheridan
Canadore
7
7
7
9
7
7
6
4
3
1
0
1
3
6
6
21
19
14
11
5
1
5
10
20
19
20
14
4
-9
-14
14
12
8
6
2
Algonquin
Loyalist
Fleming P
La Cite
Trent
8
8
8
8
8
7
7
4
2
2
1
1
4
6
6
21
21
13
10
7
4
7
13
20
21
17
14
0
-10
-14
14
14
8
4
4
Redeemer
Niagara
Fanshawe
Lambton
St. Clair
Sault
10
8
8
10
9
8
8
7
5
2
2
0
2
1
3
8
7
8
25
22
18
7
8
1
7
6
10
26
23
24
18
16
8
-19
-15
-23
16
14
10
4
4
0
Central West Division
East Division
West Division
West Division
Women’s Basketball
Women’s Volleyball
Team
East Division
Team
Game days make most OHL
players go through an almost
repetitive routine. Good is no
exception; his day starts and ends
on a schedule that has no room for
unwanted distractions.
“I wake up and always eat a
bowl of Cheerios, then head down
to the rink for a half-hour meeting
with the team. We’ll skate for a
little bit to work out our legs. Then
after the skate I’ll head home and
make a little toast. I usually sleep
two hours after that and then get
up and have a pre-game meal of
chicken pasta if we’re playing
at home. I’ll then shower up and
head to the rink about three hours
early. I sometimes get my back
worked on. Then I get ready and
hit the ice.”
The OHL this year implemented
a new drug-testing regulation that
is cracking down on illegal drug
use by its players.
“I think it’s a wise decision on
the part of the league to ensure
safety and equality throughout
the Canadian Hockey League
(CHL).”
Being 20 puts Good in the
position of an “over-ager” in the
rules of the OHL, but he doesn’t
mind not knowing what his future
has in store for him.
“If there are no intriguing
professional hockey options, then
I’ll attend a Canadian university. I
know I want to be on the beach in
the summer and playing some kind
of hockey in the winter.”
Good offers this advice to any
young aspiring athlete pursuing
the dream of achieving the highest
level in their respective sport.
“Just don’t get discouraged
when things don’t go your way.
Stick with it, stay positive, while
working your ass off and good
things will happen.”
Upcoming
Niagara Knights
Home Games
GP
W
L
PF
PA
+/-
Pts
Seneca
Algonquin
St. Lawrence K.
Humber
George Brown
Durham
Georgian
Loyalist
Fleming P
10
9
9
9
8
8
8
8
9
10
7
6
5
4
4
2
1
0
0
2
3
4
4
4
6
7
9
822
555
518
520
470
435
471
416
266
467
461
444
484
478
451
544
481
663
355
94
74
36
-8
-16
-73
-65
-397
20
14
12
10
8
8
4
2
0
Women’s Volleyball
Algoma
Sheridan
Niagara
Fanshawe
St. Clair
Mohawk
Redeemer
8
7
5
6
5
8
5
7
5
3
3
2
2
0
1
2
2
3
3
6
5
510
410
283
302
276
370
188
364
341
266
320
261
415
372
146
69
17
-18
15
-45
-184
14
10
6
6
4
4
0
8 p.m.
West Division
vs. Nipissing Jan. 26
6 p.m.
Men’s Volleyball
vs. Nipissing Jan. 26
Women’s Basketball
vs. Redeemer Jan. 30
6 p.m.
Men’s Basketball
news@niagara publishes
next on Jan. 26, 2007
vs. Redeemer Jan. 30
8 p.m.
Page 22, news@niagara, Jan. 19, 2007
Photo by Nate Lasovich
Construction on Main Street
bridge causing local profit loss
By RACHEL TATTERSALL
Staff Writer
Locally owned downtown stores
are having a hard time competing
with the new wave of shopping
centres.
The scene was calmer than it
should have been in downtown
Welland on a Thursday afternoon.
Downtown shops should be busy
and hectic, but this wasn’t the case.
With just as many closed stores
as there are open ones, downtown
Welland looks as though it could
use a big economic boost.
Kathy Dunsby, 47, of Welland,
is a manager at La Mode Boutique
on Cross Street. She says the local
construction of the Main Street
bridge has had no effect on sales.
She says her store has regular
customers and its quality garments,
personalized service and customer
satisfaction keep them coming back
Niagara’s Icewine Festival returns
for more.
Dunsby says parking meters are
a “disadvantage” to people who
don’t want to have to pay to park
while they shop.
Box stores, such as Wal-Mart and
shopping centres, do keep business
out of downtown because “everyone
is looking for the lowest price.”
“There are not enough stores for
people to want to spend the whole
day shopping here, like Niagaraon-the-Lake.”
On the other hand, Paul
Richardson, 53, of Welland, owner
of The Garden Path, says the bridge
construction has had a major effect
on his business.
“We are 40 per cent down from
this time last year.”
Richardson says he “believes all
downtowns are facing the same
problems.” He says people would
rather go to box stores because it’s
convenient to buy from just one
store.
Richardson says before the bridge
was closed his business was “doing
fine.”
He has a lot of loyal customers
who like the store, prices and him.
“We don’t just want your money.
We want to know our customers, to
have a family feeling.”
Richardson says he is sometimes
embarrassed to bring people he
knows downtown because of its
lack of success.
“I’m going to have to make a
decision soon for my own personal
survival. I may have to close down
or move.”
He says he would love to see
downtown revitalize, but that won’t
happen until people come down and
support the local businesses.
Teresa Maletta, of Welland, is an
employee at Kid’s World of Fashion
on East Main Street. She says the
bridge construction has caused a
major strain on business, adding
things have “been terrible because
of the bridge.”
She says this business has done
well for itself, considering it has
been open in the same location for
the last 32 years. She believes it
will continue to do well.
“The new City Hall has brought
more business and attention to the
area.”
Maletta says exclusive clothes
of good quality are what has
made Kid’s World of Fashion so
successful.
Dunsby, Richardson and Maletta
all agree that a larger variety of
stores would help boost the success
of Welland’s downtown shopping.
Richardson says, “I would like to
come down here and be proud.”
By ROBYN HOPPER
is in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Another ice bar will be
Staff Writer
placed downtown and the event will also include
Cleanse your palate.
tastings and entertainment.
The 12th annual Niagara Icewine Festival is taking
The Niagara Icewine Festival has something to
place Jan. 19 to Jan. 28.
please everyone’s palate.
The festival will celebrate one of Canada’s most
cherished products, Ontario icewine.
The opening act is the annual Images of Winter
by Xerox gala evening and silent auction. The gala
will be held on Friday, Jan. 19, at the
Sheraton on the Falls Hotel in Niagara
Falls starting at 8 p.m.
It is Canada’s largest public icewine
tasting with more than 30 Ontario
wineries presenting more than 100
award-winning icewines.
Sprinkled between the icewines will
be 12 food stations offering the finest
in Canadian cuisine.
The tickets for the gala evening and
silent auction cost $150.
The first weekend begins with an
ice bar carved from a 7,000-pound
block of ice. The 18-foot-long ice bar
will be in the centre of Main Street
in Jordan Station. The street will be
If you're an employer, here's what you need to know.
closed for icewine tasting from more
than 20 wineries along with iceHunting & Fishing
General
Students under
Liquor Server
Hunting & Fishing
Homeworkers (people
carving demonstrations, food and
Minimum Wage
18 and working not
Guides: for less than Guides: for five or
doing paid work in their
entertainment.
more hours in a day
more than 28 hours
five consecutive
home for an employer)
Niagara’s famous wine route is ready
whether or not the
per week or during
hours in a day
to welcome visitors from around the
a school holiday
hours are consecutive
world for the 10 days of tours, tastings,
Current
seminars, samplings and food pairings,
110% of the minimum wage
$77.50
$38.75
$6.75/hour
$7.25/hour__
$7.75/hour
wage rate
all with the focus on icewine.
The festival will also feature an Ice
Feb. 1, 2007
110% of the minimum wage
$80.00
$40.00
$6.95/hour
$7.50/hour__
$8.00/hour
Art Exhibit by Canadian artist Gordon
wage rate
Halloran. Halloran is an internationally
recognized artist whose art was featured
at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino,
On February 1, 2007, the general minimum wage will increase to $8.00 per hour from the current rate of $7.75 per hour.
Italy. The exhibit is new to the festival
To find out more about how the new minimum wage guidelines affect
this year and is included in the price
of a Niagara Icewine Discovery Pass
employers and employees, call or visit the Ministry of Labour web site.
of $30.
Paid for by the Government of Ontario
The pass gives the holder access to
exclusive offers and complimentary
events throughout the festival at 30
wineries.
The second weekend of the festival
The minimum
wage is going up.
1-800-531-5551
www.ontario.ca/minimumwage
news@niagara, Jan. 17, 2007 Page 23
McGuinty scholarship
‘Can’t someone else do it?’
aids
global
studies
With Just Junk — someone can
By MICHAEL DACH
Staff Writer
For years people have dreaded
cleaning out their garages, not to
mention the time and money spent
on travelling to the dump to discard
it all properly.
As Homer Simpson’s campaign
slogan read when he became
sanitation commissioner, “Can’t
someone else do it?” Now someone
else can.
Just Junk is a business that
provides fast, efficient removal of
unwanted trash at an affordable
price.
According to its website, Just
Junk opened for business on Sept.
1, 2003.
Mike Thorne, president of Just
Junk, used to work in Toronto for
Bell Canada. One day, while at
work, he was instructed to find
a company that could remove
the old cubicles from his office.
Thorne says this was the first time
he thought of a market for a junk
removal service.
“Seeing the overwhelming
lineup of people dropping off trash
at a landfill site,” says Thorne,
“there is probably a need for this
type of job.”
He decided to quit his job in
Toronto and moved back to St.
Catharines in pursuit of his idea.
It is said that if a business can
succeed the first three years, then
there is a chance for survival. Just
Junk has done just that.
“You’ll always hear this saying
when people decide to start a
business: It’s 10 per cent inspiration,
90 per cent perspiration,” says
Thorne, “plus the right people
working in the business. With the
right people it can make a business
grow to the wildest of your
expectations.”
He continues to mention
the importance of creating a
professional service that doesn’t
just cater to people’s sidewalk
removal. He says he would like to
expand to a larger scale, catering
to respectable companies. Having
those customers would separate his
company from his competition’s,
who have just a catchy business
name or feel that they need a
gimmick to operate.
“I feel they (other companies) all
have the same friendly, catchy logo.
I want our company to be easily
recognizable with an emotional
appeal,” he says.
Just Junk works as follows: the
customer calls for an appointment
for the removal of any trash or
useless clutter. Items the company
can haul include old furniture and
appliances, renovation debris and
reusable and recyclable items.
Appointments are for a two-hour
time slots that allow for unforeseen
circumstances to be avoided, says
the company’s website.
Once the teamsters arrive, they
conduct an evaluation of the items
for removal and provide a written
estimate. Removal can begin right
away if the quote is satisfactory to
the client. Workers come prepared
to complete the job right away.
Just Junk employs eight people,
and it is looking to expand into
Hamilton, says Thorne.
Since being in business,
Just Junk has received several
community awards. In 2004 it
was awarded the Entrepreneur of
the Year Award, which recognizes
outstanding potential and business
excellence. In 2005, the company
acquired the New Business Award,
which recognizes companies that
have been operating for three
years or fewer and who are an
entrepreneurial success. Also in
2005, the 40 under Forty award was
given to the company. This award
exemplifies business excellence
proven by those business people
under the age of 40.
Just Junk is in St. Catharines
at 214 Martindale Rd. Niagara
residents can contact the company
by phone at 905-646-5865 or toll
free at 1-888-JUNK-TRUCK
(586-5878).
For general inquiries, e-mail
[email protected], call the
toll free number or visit its website
at http://www.justjunk.com.
By RYAN MCLEAN
Staff Writer
The McGuinty government
is establishing international
scholarships for Ontario college
and university students to study
abroad, says a ministry of
training, colleges and universities
press release.
“Our government supports
students who want a diverse
learning experience,” said Chris
Bentley, minister of training,
colleges and universities. “That’s
why we are encouraging Ontario
students to pursue part of their
studies abroad through new
scholarships that will also help
our province remain competitive
in the global economy.”
In 2006-07, more than 150
Ontario International Educational
Opportunity
Scholarships
will be available for eligible
students, who can receive up
to $2,500 each. This will also
include scholarships for students
from under-represented groups,
francophones, Aboriginal groups
and persons with disabilities.
“Initiatives
aimed
at
improving the student learning
experience will help cement
our postsecondary education
system’s reputation as being
among the best in the world,”
added Bentley.
“Encouraging diversity at
our universities will enhance
everyone’s learning experience,”
said Sandra Pupatello, MPP for
Windsor West. “Having more
international students at our
campuses will mean a greater
exchange of ideas, values and
life experiences - and that’s true
for Ontario students studying
abroad as well.”
The government is negotiating bilateral postsecondary and
training exchange agreements
with other countries, including
China, India, France, Germany
and the United States.
“The government’s support
for international opportunities
for Ontario’s students is most
welcome in its recognition of
the vital of cross-cultural learning experiences to their education and personal development,”
said Dr. Ross Paul, president of
the University of Windsor.
“Given my strong belief
that today’s education requires
exposure to other ways of
thinking and diverse ways
of looking at the world, I am
tremendously encouraged by
this initiative. The students and
the province will be the ultimate
beneficiaries.”
The government, as part of
the Reaching Higher plan to
help internationalize Ontario’s
postsecondary education system,
will invest $1 million in 200607, $3 million in 2007-08, and
$5 million in 2008-09.
In 2005, the strategy included
a new website, http://www.
studyinontario.com.
The website cost $80,000, can
translate in four different languages and sees about 33 hits
per day, said Tanya Blazina, senior media relations co-ordinator for the ministry.
College students have mixed feelings
over expectations, unsure of future Alzheimer’s month proclaimed
By TJ LUCIANO
Staff Writer
A few Niagara College students
expressed feelings of confidence,
while others felt dismal about their
future expectations regarding their
courses on Nov. 1.
Some students felt their future
expectations looked bright and were
confident they would get good jobs
right out of their program, feeling
that their programs will prepare
them for the real world.
Some felt as if getting through to
teachers was a hard task and that
made their expectancies unclear
from the start.
Ashly George is in the two-year
Correctional Worker program.
She wants to work with youths
in detention centres when she
graduates this year.
“I want to become a corrections
worker so I can work in
penitentiaries with inmates. You
associate with police but don’t do
the grunt work.”
Her program course has law and
English classes, as well as physical
training, which she adds, is “wellsuited” for the course.
“I’m confident that the program
will assure me a job after I
graduate,” George says.
Corey Hagopian, 20, of St.
Catharines, is in the three-year
Computer Programming Analyst
(Co-op) program in Welland.
He learns database fundamentals,
Hypertext Markup Language and
cascading style sheets. “We learn
logarithms and better understand
our
problem-solving
skills.”
There’s even “lots of math.”
He says his course prepares
him to be a lead programmer and
a systems analyst. He explains his
tasks would be to “tell other people
to write codes, check the codes”
and he could “fire people.”
“You get an overall higher
learning in computer science.”
He says he is confident he will
have a good job upon completion.
“Right out of my program, I’ll be
in co-op and show them what I can
do with a computer.”
Twenty-year-old Kaland Stachura, of Welland, is in the Police
Foundations program.
“We learn about law, policing
and policing powers.” He says his
classmates enact scenarios in which
they “apprehend suspects.”
He is confident that with more
work after the program he will
succeed in his field.
“They give us the tools and
resources and tell us how to get
hired,” he says.
“In order to succeed in Police
Foundations, you have to keep on
getting things like your CPR and
maybe swimming too.”
Some people can be hired right
out of the program but it is “rare.”
One student expressed his opinion
concerning his expectations for
his program, but he had a concern
regarding the fast-paced teaching
of his course, which focuses more
on marks.
Sarkis Melengitchian, 19, was
born in Yerevan, Armenia.
He is a student in the fouryear Mechanical Engineering
Technology (Co-op) program.
“The teachers rush six or seven
lessons, one after another.”
“Getting through to them is
bologna.” The teachers should “go
easier” on students. He says the
teachers should give students one
mid-term, one final exam and have
some assignment marks.
He says he feels as if the teachers
aren’t getting through to students
because of the big workloads.
“I wish the teachers would quit
scaring us. We pay their salaries,”
Melengitchian says.
“It’s different in Armenia than
Canada. You may as well have 100
per cent here.”
His “great expectations” are
to get a well-paying job when he
graduates, despite the hard marking
scheme here.
“I’m going to live in a castle on
top of a mountain when I graduate,”
says Melengitchian.
January has been declared Alzheimer’s Awareness Month in Welland.
Doug Rapelje, chair of the newly formed Alzheimer Society Niagara
Falls Foundation, told councillors the disease affects more than 7,000
people across the region.
Among awareness events, the Manulife Walk for Memories will take
place at the Pen Centre on Sunday, Jan. 21, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
A two-hour public forum presented by Alzheimer Society of Niagara,
called Maintaining a Healthy Brain, takes place at Welland Civic Square
Jan. 25, starting at 7 p.m.
Maintenance closing area bridges
Motorists who travel across the Allenburg bridge may want to make
other arrangements later this month.The bridge will be closed Jan. 22
through Jan. 26 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The St. Lawrence Seaway Authority said the closure is needed in order
to allow crews to replace bridge buffers.
Also, similar maintenance work will result in the closure of the Glendale
Avenue bridge Jan. 29 to Feb. 2 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Work on Campus - Earn $9/hour!
The Responsible Gambling Council (RGC) is looking for students with great
interpersonal skills to assist with Know the Score, an interactive awareness
program designed to prevent gambling-related problems among young
adults.
The program will visit Niagara College Glendale Campus from February
12 - 15. Students must be available to attend a paid training session on
Sunday, February 11th from 11 am - 2 pm..
Apply online before February 2, 2007 at www.knowthescore.ca/on/jobs.cfm
Page 24, news@niagara, Jan. 19, 2007
The Arts
Artist, musician feels
‘personal connection’
By LAURA NARDUCCI
music and art when he was a child.
Staff Writer
“My sister played piano all
Combining
improvisation, the time. When I was younger, I
reflection and intuition can create wanted to learn the pieces she was
an original sound.
playing.”
John Farah, 33, a pianist,
Farah says he comes from an
composer, electronic musician artistic family; his sister and his
and visual artist from Toronto, mother are also painters.
performed at Making Room over
“I see art and music as extensions
the Dec. 2 and Dec. 3 weekend of each other. The lines I draw in
last year at 224 Wallace Ave. in my visual art are like melodies
Toronto.
and embody the infinity of the
He trained in composition and universe.”
piano performance at the University
He is inspired by Bach, Schof Toronto and the
oenberg, Messiaen,
Royal Conservatory.
Shos‘I see art and Stockhausen,
He has performed
takovich and Ernst
at
Harbourfront music as extensions Fuchs. Other inCentre,
Theatre of each other. The spirations include
Passe
Muraille,
Middle Eastern muThe Music Gallery, lines I draw in sic and mythology,
Guelph
Jazz my visual art are the Renaissance,
Festival,
Guelph like melodies and ambient minimalSpring
Festival,
ism, musique conVictoria Chapel, the embody the infinity créte and intricate
Drake Hotel, Harvest of the universe.’
electronic
dance
Festival and Om
music.
Festival. According
“There
is
a
to his website he has also toured personal connection, there is
France and Palestine, performing grandeur. I feel connected to the
at the Edward Said National aesthetics of their art and the
Conservatory in Ramallah in 1999. architect. It’s like ancient and
In 2002 he gave performances and modern at the same time.”
master classes in Ramallah, East
Farah says he creates abstract inkJerusalem and Bethlehem.
line art that can take a few months
“(Music is) just an outlet or a few years to complete. He
for creativity, to express my describes his art as “the unfolding
interpretation of the world.”
of time.” His music is improvised
He says he became interested in and his favourite piano to play is
John Farah performs at Making Room on Dec. 2 at 224 Wallace Ave., in Toronto.
Photo by Laura Narducci
a Bosendorfer although he owns a
“sh**** up-right piano.”
“I internalize all the music,
concepts, art, history, basically your
perception of the world to create a
piece.” He says it is not difficult to
create his work but it is “just very
time consuming. It involves a lot if
reflection and intuition.”
Farah released a CD called
Creation. For more information on
Farah and his work, go to www.
johnfarah.com.
Shown is the interior of Archive Inc., at 56 Berkeley St., Toronto. The Deluge exhibition featured
Katharine Harvey’s work, from left, Fountain Three, Night Fountain One, Night Fountain Two, Night
Fountain Three and Below Five.
Photo by Laura Narducci
Toronto gallery
celebrates decade
of Canadian artwork
By LAURA NARDUCCI
Staff Writer
It’s Archive’s 10th anniversary.
Archive Inc., at 56 Berkeley
St. in Toronto, is a gallery and art
library. Owners Patricia Christie
and Johnson Chou opened it in
November 1996 at 883 Queen St.
West but recently moved it to its
new location.
At the old Queen Street
location, Archive “takes its queue
from a library – specifically a
1930s Modernist library with a
contemporary twist,” says a Globe
and Mail article from May 1997.
Archive held a digital library of
over 4,000 Canadian works for sale
and rental.
By May of 1997, Archive gained
another 2,000 images by local
Canadian artists. Clients can look
through the digital catalogue and
enter their requirements for work
they may want, according to a
Globe and Mail article by Kelvin
Browne from Jan. 25, 1997.
Although now at a new location,
Archive still has its digital library
of Canadian artists.
“We feature a digital database,
which we promote in film and
print,” says Christie “It’s available
to other galleries as well.”
Christie also works in film,
while Chou works as an architect.
Chou recently won an interior
design award in New York City for
Grip Offices. He had designed the
old location of Archive on Queen
Street.
Archive does not house artists’
work permanently. The gallery
is a “non-exclusive function,”
according to Christie. She says
Archive offers solo shows and
group shows as alternatives.
Artist Katharine Harvey’s series
of new paintings called Fountain
was featured from Oct. 26 to
Dec. 2. The exhibition was called
Deluge. Harvey says she has been
friends with Chou for years. Some
of her Fountain works have already
sold.
“They were all made at different
times,” Harvey says. “I’m guessing
they took six months to make.”
Annually Archive has a Glo show
featuring many artists in a group
exhibition. This year is Archive’s
10th diamond
anniversary.
Featured artists include John
Armstrong, Paul Collins, Millie
Chun, Gary Michael Dault and
many more.
Gallery hours are weekdays
10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from
noon until 5 p.m. and Sunday by
appointment only.
For more information, call 416703-6564 or visit the website www.
archivegallery.com.