November 25, 2005

http://www.newsatniagara.com
Nov. 25, 2005
Volume 36, Issue 5
International Week Pages 10 and 11
Knights basketball Page 20
The Best Way To Connect With Niagara
Shifting workforce
on college’s radar
By ROBIN HEALEY
Staff Writer
“Canada is seeing a seismic shift in its workforce, and
it is no exaggeration to say that it is as profound a
change as any we have experienced since the Industrial
Revolution,” declared Niagara College President Dan
Patterson.
He made the remarks in a speech delivered to a
breakfast gathering of college staff, regional business
leaders and political figures in the dining room of
Niagara College’s Culinary Institute at the Glendale
campus, in Niagara-on-the-Lake, on Nov. 10.
Chris Bentley, Ontario minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, and Len Crispino, president of
the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, were featured
speakers.
They each spoke about the Pathways to Prosperity
project that seeks to prepare Canada’s workforce for the
challenges of the 21st century by building a national
skills strategy, which would be similar to initiatives
already underway in Great Britain and New Zealand.
Crispino said Ontario needs “a third pillar in the
education sector,” in the guise of a formal trades
apprenticeship system, to stand beside the province’s
universities and colleges.
He stated that some of the money for the trades
apprenticeship program should come from federal
transfer payments.
According to Crispino, Ontario is the only province
without a labour market development agreement in
place with the federal government. He said it was a
“travesty” that no federal-provincial training agreement exists, calling the practice “risky.”
Crispino broke with the morning’s polite tone when
he admonished members of the federal government in
attendance, most notably Liberal St. Catharines MP
Walt Lastewka, for the failure of the two governments
to reach an agreement. His suggestion that they read
phase two of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce
report Fairness in Confederation, Fiscal Imbalance: A
Roadmap to Recovery, released on Nov. 9, garnered
laughs and strained mumblings from the audience.
“I think Crispino is out to lunch,” responded
Lastewka, after the speeches. He said that the federal
government has proposed nine agreements and that
Ontario must choose one.
“Pick an agreement, and let’s get this deal done.”
Just before he left, Lastewka shouted over his shoulder, “I don’t back down from any issue.”
Bentley reported that 70 per cent of future jobs in
Ontario would require skills training or postsecondary education while only 50 per cent of potential workers were undertaking the necessary training.
He noted that the 20 per cent gap was “bad for future
prosperity.”
Patterson explained that Canada faces three “looming” economic challenges: the rise of India and China
as economic powers, rapid changes in technology that
would demand newly trained workers while rendering
the skills of today’s workers obsolete, and the need to
replace the country’s aging workforce.
Crispino warned that 52 per cent of skilled trades
workers would retire within 15 years and that Ontario
could be faced with a “shortage” in the trades.
Continued on page 2
At Tu Tu Tango, jugglers need three to tango
Musicians, magicians, jugglers, belly dancers, live artists and tarot card readers are usually found at a circus,
but at Café Tu Tu Tango they are the weekly entertainment. Kobbler Jay, real name Jason Henderson, started performing at the restaurant in June. Jay says his career as a juggler started about five years ago when
he dressed up as a clown for Halloween. He made balloon figures and juggled.
See the Dec. 9 edition of news@niagara for the full story.
Photo by Lesley Kerr
Poinsettias on sale at Greenhouse
By SHERI WEBBER
Staff Writer
More than 20 varieties of poinsettias are available at the Niagara College Greenhouse in Niagaraon-the-Lake.
Burgandy Cortez, Mable Star, Jingle Bells, Red
Angel, Prestige, Nutcracker Red, Peppermint
and Winterfest Red are among them.
The six-inch pots are on sale for $5.29 each, 10inch pots are $16.99 each and mumsettias are
$9.95 each.
Also available is a large variety of Christmas
dish gardens. The greenhouse is open daily from 9
a.m. to 5 p.m.
Contact the greenhouse at 905-735-2211 ext.
4082, if you need further information, or visit
http://www.niagaracollegegreenhouse.com.
Inside
Pages 10 and 11 –
International Week
Page 14 – Body Worlds 2
Page 15 – Artist Profile
Page 17 –The Reel Deal
Movie Reviews
Page 19 – Living With
Diabetes
Page 2, news@niagara, Nov. 25, 2005
Get cash for your used textbooks
Chris Bentley, Ontario minister of training, colleges and universities, at left, is with
Niagara College President Dan Patterson at a breakfast gathering on Nov. 10.
Photo by Robin Healey
Niagara ‘very well placed’
Continued from page 1
The province is committed
to registering 20,000 new
apprentices every year by
2008, according to Bentley.
On the subject of colleges
and universities, Bentley
said, “We are determined to
achieve two things: providing access to post-secondary
education and maintaining
quality.”
In an attempt to ensure
access, the College Student
Association (CSA) created a
petition that asked the
minister to restrict tuition
increases in the 2006-07
school year to the rate of
inflation, as measured by
Ontario’s Consumer Price
Index. Ontario college
students across the province
have signed the petition.
When asked if he would
agree to the terms in the
CSA petition, Bentley
grimaced, then praised the
CSA for its “good advice.”
However, he did not venture
an answer beyond “no
decision yet.”
Ontario
Minister
of
Tourism Jim Bradley, Liberal
St.
Catharines
MPP,
commended the college for
specializing in specific areas,
such as tourism and computers, as a way of staying at the
“forefront” of new initiatives.
He noted that by creating the
Culinary Institute, Niagara
College has trained students
to become “key players” in
the tourism industry.
He remarked that the college
is “very well placed” to meet
Ontario’s skilled trades initiative.
In the round-table discussion following the speeches,
the majority of attendees
announced that Ontario must
do more to raise the profile
of trades and encourage
apprenticeship
programs
early in high school.
Patterson said that the recommendations and ideas put
forth at this and other
community consultations in
Ontario would be gathered
into a report and submitted to
Premier Dalton McGuinty
and Prime Minister Paul
Martin, who will review it
before the next first minister’s
meeting to be held in Kelowna, B.C., Nov. 24 to 25.
Patterson mentioned that
the meeting would focus on
skills
training
and
post-secondary education.
By CHERIE BORHO
Staff Writer
The Niagara College
Campus Store is having its
annual Cash for Books event
running from Dec. 5 to Dec.
24, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
weekdays.
Cash for Books allows
students to sell their textbooks back to the store and
get a 50 per cent refund, if
the book is being used the
following semester. If it
isn’t, it could still be bought
back if the warehouse is
stocking them. However,
the amount may be less than
50 per cent and will depend
on the book.
If the textbook isn’t to be
used the following semester
and the warehouse isn’t
stocking them, the store is
unable to buy the book back.
“We have a lot of money
to give away,” says Welland
Campus Book Store Manager Agnes Hodgson, of St.
Catharines.
The store will pay cash
for your books.
For your books to be eligible, they must be in good
condition and have no graffiti, but highlighting is OK.
You must white out your
name if it’s written in the
text and bring back any
supplemental
materials,
such as any CDs or workbooks that may have come
with the textbook.
Bonnie Etling, sales associate at the Welland Campus
Store, shows off three of the many books the store
wants to buy back.
Photo by Cherie Borho
“It’s wonderful, and I
want as many used books on
the shelves [as possible],”
says Hodgson. “And why
not buy them from our students? It gives them extra
money to spend now at
Christmas time. We need the
used books on the shelves
for January and that reduces
the cost that the students
have to pay out in January.”
“I think it’s a great way
for kids to stretch their
money and get a gently
used book,” says Sales
Furniture
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Associate Bonnie Etling, of
Port Colborne.
To get the most funds
for your book, ask your
professor to use the same
textbook
again
next
semester so that your book
will be worth more. Then
you need to be at the right
place at the right time. The
best time to sell your
books is finals week, after
your exams are over. This
way, you have already sold
your book before the store
has a chance to overstock.
RENT-TO-OWN
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Construction at Welland campus
Construction has officially started.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held yesterday for the new $2-million, 10,500-squarefoot addition to the Technology Skills Centre at Niagara College’s Welland campus.
Welland Mayor Damian Goulbourne, a former college professor, was among those who
attended the groundbreaking ceremony.
The addition is expected to enhance the facility and allow for the consolidation of all
engineering technology programs at the Welland campus.
The Technology Skills Centre is home to the college’s automotive, construction and
mechanical machining program areas.
The work, scheduled for completion in September 2006, will accommodate the
Mechanical Engineering Technician and Technologist programs, as well as the Construction-Architecture program.
The project will include the construction of a laser machining lab and programmable
logic controller lab.
The $2-million project is part of the college’s $4-million investment in the college’s
technology facilities and equipment.
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Niagara College Pride meeting
Niagara College Pride, a club organized by the gender diverse at the college, will hold
its next meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 30, at 7 p.m. The meeting in Room S210 at the
Welland campus, is open to all. More information can be obtained at e-mail Out.in.Niagara@mac.com.
Niagara College Pride is organizing a Club Social Dance on Saturday, Dec. 3, at 810
East Main St., Welland, from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Cost is $5.
Suicide Awareness workshop
There will be a Suicide Awareness workshop at the college’s Welland campus on
Nov. 28 from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. in ME104.
Counsellors Donna Putman and Trina Washington will be helping students
identify what the signs of potential suicide are and how to deal with them.
Food and drinks will be provided. Everyone is welcome.
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news@niagara, Nov. 25, 2005, Page 3
‘This is a show, this is entertainment’
By ROBIN HEALEY
Staff Writer
“Let’s hear it for the dead elephant!”
A chorus of cheers explodes from
several people seated at tables at the
front of the stage, amid the groans
of disappointed trivia contestants.
Larry Fedoruk grins after
revealing the answer to one of
toughest questions of the
evening: “What large animal
starves to death after losing its
sixth and final set of teeth?”
Fedoruk, from Newstalk 610
CKTB, and Lori Love, from
105.7 EZ Rock, play the role of
amusing hosts at the Trivial Pursuit Party@Niagara at Niagara
College’s Glendale campus, held
on Nov. 12.
They sit together on a massive
stage facing the 35 groups of six to
eight contestants, who are seated at
tables throughout the Glendale
campus cafeteria, and read trivia
questions posted on a large screen
above their heads.
The questions range from asking which two Greek city-states
participated in the Peloponnesian War to the number of
holes in the original Wiffle Ball
to the name of a popular Black
Eyed Peas song.
Stationed behind a black curtain and a set of doors, Sue
Strong and other volunteers
grade the answer sheets from the
previous round. Strong, an educational assistant for the
Catholic school board who lives
in Welland, worked with Doug
Wilford to select questions for
the evening. She sought variety
in the questions and said the
Contestants hold signs indicating their answers during the Trivial Pursuit Party at Niagara College’s
Glendale campus on Nov. 12.
Photo by Robin Healey
“focus is humour.”
at Humber College, in Toronto, tion from the grateful crowd at
“Just expect to come and have and now retired, Wilford is a Nia- the end of the party.
fun. That’s our goal,” adds Strong.
gara College alumnus who chaired
Rick Chandler, a Niagara ColWilford, also from Welland, the Trivial Pursuit Party’s organiz- lege
paramedic
professor,
wears a hat with a propeller, aug- ing committee. Despite his title, describes the whole evening as
menting his red suspenders and Wilford and other volunteers cred- “wonderful” and “even better
bow tie with electric lights. it Julie Densham as the evening’s organized than last year.”
Between rounds he hosts a seg- chief organizer.
The
Niagara-on-the-Lake
ment called Let’s Make a Real
Densham, from Grimsby, is native won the brains and botDeal, in which the room falls dark Niagara College’s alumni and toms challenge, one of two speand spotlights follow him into the events officer and the evening’s cialty events, the other being the
audience where he coaxes contes- architect. She began thinking trivial trivia round that had contants to give the correct answer, about the event immediately after testants compete individually.
and offers them mystery prizes.
last year’s trivia night and During the challenge, participants
He mentions that he enjoys entered into extensive planning in were given a question with two
meandering through the crowd and May. She estimates that the responses and placed their hands
listening to contestants trying to evening raised “a couple thou- on their heads or their bottoms to
figure out questions and that he sand dollars,” which will be used indicate their selection.
must “restrain” himself from to fund Niagara College scholarChandler correctly answered
pointing out the correct answer ships and bursaries.
the final question, “Which animal
when he hears it. Once a librarian
She receives a standing ova- is mentioned most frequently in
Technology employers
attract students
By JOSHUA BOYLE
Staff Writer
Niagara College students enrolled in
technology-related programs were invited
to a round-table discussion on Nov. 17
with local employers who offer careers
specifically aimed at technology graduates.
The informal affair drew representatives from 14 regional IT employers,
including Omron Electronics, Bosch
Rexroth and the Fallsview Casino
Resort. Each had a table where they
would hold 20-minute question-andanswer sessions and network with the
upcoming graduates.
Capt. Sean Ahern and Sgt. Timothy
Caudle, of the Lincoln and Welland Regiment, were also at the event, representing
the Canadian Forces. They fielded questions from about half of the students who
attended the event, offering information
packets on some of the 107 trades used by
the Forces.
From refrigeration to combat engineers, there were plenty of choices for
those interested in serving. Caudle, 44,
explained that those who entered some of
the non-commissioned officers’ trades
could also earn bursaries and scholarships
towards gaining a university degree,
enabling them to enter officer-related
trades, such as aerospace engineering.
The two-hour event drew about 60
students.
both the Old and New Testaments: the sheep or the ass?”
He chose sheep, which appropriately required him to put his hands
on his head, and won a Trivial Pursuit game, a T-shirt, and two tickets
to the Niagara Falls dinner show Oh
Canada Eh?
The evening stretches from 6
p.m. to 11 p.m., and contestants
are treated to a buffet dinner courtesy of the college’s Culinary
Institute. Along the way they
imbibe copious amounts of alcohol to wash away camaraderie’s
primary obstacle: sobriety.
Love comments that her
favourite part of the party “is the
sense of community.”
At the end of the evening, the
Brainiacs GRQ team is declared
the overall winner. The team,
which won last year, is captained
by Bea Clark, director of the
workforce and business development division at Niagara College,
and includes her husband John
Clark, Ken Elder, Amy Elder,
Laure Morrish, Donna Cunningham, Linda Saari, Emily Andrews
and Cindy Andrews. Among their
awards are DVD versions of Trivial Pursuit and a ride in something that looks like a cross
between a limousine and a military vehicle.
The team Last is Best wins the
best effort prize for being the
team that had the most fun, or, as
Love jests, “That’s the team that
came here to drink.”
When comparing this year’s
contest to the previous one, Densham offers an insight that many of
the participants agree upon: “This
is a show, this is entertainment.”
The 12 toys of Christmas, my true love gave to me
By AMANDA STREET
Staff Writer
As the Christmas season kicks into full
swing, malls and toy stores are filled with
screaming children and flustered adults. The
search for the right toy begins.
Toy Wishes Magazine publishes a Holiday Hot Dozen every year, a list of the 12
hottest toys of the holiday season. The list
includes the toys retailers expect children
to include in that very important list to
Santa Claus. This year the list includes
many high-tech products, as well as fun
products that incorporate learning.
Surprisingly, Barbie, the ever-popular
blonde doll, has not made the editors’ list, yet
she will still be included on most little girls’
Christmas lists. Top toys last year included
Barbie as Princess Anneliese and Erika, as well
as the popular Mattel favourite’s competition,
Bratz. Other favourites were the huggable
furry, red Elmo doll, Cabbage Patch Kids,
Nitro Battlers and Tamagotchi.
One of the biggest sources of toys in Canada is Toys ‘R’ Us. During the Christmas season, the place is filled with adults and kids
alike trying to get that much-wanted toy.
To get a closer look at what’s hot in Canada, a Toys ‘R’ Us salesperson provided some
insight.
According to Krystina Martin, 20, of St.
Catharines, older toys are in. For pre-school
girls it’s once again all about Dora the
Explorer. The newest additions to the popular cartoon figures are the Dora’s talking
kitchen, which includes a life-sized Dora to
lend a hand in the kitchen, as well as a Dora
television set and radio. “She’s still doing
pretty good this year,” says Martin.
Bratz has kicked it up a notch with the
Bratz Rock Angels line. Items include dolls,
a tour bus and even a recording studio. Martins says she expects these items to “fly off”
the shelves during the holidays.
With the releases of Star Wars: Revenge of
the Sith and Batman Begins, Batman and Star
Wars figures are all the rage for older boys.
Turbo Raptors and Sapiens are also big for
older boys. They are remote control robots that
follow simple commands like picking something up.
High on the list are electronic items. Toys
‘R’ Us is completely sold out of Nintendo DS
Nintendogs, a virtual reality pet dog. This
trend is expected to continue throughout the
holiday season. The release of the Xbox 360
on Nov. 22 was expected to maintain good
sales volumes for Christmas, as the new version of the popular video game console is
“bigger and better,” says Martin.
Four-year-old Riley Reynolds, of Kitchener, Ont., has a Gameboy DS at the top of his
list this year. To accompany the hand-held
game system, he would like a superhero
game like The Hulk or Superman.
At the college’s Child Care Centre, in
Welland, the children are already dreaming
up their lists to Santa Claus. Nicholas, 3,
wants a Tonka construction digger that digs
up dirt; Tyler, 4, wants a blue train; and,
according to Martin, the most popular toy
train of the year is Thomas, the Tank Engine.
Anjolie, 3, wants ice skates, and Kayla, 5,
wants a baby doll. The most popular dolls
are Cabbage Patch Kids, Dora the Explorer
and Bratz Babies.
If there are children on your gift-giving list
this year, be aware of the rush that toy stores
get during this busy shopping season.
Remember the Tickle-Me-Elmo rush a few
years back?
Toy Wishes’
Hot Dozen
Black Belt’s Karate
Dora’s Kitchen
Flywheels
Furby
I-Dog
iZ
Leapster L-Max
The Magnetix World
Pixel Chix
Shell Shocker
V.Smile Pocket
VCam Now
Page 4, news@niagara, Nov. 25, 2005
Centre receives awards
By AMANDA STREET
Staff Writer
The Niagara College Child Care
Centre’s personnel and associates
received three awards in the annual
Early Childhood Educators Awards of
Excellence celebration held on
Thursday, Nov. 17.
Among the recipients was Sharon
Seniuk, for the Parents’ Choice award
and the Individual award presented to
employees.
The Parents’ Choice award provides
an opportunity for parents to nominate
a special caregiver who has gone
above and beyond the call of duty in
providing quality child care to their
child/children.
The Individual award is presented to
employees who contribute to the
overall betterment of licensed
child-care programs.
Ann Tbeshat, 32, of Welland,
nominated the 52-year-old Welland
woman for the Parents’ Choice award.
Seniuk has been working at the centre
for 31 years.
Tbeshat says she nominated Seniuk
because she is “amazing.” She says as
a first-time mom, she is able to go to
her with any questions or concerns she
has. She adds it’s “a good feeling”
knowing that someone is available for
her son, loving him and caring for him
when she can’t be there.
“You can see and feel that she
absolutely loves the job and the
children she takes care of. Sharon is
calm and gentle and has taught me so
much about my own child. Sharon
makes me feel like my child is safe,
secure, loved and truly cared for.”
Seniuk says she had no idea she
would be receiving any awards at the
ceremony, yet says it is “very”
rewarding to know that her peers and
the parents value the effort she puts
into doing a good job.
“It made me feel very appreciative
of all the fine people I come into contact with on a daily basis. The sense of
love that the children feel for you is
always evident in my day-to-day job,
and knowing that the parents
appreciate it is very rewarding.”
Commenting on the Individual
award, Pat Eversden, the centre’s
co-ordinator, says, “Sharon’s thoughtful, caring nature and ongoing support
have contributed to a positive working
environment within the child-care
centre. A true team player, Sharon is
valued and respected by all her
colleagues.”
The final award went to Carolyn
Turner. The Contributor’s Award is
presented to someone associated with
the centre. Turner, whose nieces have
attended the day care for the past two
years, has donated toys, books, art
supplies and decorations.
“It is family support, participation
and partnerships like this that
contribute to high-quality child-care
and enriched programs for our
children,” says Eversden.
Letter to the Editor
Incorrect information appeared in a cutline on page 28 of the Nov. 11, 2005, news@niagara edition in the report “Teaching South Africans new skills.” It should have read:
Niagara College Chair Jim Ryan, his wife, Dora, Niagara College President Dan Patterson and his wife Saundra (far right) pose with Nontsikelelo Biko, wife of Stephen Biko,
the late freedom activist. It is the policy of news@niagara to correct errors of fact. We
apologize for any embarrassment or concern the error caused.
Submitted photo
Dear Editor:
I just finished reading the Nov. 11
edition of news@niagara.
This was a great edition – full of so much
information and, particularly, the articles
regarding Remembrance Day. I understand
that the Glendale campus had a ceremony on
Nov. 10 in honour of the day and had
approximately 30 veterans in attendance as
well as staff and students. Congratulations!
With reference to the article on page 28 of
that issue, concerning South Africa and the
photo that was submitted, I would like to
provide some information on the unidentified
lady in the photograph with us.
She is Mrs. Stephen Bantu Biko. Her
husband was a noted South African non-violent anti-apartheid activist who died while
incarcerated in a South African prison in
September of 1977.
His death attracted attention around the world
at that time. Subsequently a movie was made
about him called Cry Freedom in which Denzel
Washington played the role of Stephen Biko.
If anyone is interested in further information
about him, they can use the Yahoo search
engine and look simply for “Stephen Biko –
South Africa.” There is a lot of information
available.
I felt it important to identify Mrs. Biko as she
is held in very high esteem in her country and is
a wonderful woman. She is now in her 70s.
Keep up the very excellent work.
Sincerely,
Saundra Patterson
Nominator Anna Tbeshat (left) holds the Parents’ Choice award with
winner Sharon Seniuk, as Pat Eversden, Niagara College Child Care
Centre co-ordinator, looks on.
Photo by Amanda Street
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Friday, April 21
RESCUE 911
Awareness is the first step in preventing suicide.
Attention all students: please join us in a video
presentation and vital discussion on the impact of suicide.
Increase your awareness, it may help save a life.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28TH
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm • ME104
FREE WORKSHOP & SNACKS
news@niagara, Nov. 25, 2005, Page 5
By MIKE LIKONGE
Staff Writer
The 1968 graduation ceremony introduced the
first alumni of Niagara College.
Today, alumni assist in fundraising and organizing, events such as reunions, for graduates to
reunite with old friends.
Jamie King, 34, the manager of Alumni Development and Students Awards officer and a resident of Niagara-on-the-Lake, said events like
these encourage Niagara College graduates to
“stay in touch with Niagara College to maintain a
life long relationship.”
On Sept. 24, they launched a reunion for the
1989-1990 graduates of the Broadcasting –
Radio, Television and Film program.
“We’ve made some great strives,” said King. “We
are very proud to be launching some reunions.”
King is a graduate of the University of Guelph
in Guelph, Ont. He majored in political science
and minored in English.
After graduating, King said he first worked for
the University of Western Ontario, in London,
Ont., as a donor relation’s officer and later came
to work for the Shaw Festival theater in Niagaraon-the-Lake before coming to Niagara College.
Oct. 21 was King’s last day at the college after
three years. King will be working for St. Joseph’s
Hospital Foundation in Hamilton as a senior
development officer.
“It’s difficult to leave a place you respect so
much,” said King. “Niagara College is a wonderful place, and I have appreciated working with the
faculty, staff and students alike.”
King said the greatest achievement for alumni
relates to their support of the institution to their
community and the contribution they make to the
college and the community.
Funding for alumni activities and services
comes from a variety of sources including a fee
charged to students’ tuition, money from the sale
of Niagara College frames and the home and auto
Jamie King has left Niagara College to
work at St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation
in Hamilton.
Photo by Mike Likonge
insurance offered to students once they graduate.
“Every time a graduate applies for the insurance, part of that helps support alumni,” said Julie
Densham, alumni and events officer.
Densham, 39, of Grimsby, said the alumni services are for “graduates only and they work
towards benefiting grads.”
Densham is a graduate of the Event Management (Graduate Certificate) program at the college. Graduating in spring of 2003 by October of
that year she became an employee of the college.
Densham said she’s worked on three reunions.
Densham said keeping track of its 50,000
alumni members is a major challenge for the
office. Every year she said they mail out 30,000
copies of the informational Ncompass to reach
out to alumni.
ACE Niagara plans charity event
By NATASHA MENEZES
Staff Writer
Students and faculty of ACE Niagara are
actively organizing an event called Networking
for Success to raise $500 to aid the victims of
both Hurricane Katrina and the earthquakes in
India and Pakistan through the Red Cross.
The fundraiser will involve graduate students
from the Business Administration – International
Business program and Business Administration –
Human Resources (Co-op) program, in association with ACE Niagara. Students will commit
their time to cooking food based on recipes from
all over the world.
Some of the samplers will include Ecuadorian,
Chinese and Indian cuisine, which will be paired
with wine donated especially for this affair. The
samplers will be sold to generate the funds, which
will be donated to the Red Cross.
During the course of the evening, Larry Bickner, from the hospitality division, will give a
speech on Networking for Success and people
will be encouraged to build their network of fellow business students.
“He will also be arranging a secret fun activity
that night,” said Robert Greene, professor in the
Business and Entrepreneurship Division at the
college’s Glendale campus in Niagara-on-theLake. “We want everybody to have fun with it.”
ACE (Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship),
established in 1987, is a non-profit organization
that inspires and enables Canadian university and
college students to get involved in helping their
communities through their entrepreneurship
skills. They get valuable hands-on experience by
helping others and are able to expand their network of business peers through various events
and competitions. Students can join from business backgrounds, but “we have students from
horticulture and tourism as well,” said Greene.
“A lot of the times when people see ‘entrepreneurship’ they think it has to be business only, but
it’s open to all Niagara students.”
In March 2005, ACE Niagara, in conjunction
with the School of Business and Entrepreneurship, co-ordinated its third annual Sandwich
Competition at The Armoury pub at the Glendale
campus to collect funds for the Niagara Without
Borders Sri Lanka project. Greene led the contest
and the event raised $187.50.
The Networking for Success event will be on
Nov. 29 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Corporate
Training Centre, on the second floor of the Glendale campus building. Tickets are $5, which covers
costs for two glasses of wine.
“We kept it at five dollars because we want to
make it affordable and more accessible for students.” Seventy tickets had been sold as of Nov. 18.
“I think the capacity is 100, and I’m hoping for
at least 100,” said Greene.
“We wanted to give something back to the
community and because of the terrible hurricanes
down south in the United States and the earthquake in Pakistan and India, we thought of doing
a charity event for the Red Cross. And all the proceeds go to that organization since it helps everyone globally.”
The event will be organized by a number of
business faculty members and students. ACE
Niagara President Michael O’Neil and ACE VicePresident Robert Nagy are among the main coordinators and promoters for this event.
Greene stresses that in business, it is important
to give back to the community by helping people
and “this is something we would like to create an
awareness of at this event.”
Students interested in learning more about ACE
Niagara can contact Greene at ext. 4132 or by email at rgreene@niagarac.on.ca. You can also visit
the ACE Canada website, www.acecanada.ca.
Second-year Journalism-Print program student
Kaesha Forand was the second-prize winner in
the Niagara Food Festival photo contest. She took
a picture of her father eating a sub on Sept. 25.
The photo was one of 18 pictures submitted.
Forand received a $300 gift card from Japan Camera in the Seaway Mall. Her photo will be used for
future Food Festival promotional purposes.
Photo by Kaesha Forand
Playful job placements
By MELISSA TOPP
Staff Writer
Time for Moore.
Davey Moore, 20, works full time at Toys ‘R’ Us as a
500, which means he unloads delivery trucks, stocks the
shelves and brings out “big ticket” items to customers
because they are too big to be on the floor.
Moore, of St. Catharines, says he got the job
because the firm was hiring and, since he knew one of
the managers, he knew he’d get a “guaranteed job, no
matter what.”
Moore says he works long hours but they fly by. On the
days Toys ‘R’ Us gets deliveries, they fly by even faster.
“I do have fun working there.” Moore says his co-workers make his job fun. He says one day when he showed up
early for work, he joined his co-workers in a game of
Scene It? Moore says he knows one of his managers outside of work and describes her as “very fun-loving and a
joker.” He says his boss is “a funny guy.”
Someone who does his job well when he knows what
he needs to do is how Moore describes himself. He says
he’s “lost” if he doesn’t know what to do.
“I need someone to tell me, ‘OK, this needs to be
done. Do this. Could you do this and then do that?’ I’m
not afraid of hard work. It’s finding it that’s the problem.”
Moore is a former student of Niagara College in the
Journalism-Print program.
“When I was scouting my post-secondary education, I wanted to act,” explains Moore. However, he
says he didn’t want to leave home, so he looked into
what Niagara College had to offer. The only thing that
really interested him was the Broadcasting – Radio,
Television and Film program but he was too late and
the program was filled. Moore says he then decided to
go into the closest thing available to him: the Journalism-Print program. He says he was having fun at the
beginning of the program but then realized it was not
what he had thought it would be.
“It is a writing course. I’m not a writer. The journalism
I wanted was out in the field, in the middle of the action.
The course I was in was not anywhere near that. I decided, late in the second semester, that it just wasn’t for me.”
Moore says he then enrolled in the Barbizon
Model/Talent school in Hamilton from which he has just
graduated and he is also in the H&R Block tax school.
“[These are] two things I’m very good at.”
“I wish I had spare time,” Moore says with a laugh.
He works 42 hours a week at Toys ‘R’ Us and between
12 and 18 hours a week at Gateway Gas and spends
three hours on Tuesday and Thursday mornings in H&R
Block tax school. He has been going to Barbizon
Model/Talent school on every other Sunday.
“That doesn’t leave me much time to myself.”
College Connection
50,000 alumni stay in touch
Photo contest winner
What’s
happening
at the
college
ACE
Niagara’s
charity event
Fun work
at Toys ‘R’ Us
College
reunions
Columns
page 7
International
stories
page 10
Page 6, news@niagara, Nov. 25, 2005
Editorials
Publisher: Leo Tiberi
Managing Editor: Phyllis Barnatt
Associate Managing Editor: Gary Erb
Photography Consultant: Andrew Klapatiuk
Editorial Consultant: Nancy Geddie
Technology Support: Kevin Romyn
Composing Consultant: Paul Dayboll
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Editor
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news@niagara is a practical lab for Journalism-print students studying at Niagara College. Opinions expressed in editorials and columns are not those of news@niagara
management or the college administration. Columns, identified as such, reflect only the writer’s opinion.
Readers are welcome to respond to columnists by e-mail at news@niagarac.on.ca
Protect self and home this upcoming holiday season
It’s the holiday season and time to
check off the safety list as well as
Santa’s shopping list.
Safety should be No. 1. Whether it’s
our home, vehicle, person or property,
emergency personnel and police have
some tips we should heed.
Burglars are in holiday-heaven
because we do all the work for them. We
buy presents, take them home and wrap
them for the big day. The only thing
stopping a burglar from getting them is
ensuring you lock your home’s doors,
windows and garage door.
Your home should look as if there’s
someone there, even if you’re not. Keep
lights or a radio on, buy and install a
timer to turn lights off and on at preset
times and never leave extra keys hidden
outside. If you can think of a spot to hide
them, burglars likely already know it too.
The warm glow of a holiday fire
should only come from well-attended
and suitable holiday candles, lights and
ornaments.
Keep candles out of children’s reach.
Avoid placing open flames near alcohol
or other flammable substances. Decorative lights should be Canadian Standards
approved and used where designated.
Ornaments that top lights or candles
should be monitored too.
Never overload electrical outlets. Make
sure your smoke detector is working.
Fireplaces and heaters can be potential
hazards if not maintained properly. Keep
Christmas stockings and other fabrics
away from open flames or hot spots.
At the shopping malls, you’re not
going to want to advertise your purchases by leaving oodles of big-name stores
bags inside your vehicle.
Personal safety is a must. Pickpockets
and muggers are out and watching.
Keep cash out of sight and where a burglar is less likely to try to get it.
Try to shop in groups. Keep your
purses or bags close to you and, if the
load gets to be too much, put them in the
vehicle and then carry on.
On the road between home, mall,
arena and groceries, winter driving can
be dangerous. Drive for road conditions
and pay close attention to the drivers.
Rushing can cause accidents. Always
wear your seatbelt to prevent injury;
besides, it is the law.
Funeral shooting outrage
Society has taken a turn for the worse
when a church becomes a crime scene.
Amon Beckles, 18, was at the funeral of his
best friend when three suspects, whom Metro
Toronto police have still been unable to find,
gunned him down outside the church.
Friends and family, mourning the death of
17-year-old Jamal Hemmings, also a victim of
gunfire, witnessed another act of bloodshed.
Beckles witnessed Hemmings’ murder and
was considered valuable in solving the case.
Why weren’t police present at the funeral to
provide him protection? The reason is that
people living in these neighbourhoods are
more fearful of gangs than of the police. If
they have information about a violent act, they
feel that it is safer to keep quiet.
Gangs are ruling the streets, and there is little
that can be done. Police need to crack down.
They need to offer protection to witnesses, so
that those with information can come forward
and not fear for their lives.
When a gang becomes more powerful
than law enforcement, great measures must
be taken.
More laws are needed to deal with gangs.
Membership in any gang should be considered
a crime. Once police have proof, they should
be able to make an arrest.
There has to be some way to give these
people hope in the form of a different kind of
punishment, rather than jail time.
They need a facility that is geared to
changing them, providing them with skills
and tools they need to have a successful life.
Pastor Andrew King urges people to step up
and do their part to stop street violence.
In an article in The Toronto Star, King
said it will take a group effort to combat the
problem.
“It takes the city, it takes the school board,
it takes the governments,[and] it takes the
businesses.”
King says he is tired of the picture painted
of young black men: “We need to find ways to
help them and give them hope.”
Toronto Mayor David Miller went to the
school to pray with mourners and promised
more police on the streets and more support
for children in troubled neighbourhoods.
That promise was a start, but more needs to
be done to make the streets safe again.
It’s about time something is done about the
Wild West situation in the province’s capital.
More than 40 of Toronto’s 69 murders in
2005 are gun related.
Toronto faith leaders are urging governments to take action to combat gang and
gunfire violence in the city, but it will take
more than the government. It will take
everyone working together.
“Our kids will keep dying until community leaders at all levels take action,” said Reverend Al Bowen, pastor to the Beckles family, during a rally outside the church where
Beckles was shot and killed.
Instead of spending tax dollars on expense
accounts, Toronto officials should be cracking down on gun violence in its streets.
AMANDA STREET
If you’ve decided to enjoy some alcoholic cheer, take a taxi home. Never get
behind the wheel if you’re intoxicated
nor should you let any other happy tippler do so either.
Fire officials advise when considering
your choice of Christmas tree, be it artificial or live, ensure you have covered
all the basics and make sure safety keeps
the holidays happy. If you have an artificial tree, ensure it’s fire resistant. If it’s
live, pick one that is fresh and ensure it’s
watered properly so the needles don’t
dry out.
More information can be found on the
Niagara Regional Police Services website: http://www.nrps.com/community/
holiday.asp.
SHERI WEBBER
Letter to the Editor
SAC food drive donations
An open message to all at Niagara College
Dear Editor:
The Student Administrative Council (SAC) is
holding its annual Food for Friends Food Drive.
We are asking for your help and co-operation in
giving whatever possible, as even a small donation is greatly appreciated.
Our first Food for Friends drive took place in
1994 under the leadership of Larry Cote, a now
retired teacher from the school of business. The
annual food drive has since been supplemented
by the Needy Student Fund, a fund established
by the Ontario Public Services Employees
Union (OPSEU) Local 242 on behalf of
retirees and faculty members who have left the
college.
Both the Food for Friends Food Drive and the Needy Student Fund have
received generous donations from staff and various groups, including
OPSEU Local 242, OPSEU Local 243 and the Niagara Administrative Staff
Association.
It may be hard to believe that students in this day and age could be impoverished enough to need food from our food bank; however, it is actually a
common occurrence.
All non-perishables are welcome, along with comfort foods like tea,
cookies, crackers and jam. Personal hygiene items like shampoos, Kleenex,
toothpaste and soaps are also appreciated.
As departments and divisions begin staff holiday planning, you may want
to consider activities related to fund (or food) raising that will benefit the
Food for Friends campaign.
The student you help may be the one sitting right in front of you.
Please fill the bags with your donation and drop them off at your SAC
office at the Welland campus or Glendale campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake,
or, watch for the brightly coloured dro-off boxes in the college hallways.
For further information, please contact any the SAC members at your
campus.
Thank you.
Dan Patterson, Niagara College president,
Stephanie Greenall, director of student affairs Welland SAC,
Blake F.J. Turner, Welland SAC president.
news@niagara, Nov. 25, 2005, Page 7
Best friend, MSN? Changes in society
Columnist
You’ll know you spend too much
time on the computer when you don’t
talk to certain people because they
don’t have e-mail addresses or if MSN
lures you first thing in the morning
even before the bathroom does.
Come on, you junkies, I know you’re
out there because I tend to be one too.
At one point, you look at the clock
and it’s, oh, let’s say noon.
A few clicks here and there and it’s,
what the ?... 5 p.m? Where did the time
go? Funny, isn’t it? But this situation is
true for many people.
It seems computers have become our
lifeblood for almost everything we do.
For some, they can be the bearer of bad
news, just like that little girl who was
fined a large sum for downloading Dr.
Dre’s music.
“It’s sad for smaller bands such as
ones from nearby local areas because it
would be nice to support them, but it
seems that Limewire or Kazza is the
way to go,” says Matt Johnson, 22, of
Welland. As for others, they can make
your day when that special someone
you’ve been pining over forever finally
e-mails you back.
Don’t get me wrong I love spending
just as long on the greatest invention of
all time and just as much as the next
guy, but for all procrastinators out
there, I would start watching the clocks
as time passes you by.
Remember the commercial in which
the guy is in his room for five days
straight playing on his computer, swimming though a mess of his own filth
when he sticks to his chair because he’s
Getting real with television
By AMY ZULINIAK
Staff Writer
Column
When I tune into a television show
such as Survivor, America’s Next Top
Model or The Bachelor, I’m not looking
to be spiritually enlightened, motivated
or moved in anyway. I’m looking for an
hour of relaxation, a cheap thrill and a
quick laugh watching these unrealistic
shows try to fake “reality.”
What is television coming to? I’ll tell
you what: a reality television era. How
can millions of North Americans tune
in if it’s apparently so unwatchable?
I do agree that the “reality” portrayed
is false. It is, however, highly entertaining. I, along with millions of others,
love tuning in to see whose relationship
falls to pieces, which alliances break
apart or who gets voted off.
Sean Moulden, 23, of Hamilton Ont.,
says, “My girlfriend makes me watch
that model show (America’s Next Top
Model) with her. I ended up liking it
because the girls are hot and they usually don’t wear too much.”
There is such a wide range of reality
shows that there is something for everyone. The topics range from surviving, to
dating, to cooking, to losing weight.
I realize there isn’t anything insightful or deep about this kind of programming, but is there supposed to be? No.
These shows are purely for entertainment purposes.
“I love Survivor and I won’t miss
it, and if I know I’m not going to be
home, I get someone to tape it for
me,” says Blair Gardner, 24, of London, Ont. “I watch it because it’s
exciting, and what else is there to do
on a Thursday night?”
It has been argued that these poor
“contestants” are exploited for the
good of the ratings and are made to
look like fools. First, if you’re going
to participate in a show, you’re not
the sharpest tool in the shed if you
don’t already know the producers
are going to edit footage to benefit
the show’s popularity.
Even if you are made out to be an
idiot or a bitch, who cares? When
the program is finished airing, you’ll
end up getting publicity like crazy
and make millions of dollars no matter when you got voted off.
Reality television has the potential to stay around and keep huge
ratings for decades.
I am not alone in my love for
tasteless programming. I’m sure,
although many of you would never
admit it, you have a secret love
affair for The Biggest Loser or Survivor. Let’s face it, reality television
is here to stay.
By Jeremy LaForty
Columnist
Unless one consciously fights
pop culture’s media influence, one
eventually becomes the creation of
whoever is pushing these powerful
influences, in one way or another.
People should ask themselves
why certain things are popular,
who is responsible for these pop
ideas and what is the creator’s true
motive.
Money, an obvious motivation,
is probably the most crucial element, but what else is going on?
Pop culture celebrates the
decline of values and morals and it
is affecting us. I’m concerned.
Everyone is entitled to express
an opinion, but do behaviours that
were once viewed as immoral
have to be so popular now?
As it becomes more popular to
be a “bad ass” and give God the
finger as it were, I wonder if it is
simply man’s greed that is responsible for this change.
It is not to say man ever had a
moral track record, but who was
responsible for religious and
social corruption in times past?
Has this element been properly
explored? I say no.
Man seems to think he is in control, but it is obvious we are not.
Globally, humans can’t live in harmony and we cannot control
earth’s powerful elements. Why
do we as a society think it is OK to
be so damned confident about
what is an acceptable way of
being?
Some would say that the Bible
is the only positive guideline for
human lifestyle. Because is has
been so maliciously exploited by
greedy humans in times past and
present, it is no longer viewed, by
many, as a legitimate guideline.
What I find strange is that somehow it has become more popular
to acknowledge and worship the
devil than it is to give God consideration.
Is it just a coincidence that people are not allowed to talk about
the Bible in almost all institutional settings anymore without enraging people?
Humans are a confused group,
but no one seems to wonder why.
Everyone accepts the situation
without question.
It’s cool to be a gangster in the
mainstream rap culture. Homosexuality is widely accepted. I feel
forced to accept it. It’s cool to be a
promiscuous man or woman. It’s
cool and widely accepted to be
involved with the occult and other
forms of witchcraft, which are evident in a lot of popular darker
music.
It’s cool to celebrate a violent,
gory or sexually explicit movie or
TV program, and (some think) it’s
cool to get all “whacked out” at a
party, drink like a camel and violently defend oneself at first
offense. Gambling is also becoming a popular televised form of
recreation.
Is it a coincidence that not just
some but all of these things directly conflict with the Bible’s suggestions for human behaviour?
I’m being affected by this popculture situation also. I can’t help
it in some regards because I consider myself a selfish human at
times, so I’ll give in to a buzz or
give in to fornication or give in to
exposing myself to a sick and vulgar form of entertainment.
I probably wouldn’t think about
banging Christina Aguilera if I
didn’t see her gyrating, half naked
in a television music video.
Someone is putting these
thoughts in my head.I’m not trying to be a Bible thumper, but does
this not seem a little strange to
anyone?
Some may suggest people are
more open-minded today, that we
now know more and are celebrating a freedom of thought. I’m suggesting quite the opposite reality,
one that involves mental enslavement.
If you want to be a free thinker,
eliminating the Bible as a source
of potentially helpful information
without knowing much about its
contents is unfair.
However, that seems to be a
popular mentality. Are people just
mad at God, or is there a more
powerful yet subtle influence
responsible?
If God exists and the Devil does
too, who do you think is influencing humanity more, and what
medium seems to be doing this the
best?
I say pop culture is a mega
influence because whatever is
popular must be OK. Right?
Journalists, including those in the Journalism-Print program
at Niagara College, are taught that their reporting must be
balanced, fair and as objective as possible. 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 Niagara College
administration or the management of the news@niagara.
Columns reflect the opinion of only one person: the writer.
Columns
By Drew Lougheed
been there for too long.
Andrew Cruickshanks, 22, says he
“totally” agrees.
“Sometimes I find that I’m that guy
in that commercial and, funny as it
seems, it’s really not.”
The Internet, the WWW (World
Wide Waste of time), or whatever you
want to call it, seems to lure us all into
the purest form of laziness for a plethora of reasons.
Paying bills online, however, is an
exception because I don’t know a single soul who would want to make a
dreaded trip to the bank only to drop off
a payment for whatever it might be.
However, for the more simple things
in life, like talking to friends and family, I bet a few people out there talk to
the pizza guy more often than they
would their close friends only because
they have don’t have e-mail.
With the exception of a trip to the
bathroom and a beer fridge in your
room, one could honestly spend the
whole day in that comfy, soft computer
chair without ever having to get up.
You can start to think that people
back in the day were much more
innovative and on the go simply for
the fact they didn’t have a computer
to get the job done.It’s obvious in
today’s world we can’t function
without our PCs or Macs for the
most part.
How many of you have opened up a
word processor when it came to writing a six-page essay and two hours
later, you have an A+ paper with nothing but your name and date. Hah, I
figured so!
With distractions such as MSN,
music sharing, gaming and online
shopping, it seems as if an ass-kicking
machine wouldn’t be too bad of an
addition to that computer chair you
spend just as much time in as your bed.
Before you decide to plump down
to kill another five hours in front of
the warm glow of your computer
screen, I’d start setting my alarm
clock to get up out of that chair every
now and then.
What we
Think
MSN
junkies
Reality
TV
Society’s
woes
Page 8, news@niagara, Nov. 25, 2005
g
i
i
D n
to winter
comfort
food
By Kate Jefferies, Columnist
W
S HEPHERD’ S P I E W I T H G A R L I C P OTATOES
Preparation 12 minutes •
Ingredients
Ready in 40 minutes • Serves four
Directions
1 lb. (450 g) lean ground beef
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes
arm muffins steaming on a cooling rack.
serve two different purposes.
Hot chocolate foaming in the mug.
Making something as easy as hot chocolate
Chicken pot pie bubbling and browning both warms you up and relieves stress.
in the oven. Now that the cold and dark of
University of California – San Francisco
winter seem underway, it’s time to cozy up to our researchers have identified a biochemical reackitchens.
tion food stimulus in experiments done with rats
Everyone’s version of comfort food is that could explain why some people crave comdifferent. Some crave potato
fort foods when they are
chips, chocolate or a classic
chronically stressed.
Spiced Hot Chocolate
recipe that mom made every
It’s important to remem1. Heat 1 cup milk and 1/4 tsp.
winter to chase the chills
ber there are other ways to
ground cinnamon just to a boil.
away.
treat chronic stress. Exer2. Add 1 finely chopped square of
The reasons for something
cise, yoga, meditation, baths
semi-sweet chocolate and stir with
becoming a comfort food are
and sex all stimulate the
wire whisk until chocolate is
different, but include food’s
regions of the brain that percompletely melted and milk is
familiarity, pleasant memoceive pleasure.
slightly frothy.
ries and associations.
If you do suffer from
While almost any food or
stress, in the short term,
drink could potentially be a
munch on something good
comfort food, the preferand get more sleep to calm
ences are formed while a
you down. Trying to make
child is young and differ
comfort food your longbetween the sexes.
term solution, rather than
When it comes to food that
fixing the source of your
triggers peace and pleasure,
stress, will never be
men like hearty meals, likely
good for you.
something their mother used
Most people assume that
to make, such as casseroles,
we eat comfort foods when
mashed potatoes, pasta and
we are feeling down, but
meat. Women look for
these same foods are also
snacks that are quick and
enjoyed during good times
easy to make or buy, such as
like
celebrations
and
brownies, ice cream and
family dinners.
chocolate, since they are
Whatever your gender or
generally not used to
favourite treat, try somehaving a hot meal prepared
thing different, like the
for them and are looking to
spiced hot chocolate recipe
relax, not cook.
for some new food for
Comfort foods for winter
the soul.
1. Brown beef with carrots and
onion in large skillet. Drain off
fat. Stir in flour. Add tomatoes,
Worcestershire sauce and thyme.
Bring to boil. Pour into 3–qt (3L)
casserole.
2. Combine butter and garlic. Mash
potatoes. Add garlic butter and
milk and mash well.
1/2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1 tbsp. butter or margarine
1/2 clove garlic, minced
3. Spoon evenly onto beef layer,
sealing to edge of dish.
2 large peeled potatoes, cooked
4. Sprinkle with cheese.
1/4 cup milk
5. Bake at 400°F (200°C) for about
20 minutes or until bubbling.
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
4 - ST A R T E X A S C H I L I
Preparation 15 minutes • Ready in two hours • Serves four
Ingredients
Directions
1/2 lb. boneless beef for stew, cut
1 Brown meat and onion in
dressing in Dutch oven on
medium-high heat 5 min.,
stirring occasionally.
into 1/2-inch pieces
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup Italian Dressing
1/2 can (5 fl oz/124 mL)
beef broth
1 cup salsa
1/2 tbsp. chili powder
1 can (10 fl oz/270 mL) black
beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups hot cooked Minute Rice
2 Add broth, salsa and chili powder
and stir. Bring to boil. Reduce
heat to medium-lowand cover.
Simmer for one hour or until
meat is tender.
3 Stir in beans and cook uncovered
for 30 minutes. Serve over rice.
4. Top with shredded cheese.
N
ext week’s recipe
Christmas foods as gifts: Easy to
make and light on the budget.
Losing job devastating shock Coping abilities in stressful
“We’re going to
have to let you go”
are the dreaded
words no student
wants to hear after
working a job and
now realizing it is
gone, just like that.
Since September
By Natalie Clewley I’ve been working
Columnist
almost every day
for six hours a night
and occasionally on a Saturday to make up
any hours that I missed.
I really enjoyed where I was working
and what I had to do. I became close with
one of my co-workers, who offered to give
me a ride home every day. Everybody was
friendly and nice.
Telemarketing, which was my job title,
isn’t everything people say it is. It’s a very
competitive job that can be extremely boring at times. Some people you call can be
friendly and buy what you are selling, but
often people can be very rude. This job did
give me a different perspective than other
jobs I have worked in the past did.
In telemarketing you also get bonus pay
for how many sales you get, so it so important for people to buy what you are selling
to benefit you in the long run.
To sell the products, you also have to
rebut the clients’ reasons they decline the
offer. This is something that, I will admit,
is a challenge. It’s hard to get people who
are simply just not interested to be otherwise.
Losing your job as a student isn’t just
losing your job. It brings a lot of worry,
stress, anxiety and anger. Having the relief
of knowing that every day you will be
doing something great for yourself and
have money coming in so you don’t have to
worry so much and can concentrate on
your studies is a great feeling. When this is
all taken away, it is like your world has
been turned upside down and you’re trying
to find air.
Without receiving OSAP and now having no job, I have a much more limited
budget to buy food and other essentials.
My parents do the best they can do to
financially support me, but considering I
have two younger sisters who also want to
attend post-secondary education, I know
it’s very hard and stressful for them as well.
The only advantage I have had since I
lost my job is that I am able to focus more
time on my work at school. Losing my job
was a devastating shock that has changed
my lifestyle. There are a lot of things I used
to be able to buy or do that I can’t anymore.
I have been job searching like crazy for a
new job, hoping that a miracle will happen
before Christmas arrives. I hope that the
supervisor or manager of where you are
employed thinks of what the consequences
are to a student’s life and his or her ability
to survive when they say those
devastating words.
situations crucial at college
Why is everything
in life so complicated?
Every day millions of
teenagers, soon to be
adults, are stressed to
the point they don’t
know what to do
anymore.
Whether it’s money,
By Jaylene Poirier school, family, a
boyfriend, a friend or
Columnist
just life generally,
everyone has something to worry about.
I have recently spent over $1,000 getting
things “fixed” and I just found out today that
my laptop, which I’ve always had problems
with, might not be good anymore, so I might
have to buy a new one.
Mark, who works at Staples in Welland,
says, “It’s about $500 just to send it away
and that’s just for Hewlett Packard to look at
it. You might as well spend another $200 and
get a new computer.”
I’m so tired of hearing about how good
technology is just to have almost everything
I’ve ever bought, technology-wise,
break down.
I respect those young adults who can deal
with the daily stressful situations that they’re
put into and carry on with their normal life.
For some young adults, getting out of bed
in the morning is a lot harder, having to deal
with a project due, a test, a fight with your
best friend and the cable bill that’s
due today.
There are many ways we as young adults
are taught to deal with everyday obstacles.
Counsellors, friends, and time management
strategies are the most important.
If you are stressed out, first go to a friend
or family member with whom you feel
comfortable enough to talk, and get
everything off your chest. If you trust this
person, then he or she may be able to give
you some helpful advice. If not, try going to
a counsellor or just try to manage your time
and money better.
Personally, I have a hard time doing both
of those, as I’m sure many other young
adults do. One day you will realize that
you’ve been screwing up with your life, and
you need to straighten up. This day will
come sooner to some than others, but you
will realize that you can do much more with
your life, just by changing something that
is simple.
To every young, stressed adult not
knowing what the next move is going to be,
I say, “Relax.” Your life will eventually play
out the way you want it to.
news@niagara, Nov. 25, 2005, Page 9
Journalists, including those in the Journalism-Print program at Niagara
College, are taught that their reporting must be balanced, fair and as objective as possible. 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 Niagara College administration or the management of
news@niagara. Columns reflect the opinion of only one person: the writer.
By BAILLIE ADCOCK
Staff Writer
The alarming number of teenage
brutalities is rising in Canada. The
intensity of these crimes is becoming more unsettling. To display the
shocking delinquency, CBC News
Online organized the following teen
violence crimes in a timeline in January 2005.
Oct. 31, 1998 – Clayton McGloan,
17, dies after being beaten and
stabbed at a Halloween party in Calgary. Two brothers, aged 15 and 17
at the time, were later convicted.
The elder brother, Roberto Guardado, was convicted of second-degree
murder and sentenced to life in
prison with no parole for at least
seven years. Nelson Guardado was
convicted of manslaughter.
April 28, 1999 – A 14-year-old boy
opens fire with a .22-calibre rifle
inside W.R. Myers High School in
Taber, Alta. Student Jason Lang, 17,
is killed. Another student, Shane
Christmas, 17, is wounded, but
recovers from his injuries. The shooting takes place a week after the
Columbine high school massacre, in
which two boys killed 12 students
and a teacher in Littleton, Colo.,
before killing themselves.
Nov. 10, 2000 – Dawn-Marie
Wesley, 14, of Mission, B.C., hangs
herself with her dog’s leash in her
bedroom. She leaves a suicide note
naming three girls at her school she
said were “killing her” because of
their bullying.
March 26, 2002 – Landmark bullying case results in conviction. This
case marks the first time school girls
have been brought into court after a
suicide to face charges. An Abbotsford, B.C., girl who bullied a classmate into committing suicide is
found guilty of criminal harassment
and uttering threats. A second
accused is found not guilty.
Nov. 25, 2003 – “Johnathan” is
found with 71 cuts to his body in a
basement crawlspace of his parents’
east-end home in Toronto. Three
teens, including Johnathan’s brother,
are arrested in the stabbing death.
Sept. 27, 2004 – A 14-year-old girl
is savagely beaten by two fellow
female students at a school in Sudbury, Ont. About 30 bystanders do
nothing; some cheer.
Dec. 3, 2004 – Andrew Stewart,
16, a Toronto high school student and
basketball star is killed after being
swarmed by 10 to 15 males and
stabbed to death. Police charge a 17year-old with first-degree murder.
Dec. 11, 2004 – Tanner Hopkins,
18, dies in hospital after being
fatally stabbed in the driveway of
his North Toronto home. He was
trying to prevent a group of people
from gate crashing his younger
brother’s party.
Something for all in Vegas
By Patrick Hall
Columnist
With more than 100 casinos open 24
hours a day, Las Vegas is truly a gambler’s paradise.
Whether you’re a high roller or a noroller, a poker-hungry student or a mildmannered retiree, this flashy Nevada
desert city has a little bit of something
for everyone.
On April 28, 2005, following a long,
cold winter semester at Niagara College, I found myself on the Las Vegas
Strip, right in the middle of the action.
As I walked out into the bright flashing lights, I thought I had died and
gone to heaven. There were palm trees,
beautiful ladies and casinos as far as
the eye can see. Oh yes, seven-dollar
steak dinners were everywhere you
looked.
The sense of freedom was almost
overwhelming. I could walk into any
establishment with a giant margarita
and a lit cigarette and get the nod of
approval from security, all while I was
filming everything with a camcorder.
I was most surprised, however, by
the variety of entertainment available
to people young and old alike.
Some of my fellow tourists barely touched the slot machines during
our stay.
“I was only 20 when I went to
Vegas, and that didn’t stop me from
having a great one,” says Jenni Krok,
21, of Hamilton, Ont. “The shopping
and sights alone kept me busy all day.”
Male tourists be warned: the shopping centres in Caesar’s Palace alone
have the power to keep women occupied for hours on end. Thankfully,
there are thousands of bars, restaurants
and saloons to choose from all over the
city. I recommend trying the $12
mountain of nachos from Margaritaville in front of the Imperial Palace.
Exquisite.
There are also several quality nightclubs on and off the Strip. From the
wild parties at the Coyote Ugly, to a
more sophisticated evening of wine and
cocktails at Risque, there is a spot suited to everyone’s specific tastes.
“The variety of entertainment shocked
me, and I have been all over the place,”
says a laughing Rick Stevens, 47, of
Banff, Alta. “I will have to come back
soon to finish what I started here.”
If I had to give any advice to anyone
heading for the desert, it is pace yourself. There is no way to fit in every
attraction in one trip. Vegas operates on
visitor spending (over $31 billion
annually), and everyone is more than
willing to take your money, so use that
cash wisely.
“I have been [to Las Vegas] about 15
times and it never gets old,” says
Peggy Popwich, 70, of Edmonton,
Alta. “There is still tons of things to see
and do even after all these years.”
As a poker player, I took my five-day
adventure to widen my knowledge of
the game and to have a few drinks in
the process. To anyone in the market for
a getaway, be it two days or two weeks,
I suggest visiting Las Vegas sometime.
What we think
act out is because there
After reading an article
might not be any seron CTV.ca on a teenage
vices available for them
girl who was harassed and
in their community,”
repeatedly
sexually
says Lexi Mater, 20, of
assaulted by 16 fellow stuSimcoe, Ont.
dents at a Catholic high
“If a community is
school in Toronto, I was
finding that their youths
reminded of the alarming
are becoming too vionumber of teen violence
lent, especially at a
cases in the past year.
young age, they should
I’ve never been able to
understand the mentality of By Baillie Adcock try to set up programs for
youths to participate in.”
violent acts. Maybe it’s
Columnist
Violent risk factors for
because I’m a woman and I
cringe at the sight of brutality, but I’m individual teens include attention
antisocial
pretty sure it’s the fear that society is deficits/hyperactivity,
becoming a more threatening environ- beliefs and attitudes, history of early
aggressive behaviour, involvement
ment for youths.
In this case, a board spokesperson told with drugs, alcohol, or tobacco, and a
CTV, “There were no cries for help, no low IQ, among others.
As the sister of a 16-year-old male
screaming, nothing like that. It was a
student who came forward as a result of teen, I am frightened by the idea of his
a very serious incident.” This girl came falling into a situation like this. There
forward only after a “serious incident,” are teen violence programs in place in
though she has been sexually assaulted many cities and outreach programs
and forced into confinement by this within schools, but can more be done
to prevent youth from following viogroup of students for over a year.
Her bullies are being charged now, lent tendencies?
In June 1999, Jonathan Wamback,
but her approach towards school and
friendships will never be the same. 15, was brutally beaten by teens in a
This “incident” will haunt her for her park in Newmarket, Ont., and suffered permanent brain damage. In
life, and that disturbs me.
Youth are uncomfortable reporting November of the same year, Dmitri
crime; therefore, victims are suffering Baranovski, 15, was kicked and beatin silence. I cower to think of how en to death after he and his friends
many teens across Canada are strug- were swarmed by a group of teenagers
gling each day with these peer battles. who wanted cigarettes and money.
As the sister of a 16-year-old male
Teen violence, involving youth 12 to
17 years of age, is becoming more teen, I am frightened by the idea of his
intense, escalates far faster and falling into a situation like this There
involves groups, girls and weapons are teen violence programs in place in
more than ever before, says a press many cities and outreach programs
within schools, but can more be done
report from The Toronto Sun.
I fear that the sheer viciousness of to prevent youth from following vioseemingly random attacks by teens is lent tendencies?
Mark Gibbard, 22, of Pinegrove,
increasing. Dr. Fred Mathews, psychologist and director of research at Ont., says, “Parents are wimps these
Central Toronto Youth Services, said days. They just don’t spank their kids,
in an interview with The Toronto Sun plus they let them play Grand Theft
that “when an attack is perpetrated, it Auto and listen to violent music like
doesn’t seem to stop when someone rap [especially] or heavy metal. If parents listen to the 18 plus rating on a
is down.”
I’ve heard of teens in my community game and didn’t buy rap CDs or CDs
who openly threaten peers in front of with parental advisories and spanked
their parents and beat other teens to the [their children] for acting out, then
point of hospitalization. We’ve all seen there wouldn’t be a problem. It’s all
about following the warning.”
stories of this in the news.
I don’t believe that spanking is the
My question is are these kids
missing the part in their brain that real answer, but perhaps it would be
makes them feel remorse? Is there a beneficial for parents to crack down
growing chemical imbalance in more on their children’s media
teens, or is society beginning to fail intake. I believe it is ultimately up to
the parent.
our youth?
Growing up in the ‘80s and early
In Alberta, three teenage girls were
sentenced to 60 days in custody for ‘90s gave me less exposure to this
spiking a slushie with a toxic chemical type of violence, but my parents
and serving it to a fellow student, who always made sure that I knew the difapparently hacked into one of their ference between right and wrong and
that I was not desensitized to viocomputers and erased a hard drive.
Mind you, I’ve heard many girls lence.
To avoid a society of frightened
become vicious and say some pretty
scary things behind other girls’ backs, youth and violence-prone teens, the
but are youth approaching a new level solution might best start with those of
us who will be bringing up the next
of backstabbing?
“I think a reason for youths today to generation.
Timeline of
violent crimes
Columns
Rise of teenage
violence alarms
student
Teen
violence
in
Canada
Crime
timeline
Viva Las
Vegas
Page 10, news@niagara, Nov. 25, 2005
Niagara College
Party ‘big success’
By EDMOND YEBOAH
Staff Writer
The Niagara College International
Department party was a “big success,”
according to students and organizers. It
was held on Friday, Nov. 11, at After
Hours in the Student Administrative
Council
(SAC)
centre
at
the
Welland campus.
Chidi Boma Opara, 25, of Nigeria, was one
of the main organizers.
“(I) noticed there was not much for international students to do around here,” says
Opara, who is in his second year of the
Computer Engineering Technician program. He says he wanted to “help people
feel more at home.”
He did just that as the party drew in a crowd
of about 100 people, consisting of students and
children, as well as host parents. He says the
idea to have the party came about a month
before, but he had to make sure he had the
support. Although the party went well, Opara
says it was “tough” to keep up with
everything.
“I’m glad everyone was able to help,” says
Opara. “I had to deal with school and keeping
everything organized. It was not easy.”
Midhun Puntan Purayil, one of the performers at the event, says, “It was really well organized.” Purayil, 18, is from India,
“The international students have not
Cuisines highlight event
By TAKAHIDE EGUCHI
Staff Writer
Students enjoyed smacking their
lips over Asian foods on International Day at the college’s Glendale campus in Niagara-on-theLake during International Week.
International students gave
away samples of three cuisines –
Indian, Chinese and Japanese –
from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 7, at the Niagara Culinary Institute Dining Room.
The purpose of this event was
to attract Canadian students with
“free food,” says Shun Nakai, of
Japan, an International Day student co-ordinator.
International students do not
have many chances “to represent
our cultures,” so this was a
“good” chance to get people
know their cultures, says the 22year-old Tourism Marketing and
Operations (Co-op) student.
Tong Zhang, 24, of China, a
second-year Tourism Marketing
and Operations (Co-op) program
student, says she thought it
might be “interesting” to present
the culture because some of the
information about her country
aired on TV or radio is
“not true.”
She says she decided to let people
know “what’s going on in China”
through the International Day.
Sean Coote, 32, manager, International Recruitment and Services, says it was the first opportunity to bring International Day to
the Glendale campus.
He emphasizes the college
wanted to help create a “dialogue
of interaction. It was a great
opportunity to help students teach
other
people
about
their
countries.”
Global goodies
International students are having fun while displaying
goods from their countries during International Week at the
college’s Welland campus.
Photo by Takahide Eguchi
Food: the universal
language
During Nov. 7 students were
treated to sample of various
cuisines. Here are a few:
India: Rossios — fried
shrimp
Sev Puri — potatoes and
sauce
Croquettes
China: Spring rolls
Golden wonton (deep-fried)
Moon cake — named for the
Aug. 15 autumn festival on
Chinese lunar calendar
Japan: Yakitori — grilled
chicken kebabs
Daigaku Imo — deep-fried
sweet potato
Inarizushi — sushi rice rolled
with abura-age
Games, body decoration and the
arts were also showcased,
including these:
India: Henna Painting — a
temporary form of skin decoration. Henna is a plant whose
leaves are made into a paste
that is also used in a temporary body art.
China: Ji Gu Chuan Hua — a
traditional game for mostly
young people. Ji Gu means hit
the drum; Chuan Hua means
passing a flower ball. The game
is played like Hot Potato,
except instead of being eliminated, the person with the ball
when the music stops has to
perform. The performance
could be anything: telling a
joke, singing a song or making
a funny face.
Japan: Origami means
“paper folding.” Origami uses a
number of different folds and is
combined in various ways to
make designs such as the crane.
Calligraphy is writing names
in Japanese characters.
organized anything like this before,” says
Purayil. “It was a good party but a bad performance by me,” he added.
The department provided free bus rides
from the Glendale campus in Niagara-on-theLake, Niagara Falls and downtown St.
Catharines.
Peyton J. Geedub, 22, of Niagara Falls, says
the party should happen more than once a
year. He is in the Pre-Technology program at
the Welland campus. “More international students should have shown,” he added.
The party had five performances that kept
the crowd entertained and happy. The next
international event may be either at Christmas
or sometime early next year.
‘Visiting the world in
one night’ at Niagara
for over 100 people
By TAKAHIDE EGUCHI
Staff Writer
Cultural exchanges entertained
everyone at the International
Cultural Day the night of Nov. 11.
It was the first time that this type
of event was held at the college.
At After Hours on the college’s
Welland campus, more than 100
people including faculty, homestay families and International
and Canadian students attended
the event.
Students from various countries such as India, Mexico,
Venezuela, Japan and Saudi Arabia represented their countries.
Some students in their traditional
costumes sang songs in their languages, and others showed
dances and played music in addition to being in the fashion show.
The admission fee was $3 for students and $5 for non-students.
The students provided most
costumes.
Fahad Almoammar, 22, from
Saudi Arabia, a student in the
Business Administration — International Business program, says
the show was a combination of
different cultures and backgrounds. He says he felt he was
“visiting the world in one night.”
Chidi Boma Opara, 25, was the
main organizer of the event.
Opara emphasizes that the show
was “really good,” although
there were a few setbacks. He
says he felt “good about the loudness,” mentioning people were
excited but “orderly.”
Opara says he will plan another show sometime at the end of
this year or in the new year if
other students want it.
“What I wanted to do, I did it. I
feel fulfilled.”
Electrical Engineering Technology (Co-op) student Edwards
Jimenez, 19 of Aruba, says he was
“excited” on stage.
“It was a good feeling to represent my country.”
Jimenez says he learned other
cultures through the show and he
appreciated them.
Carlos Toledo, 21, from Mexico,
is a student in the second-year
Computer Engineering Technology (Co-op) program. He says the
show was “absolutely successful” and “better” than what he
expected.
He says all the cultures have
something to offer and if they get
together, it will be a “big and
good” party.
Eungtae, Lee, 43, from Korea, a
student in Teaching English as a
Second Language program, says
it was a “good chance to improve
[counter] my own stereotype[s].”
Matt Dell, 20, of Niagara Falls,
played two songs at the event.
Dell, with his band called Open
Book Diaries, says he was
impressed by the fact that he was
invited to “support” his culture
and country, Canada.
“It’s an honour to be chosen.”
Hashim Shire, 19, from Somalia, an Electrical Engineering
Technology (Co-op) program student, says he was excited while
presenting his country on stage
because “I usually don’t get the
stage light [spotlight].”
news@niagara, Nov. 25, 2005, Page 11
A cultural celebration
New ESL program helps students speak English
By TAKAHIDE EGUCHI
Staff Writer
“The life of an academic English program is
slowly dying, says Sean Coote, manager, International Recruitment and Services.
The International Department at the college’s
Welland campus is launching the Conversational
English program in January 2006.
This program places a special emphasis on
improving students’ speaking abilities. More details
about the program are explained in an information
sheet. If anyone wants it, he or she can get it on the
college’s website or can ask for one from Linda
Hales, an international admissions clerk in the International office, in S100 or call her at ext. 7808.
The reason for creating a new program, says
Coote, is to expand customer base, find students
and meet demands from students seeking more
opportunities.
He says the 15-week English for Academic
Preparation (EAP) program is not attracting the
market as much as a “more flexible program”
allowing students to start more often and be able
to get more out of it.
Coote says for “many” markets around the
world, the conversational program is “much more
appealing” because it satisfies students who
“just” want to improve their speaking skills.
The market helped him and his colleagues
determine what they could do to “increase the
number of the students,” says Coote.
As a result of the research, he emphasizes, it is
essential to meet market needs.
Coote says he tested the new program this summer and the result was “wonderful. I love it. I
think it’s one of the best things that we’ve done.”
It is a “step in the right direction” and “it’s
something we’ve wanted to do for a long time,”
says Fiona Allan, 40, of St. Catharines, academic
manager of English as a Second Language and
Teaching English as a Second Language programs, International Education.
She mentions the International office would
“never jump into” something if they hadn’t done
pre-testing or pre-assessment.
She says having two different programs with
different start dates will enable students to come
into Niagara College at many different times.
Sezen Bayram, 27, of Turkey, an EAP student,
says the program is “good,” after reading an
information sheet summarizing EAP and the new
conversational program.
“Speaking is a hard part of English,” she says.
After finishing her university studies and realizing that she was not able to get the job she wanted, Bayram says she decided to immigrate to
Canada alone. She says she wants to be a construction engineer.
Bayram points out that improving conversational skills is good not only for getting good
marks but also for communicating with people.
She says she will take a new program after finish-
ing her EAP before getting into a regular program.
Twenty-four-year-old Jung-Rock Yoon, of Korea, an EAP student, says he
would have taken the conversational English program if he had known of its existence before coming to Canada.
He says speaking is more important than the other aspects of English.
Another EAP student Wang Yuzhou, 21, of China, says the new program is for
the students who have “different goals.”
Although the length of the program is “too short,” he says that it makes it easier for students to enter the program because of many intakes, compared to the
ESL program.
He says he chose EAP because he wants to “get into a mainstream.”
English for Academic Preparation (EAP)
Start Date
Jan. 3, 2006
May 1, 2006
Aug. 31, 2006
Jan. 4, 2007
Finish Date
April 28, 2006
Aug. 18, 2006
Dec. 15, 2006
April 20, 2007
Length
15 weeks
15 weeks
15 weeks
15 weeks
Fees (Cdn)
$3,800
$3,800
$3,800
$3,800
Conversational English Program
Oct. 31, 2005
Dec. 23, 2005
8 weeks
$1,900
Jan. 3, 2006
Feb. 24, 2006
8 weeks
$1,900
March 6, 2006
April 28, 2006
8 weeks
$1,900
May 1, 2006
June 23, 2006
8 weeks
$1,900
June 29, 2006
July 28, 2006
4 weeks
$950
July 31, 2006
Aug. 25, 2006
4 weeks
$950
Aug. 31, 2006
Oct. 17, 2006
8 weeks
$1,900
The medical insurance for the EAP program is $220 a term.
The Conversational English program is $55 on June 29 and July 31, 2006, or
$110 on all other dates. The homestay fee is $550.
Cultures and food combine
International students dig into Nanaimo bars during the International Department’s potluck supper on Nov. 7.
Photo by Kaesha Forand
By KAESHA FORAND
from different countries. If it wasn’t for
Staff Writer
the potluck supper, she said she wouldn’t
Food – it can be fried, baked, broiled, have had the opportunity to experience a
sautéed or raw.
variety of international cuisines.
International students and staff proudly
Some of the international delights includprepared and shared their favourite dishes ed crab mattata, lasagna, sweet potatoes
from their home country during the Inter- with chickpeas and curry, sushi, shrimp cronational Department’s potluck supper on quets, winter salad and fried pappodums.
Nov. 7 at the Welland campus.
Since the potluck concept is not common
“It’s nice as a part of International throughout the world, some students were
Week to be able to share food,” said Sean not familiar with having a group meal at
Coote, international recruitment manager. which they are both the host and the guest.
Students and teachers prepared dishes
Junko Oku, 20, in ESL, from Japan,
from Mozambique, Yemen, Italy, India, described the potluck supper as being a
Japan, Venezuela, Russia and Canada.
“new experience,” because she has never
The supper was a way for students from tried different types of food. Oku said she
different cultures to express the pride they has tried Chinese and Korean food but she
have for their food and culture. The sup- had never tried food from Russia or
per was a Canadian and international Mozambique.
experience with tables full of foods.
“Part of what we try to do is make globShizuno Sanada, 18, from Japan, in the al citizens, and what easier way than with
English as a Second Language (ESL) pro- sharing food,” said Larissa Strong, the
gram, said she liked experiencing food international student adviser.
International students represented their countries by wearing
costumes, singing and dancing during the International
Department’s cultural day on Nov. 11. Kayoko Kobayashi, left,
and Chihiro Gomi are wearing Japanese kimonos.
Photo by Takahide Eguchi
Page 12, news@niagara, Nov. 25, 2005
Photo by Katherine Griggs
news@niagara, Nov. 25, 2005, Page 13
Body Worlds 2, at the
Ontario Science Centre,
features over 200 displays.
The exhibit ends
Feb. 26, 2006.
Full story page 14.
Page 14, news@niagara, Nov. 25, 2005
Science Centre hosts German plastination
is the body slices. They are pieces of bodies less
than one millimetre in width. They allow the
viewer to see inside the body from a side angle.
“Body Worlds 2 is a compelling experience
that will give all of our visitors a new perspective
on their body and the importance of healthy
lifestyles,” said Lesley Lewis, chief executive
officer of the Ontario Science Centre in a media
release on Sept. 23.
Anyone who wishes to donate his or her body
to Body Worlds can. You simply fill out a series
of forms that state once you have died, your wish
is that your body may be used for scientific purposes and for plastination.
“There are far more body donors than are
being able to be displayed,” said Troop.
The people who donate their bodies are able to
write down their feelings about the process of
plastination beforehand. However, their identities are never revealed, just their date of birth
and their sex. Most of the donors seem to have
the same feelings: they are happy to donate their
bodies if it will help to make new scientific discoveries and maybe even find cures for fatal diseases.
A 52-year-old female donor said this: “Sadly
many of us know more about cars than our bodies. By expanding our knowledge of our body,
we can live healthier lives.”
Photos by Katherine Griggs
By KATHERINE GRIGGS
Staff Writer
Imagine being able to live forever.
A new exhibit entitled Body Worlds 2 has
recently opened at the Ontario Science Centre in
Toronto. The exhibit opened on Sept. 30 and will
run until Feb. 26.
The exhibit showcases more than 200 bodies
to educate visitors about the inner body’s workings and the harmful effects certain things can
have. What attracts more than 250 visitors each
half hour to the Science Centre is this: the
exhibits are real human bodies and real parts of
human bodies.
The cadavers have been put through a process
called plastination, in which the bodies are preserved with the inner organs intact so they can be
used for medical purposes. Plastination substitutes water with fluid plastics in the body’s tissue. The plastics then harden after a process
called vacuum-forced impregnation.
The founder of this process is Dr. Gunther von
Hagens of Germany. Von Hagens invented plastination while he was at the University of Heidelberg, Germany, in 1977. Since then, he has come
a long way and is adding more specimens to Body
Worlds each year.
The exhibit first premiered in Japan in 1995
and has been touring ever since.
Director of Business Planning and Operations
Grant Troop says the Science Centre has never
had an exhibit attract so much attention before.
“The visitor interaction with Body Worlds is
amazing. You see the people interacting with one
another,” said Troop.
When the exhibit debuted in Japan, it was controversial, since the bodies are real. Visitors to
the Science Centre, however, seem to have
mixed feelings about the exhibit.
“These bodies are displayed in a beautiful
way. It’s an art form,” said Christopher Leitch, of
Sutton, Ont. “When else do you have the chance
to see the inside of the human anatomy?” he
asked.
“The sad thing, though, when you look at the
bodies is that these all used to be real people,
with real families,” said Ester Leitch, Christopher’s younger sister.
Some people, however, are not as keen about
the idea of having real bodies displayed in this
manner. While visiting the exhibit, you can see
the looks of pure fascination and of pure disgust
on the visitors’ faces. It is clear that Body Worlds
isn’t for everyone.
The exhibit includes not only bodies, but also
organs. You get the chance to compare the lungs
of someone who is very healthy to that of someone who has smoked for many years.
Another very interesting part of Body Worlds
Welland piercer loves Artistic Impressions
By CHERIE BORHO
and ARIEL ELLIOTT
Staff Writers
Mike Loughlin, 24, of St. Catharines, has
been a body piercer at Artistic Impressions in
Welland for almost three years.
“I like to be able to change the body and how
it looks,” says Loughlin. “I’ve been trying to
get a job here since I was 14.”
In order to become a body piercer, Loughlin
says he had to take an apprenticeship. Then he
practiced on his friends and himself until he got
a job at Artistic Impressions in Niagara Falls.
Three months later he was moved to the
Welland store.
Loughlin says the average age groups he
Mike Loughlin pierces Christian Santacruz’s ear at Artistic Impressions pierces are 16- to 20-year-olds and 40- to 50year-olds.
on Niagara Street in Welland.
He says the weirdest situation he’s been in
Photo by Ariel Elliott
while piercing was when “some old dude was
hitting on me when I pierced his dick.”
“Everything about this job is the best. It’s one
of the few jobs I’ve tried to get,” says Loughlin.
“This job helps change people’s perceptions of
this place, the employees and the customers.”
He says the only bad part is when people
come in and don’t understand why they have to
make sure they keep piercings clean and to care
properly for piercings, or why the store can’t do
a certain piercing or tattoo.
Loughlin says he has had more than 60 different piercings and currently has nine.
He says his favourite piercings are septums, which are put in the cartilage in the
middle of the nose; monroes, like the beauty
mark Marilyn Monroe had; and surface
piercings, which are put anywhere on the
body that doesn’t really stick out.
news@niagara, Nov. 25, 2005, Page 15
By ROBIN HEALEY
Staff Writer
ight warms the lower-right
side of a woman’s face and
settles on a lock of her
blonde hair, while sinister, smokefilled shadows corrode the other
half of her face, alluding to her
sordid past.
The painting Lower Face and
other fragments from the life of an
unknown woman contribute to
Kevin McGuiness’s series of
paintings called Conversation, on
display until Nov. 28, at the Niagara Pumphouse Visual Art Centre
at 247 Ricardo St., in Niagara-onthe-Lake.
His sharp clothes and warm
smile contrast with the introspective sadness that runs through his
pictures. The 23-year-old St.
Catharines artist became a student
in Niagara College’s Interactive
Multimedia (Graduate Certificate)
program, after completing a fouryear honours bachelor of arts
degree in visual arts at Brock University, in St. Catharines. He wishes to pursue independent projects
in web development, some of
which he hopes to use to promote
his artwork. Eventually, he wants
to open his own studio and become
a full-time artist.
Stephanie Data, 23, from Virgil,
Ont., is a friend of McGuiness’s
and has exhibited with him at Rodman Hall, in St. Catharines. For
Data, the bar atmosphere of the
paintings evokes “a very sombre
mood” that gives her “a lonely
feeling from it as well.”
“It is almost like she is having a
conversation with herself.”
Her favourite pieces are a painting of the woman’s closed eyes,
which McGuiness previously sold
and has not included in the show,
and Hand with Cigarette.
In the painting a weary, pale
hand delicately holds a cigarette
while a curl of smoke ascends into
the dark oblivion of the upper half
of the painting. McGuiness painted the background with loose, visible brushstrokes. His choice of
medium was oil paint, which leant
to the painterly style and “makes it
easy to create an atmospheric
ambience.”
The picture was a favourite
among attendees at the exhibition’s opening, on Nov. 6, and is
perhaps his most provocative.
Standing in the cold drizzle outside of the Black Walnut building,
at Niagara’s Welland campus,
McGuiness says he was “mystified” when the headline “Controversial Art on Display” accompanied a photo of the painting in the
Nov. 11 edition of news@niagara.
However, he concedes that he
intended the exhibition to conjure
up the debauchery of the cabarets
that existed under Germany’s
Weimar Republic in the 1920s.
The era was important in the life of
the mysterious woman, whose
identity McGuiness keeps secret.
After his web design and graphic arts class, he drives a fellow student home and attends an artist’s
lecture at Brock. He is late and
stands at the back of a crowded,
dark room, watching a series of
slides of frescoes by Montrealbased artist Joe Lima.
A man blocks McGuiness’s line
of sight, and he complains, “I’m
too short to see over him.”
He walks around a wall to the
front of the room and kneels
L
Conversation
The Art Of
Clockwise from left are Lower Face, Profile, and Piano Keys. Kevin McGuiness’s work is displayed
at the Niagara Pumphouse until Nov. 28.
Photos by Robin Healey
beside a metal easel. With a clear of 2004, often after working all relaxed atmosphere of a saloon
view, his roving eyes glide over day at the physically exhausting where conversation often turns
the images on the screen with the task of moving shelves of books at into confession. The result is a viounbroken concentration of a hawk Brock’s Gibson Library. His impe- lently foreshortened bar of white
tus to paint despite fatigue came keys, which pushes toward the
searching a field for mice.
The woman’s eyes in McGui- from his fascination with the sub- viewer, resembling a moonlit glacness’s paintings are noticeably ject, which he describes as “my ier slipping into the black waters
of the North Atlantic.
own sort of obsession.”
absent or closed.
He introduced close-ups and a
He combed through photos of
On first viewing, the side of the
woman’s face in Profile looks like the woman, choosing only a few as strict palette of earth tones to crea death mask. Hard shadows fall guides. He then decided to crop the ate a “tight and enigmatic” feel.
across her yellowish-grey skin, pictures and focus on a few details, “You don’t get much information,
and no hair is visible. Her cold lips such as the way a hand touches a but what you do get is essential,”
explains McGuiness.
are slightly parted, while her eye- chin or holds a cigarette.
“[The] minute, arbitrary details
McGuiness’s father, John, who
lid slumps toward the ground.
Only a sliver of white from her eye grew up in Scotland, is a tool and come together to form a tapestry of
reveals that she surreptitiously dye maker at the General Motors her past.”
Candice Bogdanski, a 20-yearplant in St. Catharines. He says he
stares at the viewer.
McGuiness acknowledges that watched his son become “exten- old history major at Brock and
friend of McGuiness’s, remarks,
many viewers find Profile unset- sively involved in the process.”
John and his wife, Heather, say “Kevin is one for the details. He
tling and even “creepy.” Nevertheless, he states that he did not their youngest child was always always notices little things.”
Bogdanski and Data joined
want to cover the blemishes of interested in art. His older brother
the woman. He sought to present is studying to be an air traffic con- McGuiness on a three-week trip to
her as she was with her flaws and troller and his sister is a librarian at Italy. They visited Rome, Florence
inadequacies, without sanctify- Brock. McGuiness’s parents and Venice as part of a joint trip of
believe that he likely acquired his Brock’s Italian Studies and Visual
ing her.
He admits that it is “nearly artistic inclination from his mater- Arts departments that focused on
Italian art.
impossible to be completely objec- nal grandfather and John’s sister.
For McGuiness the trip was “so
For Piano Keys, which sold in
tive, but that was the goal.”
“Most of my projects begin with the first week of the show for condensed, it’s a blur.”
It inspired him to begin a
something that preoccupies me,” $250, McGuiness took phocomments McGuiness, adding: tographs of the piano in his family colourful series of pictures of
“[The exhibition] began as a con- home, where he lives, as a guide. Venetian masks, in which he has
versation and transformed into a He glazed over some of the details, stepped away from the strict
such as the divisions between palette and oil paint he employed
history of the individual.”
He worked steadily on the paint- white keys, and significantly dark- in Conversation to use pencil
ings through the summer evenings ened the background, to create the crayon and acrylic wash.
Rick Sorby, a 60-year-old
retired executive vice-president of
marketing for Sears, who held
similar positions at Eaton’s and
the Bay, reveals that McGuiness is
probably the youngest person to
have a solo show at the Pumphouse. Sorby is a volunteer with a
fine arts background and introduced McGuiness at the show.
“He is a new and young artist who
obviously has a lot of talent,”
comments Sorby.
He notes that other solo
exhibitors have had extensive
backgrounds in fine art with many
years of experience, but he thinks
that McGuiness brings a “very
fresh approach.” Sorby looks forward to seeing how the storytelling
of McGuiness’s pictures evolves.
Despite the success of the
show’s opening, McGuiness has
exhibited at his share of “terrible
places.”
He jokingly compares the hardships of his previous gallery shows
to Chris Burden’s 1973 performance piece Through the Night
Softly, in which Burden crawled
across a floor covered in broken
glass, with his hands behind his
back, wearing only bathing-trunks.
McGuiness’s show at the Niagara Artists’ Company (NAC), in
St. Catharines, was double-booked
above a heavy metal rock band. As
he approached the gallery, he
walked into a deafening sea of
noise. The gallery’s walls were
shaking when his guests arrived.
The experience gave him his
first and only panic attack. “It
may have shaved a few years off
my life.”
“I don’t hate the NAC,” he
asserts. He mentions that the NAC
is becoming more involved with
the area, and he is critical of fellow
artists who do not support the local
arts community.
“There are many people in the
arts community of the Niagara
region who will complain and
antagonize the system, but there
are few who will work to change
it. I really admire those few.”
With a grin, he adds that he
likely falls within the majority.
Nevertheless, McGuiness has
volunteered his time to the NAC
and to Rodman Hall. However, he
finds that the demands of working at two jobs and going to
classes do not leave him with
enough time to volunteer. He
spends the little time that remains
working on his artwork and
attending art shows.
When Lima’s lecture at Brock
ends, some people recognize
McGuiness. He hasn’t seen them
for a while, but he exhibits an easy
rapport with them and makes them
laugh. With only hand gestures and
facial expressions, he cues the others to divulge personal stories. The
conversation appears effortless.
“The nuance of the conversation is universal,” he observes. “It
is something inherent within us,
this desire to connect with one
another.”
He leaves the lecture and walks
to his car underneath a blanket of
grey clouds through a rain-beaten
parking lot.
He stops.
His gaze fixes upon a hawk,
which stares down at the artist
from its perch atop a lamppost.
The wind ripples through its
feathers, while they stand in silent
conversation.
Page 16, news@niagara, Nov. 25, 2005
The Mute goes to ‘next level’ Raving Psychos
This ba
appear nd
s on
NOISE
@NIAG
ARA
The Mute
“Your Heat”
Disc 1, T
rack 7
NOISEatN
iAGARA.c
om
Brought to
you by
news@ni
agara
The members of the band formerly known as Broke Down Machine started a new phase of
their music careers when Christina Piacenti joined them to form The Mute. The band, originating from Niagara Falls, appears on news@niagara’s compilation noise@niagara.
Submitted photo
By JEFF FORAN
Staff Writer
The Mute has found its voice.
The Niagara Falls band, fresh from recording a
five-song EP last month, is currently auditioning
new bassists to “take this to the next level,” says
drummer Michael Saracino, in a phone interview.
Saracino says members of The Mute are “looking into” recording labels and recently handed a
copy of The Mute’s demo to Garth Richardson
(producer of Rage Against the Machine) in person.
Richardson also happens to be the son of Jack
Richardson, a professor at Fanshawe College in
London, Ont., the college members of The Mute
attended.
It was during their time at Fanshawe that Saracino came up with the idea that would create the
band’s sound.
While all the members of the band were living in
the same house, singer Brett Fusco needed knee
surgery and was away for two months.
It’s during this time Saracino became “stircrazy” and ended up writing a very experimental,
melodic song. He decided it needed female vocals.
That is when Christina Piacenti stepped in.
When Fusco was back to full fitness, the two
sang together for the first time, and the magic
happened.
“[We were] dumbfounded with both singers
together,” says Saracino, adding they are “two
strong vocalists.”
He says Piacenti has been doing “acoustic stuff,”
music different from what the band had been doing
at that time. [(Her] voice has characteristics. Girls
have someone they can relate to.”
After they found their sound, the band sat down
for a “couple of 1,000 naming sessions,” and so
The Mute was born.
The band says the name has many meanings
metaphorically, sarcastically, cynically and personally. “Today’s bands are watered down,” says
Saracino, adding, they have either nothing to say
or are told to say nothing.
This is the difference with The Mute. “We plan
on saying something.”
During the summer The Mute played gigs in
London, Ont., Toronto and St. Catharines, winning
the Port Mansion battle of the bands.
Saracino says, “Things are going over a lot better. [There’s] never been so much feedback.”
Saracino says he would love to see the independent music scene grow here but acknowledges it’s
“a little harder to generate revenue.”
He says being part of the noise@niagara compilation is a “great opportunity” and there is
“potential to take off.”
“I think something good is gonna happen in five
to 10 years. We’re hoping to be part of it.”
Check out The Mute at its website.
http://www.myspace.com/themuteband.
drives crowd nuts
By ELISABETH BAILEY
Staff Writer
Band Review
The Niagara music scene is about to
be taken over by a bunch of raving
psychos.
On Oct. 16, The Merchant Ale
House in St. Catharines was filled by a
steady trickle of people coming in
from the cool night. They conversed
over recorded music and sips of specially brewed ale. They were there to
see the band Sights Unseen and headliners Erick Von Erick and the Raving
Psychos. The first band, Sights
Unseen, finally finished its sound
check with a venture into its first song.
The conversation of the Ale House
patrons hardly slowed down during
Sight Unseen’s set. Only a few bobbed
their heads along to the music that
wouldn’t be too out of place with current Top 40 radio hits. The choruses
were repetitive, with the singer’s voice
often dipping into Rob Thomas territory. The mundane melodies were broken up occasionally by long, masturbatory guitar solos and overbearing funkstyle bass. The most enthusiastic
applause from the audience came when
they were mercifully done their last
song of the set.
All the energy that was lacking in
the music of Sights Unseen was made
up for by the first five seconds of the
music of Erick Von Erick and the Raving Psychos exploding in the tiny bar.
Aches and Pains started the set to an
excited reaction from the audience.
The performance was led by singer
Erick Von Erick with his David Bowielike voice and his ironic sexuality. It
was characterized by his over-the-top
front-man dancing and the pumping of
his leather-clad fist.
The band’s set was energetic and
danceable. While the songs had an
undeniable sense of humour, there was
an emotional quality to Von Erick’s
vibrato vocal delivery that the audience could connect with. Their musicianship was seamless and their sound
extremely professional. The whole set
was consistent right down to the
encore, a cover of Joy Divion’s Transmission.
With the rising popularity of ‘80sinfluenced synth bands, it would be no
surprise to see the relatively new group
soon move up to playing bigger
venues. Von Erick and the Raving Psychos are a band worth seeing live while
they’re still playing smaller, more intimate places.
More info on the Raving Psychos
can be found on the band’s website,
http://www.myspace.com/erickvonerickandtheeravingpsychos.
Noise announces food drive concert on Dec. 11
By SANDOR LIGETFALVY
Promotions Staff
Dec. 11, as a day of the year,
seems far off and dreary, sometime
between turkey and pine trees, but
this year is different.
On this day, at Patrick Sheehans
Irish Pub, 101 St. Paul St., St.
Catharines, news@niagara is hosting noise@niagara’s first-ever food
drive concert.
The doors open at 6:30 p.m. on a
Sunday night rock show featuring
The Morning Announcements, F.Y.I.,
The Mute, Shade, Groovy Food
and The Strange.
Entrance is $2 if you bring a nonperishable food item, such as canned
goods, mac ‘n’ cheese, and even
baking essentials like packaged
sugar or flour. With no donation,
entrance is $4 or as much as you can
contribute.
All proceeds go to St. Catharines
and Thorold Community Care, 12
North St., 905-685-1349.
Niagara College Business – Sales
and Marketing student Greg Arnold,
19, of Niagara Falls, is donating his
time, speakers and soundboard, a
crucial service that the promotor
appreciates.
Sleep the Season’s soothing sounds delight listeners
By PATRICIA RODRIGUEZ
Staff Writer
Band Review
A connection brought silence, and
the silence complemented the mood.
Craziness levels fell a few notches.
After I had already heard countless
unoriginal bands lacking the “it” factor, it seemed almost impossible to
want to sit through another unknown
band trying to make it in the industry.
On Oct. 11 and again on Nov. 13,
however, people were taken to another
musical level. The originality and passion Sleep the Season has for music
were successfully transmitted to the
audience.
The incorporation of a powerful and
unifying sound had a strong impact on
the shows at the Mansion House in St.
Catharines. The chemistry among the
band, the music and the audience was
compelling and almost palpable.
However, an amateurish aspect can
still be detected. Almost invisible, it
can be easily attributed to the lack of
time the band has been in the industry.
Within one year of forming, Sleep the
Season is able to accomplish in one
night what infinite numbers of musicians hope to achieve at least once in a
lifetime.
By having strong lyrics and sounds,
the band successfully hypnotized the
audience. The dark, small room held
no more than 40 people, making the
concert even more intimate.
As the cello player started playing,
many stood up and they stayed up during the 30-minute presentation. Of the
two amazing performances of the
night, only Sleep the Season was able
to captivate the crowd.
During the entire performance, people stopped whatever they were doing
and just listened.
The four-member band – Dave
Fontaine, vocals, Justin Fortier, guitar,
Greg Goertzen, cello and Ben Audet,
percussion – was promoting its first CD,
Sleep the Season’s Under the Stars.
“Our music is kind of like life. It is
something you can relax to, but at the
same time it has ups and downs,” said
Fontaine.
Kimberly Delaney, 19, said she felt
“serene” from the relaxing music.
“I personally loved the cello.”
Fontaine said the show was “very
personal and relaxing. Everyone was
pushed together and no one spoke. It
was a good show.”
It seems as though the music comes
naturally to the band. Even those reluctant to listen to this acoustic rock genre
gave the band a chance and joined the
mood of the room.
Now it will just be a matter of time
before Sleep the Season is discovered.
news@niagara, Nov. 25, 2005, Page 17
Disney’s movie lacks interesting plotline Great cast but low approval
By NATALIE VENTRESCA
Staff Writer
Movie Review
Same story, new twists.
Something big is going on in Oakey
Oaks, hometown of Chicken Little.
Chicken Little, Walt Disney Picture’s
new computer animated film, tells the
classic story of a young chicken who
mistakes being hit on the head by a
falling acorn as a piece of the sky, causing hysteria and panic.
Disney’s version, however, tells the
same story in a more modern,
humourous and satirical fashion, enjoyable for everyone.
After Chicken Little (voiced by
Scrubs’ Zach Braff), makes his fateful
announcement that, “The sky is falling!”
he becomes the laughing stock of the
town and an embarrassment for his
father, Buck Cluck (voiced by Gary Marshall).
No sooner does Chicken Little restore
his reputation and regain his father’s
respect, than he is hit on the head again –
not by an acorn or a piece of sky, but by
part of a spaceship.
Enlisting the help of his friends, Runt
of the Litter (voiced by Steve Zahn), Fish
Out of Water, and Abby Mallard aka
Ugly Duckling (voiced by Joan Cusack),
Chicken Little attempts to save his town
and the world from being destroyed by
aliens.
This film has a clear message, which is
not out of character for a Disney film.
In this instance, it is to believe in yourself. Just because you are “little” doesn’t
mean you can’t do “big” things.
The fact that this film is computer animated and aimed at a younger audience
should not stop an older crowd from
enjoying it.
The satirical and humourous elements
in Chicken Little work on two levels as
they are aimed at children and adults.
There are sure-fire jokes intended for
children such as burping. In addition an
older audience will find funny such
aspects as Abby’s crush on Chicken Little.
There are also numerous pop culture
references to The Spice Girls and Indiana
Jones that only the older audience members would be able to identify.
Being funny, however, cannot sustain
a film.
The problem lies, unfortunately, with
the story. Despite the addition of new
elements to the plot such as a baseball
and aliens, its premise is one that fails to
hold the viewer’s interest, unlike other
computer-animated films such as Shrek,
The Incredibles and Finding Nemo. As a
result, this film feels longer than its running time of 78 minutes.
Although Chicken Little is entertaining, charming and funny and has a starfilled cast, it is flawed in plot development. Chicken Little has big ideas – too
many of them.
Playing around with a familiar concept
is clever, but in the case of Chicken Little, it does “little” for the plot and outcome of the film.
By NATALIE VENTRESCA
Staff Writer
Movie Review
With an all-star cast like Oscar winners Nicole Kidman, Shirley MacLaine and Michael Caine, in addition to
Will Ferrell, in theory, Bewitched seems like it can’t fail,
but it does.
The good news is that in the year of the remake, this film,
new to video stores, seems to distance itself from the rest.
Although it takes the concept of the classical television
series, rather than just taking the easy way out and blatantly copying it, Bewitched does a lot more with it.
The story is now about the remaking of a television series
named Bewitched, and, coincidentally, the lead character
found to play Samantha happens to be a witch.
This is a very clever take on the subject matter.
Unfortunately, the bad news involves the actors.
Kidman’s try at comedy is mediocre. She seems stiff and
a little out of place.
MacLaine and Caine just seem ornamental, and their
award-winning talent is wasted.
Ferrell’s character is what keeps this movie interesting,
yet his character seems to be all his previous characters
(Anchorman, Old School) rolled into one. He’s funny, but
the effect gets redundant after a while.
Bewitched, with its strong female lead, writers and director, seems to be trying too hard to portray an image of a
strong independent women for Kidman’s character, but this
message seems to get lost in the process.
At first, Kidman’s character is a weak, dependent and
passive woman who is searching for love.
She then becomes an independent woman taking charge of
her life, but then to fulfil Hollywood’s need for a happy ending,
she has to repress her independence and go back to the man.
This film is not what you would expect, but in the multitude of remakes, this one will have to do.
Harry Potter has arrived
“The sky’s falling!” The media bombard Chicken Little after he makes that fateful announcement in Walt Disney’s
new computer-animated film Chicken Little.
Disney Enterprises Inc.
Will Ferrell takes on new role in family comedy
By NATALIE VENTRESCA
Staff Writer
Movie Review
Does the world really need another
sport-themed movie?
If the star of the movie is Will Ferrell, the answer is a resounding yes.
Kicking and Screaming, new this
week at video stores, is a family film
that tells the story of a father who takes
over his son’s soccer team, only to
become an over-competitive, soccerobsessed maniac.
This film succeeds largely as the
result of Ferrell’s comedic performance. With such lines as “I’m angry!
I’m spitting angry! Like a tornado of
anger swirling about!” Ferrell’s saves
this film from being forgettable.
In addition, this movie is entertaining for children and adult viewers, as it
contains many adult-themed jokes and
situations such as Ferrell’s character’s
growing caffeine addiction.
Although not unlike every other
Hollywood sport-themed movie, this
one tends to be on the predictable side,
but what did you expect? Hollywood
has a certain formula to follow, and
Kicking and Screaming, follows it religiously.
Everything is neatly wrapped up in
the end, all problems are solved and all
relationships are mended.
This can all be forgiven simply
because of the fact that it is so funny.
Thank you, Will Ferrell, for giving
the world a sport-themed family movie
that is actually enjoyable.
By NATALIE
CLEWLEY
Staff Writer
Movie Review
Attention! Watch out for
all Harry Potter fans running
to the big screens and feeding their obsession.
Harry Potter, Ron Weasley
and Germione Granger
returned in The Goblet of Fire
on Nov. 18. Some, mainly
critics who’ve been privileged with previews, say it is
one of the “best Harry Potter
movies by far.”
Anxious fans, waiting in
line for hours wearing their
Harry Potter glasses and Hogwarts scarves, are thrilled that
the fourth film has continued
the Harry legacy.
Harry’s scar has seemed to
be bothering him a lot lately.
Harry’s friends Hermione
and Weasley come to the rescue. The Weasleys invite
Harry to camp out to watch
the International Quidditch
Cup. While Harry is there,
problems erupt and supporters of Valdemort announce
the evil wizard’s return to
power.
Back at Hogwarts for their
fourth year, they hear exciting news from Dumbledore
that Hogwarts will play host
to the legendary Trizward
Tournament, which hasn’t
happened for 100 years.
Three of the best schools
of magic have been chosen to
enter the tournament: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and Durmstrang Institute.
This tournament involves
a series of magical challenges at which Harry must
succeed to win eternal glory.
Life never seems boring
for Harry in all of his box
office hits including this one.
Harry finds himself facing another difficult challenge of finding a date to
the Hogwarts Yule Ball
dance. This movie is a sure
box office hit, full of
action and new characters.
Harry Potter fans can finally feel satisfied, until next
Christmas.
Homolka movie ‘Deadly’ raises many ethical questions throughout Canada
By PAUL FROSINA
Staff Writer
Movie Review
The new movie Deadly, the story of convicted Canadian killers Paul Bernardo and
Karla Homolka, has been a hot topic throughout the country. With the release date fast
approaching, people are asking whether the
movie should be shown in Canada.
The parents of Leslie Mahaffey and Kristen
French, Bernardo’s and Homolka’s teenage
victims, have said they are against the making
and release of the movie. However, there is
curiosity throughout Canada and the United
States about what actually happened.
In my opinion, some provisions should
have been made before this movie was made.
First, this movie should include only
facts but no Hollywood exaggerations to
try to make it “more appealing” to the
public. That is not to say Hollywood has
manipulated the movie, since no one has
seen it yet, but I hope that they were more
focused on telling what really happened,
rather than making it look better. The
story should be told the way it happened,
or not at all.
Second, royalties should be paid to the
families.
Three, in no way should this movie
demean our country and its people. Hollywood has a tendency to make countries in
movies look inferior to America.
Finally, from what I have been seeing in
the trailers posted on the Internet, it looks
as if the movie makes Homolka appear to
be a victim. I sure hope that’s not the case.
While many people will refuse to see this
movie when it is released, I, for one, will go.
Many people have always been interested in this topic. It’s part of our history, a
black mark in our history, but still part of it.
Sure, there are books, documentaries and
TV shows about this topic, but they are all
pieces of a picture not totally assembled. I
believe that if this movie has been thoroughly researched and made properly, it will go a
long way to show what really happened during that time.
The controversy is starting to heat up as
the movie’s release date approaches. I just
hope that Hollywood knows what kind of
door it is opening if the movie depicts certain people the wrong way.
If you are interested in seeing the movie
trailer, go to http://karlathemovie.net/.
Hip-hop
Street
Team
‘Blowing
up this
rap game’
Hip-hop
beat
maker
rises
above
the
rest
Street Team making waves Student
By NENAD SRDJENOVIC
Staff Writer
In a time when the American hip-hop
market dominates, it can be challenging
for an international voice to be heard.
Canadian, like European emcees,
although in many cases as skilled as the
American competition, do not have a
big enough machine behind them or a
big enough crowd to appeal to for them
to move the units or make an impact
that rappers are making across the
border.
However, with the reggaeton (Latin
hip-hop) explosion, late last summer
and with the growing number of international artists making noise in their
home countries, and lately on the underground, mixtape circuit, things are looking better for international hip hop.
I am sitting here with 905’s own
Kreem and Cincere, two-thirds of the
Serbian/Canadian hip-hop movement
called Street Team. Along with their
partner in rhyme, Deluxe, they have
over the last six years made quite a significant impact on their home country
Serbia’s underground hip-hop scene.
They are, together with DJ Noodles
from Wild 101.1, bringing to completion their first mixtape entitled Balkan
Beasts, The Mixtape Volume 1 due out
later this year.
Question: What up, Kreem? What up,
Cincere? Tell us a little bit about your
movement: how you got started, and
where in your career do you see yourself now?
Kreem: What’s good, what’s good.
Basically, we started this sh*t the day
we picked up the mic. It’s mos’ def’ one
of my big dreams, you know, blowing
up in this rap game, and seeing Serbian
hip hop get the respect it deserve.
Cincere: Ye, ye.
Q: Definitely, definitely. All right, so
tell us first about hip hop in the 905
region and then about the homeland
Serbian hip hop. What’s going on, man?
We blowing up or what?
K: As far as the 905th going, Scorsese
doing it, Newz doing it, and, of course,
you know Street Team doing it. As far
as home, I see Demian, I see Juice, I see
Kajblo, Deniro, Shorty, Prapaganda and
definitely gotta give my respects to Gru,
the don dada for starting this s*it. Street
Submitted photo
Entertainment
Page 18, news@niagara, Nov. 25, 2005
KREEM
Team gonna run with it. Rest in peace to
Nebo from Montenigers and Moskri of
Prti Bee Gee. As far as my people doing
it on the international level, I wanna say
What-up to my boy Crood, London
what up, Scribe in Hamilton and everyone else doing what they doing to get
the cake.
C: Word, son. Both regions are definitely slept on. As far as Serbian hip
hop, it’s a lot more talent over there than
there is money invested or crowd to buy
the sh*t. I feel bad for them dudez. Definitely everyone Kreem named, as well
as a couple of other dudez nationally or
internationally. As far as the 905th, and
Canadian hip hop in general, I see it
doing nothing but big things real soon.
Q: All right. Now, tell us a little about
the Balkan Beasts’ mixtape. Who is on
the album? Why the name? What can
the fans expect from it in general, and
when is it coming out?
K: Mixtape is nice. Mad nice. We got
a couple [of] different producers including myself, my boy Mysterious from
Serbia, Aapex production from the
states, my boy Deluxe, we got my boy
Bedox, from Burlington, and as far as
emcees, we got the street team starting
line up: the kid, Lux and Cin.
Then you got the future: Nate Dee
and Young Ben. We got Crood, Prapaganda, Kajblo Spirit, Scorsese, Checkmate, Gazije, Tom Gist of Dipset and a
whole lotta dudez.
C: Yee, the tape is crack. Shout out to
DJ Noodles for the support too. All
other local djs need to open their ears
and stop sleepin on local talent, you half
a** motherf***ers. As far as the name,
Balkan Beasts, it is what it is. Cop the
tape and you’ll know what the deal is.
Release date: New Year’s Eve 2006. It’s
official.
Q:That’s a lot of names, a lot of
upcoming artists. Who do you see as
influences in the industry? Who are the
five greatest in your opinion?
C: Top five dead or alive: Tupac of
course, the hands-down greatest emcee
of all time, Nas of course, Jay Z, AZ the
visualiza, and Eminem. Who’s hot right
now? AZ doing it still, The Clipse, Dip
set, Crood, Deluxe and Kreem, Scorsese, and I dunno, Kreem, who else hot?
K: Millz is nice, Gunz, The Clipse, no
doubt, but top five: Pac, Biggie, Jay,
Mase and Pusha T.
Q: What is the situation with distribution. Is there a major label behind you,
or are you taking the independent route?
K: Nah, no label, we doing our own
thing. Can’t let no body get a piece of
my pie, if they aren’t working for it. I
work for mines.
Q: So what is the deal with shows?
Any upcoming events the fans can
expect to see Street Team at?
C: Mad shows coming. Check
www.balkanbeasts.com for more info.
Q: Finally, is there anything else you
would like to say to your fans?
C: Yee, definitely, thank you to everyone that supported us through the last
couple of years. Everyone that’s down
with real hip hop. Mixtape out New
Year’s Eve, make sure u cop that.
K: Yee, definitely, thank you to everyone that supported us through the last
couple of years. Shoutouts to our management, D Nice aka Bundles wattup,
Vu Vo wattup, Desimir Kalicanin, our
manager down in Serbia and the Balkan
region. Shoutouts to all our Serbian
people holding us down in the falls,
deste rodjaci. All of our Vietnamese
people, Anh Em stand up. Big ups to the
families, DJ Noodles and everyone else
that helped the mixtape progress. Last
but not least, big ups to Ax for being
with us from day one, and everyone at
news@niagara for holding us down.
Mixtape out New Year’s Eve. Make
sure you cop that!
TUNE in... and TURN it up!
Listen to us live 24/7
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Every week is a new and different show
The greatest variety show
makes
hip-hop
beats
By JAYLENE POIRIER
Staff Writer
Using only a turntable, an audio
mixer, a DJ mixer and a computer
program called Acid Pro, Chris
Bauslaugh has started climbing
his way to the top of making beats.
Such artists as Kanye West and
DJ Premiere made beats for about
seven years before becoming popular, yet Bauslaugh has already
sold some of his musical beats to
groups like Cronically Ill, a group
out of Kitchener/Toronto.
Cronically Ill, featuring nine
artists trying to “get their music
out there,” has opened for artists
such as Lil Flip and Mob Deep in
the past.
Bauslaugh, 21, of Kitchener,
Ont., started making beats about 1
1/2 years ago and has been “loving it ever since.”
A beat is the background music
you hear when listening to mostly
rap and rhythm and blues. The
artist who buys the beat will put
lyrics to it and eventually come
out with a song.
“You can make beats for any
type of music, but I prefer making
them for rap artists,” says
Bauslaugh.
The first beat Bauslaugh made
included sound effects from Windows XP. He’s been evolving and
trying to build his career. Bauslaugh has used Reason and Fruity
Loops to try to conjure beats.
The process that Bauslaugh
goes through every time is a long
and tedious one.
“It’s kind of easy once you
know what you’re doing.”
You start off picking a song to
“sample” from. Then, through a
thorough sequence of steps, you
can put together various kinds of
songs from various artists and
“sample” parts of it, making the
beat your own. You can take any
song you’d like, slow it down or
speed it up using the turntable.
You can scratch or add your own
sound effects, such as keyboard,
drums or vocal samples, to make
sure the beat is to your standards.
A lot of time and money goes
into this process.
“It’s not as easy as it looks,”
says Bauslaugh. “I’ve spent about
$2,000 in total on all of my
equipment.”
Bauslaugh says that he hasn’t
tried to sell to major record companies yet because within selling
a beat involves giving royalties
and a percentage of sales to the
songwriter or record company.
“I will, eventually. I want to get
better first. I haven’t even been
doing it for that long, and I still
have a long ways to go,” says
Bauslaugh.
To reach Bauslaugh, contact
him through MSN messenger at
Bauslaugh221@rogers.com.
news@niagara, Nov. 25, 2005, Page 19
Adjusting to living with diabetes
By NATALIE VENTRESCA
Staff Writer
Imagine all your life being able to eat anything you want
at any time, and then have this freedom taken from you.
It’s replaced by schedules and measuring, limiting what
you can eat in addition to having meals at specific times.
This is the life of someone living with diabetes.
Diabetes is a serious problem in Canada. The Canadian
Diabetes Association (CDA) notes that more than two million Canadians suffer from this disease. It goes on to state
that by the end of the decade “this number is expected to rise
to three million.”
On its website, www.diabetes.ca, the CDA defines diabetes as a disease in which your body cannot properly store
glucose, the fuel it needs. To use glucose, your body needs
insulin, produced by the pancreas.
An individual has diabetes if the body makes too little or
no insulin, or if the body cannot use the insulin it makes.
“With little or no insulin, glucose builds up in your blood
instead of being used for energy. This causes high blood glucose levels,” the website states.
When this occurs, the individual may feel tired, thirsty,
hungry or moody and urinate often. The person may lose
weight, have blurred vision and be susceptible to infections.
If diabetes is left untreated, or not properly managed by the
individual, it can result in complications such as heart, eye
and kidney disease, amputation of limbs, especially the feet,
a reduced quality of life and a shortened life expectancy.
Diabetes is a serious, incurable disease, which, according
to the CDA, is a leading cause of death in Canada.
There are three types of diabetes: type one, type two and
gestational.
Type one, which affects 10 per cent of people with diabetes, occurs when the pancreas can’t produce insulin. Type
one is at times referred to as “juvenile” as people with type
one are usually young at the time of their diagnosis.
Type two, which affects 90 per cent of diabetics, occurs
when the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin or uses it
ineffectively.
Gestational diabetes is temporary as it occurs during pregnancy. The CDA explains that gestational diabetes affects
“3.5 per cent of all pregnancies and involves an increased
risk of developing diabetes for both mother and child.”
Individuals who are particularly at risk for diabetes
include those who are over 40, are overweight, have a parent, brother or sister with the disease, and had gestational
diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
The CDA recommends individuals over the age of 40 be
screened every three years, or every year for those with an
increased risk factor.
Not only do diabetics deal with the mental and physical
effects of the disease, but there are financial aspects too.
The CDA’s website indicates that a diabetic’s medical
costs are “two to three times higher” than a healthy person’s.
“A person with diabetes can face direct costs for medication and supplies ranging from $1,000 to $15,000 a year.”
These cost are not simply a concern for the individual, but
also for the country.
On its website, www. hc-sc.gc.ca, Health Canada states
that in 1999 the government of Canada, to enable Canadian
to benefit more fully from the expertise and resources available, pledged $115 million over five years to develop a
Canadian Diabetes Strategy. Health Canada explains that its
partners include “the provinces and territories, various
national health bodies and interest groups, and Aboriginal
communities across the
country.”
Health Canada describes
diabetes as a “national challenge” to Canada and that it
cannot be addressed effectively simply by one sector
of Canadian society.
Nicole Ventresca, 48, of
Welland, knows all too well
the challenges a diabetic
must face.
Ventresca, who was diagnosed with type one diabetes
at 40, explains that living
with the disease is a “big
change in lifestyle.”
Using insulin injected
through a syringe, Ventresca
must inject four times a day,
“one at each meal and one
before bed.”
Although diabetes runs in
her family – her older brother has been living with the
disease since the age of 12 –
Ventresca remembers that Diabetics must treat the disease in numerous ways. For many, preventative medshe experienced such symp- ications include insulin, an insulin pen, NovoRapid, syringes, blood pressure medtoms as excessive thirst, ication, Asprin for circulation and a machine that tests blood-sugar levels.
Photo by Natalie Ventresca
weight loss and fatigue
before her diagnosis.
Ventresca, who was free to eat whatever and whenever every day because there are a lot of temptations.” She idenshe wanted, now eats three regular meals a day that must be tifies restaurants as one of these, yet that doesn’t stop her
measured and calculated according to the amount of insulin from going.
“You simply just have to be aware of what you’re eating,”
she must inject.
She explains that she must count not only calories, but says Ventresca.
“You just have to very practical; you have to ask questions
also carbohydrates. In addition to watching what she eats,
Ventresca has to exercise to help reduce stress and to like what the food is prepared with and if there is a lot of
sugar in the recipe.”
enhance her fitness.
Ventresca urges those with the disease to notify friends
This mother of two is also very familiar with all the finanand family about it so they “will know how to react if somecial aspects of the disease.
Although she is covered by a health plan, she still finds it thing happens.”
“You don’t have to be ashamed.”
to be “very costly.”
Ventresca provides the examples of diabetic coma and shock
She provides the example of the strips she uses to check
her blood-sugar levels. These strips, which are inserted into that some diabetics have the misfortune of experiencing.
Diabetic coma occurs when there is too much or too little
a small device equipped with a fine needle, are used as a
testing strip that will register the sugar content of the dia- insulin in the body. This results in a lack of nourishment for the
betic’s blood. This reading will inform the diabetic if blood- body and the blood cells, a lack that leads to an altered state of
sugar levels are too high or low. Having to use four of these consciousness. Eating too much sugar, not taking medication,
a day, some times more, she says that a box of them costs having stress or infections can cause diabetic coma.
Insulin reaction, or insulin shock, occurs when there is too
over $100.
She also has to take preventive medication for her blood much in the body. This is caused by too much medication,
pressure, kidneys, cholesterol and circulation, which are failing to eat, heavy exercise or emotional factors, all of
which rapidly reduce the sugar level in the blood.
affected by the disease.
Although Ventresca admits that living with the disease is
She says that although she has not experienced any problems in these areas, medications are prescribed to help her a challenge, she advises that “if you watch what you eat and
are careful, you can lead a normal life. If you don’t take care
“down the line.”
She travels to Hamilton to meet with a dietician who monitors of yourself then you can run into serious complications.
“You can lead a normal, long life. You just have to look
her blood-sugar levels every three months. The dietician aids
Ventresca in making changes in her diet according to her after yourself. When you do, life is good.”
blood-sugar levels.
Living with diabetes is a big adjustment and every diabetic reacts to it in
his or her own way.
Ventresca says that it is a “struggle
Canadian Diabetes Association guidelines
What everyone should know about diabetes
Symptoms
Blurred vision, unusual thirst, weight loss or
gain, extreme fatigue, cuts and bruises that are
slow to heal, frequent urination and tingling or
numbness in hands and feet.
Support
Counselling and education are available,
with a doctor’s referral, in group or individual appointments formatted for newly diagnosed and established diabetics of all ages at
the Regional Diabetes Education Centre
located at the Hotel Dieu facility in St.
Catharines.
The CDA provides informative support
groups for seniors, children and parents.
Check local CDA branches for dates and
times.
Treatment
The medication used to treat diabetes is
insulin, among other medications, which assists
the diabetic’s body in making or using insulin
more effectively.
The CDA also recommends such elements
as education, as people living with the disease
need to learn and understand their condition
and physical activity, which will aid to reduce
stress and enhance fitness and nutrition, as what
the individual eats is an important factor in regulating how the body manages glucose levels.
More information found at www.diabetes.ca
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Sports
Page 20, news@niagara, Nov. 25, 2005
What’s
going on
in the
world of
sports
Knights
defend
home turf
Knights
battle New
York
Lions end
season
undefeated
Knights are
undefeated
By MICHAEL
McCLYMONT
Staff Writer
We’re undefeated.
After beating Mohawk College on the road last week, Niagara College’s men’s basketball
team won its first two league
home games this past weekend
at the college’s Welland campus.
The Knights won without their
stars. Second-year star Chris
Bauslaugh sat out Friday night’s
game against Algoma University
College, of Sault Ste. Marie, and
Michael Muir was unavailable
for the team’s Saturday afternoon game against 3-1 Sault
College. Muir fractured his right
arm late in the Algoma game
when he fell hard to the floor and
will be out of the lineup until
after Christmas. This was the
only way of stopping Muir.
Muir led all scorers with 28
points in the Knights’ 70-60 win
against Algoma. The visitors
came into the game 0-4 in league
play but caught a Niagara team
still working out the kinks.
“We’ve been resting players
and plugging kids in new spots
in case we run into problems,”
said Knights’ Coach Ralph Nero.
Niagara ran into many problems in the first half trailing
Algoma
33-30.
Fouls,
turnovers, shot-clock violations
and air balls were all part of the
action in the first 15 minutes.
“That was a pretty lackadaisical
exhibition in the first half,” says
Coach Nero.
Niagara turned it around by
putting 40 on the board in the
second half. Niagara engraved a
spot at the free-throw line. Muir
took eight of the Knights’ 11
shots from the charity stripe in
the second half. He and the rest
of the Knights picked up their
intensity and played better
defence on their way to their 10point victory.
Nero says the key to victory
was getting his big men the ball
in the posts. “That’s where our
strength is against this team.
Mike (Muir) stayed at home.
When he stays at home under
the basket, he’s unstoppable.”
Niagara had to play without
Muir’s services the following
day against Sault College. The
3-1 Sault Cougars, of Sault
Ste. Marie, were ranked fourth
in the league by the Ontario
Colleges Athletic Association
website
(www.ocaa.com).
They were led by Jean Louis
Ouattra, who averaged 22
points per game before their
visit to Niagara.
Coach Nero went so far as
calling him “one of the top two
or three college players in the
province. You’re not gonna shut
a guy like him down. You do
what you’ve got to to contain
him and shut down some of the
other guys.”
Niagara did just that in the
first half. Anderson St. Valle
led the team to a 30-29 first
half lead. The two teams
traded baskets and three
pointers in the second half,
giving the feeling that the
team that held the ball last or
made the final defensive
stand would win.
St. Valle led Niagara with 26
Anderson St. Valle adds two of his 26 points during the Knights’ 67-64 win against
fourth-ranked team Sault College, of Sault Ste. Marie, on Saturday, Nov. 19, here.
Photo by Michael McClymont
total points and Ryan Loucks
added 14, but the game’s outcome was decided by Niagara
free throws. St. Valle hit six of
his seven attempts and Michael
St. Rose hit five of his six pressure shots, most of them coming in the game’s final
moments. That was the difference as Niagara pulled out a
67-64 win over the fourth
ranked team.
After the game, St. Rose
spoke out about the importance
of hitting free throws. “It could
have cost us the game if we didn’t. Especially in a close game,
you gotta hit free throws.”
Niagara put its spotless
league record to the test Nov. 23
at Fanshawe College in London.
They follow up with two
home games, an exhibition
against Rochester I.T. Nov. 26
at 5:30 p.m. and a league game
against Redeemer University
College Nov. 30 at 8 p.m.
Michael St. Rose, of the Niagara Knights, battles at
the post with an Algoma University College defender.
Photo by Michael McClymont
Knights lose to Jamestown in exhibition game
By MICHAEL McCLYMONT
Staff Writer
Before playing their first league
home games of the season, Niagara
College’s men’s basketball team
welcomed New York’s Jamestown
College Jayhawks to the Niagara
region for an exhibition game on
Wednesday, Nov. 16.
In an attempt to rest some of their
injured starters before the league
games, the Knights went with some
fresh faces in their 82-68 loss to
Jamestown. The loss is Niagara’s fifth
straight in league exhibition play, yet
they’ve won their lone regular season
game at Mohawk College in Hamilton.
The team’s plan is to save themselves
for the games that count.
With second-year players Michael
Muir and Anderson St. Valle nursing
injuries and Brandon Gracie getting
over the flu, Coach Ralph Nero sent
for reinforcements.
“We needed bodies. We’ve been
going through some tough times physically,” says Nero, so Stephen Grano, Mo
Feris and Blair Basoluski found their
way onto the active roster. Grano was on
the college’s championship golf team
earlier this year, Faris played for the
Knights last year and saw they needed a
helping hand and Basoluski is a Police
Foundations student at the college.
Knights guard Marc Ermers opened
the game’s scoring with a three-pointer, a prelude of things to come. The
Knights got out to an early lead, but
turnovers on consecutive possessions
caused Niagara to relinquish that lead.
The Knights trailed 36-30 with a
minute and 40 seconds left in the
first half, but a couple of quick
Jamestown baskets stretched the
lead to 10. Niagara trailed 42-32 at
the half.
The fast-paced second half was a
three-point contest. Jamestown began
the half shooting well and their team of
downtown specialists gave the Jayhawks a 13-point lead. Matt Cole
answered back for the Knights by hitting back-to-back threes.
With three minutes left in regulation, Chris Bauslaugh hit a couple
treys of his own to draw Niagara
within eight, but that’s as close as
they would get.
Jamestown’s defence took away the
perimeter shot in the closing minutes
and Niagara gave up too many second-chance shots. Bauslaugh finished
the game with 14 points, and Marc
Ermers led the Knights with 15.
After the game, Coach Nero
addressed his team’s performance:
“We played a very difficult team
tonight. They played great, great
defense, great man-to-man defence.
They were well coached and put
great pressure on the ball. They made
us work for everything we got.”
Niagara captures top OCAA awards
It was certainly a successful weekend for the Niagara
College men’s basketball team.
Not only was the college men’s basketball team named
the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association’s (OCAA) Team
of the Week, but Anderson St. Valle, a first-year member of
the team, was OCAA’s Male Athlete of the Week.
The men picked up two big wins last weekend, while
Anderson scored a game-high 26 points, including going
six-for-seven from the free point line in a three-point win
over Sault College of Sault Ste. Marie. Niagara is undefeated with a record of three wins and no defeats in the
OCAA West Region.
Lions
dominate
By EDMOND YEBOAH
Staff Writer
The undefeated Welland Lions FC
were the champions in the outdoor
intramural soccer league, at Niagara
College’s Welland campus.
The season started in September
and ended with the Welland Lions
FC defeating 7 Stars in a 2-1 victory on Nov. 3.
“It was a tough game but we played
well,” says Ibrahim Ibrahim, 19, from
St. Catharines. Ibrahim is enrolled in
the Electrical Engineering Technician
program in Welland. He says he “really enjoyed” playing this year.
“Good exercise with good
friends,” says Ibrahim.
With one championship in the bag,
they are already looking forward to
the indoor intramural soccer games.
“We are looking to claim the
indoor championships as well,” says
Hashim Shire. He is enrolled in the
same program. Shire says that other
teams “better beware.”
Besides the good exercise, the men
say they “wanted T-shirts” and that
was their main reason for playing.
Practicing hard to be champions
By PATRICK HALL
Staff Writer
There have been some rough
battles, and the road ahead just
gets rougher.
Coming off a hard loss to Fanshawe College in London on Nov.
9, Niagara College’s women’s volleyball squad was quick to
rebound to get back on the
winning track.
The Knights came out swinging
on Remembrance Day, beating the
Lambton Lions of Sarnia, Ont., in
straight sets 25-16, 25-15, and 2725 on home court. Heidi Bench led
the way for the Knights with 17
points: 12 kills, four aces and one
block.
Despite the convincing win, the
players and Head Coach Kerby
Bentley want to ensure that they
don’t lose another game like the
one against Fanshawe. It was a
game, Bentley says, his team was
“more than capable” of winning.
“It was a real test of nerves,”
says the 28-year-old Caledon East
native. “They beat themselves
mentally that game. They know
they can play 40 times better and
they’re ready to prove that.”
The women’s team has battled
hard in the weekend tournaments it
competed
in
this
season.
The team finished first in its pool
at the Sheridan College Invitational in late October in Oakville, but
came up just short in a semi-final
match against Humber College, of
Etobicoke, who currently sit atop
the Ontario Colleges Athletic
Association (OCAA) rankings.
However, Niagara’s team captain Nicole Devereaux, 20, says
the players “remain focused” and
continue to improve with “each
passing day.”
“We are confident in our development and our ability to win,”
says the second-year Recreation
and Leisure Services student. “The
girls work extremely hard every
practice so we can execute on
game day.”
It is clear that the women’s volleyball team has a mutual passion
for winning, as the players dedicate four nights, and as many as 25
hours a week to practice. Mondays, for example, consist of a
two-hour workout and a scheduled
time period to analyze game tapes
to avoid on past mistakes for future
contests.
They also work extensively with
Peter Dobbin, the team’s athletic
therapist and trainer, to work on
the fundamentals and sharpen their
skills.
“It’s basically another school
course for them,” says Bentley.
“They put in more effort than any
other women’s team I have seen in
my years here.”
Jamie Allen, 20, is a Recreation
and Leisure Services student at
Niagara and in her first year with
the squad. She says she believes in
the “skills and strength” of her fellow teammates.
“We are going to come out
strong every game and pull
through this season ... we’ll be
ready.”
Bentley, in his first year as the
women’s coach, adds that his team
will continue to make changes to
“play for power” to be successful
down the road.
“The girls have the drive to push
themselves and the motivation to
achieve their goals.”
news@niagara, Nov. 25, 2005, Page 21
Players for the Niagara College’s women’s volleyball team run
through drills during a routine three-hour practice.
Photo by Pat Hall
The Niagara Knights are third in for the next two games. The team
the west division of the OCAA faces the St. Clair Saints in Windstandings with a 3-2 record.
sor on Nov. 25 and the Redeemer
Niagara will be hitting the road Royals in Ancaster on Nov. 30.
Niagara’s own DareDevils Knights defeat Thunderbirds
By MICHAEL MCCLYMONT
Staff Writer
The Niagara region has a professional
basketball club to call its own.
Led by Brock University alumni
Morgan Fairweather, who played on
last year’s bronze medal Canadian
Interuniversity Sport (CIS) team, the
Niagara DareDevils made their American Basketball Association (ABA)
debut at the Jack Gatecliff Arena in St.
Catharines, on Nov. 5.
In a league where Rafael Araujo still
wouldn’t be able to keep up, the DareDevils made an exciting first impression with a lineup composed of former
Division I and Division II ballers, a
former McDonald’s High School AllAmerican (Majestic Mapp), a member
of the Jamaican National team (O’Neil
Kamaka) and two players straight out
of Ontario (Kamaka and Fairweather).
Down by 13 points at halftime, the
high-flying DareDevils made a convincing comeback and forced overtime
against the Maryland Night Hawks.
Niagara eventually lost 113-106, but
professional basketball’s highly anticipated return to Niagara was considered
a success.
Anne Thouas, 22, of Montreal, is the
team’s public relations and media coordinator. She also happens to be a
fourth year Sports Management major
at Brock. As part of her fourth-year
course, Thouas went searching for a
sports internship. The DareDevils
answered her calls.
“I think it’s great for this region to
have a team again. I think basketball is
a rising sport,” said Thouas.
The club will be playing all of its
2005-2006 home games in St.
Catharines, planning to make Jack
Gatecliff Arena their permanent home,
but they’ll need help from the Niagara
community. “If there’s no support for
the team, then unfortunately, they’ll
have to move elsewhere,” said Thouas.
The DareDevils have become the
second of two Canadian ABA teams,
joining the Montreal Matrix in the
great white north.
“It doesn’t make a difference
where we play or what country we
play in,” said Head Coach Otis Hailey. “Basketball is basketball no
matter which arena it’s played in.”
ABA basketball differs from
Canadian university basketball,
according to Fairweather.
“The rules are a bit different. Here,
they try and gear you to play in-yourface defence. University [basketball] is
more about managing the clock. This
game is more up and down.”
Though Fairweather is on the short
list of Brock alumni to move directly
to a national basketball league, he still
hasn’t forgotten his roots.
“Brock’s got a great program.
There’s [Brad] Rootes and [Kevin]
Steinstra. They could both play for
this team. [Kevin] French is playing
in Spain.”
Fairweather’s former teammates
are holding their own at Brock University, but Fairweather is comfortable in his new role with Niagara’s
new team. He entered the DareDevils’ debut game in overtime and
drained a clutch three, his first and
only shot in his first ABA game.
Florida native Reggie Warren led
Niagara with 32 points, 19 boards and
three blocks in the loss.
The next home game is against the
Strong Island Sound of Long Island,
N.Y., at the Jack Gatecliff Arena in St.
Catharines on Nov. 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Niagara Knights Women's Basketball Schedule
Redeemer University College at Niagara College
Nov. 30 at 6 p.m.
Mohawk College at Niagara College
Jan. 17 at 6 p.m.
Fanshawe College at Niagara College
Feb. 3 at 6 p.m.
By LIAM McPHERSON
have to be Lyndsay Cloughley, who had four
Staff Writer
steals and two blocks and caused many turnovers
The Knights doubled and devoured Algoma by the Thunderbirds.
College 58-28 in women’s basketball on Nov. 18.
Cloughley says, “I think we played very well.
The Knights came out firing shots and led 8-2 We gave ourselves a chance to work on our
because of their great defence, which did not let offence and put everyone in.”
up at any point of the game.
The Knights played next at Fanshawe College
The Algoma Thunderbirds, of Sault Ste. Marie, in London on Nov. 23 at 6 p.m. Their next home
never stood a chance as their offence was having game is Nov. 30 at 6 p.m. when they take on
considerable trouble holding the ball. Redeemer University College of Ancaster, Ont.
They turned it over eight more times
while the Knights had 10 more steals
and two more blocks. The Knights took
a whopping 29-19 lead with three minutes remaining in the half.
The Thunderbirds made two quick
buckets, cutting the lead despite Niagara’s Kaitlyn Mackenna buzzer beater
to have 10 points at the half. Dana VanderMark chipped in with seven points.
The combined efforts of Mackenna
and Vandermark beat the Thunderbirds
at the half as they managed to only put
up 14 points to the Knights’ 38.
The leading scorer was Jessica King,
who had six points at the break, while
Melissa Stumpo added five and six
boards.
Head Coach Phil Mosley said at the
half, “We would like to keep our lead so
we can go deeper in our bench, give all
the girls a chance and continue good
defence.”
The Knights came out of the half
stronger, taking a 44-15 advantage.
Jamie Fong played a strong all-around
game as she proved to be the engine that
drives this team. She had eight points,
eight assists, five steals and two
rebounds as she played only three seconds shy of 30 minutes.
Manager Lindsey Norris says, “Fong
has reflexes like a cat and is always running. She seems to have eyes in the back
of her head. Anyone who has more
assists than the whole other team for the
game is a player you want in the game
all the time.”
The final score was 56-28 as the
Thunderbirds were doubled and
Marteena Blagrove, of the Niagara Knights women’s
devoured by the hungry Knights.
Mackenna had a game-high 12 points, basketball team, shoots over an Algoma College
and Abby Cass added eight points. The player, in action Nov. 18.
defensive player of the game would
Photo by Liam McPherson
Page 22, news@niagara, Nov. 25, 2005
Son’s dreams coming true
By JEFF FORAN
Staff Writer
She’s the quintessential hockey
mother.
She displays all the classic symptoms: the high number of kilometres put on the family van, the basement “looking like a gym,” and
most important, the great sense of
pride shown to a son who is living
his dream playing professional
hockey, all the while talking about
the pride “of him as a person,” and
keeping “his head on straight.”
Debbie Ellis is the mother of
Matt, captain of the Grand Rapid
Gryphons, and the youngest ever to
be captain, at the age of 24.
Matt was re-signed to a two-year
contract this past off-season by the
Detroit Red Wings. Debbie Ellis’s
eyes light up when she talks about
her son and all his achievements.
When she would take Matt out
skating when he was two, he would
“cry and cry” because he wanted
“big boy skates,” but he was still
wearing sled skates.
She says by the time he began to
play hockey, she would usually
help him put on his equipment. The
first time she did, she sent him out
on the ice with his skates on the
wrong feet.
Skates on the wrong feet or not,
she says, “he always had a passion
for it [hockey],” and “we never had
to drag him out of bed for 6 a.m.
practices.”
These were the qualities
instilled into Matt by his parents as
he grew up.
“Tenacity is a big word in our
house,” says Debbie, as well as the
words “work ethic.”
She says he “likes working for
charities and talking to students at
schools,” such as Notre Dame and
Holy Name, where he was a student. “He’s getting his head shaved
for cancer.”
She has many fond memories of
Matt’s hockey career to date, and
her favourites bring a big smile.
One is game seven of an Ontario
Hockey League (OHL) playoff
series against the Peterborough
Petes, in which Matt scored the overtime game-winning goal. Another
was hearing his name called at the
OHL draft by the St. Michael
Majors.
It’s clear by the tone of her voice
and the sparkle in her eyes that what
else brings her more joy than talking
about Matt is watching him play.
She and her husband regularly
make the six-hour road trip to Grand
Rapids, Mich., to watch Matt play.
“We go to watch him play whenever
he’s in driving range.”
One recent game this pre-season
was bittersweet for Debbie and family, as Matt made his National Hockey League (NHL) debut playing in
the red colours of the Red Wings at
Joe Louis Arena in Detroit against
the Stanley Cup Champions, the
Tampa Bay Lightning.
“We were all crying. It’s an
amazing feeling, overwhelming,”
she says, with obvious happiness.
The Red Wings management told
Matt he would get called up to the
NHL this year. “He fits in Detroit’s
plans,” says Debbie.
“When you’re a hockey mom,
hockey becomes your social life.
You’re at the arena day and night.
I’ve been to a lot of cold arenas.” Debbie Ellis displays her son Matt’s hockey gear, in the family
The Ellises have made many sacri- basement.
fices to see their son get where he is
Submitted photo
today, including Matt leaving home
at 16 to live in Toronto to play for the
Majors after winning the Rookie of
the Year Award in the Golden Horseshoe League for the Welland
Cougars the year previous.
“[It was] expensive, but it certainly paid off. We wouldn’t have done
anything different,” says Debbie.
Matt lives in Grand Rapids in the
winter with his wife.
Debbie says, “The greatest thing is
to have him home this Christmas.”
Until then, the family will lovingly watch his games on the
Internet.
Thorold shocks Welland at home
By JEFF FORAN
Staff Writer
The Welland Jr. Canadians picked
up their third regulation loss of the
season Sunday night at home against
the Thorold Blackhawks, losing 7-2.
The Blackhawks arrived having
something to prove after losing to
Welland 6-1 two days prior. With
the firing of the Blackhawk coaching staff, Thorold owners took over
coaching duties for the first time.
It took a minute and 18 seconds
of game time for Thorold to score.
On the second shot on goal, Nathan
Spaling scored on a wraparound. It
was to be his first of three on a
four-point night.
Welland would hit back shortly
afterwards when Trevor Willis
scored on the power play off a
rebound. Ryan Joseph skated in
from the blue-line and let a hard
shot go that bounced off Thorold
goalkeeper Rick Miller’s pads onto
Willis’s stick, depositing it into the
back of the net in a hurry.
John Falzoi scored for Thorold
with 24 seconds left in the opening
period, regaining the lead permanently for the Blackhawks.
In the second period, Spaling
added to his evening’s haul when
he picked up a loose puck at
Welland’s blue-line, skated to the
top of the circles untouched and
wristed a shot off the left goal post.
A few minutes later, Blackhawk
captain Chris Risi got in alone on
Welland’s goalkeeper Mike Pribanich from the hash marks and
scored a power-play goal to put
Thorold ahead 4-1.
With less than nine minutes left
in the second, Welland would make
a game of it when, with the man
advantage, Bobby Cass rushed
down the left side and fired a low,
hard shot from the half boards that
found the back of the net, cutting
Thorold’s lead by two.
In the final 20 minutes, Thorold
scored three unanswered goals.
The first came from Steve
Zmudczynski, who finally found
the back of the net after ringing
two shots off the crossbar earlier
in the game.
Spaling completed his hat trick,
when he was left alone in front of
the crease and banged in a rebound
over Pribanich’s shoulder.
Risi got his second of the game
while the Blackhawks were shorthanded.
“We were outworked,” says
Willis, the Jr. Canadians captain,
and a Construction Techniques student at Niagara College. “We didn’t stick to our game plan. They
came back [with something to
prove.] They deserve to win. We
had our chances. The score could
have been in our favour.”
“The coach was trying new things
tonight. Our passes were off.”
After the Blackhawks scored two
quick goals in the third, he says
they were trying to stay positive.
“We knew they weren’t the easiest
team to score against.”
Welland plays at home tonight
against Fort Erie. Game time is
7:30 p.m.
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news@niagara, Nov. 25, 2005, Page 23
Dec. 6 marks national day to stop the violence
By PATRICIA RODRIGUEZ
Staff Writer
Dec. 6 is a day to pause and commemorate
the 1989 massacre of the 14 women in
Montreal and to reflect on the phenomenon
of violence against women in society.
The National Day of Remembrance and
Action on Violence Against Women coincides
with the anniversary of the killings at l’Ecole
Polytechnique de Montreal. The date was
chosen in 1991 by the Parliament of Canada to
officially commemorate the deaths of those
women, to allow people to reflect on the issue
of violence and to give a special thought for the
ones suffering daily threats of violence and for
those who have died as the result of deliberate
acts of gender-based violence. In addition,
participants in the day’s activities are asked to
reflect on the actions Canadians can take to
prevent and eliminate all forms of violence
against women and girls.
“It’s a very significant day,” as it will help
promote public awareness, says Ruthann
Brown, Women’s Place of South Niagara
executive director.
Dec. 6 is “very significant.” It marks “one
of the largest and horrific” gender-related
murders ever seen, says Tamara ColemanLawrie, Women’s Place of South Niagara
development officer. She adds that this is a
time to “step back” and “remember” the
women and children who have died in
domestic violence.
“This is a time to take [this issue] to the
public and remind them this still takes place.
It’s a time to open the society’s eyes,” adds
Coleman-Lawrie.
She says domestic violence and violence
against women are not an individual or a family concern but a responsibility of society.
Brown says the more the message of
“inequality and gender-bias” issues are raised
in society, the more “change” will occur in
the future. About one million people, women
being the majority, are victims of abuse in
Canada, Brown adds.
Status of Women Canada (SWC) has made
available a double-sided bilingual poster, an
online organizer’s tool kit and a virtual calendar of activities across Canada on Dec. 6
posted on the SWC website, www.swccfc.gc.ca/dates/dec6/index_e.html. By
providing a variety of sources and background information for individuals hosting
related activities, SWC intends to mark and
promote this national day.
This federal agency’s goal is to promote
gender equality and the full participation of
women in the economic, social, cultural and
political life of the country. Its work focuses
on improving women’s economic autonomy
and well-being, eliminating violence against
women and children and advancing women’s
human rights.
Violence against women, a common occurrence in Canada and the world, is defined as
“any act of gender-based violence that results
in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or
psychological harm or suffering to women,
including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in
public or private life.” Its meaning also includes
the “manifestation of the historically unequal
power relations between men and women
which have led to domination over and discrimination against women by men and to the prevention of women’s full advancement.”
“We need more and more public education to
change people’s attitude, and more and more
education will help create social changes,” says
Brown.
Teaching society that violence against
women “is not correct” will facilitate change
and help society “move forward,”
says Brown.
About 51 per cent of Canadian
women have been victims of at
least one act of physical or sexual
violence since the age of 16.
A databased study on a non-representative sample of 166 police
departments, that represented only
53 per cent of the national volume
of reported crime, shows women
as the vast majority of crime
victims. According to these
findings, 86 per cent of women
were victims of sexual assault, 78
per cent were victims of criminal
harassment and 67 per cent were
victims of kidnapping/hostagetaking or abduction.
Women’s Place of South
Niagara receives about 3,000 crisis
calls annually. The Niagara
Regional Police Services (NRP)
responds to about 5,000 domestic
violence-related calls.
“Issues like this need to be
brought out in the open,” says
Susan Burgess, a Niagara College first-year
Pre-Health Science student at the Welland
campus.
On Dec. 6, the tragic deaths of the Montreal
victims Genevieve Bergeron, Helene Colgan,
Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, AnneMarie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Barbara
Klucznik Widajewicz, Maryse Laganiere,
Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay, Sonia Pelletier, Michele Richard, Annie St-Arneault and
Annie Turcotte shall always be remembered.
“[Dec. 6] is a signature day, but we have to
promote and educate people on this issue continuously,”says Brown.
Coleman-Lawrie considers this a “great day for the
shelter” since it will allow
them to “connect with the
media” to inform the public
about Women’s Place and
tell them “we are available.”
“The more we know, the
easier it will be to end it
[violence against women],”
she adds.
Brown advises students
entering a relationship to be
informed and to remember
that this bond should be based in “mutual
respect and understanding.”
“Don’t settle for less.”
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Drugs dangerous way to battle stress
By LIAM McPHERSON
Staff Writer
Studies by the Canadian Addiction
Survey (CAS) show that 10.1 per cent
of Canadians this year are abusing
their physical health as a result of
cannabis use and 30.3 per cent are
causing lifetime damage as the result
of the abuse of other illegal drugs.
The CAS also shows that six per
cent of people’s friendships and social
lives have gone into crisis the past year
and that 22.3 per cent lifetime drug
users follow that pattern.
Mike Kowalchuk, 21, a second-year
student in the Pharmacy Technician
program, said, “In my life I’ve had a
lot of friends and family abuse drugs,
so students need to have more hope
and quit the dope.”
Stress is a common reason to start abusing drugs, to ease the pain, if you will.
Penny McKee, a registered nurse who
works in the Health Services Department
at Niagara College’s Welland campus,
said, “People develop addictions for various reasons. One of the most common
reasons that I have encountered is that the
addiction is a method of maladaptive
coping in reaction to stress.”
Counsellors advise you not be led
into drug use by excessive stress
because what you don’t know is that
your mind will start setting up obstacles and your drug abuse will make it
harder to get over the hurdles life will
throw your way. You have to have a
strong will.
Professor Craig Meuser, 32, of
Niagara College, said, that’s true
“whether the drugs are legal or illegal,
for example caffeine versus marijuana.
In my experience, the strength of will a
person has determines addiction.”
Meuser says that drug use becomes an
addiction when the drug stands as an
obstacle between you and self-fulfilment, career and your highest
aspirations.
If you find yourself considering or
abusing drugs, you should consider
new hobbies and organizations or
seek help from loved ones.
Mike Nagy, 20, a second-year student of the Broadcasting – Radio and
Television and Film program, said, “I
used to abuse chemical drugs.
After seeking help from friends and
family, I’ve been able to get my life
back on track and stay clean.”
GOT A FRIEND
HITTING THE BOOKMARKS
INSTEAD OF THE BOOKS?
If gambling is taking over a friend’s life, she could use your help. Find out more at
friends 4 friends.ca
1-888-230-3505
Ontario Problem Gambling Helpline
Page 24, news@niagara, Nov. 25, 2005
Free shows today at pubs
By ARIEL ELLIOTT
Staff Writer
Today the Journalism-Print program is holding the first-ever
news@niagara day.
It’s an awareness day. The staff of
news@niagara, published by the
second-year students of the college’s
Journalism-Print program, wants to
make sure the student body is aware
of the newspaper and the the kinds of
topics and issues the newspaper’s
reporters write about.
To help the Journalism-Print program do this, there are two bands at
each campus to play at the pubs. In
the After Hours at Welland are Sleep
the Season and The Satellite State. At
The Armoury, at Glendale campus in
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Mark Vida
and Brett Friesen are playing.
The staff is hoping to get people
not only from the college but also
from the community to come out to
the shows.
Brett Friesen says, “I hope it will
help with awareness of the paper
because college papers often go
unappreciated. When you have interesting articles about local music and
culture, it helps to accentuate our
uniqueness and helps people get
involved in what’s going on. You
don’t get that kind of stuff from The
[St. Catharines] Standard or The
[Welland] Tribune so much.”
Fellow performer Mark Vida says,
“I hope it helps raise awareness.
Maybe it would help if I were to randomly slip the word ‘newspaper’ into
songs.”
Ben Audet, drummer for Sleep the
Season, says, “noise@niagara is
doing such a good thing by promoting local indie bands, and we would
love nothing more than to play one of
their shows and support that cause.”
Both shows start at 1:30 p.m. and
they are free for everyone to attend.
“Skip class and come celebrate the
holidays with Sleep the Season,”
says Audet.
Throughout
both
campuses,
Hearsay teams will be waiting to take
your opinion on the question of the
week and, if it’s publishable, it will
appear along with your photo.
If you talk to the reporters doing
Hearsay, you are entered into the
raffle news@niagara is offering. The
prizes are a Family Guy DVD, a
noise@niagara compilation CD, a
news@niagara T-shirt, two tickets to
a Boxing Day show put on by GONZ
productions at Port Mansion in Port
Dalhousie, and a T-shirt/CD combination from GONZ productions’
J.A.D.E.D. summer music festival.
“The only things I guess I would
say to the students is to keep fit and
have fun and also to come to say
‘hey.’ I won’t know anyone there, so
please be friendly,” says Friesen.
Golf season winds down
Cherry Hill Golf and Country Club in Ridgeway provides the perfect backdrop for
golfing in late fall with its picturesque coloured trees and bushes.
Photo by Kaesha Forand
New year, new direction for noise@niagara
Noise@niagara, the online
compilation with more than
two hours of music, is
announcing the next phase in
its development.
On Friday, Jan. 20, coinciding with news@niagara’s first
publication of the Winter 2006
semester, noise@niagara is relaunching the online compilation website.
The new site will be more
focused on the featured bands
themselves and will present
both their songs and their personalities in a much more
effective way. The site will be
presented more as an online
portal than a compilation CD.
The double-disc concept
will eventually fall to the wayside because it was not manufactured. Also noise@niagara
will soon outgrow the limiting
two hours 28 minutes of two
CDs because there is a lot
more going on in this area than
just that thimbleful of music.
If you are in a Niagararegion band and want to apply
to be on the noise@niagara,
e-mail:sligovision@hotmail.
com. Please include your
MySpace or PureVolume page
so we can hear the way you
sound.
Seeking new recruits
Special recognition for longtime college nurse
Niagara College President Dan Patterson and Peter Vanscoy, member of the Health
and Safety Committee, present the college’s longtime nurse Carolyn Gould with the
Joint Health and Safety Award to recognize her continued efforts over the years.
Photo by Jeremy LaForty
Attired in the traditional red Mountie uniform is Dan Pooler,
Dean of Community Safety and Fitness and a retired RCMP
officer. He was recently at the Welland campus assisting
Const. Allan Rodgers with an RCMP recruiting session for
Police Foundation program students.
Photo by Jeremy LaForty