NIAGARA NEWSTHE COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER OF NIAGARA COLLEGE

FREE Vol 40 • Issue 13March 19, 2010

By ALEX SOMERVILLEStaff Writer

Those who have always had a fear of needles can add another reason to their list.

On March 5, the Niagara Region Public Health Department issued a closure order to Needlez Tattoo, a tattoo parlour at 16 Thorold Rd. E. in Welland, because staff did not sterilize the equipment properly.Public Health had received com-

plaints about the establishment and investigated.

There was no sign of any dis-eases from the equipment, such as HIV, hepatitis B or hepatitis C, but Public Health spokespeople say it still felt the need to close the store for safety.

Jesse Bruce, 28, has had tattoo work done in the past and weighed in on the lack of safety.

“[Tattoo parlours] all claim to

be sanitary, even in their ads, so as a customer I would trust them to use clean needles. I just got a new tattoo last week in kind of a shady place, but even he showed me the needles he was going to use that was still in the package because it’s really dangerous.”

Dr. Robin Williams, medical offi cer of health, made a public statement about the matter.

“We ask all clients who received

tattooing or piercing services at this location between December 2009 and March 2010 to see their physician or visit a walk-in clinic and ask for a blood test for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C.”

Those who have questions can call the Infectious Disease Program at 1-888-505-6074 or 905-688-8248 ext. 7330 weekdays during offi ce hours 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Traditional Men dancers teach the little ones during the 15th annual mid-winter powwow. For full story see page 20. Photo by Heidi Grzesina

Welland’s Needlez Tattoo hit with closure order Niagara Region Public Health Department deems equipment unclean

Books for Africa seeking textbook donations

‘You get [books], then sometimes can’t sell them after, so you might as well donate them, not throw them away.’

— Shazia Khan

By KATIE DANIELStaff Writer

Do something good this month: put old textbooks into a box.

Since the fi rst week of February, there have been boxes set out at both Niagara College campuses for the Books for Africa campaign.

The campaign involves col-lecting textbooks, both secondary school and college level, to be sent to Better World Books.

The organization sends the books to Africa, where they are distributed to students all over the continent.

According to the campaign’s website, www.booksforafrica.org, its goal is to end the country’s book shortage.

This is the second year the col-lege has held the campaign.

Last year, the campaign was only at the Niagara-on-the-Lake (NOTL) campus and 25 boxes of books were collected.

“Last year was a success,” says Shazia Khan, fourth-year student in the International Commerce and Global Dilemmas program and co-president of the International Club.

“People asked for the boxes to stay out longer,” says Sarah Cuthb-ertson, International Club member. “People kept donating, so the week [the original alloted time the campaign would run] turned into a month.”

Continued on page 2

Toronto Mayor David Miller comes down to visit Niagara students: Page 6

Beat of one drum Fort Erie Native Friendship Centre holds its 15th annual mid-winter powwow

ON CAMPUSPage 2 NIAGARA NEWS March 19, 2010

By KYRSTY SEMENCHUKStaff Writer

It’s the city that dreams are made of. From March 1 to March 4, Niagara College’s school of media programs entered a world of big lights and big dreams.

Annette Hemerik, chair of Media Studies, took a group of 20 students to New York City for four days and three nights of adventure.

“It went very well and was well organized,” Hemerik says.

“I think the students had a phe-nomenal time.”

Departing for New York City at about 7:30 a.m. on a bus were students from the Graphic Design program, the Acting for Film and Television program and the Broadcasting - Radio, Television and Film program. They arrived at about 4:30 p.m. in the Big Apple.

“I went into the trip with the idea that New York was stereotypically loud with a lot of aggressive New Yorkers,” says third-year Graphic Design student Lacey McBane. “I was so happy to be proven wrong. Everyone there was so nice, polite and cultured.”

Experiencing the fi rst of three nights at the Skyline Hotel, 725 Tenth Ave., students later enjoyed a walking tour of mid-Manhattan past 5:30 p.m.

Students photographed the ABC

Studios, Planet Hollywood, the Hard Rock Café in its glory, the Plaza Hotel and Times Square all lit up for New Yorkers to bear wit-ness.

“I don’t think any of us will forget our fi rst night in New York City,” says Graphic Design student Rob DiTillio. “When we walked into Times Square and it was alive with lights and excitement, it was in that moment we knew we weren’t in just any city.”

The bus toured the city for four days. Visiting the Upper East Side and Harlem on day one, students were given a choice between a Staten Island ferry ride, or attend-ing a Broadway show.

On day three, the students toured the Upper West Side and Central Park. Stops consisted of Belvedere Castle, Belvedere Pound, Straw-berry Fields and the Shakespeare Garden.

“The coolest part for me was at Strawberry Fields,” says second-year Acting student Andrew Thompson.

“There was a very nice feeling of peace inside. It really made you feel comfortable and welcome, just the way Beatle John Lennon would have wanted.”

The next stop was the Metro-politan Museum of Art. Students experienced some international

culture when the tour moved up to Little Italy and Chinatown. Brief moments were spent at Wall Street and the students could grasp the life of a student at the New York City campus of Columbia University.

“I would have to say my favourite stop on the trip was to the Modern Museum of Art,” explains DiTil-lio. “It was an amazing experience to see all the famous paintings I have learned about in Art History, like Van Gogh’s Starry Night and Salvador Dali’s Persistence of Memory.”

No trip to New York City is complete without the breathtak-ing viewing of the Empire State Building. Students gathered at the observation deck on the 86th fl oor.

“My favourite site in New York City would have to be the Empire State Building,” McBane says. “You see pictures of the skyline all lit up, but they don’t do it justice. The view was really amazing.”

Memorable moments begin when someone is astonished and for Thompson, New York City was it.

“To see the beautiful New York City landscape in person for the fi rst time,” Thompson reveals, “it was overwhelming after all these years of seeing the city on movies and then to realize I was actually there. It was very exciting for me.”

By KATIE DANIELStaff Writer

Get your dancing shoes on.The International Club and De-

partment will be holding a Latin-themed party at the After Hours pub, Welland campus, on March 26 at Niagara College.

The event is to raise funds for the people of Chile after the 8.8 level earthquake on Feb. 27.

Fernando Blanco, co-president of the club, says the night includes food, transportation from down-town St. Catharines to Welland and salsa dancing lessons.

Tickets cost $10 and can be pur-chased from the International De-partment or by emailing the club at ncinternationalclub@gmail.com.

Media students enjoyed a full slate of activities on their trip to New York City during Reading Week.Submitted photo

Bright lights, big city

Collecting for a good causeTimes Square, New York.

Submitted photo

Continued from page 1There isn’t a set end-date for the

campaign this year because of last year’s popularity.

The club found out about Books-for Africa in a World University of Canada newsletter last year.

It was during literacy month and they found it intereresting and decided to give it a try.

After last year’s campaign suc-cess, the club, which has seven of its members working this year, extended two boxes to the Welland campus, while NOTL has four.

This year, the club would like to collect more than 25 boxes of books and get more people in-volved.

“It works well,” says Khan of

the campaign. “As students, you already have

so many books. You get them, then sometimes can’t sell them after, so you might as well donate them, not throw them away.”

“I think it’s a great idea,” says J.P. Bugeaud, fi rst-year Culinary Management student at Niagara College.

“I honestly have so many books lying around and taking up space, I’ll defi nitely bring them in.”

The donated books go through a pre-scanning before being sent to Better World Books because they have to accept the book fi rst. For every one that is accepted, the club receives one dollar, which it will donate back for educational

purposes.Khan says she likes the cam-

paign because it is easy to manage. She adds it’s a waste of money for people to just throw away their expensive textbooks.

Khan, along with Fernando Blanco, co-president of the club, would like to thank the college, professors, International Depart-ment and campus libraries for all of their help.

“The libraries have been a huge asset,” says Blanco. The libraries are the main site for the collection boxes.

For more information about Books for Africa, visit the website, or contact the college club at ncin-ternationalclub@gmail.com.

Niagara students rally to benefi t Books for AfricaLatin Party for Chile relief

NIAGARA NEWS

Niagara News is a practical lab for Journalism-Print program students at Niagara College. Opinions expressed in editorials and columns are not those of Niagara College management or administration. Columns, identified as such, reflect only the writer’s opinion. Readers are welcome to respond to columnists by email at news@niagara-news.com Advertising rules: The advertiser agrees that the publisher shall not be liable for damages arising out of errors in advertisements beyond the amount paid for the space actually occupied by the portion of the advertisement in which the error occurred. All advertisers are asked to check their advertisements after first insertion. Errors, which do not lessen the value of the advertisement, are not eligible for cor-rections by a make-good advertisement. Niagara News reserves the right to edit, revise, classify or reject any advertisement.

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OBITUARYMarch 19, 2010 NIAGARA NEWS Page 3

Niagara College has lost a mem-ber of its family.

January-Start Journalism pro-gram student Adam Mendes, 25, of Thunder Bay, died in his apartment in St. Catharines on Feb. 26.

Adam’s passing has affected each of us in a different way. Each of us had a different relationship with him. Some of us knew him better than others. Some of us were more affected than others when college faculty told us about his death.

Each of us is dealing with his death in our own way.

We agree his death has saddened us, and we realize his life is worth remembering.

We have lost a friend and we miss him dearly. It’s unfortunate he will not continue with us on our journey through the program.

It’s not easy putting into words what a young man like Adam had done in his life.

It isn’t easy writing about some-one we’ve only known for a few months, but Adam’s life and what he experienced was important to those who knew and cared for him.

“We’re taking it one day at a time,” Adam’s mother, Susan, told Janelle Nystrom, Adam’s classmate, in a telephone interview from her home in Thunder Bay on March 11.

“I don’t think it has really hit me yet.”

“It was so diffi cult for me,” she added. “Adam lived on the edge. That’s the kind of guy he was.”

Susan says Adam had telephoned her on Feb. 25 and told her he was doing well and that he had paid his rent for four months.

“It’s going to be a hard road, but I’m glad he had friends, You know, I don’t think he realized how many

friends he really had. He touched the lives of many people,” Susan told Janelle.

“A light in our school has been extinguished and now things seem a little dimmer,” wrote Chris Forti-

er, 33, of Welland, about his class-mate. “Whenever we lose someone in our lives, the loss of that person can be devastating.”

“As long as we remember Adam, he will never truly be gone.”

Adam certainly lived an inter-esting life, spending many years travelling throughout the world.

He visited more countries than most do in a lifetime. From Aus-tralia, Iceland, Scotland, France, Germany, Slovakia, Great Britain to California and Denmark to Portugal, he spanned the globe in search of adventure.

He spent a great deal of his time not just visiting some of these countries as a tourist, but also liv-ing with the people and learning about their lifestyles.

An easy-going person, Adam adapted well to his surroundings.

He made friends wherever he went. Our class will miss his sense of humour.

“His ability to laugh was very much a part of his personality,” says Shaylene Abbey, 28, Adam’s classmate.

Adam was never one to shy away from asking questions or giving his opinions in or out of the classroom.

“I enjoyed government class with him because he was always opinionated, and I respected that,” says Fortier.

Adam cared about the world. He cared about journalism. He wanted to make a difference and learn as much as he could about his new chosen profession.

In a brief outline of his interests and dedication to his new career, he wrote in January: “In wake of the disaster in Haiti, I read an ar-ticle where a journalist described his primitive conditions sleeping on a cot in an airport. Please, I’ll sleep in a ditch if it means getting a story, especially if thousands of people are catching permanent somber amidst rubble.”

“Adam worked hard at improv-

ing his writing skills,” says Niagara College faculty member Gary Erb, who taught Journalism and Intro-duction to Government courses to Adam since January. “Adam was always asking interesting questions in both his classes.”

On his last weekly Canadian Press test in his Journalism 1100 class, Adam got a perfect score of 10, joining for the fi rst time the “10 Club.”

“Adam brought a particularly strong and unique perspective to government class because of his travels. He had a positive impact on the class. He will be missed by all of us — students and faculty,” added Erb.

From his obituary in the Thunder Bay newspaper, Adam was an avid soccer fan. He enjoyed following the exploits of his favourite soccer team, Benfi ca in Portugal.

Adam is survived by his mother, Susan, his father, Carlos, Andrew, his brother, and grandparents Irene and Fernando. He was predeceased by his grandparents Walt and Mary McDonald. Adam joins his friend and fellow traveler J.J. (Brock) Burns.

A funeral service was held in Thunder Bay on March 5. Burial will be held at a later date in Provi-dence Bay Cemetery on Manitoulin Island.

Adam will be remembered. He has brought our class closer to-gether. His life made a difference.

People don’t realize the value of human life and how social interac-tion can play such a huge role in our day-to-day lives. Something as simple as “Hello, how are you do-ing?” can make such an immense difference in a person’s outlook for the day.

As I say goodbye to a truly missed friendship, I will look hope-fully forward. It is impossible for me to tell the world how important each individual is and how life can make a difference and affect many lives.

Tears of devastation strike hard at the hearts of the Niagara College family as we all bid a fond farewell to one of our own. Adam Mendes, 25, of Thunder Bay, died suddenly

on Feb. 26 at his apartment in St. Catharines.

Adam’s life and experiences have affected so many people. For me, it was really hard. I cried for him, I cried for his mother, and I cried for me.

Losing him just as I began to ap-preciate him was tough. I could see through his eyes how deeply he felt for people and how human rights and political issues drove him to become a better journalist. Adam told me how he felt about the world out there. He said to me one time on a drive home from college, “These kids just don’t get it. They can’t seem to understand how important journalism is for the people of this country and other countries in the world.”

It wasn’t about money for Adam or getting a prestigious job. It was about doing something for the greater good of mankind.

Recently I spoke with one of Adam’s teachers at Niagara Col-lee. Derrick Eaves, who taught Adam English for Journalism, since January.

“I was shocked, it was diffi cult. He wasn’t just another student. Every class we’re in, we are such a small community and so I had met with Adam on several occasions to talk about life. I felt I was getting to know Adam through these con-versations.

“It was tough because he was a part of this community, he had an impact on my life, he had an impact on the lives of everyone else in this classroom and it kind of brought all of that home for me.”

The last time Adam talked to Derrick was on the Tuesday before he died.

“He came to my offi ce that day and we talked about life. Suddenly out of the blue he asked me a ques-tion about fi shing because he had seen some of the stuff I had on the walls of my offi ce, and I realized that he was genuinely interested in talking to me, and that was the nice thing about him,” said Derrick.

“It was very, very diffi cult get-ting the news that he had passed away because he was a part of my life, he was a part of the lives of

everyone here, he was a part of our class, and he was a part of this community.

“He was the type of student that as a teacher–because he was such a nice guy and because he genuinely cared about me, about his class-mates, and because he wanted to do so well–I just rooted for him to succeed.”

As a part of the Niagara College community, I want people to learn from Adam’s life and see how we all affect each other for good and bad, somehow there is and must be hope for a stronger community and we should all desire to impact each other the way that Adam taught us.

Janelle was Adam’s classmate in the Journalism program.

JANELLENYSTROM

Columnist

College mourns journalism student

This photo of Adam was taken in Lisbon, Portugal.Submitted photo

Editor’s Note: This article about Adam Mendes was written by his fellow January-Start Journalism program classmates.

Adam poses in front of a waterfall in Iceland.Submitted photo

Adam’s life and experiences touched many people

EDITORIALPage 4 NIAGARA NEWS March 19, 2010

Opportunity is in the air. Specifi cally, opportunity is

in the rays of sun that splash across the Niagara region.

Toronto-based, international renewable energy company Oneworld Energy (OE) announced last week its subsidiary, COU Solar Inc. (COU), will begin manufacturing solar energy products in Welland this fall.

With the prospect of 200 to 300 new direct jobs and an estimated 1,000 spinoff jobs, you can bet there are many licking their chops and lining up for a chance to benefi t from the newest industry in economically hard hit Welland.

At the front of the line needs to be Niagara College.

Creating a strong relationship with COU would mutually benefi t the company and college and could help develop the Niagara region as a hub for renewable energy manufacturing, research and design.

Not only could Niagara College produce the highly skilled workforce through its Electrical Engineering Technician program, but by partnering with the college, COU would benefi t from cutting-edge research and development of solar energy technologies.

Niagara College’s Photonics Engineering Technology

program has already developed ultra-thin, transparent solar cells that can be installed on the roofs of greenhouses and used to power the buildings.

Solar cells could only be the beginning.

Consider the implementation of the Ontario government’s Green Energy Act, including North America’s fi rst feed-in-tariff program, which requires renewable energy companies such as OE to ensure that by 2011, 60 per cent of the cost of renewable energy projects be bore in Ontario.

With such legislation forcing companies to set up long-term ventures in Ontario, the Niagara region sits in a prime position to become a leader in the production of renewable energy technologies from wind to solar to water.

And Niagara College has the capability to drive this industrial shift.

Think of how the University of Waterloo created and developed the powerful technology sector in Waterloo. Heard of a little company called RIM?

The potential for the same to happen in Niagara exists.

Niagara College needs to show what it can offer this industry.

It is an opportunity that we should not miss.

CRAIG LEACH

Earth: problem-fi lled and inevitably doomed.

The human population deals with wars, corrupt governments, natural disasters, disease, poverty, hunger, global warming, poor economies and even pro golfer Tiger Woods’s affairs. Some things cannot be helped as they are natural processes in life such as the Chilean earthquake or tsunami in Japan, but a lot of the world’s issues result from ignorance.

Take a look at the United States. It is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, a military and economic leader.

Want to know what one of the leading problems in America is? Obesity.

Third World countries, such as the ones in Africa, deal with corrupt governments, poverty and disease. They deal with the truly terrible things that can happen while North Americans and other well-off continents’ populaces live comfortably.

I like to indulge in food just as much as the next person, and I enjoy not having to do anything but lie on a couch being entertained by fake people on a screen; that is the North American lifestyle.

It’s hard not to fall into such luxurious living in this society. The majority of us are ignorant about the rest of the world; North Americans live in just a North American world.

With the number of millionaires and billionaires in the world, why do entire countries deal with poverty?

Much of the multi-millionaires’ money isn’t touched.

Why must they keep it in some bank account? Why wouldn’t they donate it to organizations that work to stop poverty in poorer countries?

I am not ignoring the fact many high-income people do donate large amounts of money to charities. Celebrity television host Oprah Winfrey, in all her glory, is an excellent example of these charitable individuals.

But if you look at the bigger picture, the majority does not do anything for anyone else or simply do not do enough. Why? Selfi shness? Greed?

North Americans are fortunate. The United States and Canada are well-off countries and most of their populations live decent lives.

Yes, poverty and disease reach us, but not to the same extent that other countries get hit with.

We have issues we deal with as North Americans, but honestly, they are nothing compared with what the rest of the world handles.

Ignorance is tough to solve. Not everyone can travel to see fi rst-hand the troubles Third World countries deal with.

You hear stories about how a trip changed some celebrity’s life by allowing him or her to see the death, disease and hunger in full view.

Why does it take such a trip to make people realize it is happening?

It is common knowledge the world has millions of suffering people.

Why don’t we take a leaf from Robin Hood’s book? Why don’t the fortunate help the less fortunate?

Those with more should help those with less.

This could ultimately be the solution to a lot of the world’s issues, if only everyone would realize it.

KATIE DANIEL

A ray of hopein troubled times

We need a Robin Hood

2009 WINNER BNC2009

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Let the rich get richer and the poor — do they even matter?

On March 4, the Conservative government, along with Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, announced the federal budget plan, giving a bigger break to big businesses and corporations, while leaving middle-class citizens, where?

We are currently sitting at a $53.8 billion defi cit. Flaherty predicts that by 2014-2015 the defi cit will drop to $1.8 billion defi cit.

There will be no cuts to healthcare, old age pensions and education; however, there are no promises for social programs and services.

The plan also places a freeze on the salaries of the Prime Minister, cabinet ministers and members of parliament for three years.

However, the plan continues to create tax cuts for corporations.

Flaherty announced, “We present today a jobs and growth budget.”

According to the Department of Finance website, “Over $600 million to help develop and attract talented people to strengthen our capacity for world-leading research and development and to improve the commercialization of research.”

While I was reading this particular passage from the economic plan, something stuck out: “to help develop and attract talented people.”

Is this money being spent on talented Canadian people or trying to attract individuals from other countries?

In my opinion, it seems rather vague, and purposely so.

“Reducing the tax burden on businesses is a key part of Canada’s advantage in the global economy,” Flaherty said.

The plan aims at “Making Canada a tariff-free zone for manufacturers,” leaving even more money in the pockets of the rich.

So, to correct Flaherty’s statement, “We present today, a right-wing budget that corporations will love, sugar-coated so the middle class will stay quiet.”

JULIA BOUCHER

Budget plan only good for some

OPINION

OPINIONMarch 19, 2010 NIAGARA NEWS Page 5

No, Canada.Recently, our home and native

land, still buzzing after one of its lat-est cultural and patriotic highlights, is fi nding itself under scrutiny from parliament.

It seems that our federal govern-ment has suggested our national anthem should be changed to make it more “gender neutral.”

It’s a suggestion that has this Canadian, among countless others, shaking his head in dismay.

The sudden shout for political correctness lies in the verse, “True patriot love, in all thy sons com-mand.”

Yes, fellow red and white lovers from far and wide, that one word, “sons,” is causing all the fuss from those asking for change because it appears to leave women on the outside.Their revised version would take a back-to-the-future approach: “True patriot love, thou dost in us command.” Doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue.

Now, gender neutrality is an extremely worthy cause, but is changing one word in our country’s anthem going to further the equal-ity of rights for men and women? Doubtful.

Remember the 2010 Winter Olympics, just of late? Canada’s anthem was heard more than any other, as we took gold in 14 events. I doubt that any of the female athletes who took top honours on the podium had any concerns of gender-bias phrasing as they wiped away the tears of joy and belted out our country’s song.

I doubt that the thousands upon thousands of fans watching their athletes holding up their gold med-als were screaming inequality over the roar of the crowd as our fl ag was raised above their heads.

If this is a way for our government to promote patriotism and equality in an effort to protect something that doesn’t really need protection, this is not the right path.

Since Robert Stanley Weir wrote the lyrics in 1908, and in 1980 when the Canada Act was passed and O Canada offi cially became our coun-try’s anthem, it’s been a part of what defi nes us. We seem to be riding on this storm cloud of concern over things that don’t exactly bear down as heavily as other more serious matters.

With the economy struggling to get back on its feet, there are more important issues at hand: the new federal budget, creating new jobs, and opening up new hospitals, to name three. A debate on doing a makeover of our national anthem would add more to our country’s defi cit and subtract from taxpayers’ wallets.

I, for one, am proud to be Ca-nadian. I’ve stood up and sung the national anthem, hand over heart, at a hockey game or event. I pour real maple syrup on my pancakes. And yes, I also drink Molson Canadian beer. But alas, fellow Canadians, I do not fi nd that changing a few words will keep this nation glorious and free.

Did we not learn anything from the Olympics? Did we not see people across the nation, from Montreal, to Toronto, to Vancouver, standing arm in arm, shouting out the lyrics as one?A nation’s anthem is inclusive. Regardless of what the lyrics may look like, a country’s song doesn’t just speak to men; it doesn’t just speak to women; it speaks to everyone who calls this land home.

Change isn’t easy. It’s sometimes met with resistance, discouragement or total ignorance.

Changing a word in our anthem isn’t going to affect the way we ap-proach gender issues in this country. Or any country, for that matter.It’s a quick-fi x solution to addressing a problem with greater issues.

If we, as Canadians, want to ac-knowledge women, changing their circumstances for the better is the proper approach, not erasing a part of our history because it doesn’t sound right.

And if some still aren’t satisfi ed, here’s a possible solution: Have Alvin and the Chipmunks sing our anthem from now on. They’re cute, they’re cuddly and they’re a com-pletely different species.

THOMAS ROTELLA

Columnist

In 1983, Bob Dylan released the song Neighborhood Bully which has been interpreted as a song supporting Israel in the face of global criticism for de-fending itself against terrorism and enemies abroad.

Over 30 years has passed and the sympathy remains.

Last week was Israeli Apart-heid Week (IAW), an unoffi cial practice at colleges and universi-ties across Canada to rally sup-port against the perceived Israeli occupation of Palestine.

Although the practice of IAW began in 2005, since Israel’s military advance into the Gaza Strip, the movement has gained momentum. This year’s Gold-

stone report on Operation Cast Lead in Gaza, coupled with the growing antagonism towards Israeli settlement in the West Bank territory, is prime pickings for activists.

Federal political leaders from the Liberals, Conservatives and New Democrats have con-demned IAW, denouncing it as hateful and calling for students to stop observing it.

Since its founding, Israel has faced criticism ranging from in-tellectuals, human rights groups to outright anti-Semitic rhetoric from radical Muslims and white supremacists.

By supporting Israel’s right to exist and protect its interests in the Middle East, you’ll need thick skin and an open ear.

What can be learned from IAW is there can be a division between legitimate claims and racist garbage. Freedom of speech is a right that may be used in a confrontational man-ner, but it offers a chance to get to the bottom of the issue.

Supporting Israel means expecting criticism, but it also comes with the opportunity for dialogue. Even former Palestin-ian leader Yasser Arafat was willing to sit down with former Israeli leader Ariel Sharon.

Despite being from two dif-ferent worlds, both being known for their unapologetic tactics in war and diplomacy, Arafat and Sharon helped further the peace process in the Middle East.

Diplomacy doesn’t mean lik-ing your opponents. It means being open to what they say. Freedom of speech shouldn’t be crushed, but has every right to be criticized. Supporters of Palestinian independence may criticize, but should be willing to admit the faults within their own movement. Apartheid isn’t the right word, but hatred isn’t the answer, it slows the peace process.

Most importantly, Israel right-fully exists, but as Dylan says, Israel’s “always on trial for just being born.”

JOSH GRANT-YOUNG

Columnist

Anthem issues

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Israeli Aparthied Week, a controversial topic

Third-year graphic design students, from left to right, Ryan Niles, Danielle Freeman, James Newman, soak up the sun outside the Black Walnut building Wednesday, while working on projects.

Photo by Bernard Cooper

Illustrated by Madison Samuel-Barclay

Sunny days on the Welland campus

ON CAMPUSPage 6 NIAGARA NEWS March 19, 2010

David Miller spent a few minutes in the Niagara News newsroom. Here he is with Annette Hemerik, chair of Media Studies.

Photo by Toni Karan

Mayor says voters want authenticity

Toronto Mayor David Miller speaks with Journalism-Print student Bernard Cooper and Ben Cecil, dean of the Enviroment, Media and Technology division, far right during a lunch event in the Niagara News newsroom

Photo by Josh Grant-Young

Toronto Mayor David Miller discusses pertinent issues with media studentsBy JOSH GRANT-YOUNG

Staff WriterToronto Mayor David Miller

doesn’t lie when he says he is “al-ways up front.”

Miller, 51, visited Niagara Col-lege’s Welland campus Thursday to speak to Journalism-Print and Public Relations program students about his experiences running the largest city in Canada.

While the job would seem to wear down many politicians, Miller can-didly engaged the audience, telling jokes and drawing cheeky cartoons of the Toronto Transit system.

“I’ve always taken a different approach. People want authentic-ity.”

Referring to his early career in politics, Miller became involved with the New Democratic Party, a party with whom he “shared many of the same ideas.”

He was fi rst elected to Toronto council in 1994 and became mayor in 2003. He successfully ran for re-election in 2006.

When running for offi ce, Miller focused on city transit and environ-mental concerns, a focus he carried into his mayoral term.

Miller reversed previous set-backs that he felt were due to Mike Harris’s provincial government-funding cutbacks to the expansion

of Toronto’s transit system. Miller noted that, in 2003, city

transit was operating vehicles that were 24 years old. The situation for Toronto was so grim that the city imported scrap parts and vehicles from Montreal, vehicles originally destined for Cuba.

However, Miller currently has models that offer handicap acces-sibility and a greener method of transportation in the city.

Miller gives credit to the amal-gamation of the Greater Toronto Area, without which he believes a superior transit system would not be possible.

As well, the possibility of light-rail construction linking neigh-bourhoods across Toronto and an increase in the number of bike paths stands to improve transporta-tion in the near future.

Miller spent the latter half of his speech discussing the virtues and vices of social media technology, an issue that reared its head March 10 when his offi ce sent out a press release notifying the public Miller was expected to make an “impor-tant” announcement that an addi-tional $100 million was discovered in the city budget.

The release was widely criti-cized by the press, who expected a personal announcement, such as

his resignation. Miller faced an interview on CBC he called “bi-zarre” and the lack of research on the part of the pundit “pathetic.”

“I’ll come back,” he joked with the audience.

Miller urged journalism and public relations students to con-sider two things: to be “authentic” and “prepared,” but also to answer a “fundamental question about the future of journalism.”

Social media, Miller feels, is a great means of “improving social communication” but has fl aws.

While taking pictures and tweeting on his phone, Miller noted Twitter isn’t completely professional in language, as he proved by going through unin-telligible photo comments, but he hopes journalism and public relations programs will “refi ne the facts.”

When asked about his future plans, Miller reiterated he plans not to seek re-election, but instead spend time with his family.

Miller is considering following in the footsteps of fellow politi-cians Al Gore and Bill Clinton by engaging in some level of envi-ronmental or social philanthropy.

Being a mayor “is immensely rewarding,” Miller said, “but it uses you up.”

ON CAMPUSMarch 19, 2010 NIAGARA NEWS Page 7

By JASON COSTAStaff Writer

A childhood link is what continues to drive him.

From the French word for hideaway, Pacquet is a small 210-person town on the Atlantic Ocean shoreline of Newfoundland.

It is the birthplace of Niagara College’s newest registrar, Bob Hann.

He was not a Pacquet resident for long as having a minister for a father brought lots of travel early in Hann’s life.

From birth until high school graduation, Hann had seen over fi ve different residences, something he is very thankful for.

“My upbringing was pretty normal. Moving around was pretty exciting. Some people may see it as upsetting, but for me it was the norm. [It] was part of my life and it’s refl ective in my career

as well.”His parents never had the

opportunity to attend post-secondary education, which, coupled with his brother-in-law’s acceptance into university, helped push Hann into the career path that keeps him motivated to this day.

Hann attended Memorial University, in Corner Brook, N.L., where he stayed in residence for his fi rst year before moving to St. John’s to complete his studies.

He completed a bachelor of arts with a major in history and a minor in psychology.

Hann spent years in post-secondary administration at the Career Academy, N.L., Northern Lakes College, Alta., and fi nally Red Deer College, Alta., where he pursued graduate study at Royal Roads University.

“I really enjoyed the post-secondary sector,” Hann explains.

“I really enjoyed mixing and speaking to students and their parents.”

“Talking to students about the benefi ts of post-secondary education, that is really what I loved to do.”

Following closely in Hann’s footsteps, is the love of his life.

Married for over 20 years, Pau-lette Hann, who works as a payroll team leader with Alberta Health Services, waits for the construction of their house in Niagara Falls, Ont., to be completed before she is able to see Hann again.

Until then, Hann lives in a temporary home in Fonthill, Ont., which exceeds his expectations.

“It’s a beautiful area. I love it. There’s a little more snow than promised, but I love the area and the college.”

Hann’s secretary, Kim Saxton, is happy to have Hann in the offi ce.

“Working with Bob has been a very enjoyable experience so far. He has fi t into our team quite well and has accomplished quite a bit already in the short time he has been here. He is defi nitely ‘student focused,’ which I believe is key to his role. I look forward to working with him to work toward serving our students even better.”

Comparing his drive and determination to his childhood, Hann believes his fi rst-hand experience will ease the students’ transition into post-secondary education.

Hann states, “How do we make it easier for the students so they are more likely to be successful?”

With questions like these fueling Hann’s motives and aspirations, it is clear that Niagara College’s registrar will continue to help “further benefi t students” in any way he can.

By BRITTNEY HALLStaff Writer

Not many people can look you in the eye and say they love their job, but this man takes it a step further.

“Sometimes I feel I’m made for the job,” says James McEwen, assistive technologist at Niagara College. “I love it.”

McEwen is a graduate of the Ni-agara College Computer Engineer-ing Technology program.

After graduation he saw a job posting for the position here, says McEwen. His friend had the same job and said it was good. That and the fact that he liked the college were his deciding factors in apply-ing for the job.

He started as part time but then applied for full time because he enjoyed it so much.

He has been in the position for seven years and still says that he “loves” the job.

What’s his secret to not getting bored with the same job for seven years? New challenges.

He is constantly looking for dif-ferent types of programs for differ-ent students, he says.

He fi nds and teaches new technol-ogies to students with disabilities. There are a few software programs and some interesting gadgets that he uses to help students succeed to the best of their abilities.

Dragon Naturally Speaking is a software program for students with typing disabilities, or dyslexia. The program scans the textbook to the computer and reads the words for the student, highlighting the words as it goes.

Another gadget is the Pulse Pen, valued at about $200. It has a spe-cial notebook that records as you write notes. You can listen to words that you have missed, or replay the content if you just need to under-stand what was being discussed.

In order to get an appointment with him, students must be regis-tered as a student with a disability, and be referred to him by a disabil-ity counselor.

He does one-hour appointments and deals with about fi ve to six stu-dents a day. During those appoint-ments, he teaches the students how to use the software that he believes will suit them best.

“This job actually helps people and makes a difference,” says McEwen. “That would have to be the best part.”

For an appointment, contact the Centre for Disabilities in W102 at the NOTL campus and Se 102 at the Welland campus.

By STEVE HENSCHELStaff Writer

A tough economy and rising education costs affect all students, sometimes pitting paying for neces-sities like food and shelter against each other.

In an attempt to make sure all students can afford the basic neces-sities, the Student Administrative Council (SAC) runs a food bank on both campuses, and this week, it is looking for help.

Between March 8 and 19, SAC members and volunteers have been campaigning on the campuses to raise donation. The SAC represen-tatives have been in the cafeterias displaying cardboard signs in-tended to illustrate the concerns of hungry students.

According to Tyler Hore, SAC executive vice-president for the Welland campus, the food bank is “starting to deplete itself,” with the Niagara-on-the-Lake campus bank completely empty at the beginning of the food drive.

Vice-President of Student Affairs, Kemar Hayles, 21, of Welland, says about fi ve people use the Welland campus food bank weekly, with about 360 individual students using the bank last year.

“Our food bank is starting to get low and more people come every day,” says Hayles.

He says the signs were created to represent the thoughts of hungry students.

“We try and make it look like we are the students going through this,” he says. “Some of us are.”

At the beginning of this week,

the campaign had raised $80 and 84 items, says Hayles.

Twenty-two-year-old Randi-Lee Bowslaugh, SAC director of student life for the Welland cam-pus, has volunteered twice for the drive.

She says one of the main goals is to raise awareness. “People just don’t know,” she says.

Bowslaugh, a second-year Com-

munity Justice Services student, and mother, says the campus food banks are an important resource for struggling students.

“If you can’t make ends meet, especially if you have a child, you need help.”

The campus food bank relies on student donations, says Hayles, but SAC and local grocery stores also contribute.

Donation bins will be at various spots on campuses until March 19, if any students wish to donate. SAC is always looking for dona-tions, and any students wishing to do so, can bring their donations to the SAC offi ce, says Hayles.

The food banks can be found in the SAC buildings on both cam-puses.

College’s newest registrar settling in

Food bank seeking help

SAC Director of Student Events, Jennifer Holloway, campaigns on campus urging students to donate to the campus food bank.

Photo by Steven Henschel

SAC reaches out to both college campuses to help with depleting food donations

New software paves way for students with disabilities

By SYLVIE BERRYStaff Writer

On the surface, she’s the typical student juggling hours of home-work, tuition payments and a so-cial life. But behind closed doors, she’s raising a family of two young girls, maintaining a household and sometimes, struggling to fi nd enough time to balance everything in one day.

Natasha Smagata, 24, of the Offi ce Administration – Executive Co-op program at Niagara College, is the poster child of a once-trou-bled youth who’s overcome it all.

Dropping out of high school at 15 because of some wrong choices and poor judgement calls and get-ting pregnant not long after at 16 and again at 19 have been diffi cult challenges to face. But those chal-lenges proved to be nothing short of a wakeup call, forcing Smagata to make some very important and needed life changes.

“I needed to be independent, I needed an education, I needed a career, and I needed to provide for my kids,” says Smagata.

At Niagara College, students who are not direct entries out of high school are considered non-traditional learners. Among them are individuals who’ve taken time off from school to work, people who’ve returned to college after being laid off in the workforce or people who’ve returned to college to be retrained in a different fi eld. The college has been focusing on

this market for the past three years as the numbers grow. In September 2009, there were 835 non-tradi-tional learners, compared to 533 in September 2007.

Lindsay Patriquin, recruitment co-ordinator for the non-traditional market, seeks out potential students in the community. Pursuing adult schools such as Adolescent Family Services Supporting Niagara (AF-SSN), which offers independent study programs for young mothers, Patriquin provides the young adults with Niagara College information and assistance.

“I know last year, before I started with the AFSSN centre they maybe had one or two girls going on to college. Now, the majority of the girls, once they’ve got their high school diploma, are coming to col-lege because of the outreach,” says Patriquin.

It was Patriquin’s generous hand and guidance that led Smagata to the next chapter of her life.

“I was scared and intimidated. She just made me feel more com-fortable,” says Smagata.

At 20, she joined a young moth-er’s outreach program through AFSSN and loaded her schedule with courses, exams, credits and volunteer hours, all necessary for her 2009 graduation. Not only did she receive her high school diploma while raising her daughters Malary, 7, and Mataya, 4, but also gradu-ated with honours as valedictorian of her class.

Before graduation and the start of her college career, Smagata took note of the overwhelming numbers of young moms at AFSSN. She couldn’t shake the feeling that

adolescents were so uneducated on teen pregnancy.

“Even though I had kids as a teenager, now that I know what I know, it was wrong. If I could go

back and change some things, I probably would.”

This urged her and other young moms to create Postponing Parent-ing Until You’re Ready, a speakers’ bureau where she tries to prevent teen pregnancies and promote the importance of youth. She’ll give speeches at local schools, engage in discussions and create role play scenarios.

Executive Director of United Way South Niagara Peter Papp worked closely with Smagata and used her as the face and role model for their 2009 advertizing cam-paign. She also participated in a radio commercial for United Way.

“Her hard work at AFSSN was extraordinary. We are very happy, and we hope that she will continue to inspire other young people,” says Papp.

Now in her second term at Ni-agara, Smagata’s now used to the routine of school and has earned her title as honour roll student through her hard work in high school and college. In addition to her valedictorian status, Smagata received two bursaries, which to-gether were worth $5,000, and paid for her tuition and book fees.

Through sharing her motiva-tional story, those surrounding Smagata can’t help but be inspired by her powerful message.

“I believe our pasts help make us who we are and affect the way we live in the present; however it does not dictate our future.”

ON CAMPUSPage 8 NIAGARA NEWS March 19, 2010

Natasha Smagata, 24, with her daughters, from left, Malory, 7, and Mataya, 4. Photo by Sylvie Berry

By JASON COSTAStaff Writer

Dealing with crises is just part of the job.

Students of Niagara College’s Public Relations (PR) Graduate Cirtifi cate program took the podi-um on Feb. 25, to discuss a serious matter.

Placed into groups and given a random crisis-like situation just minutes before their presentation, students were expected to develop an action plan to deal with media questions during a live press con-ference.

As if dealing with a crisis wasn’t enough, students stood in front of members of the “press,” fellow Niagara College students in the Journalism-Print and Broadcast-ing – Radio, Television and Film programs. They came bearing cameras, microphones and note-pads, peppering the PR “offi cers” with questions related to their inherent disasters, ranging from a lethal plane crash to a banquet of poisoned guests.

Sitting among the press was Col-leen Lowe, a graduate of the Public Relations Graduate Certifi cate program in 2002, who graded the students’ every move.

Working at Niagara College since

2006, Lowe teaches PR students principles, theory and strategies for communicating with audiences, every Thursday afternoon.

The exercise teaches how to answer questions while being hon-est and maintaining the credibility

of the company’s. “Knowing how much information to give,” that daunts the students during the dif-fi cult task, especially when dealing with the media.

“When there is a crisis that threatens an organization, it is im-

portant to communicate properly with all audiences,” says Lowe.

Program Co-ordinator Nancy Geddie believes the exercise plays a key role in helping students un-derstand the true meaning of PR.

“Opportunities like this, when

we put PR students in the hot seat, let them get a sense of the pressure the media can make organization’s spokespersons feel. It’s really hard to keep your cool, think on your feet, make sense and keep to your key messages when the media are demanding answers. We do this exercise because the students need to understand how diffi cult it is to be a company’s or organization’s spokesperson. This exercise is hard, but so is dealing with a seri-ous crisis facing a business.”

Rhiannon Lachance, 24, a PR program student, says the program is an “excellent gateway.”

“In our just over six months at the college, we have been exposed to real-world situations, given the tools and shown fi rst-hand how to deal with that situation. I come from a university background and the difference I can see in the type of education we receive in this program has equipped me with the tools to go out into the communica-tions fi eld and actually know what I am doing.”

Fellow team member Walker Ferri, 22, believes the PR program is not only a challenge, but a tes-tament of character, also “PR is a battle. I’ve never been put in more distress in my entire life,” he says.

From left, Katie Farr, Kristen Smith, Rhiannon Lachance, Walker Ferri and Lindsay Scrivener take the podium during a mock PR conference. Photo by Jason Costa

Mock crisis scares and prepares PR students

Inspiration for young mothers A lesson shared, learned and loved

ON CAMPUSMarch 19, 2010 NIAGARA NEWS Page 9

Sandwich competitionCanada Bread is inviting NCI culi-

nary, baking and apprentice students to bring fresh thought to bread. Students are asked to create a sandwich recipe from Canada Bread’s sliced breads, buns and rolls. The deadline for the recipes, along with photos of the sandwich, is April 1. The winners of the competition will win a grand prize of $3,000; second place will receive $1,500 and third will take home $500. For more information contact Johanna Cotte at jcotte@niagaracollege.ca or at ext. 4629.

In Your BackyardNiagara College’s NOTL campus

will be hosting its annual In Your Backyard and Horticultural open house on March 20-21 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event will feature more than 40 vendors, guest speakers, exhibits and more. Thousands of student-grown plants will be on sale. More informa-tion at www.niagaracollege.com/inyourbackyard.

In memory of Albert CyprikA wine and culinary celebration will

be held in memory of Albert Cyprik at the Niagara Culinary Institute on April 5. Tickets are $100 per person. The reservation deadline is March 26. The reception begins at 6 p.m. with dinner served at 7 p.m. For tickets and more information, contact Helen Armstrong, ext. 7847.

Income tax help Revenue Canada will be sending

volunteers to help students complete their 2009 Income Tax Returns. They will be at the NOTL campus on April 12 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. On April 14 they will be at the Welland campuses cafeteria foyer from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Be sure to bring your personalized return with labels, a completed copy of your 2008 return, social insurance number, a list of dependants and dates of birth, your income slips, receipts of expenses and other applicable documents.

Winery Members wantedNiagara College Teaching Winery

Wine Club is looking to gain a few more members. Members will enjoy select wines crafted by Niagara Col-lege students. Membership entitles you to receive two to six bottles per shipment. The wines will be delivered to your house or offi ce with notes on tasting and food accompaniments. For more information and how to join the club, visit www.nctwinery.ca or email wineclub@niagaracollege.ca.

Bursary donations neededA bursary has been established in

the memory of Reilly Kennedy Anzo-vino, an 18-year-old Fort Erie woman who died in a late-night accident on Highway 3 Dec. 26, 2009. The bursary will be awarded to deserving students entering Niagara College’s Paramedic program. The goal is to raise at least $20,000. As of Feb. 23, donations have totaled $4,620. The Ontario Trust Student Support will match the dona-tions for a total of at least $20,000. Donations can be made at the Build-ing Futures Campaign website, www.buildingfuturescampaign.ca.

Cheques can also be mailed to Ni-agara College Foundation “in memory of Reilly Anzovino,” Maid of the Mist Campus, or phone Helen Armstrong, student awards offi cer, ext. 7847.

By DAVID JANZENStaff Writer

In Ontario, 80 per cent of new businesses fail in the fi rst year.

This alarming statistic is one rea-son why Helen McCreadie, offi ce manager of the Business Success and Loan Centre (BSL) in Fort Erie, spoke to a second-year jour-nalism class at Niagara College on March 9.

She offered the students a crash course in starting a small business and highlighted pitfalls that new business owners may encounter. McCreadie also outlined the three types of business structures exist-ing in Ontario, including sole proprietorship, partnership and the corporation.

The BSL, formerly the Business Development Centre of Greater Fort Erie, is a non-profi t organiza-tion that provides the community with access to government-funded employment programs, training seminars, business loans and a business resource centre.

Established in 1985 with the help of government funding, it now functions autonomously from government dollars.

McCreadie jumped into the en-trepreneurial services provided at BSL with an explanation of how a student might structure their self-employed business.

“Sole proprietorship has a lot of advantages,” says McCreadie.

“The record keeping is simple and so is the registration process.”

However, she warns that if there are assets such as a house or car the owner could lose, business insur-ance is a must because everything, including tax documentation, is tied to the owner.

Registering a personal business requires the applicant to perform an $8 name search at an Ontario Connect terminal, and then submit a $60 registration fee when an un-

taken name has been chosen.The name a fi ve-year term and

McCreadie says it’s important to keep track of the timeline so some-body else doesn’t potentially take it.

Terminals to apply in person are in St. Catharines at the Enterprise

Centre, the Niagara North and South Land Registry Offi ce and in Niagara Falls at the MacBain Centre.

After a business name has been registered, another option for struc-turing is to enter a partnership.

A partnership “is like a marriage

except it’s all about the money.There’s no love,” says McCreadie with a laugh.

An individual may possess strong technical skills in a certain fi eld, but may have no fi nances or a lack of marketing panache; this person would benefi t from entering a partnership with somebody who could bring more resources to the table, says McCreadie.

The fi nal structure, the corpora-tion, is a separate legal identity from the owner and offers tax ad-vantages once a business grows to a certain size. Sole proprietors are in an advantageous tax situation until their profi ts reach $30,000.

While a corporation offers in-creased credibility with bankers to raise capital, with a $1,000 to $2,000 start-up fee, “it won’t likely be an option for you as students straight out of school,” says Mc-Creadie.

And how do the 20 per cent of businesses that survive the fi rst year thrive?

“Keep your business name relat-ed to what you plan on doing; you want to make sure it’s relevant,” says McCreadie. Keeping track of business expenses is another im-portant factor for business survival, she adds.

“Keep a good set of books at all times. Getting an audit isn’t fun – track all expenses in the fi rst year and be smart with your purchases. You need to be savvy.”

The BSL offers free business seminars to all clients and will “help you every step of the way,” says McCreadie.

The BSL is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Fort Erie, at 45 Jarvis St., and may be con-tacted by phone at 905-871-7331, or email at bslft@niagara.com. Resource information is available at its website www.bslft.com.

Planning successful futures

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Helen McCreadie, offi ce manager of the Fort Erie Business Success and Loan Centre, celebrates the launch of the centre’s new name in December 2009.

Submitted photo

ON CAMPUSPage 10 NIAGARA NEWS March 19, 2010

By MICHELLE ANDERSONStaff Writer

As the school year approaches its end, students are asked to break out their Number 2 pencils and give some honest feedback about their courses.

Whether inquiring about the caf-eteria or faculty, Niagara College students are asked to anonymously spill it on the Key Performance Indicator survey.

The Niagara College website has the data collected from surveys from the past several years.

The site also gives a brief history of the inception of the surveys.

“The Ministry of Training, Col-leges and Universities instituted a system of performance measures for its colleges in 1999. The mea-sures are called Key Performance Indicators, or KPIs.”

Niagara College boasts a student satisfaction level that exceeds 85 per cent for the past six years. As college pamphlets and post-ers read, “Niagara College still number one.”

A fi rst-year student who wishes not to be identifi ed thinks the KPIs serve little purpose.

“I fi nd it’s a waste of time.”She is not against the school

using surveys, as a way to gauge student satisfaction, as she says that the program specifi c surveys (course evaluations, used to gain feedback about teachers and course content) is a valid method of evaluation.

These are separately done each term for use here only.

Because all participating col-leges use the same questions on the KPIs, the unnamed student feels that information gathered isn’t what should be used to improve specifi c programs.

Recruitment and admissions co-ordinator for the graduate pro-grams, Katie Devereaux, thinks that getting feedback from students is always important, as it infl uences decisions being made on their behalf.

Student ambassador Nicole Vankekem feels that positive KPI results are a good way to draw pro-spective students to the college.

“It’s something the school is very proud of,” says Vankekem, who runs tours of Niagara College for potential attendees.

She makes sure to tell the groups about the high student satisfaction, and adds, “They’re really happy they came to see the school.”

Showing people a building does not allow them a chance to experi-ence student life here; however, hearing feedback from students of-fers a candid look behind the walls of Niagara College.

Welding Techniques student Tay-lor Cambray has suggestions for his professors that may not appear on a multiple-choice scantron.

Cambray would encourage staff to liven up lessons.

“They could make class more exciting,” he says, even adding a Powerpoint slide show would spice up a boring lesson.

Cambray says monotone lectures leave students groggy and uneager to learn.

Regardless of his complaints,

Cambray is glad that he chose to enroll in college, saying it has prepared him “more than it would have if I hadn’t come.”

Cambray also says he will be able to fi nd work in the fi eld.

According to Niagara College’s Graduate Survey, which can be found on the school’s website, of the 28 Welding Techniques stu-dents who graduated in summer or fall 2007 and winter 2008, 65 per cent have found employment with a related job.

The college as a whole has 61 per cent of its 2,378 graduates of 2007-08, employed in their chosen fi eld, with 89 per cent of graduates listed as employed.

By having students fi ll out post-grad surveys, prospective attendees can get an idea of a program’s suc-cess and whether it is a good time to dive into a particular fi eld.

First-year student Myra Pisano says the employment statistics for her chosen program, Graphic De-sign, are irrelevant to her choice.

Pisano says she would take the program either way because it’s what she is passionate about doing.

For students who value job security, the statistics may act as a tiebreaker between two desired career paths.

As Devereaux says, “I think information should be available for students.”

KPI and other survey results help potential students get an unbiased look at Niagara College and it’s programs, while allowing current students a chance to anonymously speak to the people in charge.

The fi ve minutes a semester it takes to fi ll out the surveys can help make important decisions for potential Niagara students.

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Niagara College students have ranked the school No. 1 in student satisfaction since 2004.Photo by Stephanie Couture

KPI survey seeks honestopinions from students

‘It’s something the school is very proud of.’

—Nicole Vankekem

By STEVE HENSCHELStaff Writer

Housing that is sustainable may be a new idea, but a Niagara College graduate thinks students need to know about this growing concept.

Mike Matheson, a Niagara Falls electronics lab technologist and 2002 Niagara College graduate, will be presenting Greening the Cube: 100 Mile Housing, a fi lm

about sustainable housing.The fi lm will be shown April 14,

in the Hamilton Room, at 7 p.m., on the Welland campus.

Matheson is promoting the fi lm because his father is one of the builders featured in the fi lm.

For more information on the fi lm and other details, visit www.thevisualblueprint.com/Greening_The_Cube__100-Mile_Housing.

Film promotessustainable homes

The fi lm will premier April 14, at 7 p.m. at the Welland campus.Submitted photo

March 19, 2010 NIAGARA NEWS Page 11

ON CAMPUS

By THOMAS ROTELLAStaff Writer

As fast as the speed of light, the news can come to us at the click of a mouse, turn of a page or fl ip of a channel.

It can come from many different sources: waking up with a copy of the daily newspaper; tuning in to the radio on the ride to work, taking a lunch break with the world online or relaxing in front of the television for the 6 p.m. news.

But over the years, news in the form of print has changed, mostly because readers and technology have changed.

Printed newspapers are still a primary source, but it seems as if a movement has taken place between online and printed editions of the newspapers.

Dave Martineau, publisher with the Niagara Falls Review for the last three and a half years, says he thinks newspapers still have a future, whether they are print or online.

“There are still places prepared to pres-ent the news in any matter that people want to see it, whether it’s in print or on the internet, via Facebook, Twitter or through

mobile phones. If we deliver the news people want to see or read, then we still have a life.”

Martineau, of Niagara-on-the-Lake (NOTL), says that a website called NADbank (Newspaper Audience Databank) has all the research and statistics on the Canadian daily newspaper industry.

“Two years ago, stats showed that readership of newspa-pers were up 9.8 per cent on a weekly basis, but had dropped on a daily basis. Last year, the weekly readership increased another 5.6 per cent. It shows that more and more people are reading the news, just not on a daily basis.”

Martineau says it’s the types of stories covered that determine the future of the news.

“We have to realize that if we want people to tune into what we’re saying, we have to realize that we’re in the busi-ness of entertainment and in order to entertain, we have to aim to different age groups.”

Students from colleges and universities in Ontario talk about where they go to for their news (online, newspapers, television, radio):

Kathleen Mylchreest, 21, Niagara College, NOTL campus, Sales and Marketing program:“I prefer to get my news from the Internet because you can read any articles that interest you instead of having to read or watch all the others. On the Internet it’s also easier to fi nd the articles you are looking for: you don’t have to look through all the other articles or watch the whole hour of television. You can just search for it and click, you’re there. Getting news from the Internet is also more convenient because you can get the news whenever you want.”

Isaac Dell, 19, Wilfrid Laurier, Waterloo, Ont., Basic Kinesiology and Physical Education program:“Television is the easiest source of news for me and requires the least amount of work. It sounds lazy but it’s usually to the point and tells the most important points. I like to watch sports news and global news the most. It’s really interesting to know what is going on in other parts of the worlds as well.”

Sara McIntosh, 20, Brock University, Concurrent Education program:“I defi nitely prefer to get my news online, as the Internet is more convenient for my busy lifestyle. In between researching for an essay or chatting with friends, I can search what I want with a click of the mouse, without having to fl ip through large ink-stained newspapers or listening to broadcasters cover stories that have no relevance to my interests or life.”

Adam Carter, Niagara College, Welland campus, Broadcasting program:“I read most of my news online and mostly from cbc.ca, simply because whatever time of the day it is I can go online and have the most up-to-date news. I check it whenever I want and I rarely watch television so I don’t use it as much of a news source other than for sports news. I do read the college’s paper though, the Niagara News. I usually pick one up and read through it on the bus or over lunch or something, but I don’t think I’d read it if it were online though.”

David Morse, 19, Brock University, Political Science program:“I get my news from the Internet, because, being a student, my computer is almost always at hand and therefore it is the most convenient form of media for me to keep up with.”

Nattalie Masterson, 21, Niagara College, Welland campus, Social Service Worker program:“I always get my news from two sources. When I’m at home I get all my news from television, mostly because it’s just always on in the house. I also listen to the radio a lot, too. The station I listen to in the morning is 101.1 for the local news, and it’s convenient for me when I’m on the way to school or work.”

Scott McVey, 20, University of Western Ontario, London, Bachelor of Science Specialization in Kinesiology program:“I prefer to get my news from many diff erent sources, but mostly online or the newspaper. I don’t pay too much attention to television news because it seems like it’s marketed in a way that tailors to the societal stereotype of Western society. It’s always blood, guts and despair, in an attempt to keep the audience’s attention. I enjoy the variety of online news, mostly because it is targeted to the world rather than just a single region. Sure, I want to know about news that’s going on in my own backyard, but the world’s news is just that much more interesting. The only problem with online news is the chance that it may or may not be true. But that can be easily fi xed by looking up the facts via another source.”

Sarah Botbyl, 23, Brock University, Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Sociology program:“I prefer to get my news from newspapers because they’re well organized and I can read what I want to read, instead of having to wait until the end of a program on television to hear the story that interests me most. There is also more to read in the paper than on television because of a wider variety of stories like entertainment and advice columns. I fi nd there’s more depth in a daily newspaper.”

Print news faces futureNew media technology and changing readership a force of change

Photos by Thomas Rotella

ON CAMPUSPage 12 NIAGARA NEWS March 19, 2010

The minimum wage is going up.

On March 31, 2010, the general minimum wage will increase to $10.25 per hour from the current rate of $9.50 per hour.

To find out more about how the new minimum wage guidelines affectemployers and employees, call or visit the Ministry of Labour web site.

Paid for by the Government of Ontario

Current wage rate

Mar. 31, 2010 wage rate

General Minimum Wage

$9.50/hour

$10.25/hour

Students under 18 and working not more than 28 hours per week or during a school holiday

$8.90/hour__

$9.60/hour__

Hunting & Fishing Guides: for less than five consecutive hours in a day

$47.50

$51.25

Hunting & Fishing Guides: for five or more hours in a day whether or not the hours are consecutive

$95.00

$102.50

Homeworkers (people doing paid work in their home for an employer)

110% of the minimum wage

110% of the minimum wage

1-800-531-5551 www.ontario.ca/minimumwage

If you're an employer, here's what you need to know.

Liquor Server

$8.25/hour

$8.90/hour

By MADISON SAMUEL-BARCLAY

Staff WriterMarch 12 saw the end of Student

Music Week at Niagara College in a fl ash of guitars, drums, keyboards, and even harmonicas.

The fi nale of the week-long event took place at the Welland campus After Hours pub at 8 p.m. in the form of Niagara College’s annual Battle of the Bands.

The event, sponsored by the Canadian Organization of Campus Activities (COCA), sees the winner head to the Canadian Music Explo-sion regional fi nals, where the win-ning band from Niagara College plays against other participating colleges in that region in Windsor, Ont., on March 27. The regional fi nalists then move to McMaster University for the provincial fi nals, with a chance to win $1,000.

Glenn Murray, Niagara College Student Administrative Council’s (SAC) logistics manager, says it’s more about the exposure than the money, however.

“It’s about developing talent than discovery,” Murray says.

Last year’s winning band re-ceived an “auto-gigs,” for example, at various colleges and universities

in Ontario.The four bands competing per-

formed before an enthusiastic room and a panel of three judges: Matt Dell, former Campus Idol winner, Paul Savoy, singer and bartender at Niagara College’s Niagara-on-the-Lake campus; and agency representative Pete Monroy.

The fi rst band was Niagara Falls-based The Manhattan Proj-ect. Taking its name from the infamous historical experiment that eventually led to the creation of the atomic bomb, the four-piece band consists of Anthony Visca on vocals and bass, Mike Greco on guitar, Dave D’Angelo on guitar and keyboard and Michael Keays on drums. They started the evening off right with a string of their own original songs and a cover of Kings of Leon’s Sex On Fire.

The second band was The Es-caper, another Niagara Falls-based band. The three-piece band, consist-ing of Anthony Botting on guitar, Jay Newlands on bass, and James Underwood on drums, continued the night with a harder sound. Underwood broke his drumsticks on the fi rst song. He later reached into a supply bag of drumsticks for back-up.

“I always bring more sticks,” Underwood chuckled. “You should always bring three pairs.”

The third band of the night, an-other three-piece that also hailed from Niagara Falls, was Tom Skoal. The band consists of brothers Julian Finbow on base and vocals Kyle Finbow on guitar and vocals, and Jake Antonio on drums. The band performed a solid set, though there were a few technical diffi culties with their equipment.

Drummer Antonio met the Fin-bow brothers through football. His father and the brothers’ father were both coaches. Later Antonio would be approached by the brothers about his drumming, and the band was formed.

The fi nal band of the evening was the only group of the night to have its own harmonica solo.

Chainsaw Lobotomy, consist-ing of Rick Iafrate on guitar and vocals, Keenan Gentry on bass and Ryan O’Dell on drums, brought their own brand of “psychobilly” punk rock to the stage, drawing a bit of a crowd in the process.

Iafrate was introduced to the unique psychobilly genre in high school through a group called The Matadors. His addiction spread to

Gentry, and then to O’Dell, with the band’s main infl uences of Rev-erend Horton Heat, the Legendary Shack Shakers, and the Misfi ts (the band covered the Misfi ts’ One Last Caress to end their set).

The name Chainsaw Lobotomy was a last-minute title before the band’s fi rst show.

“I was trying to be as disgusting as possible,” Iafrate laughed, adding that the thought of an actual “chainsaw lobotomy” was somewhat humorous in itself, and humour fi t the mood of the band.

“It’s about trying? to control emotions,” Iafrate adds about the band’s name, cit-ing the lobotomy procedure used in mental institutions to control certain patients.

Chainsaw Lobotomy’s origi-nal songs were titled with equal oddity, with names like Road-side Taxidermy and Withinsan-ity, which Iafrate described as a song about “being deemed insane when it’s just a different way of thinking.”

Chainsaw Lobotomy is-booked for the next two months, with various show dates set, such as the opening act for the Creep

Show at the Mansion House in St. Catharines on April 15.

In the end, however, only one band could move on. The Man-hattan Project was chosen with positive comments and high scores from the judges. It will be moving on to the regional fi nals in Windsor

on March 27.You can check

out The Man-hattan Project a twww.mys-

p a c e . c o m /tmpmusic.

Battle of the bands draws huge crowd

Top: The audience packed in around the stage at Niagara College’s Battle of the Bands.Right: Battle winner Anthony Visca of The Manhattan Project.Bottom: Rick Iafrate (left) and Keenan Gentry (right) of Chainsaw Lobotomy.

Photos by Mike Eybell

LIFESTYLESMarch 19, 2010 NIAGARA NEWS Page 13

By EMILY YATESStaff Writer

Feb. 27 brought with it a dev-astating 8.8 level earthquake that rocked the Chilean nation.

The latest numbers are at around 400 dead and 1.5 million affected by the quake.

Niagara College is holding two fundraisers during the week of

March 22 to raise donations for the desperate nation.

A fundraiser at the Armoury stu-dent centre in the NOTL campus will take place on March 24.

Javiera Ortiz, member of the Chilean Group and culinary man-agement student at the NOTL campus encourages people to come out. There will be free live music

and food sales to help raise money for Chile.

“[The event] is just to [come out] and have a good time, good music and help the people of Chile at the same time,” say’s Ortiz.

“They’ll be fun events. All the proceeds after expenses will go to Chile,” say’s Jos Nolle, director of international education and devel-

opment. Nolle will be travelling to Chile

mid-May to endorse the college and education in Canada overall.

Unlike Haiti, Niagara College has a number of students enrolled through the international depart-ment from Chile.

Counselling is offered to any Chilean students feeling distressed

by the emotional after-shock of the quake.

Students are able to donate at both events on the campus’ or can donate to World Vi-sion at www.worldvission.ca.Donations can also be made at UNICEF.ca/Chile and w w w . r e d c r o s s . c a / D o n a t e www.worldvision.ca.

By JOSH GRANT-YOUNGStaff Writer

Suffering, contrary to popular belief, isn’t running out of orange juice.

The multi faith chaplaincy discussion panel met March 9 to discuss suffering in various religions. Dr. David Goicoechea, professor emeritus of philosophy at Brock University, Professor and writer Alexandra Fic and multi faith chaplaincy adviser Mehdi Wolf were present to discuss tra-ditions in Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and the Baha’i faith. Reverend Prince Conteh, the college’s multi faith chaplain, chaired the event.

Goicoechea, in lecture format, discussed the concepts of suffering in Judaism and Christianity, draw-ing parallels between the canon of both faiths. Comparing Jewish fi gures like Adam, Moses and David with Jesus and his followers writings on suffering and redemp-tion, Goicoechea concluded that suffering is not only a major theme in Jewish tradition but translates into a positive force in both Jewish and Christian thought.

With Judaism, Goicoechea noted that major stories in the Torah and Tanakh deal with the suffering of the Jewish people for two reasons: testing and redemption. In the story of Adam and David, these fi gures and their kin suffer as a result of their transgressions and are pun-ished before redeeming themselves. Job, a man in the Tanakh, is tested by God to prove his steadfast faith despite the hardships he endures and is justly rewarded.

In Christianity, the concept of suffering is surprisingly positive. Jesus, the Christian Messiah, is a central fi gure who suffers so that “all fl esh may be saved,” a concept Goicoechea reinforced later follow-ing questions. The early Christian faith is a tradition in which suffer-ing for one’s faith is seen as a noble practice, with numerous saints who suffered and died in order to save, convert or teach others the message of their faith.

Fic’s coverage of the Buddhist and Hindu tradition was particu-larly intriguing, as she has traveled to numerous countries in South Asia, giving her a panoramic view of numerous Buddhist traditions around the globe.

“The Four Noble Truths and Eight Precepts are the only thing all schools agree on. The rest is de-

bated,” Fic noted as she explained Buddhist tradition, which took up most of her speaking time. The number of traditions and schisms within Buddhism have made the topic often too generalized, a prob-lem Fic easily avoided by intensely focusing on certain schools and offering succinct answers when questioned.

In Buddhist tradition, life is pain, but not the “running out of orange juice” kind of pain, Fic says. The evolution of Buddhism is rooted in some Hindu ideas, as the Buddha Siddhartha Gautama was raised Hindu.

Siddhartha Gautama’s life plays a major role in understanding Bud-dhism. Gautama was born as a

prince in India and lived a pleasant and comfortable life. However, one day, he is said to have left the pal-ace he lived in and witness a beg-gar, a sick elderly person, a dead body and an ascetic (a religious tradition in India of denying your-self worldly pleasures for spiritual improvement).

Gautama’s Hindu upbringings

play a role in Buddhist thought, as he preserved the teaching of Karma. Karma is, simply put, consequence for every action. Buddhists and Hindus believe what form you are reincarnated into is based on the theory of Karma.

“You are accountable for every action, for every word, everything you do.”

Fic is working on her second book focusing on Buddhism. The book is based on Siddhartha’s memories of his past 550 lives before his birth as a Buddha.

Many in the audience raised an eyebrow at the number. However, Fic reassured them that many of the tales associated with Siddhartha’s life were “passed down from oral tradition” and should be expected to be odd.

Wolf, the fi nal speaker, rep-resented the Islam and Baha’i religious traditions. Despite the treatment of Baha’i people in Iran, a Muslim majority, Wolf drew many parallels between Baha’i and schools of Islam.

The Baha’i religion is a young Abrahamic faith, having roots in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Baha’is strive to create religious and social unity in the pursuit of global peace.

The Baha’i faith was founded by Bahá’u’lláh, who is believed by followers to be the fi nal prophet of God, who places emphasis on the Bab, another fi gure who Bahá’u’lláh had followed before founding the Baha’i religion.

Wolf presented various ideas on how Islam and the Baha’i faith both view suffering in a similar manner. Suffering, as Wolf puts it, is not because God wants to indiscrimi-nately punish. Suffering comes in two forms: trials and punishment. Some, as Wolf put it, need to be tested in faith while others need to be punished for wickedness. This sentiment is common in all Abrahamic faiths and further explained by `Abdu’l-Bahá , the eldest son of Bahá’u’lláh.

“To attain eternal happiness one must suffer. He who has reached the state of self-sacrifi ce has true joy. Temporal joy will vanish.”

The last event in the multi faith panel discussion will be held April 13 on Niagara College’s Welland Campus in Lundy 3 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The topic is dialogue between Abraha-mic faiths with Rev. Prince Conteh chairing.

Dr. David Goicoechea, professor emeritus of philosophy at Brock University, Professor and writer Alexandra Fic and multi faith chaplaincy adviser Mehdi Wolf took part in a discussion panel on suff ering in various religious traditions on March 9.

Photos by Josh Grant-Young

Alexandra Fic, professor at Brock University and chair of the Employment Insurance Board for the Niagara Region, speaks to the audience about Buddhism and suff ering while Dr. David Goicoechea looks on.

Chileans in need of aid following massive quake

Suff ering and self-sacrifi ce:Common themes run deep in various world religions

By APRIL STEWARTStaff Writer

If you’re a graduate or are planning on graduating soon, the Niagara College Foundation and Alumni Relations team wants you to know they’re offering you their support.

The GradSmart initiative was de-veloped in the 2008-2009 academic year. The goal is to help graduat-ing students transition to the next stage of their lives, whether it be to further their education or enter the work world.

“We offer support in whichever path they choose, and our support continues beyond their time as a student at Niagara College,” says Elise Auger, alumni relations and GradSmart liaison.

Last year, the college did a graduating survey and class visita-tions to determine what graduating students were looking for as they prepare for graduating. Based on the results, a GradSmart Vedor fair was held featuring education and employment opportunities, and alumni benefi ts and services. This year a GradSmart Student Advi-sory Committee was developed comprising of students from gradu-ate studies and degree programs. The group meets once a month to discuss GradSmart plans.

“The committee plays a huge role in promoting our initiatives to their classmates and other stu-dents,” says Auger.

Based on the results of a survey and input from the committee, the fi rst event, Let the Networking Be-

gin, was held on Dec. 2, 2009. “The event was a tremendous

success. Students had the opportu-nity to network with some commu-nity leaders and recent graduates. Blair Pollard, vice-president, or-ganization development Canadian Tire Corporation Ltd., spoke to the group about what employers are looking for when hiring new employees.”

The team wants to profi le the ac-complishments of both the college and its graduates, demonstrating the value of a college education and the positive impact of Niagara College on the community.

“We try to encourage our graduates to maintain a lifelong

relationship with the college by forwarding regular communica-tion via our website, e-bulletin and encore newsletter, thus keeping them aware of the good news at the college and providing them oppor-tunities such as homecoming, curl-ing tournaments and reunions to reconnect with former classmates, staff and faculty,” says Steve Cino, alumni co-ordinator.

“We also attempt to fi nd group discount programs and services that are needed by graduates. For example, we offer discounts on home and car insurance through Johnson Insurance, discount rates via MBNA Mastercard, health, dental and life insurance through Canada Life and excellent mort-gage rates through the National Group Mortgage program,” says Cino.

More information on these plans and other discounts such as CAA membership reductions, Bell wire-less plans, and discount rates for the Toronto Raptors is outlined on the website, www.niagaracollege.ca/alumni.

Service is also provided by the Job Centre to provide free access to a professional online resumé and portfolio builder, Optimal Resumé, to assist graduates in getting a competitive edge in a challenging economy.

The Job Centre is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays and can be reached at 905 641-2252 ext. 4165, at the NOTL campus or 905-735-2211, ext. 7777, at the Welland campus.

ON CAMPUSPage 14 NIAGARA NEWS March 19, 2010

By JULIA BOUCHERStaff Writer

Getting down to business re-quires more than just saying it.

Once obtaining her hairdresser certifi cate, Elisa Ricci, 22, knew an hourly wage at a salon was not in her cards.

With that in mind, she slowly began a business out of her home.

“At the beginning I had a part-time job and only did my friends’ hair in the evening,” she explains.

“I began to learn that it is all about the quality of work you do because my friends began refer-ring their friends to me. It was like a trickling effect,” she excitedly

explains.Ricci admits, “At fi rst, the

money just wasn’t there, but it was probably after a year or so when I realized just how big of a clientele I had and quit my other job.”

She also knew that with her business expanding there was a lot more work involved.

“I had to get a more formal set-up and come up with a price list for just about everything and I real-ized that it costs money to make money.”

She now has to make weekly visits to the beauty supply store and has to ensure she has every product that could be needed in order to

meet the wishes of her growing amount of clients.

But, with her business far off the ground, Ricci is taking time off to go back to school to fulfi ll her other passion – animals.

“I’m going back to school be-cause I eventually want to start my own animal daycare while continu-ing my hairdressing,” Ricci says.

“I know it will take much more work and I will probably need help, but I know it is worth it.”

So, with great ambition and hard work, Ricci was able to start a successful hairdressing business and hopes her future will be just as successful with her new venture.

By RACHEL PRIVETT Staff Writer

The fi nancial face of Niagara College has changed.

Vince Malvaso has been with Ni-agara College since April 2003, and in January 2010 he was promoted to director of fi nancial services.

“I was in the acting director fi nancial services role from May 2009 to January 2010. I was offi -cially appointed to the position on Jan. 25,” says Malvaso.

As director of fi nancial services, Malvaso is “accountable for the management of college funds and

in the development, implementa-tion and maintenance of college fi nancial services in the areas of budgets, fi nancial reporting, purchasing, accounts payable, ac-counting, payroll, student accounts, insurance and all fi nancial auditing requirements.”

Before his new role with Niagara College, Malvaso held an abun-dance of different positions.

“I was the manager, budgets and accounting, since April 2003 for Niagara College. Prior to my arrival at Niagara College I was in the municipal sector for four

years (supervisor, fi nance) and the private sector (senior accountant/analyst) for two years.

Malvaso chose to work at Ni-agara “because of the challenge and the excitement of working in the positive environment of post secondary education.”

“Although the job is demand-ing, and you can never know what to expect each day, I would have it no other way. I feel fortunate to be part of the great team at Niagara College and to work with an outstanding team in Financial Services,” says Malvaso.

Front from left, Carrie Pahowski, Jeff Sebanc, Melissa Ivany Back: Adam Pope, Mandi Montour.

From left, Chris Dube, Adam Pope, Mike McIintosh.Photos by Stephanie Couture

Elise Auger is helping grads make their impact through the GradSmart program.

Submitted Photo

Networking post-grad

Growing a home business

New face at college fi nance desk

St. Patrick’s Day celebrations at Welland Campus

OFF CAMPUSMarch 19, 2010 NIAGARA NEWS Page 15

By SETH HENNESSYStaff Writer

Taking a wrong turn in down-town St. Catharines may leave you in a beautiful place.

The second annual Family Day Hike run by the Welland Canal Advocate (WCA), began Feb. 15 on Westchester Avenue.

The fi ve-kilometre hike was led by the WCA’s publisher, Rene Russler, and his partner, Shana Matthews.

It is a colder hike but this year Russler’s storytelling and facts warm the hikers.

The “optimum dream” for Rus-sler and other supporters of historic preservation in St. Catharines is to see the canals acknowledged for their importance.

Bob Watson was along for the day and is a member of the St. Catharines Heritage Committee.

He does not think many residents know about the scattered locks that remain.

“Most people couldn’t point out the second canal,” he says but still feels they are worth knowing about.

“It’s a neat part of history.” The WCA and other community

groups hope to raise enough aware-ness so the canals can be designated as national historic sites. This will ensure protection and the ability to maintain what is left of them.

Since 1847, money problems have swamped the canals’ chances at receiving steady maintenance.

“John A. MacDonald commis-sioned the fi rst one,” says Russler. But within 50 to 60 years since

that day, marine technology devel-oped, so many of the canals’ uses “became obsolete.”

After some settlement took place, factories sprouted around the canals using the relayed wa-ter as hydraulic power. Today it

is evident that these factories no longer exist.

To fi x a simple problem today, it would take a lot of money out of funds that do not yet exist.

Grocery carts are thrown into the water and sticking in the mud

enough that a truck and grappling hooks are necessary to clean it up.

“It would take a couple of thou-sand dollars just to get a few out, and then they’d be back again,” says Russler.

After the hikers cross the train tracks and climbing over fallen trees, one member of the hike makes a revelation.

“I used to swim there,” says Edna Groff, pointing to an empty fi eld.

After water levels dropped, there were still small pools of water left including Granny’s Creek where Groff used to swim.

Personal memories still exist in the depths of St. Catharines’ past, but the future is erasing other memories.

At the end of the hike, Russler uses his walking stick to outline in the snow where Lock 14 rests under the new Sobeys on Glendale Avenue.

Russler does not speak bitterly about new buildings or that the canal has not been kept up.

He knows that any fault is multi-layered and impossible to assign, but he is saddened when a forgotten canal stone, half covered in snow and bush, is found.

“It’s a bloody shame,” he says, but walks on.

Earlier in the walk when the path looked less beaten and the group looked to him for direction, he simply replied, “We’ll blaze our own trail.”

Emily Mazi, 24, found the day delightful.

“I thoroughly enjoyed the hike. It was awesome to see the histori-cal signifi cance.”

Although Russler was not in earshot, he might be glad to know Mazi’s future plans.

“I am defi nitely coming back.”

Rene Russler claims to not be an expert on the canals but is never lost for words when asked about them.Photo by Seth Hennessy

Historically signifi cant canals

By APRIL STEWARTStaff Writer

The bright rays of the mid-April sun shone through the blinds and woke 21-year-old Jenny Glezner minutes before her alarm set for 7 a.m., an alarm also set to start her on her new life.

Not getting much sleep the night before, Glezner rolled out of bed and accomplished all of her morning rituals in record time. Somehow gripping fi ve suitcases fi lled with clothes, toiletries and personal possessions, she waddled down the stairs to bid her family her last farewells.

Glezner then said goodbye to her home town of Sarnia, Ont., and travelled four hours to To-ronto where she would board a fi ve-hour fl ight to her new home in Vancouver, B.C.

Glezner graduated from St. Christopher’s High School in 2006 and took a year off before enrolling at Lambton College for the Pre-Health program.

“I really liked the program and want to continue to pursue work-ing within a hospital, hopefully

as a nurse, but I didn’t have the money to fi nish the program at the time,” says Glezner.

Since jobs were hard to come by in Sarnia and surrounding areas, Glezner decided to look online. She came across sites asking for students to study abroad, and then

she stumbled across something that would spark her interest: families from different cities, or even countries, looking for an au pair.

An au pair is a foreign-national domestic assistant working for, and living as part of, a host family.

Not being too fond of her home town anymore and desperately wanting to travel and experience a big change in her life, Glezner didn’t hesitate to look farther and eventually came in contact with families looking to hire.

“It was about the next day that I got word back from at least six different families, ranging from China to 20 minutes away from my house,” says Glezner.After numerous emails and phone calls, she fi nalized her plans with the fi rst family she thought she suited.

Within months, Glezner was on her way to Vancouver, having had her fl ight paid for by her host family.

“I was nervous to meet them at fi rst, but more excited than anything,” says Glezner.She arrived in Vancouver and found herself looking after two young boys in a home of four.

She also takes time out of her new busy life to babysit for an-other family, who has two young girls.

“I absolutely adore the families.

I love it here, I never ever want to go back, and I get paid pretty well too!”

Glezner has been in Vancouver for two years and doesn’t have any plans to come back to Ontario.

“I wish I had done this sooner. I’m going to earn enough money here, then enrol in a program here so I can become a nurse,” says Glezner.

Information about the au pair-ing programs can be found at www.aupairworld.net.

Jennifer Glezner moved across Canada to live and help out with a busy family.

Submitted photo

From Sarnia to Vancouver as a domestic assistant

‘I absolutely adore the families. I love it here, I never ever want to go back, and I get paid pretty well too!’

—Jenny Glezner

Local Welland Canal Advocate works to protect waterways

SHAW SPECIALPage 16 NIAGARA NEWS March 19, 2010

By TAMARAH NEILLStaff Writer

Given today’s economy, “very few people can afford to be poor.”

Those were the words displayed on Stage Production Technician Peter Gracie’s bright green picket sign on March 13, as he and a dozen other Shaw Festival Pro-duction, Facilities, and Audience Services Departments employees stood outside the Royal George Theatre on Queen Street, Niag-ara-on-the-Lake, for the fourth consecutive day.

Gracie, like the other picketers, is a union member of the Local 461 International Alliance of The-atrical Stage Employees (IATSE) working at the Shaw Festival’s three venues.

At about 5 p.m. on March 10, as a result of an unresolved labour dispute ongoing since August 2008, the Shaw’s 16 Local 461 Facilities Department employees, which in-clude housekeepers, maintenance workers and groundskeepers, were told by Shaw management not to come back to work.

With preview shows scheduled to begin at the end of this month, employees say the company could be jeopardizing this year’s season.

Picketers explain the disagree-ment isn’t over money, but rather job security.

Scott Furminger, Shaw’s change-over electrician and Local 461 member, has worked for the theatre for 20 years and says many of those joining him at the line have been there just as long, if not longer.

He says it was about a month ago that union members from other departments voted to stand beside and support their “brothers and sisters.”

“The management team at Shaw Festival was well aware locking out the Facilities Department em-ployees would result in a strike,” says Furminger.

According to an IATSE press release, numerous efforts have been put forth by the Local 461 to attain a still non-existent con-tract for members of the Facilities Department of the Shaw Festival, “but the remaining issue is the Fes-tival’s desire to have the ability to replace, in whole or in part, union employees with others who would work under a contract service.”

The lockout has Furminger and employees from other departments concerned with the language used in their own contracts.

Tom Hurst, Local 461 member and stage production technician, says the Shaw Festival is the “sec-ond-largest theatre of its kind in North America, and should have no problem negotiating with IATSE.

“We do what we do better than anyone else. Some of us, we’ve been doing it at the Shaw for as long as the Shaw has been here.”

Hurst and his colleagues agreed that should mean something.

Town residents and busi-nesses have been “more than supportive and incredibly help-ful,” says Hurst.

“People have been dropping off doughnuts, coffee, pizza, what-

Employees want security

Th e show must go on and backstage folks make it so

ever. We’re thankful for that, and it shows us we at least matter to somebody.”

Another man, who asked to re-main nameless as a result of prior confl ict with management, says the festival’s failure to recognize

the talent and dedication of its employees “is getting ridiculous and lacking respect.”

The group says they will stay right where they are until the Shaw Festival agrees to renegotiate all three departments’ contracts.

Peter Gracie, a stage production technician for the Shaw Festival, grins and bears the wind and rain for his fellow Local 461 IATSE union members in the Facilities Department.

Photo by Tamarah Neill

By STEPHANIE COUTUREStaff Writer

There are three main ingredients in theatre – the play, the actors and the audience – but at the Shaw Festival it is about the behind-the-scenes staff.

Before the doors open to theatre lovers, before the actors can bow and before the curtains can close, sets must be built, costumes must be hemmed and props must be made.

Since 1962 the Shaw Festival has created hundreds of 18th century plays. Audiences have been front and centre experiencing a world of corsets, bonnets, long-line jackets and patented safety skirts never stepping behind the curtains into a world where imagination comes to life.

“The process of starting off a sea-son at the Shaw is rather lengthy,” says Odette Yazbeck, public rela-tions director. “Almost a whole year goes by before plays start.”

Yazbeck breaks down the 12-month cycle of putting together a season at the Shaw.

In the months of February and March, she says the staff begins by looking at plays; in July they

make fi nal decisions, set budgets, do casting, fi nd directors, costume designers and so on. Sets come to life in September while props are beginning to be worked on in No-vember; in February the costumes are sewn and stitched.

The Shaw is not necessarily a magical world builder but has the ability to bring the modern world back into an era that is unfamiliar to some.

The bottom fl oor of the Shaw Festival is almost like Alice falling into the rabbit hole.

Instead of tiny doors and larger doors, there is a maze of hallways, each leading to an unexpected and exciting world.

“Being able to see how plays all comes together is indescribable and makes me appreciate the art of Shaw even more than I thought possible,” says Elise Foerster, a Broadcasting – Radio, Television and Film (BRTF) student here.

The Shaw Festival, which has four theatres, seating a total of 1,724 spectators, has approximate-ly 20 staff members.

From set design to those who play with hair for an average of 40 hours to make one wig, to the

hat-lady who creates authentic headwear that may or may not be touched more than once during a play, the Shaw has it all and indi-vidual rooms dedicated for each craft.

“We have it down to a science here at the Shaw,” says Yazbeck. “We are working with some of the best actors and behind-the-scenes staff, and our technical support we have here is outstanding. Our production values are the envy of theatre companies in the world over, so we do have a pretty great system.”

Walking around the Shaw is an experience akin to walking at the North Pole, seeing elves at their station, but instead of building trains and dolls, they are craft-ing scenes of years past and making an era come alive in the present.

“I have a love for fashion, so walking into the wardrobe room made me speechless,” says Kylie Campbell, a BRTF student. “I did not understand the intense process and dedication it takes to put to-gether a play and [I] got to see and touch modern fashion from years before I was born, almost forget-

ting it was everyday attire.” Not only was seeing props amaz-

ing but so was seeing the empty theatre, explains Foerster. Standing in a dark auditorium with hun-dreds of empty seats and rows and rows of lights with a half-built set where her voice can echo overwhelmed her.

“It felt unreal to know that what looks like unfi nished work would look like a whole new world in just a couple weeks,” says Bryson Densmore, a BRTF student.

Long after they found their way out of the maze of hallways, the experience caused them to come away with a new appreciation for theatre and the process.

“It is really interesting to see how many people there are behind the scenes, and that it takes every one of those people working together to make the show a success,” says Foerster. “When you actually go and see a play, it never really crosses your mind how much work was put into it.”

“I am forever going to look at theatre and the process in a posi-tive light,” says Campbell. “It is not just seeing a play anymore; it is an experience.”

An inside look at the Shaw Festival

By STEPHANIE COUTUREStaff Writer

The Shaw Festival is closing the curtain on its debt.

The prestigious Niagara-on-the-Lake theatre announced in January it has been able to eliminate the debt accumulated through an on-and-off again defi cit over the past fi ve years.

“We’ve been able to do this thanks to very frugal spending on our parts and also thanks to a gift from a patron who passed away and remembered us in her will,” says Odette Yazbeck, public rela-tions director at the Shaw.

Mona Campbell, the late theatre patron and long-time Shaw Festival supporter, left an unrestricted gift of nearly $3 million for the theatre to do with as it pleased.

Every year the Shaw Festival sets an operating budget, covered by its revenues. In 2009, annual revenues from all sources were $25.86 million; 57 per cent came from the box offi ce, 31 per cent from fundraising, seven per cent from government grants and fi ve per cent from other revenues. The expenses for that year rounded to a total of $24.1 million, leaving the theatre with a surplus of $1.76 mil-lion, higher than its 2008 surplus of $222,000.

Yazbeck says it is a “complex rollercoaster ride” and they are constantly learning and getting new ideas for the fi nancing challenges.

She went on to say there are “fac-tors beyond their control” and they are hoping for the best but at the same time watch what they spend and market more aggressively.

The Shaw Festival has an eco-nomic impact of roughly $76.6 million annually, provides 1,150 year-round jobs in the Niagara region and draws an estimated 78,300 tourists.

“We went on sale during one of the most signifi cant economic meltdowns,” says Yazbeck. “There is absolutely nothing we can do about the fact that the fi nancial world is crumbling around us and we are asking people to buy tickets to our festival.”

“We are going to work on a stra-tegic plan, make sure what we are spending is being spent carefully, look at our budget carefully and continue to produce some of the best theatre in North America.”

Smart spending pays off with surplus

‘We went on sale during one of the most signifi cant economic melt-downs.’

—Odette Yazbeck

SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SSHHAAWW FFEESSTTIIVVAALL SSHHAAWW FFEESSTTIIVVAALL SSHHAAWW FFEESSTTIIVVAALL SSHHAAWW FFEESSTTIIVVAALL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SSHHAAWW FFEESSTTIIVVAALL SSHHAAWW FFEESSTTIIVVAALL SSHHAAWW FFEESSTTIIVVAALL SSHHAAWW FFEESSTTIIVVAALL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SSHHAAWW FFEESSTTIIVVAALL SSHHAAWW FFEESSTTIIVVAALL SSHHAAWW FFEESSTTIIVVAALL SSHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SSHHAAWW FFEESSTTIIVVAALL SSHHAAWW FFEESSTTIIVVAALL SSHHAAWW FFEESSTTIIVVAALL SSHHAAWW FFEESSTTIIVVAALL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SSHHAAWW FFEESSTTIIVVAALL SSHHAAWW FFEESSTTIIVVAALL SSHHAAWW FFEESSTTIIVVAALL SSHHAAWW FFEESSTTIIVVAALL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SSHHAAWW FFEESSTTIIVVAALL SSHHAAWW FFEESSTTIIVVAALL SSHHAAWW FFEESSTTIIVVAALL SSHHAAWW FFEESSTTIIVVAALL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SSHHAAWW FFEESSTTIIVVAALL SSHHAAWW FFEESSTTIIVVAALL SSHHAAWW FFEESSTTIIVVAALL SSHHAAWW FFEESSTTIIVVAALL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SSHHAAW FESTTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SSHHAAWW FFEESSTTIIVVAALL SSHHAAWW FFEESSTTIIVVAALL SSHHAAWW FFEESSTTIIVVAALL SSHHAAWW FFEESSTTIIVVAALL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAWW FESSTTIIVVAALL SSHHAAWW FFEESSTTIIVVAALL SSHHAAWW FFEESSTTIIVVAALL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SSHHAAWW FFEESSTTIIVVAALL SSHHAAWW FFEESSTTIIVVAALL SSHHAW FESTTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SHAW FESTIVAL SSHHAAWW FFEESSTTIIVVAALL SSHHAAWW FFEESSTTIIVVAALL SSHHAAWW FFEESSTTIIVVAALL SSHHAAWW FFEESSTTIIVVAALL

SHAW SPECIALMarch 19, 2010 NIAGARA NEWS Page 17

The Shaw Festival’s costume designers and makers are responsible for the wonderful clothing worn by actors onstage.Photos by Stephanie Couture

Public Relations Director Odette Yazbeck works on a soon-to-be-fi nished wig for a play at the Shaw.

Wigs need models and actors need wigs at the Shaw.

Handmade hats sit ready for this season of the Shaw.

Costumes wait patiently for their debut on stage.

Page 19Page 18 Niagara News — March 19, 2010

Eddie Osbourne makes Too Sweet Pistol Pete smile for the camera while Topher Whiteman, who would later pin Pete, trash talks.

All photos by Aaron Jankowski

Pure Wrestling slams After HoursslamsBy AARON JANKOWSKI

Staff WriterWhere there were tables and chairs only a few hours ago, a square circle now

rests, black, red and white ropes pulled taut.The crowd slowly trickles in, starting with only a handful but quickly growing to

about 80.David Decibles, the ring announcer, steps through the ropes and stands in the

ring.He introduces Joey Allen, Allen’s music plays and everyone in After Hours on the

Welland campus waits. And waits. After some delay, Decibles, whose real name is David Danboise, of St.

Catharines, and a first-year Broadcasting-Radio, Television and Film student at Niagara College, gives Allen another introduction, and this time, he comes storming out to the ring.

His counterpart, EZE Eric Cairnie, comes to the ring next, draped in a Canadian flag.

The bell rings, and an evening of PWA Niagara wrestling begins. Before the first bell rang, the men who inevitably would be screaming, trash-

talking and throwing each other around the ring, were leisurely strolling into After Hours. Shaking familiar hands and exchanging pleasantries, it was just another day at work.

Matteo Cintione, 29, of Niagara Falls, who wrestles under the name Tony Stickball Carbonie and will later lose his tag team championship, stands at the bar, looking at the ring and smiles.

“It’s a tough and dirty business,” he says, but the big man, who has wrestled in 30 different federations since 2003, is committed to making it big. So is his tag team partner, Carmen Scordino, 26, of Niagara Falls, who wrestles as Primo Scordino. He drove to Welland from Kentucky, fresh from a two-day World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) tryout. His pursuit of the WWE has been seven years and counting, but he “doesn’t plan on stopping any time soon.”

Scordino and Cintione’s never-give-up attitude is echoed throughout the PWA Niagara.

“[I’m] not stopping until I get to the WWE,” says Jesse Scott, 28, of Fort Erie, a Niagara College graduate of the General Arts and Science program.

Scott, who wrestles as JT Playa, has been at it for about 10 years and even ran his own wrestling company for five years.

The night saw four championship title fights. The first was Zakk Atticus, who defended his New Tradition title against Gabe Saint in the second match of the evening, one that was full of crude jokes and outstanding showmanship by Atticus, who got the audience into the show for the first time.

The second was the PrimaDonna title, which Krystal Banks defended in a three-way match against Sabrina Kyle and Jennifer Blake.

Scordino and Cintione, who wrestle as The Italianos, lost their Tag Team title to the team of The T-Rex Express, Troy Buchannan and Rex Atkinsand.

The final match of the evening was an impromptu match for the PWA Niagara Heavyweight title, in which an already beaten and bloody Too Sweet Pistol Pete, the self proclaimed oldest man wrestling in Ontario at 43, defeated Ron Falco.

Zakk Atticus enters the ring the difficult way before defending his New Tradition title against Gable Saint.

Osbourne, left, and Jessy Jones take the battle out of the ring and to the bar in After Hours, on the Welland campus.

Scotty Turner tries to get a submission out of Niagara College alumni, JT Playa.

One half of T-Rex, Rex Atkins attempts to pin Primo Scordino for the tag team titles. The pin was unsuccessful, but T-Rex ended up winning anyway.

Atticus begs for mercy from Saint, before eventually pinning him to defend his title.

OFF CAMPUSPage 20 NIAGARA NEWS March 19, 2010

By HEIDI GRZESINAStaff Writer

Three-month-old Karlie Hill was not disturbed at all by the reverberating sound of the drum, contentedly sleeping as though the drumbeat was her heartbeat.

The Fort Erie Native Friendship Centre, (FENFC), 769 Buffalo Rd., hosted its 15th annual mid-winter powwow March 6 and Hill was sound asleep in the arms of Jen-nifer Dockstader, president of the board of directors.

“The drumbeat is our heartbeat,” says Dockstader, “It is a connection the child im-mediately understands.”

In the week that also marks International Women’s Day March 8, it is of signifi cance that Natives say the drum is symbolic of women’s rights and of the obligations to their communities.

An ancient Native prophecy, telling of strangers that would come to the land “turning lives upside down,” warns when the trees start dying from the top down, the time has come for women to “take back the drum.”

Artist Burt Anderson sees the prophecy is now being fulfi lled.

The vision statement of FENFC, “Togeth-er for a Stronger Tomorrow,” was evident as dancers from near and far entered the hall in the Grand Entry and the brilliant colours

of their regalia swirled in perfect harmony with the songs offered by drummers.

Onlookers such as Megan Klauck, holding her son, Carson James Klauk, were clearly mesmerized observing the proceedings.

“They [the dancers] t have his total atten-tion,” says Klauk.

Attendees in the fi lled-to-capacity hall stood until the invocation ceremony was complete and when invited to do so, joined in the dancing together.

“This is our fi rst year here,” says vendor Leona Sabourin, “but we will be back. This is a wonderful time for a powwow. After a long winter, this is just what we need to come together again and to hopefully en-courage spring to begin.”

Vendors lined the perimeter walls of the hall offering their cultural wares for sale. Outside the hall, a rummage sale offered tables of bargains.

The FENFC has a mission statement to enhance all aspects of Native life while ex-tending friendship to the community.

Services offered are: health and wellness, health outreach, mental health, long life care, Aboriginal alcohol and drug workers, family support, prenatal nutrition, employ-ment units and education services, includ-ing literacy base skills.

For more information, visit the website, www.fenfc.org, or call 905-871-8931.

Fancy Shawl Dancer.

Men’s Fancy Grass dancer.

Vendor Leona Sabourin displays her merchandise to young shoppers at the Fort Erie Native Friendship Centre’s Powwow.

Cultural treasures for sale at Fort Erie Native Friendship Centre’s powwow March 6. Photos by Heidi Grzesina

Drum’s rhythm like a heartbeatCelebrating women’s rights in Fort Erie

OFF-CAMPUSMarch 19, 2010 NIAGARA NEWS Page 21

By DAVID JANZENStaff Writer

A dragon was loose in Toronto.Arlene Dickinson, CEO of Ven-

ture Communications, took some time out of her busy schedule to join Steve Stunt, a business profes-sor at Niagara College, and two students on Stunt’s radio program, the Entrepreneur Hour. Stunt’s pro-gram is broadcast from the CP24 Radio 1050 studio in Toronto.

Venture’s main offi ce is in Cal-gary, but Dickinson has a residence in Toronto, saying it’s “like her second home.”

She has appeared on CBC’s hit television program, Dragon’s Den for its past four seasons.

On the show, Canadians get the chance to make a sales pitch to a panel of successful business peo-ple – the dragons – in an attempt to raise capital for their business ventures.

Stephanie Jakop, 21, of St. Catharines and Mike Ferragina, 25, of Bradford, won a draw in their entrepreneur class for a chance to

ask Dickinson some questions in the studio in early February.

Ferragina says he was impressed how personable Dickinson is.

“In person she is so humble, she’s the nicest person. You can tell she really cares about business.”

During the radio program, he asked Dickinson why, in some cas-es, do second- or third-generation family businesses sometimes fail? Her response put the responsibility in the hands of the parents.

Dickinson says if a child grows up with a sense of entitlement, as opposed to valuing hard work, the company could potentially suffer.

Ferragina also asked about rais-ing capital for a business, to which Dickinson replied, “You have to weave it into conversations. It’s in the fabric of how you think.”

When it was Jakop’s turn to speak with Dickinson, she asked the Dragon for advice to new graduates of a business program.

Dickinson stressed the impor-tance of making choices after col-lege or university for yourself, not

to please your parents or anyone else.

She says to ask, “What makes you happy? You’re in charge of you. Don’t give up those life deci-sions to anyone else.”

With her teacher sitting beside her, she asked Dickinson what an entrepreneur professor should be teaching students.

“I feel like I’ve just been set up,” says Stunt with a laugh.

Dickinson agreed with Stunt, who says it’s hard to teach entre-preneurial material from a book.

“He should teach you about the pitfalls in business and encourage whatever entrepreneurial spirit you have.”

CBC aired the season fi ve fi nale on March 15, but fans need not worry. Dickinson will return for season six.

Applications for contestants are now open for season six and can be made online at www.cbc.ca/dragonsden, where there’s also a list of dates and locations to apply in person.

By SYLVIE BERRYand JOSH LADOUCEUR

Staff WritersPaying it forward, one less plas-

tic water bottle at a time. That’s the message Richmond Street Public School (RSPD) students are con-veying to the world.

The Thorold school has under-gone an extreme green makeover in the past four months with the help of Niagara College Environmen-tal Management and Assessment students Daniel Lusina, 27, Erica Dobie, 21, and Sam Ondrias, 26.

The trio introduced faculty and students to the EcoSchools status program in November 2009. Dobie was inspired one afternoon when picking up her cousin. She spotted a sustainability poster in the school describing its importance and how much it’s needed.

“I saw it [the poster] and it kind of sparked something, an interest to get involved and see what they were doing, if there was something that I could contribute,” says Do-bie.

She later pursued the Learning Resource teacher Joe Bond, now the school’s Green Team co-ordi-nator, and the combo got the ball rolling immediately.

The EcoSchools program is an environmental education program that demonstrates environmental learning for all students in the classroom. To achieve EcoSchools status, the students must demon-strate knowledge and improve-ments in all major categories of the program.

The main focuses are on en-ergy conservation, sustainability (the greening of school grounds), minimizing waste, ecological curriculum-based teaching and the school-wide initiatives. Points are

awarded by following the guide-lines provided by EcoSchools re-sources and the school’s status will be determined in May depending on the number of points earned. A school can be awarded with a gold, silver or bronze status.

At RSPD, students in the Green Team are responsible for monitor-ing the use of energy in the class-rooms daily, meaning shutting off the lights and computer monitors when necessary; they try to man-age where the waste goes and in what bins, and are also responsible for taking the green bins outside at the end of the day and inside in the mornings.

As a whole, the school has al-ready eliminated close to 90 per cent of the plastic water bottles coming into the building.

“We’re trying to push Brita fi lters and for the kids to bring in those aluminum or plastic reusable bottles. We’re also telling other schools that come in, we’re a bot-tle-less school now,” says Bond.

Keeping all the children focused and organized is no easy task. Lusina, Dobie and Ondrias can’t help but express their gratitude towards Bond and other faculty for their dedication and loyalty to the project.

“Joe is just absolutely astro-nomical with organizing all the kids and being on top of them. If it wasn’t for teachers like Joe and the custodians, none of this would be possible,” says Lusina.

During the week of Feb. 22 to 26, the trio performed a formal waste audit at the school, sorting through all green bins, recycling bins and garbage bins.

Waste is measured and then sorted into specifi c categories such as aluminums, plastics, cardboards

and organics.“Anything you can possibly

imagine being waste, there is most likely a category for it,” says On-drias.

The formal waste audit was per-formed in order to measure the im-provements of the school’s effort to reduce their waste production.

While the project’s intentions are to stimulate the students’ aware-ness of the environment and the impact they have through their day to day activities, Bond has another perspective.

Referring to the movie Pay It Forward, Bond has chosen to con-vey to the students the power of passing on the message of conser-vation and sustainability.

“You teach a couple of children how to do it, they get into it, they get engrossed into it and they teach two more, and two more and two more kids. Before you know it, it becomes a big idea and that’s what we’re trying to teach.”

With enthusiasm, Sam Ondrias and Erica Dobie sort waste into specifi c categories of plastics, cardboards and organics.

From left, Niagara College students Sam Ondrias, Daniel Lusina and Erica Dobie help RSPD students pay it forward with the Green Team co-ordinator Joe Bond and custodians Anna Cavaricci and Laurie Shaule.

Photos by Josh Ladouceur

Teaching environmental awareness

Stephanie Jakop, 21, and Mike Ferragina, 25, are the lucky winners of their entrepreneur class draw. They went to Toronto in February to speak with Arlene Dickinson, a panelist on CBC’s hit show Dragon’s Den.

Photo by David Janzen

Entrepreneur students win draw, speak with dragon

EcoSchool status program promotes green values

OFF CAMPUSPage 22 NIAGARA NEWS March 19, 2010

By SYLVIE BERRYStaff Writer

The Brock University commu-nity is lending a charitable hand to the Alzheimer Society of Niagara on March 20.

The Brock Leaders Citizenship Society (BLCS) has organized a ball hockey tournament hoping to collect over $1,600 for the founda-tion.

Laura Broley, 19, a fi rst-year General Studies student at Brock is a BLCS member and is overseeing the organization and registration

for the tournament.Each team of four or

fi ve players is required to pay $200. Teams will be guaranteed at least three games throughout the day.

“Our goal is to help charities that may not receive as much support as oth-ers, but are just as de-serving,” says Broley.

BLCS is a group of Brock students who aim to

gather leaders, foster leadership skills

and engage in volunteer proj-ects within the Brock and Niagara community.

Develop-ment Of-fi cer for the

A l z h e i m e r Society of Ni-

agara Foundation Gina Dell Rose-Ash

has been working closely with the BLCS through the planning of this event.

“The funds they raise are vital in helping us to provide the services and programs to the Niagara region free of charge, and they are raising awareness for us at the same time,” says Dell Rose-Ash.

She adds there are over 7,700 people in the Niagara region ex-periencing progressive dementia, the most common of which is Al-zheimer’s disease.

The tournament begins at 1 p.m.

and will take place at the Niagara Ball Hockey Club in St. Catharines, 450 Eastchester Ave. E.

Winners are competing for the BLCS Cup Champions title and their names will appear on the BLCS Cup trophy. Prizes, donated by the Niagara Ball Hockey Club, will be awarded as will be champi-onship T-shirts.

“We are hoping that the BLCS Cup will be an annual event that will allow the BLCS to raise money for charities across our community,” says Broley.

By MICHELLE NUSSEYStaff Writer

Knitting used to be seen as a therapeutic pastime for the elderly, but it’s becoming a common hobby for people of all ages.

Stitch’n Bitch is a popular social knitting group and can benefi t beginners and seasoned knitters alike.

Bee Modern Fabrics, 188 Vic-toria St. in Niagara-on-the-Lake, is the only place to host a Stitch’n Bitch in the Niagara area.

This privately owned store opens its door to anyone who would like to participate.

The socials are held monthly on the fi rst Saturday, 2 p.m. till 4 p.m., and third Thursday, 6 p.m. till 8 p.m.

Owners Monique Kruppa and her sister Heidi Kruppa-Saari say it started as a Christmas party. Ev-eryone was gathered working on projects and decided to make it a regular thing.

A plate of cookies, good conver-sation and textiles.

These ladies don’t just knit, but they work on a range of things from needlework to rug hooking.

Suzan Bowslaugh teaches begin-ner sewing and quilting at the store and is the vice-president of the Niagara Heritage Quilting Guild. In addition to teaching others, she

enjoys working on her own proj-ects during the socials.

Bowslaugh says, “Most people start out really easy with squares, not a thousand different pieces to sew on individually [referring to her own quilt].”

Julia Ponesse, another regular Stitch’n Bitch attendee, is working on rug hooking, a craft in which you pull yarn or fabric through a woven base, such as burlap, in order to make a rug.

Ponesse says, “I am defi nitely

not going to put this just inside the door, where everyone takes their boots off.”

Being close to the border, Niagara-on-the-Lake locals fi nd themselves going out of town to run errands and for entertainment. The Kruppa sis-ters believe it is important to reunite locals with the side of town that is not a tourist trap.

Kruppa says, “Downtown seems too touristy, so we’re doing our part to revitalize the local aspect.”

“There is free parking just two blocks up the road or down the other way,” she adds.

Kruppa and Kruppa-Saari own the store next door called the Ciutadella Gallery.

The gallery sells blown glass, jewelry and other exotic knick-knacks to satisfy any collectors. The space Bee Modern Fabrics is now in was empty for years.

Kruppa says, “It’s just a re-ally awkward space, a really small downstairs with a bigger upstairs, not ideal for a business.”

They saw the potential in the building and made it work for them.

Kruppa says, “We just took something we’re passionate about and turned it into something we

could work with.”This store differs from other

yarn and fabric stores because it carries a lot of bright colours and unique patterns. These patterns and colours attract more people and banish notions of tacky sweaters.

If you want to learn to knit, sew or quilt, Bee Modern Fabrics offers classes ranging from beginner to expert. To learn more about the classes, costs or community crafts, call the store at 905-468-8190.

Bee Modern Fabrics is celebrat-ing its fi rst anniversary this April. Watch the store website, http://www.beefabrics.ca, for more in-formation.

Brock students are playing ball hockey for charity

Everything old is new againStitch’n’Bitch brings knitting back into the spotlight

Monique Kruppa, on left, and Heidi Kruppa-Saari in the retail section of their store.Photos by Michelle Nussey

At left, Julia Ponesse does rug hooking while storeowner Monique Kruppa repairs a quilt.

Melanie carefully threads a needle through cloth to create this scenic picture.

ENTERTAINMENTMarch 19, 2010 NIAGARA NEWS Page 23

By STEPHANIE COUTUREStaff Writer

illScarlett, inspired by a street name, rides the road of its reggae rock infusion with no signs of stop-ping or slowing down.

Although it lies between Holly-wood fame and garage band stage fame, this Mississauga-based band shines and can only rise from here.

“We haven’t stopped. There is still room for improvement and no limits have been set,” says illScar-lett’s front man, Alex Norman.

“The thing about overnight suc-cess is that it takes a long time,” says Norman, about two hours before the show at CAW Hall in St. Catharines on the fi nal leg of the band’s Canadian tour with Ubiqui-tous Synergy Seeker (USS).

illScarlett’s sound blends aspects of pop, punk, reggae and rock genres and creates a unique conta-gious sound.

“[They are] an amazing mix of rock and ska, both of which are at their fi nest, respectively,” says Josh Given, a St. Catharines musician.

Norman, vocalist, and drummer Swav Pior met in high school and shared musical aspirations. They were determined to make it hap-pen for themselves; they brought in like-minded members John Doherty on bass and guitarist Will Marr to embark on their musical journey.

Instead of waiting to be noticed, the band made themselves notice-able.

With their determination and DIY ethics, in 2004 the guys went to the Warped Tour parking lot, fi red up a generator and played for those waiting in the concert line. They grabbed the attention of Warped Tour founder Kevin Lymon. It is said they were invited to play at his nightly post-show party, where they were a hit and have since been guests on the Warped Tour dates.

“Playing outside of Warped is something that is actually really gnarly,” says Given. “It’s an amaz-ing way to catch unsuspecting people and a great way to draw a lot of attention to yourself. It’s very random and very well noticed to do

something like that.”illScarlett has toured the world

and shared the stage with Blink 182, The Flatliners, Protest the Hero, Cypress Hill and many more.

“I would defi nitely say [I enjoyed being on a Canadian tour with] Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker. They are super exciting to play with,” says Norman.

“Weezer was great because I am a huge fan. Moneen was probably my favourite band from the south-ern Ontario. They are the most incredible live musicians.”

With all the highs of fame also come the lows, battles and ob-stacles.

“[Being a musician] you don’t have that regular lifestyle, a regular

job where you know where you are going, where you need to be,” says Norman.

“There is no security. This could all end tomorrow. Not only that, but it is hard to hold down a solid relationship because it is too diffi -cult and you miss your family with all the travel, although travelling is so cool. You get to see new places, but sometimes you just want to see your own house.”

Although he jokes about not be-ing able to bring his PlayStation on tour and being a racecar driver as a backup, he says he does sometimes fear and wonder what he’ll do when illScarlett ends.

Life as a Soldier, from the fi rst album, took over a year to write. It contends that their job, at times, feels a soldier’s because of the long hours away from home on the road and all the challenges.

The band members face girls, alcohol, drugs and fame while they’re touring.

“That song is about how the job that we do is obviously not as diffi cult as that of a soldier, but sometimes it feels like it when you have to go on these huge drives and you’re lugging all your gear and your girlfriend is at home and all the pitfalls that we’re subjected to every day and how to stay out of them,” says Norman.

“Sometimes I just feel like a soldier, but that is what I do. Don’t feel bad. That is what I do, that’s my job. I agreed to the terms and conditions and I’ll stay the course.”

Norman asserts that what will

not kill him will make him stron-ger. From all the ups and downs, he says, he has learned from it all and would not change any of it.

As the follow-up to their gold-selling 2007 record, All Day With It, the band co-produced a recently released album 1UP!. The album was recorded with Grammy Award-winning producer Robert Carranza. The members brought their reggae-infl uenced roots with them when they recorded at Los Angeles’ Bushfi re Records, musi-cian Jack Johnson’s solar-powered studio.

“Co-producing felt great; it was a lot of fun. We are so used to just recording and not really taking an active involvement in the process of production,” says Norman.

“I think it kept it more fun and interesting. We really poured as much as we could into it. We knew that this was our baby more than any other record.”

This past year they have brought in unoffi cial member and key-boardist Anthony Corone, who went with them to record their new album and has been a part of the across-Canada tour.

Norman says that he has yet to be made an offi cial member of illScarlett, but that it is looking promising for Corone to be the fi fth member of the band.

illScarlett is a band that not only won’t take no for an answer but puts in all it has when it comes to the craft.

The members still have so much on their to-do list, such as winning an award, but until then they will

keep their synergy going. “If I am not having a good time

on stage, people see that and they won’t have a good time on the fl oors; so by entertaining ourselves fi rst, it is like dominos and it all falls into place.”

Norman says music has defi ned him. Through it, he hopes to inspire people to be themselves, to believe in their own person because every shot not taken is a shot missed, as expressed in their song Take It For Granted.

“I remember when we were start-ing out, people said, ‘Oh what are you doing? There is no money in music,’ and for a while I believed them. They said, ‘Oh the competi-tion is so fi erce,’ and it was like saying I am not good enough to do it,” says Norman.

“People who are not even in the music industry are trying to tell me about the music industry. So [forget] them, do what you want to do in life and you can accomplish anything.

You’ve got to work hard, sacri-fi ce, don’t take any half steps, balls to the wall.”

illScarlett is aware of the risks and the challenges within the in-dustry. Norman says that if bands want to be at a higher level, to suc-ceed, they have to ask themselves why they are not rising with their music and fi nd ways to improve. The efforts have to come before work, before school and anything else.

“Bands don’t fail, they quit. So ultimately it is up to them if they want to do it or not.”

Fighting through the musical trenchesillScarlett members soldier on between the garage and fame

illScarlett played an unforgettable show at St. Catharines CAW Hall, where the energy was high, fans screamed and music was loved.Photos by Stephanie Couture

illScarlett frontman, Alex Norman, plays the guitar and sings out to all the fans at CAW Hall in St. Catharines.

Photos by Stephanie Couture

ENTERTAINMENTPage 24 NIAGARA NEWS March 19, 2010

By BEN BURNSStaff Writer

Matt Bresee is a promoter for lo-cal music in the Niagara region.

“I had been going to local shows and trying to support the music scene since I was 13 or 14 years old. Right before my 16th birthday, I decided I wanted to host my own event with a number of punk and ska acts who I wanted to see and that I knew all of my friends would be into,” says Bresee.

Until he decided he wanted to continue to promote shows, Bresee says he never really had taken an interest in the behind-the-scenes business of the music industry.

“Once I started trying to build relationships with up-and-coming artists as well as the booking agents of artists who had estab-lished themselves at least on a national level, I got to know the systems and etiquette and politics behind it all.”

There aren’t necessarily big bands and small bands, says Bresee. Everyone does better in one place than another.

“In terms of how established a band is, I always worked out of smaller venues. This was somewhat limiting but it let me build positive relationships with those artists on the rise, as well as every once in a while getting to pack the place

for a band that had easily outgrown venues of that size.”

“I was a closed-minded punk kid in a studded leather jacket and skinny jeans tucked into my Doc Martin’s when I hosted my fi rst

show. Since then I discovered that there was a market for everything, and even though, yes, sometimes different genres of music bring out a different attitude in whoever hap-pens to be attending the show, it is safe to say that everyone is at the show for the same reason. People are into the music and that’s all that counts.”

The Merchant is Bresee’s own

band, an up-and-coming one in the local music scene.

“The Merchant has only been kickin’ around for about a year and we are fi nally trying to get things off the ground and have been build-ing ourselves up locally for the last little while. It has only been as of late that we got to play some cool out-of-town shows and have just recently announced a few more,” says Bresee.

It’s great to be part of a scene where the local bands all support one another, he adds. He goes out to his friends’ band’s shows and they do the same for him. It creates a positive environment within the scene for both the show-goers and the musicians.

“I have really enjoyed branch-ing outside of music. I still have a handful of shows in the works for the coming months. However, running the Anti-Valentine’s Day Party on Feb. 14 was a blast and was a nice eye-opener to another side of event management. Also, I have recently announced a stand-up comedy evening with three come-dians and two bands for March 20 at City Lights. I am really stoked on the idea of trying out new things within the entertainment industry,” says Bresee.

As far as advice for people who want to get into the business, he

suggests to put yourself out there, be personable and be fair.

“I work with just about anything that is within my means and even then I always try my best to push that. Doesn’t matter to me if you are a solo fi ddle player or the heaviest band this side of Europe,” says Bresee.

A few upcoming events he is working on are March 20, Standup Comedy Night with Barry Tay-

lor & The Mike Cameron Band at City Lights (67 St. Paul St.), tickets at Sunrise Records (Pen Centre); March 29, In Flight Safety with Said The Whale & Waterbodies at Mansion House (5 William St.), tickets at Sunrise Records (Pen Centre); and April 15, The Creepshow with Taurine at the Mansion House, tickets at Sunrise Records (Pen Centre) and www.ticketscene.ca.

Business is all about building a positive environment

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Local promoter off ers personable dynamic

Matt Bresee, a music promoter, books and promotes events while juggling duties with his own band The Merchant.

Submitted poster

‘I am really stoked on the idea of try-ing out new things within the enter-tainment industry.’

– Matt Bresee

ENTERTAINMENTMarch 19, 2010 NIAGARA NEWS Page 25

By STEPHANIE COUTUREStaff Writer

Music loves company, and there is nothing but company on their journey.

St. Catharines-based band Jour-ney to Aspen (J2A) embarked on its musical endeavours a mere three years ago. Although they have been faced with a fair share of challenges, such as line-up changes and making sacrifi ces for their craft, nothing has stopped them from making and playing the music they love with the people they love.

They have set their sights on what they want and will do what it takes to go after it.

“I found structure in something I am passionate about,” says Josh Given, guitarist.

“I have learned and realized that if you work hard, whatever your passion may be, follow it and do not allow people to push you away from it,” adds Jeremy Bundy, guitarist.

Eric Conlon, vocalist¸ and his sonic confi dantes Bundy, Given, Scotty Blake, drummer, Rob Paulin, bassist, Alex Vados, synthesizer, have all come to music with differ-ent backgrounds. Be it pop rock or metal or all that is in between, they have a foot in all elements of music and use this to their advantage.

“J2A has been living on the

phrase that dreams never die,” says Zach Blay, J2A manager. “They have provided St. Catharines with hope that the music scene will fl our-ish once again and they have proven time and time again that they are here to stay and that they are ready for the next step.”

The immense level of synergy among the six band members re-mains at an all-time high when they put their instruments down and step off stage. Playing in a band secures their bond as does the fact music has proven to be more than just a hobby, it’s an unfailing passion and desire.

They have, in their own ways, put

life on hold to pursue their dreams, such as dropping out of school and moving across the country.

“The fi re wasn’t there,” says Blake, who picked drum sticks over books. “I didn’t have the pas-sion for it as I do with music.”

For Vados, who calls Montreal home, music has always been a positive thing for him. He says it has an “awesome” ability to make you feel indescribable things.

“It took a lot of thought for me to move to St. Catharines, and now I am playing music with some of the most devoted people I’ve ever met,” says Vados. “I’m still young, so moving across the country to be

in a rock band is still something I can get away with.”

J2A describes themselves under the self-proclaimed genres of fun, contagious and inspiring. They feel as if every show is about exchang-ing energy with a group of people who want to enjoy music and have an unforgettable experience.

“It is important to us, as a band, to have fans experience something with us,” says Conlon. “Too many bands play at people and don’t make efforts to connect.”

The band is set to go coast-to-coast on a six-week Canadian tour. For information visit them at www.myspace.com/journeytoaspen.

Local band journeys across Canada

By MADISON SAMUEL-BARCLAY

Staff WriterStudent Music Week at Niagara

College, from March 8 to March 12, meant some of the college’s fi nest up-and-coming singers would perform at the Campus Idol fi nals.

If they had shown up, that is.Of the eight chosen fi nalists for

the event, held at the After Hours Welland campus pub the night of March 10, only two arrived to participate. Most of the audience seemed to have gone amiss as well.

“The ‘Idol’ thing may have run its course,” Student Administra-tive Council (SAC) Logistics Manager Glenn Murray says. He

has held the Campus Idol event for over eight years.

Apparently participation in past Campus Idols’ had been much more “enthusiastic.”

Campus Idol is an annual event hosted by the Canadian Orga-nization of Campus Activities (COCA). Finalists from participat-ing Ontario colleges will compete at the central region fi nals at the Out Back Shack at Fanshawe Col-lege, London, Ont., on March 27. The fi rst-place winner receives the grand prize of $1,000 cash, while the runner-up wins a trip for two to Montreal for New Year’s Eve.

The Niagara College fi nal also offers prizes before shuttling off its winner with a paid trip, registration and hotel in London,

for the central region fi nals. The fi rst-place winner receives $400 in cash, while the runner-up wins $200 in cash.

And with only two contenders Wednesday evening, neither was complaining about their missing competition.

First-year Computer Technol-ogy student Dave Richards hadn’t realized he was trying out for Campus Idol when he fi rst decided to try picking up the microphone at After Hours two weeks before.

“I thought it was karaoke,” Richards admits. “Until I saw the sign-up sheet.”

First-year Acting for Film and TV student Katie Davis had been much more aware of the try-outs, however, and brought her father

and boyfriend to the fi nals.“I’ve never sung in front of

people before, I’ve only had les-sons,” says a nervous Davis, who had been taking singing lessons for close to nine years.

Richards and Davis had to per-form a set of three songs before three selected judges: Paul Savoy, a fellow singer and bartender at Niagara College’s Niagara-on-the-Lake campus, former SAC member Kathleen Fortney, and 2009’s Niagara College Campus Idol winner Matt Dell.

Richards and Davis brought an interesting singing style and song selection to the stage. Richards set, which included Deep Purple’s Hush, Rush’s Limelight and Katy Perry’s Hot n’Cold, worked won-

derfully with his energetic stage presence, while Davis’ choices of Etta James’ At Last, Jefferson Air-plane’s White Rabbit, and Dash-board Confessional’s Vindicated played up with her strong singing voice.

However, in the end, the judges could only choose one contestant, and Davis was selected to move on to the central region fi nals in Lon-don on behalf of Niagara College, as well as picking up the $400.

Richards was quite happy with his $200 runner-up prize.

“I’m very excited, very ner-vous,” an ecstatic Davis says over her win. “I don’t know what I’m going to sing [at the finals] but I’ll figure it out and … I’m excited!”

Campus Idol lacks fans and contestantsPub event draws two singers from the pool of eight fi nalists

From left, St. Catharines-based band Journey to Aspen members Rob Paulin, Scotty Blake, Eric Conlon, Jeremy Bundy, Josh Given and Alex VadosSubmitted photo

Remembering war’s horrorsPolish Canadians recount their unique struggles in the Second World War

SPECIALPage 26 NIAGARA NEWS March 19, 2010

Polish Second World War deportation survivors stand in front of the Polish war medal at the Polish legion in St. Catharines March 5. From left: Sabina Glowacki, George Parkitny, Emilia Gagola, Ignacy Pelc and Irena Pelc.

Photo by Jonathan Krenz

By JONATHAN KRENZStaff Writer

Knowing is half the battle.This aphorism was made

famous in the 1980s by the G.I. Joe cartoon and has likely stayed in the memories of many of us who grew up

in that decade. As a young boy, I was fascinated by the military

jingoism of that era – Rambo, G.I. Joe, all the ‘Nam movies and even television shows. (Tour of Duty’s opening credits are still

some of the best around) This stuff was and still is exciting and adrenaline-fi lled enter-tainment.

However, what I didn’t realize at the time, because of my age, was that real war is nothing like the movies. Although most war stories contain anti-war sentiment because of their subject

manner (there’s really no way to sugar-coat the fact that war is hell), I don’t think it’s possible to understand the absolute horror of armed confl ict without reading about it and hearing about it from people who have experi-enced it.

My maternal grandfather, Antoni Gagola, was Polish and had the foresight to write down his Second

World War experience. I had the opportunity to edit an English-lan-guage version and, through work-ing on it, developed an immense respect for what he and millions of other Poles went through in the 1940s.

On Feb. 10, 1940, thousands of families in eastern Poland were rudely awakened in the early hours and found themselves at the start of a terrible journey that would leave many dead and sick and most without a home after the Second World War. They were forced from their homes by People’s Commis-sariat for Internal Affairs offi cers (NKVD – a Soviet police force and precursor to the KGB) with little more than the clothes on their backs, crammed into cattle-trains on a one-way trip to Siberian la-bour camps.

A group of Polish-Canadians gathered at the St. Catharines Pol-ish Legion this past Feb. 10 to mark the 70th anniversary of the depor-tations. The event was inspired by Tadeusz (Ted) Glowacki, who was 12 when he was deported to a Soviet labour camp in Siberia. He had planned for a local gathering of fellow deportees but unfortunately died in 2003 before he could real-ize his memorial idea.

I was able to chat with a few of

the attendees on March 5 and hear about their life during the Second World War. It isn’t possible to ex-plain the entire Polish war experi-ence in one newspaper article but I hope the following will give you an idea of what some of the civilians went through.

Glowacki’s wife Sabina, 73, has carried on his project and was the organizer of this year’s event.

“They came at night; they said, ‘You have 15 minutes. We’re tak-ing you to a better place,’” said Glowacki, describing the rude awakening thousands of Poles experienced 70 years ago. The Pol-ish people already had everything they needed, she said, but the So-viets insisted life would be better elsewhere and the Poles would completely provided for.

Czeslawa Golubienko, 78, lost her grandparents, two uncles and her youngest brother to starvation in Siberia.

“I still remember – I still can see him. He couldn’t eat because he was so sick from starvation,” she said, describing her brother’s last days. “But he begged my mom, ‘Take me back to Poland. I want to see lots and lots of bread.’ And he passed away. That was a sad time.”

Continued on page 27

Map showing the early Second World War partition of Poland, a product of the secret Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between Germany and the Soviet Union.

Submitted image

Demarcation line: PolandSeptember 1939

Continued from page 26When asked how one deals

with such situations, Golubienko replied, “You have to deal with everything. What can you do? It’s hard to believe it now. Sometimes I think it was a bad dream.”

Golubienko said her children, when told about their mother’s ex-perience during the Second World War, didn’t believe it at fi rst. How-ever, from reading books on the subject, they began to understand what she went through.

Like many Polish women and children, Golubienko ended up in a displaced persons camp in Africa. She arrived in Tengeru, Tanzania (then called the Tanganyika Terri-tory and under British authority) in 1943 at the same camp my grand-mother Emilia came to in 1942. These camps were also set up in countries like Lebanon, India and even as far away as New Zealand and Mexico, to accommodate the large number of Polish refugees created by the deportations and subsequent amnesty.

Ignacy Pelc, 84, was deported to a Siberian labour camp in the Ural Mountains and spent time cutting wood in the bush and burning branches.

“Until the am-nesty freed us, [then] we went down south, little by little,” he recalled. “It was rough but we made it somehow. There were Polish people gathering from all over the place. A lot of people were dying: children, sick people, old people.” Pelc’s father died in Tehran, Iran, during this exodus.

After Germany attacked the Soviet Union in 1941, the Polish government-in-exile (based in London) established diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union

and hundreds of thousands of Siberian deportees were granted amnesty. The former labour camp detainees were “free” but they still had to make their way out of the Soviet Union. Many eventually left it, crossing the Caspian Sea into Iran, then known as Persia, which was partly under Soviet and British infl uence.

The eastern side of Iran, to Teh-ran, was controlled by the Soviets, said Ted Telega, 83.

“They had lots of NKVD and they counted how many Poles were in the transports,” he said. “We’d been told to be quiet; not to say anything about the conditions in the Soviet Union. If you talked too much, they’d stop you.” Telega said Iran was “beautiful” compared to the Soviet Union.

Telega joined the Polish Sea Cadets in March 1943 and eventu-ally made it into the Polish II Corps after an army recruiter overlooked his age. The II Corps was a mas-sive Polish army comprised mostly of survivors from Siberia. Its most famous campaign, and a source of national pride, was the Battle of Monte Cassino in Italy during the spring of 1944. Telega said his

command ing offi cer kept him out of the fi ght, saying Telega was too young. Pelc’s brother was wounded at Cassino and was eventually killed in Bolo-gna, Italy.

At the end of the Second World War, Po-land was under Soviet control

and many dis-placed Poles did not return

because of this. Poland lost a vast amount of eastern territory and hundreds of thousands of families and survivors had no homes to return to.

“[After] the war was fi nished,

I came to England in 1946. I was discharged and went working,” said Telega. He came to Canada March 4, 1949, and spent a few years in Alberta working on a farm. Telega made his way to Niagara in the early 1950s after hearing about industrial job opportunities. He married in 1953.

Like Pelc, George Parkitny was deported to a labour camp in the Ural Mountains. He worked in a copper mine near Karabasz and lived in barracks along with other Polish families.

Only 13, he was forced to push a wheelbarrow in the mines, he said, something the Soviets called “learning.” He became sick after several months of that and also suffered night blindness (because of a lack of Vitamin A in the labour

camp diet), a common malady for the deportees. Camp labourers subsisted on a meagre diet of dark bread and extremely watery soup. Parkitny said his father eventually went to work on a kolhoz (collec-tive farm), preparing food for the camp.

Food was so scarce that the Pol-ish deportees had to trade and steal to survive.

“You had to eat whatever you could manage to fi nd,” said Golu-bienko. “We had to eat berries in the forest and drink birch sap.

“Even up until now, I’ve never thrown out a crumb of bread.”

“It’s never going to be forgot-ten,” said Pelc of the Polish experi-ence during the Second World War. “I still can hardly believe what we went through. I just thank the Lord

that we made it.”And I am thankful for being able

to hear about these experiences fi rst-hand from the people who lived through them. Until a few years ago, I didn’t realize just what my grandparents, and others like them, went through in their youth.

Now I know.For further reading on this com-

plex time in human history, a good place to start is www.dpcamps.org/poland.html.

The Royal Canadian Legion Pol-ish Veterans Branch 418 is hosting an event May 18 to commemorate the Battle of Monte Cassino. There will be photos, diaries, uniforms, medals and other items on display from that important battle.

The legion is at 294 Vine St. in St. Catharines.

SPECIALMarch 19, 2010 NIAGARA NEWS Page 27

This map shows the vast distances covered during the eastern Poles’ deportation to Siberia by Soviet forces and the subsequent diaspora caused by the amnesty. Although the Soviet Union freed their former labour camp deportees in 1941, the Poles still had to fi nd a way out of Siberia and many died on the journey.

Submitted image

There are 17 former Polish deportees to Siberia from the Second World War living in St. Catharines. Here they pose for a photograph at the Polish legion in St. Catharines during their 70th reunion on Feb. 10, a memorial of when they were pulled from their homes by Soviet forces Feb. 10, 1940.

Submitted photo

‘You had to eat whatever you could fi nd...even up until now, I’ve never thrown out a crumb of bread.’

—Czeslawa Golubienko

Map showing the Polish border after the Second World War. Poland lost much of its eastern territory to mollify the Soviet Union and many Poles had no homes to return to.

Submitted image

‘... I think it was a bad dream’

SPECIALPage 28 NIAGARA NEWS March 19, 2010

Students visit the pub to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in costume. From left, Victoria Palumbo, John Cutler, a student who wished to remain unnamed and Becky Richard.Photo by Stephanie Couture

Irish pride comes through on St. Patrick’s Day

By MICHELLE NUSSEYStaff Writer

While St. Patrick’s Day is not a statutory holiday in Canada it has been a religious holiday in Ireland for more than 1,000 years. Irish immigrants contin-ued to celebrate when they left Ireland and now, St. Patrick’s Day is a major event in most countries around the world.

In Niagara bars and pubs green decorations, shamrocks, accessories and beer are only some of the things that showed up on St. Patrick’s Day.

Welland’s own Ye Olde Squire kicks off St. Patrick’s Day with an Irish menu of corned beef sandwiches and cabbage soup. Throughout the day there is live music and “lots of giveaways from

Guinness and Molson,” says, manager Tammy Boon.

At The Irish Harp Pub, 245 King St. in Niagara-on-the-Lake, the musician group Ceol Cara played their mix of traditional Celtic and shanties songs and later there were Irish dancers.

Mark McGill, who is work-ing his fi rst St. Patrick’s Day, says, “Attendance won’t be hampered at all [since it falls on a Wednesday], most people will take the day off to come anyway. We will be busy from noon till midnight.”

The pub is a true Irish pub, owned and restored by Trevor Smyth bringing the spirit and traditions of the Emerald Isle to Niagara-on-the-Lake.

McGill says, “There will be

good food, music and a lot of Guinness.”

Guinness is a must on St. Patrick’s Day.

The headquarters of Guin-ness is in Dublin, Ireland, home to the St. James Gate Brewery. The St. James brew-ery is the largest in Ireland and the largest stout brewer in the world, but fi rst and foremost, the Guinness brewery.

On Dec. 31, 1759, Aurther Guinness leased the St. James Gate brewery for £45, about $69, per year for 9,000 years. At that time the brewery was four acres in size and aban-doned.

Despite the competition of imported English beer and lack of brewing equipment, Guin-ness was able to make it work.

It was May 19, 1769, 10 years after he leased St. James, that he exported his fi rst six barrels of beer to England.

By the end of the 20th century, Guinness has been brewed in over 40 countries, and sold in over 150. In 1997 Guinness merged with Grand Metropolitan in a $36.8 billion merger. A new company was formed called ‘Diageo,’ but the Guinness family still owns 51 per cent of the company. Today, 10 million glasses of Guinness are enjoyed around the world daily.

Outside the St. James brew-ery there is a sign that says, “everyone is Irish on March 17th” and pubs and bars in the Niagara region certainly prove that.

St. Patrick’s Day – Did You Know?• The three-leaf clover is associated

with St. Patrick’s Day because of its relation to the Holy Trinity.

• The New York St. Patrick’s Day parade is the biggest in the world.

• According to a 2006 census 4.3 million Canadians claimed Irish ancestory.

• In the same census, 80% of Newfoundlanders are of Irish descent.

• The Montreal municipal fl ag features an Irish shamrock

• This year there were 12 hours of daylight on St. Patrick’s Day.

Illustrated byMadison Samuel-Barclay

COOPER’S CORNERMarch 19, 2010 NIAGARA NEWS Page 29

BERNARDCOOPER

Columnist

Cooper’s Corner’s all-star selections

Welcome to the fi nal Cooper’s Corner where I give my opinion about hot topics in sports.

In this edition I want to an-nounce my end-of-season awards. I will be giving out seven awards: two volleyball awards to the best male and female ath-lete, two basketball awards to the best male and female athlete, an award for best male athlete of 2009-10 and a best female athlete award for 2009-10. The last award is Best Knights coach. These are my choices. My picks for these categories are not neces-sarily what will happen on April 10 at the Awards Banquet.

If you ever want to contact me, you can reach me at bernard_lak-ers@hotmail.com.

Krajcik is the best volleyball player the Knights had this season, and I give him this award because he came out to play game after game.

He had 233 kills, 21 blocks, 68 digs and 291 points in the season. He led the team in kills as nobody came close to his 233 kills.

Nobody touched him in points, as the closest was Corey Easy with 149 points. Krajcik was also the energy for the team, when the Knights needed a point he stepped up and when they needed a block he was there.

Krajcik was named to the OCAA West All Star fi rst-team, in honour of his play this season.

This was a tough one for me. There are so many great players

on this team and at least three play-ers are worthy of this honour– play-ers like Kerissa Van Amersfoort and Cassandra Musungayi–but what it all boils down to this award is go-ing to the veteran, Jenny Aide.

Every time you watch her play, she is giving it her all; she leaves everything on the court.

Guaranteed she is not the best on the team, but she is the team leader on and off the court.

Aide fi nished the season with 142 kills, 30 aces, seven blocks and 214 digs. She was second on the team in points with 179.

Jeremy Settimi would have won this award had he not gone down with a season-ending injury. Chris Bauslaugh would also have won this award if he had played the whole season.

Lamar Grant, the team’s shooting and point guard, wins this award.

At the beginning of the season Grant switched to the point guard spot, a position he was not familiar with, but switched back to shooting gaurd later in the season.

Grant played in every game for the Knights this season and he was also a great team leader, as you can see him during a time-out pointing out instructions to his teammates.

He had an all around season with 10.9 points per game; he had 30 three point shots made and 17 steals.

This was a no-brainer; McKenna led the Knights all season long.

When the team needed a bucket, they went to her. She is one of two players on the team who can create their own shot.

She led the team in points with 13.92 a game, and she led the team in rebounds with 125. No one comes close to her in rebounds. She led the team in steals with 41 on the season. She was an oppo-nent’s nightmare.

McKenna is now tied for 10th place on the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) ca-reer scoring leaders list with 741 points.

Next season she will have a chance to be Niagara’s all-time leading scorer as she needs just 37 points.

Nobody who wore a Knight uniform represented us better than he did.The golf season isn’t long but in October 2009, Canada saw how deadly

Hargest is with a golf club.He captured the gold medal in singles competition in the Canadian Col-

leges Athletic Association (CCAA) golf tournament.This was the fi rst gold medal the college has received in golf. The best

part about it is Hargest started the second round of the tournament three shots off the lead and in sixth place.

He also helped lead his Knights golf team to a bronze medal fi nish in that tournament and was named the OCAA player of the week for Oct. 19 to Oct. 24.

To be honest, the impact of McKenna was huge. If the Knights basket-ball team didn’t have her, the team wouldn’t have made the playoffs.

The Knights women’s basketball team was the only female Knights team to make it to the playoffs.

McKenna put everything on the line in the playoff loss against the Sheridan College Bruins with 22 points, six rebounds and two assists. She may not be the Knights leader off the court, but she certainly is the leader on it. She shows by example, and when the team is losing, she tries everything to get them back into the game.

The pre-season started with high expectations for this team with the addition with Fei Ling Chen, but as the season started it was a different ball game.

Some games they won and some they got beaten badly. No matter the outcome, Lemon never gave up on his team. After missing the playoffs last season, under Lemon’s guid-ance, they made it there this year, only to be stopped by the Sheridan Bruins, the defending champions.

With seven fi rst-year players it was tough to get this team on the same page at the beginning of the season, but saw the team coming together as it made its push for the playoffs

Best Male Athlete: Chris Hargest (Golf ) Best Female Athlete: Kaitlyn McKenna (Basketball)

Best Female Basket-ball Player:Kaitlyn McKenna

Best Male Basketball Player:Lamar Grant

Best Male Volleyball Player: Kevin Krajcik

Best Female Volleyball Player: Jenny Aide

Coach of the Year:Ron Lemon (Women’s Basketball)

Photos by Bernard Cooper

SPORTSPage 30 NIAGARA NEWS March 19, 2010

By BERNARD COOPERStaff Writer

It is always tough to win against the champions in the playoffs, and when you have them in the fi rst game of the playoffs it’s even tougher.

This was the case for the Ni-agara Knights women’s basketball team, who fell in their fi rst game of the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) playoffs in Kingston, Ont. The score was 83-47, to the defending OCAA Cham-pions Sheridan College Bruins of Oakville.

The Bruins came out on March 4 with a balanced attack on offence and the Knights found themselves in an early 38-20 hole at the half.

“It would have been nice to have played more than one game at the OCAA Championships, but at some point in the tournament you are going to face Sheridan,” says

head coach Ron Lemon. “Unfortunately for us, it was in

the fi rst game.”Kaitlyn McKenna, the Knights’

starting forward, was the only player to score in double fi gures for the locals, as she fi nished with 22 points, six rebounds and two assists. Kristy Lee had eight points off the bench for the Knights.

Jessica James, the Knights’ start-ing point guard, had this to say about the loss.

“As you know, the Bruins are the number 1 team in the nation. Beat-ing them would mean us shooting well, them shooting poorly and us minimizing the mistakes. Unfortu-nately, it wasn’t meant to be.”

The Knights didn’t do either of those things, shooting 35 per cent from the fi eld with 20 turnovers, which the Bruins capitalized on for 19 points.

Feb. 27 was a big day for the

Knights.They travelled to Kingston to play the St. Lawrence College Vikings in the OCAA qualifying game, the winner to play the Bru-ins.

The Knights were down 36-24 at the half and couldn’t get their of-fence in sync.

At halftime Lemon said, “We have to continue to play hard and play good defence.”

The Knights listened to their coach, giving up only 22 points in the second half.

The Vikings called their fi nal timeout with the game tied at 58 and 14.8 seconds left on the clock.

The ball was inbounded and into the hands of Vikings point guard Kari Stuart, who dribbled to the free throw line and put up a shot.

The shot was blocked by Knights centre Whitney Jackson, who caught the ball and passed it to Lee, who was way out in front of

the pack. She caught the ball with four seconds left and went all the way to the rim for the game win-ning shot.

A happy James had this to say about how the game ended. “When Whitney blocked that girl’s shot, fi rst thing that went through my mind was, crap, please don’t call a foul. After they did not call a foul, my instinct was to look up at the clock to see the time remaining. When Whitney threw that ball, I had no clue who she was throwing it to until I looked ahead. Kristy all by herself to a wide-open basket. We won.”

McKenna had this to say after the victory.

“I live to be in games like that. Yeah, I would like to beat a team by 20 points, but to win like we did on an opponent’s home fl oor made us feel special.”

With the season now over for the

Knights, they look forward to next season.

“Next year, we will try our hard-est as a team to get back to the OCAAs, and when we get there, we will try our hardest to win the title,” says Tinley.

The Knights will be saying goodbye to their starting point guard and team captain Jessica James. She has spent fi ve seasons with the team.

“The Niagara Knights will re-group for next year,” says James. “Some girls say, ‘It’s weird because now what do we do every day after school?’”

“Some will hit the gym hard and some will go shoot around or play pick up just to keep playing,” she adds.

For more information about the Lady Knights and any Knights team during the off-season, you can log onto niagaraknights.ca.

Season ends for the Lady KnightsThe Niagara Knights women’s basketball team huddles up before their game against the St. Lawrence College Vikings on Feb. 27. .

Photos by Bernard Cooper

Knights forward Jenna Varga forces her way through the Fanshawe Falcons defence, in the Knights fi nal home game. This was the last time the team will play in the Mackenzie building gym

SPORTSMarch 19, 2010 NIAGARA NEWS Page 31

By BRANDON MACDONALDStaff Writer

The 2009-10 Niagara Knights men’s basketball team entered the season knowing the high expecta-tions they had.

After fi nishing the previous year with a bronze medal, every-one on the team wanted to better that mark.

After opening the season with a 3-4 record, the Knights’ season took a big hit. Guard Jeremy Set-timi went down with a season end-ing knee injury during the Durham College, of Oshawa, tournament in December.

Settimi was co-captain of the Knights and their leading scorer at the time of the injury.

“One of the lows of the season is when we lost Jeremy [Settimi] with the knee injury,” says guard C.J. Smith.

“It was painful for the team be-cause he was a big part of the team, and players looked up to him.”

Settimi had to go under the knife for reconstructive knee surgery.

He plans to work hard in the off-season to be stronger than before.

“I plan on coming back in Sep-tember to fi nish up my program and play basketball,” says Settimi.

“I have been in physiotherapy since I got my cast off, and my knee is recovering the way it is supposed to. I plan on coming back in shape. I don’t know how much of my game will have changed, but I’m trying to be better than before.”

The Knights were able to come together as a team and post a 5-5 record without Settimi. Before heading to Algonquin College, in Ottawa, to play their playoff qualifying game, the Knights had to face off against the Fanshawe Falcons, of London.

The Falcons, who hold second place in the West division, handled the Knights in their previous meet-ing on Feb. 3. The Knights were able to send a message as they defeated the Falcons 91-87.

“The biggest win of the season had to be our last home game against Fanshawe,” says forward Jake Stika.

“Early in the year we lost many games in close situations down the stretch. To win that one in overtime against a strong opponent showed us our potential.”

The Ontario College Athletic Association (OCAA) qualifying game wasn’t the fairy tale ending the Knights had hoped for. Their playoff chances slipped away as they lost 80-58.

“The season was disappointing because we had high expectations from what we accomplished last year,” says Settimi.

“We thought we would return to the tournament and try for a differ-ent colour medal this year.”

Next season, the Knights want to come back healthy. Rookies Alex

Shah, Matt Thomas and Rashad Morley had great fi rst years with the team.

Shah fi nished in the top fi ve of team scoring, averaging just over 10 points a game.

Last season’s rookie of the year, Arny N’Kindu led the team with just over 13 points a game. After missing the fi rst part of the season, N’Kindu quickly regained last sea-son’s form and was an offensive leader for the Knights.

Knights strength coach Tony Ferrusi has preached working out and staying healthy. Injuries were a bit of the season story for the Knights. Yannick N’Kindu, Alex Shah, Chris Bauslaugh and Jake Stika were just a few players who battled injuries during the season.

“Next season I look to come back 100 per cent from my injuries and in good condition to get after it for another year,” says Stika.

Head Coach Mike Beccaria and his staff have some players in mind they hope will join the team next season.

The addition of another big man and possibly a combination guard could be some of the spots the Knights will look to improve on.

“We are losing some guys, so we will have to bring in some young talent, and the team will have to do a better job of staying healthy,” says Settimi.

“Staying healthy [is key] so we don’t fall apart late in the season, and our team can become one of the power houses in the OCAA.”

Settimi is motivated and wants to prove the Knights are better than this season’s record shows.

“I want to make playoffs and win the OCAA championship before I leave Niagara College.”

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Knights are optimistic for next year

C.J. SMITH JEREMY SETTIMI JAKE STIKA

With injuries and a disappointing season behind them, the men’s basketball team can’t wait to prove they’ve got what it takes

Submitted photos

SPORTSPage 32 NIAGARA NEWS March 19, 2010

By BERNARD COOPERStaff Writer

“Jessica is a leader and we are proud of her as our point guard.”Says Knight’s womens bas-ketball coach of Jessica James.

James, also known as JJ, has been a big part of Niagara Knights sports over the past fi ve years. She has played basket-ball, indoor and outdoor soccer.She was last year’s female athlete of the year and was named to the Ontario Colleges Athletic Asso-ciation, (OCAA), all fi rst team in 2009.

James is now set on the future as she fi nishes her career as a Knight. She took a look back at her years at Niagara.

“Well I was a Knight in el-ementary school, so it was neat to become a Knight again and I was grateful to be able to play at this level of competition.

“My favourite moment was making it to OCAA’s [Ontario championships] my fi rst year. It was an unbelievable atmosphere.

“Yet, also my favourite moment was hosting OCAA’s I believe in my third year. It was special because it was the fi rst game Rent-A-Mom came to watch.

“Let me explain Rent-A-Mom. I lived with Rent-A-Mom and Rent-A-Dad my fi rst two years here at Niagara, they are family friends. Rent-A-Dad always came to the games; he was dedicated. As for Rent-A-Mom, basketball was not her thing, yet Rent-A-Dad said, ‘I am going to the game,’ and she said, ‘I am coming too.’ Rent-A-Mom passed away October 2009.”Many people within the Knights’ organization have had a huge im-pact on James.

“I do not think I can pick just one

person because there have been a lot of great people surrounding me while I was here.

“Mike Hurley, my fi rst-year, would play one-on-one with me during school time to practice my skills and would critique my shot.

“Phil Mosley, my fi rst-year coach, gave me the chance to play, and more confi dence any player could ask for. He’d say, ‘Jessie has the green light to shoot whenever she wants.’”

“Last but not least Jamie Fong, the point guard. My fi rst year, she made the game simple to me and was there to guide me and teach me the aspects of the game.”

James was well respected by her teammates and was named captain of the women’s basketball team.

She was also seen encouraging her teammates whenever adversi-ties would hiyt the court.

“What can you say about JJ that hasn’t been said? She had a very good day at Regionals and got a proper walk-off ovation from her teammates with a minute left in the last game,” says women’s soccer coach Frank DeChellis.

“Well, onto the real world a nine to fi ve job. Looking into my coach licence so one day I will be able to coach,” James says explaining her future plans.

James played fi ve seasons with the Knights women’s basketball team, playing in 64 games, scoring over 500 points and netting over 67 three point shots.

She also led the team in three-point shots over the past fi ve sea-sons.

James left one message to the Knights who follow her.

“Dedication, determination and discipline will take you a long way.”

A Knight to be remembered

Jessica James, goes up for running shot in a game against the Sheridan College Bruins of Oakville. James is leaving the Knights after fi ve seasons of playing.

Photo by Bernard Cooper

Jessica James is trying to fi nd someone to pass the ball to in the Knights Feb. 27 game against the St. Lawrence Vikings.

Photo by Bernard Cooper

After fi ve seasons with the team JJ is moving on

Jessica James is seen going up for a layup against the Fanshawe College Falcons of London.

Photo by Bernard Cooper

SPORTSMarch 19, 2010 NIAGARA NEWS Page 33

ALEX ELLIS

By AARON JANKOWSKIStaff Writer

On the last corner of the last lap of a race in Puebla, Mexico, a young man takes the lead in front of about 60,000 screaming fans and doesn’t look back.

“Getting on the podium in Mexico is absolutely the greatest moment in my life,” says Alex Ellis.

“Nothing can describe the feel-ing of that many people screaming

[my] name, with a big Canadian fl ag above [me].”

Ellis, 18, of St. Catharines, got his fi rst taste of victory behind the wheel in his fi rst race, winning by over 18 sec-onds, and he hasn’t looked back since.

On Dec. 22, 2009, Ellis was named the co-win-ner of the inaugural Jim Russell Future Drivers

Search (JRFDS), a competition that set out to fi nd the best young talent from the worlds of karting and junior formula car racing.

It featured 40 drivers

from

10 countries and was held at the Infi -neon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif.The JRFDS judged the drivers on speed, precision and car control. Among the panel of judges was double Le Mans 24-Hour race winner, Allan McNish.

“Winning the JRFDS was absolutely incredible,” says Ellis, adding, “Just to know that I was picked by an ex-F1 driver, Allan McNish, to be the top of the 40 best young drivers from around the world is one of the best feelings of my life.”

For winning the competition, El-lis received a fully funded season in the Jim Russell Championship Series (JRCS), as well as coaching oppor-tunities.

Racing in the JRCS puts Ellis right on track to where he wants to be, and only four years after he fi rst started to race go-karts at Cameron Motor-sports in Hamilton, Ont.

The winner of the JRCS will re-ceive a fully funded drive in the 2011 FIA Formula Two Championship.

The European-based series is one step below the pinnacle of the sport, and Ellis’s ultimate goal, F1.

The winner of the F2 series is awarded a tryout with the Williams F1 team, while the top three fi nish-ers qualify for their FIA superlicence, which is needed to compete in F1.

Ellis says his goal of driving in F1 was born when he watched his fi rst F1 race on television at a

very young age. After that, he wanted to try

go-karting.After performing well in

his fi rst pro races, “people started supporting me, and I realized I had something big going,” says Ellis.

A lot of the support Ellis was receiving came from

his family.“My dad always said to me he will

support me as much as he can, until it starts sacrifi cing our family’s life-style,” says Ellis, adding, “If that hap-pens he’s cutting the cord.”

He says his parents have gone “far above and beyond” when it comes to supporting him.

He also credits his father, Brian, as his biggest infl uence, though Lewis Hamilton, the fi rst black driver in F1, is his racing hero.

“He has allowed me to make nearly every decision on where and when I race,” says Ellis about his father.

“Even if it’s a $50,000 decision. He has trusted me to make the right decision.”

He says his father’s infl uence has also taught him maturity and reason-ability.

How far Ellis has come in only four years of racing may come as a shock to some, but not him.

The “beyond competitive by nature” Ellis says he has a “crazy hunger to al-ways be the best at what [he is] doing,” and he has always had it.

Alhough a future in F1 is his main goal, Ellis, who graduated from St. Francis Secondary School in 2009, says he has kept his grades “good enough” so that if racing takes a turn for the worse, he can return to school. His plans are to study civil engineer-ing. But as for now, “Racing is my life,” says Ellis.

“I love the feeling of winning. I love the passion surrounding every aspect of the sport. I love the feeling of going astronomically fast, while being in 100 per cent control of the cars’ every move ... I am in full control of something do-ing mindboggling tasks. There is no ABS, no traction control, no stability control, nothing but me and the car.”

Amateur driver chasing his

Formula dreams

Ellis’s car- the FJR-50• Manufactured by Lola Cars• Carbon fi bre composition• V-Max 190MPH • 4 cylinder, inline• Displacement 1998 cc• 300bhp horsepower• 240lb/ft torque• 7,500 max RPM

• Sequential 5-speed transmission• 0-60MPH in 2.6 seconds

• Engine- Mitsubishi 4G63 Evolution 9 Alex Ellis fi ghts against the bad weather at the Infi neon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif.

Submitted photos

SPORTSPage 34 NIAGARA NEWS March 19, 2010

By JASON COSTAStaff Writer

It took an unfortunate turn of events to bring him back.

As if suffering a career-ending injury wasn’t enough, one of the youngest baseball agents in history was forced to make a decision that altered his life forever, though giv-ing up his dreams was just a start.

After receiving a scholarship to play baseball at Brevard Commu-nity College, in Melbourne, Fla., Michael Bonanno, 23, of Kilbride, Ont., was living his dream.

Playing under Ernie Rosseau, former St. Louis Cardinals player and coach with the Chicago White Sox, New York Mets and Chicago Cubs, he was on the right track.

“I thought I was going to be drafted, thought I had a chance for pro ball.”

He was no slouch. He faced some of the best players in the country, as 21 players from his conference were drafted to the majors. Though he only played for two years, he was selected to play in the Florida State All Star Game, yet his priori-ties remained unidentifi ed.

“I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. College baseball is huge in the States. Huge. I loved my life there, but I wanted to make money.”

Although his parents were sup-portive and adamant that he con-tinue his education, he was offered a life-changing opportunity, which seemed to be what he was looking for: playing professional baseball in Italy.

Leaving his friends, family and part-time job behind, he took the offer and packed his bags.

“I was living a dream, to the average person, but I wasn’t happy. Getting paid very well to play

professional baseball – what else could you ask for?”

That was when it happened.He suffered a torn ulnar collat-

eral ligament as well as an injury to his rotator cuff that left him with limited options.

“It was either stay and enter re-hab or come home.”

He now knew what it felt like to have his “dreams shattered” in front of him. While coming to terms during his fl ight home, he cried, but it was a choice he doesn’t look back on.

“I would rather have had my family and friends. At the end of the day, when [I’m] a family guy, I don’t regret the decision for one second.”

Coming home brought back childhood dreams that helped him

kick-start his prospective success. He hadn’t even thought about giv-ing up.

He teamed up with Don Webster and Peter Lambert to create Oak Sports Management, an interna-tional athlete management and representation fi rm, adventure he had always wanted to try.

“I’ve always wanted to be a sports agent,” he says, laughing. “I always loved Jerry Maguire.”

His title is Oak Sports Manage-ment’s vice-president of athlete representation, and his prowess and determination continue to help him stand out in the industry.

Client and Toronto Blue Jays prospect Randy Schwartz, 24, has played with him and holds him in high regard.

“Mike is honest and genuine. He’s always been likeable, and I feel really blessed to know him.”

In his enthusiastic and intense manner, Bonanno is set in his hopes and aspirations.

“I want to break records. I have the potential to be one of the young-est sports agents to negotiate deals for my players. I’ve always said, ‘We can’t do this without players. They can do it without us.’”

Peter Lambert, busi-ness partner and Oak Sports Man-a g e m e n t ’ s vice-president of fi nancial management, s u p p o r t s Bonanno’s “quick-on-the-trigger attitude.”

“I think he is go-ing to be a

superstar. He’s enthusias-tic, honest and forthright.”Having known Bonanno for 17 years, he has kept in touch with him throughout his athletic and busi-ness career, and is thankful to share a partnership in their company.“He is way beyond his years. I al-ways knew Mike would be a great agent because of his love for the game. He is a young fellow who doesn’t claim to know everything. He is willing to listen and take advice.”

He wakes every morning at 6:30 a.m. and doesn’t feel the cool of his pillow until at least midnight. Working well over 100 hours a week, he has never been this busy in his life.

“I spend my weekends and nights reading

or working. I can’t remem-ber the last time I went

out on the weekend or

on a date.” With nine

employees and a “team-based”

a t m o -

sphere, Oak Sports Management values its clients, arranging events from Armani suit rentals to wed-ding planning.

“It’s a ruthless business. We are the biggest baseball agency in Canada. It didn’t happen overnight, and we still have a long way to go. I think we’re on the right path.”

Besides access to closed-door Major League Baseball meetings and meeting legends of baseball, he lives out of his suitcase, and some-times his pocket, to help maintain the success of his business.

“I don’t really want fame. I want my players to be famous.

“I want to be under the radar, but still have people [in the business] know who I am.”

Within the next few months, he plans on visiting clients across North America as spring train-ing starts. He enjoys and tries his hardest to visit clients three to four times a year in order to maintain a good agent-to-client relationship.

“We have some of the best play-ers around. We have the nicest guys and we’ve turned down play-ers because they’re prima donnas. I can’t deal with prick athletes. My dream is to be there when my clients retire, to have them say, ‘I want to thank my family and my agent.’”

With a confi dent outlook towards the future, he still holds his humble upbringing close to his heart.

“It’s a business, but family al-ways comes fi rst. Always.”

Mike Bonanno embraces Dominican resident Francisco Beltre in appreciation of a sunset. Bonanno visited the Dominican Republic to speak to under-privileged children about perseverance and determination.

Submitted photo

‘Family fi rst’ for young sports agent

Mike Bonanno, 23, is a co-founder of Oak Sports

Management, an international athlete management and representation fi rm.

Submitted photo

‘I was living a dream, to the average person, but I wasn’t happy. Getting paid very well to play professional baseball – what else could you ask for?’ —Mike Bonanno

SPECIALMarch 19, 2010 NIAGARA NEWS Page 35

Mark your schedules!Thursday, March 25, 2010

It’s TropicalFor Niagara College’s 15th Annual

Throughout

the College, students

will find treats, giveaways, prize

draws, food and campus store spe-

cials and many other

surprises!

Staff of Niagara College wish to acknowledge with much appreciation, your contribution to our college community.

It’s our way of saying “thanks” for choosing Niagara College as your place to study, work, live and play

Back by popular demand...225 Tropical Eggs

have been hidden throughout the college...

find one and win a prize!

Student Appreciation Day Event

By JOSH GRANT-YOUNGStaff Writer

Ethics? Sustainability? Spiritual enlightenment?

Indeed, these may all be noble pursuits, but a raw food diet can turn off foodies from all over the dieting spectrum.

The majority of food consumed is cooked or processed to some

degree, making a diet consisting of raw, uncooked produce seem unat-tainable. However, this couldn’t be farther from the truth.

While there is debate over how healthy, benefi cial or spiritually based a raw food diet is, what is true is the following recipes yield tasty results.

Save time and eat well.

Strawberry Banana SmoothieStrawberry Banana SmoothieA great boost in the morning or evening. The addition of hempseed is for the Omega 3 fats and protein that vegetarians and vegans can miss. 3 cups fresh organic strawberries 2 bananas1 cup fresh coconut water2 tablespoons of raw hulled hempseed 1 tray of ice cubes (optional)Place all ingredients in a blender and puree. Add more water if you like a thinner smoothie.

When it comes to smoothies, frozen strawberries taste just as great as fresh ones. Photo by Josh Grant-Young

It’s a great cold soup to have between classes or as a late night snack. Adding a tablespoon of olive oil adds flair to an otherwise colourful dish.

1 cup water Flesh of 1 medium avo-cado, save a tablespoon to dice for garnish 2 cups chopped cucum-ber 1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes 1/2 to 1 Serrano chile, with seeds, sliced (optional) 1 large clove garlic, minced 1 sprig mint leaves Juice of 2 lemons

1/2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon maple syrup (or use dates to sweeten)

Combine all ingredients in a blender in the order listed. Start blender on low speed for a few sec-onds. Then switch to high. Blend until creamy and smooth, about two minutes. Pour into two soup bowls. Dice reserved avocado and gently drop them into the centre of the bowl. Add a mint leaf and sprinkle with diced avocado with paprika if desired. Serves two people.

Avocado GazpachoAvocado Gazpacho

Raw food: nature’s way the best way

ON CAMPUSPage 36 NIAGARA NEWS March 19, 2010

By SETH HENNESSYStaff Writer

Scott Nichols has a creative con-dition.

It began young, “ever since I could hold a pencil,” as he de-scribes it.

His mother encouraged the

condition by providing him with paper and pens when he was being hyperactive.

Less of a condition and more of a gift, Nichols let it take control when he was able to look at his drawings and say, “Hey! That looks how I want it to.”

Nichols, 21, has been drawing for years but recently decided to share his work with more than just his trusted loved ones. Using the Internet he hopes to get enough coverage for his work to be no-ticed and hopefully begin a career of designing and creating art. Logo designs, cover art, posters, tattoos, portraits, illustrations or posters. Nichols is willing to fulfi l any serious inquiries.

As for practice, Nichols is in the right shape to begin this public exhibition.

He admits to drawing for hours straight if he is feeling “especially inspired,” but spends at least two hours daily at his desk.

“He has to carry a sketchbook with him to get freaking gro-ceries,” his girlfriend, Melissa McDonnell, 20, says of Nichols’ occasionally never-ending desire to create.

“It’s kind of like a melting pot,” he says of his mind’s ability to hold everything in until an idea suddenly hits boiling point and requires visualization.

“I go into another zone when I’m drawing.”

Cardboard boxes, rubber work gloves, face paint and melting snow against salt stains on the side of a car have all been part of Nichols’ creations.

Even his simple sketches feature his knack for adding excitement to the normal and a realistic base to the most fantastic images.

His art fi nds energy in faces, eyes, the words and colours that surround us yet each picture re-mains easily but subtly relatable.

An unfi nished piece on his desk already commands attention

because that detail seems to be a prerequisite for Nichols’ art.

With a desire to make his pas-sion a profession, he has his art displayed on Facebook and his at his Decaf Art website at http://decaf-sdn-art.blogspot.com/ to share and receive input.

He has made contact with profes-sionals Jim Mahfood and Michael Huddleston in the hope of getting some of that constructive criticism he knows will help him grow.

He appreciates any compliments about his work.

“I really, really do,” he says, but savours useful criticism, because he knows it will help him develop his gifts.

This desire to always improve humbles him but also ignites his search for new ways to do the same thing by using varied mate-rials such as crayons that offer dif-ferent shades of grey in an attempt to better channel what he feels.

“If you can’t put out exactly what you want, then it is not your-self,” says Nichols. He would love one day to be “solely surviving on art” but realizes that might take time.

For the moment he is enjoying school enough and earning good marks without having to subtract time from his “real” work.

Jeremy Hennessy, 15, adds artistic fl air to his school work at Laura Secord Secondary, the same school Nichols once attended.

He does not draw but in the last two years he has learned to play the French horn and trumpet at school, the horn at church and piano for fun.

On top of that he recently acted in the school play, a production requiring a lot of extra time from many dedicated students.

Hennessy fi nds the activities rewarding and thinks anyone can enjoy the sense of accomplishment that artful enterprises bring.

“The fact that you are making the music yourself is cool,” says Hen-nessy confi rming the that most art begins as a personal achievement.

Jessica Perry, 20, a Niagara

College student in Graphic Arts, understands not every creation is art but the artist’s experience is different than the audience’s. Nichols hopes to be in the same program next year.

“Inside you know what kind of you feeling you get when you cre-ate something, and that you spent a lot of time on it,” she says. “I can know I am artistic in my head.”

She says she may like a doodle she draws but that does not make it art.

The same goes for anything more than a doodle because art re-quires an audience’s satisfaction, negative or positive.

“An artist is never satisfi ed,” she says. “Some people don’t want to give up on their dreams.”

Nichols knows he is not the only artistic person in the world and considers anyone from architects to TV producers to fi t the bill.

“That person is an artist in their own way,” he says.

For Nichols, his art is particular to him because no matter how oth-

ers feel about it he knows where it came from and why it exists.

“He gets to see what he wants in the world,” says McDonnell while pulling up one of his drawings on the computer screen.

It shows a man in an agonized state and a word bubble spouting the words, “Work, work work,” repeated until they get too small to see and then at the bottom, the word “dust.”

The man being worked to dust does not represent Nichols but rather his mindset at a time when he was unsure about what to do next and felt caught in a Catch 22 of life choices.

“It was a feeling that manifested itself into an image.”

It is those forceful feelings and creative aspirations that tells Nichols it will be a long time be-fore he stops producing art, if he can never solely live off it.

“I don’t think I’ll ever stop being creative,” he says but then jokingly adds, “Maybe if I get to 80, then I’ll quit.”

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Scott Nichols puts some fi nishing touches on his latest piece. Photo by Seth Hennessy

All artwork on this page was created by Scott Nichols

Th e pen is mightier than the sword

By the Circle

Worked to Death

Portrait of Artist and Girlfriend

Artist always carries his sketch pad