The Brockville Observer

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After a dramatic non-confidence vote in Parlia-ment on Friday afternoon, and the subsequent dis-solution of the Harper government, Leeds and Grenville’s political leaders embark on what promises to be a gruelling five week race, party representa-tives, Gord Brown, Marjory Loveys, Matthew Gabriel, and Mary Slade, sound off on key issues and the need for change.

Gord Brown, Conservative

“Michael Ignatieff with his Coalition partners have chosen to force an election that will jeopard-ize Canada’s economic recovery just as we enter the home stretch,” said Brown. “We need to com-plete the economic re-covery and keep creating new jobs while protecting existing jobs. We need

to help families whose budgets are stretched. We need to lower taxes and we need to ensure Canada has a stable national gov-ernment.”

Marjory Loveys, Liberal

“There have been a whole series of ethical lapses within the current

government that have prompted this election,” said Loveys. “We need to invest in people. A Lib-eral government will re-duce the deficit and re-store fiscal prudence. Mr Ignatieff has proposed a balanced approach to tackle the deficit while investing in Canada’s true priorities.”

Matthew Gabriel, New Democratic Party

“Our current govern-ment has ignored the needs of working class Canadian families and small business owners,” said Gabriel. “These people are the backbone of the economy, and right now, the cost of living is rising and there is nothing

being done about it. We need a government that will work with people, not against them. It’s time for a change.”

Mary Slade,Green Party

“My concern is that right now, we have a dys-functional Parliament, which is a sad state,” said

Slade. “We need to focus on a smart economy and a big part of that is investing in a better en-vironment, better hous-ing and most important-ly, in our youth, we need to get them to the polls, because ultimately, they will be the ones who will be affected by our deci-sions.”

Local leaders kick off campaignsGord Brown, Conservative Mary Slade, Green PartyMatthew Gabriel, New Democratic Party Marjory Loveys, Liberal

City Hall was lit up with candlelight at eight o’clock for Earth Hour. The global event started in Sydney Aus-tralia in 2007 and first found its way to Brockville in 2008. March 29th was the time to turn off your lights, televisions and other electrical de-vices to raise awareness for global health for an hour. The amount of carbon dioxide that was saved from entering earth’s atmosphere was close to 10%, if over half the area residents partook in the event.

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2011 THE OBSERVER

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HAVE YOU HEARD OF LEEDS & GRENVILLE’S BEST KEPT SECRET?

After several months of deliberation, VIA Rail’s architects are officially back from the drawing board. Representatives from the Crown corporation were asked to re-design the $4.5 million structure after their first draft was panned by lo-cal heritage advocates, fol-lowing its original release in November. The revised design, which incorpor-ates several suggestions put forth by the advocates, will reflect a traditional, more historic design, while incorporating modern ele-ments such as large track

facing windows, and a broad view platform.

“This is probably the best we’re going to see,” said local historian and Herit-age Brockville member, Doug Grant, who lead the

mild, but effective pressure campaign encouraging VIA to alter the modern, steel and glass structure.

“This is VIA’s project,” continued Grant.

“They’re actually not ob-

liged to do anything.”“The communities

we serve matter to us,” explained VIA’s General Counsel and Secretary, Yves Desjardins-Siciliano.

“The input we received

from the people of Brock-ville, its community lead-ers and some of our 65,000 passengers who use the station annually, has al-lowed us to enhance the station’s design, and move

forward with this import-ant capital investment in this historic city.”

Leeds-Grenville MP, Gord Brown praised VIA for its responsiveness to the citizen’s concerns.

“VIA Rail was responsive to the concerns that the in-itial design was not in keep-ing with the ‘local flavor’ and those concerns were taken into account,” stated Brown.

“I believe the people of Brockville will be very pleased.”

VIA will move forward with the development of the formal plans and de-sign specifications, and proceed with construction in 2012.

VIA Rail announces revised station designsBy Erin ChristieObserver Staff Writer

Nearly 200 local Tor-ies gathered at the Roy-al Canadian Legion in Brockville on Friday evening to pay tribute to former MPP and 2010 Cit-izen of the Year, Senator Bob Runciman. Amongst those who came out to celebrate Runciman’s long and distinguished career in provincial pol-itics were, his successor, Leeds-Grenville MPP, Steve Clark, MP Gord Brown, Brockville Mayor, David Henderson, and former Ontario Premiere, Mike Harris.

Harris praised the 29-year veteran, who left Queen’s Park for the Red Chamber, more than a year ago, calling him a close friend, confidant, and an exemplary leader.

“Bob is, without a doubt, one of the most impressive and dedicated people that I have had the privilege to work with,” began Harris.

“He leads by example, he always had the cour-age to do whatever it takes

to get things done, and he is well respected on both sides of the Chamber.”

The accolades con-tinued throughout the evening, which included a tribute from Runci-man’s daughter, Sue, and by way of video, Ontario PC leader Tim Hudak, who referred to Runci-man as, ‘one of the most effective and tenacious MPPs in a generation’.

“The halls of Queen’s Park just aren’t the same without Mad Dog on pa-trol,” joked Hudak.

“He’s been such a won-derful representative,” added MPP, Steve Clark.

“His record is a gold medal standard. We’re very lucky to have him

continue to represent us.”Clearly touched by the

tribute, Runciman fondly recalled his nearly three decades in politics.

“You remember the good and you remember the bad, but mostly I re-member how lucky I’ve been. I feel very privil-eged to have been able to do what I’ve done in these years,” said Runci-man.

“When I was first elected, I thought I knew the riding, but you don’t really know it till you’ve been able to get out there and meet the people, and they’re good people. And that is what has made my career so enjoyable all these years.”

Local Tories pay tribute to Senator RuncimanBy Erin ChristieObserver Staff Writer

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Former Ontario Pre-mier Mike Harris (right) commended his long-time col-league and friend, Senator Bob Runci-man (left), during a tribute dinner held in Runciman’s honour, last Friday evening at the Royal Canadian Legion in Brockville.

ERIN CHRISTIE PHOTO

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THE OBSERVER WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2011

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The ObserverCOMMUNITY

Some Meals on Wheels recipients in Leeds and Grenville were greeted by a special group of vol-unteers last week dur-ing the CPHC’s Mayors for Meals campaign, an annual event held throughout Canada and the United States that is designed to raise pub-lic awareness and re-cruit new volunteers. This year’s participating dignitaries included Ed-wardsburgh/Cardinal mayor, Bill Sloan, Athens mayor, Herb Scott, Pres-cott mayor, Brett Todd, Rideau Lakes mayor, Ron Holman, and City of Brockville mayor, David Henderson, who praised the program and noted that, for the recipients of MOW, the weekly deliv-eries extend beyond the convenience of having a warm meal delivered to their door step.

“The program hits home on a number of fronts,” said Henderson, before he began his deliv-ery route, last Thursday morning.

“For some people, it’s the simple pleasure of having someone stop and see them, so for a per-son that may not be able to get out of the house often, just a smiling face at the door to say hello can make a big difference in their lives.”

Mayor Henderson continued that for some,’

it may be difficult to put together a full hot meal all the time, because

cooking for one has no economy of scale.’

“It becomes expensive at a time when you have

the least money. Often that can result in tak-ing short cuts, and then can nutrition becomes an issue. For others, it is simply a break. Go-ing to restaurants can get expensive, Meals on Wheels, might be the one time a week that people can have something spe-cial.”

Accompanying the Mayor on his MOW the delivery route, were CPHC volunteers, sisters, Karen Martin and Sharon Demp-sey, who have volunteered for MOW for three years, and heartily endorsed the program, citing Hender-son’s involvement as a ‘great way to promote this vital service’.

Dempsey continued, adding that she and Mar-tin became involved with the program as a tribute to their mother, who had been a recipient of MOW.

“When our mom was ill she depended on the pro-gram, and loved the Meals on Wheels service, so when Karen and I retired, we promised ourselves that we’d give back to the program that did so much for our mother.”

This past year, the 204 CPHC volunteers, includ-ing the sisters, delivered over 11,300 meals, which are prepared by Brock-ville General Hospital,

to the 266 area residents that make use of the pro-gram. The meals, noted Dempsey, are nutrition-ally balanced and can also be tailored to cli-ents with special diets or pureed if needed, are designed particularly for seniors.

For more information on the CPHC Meals on Wheels program, visit www.cphcare.ca. To con-tact CPHC by phone, call at (613) 342-3693, or al-ternatively, at their toll-free number, 1-800-465-7646.

Perhaps Dr. Denise Bowes said it best. “Be warned, because some music will change your life.”

Bowes, who is a found-ing member of the Joshua Bates Centre for Per-forming Arts in Athens, was one of seven deserv-ing new inductees who were welcomed into the Brockville and Area Music and Performing Arts Hall of Fame, during a gala ceremony held at the Brockville Arts Centre last Thursday evening. Joining Bowes were, local produ-cer/director, Joy Good-fellow, local pianist, Bruce Kerr (representing the Bruce Kerr Trio), costume mistress, Charyl Trussell, performer, Mike Trussell, Paul Whitney (on behalf of his father, the legend-ary Moxie Whitney), and popular musician, Matt Hayes, each of whom were honoured for their numer-ous contributions to the arts community, both on, and off the stage.

“Look at the quality that is here, and the breadth,” noted Brockville Mayor, David Henderson, as he congratulated this year’s class.

“It’s just an incredible amount of skill we have in this area.”

Master of Ceremonies Dan Wylie, whose fath-er, FM radio announcer and community activist, Bruce Wylie, founded the event six years ago, saluted the talented group, and praised their devotion to their craft.

“These people are not in it for the money, but for the love of teaching, performing, directing, designing and doing the many other jobs that gives this community a vibrant theatre and music scene,” said Wylie.

“I was one of the lucky ones,” noted inductee, Joy Goodfellow, who was hon-oured for her numerous and varied contributions to the Operatic Society, the Theatre Guild and the Brockville Concert Asso-ciation.

“I got to do a job I loved, and this honour is just the icing on the cake.”

Multi-talented performer Mike Trussell, who was in-ducted along with his wife, costume mistress, Charyl Trussell, for their work with the Operatic Society and the Theatre Guild, called Brockville ‘one of the greatest arts commun-ities in the world.’

“To be voted in togeth-er makes it extra special,” said Trussell.

One of the evening’s most memorable speech-es came from Paul Whit-ney, who spoke on behalf of his father, legendary big band musician, Moxie Whitney.

“Out of great adversity, he created his own world, his own legacy, and he fol-lowed his dream,” Whit-

ney told the crowd. “It took guts and deter-

mination, but most of all, it took something called Moxie.”

The Brockville Lions Club members, repre-sented by Music Festival co-chair, Norm Kearney and Lions Club President, Ross Brown, were also inducted into this year’s HOF, with the Lifetime

Achievement Award, for their annual Music Festi-val.

“We don’t have a lot,”said Kearney. “But we what we do have is a very supportive community.”

“Our motto is, we serve, and it’s been our pleasure to serve this community for the past 60 years,”added Brown.

Community officials promote Meals on Wheels programBy Erin ChristieObserver Staff Writer

By Erin ChristieObserver Staff Writer

From left to right-CPHC Meals on Wheels volunteers, Shar-on Dempsey, Karen Martin, Brockville City Mayor, David Henderson, MOW recipients, Jack and Margaret Shepard.

ERIN CHRISTIE PHOTO

Hall of Fame honours music and theatre greats

The 2011 inductees pose at the end of the ceremony, from left to right; Founding member of the Joshua Bates Center for Performing Arts founder, Dr. Denise Bowes, local producer/director, Joy Goodfellow, local pianist, Bruce Kerr (representing the Bruce Kerr Trio), costume mistress, Charyl Trussell, performer, Mike Trussell, Paul Whitney (on behalf of his father, the legendary Moxie Whitney), and popular musician, Matt Hayes. ERIN CHRISTIE PHOTO

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It’s been one week since the earthquake and I’m sitting in the same chair that shook when the earthquake reached us. Now, even more than before, I’m thankful to live where I do.

Life, where I live, has been more or less the same. More because everyone’s been going about their business as usual. Less because everyone has been pre-paring for the worst. As I write this, I have an emergency bag packed and sitting at my front door in case I have to make a run for it. And I’m not the only one.

When I wrote before it really hadn’t sunk in exactly how bad things were.

Since I last wrote, I’ve heard stories and found out things that really hit home for me. Things like the fact that several of my fellow JETs (Japan Exchange and Teaching) are missing. Everyone I know personally is ac-counted for but to know that people on the same program, doing the same job as me can’t be found, it’s frightening.

Sendai actually had one of the highest JET populations in all of Japan.

My supervisor has friends who lived in the coastal region. One of his friends had his business literally washed away. But he’s one of the lucky ones. He survived.

One JET I do know is leaving. His supervisor told them all that if they wanted to leave it was alright. He lives in Iwate which neighbours Fuku-shima so no one is going to blame them for going.

Fukushima is the rea-son my teachers have the TV in the staffroom on as I write this. The possibil-ity of a nuclear meltdown has everyone terrified.

But what makes this real for me is the ‘Fuku-shima 50’, as they’re be-ing called. They’re the workers who stayed at the power plant when the rest of their coworkers were evacuated. These people are risking their lives to try and avert dis-aster. Every minute they spend trying to get things under control is shorten-ing their lifespan.

Five of them have al-ready died.

So while I sit here, in relative safety, I hope fer-vently for the success and safety of the Fukushima 50. The whole country is holding its breath, wait-ing to see if they will come out of this as live heroes or dead ones.

That’s the state of af-fairs at the moment. I can only hope that by the time I write my next col-umn, Japan will be safe.

Holding our breath

MORE THAN JAPAN

by Lauren Smith

Lions Breakfast The Lions Club held a ‘Relief for Japan’ fundraising breakfast on Thursday morning to help in the efforts to stabilize the country. Pictured here are a few of Brockville’s finest, from left to right, Inspector Scott Fraser, Staff Sergeant Ed Stone, and Chief Adrian Geraghty. The breakfast raised $3,600 for the Japan relief effort with over 240 members of the community attending the breakfast. “We are very pleased with the turnout from the community and the help we have received from the merchants”, said Lions Club Sight Conservation Chair Ted Hughes. “The community always says they will come out and help, and they did once again”.


TAKAYAMA

The map above shows the areas hardest hit by the earthquake and tsunamis, Takatanam the city where I live and work is on the west-ern side of the island, and for now, away from the pre-dominate wind patterns.

The ObserverEDITORIAL WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2011 THE OBSERVER

THE OBSERVER EDITORIAL

Who do you believe?Federal Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff

finally answered the question he has been dodging for months Sunday, as he told repor-ters in Montreal that the Liberals were ruling out a coalition.

According to a poll commissioned by the QMI Agency, only 17 per cent of Canadians believe him. Leger Marketing’s poll indicated that 56 per cent of Canadians did not believe him, while 28 per cent did not know.

Ouch.The poll was broken down by party sup-

porters. Eight per cent of Conservatives be-lieved him while 86 per cent did not and seven per cent did not know. Eighteen per cent of NDP voters believed him while 48 per cent did not and 34 per cent did not know. The Bloc Quebecois had 17 per cent believing him and 64 per cent not believing him, while seven per cent of the Greens believed him and 48 per cent did not.

Shockingly, 32 per cent of the Liberals polled believed him but 35 per cent did not. Another 32 per cent were undecided.

That one really stings.The election campaign opened up with the

Tories holding a 19 per cent lead over the Lib-erals. While our riding has historically been a Conservative stronghold, Central, Southern and Western Ontario have not. Voters here, in general, would prefer to have an MP sitting in a majority government than to sit in an un-stable minority or even on the opposition side of a coalition.

But the fact that more Canadians don’t be-lieve Ignatieff than do believe him, is it enough to sway voters over to a Tory majority?

Probably not.Christian Bourque of Leger commented in

the Sun Monday that the coalition would not really shake the electorate. A majority of Lib-eral, NDP and Bloq voters support the idea of a coalition, whle 95 per cent of Conservatives

do not.What is interesting, however, is that among

those polled, more people, Liberals included, preferred Jack Layton to lead the coalition rather than Ignatieff.

While coalitions are the talk of the election, how many Canadians are even aware of the history of coalitions in our own government?

If a coalition were formed, it would not be the first one in Canadian history, but it would be the first one that led to a government being overthrown. Past coalitions in Canada have involved the governing party forming an alli-ance with an opposition party to strengthen the government and form a majority.

The Great Coalition, from 1864-1867, opened the door for Confederation. The only other coalition was formed by Sir Robert Bor-den in 1917. The Conservative Prime Minister formed a coalition with the Liberals and in-dependents to broaden support for its contro-versial plan to introduce conscription during the First World War. Conscription was strongly opposed by French Canadians and rural Que-bec farmers, as they resented being forced to participate in a British foreign war.

Perhaps if Canadians knew how ground breaking this coalition of opposition parties would be, they would be more vocal against it.

But then again, Michael Ignatieff has said he wants no part of a coalition. Can you blame him if the people want Jack Layton to be the Prime Minister?

Whether Ignatieff is telling the truth or not is not the issue here. The QMI Agency poll is a severe blow to the confidence that people in all parties, even his own, have in his leader-ship.

Five weeks is a long time in a campaign, and public opinion can sway aggressively.

But for Michael Ignatieff, he will have only five weeks to convince Canadian voters that he is, indeed, a worthy leader.

Jeff Morris

Iggy says no coalition, but few believe him

Get active this springWith spring just around

the corner many people are thinking about what groups, teams, and activities they are looking to join for the summer months.

There are several sports, gyms, and groups, as well as a growing number of other health and wellness groups such as yoga, boot camps, and team training programs that are available to all ranges of fitness, commitment and price.

This is the time of year that everyone starts think-ing about the health, looking better, losing that unwanted weight from our winter hiber-nation and the list goes on. It is the time, when sports are not limited to those that are played indoors, opening up a number of summer sport favorites.

Football, rugby, track, tennis, golf, and soccer are just a few of the popular sports from the area that are beginning in the next month. All levels are available to the public, from the highest and most competi-tive, to the ‘just for fun’ recreational leagues.

We shouldn’t just accept that the winter is the time to get out of shape and that there is no avoiding this, but the weather does make getting in shape and getting out there to do something physical easier. To run in the winter months, when the temperature is -20C, it takes a little more dedication than hitting the pavement when it is a balmy 25C.

Being able to swim in the river offers more of a challenge and nicer scenery then doing laps in the pool. Jumping on your bike, and hit-ting the paths around the area, are more invigorating than skimming a magazine or reading the captions on the TV cycling on a stationary bike. Indoor soccer can be fun, but the game players love is out of the pitch on a sunny day in the fresh air.

Spring sports like rugby, tennis, golf and football will consume many people’s time over the spring, summer, and fall months. Many ‘live and breath’ their sport, from the youngest tot just leaning their sport to a oldest veteran playing the game they’ve always loved.

Families come together at these events, cheering on their son, daughter, sibling or mom or dad. Some are casual fans, but most are enthralled in the games and bring a higher level or intensity to the atmosphere by their obvious dedication. Fun for the whole family.

There are also many things for the person looking to simply get into better shape. Yoga is popular all-year around, but many will be signing up in the next few weeks to get back into shape. Boot camps and fitness groups geared towards specific people are in registration season and have already begun, or will be starting soon. The area has a number of groups, whether you are looking to run, cycle, swim or something else, there is something for you.

It is always time to get out there and be active, but with the conven-ience and comfortable weather coming soon, your excuses have run out. Sign up for something or make a personal commitment to be more active today, don’t wait.

Austin de Luis

A crash on the 401 near the Stewart Blvd overpass slowed traffic and brought emergency response teams to the scene on Friday, just before noon.


As I furiously pound away at my keyboard my mind is cluttered with a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions on the broadcast consortium’s decision to exclude Green Party leader Elizabeth May from the leaders debate after her inclusion in 2008.

To think that a party with the support of 1 in 10 Can-adians and runs candidates in all 308 ridings in Canada will not be heard because of an arbitrary backroom deci-sion by network executives speaks to the deterioration of

democracy in our county.For the first time, after

over eight years of political involvement, I will be able to cast my ballot in an elec-tion. The broadcast consor-tiums decision tells young voters like me that you must compromise your values and beliefs in order to make a change and have your voice represented. This may be why we are entering our fourth election in seven years. This may be why in recent years we have seen voter turnout decline to the lowest levels in

our countries history.I implore each person who

reads this to sign the petition at demanddemocraticde-bates.ca which already has more than 85,000 signatures, read the facts and figures which further explains the reasons that justify Elizabeth May’s inclusion and to let the networks know that Canadian democracy is not something that can be tampered with in a meeting behind closed doors.

Matt CasselmanBrockville

Letter to the EditorMay’s exclusion from the debates a violation of democracy

So I thought I would do something nice for my mom last Mother’s Day. My sister said I was crazy, and that it would make us crazy. I totally disagreed. My sister said she wanted nothing to do with it. It was my gift and I would have to deal with it. I though it through, and asked my husband and my kids advice. They wouldn’t commit either way- males! Well, I just went ahead and did it anyway.

I bought my mom a laptop computer. Keep in mind that she has never used one. Mom did work as a secretary all her life, but I think the latest tech-nology she had ever used was an IBM typewriter. She would mention how all her friends were using email and Skype, maybe as a hint.............

I bought the laptop and got everything all set on it. I got her a hot-mail account and Skype. I thought that should be enough for the begin-ning. She was thrilled. She was visiting for a

few days, so I thought I would be able to teach her in that time. I guess it isn’t as easy as that. I had forgotten how long it took me to be comfort-able using a computer. I would drive my kids crazy asking them for help. Now, I guess it’s my turn to teach. Of course my sister lives in the same town and has called me numerous times with “I told you so”. Well, she really said something else, but I shouldn’t print that.

Mom has treasured this computer. Keeps it all nice and clean and in a safe spot at her house. Unfortunately she doesn’t take it anywhere. One of the reasons I got it for her is that she trav-els quite a bit. She is a snowbird, and is gone all winter. She didn’t want to take it with her so it

doesn’t get damaged!! So, now she is calling me all the time asking how to retrieve her emails, or how to look something up on her friends Apple Computer- which I have never used. If she had her own, we could have been on Skype easily all the time- and for FREE!! That was the whole point!

Today I get a call from her asking how her and her friend can look something up on Google. I opened my Google and told them step by step what to do. Keep in mind this was long distance. It was very entertaining. They were squabbling about who knew more of what they were doing. First my mom would say, oh...she doesn’t know what she’s doing. Then I get the friend on, who says the same thing about my mom. It was hilarious! It was a simple Google search! In the end, I copied and pasted what they were looking for and emailed it to her friend. Gotta love her, she’s my mom!


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2010 DIRECTOR’S ANNUAL REPORT

I can’t imagine that you need any additional reason to attend this year’s 1000 Islands Wine and Food Festival. After all, last year’s show was a resounding success and those who went have done a good job spreading the word. It was well attended and feed-back from every-one involved, ex-hibitor, organizers and attendees was glowing.

This year’s Fes-tival scheduled for June 17th and 18th at the Memorial Centre promises to be bigger and better, partner-ing with Art in the City and the 1000 Islands Jazz Festival. Entertain-ment, local artists, wine and food demonstrations, local food producers and ample wines to sample should be enticement enough.

But as the television commercials say, “Wait! There’s more!” Spurred on by Alan Medcalf’s e-mail, Kim Barr and the Brock-ville and District Tourism staff have been hard at

work adding an additional attraction. After a flurry of internet activity be-tween Brockville and Aus-

tralia, building on the common bond of Brockville’s Chaffey brothers, Chateau Mildura’s current owner, Lance Milne has announced his

intention to at-tend this year’s Festival.

Getting to meet and chat with Mr. Milne

will undoubtedly be fun and informative. However I must confess that the fact he hopes to bring along some of Cha-teau Mildura’s wines for tasting has captured my attention. The wines have rocketed onto the wine scene and been warmly received, with many glow-ing reviews. 2011 is the 120th anniversary of the Chaffey’s first vintage so it seems only appropriate that wines from their es-

tate make their way home to Brockville.

Chateau Mildura is lo-cated in a region known for long hours of sunshine, low humidity and calcar-eous soil, in short perfect conditions for vineyards. In fact the only building block missing was water; that is until the arrival of

the Chaffey brothers and their irrigation schemes. Mr. Milne brought a ster-ling horticultural reputa-tion to the table when he bought Chateau Mildura in 2002. His family had ar-rived in the region in 1913 and had farmed there for four generations, growing nearly every crop imagin-able. In 1998 in response to the growing demand for wine grapes he plant-ed his first 80 hectares of grapes.

The combination of soil, climate and expertise was, and is, fortuitous. It should be quite interest-ing to taste the wines re-sulting from this conver-

gence. I have e-mailed Mr. Milne to ask which wines he is going to bring and will share that with you once he replies.

Apparently this chance connection could yield even more, permanent connections. There seems to be a movement afoot in Mildura to establish a sis-ter city relationship with Brockville. Mildura has a strong association with Upland, California and a sister city relationship with them, based on the Chaffey connection. Stay tuned for updates on this front.

Now I imagine all this talk about wine has made you thirsty. At this time of year many of us are clean-ing the grill and checking propane tanks in prepara-tion for the full resump-tion of barbecuing. So a recommendation for a barbecue wine might be apropos.

How about an Austral-ian “barbie” wine such as McGuigan ‘Black Label’ Shiraz 2008 (CSPC# 325787, $9.95)? Concen-trated cassis and cherry fruit with a dash of spice, great balance and good finish warrants a spot next to your grill. The long and short is it offers great qual-ity and flavour at a very reasonable price. Enjoy!

Page 14 WEDNESDAY, JULY 7, 2010 THE OBSERVER

The Observer VOICE

Unfortunately, we havespent a lot of time at theBrockville GeneralHospital this past monthwith our son. It has beenvery frustrating to be toldover and over again to goto Ottawa or Kingston byeveryone. The peoplethat are saying it have noidea of the excellent carethat our son has beenreceiving. The nurses onthe second floor havebeen incredibly caringand positive, eventhough they are extreme-ly short-staffed. Stayingat the hospital overnightwith even less staff on,they never get a break.Unfortunately, with theshortage, which I don’tunderstand, as there areplenty of unemployed

nurses, the patients donot get the care that theyneed. Unless a familymember is with thepatient at all times, theyneed to wait to be helpedfor little things, thatwhen you are in thepatient’s position are bigthings.

My husband and I havebeen helping differentpatients in the sameroom as our son withthese little things – likepulling up their blanket,or getting an extra blan-ket because they arecold, or pushing a table

closer to them, adjustingtheir beds.The nursesjust don’t have the timeto be there as they arewith other patients doingmore critical nursing.Another example is anolder gentleman, whowas in the same roomanother time. His mealswould come, the nurseswould set him up in hischair, and he would justsleep through the wholetime. What he reallyneeded was someone tofeed him, as he had nostrength to do it himself.Again, the nurses justdon’t have enough timeto be able to give him thecare he needs. When theydo have a moment, theywill help as much as theycan. I never see any

nurses sitting, or relax-ing. All I have seen isthem running from oneroom to the next trying todo the best they can.They have been wonder-ful with our son given thecircumstances, and weappreciate them greatly.

Another irritating thingabout people’s com-ments is their scepticismof a new, young surgeonin town, which we havebeen very impressedwith. Dr. Somani hasbeen diligent, cautious,knowledgeable, caringand has treated us andour son with the greatestrespect. He has beenlooking out for our son’sbest interest from thefirst day he met him, andwe trust his judgement,

explicitly. He has treatedour son as a person, notas a case in a file.

In my experience,small town hospitals giveyou better personal care.When I was in Montreal,in the West Island, peo-ple always said the samething. Don’t go toLakeshore Hospital; godowntown to the biggerhospital. Well, for me,that wasn’t true. In mylife, I had been admitted12 times for surgery orother reasons to theLakeshore Hospital andBrockville General, andin Montreal’s RoyalVictoria reputable teach-ing hospital. My childrenhave been in these hos-pitals also. The only timeI had a horrible unac-

ceptable experience wasin the bigger hospital-The Royal VictoriaHospital in Montreal. Allmy other times, I hadexceptional care.

People need to learn tobe patient, and lookaround to see what theproblem is, before doingany blaming. It’s not thenurse that is in front ofyou that is causing yourdelays. It is caused bysome bureaucracy far-ther up, that need tocome into these hospi-tals and see how thesecut backs are affectingthe patients. Is a hospitalnot supposed to be allabout treating patients?Or is it all just aboutnumbers on a spread-sheet?

THE O’GRADY

FILESby Monica O’Grady

I was thinking about EdSullivan this evening. It’sSunday, dinner is doneand there’s nothingentertaining on televisionon Sunday night anymore. Cartoons andmade for TV movies don’tseem to scream out"watch me". The showCriminal Minds justcreeps me out. The cur-rent barrage of amateurstrying to be professionalsvia shows such as So YouThink You Can Dance(Canada) and AmericanIdol are a little too dra-matic for my tastes.Having the loser standthere to be humiliated fortwenty minutes before hisor her name is called is abit harsh, in my opinion.Along with millions ofother North Americansback in the 60s, I used torush home on Sundaynight to watch The EdSullivan Show. That’swhere you found every-one at eight o’clock onSunday night. That’swhere the entertainmentwas.

Every week was differ-ent yet every week wasthe same. The guestschanged, the format did-n’t. There was someonefor everyone. If you werea comedy fan you werealways in luck. There wasa comedian pretty muchevery week. Rich Little,Alan King, John Bynerand Frank Gorhswin wereall on there. Ed was goodat introducing new talentand he was particularlyfond of comedians, eventhe raunchy ones likeGeorge Carlin. Bet youcan’t guess which come-dy act was on his showmore than any other?Well, it’s Canada’s ownWayne and Shuster.

If you were a Broadwayenthusiast you too werein luck. There would besongs from current hitsperformed by the cast,

scenery and all. I alwaysloved it when RobertGoulet came on so I couldhear Ed butcher hisname......"Right here onour stage, from Canada,young RobertGoooooolet." Cracked meup every time.

I suppose there werefolks out there whoenjoyed watching theplate twirlers, the tum-blers, the assortment ofjugglers, the knife throw-ers, the magicians, liontamers and the otherweirdos (my opiniononly, of course) who Edmanaged to scrape upeach week. That time Ireserved for pouring aCoke because the com-mercials were few and farbetween back then andthere wasn’t that muchtime during the realbreaks to do much.

Ed had some verystrange yet much lovedacts who were semi-regu-lars. There was TopoGigio, the creepy littlemouse who used to ask ofEd, "Eddy, kiss me good-night." and much to ourhorror and delight Ed, thestalwart, no expression,no personality Ed, wouldplant a big fat one onTopo Gigio’s little roundcheek. Not my favouriteguest - probably due to anaversion of rodents in anyform. There was the guywho talked to his handand also had a box andthe box used to say, "Saygood-night. Good-night."Kind of funny in a strangeway.

There were the stan-dard ballad singers whocame on. Steve Lawrenceand Eydie Gorme, thehusband and wife teamwho I thought had to bethe happiest couple onearth, were regulars. Thesurprising Gomer Pyle,out of character andbeing himself, JimNabors, with his unbe-

lievable voice. Somehowthough, it was alwayshard to take him serious-ly, and he was alwaysGomer Pyle impersonat-ing a real singer. I remem-ber the night Greg Morris(the guy on MissionImpossible who did allthe intricate twiddling ofobjects that eventuallyblew up) was on the showto sing. After the orches-tra had played the open-ing stanza at least threetimes, Greg finally, out ofstage fright, talked thewords instead of singingthem. Ed Sullivan showwas live so there was notaping, retaping, lip-synching, it was all realand in the moment. Myfavourite of the old timeballad singers was JackJones, one of the best andunderrated singers of histime. He had a perfectpitch voice, was pretty tolook at but sang fairly dullsongs most of the time.Mel Torme was anotherguest - poor Mel, who hadno chin, and sang in astyle that irritated me noend - but he had talent. Ijust didn’t like the FrankSinatra wannabes.

The big build up of allthese comedians, tum-blers, knife throwers,Broadway acts and balladsingers was the inevitableand much anticipatedrock and roll act. Ed neverdisappointed. He likedbeing on the cutting edgeof his time and showingcurrent trends and rockcertainly was cutting edgeand a very current trend.On his show he had Elvis(he was not actually therefor the initial ‘unveiling’of Elvis, having been hos-

pitalized at the time ofElvis’ first appearance),he had the first Americansighting of the Beatles(something he orchestrat-ed and was proud of), RoyOrbison, The Dave ClarkFive (most appearancesby a rock and roll groupdue to their clean cutappearance), The Mamasand Papas, Sonny andCher, The Rolling Stones -they were all there. Hebanned The Doors aftertheir first appearance. Wewere treated to them all.

Ed Sullivan started outhis career as a boxer whobecame a sports writer.From there he moved tobe a real competitor ofWalter Winchell. Walterwas a famed columnistwho wrote from a table atThe Stork Club in NewYork about the comingsand goings of New York’srich, famous and infa-mous, basically a gossipcolumn. Ed, when hecame up against Walter,outdid him in spades. Hetook a table at The ElMorocco night club andbecame more famousthan Walter ever was andoutlasted him.

Ed always had a kind ofdour expression with noactual talent or actingability. It was said of himby comedian, Alan King,"He will last as long assomeone else has talent."He had an inert under-standing of what the pub-lic wanted and he gave itto them. His show airedfrom 1948 - 1971, andremains one of thelongest running varietyshows in television histo-ry. At the end of each showhe told us who nextweek’s guests would be.The anticipation stayedwith us all week.

It’s Sunday night, andI’m twiddling my thumbsbecause there is nothingon television. I miss TheEd Sullivan Show.

Observations of a Baby Boomer... Ed Sullivan

By Catherine Durnford-Wang

There has been a lot ofdiscussion in the medialately over the concept of“junk science” What isthis, and why should webe concerned?

Junk science usuallyrefers to the mis-applica-tion of science, in theform of studies, tests etc.to support a point of viewthat under close scrutinyis not supportable basedupon the true scientificevidence.

An example: there arethose who believe thatman-made climatechange is not real, andthat there is no reason toworry. This is junk sci-ence, because these peo-ple, and they are many,will examine a small partof the evidence whichmay support this view,while ignoring the morenumerous and reliabledata which contradict it.In true science, all data isreviewed and considered,and if a particular set ofdata does not fit thehypothesis, it is not dis-carded or ignored, butstudied further. It may bethat data was not collect-ed properly; it may bethat unknown factorsaffected the data, or itcould be other factors.The point is, the data isnot ignored but high-lighted for further study.

Often those whoadvance junk scienceusually have anotheragenda. This viewpointcan cloud their objectivi-ty and make it easy forthem to dismiss data orevidence that does notsupport their position.This is often encounteredin areas such as climatechange, as mentionedabove, certain areas ofenvironmental studies,so-called alternate medi-cine, areas related to evo-lution, and many areaswhere subjectivity mayplay a role. Most of these

topics are things of whichthe public may be awareand on which they likelyhave an opinion.

What can the averagereader do to discernwhen they are beingconned with junk sci-ence? Look at the evi-dence. Ask how it wasderived. Check to see ifthere was any evidencethat did not support themain hypothesis, andhow was it considered.Within the science com-munity many words havebeen written about non-conforming data; the keypoint is that in true scien-tific studies it is neverignored.

Another key issue withjunk science is… was thedata peer-reviewed? Thatis, were other scientists,experts in the field, con-sulted and did they agreewith the conclusions?This is one of the key ele-ments in how scientifichypotheses are refinedand how data is gathered.

Junk science is not tobe confused with a non-standard viewpoint thatmay be another way oflooking at a problem or aset of data, as long as thatprocess is carried outwith true objectivity andrigor. Galileo certainlywas not doing junk sci-ence when he provedthat the Earth and theknown planets orbitedthe Sun, rather than vice-versa. His views cost himdearly but he was vindi-cated eventually, and hisdata and observationswere of high quality forthe day.

So… as an interestedobserver, you can ask thequestions, challenge thefindings, debate the conclusions. If the personadvocating a positiondoes not agree to this orgives evasive answers, beon the lookout for junkscience and take it with agrain of salt.

Junk Science - The New PerilBy Rod CharltonContributing Writer

TheObserver OpiniOn

OFF THE VINE

by Russ Disotell

2011 is the 120th anniversary of the Chaffey’s first vintage so it seems only appropriate that wines from their estate make their way home to Brockville.

This week I have de-cided to play around with lasagna. Simple right, lay-ers of flat wide pasta, layer of meat sauce, layer of noodle, layer of cottage cheese another layer of

noodles continue until you top it with mozza-rella, bake in the oven until heated through. Add a salad dinner in a dish. As I said, it is pretty simple and the standard recipe for lasagna.

Now is the time to ex-periment get adventurous “make it your own!”

You can get as compli-cated or as easy as you want with the ingredi-ents, make it healthier in-stead of ground beef use ground chicken or turkey for the sauce, change the noodles to whole wheat noodles believe me you will not notice the differ-ence.

Try a layer of ricotta cheese instead of cottage

cheese taste the difference that makes, add a layer of cooked Italian sausage or pepperoni for a texture change and little heat on the palate. My wife adds a layer of sliced boiled eggs.

Go all vegetarian, use a white sauce (bécha-mel) as one of the layers or through out the whole lasagna. Substitute zuc-chini or egg plant as layer, or use these two great vegetables as the base for your Ragu (sauce) instead of ground meet.

The list is endless and goes as far as your im-agination will allow. Just remember two things the ingredients should work with each other and have fun.

Peter Yerdon O.C.T. Red Seal

Teacher, Hospitality and Tourism

Thousand Island Secondary School

Make it your own

The laptop

Chaffey connection yields tasty dividend


The ObserverOPINION

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Keeping on the small business theme as my last article, ask yourself this question: When was the last time you took a good look at your web site? Did you put it online a few years ago? Have you vis-ited your site since then? If you’re not confident in it’s ability to reinforce customer loyalty, then it’s probably time to do some research.

Investigate what’s out there. The time that it will take you to do some web-based market research will surely pay off in the long run. Mark down what you like about your competi-tors’ sites, and bookmark them in your browser. On your list, briefly explain why you like them. Is it the theme that appeals to you, or the mechanics of a feature? Does the e-com-merce section function better than yours? Change your perspective and try to look at the site through the eyes of your client. Is it easy to get to where they

need to be?When you are done

your research, summar-ize your results before you present them to your web developer, or design department. Tell them specifically what the prob-lems are. Remember, it’s their job to come up with cost-effective solutions that you and your clients can live with.

5 top reasons to revisit your web site are:

1. Company branding has changed, and your web site needs to reflect this. If the image of your company and its site (or any other part of your cor-porate identification) are not in sync, you may cause customers to be confused. Ultimately, you could lose a sale. Remember to keep it simple.

You wish to incorpor-

ate a new technology into your site. Maybe you would like to add an op-tional customer satisfac-tion survey to the end of the purchasing process. This is a very useful way to capture invaluable mar-keting information.

2. Sales are dipping in your e-commerce reports. You have decided that it’s

time for an expert to up-date your online purchas-ing system, and address the reasons why your cli-ents are buying elsewhere.

3. You heard some-where about the 3-click rule. If your client can’t get to where they need to be on your site within 3 clicks, they leave. Your site must be efficient. Too much in-

formation can confuse or bore them. Stay on target.

The current trend in site design is towards a sim-pler layout. Home pages are more graphical and less text oriented. Don’t overwhelm your custom-ers with TMI (too much information). A stream-lined, simple monochro-matic color scheme, with

possibly an accent color is ideal. Photos or images are kept to a minimum. If any of the reasons above apply to you and your site, maybe its time for further study. If you are an entre-preneur or own a smaller company, recruit family and friends to visit your site and give constructive criticisms. If your firm is larger, you may decide to institute a market study, and use online survey tools.

4. Solutions may be as easy as getting your site administrator to swap out a few images (like those on your home page). Up-dating content can fresh-en your site too. If you are willing and able to do this yourself, then the result may be well worth the ef-fort. Remember to create a supporting market an-nouncement regarding the updated site. Send out emails to suppliers and cli-ents who opted for these types of communications.

Back to Business...de-clutter your site! 5 Reasons to Spring Clean Your Web Space

THE SMALL TOWN

OPTIMIST

by Cyndy Robinson

For the past several months, the Ontario PC Party has been taking the pulse of voters across the province through our Have Your Say, Ontario survey.

It’s the largest survey of its kind ever under-taken in Ontario.

The survey was re-leased on Oct. 6 of last year to mark the one-year countdown to this fall’s provincial election.

The 50 questions we’re asking is one way PC Leader Tim Hudak and MPPs like myself are en-suring the policies we’ll put before Ontario voters are in step with the issues you’re talking about around the kitchen table, at the hockey rink or in the coffee shop.

What we’re not go-ing to do is tell you what some backroom consult-ants think you should care about.

On Friday, my caucus colleague Norm Miller, the PC Party’s Finance Critic, released the latest results of the survey.

And let me tell you, when I read the results, it was like opening the in-box on the constituency office email. It seems families in Windsor, Ken-ora, Hamilton and Owen Sound are concerned about the same thing as those in Leeds-Grenville.

A full 28 per cent of respondents said hy-dro bills are the expense

they’re most concerned about these days.

When asked why those bills are going up so fast, 72 per cent cited Pre-mier Dalton McGuinty’s HST tax grab and the government’s expensive and failed energy experi-ments.

As for those smart me-ters that we’ve learned have cost Ontario taxpay-ers $1 billion (and count-ing) to install, well, 88 per cent of respondents say they won’t provide any relief.

I know the question you’re asking: So what is your party going to do about it?

Tim Hudak and the rest of us in the PC Cau-cus have been clear that we’re on the side of be-leaguered Ontarians who fear the arrival of their monthly hydro bill.

We’ve supported a resolution in the Legisla-tive Assembly to take the HST off of those bills.

We’ve said a Hudak government will make smart meters option-al, rather than turning folks into vampires (as my constituent Ed Lyp-chuk of Brockville has so humourously observed) by making them do their laundry at midnight.

And we’ll order an audit of the Debt Re-tirement Charge, which continues to steal money from Ontarians’ pockets, even thought the govern-ment’s own figures show they’ve collected enough to pay it off.

But we won’t stop there.

Unfortunately, the media doesn’t always re-port what Tim Hudak is proposing to help On-tario families get the tax relief they need.

It always catches me off guard when I hear someone tell me that our side of the House needs to be heard more. I’m surprised because when I’m in the House, we’re speaking out so loudly that the Speaker has been known to ask us to tone it down.

Last week, Tim Hu-

dak introduced a Private Member’s Bill that aims to fix one of the major problems with the Mc-Guinty government: a bloated bureaucracy.

His bill would ensure precious tax dollars go to support frontline ser-vices in health care and education by targeting waste in agencies like the LHINs, MPAC, WSIB, the Ontario Power Authority and Waste Diversion On-tario.

I’m amazed at not only how many of these agen-cies exist, but at how little they do to justify their costly existence by pro-viding services Ontarians need.

Tim Hudak’s “Sun-set Review Legislation” would require all of these 600-plus agencies, boards and commissions

to undergo a mandatory value-for-tax-dollar re-view.

I’m proud of this legis-lation because it shows our caucus is listening to what Ontario families are telling us through our Have Your, Say Ontario survey.

You’re demanding government treat your hard-earned tax dollars with respect – and that’s what we’re committed to doing.

To take part in the sur-vey, please go to www.haveyoursayontario.ca.

SURVEY SAYS: Ontario families demanding relief

by Steve Clark

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Chamber welcomes new board membersFive new members were appointed to the Brockville and District Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors, last week, making Brockville’s official ‘voice of business’, a little bit louder. The new directors were welcomed during a brief induction ceremony that capped off the Chamber’s annual general meeting, last Thursday evening. The new board members which include, Jane VanderBaaren of Custom Decor Carpet One Floor and Home, Carrie Hands of Hands Auction Service Ltd., Sophie Robillard-Cushing of Robil-lard Hearing Centres, Hugh Hammond of Templeman Men-ninga, and Brent Argue of Lafarge Canada Inc., will join cur-rent directors David Keenleyside and Sherri Fournier, who were acclaimed for 2011. The new members will replace outgoing directors Sueling Ching, Mary-Jean McFall, Dave Shaw, Doug Scott, and Sean Somerville for their contribu-tions. Somerville will stay on as an office accountant for the chamber.From left to right, Brent Argue, Carrie Hands, Jane Vander-baaren, and Hugh Hammond. (Missing, Sophie Robillard-Cushing)

ERIN CHRISTIE PHOTO

Managing Your MoneyTime for a portfolio check-up

Your personal health is important to you. That’s why you have periodic check-ups, follow your doctor’s rec-ommendations on diet and exercise, and take your medications. Your fi-nancial life is also important to you. That’s why you should periodically perform a portfolio check-up and fol-low this prescription for maintaining its health.

Why a check-up? For two very good reasons:

One, the value of each invest-ment in your portfolio will change over time as a result of fluctuations in its market value. By periodically re-balancing your portfolio, you’ll get it back on track to reaching your finan-cial goals.

Two, your financial situation and goals change over time – and that means your portfolio probably needs to be revamped to meet your evolving needs.

When to check-up? You get state-ments from your bank, mutual fund investments, registered plans, stock purchases and sales, and your other investments. Review them at least every three months to compare your current returns against your longer-term goals and overall financial plan and if you’re off-track, make changes.

Your prescription for portfolio health

Here are a few important strategies for successful investing:

Follow a planned asset allocation strategy by constructing – and, very importantly, maintaining – a port-folio with a mix of investments across the three principal types of financial assets (cash, fixed-income vehicles and equities) that balance risk, create diversification, and will deliver the

long-term returns you need to reach your financial goals.

Diversification is always the right way to go – even to the point of look-ing beyond Canadian markets. Inter-national markets don’t always follow Canadian or U.S. patterns.

By adding foreign investments to your portfolio, you can lessen volatil-ity and add the opportunity for en-hanced returns.

Balance is the key. Experts and study after study agree that a bal-anced portfolio strategy is best over the longer term. Avoid chasing ‘win-ners’ and quickly dumping ‘losers’. If you do that, your portfolio is bound to become seriously unbalanced.

Rebalance to match your toler-ance for risk. Your optimal asset mix depends on your age, income ex-pectations, retirement dreams and much more – and it should contain investments that allow you to sleep comfortably at night. When the mix is right for you, you are not overly con-cerned about volatility or which asset class is performing or not performing at any particular time.

Your financial plan is not writ-ten in stone; it’s a reflection of your changing life. A professional plan-ner can help you perform a portfolio check-up that maintains your finan-cial health.

This column, written and pub-lished by Investors Group Financial Services Inc. (in Québec – a Financial Services Firm), presents general infor-mation only and is not a solicitation to buy or sell any investments. Contact a financial advisor for specific advice about your circumstances. For more information on this topic please con-tact your Investors Group Consultant.

The ObserverBUSINESS

BY SARAH TWOMEY Over the last several

years, boomers who could retire are choosing instead to keep working. Some people prefer to stay active and engaged by tackling new challen-ges. But for others, this trend is truly financial: they either can’t afford retirement or they need more time to get back on track financially.

“Retired people today are living longer, more dynamic lives. So it’s im-portant to have a solid financial plan for retire-ment,” said Michael Aziz, regional vice president of sales investment prod-ucts at Desjardins Fi-nancial Security. “Today, mature workers are often working well into their 80s. This provides them with a great opportunity to solidify their retire-ment plans, ensuring that their transition is fi-nancially sound.”

Three easy stepsSince retirement can

last up to 30 years for the average retiree, following these easy steps will help boomers become better prepared:

1. Estate planning: Preparing an estate plan is an important way to ensure that family and beneficiaries are taken care of financially. This plan protects savings against inheritance and probate taxes.

2. Fine tuning the retirement income strat-egy: At the age of 71, retirees must collapse their RSP accounts into a Registered Retirement Income Fund (RRIF). Since asset preservation it critical, it’s very im-portant to carefully select a RRIF product that offers growth and flexibility.

3. Worry–free re-tirement funds: The Guaranteed Lifetime

Withdrawal Benefit (GLWB) product pays the contract holder a guaran-teed and predictable re-tirement income for life, based on the age at which the first withdrawal is made. This means that investors have the flex-ibility to choose when withdrawals are made in order to maximize the guaranteed income they would like to receive.

“By implementing

these essential strategies, they will find that their transition into retirement will be built on a solid fi-nancial foundation,” said Aziz. “And this truly is the secret to a happy and prosperous future.”

More financial tips and information can be found online at www.desjardinslifeinsurance.com.

www.newscanada.com

Three steps to get back on financial track



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There are only 3 more weeks until the 9th An-nual Telethon for the Leeds & Grenville Branch of the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) Sun-day, April 17, 2011, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.. The Tele-thon will be broadcast-ing again from Wall Street United Church in Brock-ville, with the strong sup-port of TV Cogeco. Our 2011 goal is $20,000.

Marianne Carlyle, Branch Manager for Leeds & Grenville says: “This year, we want to stress the importance of our volunteers for the Centre. Without their de-termination and count-less hours of helping, the Centre could not exist. Whether it is for an indi-vidual event, such as the Telethon, the Walkathon, the Car-and-Dog wash, or on a daily basis within the Centre, volunteers are at the heart of our or-ganization.

There are also local businesses and individ-uals who give their sup-port to the fund-raising

events, such as Home Hardware, Walmart, 104.9 JR fm, 103.7 Bob fm, St. Lawrence EMC, T.I.K.O., and Brockberry Café and Suites.

If you, too, want to help, please contact us at the number below.”

Each year the chal-lenge of meeting the funding requirements for the Centre is daunt-ing and the possibility of reducing services is a re-ality. The Telethon, solely manned by volunteers who spend almost a full year in the planning and organizing of the event,

is the major fundrais-ing event of the year and without it, the Leeds & Grenville Branch of the OSPCA would be hard pressed to continue pro-viding care for animals that have been abused, neglected or abandoned. Last year, the shelter housed over 1300 ani-mals from the commun-ity.

Look for our satellite locations around Leeds & Grenville for easy dona-tion drop offs, and check the website at www.leedsgrenville.ontariosp-ca.ca for specific details.

Ontario SPCA Appeals to Leeds and Grenville through Annual Telethon

The countdown is on!


RUGBYNEWSLETTER

Contact Club for information on U-18 Women’s Program

All Brockville Privateer Junior Male teams will play in the Eastern Ontario Rugby Union

(League comprised of teams from Gatineau, Kingston, Lanark & Ottawa, including Barrhaven Scottish, Ottawa Irish, Ottawa Blues Ottawa Indians,

Ottawa Beavers)

WANTED

The Observer HOCKEY

The Athens Aeros started the series well, winning the opening game, but fell victim to the Winchester Hawks in four straight games, los-ing the best of seven four games to one.

On Sunday evening in Athens, the Aeros need-ed a more disciplined plan of attack after los-ing three straight games including a double over-time loss at home on Thursday.

The game started much like the previous contests with the Hawks jumping out with the games’ first goal, fol-lowed by a number of bad penalties from the Aeros. Daniel Lacroix tied the game for the hosts with his 11th of the postseason. Winchester took back the lead just before the end of the first period and took a slim lead into the intermis-sion.

The Hawks extended their lead to 3-1 with a shorthanded marker less than a minute into the second period, before Steve Parker cut the lead in half with his 14th of

the playoffs. Two quick goals from

the visitors in the open-ing three minutes of the third period, sealed the game for Winchester. The teams traded goals

late in the game, with Dillon Mazerolle scor-ing his third of the posts-eason, but it was too late as the game ended 6-3 for the newly crowned Rideau St. Lawrence Jun-ior ‘B’ champion Win-chester Hawks.

The game was won on special teams, where the Hawks accounted for five out of their six goals including four on the power-play. Lacroix re-corded two points for the Aeros and Jacob Hart-man and Dallas Slack

shared the goaltending duties.

Winchester will now move on to face the Metro League Champion Clarence Beavers for the Eastern Ontario Junior ‘B’ hockey title.

Aeros goalkeeper Jacob Hartman hugs the post to make a stop during game five’s loss in the Rideau St. Lawrence Junior ‘B’ finals.

PHOTOS BY AUSTIN DE LUIS

Aeros bow out in fiveAeros win opening game but fall in four straight losses to Winchester Hawks

Aeros’ Johnny Smith is stopped in close during game five at Centre 76 on Sunday night. Athens fell in five games to the Winchester Hawks ending their season.

By Austin de LuisObserver Editor


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The Observer BRAVES HOCKEY

William Betts dives across to make a save during the third period of game four. The Braves lost 5-3 and will be facing elimination on Thursday evening in Corn-wall.


Brockville’s Stephen Bird tries to keep Cornwall’s Justin Laliberte contained during game two on Friday night.


The Brockville Braves will travel to Cornwall on Thursday evening down 3-1 looking to save their season.

After losing the opening two games, Brockville trav-elled to Cornwall and won 4-2 to get back in the series, but fell 5-3 in game four, and will face elimination in game five in Cornwall.

On Tuesday, Brockville started the game well, com-ing out with great energy.

Tyson Wilson opened the scoring with a rocket from the point on the power-play. Cornwall tied the game later in the first per-iod, and the teams headed into the first intermission tied 1-1.

Cornwall took a 3-1 lead in the second period on a pair of their own power-play markers and took a two-goal cushion into the final 20 minutes.

Brockville cut the lead to 3-2 on a goal from Stan Smrke, but Cornwall quick-ly restored their two-goal

lead. Maxime Dumond again brought Brockville back to within one, but an empty net goal with only seconds remaining saw the score end 5-3.

William Betts was sol-id in goal for Brockville, stopping 22 of 26 shots he faced.

Brockville will head to Cornwall on Thurs-day night looking to stave off elimination and force game six at home on Friday night. If game six is neces-sary, game time is 7:30p.m. at the Memorial Centre.

Do or die for the BravesBy Austin de LuisThe Observer

TheObservercheck out the scores

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www.thebrockvilleobserver.ca



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The high school men’s basketball held their annual allstar games on Thursday last week.

The junior men’s team posed for a picture before the start of the game.

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The ObserverHEALTH & WELLNESSDR.MARTIN HERZAN,

BSC, NDSuppose your parent or spouse begins to show the following symptoms: they start to feel more tired, weak, depressed and have problems sleep-ing. They can’t seem to remember the grocery list or where they went on last year’s vacation. They’re disoriented, stumble easily and com-plain of feeling numbness or pins and needles sen-sations down their legs. All of these could be the earliest symptoms of a very common nutritional deficiency—vitamin B12. And, if unidentified and uncorrected, could result in permanent nerve dam-age.

This vitamin, found only in animal foods such as fish, eggs, cheese and meat, works in the body to help make red blood cells and is essential for nerve function. Con-sequently, vegans and vegetarians are at higher risk of being low in this nutrient. You might say – “well, I eat all of those foods, and I also take my daily multivitamin”. You could still be at risk.

As we get older, our ability to produce a chem-ical in our stomach called intrinsic factor, goes down. This compound is needed for B12 to be absorbed. Also at risk is

anyone using an acid-blocker such as Zantac. Patients with digestive problems including gas, bloating, and pressure or fullness after meals could have undiagnosed low stomach acid (again, very common as we age)—and these individuals are also at risk.

What makes this con-dition challenging is that older people may also present with absolutely no symptoms whatso-ever—that is, until the neurological changes begin.

In this month’s issue of the Journal of Nutrition Health and Aging [J Nutr Health Aging. 2011;15(3)] it was suggested that up to 46% of the population may be low in this nutri-ent and that many of the changes we normally as-sociate with aging are based, at least in part, on a B12 deficiency—includ-ing osteoporosis, heart disease and neurological problems.

Testing for this nutri-ent is done with serum B12 levels and complete blood count. However, because of the broad range of what is con-sidered normal, your doctor may easily miss

early signs of deficiency or easily misinterpret your situation if you still happen fall somewhere within the normal range.

Treatment usually in-volves regular injections of vitamin B12, however, it’s critical that methylco-balamin – the functional-ly active form of B12 with far better clinical trials, is used—rather than the standard cyanocobal-amin form.

Certain conditions such as shingles and Bells’ palsy require much high-er doses of this vitamin. I’ve seen many patient with multiple sclerosis and diabetic neuropathy who’s sensory issues in their hands and legs com-pletely and permanently disappeared using regu-lar high levels of methyl-cobalamin injections.

If you suspect that you or a family member might be at risk of a deficiency for this nutrient, call your doctor’s office for a thor-ough investigation.

Dr. Herzan ND is a licensed Naturopathic Doctor in private practice in Brockville. He can be reached through his website www.unifiedpath.ca or email at [email protected]

B12 deficiency can mimic Alzheimers

Chronic migraine sufferers are finding re-lief where you would least expect it – in a dentist’s chair. Accord-ing to experts, a trip to a specially–trained dentist could provide relief from pain caused by temporomandibular (jaw joint) disorder, or TMD – which is at the root of migraine and tension headaches for numerous Canadians.

In addition to chron-ic headaches and mi-graines, TMD has been linked to grinding of the teeth, breathing prob-lems and sleep disor-ders, as well as facial pain, neck, shoulder and back pain, clicking or popping in the jaw, limited jaw movement and tingling fingers. This disorder affects

men, women and chil-dren and in many cases patients go misdiag-nosed or undiagnosed. In fact, only one out of five people suffering from these symptoms seek help from a doc-tor and on average, they wait four years to do so.

According to Dr. Mark Duncan, clinical direc-tor at the LVI Global, a leading post graduate dental training centre, the cause of the disor-der is related to muscle strains from a bad bite. “When the teeth are misaligned, called mal-occlusion or a bad bite, the jaw muscles and those around your head and neck are strained from constantly trying to find a more relaxed position. This strain is what causes the symp-

toms to occur. TMD is treatable non–surgically by neuromuscular den-tists.”

Using pain–free computer analysis, the neuromuscular dentist locates your jaw’s most comfortable resting position so they can fit you with an orthotic. If the new jaw position eliminates the pain and discomfort, crowns and veneers can be used to permanently hold this new relaxed position.

Treating this jaw dis-order commonly im-proves symptoms and in many cases, perma-nently eliminates mi-graines. This is good news for those dealing with the disorder, as the cost related to mi-graines for Canadian sufferers is significant.

Take the bite out of migrainesDentist visit could lead to pain relief

According to a recent study by the Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Re-search Institute, Can-adian children do not get enough physical activity on a daily basis. Walking is an easy way to incor-porate exercise into your child’s daily routine. And it isn’t only a great source of exercise – according to research, going for a walk can also improve your child’s mood. Get your kids walking (and smil-ing) with these tips:

1. Walk with a buddy. Whether it’s a friend, family member or even a dog, having a walking buddy will make the time fly.

2. Establish a “walking school bus”. Select a route

from home to school and pick up other children along the way. Take turns with other parents to lead the “walking school bus” each day.

3. Family hikes. At My Best (www.atmybest.ca), a national school–based children’s well-ness program developed by AstraZeneca Canada and Physical and Health Education Canada, rec-

ommends that commun-ities start hiking clubs so families can get physical activity together. It’s also a wonderful way to make new friends and get to know your neighbour-hood.

www.newscanada.com

Get your kids walking


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The ObserverHEALTH & WELLNESS

Whether young or old, single or have a family, women’s priorities will change at throughout life’s many stages. To determine the import-ance women place on their health and areas that Shoppers Drug Mart can help women achieve their health goals, the company commissioned a national survey of women through North-star Research Partners and Strategic Naviga-tor. The study found that overwhelmingly, women identify health as their number one priority in life, with financial stabil-ity trailing behind. How-ever, a large number of women, 42 per cent, rank the health of their family as the most important

priority in life– more im-portant than their own health.

Based on these results, some women might not be taking all of the time they need and deserve to ensure they are achieving optimal health. If you are someone whose health is taking a back seat, then it might be time to take back “me” time and try to focus on finding ways to incorporate your own health as a daily priority. Start by joining a running or walking group that meets a couple of times a week. It is great exercise, and will also provide you with an opportunity to get to know others who are focused on achieving good health, which the survey also found was an

important factor in help-ing women motivate their own healthy living goals.

It is important to take a holistic approach to health, including mind, body and spirit. The sur-vey found that 62% of women associate mak-ing a meaningful contri-bution to the world with health in spirit. So sign-ing up for a charitable walk, like the Weekend to End Women’s Cancers, is a great way to achieve optimal health. Walking or running in the fresh air will help clear your mind, regain focus, reduce stress and help you get in shape – all while giving back and helping other women achieve greater health.

www.newscanada.com

Top health priorities for Canadian women



Travel to India with author Crystle Mazurek as she tells you about her childhood memories and the reason for returning. Her book, “Mommy, When Are We Going Home?” chronicles several visits, along with a six-month stay that opened her eyes and her heart to those subjected to so-cial injustices, especially girls. Mazurek will be at the Wedgewood Retirement Resort, 15 Market Street East, Brockville on Wednesday, April 27th at 3 p.m., to tell you why she is helping eager young girls pursue their dreams. This event is free to the public with entry off Market Street.

Contributed ByTom Simko

After earning two sets of pilot wings and serv-ing as the commander of the Brockville air cadets, Joel Loiselle, 18, has set his sights on even loftier goals. This fall he is off to study engineering, which he hopes will lead to a career in aviation. How-ever, first he plans to give back to the program that helped him get there by teaching young cadets how to fly.

When Loiselle joined the Brockville squadron at age 12, he knew he wanted to get into the fly-ing part of the program but recognized the stiff competition. Fortunat-ely, he made all the right moves starting with his first two summer camp courses: basic training and an introduction to leadership course, both at Canadian Forces Base Trenton.

“I learned basic skills there that helped me become a leader in the squadron later on,” says Loiselle, who has led the Brockville squadron for the past year-and-a-half.

By the time of his third summer, Loiselle was able to take the introduc-tion to aviation course – also at Trenton. This was a more academic program, where he learned about aircraft and how they work. Along with the free ground school training at the Brockville squadron, this course prepared him well for the next steps in his cadet career.

In the summer of 2009, Loiselle was selected for the elite glider pilot course. This began with an intense and fast-paced ground school, followed by a rigorous few weeks of learning to fly gliders. Loiselle graduated with 67 other cadets, receiving the much-coveted glider wings he proudly wore on his uniform. He earned his glider licence before learning to drive.

“I did a lot of aca-demic work on the glider course,” says Loiselle. “It gave me the motiva-tion to stay focused. You realize that you’re doing something for a reason and there’s a reward wait-ing for you at the end.” But that wasn’t the end of Loiselle’s flight training. He was already looking ahead to the next step.

Last summer, Loiselle received the ultimate prize for an air cadet: the even more competi-tive power pilot scholar-ship. He was sent to the Diamond Flight Centre in London, Ont. for more ground school followed by training in the air be-fore graduating with a second set of wings. He now holds a private pilot’s license – an expensive ac-complishment for most people but one that he was able to earn for free through cadets.

Loiselle’s aviation ac-complishments continue. On March 28, he was awarded $1,000 from the 426 Thunderbird Squad-ron Association for fur-ther flying training.

Not one to rest on his laurels, Loiselle has been using his talents to give back to the cadet pro-

gram. Every weekend during the fall and spring flying seasons, he volun-teers with the local cadet flight center. He takes younger cadets on short glider flights to give them a first-hand experience of what they learn in the classroom. This summer, Loiselle hopes to serve on the staff at the glider school and help others to earn their wings.

Loiselle’s ground school and pilot training helped with his school studies. “It gave me a rea-son to be interested in school. I thought this isn’t so different so I became more focused on school. Because I really wanted to learn – mainly for the wings – it helped me with study habits that I then used in school.” Loiselle’s dedicated studies have paid off, and next year he

will be studying engin-eering at university. He hopes this will lead to a career as an aeronautical engineer or a professional pilot.

The Brockville Air Ca-det Squadron is gener-ously co-sponsored by the Mallorytown Royal Canadian Legion and 450 Sabre Wing of the Royal Canadian Air Force As-sociation. The Associa-tion’s Mike Bowen gener-ously donates his time to teach ground school to a group of cadets each year. Loiselle is among his many successful alumni.

The Brockville Squad-ron meets at the Ar-mouries Monday even-ings from 6:30-9:00 pm. Youth aged 12 to 18 are welcome to join and the there is no charge for the training, summer camps or uniforms.

Brockville air cadet aims for new heightsAuthor Crystle Mazurek to appear at upcoming

Wedgewood Author Series

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613-925-4265 613-342-8777Joey Elias and Winston Spear hit the stage for the spring Comedy Show at St. Lawrence College on Saturday night. Over 100 audience members got a taste of Elias’ sarcasm and Spear’s erratic dancing. The event raises money for the Student Emergency Fund and was sponsored by the Keary Team.

PHOTOS BY AUSTIN DE LUIS

Pickpockets tour BrockvilleOn the 26th of March 2011 at 2:30 p.m,. officers

attended to the North end in response to female suspects stealing wallets. At this time Brockville Police Dispatch had received information re-garding possible suspects, which they in turn re-layed to store security at Wal-Mart and the Super-store. A short time later, officers attended to the parking lot area of Wal-Mart and located the sus-pects with assistance from Wal-Mart staff. Three individuals were arrested and have been charged with numerous offences.

They are: Yudi Ganzelez-Cantor, female, 35 years; Marina Gracia-Pulido, female, 55 years; Rodriguez Pineros, male, 74 years (all accused are from Mont-real and area). The three accused face a number of charges relating to theft and property obtained by crime and will appeare in court on Monday.

Friday, March 25thOn the 25th of March are 20 year-old male from

Brockville was apprehended for being intoxicated in a public place. The male was later spotted on King Street West at approximately 2:30 a.m. He was held until sober and released.

Friday, March 25thRobbery: The Brockville Police Service re-

sponded to a report of a robbery on the 25th of March, 2011 at 6:10 a.m. The victim was parked in his taxi at the corner of Brock Street and Tun-nel Avenue when he was approached by a male described as wearing a dark coat, black balaclava with a skinny build. The male produced a weapon and demanded money from the victim. A quan-tity of money was taken and the suspect fled on foot South on Chancery Lane. Anyone with infor-mation is asked to call crime-stoppers or Detec-tive Coe at 613-342-0127.

POLICE BLOTTERElias and Spear deliver big laughs at SLC



Traffic along the 401 at Iroquois was rerouted during the night of March 29, to facilitate the first stages of the overpass demolition at exit 738. The reconstruction of the bridge is sched-uled for completion in the fall of 2012, so we can expect further closures of the 401 in months to come.

PHOTO BY TRACEY ADAMS

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Alzheimer Society of Leeds-Grenville is seeking new board members. If you have an interest in or connection with Alzheimer Disease or related Dementia, this is a great opportunity. Contact Alzheimer Society at 613-345-7392. St. Thomas Anglican Church Members. Hosting their Annual Fundraising Pancake Breakfasts at St. Thomas Anglican Church Hall, Frankville. Saturdays April 2 and April 9, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (noon). Pancakes with pure maple syrup, sausages, orange juice, and coffee served to you at the table. The Brockville & District Hospice Palliative Care Service monthly grief support meeting. For those who have experienced the death of a loved one. Garden St. Site Boardroom. Wednesday, April 6th. Topic: Stress Management. Film Brockville, 7th film of the 2011 season, the award-winning and made in Quebec drama. Wednesday, April 6th, 7:00 pm. For more information check out our website at www.filmbrockville.ca Social Dance Club - couples dance, Brockville Rowing Club, Friday, April 8th at 8 pm. Info 613-345-1073 or 613-342-3181. St. Paul’s Anglican, Brockville, Messy Church series, Saturday, April 2 and April 9, 9:30-11:00 am. Eucharist for families, young children. Breakfast, bible stories, crafts. Free. Register: 613-342-5865

Mom-2-Mom Sale - 9 am-12 pm Saturday, April 9 - Highway Pentecostal Church – 800 Stewart Blvd. Table rental proceeds go to “Champions for Kids”. Admission Free. Contact [email protected]

Brockville Knights of Columbus - 4th Annual Ham & Turkey Raffle. Saturday, April 9th at St. Mary High School. Doors open at 7 pm, fun starts at 7:30 pm. Includes a luncheon, live music, door prizes & 50/50 draw. Tickets at the door or call 613 -341-7737.

Spring Ham Dinner at the Mallorytown Community Centre on Saturday, April 9th 5-7 pm. Ham, scalloped potatoes, baked beans, home-made desserts, etc. Sponsored by St. Pauls, Caintown. Takeout available. Everyone welcome.

Brockville Women’s Network. Thursday, April 14, Brockville Country Club. Networking 5:30 p.m. Dinner 6:30 p.m. Guest Speaker: Shannon Morrison.

Jason’s Marauders Breakfast - Sunday, April 17th, 9-noon. Grenville Snowmobile Club, 4901 Charleville Road, of Maynard. All Proceeds to Juvenile Diabetes Research. Everyone Welcome, plan to attend.

Shout Sister Community Women’s Choir meets every Wednesday in Brockville from 7 to 9 pm. New members always welcome. Please visit http://shoutsister.georgettefry.ca for more information.

Brockville and Area YMCA Hot Lunches, 345 Park Street, Brockville. Every Wednesday 11:30 am-1:00 pm. January 12-June 8. Different cooks, different menus each week. Take-out available. Info: www.brockvilley.com or 613-342-7961 x30.

Birthday Parties at the Brockville and Area YMCA. Make your child’s birthday extra special at the Y! This 2-hour party includes a specially decorated room, fun activities, meal of choice and one hour of pool or gym time. Available Friday evenings, Saturday and Sunday afternoons. For more information call 613-342-7961 or go to www.brockvilley.com

Open Mic with Robert Graham featuring Robert Graham on piano, singers from St Lawrence College Music Theatre Program and special guests. EVERY Friday night at Buds on the Bay 8:30 pm to 12:30 am. More info at www.robertgraham.org

Send us your community event information and we’ll list them here free - fax to 613-342-8773.


The ObserverJUST FOR FUN

crossword

LIBRA - Sept 23/Oct 23A special moment that you were counting on hasn’t arrived just yet. Libra. You may be wondering if it’s ever going to happen. Don’t worry, soon you will get the answer.

SCORPIO - Oct 24/Nov 22Scorpio, instead of focusing on all the things you have to get done, figure out a way to help others. Tasks won’t seem so monotonous if they’re for the greater good.

SAGITTARIUS - Nov 23/Dec 21Sagittarius, be the bigger person and end an argument. Where is this confrontation getting you anyway? Once this occurs many other things will fall into place.

CAPRICORN - Dec 22/Jan 20Matters of money are your utmost concern, Capricorn. With the tax filing deadline looming, you may realize some good news is coming your way that will fatten your wallet.

AQUARIUS - Jan 21/Feb 18Make the most of a situation at work, Aquarius. Networking with the right people can open up opportunities in the future that may be just what you’re looking for.

PISCES - Feb 19/Mar 20Pisces, expect to be the shoulder to cry on when a friend needs some urgent advice. It’s a role you do well.

SEE PAGE 20 FOR ANSWERS

WorD search- Shootin’ Hoops -

ARIES - Mar 21/Apr 20Aries, a night out on the town with friends is just what you need right now. After a series of days where it has been work, work, work, some recreation is necessary.

TAURUS - Apr 21/May 21Taurus, take a breather because you will need to rest up for the week ahead. A supervisor is watching you like a hawk so there will be no chance for goofing off.

GEMINI - May 22/June 21Gemini, a momentary lapse of judgement could cause a ripple effect. Think through all of your choices quite thoroughly to avoid a potential problem down the line.

CANCER - June 22/July 22Cancer, nobody can guess what you’re thinking so you have to give some clues as to what you want. Indecision will leave others confused, and you don’t want that now.

LEO - July 23/Aug 23Leo, if only you could snap your fingers and everything would be taken care of. Unfortunately, things don’t work like that and you have to put forth some effort to solve a problem.

VIRGO - Aug 24/Sept 22Virgo, ease up on your social schedule because others cannot keep up with the mania. It’s time for some quiet reflection and moments to yourself.

CLUES ACROSS1. Big fiddle5. Art movement9. Mini or maxi14. Sickness15. Term of office17. Courtyard18. Wet19. Truly20. Paper21. Social grace23. Worm type?25. Useful thing28. Not abundant32. Bullets, to a GI36. Bird of prey38. Tub-thumper40. Long time41. Business degree:

abbr.42. Cotton fabric44. Delicate point46. At this location48. Slanted type style50. Paint type51. Cornell climber53. Recline lazily55. Map-in-a-map58. Nevertheless62. Grade66. Look (for)68. Place of worship70. Floral wreath71. Jet ____72. Yearn74. Start76. Heroic poem78. Nonprofessionals80. Crystal-lined rock81. Frost or Keats83. Geographical

belt85. Overexcited

88. Place side by side92. Organic fuel96. Headed97. Cowboy’s rope98. Gumbo vegeta-ble99. Best100. Opinion survey101. Substitute worker

CLUES DOWN1. Michael Jackson

album2. Muslim leader3. Entirety4. Group of seven5. Dings6. ____ so forth

7. Payable now8. “Blessed ____ the

meek . . .”9. “Home Again”

requirement, shortly

10. Baked buck-wheat

11. “____fleece was white . . ”

12. Small inlet13. Santa’s gift15. Personal quirk16. Judgment22. Tiny particle24. Very bright, as

colours25. Bow26. Diamond

decision27. Box lightly

29. Soda variety30. Seed cover31. Rajah’s mate33. Race assemblage34. Dust unit35. Black stone37. Demolish39. Stream43. Worry45. Storm’s precursor47. Constantly49. Applaud52. Prickly feeling54. Butterine55. Capri, e.g.56. ____ tide57. Palm type59. Gummy60. Not us61. Hounds’ quarry63. As well64. Woodwind

instrument65. High flier67. Hearty69. Sled73. Of birth75. Brewing chamber77. Use cash79. Of the schnoz82. Catholic calendar84. Steep hemp85. Cable channel86. Part of IOU87. Submit, as a

question89. Drivel90. NBA player, e.g.91. “Surviving

Picasso” medium93. Stretch94. Shirt sleeve95. Dance noisily


The Observer CLASSIFIEDSPlace your ad 613-342-8777 • Fax 613-342-8773 • www.morris-group.ca/classified-adds

Brockville ObserverClassified Advertising Rates

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30 cents per word, $8.00 minimumClassifieds will be accepted by telephone but must be paid

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Ph: 613-342-8777 Fax 613-342-8773email: [email protected]

Deadline for Classified Ads Monday at 4:00 pmDeadline for Display Advertising

Friday at 4:00 pm Answers JUST FOR FUNANNOUNCEMENT

PLACE AN ANNOUNCEMENT in the Brockville Observer, call 613-342-8777. Deadlines Monday by 3:00 p.m. for the Wednesday edition. Cash, visa or mastercard. All prices are subject to H.S.T. The Brockville Observer is not responsible for pictures left here over 6 months. Please pick up your photographs as soon as they appear in the paper. (nc-8tf)

HELP WANTEDWANTED: ADULT CARRIERS to deliver the Observer every Wednesday. Routes available in west end, downtown and central area. Call 613-925-1439 leave message if no answer. (nc)

WORK WANTEDLAWN CARE and property maintenance. Now giving estimates for grass cutting during the 2011 season in Prescott, Cardinal and Brockville area. Call 613-925-5048. (psv-12&13)

NOTICESECOND PRINTING of Fact, Folklore and Fiction The History of Mallorytown is now available. Check our website at www.davewells.ca, phone 613-923-5713 or email [email protected] to obtain your copy. (ps-13)

St. John Ambulance BrockvilleSAVINGS LIVESat work, home and play

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This weekend, a com-pletely under-the-radar science fiction flick hit cinemas across North America. Based on the novel, “The Dark Fields”, by Alan Glynn, and no doubt inspired by Philip K. Dick and Daniel Keyes novels, “Limitless” stars Bradley Cooper (The Hangover), as Eddie Mor-

row, a down on his luck author with a severe case of writer’s block. An old acquaintance introduces Eddie to a pill named NZT that awakens the sleeping 80 percent of the brain to its limitless potential.

Eddie Morrow is the everyman as frustrated artist, looking for the break that will make him into a superstar. He embodies the modern myth of Warhol’s mak-ing, struggling for his fifteen minutes of fame. When he is first given the drug, we see how it

heightens his senses, not providing a high, but an intense clarity, as if a light has been turned on in the darkness. While on the drug, Eddie can

recall everything he has ever read and/or seen, can understand com-plex equations and see fifty scenarios and po-tential outcomes simul-taneously. NZT is genius in a pill. However, like all drugs NZT has a time limit. When he wakes up the next morning, with his brain returned to its foggy self, all he can think about is finding his next fix of brilliance. To keep up the pace he needs to take at least one pill a day.

Cooper is a natural in this role. He plays both

desperate addict and successful genius with equal skill. When under the influence of the drug, we get to see the world through his eyes thanks to the great direction of Neil Burger (The Illusion-ist) and the wild cinema-tography of Jo Willems (30 Days of Night). The initial distortions as the

drug takes hold, and then the acute clarity that fol-lows are both brilliantly portrayed. When the bad side effects hit, as they al-ways do in a drug movie, we watch time distort, and multiple images of Cooper as he sees himself going in and out of con-trol. He loses time and starts having longer and longer drug fueled black outs. No-one said that reaching for the heavens and attempting to be-come god would be easy.

He applies his new found skills to trading on

Wall Street and becomes a millionaire within days. This brings him to the attention of Carl Van Loon, played by Robert De Niro. Van Loon is a super successful and very rich investment broker who watches Eddie’s quick rise to riches and decides he needs him on his side. Van Loon’s com-petition is another suc-cessful businessman who also seemed to rise over-night from nothing to be-come an empire king. He asks Eddie to use his ana-lytical skills to help him

broker a merger with the competition. In return, he offers Eddie the world.

I have read varia-tions of this tale before. Colin Wilson wrote the novel, “The Philosopher’s Stone,” about a brain operation that opens the mind to new worlds and other dimensions. Daniel Keyes wrote the famous “Flowers for Algernon”, which was adapted into the film, “Charly”, tale of a mentally handicapped adult who is transformed into a genius. Both stories were cautionary tales of

hubris, and man’s Icarus-like attempt to fly to the sun; to become as gods. In both those tales, their soaring to new heights was shattered by seared wings and the inevitable fall back to earth. “Limit-less” provides a new and refreshing take on this classic Greek myth.

Neil Burger’s “Limit-less” is a great film that comes on fast, gets under your skin and provides a trip that is well worth taking. If you see one movie this week, make it “Limitless.”


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Observer Online Editions

“Limitless” provides a trip well worth taking

“One pill makes you larger, and one pill makes you small.

And the ones that mother gives you, don’t do anything at all.

Go ask Alice, when she’s ten feet tall.” Jefferson Airplane

VIEW FROM THE OUTSIDE

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Representatives from the Brockville Rotary Club visited Vanier Public School last Friday morning in order to announce their annual essay writing competition, a Club initiative designed to encourage the students to examine the concept of character development as well as self, and subse-quently, community and world improvement. In their essays, the partici-pants are asked to highlight Rotary’s trademark philoso-phy, ‘The Four Way Test’, the cornerstone of all Rotarian activity, which examines the concepts of truth, fairness, goodwill, friendship, and how one’s actions can affect others, each of which, edu-cator Michelle Peters says,

‘coincide perfectly with the Upper Canada District School Board’s character development initiative.’

“The UCDSB is highly committed to character development and its role within our curriculum. Our principles and Rotary’s are very similar, so activities like the essay competition are complimentary to the message that we’re trying to convey,” explained Peters, adding that the announce-ment also commemorated the official launch of the local Club’s first EarlyAct Club, a school-wide ser-vice club for elementary students from ages 5 to 13, aimed at promoting good-will, understanding, and peace, through the active participation of its student members, that will com-mence in September.

At Vanier, Peters con-tinued, the Club’s member-ship would encompass all students, each of whom will be required to attend one Club meeting, which they would later discuss with their classmates. The Club will also be lead by a six member student execu-tive council and will be overseen by a group of adult volunteers that includes parent representatives and Rotarians.

“Our mission is to en-gage students, at a very ear-ly age, to be active citizens and improve the quality of life in their school, local, and global communities,” said Peters.

Longtime Rotarians, Catherine Deplaedt and Martin Gysbers, who were on-hand Friday morning to launch the competition, ex-

plained that EA also teaches caring, respect, empathy, responsibility, tolerance, citizenship, compassion, friendship and leadership.

“The overall mission is ‘Service above Self’,” ex-plained Deplaedt.

“Everything that EarlyAct teaches are good guiding principles for conduct in everyday life.”

“The hope is that if we instil these values at a young age, it will have a positive ef-fect on their whole lives,” added Gysbers.

The competition will be open to the primary, inter-mediate, and senior div-isions, with submissions being judged by the Rotary members, based on con-tent, spelling, grammar, thoughtfulness and crea-tivity. Winners will be an-nounced on April 29th.

‘Four Way Test’ essay contest promotes character development

Cold Water Can Kill

It’s finally Spring. The days are getting longer, the air carries a sweet fra-grance and the ice has re-ceded from the lakes. It’s a time when millions of Can-adians finally get back their favourite pastime and head out on the water in their boats.

Smartboater.ca was cre-ated by the Canadian Safe Boating Council in part-nership with the National Search and Rescue Secre-tariat to remind Canadians to take a few extra pre-cautions to guard against the dangers of a fall into Cold Water.

Many people think that a fall into the water is no big deal. They can climb back onto the dock or swim the short distance to shore, or they can right their over-turned boat and get back in. If the boat can’t be right-ed, they can put on their lifejacket and hold onto the boat until help arrives. The reality is when dealing with cold water those goals often can’t be reached.

It’s hard to imagine what happens should you un-expectedly find yourself in cold water. Dr. Gordon Giesbrecht, Professor of Thermophysiology at the University of Manitoba, has experienced first-hand the effects of cold water. He developed what he calls the 1-10-1 Principle to help you

understand how your body will react. You will have One minute to get your breath-ing under control, as there is an initial gasp response followed by extreme hyper-ventilation. Ten minutes of meaningful movement before the muscles in your extremities lose their effect-iveness, and up to one hour before you lose conscious-ness due to hypothermia. If you’re not wearing a life-jacket and survive the initial shock and gasp, you have very little time before their arms and legs begin to stop functioning, preventing you from staying afloat.

Studies have shown that our bodies lose heat ap-proximately 25 times faster in water than in air of the same temperature. If you are wearing thermal pro-tection such as a neoprene wetsuit, paddling dry suit or a floater coat/suit, it will help keep you warmer for a greater length of time.

Should your boat cap-size and you find yourself in the water, try to reduce the rate of heat loss by climbing onto the overturned hull or any other floating object such as a cooler. If none are immediately available, re-main as motionless as pos-sible to allow your skin to warm a thin layer of water around your body. Thrash-ing in the water not only disturbs this layer of warm-er water but also acceler-ates heat loss. If you are alone, tuck your legs and fold your arms across your

chest in the HELP (Heat Es-cape Lessening Position) to protect your vital organs. If you are with others, huddle together interlacing your arms and legs and pressing your torsos together to pre-serve body heat.

One of the big questions is whether to stay with the boat or swim to shore. You should only consider swim-ming for shore if you are wearing a lifejacket, your chances for rescue are very slim and the distance to shore is manageable. (Be aware that the effort in-volved in swimming will increase heat loss and ad-versely affect muscle move-ment.)

Keeping these consider-ations in mind and taking proactive steps to protect against the dangers of a fall into Cold Water will go far towards making your boat-ing activities safer and more enjoyable. Remember too

that, in Canada, many of our larger bodies of water remain cold throughout the summer.

Whether you use a power boat, sail boat, per-sonal watercraft, canoe, kayak or fishing boat, find

more information on a variety of boating safe-ty tips by visiting www.SmartBoater.ca.

Wearing a Lifejacket and Thermal Protection could save your life

By Erin ChristieObserver Staff Writer

Rotarians Martin Gysbers and Catherine Deplaedt, visited the students of Vanier Public School, in order to announce Rotary’s annual essay writing contest.

ERIN CHRISTIE PHOTO


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