August 2010 North of 50 - Thompson Edition

North of 50

LOCAL LATITUDE, GLOBAL ATTITUDE August 2010 Vol. 3, Issue 8, Publications Mail Agreement 41188516, ISSN # 1710-4750

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NORTH of 50 August 2010

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NORTH of 50 August 2010

Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo

Kamloops IA fire crew sees below-average fires

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By Krystal Kehoe

It is fire season and the Kamloops Fire Centre has seen fewer fires this year than the 10 year average, but that doesn’t mean that their fire crews are not keeping busy.

At 10:30 a.m. on July 20, Craig Wallace and his crew are geared up to go and check on the site of a small forest fire from the previous day. Wallace is the crew leader of “Hotel 22”, one of the six Initial Attack (IA) crews based out of the Kamloops Fire Centre. On his crew are Laura Plouffe and Graham Sigalet.

The Initial Attack crews are the first to respond to forest fire calls and are equipped to be self-sustained for up to 24 hours.

“A lot of times, when it’s really busy, like last year, there were times when my crew had four fires in a day, and [were] working well beyond 24 hours because we didn’t have the resources,” Wallace said.

The IA crews can be sent to a fire by truck or helicopter, but Wallace’s crew all agree that their job requires them to spend a lot of time in the truck together.

“On occasion it can take us two and a half hours to get to a fire sometimes. It all depends on where we’re going,” Wallace said.

Earlier this season his crew was deployed to Fort Nelson and had to endure an 18 hour drive together.

Before the crew heads out, Plouffe and Sigalet split a protein bar and make sure the truck is stocked with extra drinking water. Their equipment is packed and the 400 gallon water tank on the truck is full. The crew is heading to Monte Creek for cold trailing.

Cold trailing is done with their bare hands, Wallace explained. The IA crew has to dig through the soil to make sure that the fire is completely out from the previous day.

Flagging tape marks the entrance to their path. It’s important that, when they get to a fire, they cut a path and flag it, to make it easier for other fire fighters to find, Wallace said.

Once out of the truck the crew members put on their hard hats and have a short briefing. The crews always have a safety briefing before they fight a fire to discuss any danger trees and two escape routes, Wallace said. Their escape routes are down away from the fire.

“We’re putting ourselves in a safe position,” Wallace said. He said that it is important that his crew be calm while fighting a fire.

At the Monte Creek site the crew gets to work digging around with their hands in the dirt. There is a dark outline where the IA crew dug a guard around the fire the previous day. Wallace calls this fire out and reports it to dispatch. The crew then heads back into Kamloops.

Wallace’s crew will spend the remainder of the day on stand-by at the Kamloops Fire Centre. But this is not a typical season for the IA crew. So far this year Wallace has been called to 15 fires, whereas last year his crew was called to 70 fires during the season.

“Well below the average right now, for us,” he said.

When there is a fire the crew leader is responsible for the initial fire report, pictures, the GPS co-ordinates of the fire, and uses the GPS to report the size of the fire. If the crew is on 24 hour stand-by they need to be within 30 minutes of the Kamloops Fire Centre to respond.

“Depending on fire activity, if we’re in high or extreme conditions, then we have crews at the base all the time and pretty much a helicopter sitting at the pad,” he said.

If the crew is on red-alert they need to be in the helicopter within five minutes.

As a crew leader Wallace is responsible for falling any danger trees at a fire before the other crew members are sent in. He said that is the second most dangerous part of his job, the first is riding in a helicopter.

“I always say I appreciate every time I get to ride in helicopters,” he said.

For now, this below-average year has given the Kamloops IA crews time to do fuels management project work around the Kamloops area, to help reduce fire activity. This includes falling pine beetle trees, removing tree limbs and cleaning up the ground debris, Wallace explained.

“For the areas that we’ve worked it reduces fire hazards in that area,” he said.

But when there is a fire, the IA crew is ready. Their work schedule allows them opportunity for daily physical activity. Along with a 200 pound weight restriction (including gear), they have to pass periodical fitness tests throughout the season. The fitness test includes a pack test where they need to pack 45 pounds for just under five kilometres, with a time restriction of 45 minutes, and a pump hose test where they need to carry four lengths of hose on their backs in four minutes and 10 seconds, in order to work for the Ministry of Forests.

And, after 13 seasons, Wallace said that his favourite part of the job is the people he gets to work with.

“That’s what makes it the most fun for me,” he said.

Hotel 22 crewmembers Graham Sigalet, Laura Plouffe and Craig Wallace stand in front of a former fire site in Kamloops (top). Graham Sigalet cleans the chainsaw while back at the Kamloops Fire Centre (middle). Laura Plouffe runs her hands through the dirt at the Monte Creek site where a lightning strike fire had occurred the previous day (bottom).

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North of 50

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Publisher Dean Wallis dean@northof50.com Managing Editor TJ Wallis editor@northof50.com Advertising Sales Dean Wallis dean@northof50.com Ad Design & Layout Kristi Carter krist@northof50.com Administrative Assistant Caralyn Doyle caralyn@northof50.com Deadline for Ads to be submitted is the 22nd of the month for publication on or about the 1st of the month Office Location: Suite 102 Armstrong Business Centre 2516 Patterson Avenue Armstrong, BC Mailing Address: Box 100 Armstrong, BC V0E 1B0

Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo

NORTH of 50 August 2010

EDITORIAL Few would argue that the Thompson Okanagan Shuswap boasts some of the most stunning landscapes in the country. It’s surprisingly easy to take that natural beauty for granted when you live and work in it every day.

And take it for granted, we do.

Every year, while fire fighters are busting their rears, risking their lives to fight lightening caused fires, some careless twits still disregard all common sense and toss cigarette butts out the car window, set off fireworks, or ignore campfire bans. Tiki torches create a certain ambience, but do you have to use them in the bush?

Currently, all open burning, including campfires and fireworks (and tiki torches), are prohibited across the Kamloops Fire Centre’s jurisdiction to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety. Anyone found in violation of an open fire ban, including campfires, may be issued a ticket for $345. Should a wildfire occur as a result of recklessness, a person can be fined up to $1 million or spend three years in prison and be ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.

Despite having significantly less fires so far this year, many people have already been evacuated from their homes to wait for the danger to pass. At the time of this writing there have been 707 fires in BC this year; 124 of those are in the Kamloops Fire Centre region. Resources from the Kamloops Fire Centre have responded to 55 campfire-related incidents so far this season, taking valuable resources that are needed to respond to naturally occurring wildfires.

For this month's cover story, writer, Krystal Kehoe spent a day with “Hotel 22”, one of six initial attack crews based in Kamloops. Theirs is grueling, hot, grimy work but its work they love. That story is on page 3.

This month we also bring you stories on fairs and outdoor activities that are sure to pique your interest. Dawn Renaud's article on geocaching appears on page 8. What better way to explore our splendid area than with this high tech version of a treasure hunt! You don’t have to be a techie or physically fit to enjoy this new sport!

Then, on page 9, we take a look at some of the Interior Provincial Exhibition’s (IPE) youngest participants. The IPE attracts well over 120,000 people annually into little ole’ Armstrong. The sleepy little City with just one street light and a bizarre four way stop system based on courtesy rather than traffic laws, suddenly wakes up!

On a final note, last month’s story The Battle for Creighton Valley by Don Sawyer generated a lot of interest from readers and we are thrilled to tell you that the story was picked up by Global TV and Black Press.

Hopefully, this news coverage will translate into results for the Echo Lake residents.

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FOLLOW-UP: BATTLE FOR CREIGHTON VALLEY The initial meeting between the Creighton Valley Residents and Resort Owners Association and local Ministry of Forests and Range (MFR) personnel took place at the Vernon MFR office on July 20. Ten residents took the time to drive into Vernon on a Tuesday afternoon, where they were joined

by Ray Crampton, Operations Manager; Richard Toperczer, Tenures Officer; and Rita Winkler, Regional Hydrologist. Forestry Advisor to the Association, George Zorn, a retired Professional Forester-Biologist, also attended. This was a serious meeting, lasting well over two hours, as the residents and Forestry officials worked hard to understand each other’s positions and concerns.

While the most important outcome was the laying of a foundation for future cooperation and discussion of strategies that will ensure responsible logging in the area and address water quality and quantity issues, some specific short-term activities were agreed upon. One of these is an on-site visit to the Bonneau Plateau above Creighton Valley that will involve MFR personnel, including a groundwater hydrologist, Creighton Valley residents, and logging contractors working in the area. This joint assessment is scheduled for early October.

NORTH of 50 August 2010 FAIR COMMENT

You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby?

THE ATLANTIC IS A MAGAZINE full of thoughtful, provocative pieces by some of the world’s foremost writers and thinkers, but in the latest version it outdid itself, billing its July/August Don Sawyer magazine as “The Ideas Issue” containing the “14 ¾ most powerful ideas of the year.” And the cover story, presumably making it THE most powerful idea of the year, sticks one idea to us with a sharp stick: “The End of Men: How Women are Taking Control of Nearly Everything.”

Now I confess that as I read the title, not to mention the rather rambling article itself, I felt a slight contraction between my legs. But at the same time, I was left scratching my head. (Yes, men can multi-task too.) Is this the gender equity women (and men) have been struggling to achieve for centuries? Or are we just seeing the manipulation of sexual politics to better placate, domesticate, and dominate?

Don’t get me wrong. The article makes many important points about the extraordinary strides women have made. The author’s most significant observation, perhaps, is that “As thinking and communicating has come to eclipse physical strength and stamina as the keys to economic success, those societies that take advantage of the talents of all their adults, not just half of them, have pulled away from the rest.” She bolsters this with figures from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development that shows, almost without exception, that in 162 countries examined, the greater the power of women, the greater the country’s economic success.

These Are Not Normal Times THE GUY IN THE BLUE CAMOUFLAGES was big enough to break boards with just the meanness in his eyes. His partner, not as huge, but equally serious.

Calvin White This wasn’t Checkpoint Charlie, but a small gate into the Kaozak refugee camp, just over a kilometer away from the Kirghiz border. In normal times there wouldn’t be any military at this summer retreat, its large walnut trees, corn field just a few metres away. In normal times the creek that cuts through the property and stretches into tributary rivulets would be just as swollen, just as keen to move the old metal water wheel as it does now. In normal times there would be hundreds of children here just as there are now, but they would be thinking only of play, only of excitement at being away from home.

These are not normal times. There are two thousand refugee women and children squeezed here in their UNICEF tents, the big ones of dark green canvass, and their United Nations Humanitarian Relief tents, the Quonset rounded white ones, smaller but just as packed with sleeping mats, just as packed with fear. They have all fled their homes a few hours walk away to come here to their ancestral Uzbek land for safety and, as it would be, acceptance and sustenance. The Uzbek authorities have opened their resources to care for their ethnic kin and there

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Even more fascinating is how quickly all of this has happened. In the US, women hold more than half of all managerial and professional jobs, up from 26% in 1980. Women now earn 60% of all master’s degrees and half of all law and medical degrees. Most stunning, women now earn nearly 2/3 of all bachelor’s degrees, fast emerging as the threshold for “an affluent life.”

All of this translates into significant family and social change, of course. In 1970, women contributed 2 to 6 percent of family income. Today it is over 40%, and four in ten women are the primary family income earners. As a result, childrearing, gender and power relations, public images, and institutions such as marriage are undergoing radical transformation.

Fascinating stuff. But as often seems to be the case in what is coming to be called “postmodern feminism,” there seems to be a conscious, almost urgent, need to uncouple gender issues from economic conditions. In a puzzling sidebar, the author argues that fathers are becoming “obsolete.”

Her evidence? It seems that children adopted by lesbian couples (how large could the research base be?) get along just fine without a man in the house.

Plus, as more professional women choose not to marry and are successfully bringing up their children (though the article seems to assume not being married means there is no ongoing relationship or father on the scene), men just seem to be a bother, little more than an unnecessary nuisance.

Yet we have known for a very long time that there is no significant correlation between children’s school success (at least) and whether or not they come from a two-parent family. There is, however, a staggeringly strong correlation between school success and a child’s socio-economic background, regardless of the number of parents at home. What this tells us is that when children grow up in enriched home environments filled with books, bedtime stories, verbal interaction, exposure

to arts and literature, structure and routine, high expectations, strong personal and academic support, and a history of parental school success, kids will succeed whether they come from homes with one, two or more parental figures. (I’m willing to bet that the lesbian couples referenced fit snugly into this pattern. And as for the obsolescence of fathers, I’d also bet that children of gay couples would perform similarly well.)

The article argues that women are stampeding over men in a cloud of stiletto heels because of a mix of mystical feminine traits that include (but are not limited to) “self-control, focus, verbal aptitude” (or compliance, tolerance for tedium and agreeability?) As we saw in the 60s, dominant economic and political interests are willing to concede cultural and social skirmishes (see women’s suffrage) as long as the captains of industry (who, interestingly, represent the last bastion of male dominance) are left to burn their way unimpeded to the sea. Small wonder, then, that they are only too happy to welcome “focused, loyal and capable” female recruits to the corporation.

Those of us, men and women, who fought so hard to break down gender and racial barriers weren’t out there so that the powerful would remain venal, ruthless, short-sighted and relentlessly profit driven, but wear bras. Our vision was not just about changing the sex or colour of the elite, but of creating a more equitable, fair and compassionate society.

That vision is ill-served by this brave new world of business as usual, but with more X chromosomes.

is ample food and shelter and medical attention.

But still these people have been here two weeks now in their unexpected summer camp with all these unexpected neighbours and each day many live with the images of homes burning, of screaming in the street, of rat-tat-tat sounds from weapons they could not see. Others live with the simple fear of what comes next, what now, where will they return to.

This is the common experience of all refugees. Safety is great, a place for shelter and food is great. But what of the future? How does one continually only live in the present, especially when there has been so little choice of that present? It is like having one’s eyes to look only so far and then stop seeing. Not possible.

And the children, of course, they keep asking questions. When do we go home, mother? I want to sleep in my own home again, mother. I want to see father. When? When? When? These are easier than the why’s.

All these women, young, old, hobbling, the spring of youth in their step. These women, a great joint family now, a family of fear, of hope, of waiting. And no one knows for what. One young mother stands over me, dark eyes staring a hole into my face asks rhetorical questions: if we go home how can I go away to work and know my children will be safe? Our jobs must now be taken by Kirghiz since someone will have had to do them, so how will we work again?

There are nods. Another woman speaks with more urgency, emotion, rawness: they went wild, we lived together all these years and they just went wild. How could they do that? What did we do? That is our home. We have been there for generations.

Another says, they killed my uncle. Then they burned his home where he and my aunt live. They are

both dead. This woman is young and pregnant. As she speaks she touches her belly.

Around us more have gathered. All listen. All watch the interaction, this discourse of no answers. The large, leafy trees surround us. It is cool here away from the hot Andijan sun of late June. We are one small group in the midst of the earthen paths, the rivulets, and trees, the rows and rows of tents, the hubbub of humans busy with waiting. I have come here for these minutes. These minutes during which nothing happens but the flow of words, the exchange of eyes, the forming memory within each of us that I have been there.

This is the way of us. We are only what we are.

We give only what we can, what we know to give.

Our faces will disappear from consciousness rather quickly, in minutes if not sooner.

Refugees are there for themselves. The rest of us come and go. With the great, great emphasis on go.

Don Sawyer is a writer, educator and former director of Okanagan College’s International Development Centre. He lives with his wife in Salmon Arm. You can contact Don Sawyer by email at donsawyer@telus.net or by mail at Don Sawyer c/o North of 50, Box 100, Armstrong, BC V0E 1B0. For more information on Don’s writing and development work, visit his web site at www.northerned.com.

Calvin White is a retired high school counsellor who lives in the North Okanagan. He has over 70 essays published in various Canadian daily newspapers, including the Globe and Mail, the Ottawa Citizen, Toronto Star, Vancouver Sun and Province. If you have any comments on this column, you can write to Calvin White at calvinwhite@northof50.com or to Calvin White c/o North of 50, Box 100, Armstrong, BC V0E 1B0 Calvin White is currently working with Doctors Without Borders in Uzbekistan, a landlocked former part of the Soviet Union. He will be there for about a year, working with victims of drug resistant tuberculosis and training counsellors to do the same. He continues to submit his columns to North of 50 from there.

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Coming Events Experience the benefits of meditation! Come and learn or practice with us. Shambhala Meditation Group of Kamloops 433b Lansdowne St. (above Frankly Coffee). Free. Meditation instruction offered.

Thursdays 7:00 pm and Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays drop-in 12:00 - 1:00 pm. For information: www.kamloops.shambhala.org or phone Evelyn 5735519 or Liz 376-4224.

August Feature Artist. Marj Briggs presents "A Glass Act" at the Courthouse Gallery, Kamloops.

10am - 5pm. Fused glass and stained glass.

Live at Lunch downtown Kamloops. Live Music Tuesday to Saturday until the end of August. Daily from 11:30am to 2:00pm. Tuesdays in the 200 block of Victoria St; Wednesdays in conjunction with the Farmer's Market in the 400 block; Thursdays in the 300 block; Fridays in the 200 block; and Saturdays in the 300 block.

Every Thursday from 12 to 7pm, a variety of Kamloops talented artisans and community groups are featured at Bizarre Bazaar at the Old Courthouse. Great opportunity to buy local, high quality goods. Drop in art session from 3 to 5 pm. Gardening workshops from 5 to6pm. Each week includes an eclectic mix of musical talents.

250.372.7323.

August 6 to September 6. North Shore Artwalk 2010, along Tranquille Rd. Info at 250.372.7323.

August 6 to 8. Muscle Cars in Motion is Western Canada's muscle car driving experience. Events will be held in the Kamloops area this summer.

Participants are encouraged to sign up prior to event dates. More info at musclecarsinmotion.com August 7 to 8. 16th Annual Pritchard Rodeo.

Performance at 1 pm each day with competition in all the main rodeo events, along with entertainment from the Vernon Cowgirl Way Drill Team. Saturday night dance, live music from Union jack. Call Don 250.577.3461.

August 7 to 8. Lac La Hache Music Festival at Felker Homestead. Bring your own chair & umbrella. More info, Rob Fry 250.396.4719 or newage6@bcwireless.com.

August 8. The Sun Peaks Resort Gummy Bear DH returns for the second year. Gummy Bear has enough roots, rocks, and corners to make it fun for the advanced riders, and a mellow enough grade that the amateur riders will enjoy the ride. This year we will be extending the race course down to the base of the Elevation Quad Chairlift. Racers will get one timed run on the course. You can register for $10 at Guest Services August 8th from 8 to 10am August 8. 5pm Community Dinner with live entertainment. Buffet Dinner, 50/50 draw and door prizes. Tickets are $10 each and can be picked up at the Front Desk in advance at 730 Cottonwood Ave, North Shore Community Centre. 250-376-4777.

August 10. Support the 2015 Bid With A BBQ! Join the Kamloops 2011 Western Canada Summer Games as we begin the "One Year to Go" countdown to the Games and support the 2015 Canada Winter Games Bid! Live entertainment and great prizes. Meet the new 2011 Games Mascots, Marigold & Sage.

August 12. Sharks! On Fire! is celebrating their hometown departure with a mini-rockfest called Sharkfest! 2010. 6:00pm to midnight. Tickets $12, available in advance from Kamloops Convention Centre or at the door.

August 13 to 15. Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival at the Salmon Arm Fairgrounds. This year's lineup includes Gord Downie and the Country of Miracles, K'NANNA, Joan Armatrading, Martha Wainwright and Fred penner. Tickets 250.833.4096 Now to August 14. Projects X Presents X-Fest 2010, presents Shakespeare’s popular comedy, 12th Night as well as Richard O'Briend cult-camp classic, The Rocky Horror Show, and runs in Prince Charles Park. Show starts at 7:30pm (no performance on Sundays). Tickets available at Kamloops Live! Box Office, 250-374-LIVE August 16. International Grand Illusionist Ryan Joyce is one of the most highly regarded magical entertainers in Canada today. His Vegas style revue show has won critical acclaim from audiences all around the world including New Zealand, India, and the Middle East. He has presented 8 annual national illusion show tours with over 80 live performances from coast to coast. Kamloops Convention Centre Tickets $20.00 including taxes Doors 7pm Starts 7:30pm August 21. 11th Annual Clinton Country Jamboree at Reg Con Park. Free music & entertainment from 10am to 9pm; free admission; arts & crafts, beer garden, steak dinner, 50/50 draws, concession; more than 20 acts and activities! Pancake Breakfast 8am.

Contact Robin Fennell 250.459.2284.

August 28 to 29. 11th Annual South Cariboo Garlic Festival at The Music Festival Grounds, Lac La Hache. 11th Annual celebration of the "Stinkin' Rose" will be held at the Music Festival Grounds in Lac La Hache (28 km north of 100 MH); shopping & vendors, food & treats, games, entertainment. Hosted by the Lac La Hache Community Club. Contact 250.706.9611 or southcariboogarlicfestival@gmail. com.

August 29. Kidney Walk/Give The Gift Of Life.

The Kidney Foundation of Canada, BC Branch is holding its annual Kidney Walk to raise funds and awareness of organ donation that will help support the work of The Kidney Foundation. Everyone can be a hero. Join in, sponsor a walker, volunteer and/ or register to be an organ donor. Riverside Park, 10 am. Pledge Forms or to sponsor someone else call 1.800.567.8112 Extension 228 More info, call Leissa Remesoff 250.851.2637 To September 4. Internationally renowned Vancouver-based artist Stan Douglas, Klatsassin at The Kamloops Art Gallery.

September 1 to 5. Cirque Du Soleil at the Interior Savings Centre. Tickets can be purchased at ticketmaster.ca or by phone 250.374.9200.

September 3 to 5. Electric Mountain Music Festival takes place on the Merritt side Mountainfest. Tickets available at ticketmaster.ca or the Desert Hemp Hut in Kamloops..

September 4 to 6. 61st Annual North Thompson Fall Fair & Rodeo in Barriere.

September 9 to 12. The Porsche Club of America

NORTH of 50 August 2010 will host their National Gathering at Sun Peaks Resort. The public will have the best opportunity to view the amazing display of Porsches, from vintage to brand new on Saturday September 11. The cars will be lined up throughout the alpine village at Sun peaks for the "Escape Show and Shine." As owners buff and polish their cars, the public has the chance to pick their favourite from the crowd! Call 250.578.5387 To September 11. The Cube at the Kamloops Art Gallery. This summer marks the sixth annual exhibition of work by graduating students from Thompson Rivers University. Selected by Kamloops Art Gallery Assistant Curator Craig Willms, the works in Curator’s Choice highlight emerging talent from TRU’s Bachelor of Fine Arts 2010 graduating class. Students at TRU graduate with a wide variety of specialties, including ceramics, printmaking, sculpture, painting, photography and installation.

This year’s exhibition features installations by Kate Garrett-Petts and Melanie Perreault. Like previous Curator’s Choice exhibitions, this is not so much a ‘best of’ show, but rather one united by thematic and aesthetic threads running through the work of these two emerging artists.

Now to October 15. Rhythms on the Rails at the Kamloops Convention Centre at the Kamloops Towne Lodge. This play is the story of a young Canadian songwriter journeying across Canada on a train, searching for inspiration to write an epic song. Featuring songs such as I Got You Babe, LocoMotion and Diana, this entertaining drama will have you singing along until the final curtain. Tickets, 250.572.2601

Music in the Park, Free concerts at Riverside Park.

7pm to 8:30pm, musical entertainment by local, national and international musicians, weather permitting August schedule: 01 - Anna and the Heartbones - Roots 02 - Rube Band - Kamloops' Ambassadors of Fun 03 - Wiley - Country 04 - John Lee Sanders - New Orleans Piano 05 - Henry Small and Friends - Rock 06 - Phonix - R&B 07 - Elvis - Rock 08 - Blues Brothers - R&B Blues 09 - Company B - Jazz Swing Vocalists 10 - Saskia & Darryl - Roots Country 11 - Bombshella - Tribute to the 80s 12 - Nuna Y - South American 13 - Swing Cat Bounce - Swing/Blues 14 - Halo - Classic Rock 15 - Steve Palmer - Country/Folk Classics 16 - Aurora James- Australian Funk 17- Brian McMillan - Soft Pop 18 - Heather Blush - Bluesy Beauty 19 - Rakish Angles - Nu Grass String Band 20 - Papagroove - 13 piece R&B Funk 21 - Sam & Luke - Young Blues 22 - Fourplay - Classic Rock 23 - Aleeba Anita Eccleston - Vocal Jazz Classics Girl with a Horn 24 -Johnny Cash Tribute - Country 25 - The Cats and the Fiddle - Bluegrass Country 26 - Murphy's Lagh - Celtic 27 - Neil James Harnett - Contemporary Blues Pop 28 - Black Dog Blue - Rockin' 29 -Tony Robertson - Bluesy Rock 30 - Infectuals - Contemporary Rock 31 - Earthbound - World Music

NORTH of 50 August 2010

Community Events 100 Mile House

100 Mile Legion AllVeterans get-togethers are held Saturdays at 2 p.m. at the legion. Meat draws at 3 p.m. For more information call 395-2511.

Creekside Seniors Centre offers activities for seniors such as pool, darts, bridge, whist, cribbage and carpet bowling. For more information call (250)3953919.

South Cariboo Farmers' Market - Open from 1st Friday in May to Last Friday in September - Fri 8:30am to 1:30pm. Farmfresh produce, bedding plants & perennials, baking; local craftsmen including woodworking, painting, jewelry; clothing, baby items, honey, BC salmon, hot food items, and much more... For info call Karen Greenwood at 250395-3580.

108 Newcomers Group.

First and third Thursday of every month at 10:30 am in the Community Centre upstairs room.

Meet other newcomers over a cup of coffee in an informal setting. Dropin fee: $2. Caroline 7919250.

Spinners and Weavers meetings in the event calen meet every first Friday at the Parkside Art Gallery, at 385 Dogwood Crescent from 10 am to 2pm interested people can contact our president Unni at: http:// www.trollheimenweaving. com/

Barriere

Barriere Survivors meet 2nd Monday of the Month 10:30 am to 12:30 @ Volunteer Centre. Anyone who has suffered a Brain Injury Ph. Kamloops Brain Injury Assoc (250) 3721799 ask for John Alzheimers/Dementia Support Group 1st Thursday of each month from 10:00a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Volunteer Centre on Barriere Town Rd. Phone 250-377-8200 or 1-800-886-6946.

Chase

Chase Village Friday Evening Market 4-7 pm.

Local produce, baked goods, and arts & crafts.

Kamloops

BIG Little Science Centre PUBLIC HOURS 2009 2010 Discover & Explore Fun Science. Enjoy TWO FULL Rooms with over 130 Hands-on Stations.

Thursdays and Fridays 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Saturdays 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. With a Special Activity or Show at 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM. Closed Sundays and Holidays. For more information contact: Gord Stewart at: 250-5542572 or 250-319-0689 E-mail: gord@blscs.org The newly formed Kamloops Garden Railway Club is looking for donations of large-scale track, buildings & rolling stock for a permanent "G" scale layout at The Kamloops Wildlife Park.

Tax receipts will be issued. To donate or for more information on our organization ~ call Hans @ 250-828-1418.

Breast cancer support group meet the second Saturday of the month at Lansdown Village, lower level, 111-450 Lansdowne St., from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Call 250-374-9188.

Wonder CafeSoup Kitchen at Mt. Paul United Church, 140 Laburnum Ave. (Kamloops North Shore), serves hot lunch every Thursday from 11a.m. to 1p.m.

Kamloops Ostomy Support Group meets at 7 pm on first Thursday of month at Medichair, boardroom.

210-450 Landsdowne Street, contact for info: Ken at 250-8190315 or Evelyn at 250-8286647.

Pottery classes for the Fab 55+.

Discover or rediscover the great feeling of creating in clay- Hand building, sculpture, coils or slabs.

Held every Tuesday from 1-3:30PM at Heritage House pottery studio in Riverside Park. $5 for non members $3 for members. Free clay is available for small projects and fee covers firing, glazing and use of tools.

For more information contact Diane Britt at 5732604 or 377-8793.

The local chapter of Green Drinks International (greendrinks.org) will

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Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo meet on the first Monday of each month. November 2nd, 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm. Green Drinks is a nonprofit social group. Topics discussed in the past include gardening, green home building, air pollution, home canning, straw bale houses!Mary Ellen Grant megloops@gmail.com or 250.371.7172 Kamloops Garden Club Meets every 4th Wed. of the month in Heritage House at 7:00 pm. Jeanette Moslin (250) 372-9669.

The Wells Gray Country Seniors Society meet the first Wednesday of each month at 10 a.m. at the Resource Centre; Third Sunday Seniors Social at 1p.m. in the Munroe Room at Wells Gray Inn; Seniors Book Club meet on the fourth Thursday of each month in the Clearwater library. Contact Lois Geiger, lgeiger@mercuryspeed. com.

The Kamloops Raging Grannies is a non-partisan group of women who use humor to actively raise the consciousness of citizens through peaceful means to promote positive change within our communities.

More info 372-3105.

Tuesday afternoon cribbage at the McArthur park lawn Bowling Clubhouse (beside NorBroc Stadium) at 1:30 p.m.

Everyone welcome. No partners needed.

Crib, coffee and good company.

Call 250-579-0028.

Are you a breast cancer survivor looking for fun, fitness and friendship? The Spirit Warrior dragon boat team is a great group of women who meet Tuesdays & Thursdays at 5:45 pm at Pioneer Park in Kamloops. We are looking for more members, no experience required! Call Liama at 377-1947or Midge at 374-2566 or e-mail spiritwarriors@live.ca or go to www.spiritwarriors.ca for more information.

Bridge at Desert Gardens Community Centre, every Tuesday, at 12:30 p.m.

540 Seymour Street. For info call (250) 372-5110.

The Alzheimer Society of BC, Central Interior, 543 Battle St. Kamloops, offers programs and services for people whose lives are affected by Alzheimer’s

disease or a related dementia. Programs and services include education workshops and information and support groups for family caregivers and for people diagnosed with early dementia. Call 250-3778200 or 1-800-866-6946.

250.396.7698

Interior Authors Group, a group that brings people together who are interested in the art of writing, meets the second Wednesday of the month at the Kamloops Art Gallery, 465 Victoria St., at 7p.m. Call Ted Joslin, 250-374-8910.

Carpet Bowling for Seniors, Mondays & Thursdays from 10:30 11:30 am at the Gymnasium or Mezzanine at the Lillooet & District REC Centre, 930 Main Street.

Drop In Fee.

Join a fun men’s and women’s a cappella chorus, The Hub City Singers, in rehersals every Tuesday, 7 to 9p.m., at the Old Yacht Club, 1140 River St. Members don’t have to be able to read music. Call 250-578-7503.

Seniors Dance with the Golden Serenadors every second Friday of the month at the North Shore Community Centre, 730 Cottonwood Ave. Admission $4 Call 250-376-4777 PATCHS, a grassroots community-based group working to achieve positive changes in the health care system, meets the first Monday of each month at Kamloops United Church, 421 St. Paul St., at 6:30p.m.

Call Rick, 250-579-8541 or email riturner@shaw.ca.

Lillooet

Royal Canadian Legion Branch 66 737 Main Street Lillooet BC 250-256-7332 Meat draws every Friday 5:30-8:30PM Members and Guests always welcome

50+ Fitness at the REC Centre. aerobic style fitness class, Nov. 10-3, 9-10 am, $56 Phone (250) 256-7527

Logan Lake

Logan Lake Seniors holds Bingo Fridays 1-3, 80 150 Opal, Village Centre Mall. Call (250) 523-2759.

Merritt

Bingo Tuesdays at 1 p.m.

FREE COMMUNITY EVENTS LISTING: List your community event FREE on this page by calling toll-free 1-877-667-8450 or email details to editor@northof50.com

North of 50 Lifestyle Newsmagazine For a Grown Up Audience

Past issues available at

www.northof50.com

at the Merritt Senior Centre.

Rummoli and Pool Fridays at 7 p.m. 2202 Jackson Avenue.

Join the Toastmasters to gain confidence!

They meet every Tuesday at 5:00 pm at the Merritt Library.

ESL Coffee Circle Practice your English skills every Saturday from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Merritt Library.

Frosty Fridays at Merritt Legion - Hamburgers served every Friday at the Merritt Legion from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Savona

Join us for exercise Wednesday and Friday mornings at 8:45 a.m.

OAPO Branch 129, 6605 Buie Road/Savona Access Road. Call Jennier Coburn for more info at (250) 3730081.

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North of 50 is online ++ You can view the current and past issues on-line. ++ Every week we bring you a new video on a variety of topics. ++ Join Facebook.

Kamloops Ostomy Support Group meets at 7 pm on first Thursday of month. Contact: Ketina at 250-571-1456.

Kamloops Family History Society meets the 4th Thursday of each month at Heritage House, 100 Lorne St., Riverside Park, 7-9 pm (Sept to May).

Guests and new members are welcome. For info call 250-579-2078.

Lac La Hache

OAPO #176 Pioneer Centre offer several activities, such as pool, bridge, Canasta, square dancing, contra, rounds, pilates, and general exercise. For more information call Ron 250.396.7298, Agnes 250.396.7231 or Hazel

*Please phone for our out-of-country rates.

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Lilloett

Lillooet Quilters Guild meet the last Wednesday of the month at 7pm at the Friendship Centre September thru June.

us

Phone:

8

Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo

NORTH of 50 August 2010

HUNTING FOR HIDDEN TREASURE

By Dawn Renaud

IT’S LATE ON A FRIDAY EVENING. Todd Moore is leading us on a trail along a Kamloops riverbank. To the casual observer, we’re merely walking his dog, Brew.

In reality, we’re searching for hidden treasure.

Glancing at his GPS unit, Todd stops. He retraces his steps, stops again. “Probably this tree,” he says. Brew sniffs the trunk; we peer into the shadows, parting grass and jiggling branches. No luck. My first foray into geocaching ends in defeat.

According to the Official Global GPS Cache Hunt Site (www.geocaching. com), there are over a million active cache sites in the world today—impressive, especially considering the pastime has only been around for a decade. Early in May 2000, an Oregon computer consultant wanted to check the accuracy of the global positioning system. He hid a bucket containing “prize” items in the woods not far from Portland. Then he posted the site’s waypoint online, inviting others to find the stash, sign the logbook, and “take some stuff, leave some stuff.”

Within three days, two readers found the stash and posted their experiences online. The game quickly went viral, with stashes hidden all over the world. By the end of the month the term “stashing” had been tossed in favour of “caching,” preferred for its connotations of pioneer adventure and pirate treasure.

Unlike most computer games, geocaching gets you away from the keyboard and out of the house, exploring new territory and seeing familiar spaces in a whole new light. And, other than the initial cost of the GPS unit, it’s virtually free.

Kelowna’s Michelle Parkin, who’s boyfriend talked her into geocaching three years ago, says that while on a family trip to Alaska they didn’t have extra money for entertainment. Instead they went geocaching. “We saw lots of places my parents didn’t see,” she says. To date she has located some 1,100 caches—and hidden plenty, too.

Some geocaches are cleverly camouflaged in easily accessible locations. Others might take you well off the beaten path, where weaker GPS signals can add to the challenge (top left). Booty!

You never know what you’ll find in a geocache. Bring along some treasures of your own to swap (middle). Michael DeGroot on a bike path in Wenatchee, WA (bottom). Photo by Michelle Parkin. a pencil; some caches don’t have room for one), and swap “treasures” if you like: think cereal-box prizes, key tags, collector pins.

Once home, go online to log your find and add your comments. If you’ve picked out a trackable—an item tagged with a tracking number—be sure to record this leg of its journey; then move it along soon to keep the fun going. Some trackables make amazing global expeditions; Michelle dropped a couple of trackable coins in a Skagway cache, and she’s watching to see which one finds its way home first.

Todd has decided to relocate a cache he had previously hidden near his former home. He deactivated the cache on the website and is debating what to add as a “first-to-find” treasure—something more valuable than the usual trinkets, sometimes included in a new cache. “The first person to find it gets the really good prize,” he says, “so it’s almost like there’s a race to get to it.” He once arrived first and collected a Leatherman tool set.

In the morning, we hide Todd’s cache in its new location and head for Margaret Falls. We wander around for quite some time on the trail above the falls, but tree cover prevents Todd’s GPS receiver from getting the precise location. Neither of us can recall exactly what the hint said. (Note to self: If you decrypt before you go, print the page or make a note of what the hint says!) Although we haven’t found the cache, we’re not particularly disappointed; we’ve enjoyed a strenuous hike through some incredible scenery.

Back at Todd’s house, he shows me the geocaching.com website. Without logging in I can use my Penticton postal code to pull up nearby caches; there are nine within a kilometre of my house, and dozens more in the area covered by city transit. I’ll need to create an identity and log in to access their coordinates, or waypoints. There’s no cost to join, although a few caches’ waypoints are only available if I choose the paid-membership option.

In the late afternoon, our attempt to find a cache in the Rose Gardens in Kamloops is thwarted by throngs of muggles—geocache-speak for non-geocachers. The grads are in the midst of their photo shoot. Already conspicuous for our lack of formal wear, we quickly figure out where we need to look. Getting there means bringing unwanted attention to the cache (and, in all likelihood, an unwelcome intrusion into someone’s family photos).

For each cache site, the website provides ratings for how difficult the terrain is and how hard the cache is to find. There’s also a an encrypted hint. Todd says kids are especially enthusiastic about using the key to decipher the code, although clicking the “decrypt” button works too. This hint provides clues to help pinpoint the cache’s exact location. “I don’t do that unless I have trouble finding it,” he says. To illustrate, he pulls up the page for a cache site above Margaret Falls near Salmon Arm. He has already been unsuccessful there, so we read the hint. The cache site’s page also shows what others have said about their experience looking for this cache. Some of it’s geocache shorthand: TNLN (took nothing left nothing), DNF (did not find).

Instead we head back to the house, collect Brew, and resume the search we’d abandoned the evening before. In the daylight, a slightly out-of-place detail catches my eye. Success at last: we find a tiny scroll inserted into a weatherproof vial and hidden inside a hollowed branch. On our way back we look for another cache Todd had downloaded to his GPS some time ago. I immediately zero in on a park bench. We poke around a bit and find nothing. Todd figures it’s part of a cryptic, or puzzle cache.

Geocaching.com reminds geocachers to stay off private property and respect the environment—cache in, trash out— and the website is very user friendly. With the right GPS unit, you can select several sites to download directly to your GPS, where they’ll show up as closed chests. When you’ve found a cache, you can change its icon to an open chest. Sign the log while you’re there (pack along

Back at his computer, he checks the cache’s webpage. Turns out I need the fourth letter from the surname on the bench’s donation plaque, plus three more letters from other signs at listed waypoints. I need to identify a particular song, use its title to complete the decoding key, and turn those four letters into numbers. These are the co-ordinates of the cache. Clever!

Exercise, adventure, and word puzzles. Great game to share with the grandchildren. Now, I just need a GPS.

NORTH of 50 August 2010

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Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo

NO ONE’S TOO YOUNG (OR TOO OLD) TO PARTICIPATE AT THE IPE

By Christine Pilgrim

Makayla Hentges (on horse) with family, dad John, mom Cheryl, brother Mitchell, and along with neighbour Rosene Ryan-Lewis all exhibit at the I.P.E. Showmanship and his rooster won Best in Show in his first year of exhibiting in 2008. In 2010 he will exhibit swine and his 15 laying hens. Brecken’s mother, Karen, says the entire family always looks forward to the IPE when they camp on the grounds for the week in order to care for their poultry and pigs.

In keeping with this year’s Beef It Up theme, 4H member, Allison Speller, will exhibit some of the prize Aberdeen Angus she and her family breed at their Monte Lake ranch. When she’s not studying at South Kamloops Secondary (an hour’s bus ride from home), the 15-year-old spends much of the spring, summer and fall months grooming, halterbreaking and preparing her animals for exhibition not only at the IPE but also at the 4-H Stock Shows in Armstrong and Kamloops. Predictably, her career plan is to be a large animal vet. Three times 4-H Grand Champion winner, she also enjoys the fun of the fair, particularly the rodeo bull riding and barrel racing.

EVERY ONE IS IN GEAR for this year’s Interior Provincial Exhibition which runs at the Armstrong fair grounds from September 1 to 5 - livestock groomed; pumpkins measured; apple pies tested and tasted; photographers’ lenses and mechanics’ pistons polished – all is tuned and toned up and ready to roll.

Agricultural fairs have come a long way since BC’s first one, set in Victoria in 1861. Not only do they provide a focal point for the celebration and promotion of local agriculture and food, but they also offer opportunities for the sharing of local art, crafts and culture, along with the thrills, spills, fun and frolics of rodeo and roundabout rides.

Some of the youngest participants in this celebration of all things rural are with the 4-H Children’s Club where youth between nine and 19 pledge their Heads to clearer thinking, their Hearts to greater loyalty, their Hands to larger service and their Health to better living. Local branches also pledge to raise swine, poultry, goats and cattle to exhibit at the IPE each year. This 111th event will be no exception.

“Since the first 4-H Club was formed in 1913, its aim has been to develop wellrounded, responsible, independent youth,” says Lorna Kotz, key leader of the Armstrong, Vernon and Lumby 4-H District. “What better way to develop their life skills than to put them in charge of rearing animals!”

The 4-H Clover Bud Club where six-to-eight-yearolds learn about photography, sewing and baking, as well as caring for livestock, will also exhibit.

But young people don’t have to join 4-H clubs to enter for IPE awards. Its own Peewee Club provides opportunities for six-to-eight-year-olds to show their animals too. Colton Reid (eight) will exhibit his hog Dusty alongside those of his older siblings, Daniel, Robert and Chelsey. He reckons Dusty has a very good chance of winning because he’s the biggest, longest and friendliest of the litter, “Although,” he adds diplomatically, “The others might have a fighting chance.”

Apart from livestock, the Photography and Crafts sections attract Dustin, Jesse and Josie Larsen. They will enter all seven categories for young photographers, from “Viewpoint of a Small Child” to “Welcome my Community.” Josie (nine) took her favourite photographic entry for this year when she was visiting her Grandma and Poppa. She noticed a big spider wrapping a stink bug in silk so she borrowed her Grandma’s camera and, in her words, “Took a pretty cool picture.”

Another Grandma, Rosene Ryan-Lewis, inspired her neighbours, Makayla and Mitchell Hentges to join her two grandsons in Native regalia for the IPE Parade

An example: Baylee Out won Grand Champion Market Hog with her first pig, Mr Bacon, when she joined 4-H, aged nine. In her final 4-H year she exhibited two females - a sow named George who again won Grand Champion Market Hog, and a gilt named Toby who won Grand Champion Gilt (A gilt is a pig that’s not “wed” as it were). Baylee Out’s knowledge of all things swine-related is extensive and fascinating. Who knew, for instance, that a sow with an even number of nipples is considered a better breeder than one with an odd number?

Apparently, if piglets are lined up in two neat, even rows they feed easier and keep each other warm. And of course the more nipples a sow has, the more piglets she can accommodate (Toby has 14!). When asked what she intends to do with the science degree that she’s currently working toward at Thomson Rivers University, Baylee smiles, “My options will be extensive. Who knows, I may return to agriculture.”

Meanwhile, Armstrong’s young Brecken Peters won First Prize for Poultry

Edward Out (15 yrs) with his current 4-H Fed Hog project El Diablo cont'd on page 10

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NORTH of 50 August 2010

Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo

IPE cont'd from page 9

last year. In fact, she inspired the entire Hentges family to exhibit - from Mrs Hentges’ delicious cloud biscuits to Mr Hentges’ raspberry jam; from Mitchell’s motorized Lego drawbridge to Makayla’s prize-winning black Cochin Bantam.

Makayla (now 17) also won prizes for her knitted afghan, crocheted scarves and rooster drawing. Her sketch of a cougar, as well as her crafts and exotic poultry, will doubtless attract the judges this year. She says the IPE is a great thing for Armstrong. “It’s our quiet, little town’s moment to shine.” And shine it does.

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First to agree is Lindsay Blackburn. He visited the IPE as a baby 63 years ago and hasn’t missed a show since. His draught horses are a regular feature in the rodeo. The IPE has become part of his life, as it has done for countless others – young and old.

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In 63 years’ time, it will be interesting to see if the currently young Reids, Outs, Peters, Larsens, Spellers and Hentges will encourage their grandchildren to join in Armstrong’s “moment to shine” and prepare them for a “well-rounded, responsible, independent” adulthood.

1st - Aretha Franklins 1st recording session 1st - Chubby Checker releases “The Twist” 10th - Actor Antonio Banderas, was born in Malaga Spain.

18th - 1st commercial oral contraceptive debuts.

18th - 1st photograph ever from a spy satellite was taken. With 3,000 feet of film, the satellite took more pictures than all 24 of the U-2 spy plane flights put together, and revealed the existence, not previously known to the U.S., of 64 airfields and 26 missile bases 19th - Soviet Union launched Sputnik 5 into orbit, with the dogs Belka and Strelka (Russian for “Squirrel” and “Little Arrow”), 40 mice, 2 rats and a variety of plants. Recovered the next day after 18 orbits, the menagerie became the first living animals to return safely to Earth after being placed into orbit 23rd - Oscar Hammerstein II, 65, American lyricist, died.

26th - The 1960 Summer Olympics opened in Rome, with a record 5,348 athletes from 83 nations competing. Competition continued until September 11

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NORTH of 50 August 2010

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Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo

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Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo

BEST OF CANADA’S LITERARY FESTIVALS: A LIST We’ve got world-class writers, but we also cherish literature of other places.

By Noah Richler

OPENING THE PAGES of a novel is often the best way to know the place you’re in—or to get away to others on the magic carpet ride a good story provides.

Canada has a wealth of terrific writers producing books of international renown, but also a huge appetite for the literature of other places. Nowhere is this more evident than in Canada’s plethora of exciting literary festivals in settings that offer pleasant avenues into the wonderful variety of the country. Here’s our list: 1. Vancouver International Writers & Readers Festival in Vancouver, BC, is the best of the large festivals, with a busy combo of panels, readings, oneto-one interviews as well as poetry jams and a mix of invitees from all over the world. What really makes it splendid is its setting on Granville Island. Attendees spill out of literary events into a bustling, joyful mix of theatres, art galleries, the Emily Carr University of Art + Design and one of the loveliest markets in the country that is at its height in October, when the festival takes place—all set by False Creek with its splendid view of the city’s downtown towers and the Coast Mountain range.

2. Writers at Woody Point is a small and compact festival that takes place in late August at Bonne Bay in western Newfoundland in the dramatic embrace of Gros Morne National Park, a breathtaking landscape of fjords and high mountains. Newfoundland’s identity does not depend on culture, it is culture.

The Writers at Woody Point festival shows the rich fabric of this province in all its intimate, convivial and often ribald splendour. The emphasis is on Newfoundland writing, though each year also features an internationally celebrated literary guest. Music is also an integral part of the festival—so expect some dancing; Newfoundland, remember, is the home of the “kitchen party.” This is not a literary festival you’ll take sitting down.

3. Saskatchewan Festival of Words in Moose Jaw, SK, is an enjoyable festival on a modest scale that occurs in mid-July in one of the most marvellously eclectic settings in the country. Saskatchewan is the quietly beating heart of the country and its spectacular vistas offer a singular enchantment and syntax of their own: big sky, vast horizons and the golden palette of the prairie in midsummer. What makes the small city of Moose Jaw also remarkable is what lies beneath—the labyrinth of tunnels and underground shops and bunkers in which early Chinese immigrants worked and sweated in extraordinary conditions, and also the hot water of natural springs at Temple Gardens Mineral Spa Resort, enjoyed alike by writers and hardworking farmers in for a city break.

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Wells Gray Park: Oct 1

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Kootenays Ghosts & History: Oct 4

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South Pacific in Spokane: Oct 8

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Yellowstone & Canyonlands: Oct 13

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Leavenworth Oktoberfest: Oct 15

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West Edmonton Mall: Oct 23

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Reunion Weekend: Nov 4

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Branson: Nov 9

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for more information on these or other Experiences www.wellsgraytours.com

Kamloops: 250-374-0831 800-667-9552

4. The Frye Festival in Moncton, NB, in April is named after one of the English-speaking world’s most celebrated literary critics and philosophers of the 20th century, Northrop Frye.

This small, bilingual literary festival takes place in one of the most historic parts of Canada—territory that the great Acadian writer Antonine Maillet, winner of the French Prix Goncourt, has immortalized in works such as Pélagiela-Charette and La Sagouine. A lot of its charm is derived from its bilingual nature in events staged in a couple of the town’s old

NORTH of 50 August 2010

Home theatres, as well as the library and town hall, and the easy and quintessentially Canadian way people move between languages. The causeway gates on the river here, the Petitcodiac (also known as the Chocolate River for its rich, silt-laden, muddy brown colour), were recently opened as a first step to the restoration of waters renowned for its “tidal bore,” when strong tides create the odd sight of a single high wave proceeding over the top of the river in the wrong direction.

5. The Lakefield Literary Festival is perhaps the most Canadian of festivals, one that celebrates the country’s writing in July in the leafy arbour of southern Ontario, near Peterborough, and with the legacy of the late, great Canadian writers Susanna Moodie, Catherine Parr Traill and Margaret Laurence.

All lived and wrote in the community, which is surrounded by the region’s exceptionally beautiful lakes. There’s literary fiction, but also children’s and mystery writing, a Young Writers evening and a service at the church Margaret Laurence attended in an Ontario town where the Main Street in July is at its prettiest and most salubrious.

6. WordFest is Calgary, AB’s international literary festival. It holds events throughout the year, but celebrates in a large way in October at the height of the country’s book season. Its busy program has played a significant role in the revitalization of the Albertan cultural capital’s handsome downtown core.

It reaches out, too, into the city’s green university campuses (the University of Calgary and Mount Royal University), The Art Gallery of Calgary and the superb Glenbow Museum. The centre of activity is in the Vertigo Theatre each night, where the busy lobby is a thriving indication of cultural activity in a city where One Yellow Rabbit and the Loose Moose Theatre Company are but a part of the city’s vibrant arts scene.

7. Read By the Sea is an altogether different kind of literary festival that takes place in late July in the small and picturesque village of River John on the Northumberland Strait on Nova Scotia’s northern shore. It makes a point of its intimacy, with just a few authors and practically the entire village becoming involved. The ambience is as cozy and comfortable as a good summer read should be. The festival’s small size guarantees companionable encounters with the writers—and nowhere else will you be visiting beaches as beguiling as these or eating such succulent sea-fresh lobster, scallops and haddock afterwards.

8. The Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts is the most blissfully summery festival in all of Canada, taking place in August in the luxuriant confines of the Rockwood Centre in Sechelt, BC. Visitors enjoy the gardens’ rich, verdant setting, and the readings take place on a grand and absolutely beautiful stage. Evening feasts of local salmon and fine dining are an arranged part of the schedule, and at no other festival—ensconced like this one in the rainforest—will you find the necessary instruction “Absolutely No Climbing on Trees.” cont'd on page 14

NORTH of 50 August 2010

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and Away Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo

SIX SLEEPLESS NIGHTS ON THE ROOF OF THE WORLD

By Patti Shales-Lefkos

PILLOWS FLUFFED

BY CHING, a cheerful nine-year-old attendant, I lie toastily tucked in, cocooned in several soft, freshly laundered pastel blankets. The room is midnight dark. The only sound, the faint murmur of a gentle wind in concert with the burble of a nearby river. A leisurely walk followed by the company of fascinating dinner companions has left me downright drowsy. So why can’t I sleep?

Could it be the bed, a stiffly carpeted bench, one of forty lining the perimeter of the communal sleeping quarters of the Tibetan Nomad Hotel, part of the yak-tent compound nestled in the shadow of Chomolungma, mother goddess of the universe, Everest? Or is it the fumes from the yak-dung fire, the lack of oxygen or the apprehension of what’s to come?

As adult travellers we sometimes aspire to the luxuries afforded by five star hotels, but in doing so we miss authentic experiences available only to those ready to rough it. The incredible rewards of adventure travel are richer if you are willing to endure a little discomfort.

This afternoon we passed Rongbuk, the highest monastery in the world at 4,980 m. Tomorrow, the trek to Everest Base Camp.

Heaven help me if I can’t find my headlamp when nature calls. The corrugated tin and cement, slot-inthe-floor- biffy lies somewhere out there, beyond the compound; ebony wilderness populated by mangy wild dogs and cranky yaks, boulders in the dark waiting to trip me.

Moments later – or so it seems – I wake to the sunrise with an altitude induced headache. The morning light frames the long anticipated sight of Mount Everest. After a few bites of egg and chappati we grab our walking poles for the breathtaking two-hour trek through the oxygen thin air at 5,200 m. Our Tibetan guide takes us past the Chinese army checkpoint, and we use our allotted half hour atop the prayer flag festooned moraine to gaze at Everest base camp and take photos. We made it. A definite accomplishment but for me, neither the literal or spiritual high of the trip.

The week before we set out on the arduous three-day kora around mystical Mount Kailash, considered the world’s most holy place by Buddhists and Hindus.

We spent the previous night in a bone-chilling room in a cement hovel in Darchen. The electricity in each room consisted of a clear bulb hanging from the ceiling, the filament barely discernible. However, we were warmed by the haunting singing and joyous laughter of twelve Tibetan Buddhist female pilgrims, jammed into a room intended for three. I felt privileged to be among such contented company.

Tashi delek, hello, they called out each time I passed their room. Their evening chorus stopped early. They planned to rise at 4 am to complete the trek, as is

Overlooking Everest Base Camp on the Tibetan side, a dream come true for Patti (above). the Buddhist tradition, in one long day. I would take three.

The second evening of the trek began a horrifying night of worry in darkened tents awaiting the arrival of fellow trekkers from Drolma La, the 5,630 m high pass of the kora. Our incredible sense of fulfillment was dampened by the fact that my husband and I were the only two of our group of twelve who made it to the next camp in the expected time. As night fell, the warmth of the sun rapidly disappeared. Snow began to fall. Where were our trekmates?

But by 11:30 pm each member of our group was accounted for. One by one several dangerously chilled women appeared on hastily hired mountain horses led by hardy Tibetan guides. We settled them in sleeping bags in their tents and served them warm soup and tea. The last to arrive brought news of the three still missing who had decided to bunk down in a tea house tent two hours behind.

The following morning brought sunshine. The team was reunited and enjoyed a warm, full day’s downhill trek along a scenic river gorge.

The return journey to Lhasa was punctuated by a serene but sneezy sleepover in a dusty, tired guesthouse. We chose a Tibetan style room with two daybed bunks across from a brightly painted altar and a rustic wash stand complete with ragged but clean hand towels next to the door. Hot water for washing was proudly presented by the shy but smiling female Tibetan inn keeper, her dark eyes shining as much as her long, turquoise studded braid.

It took several throat lozenges and a puff on my inhaler to stop my bouts of coughing making a restful snooze nearly impossible.

Our fitful sleep was interrupted at first light by the thunderous babble of studious Tibetan elementary

school children who paced the courtyard chanting their lessons in preparation for government exams.

Clad in identical turquoise and white tracksuits they continued the cacophony for several hours until the breakfast bell rang.

Back in Lhasa, our home base for the trip, we enjoyed a final dinner of momos and Lhasa beer with out trekking mates, then headed out into the Barkhor to buy a few souvenirs before packing. My husband felt a spray of water hit him. Unusual, he thought, for a still sunny evening in late June.

He caught sight of an impish elderly Tibetan vendor with a spray bottle in her hand, partly hidden behind the pile of prayer flags she was selling. We laughed with her and continued on. What followed was a never-ending night of barking dogs, smoke and incense in our Lhasa Hotel next to Barkhor. Square punctuated by the child-like laughter of locals, armed with water bottles, squirting each other in celebration of the first hot night of summer.

Our last impression of Tibet came from the cramped bunk of the Roof of the World train as it sped toward Beijing. For a seemingly endless evening one more glorious sunset illuminated the plain and its iconic Tibetan culture: waving children, yak hair nomad tents, Tibetan houses and prayer flags. I lay sleepless, bathed in magic.

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NORTH of 50 August 2010

LITERARY FESTIVALS cont'd from page 12 9. THIN AIR Winnipeg International Writers Festival takes place in September in one of Canada’s most distinctive and idiosyncratic of cities (in Manitoba). Its downtown turn-of-the-century skyscrapers are an architectural treasure; its music and art gallery hideaways are full of life; The Forks, a revitalized area (named after the junction of the Red and Assiniboine rivers that were pivotal avenues of Aboriginal life and, later, the fur trade), is a hive of activity where many of the festival events take place. The Manitoba Museum with its striking replica of the Nonsuch, the 17th-century English vessel that first sailed into James Bay looking for furs, and the Winnipeg Art Gallery with its stunning Aboriginal collection, as well as the city’s fine restaurants, are just a few of the THIN AIR Festival’s concomitant joys.

10. Canada’s two largest and busiest cities also have their festivals. The International Festival of Authors takes place in Toronto, ON, in October by the waterfront of Lake Ontario. It features perhaps the most distinctive lineup in the country of authors from all over the globe. The Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival takes place in late April as spring is arriving in Montréal, QC, the country’s most culturally dynamic and engaging city.

The festival has a bilingual, even multilingual aspect (calling itself “the world’s first multilingual literary festival”), and like the country’s other large ones, puts Canada’s Aboriginal literature on stage, too. This is Canada’s most storied city, where writers—like its visitors to its streets, bars and restaurants—compete for the terrain and discoveries they can call their own.

Lacrosse has a long history in Kamloops

By Sherry Bennett

Participation in lacrosse, in Kamloops and elsewhere, has waxed and waned over the past century-and-a-half, but not because of dislike for the game renowned for its hard knocks and bruises.

An active lacrosse club was formed in Kamloops in 1887 and within a year the city was hosting the B.C. tournament. By 1902, those playing in B.C.’s first Interior league – comprised of Kamloops, Vernon, Kelowna and Revelstoke – were battling it out for the coveted Fulton Cup. So rough were the games that newspaper writers of the day felt compelled to condemn the prevalent violence.

Kamloops teams slowly disintegrated as young men throughout the Interior left home to meet another challenge – the First World War. Despite the reorganization of a two-team city league in 1921, organized participation waned until a new form of lacrosse – box lacrosse – was introduced in the 1930s.

Born out of the hockey promoter’s desire to keep arenas filled with fans during the summer months, ‘Boxla’ was introduced to the River City in 1936 and proved an instant success.

The first recorded game of lacrosse in British Columbia was played in 1886 at Beacon Hill Park in Victoria between teams from Victoria and Vancouver.

Surviving a 900 year test of time, lacrosse – the oldest sport in North America – has long held its own against Canada’s flagship sport of hockey.

Within months of the candle being blown out on Canada’s first birthday cake in 1867, 80 organized leagues had already sprung up across the nation. At the turn of the 20th century, every province held bragging rights to their own leagues of Crosse wielding athletes.

Adopted from a native game of baggataway, or ‘The Creator’s Game,’ the sport was played to resolve conflicts and help train young native warriors for battle.

Prior to the 17th century, when French Jesuit missionaries arrived in Canada, adopted the game and renamed it La Cross – because of the stick’s similarity to the staff or crosier held by Jesuit Bishops – a baggataway match-up could last several days, involve upwards of 1,000 men, and be played out on a field three km in length.

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By 1938, with the formation of the Kamloops Klippers all-star team, lacrosse ruled the roost as the city’s number one spectator sport. With brawn from ace athletes such as Joseph ‘Harry’ Smith, the Klippers won the 1938 B.C Boxla championship and the Hartney Trophy. The next two years they won the interior title but were defeated in the B.C. finals.

Touted by sportscasters as Canada’s official sport since 1859, when Canada’s Father of lacrosse, William Beers, unsuccessfully lobbied government to have the sport decreed Canada’s official sport, it was not until 1994, when Kamloops MP Nelson Riis introduced a Private Members Bill recognizing hockey as Canada’s official sport, that lacrosse received its national recognition.

During discussion of Riis’ bill, substantial support for lacrosse surfaced and spurred an amendment to the bill, which was accepted unanimously. On May 12, 1994, Bill C-212 “to recognize Hockey as Canada’s National Winter Sport and Lacrosse as Canada’s National Summer Sport,” received Royal Assent and became law.

Information in this article extracted from the Canadian Lacrosse Association, a May 15, 1967 Kamloops Daily Sentinel article written by Mike Bate, along with essays written by Mary Balf in Kamloops: The History of the District up to 1914 and Ruth Balf in Kamloops: 1914-1945.

NORTH of 50 August 2010

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Health Matters ARTHRITIS EXPECTED TO INCREASE The already staggering social and economic costs of arthritis in Canada are set to explode during the coming decades, says The Arthritis Society in response to a report released July 19 by the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Life with Arthritis in Canada (available at http:// www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/cd-mc/arthritis-arthrite/lwaicvaaac-10/index-eng.php) documents the latest trends and data regarding arthritis among Canadians over the age of 15.

“The devastating impact of arthritis on Canadian society has gone unnoticed in the public arena for too long,” said Steven McNair, President and CEO of The Arthritis Society. “This report confirms that arthritis is becoming a major health challenge for Canada, as more people consume more health-care resources to manage their pain and disability. This means we need to step up our efforts to find better treat ments and a cure.”

Among the report’s many findings: •Arthritis is among the leading causes of disability in Canada, costing the Canadian economy $6.4 billion every year in health-care expenses and lost work days. Long-term disability accounts for two-thirds of that.

•More than four million Canadians aged 15 and older (16 per cent of the population) reported they had arthritis in 2007-2008, with three out of five being under 65. This number is estimated to increase to seven million by 2031.

•Arthritis is the second and third most common chronic condition reported by women and men, respectively.

•Arthritis accounted for six per cent of all hospitalizations in Canada in 2005-2006 (132,000 out of 2.2 million).

•Joint replacements more than doubled in Canada from 2001-2005.

Arthritis affects people of every age, physical condition and ethnic background. There are more than 100 types of arthritis, caused by joint inflammation and degeneration. According to the report, about 60 per cent of Canadians with the disease report difficulties with participating in recreation, leisure, hobbies or social activities.

The Arthritis Society says many of the risk factors associated with arthritis, such as physical inactivity and poor diet, can be modified to reduce pain and increase joint flexibility. “We hope this report will serve as a wakeup call for people to take control of their disease through a healthy lifestyle and with the benefit of current treatments,” added McNair.

Life with Arthritis in Canada brings together data from national population health surveys, provincial physician billing, drug databases, hospital admissions and mortality statistics, among other sources. It was developed in consultation with leaders from the scientific and research community, as well as stakeholder groups such as The Arthritis Society.

SOUTHERN INTERIOR TO GET HELICOPTER AMBULANCE PILOT KAMLOOPS – Health Services Minister Kevin Falcon today launched an eightweek pilot project for a dedicated helicopter air ambulance that will transport critically ill or injured patients in the southern Interior.

“Whether by ground or air, we want to get patients to the care they need as quickly as possible,” said Falcon. “We are excited about the potential and will watch the helicopter air ambulance pilot project over the coming weeks to evaluate its impact on patient outcomes in the southern Interior.”

“Adding dedicated air service on a trial basis is a positive step forward and a welcomed support to rural health professionals,” said Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Terry Lake.

Emergency air transport in Interior Health is provided by BC Ambulance Service (BCAS) paramedics transporting patients via airplanes and chartered helicopters.

There are no dedicated air ambulance helicopters on contract in the Interior but if required, helicopters are chartered as needed from pre-qualified local air operators.

“BC Ambulance Service and Interior Health have been involved in discussions to determine the best option for Critical Care Transport by air to serve rural communities spread out over vast distances,” said BCAS chief operating officer Les Fisher.

The new dedicated pilot project that will operate during daylight hours will see

a local helicopter and pilots contracted to fly Critical Care Transport paramedics from Kamloops directly to an incident scene or rural facility. These paramedics will help stabilize the patients and then transport them to the appropriate level of care.

“The helicopter ambulance pilot project is certainly excellent news,” said Interior Health CEO Dr. Robert Halpenny. “We want to continue to work with BCAS to ensure we create the right critical-care transportation model to meet the needs of residents and visitors of the southern Interior.”

It is estimated that the helicopter will undertake approximately 40 flight hours a month during the trial at a cost of about $140,000 per month. The Critical Care Transport paramedic team operates in Kamloops. The helicopter being used for the pilot project is a Bell 412 multi-engine aircraft with a crew of four – two pilots and two Critical Care Transport paramedics.

Currently, the BCAS Airevac program contracts three dedicated helicopter air ambulances – two in Vancouver and one in Prince Rupert, plus six fixed-wing air ambulances based in Vancouver, Kelowna and Prince George.

In addition to the contracted aircraft, BCAS also utilizes approximately 40 charter carriers (both airplanes and helicopters) for patient transfers as needed.

BCAS transported 8,209 patients by air in 2009-10. BCAS’s expenditure for air ambulance service in 2009-10 was $41.3 million.

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PEDDLING GHGS:

The Carbon Footprint of BC’s Fossil Fuel Exports

By Marc Lee

BASED PRIMARILY ON THE CREATION of a carbon tax two years ago, the BC government has been propelled into the position of North American climate action leader. While there was much to applaud as first steps on climate action in BC’s 2008 “green” budget, two years later there remain some glaring contradictions between climate action and BC’s transportation and industrial policies.

In particular, British Columbians need to have a frank conversation about the province’s fossil fuel industries. We are all addicted to the energy provided by cheap and abundant fossil fuels, and so have reshaped our economy and society in fundamentally unsustainable ways.

But BC is more than just another addict; it is also a dealer. When it comes to law and order, we have learned not to crack down on the users of drugs, but instead focus our efforts on the dealers. So what if it turns out that beautiful BC is running the resource economics equivalent of a meth lab?

The extraction and processing of fossil fuels (oil, natural gas and coal) was responsible for one-fifth of BC’s emissions in 2007. But the footprint of BC’s fossil fuel production is actually much larger because official inventories only count emissions released within the borders of a jurisdiction. The combustion of coal, oil and gas outside BC in export markets is not counted. As a result, the emissions attributable to BC’s fossil fuel industries in the province’s official inventory are vastly understated.

In 2008, natural gas and coal together hit a record $8.5 billion in BC exports (with the recession, this fell to $6 billion in 2009). While BC has become a more diversified and service-oriented economy, resource extraction remains a major part of the provincial economy and a large source of export revenues, and as a result continues to dominate thinking in Victoria.

Converted to tonnes of carbon dioxide exported, BC natural gas and coal exports combined for 104 million tonnes of carbon dioxide elsewhere – more than double the emissions from fossil fuel combustion within BC, and 7.6 times BC’s own emissions from the extraction and processing of those fossil fuels.

More troubling are plans for expansion. The BC government is putting oil and gas at the top of its industrial policy priority list, highlighted by a recent $404 million auction of land for exploration of shale gas in the Northeast. BC has extensive stockpiles of CO2 awaiting release into the atmosphere – if extracted.

In fact, BC’s fossil fuel reserves represent more than three years of global CO2 emissions.

A reality check comes from estimates of the world’s carbon budget – the total stock of emissions that can be emitted between now and 2050 by everyone worldwide, consistent with a reasonable probability of keeping global temperature increase under 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Above 2 degrees Celsius, it is widely believed that humans lose the ability to stop climate change, and runaway global warming could be the result. This global carbon budget is estimated to be just over 1 trillion tonnes of CO2.

BC’s fossil fuel reserves are equivalent to nearly one-tenth of the world’s remaining carbon budget. It seems clear that the status quo of extracting and exporting fossil fuels cannot continue. BC’s fossil fuel resources are not going anywhere, and will only be worth more as time goes on. Given the sheer urgency of getting over our addiction to fossil fuels, this inevitably means a moratorium on new oil and gas development is needed – unless 100% of the emissions can be captured and stored underground. Forever.

An important social justice concern in taking an aggressive approach to fossil fuel extraction is the negative impact on many workers in those industries, and the communities they live in. While there is a strong case to be made for new green jobs in renewable energy, the promise of green jobs in the future is not the same as a good job today. The BC should therefore make serious commitments to a “green social contract” for affected workers, including income supports, retraining provisions and mobility allowances.

Confronting GHG emissions from the oil and gas sector, and emissions from fossil fuel exports that are combusted in other jurisdictions, is perhaps the biggest challenge BC faces, and the most glaring contradiction when it comes to climate policy. This challenge, and its social justice transitional issues, must be acknowledged if BC is to be a real climate action leader.

Marc Lee is Senior Economist with the BC Office of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and the Co-Director of the Climate Justice Project, a fiveyear partnership with the University of British Columbia looking at the social justice aspects of climate action policies. His recently released brief, Peddling GHGs: What is the Carbon Footprint of BC’s Fossil Fuel Exports? is available for download at www.policyalternatives.ca.

NORTH of 50 August 2010

MODERN COMMUNICATION

By Lise Simpson

Karen is in the courtyard of the Junction Cafe in Armstrong, enjoying lunch in the dappled sunshine with a special friend. She’s in the midst of telling him something very personal when his cell phone bleeps. He quickly snatches up the phone, mutters “I’ve got to take this” and begins talking to someone, leaving Karen to stare into space and pretend she isn’t listening to the call.

Dave runs into an old high school friend in the Village Green Mall. They greet each other enthusiastically and begin catching up on the latest news. While chatting, Dave’s cell phone trills, and without hesitation he checks the screen and reads a text message. He begins to punch out a text reply, looking down at his phone, while still talking with his old chum.

Ah, communication in the modern world. The changes brought about by everevolving technology have certainly affected our lives, and vast improvements have definitely been made in many areas. The impact of technology is now so deeply embedded into the fibres of our lives that it scarcely registers. But in the arena of human interaction, are we becoming so obsessed with instant, rapid-fire dialogue that we are losing the ability to truly communicate with each other?

Have we succeeded in developing technology, while diminishing a deeper human connection?

Certainly our manners are deteriorating. Back in the day, it was unthinkable that someone would sit talking on a phone in a restaurant while ignoring his companion across the table. On a rudeness scale, many of us perceive that to be the equivalent of just standing up and walking away. For some of us it’s impossible to have a worthwhile conversation with someone who is pecking away on his phone texting someone else. Is he really listening to us (or to use modern parlance, is he picking up what we’re putting down?). We hesitate to pour our hearts out to someone who has i-Pod cables dangling jauntily from their ears.

The communication gadgets that people use can create a barrier between them and the world happening right in front of them. The i-Pod cables seem to say “I’m listening to my music, and only sort of listening to you”. The gadget prevents the user from being engaged with us, from being in the moment with us. And isn’t that ironic! We are failing to communicate because we are communicating!

But hang on to your Blackberry - millions would disagree. Ask anyone born since about 1980, and they would insist (while texting someone) that there is no communication breakdown. They aren’t annoyed if their companion answers his cell phone, because they would answer theirs too. They can text and talk as rapidly as Apple can invent another gadget. They are stupefied by ancient tales of waiting three weeks for a letter to arrive by Air Mail, because they have become used to communicating instantly with all their friends and family - no waiting required. They argue that modern technology allows them to communicate better, faster, and more often than at any time in the past.

That technology makes things faster today cannot be disputed. But are we communicating better? Is faster necessarily better? The letter that took three weeks to arrive was certainly a letter of substance, thoughtfulness, deeper meaning. It meant something. Why are we quickly grabbing our cell phones to read a text message that says “hey, wazzup?” THIS was worth reading in a hurry?

Surely we do enough things in a hurry these days. Perhaps the depth and quality of our modern communicating is diminishing, simply as a by-product of the frequency with which we do it. We’re dumbing down, in other words.

Maybe it’s time to back away from the gadgets, look each other in the eyes, remember our manners and really listen to each other, before we forget how.

NORTH of 50 August 2010

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Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo

Word Search & Crosswords

GEOCACHING ACTIVITY ADVENTURE BENCH BOOK CONTAINERS DEVICE EAST ETREX EXPLORE FAR GAME GEOCACHING GLOBAL GPS HAND HEAD HELD HIDDEN HIDE HUNT

LAND SAFE SEEK LOCATION SITE LOG SYSTEM MAP TECHNIQUE MARK MUGGLED TRACK TREASURE NAVIGATE TYPE NEAR VALUE NORTH WIDE OUTDOOR PARTICIPANT WORLD PINPOINT PLACE PLUG POSITIONING RATE READ RECIEVER REWARD ROCK

Find the words in the grid. When you are done, the unused letters spell out a hidden message. Words can go left or right, top line to bottom line. Words can go horizontally, vertically and diagonally in all eight directions. Answers to puzzle is on page 18.

ACROSS 1 Cooking oils 5 Compass point 8 Caspian ____ 11 Antiaircraft fire 12 Satisfy 13 Hallucinogen 14 Ethereal 15 Secondhand 16 America 17 Get worse 19 A hunchback’s name 20 Royal residence

23 Pounds per square inch 25 Titanic sinker 27 Drive- in 30 European sea eagle 31 Addis____ 33 Whiz 35 Orient 37 Jewish King 39 Oolong 41 Affix 42 not a happy fate 45 Out-of-date

47 Hubbub 48 butt 49 Dark blue 53 Twelve (abbr.)

54 Queries 55 Unearthly 56 Lode yield 57 Modest 58 ____ Koontz DOWN 1 Future Farmers of America (abr.)

2 Brew 3 Binding material 4 Space station 5 Guff 6 Infuse 7 Marry 8 Slimy insect 9 Happy motoring company 10 Jewish calendar month 12 Excellent 18 Activate 19 Caesar’s three 20 Steak & kidney ___21 Land measurement 22 _____ Horne 24 Fleeces 26 Radon 28 Brand 29 Economics abrv.

32 Brags 34 Omega 36 Short-term memory 38 Unwrapped 40 Imitative 42 Pedestal part 43 Smell 44 Slime 46 Alcoholic 48 In possession of 50 Be 51 Travel term 52 Shekel

SUDOKU Each Sudoku puzzle is a 9 by 9 grid of horizontal and vertical rows evenly separated into 9 squares with 9 spaces each. Each puzzles solution is determined by the pattern of the numbers already filled in. You solve the puzzle by filling in the missing digits so that, when completed, each row and each square will have all numbers from1 to 9: each number will appear in exactly nine spaces within each puzzle.Sudoku solution on page 18

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9 8 7 4

5

2 3 1

9

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9

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4 9

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6 7 9

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NORTH of 50 August 2010

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North of 50° has been publishing for 9 years and is read by over 50,000 people in the Thompson Nicola South Cariboo. It provides socially relevant original articles with a local slant and offers effective advertising for local area businesses.

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North of 50° is looking for a motivated and strong-minded Advertising Sales Representatives and Issue Distributor to add to their current team. In addition to being a vital part of the North of 50 team as a Sales Representative, you will also be responsible for delivering the issues to local establishments.

As part of the North of 50° sales team, you will be responsible for: •Generating new sales and leads through networking, sales presentations, trade shows, and promotions.

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North of 50° is looking for regular monthly contributors for our Thompson Nicola South Cariboo edition. Interviews with local personalities, local news stories and general interest features.

See back issues on-line to get a feel for our tone and content.

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NORTH of 50 August 2010

Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo

Barry Thorbergsen 1942-2010

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North of 50 is saddened to report the passing of cartoonist Barry Thorbergsen on July 9, 2010, from cancer.

Since 2003, Barry contributed close to 100 cartoons to North of 50, as well as several feature articles, profiling Okanagan personalities. His cartoons were published in other area newspapers,too, but here at North of 50, he was always “our” cartoonist. Last year, Barry wrote about his cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatments in a plain talking, honest and wry personal experience article.

He once said, “I draw cartoons because I can’t help myself.“ His unique perspective of the human condition inspired his drawings. Over the past year, as in life, his cartoons poked fun at the doctor patient relationship.

Barry was born in Winnipeg of Icelandic ancestors and spent the first 15 years of his life there before moving to Richmond “when there was still a streetcar service between Steveston and Marpole.”

He studied Political Science and English at UBC, and these subject became the passion of his life. He moved to Germany for 2 years before he started his work with BC Hydro at Mica Creek Dam for 18 years. In the late 1980’s he moved to Enderby and worked for Aldon’s Waste Disposal retiring in 2008.

During these years Barry made a significant intellectual contribution as a writer and cartoonist. While living in Enderby he met and married Sharon. The couple moved to Salmon Arm in 2005. Barry leaves to mourn, his wife Sharon, step-sons Robert and Jonathon Sengotta; father in-law Alfred Thomas; cousin Janice Bell and numerous Icelandic cousins.

Writers Wanted

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NORTH of 50 August 2010