December 2009 Thompson Edition - North of 50

An Independent Lifestyle Newsmagazine for a Grown-up Audience December 2009 Volume 2 Issue 12

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NORTH of 50 December 09

NORTH of 50 December 09

Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo

On the Frontline of Poverty: Food Banks

page 3 story and photos by Sherry Bennett

Poverty and hunger — it can happen to anyone.

And it does.

Since day one of her tenure as interim Executive Director of the Kamloops Food Bank and Outreach Society in June, Heather Brandon’s looked square into the human faces that lie hidden behind Canada’s poverty’s statistics.

She has seen people from all walks of life who have accessed the services provided by the Food Bank.

“We just never know what life has in store for us,” says Heather, whose relationship with the Kamloops Food Bank began two years ago as a volunteer cook. “Odds are that each one of us knows someone who has lost their job or house this year.”

Demand for food assistance at the Kamloops agency increased 20 per cent over this time last year, an increase the interim director correlates directly to the tumble in the economy.

By year end, Heather anticipates the Food Bank will have distributed 50,000 food hampers and food for over 6,000 clients.

Since stepping in to hold down the fort for the Food Bank’s permanent Executive Director Bernadette Siracky, during her eight-month parental leave, Heather’s witnessed local usage increase.

Heather Brandon (on the cover) interim executive director of the Kamloops Food Bank and Outreach Society anticipates the Food Bank will have distributed 50,000 food hampers and food for over 6,000 clients by the end of the year. CPR Holiday Train (below).

On the Friday preceding Thanksgiving, the agency distributed enough food for 285 people; perhaps a record for the agency’s 28-year history. Thirty-five per cent of the food bank’s clients are children.

“There’s a lot going on here, that’s for sure,” says Heather as she leads a tour through the food distribution centre situated on the city’s North Shore. She introduces volunteers along the way, all of whom stand idle just long enough to be introduced.

“We’re getting people in here who have never been here before,” says Heather, while glancing out of her office window to watch clients reach for locally grown potatoes and apples from bins positioned in the Food Bank’s parking lot.

“It’s a very labour intensive operation,” she says. “One of the great things is seeing all the people working together — how they are so focused on getting it done every day. That’s how we are able to serve 200 clients in one day.”

As the economic slowdown continues, more people unused to asking for food are finding their hand reaching for the doorknob of the Food Bank door. For the vast majority, making the journey is an option of last resort.

An agency whose sole existence relies upon on the goodwill of the community, businesses and service groups, each and every fundraising venture is critical, especially during the holiday season, the food bank’s busiest time of year.

This is one of the reasons the Food Bank’s staff invest much effort into making the facility a safe and respectful place where people can feel welcome and not judged.

The Kamloops Food Bank will bid adieu to 2009 with its final and most festive fundraising event of the year on Wednesday, Dec. 16.

There is an unstated assumption underpinning society that people who work hard should be able to provide a decent living for themselves and their families.

Just like it has done for the past decade, Canadian Pacific Railway’s spectacularly lit Holiday Train will roll into town and grind its wheels to a stop on the tracks adjacent the north parking lot of Interior Savings Place.

But as thousands of Canadians are now finding out, being employed does not always guarantee a ticket out of poverty. One area of growth in Kamloops Food Bank clients this year has been among working families, a demographic now statistically identified as the ‘working poor.’

“It’s a relatively new phenomenon, in the last year really,” acknowledges Heather of the working poor. “These are people who work, but do not earn enough to cover their costs of living.”

Working with an agency positioned so close to poverty’s frontlines has the potential to mimic an exercise in melancholy.

But Heather, a career human resource specialist who spent 14 years with the British Columbia Lottery Corporation before retiring six years ago, is quick to point out that nothing could be farther from the truth.

“This place is such a ‘feel good’ kind of place to work,” she says. “It’s such a satisfying job. We’ve got a dedicated group of people and the community’s generosity has been totally amazing.”

Through their FoodShare program, a perishable food recovery program that collects produce, baked goods, dairy and frozen items from local merchants, the Kamloops Food Bank has collected over two million pounds of food over the past three years, distributed it to their clients and saved it from going to landfill.

On any given day, no less than a dozen volunteers, some who recently stood in the food bank queue themselves, converge at the Wilson Street facility for a marathon of sorting, inspecting and repackaging of a thousand pounds of food so it can be distributed to clients and 38 schools, non-profits, churches and community kitchens situated throughout the Kamloops region.

Touted by CP Rail as the best Holiday Train host in Canada, Kamloops will accommodate the magical train from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Everyone and anyone is invited to bundle up and wander on down for a Sorel tapping, mitten clapping good time with CP Holiday train musical headliners —

cont’d on page 4

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NORTH of 50 December 09

Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo

A HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS AND GOODWILL IN KAMLOOPS Christmas and goodwill. In Kamloops, the two words have long operated in unison.

Dating back to its incorporation as a city in 1893, city residents have rallied together in a spirit of fellowship to spread Christmas cheer to everyone, regardless of where citizen’s situations happen to place them on December 25th.

The first organization to set the city’s philanthropic bar high was the Inland Hospital where on Christmas Day, 1893, all those in a state of convalescence were assisted into a festively decorated dining room and positioned at a grand table laden with choice eatables, donated by community members and prepared by hospital matron Mrs. Potter and her staff.

Under the roof of the newly-opened Provincial Home in 1895, Superintendent Joseph Ratchford took the initiative to raise the spirits of the old pioneers domiciled under his charge by preparing them an extravagant meal with delicacies donated by community members.

Included on the bill of fare were mock turtle soup, geese, ham, roast beef and mince pies. With the after dinner spent sampling some of the Inland Cigar Factory’s best brands, the Provincial Home’s first Christmas was one to be remembered.

And thanks to the generous efforts of Warden J.R. Vicars and a group of charitably disposed Kamloopsians, the inmates of the city’s institution of correction were not forgotten in the swim of good things during the yuletide of 1897.

Prisoners of the Provincial Jail had their Christmas made as comfortable and merry, as possible under the circumstances, after Warden Vicars threw on an apron and prepared an excellent dinner for his charges from donated turkeys and geese.

Goodwill was not something reserved only for the institutionalized Proprietors of the city’s hotels—the Cosmopolitan, Dominion, Grand Pacific, Oriental and Queen’s — spared neither expense nor trouble in making their dining rooms inviting and welcoming to not only those for whom they were indebted for their patronage, but to anyone in the community desirous to drop in.

By 1895, Cosmopolitan Hotel proprietor J.H. Russell had earned a reputation for his resolve to make the Christmas dinner the most coveted feature of the year.

In this spirit, Russell offered a free feast to all who felt compelled to

STORY BY SHERRY BENNETT

Photo courtesy Kamloops Museum & Archives

accept his hospitality. He arranged his commodious Cosmopolitan Hotel dining room in a way to accommodate the entire city if necessary; hence, when dinner was called, every available seat was occupied around tables groaning under the weight of luxurious European delicacies.

Highlighting the menu were cream of lobster soup, corned tongue, suckling pig, French peas, turkey, lamb, canvas back duck, Yorkshire pudding, lobster and beet salad, potatoes, plum pudding and mince pie. A Christmas feast that left each and every person feeling as though they were royalty. If only for a day.

FOOD BANK cont d from page 3 alternative rock band the Odds and Shaun Verreault of the Canadian blues-rock trio Wide Mouth Mason. Musical entertainment runs from 7 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Carrying on with its tradition of putting in that little bit of extra effort to make the event the best of its kind in Canada, the Kamloops Food Bank will provide a crackling bonfire, steaming hot cocoa and a barbeque.

Non-perishable food donations will be collected throughout the evening, with all food collected being used to ensure every person, young and old, enjoys a nutritious Christmas dinner.

CP Holiday Train Schedule

Regional Food Bank Societies

Chase Wednesday, Dec. 16 4:15 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.

North side of Shuswap Ave. across from Chase RCMP building

100 Mile House Food Bank Society 250-395-4661

Ashcroft Thursday, Dec. 17 2:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

In area of CP facility on Railway Ave.

Barriere Food Bank Society 250-672-9876

Lytton Thursday, Dec. 17 4:45 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.

In area of CP facility on Station Rd.

Ashcroft & Area Food Bank 250-453-9659

Clearwater & District Food Bank 250-674-3402 Lillooet Food Bank 250-256-4146 Lytton Community Food Bank 250-455-2316 Nicola Valley & District Food Bank 250-378-2282

Got an opinion? North of 50 welcomes Letters to the Editor. All submissions must be accompanied by full name, mailing address and daytime phone number. Phone numbers and addresses are for verification purposes only and will not be published.

NORTH of 50 December 09

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Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo

The Curtain Rises on Thompson / Okanagan Christmas shows by Christine Pilgrim The Holiday Season is traditionally a time to take the family to see a show.

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Pantomime is the most popular form of Christmas entertainment in Britain.

(Women dress as young men in tights and close fitting jackets while men dress as old women in wigs and big ear-rings that match other accentuated female attributes. There are silly jokes for children and saucy ones for adults.)

Tel: 833-1129 • Toll Free 888-816-1117

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So it's small wonder that Vernon's Powerhouse Theatre Company, with its considerable British membership, should choose a pantomime written by one of its founding members, the late Paddy Malcolm English, as its mid-winter presentation.

Fax: 833-4782

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This action-packed version of the folk tale, Jack and the Beanstalk, was first directed by Paddy Malcolm English herself at Theatre Kelowna back in 1971. It involves Jack with a widow who lives in a shoe, along with a bunch of orphans, farm animals and, inevitably, a pretty daughter. The wicked landlord threatens eviction but of course Jack saves the day, amid music, dancing, explosions, jokes and giants.

Both directors, Sarah MacLean and Monty Hughes, performed in earlier, different versions of Jack and the Beanstalk - she, as one of the widow's children and he, as the widow herself.

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Further south in the Valley, young actors from the Central Okanagan gear up for performances of The Snow Queen at their 4th Street Place venue in Peachland.

Most of the Peachland Junior Players are middle school students. They are joined by a few from high school and one adult, Vicky Malloy, who plays the grandmother. Director, Bill Bennett of West Kelowna, says, “The kids work really well together. They are more professional than some adults I've worked with – excluding Vicky of course.”

Based on Hans Christian Anderson's 19th Century fairy tale, The Snow Queen centres on the struggle between good and evil. Kai (good, but foolish – well, he's a boy!) is captured by the Snow Queen (evil). Gerda (good) must save him or the world will always be frozen in winter time.

Not so in Armstrong, where Asparagus Community Theatre boasts three generations in its cast for Rented Christmas - the Musical:Sharon Wickstrom, a founding member of Asparagus, has appeared in many of its productions, from Guys and Dolls to Charlotte’s Web. Her daughter Lana O'Brien, who teaches drama at Seaton Secondary and directs the choir at Zion United Church, first performed with Asparagus as a child.

Now, Lana returns to welcome her daughter Shaughnessy, who sang O Canada to open this year's Vernon Hockey Games, to the same stage.

The story of Rented Christmas, directed by Dai Scott, features a single, middle-aged, prominent businessman who wants to rent a Christmas, complete with tree, carols, wife and family. Anne, the proprietor of the local rental store calls the Actors' Guild, but when the younger actors all contract measles, she turns to the local orphanage. Then, when the Guild fails to find an actress to play the mother, Anne herself steps into the role.

As the plot thickens, so the lives of all concerned in this heart-warming tale are changed forever.

More traditionally, Theatre Kelowna Society, born in 1949 as Kelowna Little Theatre, celebrates its 60th year of community theatre with a family friendly production of Scrooge & Marley. Director Brian Haigh has created a new approach to that timeless Dickens favourite, A Christmas Carol, by adding snippets from its text to scenes from traditional carols. Scrooge & Marley is presented from the viewpoint of the ghost of Scrooge's departed partner, Jacob Marley, played by Jeff Samin. Charlie Fleming plays Scrooge. Musical direction by Robin Jarmin.

In the meantime, Kelowna Actors Studio (KAS) presents the former novel, movie, and smash Broadway hit, Mame.

Directed by Randy Leslie, Mame is the hilarious, touching story of an eccentric Manhattan socialite whose lifestyle is turned upside down after being appointed guardian of her ten-year-old nephew, Patrick. Through song, dance and laughter, Auntie Mame proves that life can still be enjoyed by those who have lost all worldly wealth. cont’d on page 10

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Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo

NORTH of 50 December 09

GUEST EDITORIAL

by Christine Pilgrim

Celebration is in the air at the offices of North of 50. Of course, December is the month when not only Christians, but Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and Druids celebrate religious festivals. a division of 0727724 BC Ltd.

Publisher Dean Wallis dean@northof50.com Managing Editor TJ Wallis editor@northof50.com Advertising Sales Dean Wallis dean@northof50.com Kamloops Sales sales@northof50.com Ad Design Kristi Carter kristi@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 ADS & SUBMISSIONS Phone (250) 546-6064 Fax: (250) 546-8914 Toll Free: 1-877-667-8450 (877)NORTH 50 Website: www.northof50.com N O R T H of 50 i s a n i n d e p e n d e n t , f r e e m o n t h l y publication, locally owned, produced and distributed throughout the Thompson / Okanagan and Shuswap areas by 0727724 BC Ltd. Disclaimer: The publisher will not b e responsible for errors or omissions. In the e v e n t o f a typographical error, the portion of the advertisement that is incorrect w i l l not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid at the applicable rate.

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There's the Feast of Immaculate Conception (mainly Roman Catholic) on the 8th.

On the 9th, Buddhists celebrate Bodhi Day when Gautama attained Enlightenment under the Bodhi tree.

The Jewish festival of Hanukkah (Chanukah) is celebrated from sunset on December 11th until the 19th.

Muslims celebrate Islamic New Year with the holy pilgrimage Al-Hijira on the 18th.

Yule (December 21st) is winter solstice, when Pagans believe the sun child is reborn, heralding new life.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (December 24th/25th) celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

Some Christians also celebrate St Stephen's Day (the Feast of Stephen or Boxing Day) on the 26th.

Sunni Muslims fast on Ashura (December 27th) when Nuh (Noah) left the Ark and Musa (Moses) was saved from the Egyptians by Allah (God). Shi'a Muslims commemorate the martyrdom of Hussein.

However, there is something else that you, Dear Reader, may wish to know. It should be kept secret, but.....

Our revered managing editor, TJ Wallis, turns 50 this month - December 18th if you want to send a card - but remember, it's a secret!

Not many women would like to have their ages revealed so publicly, but TJ's husband and North of 50 publisher, Dean Wallis, says, "She's a good sport. She won't mind."

But then, what do husbands know?!

Probably best to seek forgiveness before going any further: mea culpa TJ! Revelations and apologies aside, how does it feel to celebrate your one day of the year, the day that is all about you, in the month when everyone else is celebrating everyone else?

You get 'joint gifts' and Christmas cards that say, "By the way, Happy Birthday!"

If you invite friends to a party, they assume that it must be to celebrate the holidays. You'd be considered utterly selfish if, like those lucky people with birthdays in June or July, you sent invitations to your birthday party.

Worse yet: friends and family are often so tied up with the whirl and worry of decorations and trees and turkeys and travel plans that they forget your birthday altogether!

Let's face it: having a birthday in December sucks!

So what can December babies do to rectify the situation?

You could, like Queen Elizabeth II, proclaim your Official Birthday in some more convenient, less cluttered month.

You could put out a public announcement via the media (not necessarily declaring your age) and send greetings and commiserations to fellow sufferers. You could attend all the religious festivals scattered throughout the month and, when welcomed by the congregation, smile sweetly and inform them it's your birthday month (A great way to make new friends and learn similarities between cultures and beliefs). You could grin and bear it.

Or you could forget your birthday altogether and recognize that it's all ego anyway. Those who love you do so every day of the year. That's us, TJ! Thank you for the great job you've done as Managing Editor of North of 50 these past seven years.

Happy Birthday to everyone who celebrates their birth this month!

And Happy Unbirthday to the rest of us! I feel like Tiny Tim suddenly ... so why not say it: God (of whatever religious persuasion) bless us, Every One!

Don Sawyer

FAIR COMMENT

NORTH of 50 December 09

Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo

Observations from the Italian Grand Tour My wife, Jan, and I just returned from a three-week tour of a pretty good chunk of Western Europe. As this was our first foray into Italy, it was a particularly exciting – and enlightening – trip for us. Here are a few observations from our Italian leg:

! Being in a more or less constant state of war and threat of siege does wonders for encouraging downtown residential density and discouraging urban sprawl.

Banning vehicles in the downtown core (Siena) or severely restricting them (Florence and Rome) makes for wonderful downtowns and public spaces. ! However, prohibiting private cars from the downtown does significantly increase the chance of being run down by one of the five million or so motor bikes that replace them. ! Placing grocery stores, clothing boutiques, cafes, department stores, pharmacies, and hardwares in 500-year-old buildings in the centre of downtown works just fine. ! In 1346 Siena planned and built what Rick Steves calls the “greatest piazza in Italy.” Implementing some of the first urban planning guidelines, they put restrictions on building height, window style, and other design features. Worked for them. 650 years later, still does. ! Establish reasonable maximum city boundaries and stick with them for at least 500 years. ! Italians have shown us that by utilizing local materials, architects, contractors and interior designers, as well as using built- to-last construction methods, you can produce buildings that are marveled at centuries later. (And they did all that without rechargeable drills and circular saws!) ! Four to five stories seems to be about the right maximum height for buildings in a manageable, vital, compact city. In Rome, no building can be higher than St. Peter’s Basilica. ! Once you’ve banned cars, added about a zillion churches, filled them with priceless Renaissance sculpture and paintings, and plastered every wall and square with public art, tourists from all over the world will overrun your city. ! Really tall towers and high domes are super tourist attractions. ! Bad development can be stopped at any point. Determined to build the “biggest church in Christendom,” Siena began a gigantic addition to their (already gigantic) cathedral in 1339. When the folly of this undertaking became apparent

Calvin White

Jesus Talks Being that December is the month of Jesus, it's fitting to report that I spent an evening with Jesus a couple of weeks back. Now, it's also fitting that I mention that I'm not a Christian. But isn't that how it ought to work? Jesus spending time with those who aren't true believers.

It was dark and cold out. Snow just about to arrive. I was with five other men, and we were outside in the bush standing half naked around a vibrant fire. We talked about hockey, how the Montreal Canadiens young goalie, Carey Price, was getting too much pressure in the rabid environs of hockey mad Montreal.

Then we took turns crawling into the small opening of a sweat lodge. Crouched around the firepit, we watched as red hot lava rocks were slowly proffered into the lodge via the tines of a long pitch fork. Seven stones. The door flap was closed.

Crumbled cedar and juniper flicked onto the glowing. Then moisture. The steam rose, our bodies began to perspire, and Jesus began to speak.

At first his voice was the voice of the First Nations elder leading the sweat. Then it was all around us and in us. Jesus speaking about love. About respect. About letting go of the ego, the need to be in control. The inside of the sweat lodge was filled with prayer. Steam, the scent of the cedar smouldering, the heat, the absolute darkness - so dark it was brilliant. All prayer. All Jesus.

Asking for safety for men and women that none of us knew. Whispering for forgiveness. Offering forgiveness. Remembering all who needed remembering.

Including all the life about us as our own family. Singling out the children recognizing their beauty and grace, their wisdom that teaches us.

Giving thanks for all the many chances given to try again after failures. Speaking about stillness, and slowing down, and feeling the connectedness. Feeling the simple, small truth of ourselves and the immensity of creation.

It's odd how religion has stolen Jesus from the non-religious. The four gospels in the Bible feature the life and words of Jesus. Roughly two thousand years ago those ideas were given to us. Religion grew about them and insisted that there was a certain way to understand their meaning. For those who related to the notion of religion that was fine. For those who found themselves unable to fit, there was the tendency to ignore or minimize the import of the ideas. Too bad.

If religion had never grabbed a hold of Jesus and claimed him, I'd be willing to

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(helped along by the bubonic plague, which killed a third of the inhabitants), the project was scrapped in 1348 with only the mammoth west wall completed. But all was not lost: Tourists now happily pay 10 bucks to climb and have a look around (see above). ! Rail travel is clearly the best inter-city transportation option available. (How about taking some of that money being used to four-lane 97 and bring back passenger trains in the Okanagan? If we got really wild and wacky, we could even run trains to Vancouver again!) ! If we forget history, we really are doomed to repeat it. When Florence began the magnificent Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (generally just known as the Duomo) in the late 13th century, everyone had forgotten how the Romans built their gigantic domes. To figure it out, the Duomo’s architect, Filippo Brunelleschi, had to cut into the roof of the ancient Pantheon in Rome, built more than a thousand years earlier, to get some pointers. ! Cutting off heads and slaughtering innocents seem to be two favourite Renaissance themes. The former is taken to a grisly extreme in Siena’s Church of St. Catherine, where the sainted Catherine’s leathery head (her eyes mercifully shut) is displayed in a special altar. Her right thumb is in a glass case nearby. ! The combination of wealth and religion can produce extraordinary art and architecture. It can also produce horrible inequality, warring city states, numbing conformity, and vicious intolerance, all legitimized by claims of divine order and godly favour. ! It costs $.75 to use the rather shabby washroom in the Siena cathedral. ! Of the thousands of paintings and sculptures in Florence’s Uffizi Gallery, I could find only one by a woman. ! St. Peter’s Basilica is big enough to lose your wife in. ! The splendor of St. Peter’s and the Vatican was clearly designed to awe and cow. For me it achieved the former and just made me mad about the latter.

Much of Europe has yet to discover the joys of the simple washcloth. (On the other hand, their bidets are pretty cool.) ! Italy’s Prosecco wine is as good as a lot of French champagnes and a lot cheaper. ! Encouraging sign: Siena’s only MacDonald’s restaurant closed in October.

Europeans smoke way too much. ! Given the Romans’ passion for watching people torn to bits by wild animals and cheering as gladiators hacked each other to death and the increasing popularity of “ultimate fighting,” degrading pornography, and violent video games in our era, one has to question what the term “civilization” really means.

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 website at www.northerned.com

bet he'd be more popular and have more of an impact today. In fact, I bet universities and schools and countries everywhere would be thinking about and practising his ideas to such an extent that life everywhere would be better, fairer, and more loving.

The problem is that religion has asked that Jesus be believed in rather than listened to. Religion has used Jesus to retain importance and adherents. As such the emphasis has been on his divinity - come with us and you get the divine. Only we have Jesus. Not all denominations, not all Christians, but too many for too long have insisted on their corner of the Jesus market. On owning the truth about Jesus.

Rather than write here about everything he taught, let's just focus on love. When Jesus taught about love all those centuries ago, it wasn't about platitudes or personal emotion. It was about action. About precise thinking. About depth. About going out of one's way to interact with justice, with respect, with tenderness, with love. Think about it. Those were brutal times. An eye for an eye made sense to everyone. Survival was the point. The contemporary great philosophers were thinkers. Intellectuals. Jesus integrated intellect, emotion, action, and spirit.

He wanted people to understand the great journey that love was. Two thousand years ago and this guy was talking about love, forgiveness, and the innocence of children! He said it's easy to love your friends and family, those you agree with, those that are like you, the members of your own tribe. He said even the worst villains did that. Real love was seeing the same value in all and reaching out, extending love to those you hated, those who wronged you. How incredible is that!

Instead of lashing out in reaction or revenge, be wiser, be more loving, and reach out to touch the other person's heart. That's what he said. Of course, we scoff. Not realistic. But if we'd been trying it, practising it for two thousand years.... gee, if we'd started practising it for a mere decade ot two.... what would the result be.

Gandhi, Martin Lurther King, Nelson Mandela - all single leaders - accomplished significantly. How much more if great groups started living by the ideas?

After four rounds in the sweat lodge and twenty-eight glowing lava rocks, Jesus was easy to understand.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Calvin White is a retired high school counsellor who lives in the North Okanagan. He has had over 70 essays published in the 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

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Coming Events In Celebration of Light and Line" Cathie Peters Art You are invited to attend Cathie’s first solo exhibition.

November 26 December 19 Kamloops Arts Council Main Gallery in The Old Courthouse Cultural Centre 1st and Seymour (7 Seymour Street West) Gallery Hours: Tuesday to Friday 10-5, Saturday 10-4. Closed Sunday and Monday. Artist in attendance on Saturdays, 10-2 Christmas at the Courthouse is a celebration of gifts made by hands. Find incredible gifts of quality fine craft by members of the Courthouse Gallery Coop and other regional artists. Pottery, fibre arts, textiles, glass art, paintings, photography, jewelry, candles and more. Something for everyone in every price range...from functional pieces to one-of-a-kind artworks. Friday Dec 4 10am - 8pm, Saturday Dec 5 10am - 4pm, Friday Dec 11 10am - 8pm and Saturday Dec 12 10am - 4pm. 7W Seymour St, Downtown Kamloops in the old Courthouse. Contact Karen Hanna 578-8424 for more information.

A Cowboy Christmas, presented by the BC Cowboy Heritage Society, featuring Shirley Field, Hugh McLennan, Gordy West, Butch Falk, Matt Johnston, Mike Puhallo, Dan Fremlin and Chris Stevens.

Saturday, December 5, 7:00pm at the Calvary Community Church at 1205 Rogers Way. Admission $15.00. Tickets available at the Horse Barn and at the door.

Annual Shoe Memorial. You can help commermorate the lives of women and girls who have been killed by violence by donating women & girl's shoes to the December 6th Shoe Memorial. 11:00 A.M. - 3:00 P.M. at the Old Courthouse (7W Seymour St) Your donated shoes will be displayed with the names of women and girls who have been killed or are missing. Put a name to those who can no longer speak for themselves. Shoe Drop Off Zones are: YMCA/YWCA and Gold's Gym. After the December 6th service, collected shoes will be donated to the Women's Shelter. For more information on this project, please contact: Lynn Chasse @ (250) 376-5112 or kamloops.shoememorial@yahoo.ca The Stereos in Concert, December 8, 7pm in the Sports Action Lounge at Interior Savings Centre.

Opening acts The Midway and The Artist Life.

The Innkeeper Dilemma, December 10 - 13. A production of the Kamloops Alliance Church. A combination of drama and music. The drama tells the story of Stuart, an innkeeper, and his quest to find meaning in his life. Along the way he encounters some shepherds, a wiseman, and his family who help him see that God has provided purpose in the little baby that has been born in the stable. The play is fast moving and filled with humor and surprises. The evening will also highlight performances by the Kamloops Alliance Church Choir and soloists. Come for a wonderful evening that will get you excited about Christmas. Merry Census...uh, Christmas! $5 per ticket Christmas Production ticket sales will be donated to the Food Bank. Tickets can be purchased online: www.kamloopsalliance.com 12th annual WildLights Festival at the BC Wildlife Park in Kamloops. Guests to the park will enjoy the beauty of over 400,000 lights which go to create 350 life-size wildlife sculptures. Come join in the family tradition at the 12th annual Wildlights Festival. This year's "Symphony of Lights", featuring a nightly display of fireworks and lights synchronized to music, should thrill everyone in the family. Uncle Chris the Clown will be here nightly to entertain the kids. You can take a ride on the Wildlife Express Train, or a wagon ride to the North Pole, or have a hot chocolate by a crackling fire and don't forget about getting lost in our giant maze! Wildlights opens on December 11th and runs through January 3rd from 5:00 pm

Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo to 9:00 pm nightly except Christmas Day. The City of Kamloops and the Kamloops Transit System will be operating a special Wildlights Express bus service to the Park during our 12th annual event. All bus riders receive $2.00 off the regular admission to the Park. The bus runs on December 11, 12, 14-19, 21-24, 28-31 and January 2. The bus will leave the Lansdowne Village Transit Exchange at 6:20pm, 7:25pm, 8:30pm. Buses leave the Wildlife Park at 6:50pm, 7:55 pm, and 9:00pm.

Kamloops Symphony presents Christmas with the KSO Every year at this time the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra ushers in the holidays with its own brand of Christmas Cheer. Christmas with the KSO is a wonderfulk experience for the whole family.

Join the orchestra, KSO Women's Chorus, tenor Peter Collins and young violinist Alicia Venables on Saturday, December 12th at 7:30 ph on Sunday, December 13 at 2 pm in Sagebrush Theatre. Call 250-374-5000 for tickets or more information.

Full Moon Masquerade, New Year’s Eve at the Old Courthouse Cultural Centre for the Full Moon Masquerade. Be a part of the Gala Fundraiser for Mainstage Theatre Festival 2010. Check out the Performance artists, high end tapas and live music.

Tickets: Early bird (before Oct 31) = $125 single or $200 couple. After Oct 31 = Single $150 or couple $250. Contact Cara Graden at 250-828-3611 or m2010@theatrebc.org Blue Rodeo comes to Interior Savings Centre on January 9, 2010. Over their twenty-five year career, Blue Rodeo has sold over 4 million records, won an unprecedented 5 Juno awards as Group of the Year, been handed keys to the City of Toronto and been inducted onto Canada's Walk of Fame Ticketmaster outlets or Charge by Phone 250-374-9200 Tickets (incl. GST) $36.50 & $50.50 (Plus FMF & Service charges) **RESERVED SEATING / ALL AGES** $1.00 from each ticket sold will be donated to Canwest Raise-a-Reader Literacy Program The Pink Floyd Experience at Interior Savings Centre, January 14, 2010. Without question, Pink Floyd remains one of the most influential rock bands of all time. Their record-breaking status is legendary.

Now, get ready for THE PINK FLOYD EXPERIENCE! With an even more spectacular light show than before, full quadraphonic sound and six outstanding musicians dedicated to bringing you the most authentic Floyd experience possible, it's "a must-see for any Pink Floyd enthusiast!" (C-News, Northampton, MA) THE PINK FLOYD EXPERIENCE is a full-on sensory assault - interpretive videos, plane crashes, flying pig, helicopter - it's all there, LIVE! This is the show for the ultimate Floyd Fan, and it gets closer to the true Pink Floyd concert experience every year! All of Pink Floyd's greatest hits are performed live including such favorites as "Money," "Wish You Were Here," "Time," "Comfortably Numb," "Another Brick in the Wall" in addition to rarities not often heard live! $34.50 plus charges Stands, $40.50 plus charges Floor Reserved Seating.

ISC Box-Office, TICKETMASTER or call 250-374-9200 Movie Night (afternoon) at the Lillooett Rec Centre, Saturday Dec 5 - Christmas with the Kranks, rated PG. Showtime 2:30. Saturday, Dec 12, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, rated PG13, Showtime 2:30 18th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony in 100 Mile House, December 11, 6pm; choose a bulb, celebrate your memories & keep your memory glowing brightly during this holiday season. Bulbs available, proceeds to Hospice. It all takes place at the Hospital Cafeteria (Fisher Place Entrance) Phone:250-395-7680 Annual Christmas Food Bank Benefit Concert December 20, 7pm; Eclectica Community Choir Annual Concert "Sing Ye All" at Marin Exeter Hall;

NORTH of 50 December 09 conductor Dennis Tupman; Admission by donation to 100 Mile Food Bank.

On December 20, free public skate from 1:15pm to 2:45pm at the South Cariboo Rec Centre, 100 Mile House. Phone: 250-395-1353 December 6, 1-4 pm, The Ashcroft School 2009 Christmas Fair. A Wide range of delights and festivities, including games and activities for all ages, the ever popular Tombolla competition, The famous cake walk, our prestigious gift shoppe, which is full of new items, creative crafts never seen before, bouncy castles, raffles, prized and lucky dip, lots of food and drink, world renowned bake sale, and … Santa. Bring lots of energy, You are going to need it. START TIME OF 1PM SHARP!!

Join Santa on a relaxing horse drawn sleigh ride through Sun Peaks Resort. Sleigh rides take guests on a tour through the valley and along the golf course.

Enjoy the sights and views that our amazing resort has to offer. December 23, 4 5 & 6 pm Adults (14+) $30.00, Child (4-13 years) $25.00, Tots (3 years and under) Free . Reserve at the Adventure Centre located in the Village Day Lodge. 250-578-5542

Alzheimer & Dementia Workshops Tuesday, December 1, 2009 Dementia Education Workshop: Getting To Know Dementia Information for people and families affected by Alzheimer's disease or related dementia. 6:00 t0 8:30pm at Alzheimer Society of BC, 543 Battle Street, Kamloops, BC. For information and to register call 250-377-8200 or e-mail ssmith@alzheimerbc.org. You must pre-register for this free workshop. Donation appreciated.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009 Dementia Education Workshop: Planning and Navigating the System of Care. Important early planning steps avoid costly options later Knowing about of the Care system helps access resources. 9am to noon at Alzheimer Society of BC, 543 Battle Street , Kamloops. For information and to register call 250-377-8200 or e-mail smith@alzheimerbc.org. You must pre-register for this free workshop. Donation appreciated.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010 Dementia Education Workshop: Getting To Know Dementia Information about dementia for people and families affected

by Alzheimer's disease or related dementia. 9 am to noon at Alzheimer Society of BC, 543 Battle Street, Kamloops. For information and to register call 250-377-8200 or e-mail ssmith@alzheimerbc.org. You must pre-register for this free workshop. Donation appreciated.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010 Dementia Education Workshop: Staying Well While Caring Considers the needs of the caregiver when supporting a person with dementia. 6:00 t0 8:30pm at Alzheimer Society of BC, 543 Battle Street, Kamloops, BC. For information and to register call 250-377-8200 or e-mai ssmith@alzheimerbc.org. You must re-register for this free workshop. Donation appreciated.

Wednesday January 20, 2010 Dementia Education Workshop Approaches to Communication and Behaviour Changes Approaches and strategies that help support the person with dementia. 9am to noon at Alzheimer Society of BC, 543 Battle Street , Kamloops. For information and to register call 250-377-8200 or e-mail ssmith@alzheimerbc.org. You must re-register for this free workshop. Donation appreciated.

Thursday, December 8, 2010 from 10am to 12 noon Alzheimer Caregiver Support and Information Group Alzheimer Society of BC, Central Interior Resource Centre 543 Battle Street, Kamloops. Call 250 - 377-8200 or e-mail ssmith@alzheimerbc.org for information and to register.

Thursday, January 14, 2010 from 10am to 12 noon Alzheimer Caregiver Support and Information Group Alzheimer Society of BC, Central Interior Resource Centre 543 Battle Street, Kamloops. Call 250 - 377-8200 or e-mail ssmith@alzheimerbc.org for information and to register.

Thursday, January 28, 2010 from 7 - 9pm Alzheimer Caregiver Support and Information Group Alzheimer Society of BC, Central Interior Resource Centre 543 Battle Street, Kamloops. Call 250 - 377-8200 or e-mail ssmith@alzheimerbc.org for information and to register.

NORTH of 50 December 09

Community Events 100 MILE HOUSE 100 MILE - Diabetes drop-in is held every Tuesday from 1-2 p.m. at the South Cariboo Community Health Centre.

Speak with the nurse or dietitian.

Everyone welcome. For information phone 395-7676.

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.

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. Drop-in fee: $2. Caroline 7919250.

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) 372-1799 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 1800-886-6946.

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 Email: 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 reciepts 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.

WonderCafe Soup 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 250-819-0315 or Evelyn at 250-828-6647.

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

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(greendrinks.org) will 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) 3729669.

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 G e i g e r , lgeiger@mercuryspeed.co m.

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 cribage 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 6pm at Pioneer Park in Kamloops. We are looking for more members, no experience required! Call Liama at 377-8514 or Dell at 320-1765 or e-mail spiritwarriors@shaw.ca.

Bridge at Desert Gardens Community Centre, every Tuesday, at 12:30 p.m. 540 Seymour Street.

For info call (250) 3725110.

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City: P.C: Phone: GIFT SUBSCRIPTION: # From:

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Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo

The Kamloops Family History Society meets every fourth Thursday throughout the year Sept -

May. We meet at the Heritage House from 7:00 - 9:00 pm.

To all bridge players: We welcome new players to our 12:30p.m. Tuesday gatherings at Desert Gardens Community Centre on Seymour Street.

If you know the fundaments of the game, you can learn as you go.

Call Dave, 250-374-4963, or Peg, 250-376-0250 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 250377-8200 or 1-800-8666946.

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.

Dance to the music of the Kamloops Old Time Fiddlers every 1st & 3rd Saturday of the month from 8:00 to 11:00 pm at Heritage House, 100 Lorne Street. Members $ 6.00 ea., non-members $ 7.00 Everyone is welcome.

FMI 250-376-2330.

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 250376-4777 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, 250579-8541 or email riturner@shaw.ca.

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

LILLOOET Royal Canadian Legion Branch 66 737 Main Street Lillooet BC 250-256-7332 Meat draws every Friday 5 : 3 0 - 8 : 3 0 P M Members and Guests always welcome 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. 50+ Fitness at the REC Centre. aerobic style fitness class, Nov. 10-3, 9-10 am, $56 PHone (250) 256-7527 Adult Drop-in Hockey, September through March noon to 1 pm, Mondays and Wednesdays at the REC Centre. Drop in Rates Appy

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. 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.

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.

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

page 10

Pantomime, cont d from page 5 Kim Sterling, an American Academy of Dramatic Arts graduate, plays the title role, while newcomer Davis Kyle plays Patrick.

Not just community theatres, but professional ones also offer Christmas fare. Western Theatre Company's elegant, spectacular interpretation of the hit musical My Fair Lady continues its run at the Sagebrush Theatre, Kamloops. It involves a cast and crew from throughout B.C. and beyond, and evolved from the Chemainus Theatre Festival production.

The Okanagan Symphony Orchestra will serve a Piping Hot Christmas with seasonal favourites, singa-long carols and a tree piped in by the Kelowna Pipe Band led by Pipe Major Kristopher Watt. Conductor Rosemary Thomson invites audiences to dodge leaping lords, flying partridges and milking maids as the orchestra plays The Twelve Days of Christmas in an extravaganza not to be missed.

Meanwhile, Conductor Bruce Dunn says the Kamloops Symphony will follow its usual format of mix and match, with award-winning Alicia Venables playing the first movement of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto.

Peter Collins will sing Dunn's arrangements of In the Bleak Mid-Winter and Rejoice - a 'Carol Excursion' for tenor, female chorus and orchestra.

The Kamloops Symphony Women's Chorus will also sing Polish Carols and the orchestra will play Baker's Chanson Joyeuse and Suite from Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker.

As if that isn't enough, masqueraders can step graciously into the New Year at the Gala Benefit Masquerade at the Old Courthouse Cultural Centre on the corner of Seymour and First in Kamloops.

Proceeds go to the 2010 Mainstage Theatre Festival.

Ticket prices include high end tapas, music by Jon Treichel and Kelly Spencer, live performing sculptures spearheaded by Melanie Perreault, silent auction, champagne, and no host bar.

Mainstage is the backbone of community theatre in British Columbia and each year theatre companies throughout the province compete for excellence in production, design, acting and directing. For those who like to plan ahead, the 2010 Mainstage season comes to the Sagebrush Theatre, Kamloops on July 2nd and ends July 10th .

Until then, happy theatre-going! See sidebar at top of page for details!

Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo Jack and the Beanstalk - Powerhouse Theatre Vernon - Dec 9th to 19th (excluding Dec 14th).

Matinee at 2pm on Dec 13th instead of regular 8pm show time.

Tickets: Ticketseller: 250 549 7469 (250 549 SHOW). Details: www.powerhousetheatre.net The Snow Queen - 4th Street Place, Peachland Dec 3rd to 5th. at 8pm. Matinees at 2pm on Dec 5th & 6th. Tickets: The Wash Tub in West Kelowna or Pharmasave in Peachland.

Rented Christmas – Asparagus Theatre Armstrong – Dec 2nd to 5th at 8pm. Matinee at 1pm on Dec 5th - Tickets: The Guy Next Door (250 546 0950).

Scrooge & Marley - Kelowna Community Theatre Dec 2nd to 6th. at 7.30pm. Matinees at 2pm on Dec 5th & 6th. Tickets: www.selectyourtickets.com or 250 762 5050.

Mame - Kelowna Actors Studio licensed dinner theatre until Dec 20th – Turkey/ham dinner at 6.15pm. Dessert only at 7:30. Shows at 8pm.

Tickets: 250 862 2867 Details: www.KelownaActorsStudio.com.

NORTH of 50 December 09 My Fair Lady – Sagebrush Theatre until Dec 5th at 7.30pm on Tues & 8pm Wed through Sat. Tickets: Kamloops Live Box Office 250 374 5483 (374 LIVE) www.kamloopslive.com Okanagan Symphony's Piping Hot Christmas Penticton on Dec 18th at 7pm; Kelowna on Dec 19th at 8pm, Vernon on Dec 20th at7pm.

Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ca (Kelowna & Penticton); www.ticketseller.ca (Vernon) or 250 770 1470 (Penticton); 250 860 1470 (Kelowna); 250 549 7469 (Vernon). www.okanagansymphony.com Kamloops Symphony - Sagebrush Theatre - Dec 12th at 7.30pm, Dec 13th at 2pm Tickets: Kamloops Live Box Office – 250 374 5483 or 1 866 374 5483 (Toll free).www.kamloopssymphony.com New Year’s Masquerade Dec 31st at The Old Courthouse, Kamloops. Tickets: Kamloops Museum (250 828 3576) or Cara at Old Courthouse Cultural Centre (250 828 3611/m2010@theatrebc.org) Mainstage 2010 – Sagebrush Theatre - Tickets: 250 374 5483.

NORTH of 50 December 09

Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo

Armstrong’s Best Kept Secret...

Unique Gifts, t Specialty Chocolates, English Sweets and more!

• Books & Journals • British Sweets • Candy Gift Trays • Childrens Clothing • Toys & Games • Clocks & Wall Art

• First Nations Art • Home Decor • Jewelry • Music Boxes • Fashion Accessories & Handbags • Pashmina & Scarves • And more great gift ideas!

Drop in during Light Up and enter to WIN a gift basket packed full of British Sweets! a $100 value

See you soon!

2516C Patterson Ave, Armstrong 250.546.3096

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Treat for the Holidays a s t n e m (MS) Ñ Once the perfect tree has been selected and rna O e d a

placed in the home, the next task is to take out all of the ornaments collected over the years and hang them on the tree.

NORTH of 50 December 09 Craft Foam Creations Pop into any craft store or even toy store and you will likely find packages or loose sheets of thin colored foam that can be cut and designed into everything from sun visors to doorknob signs to fun ornaments for the tree.

Part of what makes decorating the tree so memorable is the ornaments that have been collected over time, many of them handmade treasures. Looking through them is a trip down memory lane, bringing to mind the happy times these ornaments recall.

Today in a hurried society, it may seem easier to simply head to the store and purchase a box full of ornaments for the tree. But spending time creating your own can be a family event that’s a fun way to spend time together. Here are a few ideas.

7 Things You May Not Have Known About Christmas (MS) -- The Christmas season is full of traditions, folklore and rich history. However, amid all of the traditions we've come to know, there are many bits of trivia of which you may not be familiar. Here are a few little-known facts about Christmas.

1. The first manufactured Christmas tree ornaments were sold in 1880 by the former Woolworth department store.

2. Christmas trees originally featured actual lighted candles, which were naturally a fire hazard. So containers filled with water had to be kept near the tree.

3. Construction workers first erected an undecorated tree at Rockefeller Center in New York City in the early 1930s. They have been credited with starting the annual tradition.

4. Although sometimes construed as sacriligious, the shortened form "Xmas" is actually derived from Christ's name and has been popular in Europe since the 1500s. It is believed to be derived from the Greek word "Xristos," which means Christ.

5. The National Confectioners Association reports that for 200 years candy canes were solid white. In the 1950s an automated machine was invented that could put on the red stripes.

6. The idea of Christmas greeting cards started in Britain in the 1830s.

7. Christmas celebrations were banned in Boston between 1659 and 1681. Those caught celebrating would be fined.

‘Tie-Dyed’ Balls Create ornaments that have the impression of being tie-dyed. Simply buy a box of clear glass ornaments from a craft store. Pop off the metal top and squirt one or two different colors of acrylic paint into the center of the ball. Replace the top and twirl the ball around until the paint coats the inside in a marbled pattern. Place on a surface where the balls won’t roll, such as an empty egg carton, and let dry.

Wire Ornaments Purchase thin craft wire and small beads of various colors. Bend the wire into holiday shapes, such as candy canes and stars. This can be achieved by wrapping the wire around cookie cutters as templates. Thread the beads onto the wire shape until it is completely covered with beads. Use a needle-nose pliers to twist together the two open ends to seal the ornament shut.

Popsicle Stick Treasures Craft sticks, popsicle sticks, whatever you call them, these wooden items can be glued and painted to create a number of ornaments for the tree.

Fashion them into a triangular shape and paint green for a Christmas tree. Glue a handful together and paint white for a snowflake. Dust these ornaments with glitter for even more sparkle on the tree.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS From

conkers Fine British Imports 1204 Notch Hill Road, Sorrento

250-675-3786 The Shuswaps source for British groceries and sweets Authentic Brown Betty Teapots English, Welsh & Irish Tea Marks & SpencerBiscuits & Christmas Puddings Melton Mobrays, Black & White Pudding Thortons, Galaxy, Cadbury Double Devon Cream Battenburg Cakes Bakewell Tarts Meat Pies Cheese Bacon & Sausage

NORTH of 50 December 09

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Hockey Night in Kamloops About 40 years ago I was sitting in the change room of the old North Kamloops, British Columbia, hockey arena. I was in my long underwear and was sweating and hurting. I had just collided with a young surgeon, Dr. Mike Budorski or was it Bud Mikorski – I was concussed and incoherent. In his youth, Dr. Mike had played for the Regina Pats in the Western Junior Hockey League. During the game we collided near the net in my end and I crashed into the steel net post. We were playing in a professional league of doctors, lawyers, optometrists and dentists.

There was a lot of skill among the players but didn’t involve hockey except for. Dr. Mike. Mike scored all the goals.

My shoulder was so sore I could hardly get my cup off nor could I shrug off my long combination Stanfield underwear. The wool was stuck to my hide. The room was cold as was the water in the showers. The benches were splintery where hockey players over the years had aimlessly kicked holes in the crude benches. I ran a slender long fir splinter into my backside – I still bear the scar where my wife picked the sliver out with a needle and a pair of tweezers meant for plucking eyebrows.

Part of that fir sliver is still imbedded, a hockey tattoo of remembrance.

Submitted by Sterling Haynes

I though I might retire from a life of hockey. But another of my partners, Dr. Bob, thought we could make an altruistic statement by volunteering to become team doctors for a British Columbia junior A team, the Kamloops Blazers in the Western Canada Hockey League. So for the next 13 years Bob or I attended all the hockey games and playoffs at the Memorial Arena on Victoria Street. It was a memorable time, even though the Blazers didn’t ever win the Memorial Cup. We were the official team Docs and sat in hard seats behind the player’s home bench. My upper body faced the infrequent space heaters but my lower body was always cold. We were given two tickets to every game, in payment for our services. We looked after a multitude of medical problems during the three or four hours of each game. I attended over 500 games before I officially resigned.

The hockey lingo has to be learned if you want to be a successful hockey doc. The main two adjectives used to describe every conceivable hockey event are the F… word and the S… word. They can be used interchangeably in all parts of speech When the two of us were asked to comment on a game certain phrases had to be committed to memory –“we hadda play our game, a few lucky breaks –could of gone either way, did you see that hit, or that was one soft goal.”

We were professionals but it was not an elite hockey league. After my concussion The coaches favourite words were ‘that guys tough, he’ll shake it off.’ That phrase was could be used after major concussion where the player could be lying on the ice “out cold” for two or three minutes convulsing. He’s ‘only had his bell rung’ was the coaches’ common diagnosis, ‘he’ll be back next period.’ The F word and the S word could be used before each noun except when the wives were present or when giving a commentary to the local radio stations.

One of the first problems that we came across involved the Zamboni icemaker and the young chief referee, a man named Fraser. Fraser went on to become a prominent referee in the National Hockey League. As it turned out the City of Kamloops had neglected to service the Zamboni ice maker over the summer. During one of the games in October many of the players began complaining to their coaches of feeling sick – “woozy like”. The coach’s answer was “you bunch of S… heads - we need to send the lot of you back to your families in Saskatchewan and Alberta. The remainder we can ship back to Vanderhoof and Prince George to your f…ing mothers.”

Referee Fraser collapsed in his dressing room after the second period of a league game. The coaches felt that maybe something was ‘fishy’ in the arena. Then Joe, the Zamboni driver, kept cutting circles on the ice through a haze of smoke and fumes. He finally fell off his seat on the cont’d on pg 16

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Intimate as a village, sophisticated as a metropolis, friendly as a pub, the capital city of Ireland is a centre of infinite interest and activity. Dublin embodies two very distinctly different features - its rich and varied history and cultural inheritance which integrates harmoniously with the ever changing, vibrant beat of contemporary life in Dublin today. Whether you are travelling in a group, as a family, individually or on business you will find that Dublin has something for everyone. The city is bursting with colours, music sights and scenes which provide the irresistible backdrop for exploring the magic that is Dublin City and its beautiful surrounding County.

County Dublin is ideally situated on the east coast of Ireland and just a 20 minute journey will bring the visitor from the bustling city to the charming coastal towns and villages of the county which dot the sometimes rugged sometimes sanded coastline and provide boundless opportunities for craft shopping, water sports, seafood, dining and picturesque walks against the spectacular backdrop of Dublin Bay. As one of the oldest cities in Europe, Dublin provides the visitor with a multitude of cultural riches from the ancient to the avant garde from history architecture literature art and archaeology to the performing arts.

Monuments in literature and stone mark the history, writers, poets, scientists and people of Dublin. Medieval, Georgian and Modern architecture provide a backdrop to a friendly bustling port. Dublin is also home to a great literary tradition - its native sons include: Shaw, Yeats, Joyce and Beckett and is the cradle of many musical talents, from the Dubliners and the Chieftains to U2.

Spawned by the need to ford the River Liffey, fortified by the Danes, developed by the Normans, adorned with fine buildings by the Anglo Irish, the city has grown in stature and elegance over the centuries. When it comes to entertainment, Dubliners with their natural friendly and fun loving attitude certainly know how to entertain.

The quintessential “Dublin Pub” provides the focal point of Dublin social life, illuminating the vibrant hues of Dubliners and their culture. It is a place where conversations and “craic” (Which is the Irish for Fun) flow freely, unleashing the unique atmosphere that is at the heart of Dublin and her friendly people. cont’d on page 15

A Return Visit to Greece submitted by Roxanna Fergusson The perks of being a travel agent……….. travelling of course!

divine. This island was a pleasant surprise. From there we sailed onto

I get great satisfaction out of booking the perfect holiday or adventure for others, but there’s nothing like experiencing other cultures first hand. Even though I’ve been in the travel industry for 27 years, I still love to travel, explore and learn. And I still have a bucket list!

Rhodes. I have to say, Lindos is a spectacular village.

It’s winding streets with unique shops and vibrant cafes was well worth walking through. You could take a donkey up to the Acropolis (there are many in Greece), but I felt bad for the donkeys, so I went on foot instead. I loved the walk and the sensational views at the top of the hill were truly stunning.

Crete… I loved Crete! It seems every few kilometers the scenery changes which I so enjoyed.

This past spring, I got to scratch one destination off my bucket list…

GREECE! I had been to Athens very early in my travel career, but I didn’t get to explore the islands, so I was thrilled when I was invited on an “agents educational trip”.

Arriving in Athens was quite different this time.

The infrastructure is far better now, post Olympics. I also noticed a much broader spectrum of people. Many more Eastern Europeans have immigrated as well as North Africans, I quite enjoyed the diversity. It makes for lovely restaurant choices. The Acropolis was just what I expected, an amazing piece of history. What really struck home with me though, was a young group of students, probably seven or eight years old, on a field trip, exploring the ancient ruins.

I’m sure they didn’t realize what a privilege it is, to have some so amazing in their own back yard.

We travelled by local cruise line to many ports, our first being Mykonos. We’ve probably all seen pictures of the blue domes, the windmills, and small churches, but it’s something else when you see it first hand. It truly is a beautiful Island. Next on the list of islands I got to explore, Patmos. To be truthful, I didn’t have any expectations of Patmos, it’s not one of the more popular islands. But the 11th century monastery of St. John is well worth seeing, and the view from there is

The ancient Minoan civilization at Knossos flourished over 4500 years ago, and is remarkably well preserved. And the beaches, they’re some of the most beautiful in the Mediterranean I’ve seen.

Santorini…. There are few places on earth as unique as Santorini.

We took a tram up to the whitewashed cliff-top village of Fira.

Once again, I spared the donkeys! Santorini is breath taking. The black and red cliffs overlooking the turquoise blue sea is nothing short of spectacular.

And the sunsets, truly romantic! I have to say, the shopping was second to none.

Santorini is known for it’s artisans, so I enjoyed every spare minute I could find to explore the galleries of Oia. Did I love Greece?

Absolutely!

Absolutely! Will I go back?

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DUBLIN, CONT’D FROM PAGE 14

There is a wonderful array of dance, theatre and concerts from the most exquisite formal presentations of the National Concert Hall to the jovial street performer. Every exhibition is performed with a distinctly Irish sense of enthusiasm and conviction that delights and enthrals every audience.

Music and song play a large part in the artistic makeup of Dubliners. The city provides a showcase for all facets of such talent from which traditional Irish Folk musicians such as The Dubliners, The Chieftains and contemporary artists like U2, Chris De Burgh, Sinead O’Connor and Glen Hansard have found inspiration and international popularity.

Music, whether it be classical, traditional or contemporary is very accessible in Dublin, often experienced with its natural accompaniment - dance.

Visitors may try their hand at traditional set dancing or dance the night away at one of the numerous trendy night clubs that illuminate Dublin’s night sky and carry the beat of the city well into the morning hours.

Internationally renowned artists regularly adorn the city with an abundance of first class performances as varied as the Bolshoi Ballet to the staging of rock concerts. Comedy and cabaret also features strongly in the entertainment line-up and can be sampled at a multitude of impressive venues across Dublin.

The Irish are passionate about their sports and Dubliners are no exception. The city comes alight with colour and expectation for many weekends of sport from football internationals to street marathons.

Golfing enthusiasts are well catered for in as many as 60 golf courses throughout the county of Dublin.

Ireland’s pride and reputation for the sporting horse is showcased at many a racing meet or show jumping occasion. Our most popular national sports include Gaelic Football and Hurling, the latter has been acclaimed as one of the fastest and most exciting field games in the world.

Due to Dublin’s coastal location, water and the sea have always been an integral part of Dublin life. From this inheritance a multitude of activities and sports have flourished for the water enthusiast’s pleasure, including yachting, sailing, wind surfing and fishing.In addition there are numerous opportunities to go greyhound racing cycling or visit the many fine gardens, houses and picturesque parks that adorn the area, or why not participate in one of the thoroughly enjoyable tours and trails available?

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Take the plunge and see the magic of Brisbane fr om down under Scuba divers are slipping into their wetsuits and taking the plunge into the waters of Moreton Bay for a great Brisbane diving adventure while everyone on dry land is searching for their jumpers.

Water temperatures in the Bay range from 20-27 degrees (Centigrade) during the year so diving is definitely a year round option for enthusiasts and when the offerings include exciting wreck dives, awesome coral outcrops and stunning sea life, it’s a sport well worth considering for everyone from newcomers to the experienced.

One of the better-known dive sites in the Brisbane area is the collection of 15 vessels at the Tangalooma Wrecks on the western, or landward, side of Moreton Island where dives range in depth from 2-10m with an average of around 8m.

The wrecks were placed to form a break wall for small boats mooring off the island and now attract an amazing amount of marine life, including wobbegongs, trevally, kingfish, yellowtail and lots of tropical fish. They also make an excellent drift dive because of the strong currents in the area.

The Curtin Artificial Reef is located further north along Moreton off the settlement of Cowan Cowan and is a popular destination for divers with intermediate qualifications. The Underwater Research Group of Queensland have been sinking large vessels, cars, tires and pontoons at this site since 1968, the largest being the 50m long Bremer. Most of the wrecks can be safely entered and explored, and like Tangalooma Wrecks, the reef is filled with marine life - tropical fish, gropers, trevally, wobbegongs, rays and other schooling fish. Dive depths range from 12-30m.

The Manta Ray Bommie off the southern end of North Stradbroke Island is a fantastic reef dive. The rocky area offers dives from 5-15m deep, and, as the name suggests, is a popular spot for groups of manta rays.

Other regulars are leopard sharks, shovelnose rays, wobbegong sharks, stingrays, eagle rays, pelagic fish and turtles.

One of Brisbane’s better, but lesser known dive sites is Cherub’s Cave, near Henderson’s Rock off Moreton Island. It gets its name from a small concrete cherub that once marked the main entrance to a hidden, circular cave which measures 2x15m and has six exits.

This deep dive, from 20-30m, is into an area surrounded by rocky gullies, smaller caves, overhangs, and lots of sea life including a large resident Queensland groper.

There are also deep ledges, overhangs and caves, hidden and partly obscured by thick kelp. Ornate crayfish are prolific in this area and grey nurse sharks occasionally school up in the main gutter to the north of the shallow rock in winter. Gummy, leopard and wobbegong sharks often join them.

Flinder’s Reef is Brisbane's only true coral reef and is a fully protected marine sanctuary. Situated 5km northwest of Moreton Island, the site offers dive walls, gutters, caves and pinnacles and at least 112 coral species including staghorn, brain, plate and other hard and soft corals, gorgonians, sponges and sea whips.

This is along with 175 species of reef fish, invertebrates, turtles, stingrays, wobbegong sharks and the occasional manta ray. Flat Rock, off the north eastern tip of Stradbroke Island, is one of the most exciting dive sites off Brisbane. The rocky island is surrounded by beautiful coral reefs and is a great spot to see turtles, leopard sharks, eagle rays, reef fish, pelagic fish and even the odd manta ray. It is most famous for its grey nurse shark population that gather at a site called "Shark Alley" each winter.

Dives are generally from 5-35m and visibility can be up to 20m. Brisbane’s world-class dive sites are just a sampling of the dives available in Queensland and are matched by world-class diver training ranging from Open Water Certification through to specialty dive courses and professional qualifications. More than 30,000 people learn to dive in Queensland each year and certifications achieved are through internationally recognised diver training organisations.

For more information on diving in Brisbane and Queensland visit www.divingqueensland.com.au

You can catch a glimpse of a polo match while wandering through the meandering paths of the Phoenix Park - the largest enclosed park of its kind in Europe - in the heart of the city. Whatever your heart desires, Dublin provides a superb location for all the above activities and many more besides.

Source: visitdublin.com North Stradbroke Island, Brisbane. Photographer: Paul Ewart

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50 YEARS AGO THIS MONTH

1961

1959 On December 1, 1959 the first color photograph of Earth was taken from outer space On December 4 "Sam", a rhesus monkey, was launched into space from Wallops Island, Virginia at 11:15 am on a suborbital flight to test an emergency escape mechanism. At 19 miles altitude, the capsule was jettisoned and climbed 34 miles, then returned to Earth. Sam was recovered, several hours later, with no ill effects from his journey. He was later returned to the colony in which he trained, where he died in November 1982 and his remains were cremated. But Sam wasn’t the first monkey astronaut. That honour goes to Albert I, in 1948.

On December 8, the President of CBS Television, Louis C. Cowan lost his job amid the quiz show scandals, when it was revealed that contestants of several tv quiz shows were being fed the answers by producers in order to influence the outcome of the shows. Cowan was also the creator of the $64,000 Question

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Though it originally aired in 1956, it was on December 13, 1959 that the Wizard of Oz began its annual run on CBS Television.

Second City, the improvisational comedy troupe was founded in Chicago. Mike Myers and John Candy are a couple of Canadian stars who got their big break at Second City.

On December 14th, the Motown Record Label was founded in Detroit.

Filming began for the infamous "shower scene" from Psycho, on December 18th, and continued for 5 days.

Chuck Berry was arrested in St. Louis shortly after midnight, after completing a concert at his Club Bandstand nightclub, on December 22, and charged with violating the Mann Act, also known as the White Slave Traffic Act. The most common use of the Mann Act was to prosecute men for having sex with underage women. It was also used to harass others who had drawn the authorities' wrath for "immoral" behavior. Berry was convicted and served in jail until

HOCKEY cont’d from pg 13 machine, onto the freezing wet ice.

We called the ambulance for Joe and Fraser. The two of them were shipped off to the hospital for testing and oxygen inhalation treatment. The Zamboni was pushed off the ice and the double doors of both ends of the arena were opened to the frigid temperatures. The players immediately felt better in the fresh air and the play started in the third period without Joe and Fraser. Fraser stayed ‘til midnight in the Emergency Room of the Royal Inland Hospital as he had developed the most severe case of carbon monoxide poisoning. Joe was discharged home in a couple of hours – it seemed he’d developed a tolerance to carbon monoxide. The team owners in September felt that repairs to the Zamboni exhaust system would be too expensive. If the city wouldn’t do the repairs – the rapacious team executive officer said, “then what the hell, if the City were not going to fix the F…ing machine then neither, would we, the team owners.”

It was at this time that I realized that major decisions about the team were left to a few local ex hockey players and businessmen on the ‘old boy’ executive. Money was the bottom line even though Kamloops team was a farm team and had an agreement with the wealthy New York Islander’s NHL team. To me, these economic decisions were made by Blazer executives who had their bell rung too many times, or had blocked too many slap shots with their mouth guard Through the many years Dr. Bob, sometimes Dr. Gord and I looked after fractures, disclocated joints and thousand of lacerations and sprains of the many players. All

On December 23, heart surgeon, Drs. Richard Lowen and Norman Shumway performed a successful heart transplant on a dog at Sanford University. The dog survived for eight days; previously, the longest a host animal had survived with a transplanted heart had been 7 1/2 hours.

Christmas fell on a Friday in 1959 Actress Loretta Young appeared on the cover of the December 26th issue of TV Guide. (Dwight Eisenhower was on the cover of LIFE magazine) The world’s first nuclear missile submarine, the USS George Washington was commissioned on December 30.

Movies Released in December 1959: Operation Petticoat

Ben Hur,

Bestselling Novels of December 1959: Dr. Zhivago

by Boris Pasternak, Hawaii by James A Michener, Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, Lady Chatterley’s Loveer by DH Lawrence nd Exodux by Leion Uris A few famous people born in December 1959 : Tracey Ulman, Paula Poundstone, Val Kilmer, Linda Blair, John McEnroe, Simon Cowel, Nancy Grace, Weird Al Yancovic. ,December 18th 1959 TJ Wallis the Managing Editor North of 50 was born.

the suturing was done at the end of the game in the two rather primitive medical rooms. New, expensive light were always available for the arena, but money was saved by purchasing 25 watt bulbs for the ‘home’ and ‘away’ medical rooms. The doctors brought their own sterile surgical trays, local aesthetic and gloves from their offices. There was no payment and little thanks from the Blazer’s executive. Most of the young hockey players were polite and appreciative and it was a pleasure to work with them and applaud their skills on the ice.

As hockey doctors we were taught to couch our medical description in nondescriptive terms; that way nothing would be revealed to the opposing teams to give them an extra advantage. We were asked not to describe any injury to any of the players to the media except in general.terms. ‘An upper body injury’ could mean a multitude of things, a broken arm, a disclocated shoulder or even a concussion.

‘A lower body injury’ usually meant a knee injury from either a minor knee sprain to a more serious knee ACL disruption or a cartilage tear. The body parts in between could be described as rib injury or simply ‘he had the wind knocked out of him’. For the sake of hockey management and the good of the team and the minds of the coaches, we kept it simple.

For the most part, I got along with the coaches and executives until at the end of the 1979 season when… a young player from the Regina Pats, complained to me after the game.

“Doc, I don’t feel good,. sweating all the time and no energy and I’m getting all these knots in my neck. Had a sore throat for a while but that got better. I told the coach but he told me to smarten up –‘the playoffs are just around the corner: do you want to go back to Lucky Lake, Saskatchewan.’ You know Doc, I’m only 16 and I’m the leading goal scorer on the team, he’s making fun of me and cursing me and my folks.”

“Yes, I know you’re a good player. You take off your equipment, have a shower and then I’ll examine you in the medical room here. How tall are you?”

“I’m six foot three inches Doc. been going to school and working on the farm all my life. My dad says I’m worth two hired men. Pop says I’m still growing.”

I examined the young man and found he had infectious mononucleosis and a very large spleen associated with mild hepatitis. Lab tests confirmed the diagnosis I held a meeting with the team executive and the coaches the next evening. Then I told them, “This young giant could not play for at least six weeks, maybe longer.

If his enlarged spleen ruptured from a hard check or even a butt end to the liver or spleen he could die without emergency surgery.” . “What if you’re F…ing wrong Doc?” asked the coach. cont’d on pg 23

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Parties Popular the World Over Come New Year's Eve New Year's Eve is one of the most festive nights of the year. After 364 days, many Americans let loose on the final night of the year, and the first morning of the New Year.

With those celebrations comes many traditions, from watching the ball drop to popping the champagne corks to kissing your significant other at the stroke of midnight. Those traditions are well known to many Americans who anxiously await the final day of the year. But the United States isn't the only country that looks forward to December 31. The following is how partygoers across the globe celebrate in select countries each New Year's Eve. Germany Germans celebrate "The Holy Sylvester" in honor of Pope Sylvester I. Communities host a local party known as a "Sylvester Ball." Though Germany's celebrations are not as grandiose as those in the United States or Scotland, many German celebrators do light off fireworks of their own come the stroke of midnight.

Australia New York City's Times Square is the pilgrimage of choice for American revelers each New Year's Eve. For Australians, the pilgrimage has a decidedly more laid back feel, as many typically head to the beach to ring in the New Year. Since the month of December marks the beginning of summer in Australia, many Australians, who, thanks to time zones, are the first to ring in the New Year, party hard as the clock approaches midnight on December 31 (enjoying a fireworks display set off from the Sydney Harbour Bridge) and continue doing so until dawn. Then on New Year's Day, a public holiday throughout the

country, many Australians enjoy picnics or camping out at the beach.

Brazil The place to be in Brazil is Rio de Janeiro, which recently won the right to host the 2016 Olympic Games. Rio de Janeiro's New Year's preparations begin early in the morning for a massive party on the beach come nightfall. Fireworks are eventually a part of the celebration, going off at midnight and lasting for roughly 30 minutes thereafter. Though originally more of a religious celebration, New Year's in Rio de Janeiro is similar to Times Square in New York City, annually attracting millions of tourists for the festivities.

England England's New Year's celebration is perhaps the most similar to the celebration in New York City. Londoners traditionally visit Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus, waiting for the sound of Big Ben's famous chime at the stroke of midnight before breaking into a rendition of "Auld Lang Syne." Fireworks are also set off near the famous London Eye, a massive ferris wheel-like device located just along the Thames River in the Lambeth section of London.

Scotland Arguably one of the biggest New Year's celebrations in the world. Scotland's celebration is known as the Hogmanay. A four-day festival in the nation's capital of Edinburgh, the celebration offers live music, parades and fireworks, with the culmination of the festivities coming on New Year's Eve, when a massive street party is held on Princes Street in the heart of the city.

When the clock strikes twelve, fireworks burst out into the air from Edinburgh Castle.

Solstice Facts for Winter Enthusiasts Thanks in large part to all the holiday hullabaloo, it's easy to overlook the official arrival of winter.This year winter begins on December 21. While you might know the winter soltstice brings cold weather, the following can teach you more about the arrival of the year's coldest season.

What is winter solstice? Winter solstice is when the hemisphere is leaning farthest away from the sun. That's why daylight is the shortest this day.

What causes seasons? They are caused by the rotation of the earth. Earth is tilted away from the sun during the northern hemisphere's winter, which is why the days are shorter.

What was the Roman festival of Saturnalia? A festival that honored winter solstice where servants ate with their masters. Schools were closed, prisoners were not executed and people paraded around the streets with black faces or masks.

What tradition came from the Scandinavians' winter solstice festival called Jiuleis? The burning of the Yule log. Norse men would burn the log to repel dark and cold. The wood was thought to bring good luck to each home.

What ancient ruin was built to honor the solstice? Newgrange in eastern Ireland was built to honor the solstice. It is one acre and has a 60 foot entranceway. It dates back to 3,300 BCE, making it one of the oldest structures in the world.

What custom involves giving presents? Romans gave their children earthenware (sigillaria), rings and seals to celebrate Sigillaria.

When it's winter solstice in the northern hemisphere, what is happening in the southern hemisphere?

They are celebrating the summer solstice. At that time, night is at its shortest and daytime is at its longest.

What does the word solstice mean? It comes from two Latin words -- "sol," which means sun, and "sistere," which means to cause to stand still.

How did the ancient Greeks observe the winter solstice? Their winter solstice ritual was called Lenaea, the Festival of the Wild Women. A man representing the harvest God Dionysos was torn to pieces and eaten by a gang of women. Then, Dionysos was reborn as a baby. By classical times, the human sacrifice was replaced by the killing of a goat and the women became funeral mourners and watchers of the birth.

The winter solstice in 1999 was unique. Why? That year the solstice, full moon and lunar perigee happened on the same date. (Perigee means that the moon's orbit is closest to earth). Here, the moon was full and at its maximum size. The last time that something like this happened was 1866.

Counting down the last seconds of the year with some bubbly is a New Year's tradition across the globe.

New Literary Contest Announced The Fernie Writers Conference and Oolichan Books announced a new literary contest. Coffee Shop Author is a writing contest with a twist; the premise of the contest is that the bulk of the work be done at the writer's local coffee shop.

The winner of Coffee Shop Author will receive a trip to Fernie with accommodation, as well as tuition to the Fernie Writers Conference so they may further develop their work.

By getting coffee shops on board Coffee Shop Author hopes to raise awareness of writing and the importance of writing to the Canadian cultural landscape. There are tens of thousands of published authors in Canada, making an increasing contribution to writing around the world. Everyone has to start somewhere and your local coffee shop might be the home to the next great work of Canadian literature.

Susan Toy, member of the board of the Fernie Writers Conference and originator of the Coffee Shop Author concept had this to say, "I've always found I write best when working in a crowded coffee shop. I've often wondered if all those other people busy tapping on their laptops also share my dream of becoming a published author. Coffee Shop Author will not only encourage aspiring authors to continue writing and dreaming, but also will confirm they are part of a vibrant writing community that stretches right across Canada."

Coffee Shop Author is open to all forms of writing including novels, creative non-fiction and collections of poetry or short stories.

Visit www.coffeeshopauthor.com information.

Coffee Shop Author Contact: Randal Macnair info@coffeeshopauthor.com www.coffeeshopauthor.com 250-423-7461

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H e a l t h M at t e rs "Winter Blues" Might Be Something More Serious

Experts, however, have theorized that lack of sunlight might be a contributing factor. A reduction in sunlight can cause a drop in serotonin, a neurotransmitter in the brain that influences mood, appetite, sleep, and a host of other behaviors. An imbalance in serotonin is believed to influence mood in a way that leads to depression. That lends credence to the theory that a lack of sunlight and its subsequent depletion of serotonin could be a cause of SAD.

The arrival of the New Year brings with it many things besides just a turn of the calendar. A time for reflection, resolutions and looking forward, the New Year represents a clean slate, one many will welcome after a rather tumultuous 2009.

Another image the New Year invokes is that of winter weather, replete with its short days and snowstorms.

While the official arrival of winter is 10 days before the turn of the calendar, for many the unofficial start of the coldest season is when the holiday season ends and the new calendar year begins.

Though winter has its afficionados, for many people winter can be a difficult time of year, one characterized by feelings of depression and indifference. For those who find themselves with those feelings each year, the cause could be a condition known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which most commonly begins to occur during late fall, extending into the winter months. In fact, many simply assume the symptoms of SAD are the "winter blues," a common misconception that could be masking a larger issue.

However, understanding and recognizing SAD could be the first step for those looking to have a more enjoyable winter.

What is SAD? SAD is a type of depression that is cyclic, affecting a person during the same season each year. The symptoms of SAD will arrive and go away at the same time each year. As mentioned earlier, the majority of people who suffer from SAD will begin to experience symptoms in late fall, and those symptoms will continue through the winter months.

What are the Symptoms of SAD? Symptoms of SAD often start out mildly and become more severe as the season progresses. Those symptoms can include: * Feelings of sadness * Anxiety * Withdrawal from social activities and situations * Loss of interest in usual activities * Feelings of hopelessness * Oversleeping

Changes in season can also disrupt the balance of melatonin, a natural hormone that plays a role in sleep patterns and mood.

Commonly perceived as "winter blues," Seasonal Affective Disorder is a serious condition that can cause feelings of depression throughout a given season.

* Weight gain * Difficulty concentrating * Craving of carbohydrates, such as bread and pasta While SAD is most common in late fall and early winter, it can also occur in spring and summer. This is called summer-onset seasonal affective disorder.

Symptoms of this type of SAD are, in some cases, the opposite of winter seasonal affective disorder. * Irritability * Insomnia * Weight loss * Poor appetite What Causes SAD? It is still uncertain as to the specific causes of SAD.

HEALTH CANADA ADVISORY Health Canada is warning consumers not to use Herblex “Once More”, an unauthorized product promoted to enhance male sexual performance, as this product may pose serious health risks. Herblex “Once More” was found to contain sildenafil, a prescription medication not indicated on the label. Sildenafil may cause serious side effects in some individuals and should only be used under the supervision of a health care practitioner. The product was also found to be contaminated with high levels of mould and bacteria.

Patients with pre-existing medical conditions, including those with heart problems, those taking heart medications, or those at risk for strokes, may be at an increased risk of serious health effects associated with the use of these products. The excessive numbers of aerobic bacteria and moulds could also contribute to the health risks, especially for people with compromised immune systems.

Use of known prescription drugs for erectile dysfunction such as sildenafil by patients with heart disease can result in serious cardiovascular side-effects such as sudden cardiac death, heart attack, stroke, low blood pressure, chest pain and abnormal heartbeat.

Additionally, other possible side-effects can include vision loss, seizure, sudden decrease or loss of hearing, dizziness, prolonged erection, headache, flushing, nasal congestion, indigestion and abdominal pain. Sildenafil should not be used by individuals taking any nitrate drug (e.g. Nitroglycerine) due to the risk of developing potentially life-threatening low blood pressure.

Herblex "Once More" is labeled as distributed by Herblex Canada, Surrey, British Columbia. Canadians who have used “Once More” and are concerned about their health should consult a health care practitioner. Health Canada has received no reports of adverse reactions.

Health Canada advises consumers not to use Herblex "Once More" or any other unauthorized products promoted for the treatment of erectile dysfunction, as such products may pose serious risks to health. Consumers who are concerned about erectile dysfunction should consult their health care practitioner to discuss appropriate treatments.

Drugs and natural health products that are authorized for sale in Canada have an eightdigit Drug Identification Number (DIN), a Natural Product Number (NPN) or a Drug Identification Number for Homeopathic Medicine (DIN-HM) on the label.

Consumers requiring more information about this warning can contact Health Canada's public enquiries line at (613) 957-2991, or toll free at 1-866-225-0709.

What are Risk Factors for SAD? According to the Mayo Clinic, there are a handful of factors that may increase a person's risk of SAD. Those include, but are not limited to: * Gender. Studies have shown that SAD is more commonly diagnosed among women than men.

However, the same research has indicated that men often have more severe symptoms. * Geography. Where a person lives is also a risk factor for SAD. The further a person lives from the equator, be it north or south, the higher the risk factor for developing SAD. That's likely due to the harsh decrease in sunlight during the winter months in areas far from the equator. * Family history. In general, depression tends to run in families. Because SAD is a type of depression, family history can also be a risk factor.

Are Treatment Options Available?

First and foremost, persons suspecting they or a loved one are suffering from SAD should consult a physician and get a diagnosis. Persons diagnosed with SAD do have treatment options available to them, including light therapy and medications.

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Letter to the Editor

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE The Christmas Turkey

The Editor, Save Money and Energy

by Marge Macdonald, Kelowna Things had not been going well in the family when my mother said: "I guess there will be no turkey dinner tomorrow, I have to go to town for some groceries and I just don't have time to prepare a turkey tonight."

It was Christmas Eve, around 4 o'clock, already getting dark. My brother Robert was 13, and I was 12, at home alone to think about this - no Christmas turkey.

In 1945, there was no television to occupy our minds, so we decided that we would catch a turkey and have it ready for Mom by the time she got home.

It was a beautiful moonlit evening, not too much snow on the ground and all was very quiet and peaceful as we made our way out to the chicken house. Carrying a coal oil lantern for light to see what we were doing, we quietly opened the door and stepped inside. Our intended victim was spotted almost as soon as we went in the door, a nice big fat turkey.

Robert ran after the turkey and grabbed it by the leg. The rest of the chickens and turkeys started to squawk, running and jumping with feathers flying in all directions. What a racket, it was no longer a nice quiet night.

Next came the gruesome part. We knew that we had to kill this turkey and my brother said "I know what to do". "We have to wring the turkey's neck, hang him up by the legs and stick this sharp stiletto knife down his throat to drain the blood so the meat won't be ruined."

After quite a struggle, success! We were splattered with blood and feathers but did have one dead turkey.

Next, this bird had to be plucked and cleaned in order to be ready to cook.

We headed back to the house, set up the tub in the "back kitchen", a room at the back of the house used to prepare vegetables in the summertime. In the kitchen we heated the water on top of the cook stove, since it had to be scalding hot, and plunged in the turkey. We plucked the feathers off as best we could and then gutted it. I was pretty good at this as every fall we would kill and dress at least a couple of dozen chickens to take into the local freezer in Neepawa, (see note) so that we would have them available over the winter.

Finally around seven in the evening we had completed our job and had a good looking turkey all ready to be stuffed.

Feeling pretty proud of ourselves, we cleaned up and waited for the family to get back from town.

They arrived home around eight and the first thing they saw was some of the mess we had made in the back kitchen. There were a lot of stray feathers scattered around.

When Mom came into the kitchen and saw what we had done, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

However, she did start to laugh and told us we had done a great job.

As it turned out we had another memorable Christmas and for years my mother used to ask Robert and me if we were in charge of the turkey for Christmas dinner.

This always brought a smile to our faces, as we recalled our adventure.

Note: They had community freezer plants in the towns so that you could have your meat and poultry wrapped and ready to pick up when doing your grocery shopping, early l940's.

LOVE IS IN THE AIR! CONTEST ut

Y DA ST S E’ NTE 50 N TI CO OF N LE ING TH S! A V IT OR ER R N W R EAD FO R

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t ng .I ki g l in ta . m y t r a ad es w re ont t l or r a c a s he er, ord ’re fun u r o th w ary yo ew s d u h o 500 bru et n n o r r a u u eac in Fe ask o d o e t S e um saw U th ift b to riv bou r h L a in g y n u a ry - you EL ed e’s ntr e T o e t o v y st me U rin ntin at t’ e ell ve t ti - YO d p ale t th sn I t o s l a n V e it h an x of e la nce d a a d g s c a f n n d a e in t, th ma ecte wi r a to an to tm els k y s l c it i e ro e lso pe r y hr w an u m ce e s l a pa ht! r sto you ail 0, C Ho be yo stan ill b wil to nig ou or r m 10 g! o! n n t i a ime di s w er pen mid il y m 4, o ox B0 c nk ve i It st t ong rie inn ut at ma .co 91 t, B E 1 th ha e 0 8 s r l . o w p ry e fi , a st ce So 6th an of5 46- te V0 ’re ! I o u t o ay s t th ve ree pla . y 1 u c rth ) 5 on C y C ,B e D t v u lo th t 40 r o o 0 lo bo ed st iirs t $ nua Y @n (25 f 50 ng ha e’s w in a a uit Be F a Ja t st at h o tro e q s w . ed y n e b u s s o . e t e e s u lu b n l ll n r n o u ort rm o I k Va t Te ca un les iss va us c N A

Heating hot water can account for up to one third of our monthly utility bills. So what can we do to reduce our consumption and improve our carbon footprint?

Consider replacing that wasteful 40 gallon tank with a 15 gallon tank. We did that 12 years ago and find that for a two person household, the hot water provided is plentiful; and it takes a very short time for the water in such a small tank to re-heat. While you are thinking about this, make sure the thermostat on your existing tank is set no higher than 115 degrees. F. They are set at the factory for 140 degrees F. which is very wasteful, and also dangerous. Always wash clothes in cold water; there are plenty of cold-water detergents on the market. Energy efficient dish washers have a heating element which brings the water used for washing up to the required temperature. Consider installing a solar hot water heater, they require no maintenance, and to ensure that hot water is available whenever you need it, they include a gas or electric booster. For a list of solar hot water manufacturers in Canada contact Canadian Solar Industries Canada (613)736-9077, www.cansia.ca While you’re at it, spread the message to your friends, relatives and employers/employees. Give the planet a Christmas present!

This is one way we can all help to fight back against these PPP water projects that our threatening our small creeks in B.C., and also against the necessity for the Site C Dam which has again raised its ugly head and will destroy a lot of important agricultural land in the province. We should not forget that large water bodies raise the temperature of surrounding land; as a matter of fact, large dams in B.C. produce heating changes that may have much to do with the pine beetle infestation. These milder temperatures in the north have to a large extent, been caused by dams such as the WAC Bennett, and other dams on the Peace River.

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Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo

ok s o B & s ie v o M

THE BOOK SHELF from the publishers Extraordinary Women: Vol. 1

Gumption & Grit Women of the Cariboo Chilcotin Collected by the Williams Lake Women’s Contact Society. Edited by Sage Birchwater, with Gloria Atamanenko, Pam Mahon and Karen Thompson Pioneer Women of the Cariboo Chilcotin is the first in a brand new series being introduced by Caitlin Press which will showcase women of BC: their lives, their successes, their history. In 2002 the Williams Lake Women’s Contact Society posted a request for pioneer stories of the women of the Cariboo Chilcotin.

What they received was an overwhelming number of tales of hard-ship, faith, adversity, endurance and accomplishment. These women were mothers, trappers, schoolteachers, outfitters, ranchers and homesteaders. Gumption & Grit contains more than 35 heartfelt and honest stories, which will resonate with the experiences of all women of this land.

Available in bookstores now.

Beautiful Joe

By Margaret Marshall Saunders With the holiday season upon us, Penguin Young Readers has re-introduced Beautiful Joe, a timeless classic about kindness, love, and generosity to a new generation of Canadian children. Though times have certainly changed from 1894 when Beautiful Joe was first published, the message about animal cruelty still resonates with the reader. Beautiful Joe is the classic story of an innocent dog forced to live with a cruel master who, in a fit of rage, viciously removes his ears and tail. Fortunately, help arrives in the form of a family named Morris, who nurses the dog back to health and gives him a new name–Beautiful Joe. Happy in his new home, Joe finds that he is in the company of many other animals that the family has saved from harm. The Morris family’s belief that every creature has the right to a full and happy life makes them perfect friends for Joe, and despite his horrible early experiences, Joe learns to love and trust his adopted family and becomes a loyal and valued companion.

Born in Nova Scotia, author Margaret Marshall Saunders (1861-1947) second book, Beautiful Joe, achieved international recognition. Saunders, was made a Commander of the British Empire, and together with fellow Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery she co-founded the Maritime branch of the Canadian Women’s Press Club. Saunders went on to write more than twenty other stories.

NORTH of 50 December 09

NEW IN THEATRES - from the producers Invictus Invictus, starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon, and directed by Clint Eastwood, tells the inspiring true story of Nelson Mandela (Freeman) joined forces with the captain of South Africa's rugby team, Francois Pienaar (Damon), to help unite their country.

Newly elected President Mandela knows his nation remains racially and economically divided in the wake of apartheid. Believing he can bring his people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies South Africa's underdog rugby team as they make an unlikely run to the 1995 World Cup Championship match.

The movie is rated PG 13 because it does have some brief strong language. Released by Warner Brothers, look for it in theatres December 11 and according to the critics, Oscar nominations is in this movie’s future.

Did you Hear About the Morgans?

Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker headline this new release from Columbia Pictures, expected in theatres December 18. Did You Hear About the Morgans? follows a highly successful Manhattan couple, Meryl and Paul Morgan (Parker and Grant), whose almost-perfect lives have only one notable failure – their dissolving marriage. But the turmoil of their romantic lives is nothing compared to what they are about to experience: they witness a murder and become targets of a contract killer. The Feds, protecting their witnesses, whisk away the Morgans from their beloved New York to a tiny town in Wyoming, and a relationship that was on the rocks threatens to end completely in the Rockies... unless, in their new BlackBerry-free lives, the Morgans can slow down the pace and rekindle the passion. The movie also stars Sam Elliott, Mary Steenburgen, Elisabeth Moss, Michael Kelly and Wilford Brimley

2012 The action film 2012 hit theatres in mid November and though it has generally been panned by critic, it will likely be interesting for those following the Planet X or 2012 theories that abound these days. 2012 is an epic adventure about a global cataclysm that brings an end to the world and tells of the heroic struggle of the survivors.

2012 is a significant date in history to many cultures, religions, scientists, and governments. Centuries ago, the Maya left us their calendar, with a clear end date and all that it implies. Since then, astrologists have discovered it, numerologists have found patterns that predict it, geologists say the earth is overdue for it, and even government scientists cannot deny the cataclysm of epic proportions that awaits the earth in 2012. A prophecy that began with the Maya has now been well-chronicled, discussed, taken apart and examined. By 2012, we’ll know – we were warned. Columbia Pictures presents a Centropolis production, a Roland Emmerich film, 2012.

The film stars John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Thandie Newton, with Danny Glover and Woody Harrelson.

2012 has been rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for intense disaster sequences and some language.

Armored Another action packed thrilled you can find in theatres in December is Armored, from Screen Gems Studio. A crew of officers at an armored transport security firm risk their lives when they embark on the ultimate heist….against their own company. Armed with a seemingly fool-proof plan, the men plan on making off with a fortune with harm to none. But when an unexpected witness interferes, the plan quickly unravels and all bets are off. Just so you know, this film has sequences of intense violence some disturbing images and brief strong language. Armored stars Matt Dillon, Jean Reno, Laurence Fishburne.

NORTH of 50 December 09

Word S earch & Crosswords I

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angels baskets bell bells boughs candy cards carols cheer children cold crafts decorations egg elves festive frost frosty fun green holiday holly ice jingle jolly joy lights

mints nog presents red ribbons rudolph santa shop shops skis sleds sleighs snow snowman songs star tarts tinsel toys tree trees turkey white winter winterfrost wreaths

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 22.

ACROSS 1. Artist’s creation 4. Vegetable 8. Syrian Bishop 12. Mongrel dog 13. Gets older 14. France and Belgiu, anciently 15. Compass point 16. Entrap 17. Pipit 18. Author King 20. Christmas plants 21. Grain 22. Salaam

23. Sugar plant 26. Goddess 27. Imitate 30. Present covering 34. American College of Physicians (abbr) 35. Fish eggs 36. Celebrity 37. _Francisco 38. Adam’s wife 40. Animal with no home 43. Wider 47. Ocean Spray’s drink starters 48. Flit

49. Miner’s goal 50. Father’s sister 51. Double-reed instrument 52. Tell a tall tale 53. Second letter of the greek alphabet 54. Tease 55. Headed

5. Comply 6. Tilt 7. Sixth sense 8. Shining 9. False bible god 10. Tree growth 11. Alcoholic 19. Preparation (abbr) 20. Hospital (abbr) 22. Fen 23. Communication Workers of America (abr) 24. Bow 25. Snooze 26. East Northeast 27. Inclined 28. Pod vegetable 29. Stray 31. Beg 32. Cation 33. Afloat 37. Jolly man 38. Flub 39. Picked a candidate 40. Replace a striker 41. Factual 42. Rave 43. Baby’s “ball” 44. Toy 45. Canal 46. Swamp grass 48. Physician

Back issues of are available on line at www.northof50.com

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 22

6

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page 22

NORTH of 50 December 09

Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo

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Fax:(250) 546-8914 Apartment for rent in Armstrong. $1075.00 a month which includes utilities, satelite, A/C, and dishwasher. 1400 square feet with two large bedrooms.

Call for appointment 250-546-8910 or 250-546-8975 Minuteman shop vac “commercial” obo c/w hose, brush (approx 10 yrs. Old) $200.00, Hi Dry ump Pump1/2hp 12.00 ,Electric motor 1/6 HP 6.00, 9 ½ HP Johnson outboard motor with 5 gal. tank $200.00 obo , 10” Ice Auger with Tecumseh motor $200.00 obo,MVP Hydraulic Floor Jack 5000 LBS 25.00, Mobile Lincoln welder 200 AMP $ 300.00 obo, 4cylinders, withWisconsin motor, 8 ½ ft. camper Custom built c/w leather seats, Stove, fridge, propane

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Glider rocker & otomanblue $50.00, extension ladder $25.00. Two satelite dishes 18” $10.00, 24” $15.00, Trypod for satelite dish

$25.00, Omega juicer like new $100.00 (250)768-7095 Maytag heavy duty washer /dryer $400.00 for both excellent condition (250) 542-7118 New hand embroidered damask tablecloths $10.00 each, 2 Madalta Crock pots $40.00 each (250) 497-6311 New 5 pc dining set 48” round glass table c/w 4 chairs. excellent condition. asking $325.00 obo. Call Shirl at (250) 767-2716 Wanted: Ukelele, will pay up to $30.00 depending on brand & original cost

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(250) 309-6700 2 queen size mattresses only used 2 months, exc condition 150.00 each.

Call Marina at (250) 7694799 or (250) 306-5759.

Word Search Solution: Merry Christmas to Everyone

Retail wall ladder (was previously used at Bootlegger), on spring wheels. (No track). Very strong, 8' height. Non slip rungs. $100.00. Call 250-317-2434.

Remote control Chevy Silverado with battery and charger. Used only a few times. Call Will @ 250-712-9851 $40.00 Children's Play Vanity and stool. Stool has storage under seat. 250764-3218 $40.00 disney play kitchen measures approx 3ftw x3fth x2ft d $40.00 250764-3232

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Call for Entry: Fabric and Ceramic Artists Thompson Valley Potters Guild Spring Show May 1, 2010 10 am to 4 pm Desert Gardens 540 Seymour Street Early Bird Deadline: December 15th, 2009

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NORTH of 50 December 09

Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo

page 23

HOCKEY cont’d from pg 16 Two days later I found that the coaches and the executive had insisted that this young man play, “no matter what.’ They had disregarded my advice.

This young player phoned me from Calgary to tell me that the coach made him play. “I’m playing my best, but the coach says he’ll send me back down to the ‘Midget League.’ I’m almost 6 foot four. I couldn’t take being sent down to play with those little guys, Doc.” I contacted the league president and then phoned his mother and father in Lucky Lake, Saskatchewan. I told his mother their son’s coaches and hockey management were jeopardizing his life and health. His mom thanked me and told me that her son would recuperate at home for six weeks. There would be lots of home cooking for this well loved gentle youngster.

This same player became an all-star center-ice-man for the St. Louis Blues hockey team. He played for 15 years in the NHL and became a hall–of-famer.

The Kamloops Blazers made the play-offs that same year. At the first game, when I went to pick up my tickets, I found that my tickets had been sold and the team president of the Blazers said “they’d do without certain doctors during the playoffs or maybe find somebody else to fill in. The new doc could stand in the player’s bench, if he wanted to. No playoff seats would be available.”

Had I lost my hockey seats for calling the player’s parents, kicked out of my sacred hockey pew with all its splinters?

My life and interest in hockey has ended but a prolonged hockey season this year provided the incentive to spend time with my wife and four daughters. Now, I will devote my life to family, medicine and write Now, this summer, after putting the window screens on and taking the storm windows off, I occasionally meet with my old hockey buddies over a cold beer.

During these hockey discussions I am reminded of the dressing room quip by a great writer and old timer hockey player for the University of Waterloo Worriers, Ted McGee – “The older I get the better I was.”

Christmas Humor!

As the reindeer say before they tell you jokes .... These jokes will sleigh you!

Did Rudolph go to a regular school?

No, he was "elf"-taught!

How can Santa's sleigh possibly fly through the air?

You would too if you were pulled by flying reindeer!

How do you make a slow reindeer fast ?

Don't feed it !

How does Rudolph know when Christmas is coming? He looks at his calen-"deer"!

How long should a reindeer's legs be? Just long enough to reach the ground !

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Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo

NORTH of 50 December 09