North of 50 LOCAL LATITUDE, GLOBAL ATTITUDE
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February 2011 Vol. 9, Issue 2
HEART To HEART:
KEVIN KIENLEIN’S MIRACLE TRANSPLANT INSIDE: 21ST CENTURY ROMANCE JUST A CLICK AWAY
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CONTENTS
February 2011 Vol. 9, Issue 2
On December 13, 2010, Vernon resident Kevin Kienlein underwent a double lung heart transplant, one of only four performed in Canada each year. His recovery has been nothing less than miraculous. Christine Pilgrim, spoke in depth with Kevin and members of his team and brings us the exclusive, full story on page 8.
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FEATURES
DEPARTMENTS
COLUMNS
12 21ST CENTURY ROMANCE: HAS INTERNET DATING GONE VIRAL? Thompson Okanaganites look to high-tech means to find their perfect match By Dawn Renaud
28 STAYCATIONS Finding Yourself in Hot Water in BC is a Marvelous Thing By Kate MacLennan
5 FROM THE EDITOR
14 HIGH ON MOUNTAIN LOVE. A champagne proposal on Silver Star Mountain. By Patti Shales Lefkos 36 MILK MARKET. Internet trading of human commodity a little milky. By Shannon Linden
32 AWAY FROM HOME Turkey: Where Religion and Wine Began 38 HEALTH MATTERS Binge Eating 40 ARTS HAPPENING 41 COMING EVENTS 43 COMMUNITY EVENTS 44 IT’S A PUZZLER
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16 REGIONAL ATTITUDE An interview with Nick Arkle, Global Citizens Week 18 CALVIN WHITE Liar Liar 26 DON SAWYER Fair Comment: Don’t Worry Be Happy 31 LISE SIMPSON Glory Days 37 BOB HARRINGTON It’s Your World: Breaking the Machine Habit
FROM OUR EDITOR In this business, I’m always working ahead. I’m forced to think about events and special occasions long before they happen. Stories have to be assigned months ahead of time and files have to be sent to the press a full week before the magazine actually hits the stands or the post office. For example, I’m writing this editorial in January for the February issue and I’m already thinking about stories for spring and summer. Thinking ahead can be a good thing, like making sure there is enough gas in the car before heading out on a long road trip, or planning for retirement - or registering to be an organ donor. The BC Transplant Society is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. In 2010, 189 kidney transplants, 53 liver transplants and 10 double lung transplants were performed in this province. And just this past December, Vernon resident Kevin Kienlein was one of only four Canadians to receive a heart and double lung transplant . Kevin’s operation took place in Edmonton and we’re thrilled to report that his recovery is going very well. Kevin took the time to speak with North of 50° about his life - past, present and future. Head to page 8 to find this wonderful story about family, beating the odds and having heart. Speaking of which ... … Valentine’s Day is in February so it seems appropriate to publish a story about a romantic mountain top proposal and another about the high tech dating scene. We’ve all seen those commercials on TV – ones that feature perfect couples who have found their perfect match on an online dating service. If you met your mate years ago, the old fashioned way – through work, mutual friends or the bar scene you might be surprised at just how mainstream online romance has become. Dating sites are popping up all over the Information Highway and we’ll introduce you to a local couple who clicked online and fell in love. They offer up some dos and don’ts when looking for love or friendship on high tech ‘meet markets’ on page 12. Another type of “market” has recently been born online and you’re not likely to see a television commercial for it any time soon. It’s the “Milk Market.’ Launched on Facebook a few months back, you could say it’s still in its infancy. This online group has “a mandate to provide human milk for human babies by connecting mothers with product to spare to parents who can’t get enough.” And Thompson Okanagan mothers are heeding the call. Read the full story on page 36. If you enjoy this month’s content – or if you aren’t impressed - please send us your feedback. As I sign off this month’s editorial, my brain has already turned over the calendar to contemplate the future. If you have a story idea or if you would like to write an article for our publication, please drop me an email at editor@northof50.com. I would love to hear from you.
TJ Wallis
North of 50
LOCAL LATITUDE, GLOBAL ATTITUDE North of 50° i s a n i n d ep e n d en t , f ree m o n t h l y publication, locally owned, produced and distributed throughout the Thompson / Nicola/ South Cariboo/ Okanagan and Shuswap areas by 0727724 BC Ltd. Disclaimer: The publisher will not b e responsible for errors or omissions. In the even 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 r a te. T h e op i n i on s a n d v i ew s contained in submitted articles to North Of 50° magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher. T h e p ub l i s h er r et a i n s the right t o e d i t a l l s u b m i s s i o n s , i n c l ud i n g a r t i c l es a n d l et ter s to the editor, for brevity and clarity. Copyright is retained on a l l m a ter i a l , tex t a n d g ra p h i c s in this publication. No reproduction is allowed of any material in any form, print or electronic, for any purpose, except with the ex p r es s ed permission of North of 50 P ub l i c a t i on s (unless for private reference only). Publications Mail Agreement 41188516 ISSN# 1710-4750
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YOUR LETTERS Responses to january issue, children of palestine I just got a copy of the January issue. Thank You for the well written article. It will make people think. Thanks, especially highlighting the plight of Palestinians. Lisa and I are just bit players in a larger drama unfolding in the Middle East. Every little bit helps in ways we do not always understand. Thanks for using your gift so generously. The article is exactly what Palestinians are looking for to end their global invisibility and isolation. Accept my gratitude on their behalf. Johann Funk THERE’S MORE TO THIS STORY Thank you for your beautiful presentation of the story Children of Palestine, by Christine Pilgrim. I would like to offer one clarification. There are two reasons the lifeguard course for girls from the orphanage and refugee camp in Bethlehem was established. The first is due to the presence of the Israeli separation wall which blocks passage for Palestinian children from the West Bank to the nearby Mediterranean sea. The second is due to the fact that many Palestinian girls live under the threat of “honour” killings, still practiced in [some sectors of]* Palestinian society. Families, holding tight reins over daughters or orphaned relatives, can force them to marry against their will, or order their death if they deem them to be ‘too independent minded.’ The Palestinian Authority, which has legal jurisdiction over the Bethlehem area, generally turns a blind eye to this patriarchal decree. Often the most unprotected girls are those who are orphaned, with their fate determined by their uncles, grand-fathers and male cousins. By giving them a means to take care of themselves financially, and with the particular confidence swimming can bring, we’re hoping they will have a chance to make personal choices for their lives as they mature. Therefore the quote “It’s as if the girls are swimming for their lives.”
READER WANTS MORE LOCAL LATITUDE We received the latest issue of North of 50° and have been moved to write. We [are] very disappointed in the issue cover and story....and your justification for your worldly opinion (editorial). I have no doubt that there are issues all over the world that we are, and should be, interested and concerned with. The Children of Palestine story may be one that you assume is of importance to your readers. But I subscribed to your magazine after reading last year that you were searching for local writers. But I have not seen any new writers and have had to endure the regular contributors who might as well be on staff. If I wanted to read about other parts of the world, I can subscribe to WestWorld or a multitude of internationally oriented magazines. I had hoped to receive a local magazine with local stories and issues. I was hopeful that the ‘new writers’ would have given North of 50° more “local latitude” than “global attitude” but this latest issue has dashed that hope. Too bad......we wanted to support a more local-oriented magazine. Based on the lack of new writers/ideas/stories, the repeat regulars, and the global attitude, we likely won’t be renewing our subscription. Regards, Mr. and Mrs. P Editor’s Note: Over the past year, no less than 28 local writers and many more from other areas of BC have had bi-lines in North of 50°. North of 50° encourages freelance submissions from local writers. We also love receiving letters to the editor, whether they be beefs or bouquets. Hopefully, this month’s cover story about local heart and lung transplant recipient Kevin Kienlein will redeem us with this reader. For the record, the Children of Palestine was written by a local writer, about two local people who happen to volunteer in the Middle East. If you missed it, you can find it on-line in our past issues archive, www.northof50.com/past-issues.html
Thank you all on a job well done! My gratitude! Sincerely, Lisa Talesnick *Inserted by editor Editor’s Note: Apologies to Lisa Talesnick, not Talisnick, for the mis-spelling of her name in our Children of Palestine story in our January edition 6
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The Children of Palestine
The January issue of North of 50° received lots of reader response
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January 2011 Vol. 9, Issue 1 northof50.com
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OUR CONTRIBUTORS Christine Pilgrim lYves her February jobs. Apart from freelance writing, she will conduct roleplaying workshops at a Mission (Kelowna) High School, under the banner of Learning Through the Arts (LTTA), as well as her regular roleplaying workshops at Connections in Vernon. www.christinepilgrim. com
Dawn Renaud realized she needed an excuse for ignoring her chores and sinking into the alternate reality of a good book. Today she channels her creative immagination and affinity for words into more lucrative pursuits, writing for business and magazines and helping other writers hone thier craft. Dawn lives in a tiny house in Penticton.
PATTI SHALES LEFKOS spends winters at Silver Star Mountain downhill, cross country and back country skiing. She enjoys summers on a remote Ontario island, a base camp for rowing, flat water and white water canoeing. She loves to introduce others to the joys of wilderness travel.
Kelowna writer SHANNON LINDEN has a combined background in broadcast journalism and elementary education. Five years of working and travelling through the Middle East with her husband and two children inspired her to write about crossing the chasms of culture. Her work has been published in the United Arab Emirates and Canada.
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Heart To Heart:
By Christine Pilgrim
KEVIN KIENLEIN’S MIRACLE TRANSPLANT It was 43 years, almost to the day, after the first heart transplant was performed by Dr Christiaan Barnard in Cape Town South Africa, that Okanagan resident Kevin Kienlein received not only a new heart but two new lungs as well.
in the past year, his is the 30th such operation performed by surgeon Dr Dennis Modry since he instigated Western Canada’s original heart-lung transplant program there 25 years ago.
We’ve come a long way since Dr Barnard’s medical breakthrough on December 3rd, 1967.
Unlike the first heart recipient, Louis Washkansky, who succumbed to double pneumonia less than three weeks after his transplant operation, Kevin Kienlein was out of Intensive Care in less than a week and walking in less than two. But there are still risks involved, the main one being rejection
While Kevin’s is the only heart and double lung transplant undergone at Edmonton’s University of Alberta Hospital 8
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and its related issues. And then there is the exhaustion from physiotherapy and other post-operative regimes. According to Toronto’s University Health Network, the average extended life expectancy of a heart transplant recipient has increased from 102 days in 1972 to 10 – 12 years today. If Kevin’s current record is anything to go by, he is bound to exceed that and may well follow in the footsteps of fellow recipient Dwight Kroening. In 2008, he successfully completed the 25th Annual Subaru Iron Man triathlon in Penticton a full 22 years after his heart transplant. Meanwhile, Kevin’s double lung transplant was pioneered by Dr Joel Cooper back in 1986 in Toronto when he performed the world’s first double lung transplant on Ann Harrison. In tribute to her, Dr Cooper says he still marvels when someone so close to death is returned to a vigorous life. To this day, when he lectures on transplantation, he shows pictures of Ann who lived another fulfilling 15 years before a brain aneurysm took her life at age 56. At age 50, Kevin Kienlein shares a similar spirit to that of Dwight Kroening and Ann Harrison. Born July 12th 1960 with the congenital heart condition – tricuspid atresia, atrial and ventricular septal defects (ASDs and VSDs), coupled with Eisenmenger’s syndrome (pulmonary hypertension) he was not expected to live beyond the age of 10. But the Kienleins are the kind who fight the odds. Ron and Vivian, Kevin’s parents, determined to give him as normal a life as they could. They treated him and his two younger brothers, Alvin and Greg, as equally as possible. “Although the younger boys were jealous because Kevin didn’t have to go to school like they did,” chuckles Vivian. She remembers how Kevin would attend school for a week, then he’d pick up some bug – any bug that was going around - and end up in hospital. “Childhood ailments hit him harder than other kids,” she says. Then there were the quarterly visits to Vancouver for check-ups. They were not only tough on the family’s tight budget but also meant more absences from school. So Kevin left in Grade 5 and took a correspondence course until a home visiting teacher oversaw his education. He couldn’t run and play like other children. He couldn’t even walk far without becoming exhausted, and walking
uphill was out of the question ... until, always inventive, he took to walking uphill backwards to conserve energy. He made contact with the outside world via CB radio; then progressed to ham radio, became a ham junkie and, eventually, president of the local ham radio club. Music fills his bones. His first instrument was the organ and, until recently, he accompanied Sunday services at his local church. Then, when he heard his great uncle play fiddle he was smitten, and his father’s old instrument served to “scrape at a few tunes.” He joined the Old Time Fiddlers’ Club, eventually becoming its president, and won countless northof50.com
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trophies and awards. Over 30 of his catchy fiddling tunes have been published and his rendition of The Orange Blossom Special continues to earn him standing ovations.
three-to-five month monitored convalescence he would need in Edmonton, as well as the testing and back-up equipment that would be required back home in Vernon.
Guitar was his next choice. Vivian and Ron bought him “a beat up old second-hand thing.”
Still, he waited. The call finally came at 1am on December 13th, 2010.
Vivian recalls,“The new strings cost more than the guitar but it was all we could afford.” Kevin also learnt piano. In fact, he plays almost a dozen different instruments, from guitar and keyboard to fiddle and ukavarious (a fiddle made from a toilet plunger). He joined several bands; built himself a recording studio; cut two C.Ds and tapes; mended violins; and took up photography. Blessed with an infectious sense of humour and silky baritone voice, he has been a solo performer for the past 15 years and was first runnerup in Okanagan Life’s 2009 people’s choice for ‘Most Popular Entertainer in the North Okanagan.’ But as time passed, Kevin’s condition deteriorated. His energy waned. He slept wearing an oxygen mask. Walking uphill - even backwards became difficult and lugging his sound equipment, impossible. In the spring of 2009, his cardio specialist said he was nearing the end of his stability and suffering from congestive heart failure. She suggested he be assessed for a transplant. The following October he met his pulmonary team in Edmonton and, after several more meetings and assessments, his doctors decided he qualified. He was placed on the donor registry on March 3rd, 2010. Then he waited. Friends and fans held benefit events to raise funds for the
Nocturnal by nature, he was preparing for bed earlier than his usual time - between 2 and 4 am. “But when that phone rang with the news of a possible donor,” he says, “all hell broke loose.” He woke his mother. She and Jeannie Byron, his local support person, helped pack. Lois Roper, his main support person in Edmonton, was in town for her mother’s 80th birthday. She would accompany him via Medevac jet to Edmonton. They flew out later that morning. Time was of the essence. Exactly 12 hours after the 1am call, Kevin was on the operating table. Just over five hours later, he was in recovery. When she saw him a few days after the operation, Vivian stared in awe at the son she hardly recognized. For 50 years she had worried over the blue discolouration caused by his condition. She simply stood, struck speechless by the sight of his now pink lips and fingertips. To break the silence, he showed her his wound which follows the rib cage from one side of his torso to the other. “It looks like a huge squiggly smile,” he says, with a matching grin. Kevin and his family know that their lives have been blessed because of another family’s tragedy and “inconceivable generosity” and they are grateful beyond words.
Fortified by his religious faith and his trust in the passionately devoted university transplant team – from support staff to nurses, doctors and surgeons – Kevin says, “These people do miracles.” He isn’t out of the woods yet, but when he recovers fully, besides returning to entertaining and photography, he intends to take up inspirational speaking to raise awareness of the importance of organ donation. After all, as he says, we can offer no greater gift than our hearts.
Update At the time of going to press, Kevin Kienlein’s condition continues to improve, although he still has one tube draining “a leak in his chest.” He longs to taste solid food again and salivates at the thought of his favourite dish, seafood fettuccini. Once he is established on a regular diet and able to leave hospital, he will visit for daily physiotherapy sessions until, two to three months after that, he returns to Vernon. We wish him well.
To become a registered donor contact: www.transplant.bc.ca Kevin Kienlein’s websites:
www.kevinkienlein.com www.lookingatyou.ca www.aheartforkevin.com www.friendsofkevin.com
TRANSPLANT FAQS * Over 5,000 life-saving organ transplants have been performed since B.C.’s first organ transplant in 1968.
PHOTO CAPTIONS:
* In 2010, BC Transplant has performed over 220 transplants, surpassing the 211 done in 2009.
Cover & Page 10 - Kevin Kienlein soon after he received a new heart and 2 new lungs last December. His is one of only four heart-lung transplants performed in Canada each year. (Photo by his Edmonton support worker Lois Roper.)
* There are currently more than 370 British Columbians waiting to receive an organ transplant.
Page 8 - Kevin Kienlein, well on his way to recovery, with one of his ‘miracle workers’ in the pulmonary team, Dr Mataso Mutsuga Page 9 (top to bottom) - As Kevin Kienlein’s health deteriorated, he felt less inclined to accept performing gigs and instead rekindled his interest in photography with digital images. He joined the Vernon Camera Club and augmented its active membership from 4 to 63 in the first year of his inevitable presidency. (Photo submitted) Kevin Kienlein, aged 2. He was diagnosed with congenital heart disease at 3 months. (Photo submitted) Kevin Kienlein is a popular entertainer throughout the Thompson, Okanagan and Shuswap (Photo submitted)
* More than 781,460 British Columbians have registered their decision on the Registry. Over the past 30 years, significant advances have been made in living donation, which has allowed more people to donate. It used to be that living donation was restricted to close family members with a strong genetic link, but with improvements in anti-rejection medications, this is no longer the case, as spouses, friends, and co-workers routinely donate. It doesn’t take long to show support for those waiting for a transplant. BC Transplant has made it simple. In just a few minutes you can register your decision online at www.transplant.bc.ca, B.C.’s Organ Donor Registry. Register today! northof50.com 11
Sue and Barry hooked up via the internet.
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21st Century Romance:
HAS INTERNET DATING GONE VIRAL? By Dawn Renaud
Barry, a chef in Penticton, proposed to Sue, a health professional in Kamloops, on Christmas Eve. He says they “clicked” when they met, some 18 months before—online— and he had a good feeling she’d say “yes.” Although he had been single for a while, Barry hadn’t really considered Internet dating. “My son suggested it,” he says. The two of them were watching television, and commercials for a free weekend on an Internet dating service kept playing. His son, 14, said, “Why don’t you give that a try?” “He probably just wanted to get me out of the house.” Barry laughed at the idea at first, but then thought, why not? He wasn’t interested in the bar scene—that was fun twenty years ago but not anymore - and there was little opportunity to meet single women his age either at work or through his social circle. By the time the commercial had played a couple 12 northof50.com
more times, he’d decided to give it a try. Those looking into these virtual “meet markets” will find plenty of variety. There are free sites like Plenty of Fish for those who just want to date and have fun, while paid sites like eVow usually weed out those who are only looking for casual relationships. Barry decided to take advantage of the paid site eHarmony’s “free weekend” offer and logged in. He was surprised by the rigor of the process. Instead of being asked to write a paragraph or two describing himself, Barry had to fill out an in-depth questionnaire. “It’s not a ten-minute job,” he says. “I think it took about an hour.” He realized that for this to work, he’d have to be completely honest with himself. The questions were designed to get to the bottom of who he
really is—his beliefs and ideals, what he most wanted from a partner, and what he could and could not offer in return. According to the eHarmony website, the questionnaire was developed by a clinical psychologist who, after many years as a counsellor, figured there must be “a better way to find love than leaving it to chance.” While some couples started out compatible but grew apart, others travelling relatively similar paths stayed strong. Did specific combinations of personality traits contribute to these “deeply satisfying unions of two fulfilled individuals”? The questions are designed to help the site’s compatibility matching system look at 29 traits. These are broken down into “core traits,” which tend to remain largely unchanged throughout our adult life, and “vital attributes,” which may change based on life events and the decisions we make. In Barry’s experience, this system is incredibly effective. Rather than having to scan through page after page of selfdisclosing profiles, he was provided with a very short list of women the matching system identified as potential matches. From there, it was easy. “First you review each other’s must-haves and don’t-wants,” he says. “Once that kind of clicks, then you’re allowed to send five questions and she can answer them, and vice versa.” If that goes smoothly, the two potential matches exchange more information about themselves through the site, or through a private phone message service. Of course, even when the system says two people are a “perfect match,” there’s not always the right chemistry; Barry says the first couple of women he met were nice, but for whatever reason, they didn’t really click. The system may also identify flex matches—cases when there’s only one major item out of sync, at which point clients might want to be flexible. Barry had indicated he wasn’t interested in a distance relationship, but had a nearmatch in Kamloops, well outside his range. He decided to find out more. “We started emailing right away,” says Barry; they were both on their days off at the time. “It was fast. As fast as we could get the information back and forth—it was like click. Clickclick-click. Then we met in Kelowna.” There was a mix-up in the directions that left them waiting at opposite ends of a parking lot. Fortunately, they
recognized each other across the distance; both had posted recent photos. Darcy, a writer in West Kelowna has occassionally online dated and, says it’s not uncommon for a man to post photos from fitter, leaner days or lie about his age. And, she says, men complain that women do exactly the same things. Online, some deceptions are much easier to pull off, which can attract scam artists hoping to take advantage. “You have to be smart enough to weed them out,” she says. In this respect, dating online is really no different than any other social situation. “I’ve met a lot of people [online] I’m still friends with.” She says if you want to date, you need to let the right people know you’re available. That isn’t always easy. These sites can be a viable option, and even the paid sites may be less expensive than spending your evenings trolling in bars and clubs—and less risky. By the time Barry met Sue, they both knew a lot about each other—including some fairly personal details. They started out knowing the kinds of things most of us are afraid to ask about in the early stages of a relationship, things we really should have known about our partners before we became invested. In this respect, Internet dating can act as a very effective matchmaker. In Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye’s daughters are breaking tradition and choosing matches based on love. Tevye and Golde had a traditional, arranged marriage; they met on their wedding day, and his parents told him he and Golde would grow to love each other. (He asks Golde after 25 years as a team if she loves him. She supposes she does. He supposes he loves her, too.) Perhaps a dating site like eHarmony can provide the best of both worlds—the opportunity to choose a match where the chemistry is right both in those heady early days, and over the long haul—in other words, a relationship that clicks and stays clicked. When Barry told his mother about Internet dating, she reminded him that several years ago her brother had met his wife online. Barry says he’s seen stats showing that these days, this is how one in five successful relationships starts out. And for those seeking a long-term relationship, he thinks the site he used was a good option. “I highly recommend it, whether you’re 30, 40 or 50,” he says. Oh, and by the way, Sue said yes. northof50.com 13
Mountain Love
High on Story by Patti Shales-Lefkos Photo by Barry Hodgins
It was New Year’s at Silver Star, a sunny afternoon with the promise of clear starlit skies for the traditional torchlight parade and fireworks. As pale pink, late afternoon alpenglow illuminated the distant Monashee peaks, local ski instructor and freestyle coach Emile van Dun, 33, reconsidered his plan.
“Where am I going to do this?” he wondered in a panic. Originally Emile thought Kassanova the perfect run but it was a double black, so he suggested to his girlfriend Steffi Siedmann, 25, that they head for Gypsy Queen, an intermediate run on the backside of Silver Star with a scenic view from the top. 14 northof50.com
But, the day just wasn’t going the way he had planned. “ I was hard on him all day,” says Steffi. “ I thought Emile was not treating the anniversary of the day we met, exactly three years before at a New Year’s Eve party at Hemlock Mountain, with respect.” When the couple hesitated at the top of Gypsy Queen for a last look at the view, Steffi didn’t know what to think when Emile popped out of his bindings and rushed toward her. Sure he was tired of her teasing and prepared to receive a face wash, she couldn’t get her skis off fast enough. But, Emile was ready to surprise her. A thoughtful kind of guy, Emile had gone to Steffi’s parents, Rainer and Sabina Siedmann several days before to discuss his feelings for their only daughter. But Siedmann’s Sausage was swamped with holiday business leaving no time to talk. Later, just in time, Emile got his chance. Before heading up to Silver Star, he and Steffi dropped by Siedmann’s Sausage to pick up the meat for New Year’s dinner. When Steffi returned to the car, Emile slipped back into the shop for a brief conversation with Rainer. “Promise me you’ll stick with her, no matter what,” said Rainer. Having convinced Rainer of his enduring love for Steffi, and having already hidden the necessary items in his jacket, his plan was a go.
Emile, also a carpenter and architectural technician, owner of Coolibah Custom Home Creations and Steffi, now a teacher, were married at her parents’ home off Keddleston Road. Fast-forward to 2011. The busy family of five now live close by with their son, five-year-old future freestyler, Lars, twoyear-old surfer-girl Sophie and baby Kai. Emile, originally from Australia, continues to design custom homes as well as working as a Canadian Ski Instructors Alliance Level 3 instructor and freestyle supervisor at Silver Star. Steffi, born in Berlin, is currently a stay-at-home mom and gourmet cook who stays in incredible shape by running in the summer and skate skiing in the winter, pulling the two little ones in a sled, while she and son Lars burn up the cross-country trails at Sovereign Lake Nordic area. A well-planned New Year’s sunset engagement at Silver Star for this international couple who have made Canada home, proving ski instructors can be a romantic lot after all, as long as they can fit the proposal into a day on the slopes. Patti Shales Lefkos is a freelance journalist currently working on a book about the history of Silver Star Mountain.
So when Emile approached her she didn’t at first notice his serious expression. Then, suddenly he was down on one knee, professing his love. “You’re even more important to me than skiing,” he said, a telling statement indeed for a ski fanatic, adding, “I love you. Will you marry me?” Steffi said yes. After a hug and kiss Emile revealed a gorgeous diamond ring he had chosen himself and a small bottle of champagne to toast the occasion. The last run of the day down Gypsy Queen was memorable. “ I had very shaky knees,” said Steffi. “I don’t know how I made it down to the chair.” Emile, on the other hand, was flying high, and not from champagne. “I felt great, really proud. I never skied a run like that,” he said. northof50.com 15
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2011 marks the seventh year for Global Citizen Week in Kelowna. From February 19 to 26, organizers of the event hope to motivate and mobilize every sector of the community to making a difference globally. We spoke with founding Chair, Nick Arkle, about this year’s event. Nick is the Chief Forester at Gorman Bros. Lumber Ltd., as well as a committed humanitarian and recipient of Okanagan College’s 2007 Distinguished Alumni Award. Nick, what is Global Citizen Week ( GCK) all about?
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GCK is organized by a volunteer network of local humanitarian nonprofit allies. We know collaboration and collective action helps to achieve greater results. Overall, the objective is to educate, inform, direct and create a linkage between the general public and local and regional humanitarian organizations. During previous Global Citizen Kelowna Weeks, local schools, organizations and the general public have participated in workshops and presentations, cultural events and humanitarian project competitions such as the Millennium Development Challenge.
In the past, we had Canadian Craig Kielburger of ‘Free the Children’ speak to over 2000 students, motivating them to ‘make a difference’ in both the local and global community. We’ve also had special United Nation workshops where Canadian organizations contribute to the development of a Canadian civil society position on specific UN topics. What can people look forward to this year during Global Citizen Week? This year, as in previous years, there will be something for everyone. We want people from all backgrounds, ages and walks of life to realize that each and every person does have the opportunity to make a difference. We are bringing world class speakers into Kelowna and putting on engaging events that will be thought-provoking, fun, and inspirational. Over the past few years GCK has focused on the youth in the community. One event specifically for youth is the Millennium Development Challenge Competition (Taking a bite out of the MDGs), on February 24. It’s open to schools from SD#23 and private schools. Using visual tools and oral skills the teams of students demonstrate, through practical strategies, how they could help one community in one developing country make significant progress toward one or more of the Millennium Development Goals by spending just $5,000. Students must demonstrate that they have a realistic plan for spending the $5,000, and must account for each and every dollar. Finally, they must demonstrate to the panel of judges made up of NGO, student and business leaders that their plan is sustainable. The group that convinces the panel of judges that they can get the most “bang for their bucks” will actually receive a $5,000 cheque from Global Citizen Kelowna to contribute to an international development agency of their choosing. Second place students get $2,000 for the international agency of their choice with third, fourth and fifth place students getting $1,000 each for agencies of their choice. We’ll also have the third annual ‘Global Citizen Kelowna Youth Service Award, which will be presented to a grade 12 student who best represents the spirit of the award -- which is to ‘live out’ global and local service. The award includes a trophy and a $1000 cheque towards their future studies. The winner will be one of three finalists who will not know the result until the award evening that will take place at the end of the Michel Chikwanine presentation on February 22, 2011. Michel Chikwanine is a former child soldier who will be speaking on February 22,. Michel was born in the
Entertainment at Taste of Home during Global Citizen Week 2010 Democratic Republic of the Congo and is a former child soldier who now shares his personal story and inspires people to believe in their ability to create change. The annual Taste of Home, which features ethnic food and entertainment continues to draw up to 800 people. It runs from 5:00 to 9:00pm on February 19 at the New Life Auditorium on Highway 97. While tickets need to be purchased to taste the various foods on hand, admission to the event is free. It’s a wonderful way to celebrate the diverse array of cultures we have in our community. An Artist’s Eye on the World is another event that has become an integral part of Global Citizen Kelowna Week. A digital and print photo exhibit will be created from photos submitted by the broad community. Everyone will have the opportunity to be part of this local photo exhibit on the theme: Global Citizen - Humanitarian Work. Anyone who has been part of a humanitarian group or by themselves has helped someone in need and/or in some way has been working towards achieving one or more of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals will be able to submit ‘in action’ photographs. This year’s focus Millennium Development Goal is to ‘Achieve universal primary education’. A special eye will be directed at those photographs that show participation in achieving this goal. ‘An Artist’s Eye on the World’ exhibit 2011 will be held at various Global Citizen Kelowna events and will also include a new component for short films produced by local filmmakers. More information is available at www.globalcitizenkelowna.org northof50.com 17
Quartetto Gelato to Perform in Kamloops and Vernon, February Virtuosic showpieces, romantic tenor arias, gypsy pyrotechniques and a World Accordion Champion – this is Quartetto Gelato. Where music meets theatre and audiences are taken on an unforgettable musical journey! The group will give two performances in Kamloops and two in Vernon this February. Kamloops audiences will be enchanted when the group performs with the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra, February 11th and 12th, 7:30 pm at Sagebrush Theatre. In Vernon, Quartetto Gelato returns as part of the North Okanagan Community Concert Association’s Sweetheart Soiree, February 14th (7:30 pm) and 15th (1:30 PM) at the Vernon Performing Arts Centre The February 14th evening concert offers audience members with a chance to dress up in their finest, if they would like, and stroll up the red carpet before Quartetto Gelato steps into the spotlight. Each member of the quartet is a globe-trotting star in their own right. Together, they blend the magic of oboe, cello, violin and accordion, top it with a dazzling operatic tenor and wrap it all up with charismatic stories they share with the audience. Quartetto Gelato concerts, which are sprinkled with classical masterpieces, operatic arias, sizzling tangos, gypsy and folk songs, sparkle with virtuosity, artistic passion and good humour. The group established itself as a dominant force on the music scene early in their career by winning the coveted title of NPR Performance Today’s Debut Artist of the Year. 18 northof50.com
Their first CD, A Concert in Wine Country, produced in 2007, was picked up by PBS and has been broadcast throughout the United States. Two of their CDs have literally been heard around the world – or rather above it - since Canadian Astronaut Dr. Robert Thirsk took them aboard the space shuttle Columbia. The group’s cellist, Elizabeth McLellan, won the RBC Youth Achievement Award that allowed to her study on full scholarship at the Banff Centre for the Performing Arts. She also won the University of Waterloo’s highest award for graduate music students. When he isn’t playing the violin or mandolin, tenor Peter de Sotto has been called a credible stand-in for Pavarotti. An accordion is not a common instrument in a quartet like this, but Alex Sevastian is no ordinary musician. A winner of four world championships, he has played with symphonies in Russia, Japan, Toronto, Calgary, New York and has had solo recitals in Mexico, Italy, Portugal and Serbia. Oboist Colin Maier is amazing. As well as the oboe, he plays clarinet, English horn, violin, banjo, acoustic and electric bass, piano, saxophone, flute, guitar and harmonica. He says he has yet to master the “kitchen sink” despite years of training. Colin was also the devil fiddler in the flying blue canoe at the Vancouver Winter Olympics. Tickets for the Kamloops Performances are available by calling Kamloops Live! Box Office at 250.37.5483 or toll free at 1.866.374.5483. Tickets for the Vernon Performances are available by calling the Ticketseller at 250.549.7469 or through www.ticketseller.ca Pro-rated season tickets for this and the remaining two North Okanagan Community Concerts are available. They work out to just $19 a concert for adults and $9.50 for those under 18.
Academy of Western Artists, male and female cowboy poets of the year for 2009, Mike Puhallo (right) and JoLynne Kirkwood (left) are 2 of the almost 3 dozen entertainers who will perform at the Kamloops Cowboy Festival, March 10 to 13. Touted as one of the best and biggest Cowboy Festivals in North America, this annual festival brings together the best in Cowboy poetry, Cowboy music and good times.
LOCAL LATITUDE, GLOBAL ATTITUDE
Last June, Grammy Award–winning singer and songwriter Sarah McLachlan released her first studio album of new material in 7 years, Laws of Illusion. In March, McLachan will perform at Prospera Place in Kelowna
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SAWYER FAIR COMMENT
Don’t Worry Be Happy I’m taking on a difficult job this month – critiquing a piece from January’s North of 50 titled “Cheer Up – The World Is a Wonderful Place.” When I mentioned my plans to Jan, my wife, she looked at me incredulously. “You’re going to trash an article advocating being happy? Good luck.” Well, she’s got a point there, but hey, a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do. Let’s get one thing straight: I’m all for being happy. Really. Actually, I’m a pretty happy guy. But that doesn’t mean I have to suspend reality and all of my critical thinking capacities, and that’s exactly what David Seymour is asking us to do. If you missed the article last month, the premise is pretty simple: Don’t worry; Be happy! In Seymour’s words, “The
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best evidence we have suggests that the future will involve wealthier, healthier people with stable population growth and greater ability to be environmental custodians.” So what in the world, you may be asking, is wrong with that? Well, the problem is his contention is based on unsupported assertions, half-truths and outright distortion designed to lull us all to sleep. His article is a clarion call for inaction. The purpose of Seymour’s group, the Frontier Centre, like other right-wing “think tanks” such as the Fraser Institute in Canada and the Cato Institute in the US – and not unlike the efforts of the tobacco industry in the 60s and 70s – is to influence public opinion and policy makers in order ensure that the world remains safe for corporate profits though unfettered plundering. They do this in part by sewing confusion around potentially alarming issues such as climate change, in the Frontier Centre’s case, because of their close links with the oil industry, sponsoring such forums as “Human Caused Global Warming – The Biggest Deception in History?” and “Drill, Baby, Drill! Why Canada Needs its Offshore Oil” (with the perplexing conclusion that “pseudo-green and anti-capitalist opposition to offshore oil development is utterly immoral” and, in an official position paper, stating that “for countries to implement restrictive, punitive energy policies – based on such speculation [climate change science] – would be crazy and suicidal.” Seymour’s article is a variation on that theme. If everything is hunky dory, why change course? Why act to restrict our personal consumption pattern or, worse, begin to suggest that industry, which eats up about 50 percent of the world’s total delivered energy and produces most of the pollution, clean up its act? And most importantly, there is certainly no need to elect governments that might actually pursue a responsible policy on climate change, assess the real costs of energy extraction and production in terms of environmental and infrastructure expenses and tax accordingly or, heaven forbid, pass and enforce more restrictive environmental practices. In attacking those he terms “the merchants of gloom” – apparently 99% of climate change scientists, anti-poverty activists and just about anyone else slightly to the left of George W. Bush – Seymour, like all neoliberals, asserts that we are in the good (if invisible) hands of the marketplace. Poverty? Forget it. While “the rich are getting richer, the poor are getting richer too, faster.” Unfortunately, the figures tell a different story. While there has indeed been a slight decline in global poverty in
the last 30 years, according to the World Bank, almost all of this decline occurred in China, where the poverty rate fell from 85% to 15.9%, or by over 600 million people. (This is particularly ironic since another premise in the article is that freedom is breaking out all over, to the economic and social benefit of all). Moreover, 80% of humanity still lives on less than $10 a day and even more live in countries where income differentials are widening. China, for example, in two generations, has gone from being one of the countries with the most equitable distribution to one of the worst, and income inequality in the United States is at an all-time high. The environment? No problem. “Getting richer is compatible with conserving the environment,” Seymour asserts, adding cynically that “starving people don’t join Greenpeace” (though I’d be willing to bet that the percentage of Frontier Centre board members that join Greenpeace would be just about the same as those who are starving). Such claims, though appealing, ignore our disproportionate environmental footprints – it is estimated that Americans and Canadians consume 40 to 50 times as much energy as people in world’s poorest countries – and that as we “all get richer,” world energy-related carbon dioxide emissions will rise from about 30 billion metric tons in and 42 to an estimated billion metric tons in 2035—an increase of 43 percent over the projection period. Frontier Centre aside, Alan Durning, author of How Much Is Enough describes succinctly the real situation we are facing: “Even assuming rapid progress in stabilizing human numbers and great strides in employing clean and efficient technologies, human wants will overrun the biosphere unless they shift from material to nonmaterial ends. The ability of the earth to support billions of human beings depends on whether we continue to equate consumption with fulfillment.” Shh. Go back to sleep now. It was just a bad dream. Those mean old merchants of gloom are gone now. Back to sleep. “Lullaby, and good night...” Nighty night. Don Sawyer is a writer, educator and former Director of Okanagan College’s International Development Centre. He lives with his wife in Salmon Arm. You can contact Don Sawyer by email at donsawyer@ telus.net or by mail at Don Sawyer c/o North of 50, Box 100, Armstrong, BC V0E 1B0. For more information on Don’s writing and development work, visit his web site at www.thenortherned.com. northof50.com 21
Photo by Brendan
2nd Annual Cowboy Festival Kickoff Party Enjoy dinner & entertainment with Wylie Gustafson at Kamloops favorite country location.
March 10, 2011 Cocktails 6:00 PM Dinner 6:30 PM Entertainment 8:00 PM
Tickets only $30.00 Call today 250.573.3777 At the South Thompson Inn & Guest Ranch 3438 Shuswap Road Kamloops, B.C., V2H 1T2
Kamloops Cowboy Festival -- March 10th - 13th, 2011 presented by
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1-888-763-2224 Featuring the Best in Cowboy Poetry Western Music plus
A Cowboy Trade Show with over 50 exhibitors displaying western products plus
The Art of the West Show and Sale proudly sponsored by Canadian Cowboy Country Watch the web site for special room rates at the Kamloops Towne Lodge our official host hotel
exhibitors & art submissons are invited, see www.bcchs.com
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WHITE
CALVIN
Liar Liar
There was a time when political leadership conventions meant something. Usually, there was a flavor of renewal, of newness, of change. There was excitement, anticipation. Here in B.C. we have not one, but two conventions coming to choose a new premier and a new leader of the opposition who could in future become premier. One would think it would be heady days in the world of popular politics here in the world’s highest democracy. Not so. Has the level of cynicism and disenchantment with our government offices ever been so low? It’s not just that everyone hated and distrusted plaid shirt Campbell and his HST. It’s not just that the NDP imploded and exposed its own shoddiness. It’s that, like the Tunisians in January, we’re fed up. That country’s leader finally lost the illusion of power and control which had held his population in sway for twenty years . For us, it’s been the long, slow slide. And it’s true that scandals have been a factor, but I sense there is an underlying issue that has nurtured a type of rot into the political system. There’s perhaps a clue in
one of the priority no-no’s in our parliament. It’s a sin to call someone a liar. Hmmm? What did Shakespeare say in Hamlet about protesting too much? The answer is sadly resounding. They really are all liars. All of them in our legislature. And we are silly to not acknowledge it openly and with certainty. The people elected in B.C. and in Canada at the provincial and federal levels are all liars. They cannot get elected otherwise and will not remain in their parties otherwise. The leaders are the leaders of the lying. And we all know it. I say this because I ran for provincial office twice and federal office once. I’m a good guy. I’ve done positive things for others all my life. But I was a liar each time I ran for office and if I’d been elected (Praise the Lord, I was spared) I’d have kept lying and become ever more drawn into that pattern. In any public forum or on a radio show or during an interview I was always assessing how I should answer and what I should say. I was always cognizant of how to turn a question to my favor, mask if I didn’t know an issue, trot out an issue I wanted to emphasize, or just thinking of how to look good. Our parliamentary democracy is based on party politics and leader dictated direction. That is determined by what the chosen publicists and media gurus decide will be most persuasive with the public in order to gain election. One is not allowed to express one’s own opinion or thoughts. One is not really even supposed to have one’s own opinion. All are expected to toe the party line. That expression came from reality. In an unholy alliance, our journalists and media talking heads reinforce and promote what they term political savvy, “effective” politicking or “message control”. They laud the leaders who run a tight ship, who avoid “missteps”, who successfully bullshit. Disparagingly they refer to “loose cannons” and conversely to affable or consummate politicians. The latter are those who avoid straight answers but who can tell good jokes. Look at how many times is a political figure crucified for getting caught expressing their real feelings. Bad, bad, bad. If a lawn is defecated on, and the elected person is asked to comment, the first option is to declare, “ I haven’t smelled it yet.” Second is, “It’s not as bad as the other guy’s.” Third option is, “We’ve put $4 trillion into long term care homes in Grindrod”. Each time an elected official refuses to answer a question directly, defends the party despite objective evidence to the contrary, repeats the mantra of the day for the fourteenth
time, exaggerates to gain favor, trumpets a deed as though it is a gift from the party when it’s really what taxes are for, distorts or forces attention on an opponent’s comments or behaviour, and uses the system for self or party benefit that person is lying and betraying the trust of the people. That person undermines our well-being. When we see a large roadside sign or get a flyer in the mail flapping about that how “your government” has done these good things, we are being lied to because it’s called communication even though we know it’s just propaganda that we foot the bill for. The sadness is that we’ve accepted that we are helpless to change it. Hockey commentator, Don Cherry is arguably the most appreciated figure in Canada. I’d say he is the most trusted. It’s not because his opinions are agreed with or even respected, it’s because we know who he really is and what he really thinks, and we can’t say that about anyone other public figure. Everyone else measures what they say. There was a time when government leaders used a radio or television address to speak directly to the people in order to bind the nation together, to connect emotionally with us. Those were the days. We don’t revolt in Canada like the Tunisians because we’ve got it good here in terms of material comfort and law and order. Comparatively. For now. And, hey, we’ve got Gorgeous George Abbott, Kevin Phalluscon, Adrian Dixieland, Harry Lollipop.....and Rufus the Toking Kangaroo and they’re all here for us aren’t they? Aren’t they? Calvin White is a retired high school counsellor who lives in the North Okanagan. He has over 70 essays published in various Canadian daily newspapers, including the Globe and Mail, the Ottawa Citizen, Toronto Star, Vancouver Sun and Province. If you have any comments on this column, you can write to Calvin White at calvinwhite@northof50.com or to Calvin White c/o North of 50, Box 100, Armstrong, BC V0E 1B0
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Falling in LOVe With Chocolate Valentine’s Day and chocolate have been linked for some time now, but there really hasn’t been any definitive explanation for just why the delicious confection and the day of love seem to go hand in hand. The average American eats 11 pounds of Chemical components of chocolate could be the chocolate every year, a significant reason why it is craved and enjoyed percentage of which is enjoyed around Valentine’s Day. The reason people are known to enjoy and crave chocolate may be connected to its chemical components.
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Chocolate has been known to affect mood in many ways. It contains 380 known chemicals, triggering a host of responses in the brain. Chocolate can trigger the production of opioids, which are chemicals, such as those found in opium, that produce a feeling of well-being (euphoria). Eating chocolate then may make a person feel better, which is why chocolate is often a turn-to comfort snack. Chocolate also may work like THC, the chemical components in marijuana, extending the feeling of being “high” or well-being. Chocolate can also increase blood pressure and blood-sugar levels, attributing to feelings of alertness. The caffeine in chocolate also acts as a stimulant. However, the reason chocolate may be snatched up come Valentine’s Day is that chocolate appears to contain phenylalanine, the same chemical that is produced by the brain when people fall in love. Doctors think that eating chocolate creates a temporary “love high.” For those gifting chocolate for Valentine’s Day, consider dark chocolate, which is also high in antioxidants. This chocolate is among the healthier varieties in which to indulge.
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’s Valentine vie o M Day Guide No holiday is more synonymous with romance than Valentine’s Day. Every February 14 couples express their feelings for one another with candies, flowers and a host of other romantic traditions. For couples who want to cozy up on the couch this Valentine’s Day, the following movies make ideal choices to set a romantic mood. * Casablanca (1942) -- Perhaps no movie of the 20th century is more fitting for Valentine’s Day than this Humphrey Bogart classic. In the midst of World War II, world-weary nightclub owner Rick Blaine (Bogart) finds himself in the middle of a love triangle with his ex-lover (Ingrid Bergman) and her husband (Paul Heinreid) in French-occupied Morocco. * Out of Africa (1985) -- A seven-time Oscar winner, including Best Picture, this acclaimed film tells the tale of a largely abandoned young wife (Meryl Streep) who falls in
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love with a free-spirited big-game hunter (Robert Redford) in 20th century colonial Kenya. * From Here to Eternity (1953) -- Another classic, this features the immortal scene of Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr passionately kissing in the sand as the waves crash over them. * Roman Holiday (1953) -- Princess Ann (Audrey Hepburn) is bored and manages to escape her entourage of guardians while visiting Rome. There she meets American journalist Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck), whose goal of an exclusive interview soon becomes a romantic adventure for both. * The Princess Bride (1987) -- Couples who like some laughs with their romance will appreciate this Rob Reiner fairy tale with a comedic twist. Buttercup (Robin Wright) is beautiful but doomed, chosen to marry an evil prince (Chris Sarandon). But a smitten stable boy (Cary Elwes) returns from sea to rescue his beloved. A nearly instant classic, the film features hilarious performances from the likes of Billy Crystal, Mandy Patinkin and the late pro wrestler Andre the Giant. * Out of Sight (1998) -- Behind the star power of Jennifer Lopez and George Clooney, this offbeat romance is tailor-made for couples who prefer a little adventure with their romance. After a federal marshal (Lopez) finds herself locked in the trunk of a car with a charming escaped convict (Clooney), an unlikely romance soon develops in this film based on an Elmore Leonard novel.
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GLORY DAYS
By Lise Simpson
sideways and her lips pressed together firmly. Childishly unwilling to open this Pandora’s Box any further, I hastily retreated to the kitchen to make us some tea. Memories can be slippery little devils, affected by so many different variables. Happy childhood memories are probably imbued with an unrealistic rosy tint, the romance of nostalgia. It is a testament to wonderful parenting that so many of us have tremendous memories that fill us with pleasure. I believe there is no greater gift you can give a child. Events we experience as children are hard-wired into our brains. It intrigues me how our brains store those memories and how they can become altered or edited, over time.
At a recent family gathering, my husband and his sisters (still referred to as The Girls, even though the youngest is 53) were fondly recalling the frequent camping trips of their youth. They shared memories of whittling sticks by the campfire, listening to the rain on the canvas tent and enjoying beans on toast prepared to perfection over the old green Coleman stove. Mom, who had been quietly listening to her grown children recount their idyllic childhoods, was encouraged to share her favourite camping memory. My 84 year old mother-in-law squared her shoulders, raised her eyes to heaven as if seeking celestial support, and then delivered her bomb. “I hated camping. I just did it because you kids liked it.” The Girls, in unison, gasped so deeply they removed most of the oxygen from the room. You would think their Mom had announced that she had been a double agent during the Cold War. The Girls had obviously assumed that these trips had been enjoyed by everyone, and were recalled by everyone, with equal affection. After a few minutes the earth tilted back onto its axis, but the mood remained sombre. In my memories, my parents are enjoying all our family times as much as I am. With some trepidation, I later asked my own Mom if she had actually enjoyed our family camping trips that I recall so fondly. She confirmed that she did truly like camping. Encouraged, I asked “and you liked doing Christmas, too, right?” At this, her eyes slid suspiciously 26 northof50.com
Ponder this. My Dad was recently sharing some memories from World War II. He lived in Watford, England and his family had to sink an Anderson bomb-proof shelter in their vegetable garden. They often had to sleep there in considerable discomfort. One night the Germans bombed a nearby factory, and he and his brothers stupidly ran out of the shelter to see what was happening, as his Mother shrieked and the bombers continued to fly overhead. But what is remarkable is that my Dad was remembering this ...fondly. His country was at war, his oldest brother had received an “invitation” from the War Department to report immediately to the nearest office. Was this really a happy time in my Dad’s life? I don’t think so, yet he recalls it now, some 70plus years later, with fondness. Somehow his memory filter has cleaned a horrific period of his life into a good one. Is he glorifying the old days, recalling a time when he was young, and bullet-proof? Yes. Do my husband’s sisters recall the old camping days with pleasure, assuming that those moments, and resulting memories, were pleasurable for everyone involved? Yes, again. But maybe we don’t need to examine too closely the phenomenon of memory recalibration. Perhaps, especially given the tumultuous state of the world we presently live in, we can just press “play” and let the good times roll on the edited memory tape in our brains.
RAILWAY TALES
SALVATION TRAIN By Jack Godwin
Back in the days of steam, train imagery was heavily employed in the religious music of the time. The picture of a “railway to Heaven” with Christ the conductor picking up the righteous at every station, was an evocative aspect of many rousing gospel hymns. But was there any example of a true “salvation train” in B.C.’s colourful steam rail past? Well… Sometimes a forest fire can strike with the deadly surprise of a cobra. Rain on the forest floor can make a fire seem to go out when in fact it merely disappears underground creeping along in deep mosses and burning through roots just waiting for a blast of wind to cause it to re-surface and menace the surrounding countryside. When this happened in frontier British Columbia, towns built mainly of wood and using bucket brigade fire suppression technology were virtually helpless. Such a horror scenario hit the town of Fernie in the summer of 1908. A major windstorm swept down from the mountains and brought to life a subterranean fire that proceeded to roar down on the town at a pace faster than a horse could run. The citizens could do little but flee in the face of this wall of flames. Some tried to hide in their wells but the fire found them and in the aftermath of the disaster bodies were found with the heads burned off and the other remains boiled. If ever a salvation train were needed to redeem people from the very real hellfire that threatened them, this was it. As it happened there was a train building up steam in the station as the fiery inferno blew into town. The engineer loaded up as many people as possible, backed down the line to Elko where he dropped them off then he returned to Fernie and picked up another load of survivors. This train made several of these runs until (so the story goes) the tracks glowed red. Of course each time the engine crew were the first back into the fire and the last ones out. Surely, this was a true example of souls saved by a train of life. Hallelujah, and don’t ignore the collection plate! The song “Salvation Train” by The Kettle Valley Brakemen is available on the CD “Climb Aboard!”. To discover more about the group including concert schedules, other CDs and bookings please visit www. kvbrakemen.com
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Store Hours: Mon - Fri: 9 am - 5 pm Sat: 10 am - 4 pm 5103 - 25th St. Vernon, 250.260.1042
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KING OF FLOORS is your local, family owned and operated flooring store. We specialize in all types of flooring, from hardwood to laminate, carpet, tile, cork and vinyl. Our goal is to provide a welcome environment to everyone who comes into our store. Serving you as best as possible is what we always strive to do.
LOW COST, MODIFIED ASSISTED LIVING IN SALMON ARM
VALLEY VISTA
ADULT COMMUNITY 1st St. & 10th Ave. SE Contact Sally 250.832.4831 or cell 250.833.2129
Rent a one-bedroom condominium apartment and pay for extras that you need, such as meals, housekeeping, laundry, outings, etc. Pay the regular monthly rent of $850 plus hydro and cable. Rent stays the same whether it’s for one person or two. Option: to avoid paying rent, you can buy an apartment and pay for services as you need them.
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STAYCATIONS
50°37’14”N
A staycation is a bit like being a tourist in your own town. Instead of travelling afar for a vacation, you stay home and relax, taking day trips close to home. Living in the Thompson Okanagan is a bonus for staycationers, considering all there is to do here. Plan your staycation just like you would a regular vacation. Set a time and date for your ‘departure’. Buy a local guidebook. Go on a winery tour. Spend a day at the beach. Have dinner out. Visit a museum or art gallery. Check out one of the world class ski hills in the Thompson Okanagan. Experience live theatre. Attend a musical festival or sports event. Find a new hiking trail. The trick to enjoying a staycation is to make sure you do what you would do if you were on vacation: relax and explore!
A guest takes a quiet moment Liard River Hot Springs Provincial Park in Northern BC Photo: Tourism BC/Albert Normandin
Finding Yourself Hot Water in BC is a Marvelous Thing
in
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By Kate MacLennan
It can cure what ails you, people say, and they don’t mean Grandpa’s ‘cough medicine.’ They’re talking about British Columbia’s ultimate hot tubs — from the ones Mother Nature created to the ones humans have perfected. BC’s natural hot tubs — hot springs that bubble up from deep within the earth’s crust — are situated at some of the most scenic places on earth: in mountain valleys surrounded by jagged peaks, aside sparkling lakes, even a stone’s throw from the Pacific Ocean. Leaving little wonder why BC’s Aboriginal people have been easing into the province’s natural healing pools for their curative properties for centuries. Where to begin your soothing adventure? In British Columbia, there are as many ways to experience the province’s natural hot springs as there are springs themselves. The Kootenay Rockies region, best known for its Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep, soaring mountain vistas and world class alpine ski terrain, also boasts a wealth of natural hot tubs, including Canada’s largest mineral springs pool, Radium. Here, a sheer rock face — the base of Redstreak Mountain — soars skyward above two sulphur-free (read: odourless) and developed pools. (Minerals in the water are said to pass into the skin where they are absorbed and utilized by the body’s cells to soothe and detoxify.) Offering among its attributes a shallow lounging area ideal for children, full wheelchair accessibility, a 25-metre (82foot) long cool pool, change rooms, shower facilities, and a day spa, Radium’s pools are historically this area’s main attraction. That said, there’s still plenty to entertain postsoak: head into town, and raise a glass at one of Radium’s local favourites, including traditional pubs, a wine bar, and a host of delectable restaurants. For a burgeoning après scene, make your way to nearby Panorama Mountain Village ski resort. Scrumptious notes include a gooey cheese fondue at Summit Hut atop Panorama Mountain, and the famous T-Bar & Grill — a magnet for those who have been relaxing in the Panorama Springs Hot Pools, the country’s largest slopeside hot pools, situated at the resort’s base. Several hours northwest, the wilderness resort of Halcyon Hot Springs Village & Spa beckons with its serene, natural healing waters. Perched above Arrow Lake, the hot springs, complete with striking mountain vistas, are famed for their unique blend of minerals; a potent mix that proves relaxing
and, at the same time, soothing to those suffering an array of ailments. Two pool decks are home to a warm pool, hot pool, and cold plunge open year-round, and a mineral swimming pool that is open seasonally. Guests are welcome to drop in for the day, but it’s tempting to stay on-site as Halcyon’s accommodation offerings range from quaint cabins nestled in the trees to luxurious suites overlooking the lake. Less than two hours drive from Vancouver, on the edge of a sandy lakefront, Harrison Hot Springs Resort & Spa has two naturally heated and mineral rich indoor pools and three outdoor pools, each with varying temperatures. The Coast Salish people were the first to dip in these particular waters, although more recent times have seen the likes of Clark Gable, John Wayne and Robin Williams stop by for a soak. While kids can spend hours splashing about in the warm water, there’s plenty of distraction for adults, too. Golfing and kayaking in summer, and skiing at nearby Hemlock Resort in winter are all options, although most people find that when simply relaxing in the mineral hot springs pools, the hours evaporate as readily as any stress. While the easy access and towel service provided by a developed hot spring has allure, there’s something to be said about a similar experience in a less civilized environment. One such place? Northern BC’s Liard River Hot Springs. Located in one of BC’s boreal spruce forests along the Alaska Highway, these aren’t hot springs you’ll be swinging through tomorrow on a whim, but they’re worth the pilgrimage. One pool, dubbed Alpha, remains close to 105 – 110 degrees year-round, despite the fact that the surrounding landscape is regularly blanketed in snow (a second pool, Beta, is open in summer only). Not entirely primitive, wooden decks have been built to access the pool and change rooms are a few steps from the water. In winter, the nearby Liard Hot Springs Lodge goes into caretaker mode, meaning its rooms are open for rental but its restaurant and amenities are closed down. You can’t drive to Vancouver Island’s best-known hot spring, but getting there by ocean or air is surprisingly easy and half the fun. Hot Springs Cove lies 50 kilometres (27 nautical miles) northwest of the tiny surfing town of Tofino. Here, at high tide the chilly Pacific Ocean meets five natural hot tubs fed by a burbling sulfur water brook and waterfall. Although the region’s epic annual rainfall can cool the interconnected, magma-heated pools, they are accessible, weather-permitting, year-round. Hot Springs Cove is doable in a day trip but many visitors are loathe to leave northof50.com 29
Aerial view of people soaking in the hot pool at Radium Hot Springs in BC’s Kootenay Rockies region. Photo: Tourism British Columbia
quickly, choosing instead to spend the night on Innchanter, a floating B&B in the quaint community’s harbour. The health and healing merits bestowed by BC’s mineral-rich natural baths upon those who dip in them are considerable. Little surprise, then, that hot tubs and hydrotherapy take on the form of tranquil destination spas in British Columbia, as well. At Scandinave Spa in Whistler, a heat-coolrelax sequence in a network of mineral enriched pools cleanses the skin, improves physical conditioning and promotes a sense of well-being. Heating the body can be done in the Eucalyptus steam bath, wood burning Finnish sauna or hot baths, to open pores, stimulate blood circulation and release toxins. When the body is cooled in a Nordic waterfall, cold bath or shower, pores close and the immune system is strengthened. Finally, relaxing in one of the Solariums or hammocks, or on a terrace by an outdoor fireplace, allows the cardiovascular system to regulate itself and blood circulation to decrease. The spa, which is open rain, snow or shine, employs a strict “maintain silence” policy — you don’t come here to gossip with your friends. But the stillness is surprisingly pleasing, and the relaxation rooms are the perfect place to catch up on reading or even grab a catnap, that is if you’re not hypnotized by the mountain and forest vistas that surround you. In the Thompson Okanagan region of BC’s interior, the brand new Sparkling Hill Resort, a melding of Canadian and Austrian spa sensibilities (read: a therapeutic approach to spa that goes beyond pampering), is a $122-million property with sweeping views of the Monashee Mountains and Lake Okanagan. The resort rooms and restaurant are decadent but the 3,716-square-metre (40,000-square-foot) spa is the real attraction here, in particular its signature treatment: a cryotherapy cold sauna, North America’s first and only. And when they say cold, they mean -110 C. Such extreme frigidity is
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said to improve mobility and reduce pain associated with disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, and have an overall rejuvenating effect for anybody who partakes in it. And it works. But some like it hot, and Sparkling Hill has guests covered there, too. Drift between the Aqua Meditation Room, Herbal Sauna, fragrant Rose Steam Room, eucalyptus Crystal Steam Room, Panorama Sauna and Experience Showers for relaxation experiences everyone will warm to. And one would be remiss to pass by the Aqua Area, a saltwater indoor pool, 25-person hot pool, and outdoor infinity pool. Need more healing? The Kneipp pool features an age-old European hydrotherapy where guests wander meandering channels that alternate warm and cold water every 20 or 30 steps, said to invigorate the circulatory and lymphatic systems, relax the nervous system, reduce swelling, and increase the body’s defence against varicose veins. Regardless how you take your water — hot, cold, or evaporating — using it to heal is an ancient touchstone for creating whole body wellness. Whether you do so from a luxury property, or by following an almost indiscernible track into the wilderness, hot springs may be Mother Nature’s “gift to northerners,” but it’s British Columbia’s gift to everyone who comes here. For more information on BC’s ultimate hot tubs and hydrotherapy experiences, visit www.HelloBC.com/ hotsprings . For more on British Columbia’s destinations and travel information, call 1-800 HELLO BC (North America) or visit www.HelloBC.com. Radium Hot Springs - www.radiumhotsprings.com Panorama Resort – www.panoramaresort.com Halcyon Hot Springs – www.halcyon-hotsprings.com Harrison Hot Springs Resort & Spa – www.harrisonresort.com Hot Springs Cove – www.tourismtofino.com Liard River Hot Springs www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/liard_rv_ hs/ Spa Scandinave - www.scandinave.com/en/whistler
One dream destination, one great price!
Panama Canal Cruise: Apr 19
$4030
Easter at the Banff Springs Hotel: Apr 22 $950 Hawaii Cruise: Apr 24
$2595
China & Tibet: Apr 27
$5850
Vancouver Island Toe to Tip: May 26
$2060
Ireland: June 1
$5095
England & Coronation Street: June 2
$5840
Natural Wonders of Iceland: June 3
$6250
for more information on these or other Experiences www.wellsgraytours.com
Kamloops: 250-374-0831 800-667-9552
A MAGICAL WINTER RETREAT FEBRUARY 18TH TO 20TH 2011
Package includes: lAccommodation at Sparkling Hill [Superior suite –shared] l2 full breakfasts & 2 two course dinners l1 KurSpa Fango Treatment lFull access to the world Class KurSpa l2 yoga sessions { gentle} l4 [group] Relaxation/Mindfulness sessions COST: $350.00 p.p.
REGISTRATION: Please direct inquiries to Gwen Holt at 250 542-0384 or gwenholt@shaw.ca
Sparkling Hill Resort – www.sparklinghill.com northof50.com 31
AWAY FROM HOME
39°00’N
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HISTORY OF RELIGION More than any other country in the world, Turkey is the place where the three great religions – Judaism, Christianity and Islam – certainly nurtured, and blossomed into the profound cultural and religious traditions that would shape western civilization. In Turkey, the doctrines of Christianity were debated; Jews arrived from Spain in 1492 and welcomed by the Ottoman Empire; and Islam developed over millennia. Today’s visitors have an incomparable opportunity to explore one or all three of these heritages in the very places where they evolved, in the company of experts, on private or group guided, inclusive tours.
TURKEY:
Where Religion and Wine Began
Christians, Jews and Moslems will find many of the great religious landmarks in Turkey that they have known only through books and study all their lives. Following are some of the Turkish destinations included in the tours offered throughout the year, sometimes in combination with visits to religious sites in nearby Israel: • Antioch, one of the largest cities in the Roman Empire, was home to St. Paul and where Jesus’ followers first became known as Christians. • Tarsus, the birthplace of St. Paul • Ephesus, one of the most famous sites of early churches as well as the Temple of Diana • Kusadasi – Church of St. John and the final home of Mary, Jesus’ mother • Istanbul’s – St. Sophia Cathedral, the famous Green and Blue mosques, and Chora Church with rare frescos of Mary’s life • The acclaimed Seven Churches of Revelations in Ephesus, Sardis, Pergamum, Philadelphia, Laodicea, Smyrna, Thyatira • Mount Ararat, reputed to be the site of Noah’s Ark • Cappadocia, with over 500 6th century cave churches still decorated with colorful religious frescos Those interested in Jewish heritage will find it in Istanbul’s 400-year old Galata Quarter and the Jewish Cemetery as well as Canakkale, a center of early Jewish life during the northof50.com 33
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Ottoman rule. The many ancient synagogues of Izmir are also on the route of many guided tours. Typically the religious tours of Turkey feature airfare from Canada, land transportation, hotel accommodations, entrance fees to historic sites and museums, and some meals. English-speaking, licensed guides ensure maximum enjoyment and appreciation for the history of each site.
THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE GRAPEVINE A little known fact about the country where East meets West and whose ancient trading routes are among the world’s most traveled: Turkey is the birthplace of vitis vinifera – otherwise known as the grape vine. With Turkey’s prime location in the heart of the “grand terrain,” this country was one of the earliest wine-producing regions in the world. Today, with over 1.5 million acres of land planted under vine, producing between 600–1200 indigenous varieties of grapes, Turkey is the world’s fourth-leading producer of grapes, and, as its wines steadily gain popularity in the world marketplace Turkey is poised to be the “next new thing” among wine connoisseurs and is entering the wine producing marketplace as a strong contender against other countries. Throughout the years, Turkey’s warm climate and ranging topography has helped make its wines diverse as well as delicious. Four distinct wine regions thrive in Turkey, each with their own delightful distinctions: Thrace, in the Marmara region, Aegean Coast, Eastern Anatolia and Central Anatolia. Following is a brief overview of each as well as suggestions for tasting route stops. • Eastern Thrace: Responsible for over 40 percent of the production of Turkish wine, Eastern Thrace is located along the Sea of Marmara and has a Mediterranean climate. Native grapes grown in this region include white grapes such as Yapıncak, Chardonnay, Riesling, Sémillon and Clairette, while red varieties include Papazkarası, Pinot Noir, Gamay, Cinsault and Kuntra. Leading wineries for travelers in this region are Doluca www.doluca.com, Büyülübağ www. buyulubag.com, and Melen www.melenwinery.com. • The Aegean Coast, mostly near İzmir, accounts for 20 percent of the country’s wine production, and has a more pronounced Mediterranean climate with mild winters and
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warm, dry summers. Grapes grown in this region include Sémillon, Bornova Misketi white grapes and a variety of red grapes such as Carignan, Çal Karası, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Alicante Bouschet, Shiraz, Kalecik Karası, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. Leading wineries for tasting in this region are Corvus www.corvus.com.tr, Sevilen www.sevilengroup.com and Pamukkale www. pamukkalesarap.com. • The vineyards of Eastern Anatolia around Elazığ, Malatya and Diyarbakır are located in the Euphrates Valley – one of the world’s oldest wine regions and the alleged location of Noah’s vineyards from the book of genesis. Red grapes grown in this region include Öküzgözü and Boğazkere, which is used to make Buzbağ, a full flavored red wine. Historically, the area where this grape is produced is considered the possible birthplace of wine. White grape varieties in this region include, Narince and Kabarcık. A terrific suggestion for wine tasting is Kayra www.kayrasaraplari.com. Central Anatolia: The region of Central Anatolia is the most climatically difficult region in which to produce wine, with most vineyards located more than 4,000 feet above sea level. However, in the summer, grapes of this region can receive up to 12 hours of sunshine a day, and the pleasantly varying wines the land yields make the effort worth it. Varieties of grapes in this region include, Emir and Hasandede white grapes and Kalecik Karası, Papazkarası and Dimrit red grapes.
About Turkey Turkey is a modern country with a captivating blend of antiquity and contemporary and of East and West. The cradle of civilization and center of world history today stands as one of the fastest-growing tourism destinations in the world. Turkey was the site of the first human settlement; the seat of the Byzantine, Roman and Ottoman Empires; the birthplace of Homer and the last home of the Virgin Mary, just to name a few. Today Turkey, with its spectacular coastline, majestic mountains, cosmopolitan cities and quaint villages is one of the world’s most fascinating destinations.
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Positions Available: 1. Part-time Editor 2. Freelance Writers 3. Outside Sales For details & how to apply please visit www.northof50.com
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MILK MARKET
From the World Health Organization’s campaign to promote breastfeeding as the best way to nourish young infants to those milk-mustached celebrities endorsing nature’s beverage, the message is creamy clear: Got milk? Use it. But what if you don’t have milk? What if you are a woman who, for various health-related reasons, post postpartum complications, or a lack of experience, has trouble keeping up the supply to deal with the demand? What if you adopted your child? What if you are a single father? For desperate parents longing to breastfeed their babies, a milk sharing initiative birthed on Facebook promises to deliver. Welcome, Eats on Feets (EOF); a user group devoted to the idea that when it comes to feeding your baby, breast is best—even if it’s someone else’s. Launched on the social networking site a few months ago by Montreal mother of three and breastfeeding activist, Emma Kwasnica, EOF is an online space with a mandate
By Shannon Linden
to provide human milk for human babies by connecting mothers with product to spare to parents who can’t get enough. Within weeks of its arrival, EOF gained followers in British Columbia, Manitoba, and Ontario. Now, in a matter of months, the movement has gone global, with more than 200 networks in dozens of countries. Using her personal profile page and connections to international breastfeeding activists, Kwasnica matches up milk donors and recipients around the world. Now regional chapters have created their own Facebook pages where parents in need post requests for breastmilk, just as those wishing to donate post offers in the discussions or on the wall. Ideally parents find matches within their communities and according to Kwasnica, this local aspect increases both the intimacy and safety of milk sharing as parents meet one another for coffee, exchange personal information, medical records if requested, and form bonds. That’s how it worked for 28-year old Kamloops mother of two, Megan Osmond-Jones. Currently breastfeeding her infant daughter, Osmond-Jones calls herself a natural. “I make lots of milk,” she laughs. “When my midwife posted a link through Facebook to Eats on Feets, I read through the material and gave it some thought. I’m not in a position to help others financially, but I like to do my part.” OsmondJones pondered donating her breastmilk to Canada’s only milk bank, located at BC Women’s Hospital in Vancouver, but was discouraged by the cost and care involved in sending her precious commodity to another city. After posting an offer to donate her milk locally, she was pleased with the response. “This gal sent me a private (Facebook) message and asked if I could help her out. She is expecting but she also has a toddler who isn’t nursing anymore but who has been sick. She came by for milk for her toddler, hoping to boost her daughter’s immune system.” Osmond-Jones says
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the exchange was comfortable and positive. “Her daughter and my son got along for a good hour while we chatted. It’s an intimate thing—sharing breast milk—and it’s neat that we’ve become friends.” Many donating mothers cite similarly positive experiences, finding fulfillment in giving of themselves—quite literally— to a worthwhile cause. “I think it’s sweet,” Osmond-Jones says. “Other cultures pass their babies around to be nursed and it’s wonderful.” Kyla Turner, a Salmon Arm mother of four (including the 14-month old she is currently breastfeeding) agrees. “We are all part of a global community,” she says. “It takes a village to raise a child and if I can help further that concept, I’d like to offer what I can.” After a Facebook friend gave the Eats on Feets initiative a thumbs-up, Turner was intrigued and posted an offering of her milk. While she has yet to receive any requests, she looks forward to helping those in need. “It’s the best thing for a baby,” she says. While health experts concur, they disagree any breast will do. Health Canada and its FDA American counterpart have issued statements opposing the sharing of breast milk, be it with strangers on Facebook or well-known friends. “Breast is best but donor milk must come from a properly accredited human donor milk bank,” Sharon Unger, mother of three and a pediatrician at Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital says. While at one time Canada boasted 23 such banks, all but the Vancouver one shut down in the mid 1980’s following fears of HIV transmission. Principle author of the Canadian Pediatric Society’s response to informal breastmilk sharing, Dr. Unger advocates for more such banks, which operate in essence like blood-donor banks, scrupulously testing and screening donations. Without such testing, Health Canada worries about the processing of donated breast milk (including sterilization of instruments and bottles, handling and storage) and of course, the medical history of donors. Viruses (including HIV), bacteria that can cause food poisoning, traces of drugs (prescription and otherwise), along with sexually transmitted diseases are all, according to health experts, transferable through breastmilk. “People can still seroconvert to become HIV positive after initially negative blood tests,” Dr. Unger explains. Insisting Hepatitis can be transmitted through breastmilk (a claim the EOF site disputes) Unger says, “We vaccinate their children against Hepatitis B and that’s why we still advise Hepatitis B positive mothers to breast feed.”
Emma Kwasnica and other proponents of EOF suggest the benefits of milk sharing far outweigh the risks (the site suggests even a smoker’s breast milk is better than formula). The site offers support and links to resources and encourages recipients to ask some tough and personal questions of donors but insists; ultimately women should be entrusted to make informed decisions about what’s best for their children. Meanwhile, Dr Unger agrees: mother knows best and that’s why the biological mom/baby unit works so well together. “Often babies are immune to bacteria in their own mother’s breast milk but may not be from another woman’s milk,” she says. While EOF suggests stovetop flash pasteurizing to sterilize donated breastmilk, Dr. Unger maintains that’s not enough. If done improperly, milk may still contain contaminants and the protein composition may be altered, rendering it less nutritious. “In Canada,” Unger asserts, “Formula is a perfectly safe and viable option.” The consensus is this: milk, it does the body good but it’s up to parents to decide if the source might be bad.
FEBRUARY 1961 50 Years Ago This Month 3rd - The Canadian Bank of Commerce and the Imperial Bank of Canada merge to form Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce 4th - Denis Savard, , NHL center (Chicago Blackhawks) was born in Pointe Gatineau, Quebec. 7th - Jane Fonda made her acting debut in the NBC drama “A String of Beads” 10th - Niagara Falls hydroelectric project began producing power. 11th - Trial of Adolf Eichmann began in Jerusalem 15th - Sabena Flight 548 crashed as it was approaching Brussels on a flight from New York City, killing all 72 people on board, including 18 members of the United States figure skating team and its coaches. It was the first fatal crash of a Boeing 707 passenger jet. 16th - China used its first nuclear reactor 18th - The USS South Dakota (ACR-9) sinks in Powell River, BC 20th – PM John George Diefenbaker holds talks with President Kennedy in Washington, DC northof50.com 37
HEALTH MATTERS
Binge Eating a Recognized Disorder While most men and women are aware of eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia, some might be surprised to learn binge eating is considered an eating disorder as well. Recently recognized as a disorder, binge eating is a serious mental health disorder in which thinking patterns and emotions cause a person to overeat or starve. Binge eating can be an attempt to cope with other conditions, including depression, stress or anxiety. Unfortunately, this unhealthy coping mechanism typically only worsens the problem, as binge eaters often feel guilty after binging, which then exacerbates their feelings of depression or anxiety. The binging that characterizes binge eating disorder is similar to the binging behavior exhibited by people suffering from bulimia nervosa. However, people with binge eating disorder do not purge or vomit after binging.
a riddle for researchers, though there does appear to be a link with binge eating and depression. Nearly half of all people with binge eating disorder also have a history of depression, and many people indicate that a binge eating episode is triggered by negative emotions such as sadness, anger, boredom, or anxiety. Researchers have also noted that eating disorders tend to run in families and might be more likely to afflict families that place an unnatural emphasis on food, be it rewarding positive acts or behaviors with food or employing food as a tool to soothe and comfort. Each of these things supports the belief that eating disorders result not necessarily from a single factor, but rather a combination of psychological, environmental and biological factors. For those who suspect they or someone they love has a problem with binge eating, the following are some of the more common symptoms: * Fluctuations in weight
The cause of binge eating remains
* Frequently eating what is considered by most to be large amounts of food * Eating much more quickly than usual * A loss of control over what or how much is being eaten * Eating until uncomfortably full * Eating extraordinary amounts of food, even when not hungry * Low self-esteem * Feelings of guilt or even depression after overeating * Eating alone because the quantity of food being eaten is embarrassing To learn more about eating disorders, visit the National Institute of Mental Health at www.nimh.gov. or the Canadian Mental Health Association at www.cmha.ca
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IT’S YOUR WORLD
Breaking the Machine Habit By Bob Harrington
Havelock Ellis once wrote that,“The greatest task before civilization at present is to make machines what they ought to be, the slaves, instead of the masters of men.” We have become the slaves of machines in ever so many ways. We have but to consider the telephone to realize the truth of our enslavement. Let the telephone ring, and ever so many people dutifully leave their meals, their favorite recreation, their bath, or even their bed to answer it. Usually, as most of us freely admit, the incoming call is hardly worth receiving, let alone leaving what one was doing. In ever so many ways we are shackled to the machines that we fancy are our servants. With a few idle moments on hand, rather than plunge into new frontiers of thought or indulge in silent reflection, we automatically turn the television on and often dispiritedly sit before it as partially unwilling captives of the ephemeral characters dancing on the screen. Our efficient modern transportation has forced mobility on us. Knowing that we can go, whether it is to Hawaii, New Zealand, or merely across the continent, we have a built-in restlessness, a sort of nagging feeling that we should go somewhere, anywhere, as long as we are on the move. Properly used mobility is an advantage. When discontent is fostered merely by knowing that we can go somewhere, then we are the slaves of the machines in question. Albert Schweitzer tells an interesting story. He writes of a pupil of Confucius’ who noticed a gardener repeatedly going to a stream to bring water to his flower bed. The pupil asked him if he would not like to lessen his labor by fashioning a draw well; explaining how a long piece of wood, light at one end and heavy at the other, could be used to lever pails of water out of the stream with minimum effort. The gardener pondered this idea and the replied: “I have heard my teacher say: ‘If a man uses machines, he carries on all the affairs of life like a machine; whoever carries on his affairs like a machine gets a machinelike heart; and when anyone has a machine like heart in his breast, he loses true simplicity.’ ” The dangers foreseen by the gardener are now rampant among us today. Schweitzer observed that as a result of the machine revolution we often live depressing, monotonous, materialistic lives, unrelieved by any close relationship with nature.
Our environmental crisis is closely related to machines and to the fantastic energy they gobble up as their daily bread. Studies have indicated that the energy demand made by modern humans is the equivalent of a population of 11 billion people in Canada alone. Each of us is propped up by some 330 mechanical servants. According to Jeff Rubin in his excellent book, Your World is About to get a Whole Lot Smaller, “When people in the UK started rushing out to buy new Flat-screen TVs in anticipation of the 2006 World Cup of soccer, authorities quickly realized that these sports fans could pose a real problem for the grid: turning on all those plasma screens at the same time would draw… the equivalent of the output of two nuclear power stations.” The relationship between machines and humans becomes a bit silly when one realizes that there are 10 calories of energy required by farming techniques in Canada to produce one calorie of food energy. Obviously something is missing from the glorious fairy stories we hear about our energy efficient society. Is our society is simply turning into an enormous inefficient monster that is strangling individuality and uniqueness among humans? In fact there is much evidence to suggest that the stress of living mechanically is beginning to tell, and starting to promote a breakaway response on the part of many people. The determined effort by some to return to a life of simplicity is a crack extending all the way to the center of the mechanical pipe dreams. Most of us still worship at the temple of the machine, although our worship is fraught with a growing realization that the machine has been every bit as demanding as the other gods man has fashioned for himself. Lewis Mumford points out that simplicity does not avoid mechanical aids, but seeks to avoid being victimized by them. “This holds for the whole routine of life; never to use mechanical power when human muscles can conveniently do the work: never to use a motor car where one might easily walk.” He points out that each time we choose a nonmechanical alternative; we emancipate ourselves, if only a tiny bit, from those forces that would enslave us into total mechanical dependence. Breaking the machine habit, we will find, is every bit as difficult as disposing of any other addiction. Check out Bob’s latest book, The Soul Solution:The Need for a Theology of the Earth with a foreword by Dr. David Suzuki
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february
PARKSIDE ART GALLERY - 100 MILE HOUSE KAMLOOPS ART GALLERY kag.bc.ca
VERNON PUBLIC ART GALLERY vernonpublicartgallery.com
Now to March 12th - BOB BOYER, His Life’s Work. In 2004 just before Bob Boyer’s death, Kamloops Art Gallery added one of his most significant works to its permanent collection. The Gallery is honoured that Boyer’s Just Another Indian Cowgirl in Iraq has been selected to be part of the celebrated national touring exhibition Bob Boyer: His Life’s Work.
March 17 to May 19, BYRON JOHNSON - MUSIC... AUDIENCE...YOUSE at the Topham Brown Gallery. February 8, 12 pm, Jack Wise: Language of the Brush. February 15, 12 pm, Kwa’nu’te’: Micmac and Maliseet Artists. February 15, 1 pm, Brian Joubert will be discussing his work in the exhibition, Dermagraphics: The Art of Tattoo Design.
SAGA PUBLIC ART GALLERY sagapublicartgallery.ca
February 22, 12 pm, The Illuminated Life of Maud Lewis.
Now to March 5 - INTO THE LIMELIGHT, featuring emerging artist DENISE SWIFT with Carolyne Herperger (paintings), Shirley Williams (paintings), and Gisela Gruning (encaustic). For info call 250.395.2021 or email parksidecentre@shaw.ca KELOWNA ART GALLERY
kelownaartgallery.com
Now to March 6 - UBCO STUDENT PRINTMAKING EXHIBITION. An exhibition that features the work of third-year printmaking students from the UBC Okanagan.
PENTICTON ART GALLERY
ARTS HAPPENING
pentictonartgallery.com
Now to February 26 - SAGA Public Art Gallery in Salmon Arm, BC is pleased to present “Paint Paradise: Views of the Salmon River Delta.” This juried exhibition will feature multi-media works by SAGA members. The challenge to artists was to explore the part of the Salmon Arm Bay where the rivers meet Shuswap Lake. Visitors will be delighted with the micro and macro views presented by local artists in paints, fibre, metal and more. The exhibition runs Tuesday to Saturday 11am to 4pm.
Now to March 13 ANNEROSE GEORGESON: AFTER THE CLEAR CUT. Watching the cycle of nature in motion with the new growth overtaking fire ravaged, pine beetle destroyed and clear cut areas, Annerose has found creative inspiration. The resulting works included in this exhibition are the beginning of a much larger project in which she will continue to explore and trace the subtle changes to the land she loves and document nature’s indomitable spirit. Now to March 13 - INSIGHT: ARTISTS AS EDUCATORS. The artists featured in this exhibition include: Katie Brennan, Carin Covin, Briar Craig, Aleksandra Dulic, Renay Egami, Johann Feught, Stephen Foster, Fern Helfand, Byron Johnston, Bryan Ryley, Shawn Serfas, Jim Tanner, Maureen Lisle and Don Lyons
KELOWNA
February 24. Bittergirl at the Rotary Centre for the Arts, 421 Cawston Avenue, Kelowna, 7:30 pm. Bittergirl follows three women in their plunge from what they think is impending bliss to total break-up devastation and back again. Smart, funny, cathartic and universally recognizable, Bittergirl is the smash hit comedy about getting dumped that has toured to London, England, New York City and had three sold out runs in Toronto. More info at 250.717.5304 or info@RotaryCentreForTheArts.com February 23 to 27. The Kelowna Actors Studio presents Neil Simon’s Brighton Beach Memoirs, 8:00pm to midnight. Here is part one of Neil Simon’s autobiographical trilogy: a portrait of the writer as a young teen in 1937 living with his family in a crowded, lower middle-class Brooklyn walk-up. In this classic comedy Eugene Jerome, standing in for the author, is the narrator and central character. Dreaming of baseball and girls, Eugene must cope with the mundane existence of his family life in Brooklyn: formidable mother, overworked father, and his worldly older brother Stanley. Throw into the mix his widowed Aunt Blanche, her two young (but rapidly aging) daughters and Grandpa the Socialist and you have a recipe for hilarity, served up Simon-style. 1379 Ellis Street Kelowna. 250.862.2867 or info@ kelownaactorsstudio.com
LILLOOET
February 24 to March 5. Wit at Sagebrush Theatre. This Pulitzer prize winning play takes place in a single continuous act as Dr. Vivian Bearing, a university professor of English, is dying of ovarian cancer. At the top of the show, Vivian enters pushing an IV (intravenous) pole. She is thin, barefoot, and hairless. She turns to the audience and talks to them directly, revealing and reassessing her work and her life. Peter Marks of The New York Times called Wit, “[a] brutally human and beautifully layered new play... You will feel both enlightened and, in a strange way, enormously comforted.” On Tuesday evening (March 1) join the cast and crew for a post show Q&A. Showtimes, Monday & Tuesday, 7:30pm; Wednesday to Saturday, 8:00pm; Saturday (February 26) 2 pm matinee). 1300 9th Avenue Kamloops. Tickets at Kamloops Live! Box Office. 250.374.5483. Toll free: 1.866.374.5483
february
February 26. Lillooet Music presents Roy Forbes, at the Lillooet Masonic Hall, 251 Taylor Road, 7:30 pm. Eclectic and energetic with talent to spare! The Ottawa Citizen says, “It’s a voice that sounds timeless and brand new.” For ticket information, please contact gmloyer@telus.net
SALMON ARM
KAMLOOPS
COMING EVENTS
February 25 to March 5, Shuswap Theatre, Salmon Arm, Wrong for Each Other writing by Norm Foster and directed by Kim MacMillan. Four years after their marriage breakup, a couple meets by accident in a restaurant. They remember (and relive) some of the scenes of their courtship, marriage and divorce. Will their continuing attraction overcome their fear of being hurt again? There are many laughs as you are drawn into the genuine dilemmas of these all too recognizable human beings. Come expecting a great midwinter lift for your spirits. Tickets available at Wearabouts on Alexander Ave. starting Feb. 10 or at the door. Show times and ticket prices at www. shuswaptheatre.com
VERNON
February 25. Heart plays at Interior Savings Centre, with their first coast-to-coast Canadian tour in three decades. Tickets 250.374.9200 $55, $67.50 plus CC & FF February 16, 20 and 22. Lend me a Tenor at Powerhouse Theatre in Vernon. Winner of 3 Tony Awards, Lend me a Tenor is set in September 1934. Saunders, the general manager of the Cleveland Grand Opera Company, is primed to welcome world famous Tito Morelli, Il Stupendo, the greatest tenor of his generation. A hilarious series of mishaps, a chain reaction of mistaken identity, plot twists, double entendres, innuendoes, and constant entrances and exits through many doors. A sensation on Broadway and London’s West End, this madcap screwball comedy is guaranteed to leave audiences teary-eyed with laughter. Tickets at tickseller.ca or 250.549.7469 February 10. The Science in Society Speaker Series presents: Dr. Joe Schwarcz! Dr. Schwarcz will address questions like: Why does popcorn pop? Why are there holes in swiss cheese? Why did Van Gogh mangle his ear? Can chocolate really make you fall in love? After this presentation, you’ll wonder no more! 7:30pm at the Okanagan College Lecture Theatre, Vernon Campus. Tickets, $10 in advance at the Okanagan Science Centre, $12 at the door. For information contact the OSC at 250.545.3644 or www.okscience.ca.
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February 12. The Lost Fingers, jazz trio at Creekside Theatre. More info at 250.766.5669 or www.creeksidetheatre.com
273 Victoria Street, Kamloops, B.C., V2C 2A1
P (250) 372.0842 l F (250) 372.1736 Toll Free 1.800.482.0134
BRAUN DENTURE CLINIC
Doug Braun, R.D. Erika Braun, R.D. DENTURISTS Over 30 years experience New Dentures - Partials Relines - Repairs
To February 19. Opening Night by Many Hats Theatre is on the Cannery Stage in the Cannery Trade Centre 1475 Fairview Road. Shows are Thur., Fri., Sat.at 8PM with Sunday matinees at 2PM. Tickets are $19 ($17 students/seniors—HST included) and are available at the Wine Country Visitor’s Centre at Railway and Eckhardt in Penticton or may be ordered by phone at 250.493.4055.
Your Watersports Pro Centre... We do it all! llScuba Diving
Your tax-deductible gift to Vernon Jubilee Hospital Foundation will support health care needs for residents living in the North Okanagan, Columbia/Shuswap. For more information call (250) 558-1362 or visit www.vjhfoundation.org
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Family Owned & Operated since 1963
At HANDS ON HEALTH we can help! Constitutional Homeopathy Yoga Therapy * Physiotherapy
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HANDS ON HEALTH CLINIC 1315 Summit Drive, Kamloops
250.377.7675 www.sacredbody.net
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Water Systems (Large & Small), Inspections, Relocation & Recovery, Construction, Anchors, Docks, Pools, Camera Inspections, Video & Stills 1168 Battle St. Kamloops, BC V2C 1X7
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Fortune Creek Kennels Open 7 Days a Week for Dog & Cat Care • Indoor/Outdoor with in-floor heating • Several play yards for individual attention • Seperate small dog area • Seperate cat building • All rooms have music for a calm and peaceful atmosphere
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Fairweather Rd. 11th Ave.
A DIVISION OF KIPP MALLERY PHARMACY Marilyn Tutt, Manager
February 26. Toby Keith, with special guests George Canyon and One Meore Girl, at the South Okanagan Events Centre . Tickets at SOEC Box Office, Wine Country Visitors Centre or charge by phone, 1.877.763.2849
Highway 6
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HOME HEALTH CARE CENTRE
PENTICTON
LAKE COUNTRY
February 26. The Music of the Louisiana Hayride in story & song at Creekside Theatre, Lake Country. Live singers and live band entertain with music and stories about the the legendary artists who graced the Hayride stage from 1948 to 1960. Music from Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley, Hank Willams, Patsy Cline and many others. Info at 250.766.5669. reservations 250.766.9309. 10241 Bottomwood Lake Road, Winfield.
Kalamalka Lake Rd.
Open 7 days/nights Days 11 am, Saturday 10 am Evening 7 pm Friday - Sunday - Twilight 1015 Fairweather Rd.Vernon, Ph: 558-6919 Jackpot line: 558-1599
Know your limit, play within it
Community Events ANGLEMONT The 2011 Pig and Whistle Production of GOLD FEVER is fast approaching. The Anglebay Entertainers proudly present their 20th Show at the Lakeview Centre in Anglemont, B.C. We are pleased to showcase the Gold Rush of 1865. Please join us as we travel by paddle wheeler and then by mule train to the gold fields in the Caribou. Will we find fame and fortune or Fools’ Gold?? Matinees: (Doors open at 12:00 PM) Show starts at 1:00 PM April 27,28, May 4 and 5 Evenings: (Doors open at 6:00 PM). Show Starts at 7:00 PM April 29 and 30, May 7. Light Refreshment served between the 1st and 2nd Act. Tickets go on Sale on February 1, 2011 and are $12.50/each. Please book early to advoid dissapointment. For Tickets please call Lorrie at 250.955.0835 or by e-mail: schrader@airspeedwireless.ca also available at SuperValu in Scotch Creek, B.C. Kamloops Valentine’s Dance with music by the Kamloops Old Time Fiddlers 7:30-10:30 pm at Desert Gardens, 540 Seymour Street in Kamloops. Tickets at door - $ 6.00 for members & $ 7.00 for non-members. Everyone is welcome. Cash bar. Lunch following the dance. For more information 250.376.2330. February 18 to 27 The Kamloops Arts Council Juried Art Show 2011, Old Courthouse Cultural Centre, 7 Seymour Street West. For info phone 250.372.7323. The Amazing Race is coming to Kamloops. The Westsyde Community Development Society is presenting the Amazing Race Saturday, March 5 and Sunday, March 6. The event is open to participant over 19 years of age. 20 teams of 2 will be accepted from applications made between now and February 14th. For further information and applications phone Diane at 250.579.7605, for volunteers phone Angela at 250.319.5321. Dance to the music of the Kamloops Old Time Fiddlers every 1st & 2nd Saturdays of the month ‘til end of April, at Heritage House, 100 Lorne Street in Kamloops. 7:30 - 10:30 PM. Members $6.00, non-members $7. Everyone welcome. For more information phone 250.376.2330. The Kamloops Family History Society meets 4th Thursday of each month at Heritage House, 100 Lorne St, 7-9 pm (Sept to May). Members are asked to bring a family memoir for January Show & Tell. Guests and new members are welcome. For info phone 250.579.2078.
Weekly Flea Markets, every Sunday from 9 am to 2 pm at the North Shore Community Centre, 730 Cottonwood Avenue. Call 250.376.4777 for table reservations. Admission by donation. Enjoy the excellent cooking of Gord Fryer of Fatman’s Catering as he makes wonderful home-cooked meals for buffet supper at the North Shore Community Centre’s community dinners! Dinner tickets are $10 each and should be picked up in advance. Community Dinners are open to all and feature live entertainment, 50/50 draws, door prizes and more! Sunday, February 13 and Tuesday, February 22 at 5pm. Kelowna Kelowna Single’s Club Upcoming Dances are held at Rutland Centennial Hall - 180A Rutland Rd. N. Kelowna. Doors Open 7:00 pm, Dancing 8:00 pm - 12:00 am. Bar & Refreshments available. Light Lunch at 10:30 pm. Members $9.00 - Nonmembers $12.00. Contact 250.763.1355 or 250.763.1867. Saturday February 5th - Music by Bob King / Valentine’s Dance. Saturday February 19th - Music by Rutland City Limits. Saturday March 19th - Music by New Vintage / St. Patrick’s Dance. OLIVER Sunday, February 13 Oliver Senior Centre Society Valentine’s Dinner & Dance. Spaghetti/Meatballs & Dessert. Dinner served @ 5:30pm, Dancing @ 7:00pm. Pre-sold tix $9 per person. Oliver Senior Center, 34452 95th St. For more info phone 250.498.6142. Beginner & Intermediate Line Dancing every Thursday 9 to 11 am. Join in for fun and exercise. Instructor Claire Denney. Oliver Senior Center 34452 95th St. Phone 250.498.6142 Card Games at the Oliver Senior Center, 34452 95th St. ‘’500’’ - Mon & Fri @ 1:00pm, Crib - Tues.@ 7:00pm & Sat. @ 1:15pm, Skat, Tues.@ 1:00pm & Fri. @ 1:00pm, Bridge Tues. @ 1:00 pm, Floor Curling & other floor games in play. Bingo / Loonie Pot every Friday @ 1:00pm. For more info on activities phone 250.498.6142. Everyone Welcome ! Salmon Arm Sunday, February 13 Shuswap Association of Writers Annual General Meeting, 1pm in Room 130, Okanagan College. Brief business meeting followed by interactive member feedback northof50.com 43
session: “How can SAW meet your needs?” 250.832.7405.
More info:
Monday, February 21 Shuswap Theatre presents Improv Evening beginning at 7:15pm. All are welcome, free. The Jammers Dance, February 6 & 20th, at the Seniors Fifth Avenue Activity Center, 170 5th Ave. S. E. A variety of music for a fine evening of entertainment, starting at 7:00 PM. If you play tunes, bring your instrument and join in, or put on your dancing shoes and cut a rug, or maybe just pull up a chair to soak up the atmosphere and socialize with friends. AGM, February 11th at Seniors Fifth Avenue Activity Center, 170 5th Ave. S. E. 1:30 pm. Please help or hard working board make decisions for a ten year plan for our centre. What direction would you like to see the centre take? On February 13th join us for a Pancake Breakfast from 8 am till noon. Vernon Mondays in room 006 at the People Place in Vernon Breathing Exercises from 1-2pm. This class is excellent for people suffering with COPD, asthma, allergies, Fibromyalgia, recovering from illness or injury or just wanting to boost energy. The exercises are based on learning to breathe fully and diaphragmatically and retraining the lungs to be the organs they’re meant to be. For more information, phone 250.540.9177. Donation Only. Fridays in room 006 at the People Place in Vernon from Noon - 1pm. Yoga in the Chair (no mat required) a primary level practice done seated in a chair based on the therapeutic benefits of yoga and breathing exercises. Builds overall flexibility, agility, strength and balance, boosts energy, immunity and digestion, while reducing pain and inflammation Melissa has 39 years of experience in the field of YOGA. Phone 250.540.9177. Donation Only. Hoof N’Heart Dinner & Dance, February 5 at the Vernon Recreation Centre, 6 pm to 1 am. This fundraiser for the BC Interior Horse Rescue Society features entertainment by Rutland City Limits. Dinner catered by The Pantry. Silent auction, 50/50 draw and door prizes. Bar concession. Information and tickets 250.545.2236. www.vernonwintercarnival.com or www.bcihrs.com
Communtiy Event listings are intended for non-profit sponsored and non-commercial events. We will list your event free of charge, space permitting. Please email details to info@ northof50.com or fax to 250.546.8914. 44 northof50.com
Full Funeral Services •Pre-Arrangements Cremation • Memorial Markers Independently owned & operated
FUNERAL SERVICES
Serving Enderby, Armstrong & Vernon
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Armstrong Wine and Brew
1996 - 2010
Monthly Specials
Box 339, 2545 Patterson Ave. Armstrong, BC V0E 1B0, 250-546-6954 www.armstrongwineandbrew.com
Lisa, Owner/Operator
Valley Monuments Memorials of Distinction Keith or Evelyn Franklin
4316 29th Street, Vernon, BC V1T 5B8 Phone/Fax: 250.542.6411lToll Free: 1.877.511.8585 Email: valleymonuments@shaw.ca
Braun Denture Clinic Doug Braun, R.D. Erika Braun, R.D. DENTURISTS
OVER 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE New Dentures - Partials-Relines - Repairs 250-549-4745 McCulloch Court #114-3400 Coldstream Ave. Vernon
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IT’S A PUZZLER WHERE WE LIVE AGATE BLUE RIVER CAESARS CANOE CASCADES CHASE CHASM CLINTON DALLAS DARCY DEADWOOD DEKA ELLISON EXETER FIFE GALENA GATEWAY GILPIN GREEN LAKE HAIG
SUDOKU EASY
HAT CREEK HULLCAR KATZ KEREMEOS KETTLE LAKEVIEW LILLOOET LIME LOON LAKE LYTTON MARNE MIDDLETON MISSION MONASHEES MONTE LAKE MUNRO OASIS ODELL OKEEFE OLIVER
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Classified & Directory 1990 Ford F250, 7.3 diesel, 4x4, extended cab, 235,000 kms, recent tune-up, 1 extra set of winter tires on rims, $4000. 1994 Ford Tempo, 200,000 kms, extra set of winter tires on rims, $1000. 1999 Ford Taurus, GL, 160,000 kms, extra set of winter tires, $2700. 250.546.6208. Fine wooden locking 2 door gun cabinet, 13 x 37 x 49 inches, $125. Phone 250.549.0406. Maintain independence and peace of mind – MediPendant Medical Alert Service. New technology has greater range, wear outside or in shower. No contract. Rates as low as $19/ month. www.vnvs.ca or phone 1.877.566.8687.
regulator valve, $25. Phone 250.558.1456. Ladies Free Spirit Bicycle, $75. Pinwheel Crystal - Punch bowl complete with lid, ladle, tray and 12 mugs. Bowl is 40 mug capacity. Phone 250.766.0262. Quad Cane, chrome, adjustable, $20. Acer 15.6’’ laptop, windows 7 Pro,good battery,as new,$275. Folding snack trays, antique look, 15’’x15’’, $25 pair. Phone 250.498.0454. Three double size homemade wool quilts, $150/each. Phone 250.545.6179.
Health Check™ food choices and reducing trans fats.
Craftsman 3/4 “ socket set $130. Mastercraft 6A hammer drill 102 pcs.in case.$60. Rubber overshoes for cowboy boots.sizes 8&9.$10.pr. Insulated mens & ladies boots.sizes 7-12 $5.-20. 250.838.9732.
www.heartandstroke.ca
Sudoku Solutions:
16 horsepower Sears tractor with 48” snowblade & 5800 watt generator, offers. Phone 250.492.8501. Twelve string Yamaha guitar plus case, in good condition, model #FG-210-1, asking $375. Phone 250.546.8854.
Free Spirit 360 Exercise weight bench c/w 130 lbs. of weights, $150. 20 gal. Compressor tank on wheels, c/w pressure Free Classified Ad Policy We’ll place your ad, up to 25 words FREE, as long as the value of the item you are selling is under $1000. This offer is available to individuals only and is not available to businesses or commercial enterprises. One ad per household, space permitting. The rate for business / commercial ads or for items valued over $1,000 is $14 plus tax up to 25 words then 25 cents for each additional word. Email your ad details, along with your phone number and address to: classifieds@ northof50.com or fax to: 250.546.8914 46 northof50.com
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Electric hospital bed, Invacare, model #ref 6630, adjustable - 6 buttons, $1000. Phone 778.478.0012.
EASY
Professional magic props, magic video tapes, magic DVDs and magic books. Good for beginner, aged 8 or advanced. Value $2000, asking $700 cash. Phone 250.770.2042.
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Wordsearch Solution: We Love Living Here
Acer 15.6’’ Laptop, windows 7 pro, good battery, as new, $275 firm. Greenway hot/cold water dispenser, fridge on bottom, $65. Quad cane, $20. Phone 250.498.0454.
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