North of 50
LOCAL LATITUDE, GLOBAL ATTITUDE June 2010 Vol. 3, Issue 6, Publications Mail Agreement 41188516, ISSN # 1710-4750
PROFESSIONAL NURSING AND HOME SUPPORT
Home Health Services
®
24 HOUR SERVICE
z
7 DAYS A WEEK
200-418 St. Paul St., Kamloops Tel: 250-851-2911 z www.wecare.ca
Free Publication
Thompson / Nicola / South Cariboo
GRAND CHIEF STEWART PHILLIP A Voice For The Land & The People
1
Your experience begins at Expedia CruiseShipCenters.
DAY
EARN, REDEEM, & EARN AGAIN THE MOST REWARDING JOURNEYS NEVER END
OUR BIGGEST SALE OF THE YEAR IS BACK!
sale
Book a Princess Cruise on June 19 th for EXCLUSIVE OFFERS:
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
JUNE 19
UP TO
175 200 $ 650 1,500 $
USD
$
CAD
USD
Onboard Credit Reduced Deposit Onboard Coupons Bonus Aeroplan Miles ®
Call today!
(250) 851- 0029 1-800-711-6142 424 Victoria St., Kamloops
www.expediacruiseshipcenters.ca/kamloops
Pre-Register NOW! Save up to 50% Call today or Pre-registration event June 17th Some restrictions apply. Contact your Cruise Consultant for more details. ®Aeroplan is a registered trademark of Aeroplan Canada Inc.
2
Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo
NORTH of 50 June 2010
LEGENDARY FAMILY
Experience all that Shuswap Lake has to offer!
Shuswap Lake provides an extraordinary natural setting for your vacation adventure! Twin Anchors has been providing memorable vacations since 1977. Our legendary service and luxurious houseboats continue to impress our guests while out exploring the rugged and dramatic terrain that is home to some of the best houseboating in North America. Bring the whole family - or just plan a quiet getaway - we have boats to suit all sizes of families and budgets. Now is the best time to book for 2010.
twinanchors.com
•
1.800.663.4026
NORTH of 50 June 2010
Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo
GRAND CHIEF Stewart Phillip - A voice for the land and the people
3
By TJ Wallis
jalopy. Grand Chief Stewart Phillip’s maiden voyage over the Coquihalla Highway was in the back of a sheriff’s prisoner’s bus in 1990. He was being transported, along with other protesters, including his wife Joan, to a courtroom in Vancouver to face charges It was also the younger Phillip who had a drinking problem. Though he eventually got sober, his alcoholism led to the breakdown of his first marriage and ultimately, related to a blockade of the BC Rail line at Seton Portage, near Lillooet. his return home to Penticton. Once home, he soon “became the newly minted home The day before, RCMP in riot gear, had arrived by helicopter to put an end school coordinator, a liaison between school, home and the education ministry.” to the protest. The police stomped up the hill in formation and began to arrest 16 While he attempted to keep the community’s teenagers in school - a challenge members of the Okanagan Nation who were supporting the St’át’imc, who had been considering they could earn union ages at the mill - Phillip was getting an education blockading the tracks for several days, in solidarity with the Mohawks at Oka and of his own. Now immersed in the culture and Native Politics he began to understand to demand formal recognition Aboriginal title. Phillip remembers, “We kept singing the issues on a more personal level. until there was just one singer and one drummer left.” He learned that his father’s 11 acre property, choked with knapweed, had It wasn’t the first time Phillip stood alongside a Native community outside once been abundant farm land, with vegetable gardens and orchards. But since his own. He is committed to uniting all Indigenous Peoples “in order that we may the river had been channelized by the government, there was no water available to force the federal and provincial governments and third-party interests to fully irrigate the land. Phillip wondered why gas lines, rail lines, public utilities and public recognize, respect and accommodate our Aboriginal Title.” roads were built on reservations? Why were governments and businesses prospering It’s why he supported the Micmac and Shuswap peoples at the respective as a consequence of reserve lands being compromised from the Rights of Ways, while confrontations at Burnt Church and Gustafson Lake. It’s why he led the protest and native bands lived in abject poverty, with no compensation for the use of their lands. blockade at Apex Mountain in the mid 1990s when the provincial government failed Not surprising, Phillip became involved in band politics and was one of the to consult the Penticton Indian Band before approving a massive ski resort expansion, youngest members to sit on council. He served 10 years as elected councillor and 14 which would have affected the watershed and dramatically increased traffic on the years as Chief of the Penticton Indian Band. He’s been the Band planner, the Director road through band land. And it’s why, this spring, he joined Chief Fabian Alexis and members of the Okanagan Indian Band at the blockade at Brown’s Creek Watershed. of land management, Band Manager, Chair of the Okanagan Tribal Council and President of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs. In 2006, Philip received the honour of “We will not stand idly by and watch the destruction of our watersheds, being named grand chief by band elders during the Okanagan Nation Alliance annual water and culture,” he said in a letter of support to Chief Alexis. general assembly. Phillip’s has spent most of his adult life lobbying for Native Rights.“My Phillip is especially proud of his almost 23 years of sobriety. As a direct primary responsibility,” he says, “is to Indigenous people, to protect and defend the result of his early lifestyle, Phillip faced life threatening liver cancer in 1996, and had land and the people.” a life saving liver transplant. “My foremost wish would be that all the indigenous As a young adult, Phillip admits he was a long-haired, angry man, donning people would be free of substance abuse issues and that our children would enjoy a a red headband and army combat boots. The soft-spoken 60 year old has long since successful post secondary education.” traded his battle fatigues for a shirt and tie, but he says, “I’m not any less angry.” Today, his grandchildren are the centre of his universe. He and Joan, his wife While Chief of the Penticton Indian Band, he was often referred to as a militant, but of 26 years have -6 children and 10 grandchildren between them. Phillip said, “I thank it’s a label Phillip is proud of. the Creator that I was born Indigenous. It is such a blessing to be reconnected to my Back in the 1970s “We had the civil rights movement and the anti-Vietnam heritage.” movement in the US. Wounded Knee had just happened. There was a strong sense of In Grand Chief Stewart Phillip’s office is a quote from Anna Mae Aquash, a social justice sweeping across North American and I got swept up in the Red Power 30-year-old Mi’kmaq from Nova Scotia who became a powerful voice in the American Movement.” Closer to home, members of the Okanagan Nation staged a 10 day occupation Indian movement and who was murdered in 1975 on the Pine Ridge Indian reserve in South Dakota. It reads, “… The whole country changed with only a handful of of the DIA offices in Vernon. The Secwepemc, under the leadership of the late Ken raggedly-ass pilgrims that came over here in the 1500s. And it can take a handful Basil, had an armed blockade of the highway, protesting against poor housing of raggedy-ass Indians to do the same, and I intend to be one of those raggedy-ass conditions on the Bonaparte Indian Band reservation near Cache Creek. Many other Indians.” ...Anna Mae Pictou Aquash blockades and occupations of Federal Buildings were taking place throughout B.C. It’s a sentiment Grand Chief Stewart Phillip shares. “I think that Indigenous It was a time when Stewart Phillip was just beginning to connect with poverty and injustice need a voice and I am really honoured to be a small part of that his native roots. Born in Penticton in 1949, he was apprehended in infancy by the Ministry of Social Services, when his parents, both diagnosed with tuberculosis, were voice.” sent to Coqualeetza Sanatorium, a former residential school, in Chilliwack, to recover. The policy of the day was to deny and prohibit any interaction with the birth family, and so it was that Stewart Phillip was raised in Hedley and later Quesnel by a foster family, who believed they were doing the right thing by insulating him from his parents, family and heritage. He knew so little about his birth culture that when members of a Cree family who worked at the same mill with him in Quesnel asked what tribe he was from, Phillip was lost for words and answered, “I’m nonstatus, I think.” He’d been taught that natives were violent and alcoholic, and he was assured he wasn’t like “them.” So when his ex-wife telephoned him at work to say his real Dad was at their home, Phillip was filled with mixed emotions. As he drove home to meet his blood relative, he was both elated to have a father and concerned for the safety of his wife and children. “I didn’t know this man. I had an image of some drunk guy stumbling around my house. I pictured him raggedly dressed, driving an old jalopy.” But Stewart Phillip’s father drove a mint condition, robin egg blue Ford Joan Phillip, with Grand Chief Stewart Phillip at her side, speaks at the Sisters in Spirit vigil at CRAB Park at Portside, Fairlane – and ironically, it was the younger Downtown Eastside, Vancouver, Coast Salish territory, October 4, 2009. Photo courtesy of Jay Black Phillip who pulled into the driveway in an old
4
North of 50
a division of 0727724 BC Ltd.
Publisher Dean Wallis dean@northof50.com Managing Editor TJ Wallis editor@northof50.com Advertising Sales Dean Wallis dean@northof50.com Ad Design & Layout Kristi Carter krist@northof50.com Administrative Assistant Caralyn Doyle caralyn@northof50.com Deadline for Ads to be submitted is the 22nd of the month for publication on or about the 1st of the month Office Location: Suite 102 Armstrong Business Centre 2516 Patterson Avenue Armstrong, BC Mailing Address: Box 100 Armstrong, BC V0E 1B0
ADS & SUBMISSIONS Phone: (250) 546-6064 Fax: (250) 546-8914 Toll Free: 1-877-667-8450 (877)NORTH50 Website: www.northof50.com North of 50 i s a n i n d e p e n d e n t , f r e e m o n t h l y publication, locally owned, produced and distributed throughout the Thompson /Nicola/ South Cariboo/ Okanagan and Shuswap areas by 0727724 BC Ltd. Disclaimer: The publisher will not be responsible for errors or omissions. In the e v e n t o f a typographical error, the portion of the advertisement that is incorrect w i l l not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid at the applicable r a t e . The opin i o n s a n d v i e w s contained in submitted articles to North Of 50 newsmagazine are not necessarily those of the publisher. The publisher retains the right t o e d i t a l l submissions, including articles and letters to the editor, for brevity and clarity. Copyright is retained on a l l m a t e r i a l , t e x t a n d g r a 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 expressed permission of North of 50 P u b l i c a t i o n s (unless for private reference only).
Publications Mail Agreement No. 41188516 Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses To North Of 50 Box 100 Armstrong, BC • V0E 1B0
Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo
NORTH of 50 June 2010
EDITORIAL CANADA IS HOME TO ABOUT 200 ETHNIC GROUPS, according to Statistics Canada. This year, we will welcome around 250,000 new immigrants to this country, most of whom will arrive from various parts of Asia. Exactly how welcoming Canadians will be is up for debate. Few will admit that, despite Canada’s policy of multiculturalism, racism continues to exist in Canada. Sociologist Adrienne Schadd wrote: “Before we as a society can liberate ourselves from the grip of racism, we have to acknowledge that it exists, and that it is not something which has been blown out of proportion; neither is it the figment of some people’s imagination.” As Canadians, we do like to pat ourselves on the back for all our liberal thinking and progressive policies. And it’s true. For the most part, we are well meaning, kind people, and when blatant racism raises its ugly head, we won’t tolerate it. Good neighbours paint over racial slurs graffiti-ed on a church wall. A complete stranger jumps to the defense of a member of a visible minority being bullied by white supremacists. Canadians don’t like racism. But some racism is invisible, hard to pinpoint, so ingrained in our public policies and practices that we don’t even recognize its existence. The Chinese poll tax, residential schools, the Japanese internment are all examples of systemic racism, where public policy marginalized entire groups. Today, we need only look at the over representation of aboriginal children in foster care in BC. When you consider that aboriginal children make up 6 percent of the population, but account for 49 percent of the children in care, it’s hard to believe that systemic racism isn’t playing a role. Cindy Blackstock, Executive Director of First Nations Child and Family Caring Society explained in a 2007 report to the Senate, “Many of the First Nations agencies will tell you that it is not a problem to get $300 a day to put a child into foster care, but try to give $25 to a family so they can afford to feed the child and keep him or her safely in their home, and it is not possible under the current formula.” It is much easier to ignore this type of racism when you are not on the receiving end. In April, I had the opportunity to speak with Grand Chief Stewart Phillip of the Okanagan Nation. Apprehended in infancy, he reconnected with his culture in his twenties. Beginning on page 10, the Grand Chief shares with North of 50 readers why he is committed to native rights issues. Also in this issue, on page 8, Don Sawyer tells the respective stories of two immigrants who came to Canada from far away places, in search of a better life. Then, on page 19, we debunk an urban myth that suggests immigrants receive more benefits than Canadian pensioners. You might be surprised to learn what economic benefits immigrants really receive when they come to Canada. Then, regular contributor, Sherry Bennett takes a trip to Chief Atahm school to find out how the Shuswap people are trying to save a language from extinction, on page 16. There’s a lot more good reading in this issue of North of 50, but I’ve run out of space, so you’ll have to just keep turning the pages to find the rest of the story.
TJ Wallis
NORTH of 50 June 2010 FAIR COMMENT
Born Under a Jupiter Moon MY KENYAN FRIEND GEORGE was over the other
day, and it just happened to be my 63rd birthday. “Your birthday,” George exclaimed. “I see. And what time were Don Sawyer you born?” I gave him the information, and he nodded knowingly. “About how far from the 49th parallel?” “I don’t know, George,” I answered, puzzled. “Three or 400 miles I guess. Why?” “I see, I see,” George said again. “It all makes sense now.” “George,” I said in exasperation, “what makes sense now?” “The way you are. You see, you were born under a Jupiter moon. In Luo astrology, that means you are a very, very sensitive person.” “Gosh, thanks, George,” I said bashfully. “No, I mean really sensitive. It’s a wonder you’ve been able to maintain a long-term relationship.” Since this was exactly what my wife had been telling me for 40 years, I wasn’t sure I liked where this was going. “Jan must be an amonye, one who eats you up.” “Well,” I admitted grimly, “it has been a struggle sometimes.” “Not for you, for her. She has to eat you alive,” George said. “You are so full of nonsense no one could take it all. So when you dump all your frustrations and anguish on them, amonyes don’t listen.” I knew it. “They can’t!” George went on. “Because you go
A Lesson In "Possible" I VISIT TWO PATIENTS in the Intensive Care Unit when I go to the main MDRTB hospital here in Nukus, Uzbekistan. Intensive Care here is three small cells in which the patients reside on Calvin White narrow beds possibly for the rest of their lives. Possibly not. The two patients that I visit teach me about the possible. One is 31 year old G. She has been on her bed in ICU for the past 4 months. She has a sponge mat to place under her hips to counter the emergence of bedsores. Her MDR-TB is in the back, lungs and left eye. The other is K. She is partially deaf and beset with other ailments. Only 27 years old, she looks much older. Both are thin. Bones within skin. Neither can walk, though K is very agile and can fold and unfold herself into various positions on the bed. I was the counselor who first told K that she had MDR-TB and that it meant months in hospital and two years of daily treatment with toxic drugs that cause dire side effects. Her face contorted with shock, and after stunned silence she smiled and said she would just have to be strong. Then, her sister and I helped her to back to her room, one of us under each arm. Now, when I come to our hospital and enter her room she stretches out her stick-like arms to me and pulls me to her for a long embrace. When we finish the embrace, I kiss her through my mask on her cheek. Neither of us can speak the other’s spoken language, and of course our cultures and upbringing are radically different, but
Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo
5
on and on. So finally they just swallow you to keep you quiet. It’s the only way to shut you up.” This was a lot of information in a short time. I sat looking at my coffee trying to decide whether or not Jan had put him up to it. “That’s why you write for a purpose. You are sensitive. It’s why you want to change the world. You see the stupidity all around us and you can’t stop it. Most of us just get out of the way. But not you. You take it all on.” I had the feeling he was not saying this to compliment me on my civic engagement and sense of social responsibility. “In Luo society we realize that your type has to withdraw at times. To cocoon, we say. You can’t survive in the world without withdrawing occasionally. To get recharged. You get worn down.” Sigh. What he said was true, though I’d never thought about it in exactly those terms before. A Jupiter moon, eh? By coincidence (or not), I had scheduled a four-day retreat for the very next day. I had thought of it as a writing retreat, a purposeful, productive four days of solid writing, punctuated by the odd hour out to walk Farley the Lapphund. Then back to work, writing furiously to save the world, to make things right, to counter all the wrong-headedness rampant out there. For nearly a year, I had been researching the right site, scouring the web and then visiting various cabins and resorts that made the short list. I had found my place, a snug cabin just two hours from home set in cedars and firs overlooking a tiny green lake. Quiet. Secluded. Just the place to get to work. And here I am. But a funny thing seems to have happened. I’ve been spending a lot of time listening to the fire crackle in the wood stove, walking in the woods and sitting on the porch. After two days,
this is the first clattering of the keyboard. That young adult novel I’d hoped to be well along on? I dunno… Somehow that path that Farley and I took that led us by a pile of old log slabs, now so overgrown with moss it looked like a gnome’s house shingled in bright green, seems more important. That tiny stream we found trickling down the mountainside more fascinating. And when we bushwhacked our way back to the main trail and I yelled in mock relief, “We made it, Farley!” and he raced excitedly back and forth along the trail as if he were a puppy again, I laughed more deeply, more genuinely, than I had in a very long time. And sitting on the porch, the lyrics of the forest seem more beautiful than anything I could possibly write, for this is certainly not a place of silence. Way up on the mountainside across the lake the pines and cedars are chatting softly. A small stream announces it arrival at our lake. Rain pads softly on the cedar shakes and drips on my notebook. A loon flaps noisily in the water, and a grey squirrel, not at all happy with Farley as a neighbour, chitters in a tree. Deep, deep in the woods, an owl hoots at who knows what. Last night when he who-whoed, Farley stood by the rail and peered intently into the darkness. But today he lies quietly by my chair, not even bothering to flick an ear toward our owly friend. I guess I’ll get at that novel. Sometime. But right now I want to do a crossword in front of the fire. Then there’s the book I’ve been wanting to finish. And that cliff hike I’d like to take…
we communicate fully. When the nurse or doctor see our long embrace, they can’t figure it out. G is a different story. For a few weeks, I didn’t bother to stop to talk to her, instead only offered a handshake and hello on the two days that I came out to our hospital. But she began to take an interest in my comings and goings and our relationship began. One day, another counselor and I took out G and K in wheelchairs. They both crave to be outside and breathe and interact. K’s eyes open so widely once in the natural world. She takes everything in, examining the state of the grasses, the leaves on the trees, whether the apricots are forming, the clouds, the spraying of water from garden irrigation pipes. To be with K when she is in this state is to be with an enlightened being who lives fully in the now. G, who has long worried that she will never walk, asked us to go farther, out of the hospital garden compound and along the road to wind through the pastures. We obliged. In fact, we semi-raced the two wheelchairs. We wanted them to feel the motion, the air flowing against them, to know that they were as alive as anyone else and that we didn’t see them as limited or forgotten. We wanted to spark them. After 400 metres we halted and watched cattle grazing. G joked that when she could walk, we should go out farther in the day and buy some fruit from the farmer and then go back again in the night and steal some more. The four of us spent an hour together and it was great. Two days later, even though it wasn’t my first time doing so, the local doctors raked me over the coals for taking them out without permission, for racing them, and for going away from the hospital. It’s the nurses’ responsibility for patients in ICU they exclaimed.
The personnel here are terrified that should anything happen they will be held responsible. Their best course of action tends to be none. Since, I have to work with patients for many more months, I accepted the doctors’ remonstrations and apologized. Ten days later, G started to walk by herself. Her stick thin body moving slowly, carefully step by step out to the hall, disheveled hair, worn pink bed clothes. Then, a few days ago, she made it up two flights of stairs to sit and watch television. When the doctor found out, she ordered G to stop doing it. It was too risky. G felt defeated and cried when she told me about it. But she continues to walk. As for K, because I am very busy and out of hesitation at the doctors’ ire, I backed off and decided to let the hospital personnel take care of things. Fifteen days after I last took out G in a wheelchair, I asked permission and took her out again. She loved it. Naively, I asked when she had last been out. When you took me out, she replied. I felt ashamed. G’s eyes roamed everywhere and she smiled at all she saw. Calvin White is a retired high school counsellor who lives in the North Okanagan. He has over 70 essays published in various Canadian daily newspapers, including the Globe and Mail, the Ottawa Citizen, Toronto Star, Vancouver Sun and Province. If you have any comments on this column, you can write to Calvin White at calvinwhite@northof50.com or to Calvin White c/o North of 50, Box 100, Armstrong, BC V0E 1B0 Calvin White is currently working with Doctors Without Borders in Uzbekistan, a landlocked former part of the Soviet Union. He will be there for about a year, working with victims of drug resistant tuberculosis and training counsellors to do the same. He continues to submit his columns to North of 50 from there.
Don Sawyer is a writer, educator and former director of Okanagan College’s International Development Centre. He lives with his wife in Salmon Arm. You can contact Don Sawyer by email at donsawyer@telus.net or by mail at Don Sawyer c/o North of 50, Box 100, Armstrong, BC V0E 1B0. For more information on Don’s writing and development work, visit his web site at www. northerned.com.
6
Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo
Coming Events The three United Churches of Kamloops will be hosting a special 85th Anniversary service and celebration at Riverside Park on Sunday, June 6th. “Since 1925, we have sought to live into the Spirit’s active prodding for a world where peace, justice, abundance, and hope pervade all life,” said Mardi Tinsdale, moderator of the United Church. Kamloops is served by three United Churches: Plura Hills, located in the Abderdeen area; Kamloops United, in the downtown area; and Mount Paul United, on the North Shore. “The United Church of Canada has a rich history in the Kamloops area, and our congregations decided the best way to celebrate that history was to have a joint worship experience which is open to the community,” according to Rev. LeAnn Blackert, minister of Mount Paul United Church. “This worship service will celebrate our history, as well as our future in this community, and we hope our friends and neighbors in Kamloops will join us for this special event.” The service, to held at the Rotary Bandshell in Riverside Park on Sunday, June 6th, is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m., preceded by a hymn sing at 10:15 a.m. Those planning to attend are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs. Hot dogs and drinks will be served after the service. For further information, please contact Rev. Blackert at Mount Paul United Church, 250-376-2261. June, Suzy Knox is the feature artist at The Courthouse Gallery, 7 W Seymour St., Kamloops. Suzy paints in acrylics and watercolour and plays in all other media, fabric, printmaking to name a few. She has helped beginners learn how to paint for 28 years; her work has been shown in galleries in Toronto, Hamilton, Stratford and Kamloops. Her muse is colour and she paints from life and on location. "I prefer to paint on location because the world is more beautiful than I could imagine." Also at the gallery, finely crafted work by local artists, weaving, glass, jewelry, pottery, textile, felting, woodworking, paintings, basketry and sculptures. Open Tues to Fri, 10 to 5, Sat 10 to 4. Free parking, handicap accessible. June 3-26, Kamloops Arts Council Main Gallery: Emergence, Tatiana Burstyn & Marlene Olineck, an exhibition of watercolours and handcrafted jewellery. June 8th – 29th Kamloops Arts Council’s Wilson House Gallery: Title tba, Judy Mackenzie, acrylic paintings inspired by the hot dry sagebrush and pine country of the interior of BC. The Kamloops Arts Council Main Gallery is located at 7 Seymour Street West in the Old Courthouse Cultural Centre and Wilson House Gallery is located at 115 Tranquille Road in the NSBIA’s Wilson House. 250.372.7323. June 5-6, 23rd Annual Watch Lake/Green Lake Fishing Derby. Starts at day-break Sat, ends at 2pm on Sunday, awards & prizes 3pm; pancake breakfast each day 7-10am; refreshment garden Sat 11am -9pm, Sun 11am til closing; pig roast Saturday night. At Watch Lake, Green Lake. Contact Dimps Horn at 250.456.7741 or dimps@watchlake.com June 12-13, Weekend Workshop at the Clinton Art Gallery. Magic of Acrylic Mediums - A journey into the development of surface texture, color and composition using acrylic mediums such as gels, glazes, modeling pastes and texture gels for exciting surfaces and effects such as crackle, impasto, plaster and metallic surfaces. Learn how to use these effects in a comprehensive composition that is beautiful and artistic. 2 day workshop - 10am 3pm. **Includes mediums for workshop and sample supports. To bring: acrylic paints, extra supports (canvas or board, no larger than 8x10), brushes, palettes, palette knives, small containers for extra medium and color, rags or paper towels, water container & a lunch. Cost $145. To register
or for info call: Clemence at Clinton Art Gallery or phone 250.459.7172 or malletart@gmail.com. June 19. Kamloops Strongest Man Competition, in support of the Local Food bank, at McDonald Park. Feature strongmen in five men's weight classes - ultralightweight, super-lightweight, lightweight, light-heavy, heavyweight and super-heavyweight. Also, a masters division for those 40 years old and older, in addition to separate categories for women and teenagers. Registration $25 per person, and competitors will be accepted until the day of the event. rwright@bceaa.org June 19, Kamloops Energy Fair at the McArthur Island Sports Centre. Open to the public from 10:00am 4:00pm. Admission is free. Hosted by the BC Sustainable Energy Association. Save money and help the planet! Trade show: see solar hot water, wind turbines, home energy advisors, and tips on how to reduce your carbon footprint in inexpensive ways. Kids Corner for fun learning about energy. Speakers and workshops: find out how growing food in our community saves energy. Green Energy Contest for student projects. Contact us at energyfair@bcsea.org or 250.318.6483 June 26. Chamber Musicians of Kamloops present Carlene Wiebe, Soprano, and Friends. Concert at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church on 6th Avenue at Douglas at 7:30pm June 26-27, 100 Mile Model Flyers invite you to a Radio Controlled Model Airplane Fun Fly, local & out-of-town pilots, concession; no pets please! At the South Cariboo Regional Airport, 108 Mile Ranch. Call Bill Hood at 250.397.2575 or John Code at 250.395.1219. July 2-10. Mainstage 2010 - Theatre BC's Annual Provincial Community Theatre Festival This exciting event is the culmination of winning plays from Theatre BC Zone Festivals involving up to 10 Zones throughout the Province of BC - July 2-10. FMI 250.828.3611 or 2010@ theatrebc.org July3-4 Canada Day Celebrations at Sun Peaks. Throughout the weekend the village will be alive with a multitude of activities such as Jo’s Road Race, Mountain of Beer and Chilli cookoff competitions, a rock climbing wall, interactive drumming lessons with The Drum Café, performances from clowns, 5 Star Dog Agility Demonstrations, giant inflatable obstacle race, and more! 250-578-5542 for more details! July 23 -24, Lillooet Quilters Guild - Quilt Show & Tea, 10am to 7pm on July 23 and 10am to 4pm July 24, at United Church on Main Street. Admission is $3. Raffle Tickets, $2, drawn at 3pm on July 24
NORTH of 50 June 2010 Chase Legion Branch 107 Monthly Calendar June 2010 New Branch hours - Sunday, Monday, Wednesday & Thursday 2-8pm, Tuesdays & Fridays 10am-8pm & Saturdays from 1-8pm Weekly Schedule: Mondays: Fun Darts 7:30pm Tuesdays: Free Meat Draw 4:00 & 6:30pm, Games Night Euchre, Crib, and More 7pm Thursdays: Crib 7pm Fridays: TGIF Meals 5:30pm $6. For members $7 Saturdays: Meat Draw $1 a ticket and good for all draws 2pm, Fun Darts 2pm, & Pool Tournament 6:30pm. Sundays other than posted events, Open Mike is a non hosted entertainment session, Come on out and play the Guitar, sing, bring your friends and family 3pm The Special Events for June are as follows: June 5th Dart Banquet Dance to the music of Union Jack Sunday June 6th Giant Crib 10:30am Saturday June 12th Golf Tournament, 1pm Sunny Shore Golf Course, Then Dinner & Dance to the Music of Chris Simmons at the Legion Wednesday June 16th General Meeting Saturday June 19th Karaoke 8pm Sunday June 27th Jam Session 3pm Gazebo Raffle tickets still available Gavel Passing Registrations Forms are now at the Legion All functions are for Members and Bonafide Guests Come and join the legion new members always welcome. No Military background needed Call 250-679-3536 for Details
Your Watersports Pro Centre... We do it all! llScuba Diving lSnorkeling lKayaking
lWakeboarding lWaterskiing lTubing
and Swimming
Water Systems (Large & Small), Inspections, Relocation & Recovery, Construction, Anchors, Docks, Pools, Camera Inspections, Video & Stills 238 Lansdowne St. Kamloops, BC V2C 1X7
250.838.0188 l www.opwatersports.com
NORTH of 50 June 2010
Community Events 100 Mile House
100 Mile Legion AllVeterans get-togethers are held Saturdays at 2 p.m. at the legion. Meat draws at 3 p.m. For more information call 395-2511. Creekside Seniors Centre offers activities for seniors such as pool, darts, bridge, whist, cribbage and carpet bowling. For more information call (250)3953919. South Cariboo Farmers' Market - Open from 1st Friday in May to Last Friday in September - Fri 8:30am to 1:30pm. Farmfresh produce, bedding plants & perennials, baking; local craftsmen including woodworking, painting, jewelry; clothing, baby items, honey, BC salmon, hot food items, and much more... For info call Karen Greenwood at 250395-3580. 108 Newcomers Group. First and third Thursday of every month at 10:30 am in the Community Centre upstairs room. Meet other newcomers over a cup of coffee in an informal setting. Dropin fee: $2. Caroline 7919250. Spinners and Weavers meetings in the event calen meet every first Friday at the Parkside Art Gallery, at 385 Dogwood Crescent from 10 am to 2pm interested people can contact our president Unni at: http:// www.trollheimenweaving. com/
Barriere
Barriere Survivors meet 2nd Monday of the Month 10:30 am to 12:30 @ Volunteer Centre. Anyone who has suffered a Brain Injury Ph. Kamloops Brain Injury Assoc (250) 3721799 ask for John Alzheimers/Dementia Support Group 1st Thursday of each month from 10:00a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Volunteer Centre on Barriere Town Rd. Phone 250-377-8200 or 1-800-886-6946.
Chase
Chase Village Friday Evening Market 4-7 pm. Local produce, baked goods, and arts & crafts.
Kamloops
BIG Little Science Centre PUBLIC HOURS 2009 2010 Discover & Explore Fun Science. Enjoy TWO FULL Rooms with over 130 Hands-on Stations. Thursdays and Fridays 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Saturdays 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. With a Special Activity or Show at 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM. Closed Sundays and Holidays. For more information contact: Gord Stewart at: 250-5542572 or 250-319-0689 E-mail: gord@blscs.org The newly formed Kamloops Garden Railway Club is looking for donations of large-scale track, buildings & rolling stock for a permanent "G" scale layout at The Kamloops Wildlife Park. Tax receipts will be issued. To donate or for more information on our organization ~ call Hans @ 250-828-1418. Breast cancer support group meet the second Saturday of the month at Lansdown Village, lower level, 111-450 Lansdowne St., from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Call 250-374-9188. Wonder CafeSoup Kitchen at Mt. Paul United Church, 140 Laburnum Ave. (Kamloops North Shore), serves hot lunch every Thursday from 11a.m. to 1p.m. Kamloops Ostomy Support Group meets at 7 pm on first Thursday of month at Medichair, boardroom. 210-450 Landsdowne Street, contact for info: Ken at 250-8190315 or Evelyn at 250-8286647. Pottery classes for the Fab 55+. Discover or rediscover the great feeling of creating in clay- Hand building, sculpture, coils or slabs. Held every Tuesday from 1-3:30PM at Heritage House pottery studio in Riverside Park. $5 for non members $3 for members. Free clay is available for small projects and fee covers firing, glazing and use of tools. For more information contact Diane Britt at 5732604 or 377-8793. The local chapter of Green Drinks International (greendrinks.org) will
7
Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo meet on the first Monday of each month. November 2nd, 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm. Green Drinks is a nonprofit social group. Topics discussed in the past include gardening, green home building, air pollution, home canning, straw bale houses!Mary Ellen Grant megloops@gmail.com or 250.371.7172 Kamloops Garden Club Meets every 4th Wed. of the month in Heritage House at 7:00 pm. Jeanette Moslin (250) 372-9669. The Wells Gray Country Seniors Society meet the first Wednesday of each month at 10 a.m. at the Resource Centre; Third Sunday Seniors Social at 1p.m. in the Munroe Room at Wells Gray Inn; Seniors Book Club meet on the fourth Thursday of each month in the Clearwater library. Contact Lois Geiger, lgeiger@mercuryspeed. com. The Kamloops Raging Grannies is a non-partisan group of women who use humor to actively raise the consciousness of citizens through peaceful means to promote positive change within our communities. More info 372-3105. Tuesday afternoon cribbage at the McArthur park lawn Bowling Clubhouse (beside NorBroc Stadium) at 1:30 p.m. Everyone welcome. No partners needed. Crib, coffee and good company. Call 250-579-0028. Are you a breast cancer survivor looking for fun, fitness and friendship? The Spirit Warrior dragon boat team is a great group of women who meet Tuesdays & Thursdays at 5:45 pm at Pioneer Park in Kamloops. We are looking for more members, no experience required! Call Liama at 377-1947or Midge at 374-2566 or e-mail spiritwarriors@live.ca or go to www.spiritwarriors.ca for more information. Bridge at Desert Gardens Community Centre, every Tuesday, at 12:30 p.m. 540 Seymour Street. For info call (250) 372-5110. The Alzheimer Society of BC, Central Interior, 543 Battle St. Kamloops, offers programs and services for people whose lives are affected by Alzheimer’s
disease or a related dementia. Programs and services include education workshops and information and support groups for family caregivers and for people diagnosed with early dementia. Call 250-3778200 or 1-800-866-6946.
250.396.7698
Interior Authors Group, a group that brings people together who are interested in the art of writing, meets the second Wednesday of the month at the Kamloops Art Gallery, 465 Victoria St., at 7p.m. Call Ted Joslin, 250-374-8910.
Carpet Bowling for Seniors, Mondays & Thursdays from 10:30 11:30 am at the Gymnasium or Mezzanine at the Lillooet & District REC Centre, 930 Main Street. Drop In Fee.
Join a fun men’s and women’s a cappella chorus, The Hub City Singers, in rehersals every Tuesday, 7 to 9p.m., at the Old Yacht Club, 1140 River St. Members don’t have to be able to read music. Call 250-578-7503. Seniors Dance with the Golden Serenadors every second Friday of the month at the North Shore Community Centre, 730 Cottonwood Ave. Admission $4 Call 250-376-4777 PATCHS, a grassroots community-based group working to achieve positive changes in the health care system, meets the first Monday of each month at Kamloops United Church, 421 St. Paul St., at 6:30p.m. Call Rick, 250-579-8541 or email riturner@shaw.ca.
Lillooet
Royal Canadian Legion Branch 66 737 Main Street Lillooet BC 250-256-7332 Meat draws every Friday 5:30-8:30PM Members and Guests always welcome
50+ Fitness at the REC Centre. aerobic style fitness class, Nov. 10-3, 9-10 am, $56 Phone (250) 256-7527
Logan Lake
Logan Lake Seniors holds Bingo Fridays 1-3, 80 150 Opal, Village Centre Mall. Call (250) 523-2759.
Merritt
Bingo Tuesdays at 1 p.m.
FREE COMMUNITY EVENTS LISTING: List your community event FREE on this page by calling toll-free 1-877-667-8450 or email details to editor@northof50.com
North of 50 Lifestyle Newsmagazine For a Grown Up Audience
Past issues available at
www.northof50.com
at the Merritt Senior Centre. Rummoli and Pool Fridays at 7 p.m. 2202 Jackson Avenue. Join the Toastmasters to gain confidence! They meet every Tuesday at 5:00 pm at the Merritt Library. ESL Coffee Circle Practice your English skills every Saturday from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Merritt Library. Frosty Fridays at Merritt Legion - Hamburgers served every Friday at the Merritt Legion from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Savona
Join us for exercise Wednesday and Friday mornings at 8:45 a.m. OAPO Branch 129, 6605 Buie Road/Savona Access Road. Call Jennier Coburn for more info at (250) 3730081.
Did you know? North of 50 is online ++ You can view the current and past issues on-line. ++ Every week we bring you a new video on a variety of topics. ++ Join Facebook.
Kamloops Ostomy Support Group meets at 7 pm on first Thursday of month. Contact: Ketina at 250-571-1456. Kamloops Family History Society meets the 4th Thursday of each month at Heritage House, 100 Lorne St., Riverside Park, 7-9 pm (Sept to May). Guests and new members are welcome. For info call 250-579-2078.
Lac La Hache
OAPO #176 Pioneer Centre offer several activities, such as pool, bridge, Canasta, square dancing, contra, rounds, pilates, and general exercise. For more information call Ron 250.396.7298, Agnes 250.396.7231 or Hazel
*Please phone for our out-of-country rates.
To start your sub today call 1-877-667-8450 Clip or photocopy this form and mail with a cheque for $22.05 to: NORTH of 50 Publications Box 100, Armstrong BC V0E 1B0
All subscription information is kept confidential Name: Address: City:
P.C:
Gift Subscription:p From:
on
www.northof50.com
Sign up for a Subscription to NORTH of 50... Today Subscription price: Mailed direct to you for only... $21.00 + GST / per year* (12 issues)
Lilloett
Lillooet Quilters Guild meet the last Wednesday of the month at 7pm at the Friendship Centre September thru June.
us
Phone:
8
Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo
NORTH of 50 June 2010
CANADA Through Immigrant Eyes Story & Photos by Don Sawyer
Oguttu Odhiambo Omung. That’s the name George Johnston was given at birth. It means “survivor” in the Luo language, the area of southwest Kenya where George was born. And survive he has: the poverty and colonialism of early childhood in rural Kenya, the racism and discrimination he faced in England as a boarding student, and the challenges of establishing a new life in Canada. Today, George lives in Salmon Arm, thousands of miles from his origins, and even further from the customs of his people and the support of his George Johnston at his home in Salmon Arm Kenyan family. An ambitious boy, early on George realized that his options in Kenya were severely limited. Educational opportunities were few, and his family was too poor to pay tuition in any event.By a stroke of luck, at the age of 11, George was sponsored to attend school in England and most of his schooling took place in boarding schools there. During that time he was an immigrant on a student visa, and it was there he first encountered real racial differences. But he was prepared. “You see, my mother had given me a way of looking at white people that became very valuable. Many white hunters on safari would come to our village. We would look at their odd habits, like wearing hats and heavy khaki clothing in blistering heat. Or burning expensive candles in their churches in the middle of the day. And going into the lake with some of their clothes on. Well, we would shake our heads. But my mother would always say the same thing: ‘That is a white people thing.’ She wasn’t being judgmental, really. She was just pointing out the way things were.” George took his mother’s lesson with him to England, where he referred to it often, especially when he encountered including being told by a classmate’s father, after his friend had invited George home for the holidays, that “We did not know that George was black. We cannot have him here.” “How did I feel?” George laughs. “I just felt, Oh, that’s must be a white people thing.” By 1966 George had passed his A-Levels and been accepted into Oxford. But circumstances in Kenya had changed. When George’s sponsor came to Canada after being expelled from Kenya, with much of his wealth stripped away, George had only two options – return to Kenya or follow his sponsor to Canada. He chose the latter. After a few years in Ontario, George followed his mentor west, and in the 60s, he found himself in BC. George attended university, graduating from SFU and eventually Oregon State, where he received his Master’s in Clinical Psychology. For the next 30 years, George worked in a wide variety of BC Government positions: probation officer, childcare worker, clinician, social worker supervisor, manager, community development worker, and finally as the regional Diversity Training coordinator, which brought him to Salmon Arm. After more than 40 years in Canada, George says, “People in Canada don’t see
themselves as having a culture. But they do, and it is a very welcoming culture. Canadians don’t recognize it for the unique feature it is, but just compare Canadian attitudes toward visible minority immigrants to other countries.” “You can come here and just be,” George continues. There is no real clamour for you to ‘be a Canadian.’ You are welcome to be here. And,” he adds smiling, “you’re told politely ... while you’re here, please get your citizenship papers. Join us. I don’t think Canadians understand how unusual this is in the world.” George admits he has experienced mistrust, discrimination, and racism from time to time, “but here, even racists are kind of apologetic.” he says, “They know they’re attitudes are out of character. Unlike the US, Canadians are not familiar with racism, and they are vaguely uncomfortable exercising it. “I had a minister explain to me once how the Bible says blacks and whites are meant to live apart. He wanted me to know it was nothing personal. He was actually quite embarrassed. Only in Canada, I thought.” With nearly 250,000 people living in Canada who originated in The Philippines, Philipino-Canadians are our third largest Asian immigrant group, just behind China and India. Florence Pepin, who arrived in Canada 25 years ago, is one of these. Florence, or Flo, as she is called by her friends (which is just about anyone she has ever met) and who also lives in Salmon Arm, was born in Manila. She grew up in a working class neighbourhood, where everything was shared to make sure everyone got by. Soon after entering college in The Philippines, Florence was forced to withdraw because her family could not afford the tuition. To provide support for her parents and siblings, 22-year-old Florence signed with a labour contractor, who placed her as a nanny in Hong Kong. “It was a kind of slave labour,” Flo confides. “We were all scared to say anything because we were afraid they’d revoke our visas.” Flo describes personal sexual harassment at the hands of an employer, and worse. “One girl who came to Hong Kong with me, we didn’t see her for weeks. Finally someone went to the apartment where she worked. Her employers locked her in the house whenever they left, even on weekends. She was virtually a prisoner.” After four years, Flo met Chinese-Canadian friends of her employers, who urged her to become their nanny in Toronto. “The wife of the family I worked for in Hong Kong didn’t want me to leave,” Flo laughs. “She told me Canada was too cold. And the taxes were high. I wouldn’t like it there.” But the opportunity to come to Canada, where, unlike many other countries, the years of a work contract count toward becoming a landed immigrant and eventually a citizen, helped her overcome her fear of the cold In Toronto, she enjoyed a wonderful relationship with her host family, but eventually Flo married and came west. But not long afterwards, the marriage broke down and she was left with two young children to raise on her own. “But I’m not afraid to work,” says Flo, who became a proud Canadian citizen in 1997. And indeed she isn’t; as a housekeeper and commercial building cleaner, she puts in more than 50 hours a week. “In that way I am like a Canadian,” she laughs. “I work hard.” “Canadians are very generous,” Flo continues. “When my husband left, employers and friends gave me money to get by, to help keep up my house. And look at the Haitian crisis. Everyone is trying to help. They want to give. You don’t see that in other places.” But despite this generosity, Flo says, there still seems to be something missing. “Yes, Canadians work very hard. But for what? For material things. There is an emptiness they think they can fill up with things. But everything is not enough. We focus too much on the outside, how to make ourselves beautiful or how to get a new car. But we miss being good inside because it’s always about me, me, me.” And what can we do about this? “Take your eyes off yourself. People are so isolated and lonely. We don’t even know our own neighbours. It’s like idolatry. We idolize ourselves, or worship our work, new things. Then if we don’t get what we think we need, whether it’s a new TV or a new wife, or a new job, we get depressed. Even suicidal.” Depression is not very prevalent in the Philippines, Flo says, “because there are so many people to talk to.” When she first came to BC, however, thousands of miles from her family and on her own with two kids, she often felt isolated. Once, she confides, she was so lonely she even thought of suicide herself. “But then I said, ‘What would we do in the Philippines?’ So I made soup and took it to my neighbours. And they were surprised,” she smiles,“But very happy. Some of them
NORTH of 50 June 2010
9
Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo
“I had a minister explain to me once how the Bible says blacks and whites are meant to live apart. He wanted me to know it was nothing personal. He was actually quite embarrassed. Only in Canada, I thought.”
Get Saucy with Blueberries!
are still my friends today.” Flo’s tone becomes uncharacteristically grave. “We need to stop wearing masks,” she tells me. “Too many people do not have good relationships; they haven’t grown up with good relationships. So they have a hole inside of them, an emptiness. But they pretend everything is OK. They think they can fill their emptiness up with things, or marijuana or alcohol. But they can’t. The only way to ease the loneliness is to reach out to others, to love people.” She smiles her bright smile. “Try making some soup and take it to your neighbours!” There is no standard immigrant story - the circumstances that brought them to Canada and the route they took to get here are as diverse and complex as each individual. For George and Florence, the journey has been a long one, both challenging and rewarding. ut they, like the millions of other Canadians who have immigrated to share this vast nation with us, have broadened our understanding of the global society we are all part of. And, if we listen, maybe they can also tell us something about Canada. Since 2001, Canada has welcomed about a quarter million immigrants each year, giving us, according to Canada’s Immigration Program, the highest per capita immigration rate in the world. With 34 ethnic groups with at least one hundred thousand members each, Canada also has one of world’s most diverse populations.
British Columbia is an ideal place to grow blueberries thanks to fresh air, clean water, fertile soil, and dedicated growers. We can expect about 90 million pounds of blueberries to be harvested this summer, and they will be distributed to retail stores throughout most of Canada. Harvest begins in mid-July and continues through early October. Meanwhile we can enjoy plump, juicy BC blueberries-from the freezer! Here’s a frozen blueberry recipe you’ll want to try and share with your friends! Saucy Blueberries, with only three ingredients, is super easy to make and can be used in so many ways. • Warm, it’s perfect on pancakes or waffles, or as a sauce for bread pudding or pound cake. • Spread Saucy Blueberries in a serving dish and sprinkle with crumbled oatmeal cookies for an instant blueberry crisp. • Or, chill and stack it in parfait glasses with crispy cereal and yogurt; for dessert, spoon it over vanilla pudding or ice cream, or layer it in a trifle. A half-cup serving of Saucy Blueberries has fewer than 100 calories, so go ahead! Enjoy yourself! Go to www.bcblueberry.com where you’ll find more recipes, nutrition and other information!
Saucy Blueberries 2 tablespoons (25 mL) sugar 2 teaspoons (10 mL) cornstarch 3 cups (750 mL) frozen blueberries, not thawed In medium saucepan, stir sugar and cornstarch together until blended; add frozen berries, toss until uniformly coated. Cover and cook over very low heat, stirring occasionally, until the berries thaw and the mixture starts to boil, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove lid, cook, stirring constantly, until boiling and thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in lemon juice or additional sugar, if desired.
Florence Pepen pictured above, with son Simon, daughter Joanna, & family pet Chloe, emigrated to Canada from the Phillipines 25 years ago.
Yield: 4 portions (about 2 cups or 500 mL) Per 1/2-cup serving: 92 calories; 0 g protein; 22 g carbohydrate; 1 g total fat; 0 g saturated fat; 0 mg cholesterol; 3 mg vitamin C; 3 g dietary fibre
Heritage Creek Gifts & Confectionary
• Books & Journals • British Sweets • Candy Gift Trays • Childrens Clothing • Daniel’s Chocolates • Toys & Games • Clocks & Wall Art • First Nations Art
• Home Decor • Jewellery • Music Boxes • Fashion Accessories • Handbags • Pashmina & Scarves • And more great gift ideas!
2516C Patterson Ave, Armstrong 250.546.3096
10
NORTH of 50 June 2010
Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo
BE INSPIRED By Our Beautiful Surroundings
When choosing a retirement residence, consider the quality of services, the opportunities for enjoyment and the level of commitment from warm, caring staff. Berwick on the Park is Kamloops’ premier retirement residence, built with vision and managed with passion. The value is exceptional. Call to book a tour and discover why living here is so inviting.
One Bedroom Suites Available Today!
6 Years Running
Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence 2009 Service Provider 60 Whiteshield Crescent South, Kamloops, BC V2E 2S9
(250) 377-7275
YOUR PREMIER RETIREMENT RESIDENCE • www.berwickrc.com EMAIL: bop.marketing@berwickrc.com
G N I NT
E R W
NO
www.appliancegallery.ca
LakesideManor RETIREMENT RESIDENCE
It isn't about our
There are a limited number of "All Inclusive Suites" still available.
MAGNIFICENT beauty
... although it is magnificent! It isn't about our INCREDIBLE staff
... although they are incredible!
It isn't about our FABULOUS cuisine
... although it is fabulous!
For us, it's only about one thing...YOU! LAKESIDE MANOR RETIREMENT RESIDENCE
CALL OUR MARKETING COORDINATOR & BOOK YOUR SUITE TODAY.
250 832 0653 1 888 460 LAKE www.lakesidemanor.ca
681 HARBOURFRONT DRIVE NE
SALMON ARM, BC
NORTH of 50 June 2010
11
Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo
METEORITE Story by Sherry Bennett
THE EVENING OF MARCH 31, 1965 unfolded like any other Wednesday evening in the Thompson-Shuswap region – serenely and gracefully. Serenely until 9:47 p.m. that is, at which time a blinding “silver ball” careened through a thin layer of lingering clouds; transforming night into day. “From the time we saw the light until the time we heard a sound like a sonic boom was about three minutes,” said Anglemont resident Cecil Myers. “We figured the explosion took place in the vicinity. When the boom came there was a tremendous suction – it seemed to be taking our breath away, just like a dynamite explosion. It shook everything and felt like an earthquake.” Dubbed by scientists at the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory in Victoria as the biggest meteorite shower since 1913, the blast of the meteor’s detonation, with energy equivalent to the atomic bomb detonated over Nagasaki, was heard throughout B.C., Alberta and the southern U.S., and recorded on seismographs 2,000 km away. Within moments of the spectacular flash and blast, calls jammed the switchboards at police stations, airports, weather offices and media outlets. Rattled particularly hard by the fireball was the community of Chase, whose residents – some convinced the country was at war – flooded into the streets in their night clothes. With any recovered fragments holding the potential to provide valuable clues to the origins of the solar system and earth itself, an immediate search was launched. Led on by the smell of sulphur fumes, the RCMP along with scientists from around the province combed the Shuswap Lake area using helicopters, reconnaissance planes and snowshoes in search of fragments or a crater. “This has turned out to be something much bigger than was first realized,” said Dr. John Galt, director of the Penticton-based Okanagan Radio Astrophysical Observatory. Despite concerted efforts on the parts of many, initial searches yielded no meteorites. In mid-April however, beaver trappers Elmer Coats and Alfred Daniels were snow-shoeing through a remote area at the top of Shuswap Lake when they stumbled upon a darkened patch of snow on the surface of Macpherson Lake. Previously alerted by scientists to the possibility of a meteorite find, Coats and Daniels knew their accidental discovery represented a significant one. At one end of the darkened snow they saw some tiny black fragments embedded in the lake ice and with such, dug down and recovered as much as they could. They found a second, similar site a kilometre away and treated it the same way. These fragments – carbonaceous chondrite, the most fragile and perishable of meteorite types known – weighed just one gram in total and wound up
Do you have a personal experience story you would like to share with North of 50 readers? North of 50 invites you to submit your story for publication. A personal experience story can be about anything. It might be inspiring, funny, scary or weird. It might be about a wonderful holiday or a travel nightmare. It might be about pursuning a lifelong passion, how you coped with a health crisi or a personal loss. It could be a love story, a ghost story or an embarassing tale. It's your story, whatever that is. Guidelines:Stories should be between 600 and 800 words and be on any topic, but it must be your own personal experience.You must include your telephone number and address. These will not be published and are for verification purposes only. Please submit your story to: Email: editor@northof50.com or Fax: 250-546-8914 (Attn. Editor) Mail: Personal Experience Editor, North of 50, Box 100, Armstrong, BC V0E 1B0
Kamloops Airport staff try out new communication system (circa 1960). On March 31, 1965, the Kamloops Airport was one of numerous communication outlets inundated with frantic calls from residents wanting to know if the country was at war. Photo courtesy of Kamloops Museum & Archives representing the entire find. Most of the meteorite had likely turned to dust as it exploded in the atmosphere. Had Coats and Daniels not reached the site of the meteorite fall until after the snows had melted, no physical trace of the meteorite would have ever been found. Labelled the Revelstoke meteor because it hit the ground 64 km northwest of Revelstoke, the meteorite represents one of the most well-documented meteorite falls ever recorded in B.C. Information contained in this article drawn from articles in the April 1, 10, 1965 editions. of the Inland Sentinel and an essay entitled Death From the Sky by Christopher Chyba in the Dec. 1993 ed. of Astronomy Magazine.
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY JUNE 20TH
Golf Course & RV Park Open 20 km north of Merritt / 70 km south of Kamloops on HWY 5A
250.378.2923 clubhouse@quilchenaonthelake.com
Accent Blinds offers a diverse selection of quality window blinds from Faux Wood to real Wood Blinds, plus Venetians & Verticals in a wide variety of colours, fabrics, and textures. Our Roller Shades come in a variety of colours, fabrics, and textures with various see-thru perforations and black out options.
Our B.C. Manufacturer guarantees their products for life! CALL TO BOOK A FREE IN-HOME DEMONSTRATION TODAY!
TARA WATSON 250-299-8512
GORD LAVERY 250-319-4687
tara@accentblinds.ca
gord@accentblinds.ca
1-877-685-1440
1-800-394-5558
12
Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo
Lillooet welcomes its first winery FOR ROAD TRIP WARRIORS BC’s Highway 99 is a favoured route, thanks to stunning scenics and pit stops that are more than just a mere distraction. Hit the road north of Whistler to Lillooet, and you’ll find yourself in brand new territory: Cariboo wine country. While the setting for the province’s 1800s Gold Rush seems an unlikely place to pour a Riesling, or mull over a Meritage, the new Fort Berens Estate Winery aims to change all that. What began as a would-be trading post for the Hudson’s Bay Company some 150 years ago (the fort never came to fruition) instead provided fertile ground for tomatoes, melons and alfalfa; a fitting site for the fledgling winery, helmed by Heleen Pannekoek and Rolf de Bruin of the Netherlands. (Newly emigrated to Canada, one might say they are staking their own claim in the province’s historic gold fields.) As the
WITH JULY 1ST JUST AROUND THE CORNER... HERE’S TWO THINGS TO THINK ABOUT: 1. What arrangements do I still need to make to have all my affairs in order? 2. How can I make those arrangements and still avoid the HST? Call Mary for more information
KAMLOOPS FUNERAL HOME 285 Fortune Drive Kamloops, BC V2B 2H7 Ph. 250-554-2577 (Toll Free 1-866-420-7758) www.kamloopsfuneralhome.com
REVOLUTIONARY NEW PRODUCT NOW AVAILABLE IN KAMLOOPS
Combines jogging, cycling and skiing motions into a fun, mobile elliptical activity
PHYSIQUE FITNESS STORE
#1-1380 Summit Drive • 374-0080 1-888-786-2211
town’s first commercial winery and vineyard, Fort Berens nurtures eight hectares (20 acres) and six varietals: Riesling, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. And while these vines won’t produce their own vintages until 2011, the couple will craft signature blends from carefully-sourced Okanagan grapes. The perfect setting to sample? The winery’s tasting room, set within a refurbished barn. A worthy stop along a road trip rife with gems. www.fortberens.ca
NORTH of 50 June 2010
Home
NORTH of 50 June 2010
and Away Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo
Life’s a Beach for Portugese Explorers By Chris Higgins
WHAT WOULD MAGELLAN DO? I was looking for the best home base to explore Portuguese Algarve, the European sunspot with its famous coastline. The Algarve boasts 155 kilometers of sandy beaches, cliffs and tall sea stacks beside the alluring Atlantic Ocean - lime green, warm and serene. But which charming seaside spot should I choose? Google Earth The ancient Portuguese explorers didn’t have Google Earth but I did. So I went cruising along a virtual Algarve coast and discovered Praia de Gale near Albufeira. A few clicks on pictures of golden beaches with unique sand formations and I instantly knew this was the spot. I barely broke a sweat. Eat your heart out Magellan. Next decision – where to stay? I hit on a few of Google Earth’s red bed icons and Vila Joya, a boutique resort with Moorish architecture, caught my attention. Sometimes a special destination warrants distinctive accommodation. Vila Joya, with its 2 Michelin Star restaurant, award winning spa, luxury suites, and stunning sea views, called to me like a Siren. 2 Michelin Stars and 300 Sun Days Vila Joya has put the Algarve and Portugal on the culinary map. Along with Portugal’s highest ranked restaurant, every January they host the Tribute to Claudia Festival, with top chefs from around the world. They were also named 2009 World Travel Awards’ Leading World Boutique Resort. Overlooking Praia de Gale, Vila Joya sits on 3½ ha. of lush aromatic gardens of palm trees, bougainvillea, and jasmine. A short path took us to the golden beach where we enjoyed the warm water even though it was October. The Algarve enjoys a microclimate with temperatures staying in the 20s C well into the fall, and 3000 hours of sunlight a year. “300 sunny days a year is what brings people to the Algarve,” says Justin Ultee of Vila Joya Resort in Abufeira. “It is an excellent place to spend your winter. It is almost sunshine guaranteed. That is pretty much why we all travel to the Algarve.” Discovering the Old World Although we started our Portuguese exploring online, once we arrived we discovered the Algarve the old fashioned way, by exploring its historic and scenic nooks and crannies. We didn’t have to go far from Albufeira to enjoy some fish and unforgettable day trips. Not surprisingly fishing has been a way of life for millennia in the Algarve and a visit to the Sardine Dock of Portimao, the biggest fishing port on the coast, is a must. The smell of charcoal and barbecued
sardines fills the air. Not Just Another Port Another centuries old tradition in Europe is wine. Vila Joya has a new 12,000 bottle wine cellar with Portuguese and imported wines. While the Algarve is not traditionally a wine region, we took a trip to Adega Do Cantor (Winery of the Singer) Vineyards, which has been producing quality wine for 20 years. Three quintas (Portuguese wine growing estates) supply the grapes, including Quinta Do Moinho owned by Cliff Richards, Britain’s perennial pop star. Caramel Islands A short ferry ride from Olhao, accompanied by friendly locals, dogs and chickens, took us to the peaceful sandbar island of Armona. Here we were greeted by the delightful butterscotch fragrance of mustard plants drying in the autumn heat. We booked a house, aptly called Refugio dos Putos (Haven for Kids), for the night. There are no cars on this secluded oasis of sandy beaches and white rolling dunes. Refugio turned out to be the most stylish house on Armona with everything we could possibly need including children’s toys, iPod dock, you name it. Armona and a collection of sandbar islands lie at the mouth of the Ria Formosa estuary. We took a motor boat tour to nearby Culatra with Steve of KT Algarve Tours. This tour company also offers kayak tours. Sleepy Culatra is the highlight, true Portuguese culture, a working fishing village. Steve was an exceptional storyteller, and touring the village we saw octopus hanging on clotheslines and were offered the sweetest tasting clams in the Algarve. The charms of the Algarve are diverse, from rustic to lavish and from ancient to modern. You just need to take the time to become a Portuguese explorer.
IF YOU GO: Vila Joya Resort www.vilajoya.com Refugio dos Putos www.ownersdirect.co.uk/portugal/P7351. htm KT Algarve Tours www.ktalgarve.com Adega Do Cantor Winery www.winesvidanova.com/vineyards.htm
13
14
NORTH of 50 June 2010
Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo
BOOK REVIEW
by Cathryn Wellner
Sterling Haynes credits a stroke for his post-retirement writing career. “I was left with a partially paralyzed right foot but a writer’s creative right brain. I think I got the better end of the deal, but then I may be prejudiced.” I confess I’m prejudiced too. I know the writer and retired doctor who penned those words. This is by way of full disclosure since I’m about to tell you I loved Sterling’s second anthology of medical tales. His first anthology, Bloody Practice, prepared me for WakeUp Call. I expected earthy humour, compassion for his patients, an underlying sense of justice, and lots of medical terminology. I was not disappointed. Sterling reaches back into his youth for some of the stories that influenced his decision to become a country doctor. He remembers donating blood when his mother needed a transfusion and the deep satisfaction it gave him. He recalls his mentor and friend Dr. Harry Weinlos arriving at the hospital with cold hands because he had given his gloves to a patient who didn’t have any.
the cities roughest areas. He turned down the offer of a police escort, but when he parked he was immediately surrounded by six young toughs. He waved his doctor’s bag, but it was the woman’s son, threatening the men with his Saturday night special, who cleared a safe passage for him. “Mother Mary” survived, and the grateful family adopted Sterling as “their ‘white’ doctor’”. Years later, in Marion Alabama, Sterling and his wife, Jessie, opened the first barrier-free clinic in town. Although Jim Crow laws (mandating racial segregation) had been stricken from the law books, non-whites were still shunted off into separate waiting rooms and separate wash rooms in most doctors’ offices. “Everyone, black and white, was free to use our flush toilets and to drink ice water from our water fountains,” Sterling writes. “During the summer heat all fifty waiting room chairs were in use—everyone enjoyed the air-conditioned waiting room and the daily gossip.” Another major theme in the stories is black humour. Sterling can find something to laugh about in any situation. In one tale he writes about a priest who called from a residential school to talk to him about young boys who were wetting their beds every night. The school was having trouble keeping up with their laundry.
On the first night of his junior internship at Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton, the tall, gangly young man with rough-workened hands stood up to an experienced nurse. Sterling diagnosed a rare condition and insisted the surgeon be called in. The nurse figured he was wrong on both counts but complied. Although the patient died, the intern’s tricky diagnosis, skilled performance in an emergency, and reliably good humour earned him the nickname of the Jolly Green Giant. After stories from the early years of Sterling’s training in Canada and the US, Wake-Up Call is divided into sections that cover his years practicing medicine in the wilds of BC’s Cariboo, in the interior regions of Thompson and Okanagan, and in the Deep South of Marion, Alabama. A number of themes emerge, but one is dominant: his compassion for his patients, whatever their circumstances, however complicated their lives. The results were not always comfortable or even safe. During his residency with Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, California, Sterling was called to treat an elderly black woman in excruciating pain from a bowel obstruction. It was night, and the neighbourhood where she lived was in one of
Sterling dismissed the complaint as the usual effect of homesickness until he learned the frustrated young women on the staff had tied butcher’s twine around six of the boys’ penises before they went to bed. By morning the thread was so thoroughly embedded in the swollen penises the boys had to be rushed to the hospital. Typical of the good-humored young doctor, he figured out an effective way to make sure their systems were working again. He took the boys out into the parking lot for a peeing contest. Readers without a medical background may puzzle over some of the terminology, but they will understand the flavour of Sterling’s memories of life as a country doctor. The stories are short. So sit back. Put your feet up, and prepare for a chuckle. Cathryn Wellner is a Kelowna writer. Links to her work can be found at http:// cathrynwellner.com.
MOVIES The Square
threaten to throw open their secret… With the blackmailer’s deadline approaching, they are going to find out just how far they are willing to go for love.
Stars: David Roberts, Claire van der Boom, Joel Edgerton, Anthony Hayes
MacGruber
A stylish, twist-filled film noir, THE SQUARE centers on an adulterous couple whose scheming leads to arson, blackmail and murder. THE SQUARE is the first feature from Australian stuntman-turneddirector Nash Edgerton and his brother Joel who co-wrote and stars in the film.
Joel Edgerton stars in the Square, an Alliance Films release
Escaping the monotony of a loveless marriage, Raymond Yale becomes entangled in an affair with the beautiful and troubled Carla. Ray’s moral limits are tested when Carla presents him with the proceeds of her controlling husband’s latest crime. This is their chance: Take the money and run... If only it were that simple.
The seed is planted and Ray, fearing he will lose his love, engineers the plan. Hiring the professional arsonist Billy becomes a fatal error, and the plan goes horribly wrong. Alarm bells sound and suspicions are raised but, miraculously, the dust looks to settle. After all... Nobody knows. Then the first blackmail note arrives. The couple’s nerves are tested as both Carla’s husband and the mystery author
Starring: Will Forte, Ryan Phillippe, Kristen Wiig, Val Kilmer, Powers Boothe and Maya Rudolph
Val Kilmer and Will Forte star in McGruber, An Alliance Films release
Only one American hero has earned the rank of Green Beret, Navy SEAL and Army Ranger. Just one operative has been awarded 16 purple hearts, 3 Congressional Medals of Honor and 7 presidential medals of bravery. And only one guy is man enough to still sport a mullet. In 2010, Will Forte brings Saturday Night Live's clueless soldier of fortune to the big screen in the action comedy MacGruber.
In the 10 years since his fiancée was killed, special op MacGruber has sworn off a life of fighting crime with his bare hands. But when he learns that his country needs him to find a nuclear warhead that's been stolen by his sworn enemy, Dieter Von Cunth (Val Kilmer), MacGruber figures he's the only one tough enough for the job. Assembling an elite team of experts--Lt. Dixon Piper (Ryan Phillippe) and Vicki St. Elmo (Kristen Wiig)--MacGruber will navigate an army of assassins to hunt down Cunth and bring him to justice. His methods may be unorthodox. His crime scenes may get messy. But if you want the world saved right, you call in MacGruber.
NORTH of 50 June 2010
The Sneezing Season:
Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo
15
Health Matters
Allergies and Your Health By Dr. Shelby Entner
The end of winter brings the first signs of spring: flowers, grasses and trees blooming. For millions of Canadians it is the beginning of their battle with seasonal allergies, or allergic rhinitis. The Canadian Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Foundation estimates that 20-25% of Canadians have hay fever and with the mild winter we’ve experienced this year in the Okanagan, it may be shaping up to be a tough year for those folks. A mild winter means that we are in for a dryer and warmer spring and summer, increasing pollen counts and creating a longer allergy season. Those who experience seasonal allergies are well aware of how frustrating their symptoms can be. Runny noses, itchy and watery eyes and sneezing are just some of the unpleasant symptoms that have the greatest impact on sufferers. Being prepared ahead of the explosion of pollens and grasses can be a huge benefit for those prone to allergies. Allergies happen when your immune system is exposed to an allergen and your body releases histamine from the mast cells. The response leads to swelling of the mucous membranes, an increased production of mucous and tears and an itchy throat. The body attempts to “capture” the allergen and remove it from the system. Why some people are more prone to allergies and over produce histamine is a complicated matter and may be related to genetics, food sensitivities, stress and general immune health. A survey commissioned by pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson suggests as many as 10 million Canadians may suffer allergy symptoms. The survey also found that 55 per cent of Canadians claim their allergies cut into their productivity and more than a quarter say they’ll limit their outdoor time to prevent the onset of symptoms. Most people experience fatigue and daytime sleepiness, impaired sleep, a decrease in cognitive functioning and an overall sense of unhappiness. Treatment options for allergic rhinitis often include reducing your exposure. Certain times of the day, especially in the early morning hours, have the highest pollen counts. Checking the pollen counts on a weather station or website may help to decrease your exposures. Keeping your home clean by washing sheets and towels frequently will help to keep the mucous membranes less irritated. Using a good quality HEPA filter vacuum is also very beneficial.
Rabies Risk Higher During Summer Months The upcoming long weekend means more people are outside enjoying the warmer weather and opening summer cabins. This warm weather can also mean increased risk of contact with bats, which are the primary carrier of the rabies virus in BC. So, if you’re going to be outside this weekend and throughout the summer months, Interior Health is reminding people to avoid contact with bats. Between 4-8% of bats that come into contact with people and are tested from BC are positive for the rabies virus, so it is important that people stay away from touching live or dead bats and for parents to remind their children not to play with or touch bats. IH also recommends bat-proofing your home or cabin, as bats can fly into poorly sealed cabins and homes, or roost in attic spaces. Domestic pets such as dogs, cats or ferrets that were born and raised in BC pose a very low risk of transmitting rabies to humans. Vaccinating your pets will protect them from rabies. Last year, about 150 people were treated in BC for potential exposure to rabies. Treatment is most effective when administered soon after exposure. Without vaccination to prevent its onset, rabies is almost always fatal. Bats have tiny sharp teeth and claws, so scratches or bites to people from handling are not always visible, and it usually takes weeks or even months for symptoms to appear. Anyone who has handled a bat should contact their Public Health Unit or their physician for an assessment. Interior Health offers these tips to protect yourself: Prevention: •Do not touch live or dead bats. •Make your home or cabin “bat proof”. Keep your doors and windows closed, make sure your window screens don’t have any holes and keep your attic area free of bats by keeping all vents properly screened and closing off other openings. •If you find a live bat in a room of your home, open the window and close interior doors until the bat leaves. •Seek professional bat-control advice (from a professional specializing in pest control or a wildlife specialist) if your work or home is inhabited by bats. •Avoid locations or activities where bats are likely to be found (eg. caves). •If you have a pet dog, cat or ferret, make sure they’re vaccinated regularly against rabies.
Pharmacological medications are plentiful but many people dislike the side effects or the dependency they feel having to take something to control a symptom for half of the year. There are numerous clinical studies showing that natural medicines such as Vitamin C, quercetin, butterbur and other nutrients can be as effective as antihistamines but do not create the side effects. Another treatment option that many allergy sufferers have tried is immunotherapy, or allergy shots.
If you have been exposed:
Allergy shots can be painful and require many trips to a physician’s office to be administered. For those who fear needles or for children, alternatives are available. In other parts of the world, especially in Europe, sublingual (under the tongue) treatment has become increasingly commonplace. In 1998, the World Health Organization referred to it as a “viable alternative” to injection therapy. We currently treat airborne allergens with the sublingual drops and have high rates of success. It is a gradual desensitization that results in a patient being able to handle pollen, dust, grass or animal dander and not require allergy medications. Many people have been thrilled to realize that they don’t need to get rid of their cat for the sake of their partner’s allergies! Finding safe, effective, and individualized ways to treat allergies allows people to enjoy the spring and summer weather and to get out and celebrate the fantastic outdoor activities we have here in the Okanagan.
•Safely contain the bat to prevent others from being exposed but do not risk further exposure, and keep the bat until Public Health can arrange pick-up for testing for rabies. If those tests are negative, the month-long immunizations for the bat-exposed person are not necessary.
Dr. Shelby Entner is a naturopathic physician in Vernon at Okanagan Natural Medicine. www. oknaturalmedicine.com
•Thoroughly wash any bite wounds with soap and water. •Contact your local Public Health Unit or family doctor immediately.
For more information: See HealthLink BC File #07 at http:// www.healthlinkbc.ca/ healthfiles/hfile07.stm
16
Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo
NORTH of 50 June 2010
Secwepemctsin Revitalization Efforts Story and photo by Sherry Bennett
STRADDLING THE SOUTH THOMPSON RIVER and sagebrush peppered hills that sweep up into mountains is Tselcéwtqen Clleq’mel’tn (Chief Atahm); a small red-roofed schoolhouse housing a fervent resolve to save a severely endangered language. In a survey conducted by Nathan Matthew through the Secwepemc Cultural Education Society in 1999, out of a total of 7,597 members in the Secwepemc (Shuswap) Nation, there were 308 fluent speakers of the language. Fast forward a dozen years. While there are more Shuswap Nation members learning their mother tongue, less than 250 fluent Secwepemctsin speakers remain. “It’s scary,” says Robert Matthew, principal of the Chief Atahm School. “We [Chief Atahm] need to produce more speakers than are passing away in the community, mainly because other communities don’t have as many speakers.” “But we are not going to give up,” says the educator and administrator who has led the school for the past 16 years. “We can revitalize. We’ve already made a difference.” For thousands of years the Secwepemc people carried their vast knowledge of the land through stories and legends in their eastern or western Secwepemctsin dialects. Sadly, most of the aboriginal languages, including Secwepemctsin, are considered either severely endangered or nearly extinct. Secwepemctsin is one of 23 dialects within the Salishan language group. With an estimated 32 aboriginal languages and 59 dialects in B.C., the province houses 60 per cent of Canada’s aboriginal languages. Because half of the 32 languages are spoken fluently by fewer than 50 people, linguists include B.C. on a list of National Geographic’s five global hot spots for language extinction. In 1987, concerned with the rapid decline of the language in their communities, a group of progressive-thinking Secwepemc parents began an immersion program using a pre-school language nest modeled after the successful Maori initiative Te Kohango Reo and the Hawaiian Aha Punana Leo. Securing a building on the Adams Lake Reserve adjacent the community of Chase, these same parents opened B.C.’s first language nest program where infants to children under five were placed in a natural, home-like setting with elders speaking nothing but Secwepemctsin. Children’s activities varied from nature walks, crafts, story time, playtime, cooking and singing. Working in an environment where decision-making responsibilities have always been delegated to the collective – staff, parents and elders – Chief Atahm’s current framework includes a nursery language nest, a full immersion program for kindergarten through Grade 3 and a bilingual (semi-immersion) program for Grades 4 to 9. The school spent two decades developing and perfecting a language curriculum that is now viewed as a model of excellence in immersion programming and language revitalization. Both the school’s curriculum and teaching methods are featured front and centre in annual school-hosted language conferences and summer teacher institutes that attract hundreds from across Canada and the U.S. Within the walls of this circular-shaped education centre, where reflections cast on computer screens are that of mountains, sky and tilled soil awaiting seeds from eager young hands, modern is inextricably woven with traditional. Secwepemctsin is used in all subjects through conversation, stories, legends, songs and dance. In addition to a full range of core content courses such as math, language arts, science and social studies, students are immersed in culturallygrounded life skills that run the spectrum from traditional carpentry, fishing, sewing, to organic gardening.
“We are unique and we teach how we are unique,” says Matthew while leading a tour of the school. In addition to the Kamloops Indian Band run Sk’elep School of Excellence, five schools in the Kamloops-Thompson School District (Haldane, John Tod, Ralph Bell elementaries/North Kamloops, South Kamloops secondaries) offer Secwepemctsin as part of their curriculum. Chief Atahm operates the only aboriginal immersion program within the Shuswap Nation. Despite the success of Chief Atahm’s immersion program that currently instructs 62 youth from the Adams Lake, Neskonlith and Little Shuswap bands, Matthew says there are many Secwepemc parents who have not yet been able to fully grasp the aboriginal immersion concept and its ability to prepare youth for the post-secondary world. “I respect people’s decisions, but the whole idea here is quality education. What we have here is an educational system that teaches both skills and cultural identity – two things that complement each other. We think the traditional way of learning still applies today. “When students leave this school they are wellprepared students that can go anywhere. Our curriculum compliments student learning and contributes to selfidentity. It provides students with confidence they can take into post-secondary education and the workforce.” Any language, regardless of the dialect or size, requires a healthy habitat and with such, one of the biggest challenges First Nations language preservationists face today pertains to intergenerational transmission. Though Secwepemctsin thrives on the campus of the Chief Atahm, the language is not making its way into the home and community portals to the extent it needs to be to flourish says Matthew, a statement backed up by The First Peoples’ Heritage, Language and Culture Council in an April 30 report. “Some of our students speak the language at home, but not all of them. Pop culture is a strong thing. More activities that do not compete with English need to be created.” Believing aboriginal language and heritage had no place in the new social construct, residential schools forbade aboriginal youth from speaking in their mother tongue; for decades the Secwepemc language lay buried within elders ashamed to pass it along to their children. Jessica Arnouse, language program project researcher for the Secwepemc Cultural Education Society, points out that aboriginal people are now realizing the importance of bringing the language back. “More and more people want to learn and write the language at any age,” says Arnouse from her small third floor office overlooking the arbour of the Kamloops powwow grounds. “Things are improving. Slowly, but they are improving. The dialect is still endangered, but it will work its way back.” Up until 20 years ago, when Dutch linguist Aert Kuipers developed the present writing system for the language, Secwepemctsin (the language of the Secwepemc) was an oral language. Founded in 1983 with the purpose of uniting efforts to promote the Shuswap language and culture, SCES serves as a repository for Secwepemc language resources. With the majority of fluent speakers over 65 years, Arnouse says travelling out into the community to collect sound recordings of elders is a top priority for the SCES. “Audios of the language can go a long way. “A person needs to hear the language. It’s one of the most important parts. We need the audios so kids can listen to the language.” While the SCES works independently of the Chief Atahm School, their mission is the same – to preserve a dying language. “If we lose the language we lose the biggest parts of our history and culture,” says Arnouse. “It is the language that ties everything together. If we lose it we lose ways of knowing ourselves.”
“Some of our students speak the language at home, but not all of them. Pop culture is a strong thing. More activities that do not compete with English need to be created.”
NORTH of 50 June 2010
17
Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo
Word Search & Crosswords June Word Search.TXT O R P F B R I
N
L
A
S
O
P
D
A
L
R
O
H
E
B
A
N
Q
U
E
T
I
U
S
C
R
E
R
I
A
C
Y
D
I
P
L
O
M
A
A
O
S
W
F
S
T
B
N
O
I
T
P
E
C
E
R
M
N
O
I
P
N
A
R
A
D
N
A
B
S
U
H
P
O
M
C
E
K
O
C
I
M
E
T
A
R
B
E
L
E
C
R
E
E
S
I
U
D
O
T
G
O
L
F
E
S
E
H
C
G
W
O
T
D
E
R
S
N
O
S
T
R
T
U
H
O
O
G
L
A
E
S
A
C
D
E
I
C
A
Y
Y
M
V
T
O
S
U
T
M
S
D
A
O
M
C
E
A
E
L
M
S
W
T
D
S
A
T
A
N
K
I
E
D
R
O
N
R
E
N
I
A
A
I
A
D
I
F
E
O
V
O
E
I
R
P
R
C
R
O
D
R
D
I
P
W
L
H
E
N
M
L
U
O
E
G
T
F
S
T
O
I
R
C
T
G
I
W
O
I
O
P
T
W
E
R
L
F
I
S
N
S
T
Y
H
A
N
E
J
I
T
E
E
E
G
N
I
D
D
E
W
E
C
L
Y
V
U
C
N
P
A
P
A
D
E
G
R
E
E
M
A
R
K
S
ACHIEVEMENT BANQUET BRIDAL BRIDESMAID CAKE CELEBRATE CEREMONY CERTIFICATE COMPLETION DAD DAY DEGREE DIPLOMA EDUCATION ELOPE FIANCE GIRL GOLF GOWN GRADUATION HOT HUSBAND JOURNEY
KIDS KISS LAWN MARKS MOWER PAPA POP PROPOSAL RECEPTION RINGS ROMANCE SCHOOL SOLSTICE SONS SPEECH STARS SUIT SUMMER TOAST VEIL VOWS WEDDING WIFE
www.WordSearchMaker.com
Find the words in the grid. When you are done, the unused letters spell out a hidden message. Words ACHIEVEMENT BANQUET can go left or right, top line to bottom line. Words can go horizontally, vertically and diagonally in BRIDAL allBRIDESMAID eight directions. Answers to puzzle is on page 18. CAKE Page 1 51 repeatedly 52 Lodge 53 Kitty talk 54 Nick 55 Buck’s mate
DOWN
ACROSS 1 Electric spark 4 dogs treat 8 baby flowers 12 Calorie 13 happily_____ after 14 not ashore 15 Also known as (abbr.) 16 ___ bowling 17 Perceives with eye 18 Subtracts 20 Alfred Hitchcock movie The____ 21 That girl 22 feel bad
23 Dues 26 Noah’s boat 27 Decade 30 Famous spider novel 34 Furthest back 35 Reverence 36 Sock’s wound 37 Licensed practical nurse 38 Computer part 40 Beef 43 Astonishing 47 Residence hall 48 Hawaiian dancing 49 Ghost’s greeting 50 On top
1 Academy (abbr.) 2 Collect leaves 3 Garbed 4 Erupt 5 Elliptic 6 ___ broadcast 7 Sea eagle 8 Herb 9 Exploiter 10 Feat 11 cheek 19 Russia 20 Child’s transportation 22 Creative work 23 Farm credit administration (abbr.) 24 Extremely high frequency (abbr.) 25 Ingest 26 Dined 27 Deuce 28 Conger 29 North by east 31 sloshes 32 Possess 33 Close 37 What you take 38 semi____ 39 Sow 40 ___ West (Batman) 41 Musical symbol 42 Cultivate 43 marriage month 44 Same cite as previous 45 Taboo 46 Departed 48 Owned
SUDOKU Each Sudoku puzzle is a 9 by 9 grid of horizontal and vertical rows evenly separated into 9 squares with 9 spaces each. Each puzzles solution is determined by the pattern of the numbers already filled in. You solve the puzzle by filling in the missing digits so that, when completed, each row and each square will have all numbers from1 to 9: each number will appear in exactly nine spaces within each puzzle.Sudoku solution on page 18
4
5
3 2
7 6
8
7
2 4
1
4 6
4
5
2 5
9
5 9
8 6
3
1
9
4
8 1 5
7
2
18
NORTH of 50 June 2010
Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo
R e a c h 100,000 plus
NORTH of 50 Publications Phone: (250) 546-6064 Toll Free: (877) 667-8450 email: sales@northof50.com
eP
Fax:(250) 546-8914 Two recivers Bell Express vu. Very good condition asking $75 each, or $100 for Two. 250.549.6754. Reciver number 4100. Lawn bowling balls,set of 4-older type glenselite super grip size 1,$100. Phone 250.542.0236. For sale auxiliary fuel tank for a pick up truck,custom built,60 gal c/w electric transfer pump ,12 volt dimensions,48”x24x15”, $300. Contact rldal@shaw .ca or phone 250.314.2008. 85 amp Chev alternator, $60. Dewalt cordless drill & charge, $100. 2-18 v. Dewalt batteries & charger, $85 each. Call 250.542.5698. Wesco Tred Mill for sale like new $75. 4 doz canning jars $3 per doz or $10. for all. Roof top TV antenna $5. Shower door ( 3 piece) $25.00. Phone 250.545.9665 or e-mail pcboomers@shaw. ca. Special dolls $25-100, breadmaker $15, toaster oven $15, speakers $20, monkey pod
ac Sp
June 1960
Buy an RV lot on beautiful Swan Lake in Vernon, B.C. Cheap living at $150/month. View lots, some with park models at www.swanlakervlots.com.
50 Years Ago This Month
Doll collection being sold by granny. One in rocker, 15” high, $20; 22”, 45 years old, $25; 33” tall 52 years old, $20. Write sallys1@ telus.net for their pictures. 250.833.2129. Moduline Home For Sale in Westbank. 2 bed, 2 bath, own land, $35/month strata, 12x32 insulated garage, maintenance free yard, $265, 900. Phone 250.769.6446. Soloflex Home Gym, used once, includes butterfly and
editions.
* Offer not open to businesses / commercial
wood $2 and up, Tupperware $2 and up, records $1-5, books $25-50, toys and lots more. Phone 250.765.6240.
New: deluxe metal bedframe adjusts to king $45., non-stick electric griddle still in box $25., 2 used bifold doors, new track, $5. each 250.503.2086 Vernon.
ting
it erm
readers in the Thompson / South Cariboo / Nicola and the Okanagan/ Shuswap regions with a free classified - for items valued up to $1000. Your ad will run in both
Word Search Solution: Hurray for grads of Twenty Ten
6th - Roy Orbison releases “Only the Lonely” 9th - Typhoon Mary in China killed at least 1,600 13th - “Alley-Oop” by Dyna-Sores peaks at #59 15th – The movie, The Apartment, starring Jack Lemmon was released 15th - BC Ferries, starts service between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay 16th - The Alfred Hitchcock movie Psycho, starring Anthony Perkins, was released in NY 17th - Ted Williams hit his 500th HR 20th - Heavyweight Floyd Patterson KOs Ingemar Johnstown (NYC) 10 - 27th - Connie Francis Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool was at the top of the Billboard Charts 25th - Earthquake in NE Belgium 25th - Madagascar gains independence of France 30th – Opening of Lionel Bart’s Oliver! in London’s West End 30th - US stops sugar import from Cuba 30th - Zaire (formerly Belgian Congo) declares independence from Belgium
North Of 50 Classifieds Got something to sell? We’ll place your ad - up to 25 words - FREE! Max. $1000 value* Space Permitting
leg attachments, plus two weight strap sets, $999.99. Revelstoke 250.837.3741. Telex noise cancelling aviation headset, brand new, never used, $250.00. Revelstoke 403.836.9908.
4 2 7 5 8 1 3 6 9 1 6 9 3 2 4 8 7 5 8 3 5 7 9 6 1 2 4 9 7 8 1 3 2 5 4 6 6 1 3 4 7 5 2 9 8 2 5 4 8 6 9 7 1 3 5 9 2 6 1 8 4 3 7 7 8 6 2 4 3 9 5 1 3 4 1 9 5 7
Serenity Performing Arts Centre Barriere
Name: Address:
Telephone #: Mail to: Box 100, Armstrong, BC V0E 1B0 or email to: sales@northof50.com *This offer is available to individuals only and is not available to businesses or commercial enterprises. One ad per household - Maximum value $1000. Over $1000 value or business / commercial ad: the rate is $12.00 for up to 25 words then each additional word @ 25 cents + GST ** Publisher reserves the right to refuse any ad.
Serenity Performing Arts Centre 2010 Summer Concert Series by the River. June 19th- Paul Filek, Lindsay May, Bodhi Jones... Tickets ONLY $20.00 July 10th -Kenny Byrka, Jodi Pederson, TG Muir..... Tickets ONLY $30.00 www.serenitymusic.ca or 250-676-9456
Got a Story Idea?
North of 50 Lifestyle Newsmagazine is about honouring folks who’ve made a contribution to their communities, professions and families. Know someone who fits the bill? Tell us about them:
1-877-667-8450
6 8 2
British Sweets, jewelry, glassware, special occassion gifts, handbags& pashminas, games & puzzles, toys, baby items, specialty chocolates.
Heritage Creek Gifts & Confectionary 2516 Patterson Ave. Armstrong! (250) 546-3096
NORTH of 50 June 2010
By TJ Wallis WHEN I WAS IN COLLEGE a professor told my Social Sciences class about her family’s experience coming to Canada as refugees fleeing South America. They landed in Montreal and were sent to stay in a dirty, flea bag hotel with a shared toilet down the hall. As she told the story, tears welled up in her eyes. It had clearly been anextremely difficult time. So, when I received a chain email that claimed refugees in Canada receive far greater assistance from the government than Canadian pensioners, I was immediately skeptical. It took only a Google search to confirm my strong suspicion that the information in the email was false. It’s an urban legend that began in Canada in 2004, and has since spread to the United States and Australia. The federal government & Canadian Council for refugees have both made it clear that the information in the emails is untrue. ** You can find Federal Governments full rebuttal at http://www.cic. gc.ca/english/department/media/facts/aid.asp Refugees come to Canada in different ways, but no matter the category, refugees receive very limited income assistance from the government. Here are the facts, as reported by the Canadian Council for Refugees. • Refugee claimants and refugees recognized by the Immigration and Refugee Board receive no special income assistance. They may, depending on provincial regulations, be entitled, like other residents, to social assistance.
IT’S TIME TO BE ‘BEAR SMART’ VICTORIA – Following an unusually warm winter, bears are about to leave their dens in search of the nearest food source and Environment Minister Barry Penner is reminding B.C. residents that it is up to them to remove items that can attract bears to their properties. “The most effective and natural way to prevent conflicts with bears in urban areas is to put away any food attractants, such as garbage, bird seed, compost and fruit,” said Penner. “The City of Kamloops was the first B.C. community to achieve official Bear Smart status, and I encourage other communities in the province to follow this excellent example and work towards achieving Bear Smart status.” Designed by the Ministry of Environment in partnership with the British Columbia Conservation Foundation and the Union of British Columbia Municipalities, the Bear Smart Community Program is a voluntary preventative conservation program. The goal of the program is to address the root causes of bear-human conflicts, reduce the risks to human safety and private property, and reduce the number of bears that have to be destroyed each year. The ministry’s Conservation Officer Service received more than 12,000 reports of bear sightings between April 1, 2009 and March 31, 2010. During that time, conservation officers attended more than 1,300 incidents when bears were acting aggressively or public safety was an issue. As a result, 175 bears were relocated while 265 others had to be destroyed. British Columbians are encouraged to prevent
19
Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo
• Privately sponsored refugees are not entitled to government assistance (including provincial assistance) during the period of their sponsorship (usually for one year after arrival in Canada). Their income support must be provided by their sponsors. • Government assisted refugees have access to financial assistance from the federal government through the Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP). This financial assistance is generally for one year maximum and is received only if they do not have their own financial resources or income. The exact rate depends on the size of the family and is tied to social assistance rates. In Ontario, for example, a single person receives $635 per month. In addition, government-assisted refugees are entitled to a onetime set up allowance, to cover such things as clothes, basic household effects and installation of a phone. For a single person there is a maximum allowance of $905. Most resettled refugees arrive in Canada with a significant debt burden, since they are expected to repay the Canadian government for their transportation to Canada as well as the cost of their medical examination undertaken as part of their processing to come to Canada. Refugee families therefore often begin life in Canada with a debt running to thousands of dollars. Interest is charged on this loan at a rate set by the Department of Finance each year. If you have received a chain email or read a letter to the editor spreading this false information, consider these suggestions from the Canadian Council for Refugees. • ‘Don’t believe everything you read in the paper…’ The same applies to the Internet! • Think before you click –Sending on this email can have devastating impacts. It spreads false rumours, hurting people who have already suffered in their home countries. Let’s offer them a better welcome to Canada than unfounded stigmas and prejudices. Another great on-line resource is the Urban Legend Resource Page: www.snopes.com. You can check to see if an email you’ve received is true or full of bologna.
bear-human conflicts by adopting the following practices: •Keep garbage secured in the house, garage or shed until pick-up day and return the containers to the secure site once they are emptied. •Pick ripe and fallen fruit daily and remove any unused fruit trees. •Use bird feeders only in winter. •Keep the ground free of seeds and nuts. •Clean the barbecue grill after each use, and store it a secure area. •Bring pet food dishes inside, and store the pet food inside. •Don’t add meat products or uncooked food to compost, turn it regularly and keep it covered. •Work with your neighbours and municipal government to create a Bear Smart Community. If residents spot a bear, they are advised to remain calm, keep away from the bear and bring children and pets indoors, if possible. People should never approach a bear and should not run from it, as bears can move very quickly. Once a bear has left the area, residents should check their yards to ensure there are no attractants available. The public is encouraged to report humanwildlife conflicts that threaten public safety or result in significant property damage by calling the Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) line toll-free at 1-877 952-7277 (RAPP) or visit the RAPP website at www.rapp. bc.ca. For more information on bears, bear-human conflicts, and the criteria necessary to reach Bear Smart status, visit www.env.gov.bc.ca/wld/bearsmart/ bearsmintro.html.
The ‘Makeshift’ Project:
dressing green goes viral. Story Courtesy CTC
Vancouver, BC, designer vows to wear only homemade clothes for one year. Her project is gaining virtual fans. Vancouver’s Natalie Purschwitz thinks more about clothes than most of us do—and not just because she’s in the biz. (It’s costume, clothing design and art that mostly pays the bills.) She thinks about clothes because of a wacky, interesting experiment she’s in the midst of. She has vowed, for a whole year, to wear only things she has made herself: no cheating. She’s now nine months in. The spring lineup comes off the griddle bit by bit, day by day, as needed. Purschwitz looked great the day we popped in to her tiny street-front showroom space in the historic Gastown district of her Vancouver hometown: lavender tights, denim skirt, long-sleeve grey cotton shirt, a ribbed cotton vest and—the pièce de résistance—a modular snap-together belt. And this: shoes. Homemade shoes! She reckons she’s sewed more than 200 individual items, including plenty of felted and woolly hats and scarves and aprons: Canadian-winter couture. The project, called Makeshift, was explained on the door. It’s a “research project that investigates the relationships between ‘clothing,’ ‘making’ and ‘living.’” That’s a bit artspeak-y, and you could call Makeshift an art project. It’s for sure not a political statement. (“Everybody was comparing it to the [foodie experiment du jour] 100 Mile Diet,” she says, shaking her head. “I guess because it’s also a year-long and limit-based.”) It is a money-saver—Purschwitz has bought nothing but raw materials, snaps and buckles and glue, harvesting fabric from “Hunt & Gather,” her clothing line she used to create for her shop of the same name. But more than anything, it’s a social experiment. “I wanted to see what clothes mean,” she says. What Makeshift has meant so far for Purschwitz is double-takes on the bus and a flurry of attention worldwide through her blog. Turns out, when you make a pact like this with yourself, it changes the kind of things you can do. Recently a friend asked her to come skiing. Nope: she’d have had to make her own ski clothes, boots and equipment. “I used to be into running,” she adds. “But now I don’t have a pair of running shoes.”
20
NORTH of 50 June 2010
Thompson/Nicola/South Cariboo
L A N D M A R K O N E
Attention Home Buyers:
New Development in Kamloops!
Green-style homes for as low as
Backing onto park lands, 8 mins from downtown
Eagle Homes EagleHomes.ca
- Level Entry Crawlspace Home - 10 Year New Home Warranty
- Fully Landscaped - High Efficiency Systems
7510 Dallas Drive, Kamloops 250.573.2278 • 1.866.573.1288