Prince George Citizen August 8, 2019

Air quality raised during petrochemical plant open house

Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca

The potential impact on the city’s airshed became an issue when a open house for a proposed petrochemical plant was held Wednesday.

Long-time clean air advocate Dr. Marie Hay urged West Coast Olefins Ltd. to reconsider the BCR Industrial Site and instead give Hart North, another area designated for heavy industry, a closer look.

Citing a 2008 report, Hay said the city’s airshed is now incapable of taking on any more heavy industry without compromising residents’ health. The BCR’s location in the Bowl combined with its proximity to Lower College Heights, makes it the wrong spot, she said.

Located about 30 kilometres north of the city, the 585-hectare (1,445-hectare) Hart North site was identified in 2010 as the preferred spot to get heavy industry operations such as pulp, steel and sawmills, oil refineries and wood pellet plants outside of Prince George’s airshed.

“Now I am not against development, I am not against jobs. What I am saying is that Hart North has been identified as the place to develop heavy industry, which this is,” Hay said.

In response, WCOL CEO Ken James said the spot was considered but deemed unrealistic because it would effectively entail starting up a new industrial park rather than using an old one.

“I tell you, one of the things I wouldn’t do is if this isn’t good enough for the city, that we would move it up to the Hart. That’s not a message I want to condone in any way,” James also said.

“This needs to be good for any part of the city.” James maintained that the amount of particulate emitted by the plant would be negligible but Hay countered that particulate is not the only issue, saying it will also emit cancer-causing benzene and volatile organic compounds and could pollute the immediate area with microplastics.

Hay pointed to examples from other operations in Alberta and Sweden to support her position and James countered that they’re older operations that had lacked the up-todate technology to address those issues. About 150 people showed up for the first of a couple two-hour sessions held at Uda Dune Baiyoh Hall. James devoted roughly 40 minutes to providing an outline of WCOL has in mind for 120 hectares (300 acres) in the BCR that was previously home

to an open house held on Wednesday to discuss a proposed

to a gravel pit and log sort yard.

At a cost of $5.6 billion, the aim is build an ethylene plant to produce one million tonnes per year of polymer-grade ethylene and a polyethylene plant that would, in turn, convert most of that ethylene into raw plastic for shipment to Asia to make finished products. Natural gas taken from Enbridge’s West Coast pipeline would be the raw material. A recovery plant would be built alongside the pipeline to retrieve the gas and pipe it to the plant. James made note of the October 2018 blast at Shelley that forced members of the

Lheidli T’enneh to evacuate, crossing another section of the pipeline in the process. He said steps will be taken to avoid a similar event on the WCOL system.

James also noted Enbridge is in the process of upgrading its compressors along the line to the north but was unable to say whether it will increase the flow beyond the current 80 per cent or build a new line to meet WCOL’s demand. Enbridge’s next steps will depend largely on what the Transportation Safety Board concludes following its investigation of the blast, he speculated.

As many as 5,000 people will be employed at peak construction and about

1,000 will be on the plant’s payroll once up and operating, according to information posters placed on the hall’s walls. Hay was pretty much the lone voice of concern during the session as others stood up to express support during a question and answer period. The proposal remains subject to a review by the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office. Pending EAO approval, a final investment decision is to be made at the end of 2020, with construction to begin in spring 2021 so it is in operation by the end of 2023. James called the timeline tight but “doable and necessary.”

Manitoba manhunt ends after pair of bodies found

Kelly Geraldine MALONE

The Canadian Press

WINNIPEG — A massive manhunt is over after two bodies believed to be British Columbia murder suspects were found in dense brush in northern Manitoba.

RCMP assistant commissioner Jane MacLatchy said the bodies were discovered Wednesday morning near the shoreline of the Nelson River, within a kilometre from where several items linked to the two young men were found last week.

Autopsies will be done in Winnipeg on Thursday to confirm the identities, but MacLatchy said that the discovery should bring relief to families of three people slain in northern B.C. and people in Manitoba communities where officers have been searching for nearly two weeks.

“It’s huge to be able to hopefully give some people an opportunity to exhale and to hopefully, eventually go back to normal and not being afraid of who’s out in the woods anymore,” MacLatchy told reporters in Winnipeg.

Kam McLeod, 19, and Bryer Schmegelsky, 18, from Port Alberni, B.C., were facing a second-degree murder charge in the death of Leonard Dyck, a university lecturer from Vancouver.

Dyck’s body was discovered along a highway pullout two kilometres south of Dease Lake, B.C., on July 19. Police said they will not release his cause of death out of respect for his family.

McLeod and Schmegelsky were also named as suspects in the shooting deaths of American tourist Chynna Deese and her Australian boyfriend, Lucas Fowler. Their bodies were found along a highway near Liard Hot Springs, B.C., on July 15.

B.C. RCMP assistant commissioner Kevin

RCMP Assistant Commissioner Jane MacLatchy speaks at a news conference in Winnipeg on Wednesday. Two bodies believed to be B.C. murder suspects who were the focus of a massive manhunt have been found in dense brush in Manitoba.

Hackett said Thursday an investigation into the three killings is ongoing.

“It’s going to be extremely difficult for us to ascertain definitely what the motive was,” he said. “Obviously we will not have the opportunity to speak to these (suspects).”

Hackett said officers have spoken with the families of Dyck, Deese and Fowler about the discovery in Manitoba.

“We’ll also continue to offer support to the Port Alberni families of the two men as they deal with these difficult developments.”

Police initially treated McLeod and

Schmegelsky as missing persons when their charred vehicle was found not far from Dyck’s body. The pair had told family and friends they were leaving home to find work.

But investigators later deemed them to be suspects and details surfaced about their use of video games. One account showed Schmegelsky was a frequent player of a shooting game called “Russia Battlegrounds,” and both young men’s Facebook pages were connected to an account with a modified Soviet flag as its icon.

RCMP also said they were investigating

a photograph of Nazi paraphernalia sent to another user by Schmegelsky, who was also pictured in military fatigues brandishing an airsoft rifle and wearing a gas mask.

The manhunt for the pair stretched across the Prairies into northern Manitoba, a distance police said would stretch from London to Moscow, when a second burned-out vehicle they were travelling in was found July 23 near the town of Gillam.

Helicopters and military aircraft aided in searching the surrounding wilderness. MacLatchy said the discovery of the items helped direct the search to a specific area, and the bodies were found nearby - about eight kilometres from where a Toyota RAV4, which belonged to Dyck, was located.

“Our officers knew that we just needed to find that one piece of evidence that could move this search forward,” she said.

Hackett called the B.C. homicide investigation, which generated more than 1,000 tips, unpredictable and dynamic, as it involved various provinces, remote areas and international victims.

Gillam Mayor Dwayne Forman said it’s not a surprise the men were found dead in the area.

“This is non-forgiving terrain there was a lot of speculation this was likely to be the outcome.”

People in the community have been on an emotional roller-coaster, he added, and are relieved the manhunt is over.

“The closure is here for Gillam and the Fox Lake area,” he said. “But the closure for the victims’ families is far from over.”

Deese’s brother, British Deese, told The Associated Press that the family needed time to process the news that the suspects’ bodies had been found.

“We are speechless,” he said in a text message, declining further comment.

West Coast Olefins president Ken James and COO Ron Just talk prior

$5.6 billion petrochemical facility in Prince George.

Nak’azdli Whut’en to take ‘strong stand’ against drug dealing

Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca

The Nak’azdli Whut’en chief and council have issued a warning strongly-worded warning against drug dealing while also reaching out to those who need help with their addictions.

In a statement issued last week, they vowed to take a “strong stand against any illegal activity within the boundaries of our community” and to deploy the full extent of their power to clamp down on the problem.

“Each of us has been affected by addiction,” they said.

“We know someone who is an addict or know someone who is selling drugs to feed addiction. We, the Nak’azdli Whut’en chief and council, have authority within our community and we will assert our authority to the highest level to help protect our members.”

Selling or use of illegal drugs will not be tolerated, they continued, “and we will take steps to bring this to a stop.”

In an interview, Chief Alexander McKinnon countered the tough talk by stressing that the band will be working to provide help to those members dealing with addictions.

“We’re not looking to just out our people,” he said.

“We’re reaching out to members that are struggling to with this disease and we want to support them in living a healthier lifestyle.”

In terms of using their authority, McKinnon said they are “looking at all avenues” in general and, in particular, have sent letters to those living in band-owned rental units to have a discussion with leadership about the issue. Drug use has been a long-running and extensive issue for the band, McKinnon said, much of it due to the location of the Nak’azdli Whut’en’s main reserve, which is adjacent to Fort St. James. “Nak’azdli is actually a hub to surrounding regions,” McKinnon said.

“Our population here is about 700, that’s not including the District of Fort St. James or their neighbouring communities of Binche, Tl’azt’en, Yekooche, Tachie, Pinchie – so in general, I would guess that there is probably 10,000 people that come through here.”

As a consequence, McKinnon agreed that it would be fair to say the reserve has become a party zone for many.

“One of our mandates as the leadership for Nak’azdli is that we are to ensure the safety of all our members,” McKinnon said.

Fort St. James RCMP Sgt. Pat Jenkins said he has spoken to McKinnon about the move and said the detachment will continue to work with the band to address their concerns while also using a combination of enforcement, education and collaboration “to provide a cohesive and effective response.”

UNBC professor to investigate life of controversial figure

Citizen staff

Imagine being in a room full of powerful people who all share the same opinion on a matter of national significance. Now imagine being the only one who disagrees.

That’s the focus for UNBC’s Kevin Hutchings, who will receive $67,000 over four years from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada’s Insight Grants program to investigate the life and literary works of Sir Francis Bond Head.

Bond Head was a best-selling British journalist and travel writer who governed the British colony of Upper Canada from 1836 to 1838, and held a contrarian position to his peers and colleagues regarding the ideology of assimilation that came to inform Canada’s residential school system.

“Sir Francis lived an exciting and adventurous life, and played a fascinating and controversial role in our nation’s colonial history, to which past scholarship has failed to do justice,” said Hutchings, an English professor and former Canada Research Chair in Literature, Culture and Environmental Studies.

“Although he published numerous influential books and articles during the course of a lengthy literary career, those writings are now largely forgotten. My investigation of the relationship between his literary and political activities will demonstrate the important role that literature played in English Canada’s early colonial history.”

Hutchings will produce the first detailed literary study of Bond Head’s life and times, with a goal of demonstrating how he exploited his literary celebrity to support his often-controversial political work, including his business activities in colonial Argentina, his treaty-making among First Nations in Upper Canada, and his controversial role in both inciting and crushing the 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion.

The SSHRC funding allows Hutchings to present his findings at various conferences and symposiums as far afield as New Zealand. It also enables him to employ a number of student research assistants during the course of the study, providing them with training that will help them to become effective researchers, writers and editors.

HUTCHINGS

In addition, he’s received support for the presentation of his research through the EU’s Erasmus+ Training Mobility grant program and from the U.K.-based Transatlantic Studies Association.

The 19th century governor and writer’s life and times have been a focus for Hutchings for more than 15 years; he has even made contact with one of the governor’s living descendants. Perhaps of most interest, however, is what appears to be Bond Head’s stance regarding the residential school system.

“The Truth and Reconciliation Commission is concerned with finding and publishing the truth about residential schools, the sole purpose of which was to assimilate Indigenous people into ‘mainstream’ European Canadian society by severing them from their families, from their cultural traditions and from their language,” added Hutchings.

“During the 19th century, most members of Canada’s settler society embraced the idea that Indigenous people should be converted to Christianity and be assimilated to European ways of life. Sir Francis doesn’t quite fit in with that position because he came on the scene with the opposite idea. He’s fascinating to me for that reason.”

Vanderhoof man leads police on extended chase

Citizen staff

A 27-year-old Vanderhoof man turned into a handful for RCMP.

It took Mounties 12 hours to make an apprehension after they were alerted Tuesday evening that a distraught man had severely damaged a home in the community west of Prince George and then fled in a vehicle.

Concerned for his well-being, RCMP said officers began a search and found him heading south on Highway 27. He refused to stop and drove over a spike belt but kept going until he reached a gas station west of Vanderhoof.

There, he commandeered a vehicle parked at one of the pumps. He ordered a

woman sitting in the passenger seat out of the vehicle and took off. He was next seen on Fourth Avenue in Vanderhoof and then at another gas station. By then, backup help from Prince George had been called in and one of those officers tried to block him in but without success. Finally, at 6:45 a.m. the next day, he was seen in the parking lot of a local business, was arrested without further incident and taken to hospital for treatment. The man could face several charges as the investigation continues, RCMP said. Anyone with information is asked to call the Vanderhoof RCMP at 250 567 2222 or Crime Stoppers at 1 800 222-8477

Air Cadet gets VIP treatment at SkyFest

Citizen staff

As a member of the 396 City of Prince George Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron, Joshua Ironmonger’s rank is usually Warrant Officer Second Class.

But he was a VIP while at the Quesnel SkyFest over the weekend.

It meant getting some quality time with the crew behind the Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 Hornet during the show.

Ironmonger has graduated from Duchess Park Secondary School and is starting this fall at UNBC, studying biochemistry and molecular biology.

His goal after his post-secondary studies is to either become a high school teacher or join the Royal Canadian Air Force and fly the CF-18 Hornet.

He earned the experience based on his performance, knowledge, and attitude at cadets. There will be just 10 VIP experiences with the CF-18 for cadets across the country this summer.

New traffic signals near activation

Citizen staff

Work on a new set of traffic signals at the intersection of 22nd Avenue and Ospika Boulevard near CN Centre has been completed, the city said Wednesday. They will be fully activated on Friday and, for the time being, are flashing red to act as a four-way stop to allow workers to monitor signal timing and vehicle detection, and to increase public awareness and allow drivers time to grow accustomed to the newly-signalled intersection. Upon full activation, they will function as a regular intersection featuring “per-

missive left turns,” which means turning can occur on the green light when it is safe to do so.

The new signals operate in a manner similar to those installed in 2017 at the junction of Ospika and Ferry Avenue, the city also said.

“The updated intersection also has vehicle detection technology and pedestrian-activated crosswalks.

“Left-turn lanes have been added to 22nd Avenue in both directions – and were already present at the intersection on Ospika. Nearby streetlights have also been updated.”

CITIZEN PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN

Big squeeze

Grace McLachlen, Quynlan Adair, Erin Tulle and Hamnah Renaud from the Chamber of Commerce with their lemonade for sale Wednesday during the seventh annual Big Squeeze lemonade sales competition. All proceeds from the Big Squeeze stay in Prince George to support Big Brothers Big Sisters proactive mentoring programs.

B.C. jail under wildfire evacuation alert

The Canadian Press

VANCOUVER — A wildfire burning in steep and rocky terrain in British Columbia’s southern Okanagan is defying containment efforts and has grown to nine square kilometres in size.

BC Wildfire Service maps show flames are moving through an area of cliffs and other challenging terrain on the east side of Highway 97 and officials say that is making the fire extremely difficult to battle.

An evacuation alert covering 206 properties just north of Oliver was expanded late Tuesday to cover a section of the Osoyoos Indian Band reserve that includes a business park and the Okanagan Correctional Centre, which has 378 jail cells.

Public Safety Ministry spokeswoman Caroline McAndrews says in a statement the safety of inmates and staff at the correctional facility is a top priority.

An evacuation plan is in place, but the likelihood the fire will force people to leave the facility remains low, she says.

“Sheriff transportation has been arranged for inmates,” says McAndrews. “BC Corrections has the capacity to accommodate transfers as necessary. Families will be notified once transfers are complete.”

She says there are approximate-

ly 200 inmates in the centre.

Eighty firefighters and other experts have been assigned to the blaze since it broke out Sunday, while water and retardant drops from helicopters and air tankers are bolstering containment efforts.

Weather in the Okanagan and Similkameen areas is not co-operating, with special weather statements in effect across the southern Interior calling for temperatures

in the mid to high 30s and no rain until at least the weekend.

The wildfire danger rating in B.C. has climbed significantly since the weekend, with ratings of high to extreme posted across parts of the lower quarter of the province, much of southern Vancouver Island and the northwest corner of B.C.

Environment Canada is also maintaining the special air quality

statement issued Tuesday for the south Okanagan region.

The statement says Penticton, Oliver, Summerland, Naramata and Osoyoos will be blanketed by wildfire smoke over the next day or two. Those with health conditions, the elderly, pregnant woman or infants are more likely to experience health effects from exposure to the smoke.

U.S. averaging 29 mass killings per year

The Associated Press

SEATTLE — Just seven months into 2019, the U.S. has experienced almost as many mass killings as occurred in all of 2018.

Back-to-back mass shootings in Texas and Ohio brought the total number of mass killings so far this year to 23, leaving 131 people dead. There were 25 mass killings in 2018, claiming 140 lives, according to a database compiled by The Associated Press, Northeastern University and USA Today.

The database tracks every mass killing dating back to 2006, and the El Paso and Dayton massacres had traits that were similar to many earlier incidents.

That includes shooting a family member while carrying out a mass killing, which happened

in Dayton; the young age of the perpetrators; and the tendency of the shooters to commit suicide or get killed by police.

Here are some takeaways:

Overall numbers

The last three years have seen several fluctuations in mass killing numbers. In 2017, 225 people died in 32 mass killings, driven by the massacre in Las Vegas. In 2018, the year was marked by a surge in mass killings in public places, including schools in Texas and Florida. A typical year has roughly 29 mass killings. Mass killings – defined as killings involving four or more fatalities, not including the killer – have occurred in 16 states this year. California has experienced four of them.

NEWS IN BRIEF

B.C. committee calls for tax review

VICTORIA (CP) — An legislature committee says British Columbia’s tax system is in need of a comprehensive review. The seven-member committee says in a report used to help guide government preparations ahead of its next budget that the tax system needs to be modernized. The report is unanimous and recommends reviews of the province’s carbon tax, employer health tax, luxury tax, speculation and vacancy tax and provincial sales tax. The committee made more than 100 recommendations to the government, including that it provide supports for youth formerly in care and that it helps workers and communities as the forest industry experiences an economic downturn. The committee, made up of four New Democrats and three Opposition Liberals, held meetings in 15 communities in June and received almost 1,000 written submissions and online survey responses. The Finance Ministry says in a statement it is reviewing the report and will consider its proposals and recommendations as it prepares next year’s budget.

Girl bit by bear was in zoo enclosure

Families targetted

The majority of mass killings involve domestic violence, and eight of 74 public mass shootings since 2006 involved the killing of a blood relative, the data shows. The shooter’s parent, sibling, cousin, nephew or niece was shot first and then the perpetrator sought out others to kill.

“They’ll take it out on family and then society, figuring they already committed a murder,” said David Chipman, a former agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives who now works as a policy adviser at Giffords: Courage to Fight Gun Violence. “Domestic violence is the most risky call for service that police go on.”

Before 20-year-old Adam Lanza killed 26 children and staff at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, he had fatally shot his mother in their Newtown, Conn. home.

Jaylen Fryberg, 15, sent text messages to lure two cousins and several friends to the cafeteria at Marysville Pilchuck High School in Marysville, Wash., in 2014. He then shot the four students before turning the gun on himself.

And last month, police say a man in Southern California began his rampage by killing and injuring family members before shooting strangers. In the end, he is accused of killing four people.

Young killers

The AP/USA Today/Northeastern database shows that many mass shootings are committed by a certain demographic: young, white men.

Most mass shootings in the U.S. are carried out by men, with white men making up nearly 50 per cent of the shooters, the database shows.

The median age of a public mass shooter is 28; significantly lower

than the median age of a person who commits a mass shooting of their family, according to the database. Since 2006, 12 mass shootings have been committed by gunmen 21 or younger. That includes the 21-year-old suspected gunman in El Paso.

Arrested or killed

More than half of public mass shooters either kill themselves on the scene or are shot by police.

Lanza and Fryberg killed themselves, as did Stephen Paddock, the man who killed 58 people and wounded 422 attending a country music festival in Las Vegas in 2017. So did the man who killed 33 at Virginia Tech in 2007; the former municipal worker who murdered 12 in Virginia Beach this year; and the mentally ill man who gunned down four at an IHop restaurant in Nevada in 2011. The Pulse nightclub shooter was killed by police in Orlando.

The man who opened fire at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in July also committed suicide.

“They obviously went through the thought process of ‘I may end up dead,”’ said Frank Farley, a Temple University psychology professor and former president of the American Psychological Association. “And did it anyway.”

James Holmes, who killed 12 and wounded 70 in a movie theatre in Aurora, Colo., was sentenced in 2015 to life in prison. Dylann Roof, a white supremacist who fatally shot nine people attending the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in 2015, was sentenced to death.

Prosecutors are also seeking the death penalty for Patrick Wood Crusius, the man accused of fatally shooting 22 people at an El Paso Walmart.

Associated Press Writer Colleen Long contributed to this report from Washington, D.C.

LANGLEY (CP) — A manager with the Greater Vancouver Zoo says a two-year-old girl who was bitten by a bear somehow got past a locked gate to access an enclosure with three young black bears. Menita Prasad, the zoo’s animal care manager, says there is a combination of chain-link and wooden fencing around the enclosure and steel gates keeping the bears in and the public out. Prasad says it’s unclear how the girl accessed the enclosure late Monday, but the only feasible explanation is that she would have had to squeeze through or climbed over the gate to an area not authorized for the public. She says the zoo has reached out to the girl’s family and has been told she’s in stable condition in hospital but still has a recovery ahead of her.

The BC Conservation Officer Service says the girl’s arm was bitten by a black bear and she was flown by air ambulance to hospital for treatment.

The girl’s family has declined comment. The conservation service and RCMP are investigating, and the service says no animals will be euthanized as a result of what happened. Prasad says the zoo is also conducting its own investigation. “We want the entire zoo to be safe. We want this to be a happy place for our guests, safe for our staff and the public as well.”

Man to plead guilty for naked shark tank swim

TORONTO (CP) — A British Columbia man accused of swimming naked in a shark tank at a Toronto aquarium is expected to plead guilty to mischief in that incident next month. David Weaver, of Nelson, was arrested and charged in October of last year, four days after the alleged incident. Police allege he went to Ripley’s Aquarium in downtown Toronto on Oct. 12, bought a ticket, then stripped naked and jumped into the facility’s shark tank. A large crowd was at the aquarium that night for a “jazz night” event and some in attendance took videos of the alleged incident. The videos, which surfaced on social media and attracted international attention, show a naked man swimming in the tank with sand tiger sharks, sawfish and moray eels. During a brief hearing Wednesday, court heard that Weaver would appear on Sept. 19 for a guilty plea in the Ripley’s incident. Police have also alleged that earlier on Oct. 12, Weaver assaulted a man outside Medieval Times, a show where actors playing knights joust and compete in a mock tournament. A window was also allegedly broken.

Martha BELLISLE, Meghan HOYER

A wildfire burns near Cawston, B.C. in this undated handout photo.

Three endangered orcas declared dead, only 73 remain

Hina ALAM The Canadian Press

VANCOUVER — Three southern resident killer whales have been declared dead by the Center for Whale Research, bringing the population down to 73.

The dead killer whales are a 42-two-year-old matriarch known as J17, a 28-year-old adult called K25, and a 29-year-old male called L84, the institute posted on its website.

“These whales are from the extremely endangered southern resident killer whale population, that historically frequent the Salish Sea almost daily in summer months,” it said.

Experts had expressed fear after two southern resident killer whales, J17 and K25, hadn’t been seen for a few months.

Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the United States released photos in May taken by a drone that showed J17 had deteriorated in health since she was assessed last fall.

The organization said J17 was showing the condition known as “peanut-head,” which indicates a significant loss of fat, or blubber, around the head.

J17 is survived by two daughters and a son; K25 is survived by two sisters and a brother while L84 was the last of a matriline of eleven whales, ten of whom had died.

A little over 70 southern resident

killer whales form this group of exclusively salmon-eating orcas known as J clan and the family is further divided into three groups, or pods, known as J, K and L. Martin Haulena, head veterinarian at the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre, said the death of three orcas is bad news.

“That’s definitely not good, not good at all,” he said.

“You want to see those numbers

heading the opposite direction so every time we lose one of these animals it really brings us closer to losing the whole population.”

Haulena said he’s hopeful that some of the measures put into place recently by the federal government can help turn things around for the animals.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans announced a number of rules to protect these whales off

British Columbia’s coast, including requiring ships to stay 400 metres away from the animals, closing a few salmon fisheries, and implementing initiatives to support habitat protection and restoration of chinook salmon.

Haulena also said he has seen a change in the behaviour of the orcas.

“I think it’s interesting... this year they are not spending nearly

as much time as they usually do in the interior waters through Puget Sound and the Georgia Strait,” he said.

“The L-pod I don’t believe has entered into the Salish Sea at all this year. They’ve just been seen off the west side of Vancouver Island or at least in outer waters this summer.”

While it is hard to say for sure why there is a behavioural change, Haulena said it could be because the whales are looking for alternative places to feed or are moving away from noise.

“Maybe they found a better place to forage,” he said.

“It’s very, very hard to tell but we need to look into (it).”

The Center for Whale Research says in its statement the whales now rarely visit the core waters of its designated critical habitat including Puget Sound, Georgia Strait, and the inland reach of the Strait of Juan de Fuca “due to the scarcity of suitable Chinook salmon prey.”

A new female calf, J56, was reported a few weeks ago, but Haulena had said earlier that there are more animals being lost than being born, and calf mortality for cetaceans can be as high as 50 per cent.

“I think we’re at a critical point for sure,” he said Tuesday.

“I think that the population can’t afford to lose too many more and really things need to turn around soon.”

An orca leaps out of the water near a whale watching boat in the Salish Sea in 2015. The Centre for Whale Research says the southern resident orca population is down to 73, after the deaths of three whales this year.

When predictions come true

The hollowing out of the B.C. Interior and the demise of small towns everywhere in the province, particularly those dependent on forestry, has been happening for nearly 30 years.

It’s been a train wreck in slow motion that has been well studied, broadly predicted by chief foresters past and present and thoroughly anticipated by industry and governments. Politicians and residents saw it coming, too, but have always hoped for more time, a bit of luck or some unforeseen positive development that would avoid or at least delay the inevitable.

The eradication of small towns is not a B.C. or even a Canadian trend but a worldwide phenomenon, a global migration of people and jobs to regional centres and metropolitan areas. B.C. is certainly no stranger to ghost towns and some, like Barkerville, have been turned into successful historic tourist attractions, but the population decline in rural regions, combined with the centralization of industry and government, retail, education and health services, has sped up in recent years.

Even if the mountain pine beetle hadn’t swept through the region starting 20 years ago, evolving into the destruction of massive stands of valuable, mature trees over the following decade, Interior communities reliant on the local sawmill for most of the good-paying, private sector jobs would still be in trouble. The modernization of the forest industry has changed every part of the process of turning a tree into a consumer resource, from surveying and logging to milling and manufacturing. Technology has altered every part of the process, increasing efficiency (that phrase is shorthand for producing more wood products with fewer and fewer people) and reducing waste. Mills in Burns Lake and Prince George destroyed by deadly sawdust explosions in 2012 were rebuilt but not as they were before. They now can produce as much or even more wood products than they did before but with a fraction of the employees.

Those technological improvements have forced most small players out of the market, with only a handful of giant corporate players left dominating the majority of the industry’s output. The result, even before

this summer of closures and curtailments, has been the permanent shuttering of older, inefficient mills in communities close to the forests being harvested in favour of larger, modern operations fed by trees hauled in by truck from hundreds of kilometres away. It can’t be stressed enough that all of this was not only foreseen but planned by company leaders forced to quickly and dramatically change their business models to compete in the global marketplace and give themselves a chance at long-term survival. These companies and the people who own and operate them made no secret of their efforts and warned politicians, employees and residents that tens of thousands of jobs would eventually disappear, taking with them the sustainability of one-industry towns throughout the province.

Combining infestation, the steadily declining availability of harvestable trees with no improvement in sight for decades, technology and global economic pressures with devastating wildfires and endless trade disputes has brought B.C.’s forest sector to this moment. Forestry will continue to survive in this region and province, continue to employ thousands and continue to

YOUR LETTERS

Still with Stephan

I wonder why the media so quickly disappeared when a court case they were so vehemently covering took an unexpected turn.

I was following your coverage of the Stephan’s case where parents were charged for neglecting to provide the necessities of life after their toddler tragically died in hospital care.

The media, your paper included, were pretty quick to taint the headlines and poison the public to wag their finger in disgust at this so called negligent couple until the evidence began to suggest a sinister hospital cover up and corruption of justice.

No problem, we’ll just vacate the story and the public will forget all about it just like always. Meanwhile, this couple must now pick up the pieces, rebuild their family and dignity using their own resources and no media voice to inform your readers that the news had it wrong all along. Furthermore, your paper will just pick up some other story

somewhere, sometime down the line. Who cares as long as it pays the bills.

For once, will a media service serve the public and unbiasedly inform them of what is really going on around them? Can we ever trust the news?

I’m guessing you’re not going to publish this letter anyway; after all, it’s not in your interest to do so.

Nonetheless, it is fact and I’m thinking your employees must be aware of it.

Gary Kibsey

Prince George

Editor’s Note: Hi, Gary - happy to publish your letter because it’s in everybody’s interest to do so. I can’t speak for other news media outlets but we haven’t published anything on the David Stephan trial recently because the trial over the past couple of weeks has been devoted to the judge hearing testimony from a medical examiner (I’m guessing this is what you’re referring to about a coverup) before deciding what – if any – of that testimony is relevant and admissible as evidence. Most news media outlets

don’t publish what’s said in a voir dire, the legal term for this trial within a trial, because it’s ethically irresponsible to report testimony that might later be ruled inadmissible. We will continue to report on Stephan’s trial and will certainly publish the outcome, whatever it may be, in print and online. Stay tuned.

Missing clues

Thanks for enlarging the horoscopes. Now, if you could just ensure that the bottom line of the clues for the Colossal Canada Crossword is included in the paper, and not cut off, that would be nice. There’s enough white space at the top of the item, so I don’t see why the bottom line or two should consistently be cut off. It’s a more challenging crossword than the daily offering, but we don’t need the extra challenge of missing a few clues!

Carol Johnson Prince George Editor’s Note: Sorry about that, Carol. We’ll make sure we get it right in future.

LETTERS WELCOME: The Prince George Citizen welcomes letters to the editor from our readers. Submissions should be sent by email to: letters@pgcitizen.ca. No attachments, please. They can also be faxed to 250-960-2766, or mailed to 201-1777 Third Ave., Prince George, B.C. V2L 3G7. Maximum length is 750 words and writers are limited to one submission every week. We will edit letters only to ensure clarity, good taste, for legal reasons, and occasionally for length. Although we will not include your address and telephone number in the paper, we need both for verification purposes. Unsigned or handwritten letters will not be published. The Prince George Citizen is a member of the National Newsmedia Council, which is an independent organization established to deal with acceptable journalistic practices and ethical behaviour. If you have concerns about editorial content, please contact Neil Godbout (ngodbout@pgcitizen. ca or 250-960-2759). If you are not satisfied with the response and wish to file a formal complaint, visit the web site at mediacouncil.ca or call toll-free 1-844-877-1163 for additional information.

contribute billions to the economy but with far fewer companies and workers generating less revenue in a much different manner than was done in the past.

Sadly, politicians are using these moments for political gain, pointing fingers of blame and fueling anger at the expense of displaced families. Provincially, both NDP and Liberal governments, along with community leaders, have known what was happening but were largely powerless to prevent or even slow these forces working both inside and outside of B.C.’s borders.

One tragic irony has been the ongoing softwood lumber dispute, with small, rural American lumber operations convinced they could survive if they could just stop those pesky Canadians dumping their cheap, government-subsidized lumber into the U.S. market. Those lumber regions in the Pacific Northwest, the Atlantic northeast and the deep South are undergoing the same upheaval being seen in the B.C. Interior.

What does that mean for regional hubs like Prince George?

More on that tomorrow. — Editor-in-chief Neil Godbout

Big life changes for newest LG

Sometimes, when Janet Austin is stowing her ride at the Government House bicycle lock-up in Victoria, she’ll be approached by strangers.

“Do you know who lives here?” they’ll ask. Or maybe:

“Do you know if the lieutenantgovernor is around?”

“She’s closer than you think,” Austin will reply. Then she’ll identify herself as the holder of the job.

“I always fess up,” she says. It wouldn’t be right for B.C.’s viceregal representative to mislead people.

That’s one of the changes she has had to get used to in the 15 months since becoming B.C.’s 30th lieutenant-governor: asking herself if her actions are appropriate to her position.

As we emerge from the B.C. Day weekend, pause for a moment to consider how strange it must be to be thrust into the role of the Queen’s representative in the province just celebrated.

One moment you’re going about your relatively unremarkable life, taking out the recycling and mowing the lawn, and the next you’re rattling around a Rockland mansion straight out of Harry Potter, being chauffeured in a car with a little flag flapping over the front fender.

When Austin walks her dog, MacDuff, in the morning, it’s on the same grounds in which the likes of Winston Churchill, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, Kate and William, Indira Gandhi, King Hussein of Jordan, the king and queen of Siam and the future former Edward VIII – the one who ditched the throne to marry Wallis Simpson, “the woman I love” –have all gone for a wander.

The people who have populated the position are the subject of a new book, The Lieutenant Governors of British Columbia, by Jenny Clayton. It’s a great peek at the lives of those who have filled the role, and of the changing nature of the job itself.

The lieutenant-governors range from the first one, Joseph William Trutch, who paved the way for white settlement by marginalizing Indigenous people, to Austin, who has made reconciliation a personal priority. Their role has gone from being relatively partisan to carefully non-political and largely ceremonial, though the constitutional responsibilities that come with the job were highlighted in 2017, when Judith Guichon had to decide who should form the provincial government.

Clayton’s history of lieutenantgovernors is enlivened with detail.

Albert Norton Richards’s daughter painted the portrait of Oscar Wilde that inspired Wilde’s novel The Portrait of Dorian Gray. When

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Thomas Wilson Paterson dropped the puck for a match between the Victoria Aristocrats and New Westminster Royals in 1912, it marked the first professional hockey game west of Toronto.

Billy Woodward, of departmentstore family fame, hosted comedian Jack Benny at Government House as part of a wartime Victory Bond drive. Charles Arthur Banks, tired of the hoi polloi gawking through the windows, had guards prevent taxis from entering the grounds. Recent lieutenant-governors have put their own brand on the job, pushing certain causes. David Lam was known for building bridges between cultures. Iona Campagnolo, the first woman in the post, brought a quiet, determined feminism and got young people pumped up about the province. Steven Point, the only Indigenous lieutenant-governor, championed literacy. Austin has identified three areas: inclusion and diversity; democracy (“I’m quite concerned about erosion of trust in democratic conventions and the institutions that support them”); and reconciliation. To aid in the latter, she has even begun learning a bit of SENCOTEN, the language of the Saanich Peninsula. She finds having MacDuff around helps break the ice and keep things informal, which is her preference. “It relaxes people.”

The dog, a West Highland white terrier identified on the lieutenantgovernor’s website as Vice-Regal Canine Consort MacDuff AustinChester, even has its own Instagram account, @viceregalmacduff, with almost 800 followers. “I think he’s more popular on social media than I am.”

Austin’s schedule is busy. “All the days blur together. There’s no such thing as a weekend.”

Preparing speeches – she estimates she has made 300 so far – takes a lot of time. “You want to say something that’s meaningful to the audience,” says Austin. It’s part of what Clayton calls being a cheerleader for the province. It has been rewarding, and her aides are all wonderful, she says, but being driven around to events takes getting used to, as does having a house with staff. “That’s not to say I can’t go off to the grocery store or the hairdresser on my own. I do that all the time.” Still, it’s a long way from her life as an executive in the non-profit world. “It has been a big shift, let me tell you.”

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JACK KNOX

Measuring distance near and far

Time is one dimensions of spacetime. The other three are measurements of distance.

We recognize the world around us as occupying height, width, and depth or x,y, and z or some variation of coordinates which tell us about the physical universe.

The history of measuring distance is related to time in our most ancient history.

With no standardized units, no one would say “travel so many kilometres” but rather “travel for half a day west” or “travel east until sunset.”

Such measurements are horribly imprecise as not everyone moves at the same pace.

Standardized units for length first appeared in Western culture with the rise of Mesopotamia and evolved over time with the Egyptian civilization.

Measurements were based on the human body – the length of the forearm or stride or perhaps someone’s actual foot.

Pretty much every ancient civilization developed some method of measuring distance.

Concurrently, builders developed methods to translate mea-

surements into workable plans.

And from this arose geometry.

Most students I have talked to question the utility of learning trigonometry but without it, we wouldn’t have many of the ancient wonders of the world.

Or, for that matter, pretty much any of the advances of modern civilization.

For example, if you want to lay out a perfectly square foundation, how do you go about doing it?

The answer is to make sure all four sides are the same length and each diagonal is exactly the same length as the other. Simple geometry.

But how do you determine the height of an object?

Move away from the object until you are looking at the top at exactly a 45 degree angle.

The height of the object is the distance you are from it – with your own eye level taken into account.

Of course, we would now just

use a tape measure. But what if the distance was too large for a tape measure?

For example, how does one measure the circumference of the Earth?

Eratosthenes of Cyrene was a Greek polymath as he engaged in a number of different intellectual disciplines, including both geometry and geography.

He is credited with being the first person to accurately determine the circumference of the Earth.

He did this by measuring the angle a shadow makes in both Alexandria and Syene on a midsummer’s day.

At Syene, the sun was directly overhead and cast no shadow whereas at Alexandria it was onefiftieth of a full circle.

As the distance between the two cities was 5,000 stadia – equivalent to about 925 km – he was able come to a value equivalent to about 40,000 kilometres which is pretty much the distance we have today. (And he also proved the Earth is round!)

But how does one go about measuring even larger distances, such as the distance to the sun?

This was achieved by measuring the transit of Venus across the

How mosquitoes find you

The Washington Post

Whether you’re playing soccer at the park, hiking in the woods or taking a walk along the beach, everyone knows the tiny buzz next to your ear means that a mosquito is probably near. But have you ever wondered how an insect no bigger than a pea is able to track you down?

Mosquitoes don’t just use one sense to look for dinner. They have evolved a sort of Swiss Army knife of tools that tells them when fresh blood is close by.

“The first thing is that they smell us,” said Clément Vinauger, a scientist who studies mosquitoes at Virginia Tech.

When humans and other animals breathe, they exhale a gas called carbon dioxide, and mosquitoes have sensors that can detect this scent, like a pie cooling on a windowsill.

Mosquitoes also have eyes that can see shades of black and white, as well as movement. Still more sensors allow the insects to zero in on heat.

“The thing is, we didn’t know how they combined all of this information in their brain so that it made sense to them,” Vinauger said.

That is, until Vinauger and his team started performing experiments on live mosquitoes.

With a setup that is part virtual reality and part flight simulator, the scientists let mosquitoes fly inside a chamber that offered them different sights and smells and then recorded how they reacted.

They also created tiny plastic mosquito helmets that provided images of the insect’s brains, giving insight into how they think.

The result?

Vinauger said that when a mosquito gets a whiff of carbon dioxide, the smelling part of its brain begins to send messages to the visual part telling it to be on the lookout for food.

On the other hand, if the mosquito doesn’t first smell something yummy, it doesn’t waste time looking for a meal.

The two senses go hand in hand, in other words. Amazingly, mosquitoes can learn from their experiences.

In another study, Vinauger found that mosquitoes can smell the difference between someone who is sleeping and someone who is awake and trying to swat them.

And when he offered a choice between the two smells 24 hours later, the bloodsuckers were smart enough to choose the easier, sleeping target.

Now most people are probably not going to read this and fall in love with mosquitoes.

But at the very least, perhaps we should give this insect a little more respect than we do.

After all, when mosquitoes bite us, it’s nothing personal.

Mosquitoes require protein so they can create eggs, which is why only the females drink blood. (Males eat plant sap and nectar.)

And every time that momma mosquito goes on the hunt, she risks her life for the sake of the next generation.

Think about that the next time you feel the urge to swat.

sun from various known locations across the globe and applying trigonometry to again calculate the triangles.

The astounding figure obtained was about 153 million kilometres – only slightly larger than the presently accepted value of 149.6 million kilometres.

How do you measure even larger distances, such as the distance to the stars?

This is where it gets tricky and geometry finally begins the fail.

We can use Earth-based measurements taken six months apart to construct the base of a triangle by measuring the apparent motion of stars against the background of the night sky.

This system of parallax works for closer stars but eventually the angular differences become too small to measure.

Enter Henrietta Swan Leavitt, a computer at the Harvard Astronomical Observatory in the early 1900s.

She was tasked with measuring the photographs of stars called Cepheid variables in the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds and determined a relationship between their apparent luminosity and the period of their oscillating brightness.

Initially, her relationship was all relative but when the absolute distance to local Cepheid stars was determined, her stars became standard candles.

By measuring their period, astronomers could determine their absolute luminosity and by measuring their apparent luminosity, astronomers can determine their exact distances. It was by measuring Cepheid Hubble was able to show the Andromeda Nebula was actually a galaxy two million light years away.

In a report last week, astronomers have remeasured 2500+ Cepheid variable stars and using the distance measurements obtained, they were able to recalculate our map of the Milky Way.

The data provides a galaxy which is not as flat as we thought. It is curled up and down – much like a vinyl record which has been left too long near heat.

Whether their calculations hold up to further analysis and the Milky Way is a non-planar galaxy remains to be seen. But one thing is clear – we have come a long way from guesstimating distances based on time to measuring the physical universe from one end to the other.

CP FILE PHOTO

An adult mosquito is shown in the laboratory at the MiddlesexLondon Health Unit in 2007.

Living through a sugar detox

Steven PETROW

Special To The Washington Post

Early one Saturday, I headed to a “sugar detox” seminar at my gym.

I didn’t expect it to be a hot ticket, but when I opened the classroom door every seat was taken.

One was filled by “Grandma Teresa,” as she introduced herself, who had brought along her two granddaughters, ages 11 and 13, because “sugar is really bad and I want them to learn as much as they can when they are still young.”

The other participants, all women from their 30s to 70s, said they wanted to curb their sugar intake for a variety of reasons –to ease a health struggle; to lose weight; or to reduce their risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer and dementia.

I was there on doctor’s orders.

He had advised a sugar detox for me to lose visceral fat – the internal kind that accumulates around the organs and drives hunger, overeating, weight gain, muscle loss and brain damage.

It can also cause fatty liver disease, increase the cholesterol that causes heart disease and increase inflammation, which Mark Hyman, the medical director of the Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Functional Medicine, said “affects a whole range of diseases from cancer to heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s.”

For instance, a recent study found that consuming sugary drinks, including soda and fruit juice, may “significantly” increase your risk of developing cancer, especially of the breast.

Health coach Anna Seethaler opened the detox seminar with three questions.

How much sugar are you eating?

When are you eating it?

And why are you eating it?

My answers mirrored those of my classmates: no clue.

All day long, especially in the evening (or any time I felt lonely, angry or deserving of a treat).

And because I like it.

I learned that the average American consumes nearly 70 kg of sugar annually, or 22 teaspoons a day.

The typical kid in the United States eats a horrifying 34 teaspoons daily.

The American Heart Association recommends no more than six teaspoons a day for women and children, nine for men.

Sugar is everywhere: it’s in cereal and skim milk, bread, salad dressings, wine, white potatoes, pasta and pizza – not to mention desserts.

Seethaler sent us away with homework: seek out and record the sugars in our diets.

I had thought I’d been eating pretty healthfully, but my journal quickly told me otherwise.

This surprise was what Seethaler intended.

Some products already show an “added sugar” line item in the nutrition facts panel on their label, and by 2021 all food makers will be required to include it.

Until then, Jessica Levinson, a New York City-based nutritionist in private practice, tells her clients to read food labels and “know the various terms for sugar, which include agave nectar, brown rice

syrup, and fruit juice concentrate,” in addition to the ubiquitous highfructose corn syrup.

Hyman, who has written The Blood Sugar Solution 10-Day Detox Diet, says his intent is to “completely obliterate the idea” that all calories are the same, that there’s no difference between 100 calories of Coca-Cola or cauliflower.

“Calories in, calories out,” he says, “is a completely disproven hypothesis.”

All this is to say that cauliflower is better for you than Coke.

Sigh.

Hyman advocates a cold-turkey approach to his patients.

“You want people to experience their hunger, their behavior, their mood, their energy (and) their chronic symptoms if they stop (consuming) sugar and starch for a week or two weeks or three weeks,” he said by phone.

Starch, which is found in potatoes, corn, rice and many grains, converts to sugar when consumed.

Our biochemistry, he says, not will power, drives our cravings and hunger patterns.

It’s not a “moral failing that we can’t control our diet.”

As I started my detox, Hyman advised me to add “a lot of fat, because fat makes you feel full (and)

speeds your metabolism,” which I didn’t know.

Then came a second revelation:

“Fat actually helps you burn fat,” he explained, destroying many of the myths I’d grown up with.

I’d been avoiding high-fat foods like the plague because as everyone “knew,” fat makes you fat.

Not so, said Hyman.

“Fat doesn’t make you fat. Sugar makes you fat.”

Fat, he says, “increases muscle mass and decreases inflammation – if it’s the right fat” – by that he includes coconut butter, MCT oil (or medium-chain triglycerides), extra-virgin cold-pressed olive oil, and those found in wild fatty fish such as salmon and sardines, nuts and avocados.

Hyman points to a recent study in Nutrition and Diabetes, a journal published by Springer Nature, that found that those on an unrestricted high-fat (low carb) diet lost more weight, had better control of their blood sugar, lower triglyercides and better HDL (the good cholesterol).

For the first several days, frankly, my detoxing was hell.

Making certain foods forbidden made me want them more.

Ice cream. Pasta. Chocolate.

Even wine, which contains a fair amount of sugar.

My cravings were intense and

seemed never-ending, and if I cheated I felt like a loser.

I was irritable and moody – and, yes, as is often the case, constipated.

But by day five the cravings had subsided.

I’d stopped eating bread, because even whole wheat bread, Hyman explained, converts more quickly to glucose, or blood sugar, than table sugar.

The exception is whole grain breads, such as those made from wheat berry, whole barley and whole grain oats.

But here’s the part that blew my mind: I started to lose weight.

Before the detox I weighed 166 pounds.

Twelve weeks later, I hit a new low adult weight: 155.

I’ve cinched in my belt a notch.

My bloodwork looks much better (my triglycerides dropped by half in six weeks).

And as my belly fat has reduced, I do feel better and more energetic.

Later this month I’ll see what my HDL and LDL numbers look like.

Fingers crossed.

Seethaler and Hyman both talk about sugar as addictive, which is why it’s so hard to kick.

Sugar, Hyman says, “actually causes us to stimulate the same brain area that causes addiction

for heroin and cocaine.”

That’s why he advocates a coldturkey sugar detox.

Levinson, the nutritionist, prefers starting with small changes. She suggests clients “work on reducing sugars one meal at a time and make sure to have healthier alternatives that will actually satisfy cravings.”

Levinson advocates for moderation and reminds me of the adage, “It’s the dose that makes the poison.”

I’m now in my fourth month of a modified detox – I don’t want to live without wine or some sweets I eat three one-inch squared pieces of very dark chocolate a day.

I know I can’t avoid all added sugars, no matter how vigilant I may be.

Sugar detoxing is not easy, especially when visiting friends.

On a recent weekend, my hosts made five delicious pizzas, each with a white-flour crust that when eaten quickly converts to blood sugar.

I decided to indulge for that evening, remembering that tomorrow was another day.

I wish I’d had a Grandma Teresa to start me earlier, but I’m glad to be on the detox bandwagon now. The big question: How long will I stay on it?

Treat athlete’s foot to avoid more problems

The Washington Post

Perhaps the skin in between your toes is itchy. Or the skin on the sides of your feet is flaking and irritated.

These are classic signs of athlete’s foot. Doctors call it tinea pedis and it’s a common fungal infection, affecting 15 to 25 per cent of people at any one time.

“It’s flaky dead skin overlying redness,” says Adam Friedman, a dermatologist at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Skin between the toes may look white and soggy, the soles of the foot are more likely to be dry and flaky, and reddening and blistering can appear anywhere.

Still it might be something else - psoriasis and eczema can look a lot like athlete’s foot.

So how can you be sure you have athlete’s foot? Do you need to see a doctor for diagnosis and treatment?

“Most people want to treat athlete’s foot,” says Shari Lipner, a dermatologist at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York.

Even when the itching and burning symptoms are very mild, the condition is unsightly. Also, the fungus can invade the nail – and nail fungus is much harder to treat, Lipner says.

But you don’t necessarily need to see a doctor. It’s OK to try an over-the-counter product on your own. Look for those that contain an antifungal medication such as terbinafine (Lamisil), clotrimazole (Lotrimin), tolnaftate (Tinactin), miconazole (Micatin), or undecylenic acid (Cruex). Other products, such as those containing tea tree oil or “natural” salts, have little evidence to back their use, Lipner says.

“Generally, we recommend treating for about a month,” Lipner says.

But if your symptoms don’t improve after a couple

of weeks, you should probably see a doctor. Friedman says even doctors cannot always identify athlete’s foot correctly. He says he found that dermatologists looking at still images may make errors in identifying various skin conditions. And errors can have consequences. Steroid creams, for example, might be appropriate for eczema but can make athlete’s foot worse.

Dermatologists can diagnose athlete’s foot by taking fungal cultures or doing a two-minute in-office procedure, called a potassium hydroxide (KOH) test. The fungi involved are usually one of two species of Trichophyton, either rubrum or mentagrophytes.

“Our skin cells are foie gras to them,” Friedman says. “These organisms just like the top layer of skin.” But when fungus take up residence on the surface, he says, “They can open the door to bacteria and other infections to cross the barrier.”

For instance, athlete’s foot might start out scaly red, but if it becomes red, swollen and painful, it’s a warning sign of something else. Inflammation might indicate a bacterial infection, even a serious one such as cellulitis.

Untreated athlete’s foot means you’re harbouring fungal growth. That fungus can spread to the toenails to cause a condition called onychomycosis - or more simply, toenail fungus.

“With nail fungus, it’s even more important to see a board-certified dermatologist,” Lipner says. “Lots of things make the nails look abnormal. About 50 per cent of the time, it’s nail fungus.”

Over-the-counter ointments, powders and sprays don’t work against nail fungus. Typically, this condition is treated with oral antifungal medications, or one of the newer topical preparations, which are pricey and by prescription only.

Paczki, Polish doughnuts with filling, are dusted with sugar at the European Bakery in Jackson, Mich., in 2018.

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Andreescu into third round at Rogers Cup

Melissa COUTO The Canadian Press

TORONTO — Canadian Bianca Andreescu withstood a marathon match on Wednesday to advance to the third round of the Rogers Cup.

Andreescu edged Russia’s Daria Kasatkina 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 in a match that lasted two hours 40 minutes on centre court.

The 19-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., competing in just her third match since March because of a shoulder injury, appeared to run out of gas in the third set in front of a half-filled day session crowd at Aviva Centre.

But she shook off the fatigue to break Kasatkina twice – first to tie it 5-all, then again for the 7-5 victory after hitting a trio of big forehand winners in the final game.

Andreescu began the set by going up 3-1, then lost back-to-back service games to give the No. 40-ranked Kasatkina a temporary 4-3 lead.

The match was Andreescu’s second straight three-setter of the tournament. She had advanced to the second round by beating Eugenie Bouchard of Westmount, Que., in a lengthy all-Canadian centre-court clash Tuesday night.

Andreescu, who improved to 23-4 with the win, entered the Rogers Cup ranked No. 27. She will play No. 5 seed Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands in the third round.

She began the year at No. 107 and skyrocketed up the standings thanks to a fantastic start to the season – which included her first WTA title at Indian Wells in March. Andreescu reached a career-high No. 22 in May.

Kasatkina, a former top-10 player, dropped to 8-15 on the year.

Earlier Wednesday, Wimbledon champion Simona Halep of Romania defeated American qualifier Jennifer Brady 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (5) in a back-and-forth second-round match.

Halep, who won the 2018 Rogers Cup title in Montreal, was up 4-0 in the third set before Brady stormed back by winning five straight games.

The No. 4 Halep broke the 76th-ranked Brady for a third time in the set to go up 6-5, but the former world No. 1 was broken right back to set up the tiebreak.

AP PHOTO Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Brock Stewart pitches during a game Wednesday in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Stewart solid in relief as Jays beat Rays

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash was blunt after the Rays closed out a homestand against Miami and Toronto with a 3-2 record.

“Not good enough,” Cash said after a 4-3 loss to the Blue Jays on Wednesday.

“You’ve got to do better than that. Where we’re at, we’ve got to find ways to win.” Reliever Brock Stewart allowed two hits over four scoreless innings in his Toronto debut as the Blue Jays withstood a late Tampa Bay rally in a bullpen day. Tampa Bay was able to maintain its one-half game lead for the second AL wild card spot over the Oakland Athletics, who lost 10-1 to the NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

The Rays fell to 31-28 at home, a major drop-off from last season’s 51-30 mark.

“We want to be able to win ballgames here,” Tampa Bay catcher Mike Zunino said. “That hasn’t been the case. It’s one of those things where we need to separate ourselves. We need to play good baseball here.”

Blue Jays rookie Bo Bichette set a team record with a double in eight straight games, breaking the mark of seven set by Carlos Delgado in 2000.

“Let him keep breaking records,” Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo said.

“That’s pretty cool.”

The 21-year-old Bichette also extend-

ed his career-opening hitting streak to 10 games.

“I’m excited with how I’ve played,” Bichette said. “Hopefully I continue to play well and continue to break more records.” Stewart (1-0), claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 31, followed opener Wilmer Font, who gave up one hit over 2 1/3 innings.

“Definitely felt good,” Stewart said. “It’s been a grind this year for me personally in the minor leagues.”

After Tim Mayza allowed Avisail Garcia’s RBI single before getting the final out in the eighth, Ken Giles gave up Zunino’s two-run homer in the ninth before finishing for his 15th save.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Randal Grichuk and Derek Fisher homered for the Blue Jays, who were winless in their last 10 series (0-9-1) against Tampa Bay before taking two of three at Tropicana Field. Toronto went 7-3 on a 10-game trip. Rays two-way player Brendan McKay (2-2) gave up three runs and six hits in five-plus innings. Tampa Bay has won nine of its last 12.

Gurriel put the Blue Jays up 1-0 on a fourth-inning homer. Since returning from Triple-A Buffalo on May 24, he has homered 19 times in 65 games.

Grichuk made it 2-0 on his 19th homer off McKay leading off the sixth.

Justin Smoak singled to end McKay’s day after a career-high 93 pitches and scored on Fisher’s two-run drive off

Colin Poche. Toronto is among the major league leaders home runs since June 16 with 91. Cash didn’t rule it out completely but indicated that the two-way McKay won’t be used as a hitter except when pitching in NL parks because of rotation injuries.

AL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell (left elbow), Tyler Glasnow (right forearm) and Yonny Chirinos (finger) are all out until at least September. McKay is lined up to start next week at San Diego. The Blue Jays claimed RHP Zack Godley off waivers from Arizona and designated RHP David Paulino for assignment.

Trainer’s room

Blue Jays: Montoyo said LHP Ryan Borucki (left elbow inflammation) was being examined Wednesday by orthopedist Dr. James Andrews. Borucki has appeared in only two games this year. ... 3B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and 2B Cavan Biggio were both got the day off.

Up next

Blue Jays: LHP Thomas Pannone (24) faces New York Yankees RHP Domingo German (14-2) Thursday night in the opener of a four-game series. Rays: A starter has not been announced for Friday night’s game at Seattle.

The match lasted two hours 29 minutes.

“It was a very, very tough one,” said Halep, who’ll face either Svetlana Kuznetsova or Donna Vekic in the third round.

“I expected it because I knew that she’s going to serve big and also the forehand is big. I didn’t feel 100 per cent ready for the tournament because I had a long break (after Wimbledon).

“But I’m really pleased with the way it was today, the fact that I fought till the end.”

Karolina Pliskova, another former world No. 1, continued her bid to get back to the top spot, advancing to the third round with a 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-2 win over American qualifier Alison Riske in the first match of the day on centre court.

The Czech native, who is now ranked third, could reclaim the No. 1 spot this week with a good run at the US$2.83 million WTA Tour Premier 5 event.

No. 2 Naomi Osaka advanced when Tatjana Marie retired with a back injury, temporarily allowing the 21-year-old from Japan to overtake the No. 1 ranking from Ashleigh Barty of Australia. Barty, a semifinalist at the tournament last year in Montreal, dropped her opener on Tuesday.

The top eight seeds got first-round byes.

In other action Wednesday, No. 16 seed Anett Kontaveit of Estonia advanced to the third round after Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain retired with a hip injury while trailing 7-5, 3-1, and former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus was eliminated with a 7-5, 7-5 loss to Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine.

Kontaveit will face Pliskova on Thursday while Yastremska takes on American Sofia Kenin.

Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, the 2017 Rogers Cup winner, moved on with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory over Katerina Siniakova, and 2015 champion Belinda Bencic of Switzerland edged Julia Goerges 5-7, 6-3, 6-4. Bencic and Svitolina will face each other in the third round.

Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko and Ekaterina Alexandrova also advanced.

American star Serena Williams was slated to play her opening match later Wednesday against Elise Mertens. Carolina Wozniacki had the late start against qualifier Iga Swiatek.

Nash sees brighter times ahead for Vancouver Whitecaps

Neil DAVIDSON The Canadian Press

TORONTO — Part-owner Steve Nash sees brighter days ahead for the Vancouver Whitecaps under first-year coach Marc Dos Santos.

The Whitecaps (5-11-9) have won just one of their last 10 league outings (1-5-4) and were knocked out of the Canadian Championship by the CPL’s Cavalry FC. Only Colorado and expansion Cincinnati have fewer points in the 24-team MLS. Vancouver is undergoing a radical makeover under Dos Santos.

“He has a very clear sense of what he wants to do and a vision of how he wants to play and how he wants this club to operate and behave and how he wants his players to behave – which is easier said than done,” Nash said.

“He’s somebody that we’re incredibly excited about and proud to have as our coach.

“Having said that, he’s wanted to change and fulfil his vision for the culture and behaviour of the team and the club. So there was big turnover.

“In a sense, we’re like an expansion team this year. Which I respect. It takes guts to say ‘I’ll let some of these talented players move on in order to instill the principles that I want the club to live.’

“That’s going to make the season difficult. So many unfamiliar faces trying to come together.”

The former NBA star says an unforgiving schedule coupled with MLS’s no-frills travel policy has also cut into training time.

“Now we’ve come out of that period. We’re playing a little less frequently and gotten a couple of results on the bounce here,” Nash said.

Vancouver beat Cincinnati 2-1 last time out after tying Minnesota 0-0 on the road.

That mini-resurgence came after one-sided losses to San Jose (3-1), New England (4-0), Sporting Kansas City (3-0) and Los Angeles FC (6-1).

“That shows the character’s there,” Nash said of the recent improvement.

“And the things he’s trying to implement didn’t wash away with those big losses.”

CP PHOTO

Bianca Andreescu celebrates defeating Daria Kasatkina during Round 2 of the Rogers Cup women’s tennis tournament in Toronto on Wednesday.

Mark DIDTLER The Associated Press

NASH

Auger-Aliassime advances at Rogers Cup

Raonic retires with injury

Joshua CLIPPERTON The Canadian Press

MONTREAL — Felix Auger-Aliassime was changing wristbands in preparation for the third and final set of his showdown with Milos Raonic.

Seconds later, the teenager’s countryman appeared – arm extended – to shake hands. And just like that, Auger-Aliassime was moving on at his hometown tournament.

The rising tennis phenom advanced to the third round of the Rogers Cup on Wednesday night after Raonic was forced to retire from their all-Canadian matchup with a back injury.

“I was pretty shook... didn’t really know how to react,” Auger-Alissaime said. “A few seconds later it sunk in.”

After losing the first set 6-3, Raonic received treatment from a trainer midway through the second on centre court.

The 28-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., battled to take that set by the same score but, after speaking with a doctor, the 19th-ranked player in the world called time in front of a disappointed crowd at IGA Stadium.

“(The) last 30 minutes of that match, just because of the situation we’re playing in, being primetime night match here in Montreal, was probably the least enjoyable 30 minutes I’ve spent on a tennis court,” said a dejected Raonic.

He added the pain, which flared up Tuesday night, started in his glute and crept down his leg.

“I just keep trying to pinpoint, figure out what the right step is,” said Raonic, who has been plagued various injuries this season and throughout his career. “I keep getting assured there’s nothing extensively serious about the back.”

Ranked No. 21 overall and set to turn 19 on Thursday, Auger-Aliassime picked up his 30th win of the campaign and improved to 14-4 over his last five tournaments.

He was happy to move on, but it wasn’t the way he envisioned.

“To see Milos go out like that was not easy,” Auger-Aliassime said.

In the only other match involving a Canadian, Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill,

Ont., fell to No. 2 seed Dominic Thiem of Austria 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.

Raonic, who withdrew from a semifinal against Auger-Aliassime in Stuttgart back in June and has yet to finish a tournament healthy in 2019, said the medical staff on site was unable to guarantee he wouldn’t aggravate whatever’s wrong if he kept playing.

“The thing that was most concerning (was) it was getting progressively worse,” said Raonic, who had played just 10 events in 2019 prior to Montreal thanks to back and knee problems. “Even if I find a way to get through, which would be extremely tough, who knows if I’m even ready to play (Thursday)?”

That task instead falls to Auger-Aliassime, who will take on No. 6 Karen Khachanov after the Russian defeated Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-2.

“Pretty big guy, big serve, pretty explosive,” Auger-Aliassime said of his next opponent. “If I give him time to get behind the ball and dictate the points, it’s going to be tough.”

The 20-year-old Shapovalov grabbed the hearts of tennis fans here in 2017 when he upset world No. 2 Rafael Nadal – ranked 141 spots ahead of him at the time – on the way to making the semifinals.

There will, however, be no such run this time around.

Shapovalov fell behind when he double faulted to hand Thiem, the tournament’s second seed, a 5-4 lead in the first set. The 31st-ranked player in the world rebounded in the second, breaking Thiem to go up 5-2 and holding serve from there.

But then in the third set, Shapovalov doubled faulted and sent an overhand smash into the net to fall behind 5-3.

Despite the partisan crowd doing its best to urge Shapovalov on, Thiem finished the Canadian off with an ace.

“It’s a tough one,” Shapovalov said. “I showed myself that my level’s there, that I’m able to compete against a player like this and have chances to beat him.”

The Canadian snapped a five-match losing streak – and a 2-9 run dating back to March – with a victory over France’s Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the first round of the US$5.7-million ATP Tour Masters 1000 series event on Monday.

The 25-year-old Thiem – ranked No. 4 in the world behind Novak Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer – was coming off a victory on clay at the Generali Open in his native Austria.

Shapovalov, who took a break from tennis before the Rogers Cup, lost in the round of

16 at last year’s tournament in Toronto - site of the women’s bracket in 2019.

Despite the disappointing end, he said his two matches in Montreal will serve as a confidence boost.

“It was great to be back out there just fighting,” Shapovalov said. “If a couple of shots had went my way, I could have definitely won the match. It’s obviously a little tough to swallow.” Nadal, the top seed and defending Rogers Cup champion, downed Great Britain’s Daniel Evans 7-6 (6), 6-4 to advance in an afternoon match delayed by rain three times.

“All the matches are difficult here,” said Nadal, a four-time Rogers Cup champion and the world No. 2. “It was a tough first set.”

In other action, Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz stunned No. 4 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, France’s Richard Gasquet upset fifth seed Kei Nishikori of Japan 6-7 (6), 6-2, 7-6 (4), and Chile’s Cristian Garin downed No. 12 John Isner of the United States 6-3, 6-4. Seeds advancing included No. 6 Daniil Medvedev of Russia, No. 7 Fabio Fogini of Italy, No. 10 Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain, No. 14 seed Marin Cilic of Croatia, and No. 16 Gael Monfils of France.

Canada’s Warner defends Pan Am decathlon title

Gregory STRONG

The Canadian Press

LIMA, Peru — Canadian decathlete Damian Warner lay on the pole vault mat for a good five seconds Wednesday night after missing a third and final attempt at a height he normally clears.

Frustration etched across his face, a decision to change poles proved fruitless. A nagging ankle injury wasn’t helping matters and the cold weather and some cramping were on his mind too. Warner still managed to persevere through the challenges over the two-day event en route to a second straight Pan Am title.

Clearing a lower height in pole vault had essentially given him enough points in the overall standings and he closed with solid performances in the javelin and

1,500 metres for the victory.

“It was a hard-fought battle but a win is a win,” Warner said. He finished with 8,513 points, well ahead of Lindon Victor of Grenada (8,240). Warner’s teammate, Pierce LePage, took the bronze with 8,161. Warner rebounded after missing 4.60 metres in the pole vault with a throw of 59.48 metres in the javelin. He was second in the 1,500 with a time of four minutes 38.31 seconds.

“Everybody ended up about where I expected them to but they were all 200 or 300 points below what I thought they’d do,” Warner’s coach, Gar Leyshon, said of the field. “It was a lot tougher on them than I thought it would be. This was not the easiest of conditions.”

Temperatures at the Videna

Athletics Stadium hovered in the mid-teens through the afternoon under overcast skies. But the mercury fell in the early evening when the sun went down.

Warner and LePage were wrapped in thick black blankets when they came out for the last two events. Another athlete was sporting a heavy poncho over his warmup gear. Other competitors were wearing tuques, ear warmers and gloves.

“I think everybody was taken by surprise,” Leyshon said.

Both Canadians were battling injuries. LePage tweaked his knee at the national championship while Warner, from London, Ont., is dealing with a bone spur in his left ankle.

Warner said the adrenalin often helps him forget the pain but it did bother him a bit in the pole

vault and high jump.

“I’m liking how it’s progressing and I’m liking how it’s feeling going into (worlds at) Doha,” he said. “I think that I’m ready for a bigger score there.”

While many countries sent Bteams to the Pan Ams, decathlon was solid with three of the top seven athletes in the world rankings in the field.

Also Wednesday, Timothy Nedow of Brockville, Ont., finished fourth in the men’s shot put and Lindsey Butterworth of North Vancouver, finished fifth in the women’s 800 metres in 2:02.68.

Keira Christie-Galloway of Ottawa did not qualify for the women’s 100-metre hurdles final and Phylicia George of Markham, Ont., withdrew from the semifinal due to a gastrointestinal illness.

In the women’s 400, Kyra Con-

stantine of Toronto qualified for the final with a fourth-place finish (52.92) in her semifinal heat. Natassha McDonald of Brampton, Ont., was fourth in her semi (53.15) but didn’t advance. The top three finishers in each semifinal qualified along with the next two fastest runners.

In the women’s 100, Toronto’s Crystal Emmanuel was seventh in 11.41. Toronto’s Philip Osei did not qualify for the men’s 400-metre final.

Warner helped anchor a strong Canadian athletics team that won 27 medals (11 gold, seven silver, nine bronze) in Toronto four years ago.

Canada essentially sent a split A-team/B-team to Lima with big names like Andre De Grasse, Melissa Bishop and Derek Drouin not on the roster.

CP PHOTO

Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada returns to compatriot Milos Raonic during second round of play at the Rogers Cup tennis tournament Wednesday in Montreal.

Principal residence principles

Ihad a business client in another time and place who ripped us off for something like $200,000 by drawing his inventory loan to its maximum, but instead of rotating the daily proceeds of his business through his company, he funnelled as much of it as possible in to the renovation of his home.

The property was in an expensive neighbourhood, but had fallen in to disrepair by its previous owner. When my client bought it at a substantial discount, he knew he could make a tidy profit if he could bring it up to neighbourhood standards. So he sucked the life out of his business and polished up his home on Ritz Road.

Not to be swindled without a fight, we sued him and easily won, but since we didn’t have his wife’s name backing the loan, we ended up with a judgment registered on his undivided one-half interest in the family home. No judge was likely to throw a young mother with small children out of her home, so we were stymied. Under the circumstances, a bankruptcy specialist advised that we consider criminal charges, but I got transferred and missed the gripping finale. Crime drama for finance geeks is like abacus races. It’s curious, but only moderately compelling.

As benign as you might feel your principal residence is, its tax advantages are notable. Selling any personal-use property at a profit requires that we pay tax on the gains, unless exempted. The

IT’S ONLY MONEY

MARK RYAN

principal residence exemption is a substantial benefit to Canadian families, (and one not available in the U.S., where mortgage interest is a tax deduction Canadians don’t enjoy).

Conversely, in what feels like the logic only someone who had a big brother could appreciate, if you sell a personal-use property at a loss, there is no corresponding tax deduction, nor can you use the loss to offset capital gains. So treasure the principal residence exemption. It’s a Canadian beauty, better than Don Cherry and all his funky suits.

The capital gain or loss on the sale of your principal residence will be equal to the difference between the proceeds of sale and the adjusted cost base (ACB) of the property. The ACB is normally the purchase price plus any expenses to acquire it, such as commissions and legal fees, plus capital expenditures, such as the cost of additions and improvements to the property (not to be confused with routine maintenance and repair.)

Prior to 1972, capital gains were not taxed in Canada. That ended as a result of Pierre Trudeau’s number one legislation at the time. But if you’ve owned your home since before 1972, only the

increase in value since Dec. 31, 1971, is used to calculate the gain.

If the sale of your principal residence results in a capital gain, the gain can be reduced if you made a capital gains election with respect to the property on your 1994 tax return.

On Feb. 22, 1994, the Chretien/Martin Liberal government removed the $100,000 capital gains exemption, but allowed you to file a special one-time election on your 1994 tax return to claim any remaining unused exemption against capital gains accrued on your property to that date. This allowed you to shelter gains in respect of a property that may not be exempt from tax under the principal residence rules. If you still own the property for which a capital gains election was made, the one-time benefit is still live for you.

Contingent on you being a resident of Canada during the relevant period, the capital gain on the sale of your home can then be further reduced by claiming the principal residence exemption, applying the following formula: (1 + number of years designated as principle residence) / (number of years property owned after 1971) x capital gain = tax exempt capital gain.

After 1981, the principal residence exemption rules forbade us to designate more than one property per year as a principal residence, curtailing the tax benefit to one property per family unit.

Owning just one home simplifies this whole thing – any capital gain

arising from the subsequent sale of that home will be reduced to nil based on this formula.

In the case where you disposed of a principal residence in one year and acquired a replacement residence in the same year, you are not allowed to designate both properties as a principal residence for the year. To ensure you are not denied an exemption in respect of both properties for that year, the formula provides for the inclusion of one additional taxation year of exemption room (known as the “one-plus” rule).

If you owned more than one home for any period after 1981 and each home qualifies, there is latitude in applying the principal residence exemption. Determine which property has the greatest average annual increase in value. Consider designating this property as the family’s principal residence for the maximum number of years. The maximum number of years that a property needs to be designated as the principal residence is the number of years of ownership minus one (due to the one-plus rule) to fully exempt the gain.

— Mark Ryan is an investment advisor with RBC Dominion Securities Inc. (Member–Canadian Investor Protection Fund), and these are Mark’s views, and not those of RBC Dominion Securities. This article is for information purposes only. Please consult with a professional advisor before taking any action based on information in this article. See Mark’s website at: http://dir. rbcinvestments.com/mark.ryan

Internet options good for consumers, report finds

The Canadian Press

Smaller internet service providers play an important, positive role in Canada’s telecom market even though only a minority of consumers chose one of them over a major phone or cable company, the Competition Bureau concluded in a report issued Wednesday.

The federal governmental agency, which gathered public opinion from thousands of people through surveys and focus groups over the course of a year-long study, says that it found 90 per cent of Canadian consumers surveyed were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their internet service provider.

Customers of the independents, however, were significantly more likely to say they were “very satisfied” than customers of the facilitiesbased carriers that account for about 90 per

cent of the total market.

Additionally, the presence of an alternative allowed them to negotiate lower prices or other inducements from phone and cable companies such as Bell Canada, Rogers, Telus, Shaw, Sasktel, Videotron, Cogeco and Eastlink, the 77-page report said.

The federal agency found that one million Canadian households get their internet or broadband service from dozens of independent ISPs that it calls “wholesale-based competitors.” These providers, such as TekSavvy, Distibutel and VMedia, buy capacity on another telecommunications company’s network at regulated rates.

“Under this wholesale access regime, independent competitors gain access to parts of existing telephone, cable, and fibre optic networks at regulated wholesale rates, and in

turn use these connections to serve consumers in direct competition with network owners,” the report says.

“In these respects, the wholesale access regime appears to be fulfilling its promise to bring about greater consumer choice and increased levels of competition for Canadian consumers.”

The report concedes, however, there’s a “significant exception” in remote and rural areas of Canada, where consumers typically have “fewer, and less modern, options for internet services.”

For example, it said, about 99 per cent of Canadian homes in large population centres have access to internet transfer speeds of at least 50,000 bits per second (50 Mbps), only 37 per cent of rural and remote homes have such access.

years amid growing concerns about an economic slowdown. The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 115.73 points to 16,265.22 after reaching an intraday low of 16,064.34. Nine of the 11 major sectors of the TSX rose, led by consumer discretionary, materials and real estate. The December gold contract was at US$1,519.60 an ounce, up US$35.40 from Tuesday and the September copper contract was up 1.35 cents at US$2.57 a pound. The September crude contract was US$51.09, down US$2.54 per barrel from Tuesday and the September natural gas contract was down 2.8 cents at US$2.08 per mmBTU. The Canadian dollar traded at an average of 75.06 cents US, down from an average of 75.45 cents US on Tuesday.

Loving Wife, Mother, Sister, Aunt and Friend. Cheri , 49, of Prince George BC, passed away peacefully on Thursday, August 1, 2019 after a brief, intense battle with cancer. She was surrounded by her loving husband, children and family. A celebration of life service will be held at 1:00 pm, Saturday, August 10 2019 at Croatian Hall, 8790 Old Caribou Hwy. Cheri was born August 1, 1970 in Prince George where she lived all of her life. Cheri was loved and respected by everyone. Her family was everything to her. She was kind, fun-loving, generous and brightened the life of everyone who knew her. She was hard working and would help anyone in need without being asked and expected nothing in return. Cheri is survived by her loving husband Tracy, son Tyler, daughter Haley, sister Lana, brother Curtis and mother Diane Hilgersom. She was preceded in death by her father William Hilgersom.

Lorne Kozak, born October 15th, 1941, passed away quickly and mercifully Tuesday, July 30th in his home, in the physical presence of his loving wife, MaryAnn and spiritual presence of his recently deceased daughter, Lorna Loreth (Kozak).

Lorne comes from a large family of 12 and is predeceased by his mother and father Katherine and Peter Kozak, as well as his brothers and sister John, Carl, Steve, George and Rose.

Lorne is survived by his wife Maryann Kozak, his son Michael (Janice, Brady and Brooklyn) Kozak, grandsons: Mitchel and Jacob (Crystal) Loreth, his older brother (and career-long work partner) Walter Kozak (Gladys, dec.) as well as his sisters Ann Hicks (John, dec.), Jean Spilchuk (Zenon), Marie Chipchase (Don, dec.), Eileen Groeger (Alfred) and Frances Houghton (Gordon, dec.) as well as many cherished nieces and nephews.

Lorne arrived in Prince George in 1963, quickly became a member of the logging community, met MaryAnn Stene via Walter and Gladys Kozak (Stene) and married her on Oct.2, 1965. Lorne’s daughter Lorna was born on Dec. 30, 1966 and Lorne and Walter became life-long work partners in 1969, forming K and K Logging as Faller (Walter) and Skidder Operator (Lorne). Lorne’s son Michael was born on August 30, 1971 and continues a life in the forest industry spurred on by childhood memories of weekend hotdog roasts at the worksite with Dad and Uncle.

Lorne spent a great deal of time out at the family’s property at Fraser Lake, spending all weekends with his and Walters’ families and made it his and MaryAnn’s retirement home for the last 5 years. Lorne will be remembered as the cheery neighbor that always had a story to tell or a kind word to share as he made his rounds daily around the 1-mile block on the north shore of the lake. Lorne did not wish to have any type of service or celebration; however, in lieu of this or any type of donation to charity, Lorne’s family encourages family and friends to take their loved ones into the outdoors that Lorne loved so much, perhaps a walk in his memory.

Row,Mary

January11,1933-July6,2019

BornontheOxleyRanchinStavely,Alberta,Mary passedawayattheRotaryHospiceHouseinPrince George,BC.

MarygrewuponafarminruralAlberta,near Vauxhall,withherparents,DavidandAganeta Riediger,andsevensiblings.

MarymetJohnRowin1952.Theymarriedin1955 andcelebrated64yearsofmarriageinMay2019. MaryandJohnhavefourchildren,Karen(Bob) Rutherford,Jack(deceased),CheryllJohnson,and Graham(Becky).Theyhavesevengrandchildrenand ninegreat-grandchildren.Predeceasedbytwin brother,Jake;brother,Dave;andsisters,Margaret andKaye.Survivedbysisters,LydiaandShirley; brother,Korny;andmanyniecesandnephews.

Marywasanavidknitterandseamstress.She plantedalargegardeneveryyear,freezingorcanning theproduce.JohnandMarycouldbefoundevery winter,for30years,inPalmDesert,golfingand visitingwithfriendsandfamily.

Marywillbesadlymissedbyfamilyandfriendsalike. Shewasonespeciallady.

ACelebrationofMary’slifewillbeheldonFriday, August9,2019,atthePG&DistrictSeniorCitizen’s ActivityCenter,425BrunswickStreet,PrinceGeorge BCfrom1pm-4pm.Donationsinlieuofflowersto theRotaryHospiceHouse.

EVELYN IOLA

MACDONALD (Romeike-Battistello)

Born April 30,1937 in Victoria, B.C.

Evelyn passed away peacefully surrounded by her family Aug. 4 at the age of 82. She will be deeply missed by her 3 children Deanna Holman (Pat), Donna Bell (Brad), and Blake Romeike. Her grandchildren, Alex, Mathew, Megan, Brittany, Kelli, Shayna and Landon. She had many great grandchildren, niece and nephews.

Predeceased by her parents, Iola and Ken MacDonald, her brother Alan, nephew David MacDonald. Evelyn moved to Prince George when she was 11 yrs old. Attending high school at Duchess, and marrying Don Romeike. She was a hard worker, working all her life til retirement age. People that would meet Evelyn would say “She always had a smile on her face”. She loved spending time with her grandchildren. Sharing her love of music, knitting, reading books, and watching mystery programs.

Evelyn resided at Simon Fraser Lodge for 12 years. Being cared for by staff that also grew to love her, and was called “Princess” by all. She always was dressed up, even wearing sunglasses out to her dinner table.

We wish to thank the staff at Simon Fraser Lodge that gave her special attention .Going above and beyond, Erin, Theresa, Johanna, Maria, and so many more.

Mom, we are happy that now you will be free to dance once again with all your loved ones in Heaven.

• Hart Area • Driftwood Rd, Dawson Rd, Seton Cres, • Austin Rd.

College Heights: Needed for Sept 1, 2019

O’Grady Rd and Park, Brock, Selkirk,

• Oxford, Cowart, Simon Fraser, Trent, Domano, Guelph, St Lawrence, Hartford, Harvard, Imperial, Jean De Brefeuf Cres, Loyola, Latrobe, Leicester Pl, Malaspina, Princeton, Newcastle, Prince Edward, Melbourne, Guerrier, Loedel, Sarah, Lancaster, Lemoyne, Leyden,St Anne, St Bernadette Pl, Southridge, Bernard Rd, St Clare, Creekside, Stillwater, Avison, Davis, Capella, Speca, Starlane, Bona Dea, Charella, Davis, Polaris, Starlane, Vega.

• • Needed for Aug 1, 2019

• • Moncton, Queens, Peidmont, Rochester, Renison, McMaster, Osgood, Marionopolis.

• Quinson Area

• Lyon, Moffat, Ogilvie, Patterson, Kelly, Hammond, Ruggles, Nicholson

or

Cannotattend?PleasesubmityourresumetoJessicaat jodriscoll@cbi.ca 403-266-2410 cjiwani@cbi.cawww.cbi.ca Adult & Youth Newspaper Carriers Needed in the Following areas:

DATE:Wednesday,August14th,2019 TIME:9AM-5PM LOCATION:FourPointsbySheraton(Room320),1790 BC-97PrinceGeorge

Charmaine (Cheri) Marquette

THURSDAY, AUGUST 8, 2019

DYNAMIC DUO MADE SPORTS HISTORY

Sports icons Tom Masich and Dick Voneugen collaborated to make things happen in Prince George that changed Canadian history.

They’ve known each other for more than 40 years. Together and apart, they have played key parts in growing the sports culture of Prince George.

Masich started the Prince George Track and Field Club in 1973 after the last one closed in 1967.

The first event where Masich and Voneugen met was the Corporate Cup Track and Field event that took place in 1979 that saw big business bring their finest athletes to test their mettle.

“At one time we had 52 corporations that brought teams to the event,” Masich said.

There were 250 competitors in its first year.

Masich was an organizer and Voneugen, a long-distance runner, was on a team called The Strays because his place of work was too small to put a team together so he gathered an assortment of athletes to create a team.

“Dick and I were involved with the Corporate Cup for several years and then aligned ourselves again for Rick Hansen’s Man in Motion tour around the world,” Masich, a sprinter and long-jumper, said of the event that began in 1985.

Voneugen explained they coordinated a busload of local volunteers who followed Hansen from Prince George to Crescent Spur, near McBride.

“Every kilometre another person would come out of the bus to run with Rick,” Voneugen said.

Hansen knew Masich and Voneugen previously when he participated in the 1979 Prince George to Boston Marathon, which was also the run Terry Fox did as he considered the possibility of running his Marathon of Hope, which took him across the country to raise funds and awareness for cancer research. After the Prince George test run, Fox called his

mother to tell her he was going to do the massive run across the country.

During the original Prince George to Boston marathon, runners were transported to the Salmon River bridge and they would run into town but it wasn’t especially safe so organizers Masich and Voneugen decided to make it a loop around town instead.

“That’s where the distance came from –17 miles from the bridge to Spruceland,” Voneugen said. “Then we developed a circuit in town – eight and a half miles and then if you wanted to do the 17 miles

There was a very special reason the race was called Prince George to

Boston Marathon.

“I wanted to give the overall winner a free trip to the Boston Marathon the following spring,” Masich said. Trans-Canada Air Lines sponsored the flights and the track club raised funds to cover the hotel stay and meals, Masich added.

When the Prince George Road Runners took over the race they switched the name to the Labour Day Classic and kept the race intact at two loops of eight and a half miles.

The chair that Terry Fox sat in while visiting with Tom and wife Anne has been kept in the Masich family as a precious keepsake.

Those who visit the downtown statue

of Terry Fox can take note that on Terry’s singlet is the number 192 that he wore during the 1979 Prince George to Boston Marathon. The singlet on the statue marks the significance of the impact Prince George had on the Marathon of Hope.

As Masich and Voneugen took a moment to reflect on those events, Voneugen got a little sentimental.

“And in all these years, I don’t think we ever had a cross word, did we, Tom?” Dick asked.

“No, I don’t do those kinds of puzzles, Dick,” Tom deadpanned. Then it was back to business.

97/16 photo by James Doyle Tom Masich, left, and Dick Voneugen, right, go through scrapbooks dating back to 1955 that detail their impact on the sporting community in Prince George.

CHRISTINE HINZMANN 97/16 staff

DYNAMIC DUO

Continued from page 1

“For a number of years Dick and I went to the elementary schools on their Terry Fox Run day and we spoke of Terry being here - and we called it the Tom, Dick and Terry get together,” Masich smiled.

“We spoke to the kids to inspire them to do a good run at their schools.”

Voneugen talked about his infamous horn that started many races throughout the community and still does to this day.

Making noise to encourage athletes is a custom well known throughout the world and when Voneugen took it up it started with his brother using a piece of conduit, then Voneugen found a broken off logging truck’s airhorn.

“Then I believe it was someone at the Citizen who wrote ‘we now have a permanent starter for racing road running events with a horn’,” Voneugen laughed.

One year a young lady from UNBC gifted him with a vuvuzela from South Africa after watching Voneugen blowing his horn in disrepair to start one of the many road races held in Prince George.

“And I always keep it with me, in fact I have my horn in the car,” Voneugen said.

Masich talked about how he and Voneugen helped organize parts of the B.C. Senior Games when Prince George hosted in 2002 and 2008.

“We worked together in putting together the track portion of the games,” Masich said.

Reminiscing about the good old days, Voneugen couldn’t help talk about his appreciation.

“It’s been a marvelous time,” he said.

“From Corporate Cup, P.G. to Boston Marathon - Labour Day Classic, Terry Fox Run, Rick Hansen, Senior Games (55+ B.C. Games), and now we’re here.” Masich and Voneugen still volunteer throughout the community. Right now they are guiding the North Central Zone 9 athletes who will participate in Track and Field at the 55+ B.C. Games in Kelowna from Sept. 10 to 14.

“I think Dick and I were cut from the same cloth,” Masich said. “We get an idea, we see a purpose of the idea and we carry the idea through and we get along without an argument. It really makes a big difference when you’re organizing something.”

Masich makes those he coaches comfortable and confident, while he is able to dissect an athlete’s technique down to the little details that make all the difference. Throughout his lifetime, Masich coached thousands of children in Prince George. Dozens of those athletes have grown up to excel in their sport and then pursued coaching as their chosen career.

“Tom is not only a super organizer, but he also has all the skills to be the perfect coach,” Voneugen said. “We always found a way to work together and we’re still doing that for the 55+ Games.”

(Editor’s Note: Christine Hinzmann is being coached by Tom Masich as she prepares for the upcoming 55+ B.C. Games next month in Kelowna. In her age category, she is the defending provincial champion in discus and shot put. She’s also looking to improve upon her 2018 silver medals in javelin and hammer throw.

97/16 file photo

Dick Voneugen and his famous race horn in this 2012 file photo.

PAINTINGS OF FIRE AND ICE

Catalysts for change come in many forms and the one that impacted a local artist was cancer.

A most unexpected diagnosis of breast cancer in 2017 was the jolt the now 32-year-old Kendall Lipsett needed to move toward art making, which is her true passion.

Lipsett’s art is on the walls at Cafe Voltaire within Books & Co. until Aug. 15 and it features all things Game of Thrones.

Lipsett’s compelling work is mostly acrylic on canvas with some watercolour pieces and the crowning glory of the artistic display is a piece depicting the three dragons featured near the end of the popular HBO television series.

She’s created book covers and is presently working on illustrations for a children’s book about therapy dogs, while showcasing her fantasy genre based work at Books & Co.

A cancer diagnosis for anyone brings about strong emotions.

“If you think of just cancer by itself that’s terrifying,” Lipsett said. “That’s a scary diagnosis and it’s still connected

with a whole lot of fear and thoughts that it’s a death sentence, right? So fair enough, it brings up a lot. It was a shock and a surprise and it’s terrible to go through but it’s also - if you let it - one of the best experiences for waking you up and making sure you pay attention. You have this life every day and every day this is all that you have and how lucky are we?”

Lipsett said, like most people, she got stuck in her day-to-day routine and took life for granted.

“So I have a lot of positive connections to cancer,” Lipsett said. “So it was actually the big catalyst that helped me decide that I love this and I have loved doing art but I pushed it aside and I needed to bring it back because I have to feel alive in what I do and I have to enjoy everything that I can do and I love doing this.”

The Game of Thrones fan art project has been a year in the making, but artistic endeavors started as a child and her interests were perhaps a little unusual.

“Things with sharp teeth, animals and nature and fantasy,” Lipsett listed her favourites. “When I was five I drew a giraffe and my parents still have it - it was pretty good.”

She’d always had plenty of encouragement throughout her childhood but when it came to making art for a living she moved away from it because there didn’t seem to be a way to make it happen.

She didn’t return to her creative ways until last year.

“An ah-ha moment came going through cancer treatment and it rekindled that –it made me decide that I have to do this – it feels so good – it’s meditative and it’s invigorating and I just love being able to put what’s in my imagination on to paper and share it,” Lipsett said. “I can’t live without it and now I have to figure out how to make a living with it.”

For Lipsett, creating the exhibit on the walls of Cafe Voltaire took some serious consideration before moving forward with it. There are copyright issues and guidelines for pieces which she has honoured.

“It has affected what I might do in the future,” she said. “I think I might just like to do my own complete original works so I don’t have to worry about that gray area.”

Lipsett is hoping that fans of the genre will experience her work with joy.

“Joy for the characters, joy for the

story,” she said. “I would also like to generate curiosity about my own story and get people thinking that maybe anything is possible. You know, you can have a set plan for your life and things may change and they may become better. So I would encourage people to ask about me, ask me how I came to this, where I’m going from this, that kind of thing and how that might inspire them in whatever they love and bring to their lives to create their own passions.”

Lipsett has two commissioned pieces she will soon be working on, one in the fantasy genre and the other one featuring nature and it’s exciting.

“It’s interesting when you start on a path, you begin with the thoughts ‘I have no idea how to do this or where this will lead me or if it will even work’ but if you can work with that and trust it anyways and keep going, it’s like these things start unfolding one by one and I’ve been so grateful - I just can’t even handle how amazing this is.”

For more information about Lipsett and her artwork email kendalllipsett@ gmail.com or drop in to Cafe Voltaire and see her work first hand.

97/16 photo by Brent Braaten Artist Kendall Lipsett shows her work on display at Cafe Voltaire.

CHRISTINE HINZMANN 97/16 staff

A STUDY IN CONTRASTS

Ihave been thinking about how much Prime Minister Justin Trudeau seems to be a Canadian-style Trump, or Trumplite. I can’t cover all aspects where I think they are like the other, so only briefly, I ask you to bear with me, polite Canadian. Stereotypes are handy for this comparison:

Americans are brash, egotistical, and aggressive; Trump is brash, rarely apologizes, doesn’t care what people think, loves to pick a fight, and attacks people when he thinks it will fit his purposes.

Canadians are polite, apologetic, and like to be “the good guys”; Trudeau tries to be warm, apologizes tearfully and is eager to be seen as correct and important in the world.

The differences above, if you reread them, are mostly personality, not character. I think both men share a number of character traits.

Trudeau campaigned on his feminism. Nice words. Sounded good. What we actually got was someone who sees himself as God’s gift to women, and superior to them, similar to the charges against Trump:

1. His wife gazing adoringly at him on International Woman’s Day. Sweet. However, to accurately demonstrate woman’s equality, the photo should have been him admiring her. But, that’s just one photo, and it’s not fair to judge him by one poorly planned photo.

THINKING ALOUD TRUDY KLASSEN

2. In his gender-balanced cabinet his two most qualified women got booted out of caucus for standing up to him, for daring to believe that the female empowerment he campaigned on would actually be part of the government’s modus operandi. (This point could also fit into the next category).

3. A recording of Trudeau yelling at a female Junior MP, berating her for not being thankful for what he had done for her.

4. A past groping incident is made public, and Trudeau declares that the woman “experienced it differently.”

Trudeau promised sunny ways. I discovered a word that seems to describe him perfectly: “sententious.” It means “given to moralizing in a pompous or affected manner.” Trump doesn’t pretend to be nice or moral. What we got by electing Trudeau was:

1. Spreads division by saying that anyone who doesn’t agree with his particular view, on immigration policy, on abortion, free speech, etc., is backward, racist, hateful, etc.

2. Former ambassadors get a call from

the PMO “encouraging” them to keep their remarks in synch with what the PMO is saying.

3. Instead of working together in a respectable, non-partisan way, he publicly berates the premiers of provinces who don’t share his views.

Trudeau campaigned on openness and respect for the media. We see Trump publicly embarrass a reporter by dismissing him, and suspends him from White House Briefings. Trump frequently accuses the media of not doing their job, and reporting fake news. In Canada, we like to think we are not so crass. We consider such ill-mannered behavior beneath our dignity. We hold the press in high regard. Trudeau has given us:

1. “Encouragement” to read the “correct” government-appointed-panel-approved media by offering tax breaks for subscribing to “approved” media.

2. He is “managing” our errant media by using the above-mentioned, government appointed panel to approve only some media for government funding. This is government control of the media, nothing less! Actual control, not just Twitter blasts.

As that “nasty orange man” speaks unkindly about and fires staffers and high-ranking officials seemingly at will and often for no reason at all, we watch in horror and increasing pity for our southern neighbours.

Trudeau, in Canadian fashion, has been gentler, kinder, in how he manages to bring about the kind of PMO controlled governance he favours:

1. He maintains a Liberal-partyapproved judge appointment list, and doesn’t apologize for it.

2. He publicly commented on the certainty that second-in-command ViceAdmiral Mark Norman would face trial for misconduct. After spending a great deal of his own money on legal support, which unlike most in his position, was denied him, the charges were dropped. But the damage to Norman’s reputation was done, he couldn’t return to his poisoned workplace, so he received a buyout.

3. The case of SNC Lavalin. Judicial interference at the highest level of government. He continues to say “We respect the rule of law.” Which law, Mr. Trudeau, the law of what the PMO says, goes? I could go on, but my word count is already high.

In summary, personality is like the icing on the cake. Character is what we actually do, not how we do it. Trudeau may appear nicer than Trump. Trudeau is more attractive than Trump. We can and should expect more than that, and we shouldn’t be fooled twice. Genetic good looks and fancy socks are not enough.

Ithink it is a northern thing: the busy summer.

It all relates to whether or not you live in a climate where you have nice warm days. I only have my life in Victoria to compare it to but I remember that on mild days, we would sit on our deck with some drinks and maybe some friends would come over and we would laugh and have an impromptu party.

It was relaxing.

Not here.

George so maybe that’s the golden ticket. I want my kids to have the best summer. I want them to have summers like I remember, going camping and swimming and having fun the entire time.

Except I probably didn’t have fun the entire summer.

I have never examined pending weather reports as frequently as I do in the summer months while living in Prince George.

Everyone cares about the weather.

The weather is an elephant waiting to step on your tender little outdoor gathering.

The weather is determined to have all the nice days mid-week when you are working and rain, hail or snow on the weekends.

The weather makes you nervous if it’s too nice out because forest fires might erupt around us and the whole province might have to evacuate.

So, as a result of all this, the summers are a pending surprise of “what are we going to do? It’s nice out. We can’t do nothing. Let’s go the lake. Let’s go on holiday. Let’s garden. Let’s set up the sprinkler. Oops, it’s raining, never mind.”

Perhaps it is not climate related, this stressy summer but instead related to whether or not you have children. I didn’t have kids in Victoria but I do in Prince

Some days were probably boring, some days were bad and some days, I likely did not do much of anything at all. I think my memories have all been made fuzzy through a nostalgic filter and I should probably stop worrying about it. Even workplaces get into it – the idea that you can get a lot of projects done in the summer when it’s quiet. Except that everyone is on holidays and it is never quiet and the summer is never a very good time to get extra things done, only barely catch up on your regular work.

But maybe it’s just me.

Regardless, summers are fun and busy and remarkably ordinary in the best way. Everything sparkles and I feel sometimes, looking out from the bowl in Prince George, that the city is getting a big, green hug from the trees; a friendly, little squeeze from a friend telling you to relax and enjoy the summer because it will be gone before we know it.

AROUND TOWN

Hart Community Night Market

Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Hart Shopping Centre, 3815 West Austin Rd., this event brings the community, local businesses and artisans together for a fun evening of shopping, eating, music and more. Contact: 778-415-9799 | simplybeautiful.pg@gmail.com

Storytime

Every Thursday at the Prince George Public Library in the Knowledge Garden children can gather for a good yarn and a song or two. Storytime runs for 30 minutes at 10:15 a.m., free of charge. It is geared for children up to five or six years old. This event is the companion to the indoor storytime at the downtown library every Tuesday at the same time. Contact: 250-563-9251 | ask@ pgpl.ca

Wordplay Open Stage Night

Third Thursday of every month, Aug. 15, Books & Co., 1685 Third Ave., hosts Wordplay Open Stage Night in Cafe Voltaire from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. This event is geared for poets and storytellers, aspiring, published or professional. Bring original work, take the stage and share with a creative reading.

Board Game Social

Friday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Nechako branch of the Prince George Public Library, 6547 Hart Highway and Monday, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Bob Harkins branch library, 888 Canada Games Way, kick back, eat snacks, and play board games at this evening social

for 19 to 30 year olds. Drop in. Contact: 250-563-9251 | adhanjal@pgpl.ca

Foodie Fridays

Every Friday until Sept. 6 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., 808 Canada Games Way, hungry residents and visitors are invited to come downtown for Foodie Fridays. Tantalize your tastebuds at a variety of licensed sidewalk and food truck vendors and listen to live music throughout the lunch hour. For more information call 250-614-7880.

Friday Night Mics

Every Friday at 7 p.m. Books & Co., 1685 Third Ave., in Cafe Voltaire, hosts an open mic night for all musicians local or just passing through. The weekly event features great music, audience engagement, tasty beverages and treats while intermission finds people browsing through book shelves filled with contributions from local authors as well as best sellers. For more information visit www.booksandcompany.ca.

Composting 101

Saturday, August 10, from 2 to 3 p.m. there is a workshop to learn to compost, which is the ultimate in recycling. Learn to take items meant for the garbagebanana peels, apple cores, fall leaves, weeds, and animal bedding - and turn it into something that will literally transform a garden. While there are some rules to follow when learning how to compost, rest assured that they’re pretty basic, and that, in the end, no matter how many “mistakes” you make, compost just happens. Contact: 250561-7327 | recycling@reaps.org

Hudson’s Bay Wetland Tansy Cleanup

Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon the Prince George Naturalists Club is hosting the cleanup of the Hudson’s Bay Wetland. Bring a tool for cutting off flowers and seed heads or a shovel for digging tansy. There’s work for all levels of ability and suitable for adults and teens. This event is open to members and non-members. Contact: Sandra at sjkinsey@direct.ca | 250-963-8381 and text 250-617-8381.

Free Yoga in the Park

Every Sunday until Aug. 25 from 10 to 11 a.m. join Chinook Yoga at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park bandshell all summer long for free Yoga in the Park. Bring a mat or do yoga in the grass. Bring a water bottle and grab a friend or two, all ages welcome. Contact: 250-564-9642 | www. chinookyoga.com

Scrabble Sundays

Every Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m. at Books & Co., 1685 Third Ave., in Cafe Voltaire there is Scrabble Sunday every weekend. Bring friends, family or yourself and your scrabble board.

Contact: 250-563-6637 | orderbooks@shaw.ca

Walking Tours

Tuesdays and Thursdays until Aug. 22 from 11 a.m. to noon take a free interesting trip through the city’s core provided by the Prince George Public Library. Meet in the main lobby of the Bob Harkins Branch for a guided tour of Prince George’s fascinating historic sites. Done in partnership with The

Heritage Commission and The Exploration Place. Contact: 250-563-9251 | ask@pgpl.ca

Summer camp

Every Wednesday until Aug. 21 from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at Studio 2880, 2880 15th Ave., Art Monkey summer kids art classes are geared for children ages six to 11. Cost is $45. Call 250-563-2880 or register online at www.studio2880.com.

Family Fun Day

Aug. 26 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. the Central B.C. Railway and Forestry Museum, 850 River Rd., is hosting Family Fun Day where admission is by donation to the SPCA or Two Bunnies Rescue. All activities are geared for the whole fam-

Continued on page 6

97/16 photo by James Doyle Neda Jalali and Navaz perform at Cafe Voltaire during Friday Night Mics last month.

AROUND TOWN

Continued from page 5

ily, including a giant lawn chess game, big checkers game, lots of toys for the younger set, blacksmithing demonstrations and Huggleberry the clown will make balloon animals from 3 to 4 p.m. Mini rail rides and concession items are available for purchase. For more information call 250-563-7351 or visit www. pgrfm.bc.ca.

Queer Cafe

Thursday, Aug. 28 Books & Co., 1685 Third Ave., host the Queer Cafe from 5 to 6:30 p.m. where where LGBTQ individuals and allies can come together and meet members of the community and make new friends every month. Small craft projects and icebreaker cards will be available for conversation starting purposes. Feel free to bring your own projects or sit back and enjoy a cup of coffee with the friendly queer community.

Red Green

He’s colourful in name and deed. Red Green is the bumbling but pleasantly practical TV fix-it man, the clown prince of duct tape, the sage of the man-shed. This Canadian comedy icon is coming to Vanier Hall Sept. 26 on his Red GreenThis Could Be It Tour. His P.G. shows are always a sell-out. Get tickets at the TicketsNorth website/box office.

Patrick, Scott & Tessa

During last year’s sold out Thank You Canada tour, it was clear to figure skating superstars, Tessa Virtue, Scott Moir and Patrick Chan, that they were far from done creating and developing a new style of skating entertainment. They and some special guest performers come back to CN Centre Oct. 12 to show the Prince George fans what they’ve come up with next. Rock The Rink is the first edition of an annual tour that focuses on being more than a figure

skating show. Combining the highest level of on-ice superstar talent with an ever-evolving touring production, Rock The Rink will produce the highest value of entertainment in the figure skating realm. This year – along with upgrades to lighting, video and interactive technology – live music will be introduced to the show, with featured special musical guest, Birds of Bellwoods.

Burton, Live

Canada’s piano man, the Guess Who’s epic vocalist, the only artist inducted into the nation’s music Hall of Fame for both his band and his solo career, the incomparable Burton Cummings is coming to PG Oct. 18. He was the power voice propelling American Woman, These Eyes, No Time, Clap For The Wolfman and many other hits of the groundbreaking band The Guess Who, but then when he went solo he continued the multi-platinum success with I Will Sing A Rhapsody, Stand Tall, My Own Way To

ABOUT US

• Colleen Sparrow, publisher and GM

• Neil Godbout, editor-in-chief

• Shawn Cornell, director of advertising

• Call us at: 250-562-2441 or 250-562-3301

• Find us at: 505 Fourth Avenue, Prince George, B.C. V2L 3H2

• Follow us on Facebook, by going online to: https://bit.ly/2SdAmek

Rock, Fine State Of Affairs, You Saved My Soul, Break It To Them Gently, and more besides.

Cummings will be solo at the piano at Vanier Hall. Tickets are on sale now through all TicketsNorth platforms.

World Curling

The event may be in 2020 but the plans are underway now and the tickets are on sale for this Prince George groundbreaker, which starts March 14. P.G. goes global as the host of the World Women’s Curling Championships starting. Get your tickets now, and spread the word to friends and family everywhere that this is the time to come spend some Prince George time, and get a close, personal view of the world-class action the rest of the winter sports community will only get to see on TV. Oh yeah, and there’s also the great social side of curling – there’ll be no bigger party in Canada. Contact Tickets North for tickets and info.

• Visit https://bit.ly/2S9W4zW to find the location nearest you to pick up extra copies of 97/16.

97/16 file photo

Emmett McCullough, 2, sits between his aunt, Brittney McCullough, left, and his grandmother, Kathleen McCullough, right, on one of the train cars during the 2015 Family Fun Day at the Railway and Forestry Museum. This summer’s family fun day is set for Aug. 26.

SUPERHEROES FAIL CAREFUL ANALYSIS

Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards once said, “I don’t think rock n’ roll should be analyzed or even thought about deeply.”

As much as I admire Richards as a musician, I can’t say that I agree with him. In fact as I developed my own thoughts, I found myself listening to his band less and less. I just didn’t like the message in the music, I found it inconsistent with my worldview and I didn’t like how it made me feel.

In a similar way to the rock ‘n roll music of my generation, superhero movies have become quite a cultural phenomenon in recent years. They are among the highest-grossing films and have spawned the sale of large quantities of paraphernalia. I often hear, “It’s just entertainment. These films are not meant to be analyzed.”

History is filled with myths of heroes who protect their people. These served the purpose of helping to create social identity and inspiring us to live by higher-order ideals. They modeled wisdom, physical and moral strength, empathy and self-sacrifice. They were larger than life, and they inspired those who learned about them to be their best selves.

Yet today’s superheroes fall far short of teaching us principles which will make our world better. It can even be argued that they present a myth which is simply not true and even one that can be destructive to the well-being of humanity.

LESSONS IN LEARNING

GERRY CHIDIAC

First of all, far from affirming that each of us is a superhero in our own way, many current films tell us that to be great, we have to have incredible physical strength, powerful weapons and we need to embrace violence.

Even today’s action figures model body types which could never be achieved by a healthy human being. Yet we are telling children, our boys especially, that being great means being a muscle-bound weapons specialist. We are idealizing things which should never be ideals, and we need to ask what impact this is having on our young people, both physically and emotionally.

Secondly, many of the films fail to acknowledge a very important truth about the vast majority of people. Psychiatrist and Nazi concentration camp survivor Viktor Frankl pointed out, “Human kindness can be found in all groups, even those which as a whole it would be easy to condemn.”

There are no “good guys” and “bad guys” in real life. There are despotic rulers, there are people who are narcissistic and even pathological, but they are few and far between. The reality is that though people can be convinced

to do bad things, especially when they are in desperate situations, people are good and deserve to be treated with dignity. If we treat them this way, they will respond in kind. We don’t need to blow people up to make the world a safer place.

The third point is related to the second. Superhero movies tell us that that crime is reduced by beating up or shooting up villains. While effective law enforcement is important, criminologists consistently conclude that effective social and educational programs are the most important tools we have in promoting long-term public safety. The vast majority of people who populate our prisons are people who had very difficult childhoods and have made poor

decisions as a result.

There is indeed something very appealing about action movies, as there is with rock n’ roll. The fact remains, however, that we really do become what we think about, whether we do so mindfully or not. There is therefore great wisdom in simply asking the question, “Is partaking in this entertainment helping me to become the kind of person I want to be?” In other words, entertainment does need to be analyzed and thought about deeply if we are truly interested in saving the world.

Gerry Chidiac is a champion for social enlightenment, inspiring others to find their greatness in making the world a better place. For more of his writings, go to www.gerrychidiac.com.

2019 Livestock Auction Saturday August 17 at 6:00pm at the BCNE.

Bill Coulthard

Rivers Edge Excavating

Lakewood Electric

NPHL

Ron & Darlene Shelke

Cheiftain Auto Parts

Full Moon Cont. Ltd.

Darren & Sherry Milligan

GH Equipment Ltd

Lake Creek Ranch

James Steidle

Kandice Vanleeuwen

NAPP Enterprises

Harvey’s Muffler

Chelton Specialty Nation Meats

Lodgewood Enterprises

Nick & Jess Henry

Sob Lake Logging

Stacey Raper

Kawano Farms

Pathfinder Ltd

Rayner Farm

Finning

Glenbirnam Farm

East Fraser Fiber

Vector Resources Inc.

G.A.P Custom Mfg

James Western Star

Canaccord Genuity

Dean Corbin

Taba Enterprises

Taba Creek

Nelson Schneider

Edgewater Holdings

Prince Sheet Metal

Marvel Studios handout image

Chris Hemsworth plays Thor in Avengers: Endgame.

4-H animals are grain fed with no added hormones. Beef, Goats, Poultry, Sheep and Swine.

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AIRLINE PASSENGERS DO STRANGE THINGS

What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen a passenger do on a plane? If you said, “Change into pajamas midflight,” then maybe you were on my red-eye from Orlando to Frankfurt, Germany, during which a passenger disappeared into the restroom and emerged in a nightgown. It happens more often than you’d think. John Gray, who owns a company that sells gift baskets in London, admits to changing into his jammies on long flights.“I like to wear my Pikachu onesie,” he says. “It’s super comfy and helps me get a good night’s sleep on long-haul flights. I usually get a smile from everybody who sees me and nobody has ever said something weird.”

Brave man, John.

There’s a subset of airline passengers such as Gray who take hitting 30,000 feet as an invitation to make themselves at home. And then some.

“Children in pajamas on a plane are one thing,” says Barbara Warrington, a retired occupational therapist from Incline Village, Nev. “Grown-ups are quite another - and, I would suggest, a no-no.” But wait. Isn’t there a waiver for firstclass passengers in those lie-flat seats? Yes, suggests Lauren Guilfoyle of Emirates Airline. Her air carrier hands out

sleepwear with “moisturizing” qualities to first-class passengers. “The natural ingredients of shea butter and argan oil are released as you move, so your skin stays moisturized and protected,” she explains.

Well, if you have $12,000 to spend on an airline ticket, I suppose you can wear anything.

For the rest of us, April Masini, an etiquette expert based in New York, has the following advice: “Adults should not wear pajamas on a plane.”

They are, she says, “exhibitionists looking for attention,” and you should probably expect more and stranger behavior from them, especially if the flight is long.” (For the record, Gray says that other than wearing his jammies, he’s never done anything unusual on a plane.)

Whatever it is that causes some air passengers to put on their pajamas prompts others to take off their shoes – and even their socks. This is a strange thing, because on land, these people wouldn’t dare place their shoeless feet on, say, a restaurant table. It can also turn ugly when those same passengers feel it’s acceptable to rest their feet on the seat backs or armrests in front of them.

“It’s a personal-space invasion,” says Lori Geoffroy, a frequent air traveler from San Francisco who channeled her

distaste for this type of behavior into her business. Her company, Ickerz, sells a line of novelty stationery products featuring cartoon animals stuck in (I’m not making this up) “smelly situations.”

“It’s annoying,” Geoffroy says, “when people put their feet on the armrest of the passenger in front of them – and it’s even worse if they’re shoeless.”

Todd Brown remembers a recent flight from Hong Kong to Istanbul. A man across the aisle calmly removed his shoes and socks and began clipping his toenails. “After finishing his toenails and fingernails, he then got a bottle of clear nail polish and proceeded to start painting his nails,” recalls Brown, a sales manager from Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.

So what can you do if you find yourself getting a very close look at a fellow passenger’s pedicure? From my experience of mediating travel disputes, both in the air and on the ground, your options are limited. Dirty looks only ratchet up the tension. Your best move is to move. Find an empty seat or ask a flight attendant to reseat you. Don’t make a scene.

If another seat isn’t available, try hanging out in the galley in the back of the plane. You may have to take your seat if you hit turbulence, and a crew member might shoo you back to your seat during meal service. But it’s prefer-

able to the alternative.

At best, the bizarre behaviors of other passengers can make your summer vacation memorable. Amy Bloomer, a professional organizer who lives in Baltimore, recalls an overnight flight from Washington to Zurich during which she sat next to the oddest passenger ever.

“She got up to go to the bathroom and then emerged with a full head of hot rollers,” Bloomer says. “I marveled at how she was able to sleep so easily with a head full of plastic.”

In the morning, she asked if Bloomer would be bothered if she removed the rollers in her seat.

“I said that would be fine,” she recalls. “She told me she had a photo shoot shortly after we were due to land and she wanted her hair to be perfectly coifed.”

OK, then.

Maybe it’s best to take the oddness in stride. Flights don’t last forever, and most of the unusual behavior isn’t offensive but may be photo-worthy. Of course, there’s an Instagram account for that: @passengershaming, which is run by Shawn Kathleen Howard, a former flight attendant.

But you should probably wait until after you land to share your image of the barefoot passenger or the seatmate in rollers.

SENIORS FAIR SET FOR BCNE

Everything you ever wanted to know about being a senior citizen and where to find what you need to do it right will be provided as the Prince George Council of Seniors presents the Seniors’ Fair on Aug. 15 in Kin 3 during the B.C. Northern Exhibition.

Admission to the BCNE is a toonie for seniors’ on Pioneer Day, which makes the Seniors’ Fair accessible for everyone.

The local council of seniors non-profit organization has offered this event since 2007, so this is lucky number 13, said Lola-Dawn Fennell, general manager of P.G. Council of Seniors .

Information booths, the Old Boot Cafe, carpet bowling demonstrations, and draws for lots of freebies is once again on the agenda.

“So seniors will find the usual round up of local organizations and businesses with services and products that would be of interest to seniors or their caregivers,” Fennell said.

New to the Seniors’ Fair is a booth where seniors will find representatives from Revenue Canada.

“So if people have questions about things like income splitting, or disability benefits or credits they will be there to answer their questions,” Fennell said.

“We’ve also got Northern Health Community Services on tap this year.”

The Prince George Elks’ Lodge has taken over the Moose Hall, 663 Douglas St., and is looking to promote it as an events venue since it’s been refurbished.

The Prince George & District Elizabeth Fry Society will be there to talk about housing options. There is also a business called Active Health Solutions that offers a comprehensive approach to health and wellness by incorporating functional fitness with good nutrition and healthy lifestyle choices.

The cafe will offer a light lunch and refreshments and is a great place to take a break at any time during the very busy fair day.

“As usual the Hart Pioneer Centre folks will be on hand to demonstrate carpet bowling and people always enjoy that,” Fennell said. “There will be lots of free draws and many different activities at the information tables.”

97/16 STAFF

97/16 file photo Val Weed, Kathi Hughes and Sue Bond at the Caladonia Nordic Ski Club booth during the Seniors Fair at the 2017 BCNE.

THE COOLEST NO-BAKE DESSERT

An icebox cake, for the unfamiliar, is an easy summer dessert that comes together in the chilly confines of your refrigerator. The oven plays no role in the making of an icebox cake - and that’s a good thing when temperatures are high and something cool, creamy and sweet seems like just about the perfect warm weather antidote. I love an old-fashioned icebox cake, as is evidenced by the fact that I wrote a book about them, and I’m eager to spread the word about just how marvelous these versatile desserts can be. Semifreddos and no-churn ice-cream get a lot of the no-bake-dessert attention, but a retro icebox cake is equally deserving and delicious.

In its simplest form, an icebox cake is a layered dessert of crispy cookies and fluffy whipped cream. But it is one that transforms into something truly magical and complex when placed in the fridge to firm up, as the cookies absorb the cream, softening into something downright caky and luscious.

The recipe for the original icebox cake, still printed on the back of the yellow Nabisco Chocolate Wafer Cookie package, does not even require a pan for assembly: Instead, you stack cookies, nestled with dollops of whipped cream, vertically (domino-style as it were), and form a free-standing log on your serving platter.

Simplicity is the name of the game when it comes to icebox cakes, both in terms of staple ingredients and preparation, and I love them for that. But I also appreciate an icebox cake’s infinite riffability - swap graham crackers for cookies, pudding for whipped cream, add caramel or ganache, and assemble it in a variety of vessels. Thus, the following how-to tips and tricks will not only guide you in creating the easiest of these desserts but also offer suggestions for composing them playfully.

THE ELEMENTS

The caky layers give an icebox cake its structure and, well, cakey-ness. This element can take many forms, such as cookies, graham crackers or ladyfingers. Cookies should be thin and crispy, and are best layered with whipped cream. (Thicker cookies, such as biscotti and some shortbread, remain a bit too toothsome even after the requisite rest in the fridge.) Graham crackers and ladyfingers (either the soft or crispy variety) work well with both whipped cream and pudding. If you’re feeling frisky, layer your icebox cake with chocolate graham crackers or cinnamon ones, peanut butter cookies or even ginger snaps.

The creamy layers soften the caky element and provide the icebox cake with its signature “creaminess.” Whipped cream, pudding and even pastry cream will work in an icebox cake, but whipped cream is best whisked until stiff peaks form - a bit longer than you would if topping a piece of pie - as the stiffer the peak, the more stable the finished cake. When sweetening whipped cream, I tend to add about 1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar to every cup of heavy cream. And if going a bit rogue, by adding zest, juice, booze, spice or fruity preserves to your cream or pudding, let your taste buds guide you.

The playful element is where things really get fun. Not only can you choose from a variety of cookie flavors and infuse your cream or pudding with a little zip when assembling your icebox cake, but you can also add layers of lemon curd, salty caramel, dark chocolate ganache, fresh berries, marshmallow crème or rainbow sprinkles.

The assembly

When choosing a pan or shape for your icebox cake, the possibilities are deliciously

endless, provided you remember this: Cakes made with pudding or runny add-ins such as caramel or ganache, do best in vessels with sides to contain oozing and spillage. Can you attempt a cake with ganache in a springform pan and hope for the best upon removal of the pan’s sides? Of course. But to be safe, you should assemble those kinds of cakes in your prettiest pottery or a Pyrex dish.

When layering, I always begin with the creamy element, as it anchors the cake to the serving dish or platter, followed by a caky layer and then, if using, I spread or sprinkle something playful. I like to keep my layers thin - just enough of the creamy element to completely cover the caky one, with no holes or gaps between cookies or crackers (this usually requires breaking them into pieces), and vice versa. Continue to assemble in this order until you reach the top of your pan or run out of an element, finishing the cake with something creamy.

To ensure your cake properly sets up, I recommend chilling it in the refrigerator, lightly covered with plastic wrap, for at least 8 hours, and preferably overnight. Cakes made with very thin cookies may be ready in less time.

After it has rested, decorating your cake with sparkling sugar, crushed candy, citrus zest, chocolate curls, sprinkles or toasted nuts is a lovely way not only to finish the cake but also to add texture.

FINAL NOTES

DIYing: Assembling an icebox cake can be nearly effortless, but if making homemade crispy, thin cookies (or graham crackers or ladyfingers) is your thing, by all means, go for it. An icebox cake made with homemade caky layers is undoubtedly something special, as is one made with homemade pudding, caramel or jam.

Seasonality: There is no question that an ice-cold icebox cake is the perfect summer entertaining dessert. I mean, parties need cake, and who wants to turn on the oven when the kitchen is already beyond toasty? It can also serve as the ideal showcase for your latest haul from the farmers market, via layers of fresh strawberries or tiny chunks of juicy black plums or nectarines. But icebox cakes are truly fantastic any time of the year - think ginger-chai for Thanksgiving, peppermint-chocolate for Christmas, or Black Forest for Valentine’s Day.

Making ahead and freezing: If its ease and flexibility haven’t persuaded you to join Team Icebox Cake, perhaps this will: not only do icebox cakes have to be made ahead - ideal for that barbecue next Wednesday night, the potluck this weekend and for those hosts among us (um, me) who like to have as much of the meal and all of the dessert finished before her guests’ arrival - but they freeze beautifully. Follow the tips for wrapping and refrigerating your cake, and after 24 hours, cover it in aluminum foil and freeze for up to a month. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator before serving the next day.

PEACH MELBA ICEBOX CAKE

30 minutes, plus at least 6 hours chilling 12 servings

Peach melba (poached peaches drizzled with raspberry sauce and served with scoops of vanilla ice cream) is what summer icebox cake dreams are made of - seasonal and perfect to fight the sweltering heat. Here, peach jam is folded into almond-flavored whipped cream, which is studded with chunks of ripe peaches. The cream is layered with fresh raspberries and thin, crispy almond wafers, then topped with a toasted almond slices for flavor and texture.

Peaches are lovely when paired with

almond extract, but feel free to flavor your cream with vanilla extract instead, and to substitute a different flavored cookie for the almond ones. In place of nuts, garnish the cake with crushed cookies.

The author prefers Bonne Maman peach jam. You may want to add more jam, depending on the sweetness of your peaches. Recipe notes: The cake will keep loosely covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or frozen, after it has set up in the refrigerator, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, for up to 1 month. Defrost the cake in the refrigerator overnight before you plan to serve it. Once you cut the cake, leftovers can be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated, and are best within a day.

Ultrathin Anna’s Swedish Thins are available in grocery stores nationwide. If using a different brand of crispy almond cookies, keep in mind that you will need the same number of cookies, but they will weigh more.

Toast the almonds in a small dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant and lightly browned, shaking the pan to avoid scorching. Cool completely before using.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup (185 grams) peach jam, or more as needed

1/3 cup (80 grams) sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon almond extract

2 medium peaches, halved, pitted and roughly chopped into 1/2-inch pieces (about 140 grams)

5 cups (595 grams) fresh raspberries

25 (120 grams) crisp, thin almond wafer cookies, such as Anna’s Swedish Thins, or 70 (285 grams) vanilla wafers or 20 sheets (285 grams) graham crackers

Toasted almond slices, for garnish STEPS

Add the cream to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium to medium-high speed, 2 to 3 minutes, until the cream begins to thicken. Add the jam, sugar, vanilla extract and almond extract, to taste, and continue to whisk on medium to medium-high speed for about 3 more minutes, until stiff peaks form. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the peaches into the cream.

Use a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon to spread a layer of cream, about 1 1/2 cups, on the bottom of an 8-inch square pan. Cover the cream with a layer of raspberries and then a layer of almond cookies, filling any gaps with broken cookies (breaking them yourself, if necessary). The pieces should touch; the goal is a solid layer of cookies.

Continue with additional layers of whipped cream, raspberries and cookies, ending with a layer of whipped cream. Gently cover the pan with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the cake for 6 to 8 hours, or preferably overnight.

Peel off the plastic wrap. Garnish the top of the cake with the toasted almonds. Cut the cake into slices while in the pan and serve.

Nutrition | Calories: 330; Total Fat: 16 g; Saturated Fat: 10 g; Cholesterol: 55 mg; Sodium: 160 mg; Carbohydrates: 42 g; Dietary Fiber: 4 g; Sugars: 25 g; Protein: 2 g.

Living in Space: International Space Station Living in Space: International Space Station

In 1984, the United States invited countries around the world to build an international space station. Now, with the participation of 18 countries, it has truly become a global cooperation project.

The flags below represent the 18 countries participating in the International Space Station project. Unscramble the letters to discover the name of each country.

When completed in 2010, the ISS was longer than an American football field, has a living and working space the size of a 747 jumbo-jet, and is able to house up to seven astronauts.

How does it get electricity? Hold this sentence up to a mirror:

The space station ______ humans to live and _________ for long periods in a “weightless” _____________. The space station provides an opportunity to study a world without gravity— and better understand gravity’s _______ on plants, animals, and humans.

Lessons from past space travel show that living with little or no gravity ___________ bones and muscles. The space station allows scientists to understand these effects and find ______________ for long-term space travel.

Space Milestones

In which year did each of these events happen? Do the math to find out!

Astronaut Neil Armstrong walks on the moon.

(21 X 3) + 6

U.S. sends four monkeys into the stratosphere.

(25 X 2) + 1

U.S.S.R. launches Sputnik 1 satellite into space.

(25 X 2) + 7

John Glenn becomes first American to orbit the earth.

(15 X 4) + 2

The ISS was built, section by section, in space. Why not build it on earth and then take it to space? The completed station weighs a million pounds on Earth—too difficult and costly to attempt to take into space in one flight.

ISS IS BUILT IN MODULES, OR SEGMENTS

Astronaut Ad

These words oated away in zero gravity! Find where each one belongs.

Write a Help Wanted Ad to find people who want to be astronauts on the ISS. Use the Help Wanted ads in the print or e-edition of your newspaper as examples.

Standards Link: Writing Applications: Write brief expository descriptions.

Find the words in the puzzle. How many of them can you find on this page?

Want to blast into orbit? Walk on the moon? Snag a personal photo of a shooting star? Well your time is coming! And when it does, you're going to need this book. Grounded in the history of space travel and the planned future of space tourism, this guide book will start you daydreaming about space vacations!

To discover the name of this book, find the letter on the outer ring, then replace it with the letter below it on the inner ring.

This page was fun! I wonder what books the library might have about space?

… wondering about and exploring our world and beyond.

Pretend you are exploring a country you have never visited. Where would you go? Write a journal entry.

© 2019 by Vicki Whiting, Editor Jeff Schinkel, Graphics Vol. 35, No. 34

SOLAR PANELS

RADIATORS

CREW QUARTERS

Use the Kid Scoop Secret Decoder Ring to discover the name of this book by Susan E. Goodman, illustrated by Michael Slack, which is available at the library.

The worst part of a vacation is usually when it ends. Catching up at work and home can be a jarring switch from carefree lounging on the beach. Here’s how to contend with the worst parts of returning to daily life without losing that vacation glow. A

SUITCASE FULL OF DIRTY CLOTHES

Unpacking after a long trip can be difficult, but experts say it’s best to get it out of the way as soon as possible and take small actions to make unpacking easier. The first thing Margarita Ibbott, an Ontario-based former professional organizer and travel writer, does is place her suitcase in her laundry room – never directly to her bedroom, she says, in case of bugs or dirt – to air before tossing her dirty clothes into the wash. She tries to do this within 24 hours of getting home.

Before leaving for a trip, she does enough laundry to clear space for her posttrip loads and lightly tidies the house to avoid coming home to chaos. “I’m adamant about this,” she says. Rashelle Isip, a professional organizer and founder of the Order Expert, also recommends a gentle cleaning – enough to get rid of clutter on tables and countertops – to “give the eye a place to rest.”

Sara Bereika, co-founder of Abundance Organizing, advises her clients to clear a space for their suitcase before they leave so there’s no excuse to not unpack. “I can’t tell you how many times people have left a suitcase out because they say they have nowhere to put it,” she says. To make organizing after the trip a little easier, Bereika,

who often helps clients pack before trips, advises people to buy small zipper pouches and storage bags for smaller items such as toiletries that can live in a designated spot in the bathroom or closet to make unpacking easier. When they return from a trip, all they have to do is place the pouch back in its designated spot before the next trip.

SECURITY LAPSES

It’s understandable to worry about leaving your home or car unattended for an extended period. Before you leave, double-check that all windows and doors lock properly for both your house and car. Piles of unopened mail and packages are a sign nobody is home and could encourage thieves. Enlist a neighbor or friend to pick up mail and packages while you’re away, or have the the post office hold your mail or packages. You can also stop newspaper delivery while you’re away.

AN EMPTY FRIDGE

After a tiring day of travel, the last thing most people want to do is trek to the grocery store. Before leaving, Ibbott stocks the pantry and freezer with food that could make an easy dinner or a snack upon her return, such as pasta and pasta sauce. And in the week before her trip, she makes sure to eat any leftovers and perishables in her refrigerator that could spoil.

To ease back into meal prepping, Isip recommends buying prepared ingredients and restructuring your grocery list around staple items that can be used for multiple meals, so you have options when you return. Buying ingredients for your favorite dishes can be a nice perk when you return, too, she says. She also suggests scheduling grocery delivery the day after you get back

to save a trip to the store. GOING BACK TO WORK

A little preparation before you leave can smooth your transition back to work, Isip says. If it’s possible, reserving a day at home to attend to tasks such as sorting mail, cleaning and laundry could be helpful. “It took time for you to unwind and it takes time to get back to your day-to-day affairs,” she says. If that’s not possible, she recommends returning in the middle or end of the week on a less stressful work day.

Before leaving for vacation, reflect on what will help you enjoy the time off and manage your responsibilities when you return, says Charles Samenow, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at George Washington University’s medical school. He advises patients to decide which tasks need to be completed before they leave, which can be delegated and which can wait. Then make a plan to get those non-negotiables out of the way. Is it better for you to log off entirely and face it all upon your return, or would a periodic check-in help you enjoy your time more? If thinking about the email accumulating in your inbox will distract you from your trip, checking in could ease some stress. A frequent traveler himself, Samenow “is a checker” and sets aside about 30 minutes early in the morning to look through email and check in with his team before logging off completely.

Samenow advises breaking down your post-vacation to-do list into manageable steps based on urgency. “It can really jolt your system to go from complete relaxation and focusing on loved ones and

activities to a high-pressure deadline that you’re not physically or mentally ready for,” he says. You probably won’t be your freshest after traveling, so saving highstress meetings or projects for later in the week could help.

When you return to work, Isip recommends reserving about an hour of the morning to go through your inbox. When doing this, Isip recommends “looking at the big picture” and scanning for necessary emails that you’re mentioned in; sort by sender or mute long threads you’re not part of to minimize clutter and pinpoint tasks that warrant your attention. “You’re not going to sit and relive the last three weeks,” she says. In your personal inbox, she suggests bulk-deleting promotions and other emails that won’t be useful upon, such as missed editions of daily newsletters or offers for sales that expired while you were away.

POST-VACATION LETDOWN

The “post-vacation blues” isn’t a scientific term or a recognized condition, but Samenow says the end of something joyous can sometimes bring about a sense of loss or even a low mood, irritability or sleeplessness. It’s normal to miss a pleasant experience, he says, and these feelings usually subside. To prevent them from impairing your ability to function, manage expectations and don’t hinge the entirety of your happiness and well-being on the vacation, Samenow says. “The expectation should not be that I’m going to come back from vacation a changed person, ready to hit the ground running and tackle everything on day one,” Samenow says. “Vacation is wonderful, but it’s not a cure-all.”

VANTASTIC!

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

They were the suburban vehicle of choice in the 1990s and early 2000s, but ever since, minivans appeared to be riding the slow lane to extinction.

The soccer moms who once made the boxy people-haulers ubiquitous have shunned them for car-based SUVs with three rows of seats. Many automakers have stopped selling them. In fact, Chrysler sold more minivans by itself in their heyday than the entire industry does today. But don’t turn in the van keys just yet. For the automakers that still make them - Fiat Chrysler, Honda, Toyota and Kiathe minivan business is still good because the competition has bailed, giving them a bigger piece of a shrinking pie. And they›re hoping that as more millennials, now ages 23 to 38, raise families, they›ll see the value of sliding doors, fold-flat seats, ample storage and easy access to the third row.

Because of their people-hauling capabilities, minivans also hold promise as autonomous vehicles, meaning they may once again become popular - if people don’t have to be seen actually driving them.

“There is nothing else that can compete with a minivan,” says Tim Kuniskis, head of passenger vehicles for Fiat Chrysler, which leads all automakers in sales with two minivans in the U.S. market. “From a carrying people and stuff perspective, nothing touches it.”

Last year, minivan sales sank to 364,000, the lowest level in more than 30 years and only about one-quarter of the 1.33 million sold in 2000, the peak year, according to the CarGurus.com auto website. Sales are down another 16% in the first half of this year, with no end to the decline in sight.

That›s a far cry from 1993 to 2005, when automakers sold more than 1 million of the vans every year.

Also, minivan market share has slipped from 7.2% of U.S. new-vehicle sales in 2000 to 2.5% this year, according to the Edmunds.com auto pricing site, which provides content to The Associated Press.

Minivan sales generally follow birth rates, which have been falling for 32 years, said George Augustaitis, director of industry analytics for CarGurus, who predicts further declines. “It’s going to exist, but it’s never going to exist like it once had.”

Yet for automakers that are still in, minivans are good business. The only large competitors left for Fiat Chrysler are the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna. Kia offers the Sedona, but sales are relatively small. Other market segments can boast over 1 million sales per year, but they also come with 20 or more competitors, Kuniskis said.

In the early 2000s, just about every automaker had a minivan, with as many as 18 on sale in 2005, CarGurus said. As Ford, General Motors and others exited as sales tumbled, the number shrank to only five this year.

Profit margins on the minivans are high, with a few options pushing the sticker price north of $40,000.

“Balloons rain from the sky every time they sell an Odyssey,” said Jeremy Acevedo, senior manager of industry insights at Edmunds.

That can be bad for young families who need the vans but can’t afford big price tags. Fiat Chrysler has realized this and in the fall will start selling a Chrysler Voyager, a Spartan version of the Pacifica, starting around $27,000. It likely will replace the

ancient Dodge Grand Caravan, which the company has been selling for about the same sticker price. The old van, unveiled in 2008 and last updated in 2011, is the topselling minivan in the country this year at around 72,000.

For Melanie Matcheson, 44, who lives near Waterbury, Connecticut, no vehicle other than a minivan could efficiently haul her family of two adults and five children ages 2 to 22. She bought an eight-passenger silver Pacifica in mid-June for about $31,000, getting an $8,000 discount.

She rented a Chevrolet Suburban big SUV but didn’t like the gas mileage, and she says smaller SUVs lacked trunk space.

Matcheson doesn’t care that a minivan could have the stigma of a 1990s soccer mom. “I think the newer ones look very nice,” she said.

Fiat Chrysler’s Kuniskis is hoping there are more people like Matcheson who see the vans’ practicality. He says millennials he has talked to liked the minivans they grew up with and they’re now having children. They’re expected to surpass baby boomers as the largest population segment, and that could boost sales.

Also, at least one

autonomous vehicle company has found the vans optimal for its ride-hailing service. Google spinoff Waymo is buying up to 62,000 Pacificas from Fiat Chrysler and is using them to haul people and test selfdriving systems.

CarGurus’ Augustaitis says the vans are appealing to Waymo because they are easy to enter and exit and can be used more like a living room or office when autonomous vehicles start carrying people in more places.

“It could see something with autonomous because of how you can outfit them,” he said.

AP photo Sisters Caroline, left, and Keiley play and older sister Georgianna, back, looks out a window as their mother, Melanie Matcheson drives their Chrysler Pacifica in Southington, Conn.

AP photo

Melanie Matcheson, right, unloads her Chrysler Pacifica as her son Alexander and daughters Keiley, Caroline, and Georgianna head back into the house in Cheshire, Conn.