Do You have What it takes? Be a role model, be a peace officer.
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THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2019
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BREAKTHROUGH GENE THERAPY BENEFITS PRINCE GEORGE MAN 97/16 NEWS SERVICE
A big sushi meal would have once made Josh McQuillin gravely ill, but the Prince George man can now gorge on one of his favourite foods worry-free thanks to a breakthrough clinical trial for his rare genetic disorder. McQuillin was 12 when he was diagnosed with urea cycle disorder, a life-threatening condition that causes ammonia to build up in the body and can put a person in a coma. He had to strictly limit how much protein he ate and took expensive medication several times a day. He could never be too far from a hospital, which made it hard to travel abroad or join friends backcountry camping. “Now I can eat as much protein as I want. I’m eating differently, sleeping differently, exercising differently,” McQuillin, 30, said during a monitoring appointment at Calgary’s Foothills Medical Centre on Thursday. “I’ve gained a bit of weight. I’ve never had to fight weight gain before, which is kind of funny. I’ve always been underweight my whole entire life.” The genes needed to process ammonia were delivered to McQuillin’s liver intravenously. A virus, modified to be harmless, was used as a transmitter. It’s believed McQuillin is the first Canadian to receive gene replacement this way. Only three other people in the world have undergone similar treatment. McQuillin said he felt the results two weeks after the one-time injection. Aneal Khan with the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine is leading the trial. He also treated McQuillin in Ontario when he first got sick as a boy. Khan recalled telling McQuillin’s parents years ago that he wasn’t sure their son would survive.
97/16 news service photo
Josh McQuillin of Prince George undergoes tests at the University of Calgary’s clinical trials unit in Calgary on Thursday. “Since he’s had this therapy, his ammonia has not gone high, despite him eating whatever amount of protein he wants. It’s a massive change,” said Khan. “We’re very excited – especially for rare genetic diseases, DNA diseases – that we don’t have to tell the parents that stuff anymore.” Khan said the treatment is being studied for other genetic diseases involving the liver such as hemophilia. Alberta Health Services has set aside beds in Foothills hospital’s intensive
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care unit for clinical trial patients. That’s important, because it’s often not known whether an experimental treatment will have serious adverse effects, said Christopher Doig, a medical director in intensive care for the agency’s Calgary zone. “They can get it in a very safe way where they can be very closely watched, very closely monitored. At the same time, we’re not using resources taking away from other patients.” McQuillin said he’s looking forward to
going on a road trip in the United Kingdom this spring without having to worry about his medication or whether the nearest hospital can treat his condition. He can also rest easier when on his forestry job, which once required painstaking meal planning for trips into the bush. “Everything’s 100 per cent good to go for now,” he said. “I guess my only concern or fear is they don’t know really how long it will last. But it’s definitely exciting.”
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THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2019 | 3
JAMES TRUE TO THE BLUES FRANK PEEBLES 97/16 staff
There have been bigger rock stars on the red carpet, but it’s another colour that has always painted the music of Colin James: blue. James roared into the consciousness of music fans as a hot guitar player on the pop-rock charts of the late 1980s and it kept revving through the 2000s. Songs like Voodoo Thang, Saviour, Five Long Years, Just Came Back (To Say Goodbye), Freedom, Keep On Loving Me Baby, Why’d You Lie, Real Stuff and more just kept coming like lava from a slowburn volcano. His albums were so compacted with hit material it was hard to differentiate which songs were singles pushed by the record companies and which ones were just popular all of their own accord. There was no mistaking what James built his rock popularity on. It was, like the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton before him, entirely framed by the blues. The deeper into his career he got, the more overt he became about it. The debut Colin James album and follow-ups like Sudden Stop, Bad Habits, Fuse, Rooftops & Satellites, Fifteen, etc. were all mainstream rock packages, all contained their own inherent personalities, but indubitably they were tinted with the blues. But he veered off into pure puddles of blue light with three big band albums (four, if you also count the Christmas disc), the National Steel acoustic album, and most recently his two latest albums - Blue Highways in ‘16 and the current Miles To Go - are both packages of blues covers by artists that ignite James to keep doing what he does: be an emissary of this definitive Americana style of music that underpins so much of modern music whether it got translated into rock, country, jazz, or R&B/pop. Ask him, as The Citizen did this past week, if he considers himself an ambassador of the blues and he starts with one answer and evolves to another. “Not at all, because it’s a music I love and I’ve always identified with, and blues was formed out of hardship so I’ve just always felt for the music,” he said, as opposed to living his own personal hardships that compare to the suffering of the African-American inventors and their audiences early in the formation of the genre at the dawn of the 20th century. However, blues - although it comes from a foundation of abject poverty, systemic oppression and personal pain - is also rich in shades of joy and effervescence. Sure, you can feel that deep hurt when James does his version of Atlanta Moan by Barbecue Bob Hicks, but one of the first songs that put Colin James on the national map was his peppery cover of Roy Brown’s Mighty Mighty Man “and a guy like Roy Brown, that’s not sad blues at all, that was early rock ‘n’ roll. He wrote Cadillac Baby as well,” said James,
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Colin James is set to play CN Centre Saturday night, along with special guests Barney Bentall and Marty O’Reilly.
who has never been afraid or pridebound about singing the music of other writers, especially the blues pioneers. So, recanted, “yeah, I guess in a way I am an ambassador, just trying to bring some life to it and hopefully inspire others,” he said, when he thinks about how a younger musician like his harmonica player Steve Marriner, borrowed from the Ottawa band Monkey Junk, confessed to him that “he saw me play when he was like 15 years old at the Governor General’s place in Ottawa when he happened to be in the audience.” He also has to consider his ambassador status when remembering that John Lee Hooker gave him an opening act opportunity when he was just 16 years old, Stevie Ray Vaughan put a big wing around him in his youth, Bonnie Raitt was a duet partner and fan by album two, Long John Baldry was an early endorser, etc. Not bad for a kid out of Saskatchewan who grew up playing bluegrass mandolin, Metis fiddle and Irish folk music. He was befriended while still a kid by The Chieftains, he is on two of their traditional Irish albums as a special guest, but he didn’t even know he had a wall
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in his mind until it got knocked down, exposing him to the ocean of the blues. It happened in one pivotal moment, when he got to see a concert by the legendary James Cotton at a folk festival. “That was a no-looking-back moment for me. I changed my style and launched into the blues,” he said. There are fewer James Cottons anymore. The generation is nearly gone of blues giants who took the genre from obscure Mississippi Delta chicken shacks to hole-in-the-wall Chicago nightclubs to Beale Street sidewalk sessions and got it into mainstream view. James has an upcoming concert with Buddy Guy he’s looking forward to. He has a picture of the two of them together in 1991, the legend and the upstart, “and the nicest thing about being an ambassador is, they are going, and your hope is that people remember.” James is living proof, and one of many, that this rural and definitive style of music is still vibrant and relevant in today’s world. He had to find out about the blues by way of record stores and magazines and talking to other, older blues fans. He is excited about the future
of the blues in the hands of today’s youth because he trusts the magnetic power of those sounds, and the communication technology that now exists to get it into the heads of new generations. They won’t have to work as hard to find it, he said, they just have to be shown some starting points. “I still find people (great blues players of old) I had no idea about and I think ‘how did I miss that?’” James said. “The individual singers, that’s what you kinda start noticing. All the singers of that era, whether it’s Otis Rush, Albert King, Pop Staples, they had very individual sounding voices. You could pick them out. Look at John Lee Hooker. So it wasn’t just that they were playing the blues, it was that deep expression in their voices that separated Howlin’ Wolf from Muddy Waters, and you don’t hear as much of that these days - definitive voices that way. I’m so glad I got to see some of them.” And the Prince George public can see Colin James when he plays CN Centre on Saturday along with special guests Barney Bentall and Marty O’Reilly. Tickets are on sale now via the ticketsnorth.ca website.
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ob Krekoski, the second of four children, was born in St. Paul, Alta., in 1942. He remembers the end of the Second World War; there was rationing, no money, lots of work, lots of heartache, drought and the fact that the success of the farm hinged on the weather. He remembers when a good barley crop was followed by the invasion of the wild ducks that would eat their grain and could clear 45 acres of a near ripe crop in less than one week. The up side of this invasion was that the six-pound grainfed ducks were delicious when they appeared on the dinner table. When he was 17, a relative invited him to leave the farm and move to Kenora, Ont. for a job at Mando Pulp and Paper. He took the job, drove the bus between camps and cut pulp wood for one year and then moved back to the farm because he was homesick. He moved to Prince George in 1963 for a job opportunity at Eagle Lake sawmill. Bob said, “my move to Eagle Lake was a good move because that is where I met my wife Myrna and I have been blessed ever since. I proudly married Myrna Gustafson in 1966. Myrna (of Swedish descent) was born in Prince George in 1946. She was raised in Giscome and as a young girl she worked at Garlands Cafe. I was one of the bunk house boys who frequented the café. Her father also worked for Eagle Lake sawmills. “I first met her through the church youth group in Giscome. After finishing Grade 10 in Giscome, she took Grade 11 in Prince George and traveled back and forth with her sister and her boyfriend. She stayed at the dormitory in Prince George while completing Grade 12. “During this time, I knew I wanted to marry Myrna. She was 18 years old but I still asked her parents for their permission to propose to their daughter. To make a long story short, the approval process was tough but worth it. They
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finally said yes after Myrna promised them that she would stay in school and finish Grade 13. Myrna was wearing my engagement ring while riding the school bus back and forth to Prince George as she finished Grade 13. Her father and I became the best of friends after he approved of our engagement. The rest is history.” Bob worked for Eagle Lake sawmills for three years. He went to work for the B.C. Forest Service for the next five years. He had a great boss, Frank Tannock who put him in charge of cruising and then keeping the books for the aircraft. His work took him to Valemount for two years. He said, “when we moved to Valemount, Myrna cried because she did not want to go; two years later when we were ready to move to Prince George in 1969, she cried because she wanted to stay there. “Valemount was exceptionally beautiful before they flooded the Canoe River in the late 60s to create the Kinbasket Lake reservoir for the Mica Dam. “We had to take the train in and out of Valemount for two years. It was a goat trail from Valemount to McBride. When we traveled to Prince George, we used to go from Valemount to Blue River and then on to Little Fort.” Bob always loved working in the bush. He worked for various Northwood contractors for the next five years bucking, falling trees and running skidders. He said, “I started my own company, RMTC&L Contracting and did renovations, siding, exterior finishing, roofing and subcontracting. Myrna was the bookkeeper. Our supplier of cedar shakes was John Schwitzer; he was a good man and a perfectionist and I valued his opinions. I built our own home in 1992 and then in 2015 I retired and closed the company.” Bob and Myrna have three children: Carrie (Eugene), Tanya (Perry) and Lisa (John). They have four wonderful grandchildren. Myrna was a stay-at-home mom until 1990. She did the books for the family business and for her church. She stayed current by taking business and income tax courses. When the children started to graduate from high school, she worked in the office for Energy Wise Distributors
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Myrna and Bob Krekoski in their home. The couple were married in 1966.
for about 18 years and retired in 2011. Together, Bob and Myrna have always been willing to give back to their community. They were one of the founding families of the Hartland Baptist Church, they taught Sunday school, assisted with the boys and girls club and served as board members for a grand total of over 45 years; this includes their volunteer work serving at Fort George Baptist and the Evangelical Free Church. Bob said, “we are thankful to God for His love, care and guidance through the years. Our church and our family have always been our priorities followed by my hobbies of fishing, hunting, placer mining and trapping.” Bob was a member of the Trappers Association for two years. Myrna enjoys many happy hours quilting, gardening and keeping fit. With a twinkle in his eye, Bob concluded by saying, “I miss the prairie sounds and smells but life in Prince George has been great. To quote author Louis L’amour when he spoke to his partner he said, ‘You’ll do to ride the river with’. Well, Myrna has been the best thing that ever happened to me and she has been my partner through it all.” ***
March birthdays that I know about: Caroline Nadalin, Frank Manfredi, Elaine Hughes, Lois Keim, Rita Sexsmith, Janice Arndt, Linda Meise, Frances Roch, Doreen Denicola, Kathleen Soltis, Julia Cook, Peggy Vogan, James Dow, Carol Anderson, Colin Arthurs, Eric Davidson, Rose Dorish, Gloria Sintich, Carl Wikjord, Ted Horvath, Ethel Drake, Joyce Bickford, Sandy Houston, Andrea McKenzie (Jr.), Rita Thibault, John Meyer, Esther Swanson, Jo-Ann Pickering, Betty Burbee, Lynn Kedl, Carolyn McGhee, Howard Lloyd, Mavis Bartell, Leonard Paquette, Anna Herbert, Liz Haley, Lil MacGillivray, Alzora Hick, Alice Olesen, Margaret Pearson, Reg Pointer, Betty Stock, Ernie Simpson, Robert Krekoski, Janet Dahlberg, Joan Fogarty, Ray Bouffard, Susan Hunter, Bettie Doherty, John Mcclelland, Carmand Wagner, Oj Regent, Lynda Harding, Sheila Hall, Don Hollis, Alan Dixon, Molly Eberle, Lydia Kral, Marvene Layte, Lorna Lang, Gil Rand, Hollis Wood and Sue Collison. *** Anniversaries: 62 years for Robert and Evelyn DuBois, 53 years for Bob and Myrna Krekoski and 40 years for Bill and Shirley Bond.
HEALTH
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SUPERFOODS NOT A CURE-ALL FOOD FOR THOUGHT
KELSEY LECKOVIC
Wednesday was Dietitians Day in Canada, a day when dietitians across the country help to promote our profession and our roles as experts in nutrition. While dietitians believe in the potential of food to promote healing, prevent chronic disease and improve health, we also understand that food is not a cure-all. The role of a dietitian often involves dispelling myths and clarifying misinformation. If you Google “health benefits” and any of the foods listed below, you’ll find a number of so-called proven benefits, making each and every one seem like the golden ticket to a healthy life. I’ve taken a look at the common claims associated with four trendy foods to find what’s based on evidence and what is, indeed, too good to be true: 1. COCONUT OIL
Coconut oil is advertised as having the ability to reduce cholesterol, aid in weight loss and kill viruses. Coconut oil is pushed as a healthy fat, however, there is evidence to the contrary. It has been shown to increase low density lipoprotein-C (LDL-C) levels (bad cholesterol), although not to the same extent as with butter, while also modestly increasing high density lipoprotein-C (HDL-C) levels (good cholesterol). The claims that it reduces total cholesterol have not been sufficiently proven. When it comes to aiding in weight loss,
data from small clinical studies suggests that coconut oil supplements taken with a low calorie diet may modestly decrease waist circumference in obese adults, but there is no effect on body mass index (BMI) or fat mass. Currently, there is not enough evidence to recommend coconut oil supplements to support weight loss or reduced fat mass in obese adults. In terms of preventing viral infections, coconut oil is unfortunately not the cure. There is extremely limited evidence to support these claims. While the benefits of coconut oil may be overstated, that doesn’t mean it can’t be part of a healthy diet. If you enjoy the taste of coconut oil, it can be used in small amounts, once in a while. Since there is not enough evidence to prove associated health benefits, it’s best to choose mostly heart healthy oils like canola and olive oils. As more research becomes available, a clearer picture on the healthiness of coconut oil will begin to come to light. 2. TURMERIC
Turmeric is used in curry powder, some mustards and as a coloring agent to turn butter, cheese and other foods yellow. It’s marketed as a potent antioxidant that can improve bone and joint health by reducing inflammation. Most clinical trials involving turmeric focus on the active component, curcumin, rather than on turmeric as a whole. Curcumin has been shown to interfere with pathways involved in inflammation, supporting it’s use as an anti-inflammatory agent. However, the medicinal use of curcumin is limited due to its low bioavailability when taken orally; meaning
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per teaspoon: 2,300 mg. Most adults don’t need more than 1,200-1,500 mg of sodium per day although the majority of us eat approximately 3,400 mg per day. Bottom line: If you prefer the taste of sea salt, then choose it for that reason. Sea salt is no healthier than table salt and should only be used in moderation for most adults.
Sea salt is promoted as a rich source of minerals and the healthy alternative to common table salt, capable of promoting brain, muscle and nervous system function. As advertised, sea salt contains calcium, magnesium, and potassium. While it is true these minerals play roles in brain, muscle and nervous system functioning, the amounts you would be ingesting in sea salt are so small, it’s almost not worth counting them towards your daily intake. For example, one teaspoon of sea salt contains approximately 0.5 milligrams (mg) of potassium, whereas a medium banana contains 422 mg of potassium. Considering the average adult requires approximately 4,700 mg of potassium per day, it’s safe to say that eating fresh fruits and vegetables will help you meet that requirement a lot faster than sea salt. Besides, the sodium content of any kind of salt should be the biggest health consideration when deciding whether or not to use it. A diet high in sodium can increase your risk of high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease and kidney disease. Whether it’s table, kosher, pickling or sea salt, there is no difference in how specific salts affect your health. All types of salt have the same amount of sodium
Many bloggers, Youtubers and nutrition-enthusiasts will tell you that acai is a superfood, rich in antioxidants which detoxify the body. While it is true that acai is a rich source of antioxidants, including vitamins A and C, and phytochemicals including anthocyanins and other flavonoids, which are associated with antioxidant activity, this claim is definitely overstating its benefits. Antioxidants protect your body’s cells from damage, which happens naturally as you age and when you are exposed to things like pollution or cigarette smoke. Cell damage can lead to diseases like heart disease and diabetes and a diet rich in antioxidants can help lower your risk of these diseases. To get the majority of the antioxidants from acai, it’s best to consume it in powder form or whole, with the pulp and skin included. While there is evidence to support the intake of antioxidants to help prevent cell damage, I can’t say that acai, or antioxidants in particular, detoxify the body. In fact, there is a lack of evidence to prove that any food can remove toxins and cleanse your system.
3. SEA SALT
4. ACAI
Kelsey Leckovic is a registered dietitian with Northern Health working in chronic disease management.
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LIBRARY FRIENDS HOSTING BOOK SALE 97/16 STAFF
97/16 photo by Brent Braaten
From left to right, Trudy Wall, Linda Hlina and Bob Hlina from Edward Jones donate $4,000 to Alex Schare, manager of the SPCA. The donation was on behalf of Coralie Tolley who died of cancer in 2017. Coralie was an avid lover of animals as she supported the SPCA often throughout her life. It was one of her many passions. Through the last 10 years of her life she had or boarded about a dozen cats. Coralie was with Edward Jones 17 years.
ARTISTS SOUGHT FOR 6X6 AUCTION Let’s have a small discussion about local art. Just a wee chat. The annual “Best Damn Little Art Auction” is just a little while away, with all its little works of creativity that make such big impressions. All these works are no larger than six inches by six inches, hence its nickname: the 6x6. The Community Arts Council holds this annual exhibition to give local artists an innovative way to market their work to the public, and to cross paths with one another. “It’s for well established artists and very new or developing artists to mix together in one event,” said Lisa Redpath, the CAC’s program manager. “There are some great names, some really highquality artists, who take part, and there is something so charming about and exciting about new artists, students, people who haven’t felt confident enough to become a commercial artist, to nonetheless feel they have a space here to participate and show their art and market it.”
Redpath remembers last year when she wasn’t immune to the emotion of the event, getting into a bidding war over the small painting of a cat done by Kyrija Schlitt. Redpath won the consumer battle that time, and Schlitt won the professionalism battle. She was an elementary school student who made a big sale. The CAC and the artist split the final sale price of each piece. If a piece does not sell, it is returned to the artist for their own future opportunities. Now in its eighth year, the 6x6 auction has been diversifying. Redpath said most submissions were painting and drawings in its first few editions but as the event became better known in the arts scene, it started to change. Another six-inch dimension was added. “The potters have certainly embraced this event,” she said. “They do tiles and sculptures. A lot can be done with clay inside a six-inch size limit. We have also seen growing participation from fibre artists, wood turners, metal artists, carvers and sculptors.” Each artist can submit as many as three
pieces to the 6x6 show. All submissions must be handed in April 16-18 at Studio 2880 between 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Each one needs the artist’s name on the back, and be ready for display. The show is a combination exhibition and auction on May 3 from 7-9 p.m. when the bidding closes. Tickets to attend are $10 each, available in advance at Studio 2880. The CAC enjoys moving the event around from year to year. It started out at Groop Gallery, then went to the Bob Harkins Branch of the Public Library, Omineca Arts Centre, Direct Art and now is back this year where it began. “We loved that we had the opportunity to come back full circle this year and have it at Groop Gallery once again,” said Redpath. “Moving it around allows us to really expand our network and keep everything fresh. Each one has its own energy.” Please email your submission interest to Manmeet at arts@studio2880.com. Six-inch by six-inch canvases and panels are available at Ridge Side Art.
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There’s no better place than the library to peruse books. Usually the tomes at the Prince George Public Library are there for temporary lending, but on April 5 and 6 there will be a different section to delve into, for a limited time only - the Take Me Home Forever section. Each year, the Friends Of The Prince George Public Library group holds two of the biggest book sales in the city to raise funds and draw in all the lovers of books. This is the spring edition. It doesn’t matter if you’re a poetry buff, a fiction fan, a biography nut, any kind of bibiliophile at all, there is something for everyone. “Browse hundreds of books, DVDs, music CDs, magazines and more at this twice-annual book sale,” said a statement from the organizers. April 5 is a members only preview but you can purchase a membership at the door for just $5 and get in for the early-bird session between 1-5 p.m. that Friday. The public gets to mass in the next day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. “All money raised by the Friends Of The Library supports Prince George Public Library programs and spaces,” the organizers said. The prices for these books and other materials are deeply discounted. Most items are gently used. Treasures abound and often the best purchases are the spontaneous finds that ignite the readership fires in a sudden flash of discovery. For more information, visit the Bob Harkins Branch downtown.
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COMING EVENTS THIS WEEK
sports wheelchairs is available. Everyone welcome. Free for NSC members and youth under 13 years or $6 drop-in rate for non-members. Call 250-613-5187.
Teen Tabletop Meet Up
Every Monday until May 27 from 4 to 5 p.m. at the Bob Harkins Branch, Prince George Public Library, 888 Canada Games Way, try your hand at a variety of tabletop games. All experience levels welcome. Bring your own decks for MtG, Pokemon or Yu-Gi-Oh. For 13 to 18 yrs. For more information call 250-563-9251 or email ask@pgpl.ca.
Conscious Dance
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Rated PG Northstars (white) take on MindFox (red) from Saskatoon during the final match of the 2018 Northern Exposure roller derby tournament.
Kinky Boots - The Musical
Friday at 8 p.m. at CN Centre, 2187 Ospika Blvd., winner of six 2013 Tony awards, including best musical, Kinky Boots features a Tony award-winning score by Cyndi Lauper, a book by Tony award-winner Harvey Fierstein, and direction and choreography by Tony award-winner Jerry Mitchell. Kinky Boots tells the uplifting and heartwarming tale of Charlie Price, a young man reluctantly taking over his family’s struggling shoe factory and looking for a fresh idea. Charlie meets and finds inspiration in Lola and together they discover that it takes a good friend to make a great pair. For tickets visit www.ticketsnorth.ca.
Subtotal @ Oakroom Grill
Friday at 7 p.m. at the Oakroom Grill, 104-1023 Central St. West, Roman Kozlowski, Mike Howe and Brad Martin will provide great tunes while guests enjoy dinner. There is a cover charge. Contact: 250-277-1882 | oakroomgrill@hotmail.com
Teen Fortnite Nerf Friday from 5:15 to 7 p.m. at the Bob Harkins Branch, Prince George Public Library, 888 Canada Games Way, dress up as your favourite Fortnite character and compete in the ultimate Nerf battle to see who will be the Victor Royale. For teens only. Call 250-563-9251 ext. 108 to register.
Colin James
Saturday from 7 to 11 p.m. at CN Centre, 2187 Ospika Blvd., Colin James, with special guests Barney Bentall, and Marty O’Reilly, presents his Miles To Go Tour. Tickets $49 and $59, plus s/c’s. GA - 19-years plus floor. All ages reserved seating in the bleachers. This is a Cariboo Rocks the North Warm Up Event where all ticket-buyers will be entered to win a pair of weekend passes to Cariboo Rocks the North 2019. Tickets are at www.ticketsnorth.ca.
Indoor Airsoft Game
Saturday from 6:30 to 10:45 p.m. at the Roll-a-Dome , 2588 Recplace Dr., indoor close quarters airsoft is a military simulation sport so expect adrenaline pumping, fast paced action. For more information contact 250-255-6637.
Roller Derby
Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Roll-a-Dome, 2588 Replace Dr., come cheer on the local roller derby team the Northstars as they take on the Fort St. James Killbillies. A thrilling event fun for the whole family. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door with proceeds going to support the Roll-a-Dome. Contact: ratedpgrollergirls@hotmail.com
REAPS Annual General Meeting
Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. Public Library , 888 Canada Games Way, REAPS annual general meeting will be held featuring guest speaker Rachael Ryder, waste diversion program leader with the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George. Everyone welcome. Contact: 250-5617327.
Scotch & Social
Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Theatre NorthWest, 36-556 N Nechako Rd., the Scotch and Social will once again be offered. It’s a chance to gather and taste unique high end scotch’s from around the world at the lounge lobby at Theatre NorthWest. Doors are open at 7. Tickets are $75 and include five tastings of rare, single malt scotches. All proceeds go to support Theatre North West’s upcoming season. 18+ event.Tickets at tickets. theatrenorthwest.com. Contact: 250614-0039 | foh@theatrenorthwest.com
Wheelchair Basketball
Every Monday until April 15 from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at Northern Sports Centre (NSC), 3333 University Way, P.G. LumberJacks wheelchair basketball is a Rec North drop-in program at the Northern Sports Centre. No experience is necessary and all equipment including
Tuesday from 6:15 to 8:15 p.m. at Omineca Arts Centre, 369 Victoria St., conscious dance/authentic movement for mental, physical, social, spiritual and cultural rebalancing for every body will be offered. This inclusive event is open and beneficial to every community member, including families and people with chronic disease and people who think they cannot dance. Bring a yoga mat or blanket, warm socks, water bottle, comfy clothes - whatever you like to wear and come as you are. This movement is about being non judgmental, about reconnecting with body, mind, community space through rhythm and music. Hosted by Sacredsouldance. Admission is by donation. For more information visit www.ominecaartscentre.com.
Wheelchair Rugby
Every Tuesday until May 28 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the College of New Caledonia , 3330 22 Ave., wheelchair rugby program runs weekly. No experience is necessary and all equipment including sports wheelchairs are available. Everyone welcome. BC Wheelchair Sports annual membership is $10. In this fullcontact sport, athletes play in tank-like wheelchairs and hit each others’ chairs in an attempt to carry a ball across the line. For more information call 250-649-9501 or email Northern@bcwheelchairsports. com.
Tea n’ Beads n’ Bannock
Wednesday from 7 to 10 p.m. at Omineca Arts Centre, 369 Victoria St., there is a community beading circle hosted by Lynette La Fontaine, a Metis artist who blends traditional art and teachings with contemporary flair in the form of acrylic paintings and beadwork. Learn by watching, asking and doing. This is not a class, but a place to bring beading projects and sit together to inspire, connect and learn from one another. Anyone with an interest is welcome. Admission is by donation. For more information visit www.ominecaartscentre.com.
Breakfast with Rex Murphy May 7, 2019 | Prince George, BC | 7:00 AM - 8:45 AM Join us for an informative discussion with the incomparable, insightful, and hilarious Rex Murphy, a CBC and National Post commentator and stalwart supporter of construction and responsible resource development.
Register at icba.ca/rex-in-pg
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AREA SINGER RELEASES HUMBOLDT TRIBUTE FRANK PEEBLES 97/16 staff
The minor hockey season is coming to an end. In junior hockey, the playoffs are underway. In the NHL, the final push is on before the second season for the Stanley Cup. Now, as the spring air is warming but the roads are still icy, and hockey is at its most meaningful across the Canadian landscape, was when Mark Perry wanted to offer his musical salute to all those young men and women, and all their families and loved ones, who travel for this sport, this cultural touchstone. And he wanted to take a knee in honour of the Humbolt Broncos. “Like so many Canadians, I was heartbroken,” said the veteran Bulkley Valley
singer-songwriter. “Years ago I played hockey with guys from the Moosejaw Warriors, Saskatoon Blades and Humboldt Broncos, among others. I played as a kid along with my four brothers. My son played hockey. I coached a lot of teens. Everything felt really close to home. We’re all grieving for those families.” The song is called Cold Road and came out of an emotional punch in the gut Perry felt as soon as he heard the news of the Humboldt bus crash and immediately recalled the miles of highway he once travelled in just that way, and his own family’s sports travel. Almost every Canadian could feel a bit of themselves inside that incident. Perry said he “felt numb” and went out to the shed, his creative space behind the house in Smithers, “to deal.”
He started meandering around on the guitar and the imagined highways under the wheels of every sports team Canada has ever known. “I have played Cold Road live in Calgary, Toronto and Montreal this year and the response has been a little emotional,” he said. “Hockey is so much a part of our fabric here in Canada. People relate to following that dream of making it to the NHL.” The whole hockey world, from Victoria to Vladivostok, is aware of the crushing tragedy on the frozen Saskatchewan highway on April 6, 2018. It killed 16 players, coaches and team staff plus injured 13 more and traumatized untold numbers. Perry has 12 albums to his well known troubadour name, but he did not rush to record Cold Road. Something about
the gravity of it held him back. But he received so much encouragement out of his concert performances that it became clear to him he should set it free into the wide world. He had to get it right. Perry was already a pro at the story-song and photographic music. This song carried more weight than any he’d written in the past. To backstop the recording process he called on Yukon producer and sound artist Jordy Walker. For musical collaboration he brought in some trusted friends like Tobin Frank of Spirit of the West, Smither-Toronto rising star Mip, Mark Thibeault from the band Hungry Hill and Ian Olmstead from the Alex Cuba Band. Cold Road was released Monday. You can find it then on the Roots Music Canada website (www.rootsmusic.ca).
Permafrost is a word most people associate with the Arctic, but a new study by Geoscience BC acknowledges that it reaches into northern B.C. as well. Geoscience BC funded the Cold Regions Research Centre at Wilfrid Laurier University as part of the Consortium for Permafrost Ecosystems in Transition (CPET), to examine how thawing permafrost – layers of ground just below the surface that remain frozen for more than two years – affects the hydrology and land cover of these sensitive environments. That study traced a line from the Northwest Territories to the northeastern regions of our province.
“Northeastern BC is the front lines of permafrost thaw,” said William L. Quinton, director of Laurier’s Cold Regions Research Centre. “It is a place where permafrost thaw means permafrost disappears, and the ecosystems that were supported by permafrost change.” Researchers studied landscape changes and took water measurements at 10 key subarctic boreal sites along a 200 km north-south line proposed by CPET from south of Fort Simpson to the far northeast corner of BC. “Permafrost-induced changes to ecosystems and land-covers bring about changes in the way that water moves and is stored
on the landscape,” said Quinton. “We have found that permafrost can impound water like a dam, so when permafrost thaws, the landscape upslope can start to drain and generate runoff which can raise the flow in streams and rivers.” Geoscience BC executive vice-president and chief scientific officer, Carlos Salas, said, “Permafrost thaw ultimately results in drying of wetlands in this region. Understanding the water balance in this region of BC is critical to making decisions about water management by communities and industry. This research provides unbiased earth science information to inform responsible natural resource management
in this fragile, changing landscape.” The detailed study is available in its entirety using Geoscience BC’s online Earth Science Viewer available at their website. The implications of permafrost thaw will become part of the conversation between various levels of government, First Nations communities, local towns and regional districts, and the various industrial stakeholders directly involved on the land where permafrost exists now but soon will not - operators like farmers, foresters, miners, oil and gas proponents, tourism operators and others that will have to calculate the cost and viability of changing as the land and water changes.
PERMAFROST STUDY RESULTS RELEASED
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COMEDY WRAPS UP TNW SEASON FRANK PEEBLES 97/16 staff
If you think your family is weird, you should Meet My Sister at Theatre NorthWest. The final mainstage play of the TNW season opens March 28 and it is an allCanadian comedy about family dynamics. It is also a world premiere. TNW’s artistic director Jack Grinhaus described the play as a “laugh-out-loud comedy that goes right for the gut and has a surprise twist ending you’ll be laughing about for days to come.” It was written by Bonnie Green and developed for the stage by the combined forces of TNW and their buddy organization Western Canada Theatre in Kamloops. The two companies are sharing this first showing of this new original work. “Because we worked together, it allows regional professional theatre companies like ours to do something big like a world premier,” Grinhaus said. “I know without doubt that this play is going to become one of the standard comedies of our country, it is a Canadian classic in the making, and our audiences in Kamloops and Prince George get to see it first.” In the story, two sisters, Stella and Blanche, one from Northern BC and the
other from Northern Ontario, try in vain to get their mother to come out of her locked home, which has been sold. She has to move into a seniors residence that day, but mom is refusing to cooperate with the two sisters. The only characters the audience sees are the two grownup girls, but there is a third presence. Mom’s voice is sometimes heard, and Grinhaus was as excited about that disembodied voice as about the seen actors or the script itself. “Mom is played by Martha Henry, probably the greatest female actor in the history of Stratford. She’s the grande dame of the Stratford Festival,” he said, thrilled that she would do the recordings of the lines that get said from within the disputed house. “This mellifluous voice coming from off-stage is this icon of Canadian theatre.” Mom tosses Tim Hortons cups out the window, hilariously scolds the girls outside and leave them out in the driveway wondering how to get her out, who mom really loves best, and who the heck this person named Sly might be that mom keeps talking about all of a sudden. Meet My Sister opens March 28 and runs to April 17. Tickets are on sale now via the Theatre NorthWest website.
PUBLIC SERVICE SHOULDN’T BE BEHIND BULLETPROOF GLASS THINKING ALOUD TRUDY KLASSEN
Walking into a public service agency and seeing warning signs against abusive behavior and finding bulletproof glass between yourself, the client, and the service provider does not send a friendly message. It doesn’t jive well with the message of “we are public servants” and it doesn’t square with politicians who declare that government exists to serve the people. So why the warnings and the bulletproof glass? My guess is that they are legitimately needed and have not been put there without due consideration. What’s up? It is obvious that something has gone wrong in a “civil” society when those that deliver public services are under threat of violence from those they serve, that pay their salary. Is the problem a disconnect between what our service agencies can provide and what the general public have been told to expect? Have we, the general population, become so dependent on public services that we think they can and should meet our every expected need?
Have our service agencies over time forgotten their raison de’être and become little kingdoms that exist to serve their own careers or for the sake of seeking to be the best employer”and at the expense of the public they are meant to serve, so the modus operandi is to talk down to those who would dare question their decisions, which insults the intelligence of everyone who comes for assistance for anything? Have we outstripped our ability to pay for government services but our political leaders don’t want to lose face by closing them down, so instead, they severely restrict their mandate or ability to actually provide a service to keep costs low? Do we have no political will to streamline our services to avoid duplication and the inevitable circumlocution office experience of trying to find the correct government agency to help us? After a meeting with a local official, I asked when I could expect a response and the room immediately got very chilly. What happened? Apparently, I had broken a rule I didn’t know existed: don’t expect an official to actually do something. Now, that is a problem, not just for me but for all of us. We are in this together and if that is the kind of public service we deliver, how can we expect things to improve and get rid of the protective glass? No solutions from me today, just questions.
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LOWER MAINLAND TRIP REPLACES SNOW WITH RAIN HOME AGAIN MEGAN KUKLIS
We are actually leaving town. We are going on a short excursion to the Lower Mainland, Langley to be exact, to visit family and friends over an extended long weekend during spring break. It is raining in Vancouver and although I do not relish the thought of spending four days being soggy, I am looking forward to not seeing snowbanks of barely-melted dirty snow. Bring on the puddles of dirty coastal water, instead. The kids are getting older and are less than enthusiastic about spending the entire trip “visiting,” so we decided that
we would be proactive and actually plan outings before we are in town. I looked up Broadway shows and to our utter disinterest, the only show that was playing was Come From Away which we have no interest in seeing and was sold out regardless. We wanted to see if we could take advantage of being in the big city and see something that we would not normally get a chance to see. However, it is spring break in Vancouver too and nothing is going on. No symphonies, no theatre, not even a hockey game (I admit I was excited there wasn’t a hockey game). We went to Telus Science World last time we were in town and Stanley Park and the various quays around the area. I thought that it might be a good idea to go to the Capilano Suspension Bridge as a fun thing to do. I checked online to see what the prices were like and was horrified to discover that they are charg-
ing $47 per adult and $15 a child. For a mere $125.00 plus taxes, you and your family can walk across a sketchy bridge – in the rain. No thank you, crazy Vancouver prices. No thank you. We will instead go to the much more affordable (free) Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge in the rain. If I am going to be walking in the rain, I do not want to pay for the pleasure. A few years ago, we visited the Greater Vancouver Zoo in Aldergrove with the kids but they were young and more interested in the playground at the entrance. My husband and I enjoyed looking at the animals and displays – until we got to the North American Wilds display, or, as we like to refer to it, Megan and Will’s backyard. Step right up, Vancouverites and pay an extraordinarily-high admission fee to our backyard of wonder. Moose, birds,
deer, the occasional stray cat and bears that eat your compost and drag your garbage up the hill into the bush where you have to clean it up in the spring. Sometimes my brother will come over and you will be able to see a large Mastiff, drooling, in his natural habitat – standing at the patio door looking sad until someone lets him in. For a mere $40, you can come to our backyard and look at birch trees, pine trees, some other trees that I don’t know the names of, thimbleberry bushes and wild blueberry patches. If you really want to experience the hippie wilds, we might even be able to find some chaga for you although I don’t know why people want to drink warty tree fungus. This might end up being quite a good racket. We are looking forward to going on a trip but it will be good to come home, too.
WOMEN STEPPING UP IN LEADERSHIP ROLES LESSONS IN LEARNING GERRY CHIDIAC
Angela Merkel has announced that this will be her last term as German Chancellor. This has created some concern, as many credit her with navigating her country, the European Union, and even the global community, through a plethora of stormy waters in recent years. When we look around the world,
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however, we see that there is no reason to fear. Numerous politicians of tremendous integrity are stepping forward. What is striking is how many of these leaders are women. Though Elizabeth May remains the only Green Party Member of Parliament, non-partisan Canadians tend to trust her word above all others with regard to happenings in government. It is interesting to note as well that in 2015, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau purposely chose a significant number of women to form his cabinet. Is it a coincidence that among them are the very people who have put their own careers on the line by questioning the ethics of his administration? The recent midterm congressional elections in the United States also unleashed the power of women of integrity in American politics. The combined number of women now serving in both houses of Congress is 127, the highest in history. Of the 116 recently elected, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been the most visible, however, she is not the only person challenging the status quo. Other new members of the legislature include the first two Muslim women ever elected to Congress, Indigenous women and representatives of other significant minority groups. The vast majority of American citizens have watched their democratic rights diminish over the last several decades by the influence of corporatist lobbyists who pay for “their guy” to get elected, as well as by their own increasing political apathy. These new congressional representatives, however, are stepping forward and saying, “enough is enough! This is a democracy, of the people, by the people and for the people, and our government is failing us. We need to make changes.” At the same time, they are empowering the common person to take part in the political process. What is also incredibly hopeful is the similarity in background of many of the new congressional representatives. A significant number are relatively young women from immigrant backgrounds
and seem to have come from nowhere in the last years to take their places in one of the most powerful and influential lawmaking bodies in the world. The fact of the matter is they did not come out of nowhere and that is what is most encouraging. These women have a history of grassroots social activism and community involvement. Ocasio-Cortez sparked tremendous hope and interest due to the uniqueness of her story. As a young bartender of limited means, she was able to not only win the Democratic nomination for her constituency in New York City, she was able to defeat Joe Crowly, one of the most powerful Democrats in the House of Representatives, in doing so. Her approach required limited financial investment and relied on a message of empowerment to previously disempowered citizens. Of course, it is not only women who are capable of leading with integrity and it is not only the young who have the courage to stand up to corruption. Every citizen, whether elected or not, has the responsibility of holding their government accountable. It is, however, encouraging and inspiring to see women take on these roles in our legislatures. The Year of the Woman was 2018, and it has been a year of significant change. The truth of the matter, however, is that those who put themselves on the line to be champions of integrity deserve our support, and they call on all of us as well to be active citizens and do the right thing. 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 SEE FEATURE ON ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ ON PAGE 16.
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This is the front page of the Wednesday, March 19, 1919 edition of the Prince George Citizen. The Citizen archives are available at the Prince George Library’s website at pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca
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AMERICA’S TURN FOR SUGAR SAMMY
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After conquering Quebec, Canada and France, comedian Sugar Sammy has taken his cultural observations south of the border. ing through that, there was no way it wouldn’t colour my comedy,” he says. “It shapes my point of view.” The comedian, with a stage name he picked up from his university days, grew up in Notre-Dame-de-Grace, a predominantly English-speaking part of Montreal. He also performs in Hindi and Punjabi, which he spoke at home with Indian immigrant parents. And he learned French in school. In Quebec, children of immigrants are required to attend French-only schools. He started out performing mostly in English. But then he decided to do French-only shows, as Paul Ronca, a Just For Laughs director who owned a comedy club when he met Khullar, recalled to Canada’s W5. “When Sammy approached me and was like, ‘I want to do it in French,’ I said, ‘Wait a minute: you’re an Anglo-Indian guy from NDG. There’s no way you’re going to pull this off,’” Ronca said. “I’ve seen so many who speak French have a hard time doing this.” Ronca added: “I think he’s more fear-
less than most.” Khullar saw an opportunity to do something other comics weren’t doing: perform a thoroughly bilingual set. He and many others in Montreal live in both worlds and have a sense of “dual” citizenship, he says, despite the separate English and French entertainment industries. “If I look around me, in my neighborhood and in the city, there are a lot of people like me, but we didn’t see that representation on television or in pop culture,” he says. His approach touched off provincewide debates, such as after his 2014 ad campaign with English-only billboards promoting shows. They read, “For Christmas, I’d like a complaint from the Office de la langue française,” referring to the entity that enforces Quebec’s strict rules for upholding French as the dominant language, including French requirements for signs. The text was later blacked out, and replaced with French text that read, “For Christmas, I got a complaint from the Office de la langue française.” Some political commentators have accused Khullar of desecrating the French
language. His critiques also provoked a death threat before a 2014 show from someone who called the comic a “federal clown.” For the most part, Khullar says, his audiences can take the jokes aimed at their way of life because he’s always been viewed as an outsider, even in Canada. He was an outsider entering the French Quebec circuit, and in the rest of the country, “it’s like, ‘Oh it’s that guy from Quebec.’” He touches on race, relationships and politics, with a penchant for crowd-work that he weaves throughout his act. He takes a make-fun-of-everyone approach, calling out people in the crowd to cheer if they belong to an identity he’s joking about, whether its white people, Arabs or fellow Indo-Canadians. In France, he joked, “I love France. You guys are my favorite Arab country.” In Quebec, he asked the Quebecois to cheer and told them: “you guys got your own little section over there. Are you happy with where you’re sitting or do you want to separate?”
PHOTO: JOAN MARCUS.
Canadian comedian Sugar Sammy is trying to describe how he can move to a new country and figure out enough of the local quirks to poke fun at them. “The French will say, ‘How do you know us so well?’” he says in an interview in Washington, D.C. “I’m like, ‘Because I’ve watched you, I have listened to you. I’ve been, I’ve been...” and he pauses. The Montreal-born comedian performs in four languages and currently he cannot summon the English word for what he wants to express. “That’s the only drawback of being bilingual: Sometimes you’ve got to look for the word if it comes to you in French first.” He thinks aloud - victim? suffer? - then resorts to his iPhone before it finally comes to him: “subjected!” “I have observed, I’ve listened and I have been subjected to you for the last two years,” he continues, “so that creates something that’s not going to go unnoticed.” That sense of observation and lingual dexterity has allowed Sugar Sammy whose real name is Samir Khullar - to perform in far-flung places, including South Africa, India and France, where he lives part-time and serves as a judge on their version of America’s Got Talent. And after packing massive venues in Canada and getting plenty of buzz in France, he plans to tour every year in what he calls “the Mecca and the birthplace of standup”: the United States. “My comedy comes from a place of fascination and love,” he says. “At the same time, it’s a roast. It’s a cultural roast.” You would think going to foreign countries and making fun of the people there would be somewhat terrifying, but Khullar has long been a provocateur. Starting in 2012, he toured Quebec with You’re Gonna Rire, the province’s first large-scale bilingual comedy show, which used both English and French. In 2016, a reported 115,000 people attended the last performance, a free Just For Laughs outdoor show. The show’s popularity was a big deal for a place with deep divisions over cultural and linguistic identity. His ire is especially sharp when aimed at those in Quebec who want sovereignty. In 1995, a hotly contested referendum to proclaim sovereignty from the rest of Canada was narrowly defeated. Premier Jacques Parizeau blamed its failure on the wealthy and “the ethnic vote.” Khullar was 19 at the time and had just started to perform comedy. “A lot of things were said, and a lot of things were put out there, and go-
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NEW RESEARCH FUELS DEBATE OVER EGGS 97/16 WIRE SERVICE
The latest U.S. research on eggs won’t go over easy for those who can’t eat breakfast without them. Adults who ate about one-and-a-half eggs daily had a slightly higher risk of heart disease than those who ate no eggs. The study showed the more eggs, the greater the risk. The chances of dying early were also elevated. The researchers say the culprit is cholesterol, found in egg yolks and other foods, including shellfish, dairy products and red meat. The study focused on eggs because they’re among the most commonly eaten cholesterol-rich foods. They can still be part of a healthy diet, but in smaller quantities than many people have gotten used to, the researchers say. Dietary guidelines that eased limits on cholesterol have helped eggs make a comeback. The study has limitations and contradicts recent research, but is likely to rekindle the long-standing debate about eggs. The new results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine and elsewhere pooled results from six previous studies, analyzing data on almost 30,000 U.S. adults who self-reported daily food intake. Participants were followed for roughly 17 years, on average. The researchers calculated that those who ate 300 milligrams of cholesterol daily - about one-and-a-half eggs - were 17 per cent more likely to develop heart disease than whose who didn’t eat eggs. The researchers based their conclusions on what participants said they ate at the start of each study. They took into account high blood pressure, smoking, obesity and other traits that could contribute to heart problems. Risks were found with eggs and cholesterol in general; a separate analysis was not done for every cholesterol-rich food. Dr. Bruce Lee of Johns Hopkins Universit, said nutrition studies are often weak because they rely on people remembering what they ate. “We know that dietary recall can be terrible,” said Lee. The new study offers only observational data but doesn’t show that eggs and cholesterol caused heart disease and deaths, said Lee, who wasn’t involved in the research. Senior author Norrina Allen, a preventive medicine specialist, noted that the
study lacks information on whether participants ate eggs hard-boiled, poached, fried, or scrambled in butter, which she said could affect health risks. Some people think ‘“I can eat as many eggs as I want”’ but the results suggest moderation is a better approach, she said. Eggs are a leading source of dietary cholesterol, which once was thought to be strongly related to blood cholesterol levels and heart disease. Older studies suggesting that link led to nutrition guidelines almost a decade ago that recommended consuming no more than 300 milligrams of cholesterol daily; one egg contains about 186 milligrams. Newer research questioned that relationship, finding that saturated fats contribute more to unhealthy levels of blood cholesterol that can lead to heart problems. The latest American nutrition guidelines, from 2015, removed the strict daily cholesterol limit. While eating as little cholesterol as possible is still advised, the recommendations say eggs can still be part of a healthy diet, as a good source of protein, along with lean meat, poultry, beans and nuts. Nutrition experts say the new study is unlikely to change that advice. Dr. Frank Hu of Harvard University noted that most previous studies have shown that eating a few eggs weekly is not linked with risks for heart disease in generally healthy people. “I don’t think that this study would change general healthy eating guidelines” that emphasize fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and beans and limiting processed meats and sugar, Hu said. Eggs, a breakfast staple for many, can be included but other options should also be considered, “like whole grain toast with nut butter, fresh fruits and yogurt,” Hu said. Dr. Rosalind Coleman, a professor of nutrition and pediatrics at the University of North Carolina, offered broader advice. “The main message for the public is not to select a single type of food as ‘bad’ or ‘good’ but to evaluate your total diet in terms of variety and amount. “I’m sorry if it seems like a boring recommendation,” she added, but for most people, the most important diet advice “should be to maintain a healthy weight, to exercise, and to get an adequate amount of sleep.”
MAKING IT RIGHT The contact number for Deborah Miller, the facilitator of the support group in Prince George for the ALS Society of B.C., is 250-280-4742. An incorrect phone number was provided in last week’s 97/16.
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STUDENTS STUDYING STAND-UP 97/16 WIRE SERVICE
Jesse Huang took a deep breath, holding his hands over his eyes. Then, too nervous to sit still, he jumped up and danced through a row of auditorium seats. Within the hour, hundreds of Johns Hopkins University students would be crowding in, filling all the seats, sitting in the aisles and leaning against the walls to watch him and his classmates take a shot at stand-up comedy. Isaac Bernstein sat with his head down and his ear buds in, trying to stave off panic. A computer-science major was practicing his routine by talking into a Snapple bottle as though it were a mic, reciting poetry with a thick Irish brogue. A pre-med student paced at the front of the room, gesturing and muttering jokes about his dad who never learned to swim in India. You’re not drowning. The water’s only three feet deep. Stand up! This is the 15th year Adam Ruben has brought stand-up comedy to campus. It’s the quintessential winter-session class at Johns Hopkins: for three weeks, students step away from the intensity of their academic majors, forget about their grade-point averages and take a class for the sheer joy of it. The stakes are incredibly low - the grading is pass-fail and most of the class time is spent listening to jokes. And yet for some, this class will present by far the most daunting challenge of their academic career. At the end of three weeks, each student will take the spotlight in front of hundreds, perhaps 1,000 people, grab the microphone and try to make the crowd laugh. “This is scary,” said Charlie Linton, a
senior. The very real possibility of absolute failure in the show swiftly forged a closeness inthe class as they practiced. “We’re a bunch of Hopkins nerds who want to do well in this show,” he said. They’re incredibly different from one another, with such a range of ethnicities, interests, personalities and reasons for being there that, yes, they suggest the setup for a joke, if they all were to walk into a bar. Maybe because of that range, the class strikes deeply at some of the most difficult issues on college campuses today. While some professional comedians have said colleges can be too politically correct for stand-up shows, these students didn’t shy away from incendiary issues. Many of their jokes homed in on the kinds of identity issues that are both defining and polarizing. They took on religion, culture, sexuality, race. Akshat Gupta, a student from India, talked about bumbling through American idioms, unsure of what people were really saying. A bipolar student made jokes about his diagnosis, a public-health major from New Mexico laughed about her overly demanding Asian mother, a senior revealed he had just changed his name and his gender. The students have little in common except the intellect and work ethic that got them into Hopkins. Most say their friends would not describe them as funny. “They say I’m very serious,” Bernstein said. “Too serious, sometimes.” They had three weeks to prepare. Four minutes to be funny. Ruben started the stand-up comedy
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Johns Hopkins student Collete Chang performs her stand-up set on Jan. 25, part of the comedy class’s publicly staged final project. class - teaching this perhaps unteachable thing, how to be funny - when he was a graduate student studying molecular biology at Hopkins. “I think it’s essential,” he said of comedy. Even as a child, he found humour a particularly effective and memorable way to communicate ideas. Instead of writing book reports in elementary school, he made up videos or game shows to present in class. It was easier than talking to other kids at lunch. Now, he’s on TV and writes books and a regular humor column for the journal Science. He does stand-up - when he’s not at work, most recently helping develop a vaccine for malaria. (Seriously.) In class, Ruben shows clips of professional comedians and talks about the structure and mechanics of a successful routine. They analyze flops. Students answer questions designed to prompt thinking about possible material. Then, they have to test their jokes. “You show up and there’s a microphone in the middle of the room,” said Luke Sand, a former student who upended his academic major and his career path which has included working for Saturday Night Live and writing for a TV series after taking the class. “To make 13 people laugh who are nervous about presenting their own work - it’s basically impossible,” Sand said. The idea of doing terribly in class is just about everyone’s worst nightmare at the school. But to do stand-up well requires the will to withstand an unresponsive crowd, the self-awareness to recognize when jokes aren’t working. “An opportunity to fail,” Sand said, “is the most important thing.” In the final week before the performance, Ruben told his students in his classroom, “there are 72 hours before the show.” When some cried out in alarm, he pretended to be reassuring. “Well, 72 hours and 20 minutes.” Most people tried to avoid Ruben’s gaze when he asked for volunteers to deliver their routines to their classmates. Bernstein - who first signed up for the class as a freshman because one of his goals in college was to be less socially awkward - asked to go early, before stage fright destroyed him. Many of his classmates’ hands were shaking as they reached for the mic. Ruben had told them all to be support-
ive, and kind, to one another, but that the feedback should be 90 per cent criticism and 10 per cent praise. It’s the criticism, he said, that will help you improve. “I think you’ve got about 75 per cent of two different jokes, and you need to finish them,” Ruben told an economics major. He checked the stopwatch on his phone after another routine and told the student it had taken five minutes and 30 seconds. “I think you can cut everything you have down to two minutes. Be ruthless.” He noted that white people and premeds were themes for jokes this year. He encouraged a student to amplify her chipmunk noises when she was describing a particularly large gathering of chipmunks. He doesn’t tell them to avoid sensitive topics or language, just lets them know the risks - offending people, distracting attention from the joke. Most of all, he repeated the advice he gave to Linton: “a lot of these jokes, bring it down to one line. Be brutal.” The last student reluctantly crept to the front of the room, put his black Moleskine notebook on the table, pulled the mic off the stand. It was Huang, a freshman biophysics major from Chicago. “Being Asian is weird, regardless of what type you are,” he said. Sixty-eight hours to go. On Friday night - THE Friday night - as his class was melting down in the final minutes before the show, Ruben reminded them to hold the mic close, to look at the audience, to stay near the front. “Have fun,” he told them, then said it into the mic in an amplified, stand-upcomedian voice that made them laugh: “Have fun.” Four classmates hugged. Huang hopped up and down. A sophomore from Texas changed from sneakers into strappy heels. A few minutes after 8 p.m., the lights dimmed in the packed auditorium. Ruben introduced the show with some jokes, making fun of the school’s intimidating mascot, a blue jay: watch out, we might tip our heads to the side and chirp pleasantly. Bernstein, who found the class so valuable as a freshman that he returned this year as a teaching assistant, took on fraternity parties at Hopkins, where people are even competitive about beer pong. He pretended to quickly scrawl, on the blackboard behind him, a formula for the optimal parabolic trajectory of the ball. Continued on page 15
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FACING FEARS IN FRONT OF A CROWD Continued from page 14
Linton told the crowd he was a senior, transgender and had just fully come out over winter break. He described people on the liberal campus apologizing excessively when they assumed he was a woman and said people are so supportive that if he complained about waiting in line in the bagel shop by calling it transphobic, at least one person would nervously agree with him. The crowd was applauding loudly, laughing, as he stepped out of the light with a flushed face. His classmates stretched out hands to give him highfives. There were jokes that didn’t land especially some that were graphic. There were cringes. There were moments when the crowd went quiet. Oppressively quiet. But more often, the audience seemed delighted to laugh at things they don’t usually laugh at. Like Jared Dallas’ intro. He strode onto the stage area and yelled, “Hi! I am an Orthodox Jew!” He pumped his arms in the air. “Yeah!” When a math major acted out a manic episode, with the voice in his head pumping him up to go to another city… on foot… the audience laughed and applauded loudly. Usman Enam, a molecular biology major from Pakistan, said, “I’m brown.” Pause. “I’m Muslim.” Pause. “I culturally identify as a terrorist.” The crowd
97/16 news service photo
Johns Hopkins student Amani Nelson performs during the class’s final presentation on Jan. 25. The students had three weeks to prepare. cracked up. Morgan Ome made fun of her first trip to the counseling centre, with its emoji pillows, to ask about handling stress, and her anxious fumbling for the Hopkins-perfect answer when the
counselor asked, “which parts of your identity would you like to bring forward today?” When Akshat Gupta described what it’s like to come here from India and try to communicate with Americans,
the crowd was laughing so hard that by the time he asked if they’d been to Walmart, they burst into expectant applause. Comedy is an abstract art form, Bernstein said, driven by whatever the audience at the moment happens to find funny. That could be some mix of culture, personality, the vibe in the room, the news cycle, who knows. “Like dark humor,” he said. “One person will laugh. Another will slap you.” But few art forms offer such a direct connection with the audience. A ballerina can land a perfect grand jeté without hearing more than the soft thump of toe shoes on the stage, but a comedian will face pure delight - or hostility. At the end of the show, Ruben summoned his students back to the spotlight, and they held one another close, beaming, as the crowd cheered. “We did it!” Huang said, with disbelief. Gupta - who is here to pursue graduate studies in physics and had never heard of stand-up comedy until two years ago - was euphoric: he has found a way to bypass the idioms, the customs, the differences, an entirely new way to communicate ideas. It was - yes - ridiculous. And, for a moment at least, everyone was laughing
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MEET THE YOUNG, FEMALE ANTI-TRUMP
Believe it or not, there are other members of Congress besides Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. You wouldn’t know that by how the freshman Democrat from New York has become a media fixation like no other politician since President Donald Trump. She’s been a cover subject in both New York tabloids, a punchline on Saturday Night Live, the target of a Washington Post investigation and depicted as a hamburglar at a conservative conference – and that’s only this month so far. Earlier this month, she was featured at the trendy South by Southwest conference, where science guy Bill Nye offered a surprise endorsement of her environmental plans. Boldness, youth and an embrace of social media have made AOC - the shorthand is already widely known - a hero to the left, a villain to the right and irresistible to journalists. “She is the political mirror image of Donald Trump,” said Frank Sesno, director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University and a former CNN Washington bureau chief. “He’s old, she’s young. He’s far right, she’s far left. What they share is a takeno-prisoners, no-holds-barred approach to politics, and their rhetoric is the brash, sometimes profane rhetoric of our socialmedia-driven times.” Moving into a presidential primary campaign where a defining issue will be how far left the Democrats want to move, AOC has become a symbol for the party’s progressive wing even though, at 29, she’s too young to run herself.
97/16 news service photo
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York listens to a response to her question of Michael Cohen, U.S. President Donald Trump’s former lawyer. Her status is evident on social media. During the second half of February, the hashtag #AOC was mentioned 3.64 million times on Twitter. That was more than the hashtags for the two congressional leaders, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (1.22 million) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (696,000) combined. Since she took office, stories about AOC have averaged about 2,200 likes, shares or comments on Facebook, according to the social media analytics company NewsWhip. That’s more than double the typical
interactions on Pelosi articles. No other Democrats came closer. With such metrics, news stories are certain to follow. There have been many, ranging from the Washington Post’s look at whether questionable financial practices of Ocasio-Cortez’s congressional chief of staff clash with his boss’ view on money in politics, to a Daily Mail reporter tracking down her mother and discovering - surprise! - she’d like to see her daughter get married. AOC frequently uses social media to counter stories. When a dance video she made with friends in college circulated, she combined video of a brief twirl outside her office with the message: “If Republicans thought women dancing in college is scandalous, wait ‘til they find out women dance in Congress, too.” After the New York Post suggested AOC, chief proponent of “Green New Deal” legislation, might be hypocritical for riding in gas-guzzling cars, she noted that she also uses airplanes and air conditioners. “Living in the world as it is isn’t an argument against working toward a better future,” she tweeted. “She understood how to use social media in a way that is incredibly effective, both to speak to constituents and other people in power with a truly authentic voice,” said veteran news executive Kate O’Brian. AOC’s defeat of powerful Rep. Joseph Crowley in a primary led many young Democrats to embrace her as an underdog. That’s also perfect for Republicans who like to portray more extreme elements as typical of the Democratic party,
Sesno said. The GOP is increasingly dominated by older, white men, and here’s an outspoken, young Latina woman from the heathen environs of New York City. “This idea of making her the face of the Democratic party hits a lot of boxes for them,” said Nicole Hemmer, author of Messengers of the Right, about the conservative media’s impact on politics. “She is young, a symbol of the party moving to the left, and she isn’t afraid of the word socialism.” In January, Fox News Channel’s primetime hosts Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham did 27 segments focusing on the freshman Democrat. There were none on McConnell, according to the liberal watchdog Media Matters. “It’s not a mystery,” said Tim Graham of the conservative Media Research Center. “AOC is a machine of silly things she says, gaffes and extreme statements, and the impression she gives is amateurism. The same thing that is her appeal is also her downside. She was a bartender.” Her opponents have also been guilty of overreach, such as when a quickly disproven photo was spread online purporting to be a nudie selfie. Conservative activist Sebastian Gorka claimed of AOC’s environmental legislation, “they want to take away your hamburgers.” Ocasio-Cortez told The New Yorker magazine that the “ravenous hysteria” about her is getting out of control. “It feels like an extra job,” she said. “I’ve got a full-time job in Congress and then I moonlight as America’s greatest villain, or as the new hope. And it’s pretty tiring. I’m just a normal person.”
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© 2019 by Vicki Whiting, Editor Jeff Schinkel, Graphics Vol. 35, No. 15
How many basketballs can you find on this page in two minutes? Now have a friend try. Who found more? Replace the missing words. Read the history of basketball. Then number these pictures in the correct order.
An Ancient Game
Long, long ago, around 1400 B.C., the __________ of Mexico played a game in which they moved a ball down a long narrow court and with the goal of getting it _____________ a stone hoop. Only players didn’t pass the ball with their ___________, they sometimes used their hips!
and had students ___________ a soccer ball up and down the _______ and try to shoot it into the peach baskets.
tion games. The Globetrotters bekame so good that no
Joe Fulks played for the Philadelphia Warriors from 1946 to 1954. To shoot, he _________ up and released the ball at the peak of his jump. This became known as the jump shot, still used by most players to this day.
Naismith hung a peach basket from each end of the gymnasium
Harlem met to play basketball each week at a local
The team traveled around the country to play exhibi-
Cool New Shot
Peach Basket Game
In 1927, a group of African American athletes in
alowed to play on pro basketball teems.
In 1893, metal hoops with net bags replaced the peach baskets. Officials pulled a cord attached to the net to ______ the bottom of the net to release the ball. In 1894, the first backboard appeared. Baskets with nets open at the bottom were introduced around 1913.
Snowy Day Game
The First Harlem Globetrotter’s Game
ballroom. Back then, African Americans were not
Metal Hoops
Why is basketball called basketball? Because the modern game was started in 1891 by James Naismith, a P.E. ____________ in Springfield, Massachusetts with a _________ and a couple of peach baskets. He was looking for a __________ his students could play indoors on cold winter days. When he couldn’t find a game that was active enough, he _____________ one.
Are you an eagle-eyed reader? Read the articles below and correct the eight spelling errors you find. The first one is done for you.
one would play against them!
Standards Link: Reading Comprehension: Use context clues to determine the meaning of words.
Who wears short shorts?
How many differences can you spot between these two players?
How many silly things can you find in this basketball scene?
Basketball shorts were very short until 1984, when a future superstar began wearing longer length shorts. Circle every other letter to reveal his name.
ball under their jerseys or dribbleng it into the stands.
OMJILCNHPAREVLWJKOARCDTABN
Before long they became famous for their comedy.
Sports Page Action!
Sports writers use lots of action verbs to recreate the excitement of a game. Look through today’s newspaper and circle 10 or more action verbs. Standards Link: Writing: Identify verbs.
Standards Link: Visual Discrimination: Classify common objects by similar attributes.
Players started to add funnie stunts such as hiding a
Today, the Harlem Globetrotters entertain peeple all over the world with both male and female players. The first woman to join the team was Lynette Woodard in 1985. Today, there are five active womin with the Globetrotters: Hoops Green, Swish Young, Torch George, TNT Lister, and Mighty Mortimer. These
Unscramble the basketball words. Then write each numbered letter in the correct box to reveal the answer to the basketball question.
2
4
6 9
10 1 5 7
3
8
Every year, the top 68 college basketball teams compete in a nationwide tournament to find out which team is the very best. What is this tournament called?
1
2
3
4
5
1
6
7
8
9
10
10
the words in the puzzle. BASKETBALL Find How many of them can you TEACHER find on this page? ANCIENT G L A R E T N I W H HISTORY S A N C I E N T M I BASKET P T E S T T R E A S WINTER COUPLE O E R S T U E K D T SPORTS R M H O O P S S G O PEACH T E A C H E R A I R COURT S N E G A Y M B H Y HOOPS L L A B T E K S A B METAL GAME T G Y M E L P U O C NETS Standards Link: Letter sequencing. Recongized identical GYM words. Skim and scan reading. Recall spelling patterns.
ladies kan really hoop!
Standards Link: Writing: Edit text to check for correct spelling and grammar.
SPORTS REPORT
What is your favorite sport or exercise? Write a paragraph describing it and why you like it. R0021655366
ARTS
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WINTER IS COMING
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Five episodes you need to watch again before the final season of Game of Thrones
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nomination for writing and good enough to cement Game of Thrones’ status as one of the most important series of all time.
Continued from page X 97/16 WIRE SERVICE
READER ALERT: This story contains more spoilers than a Lannister has debts. If you’re not fully caught up, stop reading now.
WINTER IS COMING (SEASON ONE, EPISODE ONE)
Sure, it might seem a little obvious to start from the beginning, but cliches are cliche for a reason. As with any series, the first episode introduces the audience to an entirely new world - namely, Westeros. We meet the most important houses: the Starks, Lannisters, Targaryens and Baratheons. We also get our first glimpse of vital elements such as the Night’s Watch (and thus the Wall), and we see the White Walkers in action (specifically, killing two members of the Night’s Watch). Perhaps most importantly, the show makes it very clear how subversive it plans to be. In a deeply uncomfortable scene, Viserys Targaryen (remember him?) thoroughly examines his sister Daenerys’s naked body, as he prepares to essentially sell her into marriage to Khal Drogo, the leader of the Dothraki. Then we’re introduced to the incestuous relationship between Jaime and Cersei. The latter leads Jaime to throw Bran from a tower, paralyzing the boy from the waist down - which becomes a major plot point. We also meet the direwolves when they’re cute, lil’ pups! There’s perhaps more packed into the pilot than any other episode, so it’s sure to jog any long dormant memories as quickly as winter awakens the dead. THE RAINS OF CASTAMERE (SEASON THREE, EPISODE NINE)
The thematic backbone of Game of Thrones can best be described as taking a fairy tale and turning it on its head. We become aware of that fact the second Ned Stark’s head hits the ground while his body remains upright in the first season. By The Rains of Castamere, we’re also aware that each season’s penultimate episode packs a punch, to say the least. Still, that knowledge prepared no one for this episode, more colloquially known as The Red Wedding. The series, to this point, seems to be about Robb Stark (i.e., Prince Charming) and his mother, Catelyn, leading an army to avenge the death of his father/her husband. Instead, as even non-watchers may know, Robb, much of his army and his pregnant wife, Talisa, are massacred by the Freys and the Boltons. It’s one of the most shocking moments in modern television, good enough to earn Benioff and Weiss an Emmy
THE CHILDREN (SEASON FIVE, EPISODE 10)
Of all the episodes on this list, The Children is the one you’ve probably thought least about. It’s not as flashy as the great battles or shocking deaths, nor is it a particularly raunch-filled romp. But it’s the perfect apéritif for the great meal that’s to come in the final three seasons. It’s here that Bran first encounters the Three-Eyed Raven in real life, that Daenerys realizes not all slaves want to be freed (leading her to chain up her dragons in the catacombs of Meereen) and that Tyrion seals his own fate by murdering his father, Tywin, before teaming up with Varys to sail to Essos, where he’ll eventually meet Daenerys. Aside from Tywin’s death, these might feel like small moments. So much of Game of Thrones has been about moving chess pieces around in service of plot. Tyrion needs to go to Essos, for example, to bring Daenerys back to Westeros. That’s what makes this episode so key it puts all those chess pieces in motion. THE BATTLE OF THE BASTARDS (SEASON 6, EPISODE 9)
Hope comes in limited supply in GoT, and it often pops up in the most unexpected places. This time, it appears in the show’s bloodiest battle - based on the actual Battle of Cannae. The episode, which centres on a battle fit for the silver screen, proves to be one of the most beautifully horrific things ever shown on television. As Jon Snow and Sansa Stark retake Winterfell from Ramsay Bolton, bodies pile up until they’re unrecognizable. Uh, so what’s hopeful about this? Well, Bolton was like the most evil dude on the show, and he gets eaten by his own dogs - and it’s also the moment where we see that Sansa has grown up from a child who naively wanted to be a princess to a self-sufficient woman, hardened by the cruel realities of this world. Plus, Daenerys reunites with her dragons!
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Tyrion Lannister and Jon Snow meet at Dragonstone in the penultimate season of Game of Thrones. and Lyanna Stark, making him an heir to the Iron Throne and, (b) this news doesn’t reach Jon and Daenerys, who end up having sex - even though she’s his aunt. But so much more happens. Jaime basically disowns Cersei. Little Arya Stark, now a face-changing assassin,
kills Littlefinger (again, finally). She also partners up with her sister Sansa, whom she had spent most of the series apart from. Most importantly, the Night King and thousands of his followers reach the wall, beginning the Great War. Winter is here.
SOLUTION: (HER)E, T(HER)E AND EVERYW(HER)E
THE DRAGON AND THE WOLF (SEASON SEVEN, EPISODE SEVEN)
The sheer volume of characters and enormity of its world is both one of the show’s greatest assets and one of its greatest deficits. It takes seven seasons for two of the show’s main characters, Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen, to even meet. When they do, though, woo-eee. Most viewers had two takeaways from this episode: (a) Bran and Sam finally meet and explicitly confirm “R+L=J,” which refers to the fact that Jon Snow is the secret offspring of Rhaegar Targaryen
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