We wish you a Merry Christmas And a Happy New Year too. See you in 2013! MONDAY, DECEMBER 3 , 2012
SPOKE
Stuff those stockings These tips will add flair to an old tradition. Page 10
A L E ARNI NG N E WS R O O M FOR J O U R N A L I S M S T U D E N T S
CONESTOGA COLLEGE, KITCHENER, ONT.
WWW.SP0KE0NLINE.C0M
DASHING THROUGH THE SPRINKLING OF SNOW THIS SEASON a t
43RD YEAR - NO. 27
c a s t l e k il b r id e
P H O TO B Y D YLA N DA C O S TA
Local residents pose to have their picture taken with reindeer outside Castie Kilbride, a historical site in Baden, on Nov. 25. The castle was built in 1977 by James Livingstone and was named after his birthplace, East Kilbride in Scotland. The castle is open Tuesdays to Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. and Christmas-themed tours will con tinue until Jan. 6.
Warm a heart with a stuffed stocking BY KELSEY HEELEY
Organizers of the Stuff In Stockings campaign hope 1,000 stockings will be donat ed this year. The charity hopes the stock ings will make Christmas happier for local needy chil dren and youth. Stuff In Stockings founder, Carolyn Parks, came up with the idea back in 2010 out of her own love for stockings as a child. “Stockings were always my favourite part of Christmas,” she said. When she started, Parks, of St. Jacobs, just wanted to make a difference and donate some filled stockings. She emailed a few of her friends asking if they were interested in helping out, which they were. By the end of the email ing, she had about 40 other stockings. Her husband called the
Waterloo Region Record and they wrote a story about it, after which Quarry Communications got involved, donating 100 filled stockings to the cause. After about two weeks, Parks had approximately 250 stuffed stockings to donate. It was then she realized this had legs. In 2011, Parks regis tered Stuff In Stockings as an official charity. Quarry Communications donated again last year, along with other companies that had got ten on board such as the St. Jacobs Lions Club, Simply Hearing, Steve’s TV and KW Corner Stone. Last year, the charity handed out 750 stock ings. This year the charity has even more companies will ing to donate and help out with the cause such as Grand River Karate which is having a collections day to gather
stocking stuffer items. The Perimeter Institute is also on board this year, providing funds. Other companies help ing out include All Things Tea, Whitney and Company Realty, The Shops at Waterloo Town Square and Fibernetics. “Quarry Communications is still one of our biggest sup porters,” Parks said. “They’re amazing; they asked us for a breakdown of where their stockings could go. They also asked about age and gender. When we go to pick up the stockings, they’re sitting in the lobby labelled to make our jobs a little easier when it comes down to crunch time.” This year Stuff In Stockings is putting a huge focus on stockings for teenagers, ages 13 and up. Parks said it’s gen erally easier to find stocking stuffers for children than for teenagers, so they sometimes get overlooked. Ariel Grady, 22, who started
donating in 2011, said, “Last year I put together some stockings for young children. It wasn’t too hard to find simple things for them like cards, kid’s books, colouring books and crayons. Teenagers though, seem like they would be a bit more of a challenge.” To make filling stockings for teens easier, Parks recommends necessities such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, deodorant, hats, scarves and mitts. “There are practical and pleasurable items. So, because teenagers are people, they’ll want to have some fun too. For girls, I’d suggest a journal, pens and gift cards. For boys, I’d say gift cards, wallets and thermoses.” To help promote the fund raiser, Elves at Play will be held Saturday, Dec. 8 from 1-3 p.m. at Waterloo Town Square. There will be a visit from Santa, draws, good ies, crafts and live musical
PHOTO BY KELSEY HEELEY
Ariel Grady, 22, drops a filled stocking in the Stuff In Stockings fireplace collector bin at Waterloo Town Square. The donated stockings are given to those less fortunate. entertainment. For more information about the fundraiser, visit www. stuffinstockings.ca, www. facebook.com/stuffinstockings or email Carolyn at Carolyn@ o u ts ta n d in g w o m e n s p e a k . com.
NEWS
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Now deep thoughts ... with Conestoga College Random questions answered by random students
If you could take only one thing to a deserted island, what would it be and why? “I’d bring water because you can’t live off saltwater.” Marissa Couto, first-year general arts and science
“I’d take duct tape because you can build anything out of it, including a boat and sail back.” Zak Whitford, second-year broadcast television
“I would bring a boat because then I could just go.” Brandon Hardy, second-year broadcast television
T d bring my Nirvana collector’s edition because it’s my most prized possession and my girlfriend got it for me.”
Big hearts fill hampers BY STEPHANIE LEFEBVRE
It’s the time of year for giv ing and there are many chari ties to give to. Through food and toy donations, families across Ontario have had their lives changed over the past Christmas seasons. H ow ever, C onestoga Students Inc. has started a Christmas hamper program in conjunction with their Wish Tree, to help students at Conestoga College who don’t have the means to make a Christmas dinner for their family. This is the first time the program is being held and so far about 10 families have signed up to receive a hamper filled with all the fixings. And it only costs $30. The ham pers will be delivered to the students during exam week. Kathleen Moran, a liberal studies and communications teacher, teaches four classes and all of them have commit ted to purchasing hampers to give to families in need. Though they only started collecting money on Nov. 21, Moran is confident they will be able to raise enough money for at least two hampers. “One of the things that the students all said was one of the reasons why they were so eager to donate was because it stays in the Conestoga com munity,” she said. Moran also said that when she brought it up to her classes, they were more than happy to jump on board. After sending out ah email to a few other faculty mem-
A great month of moustaches
Ryan Drury, second-year broadcast television
BY KRIS MANUEL
“I’d bring one friend because even though you don’t have anything, that one person would keep you sane during the whole thing.” Shannon Gillis, first-year recreation and leisure services
“I’d take a skateboard because I like to keep busy and it’s fun.” Drew Beckwith, third-year business administrationmanagement Smile Conestoga, you could be our next respondent!
Monday, December 3,2012
As 2012’s month of mous taches came to an end, mo sistas and mo bros across Canada helped raise over $24.5 mil lion for prostate cancer and male mental health programs. Movember is a month to edu cate and raise awareness on men’s health risks across the globe. To thank mo bros and sistas for their amazing mous tache-growing or fundrais ing skills, they were invited to enjoy gala partes across Canada and strut their mous taches or Movember costumes in various competitions, which included Best Mo in Character, Miss Movember and Man of Movember 2012. Conestoga Students Inc. also held fundraisers last month, but didn’t have the total raised as of press time. For mo’ information on Movember, visit www. ca.movember.com
bers, Ken Brooks responded and is donating two hampers as well. And though Moran said she could easily donate one on her own, she thought maybe she could get her stu dents to contribute. In fact, one of Moran’s firstyear students in legal admin istration, Kaitlyn Mason, said her and her boyfriend had already planned to donate money to a charity for Christmas this year. So it was right up her alley. “I’m actually looking at donating more hampers myself,” said Mason. Another first-year student, Monica Henriques, said she had volunteered in the past and enjoyed it so she was eager to help out as well. “It takes the stress off these students,” said Henriques. Both students agreed that $30 wasn’t a large amount of money and their classmates may only have to sacrifice a coffee or two in order to make a donation.
And everyone knows that it’s hard to get through school financially, but a lot of students have the luxury of spending time with family for Christmas. For some, it’s not so easy. They’re barely making ends meet, they have children and they might not be able to travel to be with their families over the holiday season. With the help of classes such as Moran’s, the students who have signed up to ask for assistance will be able to at least have a good meal to look forward to. Moran did comment on the amount of courage it took for those students to ask for help and she hopes that their children view their parents’ return to school as a positive. This is the first time CSI has attempted this type of endeavour and Moran hopes there will be more hampers to fill and more advertising in years to come.
NEWS
Monday, December 3,2012
SPOKE‘ Page 3
Conestoga still a popular choice BY RYAN GOODYEAR
Conestoga College remains a popular choice amongst high school seniors in the tri-cities, with many saying they will apply to Conestoga because of its reputation. Both young and old showed up to the Doon campus Nov. 24 to attend the college’s annual fall open house which helps inform potential students looking for a post-secondary education about their options. Programs set up in the rec reation centre were staffed by faculty and current stu dents, who outlined what the programs were all about and answered questions. High school student, Candice Mckee, who was touring the school with her family, decid ed to give Conestoga a look after her cousin, who is cur rently a student on campus, recommended it. Although she is still attending high school, she is already focusing on get ting accepted to Conestoga for practical nursing.
“I’ve just heard really good things about the school from other people and from my cousin. I haven’t really applied anywhere else yet,” she said. The majority of those tour ing the school were high school seniors either accompa nied by family or friends and all seemed enthusiastic about Conestoga as well as the repu tation the school held. Mallory Pellatt came to the open house after hearing from friends that the graphic design program was one of the best in the area. She has high hopes of getting into the program but is leaving her options open by applying to other schools as well. Her friend Sarah Dubeck came to the open house because she was attracted to the nursing program. “The nursing program here interests me. I like nursing and I’m looking for hands-on experience,” she said. With approximately 2,000 people attending the open house, Conestoga is guaranteed to see some new faces next year.
PHOTO BY RYAN GOODYEAR
Approximately 2,000 potential students and their parents attended Conestoga’s fall open house on Nov. 24 in hopes of finding out more about programs. Faculty and students from all full-time pro gram s were on hand to answer questions.
On Spoke Online (www. spokeonline.com) this week: ■
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PHOTO BY MARK FITZGERALD
Conestoga students and faculty A16*with students interested in coming to the college. Open hou£e attendees also had a chance to take a tour of the school during t^e event-
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Get spooked! Join us on a haunted history walk through the Doon area hosted by Daguys para normal team. As the Movember cam paigns come to a close, local mo bros and mo sistas celebrated their success with a gala Nov. 29. See how beauty make overs benefit the com munity.
COMMENTARY
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Monday, December 3,2012
Technology has a cost BY DYLAN PACOSTA
Social media and cellphones both come with their own perks and, in fact, they are becoming more intertwined as technology and demand increases. But with this comes a loss in the actual quality of the communication itself. People have become used to the short forms of texting and Internet communication, causing society to, as a whole, lack clarity and depth of conversation. Social media and cellphones have taught users to be concise, but at the same time they promote a lower quality of communication. Rather than promoting quality over quantity, these things end up causing both a low quantity and quality. Texting consists of short messages riddled with acro nyms, short forms and poor grammar without actually providing any substance to a message - it’s more com mon to see happy faces than proper punctuation and insightful comments. Facets of social media add to this problem. Twitter’s 140-character limit per tweet ends up resulting in a timeline full of condensed thoughts that are usually about trivial happenings in the day of the tweeter and have no intellectual value. Facebook is no better. What started out as a tool to remain connected with distant friends has turned into a slideshow of self-taken pictures competing for “likes” rather than instigating some form of quality communi cation between the viewer and the poster. Other facets of social media such as Tumblr and Instagram are even worse as they rely almost solely on images and contain very little written thought. Both social media and devices such as cellphones have also impacted younger generations - they can barely string a sentence together. The ease of fixing mistakes with tools such as Spellcheck means that many people are sloppy when writing, not only in texting or social media usage but also in formal written work. Efficiency has killed quality, so many kids (and adults, too) write as simply as they can instead of using a larger vocabulary. This is a byproduct of technology, providing an easy out when it comes to communication. While we move toward an age that is increasingly dependent on technology, especially social media, we must realize that these things come at a cost. Dependence on these must be seriously looked at, as we are suffering the consequences.
The views herein represent the position of the newspa per, not necessarily the author.
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The world is ending — or is it?
Don’t drink the Kook Aid just yet Reinforce your umbrellas and batten down the hatches, the storm’s a-comin. Yes, I’m talking about Dec. 21, 2012, the end of the Mayan calendar and, in the minds of many con spiracy theorists, the end of the world. The countdown has begun - we have 18 days left. Is this the end of the world? Or, will it be Y2K all over again? It can’t be, I’m too young to die. Where’s John Cusack when you need him? I’m not trying to rain on anyone’s parade — although, that is what doomsayers are expecting - but nothing’s going to happen. People have been predicting the end since the beginning. The human mind, as warped as it is, has some strange fixation on global disaster. Predicting the end of the world seems to be the unspoken eighth command ment for many religious groups, just look at Harold
Brad Coughlin Opinion
Camping. A Christian broadcaster, Camping first predicted the end of the world to be May 21, 2011. He warned the public in multiple cities via billboards but the globe continued to spin. He then predicted the apocalypse to be Oct. 21, 2011. Heck, you can figure it out, we’re all still here. Man, that Kool-Aid might look inviting, but it’s a little strong. The world won’t end in an instant, but we’re already on our way out. Think about it - global warming, overpopulation, depleting resources, war, famine, dis ease and another season of Survivor —we can’t go on
like this. According to the World Population Balance, an organization worried about sustainable population, we are currently using 50 per cent more resources than the Earth is producing. The West, specifically the U.S. and Canada, are exceed ing 50 per cent; no wonder we’re considered the western devil.
" The human mind, as warped as it is, has some strange fixation on global disaster."
How do we correct our selves? Come now, isn’t it obvious - quit having chil dren, quit polluting, eat less, share more, make everyone conscious of humanity’s downward spiral and take Jeff Probst off the air.
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OPINION
Monday, December 3,2012
SPOKE ♦Page 5
Marijuana prohibition doesn’t make sense When I was growing up, I was told that using marijua na was bad. However, I was never told why. Now, the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program in Kennewick, Washington has announced officers will not be teaching the dangers of marijuana to students anymore, complete ly taking it out of the cur riculum, according to KNDU news in Washington. With two U.S. states, Colorado and Washington, voting to legalize and regu late cannabis for those 21 years and older on Nov. 6, and Uruguay announcing a proposal to legalize the sale and cultivation of marijuana in the country, the support to legalize its recreational use has become more main stream. More and more people recognize it’s not as dangerous as it was made out to be and that prohibition has caused more harm than good. I remember when there was an election debate at my high school and one of the parties was the Marijuana Party, whose main argument was to
Kris Manuel Opinion end its prohibition. The candidate received a few snickers from the crowd and other candidates. I doubt many people took him or his arguments seriously at that time. But it’s not a laughing mat ter when thousands of people are killed over pot in gang; warfare while billions of our tax dollars were wasted on 75 years of prohibition, keeping people locked up for something millions of people are already using. According to the 2007 World Drug Report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, about 80 per cent of those who used illegal drugs in 2006 were using cannabis, which is about 160 million people around the world. Physicians, former police chiefs and former govern ment attorneys are speaking out saying that legalizing
pot is the right path to take. Law Enforcement Against Prohibition is an organiza tion that has current and former law enforcement and criminal justice community members. It is dedicated to ending the harm marijuana prohibition has done. I don’t believe people should be punished for using cannabis, which does not harm others and does less harm to themselves than most of the legal narcotics and food we use today. ‘Marijuana in its natural form is one of the safest ther apeutically active substances known to man,” said Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) administrative law judge, Francis Young, in a report about the accepted safety of its use under medi cal supervision. Yet, it was Harry J. Anslinger, America’s first “drug czar” in the 1930s, who said, “Marijuana is an addic tive drug which produces in its users insanity, criminality and death.” In actual fact, according to Young, cannabis has never been responsible for a single
So many shows, so little time Technology is evolving so quickly that it is almost impossible to stay current with the latest gadgets. However, technology does not always help us. In the past week I have encoun tered two people who said they watch, and keep up-todate on, approximately eight television shows. Now, these shows aren’t part of a series such as The Simpsons or Family Guy where a viewer could watch any episode and quickly learn the story line. No, these shows have indepth plots that would be too complicated for most viewers to understand if they started watching halfway through a season or episode. These are mostly hourlong programs that require focus and concentration to get all of the content from each scene and episode. So, that’s about an hour a night, every night, spent in front of the TV just to get a Grey’s Anatomy fix. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I don’t even have enough time to have dinner
Mike Vielma Opinion
between projects, work and social life, let alone have an hour to waste melting in front of the boob tube. There are people who scramble to watch every one of their shows that they miss or they willingly forego other aspects of their lives just so they can watch TV. Forgetting to pick up your kid from hockey practice because Flashpoint was on is unacceptable. There is no need to get a 56 per cent on your final paper because you were trying to finish it while watching the season finale of Gossip Girl. What is the point of watch ing all this TV? Sure, it’s entertaining and on a rainy day it is quite acceptable. But besides that,
you gain nothing from it besides a current topic to talk about on Monday morn ing with all your classmates or co-workers. Whatever happened to get ting some good old exercise or spending time enjoy ing the fresh air with your friends? That has all shifted to star ing at an over-size screen with all your friends around it. Their eyes are either glazed over from too much TV exposure, or they are squinting to see who the lat est text is from, probably to discuss the latest scene in Vampire Diaries. There is so much vari ety on TV that it is almost impossible to find someone who doesn’t have a favourite show. There are the thrill ers and crime shows, the romantic and corny shows and even the odd and weird ones. There are so many things in this world to experience, there shouldn’t be enough time for TV, not the other way around.
death. He says overdosing on marijuana is impossible, unless you can smoke 1,500 pounds in 15 minutes. However, legal substances such as alcohol, caffeine, aspirin and second-hand smoke kill lots of people. Yet, we don’t put people in jail for drinking too much on the weekend or arrest minors for smoking cigarettes. According to a Forum Research Inc. poll released in January, 66 per cent of Canadians are in favour of legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana.
" More and more people recognize it’s not as dangerous as it was made out to be." I myself didn’t see the logic of legalization until I started doing my own research on the many uses cannabis has and it wasn’t just to get high. Marijuana is used medi cally to help a number of
ailments, including chronic pain, nausea, cancer, anxiety and HIV/AIDS, just to name a few, while all Canadian provinces are planning to sue tobacco companies for the ill nesses tobacco has caused. According to a CTV news article earlier this month, “The Ontario government says smoking is the leading cause of premature deaths and illness in the province and costs the health-care sys tem $1.6 billion a year.” Yet, medical marijuana dis pensaries are being raided, inhibiting access for patients who rely on cannabis for relief. Cannabis is one of the safest drugs out there, even compared to those approved by doctors and sold in phar macies. According to Health Canada’s 2011 Canadian Alcohol and Drug Use Monitoring Survey, about 18 per cent of those who use cannabis are using it for medical purposes. With increasing support to end prohibition, the facts cannot be ignored any longer and excuses to keep cannabis illegal are running out.
NEWS
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Monday, December 3,2012
Game on BY BCEfLA MACPHER50N
With the sounds of cheers and disappointed groans from participants wielding control lers and steering wheels, the Sanctuary at Boon campus was transformed into a video gamer’s fantasy on Nov. 20. Although there was no Call of Duty or Halo, students could walk into the Sanctuary and sit at any screen they wanted to satisfy their video game craving. On the stage they could play Forza M otorsport Racing against five other players in chairs with builtin speakers for the realistic sounds of the track. In front of the stage players could face off in volleyball, boxing or table tennis, one-on-one or in teams, against other play ers through the Xbox Kinect. Finally, in the centre of the room were six screens set up with a variety of sports video games such as FIFA 2013 and NHL 2013. The event was organized by Conestoga Students Inc. (CSI), with the games and consoles provided by We Got Game!, a company that travels to colleges all around Canada setting up video game days. “We just bring the enter
tainment of gaming so stu dents can play amongst each other,” said We Got Game! employee, Dave Miller. “A lot of students do this to kind of relieve some stress.” CSI’s events co-ordinator, Becky Saba, said she found We Got Game! at a conven tion that she attended and she chose to bring them to Conestoga because the col lege’s biggest club is for videogame players. . “Pm personally not a gamer at all, but I played those rac ing games and it wras so much fun,” Saba said. “I knew we had a big gam ers’ club and I knew that not only would it make our gamers happy, but it would also be good for students who maybe aren’t so into gaming but still want to have a good time.” Also, according to Saba, the Den (the upper level of the Sanctuary) has private rooms with televisions and game con soles, where students can go to relax and watch movies or play video games at any time. The bar opened shortly after the gaming got started, so the students could enjoy a beer or two while playing their game of choice. “Tuesdays are like our fun day,” said Saba.
P H O T O B Y SCEILA M A C P H E R S O N
Second-year recreation and leisure students Jordan Parkinson (left to right), Jamie Reiner and Steve Howes take some time over their lunch hour to play NBA 2013 in the Sanctuary on Nov. 20 for CSI’s Video Game Challenge Day. This is a good way to relieve stress with the upcoming exams.
CONESTOGA COLLEGE STUDENTS s p r e a d
s o m e c h eer
EXAM TIME fills th e
lib r a r y
PHOTO S U B M IT T E D
Approximately 20 business students from Conestoga’s Guelph campus showed their com m unity spirit on Nov. 18 as they participated in the city’s annual Santa Claus parade. The students, who were decked out in red Conestoga T-shirts, Santa hats and reindeer antlers, distributed candy to children along the parade route, accompanied by Conestoga’s mascot, Cliffy the Condor, and business faculty m em ber Anela Tom ac and the chair of business, David Smiderle. Above, left to right, are Megan Moriarty, Alejandro Garza, Brianne Mckee, Rebecca Hawkins, Ashton Keeling, Ashley Canivan, Zuhra Azizi, Jennifer Thao and Ryan Livingstone.
PHOTO BY JESSICA LANTHIER
Conestoga students buckle down as exam week approaches. The Doon campus library filled up quickly on Nov. 26 as the fall 2012 semester comes to an end.
NEWS
Monday, December 3,2012
SPOKE ♦ Page 7
Country Home Candles opens its doors for the season of giving BY JESSICA LANTHIER
P H O T O B Y J O A N N A D ITTM E R
The first snowfall of the season enticed Bretton Capindale and Julie Robinson, both 19-year-old students at the University of Waterloo, to go skating at Lions Arena in Kitchener on Nov. 24.
Tis the season to be jolly BY JOANNA PITTMER
The holidays are right around the corner, leaving many peo ple wondering what they can do with their time off. Because it's cold, not a lot of people choose to be outside; but what they don't realize is that, even though it isn't warm out, there are still things to do - providing you dress for the weather. To start, there is toboggan ing - the free, traditionally fun, winter activity. To do this, a snow-covered hill is needed, along with the sled of choice. One of the best hills for tobog ganing in Waterloo Region is Mount Trashmore, located on Ottawa Street. If there isn't any snow, you can go tubing at Chicopee Tube and Adventure Park, located at 1600 River Rd. E. in Kitchener. Student prices are in effect Tuesdays and Saturdays, from 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. respectively. Cost is $19 for three hours. There is also skating, both
inside and out. Kitchener City Hall has a free outdoor skating rink that opens as soon as weather permits, or there are local, free or at a small charge, public skates that can be attended. To find times and prices, check City Hall's website at www.kitch ener.ca. “I love bringing my kids skating. It gets them active, but they still have fun, and as long as we dress for the circum stances we stay warm too,” said Jason Cassels, a Kitchener res ident who was skating at Lions Arena in Kitchener on Nov. 24. Another fun option is snow boarding or skiing, which can be done at Chicopee Ski & Summer Resort in Kitchener. Lift tickets start at $30 for a two-hour pass. “Skiing is probably my favou rite activity to do when there is snow on the ground,” said Josh Dehmer, a 20-year-old student at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo. “Every year my family plans at least one big ski trip; it's always a lot of fun.”
CHRISTMAS ART a
t h in g t o a d m ir e
PHOTO BY WESLEY BUTLER
Lisa and Brook Bundy admire a makeshift Christmas tree at the Studio Show and Sale that started on Nov. 23 at the Cambridge Galleries. The show is held to highlight the work of local artists and artisans.
Some residents of south ern Ontario kicked off the Christmas season early by attending Country Home Candles’ 27th annual Christmas Open House from Nov. 22 to 25. The familyowned candle factory, which is always filled with delectable fragrances, was the essence of the holiday season thanks to cheerful music, special deals, Christmas decorations and the opportunity to give. Peter Northgraves owns Country Home Candles with his wife Karen. The business is located on Middleton Church Road in Delhi, approximate ly one hour from KitchenerWaterloo. He said every year the entire staff decorates a dazzling Christmas tree and sells tickets for people to win it with all of the proceeds going to the Salvation Army Christmas Hamper program. The winner of the raffle gets to keep the tree, ornaments and all.
" Giving back is important, especially around the holiday season." - Peter Northgraves “Giving back is important,” he said, “especially around the holiday season.” The four-day open house featured special deals on the famous candles, flameless home fragrances such as reed diffusers, holiday decorations, jewelry and accessories, vari ous assortments of soaps and body care and several food items, including gourmet dips and drink mixes. Karen Northgraves thinks the open house turns out bet ter every year and has her daughters to thank for it. Lauren, 23, Abby, 21, and Hannah, 19, (currently in Venezuela for a one-year exchange program) have all worked at the store and have just as much passion for it as their parents do. “The girls are helpful,” Karen said. “We have social media pages for it, but they (the girls) spread the word to a lot of our customers.” The candle factory has been open since 1991 and has been astoundingly successful. The Northgraves’ products sell well not only in their own fac tory, but also in several fran chised stores such as Green Earth. Currently, Country Home Candles has retail part ners in places across the globe
INTERNET PHOTO
Country Home Candles displayed a beautifully decorated Christmas tree that could be won at their 27th annual open house from Nov. 22 to 25 in Norfolk County. All of the proceeds from the purchased raffle tickets went to the Salvation A rm y Christmas hamper program. such as Ireland, the UK and in the United States. Peter said he is proud that they have had such success, especially since they started out as a small family business. “We're an independent busi ness so to be selling our prod ucts worldwide is a pretty good achievement.” Daughter Abby, a student at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, said she loves to work at the yearly open hous es because it's a great way to get into the Christmas spirit. “We put on Christmas music all day so everyone is always in a great mood when they shop for their family,”
she said. “Who doesn't love Christmas carols?” Jennifer Reece, a personal support worker and currently — a stay-at-home mom of three (with one along the way) cer tainly does. “I always come here for the open house,” she said. “It's my favourite place to buy gifts for my parents and in-laws.” Reece, who bought three raf fle tickets for the Christmas ^ tree, said her favourite fra grance is Country Home Candle's signature item, Grandma’s Kitchen. “It's the essence of the holi- v days but is still casual enough to burn every day.”
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Monday, December^, 2012
NEWS
Monday, December 3,2012
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Inmates ’ art on display across region BY HEATHER KENNERY
Metal, concrete and bars these are what inmates face everyday at a federal prison. However within those walls something beautiful and sur prising is happening. Art. In November you could view and purchase the art created by female inmates of the Grand Valley Institution (GVI) at the Berlin Tower ARTSPACE show in Kitchener City Hall. This month the art has been moved to three new locations. You can view and purchase the exhibits at the Queen Street Commons in Kitchener, Women’s International Gift and Gallery in Cambridge and the Accelerator Centre in Waterloo. With 100 per cent of the proceeds being donated to women’s and children’s chari ties and organizations, the inmates are given a chance to contribute and reconnect with the community. Community Justice Initiatives (CJI) is a non-profit organization which provides multiple services in conflict resolution, group sup port for people impacted by sexual trauma, and support for women returning to the community from prison. CJI works with the Stride pro gram, which focuses on help ing women reintegrate into a community after finishing their sentence. This includes the prison art program orga
nized by Stride, called Fresh Start Creations. Stride was started in 1995 by a former inmate of the Kingston Prison for Women; it originally was a telephone support service for women sentenced in federal prison. Now they are helping women become members of the com munity, with many volun teers helping these women while incarcerated, and after their release by creating a circle of support. Jessica Hutchison is the co ordinator of Stride Nights, which has volunteers go to the prison to hold arts and craft sessions and physical activities. Hutchison works with the women at GVI first hand. She said she knows that Stride changes the cycle of incarceration by connecting the women to the community. She remembers one woman in particular who served a prison sentence. Once released she broke her parole and returned to GVI. After the second time she decided to try the Stride art night. She was then able to connect with the volunteers who gave her the circle of encouragement she needed to keep her out of prison and be welcomed back into the community. “Kitchener has one of six federal prisons in Canada, and we have the unique pos ition to help these women integrate back into society. It also saves taxpayers money to
PHOTO BY HEATHER KENNERY
Rebecca Francey (right) and Sean Howard observe the art work done by female inmates of the Grand Valley Institution at Kitchener City Hall on Nov. 25. help women stay out of pris on,” Hutchison said. On average the cost of incar cerating a female prisoner per year is $200,000. Currently at GVI there are approximate ly 190 women incarcerated. That totals $38 million per year. This is another reason why Stride needs to continue its work in the community. Elsa Mann, a local artist, volunteers her services as an art consultant to the Fresh Start Creations program.
Mann owns the Night and Day art studio with her hus band in Mount Forest. The studio sells handmade pot tery done by Mann and other artists. Mann got involved with Stride in April and con tinues to yolu n teer on Tuesdays for over an hour to help the women use crea tivity as an outlet, and allow them to contribute to society by selling their art work for charity.
“Most of the women don’t see their artwork as beauti ful. Once I show them the finished package you can see their attitudes changing,” she said. She continues her work with Stride because she said she knows the difference it can make. “There are so many miscon ceptions about these women, but they are no different than you and me, our mothers, sis ters and our aunts.”
Kitchener art gallery debuts virtual tours BY SARA HANAFI
The Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery (KWAG) opened its virtual doors to the public by launching an online project on Nov. 7. Sponsored by Google, the project, called Interactive Space, allows viewers to take a guided online tour of the exhibitions that are on display. Nicole Neufeld, director of public programs at the KWAG, hopes the project will reach out to new and return ing audiences in a different way. “It was a bit of a chickenand-an-egg kind of situation,” she said. “Putting information about our exhibitions and try ing to do some outreach and education online has been on my radar for a long time.” Not only does the Interactive Space allow audiences to view all the works of art, but also listen to commen tary from the curator and even the artists themselves. The online experience adds
an extra layer of information that gallery-goers wouldn’t get, since the privilege of having the curator host a guided tour is restricted to video only. The downloadable audio tour boasts the same personal experience, where the artists divulge the inspi ration and meaning behind their pieces. “It adds a whole other expe rience,” Neufeld said. “You get a deeper understanding of what the work is about that you wouldn’t get from just looking at it and reading the exhibition labels.” However, Neufeld said peo ple should still come to the gallery and not be satisfied with the virtual tour alone, because the information in the online tours is supple mentary. “The thing about contempo rary art is a lot of it is really experiential,” she said. “Our audiences could hear the art ists talk about their work, but to really understand what the work is about, they have to come in and see it.”
Currently, the only exhibit online is the gallery’s main exhibition, called Ecotopia, which focuses on environmen tal conservation and destruc tion in our technological age. In the future, Neufeld said the gallery will have all of the exhibitions available to view on Interactive Space, including audio tour material for both the main exhibition and gallery spaces, and in the Eastman galleries. The proj ect will continue throughout 2013. “I think we’re going to use (Interactive Space) as an experimental point for how we can continue to work on our online presence,” Neufeld said. “It’s hard to say what’s going to come next, since tech nology is changing so fast.” Additionally, Interactive Space offers audiences a fam ily activity guide and links to current online exhibitions, as well as information on cur rent exhibitions at the gal lery. The KWAG also has over 4,000 works in their perma
PHOTO BY SARA HANAFI
Nicole Neufeld, director of public programs at the KitchenerWaterloo Art Gallery, was instrumental in launching Interactive Space last month. nent collection, which are held in public trust, available for viewing online through the Interactive Space. Over 100 of KWAG’s permanent collec tion pieces are also available through Collection X, which is an online project initiated by the Art Gallery of Ontario
as a communal hub for shar ing art. Interactive Space can be accessed from the KWAG’s website, www.kwag.ca. More information on the KWAG can be found on their web site, Facebook page or Twitter page (@kwartgallery).
NEWS
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Monday, December 3,2012
Take stock of these stuffers BY ASHLEY CURRIE
As Christmas draws ever closer, shopping for the per fect gift is on the minds of many people. It’s often easier to choose a large-scale present for a loved one such as a new computer, phone or video game system, than smaller ones. Perhaps the toughest of all are stocking stuffers. Finding ones that are origi nal and inexpensive can be a challenge for many shoppers, but, with a little thought and effort, watching your loved ones open their stockings can be as rewarding as watching them unwrap diamond ear rings or an iPad that might be wrapped under the tree. For the girly-girl in your life sweet-scented bath and body products are usually a hit. Stores such as Bath and Bodyworks or Lush offer rea sonably priced soaps, lotions, bath bombs and shower gels. At this time of year products are offered in limited edition n holiday scents such as candy cane or cinnamon.
“My mom usually fills my stocking with bath stuff. I love opening it and just being overcome by all the great scents,” said Chelsea Hansen, 21, a University of Guelph student who was shopping at the Old Quebec Street Mall in Guelph. If your friends have a hard time getting out of bed, The Source offers lots of fun and inexpensive gadgets that would be perfect for filling up a stocking. Some exam ples include a flying alarm clock that doesn’t just ring but takes off and flies around the room until you catch it, or an electric heated coffee mug that can plug into a cigarette lighter in a car to keep your coffee warm on a long drive. For your crafty and creative loved ones there are end less options when it comes to stuffing a stocking. Paints, paintbrushes and small can vases can be purchased at dollar stores, or for a more quality product you can go to an arts and crafts store such as Michaels. A roll of festive printed duct tape or a bottle
of fabric dye could be just the inspiration needed to jumpstart a crafters holiday. For a technology enthusi ast some neat gadgets can be found online or in stores. These include a pair of fluffy headphone-earmuffs to keep ears warm while listening to favourite holiday classics. There are many different styles of these available made by different companies and they can be found at stores such as Aeropostale or even Shoppers Drug Mart. “I never know what to put in stockings,” said 36-yearold Guelph resident Caleb Martin, another shopper. “I want everything to be appre ciated and used, and some times it’s hard to think of what to put in there that isn’t a waste of money.” If all else fails you can never go wrong with bath room essentials such as Q-tips, deodorant or dispos able razors. Or you could stick with the classics such as mittens, socks, packets of hot chocolate or tasty candy canes.
PHOTO BY ASHLEY CURRIE
Holiday shoppers look for Christmas gifts at the Old Quebec Street Mall in Guelph on Nov. 24.
Kitchener looks to elevate music in the area BY MARK FITZGERALD
Music and media industry professionals came together Nov. 22 at the second Music Works session to help give local talent a bigger voice in the music world. At the event, organized by the City of Kitchener and held at the Victoria Park Pavillion, music and media members discussed many topics on how to put Kitchener on the map for music. Some of the partici pants discussed ways to brand local music, how to attract tourism through music, and the possibility of having a music conference/festival in the area. This session did not set anything in stone, it merely gave city staff ideas and some action plans of where they should go, and how to get there. Kitchener is fairly promi nent in the music scene already. However, most of
the music is underground or just beginning to emerge. The Music Works project aims to help those artists and attract some attention to the city. Conestoga College provided the event with technological support, including the use of Macbooks and a screen to proj ect near real-time responses from the groups as they threw around ideas. Mark Derro, chair of the School of Media and Design at Conestoga, said the college is looking “at becoming active ly involved in the regional performance scene and are exploring a number of cre dentials that would benefit the community and assist in promoting the college in the arts and culture sectors.” Dan Nedelko, a partner of ArtBarn Media, said he would like to be able to bring back famous local musical talent, and have them speak at a con ference/festival and even have them play. One of the main
goals of the festival is to help accelerate local musicians to the next level in the music industry. “It could be something like SXSW or Coachella (huge music festivals in the United States). Just not right away,” Nedelko said. Following the session, the guests had access to a light buffet and a cash bar. Live music was also played as everyone mingled and shared more ideas. “I believe that the event was well received and substantial valuable information tabled for action. The next steps will see a focus on an action plan to ensure that the momentum from the Music Works initia tives moves from paper to tangible results,” Derro said. The results and ideas of the session are still being ana lyzed by the city, however, the hope is some of the plans will be put into action in the new year.
NEWS
Monday, December 3,2012
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People are pleased with their poles Nordic pole walking delivers amazing health benefits BY WESLEY BUTLER
People with diabetes should consider using Nordic poles when they walk, because sci entific studies have proven that they reduce insulin resis tance, resulting in lower doses of medication being needed. According to Nordixx Pole Walking Canada, Nordic pole walking also burns up to 46 per cent more calories than regular walking, helps to eliminate back, shoulder and neck pain, and lowers high blood pressure.
" People love them because they’re easy to use and good for your health." - Valerie Armada And, oxygen uptake, heart rate and energy expenditure goes up approximately 20 per cent when walking with poles. “Nordic poles engage 90 per cent of your body muscles, so you’ll see a 20 to 30 per cent increase in cardio,” said Ron Baines, president of Dynamic Strides Inc., a company that sells Nordic poles. “Those numbers will be different for everyone, but that’s usually the result.” Nordic pole walking has become an effective tool in cardiovascular, orthopedic
and cancer rehabilitation. It also delivers therapeu tic benefits for people with health issues and chronic diseases. Baines recommends using Nordic poles every time some one exercises, because they can strengthen body muscles after one use, and can be used by anyone. A basic pair costs $64.95, and a pair with detachable hand straps costs $79.95. “People are very pleased with the poles,” said Baines. “Once they learn how to use them, they’re well on their way.” Dynamic Strides Inc. was founded in July 2011 by Baines and his wife, Valerie Armada, a Nordic pole walk ing instructor and nutrition specialist. Armada became interested in Nordic poles after seeing two women walking with them six years ago. She didn’t know what they were at first, but she eventually discovered their purpose and decided to teach others how to use them. For people who want to become certified Nordic pole walking instructors, Dynamic Strides offers two types of training sessions, one for instructors and one for group leaders. Group leader sessions are usually held for three hours depending on the number of people, and instructor sessions are held for six hours. These sessions are more in-depth, providing background informa
A PENCHANT f o r
PHOTO BY WESLEY BUTLER
Al Saynor, Ron Baines and Valerie Arm ada (from left to right) of Dynamic Strides Inc. take a stroll with Nordic walking poles on a crisp autumn day in Riverside Park, Cambridge. tion on Nordic poles. An introductory session consists of about 25 min utes of teaching, followed by a one-hour group walk. Afterw ards, Baines and Armada offer tips to people who may be struggling with the poles. “In just a year and a half, Nordic pole walking has become popular in our region,” said Armada. “People love them because they’re easy to use and good for your health.” This past sum m er, Dynamic Strides Inc. spon
sored an event in Thunder Bay that attempted to break a world record for the most people walking with Nordic poles at once. Although the goal of having more than 1,026 people wasn’t reached, Armada was still pleased at the number of people who attended. “There were times when people would make fun of Nordic poles, saying we for got our skis and snow was coming,” she said. “But that’s slowly changing as they learn their benefits.”
NORDIC WALKING Want to start? Here’s some facts and tips for ■ Nordic walking can burn up to 40 per cent more calories than normal walking. ■ See an official retailer for a proper pole fit. ■ No snow or skis are required. ■ Can be a low-impact alternative to running.
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PHOTO BY MIKE VIELMA
Bill Farr, of Farr Concessions Limited, sorts through the extensive selection of sports pennants at his booth in front of Tim Hortons at the Doon campus. NFL helmet flags were a popular item this year.
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Monday, December 3,2012