See JoB FaIr page 2
THe
Volume IX ISSue II
See DIoDaTI page 4
www.THemeDIapleX.com
See HarVeSTIng arT page 7
ocToBer 4, 2013
CONVERGEDCITIZEN
Devils Brigade reunion spurs talk for greater recognition
Rally raises awareness about sexual harrasment
Photo by Clara Musca Hundreds march in the annual Take Back the Night rally in downtown Windsor on Sept. 28. Photo by Richard Riosa A group of soldiers fire a cannon in City Hall Square during the memorial service for the 67th reunion of the First Special Service Force. Richard Riosa Citizen Staff Reporter Local veterans and citizens are demanding more public support and recognition for those who have served their country. The 67th reunion of the First Special Service Force was held in Windsor starting Sept. 25. The reunion ended with a parade to the Cenotaph at City Hall Square and a memorial service Sept. 28. The FSSF is better known by its nickname The Devil’s Brigade. The nickname was used as the title of a 1968 film depicting their exploits. The once 1800 member Devil’s Brigade, a joint operation between the U.S. and Canada during WWII, was the original special service force. The Devil’s Brigade set the groundwork for all future special forces in the military. Among the 21 members of the Devil’s Brigade who attended the parade was
Windsor resident Ralph Mayville. Mayville, 93, said he was first deployed overseas in 1940 and joined the FSSF to get closer to the action. “We stayed in our dugout most of the day,” said Mayville. “At night time, that’s when we did our patrolling behind enemy lines, cut a few throats and put stickers on all the bodies.” Mayville said he has enjoyed the publicity the FSSF has received since it disbanded in 1944. He said although some immigrants may be unaware of the sacrifices made by Canadian soldiers during WWII, he also said he personally feels appreciated for his efforts. Dan Hayes, national president and founder of the North Wall Riders Association attended the memorial along with other members of his organization. Hayes, who is not a veteran himself, said he founded the
motorcycle group to support veterans after realizing there were no similar organizations in the local community. “There’s no support for our veterans,” said Hayes. Hayes said the FSSF is responsible for the freedom Canadians enjoy today and all soldiers are deserving of more recognition than they currently receive. “We need to recognize what these fellas have done,” said Hayes. “A lot of people have forgotten because we haven’t had any major fights since WWII.” Although there is a lack of support, Hayes said he will pass on his beliefs to his children in the hope that future generations will remember the sacrifices veterans have made to ensure their freedom. Vietnam War veteran Wayne Hillman spoke during the memorial in support of the FSSF. Turn To page 2 reunIon
Clara Musca Citizen Staff Reporter The annual Take Back The Night rally and march took place Sept 28 in downtown Windsor to raise awareness about sexual harassment and domestic violence. The event was held in Dieppe Gardens and attracted hundreds of women, men and children. The organizers of the event showcased different tshirts with anti-harassment messages painted on them. People gathered in a circle and held lit candles as various people took turns at the microphone sharing their personal struggles with patriarchy and victimization. Christine Lucier, who has been a police officer for 23 years, spoke about the obstacles and criticism she faced when people questioned her career choice. “Women working in a man’s profession is always going to be a conflict.” said Lucier. “Unless people change the way they think, it’s not going to change.” She also spoke about the
importance of being a confident role model for her daughter and teaching young girls the importance of self-respect and self-love. “I wish that all victims could find their voice, stand up and speak out against their pain, and stop making it okay for someone or someplace to put you down, hold you back, or stop you from becoming what you want or deserve in life,” said Lucier. Skyler Fantin attended the event in support of her friends. “I’m here because I have a few friends that are survivors, and I believe that no matter what your gender is, there should be no violence against you. Everybody deserves to be treated equally, no one deserves to be hurt in any way by any other person,” said Fantin. After the speeches, people walked down Ouellette Avenue, chanting positive slogans promoting self-confidence. LeChet Holland participated in the event to raise awareness Turn To page 3 rally
CONVERGEDCITIZEN NEWS Job fair helps unemployed students ocToBer 4, 2013
Visitors speak with employers at Place Concorde Sept. 28. Kyle Goodhue Citzen Staff Reporter A job fair held Sept. 28 at Place Concorde brought businesses and students together to help find students work. The fair, hosted by Windsor Business Networks, featured 16 Ontario businesses. They set up booths where employers could meet with students. A section of the event was reserved for interviews where employers could speak more privately with potential hires. The event was the first of its kind to be hosted by Nancy Tessier, the owner of Windsor Business Networks. “It started with the idea of posting a job, one single job that I could not resist telling people about. I’d post it on our Facebook page and from that I got more and more requests for more and more jobs. And now it’s several hours a day of posting jobs. The job fair grew from that, the desire to see more people working,” said Tessier. Students were told to come to the event dressed for succonTInueD page 1 reunIon
Hillman said he also thinks there is not enough support for veterans within modern society and said he felt it was important for him to honour those who have come before him. “I come here, in this particular case, to honour the first special service forces and the guys that did the great job ensuring our freedom,” said Hillman. Although he said veterans should receive more support, Hillman also said soldiers who return from war now have much more help and support
cess and with their resume ready. While job experience may be important, many employers at the event said they wanted employees with good character and dedication to their work. Jonathon Azzopardi, president of Laval International, said more than anything he is looking for employees who are in it for the long run. “If you’re going to get into this industry, it’s a lifelong commitment,” said Azzopardi. “We’re looking for someone looking for a lifelong career, not someone looking to take it on for a short term and move on, because we hire to move them through the ranks.” Many students go into interviews looking to sell their resume and their past work. However, Javier Andres Bernal, a sales manager for Sun Life Financial, said he is looking for more than just a great resume. “People have to be able to talk about themselves more than their resume. The resume shows what they’ve been studying and what they’ve done before, but they need to than he did when he returned from Vietnam. Hillman said the unwelcome reception was disheartening because the soldiers were simply sent to do a job by their country. “The boys and girls coming back from Afghanistan have much more entitlements,’ said Hillman. “They have people there waiting for them to get off the plane. They’re welcomed back, where we weren’t welcomed back.” There was no help and little information on the post-traumatic stress disorder Hillman said he faced upon returning to Canada. Despite the challenges he
Photo by Kyle Goodhue think about themselves, how they can help, how they can improve the company, and what can they bring to the company,” said Bernal. Many employers who attended the job fair stressed the importance of the character of potential hires. Bernal said a common mistake people make during the interview process is not focusing enough on themselves and what they bring. “The resume is the education and the work experience but how can they, with their personality, say something that is not on the resume to sell to someone like me, that they are the right person,” said Bernal. According to a report from Workforce Canada, Windsor’s unemployment rate dropped to 8.9 from 10.4 per cent in January. Since August it has dropped another 1.5 per cent. Tessier said she’s pleased with the turnout of employers and students who attended the fair. “It’s a huge kick for me to watch people working, watch people grow and know that even if it is just a tiny little bit, I contributed to that,” said Tessier. faced and the lack of support he received, Hillman said he is proud of everything he did while serving in the military because he was serving for freedom. “I really enjoyed my military service until I went to Vietnam,” said Hillman. “War changes everybody and I certainly didn’t come back as the same person who went over there.” Mayville said he was proud of every moment of his service although he didn’t share Hillman’s unwillingness to reenlist. “I’d go back tomorrow if I could but I don’t think they’d take me now,” said Mayville.
page 2 ..
Photo by Joseph Elliot Guatemala Hope board member Susan Rock shops for medications that will be taken to the village of El Triunfo on an upcoming missionary trip Nov. 15-25.
Missionaries prepare for Guatemala Joseph Elliot Citizen Staff Reporter Members of the Windsor/Essex County based development group Guatemala Hope are preparing for two upcoming trips to the small rural village of El Triunfo, Guatemala Oct. 31 and Nov. 15. Guatemala Hope is a nonprofit charitable organization that has been sending missionaries to El Triunfo annually with the intention of improving the villagers' livelihood. The group visits the village, which has a population of roughly 1000, and the surrounding villages of Los Tiestos, La Esperanza and Guijilote three times a year with each trip focusing on different causes. Rosemarie Dulong, president of the organization, has been involved with the organization since it was incorporated in 2003 and has taken 10 trips to the village. "We have about 150 students and their families that come to us to see if they can get help financially so they can go to school,” said Dulong. “Names are given to the education committee down there that we formed and they make the final decision because they know the people better than we do, like who can benefit the most financially.” Between 100 and 110 Guatemalan students will receive bursaries this year so they can continue their education. It costs $300 Canadian to
sponsor a student and that money helps with uniforms, tuition, transportation and also helps pay room and board if the student must travel to a nearby city for school. “All of the money is from fundraising,” said Dulong. “We’ve just launched our mailing campaign and those go out to people who have sponsored in the past. Quite often they continue to sponsor their student until they graduate.” Aside from education, the first group of 24 missionaries travelling to the village this fall will work on housing, agriculture and a floodway, which will prevent water from overflowing from a nearby lagoon and flooding crops. The group will also be giving women classes in cooking, nutrition, sewing and handicrafts. The second fall trip will conduct a medical clinic which will be attended by over 12 neighbouring villages. This second group of 24 includes one doctor, three physician assistants, a pharmacist, two nurses, a registered practical nurse and a personal support worker. Serving as the medical clinic coordinator and making her second excursion to the village is Brenda Belleau. “We want to treat the people of Guatemala and the outlying villages for their health, wellbeing and mental well-being, so they know there are people out there that are willing to give back to them and to help them out,” said Belleau.
ocToBer 4, 2013
CONVERGEDCITIZEN
NEWS
page 3 ..
Windsor faces issues with U.S. shutdown Distracted driving not tolerated
Photo by Richard Riosa President and CEO of the Windsor-Essex Chamber of Commerce Matt Marchand sits in a conference room at the chamber of commerce’s Ouellette office. Richard Riosa Citizen Staff Reporter Local business and tourism experts foresee a potentially negative impact on the Windsor-Detroit border due to the U.S. government shutdown. The United States government announced a temporary shutdown Oct. 1. It was caused by a dispute over the government’s fiscal budget which included funding for the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. As a result of the shutdown, more than 800,000 government employees will be out of work until the issue is resolved. Top officials recently confirmed that all crucial services, such as customs and airport security, will remain operational during the shutdown. President and CEO of the Windsor-Essex Chamber of Commerce Matt Marchand said he is worried about the shutdown’s impact on Windsor. Marchand said export and trade are the lifeblood of Essex County. “What we’re concerned about is a material impact on trade, commerce and tourism between our two great countries,” said Marchand. Marchand said Essex County and south eastern Michigan essentially function as one economic community and any impact on
border processing and wait times will have a negative financial impact on the area. Although there have not been any issues yet, Marchand said the chamber of commerce is monitoring the situation and keeping local businesses informed. Windsorites who work in the Detroit area could also be negatively affected by the shutdown, according to Marchand. “We want to make sure flow of trade and professional exchange of services continues,” said Marchand. Marchand said both the provincial and federal chambers of commerce are in contact with politicians to stress the economic importance of the WindsorDetroit border remaining efficient and operational. Larry Horwitz, chair of the Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association, said he is also looking to the federal government to monitor the situation and provide help to downtown businesses. “The real effects won’t come for a couple weeks,” said Horwitz. “But it’s definitely something we have to look at and we have to alert our federal members of parliament to try and come up with a contingency plan if the border does become intrusive (to local business).” Horwitz said the shutdown has the potential to greatly affect Windsor ’s
downtown businesses. A large portion of the downtown economy is made up of people coming across the border, according to Horwitz. CEO of Tourism Windsor, Essex, Pelee Island Gordon Orr said roughly two-thirds of the county’s tourism revenue comes from across the border. Orr said any time there is a real or perceived border related issue, people fear crossing over to another country. “The longer this goes on, any staff reduction at the border for any reason will not be received positively,” said Orr. He also said the 800,000 federal workers involved in the shutdown may negatively impact local tourism. “A lot of those workers also travel, so there’s the fact that their pocketbooks are being affected and they’re not going to travel and not travel to Canada and Windsor-Essex,” said Orr. Orr said as the shutdown continues it will only reinforce the negative perception of the Windsor-Detroit border. Horwitz also said Windsor ’s issues will become more severe as the shutdown continues. “We’re not concerned yet,” said Horwitz. “But we have to be aware and prepared in case it does (get worse).”
Sean Previl Associate Managing Editor Local police are implementing a new initiative to combat distracted driving. The Windsor Police Service released a report Oct. 2 informing Windsor of new rules regarding distracted driving with a focus on cell phone usage. Matt D’Asti, public information officer with the WPS, said this new plan will assist police in catching more offenders. “Before, this type of charge was very hard to prosecute because many justices felt that there may be a fact or issue with being able to prove that the communication device was in use or in operation,” said D’Asti. “Recent case law in the Court of Appeal has ruled that a person needs only be holding the device in their hand in order for police to lay a charge.” Adam El-Baba, a media convergence student at St. Clair College, said his concern is whether or not an officer can see the phone. “It’s harder to enforce because the officer has to have that direct line of sight of you on it, which means that officer also has to distract themselves from their driving,” said ElBaba. “It’s definitely a very ambitious law to try conTInueD page 1 rally
about domestic violence. “It affects everyone, no matter where you’re from. I think the goal is to raise awareness of the amount of violence within our own community that we may disregard at times.” said Holland. Victim-blaming is something many women are familiar with as today’s culture tends to focus on plac-
and tackle.” D’Asti said police have been trained to avoid distracted driving of their own. “It’s part of their duties to drive a vehicle while patrolling and being observant,” said D’Asti. David Budzarov of Eagen Insurance Brokers Ltd. said an issue with distracted driving charges is many people think their insurance won’t be affected since no demerit points are issued. “With insurance that’s not the case, (insurance companies) look to see what the severity of the ticket is, whether it’s a minor, major or criminal offense,” said Budzarov. “So operating a handheld device is considered a minor, which means no points but it’s a minor ticket so you get surcharged for it.” Budzarov said the average charge to a person’s insurance for inattentive driving is $300. According to a road safety report published by the City of Windsor in 2012, 34.1 per cent of collisions in the city involved driver inattention. D’Asti said drivers should be careful about inattentive driving because the results are something no one wants to live with. “It only takes one second of looking away and the next thing you know you could be responsible for causing a fatal motor vehicle accident.”
ing blame on the victim instead of the perpetrator. Take Back The Night tries to raise awareness about cat-calling and other attacks that women experience almost every night walking on the street. Lucier’s final words were uplifting to the crowd. “If we stand together, the same people, with the same purpose, we can grow into a living breathing thing: one voice.”
TUESDAYS @ 6PM Cogeco Channel 11
CONVERGEDCITIZEN
ocToBer 4, 2013
SPORTS
page 4
Spitfires acquire Diodati Weekly RundoWn Evan Mathias Senior Sports Editor
Moore scores first OHL goal
Photo by Evan Mathias Eric Diodati makes his Windsor Spitfires debut Oct. 3 against the Plymouth Whalers at the WFCU Centre. The Spits won the game 5-1. Mitchell Brandner Managing Editor The Windsor Spitfires have acquired overage defenceman Eric Diodati from the Mississauga Steelheads for a sixth-round draft pick. With Pat Sieloff graduating to professional hockey this season, there was a hole on the blue line that needed to be filled. Assistant coach Jerrod Smith said Diodati can do just that. “We’re going to rely on him heavily for some minutes,” said Smith. “He’s the type of
guy who can play in any situation.” With the addition of Diodati, the Spitfires have added leadership and a veteran presence to their back-end. He is the only overage defenceman on the roster. After playing two previous seasons with the Mississauga Steelheads, Diodati said if it was necessary for him to be traded Windsor was where he wanted to go. “I’m so fired up,” said Diodati. “I’m so excited to play in Windsor, that’s for sure. There are only a few
places where you wish to get traded. This is one of those places.” With five points in four games before the trade, Diodati is just one point away from matching his season total last year. Diodati said he’s versatile, which will be valuable for the Spitfires. “I’m a two-way defenceman,” said Diodati. “I can play any situation I think. I like to think I’m a power play guy and I’m a penalty kill guy. Whenever you put me out there I can play.”
Spits veterans step up Evan Mathias Senior Sports Editor After losing their first two games of the season, the Windsor Spitfires bounced back in a big way defeating the Erie Otters 8-4 Sept. 28. Windsor’s offence was lead by veteran forwards Kerby Rychel and Brady Vail. Rychel finished off the night with five points and now leads the team with eight points in four games this season. “It was a good game obviously for myself and for the team. We’ve just got to get back to basics,” said Rychel. Vail is second on the team with seven points, four of those against the Otters. “I just try to play my role and not overthink it too much,” said Vail. “Right now
I’m not too worried about points, it’s about winning the game.” The Spitfires veteran forwards have been Windsor’s best players through the first three games of the season. “No matter what level, you only go as far as your best players take you,” said Rychel. Spits assistant coach Jerrod Smith said it was good to get the monkey off their backs with the first win of the season. “We did all the right things to score some important goals and our best players showed up and were our best players,” said Smith. The veteran scoring continued against the Plymouth Whalers Oct. 3. Spits forward Ben Johnson scored three goals, including the game win-
ner to power Windsor to a 5-1 win at the WFCU Centre. “It was really fun. I think me, Brady (Vail) and (Steven) Janes all work well together and I give them a lot of credit, they make plays,” said Johnson. “All I’ve got to do is get to the front of the net and good things happen.” Windsor’s top players will need to continue this quality of play. Windsor’s next game is on the road Oct 4. against the London Knights. Windsor is back home Oct. 6 when they take on the Niagara Ice Dogs. “I think we have to build off our game against Erie. We were doing all the things we preached in practice,” said Smith. “We’re getting more pucks to the net and having a mid-lane drive and just building off what we did against a good Erie team.”
Windsor Spitfires second-round pick Ryan Moore scored his first career Ontario Hockey League goal Oct. 3 against the Plymouth Whalers. Moore gained control of the puck behind the goal line, turned and fired a shot that beat Whalers’ goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic. “Me getting my first goal is something I’ll never forget,” said Moore. “(Head coach Bob Boughner) preaches getting pucks to the net. I was in a good spot. I just shot it and got lucky that it went in I guess.” Moore’s first goal came in his fourth regular season game with the Spits. “I just looked down the bench at (Ty) Bilcke and said, ‘that’s not how I pictured it,’” said Moore.
Men’s soccer The St. Clair College men’s soccer team is close to clinching a playoff spot in the Ontario College Athletic Associations’ West Division with a 2-0 win against the Lambton Lions Oct. 2. The Saints got off to a quick start on a goal from Jordan Lidia. The Saints’ final goal from Gabriel Poulino sealed the win. With the win St. Clair improves their record to three wins, two losses and two draws on the season.
Golf The Saint Clair College men’s and women’s golf teams brought home three medals from the provincial championships Oct. 2. The women’s team led the way winning silver at the championships. Heather MacKenzie earned an individual bronze medal for her efforts. The men’s team also claimed a silver medal in Division II. Alex Zappio helped the men’s team by finishing thirteenth overall.
Women’s fastball The St. Clair College women’s fastball team combined for 38 runs in two games against Mohawk College Oct. 2. The first game of the day ended with a score of 22-5 in favour of the Saints. St. Clair opened the scoring early with seven runs in the first inning and nine more runs in the fourth. The Saints followed up with a 16-1 win, scoring nine runs in the sixth inning. The Saints offence was led by catcher Amelia Maniuk who had eight hits and scored eight times in the two games with Mohawk College. St. Clair improved their record to 11-0 on the season with the pair of wins.
‘
CONVERGEDCITIZEN
ocToBer 4, 2013
FEATURE
New Tim Hortons in Harrow
page 5 ..
Infant fights cancer
Photo By: Shaun Garrity
Julie Deamarce shows a picture on Facebook of her grandson who is battling cancer at the London Children’s hospital.
Photo by Shelbey Hernandez
Resident Joan Affleck stands in front of the site of the soon-to-be Tim Hortons in Harrow. Shelbey Hernandez Citizen Staff Reporter Harrow will soon have a Tim Hortons after years of being one of the few towns in Essex County without one. The new Tim Hortons is being built where the Harrow Feed Store was located at the corner of Queen Street and Centre Street East. Bill Baker, Essex Town Council Ward 3 Coun. who says he drinks approximately two Tim Hortons coffees a day and has to go to Kingsille to get his coffee, said a Tim Hortons would benefit Harrow economically. “What it is doing is signaling the fact that there’s interest in our area and with all the other things that are happening, such as the winery development, things that are happening down in the south shore area, it will create interest for other development,” said Baker. “So from a tourist point of view, people will realize that there’s development that’s happening.” Baker also said Harrow has a traditional culture and some people might be concerned. “There are going to be some other people who are concerned because their smaller businesses might be affected,” said Baker. “But also you have to realize that there’s other development going on such as a large manufacturing development going on at the same time. So that’s all going to create a lot of interest.” Feed Store owner Brian Renaud said his business won’t be affected but other
businesses might. “If someone was going to hurt it would be the coffee shops in town,” said Renaud, “as far as restaurants go, I don’t think it is going to affect them much.” Renaud also said the new Tim Hortons would only attract attention for a short amount of time. “Of course I think when something new comes in town it’s always a novelty so it will draw attention to it for a while,” said Renaud. “But I think people will get back to normal and go to their coffee shops they used to go to or go elsewhere.” As a local store owner, Renaud said he thinks Tim Hortons will help give him more business in the long run. “If people are out for a drive and they want to go for a coffee or something like that, they’re going to be in the area,” he said. “So they might have to go to a store to get something which could be my store.” Joan Affleck, a resident in Harrow who lives two doors down from where the new Tim Hortons will be located, said she is not too happy about it. “I don’t know if I really care for it just down at the end of my street too much because it might create a lot of extra traffic and maybe some noise,” said Affleck. Affleck also said she is unsure how well Tim Hortons will do because of the small population of Harrow. The town has a population of approximately 2,713 according to the 2011 census. “I don’t even know if there
is enough business here to support something like that. This isn’t a very big town to support a Tim Hortons because usually for something like Tim Hortons to make money, the town has a lot of business,” said Affleck. “So whether they will get their quota here that they were looking for it is going to be hard to say.” Affleck said Tim Hortons is unlikely to make a huge impact because of other competitors, such as McDonald’s. John VamBraeckel, who lives across the street from the new Tim Hortons site, said it will be great for the community, especially for his grandchildren who have to travel to Kingsville to get their coffee during high school breaks. “No, we don’t think it is going to affect us. I’m all for it. I don’t like Tim Hortons coffee, but I won’t be bothered with it. As far as traffic goes, it is going to be a reasonable amount of traffic and I think it is going to be good for the community anyways,” said VamBraeckel. VamBraeckel also said other nearby towns have a Tim Hortons so it is “about time we got something to boost up the community.” As of now, the old Feed Store has been torn down and only dirt lies where the new Tim Hortons will be built. The Feed Store has already reopened in its new location. According to Phil Lavalle, the owner of Ros-Bay Developments, who is in charge of the project, the Tim Hortons is expected to open in February 2014.
Shaun Garrity Citizen Staff Reporter Normally infants are at home in their cribs, but a 13-week old Windsor baby is at the Children’s Hospital in London battling cancer. Jonathon “Johnny” Deans and Christina Eady are living in London to be with their son Jonathon Jr. who was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia shortly after birth. Eady’s cousin Melissa McLeod said the baby must remain an inpatient for the majority of the treatment. “Johnny is not working, so he can be in London with Christina and the baby,” said Mcleod. Jonathan has acute myeloid leukemia, a type of cancer where the bone marrow to makes abnormal myoblasts (a type of white blood cell), red blood cells or platelets. Jonathon’s grandmother Julie Demarce said the infant has been hospitalized since Aug. 26 and will be going through four treatments of
chemotherapy between now and February 2014. The first treatment was an aggressive form of chemotherapy, the next three will be less aggressive. “You hear (about) cancer in 18 months, three year olds, five year olds, you don’t hear of it in infants,” said Demarce. “It was really devastating, it is heart breaking.” The family is holding a benefit dinner Oct. 19 at the Windsor Moose Lodge 1499 to help support the family during Jonathon Jr.’s hospitalization. The event is expected to attract more than 300 people. Jodi Walton, another of Eady’s cousins, said that her family raised $ 1,000 for the cause. “I truly believe when you have friends and family by your side you can conquer anything,” said Walton. If you have any questions about the dinner or you would like to donate to Jonathon, email: julie.demarce@gmail.com
the converged team Managing Editors Mitch Brandner Sandee Nho
Senior Associate Managing Editors Sports Editors Jolene Perron Sean Previl
Evan Mathias
Production Team
Production Team
Chris Mailloux Mary Anne Vanderaa Michael Veres
Entertainment Editor
Justin Thompson Sean Frame
Chris Mailloux
Chief Copy Photo Editor Copy Editor Editor Liam Higgins Sean Previl
Taylor Desjardins
Adam D’Andrea
www.themediaplex.com email: media.converged@themediaplex.com phone: (519) 972-2727 ext. 4963 Follow us at http://twitter.com/the_mediaplex
CONVERGEDCITIZEN
ocToBer 4, 2013
FEATURE
page 6 ..
Ghosts walk in Amherstburg
Photo By Justin Prince Windsorites participate in the Spinal Cord Injury Ontario Wheelchair Relay Challenge Sept. 29 to raise money for people with spinal cord injuries.
Photo By Jolene Perron Rob Tymec and his team of actors rehearse for the Amherstburg Ghost Walk performance. Jolene Perron Associate Managing Editor Ghosts are taking over the Amherstburg Navy Yard this October. Rob Tymec is bringing his team of actors from Monkeys with a Typewriter back for the fifth year of the Amherstburg Ghost Walk. The tours originally started in Old Sandwich Town in Windsor. Tymec said someone from the Amherstburg Chamber of Commerce participated in the Ghost Walk and approached him to bring it to Amherstburg. “I already knew (Amherstburg) had a lot of ghost legends and stuff and a really extensive history,” said Tymec. “I was actually probably more excited to do one for this area.” Tymec met with historians in the town and acquired a small sponsorship to pay his actors. Five years later the event is supporting itself. The tours began Sept. 27 and will continue until Oct. 26 on Friday nights beginning at 8:30 p.m. Extra tours will be added Oct. 19 and Oct. 26. The meeting place is “The Mayor’s Fountain” at Dalhousie and Richmond Street. Adults pay $8 and children under 12 years old will pay $4. However, Tymec doesn’t recommend the tours for children younger than nine because “it starts getting too scary for them.” “We’re lucky that this spe-
cific area has a bunch of buildings that have those specific stories in them,” said Tymec. “In between we’ll also tell some of the old legends and some stories about Texas Road.” Tymec has also included a story about a boat from the 1800s which is said to have sailed without a crew across the Detroit River to seek out its captain. He said more than one historian has told him this legend although there is no actual account of it happening. The entire walk will last just over an hour. During this time the actors will be rotating, disappearing and sometimes interacting with each other based on the stories. Rob Bondy is a new actor in the production and said he is excited about his first ghost walk. “I grew up with some of these stories because I’m from Amherstburg and so I’ve always had a connection to the local history,” said Bondy. “The fact that I’m doing it in my own town, it’s neat … it’s just another thing being involved with the culture of the town itself.” Tymec said when people come out to support the Ghost Walk they are supporting locally produced art from a company “that actually pays its actors.” “We have broken the 1,000 (participants) mark,” said Tymec. “I’ve done these in three different locations now and Amherstburg is always the best turn out.”
Wheelchair relay raises money for spinal cord injuries Justin Prince Citizen Staff Reporter Able-bodied Windsorites hopped in wheelchairs Sept. 29 for a special relay to raise money for people with spinal cord injuries. The seventh annual Spinal Cord Injury Ontario Wheelchair R e l ay Challenge was held in the Windsor Family Credit Union Centre’s Leisure Gym. The relay had nine teams competing against each other through an obstacle course and a speed race. Both events were timed to help determine a winner. The event raised over $12,000 through donations, sponsors and raffles throughout the day. Appearances were made by the Windsor Spitfires, Windsor Express and SCI Ontario spokesperson Bernie Campbell, who has experienced a spinal cord injury. Campbell was in the wilderness in northern Ontario when his accident happened and put him in a wheelchair in 2008. “Before SCI Ontario, I was a mess. I had nowhere else to go,” said Campbell. “Thanks to SCI, I can now get the support I need to help live my life.” Campbell said the relay was a good way for participants to see what it is like to be in a wheelchair for the first time. Sheila O’Neill, the community development officer for SCI Ontario and main organizer of the relay, said there was a slight drop in revenue, but
there were still more participants than in the past. “Any money we can raise to support people with spinal cord injuries and other physical disabilities, that’s a success,” said O’Neill. “The day went off without a hitch or any surprises.” She said only two teams registered online, but the rest signed up by email or phone, some of them last minute. O’Neill also said her team of volunteers played a large role in the success of the event. “We have a team of eight volunteers that all live in the community and they give a lot of help in getting all the donations for our raffle and recruiting the teams,” said O’Neill. “It does take a bit of effort but we have great support in the community so it’s a pleasure to do it.” Dan Stewart, who cracked his fourth vertebrae in a trampoline accident, is the peer support coordinator at SCI Ontario. He said every spinal cord injury is different. His job is to pair up people with existing spinal cord injuries and new patients. “I like to describe a spinal cord injury as a snowflake because every injury is completely different,” he said. “It’s kind of tricky to pair up people but at the same time it’s also important for people to have a good understanding of what their new body is going to be like.” Stewart said he works with a team of 30 volunteers to run the program. “After a spinal cord injury it’s not the end of the world, your life goes on and every-
thing can still be awesome,” he said. Tim Steward, a member of the SCI Ontario board and a first time participant in the relay, said he has been in a wheelchair since birth. “When I was born, I had a stroke at 24 hours old… and it made me paralyzed from the waist down,” said Steward. “I’ve been in a wheelchair all my life so I haven’t had anything else to be used to besides the chair, so it’s just a normal, everyday activity.” Steward said he wanted to have fun and raise money and awareness for spinal cord injuries during the relay. Beth Reidi, who works for Shoppers Home Health Care, said it was the first time her company put together a team for the event. “We donated all the wheelchairs and a lump sum of money to the cause,” said Reidi. “We have a lot of clients that use wheelchairs so it’s a nice way to support them.” Reidi also said the event is a good way to know what it’s like to be in a wheelchair. “Even though you’re only doing it for a few minutes it gives you an idea of what they’re doing every day,” she said. Reidi said she hopes to have a bigger team for next year’s relay. The winners of the relay received free bags from SCI Ontario. Steward’s team took first place and the Windsor Express won the Most Determined Team award, finishing last in both the obstacle course and the speed race.
ocToBer 4, 2013
ENTERTAINMENT
CONVERGEDCITIZEN
page 7 ..
Harvesting the art in Windsor
Photo by Liam Higgins
Mike Difazio, left, and Derek Boyce of The Rowley Estate perform their song “Pizza” during the Krusty’s Punk Rock Fest on Ottawa Street Sept. 29. Photo by Chris Mailloux
Dale Jacobs (right) gives a speech about his book Graphic Encounters at the Incredible Comic Show Sept 28. Chris Mailloux with the right people to get Dale Jacobs was the special Entertainment Editor things done you don’t need guest speaker for the event talking about his book The Harvesting the FAM money.” Erzinclioglu pitched the idea Graphic Encounters: Comics Festival kicked off its second day with a comic book themed of having the event at Tony and the Sponsorship of Gray’s Windsor studio three Multimodal Literacy. art show. “About 10 years ago I was The Incredible Comic Show months ago. He attended a took place Sept. 28 and fea- similar event there last year teaching a class with students, tured art from local artists and and he loved the space and the a lot of them read comics and they started giving me some,” well known comic creators. art. “I was actually at the first said Jacobs. “I hadn’t read The event was hosted at Glass Monkey’s Studio on Ottawa FAM fest, so it was fun to anything in a long time so I have Murad ask me,” said was surprised by just how Street. more complicated they were.” The art show was one of the Gray. The event featured art from One of the books that stood many events being held for Harvesting The FAM Festival a variety of different artists in out for Jacobs was the which started Sept. 27 and the industry. Some of the cre- Daredevil run written by Brian ators were Dan DeCarlo, Michael Bendis. ends Oct. 19. Jacobs said he found the stoThe festival was co-created David Finch, Dean Young, by Murad Erzinclioglu during Jason Fabok, John Romita Sr. rytelling complex, not just and Johnny Desjardins. because of the writing but also the summer of 2006. “We’ve got work from all because of the visual story“We put it on because we’re fans ourselves and creators over the world,” said Gray. telling. The chapter Jacob read at the ourselves and we appreciate “We’ve got John Romita Sr., event was about the relationthe artist from Spider-Man the content that people make,” back from the 70s. He’s basi- ship between the electric comsaid Erzinclioglu. Erzinclioglu said they usual- cally the most well known pany and Marvel when they brought in Spider-Man as a ly spend the six months before Marvel artist of the 70s.” The event focused not only character. the festival getting ready. “I knew I wanted to do He also said that the budget on super hero art but also feathey work with is less than tured art from comics like something that would give people just a general idea Archie and Blondie. $1,000. The walls were devoted to about the book,” said Jacobs. They put the event together with the support of friends and art from big industry names “I picked that chapter because it was on Marvel, because I people in the community who and local upcoming artists. “This gallery has never had thought doing something on want to see it happen. “It’s about knowing and more artwork up then it has superheroes would be the working with people. Money right now. We even have best.” For more information on is one thing but human pieces in the back that we resources are way more valu- don’t even have room for on upcoming Harvesting the able than money,” said the walls right now,” said FAM Festival events visit their website www.famfest.ca Erzinclioglu. “If you can work Gray.
Local pizza shop holds its first punk show
Liam Higgins Photo Editor A local pizza shop offered a slice of punk for the first time Sept 29. Krusty’s Pizza, located at the corner of Ottawa Street and Kildare Road, held their first annual Krusty’s Pizza Punk Rock Fest Sept. 29. The show included local punk bands The Rowley Estate and To The Strongest, and was held to support local music as well as provide Krusty’s with a chance to bring in a broader range of customers. Rowley Estate bassist Derek Boyce, 24, said he approached the owner of Krusty’s with the idea of supporting local music. Boyce said he has been an avid customer at Krusty’s since it opened in the fall of 2012. He lives down the street from the restaurant and thought it would be a great idea to have a show at Krusty’s. “Alternative venues for a band like mine are kind of perfect,” said Boyce. “We really try to keep an all-ages scene going and that’s really important to us.” As tribute to Krusty’s, The Rowley Estate wrote a song about the pizza shop. “The Rowley Estate wrote a song about Krusty’s Pizza,” said Boyce. “We’re big supporters of local business.”
Although it was raining during the event, about 50 fans of music and pizza attended. Krusty’s Pizza owner Michael Tersigni said having a show at Krusty’s was about having fun and bringing the people of the neighbourhood together. Tersigni, 40, also said since he is stationed in the Walkerville area, he’s had the chance to talk to Walkerville students and also offer them a chance to show their talents. “It’s all about local,” said Tersigni. “All my produce and my stuff is local.” Tersigni said his main goal as a business owner is to bring in more customers and different groups of people. Giving the youth the chance to showcase their abilities helped to make the event successful and bring joy to customers, as well as fans. “We had an 80-year-old man in here tonight and he was having a slice of pizza, listening to the tunes and he was happy,” said Tersigni. “Older couples were calling in for requests for AC/DC.” Tersigni said he encourages anyone to approach him with the idea of holding shows and different types of events for the public. Tersigni and Boyce said they plan to have shows again in the future with more bands of different genres.
Vi l l a i n s B e a s t r o m o n t h l y c o m e dy n i g h t
Chandesha Thompson Citizen Staff Reporter
It was a big night for Villains Beastro downtown as they held their monthly comedy night. More than 40 people came out to support and hear jokes from local comedians along
with a few comedians from Detroit. This event was put together by local comedian, Rob Kemeny, 26, who has been doing comedy for two years. “Due to lack of employment and boredom I took up comedy and realized I was really
good at it,” said Kemeny. A lineup of 10 comedians took the stage on Oct. 2, and really knew how to please the crowd. Dave “Squeeky Wheelz” Robbin-Sing had the crowd wiping tears of laughter off their faces as he stood up on stage and joked about rela-
tionships and how people look at him differently. “This night was very well done and I can’t wait to see what is planned for the two year anniversary,” said audience member Ege Doig. Next month is the anniversary of the comedy event.
“The event will have a large lineup of comedians at a bigger venue,” said Kemeny. For an audience, comedy is about catching a few jokes for the night. To comedians it is a way of life, how to express yourself through humour and laughter.
CONVERGEDCITIZEN
ocToBer 4, 2013 ..
REVIEWS
page 8 ..
California knows how to party
Richard Riosa Citizen Staff Reporter From the minute you pick up the controller until the moment you put it down, you know you’re taking part in something truly special. Fans have been waiting over five years to see if Rockstar North is capable of topping 2008’s brilliant Grand Theft Auto IV. For the eleventh entry in the series, Grand Theft Auto V is everything fans have ever wanted from a GTA game. The game has already posted sales of $800 million after just its first full day of sales and surpassed the $1 billion mark after only three days, making it the fastest selling entertainment product in history. The time and effort put into this game is illustrated immediately by the largest open-world map ever
developed. The sunny west coast city of Los Santos and its surrounding Blaine County return from GTA San Andreas and have been expanded and flushed out in a way that makes each location feel like its own unique, living, breathing neighbourhood. Many fans will remember the stretches of land in San Andreas that were basically empty space. This is simply not the case with GTA V. There is something to do everywhere you go in Los Santos, from clothing shopping to golfing and tennis. Bored with the main missions? Go compete in a triathlon in Del Perro Beach, test the links at Los Santos Golf Club in Rockford Hills, or play darts in the county town of Sandy Shores. GTA V’s map has been densely populated with side quests, easter eggs and hidden areas to explore beyond just the usual story missions and free-roam mayhem. Everything has been improved over the previous game. The auto-aim is sharper and more precise and the cover mechanics feel much more fluid and
realistic. In addition to the classic all-out firefights, an element of stealth is now present in the game with silent takedowns. Driving also now feels more based in real physics, with collisions causing visual damage to the vehicles. Speaking of vehicles, there is a large variety in the game which includes cars, trucks, SUVs, motorcycles, bicycles, ATVs, helicopters, planes and even an unlockable blimp. Each land vehicle in the game can be fully customized and upgraded in any of the custom shops found throughout the map. Moving on to the main story, it has been no secret leading up to the release that GTA V allows players to switch back-and-forth between three main protagonists. Franklin is a young Los Santos gang member looking for a way out of the gangbanger lifestyle and Michael is a middleaged former bank robber, now living in the upscale Vinewood neighbourhood with his unfaithful wife, overweight, nerdy son and promiscuous daughter. The final playable character is Michael’s former partner Trevor, a wild, unhinged
psychopath who now lives in Blaine County and operates a meth lab. This risky, innovative decision by Rockstar is really what pushes GTA V’s narrative over the edge and into the territory of greatness. Very rarely has a video game ever been able to fully immerse the player in the story and force them to become emotionally attached to characters like GTA V. Each of the three playable characters has their own story missions which delve deep into their backstories and slowly allows the player to understand their motives and the opinions they hold. When switching from one character to another, the map pans out and then down onto the new character in a new situation. This creates many great moments throughout the game such as stepping into Franklin’s life as he’s leaving his local medical marijuana dispensary, or Trevor waking up drunk, leaning against a dumpster in a Los Santos alley. The story picks up nine years after a chaotic prologue sets the roller-coaster tone for the rest of the game. There are
many climactic peaks throughout the game in the form of various heist missions. The time between these heists is usually spent setting up for the heist, dealing with other personal business and character growth.The story uses the three characters brilliantly to give just enough information to the player to make them think they know what’s really going on before the big reveal midway through the game. Everything after this point is damage control and there’s a very real sense of personal growth with each character. Just months away from the release of the next generation of consoles, Rockstar has managed to deliver one of the defining experiences of the current generation. With a large, expansive map, crisp controls, stunning visuals and an outstanding narrative, GTA V delivers the full package. It receives a perfect 5/5.
5/5
S.H.I.E.L.D. is recruiting viewers, should you assemble?
Chris Mailloux Entertainment Editor After three long years Joss Whedon has finally returned to television with his latest work Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Right away the series shows clips from the 2012 hit film The Avengers, setting up the connection between the film and the series. The opening scene shows a father named Mike, played by J. August Richards, talking with his son, when suddenly a nearby building explodes. Mike makes sure his son is safe and runs to the
building to get everyone out safely. Throughout the episode we learn Mike has fallen on hard times and is trying to provide for his son. Now Mike is not the main character of the series but he does play an important role in the pilot episode. What makes this television show different from The Avengers is that all the characters here have no powers. They’re all just agents with exceptional skills, similar to Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff from The Avengers. Whedon has a history with ensemble casts. His past television shows like Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dollhouse and Firefly all focused on a large group of people. The situation here is the same, with the premise of this episode being Agent Phil Coulson, played by Clark
Gregg, creating a team of S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives. The fans of the Marvel cinematic universe will be happy to see Gregg back again as Coulson, especially after his death in The Avengers. The first episode didn’t explain the truth behind what happened to Coulson, but instead leaves it open for the show to explain it in future episodes. It was great seeing Gregg again and he simply steals the show whenever he’s on screen. Another returning character from The Avengers is Maria Hill, played by Cobie Smulders. One of my favourite casting decisions in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was Smulders as Hill and it was great to see more of her. Once again, Smulders has perfected the look and attitude of the comic book character. Surprisingly, Hill is the only actual
comic book character to make it into the pilot episode. Coulson was brought into the comics, but not until after his introduction in the 2008 film Iron Man. The newly introduced characters show promise and work well together. Two of the standouts were Brett Dalton as Agent Grant Ward and Chloe Bennet as Skye. Ward plays a serious agent who dislikes the position he’s been brought into and doesn’t agree with Coulson’s team picks. Ward’s character has some great moments in the show and also shows a lot of promise for development in future episodes. Bennet’s character Skye can feel a little over-acted at times but it works with the character’s charm. Overall, the choreography for the fighting was done very well and helped
give little breaks of action throughout the episode. Although there were some cheesy lines, the writing throughout was excellent and fans of the comics will appreciate some of the easter eggs thrown in. I really enjoyed Richards as Mike. He was a character you could both love and hate, as he was very compassionate but was also showing signs of corruption. The pilot combines things like humour, action, emotion and enjoyable characters to create a very promising television series. I definitely recommend giving Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. a watch and I give it four out of five stars.
4/5