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The Treasures

- and Unexpected Pleasures - of Tunisia

 

Some friends and I recently returned from a wonderful adventure in Tunisia – a North African country that is bordered on two sides by the Mediterranean, on the west by Algeria and on the south by Libya. It is situated on the “shoulders of Africa” and its diverse topography includes the Atlas Mountains in the north, the Sahara desert in the south with a range of arid steppes in between and the beautiful beaches and cliff formations of the coasts. We were awed by the changing landscape as we travelled through the country and viewed the varied land from the fertile valleys full of olive and orange groves to the expanses of the salt lakes and the incredible Sahara Desert.

This fascinating country is inhabited by Arabic and French speaking people who at times seemed to be in a time warp. In the south we saw Bedouin tent encampments where nomadic camel herders still live with the ways and clothing that they have for centuries. We observed farming methods with no mechanization but saw bountiful harvests from the land brought to markets – truckloads of fennel, artichoke, peppers, juicy tomatoes, citrus fruits and strawberries. All of the food we enjoyed was so flavourful and many main dishes were spiked with their special hot sauce called “harissa” – a blend of many different chillies. Dining was a gastronomic delight!

In the modern resort areas the hotels were infused with the flavour of the country’s history, culture and architecture. We did very well with English in these areas though we did get a chance to use the remnants of our high school French and learned some Arabic pleasantries. Our excursions ranged from cave dwellings in Matmata, home of the Stars Wars set, to camel riding and a night in a desert encampment in a hollow in the dunes. During the night a sandstorm came up as we lay in our tents and that sound is now an unforgettable memory for me. We visited small islands, oases with date palms and the best Roman ruins in Africa at El Djem and Dougga. We even saw mirages on the salt flats!

Should you be looking for a new and intriguing holiday destination try Tunisia – it is truly authentic, inexpensive and a chance for new experiences. It is a safe location and has actually been a very popular ‘snowbird’ destination for Canadians for close to forty years! Who knew? I do now and plan to return next winter!

“Lori Gregor is a retired educator and part time gypsy with a quest to travel. She is a “Travelling Agent” at Thunder Country Travel and welcomes your calls to share more about this and other destinations.”

 

Bruce Hyer Responds to Jim Fould’s Article on the Long Gun Registration in the January issue of Thunder Bay Seniors Paper

 

Jim Foulds, one of the finest MPP’s to ever represent Thunder Bay North and a good friend, made a persuasive argument in favour of the “long gun” registry in his January column.

While we share the same objectives, we have different opinions on how best to get there.

Jim and I agree wholeheartedly that violence against women and children is a grave issue that urgently requires more attention and resources. Domestic violence is an awful and persistent social TRAGEDY with heavy costs not only for women and children, but for all of us. I am proud to work with my New Democrat caucus colleagues, as Jim has done throughout his remarkable career, to fight for strengthened services for women including a national housing strategy, access to education, training and job opportunities, improvements to the minimum wage, adequate support for transition houses, a national child care program, a fair electoral system that will see more women elected to public office, a meaningful anti-poverty strategy, improved access to health care and medicines, and women’s reproductive choice. Our progress on these issues is too slow, but we are making progress.

Where our views diverge is with respect to the effectiveness of the registration of hunting rifles and shotguns as an instrument in reducing all-too-common incidents of domestic assault and murder.

The registration of non-restricted rifles and shotguns is essentially a redundant system and one that, in my opinion, does not add any protections to those provided by the stringent regime already in place under the Possession and Acquisition Licensing (PAL) program, a program that will remain in place regardless of the future of the registry.

Under the terms of the PAL program, in order to acquire, possess, store, lend, borrow, or transport any firearm, an owner must be subjected to extensive Canada-wide police background checks. Applicants must divulge sensitive personal information, and are screened to detect potential public safety risks. Continuous eligibility screening is conducted over the term of the license to identify any public safety risks that may arise over time. One must also pass a rigorous firearms safety course (and it’s a tough test!).

Licenses are refused or revoked for a number of reasons, including: a history of violence, mental illness, potential risk to oneself or others, unsafe firearm use and storage, drug offences, or providing false information.

Through that process, police know who every legal firearms owner is, and where they are.

Violence against women is a complex and pernicious problem, requiring a multi-faceted response. However, I don’t believe the long gun registry is an effective contribution to that effort.

Surely our energy and resources ought to be spent keeping guns out of the hands of the violent, rather than asking them to register the weapons they might possess.

I should add that my views on the long gun registry have been consistent over many years. I have stood for office three times, each time making my opposition to the registry clear. I made a promise that if elected I would vote to end the long gun registry, and I have kept my word.

Bruce Hyer, MP Thunder Bay – Superior North

  

Memorial Society of Thunder Bay 

Our local Memorial Society established in 1965-66 was instrumental in the creation of the Co-operative Memorial & Removal Services Inc. (1977) which then became our present Northwest Funeral Alternative Inc. in 1997.

So why continue having a Memorial Society in Thunder Bay? To quote Delores Dickey in her book (Stubborn and Steadfast – A History of our Memorial Society) “consumer protection concerning the funeral industry, requires constant vigilance”, and Memorial Societies are the organizations that provide this service.

They are successful lobby and advocacy groups that continually monitor legislation covering the funeral industry and they also respond to new issues and demands from the public regarding the disposition of final remains. Funerals are one of the three or four most expensive purchases people will make in their lifetime and Memorial Societies are the only independent source of consumer information on the subject of low-cost funerals in North America.

We are fortunate that our local representatives in FOOMS/FCA (Federation of Ontario Memorial Societies/ Funeral Consumers Alliance), have consistently contributed to and influenced legislation that governs the funeral industry. This is constantly being updated and changed. The fight is NOT OVER. We must stay alert to be certain that the goals and objectives that we have achieved, up to this point will be safeguarded and protected. This can only be done by maintaining informed vigilance and by participating positively in the legislative process,

Membership in and donations to the Memorial Society of Thunder Bay guarantee that the voice of the consumer will be heard – all Memorial Societies are volunteer-run, non-profit organizations incorporated in the Province of Ontario. They are independent of government and religious institutions and do not own or operate any funeral or related business. All income is derived through membership fees and donations and is put towards public awareness and operating expenses. Membership is open to all regardless of race, colour, nationality and political or religious beliefs.

A one-time $20.00 fee entitles you to a lifetime membership and you will be provided with the following:

• a set of pre-planning funeral arrangement forms (Designation Forms); these are to be completed and signed by you to explain your requests;

• a guideline for completion of Designation Forms - general information to assist you in planning and recording the personal information your survivors will need;

• a list of ‘Things To Do When A Death Occurs In A Family’;

• a booklet “Arranging or Pre-Arranging A Funeral: What You Need to Know” from Board of Funeral Services of Ontario. (large print available on request);

• an annual newsletter, which is educational and informative;

• an invitation to the Annual General Meeting;

• a membership card to carry in your wallet.

Your wishes should be discussed with the family member or clergy who would be in charge of your arrangements and he or she should be given a copy of your Designation Forms. There is no need to pre-pay your funeral! Do not file your Designation Forms with your will as your family will need to know your wishes at time of death. If you move from Northwestern Ontario, your membership may be transferable to another Canadian Memorial Society. If your family status changes, by marriage, death, divorce, or if you misplace your Designation Forms, new ones will be provided. You will have peace of mind when you have made your final wishes known.

Volunteers are available to answer your questions and provide assistance by phoning (807) 683-3051 or by emailing memorialsocietytbay@tbaytel.net Remember, a deceased person has no rights! The right to disposition rests with the executor/executrix or immediate family members. If you want simplicity, ensure that your wishes are known to your family.

Submitted by Ed Prinselaar

Losing Our Balls on the Iron Range 

It was going to be the road trip that would make us something more than ‘average golfers.’ That was how we described ourselves, Keith and I. Roughly translated, that meant we could shoot under 50 for nine holes on the local municipal course, which was about 2000 yards long and, frankly, ‘forgiving.’ But we knew we could do better if we were really challenged, and we’d heard that Northern Minnesota boasted some genuinely daunting courses. That’s what we wanted – something worth conquering. We figured, if we could break 100 on 18 holes at each of Superior National at Lutsen, the municipal course at Two Harbors, the Black Bear Casino course at Carson and the cute little local course at Silver Bay, we’d finally get some respect. That’s what it’s all about, really. R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

I bought twenty-four new balls – more than enough even for a veteran slicer. Keith, who tended to dribble his drives into the bush, took a few more. But who was counting? So off we went, four courses in four days, two old farts heading down Dylan’s Highway 61.

Playing a mountain course in the mist is quite an experience. It’s something like being in a vampire movie. Or, you never know, you might meet the Hound of the Baskervilles round the next corner. You tee off, jump into the buggy, motor along a path that leads into the clammy gloom. Sometimes we actually found our balls. This was the ‘Chasm’ course, and it really lived up to its name. You’re chugging along then, blow me, there it is – looks like five hundred feet below – a raging torrent of water with a thin strip of green winking in the fog at you as if to say ‘go ahead, make my day.’ A chasm indeed!

But there was something rather beautiful about that day on the mountain. The weather was so bad it scared everybody else off the course. We were alone. Nobody could witness our ineptitude. The one triumph was a par three for both of us on the short hole. Who cares about conquest at such a time and place? I think we both got round the ‘Chasm’ then the ‘Mountain’ courses in about forty over par, not counting lost balls. Oh yes, that other score. I lost thirteen. Keith, who, after the third hole on the Mountain developed an extraordinary capacity for driving into every water hazard and thicket, lost far more. Maybe twenty. But, if we had been able to see it, I am pretty damned confident that we could report that Lutsen is a spectacular course to play. And the hospitality at the Resort itself? Splendid.

The Two Harbors course is a long, rather daunting, but ultimately slightly bland golf course. It is remembered by your correspondent for one very special humiliation. Being consistently pressured by four guys behind us, and getting thoroughly ticked off by that ( as it was undoubtedly the reason why we were losing so many balls), we decided to wave them through. We waited at the fifth tee for them, and, within nano-seconds two buggies rounded the corner and four fellas disembarked, with many thanks. Not one of these guys was under seventy-five. Their play was a lesson to us, which we resolved to follow in the future. They each hobbled to the tee and semi-arthritically looped their balls down the middle of the fairway, maybe a hundred and fifty yards each. They then heaved themselves back and motored down the course, only to do exactly the same thing, four of them in a line, for their second shots. Their third got them on the green and each was down in five. One over par, whilst neither of us had done less than double-bogey on any hole up to that point.

Meanwhile we were searching the rough looking for our sliced and dribbled drives and feeling the heat from the next buggy-load of old-timers behind (whom we did not let through.) By the time we were (mercifully) called off the course because of a looming lightning danger, our lost-ball count for the first two days was 75.

On the road to the Black Bear Casino Resort that evening, we made a resolution. We were going to have to buy some new balls. …to be continued

Time for Men to Talk About It! 

There’s a new video in town that everyone should see. Talk About It starts off with sea of sleek beautiful motorcycles revving their engines.  The sense of adventure, a romanticism, is strong as they drive out of the parking lot on a beautiful sunny day. The video then introduces some of the leather-jacketed bikers and they each talk freely about a topic that men have avoided discussing in the past – prostate cancer.
Talk About It is the latest video of Thunder Bay’s Jim Hyder, an innovative director who has been making award-winning films and videos since the early 1970s. But this video is particularly important to Jim.
“Four years ago I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. I didn’t know much about it and looked for a male voice talking about prostate cancer. I didn’t see it. Why? Because men didn’t talk about it,” said Jim, adding  “Over 20 years ago, the movement for breast cancer started and about 10 years ago, I made a video for breast cancer awareness.  Women talked about dealing with breast cancer and now everyone is involved. Men need to do the same thing – get together, get the dialogue going about prostate cancer.”
Like others who have faced prostate cancer, Jim went through the emotional struggle, therapy and all the other issues, but there was one question that continued to bother him.  “How can I get men to talk about it? I went back to my roots – making videos – and made a video to stimulate that much-needed discussion.”
Talk About It is the first of a video series about prostate cancer and is a collaboration between the Thunder Bay Prostate Cancer Support Group and Sky Works Charitable Foundation. The Thunder Bay group has already sent copies of Talk About It to every prostate cancer support group in Canada.
“The main point is that men have to talk about prostate cancer. Men need to get organized, like women did years ago around breast cancer. We deal with similar issues that women have to deal with breast cancer,” explained Jim, who is already planning the next video in the series. 
Talk About It screening presentation and other information is available to all groups and organizations by calling the Thunder Bay Prostate Cancer Support Group at 807-627-0333. The Support Group (“excellent group” said one member) also meets the third Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. at the 55 Plus Centre.
Talk About It is about lifting the taboo from talking about prostate cancer, the most common cancer in men.
****
Sidebar:
1 in 7 men will develop prostate cancer during their lifetime.
1 in 26 will die from prostate cancer.
*******
Elle Andra-Warner is an author, journalist & photographer based in Thunder Bay.

The Floride Debate Facts

Tooth decay is the most widespread and costly oral health problem among people of all ages. Statistics from the Thunder Bay District Health Unit show that tooth decay in five year old children in Thunder Bay has increased by almost 30% in 8 years. Credible scientificic research has shown that water fluoridation can reduce tooth decay in children’s teeth from 20 – 40%.

Children aren’t the only ones with dental decay — research has also shown that water fluoridation can reduce tooth decay in adults’ teeth by 27%.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention named fluoridation of drinking water one of ten great public health achievements of the 20th century. At the World Dental Congress in 2008, 130 countries signed their support of water fluoridation.

Of the thousands of credible scientific studies on fluoridation, none has shown health problems associated with the consumption of optimally fluoridated water. Those are the key words “optimally fluoridated” — many of the concerns we hear about fluoride are referring to naturally occurring fluoride which is uncontrolled at very high levels. The Health Unit is looking to add a small amount of carefully controlled fluoride to our water to create a health benefit.

Water fluoridation is the least expensive way to reduce tooth decay and improve oral health for everyone. For every $1 spent on water fluoridation, approximately $38 is saved on dental treatment costs. The Canadian Dental Association and the Canadian Medical Association encourage using fluoride in municipal water supply systems as a way of safely reducing cavities and preventing dental disease. Did you know that dental disease is the main reasons for preschool children to have general anesthetic? Is this what we want for our children?

Thunder Bay does not have fluoride in the municipal drinking water. Should we? Are we being irresponsible by not using it?

 

 

 

Social Responsibility

and Banking

With all the talk about how managers of the banks around the world have let us down it somehow seems incongruous for Social Responsibility and Financial Institutions to show up in the same title. However I have a positive story to tell.

A couple of weeks ago I was chatting outside the Bay Credit Union with my friend Steve Mantis when the Lea Matyuska, the credit union manager approached us and asked Steve some little detail about the award he was to receive in Toronto. “Award!” I said, “Steve. what are you getting an award for?”

As it turns out Steve initiated and has chaired the Bay Credit Union’s Social Responsibility Committee for the last 6 years. The committee meets monthly. Every second meeting a guest speaker is invited to talk about their social endeavor. I was invited to sit in on a meeting in which Dr. Steve Klassen spoke about the Bikes for Africa program running here in the city. The question asked each presenter by the Social Responsibility Committee is “How can the Bay Credit Union help?” And it’s not always with money. The night I was there the staff and members had just finished cooking a meal at the Dew Drop Inn.

Steve has also spearheaded a “Speakers’ School” for those suffering from workplace injury or poverty. The training focuses on public speaking and leadership training. He believed such a school would build confidence, skills and self esteem in marginalized individuals. Students have in fact called the experience “life changing.”

Each year at the Annual meeting of Ontario’s Credit Unions two individuals (one member and one staff) are recognized for their contribution in “promoting social responsibility and/or sustainability in credit unions and/or promoting credit unions as a socially responsible investment alternative”

The award is called the “Gary Gillam Award” and is sponsored by two credit unions in Toronto, Alterna Savings and Central 1. The award comes with a $2500 cheque made out to the charity of the recipient’s choice.

This year northwestern Ontario won the two Gay Gillian Awards. Steve received the member’s award and Doug Robinson, CEO of Northern Lights Credit Union in Dryden won the staff award. Doug won the award for his work with the Wasaya Group to provide financial services to remote First Nations communities.

While it is always a good thing to recognize the hard work and commitment of individuals what struck me most about my visit to the Bay Credit Union’s Social Responsibility Committee meeting was that such a committee existed in a financial institution. Credit unions are grass roots organizations with a local focus. I wasn’t a member because I couldn’t imagine that they would be able to provide me with the same services a bank can. The next day I decided to check that out and they can. Guess who has become the latest member of the Bay Credit Union. …Keith

  

Northern Women’s Bookstore Celebrates 25 Years 

The Northern Woman’s Bookstore, Thunder Bay’s only remaining independent, celebrated its 25th anniversary in April. Befitting the occasion, women gathered over a potluck dinner to reminisce and rejoice.

During the evening women reflected on the meaning of the store to themselves. For some it was their best source of feminist literature, for others it provided an “oasis” - a safe and supportive space - to meet and be in the company of other women. For one young artist it was a place to launch her fledgling art business. The many stories generated a lot of laughter and many deep and heartfelt memories.

The Northern Woman’s Bookstore began in 1983, in a small space on Bay Street under the leadership of Margaret Phillips and Anna McColl. After three moves it finally found its permanent home at 65 Court Street. While the store is now under the sole ownership of Margaret Phillips, Margaret will be the first to say that the store’s continuing success is due to the efforts of a group of dedicated women who want to ensure the store remains viable.

For these women the business remains grounded in strong belief. While feminist literature and resources are key, the store now is the largest repository for the work of local and regional writers and a popular source for ordering books. Over the years the bookstore has hosted many book launches and readings. Some of the most notable include local authors Elizabeth Kouhi, Mary Frost, Sharon Irvine, Joan Skelton, Elle Andra-Warner, Erin Stewart and Maryanne Jones. Joining their ranks have been Margie Taylor, Diane Schoemperlen, Kim Anderson, Elena Dykewoman, Ivan E Coyote, Lee Maracle, Ann Cameron and the late and fondly remembered Carol Shields. The store has also hosted local musicians and singers travelling through the region like Claire Jenkins and the group Her Sweet Time. The bookstore provides a space for a feminist book club and a small writing group called Red Shoes.

The Northern Woman’s Bookstore has stood the test of time and is surviving the dark shadow of the current financial climate and the Big Box stores. Congratulations to Margaret Phillips and all the women who work with such commitment and determination in this valued social enterprise.

 

 

Older Women’s Health

Heart disease is the nation’s number one killer for women. The well-known heart attack symptoms – acute pain, tightness, burning and a dull ache in the chest – describe what men typically experience during an attack. For many women the signs of a heart attack are completely different and can go unrecognized. Dr. Karla Kurrelmeyer, cardiologist at the Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center in Houston, offers the following information for women:

Symptoms

Nausea, shoulder pain and exhaustion can be the only signs a female experiences during an attack. Heart disease tends to come later in women than in men, on average 10 years after menopause. Women are more likely to die from their heart attacks.

Immediacy

Most people know to get to an emergency room immediately when they’ve identified that they’re having a heart attack. However, research shows that women go to the hospital on average one full hour later than men do after experiencing an attack. Most benefits of medical treatment occur in the first six hours after an attack, so delayed medical treatment reduces chances of full recovery. This could be due to a lack of education about onset and symptoms.

Treatment

Clot-buster drugs may be immediately given to break up the clot and allow blood to get through to the heart. If necessary a balloon or a stent can be placed in the clogged artery to open the artery and strengthen the artery wall. Sometimes surgery and other procedures are required, depending on the situation.

Prevention

Maintain low cholesterol levels. Exercise. Quit smoking. If you have diabetes, keep it under control. Monitor your blood pressure, and keep it in check. Know your family medical history. If there’s a history of heart disease, start earlier and be even more diligent about prevention.

Education

For information on heart disease, see www.debakeyheartcenter.com.

Source: Methodist Hospital, Houston

Sexual Transmitted Infections 

An article in November’s, Body +Mind magazine, was about a story highlighting the danger of sexually transmitted infections. Turns out, older woman may be at higher risk than younger ones for STI’s.

Coming out of long-term relationships, older adults are entering the dating scene with little awareness of their risks for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and think condoms are unnecessary. The 70-year-old woman who contracted HIV has the double stigma of age and gender. This results in a lack of testing, under-diagnosis and under-treatment. Le-Ann Dolan of the Toronto AIDS Committee says attitudes of sexual behaviour of older adults has to change. Older adults have sex. All the STIs you can get at 20, you can still get at 50, 60 and beyond. You can never know the sexual history of anyone but yourself. This applies to not only HIV but to a host of other infections, including human papilloma virus – the most commonly transmitted STI, which can cause cervical cancer – herpes, chlamydia, gonorrhea or even rarely, syphilis.

Experts point out that older women are at a higher risk due to biological changes due to aging: less natural lubrication and thinning vaginal walls can result in tears during intercourse and a higher susceptibility to infection.

It is important that older adults, especially women, empower themselves in their sex lives.

Statistically the number of cases of reported HIV among older adults in Canada is on the rise.

Of the 62,561 reported cases of HIV in Canada (2006), 5,275 were aged 50 and over. Statistically another 30% do not know they are carrying the virus because they have not been tested. If you do not know you are HIV positive, you are not getting the treatments that delay the development of AIDS, and you could be putting your sexual partner(s) at risk for HIV infection.

Am I too old to be HIV positive or at risk for HIV?

No, viruses do not pay attention to age—no one is ever too old to become infected with HIV. HIV is not just a young person’s infection. Anyone can become infected with HIV by:

¦ having unprotected sex with someone who is HIV positive or whose HIV status you do not know

¦ sharing needles or syringes to inject drugs/medications/steroids/vitamins, or when having acupuncture, skin piercing or tattoos

For more information ask your family doctor or contact AIDS Thunder Bay 345 – 1516 or info@ aidsthunderbay.org

ELVIS GOSPEL SHOW IN FINAL YEAR FOR THUNDER BAY

 

Elvis

After 5 years of Christmas Gospel performances in Thunder Bay, Elvis Tribute Artist and International Performer, Daylin James is calling it quits on his widely popular and seasonally welcome production: ‘THE GOSPEL CHRISTMAS MUSIC OF THE KING’, that has grown to be a family tradition over the years. “I have produced three separate Christmas/Gospel shows over the last 5 years, states Daylin, and I feel it is time to give the show a rest. This year being our last will feature only the most popular and highly anticipated songs of faith and of Christmas tradition that Elvis Presley had recorded over his successful career.” Daylin and his company ERIGUS Entertainment has sold out the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium twice with his ‘Legend Lives’ concert that features up to sixteen orchestral musicians and five talented dancers and despite the amount of production value that this concert involves, people still flock to the Christmas show and brave the cold weather to hear Daylin sing his favourite Elvis gospel songs. “I don’t understand it” explains Daylin. “I come back to Thunder Bay and pour so much energy into the production end of the ‘Legends’ concert, and with all that work, I still hear from fans that they don’t care about the size of the show or how many lighting effects we generate, that they just come to hear me sing, without all the razzle dazzle. I guess that there is no nicer compliment I could receive.”

But don’t expect Daylin to be giving up performing as Elvis just yet. “As much as I would like to move ahead and pursue my own originality, which many have witnessed with our variety shows, I know what the fans still want, and in this business, you got to realize that or you are finished if you don’t give them what they want.” “You will see more and more of my own musical influences emerging from time to time, and we would like to produce a Christmas show featuring me as myself. But with all that, we know that our Elvis shows raise a lot of money for non-for-profit groups and charities all over Canada and it would be foolish to stop now.” “For those people that have never seen the Christmas Gospel show, this is your final chance to see one of my favourite shows I love to perform. I hope that everyone will share the Christmas spirit with us this year. The Gospel Music Of The King is scheduled for December 13th and 14th at St. Paul’s United Church 349 Waverly St. Tickets are available at the church or by calling 577-8156.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Third Annual Ilkka T. Ovaska Award for Social Responsibility from Bay Credit Union

You’ve never heard anything to match this for community involvement and social responsibility.  

Margaret Phillips has made countless contributions to Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario over the last several decades.  To say she has been a “socially responsible” individual is, in fact, an understatement.  Margaret is known and seen as a significant leader in social reform and community development in Thunder Bay, especially with regard to issues of access and equity.

She has been a part of so many initiatives and accomplishments related to social policy, social agencies, and other aspects of the community that researching her accomplishments alone took the work of four nominees!

One of Margaret’s nominators succinctly stated why Margaret has been able to accomplish as many things as she has:  “(she was) so skilled at bringing people together, identifying issues, and mobilizing resources to make something happen”.  Another major strength, to this end, was seen as her ability to balance research, planning and actual involvement, keeping many “balls in the air” simultaneously.

To summarize, just a few of Margaret’s major accomplishments:

• was Executive Director of the Lakehead Social Planning Council from 1970-80
• is currently part of a “dying breed” of bookstore owners (The Northern Woman’s Bookstore), surviving as an independent businesswoman in the face of multi-national “big box” bookstores, and seeing the bookstore clearly as a social responsibility to women, regional writers and the community
• helped establish Castlegreen and Superiorview Housing in the early 1970’s
• was instrumental in developing Lodgepole in the 1970’s, an initiative to bring affordable housing to Thunder Bay
• was a past Director of Community Services in Thunder Bay
• was a founding member of the Northwestern Ontario Women’s Centre
• began formative planning for the Community Information and Referral Centre in Thunder Bay, which then became a province-wide initiative, and which is still an important service in Thunder Bay
• was awarded the NOWW Kouhi Award on June 10, 2008 (named after Elizabeth Kouhi, who is recognized as having blazed the way for N.W.O. writers) by her peers in recognition of her contribution and her literary work’s scope
• helped organize “Town Talk”, a major event which brought all sectors of Thunder Bay together to look at future planning and to identity social concerns at the time (HAGI and many other agencies and services arose from Town Talk and the LSPC’s involvement)
• was instrumental in lobbying to get comprehensive sex education in schools, which up to then was being delivered only on a “patchwork” basis
• was a part of numerous committees, collectives and conferences locally and regionally, addressing issues related to people with disabilities, children, women (including violence against women), youth employment, housing for low-income people, recreation, landlord and tenant, northern health travel grants, senior citizens, and urban renewal
• was instrumental in work regarding child care issues and in achieving various legislative changes with regard to child care policy
• municipal day care became well established in Thunder Bay as the result of a comprehensive survey she helped undertake throughout the city to identify child care needs
• assisted in establishing and publishing the “Hard Times Handbook” locally
• was a founding member of the Northern Woman Journal Collective and newspaper

Margaret Phillips has a long history of socially-responsible community work, which has resulted in many accomplishments that have had a measurable and significant impact on the life of the community of Thunder Bay.

It is easy to see why Margaret was chosen to receive the third Annual Ilkka T. Ovaska Award for Social Responsibility from Bay Credit Union.  With the award comes a $500 donation.  Margaret has decided to donate $250 to the Lakehead Social Planning Council and $250 to the Northwestern Ontario Women’s Centre.

This year, the committee received so many well qualified nominations it was difficult to choose just one winner!  Also honoured will be Pentti Junni.

Pentti Junni has enhanced the lives of the Finnish people in Thunder Bay and has shared knowledge of Finnish culture and traditions with the community at large.  Some of his accomplishments through volunteer work include:
• has hosted a popular local Finnish radio program for 45 years
• has belonged to the organizing committee as a representative of the Finnish community to create the International Friendship Gardens
• has been a member of the Otava Male Choir for the past 50 years
• has served as chairman of the Finnish National Society for many years
• has served as chairman of the Finlandia Club Board for 2 years, and as a member of its Board of Directors for numerous years
• is a founding member of the Canadian Suomi Foundation which did the fundraising for the Finnish Studies Chair at Lakehead University
• was chairman of the Finnish Language School for several years
• has been involved in many local Finnish cultural endeavours since 1958

Pentti Junni is well known for his involvement in all things Finnish throughout the Thunder Bay community.  As an honorary recipient of the Illka T. Ovaska Award, he will receive a $100 donation which he will donate to the Pelimanni Orchestra.

The presentations will be made at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 18 at the Suomi Koti main hall, 527 County Boulevard.

 

Ontario salutes a ‘Champion of the community’
M. McKinnon
Edgar Morrissette is one of twenty Ontarians being honoured this month with the Ontario Senior Achievement Award.
“Edgar is an enthusiastic, personable and caring volunteer,” the Pioneer Club told the provincial selection committee in June. “The membership of the Atikokan Pioneer Club is very grateful and appreciative to have Edgar as part of our team.”
They cited his three decades of service as the link between the club with the Township, his work in helping to secure the new handi-van (and his help in many community fund-raising projects), and his service on the Community Care Access Centre board and many other boards and advisory bodies related to services for seniors (the Older Adult Centres Assoc. of Ontario, Northwest Local Health Integration Network advisory bodies, the Atikokan Family Health Team, Home Support).
Morrissette is no Johnny-come-lately to the community service scene. Long before he retired as recreation director, he went above and beyond the call of duty to make sure the services and facilities Atikokanites young and old needed were in place. (He was, in fact, directly involved in the establishment of the Pioneer Centre hall in the 1970s, and its expansion in the 1980s.)
He’s been involved from the very start with the award-winning Atikokan Air Cadet squadron (he’s the Knights of Columbus rep on its supporting board, and serves as its chair), has served for years on the Atikokan Roman Catholic Separate School board, is involved in Rainy River District Housing, the Township’s cemetery board, and even finds time to help out with the Meals on Wheels program.
“Ed is a champion in the community, and focuses a great deal of voluntary time and effort as an advocate for seniors,” wrote Bob Botham, of the Family Health Team. “It is an honour to call him a friend and colleague.”
“Edgar has been assisting other seniors for many years, and is most deserving of [this recognition],” wrote Mayor Dennis Brown.
“I want to thank Edgar for all the hard work he’s put into making Atikokan a great community,” said MPP Bill Mauro. “His efforts and the efforts of the many others who volunteer their time have an immeasurable impact on our quality of life. This award recognizes the work of one of our greatest community assets - our people.”
The award was presented earlier this month at the Pioneer Club’s regular meeting. Pat Desrochers, who led the effort to nominate Morrissette for the award, made the presentation.
  

Meals on Wheels Celebrates 40 years of Service

Meals on Wheels celebrated 40 years of volunteer service in Thunder Bay, with a gala luncheon at the Italian Cultural Centre, on Wednesday, October 22.

The program was launched as a small pilot project. Volunteers delivered the first 10 meals on November 11, 1968. The project was a resounding success, and the program expanded enormously over the years: currently, 175 dedicated volunteers deliver over 40,000 meals annually, to approximately 450 seniors, convalescents and people with disabilities living independently.

volunteers

The event was largely attended by Meals on Wheels volunteers, as well as representatives of the City of Thunder Bay Homes for Aged and St. Joseph’s Care Group, the program’s meal suppliers. The guests received greetings from MPP Michael Gravelle, and a representative of MPP Bill Mauro, who provided Ontario trillium pins and a congratulatory card for each volunteer, . The celebration featured performances by “Musically Inclined”, (flutist Doris Dungan and cellist Marc Palmquist.)

The assembled guests were intrigued to view the “world premiere” screening of a 17-minute Commemorative film, “Meals on Wheels - Then & Now”. Award-winning local filmmaker Jim Hyder directed the film, which features interviews with Meals on Wheels “pioneers” instrumental in starting the Meals on Wheels Program in the Lakehead. “Meals on Wheels – Then & Now” also includes interviews with current volunteers whose enthusiastic testimonials will, hopefully, help Meals on Wheels attract additional volunteers, whom the program is currently recruiting, to continue delivering this essential home support service.

In addition, Thunder Bay recording artist Kevin Waara donated music for this project. The film was dedicated to the memory of Catherine Tett, former Coordinator of the program and Michael Kennedy, former Administrator of Dawson Court, both of whom passed away recently.

Meals on Wheels honoured 13 volunteers with 31-40 consecutive years of service: (photo) (front, from left) Betty Evans (40), Alda Asquith (39);

(back, from left) Louise Stoot (36), Elenore Kehlenbeck (32),Irene Kruzick (31), Lillian Rodke (35), Carol Schmidt (35), Jean Taylor (39), Bernice Jorgenson (38), Helmi Peltonen (33), Faye Kosola (31). Missing – Jean Wanlin (34), Margaret McKay (39).

My Travel -Thunder Bay Travel donated 8 attendance prizes that were much appreciated by the winning volunteers.

To join this dynamic team of volunteers, please call Meals on Wheels Supervisor Glenn Niemi, 625-2785 (S) or Fieldworker Elizabeth Pim, 684-2862 (N)

 

 

LAKE SUPERIOR FACTS

• Lake Superior contains ten percent of all the fresh water on the planet Earth.

• It covers 31,700 square miles or 82,000 square kilometers.

• The average depth is 483 feet or 147 metres.

• There have been about 350 shipwrecks recorded in Lake Superior.

• Lake Superior is, by surface area, the largest lake in the world.

• A Jesuit priest in 1668 named it Lac Tracy but that name was never officially adopted.

• It contains as much water as all the other Great Lakes combined, plus three extra Lake Erie’s.

• There is a small outflow from the lake at St. Mary’s River into Lake Huron, but it takes almost two centuries for the water to be completely replaced.

• There is enough water in Lake Superior to cover all of North and South America with water a foot deep.

• Lake Superior was formed during the last glacial retreat, making it one of the earth’s youngest major features at only about 10,000 years old.

• The deepest point in the lake is 1,333 feet or 405 meters.

• There are 78 different species of fish that call the big lake home.

• The maximum wave ever recorded on Lake Superior was 31 feet high.

• If you stretched the shoreline of Lake Superior out to a straight line, it would be long enough to reach from Duluth to the Bahamas.

• Over 300 streams and rivers empty into Lake Superior—with the largest source being the Nipigon River.

• The average underwater visibility of Lake Superior is 27 feet, making it the cleanest and clearest of the Great Lakes. Underwater visibility in some spots reaches 100 feet.

• In the summer, the sun sets more than 35 minutes later on the western shore of Lake Superior than at its southeastern edge.

• Some of the world’s oldest rocks, formed about 2.7 billion years ago, can be found on the Ontario shore of Lake Superior.

• It very rarely freezes over completely, and then usually just for a few hours. The last complete freezing of Lake Superior occurred in 1979.

 

Sleeping Giant Writers Festival

…by Keith Nymark

Each year for the past five years writers have come together at the Prince Arthur Hotel for a conference on, you guessed it, writing. Each year I plan on attending but don’t, at least until this year. The conference happens at the end of summer when the kids are getting ready to go back to school and I am gearing up for the September issue of Thunder Bay Seniors Paper and well, I can think of many excuses. This year I got an email from a friend in Dryden who said he was coming and it was enough to tip the scale in favour of attending. So I did.

If you have any interest in writing I would highly recommend setting time aside for this weekend next year. I attended three workshops and each of the presenters was excellent.

John Geddes, the Ottawa Bureau Chief for Maclean’s magazine lead a session on Mastering the Magazine Feature, David Hayes teaches journalism at Ryerson University in Toronto. He talked about Feature Writing: Crafting Pitches that Sell and Steven Heighton, a poet and novelist did a poetry session on Writing as Reenactment.

I’m not a poetry reader. It too often takes too much work and I miss the point even when I try hard. So why did I take that session. Steven read a couple of poems at the public readings the night before his workshop and I got them. In fact I really liked them so I thought I would take a chance. As a result I may give poetry another chance. Heck I even bought one of his poetry books.

John Geddes was so down to earth, humble, engaging and knowledgeable I felt like I learned what it really means to be a writer. When he started out by saying every magazine feature has to have a beginning, a middle and an end I almost got up and left. “Who doesn’t know that stuff.” I thought. It didn’t take him long to move on and after two hours I could only marvel at the what goes into a good beginning, middle and end. Best of all he motivated me to look at my writing differently.

David Hayes gave us insights into selling feature articles to magazine editors. He gave us sample letters and talked of his experiences with editors. He talked about reading past issues of magazines we wanted to pitch to and about the money one might expect from a successful article. Mostly though, he made it seem possible to get published.

I want to congratulate and thank the organizers of the Sleeping Giant Writers

807 A Northwestern Ontario Literary Review

807

On the same theme as the Sleeping Giant Writers Festival, the Northwestern Ontario Writers Workshop board has published a literary review of the winning entries of their 10 Annual Writing Contest.

The Review publishes 1st, 2nd and 3rd place entries in the categories of Poetry, Fiction, Children’s Story, Memoir and Flash Fiction. What a great way to support NWOntario writers!

The 807: A Northwestern Ontario Literary Review can be bought from the Northern Women’s Bookstore on 65 Court Street South.

 

 

 

A Boreal Love Song

 

A round lake pink in evening’s blush,

sauna wood smoke hanging in trees:

hazy blue gauze weaving through boreal forest green.

Loons calling across the lake.

Waves licking up the sandy shore.

Five fuzzy ducks swimming in a row

behind mamma.

 

You and I on the deck

and two hot mugs of tea.

 

More than enough.

 The above poem is taken from Sharon Irvine’s book of poetry,Watching the Parade. Sharon is a teacher and writer in Thunder Bay and just recently launched her book of poetry. 

LOCAL AUTHOR WRITES A CHILDREN’S BOOK ABOUT PIRATES IN NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO

 

LOCAL AUTHOR WRITES A CHILDREN’S BOOK ABOUT PIRATES IN NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO

 

Thunder Bay author Michael Setala’s first children’s book, Pirates of Nirado River (for ages 7-12) has just been released by River Rocks Publishing. A Thunder Bay adventure set in the forests of Northwestern Ontario, it is a book that almost didn’t happen.

The author grew up on the family farm in Kaministiquia with his parents, Hilja and Leonard Setala, and five sisters and five brothers. He started writing children’s books when he was just 13-years old as a way to entertain himself out on the farm.

Setala not only wrote stories, but also edited them, re-wrote them, added some pictures, and even bound them into small books. However, after all of this hard work, the books sat tucked away in a box for over 50 years. There they would have stayed but for a chance encounter in the summer of 2007. Synchronicity.

That is when McGill University’s Thunder Bay-born anthropologist and editor Tania L. Saj met Setala in his bakery, Kivela Bakery, while picking up some Finnish coffee bread. He mentioned to her he had written a few children’s books in the past and if she wanted to see them, he would bring them by the bakery.

“They turned out to be very good” said Saj, the daughter of Canadian author and journalist Elle Andra-Warner, the owner of River Rocks Publishing. “The Pirates of Nirado River is not only a great story about friendship, imagination and adventure, but the story behind the story is a wonderful example of why it is so important to encourage creativity and imagination in children of all ages. You never know where your imagination will take you.”

Pirates of Nirado River is about Captain Corey and his crew who like to spend their days fishing and hanging around their cabin. But one day something strange happens – one of them gets kidnapped. The pirates set out to find him and along the way, other misadventures keep happening.

Thunder Bay-based River Rocks Publishing was launched a year ago with the book, Life in a Thundering Bay: Voices from Thunder Bay’s Past. It is an independent publisher and distributor of books about Northwestern Ontario by regional authors. River Rocks can be reached at 767-8315 or toll-free 1-888-268-7004.

Pirates of Nirado River is available in local bookstores and retailers.

 

NOWW Kouhi Award

 

Remarks by Jim Foulds in presenting the NOWW Kouhi Award to Margaret Phillips for her outstanding contribution to the writing of Northwestern Ontario, June 10, 2008
NOWW created the Kouhi Award some ten years ago to honour an individual, group, or institution who has made an outstanding contribution to the literature and to the writing of Northwestern Ontario. It was named after its first recipient, Elizabeth Kouhi, who blazed the way for writers in Northwestern Ontario. Elizabeth showed the rest of us that the inhospitable climate and the infertile soil of the Precambrian Shield could indeed be fertile ground for writers and writing. She taught us that we could write our own stories because all good stories are universal.
The Kouhi Award is given based on the following criteria: 1) the scope and quantity of the nominee’s work; 2) the length and time the nominee makes the contribution; 3) the depth or quality of the work; and 4) recognition of the nominee’s contribution by his/her peers
Over the years it was been won by both individuals and organizations who have contributed to the growth of writing in our region. They are not too numerous to mention, but I won’t do so, because I’ll surely forget someone. Tonight’s winner has led this year’s selection committee to recommend that the category of “Builder” be specifically added to the NOWW Criteria for the Kouhi Award.
I can think of few people who have helped and promoted the writers and the writing of Northwestern Ontario more than this year’s winner – Margaret Phillips of the Northern Woman’s Bookstore.
It is impossible to think of the literature of Northwestern Ontario without thinking of Margaret Phillips and the Bookstore. Together they have promoted and sustained the writers of our region since 1983. Twenty-five years ago, without Margaret Phillips and the Northern Woman’s Bookstore there simply would not have been an outlet, a market, and therefore an audience for many of our writers.
Although the core of the Northern Woman’s Bookstore has always been feminist, the diversity of selections – in children’s literature, aboriginal writing, and Northwestern Ontario regional writing is truly astounding. In browsing through the store recently I counted more than100 titles from and about Northwestern Ontario. What other institution, aside from the Thunder Bay Public Library can make that claim? Just to name a few: Elizabeth Kouhi, Duncan Weller, Penny Petrone, Joe Fiorito, Jean Pendziwol, Mary Frost, Holly Haggarty, Charles Wilkins, Margie Taylor, and Ruby Slipperjack.
Has any other single place in Thunder Bay hosted more literary readings, book launches, discussions and happenings over the years than the Northern Woman’s Bookstore? One loses count in the mists of time, but I would venture a guess at something well in excess of 200. Hardly a season goes by without an event promoting Northwestern Ontario writing.
I think it fair to say that Margaret sees the bookstore as a social responsibility – to women, to regional writers, and to the community.
Before NOWW existed, there were two places that the Ontario Arts Council contacted when trying to find out what was happening in the writing communities of Northwestern Ontario and Thunder Bay. One was the Public Library; the other was the Northern Woman’s Bookstore and Margaret Phillips.
The Northern Woman’s Bookstore newsletter prominently promotes feminist writers, children’s books and Northwestern Ontario regional writers.
Margaret wrote in and played a large organizational part in the Northern Woman’s Journal first published in the seventies; it then ran well into the nineties.
Without Margaret Phillips and the bookstore I think it is fair to say half the entire body of published Northwestern Ontario work would not have been available (and would not now be available ) to the public. Without the bookstore half the writers in Northwestern Ontario would not have sold nearly as many books as they have.
To be a writer in Northwestern Ontario requires integrity, tenacity, and preserverence. To be an independent bookstore owner helping to promote and encourage those writers requires, if anything, even more integrity, tenacity, and preserverence. So, if writers in Northwestern Ontario feel they have difficulty getting published and recognized, they should try, in this day of multi-nationals and big box stores, running an independent bookstore actually trying to promote literature rather than using (and sometime perverting) literature merely to make money. Where else could you find a copy of Elizabeth Kouhi’s (and Judy Peneman’s) North Country Spring, the delightful and thoughtful history of women’s hockey, She Shoots, She Scores, as well as Jacqueline D’Acre’s new book, Foreclosure? The Northern Woman’s Bookstore makes a special effort to stock literary magazines that contain the work of our writers. Where else can you go to buy a copy of Room of One’s Own (now Room) to find a story by Nancy Bjorgo or Debbie deBakker?
What the Shakespeare and Company bookstore was to the American writers living in Paris from the nineteen twenties to the nineteen sixties, the Northern Woman’s Bookstore has been to women and to the writing community of Northwestern Ontario for the past twenty five years – a safe and supporting place to gather and strengthen their voices. Margaret Phillips has been a builder and promoter of Northwestern Ontario writing par excellence. Her contribution meets all of the criteria for the Kouhi award. Truly she deserves it. I am sure we are all pleased that NOWW and the writing community are recognizing Margaret Phillips’s outstanding achievement this evening. 

August 1942. Piotrkow , Poland.

The sky was gloomy that morning as we waited anxiously. All the men, women and children of Piotrkow’s Jewish ghetto had been herded into a square. Word had gotten around that we were being moved. My father had only recently died from typhus, which had run rampant through the crowded ghetto. My greatest fear was that our family would be separated.
“Whatever you do,” Isidore, my eldest brother, whispered to me, “don’t tell them your age. Say you’re sixteen”. I was tall for a boy of 11, so I could pull it off. That way I might be deemed valuable as a worker. An SS man approached me, boots clicking against the cobblestones. He looked me up and down, then asked my age. “Sixteen,” I said. He directed me to the left, where my three brothers and other healthy young men already stood.
My mother was motioned to the right with the other women, children, sick and elderly people. I whispered to Isidore, “Why?” He didn’t answer. I ran to Mama’s side and said I wanted to stay with her. “No,” she said sternly. “Get away. Don’t be a nuisance. Go with your brothers.” She had never spoken so harshly before. But I understood: She was protecting me. She loved me so much that, just this once, she pretended not to. It was the last I ever saw of her.
My brothers and I were transported in a cattle car to Germany . We arrived at the Buchenwald concentration camp one night weeks later and were led into a crowded barrack. The next day, we were issued uniforms and identification numbers. “Don’t call me Herman anymore.” I said to my brothers. “Call me 94983.”
I was put to work in the camp’s crematorium, loading the dead into a hand-cranked elevator. I, too, felt dead. Hardened, I had become a number. Soon, my brothers and I were sent to Schlieben, one of Buchenwald’s sub-camps near Berlin . One morning I thought I heard my mother’s voice Son, she said softly but clearly, I am sending you an angel. Then I woke up. Just a dream. A beautiful dream. But in this place there could be no angels. There was only work. And hunger. And fear.
A couple of days later, I was walking around the camp, around the barracks, near the barbed-wire fence where the guards could not easily see. I was alone. On the other side of the fence, I spotted someone: a young girl with light, almost luminous curls. She was half-hidden behind a birch tree. I glanced around to make sure no one saw me. I called to her softly in German.
“Do you have something to eat?” She didn’t understand I inched closer to the fence and repeated question in Polish. She stepped forward. I was thin and gaunt, with rags wrapped around my feet, but the girl looked unafraid. In her eyes, I saw life. She pulled an apple from her woolen jacket and threw it over the fence. I grabbed the fruit and, as I started to run away, I heard her say faintly, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I returned to the same spot by the fence at the same time every day. She was always there with something for me to eat - a hunk of bread or, better yet, an apple. We didn’t dare speak or linger. To be caught would mean death for us both. I didn’t know anything about her just a kind farm girl except that she understood Polish. What was her name? Why was she risking her life for me? Hope was in such short supply, and this girl on the other side of the fence gave me some, as nourishing in its way as the bread and apples.
Nearly seven months later, my brothers and I were crammed into a coal car and shipped to Theresienstadt camp in Czechoslovakia .. “Don’t return,” I told the girl that day. “We’re leaving.” I turned toward the barracks and didn’t look back, didn’t even say good-bye to the girl whose name I’d never learned, the girl with the apples.
We were in Theresienstadt for three months. The war was winding down and Allied forces were closing in, yet my fate seemed sealed. On May 10, 1945, I was scheduled to die in the gas chamber at 10:00 AM. In the quiet of dawn, I tried to prepare myself. So many times death seemed ready to claim me, but somehow I’d survived. Now, it was over. I thought of my parents. At least, I thought, we will be reunited.
At 8 A.M. there was a commotion. I heard shouts, and saw people running every which way through camp. I caught up with my brothers. Russian troops had liberated the camp! The gates swung open. Everyone was running, so I did too.
Amazingly, all of my brothers had survived; I’m not sure how. But I knew that the girl with the apples had been the key to my survival. In a place where evil seemed triumphant, one person’s goodness had saved my life, had given me hope in a place where there was none. My mother had promised to send me an angel, and the angel had come.
Eventually I made my way to England where I was sponsored by a Jewish charity, put up in a hostel with other boys who had survived the Holocaust and trained in electronics. Then I came to America , where my brother Sam had already moved. I served in the U. S. Army during the Korean War, and returned to New York City after two years. By August 1957 I’d opened my own electronics repair shop. I was starting to settle in.
One day, my friend Sid who I knew from England called me. “I’ve got a date. She’s got a Polish friend. Let’s double date.” A blind date? Nah, that wasn’t for me . But Sid kept pestering me, and a few days later we headed up to the Bronx to pick up his date and her friend Roma. I had to admit, for a blind date this wasn’t so bad. Roma was a nurse at a Bronx hospital. She was kind and smart. Beautiful, too, with swirling brown curls and green, almond-shaped eyes that sparkled with life.
The four of us drove out to Coney Island . Roma was easy to talk to, easy to be with. Turned out she was wary of blind dates too! We were both just doing our friends a favor. We took a stroll on the boardwalk, enjoying the salty Atlantic breeze, and then had dinner by the shore. I couldn’t remember having a better time.
We piled back into Sid’s car, Roma and I sharing the backseat. As European Jews who had survived the war, we were aware that much had been left unsaid between us. She broached the subject, “Where were you,” she asked softly, “during the war?” “The camps,” I said, the terrible memories still vivid, the irreparable loss. I had tried to forget. But you can never forget.
She nodded. “My family was hiding on a farm in Germany , not far from Berlin ,” she told me. “My father knew a priest, and he got us Aryan papers.” I imagined how she must have suffered too, fear, a constant companion. And yet here we were, both survivors, in a new world.
“There was a camp next to the farm.” Roma continued. “I saw a boy there and I would throw him apples every day.”
What an amazing coincidence that she had helped some other boy. “What did he look like? I asked. He was tall, Skinny, and Hungry. I must have seen him every day for six months.” My heart was racing. I couldn’t believe it. This couldn’t be. “Did he tell you one day not to come back because he was leaving Schlieben?” Roma looked at me in amazement. “Yes,” That was me! ” I was ready to burst with joy and awe, flooded with emotions. I couldn’t believe it.My angel.
“I’m not letting you go.” I said to Roma. And in the back of the car on that blind date, I proposed to her. I didn’t want to wait. “You’re crazy!” she said. But she invited me to meet her parents for Shabbat dinner the following week. There was so much I looked forward to learning about Roma, but the most important things I always knew: her steadfastness, her goodness. For many months, in the worst of circumstances, she had come to the fence and given me hope. Now that I’d found her again, I could never let her go.
That day, she said yes. And I kept my word. After nearly 50 years of marriage, two children and three grandchildren I have never let her go.
Herman Rosenblat Miami Beach , Florida
 

NOWW Awards Night and Writing Contest Winners

NOWW (The Northwestern Ontario Writers Workshop) will be celebrating its Annual Awards Night and Year End Celebration on Saturday, May 10, at the Prince Arthur Hotel. The symposium starts at 6:30; the proceedings start at 7:00 pm.

The winners of the 10th Annual NOWW writing contest will be announced. This year there were five categories for writers to enter: poetry, fiction, children’s story, memoir, and flash fiction. There were 169 entries from all over Northwestern Ontario. As well as Thunder Bay entries came from Longlac, Kakabeka Falls, Pass lake, Atikokan, Capreol, Sioux Lookout, South Gillies, and Kaministiquia. The contest is sponsored by the Paterson Foundation

The winner of the Kouhi Award for an outstanding contribution to the writing and literature of Northwestern Ontario will be announced

Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Tickets are available from Holly at 768-7867, Peter at 622-3056, or the Northern Woman’s Bookstore.

Contact: Holly Haggarty: 768-7867

Rosalind Maki: 767-3756

Deborah deBakker:345-0353

Jim Foulds: 345-2683

 

 

Watching the Parade: Sharon Irvine Book Launch

Thunder Bay teacher, writer and poet Sharon Irvine will launch her much anticipated collection of poetry, Watching the Parade, on Wednesday, May 14, at 7:00 pm at the Waverley Resource Library auditorium. Although her work has been previously published in periodicals and anthologies, this is Sharon Irvine’s first collection of poetry.

Divided into sections entitled School Days, Of the Earth, Going Places, Sunshine Manor: A Nursing Home; and Other Poems, this truly is a collection that not only watches but comments profoundly on the parade of life. Elizabeth Kouhi says this amazing collection, “. . . can be enjoyed by those familiar with modern poetry, but also by those people who have never opened a book of poetry. This is a collection that touches every part of our lives in a very moving way.”

Sharon Irvine was born in Southern Ontario, but, coming here in 1964 “for two years,” became a converted Northerner who loves the landscape of Northern Ontario. Her poetry shares this love of a northern landscape with the reader but it also delves into the both the darkness and the sunlight of the human condition. Sharon has been writing since childhood, and has been an active member of Thunder Bay’s growing writing community since 1992. She was treasurer of the Northwestern Ontario Writers’ Workshop for four years and has been a member of the Poetry Workshop since 1992.

When asked why she prefers writing poetry to other forms, she replied, “Poetry is the most demanding form of writing. It says the most in the fewest words. To write it, you need to cut open your heart, bare your mind, and be prepared to strip. Poetry is the closest thing to truth you are going to get in a writing form.”

The book launch at the Waverley Resource Library will involve free readings by the author and others. Light refreshments will be served. The author will be available to sign copies of the book which will be available at $18.95 a copy.

Contact; Sharon Irvine: (807) 344-4287 (May 7 onwards )

Jim Foulds (807) 345-2683, until Sharon is available

 

Sleeping Giant Folk Music Society News 

On Tues. April 22nd Sleeping Giant Folk Music Society held its first Membership Appreciation Night featuring the one and only Valdy. Fourteen people in the sold out crowd won prizes donated by Ostrom Outdoors, CBC Radio One and members of the Board, one lucky person took home a new guitar case signed by every musician who played this past season, contributed by Colosimo’s Music, and over $300.00 in donations were collected for Shelter House Thunder Bay. All of this on top of a fantastic 2 ½ hour show and a membership for next season included in the price of every ticket. Thanks to everyone who came out, not only for this concert, but for all our concerts this past season – it’s been a great year!

As a group we will be taking a break until Sept. but Board members, volunteers, audience members and music itself will not be taking a break at all. I’ll have information about a Fred Eaglesmith concert on July 5th in the June issue. Don’t miss the Live from the Rock Folk Festival Aug. 8th/9th/10th in beautiful Red Rock Then, in the September issue, I’ll have the scoop on the 2008-09 season. But I’m getting ahead of myself and just made the summer fly by before it has even begun.

Let’s start with May and a wonderful concert taking place at the Finlandia Hall on the 4th. Starting at 7:30 pm Marianne Girard takes to the stage offering her distinctive blend of lyrics and guitar finesse, oh and don’t forget her vocals described as ‘compelling’, ‘riveting’, ‘haunting’, and ‘so close to perfect it’s scary’.

Following Marianne will be Corin Raymond of The Undesirables fame. Many of you will have seen Corin with band mate Sean Cotton at the 2006 Live from the Rock Folk Festival or you may know him from his recent undertakings with The Sundowners out of Toronto. For this concert Corin will be mainly on his own performing original material full of heartache and hope, loneliness and joy.

To close out the show will be 2003 Kerrville New Folk competition winner Jonathan Byrd. In Thunder Bay for the first time, all the way from North Carolina, Jonathan is a performer not to be missed if you’re looking for rich, substantive songs. Reflecting influences of everything from old time Appalachian “country” music to modern atmospheric works Jonathan is one of those rare musicians rooted in tradition who can branch out and grow in his own meaningful and unique ways.

$20 Advance tickets ($15 for students) are available at The Hoito, Fireweed and Chaltrek/Ostrom Outdoors. For further information on the artists go to www.jonathanbyrd.com , www.corinraymond.com or www.myspace.com/mariannegirard1

Also, on Thurs. May 8th Activate Healing, 510 E. Victoria Ave., hosts Rodney Brown and Heather McLeod for an intimate, acoustic evening. The third presentation in what they hope will become, at least, a monthly show, will feature Rodney and Heather on their own for the most part but together for one or two numbers as well. For further information on this event and to reserve your spot call 628-8656.

 

 

Our Southeast Asian Adventure by Jim & Aileen Black 

In the winter of 2007 we embarked on a southeast Asian adventure with travel friends from Edmonton to explore Vietnam. This country is a long, hour-glass of land, stretching 1600 km up the eastern coast of the Indochinese Peninsula. The Vietnamese people describe their country as ‘a bamboo shoulder pole slung with two baskets of rice–the fertile southern Mekong Delta and the northern Red River Delta’. From these Delta lowland paddy fields stretch vast rubber plantations, rolling hills covered with thick jungle, and jagged mountains rising more than 3000 metres in height. There are over 3200 kilometres of coastline with endless white-sand beaches. Our itinerary afforded us a variety of experiences from the North to South.

After a long flight from Vancouver via Korea we arrived in the elegant old city of Hanoi. As well as being Vietnam’s political centre, it has long been the country’s artistic and cultural heart. We explored a variety of historical sites such as: The Temple of Literature–an ancient university which was established in 1070; the Vietnamese Women’s Museum which portrayed the active involvement of women in the country’s history; the Museum of Ethnology which traced the origins of the 54 ethnic groups comprising the population; the imposing stone Ho Ch Minh Mausoleum and the nearby Presidential Palace area; and the Hoa Lo Prison aptly named the “Hanoi Hilton” by the American airmen incarcerated there during the War. Our visit was highlighted with a performance at the famous Hanoi Water Puppet Theatre.

We then travelled east to Halong Bay to explore the many islands, caves , grottos and floating fishing villages aboard a refurbished Chinese Junk–an absolutely unforgettable experience! The Halong archipelago is one of the world’s natural wonders–a bay with 1500 islands, which time, wind and waves have sculpted into fantastic shapes.

The next stop was Dien Bien Phu in the mountains west of Hanoi near the Laotian border. It was here that the Viet Minh soldiers defeated the French Army on May 7th, 1954 and ended the days of French domination in Indochina. It was a living history lesson exploring the army bunkers and museum surrounded by a variety of villages of fascinating minority groups amid pristine mountain scenery.

Travelling south we reached Hoi An, a beautiful small riverside town with an interesting mix of Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese architectural influences. Three centuries ago this little town was a bustling port and today is a World Heritage living museum. Nearby is another World Heritage Site–My Son. This was the ancient capital of the Cham Dynasty, an Indianized people from the 2nd century to the 15th century who built brick temple towers in honour of Hindu gods. Apparently this area was used as a Viet Cong base during the Vietnam/American War and unfortunately many of the ancient buildings were destroyed by bombing. The My Son site very much reminded us of our visit to the famous Angkor Wat site in Cambodia.

We continued our journey south along the Central Coast past Danang and the famous beach areas, stopping at the well known China Beach where the American soldiers spent R&R time during the war. This zigzagging route is through the Trung Son Mountains, the former border between Northern and Southern Vietnam. At the Hai Van Pass we enjoyed spectacular, panoramic views of the surrounding area. On arriving in Hue on the banks of the Perfume River we were again transported back into history. Here we visited the Forbidden Purple City, the opulent home of the Nguyen Kings. It was interesting to sail down the Perfume River, surrounded by the ever moving river activity to the oldest and best preserved pagoda, Thien Mu Pagoda, built in 1601.

After a short flight south we landed in Ho Chi Minh City formerly Saigon–the city that never sleeps! The juxtaposition of past and present is more visible here than anywhere else in Vietnam. Gleaming new skyscrapers tower above lavish French colonial villas. Imposing Soviet-styled facades stand beside ancient pagodas. Women in traditional dress chat on cell phones, while old cyclo pedicabs jostle for space with brand new motorcycles. We found tours to the War Remnants Museum and the Reunification Palace, home of the President during the War very interesting. As well, we had lunch in The Continental Hotel reminiscent of scenes from Graham Greene’s book The Quiet American. A visit to the Cu Chi Tunnels on the outskirts of the city proved a sobering experience. This was the 250 kilometres of underground tunnel area where the Viet Cong soldiers lived and fought during the 1960’s. A high point of our time in Ho Chi Minh City was our attendance at a traditional Vietnamese wedding of a friend from Chicago and his Vietnamese bride.

We then spent a few days touring the Mekong Delta area by boat enjoying views of the busy lives of the local river dwellers and their daily floating market activities.

After a few weeks of travel we decided on a peaceful stay at a quiet beach resort on Phu Quoc Island off the southwestern tip of Vietnam. Between days of relaxing we fitted in some island exploring to various Buddhist temples, a fish sauce factory and a pepper farm.

On our homeward journey we spent 5 days in Singapore-truly one of the most modern, cosmopolitan, clean and beautiful cities we have ever visited. It is a country of many contrasts. Hi-tech skyscrapers soar up among picturesque old buildings, and the people still adhere to their ancient traditions, despite living in one of the most advanced countries in the world. This was a wonderfully exciting place for a stopover before our long journey home.

In conclusion, we found this Southeast Asian adventure a great way to escape a cold winter. Vietnam’s varied topography offers an incredibly varied travel experience. Along with the spectacular natural scenery and the many historical sites, travellers to Vietnam are immediately impressed by the industriousness, politeness and genuine friendliness of the people . We would highly recommend a visit to this part of the world.

 

 

Grandma’s Apron 

I don’t think our kids know what an apron is. The principal use of Grandma’s apron was to protect the dress underneath, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven. It was wonderful for drying children’s tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears. From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warmingoven. When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms. Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove. Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables.

After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees. When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds. When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner. It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that ‘old-time apron’ that served so many purposes.

 

 

 

I received this article from Randy Creighton. His sister, Alison Edwards wrote it and I thought folks might enjoy it.
Getting Older 

One day last summer as I was getting out of my car, a little stiff after a long drive home, my old friend and neighbour said to me, “Alison, you look just like a little old lady.” I retorted, “Harold, I am a little old lady.” We both laughed. I don’t know why he did – but I laughed because of course I knew it wasn’t true. We have little old ladies in our condo complex – but I am not one of them. Am I?

I have had two friends who have given me different perspectives on getting older that I keep coming back to, again and again.

One friend was a 95 year-old gentleman who told me, “Be glad you’ve got wrinkles. How else would you know you were getting old?” How else, indeed? Often, when I catch a glimpse of myself reflected in a window, or when I really look in a mirror, or when I feel a little stiff getting out of the car, I will think. “Oh, I am getting old.” It always comes as a surprise.

The other friend is a twenty-year-old – the daughter of a friend, and a friend in her own right. We have an easy, comfortable, open relationship. Last spring Iris came to visit from her home in California. We went to Montreal together – walked and talked and shopped and walked and ate and walked. We walked everywhere, never once took the Metro or got a cab. We were having a wonderful time, seemingly oblivious to the difference in our ages. And then, out of the blue she asked me, “Alison, do you feel young?” Her question was completely unexpected, and I found myself at a loss for words. I don’t remember what I replied, but I have thought of that question many times since. It is a good question, such a different question from “Do you feel old?” I have tried to answer her, in my head, many times since then.

Do I feel young? Yes, absolutely. I feel the same as I’ve always felt. I remember my mother telling me when she was 81 that she felt 18. I know what she meant. And yet, there is a difference.

I am sadder. When I was young and made mistakes, I felt that they could always be rectified, that in the future I could make up for the mistakes of the past. Now I know that it can sometimes be too late. I have more memories. Sometimes they blind-side me; they come out of the blue with a force that takes my breath away. Even happy memories are tinged with sadness – the bitter-sweet quality that poets often associate with aging. I also feel more keenly the sadness that comes with awareness of the world’s sorrows – the sadness of poverty, sickness, war, injustice.

But – at the same time I am happier. There can be a penetrating sweetness of the moment, a delight in simple things: the birds at the feeder, the taste of chocolate melting on the tongue, the sheer enjoyment of having coffee and conversation with a friend. The world too presents its joys: the compassionate response of strangers in an emergency, acts of spontaneous generosity, unexpected gestures of forgiveness, the wonderful creativity of artists, the exuberance of children.

The sadness of the older me is no longer all-encompassing; there is a recognition of the space behind it, of the fact that it too is ephemeral. And so I can now say, in my older age, that every day is a good day.

 

 

Sleeping Giant Folk Music Society 

Since moving to the Finlandia Club in the fall of 2006 audiences have been coming out to our concerts in ever-increasing numbers and we want to thank them for supporting what we do. So, at 8:00 pm on Tues. April 22nd the Sleeping Giant Folk Music Society presents its first Membership Appreciation Night featuring the one and only Valdy.

If you’re not familiar with this Canadian legend, here are just a few of the things that have been said about him lately: “Few performers are capable of achieving the kind of energy he generates on stage.” Globe and Mail ~ “Valdy remains one of the country’s purest and most credible storytellers.” Toronto Star ~ “One of the best evenings of entertainment Confederation Centre has ever seen…a man of formidable talents.” Charlottetown Evening Patriot. He has 14 albums to his credit, 4 on them Gold Records, and 22 hit singles. He has 7 Juno nominations ~ 2 Juno awards ~ and has won “Songwriter of the Year” and CARAS awards in Folk and Bluegrass categories.

If that’s not enough, Valdy will also have with him, Graham Wardrop, another veteran folk performer, visiting from New Zealand who is acclaimed that country’s “finest finger style guitarist”. Having already toured together it is said that “the sympatico between Graham and Valdy is a rare and beautiful thing.” so, the performance should be astounding.

To top it all off Advance Tickets are only $20.00 AND they come with a 2008-2009 Sleeping Giant Folk Music Society membership. Audience members are under no obligation to activate the membership the night of the Valdy concert but if they chose to do so they will be eligible for prizes during admission that night as well as at any concerts they attend next season.

Advance tickets with memberships are available at The Hoito, Fireweed and Chaltrek/Ostrom Outdoors. Advance tickets purchased through Magnus Theatre can be exchanged for an 08/09 membership at the door, upon request.

At the door 2007-08 members pay $20; non-members pay $25; 08/09 memberships are included with these tickets and also require activation.

For further information about tickets and memberships please call Elly at 344-0654.

For further information about these musicians visit: www.grahamwardrop.com and www.valdy.com

 

 

Pop Cans for Charity 

 

In April 1996, Bill Prodanyk began Pop Cans for Charity with Father Roman Kocur. Since that time it has continued to grow and expand. Father Roman transferred to Saskatchewan and Alf Johnson has been assisting and developing Pop Cans for Charity with Bill.

With volunteers who are retired giving their time and efforts, Pop Cans for Charity has grown and has been able to donate thousands of dollars each year to charities in Thunder Bay, Red Rock, Nipigon and the local area. Since 2004 most of our funds have gone to purchasing food as there have been many requests to help feed those in need — both adults and children . Food donations are being made to Dew Drop Inn, Aids Committee, The Thunder Bay Christian Society, Christmas Cheer and others. Each year PCfC sponsors children who are living with cancer to attend Camp Quality at Loon Lake as well. Pop Cans for Charity does not give funds to any group that has to send or share a portion of their funds with any outside source or head office. The money raised here is used for our citizens in Thunder Bay and outlying communities only.

WE DO NOT TAKE MONEY, We just ask for your pop/beer cans, wine and spirits bottles. Your office, business, lunchroom, church, school, club members and EVERYONE uses pop/beer cans and now Wine and Spirits bottles. Get a container started at work, home etc. JUST CALL we pick up for FREE. Check our website at www.popcans.org.

We are now in our 11th year of operation in Thunder Bay and District and have 134 bins located in Thunder Bay, Murillo, Kakabeka Falls, Red Rock, Nipigon and area. This year for the first time, we have begun to offer monthly prizes to donors. Schools are awarded prizes for the most cans collected in a school year.

The charities in Thunder Bay, Kakabeka Falls, Murillo, Red Rock and outlying communities are grateful for the help you provide by supporting PCfC and indeed ask for your continued support. Who knows? You may need their help some day.

We acknowledge Thunder Bay Mobility, TBAYTEL, T.B.Comm, Ricoh Canada, Lakehead Scrap and the many business locations and government offices who support us.