The Terrace Slandard, Wednesday, April 23, 1997 - B1

TERRACE STANDARD

EVENTS B2

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AT THE LIBRARY.

SHEELAGH MEIKLEM

Books for your
funny bone

ID YOU pull any good jokes this
April Fools Day? Ever wondered
how that tradition began?

April Fool’s Day dates back to
the 16th century. The French originally
celebrated the New Year beginning March 25th,
culminating in a big party and exchange of gifts
on April Ist.

When the adoption of the Gregorian calendar
moved New Year’s Day to January Ist, some
people forgot or refused to change. These
people were sent fake presents and ridiculed as
‘poisson d’avril’”’ by their neighbours.

All cultures have adopted this day as a way of
celebrating the end of winter with acts of mis-
chief! This is another manifestation of our in-
stinct for survival: in this season of colds and
flu we remember that ‘‘a merry heart doeth
good like a medicine.”’

Patty Wooten, R.N., bas written a book on this
subject. Compassionate Laughter: Jest for your
Health devils the ways humour can protect
your body from the effects of stress, and serve
as healing medicine. She advocates the initia-
tion of Caring Clown programs in hospitals and
delves into the role in history of clowns, jesters,
fools and tricksters.

In this book she quotes David Saltzman: ‘ ‘The
little girl looked up and her eyes were opened
wide. She turned slowly to the Jester, and she
quietly. replied, ‘Here I lie, I have a tumour.
And you ask me where’s my sense of
humour?’’’

The quole is taken from a children’s’ book
written by David when he was 21 years old. It
tells the story of a Jester, banished from court
for not being funny, who rediscovers his sense
of humour from a sick child.

Shorily after he began writing the book David
was diagnosed with cancer and died soon after
he finished, The book is called The Jester Aas
lost his Jingle and was published privately by
his parents.

Royalty always seems to be sur-
rounded by fools and jesters as evi-
denced by Sarah, the Duchess of York
in her book My Story. This is one lady
who should have read the book by Dr.
Laura Schlessinger: Ten Stupid Things
Women do to Mess Up Their Lives.

Another book for children is Laughs, a collec-
tion of funny stories and poems by Canadian
authors selected by Claire Mackay. Also for
children is The Most Excellent Book af How to
be a Clown, by Catherine Perkins.

For adults who need a boost we have the clas-
sic movie “‘The Court Jester,” with Danny
Kaye as a jester who decides to overthrow the
king.

Peter Macdonald has written a pair of baoks
called Court Jesters and More Court Jesters
which are full of funny storics from Canada’s
court system.

Dave Barry is the King of Humour, of course.
J can never read a Single paragraph of Dave
Barry’s Complete Guide to Guys without laugh-
ing out loud, More scrious tomfoolery is the
subject of Andreas Schroeders’ new book,
Scams, Scandals and Skuiduggery, ‘a selection
of the world’s most outrageous frauds.

Royalty always’ seems to be surrounded by
fools and jesters as evidenced by Sarah, the
Duchess of York in her book My Story. This is
one lady who should have read the book by Dr.
Laura Schlessinger: Ten Stupid Things Women
do to Mess Up Their Lives. The author has
strong convictions and expresses them very
bluntly and firmly, She says we nced to lake re-
sponsibilily for our own happiness and stop
making choices that are subversive.

Finally, a mystery for April — Deaih of a
Prankster by M.C,Beaton. This is part of her
setles of mystery novels that feature Hamish
MacBeth, a wonderfully eccentric Scottish
policeman. Reading any of Ms. Beatons’ books
is like curling up in front of a roaring fire with a
box ofchocolates.

My Irish mother is full of great truisms that
we all shrugged off, ie. “If you want them to
run after you, just look the other way.’? But no
one can dispute the reality of: this one —
“Laugh and the world laughs with you, cry and
you cry alone,”” oe a

TERRACE AND
KITIMAT students are in
Vancouver today, taking
part in a provincial Skills
Canada competition.

Skills Canada is an as-
sociation of business,
labour, government, and
college and high school
teachers. Together this
group is working to im-
prove trades and technical
education and the status
of these career choices.

The students in Van-
couver are the winners of
the first-ever northem
regional competition for
Skills Canada on April
10-11.

The competition is for
students in high schools
and colleges, enrolled in
technical and trades pro-
grams. Contests include
welding, carpentry, ap-
plied physics and Internet
web-page design.

About 60 students from
across the north were in
Terrace and Kitimat for
the competition.

*‘We never had a com-
petition north of the
Okanagan before,’’ said
organizer and Kitimat
high school teacher Norm
Wagner.

However, students from
Northwest Community
College have travelled to
the provincial competi-
tion before, and have

even won their division.

This is the third year
Skills Canada competi-
tions have been held in
B.C,

“It’s about trying to get
students excited about
trades and technology,
and the skills they’ll need
in the workplace.”’

Experts from local in-
dustry judged each com-
petition — to industry
standard.

“The kids were really
impressed with the quali-
ty that’s necded,’’ said
Wagner.

For example, high
school welding students
who before the competi-
tion thought the welding
they were doing in class
was good enough to pet
the job done, now know
that much more is needed
on the job.

‘It’s very relevant, and
it makes the kids aware of
the standards that arc re-
quired.”

First and second place
winners from — each
category are in Van-
couver today for the
provincial competition,
Alcan is picking up the
travel costs.

In carpentry, Terrace
students hammered the
competition. Rheit
Pawluski and Kendall
Alexcee of NWCC took

A HOT TOUCH — Steven Deveaux, a welding stu-
dent at NWCC, proved he had the right touch. His
weld of a pipe onto a bracket was good enough to
win him first place in the regional competition. He too,
is in Vancouver taking part in the provincial competi-
tion.

Teens get safe

THE WOMEN’S Centre wants to expand its streeiproofing
program for kids to an older group — those aged 12-15,
They’re asking teens for ideas about what they'd like to

sce ina safety program.

The women’s centre received a grant last summer from
provincial government to offer the safety program. In the
fall a handful of trainers began offering the program to
children aged 5-12 after school and on weekends.

Melissa Munn, who heads up the program, says it’s been
a great success, Over 500 children have taken it so far in

the Terrace area,

Some of the things taught in the program; called Street
Proofing Our Kids, are how to recognize a stranger, the
difference between good and bad touching and common
tricks predators use to lure children to them.

There’s cnough money left over from the grant to con-
tinue teaching younger children, and expand the program

to an older group.

Now Munn wants to poll older students to sec what
they’d like from a safety program.

In order to get their input the women’s centre is holding
a contest called ‘Talkin’ Bout Safety.’? Youths arc asked
to submit a one page or less paper on what their safety is-

Sucs arc,

Six cash prizes will be awarded, including two top $50
prizes. Four entries drawn at random will receive $25 cach.

The contest is open to all Terrace youth aged 12-15
years, Papers must be submitted by Monday, May 12 to
the Kermode Friendship Cente, public library, the Family
Place, the women’s centre, of studenis can check for a
drop-off spot at their school. Winners will be announced

May 20.

Rec

TYLER WILSON, a carpentry student at Caledon
" of a base of dog house. Rover must have liked his new quarters, because Wilson

ia, finishes a cut along the edge

INSIDE gg. SECTION B
COMMUNITY CRIS LEYKAUF
. . 638-7283

finished second in the secondary carpentry division in a regional Skills Canada
contest, held in Terrace April 11. Wilson is in Vancouver right now, competing in

a provincial competition.

first and second spot. Jeff
Kirkaldy and Tyler Wil-
son, both Caledonia
Secondary students will
represent Terrace in the
high school portion of the
competition. ,
Automotive Servicing
was also a good competi-
tion for Terrace students.
Axcl Nasnen and Radel
Bautista of NWCC won
first and second while

Terry Reinert and Kris
Thickett. of Caledonia
took the same honours at
the secondary level.

In welding Kitimat high
school students won oul,
but Steven Deveaux and
Jason Danville of NWCC
managed to take first and
second place in the col-

lege category.
In the applied physics
division, Kitimat and

Vanderhoof students split
the top spots, as they also
did in Internet web page
design.

Finally, in mechanical
computer assisted design,

Aaron Dunbar of
Caledonia won first spot.
Winners ftom _ the

provincial competition go
onto the nations in Red
Deer, Alberta in May.

Fei. fe ze

Sunday, :

Bee 4, es

@ Planting partners

VOLUNTEERS planted trees and planked bridges on Sunday as part of Earth
Day celebrations in Terrace, A new bend was put in Howe Creek last winter,
and that created a pond for wildlife. However, heavy machinery left the
grounds looking less than park-like, a situation volunteers hope will now be
much impraved by the summer, Jacquie Webb, a member of the Greanbelt As-
sociation, and seven-year-old Katrina Baker, were part of the workforce out on