The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, March 6, 2002 - BI TERRACE STANDARD INSIDE | SECTION B COMMUNITY JENNIFER LANG EVENTS B2 | 638-7283 MY POINT OF. VIEW ” ARON STRUMECKI Cuts leave me empty IRST OFF, I want to state, in the F clearest words possible, that what I’m about write is surely going to offend some, and may probably inflame others to think that I’m in agreement with their own course of action: 1 want none of this, it is not my intent. My only hope is offer you some of the thoughts that I am thinking, and some of my observations on a situation that is striking my community in many, many ways. Maybe by the lime you get to the end, you'll understand why, but then again, maybe not. Individual opinion exists for a reason, and I am not here to dispute that. I have struggled for a very long time to fig- ure out where I am supposed to be in the grand scheme of things, specifically on a social level, and by that, I suppose I-mean political- ly. For politics of any stripe, I have come to believe, is the worst social disease to have hit the human race since gangrene strangled and chewed off its first limb. The cold and the flu may shrivel our bodies, but to me, politics shrivels our hearts, our minds and our souls, filling us to the core with pus and pestilence. A strong statement to be sure, but I think it’s becoming apparent that these are strong times of need for many, and I think we all know the heart of the matter I’m dancing around: Premier Campbell, his gov- “Politics shrivels our hearts, our minds and our souls.” ernment, and his cuts. In respect ta Mr. Camp- bell’s government, there are definite things that I do applaud him for; he is trying to effect change, and I think he is doing what no one else has been really willing to do. He has taken drastic and unpopular action, undoubted- ly because he thinks that he will be vindicated by the end of his term as premier. Some credit should be given in this, I just hope his he’s got his ideology straight. Yet this isn’t the best of economic times, as everyone here in this town knows and feels everyday, but that’s not my argument to make. It’s been done before, and it’s really too late. The truth is, a lot of people have been touched and affected by the decisions of our govern- ment, some I know, some I don’t. The first thing I did, when I heard about the culs, was to call a friend at social services. I wanted to know if he still had a job. I have fa- mily and friends who work at the college — we made jokes at first about whether or not they would be affected, but the humour left us fairly quickly when became clear that they had. I have a friend at the hospital who just took a cul in pay. I’m sure they’re feeling things too. In the past, layoffs like this haven’t been that bad. We've always had our safety nets there below us. Whether it was “Employment Insurance”, or Welfare, the worst you could do in Canada was survive, Yet it seems fairly obvious now, especially for those who’ve been in the system, that this isn’t the case any more, Campbell’s cuts have made it quite clear, In all the years of my short life, I don’t know if I've ever felt so torn over what one man, and his government, has done io my community, To be blunt, it’s been a challenge to a lot of my beliefs, and has served to strengthen a lot of others, but in the end has left me feeling as empty as I was before the election, and ] know I’m not the only one feeling the same. The fact is I didn’t vote. | know for many of you, that very admission automatically means that | have no right to speak, but let me ex- “| don't know if I've ever felt so torn over what one man, and his government, has done.” plain myself, before you rush to judgment. The fact is, in the specific case of this last election, we the electorate were really given three choices in how we could effectively put our vote: NDP, Liberal, or fringe party. The NDP locked to be cooking the books, the fringe parties no viable serious candidates, and the Liberals were far too cozy with business.to go that way. I could have spoiled my ballot, but I didn’t. That option doesn’t count-for much in this country. In my mind there were no choices left. no choice?..; What do you do o indeed? So I ask you, what do you do when: you have | Magical miss By JENNIFER LANG TWO TERRACE wand Makers are weaving a magic spel! that's sparking the imaginations of child- ren and adults alike, Christine Koelmel and Mary-Jo Wocdcox are pals and business partners who began selling their unique, handmade magic wands at craft sales last fall, To their astonishment and delight, people are going wild for their one-of- a-kind creations. They sold 13 in November and an- other 85 at the Christmas craft sale. Since then they've even sold wands to people as far away as Great Britain and the United States using an Internet auction website. They say their compa- ny, Woodmel Wands, was established in 1763. “And We come from a long line of wand makers, It’s part of the magic,” Woodcock explains. The most rewarding part is watching adults and children as they agonize over which wand suits them best. “Everybody has some magic in them. It’s: not Josi, it’s just forgotten,” Each has its own name and no two are alike. Golden swirls run the length of one midnight- blue wand, A small but striking amber gem is em- bedded in its handle. Other wands might con- tain fossils or seashells gathered by the women during their worldly tra- vels. Their eyes twinkle mer- rily as they describe how their wand-making busi- ness has really taken off. Both say author J. K. Rowling's wildly popular children’s books about a boy wizard named Harry Potter have helped spark a return of the imagination. “J.K. Rowling kind of offered up a world for kids,” notes Koelmel, “They’re not playing out- side like we did as kids and Harry .Potter brought that back.” The pair are now work- ing on a spell book for children that encourages them to go outside and ex- plore. And later this week their creations appear at a big trade show at B.C. Place. Just 150 companies will take part. “So, that’s Koelmel says. pretty incredible in it’s The wands come wrap- own right, just to be ped up inside a scroll that chosen,” Woodcox says. describes their mystical origins. magic, Not if you believe in GHRISTINE Koelmel, left, and Mary: ~Jo Woodcox say their magic wands are reminding people of all ages that it's OK to use your imagination. Cheese alert issued DID YOU sample some. Camembert cheese at Granville Island Market in Vancouver last month? The Northern Health Authority has confirmed no distributor in the Terrace area sells Abbot Company brand cheese, the brand responsible for an outbreak of listeriosis infection. But communicable disease specialist Doug Quibell said anyone who purchased or sampled some at Vancouver's popular public market before Feb. 13 could be at Tisk. Listeriosis is a bacterial infection that starts with flu like symptoms and can progress to gastroenteritis. In some cases it can cause meningitis, blood poisoning and even miscarriages, Quibell said it takes as long as 70 days to develop symptoms of listeriosis. That means some people who ate the contami- nated cheese might not show symptoms until mid to late April. People whose immune systems are compromised and pregnant women are most at risk. § Symptoms include a flu- & like iilness | with head- ache, fever, muscle aches & and diarrhea. Anyone with these symptoms who may have ingested Abbott’s cheese at Granville Is- land Market should seek medical attention. Anyone diagnosed with this bacterial infection should also notify the Northern Doug Quibell Health Authority. Nurse’s legacy lives on The Nora Langley Bursary marks 25 years TWENTY-FIVE years after the tragic death of a young Terrace nurse, a bur- sary established in her honour is still going strong. Nora Langley was senior nurse at the Skeena Health Unit Terrace's Gagnon has worked as a nurse in the north- west for 12 years. She’s currently work- ing at Mills Memorial Hospital and teaches prenatal classes in 1 Terrace. | Gagnon completed her obstetrics speci- in January, 1977, re- La calls Carol Harrison. Shelley Nora, a tall young Gagnon woman with red hair and an infectious grin and a strong sense of justice, was weil known in the nursing community here. She came to B.C. from Ontario, and planned to stay. Her family, friends and co-workers were devastated when she died on Jan. 18, 1977 from injuries she suffered in a car accident on the icy road between Ter- race and Prince Rupert. They refused to accept that such a vital, outgoing person might be forgotten. Harrison says Nora believed in life long nursing education and in the impor- tance of supporting young nurses starting their careers. So they started a bursary. fund in her name to assist nurses taking continuing education in the form of specialty courses or completing degrees. There are two recipients of the Nora Langley Bursary this 25th anniversary year, Each. received $3001 toward. her stus ..: , dies. . ae eos Bagh} alty in 1995 and is currently working on a degree of technology in specialty nursing. She is also the recipient of a $1,000 bursary from the Registered Nurses Foun- dation. She hopes to compete her degree by December, Judy Jowett is a registered nurse curr- ently working in the patient care unit at Prince Rupert Hospital. Jowett has lived in the port clly since May, 1999, when she and her husband moved from southern Alberta. She had trained in Calgary hospitals but realized she enjoyed the variety that comes with rural nursing. She embarked on part-lime distance studies to complete a maternity nursing certificate. She recently decided to return to her studies, in arder to finish this certificate because of the severe shortage of trained Judy Jowett ‘maternity nurses in the region. ‘Jowett says she will use the bursary to help pay for tuilion, books and travel ex- ‘penses — she’s heading to Calgary this spring for her practicum: Shelley” -Around Town Transplant trouble A TERRACE man’s kidney transplant isn’t going as well as hoped. Keith Norman, a type 1 diabetic who underwent transplant surgery Feb. 18, needed a second surg- ery 12 hours later to save his life - and his new kidney, his wife Sandra said, Doctors discovered part of the blood supply to the transplanted kidney had been cut off for about 12 hours following the operation so they were for- ced to operate again. The situation exacerbated Keith’s diabetes. He was unable to keep food down — or his anti-rejec- tion drugs — and was-in a great deal of pain. “He was so ill we thought we were going to lase him,” Sandra said. It was touck a go for.a while, but he’s now feeling better. ‘His doctor said it’s still too soon to tell if the transplant is a success or if the kidney suffered any lasting damage as a result. Sandra said the setback may lengthen her hus- band’s recovery to two to three months. He’s stay- ing in Vancouver and continues to receive outpa- tient treatment on a daily basis. On a positive note, the man who donated the kidney, Keith’s brother Peter, is recovering well. Women celebrate Friday GRAB YOUR DANCING shoes and head on down to the Terrace Inn Friday night for an evening of celebration as women around the world gather to recognize International Women’s Day, The Terrace Women’s Resource Centre is spon- soring an IWD dessert and dance for all women over the age of 14, The March 8 event is free, but you are requested to bring a dessert, The impact of cutbacks to provincial services and programs ranging from welfare to poverty law programs is weighing on the minds of many women in Terrace, women’s centre coordinator Alana Dahms said. “We need to do something light hearted,” said Dahms, who was a member of the IWD organizing committee. The dance, which starts at 7 p.m., is a chance to relax, dance and celebrate TWD, she added. Scholarships double THE VALUE of the B.C, and Yukon Community Newspapers Association’ s scholarship program has doubled. Now in its second year, the program is now making $10,000 in scholarship money available to B.C. and Yukon high schoo! grads - thanks to a matching contribution from the B.C. Press Council. Scholarships of $5,000, $3,500 and $1,500 will be awarded to the top three students who best an- swer the question “What role does a community newspaper play in your community?” : Students who. want to apply must submit a 500- word essay to the Terrace Standard by Friday, April 15. The best essay will then be forwarded on to the BCYCNA where the top three Seholarship winners will be selected.