To view the newsletter in its entirety, go to http://www.calgarycommunities.com/FCCServices/mmoPDF/mmo112007.pdf
Thursday, July 10, 2008
ENGAGE! Newsletter design and editing
The cover of the November 2007 issue of Federation of Calgary Communities' newsletter ENGAGE!
To view the newsletter in its entirety, go to http://www.calgarycommunities.com/FCCServices/mmoPDF/mmo112007.pdf
To view the newsletter in its entirety, go to http://www.calgarycommunities.com/FCCServices/mmoPDF/mmo112007.pdf
E-mail forward to promote GreatCity Project
Subject Line: Exciting Partnership with CTV and United Way
Dear Friend,
Tonight at 6:00 pm, an exciting new initiative will be announced on CTV News. United Way of Calgary and Area and CTV News Anchor Barb Higgins have teamed up to bring you the GreatCity Project - an interactive online experience that will allow you to gain a new perspective on the city around you.
We invite you to join Barb as she gives you a window into the social issues affecting our community. Learning about these issues is as simple as visiting the GreatCity Blog - where Barb will share her experiences through text, audio and video updates. While you are there, be sure to subscribe so that you will always be informed of updates.
Get involved. Once you have visited the Blog, why not log in to the GreatCity Forum? Cast your vote in the poll and then take the opportunity to share your thoughts and hear what others are saying. The first step to bringing about change is by promoting awareness, so if you have something to say in the GreatCity Forum, we want to hear it!
Get your colleagues involved. We have some banners , images and additional information that you can download for your company’s internal communications to let employees know about this project at www.greatcity.ca/promo.
Visit www.greatcity.ca today and learn about the issues affecting people in our city right now. Together, we can make Calgary a truly GreatCity for everyone.
All the best,
Ruth Ramsden-Wood
President, United Way of Calgary and Area
Dear Friend,
Tonight at 6:00 pm, an exciting new initiative will be announced on CTV News. United Way of Calgary and Area and CTV News Anchor Barb Higgins have teamed up to bring you the GreatCity Project - an interactive online experience that will allow you to gain a new perspective on the city around you.
We invite you to join Barb as she gives you a window into the social issues affecting our community. Learning about these issues is as simple as visiting the GreatCity Blog - where Barb will share her experiences through text, audio and video updates. While you are there, be sure to subscribe so that you will always be informed of updates.
Get involved. Once you have visited the Blog, why not log in to the GreatCity Forum? Cast your vote in the poll and then take the opportunity to share your thoughts and hear what others are saying. The first step to bringing about change is by promoting awareness, so if you have something to say in the GreatCity Forum, we want to hear it!
Get your colleagues involved. We have some banners , images and additional information that you can download for your company’s internal communications to let employees know about this project at www.greatcity.ca/promo.
Visit www.greatcity.ca today and learn about the issues affecting people in our city right now. Together, we can make Calgary a truly GreatCity for everyone.
All the best,
Ruth Ramsden-Wood
President, United Way of Calgary and Area
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Writing science with heart
When Anne Mullens got a job working with dairy animals, she thought she was taking her first steps towards a career in animal care. Her job involved testing calves’ dung to check for protein retention in the calves from food.
While standing in a lab that smelled of cow dung with a hand on a blender churning another protein mix, Mullens came across the Globe and Mail’s science section.
“It’s like a light went on in my head. That’s what I wanted to do – talk about science,” she said.
Her realization led to a career peppered with awards for excellence in scientific and medical journalism. During 11 years at the Vancouver Sun, she won seven national awards, including two Canadian Science Writers’ Awards. Her book Missed Conceptions: Overcoming Infertility won the 1997 Edna Staebler award for creative non-fiction, and has become a resource for the medical community and the people dealing with infertility.
Medical journalism has been gaining popularity in recent years as people have become more proactive about their health.
“There is an almost insatiable demand for medical and science journalism. It is the fastest growing aspects of modern media,” said Alan Cassels, founder and project leader of Media Doctor Canada, an organization monitoring medical coverage in Canadian media.
But medical journalism is more challenging than other reporting because it involves writing about complex terms and jargon in a way that laypeople can understand. In medicine accurate, balanced reporting is crucial because consumers form opinions about health through popular press, Cassels said.
Mullens learned the value of accuracy when she wrote about lazy eye surgery based on her sister’s childhood experience. The day after the article printed, Mullens got a call from the surgeon who told her that the procedure she’d described was not in use anymore.
“He wasn’t happy,” she said. “We had to print a correction, and I learned the hard way to ask all the questions.”
Born in 1958 in Toronto, Mullens received the love of science from her surgeon father and biochemist mother. Following in her family’s footsteps, Mullens graduated from the University of Guelph with a general science degree. She spent her summers working with professors doing research in crop science and animal nutrition.
But after that look at the Globe, Mullens decided to go back to school to get a degree in journalism. She attended a one-year journalism degree program at Carleton University. A straight-A student, Mullens said she struggled with understanding journalism.
While writing a paper that asked her to argue whether media have contributed to or undermined Western civilization, she said she nearly had a nervous breakdown.
“I had five days when I couldn’t eat or write. All I could do was eat oranges,” she said. She handed in the assignment a week late, which had “never happened before.”
But it was also a “watershed moment” because she realized that her way of writing was okay, she said.
After graduation, Mullens accepted a position with the Vancouver Sun. Even though the Sun was a great working experience, she was dissatisfied with the coverage some important stories received. The paper’s series on children who needed liver transplants was such a story.
“I thought we needed to do stories that were more than the ‘gee, golly, whiz’ kind,” Mullens said.
The story of Rachel Sharma, a child waiting for liver transplant, was the serious story Mullens wanted to cover. But the paper did not see things her way. When Sharma died, the Sun flew Mullens to the UCLA hospital where Sharma had been undergoing treatment.
“Of course the doctors didn’t want to talk to me, and her mother had flown back to Canada,” she said.
She set up interviews for a medical think piece about liver conditions, but was called back the day the interviews were scheduled.
“I was so mad,” she said. “I came back and wrote a blistering memo.”
When another “liver tot” story came up, Mullens refused to cover it.
“I got an insubordination note on my file,” she said, without a flicker of regret.
In 1990, she married Keith Baldrey, a B.C. legislature reporter, and got pregnant in short order. She was also made the Vancouver Island bureau chief for the Sun, but she struggled with juggling career and family.
Mullens’ daughter Kate suffered from multiple allergies and asthma. When Kate had a severe asthma attack on deadline, Mullens left work to be with her daughter, and her editor yelled at her for not filing the story.
“That night I stood by Kate’s bed, and I realized I’d mismanaged it,” she said.
“I resigned.”
When her kids started school, she started working as a freelance writer. Mullens’ commitment to getting things right, a habit formed during her days as a medical journalist, put her in the good books of her editors.
“Writing about science simply is very difficult. I don’t like to make mistakes, but I accept them when I do,” she said. “You’ve got to do the work and take criticism from editors.”
And her editors couldn’t be happier.
“There are writers who can research but not report, and there are reporters who can write but not research. Anne is an excellent writer, reporter and researcher,” said Mary Aikins, editor of Reader’s Digest’s Vancouver bureau.
Aikins remembers Mullens’ struggle writing an article about stem cell research for the July 2007 issue of Reader’s Digest. They had to work closely to keep the story current, accurate and readable.
“It was a lot of fun because she was so open to feedback,” Aikins said.
Mullens is also good at giving feedback, said Katherine Dedyna, a Victoria Times Colonist reporter. Dedyna met Mullens when Mullens worked for two weeks at the Colonist as a copy editor.
“She’s a very affirming person. She can be very encouraging even when she’s telling you what needs improvement in your article,” Dedyna said.
Besides being a good editor, Mullens is one of Canada’s best medical reporters, Dedyna said.
“She has the ability to amass great amounts of scientific information and distill it into readable and understandable material,” Mullens’ husband Keith Baldrey said.
Although their journalistic paths didn’t cross often, Baldrey has worked with Mullens a few times. They first worked together on a pornography feature. Research for the article involved going to adult shops, and looking at pornographic material.
“We did a great job, even though it was mortifying,” Mullens said. “I think that’s maybe one reason we didn’t date until three years later.”
But they did become good friends, and when Mullens’ attention to detail got in the way of meeting deadlines, she depended on Baldrey’s help.
“She’d sometimes call me up from wherever she was filing her story, and ask me to write her lede,” he said.
Mullens says as a freelancer she has longer deadlines that allow her to immerse herself in her subject and write about it in detail. The awards she has won bear witness to her dedication to her art.
While Mullens’ successes have ensured she has an odour-free, sunshine filled office unlike the dung filled lab where she first worked, she credits science for her successes as a journalist.
“Science taught me curiosity,” she says.
While standing in a lab that smelled of cow dung with a hand on a blender churning another protein mix, Mullens came across the Globe and Mail’s science section.
“It’s like a light went on in my head. That’s what I wanted to do – talk about science,” she said.
Her realization led to a career peppered with awards for excellence in scientific and medical journalism. During 11 years at the Vancouver Sun, she won seven national awards, including two Canadian Science Writers’ Awards. Her book Missed Conceptions: Overcoming Infertility won the 1997 Edna Staebler award for creative non-fiction, and has become a resource for the medical community and the people dealing with infertility.
Medical journalism has been gaining popularity in recent years as people have become more proactive about their health.
“There is an almost insatiable demand for medical and science journalism. It is the fastest growing aspects of modern media,” said Alan Cassels, founder and project leader of Media Doctor Canada, an organization monitoring medical coverage in Canadian media.
But medical journalism is more challenging than other reporting because it involves writing about complex terms and jargon in a way that laypeople can understand. In medicine accurate, balanced reporting is crucial because consumers form opinions about health through popular press, Cassels said.
Mullens learned the value of accuracy when she wrote about lazy eye surgery based on her sister’s childhood experience. The day after the article printed, Mullens got a call from the surgeon who told her that the procedure she’d described was not in use anymore.
“He wasn’t happy,” she said. “We had to print a correction, and I learned the hard way to ask all the questions.”
Born in 1958 in Toronto, Mullens received the love of science from her surgeon father and biochemist mother. Following in her family’s footsteps, Mullens graduated from the University of Guelph with a general science degree. She spent her summers working with professors doing research in crop science and animal nutrition.
But after that look at the Globe, Mullens decided to go back to school to get a degree in journalism. She attended a one-year journalism degree program at Carleton University. A straight-A student, Mullens said she struggled with understanding journalism.
While writing a paper that asked her to argue whether media have contributed to or undermined Western civilization, she said she nearly had a nervous breakdown.
“I had five days when I couldn’t eat or write. All I could do was eat oranges,” she said. She handed in the assignment a week late, which had “never happened before.”
But it was also a “watershed moment” because she realized that her way of writing was okay, she said.
After graduation, Mullens accepted a position with the Vancouver Sun. Even though the Sun was a great working experience, she was dissatisfied with the coverage some important stories received. The paper’s series on children who needed liver transplants was such a story.
“I thought we needed to do stories that were more than the ‘gee, golly, whiz’ kind,” Mullens said.
The story of Rachel Sharma, a child waiting for liver transplant, was the serious story Mullens wanted to cover. But the paper did not see things her way. When Sharma died, the Sun flew Mullens to the UCLA hospital where Sharma had been undergoing treatment.
“Of course the doctors didn’t want to talk to me, and her mother had flown back to Canada,” she said.
She set up interviews for a medical think piece about liver conditions, but was called back the day the interviews were scheduled.
“I was so mad,” she said. “I came back and wrote a blistering memo.”
When another “liver tot” story came up, Mullens refused to cover it.
“I got an insubordination note on my file,” she said, without a flicker of regret.
In 1990, she married Keith Baldrey, a B.C. legislature reporter, and got pregnant in short order. She was also made the Vancouver Island bureau chief for the Sun, but she struggled with juggling career and family.
Mullens’ daughter Kate suffered from multiple allergies and asthma. When Kate had a severe asthma attack on deadline, Mullens left work to be with her daughter, and her editor yelled at her for not filing the story.
“That night I stood by Kate’s bed, and I realized I’d mismanaged it,” she said.
“I resigned.”
When her kids started school, she started working as a freelance writer. Mullens’ commitment to getting things right, a habit formed during her days as a medical journalist, put her in the good books of her editors.
“Writing about science simply is very difficult. I don’t like to make mistakes, but I accept them when I do,” she said. “You’ve got to do the work and take criticism from editors.”
And her editors couldn’t be happier.
“There are writers who can research but not report, and there are reporters who can write but not research. Anne is an excellent writer, reporter and researcher,” said Mary Aikins, editor of Reader’s Digest’s Vancouver bureau.
Aikins remembers Mullens’ struggle writing an article about stem cell research for the July 2007 issue of Reader’s Digest. They had to work closely to keep the story current, accurate and readable.
“It was a lot of fun because she was so open to feedback,” Aikins said.
Mullens is also good at giving feedback, said Katherine Dedyna, a Victoria Times Colonist reporter. Dedyna met Mullens when Mullens worked for two weeks at the Colonist as a copy editor.
“She’s a very affirming person. She can be very encouraging even when she’s telling you what needs improvement in your article,” Dedyna said.
Besides being a good editor, Mullens is one of Canada’s best medical reporters, Dedyna said.
“She has the ability to amass great amounts of scientific information and distill it into readable and understandable material,” Mullens’ husband Keith Baldrey said.
Although their journalistic paths didn’t cross often, Baldrey has worked with Mullens a few times. They first worked together on a pornography feature. Research for the article involved going to adult shops, and looking at pornographic material.
“We did a great job, even though it was mortifying,” Mullens said. “I think that’s maybe one reason we didn’t date until three years later.”
But they did become good friends, and when Mullens’ attention to detail got in the way of meeting deadlines, she depended on Baldrey’s help.
“She’d sometimes call me up from wherever she was filing her story, and ask me to write her lede,” he said.
Mullens says as a freelancer she has longer deadlines that allow her to immerse herself in her subject and write about it in detail. The awards she has won bear witness to her dedication to her art.
While Mullens’ successes have ensured she has an odour-free, sunshine filled office unlike the dung filled lab where she first worked, she credits science for her successes as a journalist.
“Science taught me curiosity,” she says.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Photo - Hockey
SAIT Trojan Brett Yeo dukes it out with a Briercrest Clippers player during the final period of the men's hockey match.
Calgary Herald - Spirit of Gold
The eighth annual Spirits of Gold Awards Gala at the Roundup Centre recognized the people and organizations that had taken the time to help their community.
This year the Outstanding Community Volunteer Award went to a lady who has dedicated nearly her whole life to improve conditions for people living with Multiple Sclerosis.
“I feel extremely humbled. I feel a bit in awe because all I do is sit on boards and committees. I really feel that everything we do is based on teamwork. I feel a little guilty for being singled out like this,” says Jutta Hinrichs, a volunteer with the Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Even though Hinrichs is modest about her role with the Multiple Sclerosis Society, executive director Mark Woolf says she is a dedicated volunteer who has been extensively involved with the organization for the past 14 years.
Woolf is not surprised that Hinrichs was picked for the award.
“It’s just a reflection of her commitment to this organization,” he says.
Woolf says she is a “wonderful person” and feels lucky to have her on his team. “She takes her job very seriously. She doesn’t just pay lip service.”
Other than being a kindred spirit, Hinrichs plays two important roles with Calgary Health Region. She is the professional practice leader for occupational therapists and the coordinator for a Multiple Sclerosis rehabilitation program called Outpatient Treatment & Investigation in Multiple Sclerosis (OPTIMUS).
OPTIMUS is an interdisciplinary team of occupational and physical therapists, social workers, psychologists and a nurse.
Hinrichs says working with the medical and rehabilitation teams for and the Society has given her a broader perspective of the issues related to Multiple Sclerosis.
“I think we (medical and rehabilitation teams and MS Society) all work very well together. It doesn’t matter who the patients come to, if we can’t help them we know who can.” This three pronged approach helps support a lot of the needs of people with Multiple Sclerosis and their families.
Multiple Sclerosis is a chronic neurological disease that disrupts the nerve coverings called the myelin sheath that helps the nerves transfer messages from the brain to the body. In severe cases, it might damage the axons, which are the real message transmitters of the nervous system.
People can end up with different symptoms depending on where the disease starts. If it starts in the brain, patients might experience short-term memory, vision and speech problems. If it starts in the spinal cord, patients have problems with walking, coordination and muscle weakness.
The disease is usually not fatal, but can be quiet disruptive if not discovered at an early stage, according to Hinrichs.
Hinrichs got her first glimpse into the world of therapy for the physically challenged when she worked on a school project with the Ontario Crippled Children’s Centre, now called the Bloorview MacMillan Children’s Centre.
She ended up volunteering with the Centre and at the end of high school joined a four-year occupational therapy program.
In 1993, she came to Calgary to work with the OPTIMUS program. A few days after she joined, she was offered a volunteer position on the board of the Multiple Sclerosis Society.
“Because the volunteer work fit well with my work, I joined the board,” she says.
Currently, she is a member of the client services committee at the Society’s chapter and provincial levels. She has also volunteered as a member on various committees and as part of the board of directors at the chapter, provincial and national levels.
She is also volunteering with the clinical care committee of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centres.
According to Hinrichs, the Multiple Sclerosis Society helps people by raising monies for ongoing Multiple Sclerosis research and by providing advocacy support.
“The MS Society also plays a huge role in advocacy, dealing with social and other issues that exist for people with MS,” she says.
The Multiple Sclerosis Society works to affect positive changes in government policies and public attitudes. Some of the issues it is working towards are access to Canada Pension Plan disability benefits, disability tax credit and improving provincial drug plans.
The Calgary chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society also runs client services like recreational programs, special assistance funding, caregiver support and programs for children whose parents suffer from Multiple Sclerosis, says Hinrichs.
She also feels positive about researchers being very close to finding a cure for the disease.
“We have made great strides in the medical field. At least four very important medications, which slow the progress of MS and control the frequency of relapses, have been discovered.”
But Hinrichs says the Society sometimes feels the strain due to government cutbacks because it has grown over time and the demands for its services are increasing.
Although she doesn’t let things like less funding hold her back form giving her best. She finds her satisfaction in the knowledge that she is helping people who face such a debilitating disease in high spirits.
“They (Multiple Sclerosis patients) have so much perseverance, the spunk to continue in the face of this disease. My joy comes from them and improving their quality of life.”
Five years ago Hinrichs’ battle against Multiple Sclerosis became more private.
“Over the years it has become personal. Then my partner was diagnosed with MS. I have learned a lot professionally about MS but now I also know what it is like personally.”
But she’s carrying on with a smile on her lips and determination in her eyes.
“I think it (volunteering) has made me appreciate what things I do have in my life. It has taught me to be grateful.”
She says that Calgary has a great tradition of being a great volunteer city and should continue giving in the same way.
“It’s important to volunteer, to appreciate and better live life.”
This year the Outstanding Community Volunteer Award went to a lady who has dedicated nearly her whole life to improve conditions for people living with Multiple Sclerosis.
“I feel extremely humbled. I feel a bit in awe because all I do is sit on boards and committees. I really feel that everything we do is based on teamwork. I feel a little guilty for being singled out like this,” says Jutta Hinrichs, a volunteer with the Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Even though Hinrichs is modest about her role with the Multiple Sclerosis Society, executive director Mark Woolf says she is a dedicated volunteer who has been extensively involved with the organization for the past 14 years.
Woolf is not surprised that Hinrichs was picked for the award.
“It’s just a reflection of her commitment to this organization,” he says.
Woolf says she is a “wonderful person” and feels lucky to have her on his team. “She takes her job very seriously. She doesn’t just pay lip service.”
Other than being a kindred spirit, Hinrichs plays two important roles with Calgary Health Region. She is the professional practice leader for occupational therapists and the coordinator for a Multiple Sclerosis rehabilitation program called Outpatient Treatment & Investigation in Multiple Sclerosis (OPTIMUS).
OPTIMUS is an interdisciplinary team of occupational and physical therapists, social workers, psychologists and a nurse.
Hinrichs says working with the medical and rehabilitation teams for and the Society has given her a broader perspective of the issues related to Multiple Sclerosis.
“I think we (medical and rehabilitation teams and MS Society) all work very well together. It doesn’t matter who the patients come to, if we can’t help them we know who can.” This three pronged approach helps support a lot of the needs of people with Multiple Sclerosis and their families.
Multiple Sclerosis is a chronic neurological disease that disrupts the nerve coverings called the myelin sheath that helps the nerves transfer messages from the brain to the body. In severe cases, it might damage the axons, which are the real message transmitters of the nervous system.
People can end up with different symptoms depending on where the disease starts. If it starts in the brain, patients might experience short-term memory, vision and speech problems. If it starts in the spinal cord, patients have problems with walking, coordination and muscle weakness.
The disease is usually not fatal, but can be quiet disruptive if not discovered at an early stage, according to Hinrichs.
Hinrichs got her first glimpse into the world of therapy for the physically challenged when she worked on a school project with the Ontario Crippled Children’s Centre, now called the Bloorview MacMillan Children’s Centre.
She ended up volunteering with the Centre and at the end of high school joined a four-year occupational therapy program.
In 1993, she came to Calgary to work with the OPTIMUS program. A few days after she joined, she was offered a volunteer position on the board of the Multiple Sclerosis Society.
“Because the volunteer work fit well with my work, I joined the board,” she says.
Currently, she is a member of the client services committee at the Society’s chapter and provincial levels. She has also volunteered as a member on various committees and as part of the board of directors at the chapter, provincial and national levels.
She is also volunteering with the clinical care committee of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centres.
According to Hinrichs, the Multiple Sclerosis Society helps people by raising monies for ongoing Multiple Sclerosis research and by providing advocacy support.
“The MS Society also plays a huge role in advocacy, dealing with social and other issues that exist for people with MS,” she says.
The Multiple Sclerosis Society works to affect positive changes in government policies and public attitudes. Some of the issues it is working towards are access to Canada Pension Plan disability benefits, disability tax credit and improving provincial drug plans.
The Calgary chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society also runs client services like recreational programs, special assistance funding, caregiver support and programs for children whose parents suffer from Multiple Sclerosis, says Hinrichs.
She also feels positive about researchers being very close to finding a cure for the disease.
“We have made great strides in the medical field. At least four very important medications, which slow the progress of MS and control the frequency of relapses, have been discovered.”
But Hinrichs says the Society sometimes feels the strain due to government cutbacks because it has grown over time and the demands for its services are increasing.
Although she doesn’t let things like less funding hold her back form giving her best. She finds her satisfaction in the knowledge that she is helping people who face such a debilitating disease in high spirits.
“They (Multiple Sclerosis patients) have so much perseverance, the spunk to continue in the face of this disease. My joy comes from them and improving their quality of life.”
Five years ago Hinrichs’ battle against Multiple Sclerosis became more private.
“Over the years it has become personal. Then my partner was diagnosed with MS. I have learned a lot professionally about MS but now I also know what it is like personally.”
But she’s carrying on with a smile on her lips and determination in her eyes.
“I think it (volunteering) has made me appreciate what things I do have in my life. It has taught me to be grateful.”
She says that Calgary has a great tradition of being a great volunteer city and should continue giving in the same way.
“It’s important to volunteer, to appreciate and better live life.”
Friday, February 23, 2007
Editorial - Old Woman
Her cloths were ragged, just patches covered her shrivelling body. Despite the lack of clothes she was feeling too warm. The heat was getting unbearable by the minute and she was praying for a little rain, maybe some clouds so the sun would go away for a while and the suffocating air around her would cool down a little.
Lying alone she could hear people milling about, going to work or to play. Somehow her loneliness made her feel even more ill. She could hear the cars and buses going by adding noise and smoke. Sometimes the smoke got too much, leaving her hacking to catch a breath. Why do those people get to be happy and have a good life while she lay sick and sweltering in the mind-numbing heat?
The chemicals in her veins were making her delirious. When she was young she had worked hard for her children. Then came middle age and more children. She needed to work harder and the drugs kept her going so her children wouldn’t go hungry. Now her children gladly paid for the chemicals to keep her frail body going, but they didn’t want to sit and chat with her. She was too old, too tired, too drugged to make any sense to them.
She thought about her youth then. How beautiful she was and how rich her clothes were. But men had used her beauty for their own satisfaction, told her lies to make her fear for her children and pushed the hated drugs in her veins that left her incapable of ever recovering on her own. And now her beautiful children, ones she had been so proud of, were the same as their fathers – pushing her drugs to drown her feelings.
The doctors came in sometimes and poked and prodded at her. They rambled off names of causes, cures and potions to make her well. But she knew deep in her burning heart that she was dying. She could take no joy in life. Her grandchildren sometimes tried to play with her but she couldn’t play anymore. Everything had been taken from her – everything she could give and some more. And now those men were gone, those children were indifferent and those chemicals in her blood were winning. Did they even care?
She was right in front of them but they just stood by to watch Mother Earth dying.
Lying alone she could hear people milling about, going to work or to play. Somehow her loneliness made her feel even more ill. She could hear the cars and buses going by adding noise and smoke. Sometimes the smoke got too much, leaving her hacking to catch a breath. Why do those people get to be happy and have a good life while she lay sick and sweltering in the mind-numbing heat?
The chemicals in her veins were making her delirious. When she was young she had worked hard for her children. Then came middle age and more children. She needed to work harder and the drugs kept her going so her children wouldn’t go hungry. Now her children gladly paid for the chemicals to keep her frail body going, but they didn’t want to sit and chat with her. She was too old, too tired, too drugged to make any sense to them.
She thought about her youth then. How beautiful she was and how rich her clothes were. But men had used her beauty for their own satisfaction, told her lies to make her fear for her children and pushed the hated drugs in her veins that left her incapable of ever recovering on her own. And now her beautiful children, ones she had been so proud of, were the same as their fathers – pushing her drugs to drown her feelings.
The doctors came in sometimes and poked and prodded at her. They rambled off names of causes, cures and potions to make her well. But she knew deep in her burning heart that she was dying. She could take no joy in life. Her grandchildren sometimes tried to play with her but she couldn’t play anymore. Everything had been taken from her – everything she could give and some more. And now those men were gone, those children were indifferent and those chemicals in her blood were winning. Did they even care?
She was right in front of them but they just stood by to watch Mother Earth dying.
Monday, January 29, 2007
CUE Magazine - Movie Review
A movie review of Deepa Mehta's Water for CUE Magazine
http://www.cuemedia.ca/home.php?content=news&action=fullnews&showcomments=1&id=84
http://www.cuemedia.ca/home.php?content=news&action=fullnews&showcomments=1&id=84
Calgary Herald - One World, one changed life
Pam Kequahtooway was 15 years old when she had her first child. When she had her other two children, she moved back in with her father. And because her mother wasn't around, she had to help raise her three brothers.
"It was hard," she says. "I had trouble figuring out what I was going to do."
Kequahtooway knew she needed help if she was going to finish her education. That's when she approached One World Child Development Centre, funded in part by United Way, looking for day care for her children.
What she found was more than day care. For the first time in a long while she found a place where she felt welcome.
"They (One World staff members) make your children feel special," Kequahtooway says. "That's why I like coming here."
In addition to educating and caring for her children, the staff helped her find a place to live by providing her a reference letter for Metis housing.
"It's been a while since I've been in a house this long," she says of the place she's called home for a year.
One World also provided the training for her level one child-care certification and offered her a job at the centre. After accepting the position, she inquired about driving the centre's buses part-time. She now doubles as a child-care worker and a full-time bus driver and loves it.
Kequahtooway is just one of the many people who have come to One World and received help.
Parents with children at the centre are often unable to feed their children, who subsequently fall behind their peers due to hunger and malnutrition, says Robert Perry, centre director.
Nearly 75 per cent of the caregivers who send their children to the centre have a family income of less than $1,500 a month.
"People living in poverty are at an increased risk of marginalization," Perry says.
That's why One World provides children with food and education, while giving parents peace of mind.
"It's a small miracle for some parents to get their children up and going to school," Perry says.
Parents can get help with finding stable housing, support for better parenting, career planning and computer skills.
Ruth Ramsden-Wood, president of United Way of Calgary and Area, says providing this support to families is essential to building a stronger, more resilient community.
"Pam is truly a success story," says Ramsden-Wood.
"With the help that she received from One World Child Development Centre, she is creating a better future for herself and her children. She's shown true courage -- a trait that everyone can learn from."
Kequahtooway's daughters have now moved on from the centre and attend elementary school.
One of her daughters takes dance, the other plays basketball. Her son, who is still at the centre, is into ball sports and, according to Kequahtooway, "adores" his teacher.
Kequahtooway says she feels like a success now. She's been involved with One World for so long, both with her kids and her job, that she can finally celebrate her roots.
"We've had a rough time and it's been a hard two years," Kequahtooway says.
This summer she took the kids to powwows nearly every weekend. The kids danced and enjoyed learning about their culture.
"It's all coming together," she says.
"That's why I feel so happy right now that everything's working out."
This series of articles highlight programs that benefit from the United Way, in a collaboration between the United Way of Calgary and Area, SAIT journalism students and Neighbours.
To visit Calgary Herald for the story, click the following link:
http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/neighbours/story.html?id=3a6403b0-1437-4644-8480-b3a7607942dc&k=54676
"It was hard," she says. "I had trouble figuring out what I was going to do."
Kequahtooway knew she needed help if she was going to finish her education. That's when she approached One World Child Development Centre, funded in part by United Way, looking for day care for her children.
What she found was more than day care. For the first time in a long while she found a place where she felt welcome.
"They (One World staff members) make your children feel special," Kequahtooway says. "That's why I like coming here."
In addition to educating and caring for her children, the staff helped her find a place to live by providing her a reference letter for Metis housing.
"It's been a while since I've been in a house this long," she says of the place she's called home for a year.
One World also provided the training for her level one child-care certification and offered her a job at the centre. After accepting the position, she inquired about driving the centre's buses part-time. She now doubles as a child-care worker and a full-time bus driver and loves it.
Kequahtooway is just one of the many people who have come to One World and received help.
Parents with children at the centre are often unable to feed their children, who subsequently fall behind their peers due to hunger and malnutrition, says Robert Perry, centre director.
Nearly 75 per cent of the caregivers who send their children to the centre have a family income of less than $1,500 a month.
"People living in poverty are at an increased risk of marginalization," Perry says.
That's why One World provides children with food and education, while giving parents peace of mind.
"It's a small miracle for some parents to get their children up and going to school," Perry says.
Parents can get help with finding stable housing, support for better parenting, career planning and computer skills.
Ruth Ramsden-Wood, president of United Way of Calgary and Area, says providing this support to families is essential to building a stronger, more resilient community.
"Pam is truly a success story," says Ramsden-Wood.
"With the help that she received from One World Child Development Centre, she is creating a better future for herself and her children. She's shown true courage -- a trait that everyone can learn from."
Kequahtooway's daughters have now moved on from the centre and attend elementary school.
One of her daughters takes dance, the other plays basketball. Her son, who is still at the centre, is into ball sports and, according to Kequahtooway, "adores" his teacher.
Kequahtooway says she feels like a success now. She's been involved with One World for so long, both with her kids and her job, that she can finally celebrate her roots.
"We've had a rough time and it's been a hard two years," Kequahtooway says.
This summer she took the kids to powwows nearly every weekend. The kids danced and enjoyed learning about their culture.
"It's all coming together," she says.
"That's why I feel so happy right now that everything's working out."
This series of articles highlight programs that benefit from the United Way, in a collaboration between the United Way of Calgary and Area, SAIT journalism students and Neighbours.
To visit Calgary Herald for the story, click the following link:
http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/neighbours/story.html?id=3a6403b0-1437-4644-8480-b3a7607942dc&k=54676
Weekly Albertan
A story for the Weekly Albertan.
http://weeklyalbertan.sait.ca/20061120/2006-11-20-p05.pdf
A page layout for the Weekly Albertan.
http://weeklyalbertan.sait.ca/20061211/2006-12-11-p01.pdf
http://weeklyalbertan.sait.ca/20061120/2006-11-20-p05.pdf
A page layout for the Weekly Albertan.
http://weeklyalbertan.sait.ca/20061211/2006-12-11-p01.pdf
News - Quit it
For once quitter isn’t a bad word.
With the smoking bylaw going into effect, Smoke-Free Calgary found the perfect opportunity to launch their mass media campaign to help smokers quit.
“We’re targeting the 18- to 24-year-olds as the new bylaw hits this age group the most,” says Karen Smith, program coordinator for tobacco control at the Alberta Cancer Board.
The mass media campaign will last another six to eight weeks.
And then the health agencies in Alberta start preparing for another major quitting campaign for 2008 when all public smoking will be outlawed.
The main focus of the Smoke-Free campaign is to raise awareness among four specific groups: Aboriginal young adults, post-secondary students, trades workers, and young adults affected by the new bylaw, according to Smith.
“We have lots of resources available for people who want to quit,” says Carole Parder, a tobacco reduction counsellor with AADAC
AADAC has a helpline available to smokers from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week. People calling the line can receive information about quitting and can call back for support.
The tobacco reduction counsellors set up a quit plan for the caller and call back daily if the person quitting needs the support, according to Parder.
“If a person has a craving (to smoke), they can call the counsellor for support,” Parder says.
The Alberta Quits website tries to encourage visitors to quit by informing them of how much they spend on their addiction based on how many cigarettes they smoke every day.
The site also houses a chat room where people who have quit, people who are in the process of quitting and people who are thinking of quitting can discuss problems and get help from other people in a similar situation, according to Parder.
But some young people just don’t want to quit.
Rey Salonga, a second-year digital graphics communications student at SAIT, says he’s seen the posters by Smoke-Free Calgary but hasn’t changed his mind about smoking.
“I’ve thought about it (quitting smoking), but I think it’s my choice and I don’t want to confirm,” he says.
“I’m not being confrontational but I don’t want other people’s ideas to be forced on me.”
Perhaps knowing the advantages of quitting would convert non-conformists like Salonga.
According to Dr. Roger Thomas, professor of family medicine at the University of Calgary, smoking not only increases one’s risk of getting cancer, heart disease and stroke but it also slowly wears down all the body’s organs from head to toe.
Quitting can be difficult and people start and stop many times before they finally quit and Thomas says starting and stopping is not necessarily bad.
“Quitting is like a sport, the more you practice the stronger you will get and finally you’ll stay off it,” he says.
And smokers can reduce their increased risk of disease to the risk of a normal person few years after they quit.
“Pancreatic cancer is the worst. But even that risk normalises for smokers in about 15 years,” Thomas says.
But smoking affects the health of the province’s economy as well.
“Tobacco costs Alberta around $1.8 billion annually, more than 70 per cent of this cost, is due to lost productivity,” says Michaleen Elabdi, public affairs officer for Alberta Health and Wellness.
The 2002 AADAC-led Alberta Tobacco Reduction Strategy (ATRS) aims to reduce the number of young people starting to smoke, encourage and help current tobacco users to quit and reduce children’s and non-smokers’ exposure to second-hand smoke.
ATRS is a long-term strategy for the Alberta government and its main objective is to reduce tobacco use by 50 per cent from 2001 to 2011, according to Elabdi. As of 2005, Alberta’s use is 4,418 million cigarettes per year, a decrease of 18 per cent.
With the smoking bylaw going into effect, Smoke-Free Calgary found the perfect opportunity to launch their mass media campaign to help smokers quit.
“We’re targeting the 18- to 24-year-olds as the new bylaw hits this age group the most,” says Karen Smith, program coordinator for tobacco control at the Alberta Cancer Board.
The mass media campaign will last another six to eight weeks.
And then the health agencies in Alberta start preparing for another major quitting campaign for 2008 when all public smoking will be outlawed.
The main focus of the Smoke-Free campaign is to raise awareness among four specific groups: Aboriginal young adults, post-secondary students, trades workers, and young adults affected by the new bylaw, according to Smith.
“We have lots of resources available for people who want to quit,” says Carole Parder, a tobacco reduction counsellor with AADAC
AADAC has a helpline available to smokers from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week. People calling the line can receive information about quitting and can call back for support.
The tobacco reduction counsellors set up a quit plan for the caller and call back daily if the person quitting needs the support, according to Parder.
“If a person has a craving (to smoke), they can call the counsellor for support,” Parder says.
The Alberta Quits website tries to encourage visitors to quit by informing them of how much they spend on their addiction based on how many cigarettes they smoke every day.
The site also houses a chat room where people who have quit, people who are in the process of quitting and people who are thinking of quitting can discuss problems and get help from other people in a similar situation, according to Parder.
But some young people just don’t want to quit.
Rey Salonga, a second-year digital graphics communications student at SAIT, says he’s seen the posters by Smoke-Free Calgary but hasn’t changed his mind about smoking.
“I’ve thought about it (quitting smoking), but I think it’s my choice and I don’t want to confirm,” he says.
“I’m not being confrontational but I don’t want other people’s ideas to be forced on me.”
Perhaps knowing the advantages of quitting would convert non-conformists like Salonga.
According to Dr. Roger Thomas, professor of family medicine at the University of Calgary, smoking not only increases one’s risk of getting cancer, heart disease and stroke but it also slowly wears down all the body’s organs from head to toe.
Quitting can be difficult and people start and stop many times before they finally quit and Thomas says starting and stopping is not necessarily bad.
“Quitting is like a sport, the more you practice the stronger you will get and finally you’ll stay off it,” he says.
And smokers can reduce their increased risk of disease to the risk of a normal person few years after they quit.
“Pancreatic cancer is the worst. But even that risk normalises for smokers in about 15 years,” Thomas says.
But smoking affects the health of the province’s economy as well.
“Tobacco costs Alberta around $1.8 billion annually, more than 70 per cent of this cost, is due to lost productivity,” says Michaleen Elabdi, public affairs officer for Alberta Health and Wellness.
The 2002 AADAC-led Alberta Tobacco Reduction Strategy (ATRS) aims to reduce the number of young people starting to smoke, encourage and help current tobacco users to quit and reduce children’s and non-smokers’ exposure to second-hand smoke.
ATRS is a long-term strategy for the Alberta government and its main objective is to reduce tobacco use by 50 per cent from 2001 to 2011, according to Elabdi. As of 2005, Alberta’s use is 4,418 million cigarettes per year, a decrease of 18 per cent.
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