SAIT Trojan Brett Yeo dukes it out with a Briercrest Clippers player during the final period of the men's hockey match.
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.
News - Calgary Transit
With bad weather breaking records, workers commuting on the Calgary Transit are getting increasingly dissatisfied with their transportation.
But weather might be only one of the factors leading to unhappy Transit customers, according to Dr. Nigel Waters, Director of the Transportation Theme School at the University of Calgary.
“Transit especially LRT (Light Rail Transit) is notoriously crowded,” Waters says. “It can be really hard to get on and off the bus or train.”
Travelling on Transit can be expensive and the long, cold waiting times and fairly long travel times add to a commuter’s daily stress, according to Waters.
“It’s mostly a slower and colder alternative to a car,” Waters says.
Only 23 per cent of people who travelled between home and work on mass transit said they liked commuting, compared with 39 per cent of drivers, according to Statistics Canada’s survey ‘Like commuting? Workers’ perceptions of their daily commute.’
Results of the study suggest that if the average travel time of public transport users was equal to that of car drivers, their perception of commuting might improve.
Intelligent Transportation Systems are the solution to both the transit providers’ and commuters’ problems, according to Waters.
“Transportation systems in the U.K. and Europe have Global Positioning System (GPS) and tell the commuter how many minutes till arrival time,” he says.
Waters also suggests that communication between vehicles would help drivers make better decisions about their route and respond to warnings of congestion and accidents, saving time and effort.
But Transit is not sitting idle about workers’ problems, he says.
“They are getting more trains, Bus Rapid Transit and extending and building new lines,” Waters says.
“But it’s not happening quickly enough.”
Transit commuters also feel the speed at which capacity is increasing is very slow.
“Public transportation in Calgary is not good,” says Rishan Mesfun, a SAIT English language foundation student.
“We have only one bus serving the Beddington area.”
People in this area have a hard time getting around because of low frequency and repeated delays, according to Mesfun.
“Even though I’m on time the bus is late, sometimes by half an hour,” she says. “I have missed the connecting bus so many times because of this.”
Mesfun says the bus route is often used to train new drivers, which might be one of the reasons for the delays.
“Sometimes I have to take a taxi or call my husband to drop me, just to get to work on time,” she says.
According to Calgary Transit’s 20-year capital plan from 2006-2025, ridership on the CTrain system has increased by 120 per cent between 1995 and 2004.
But Transit is also facing a funding shortfall of $802 million to maintain, replace, upgrade and expand Calgary Transit’s infrastructure and fleet for the period 2006 to 2015.
Yet Calgary Transit is continuously working towards resolving travellers’ problems, according to Ron Collins, public relations manager for Calgary Transit.
“There have been weather related delays and they’re unfortunate because people are waiting in the cold,” Collins says.
“But when the temperature dips below 40 C, not even our CTrains can handle it.”
Buses also get delayed due to heavy traffic which is moving slowly due to slippery roads, he says.
As for improving bus frequencies and adding more routes, Transit is currently looking at bus and LRT service plans for 2007.
“There will probably be new routes and schedule changes, but we’re just looking at that,” he says.
Collins says that the option of GPS in buses is also being explored.
“GPS would augment the Teleride program,” he says. It will make getting schedule updates faster and easier for customers.
But weather might be only one of the factors leading to unhappy Transit customers, according to Dr. Nigel Waters, Director of the Transportation Theme School at the University of Calgary.
“Transit especially LRT (Light Rail Transit) is notoriously crowded,” Waters says. “It can be really hard to get on and off the bus or train.”
Travelling on Transit can be expensive and the long, cold waiting times and fairly long travel times add to a commuter’s daily stress, according to Waters.
“It’s mostly a slower and colder alternative to a car,” Waters says.
Only 23 per cent of people who travelled between home and work on mass transit said they liked commuting, compared with 39 per cent of drivers, according to Statistics Canada’s survey ‘Like commuting? Workers’ perceptions of their daily commute.’
Results of the study suggest that if the average travel time of public transport users was equal to that of car drivers, their perception of commuting might improve.
Intelligent Transportation Systems are the solution to both the transit providers’ and commuters’ problems, according to Waters.
“Transportation systems in the U.K. and Europe have Global Positioning System (GPS) and tell the commuter how many minutes till arrival time,” he says.
Waters also suggests that communication between vehicles would help drivers make better decisions about their route and respond to warnings of congestion and accidents, saving time and effort.
But Transit is not sitting idle about workers’ problems, he says.
“They are getting more trains, Bus Rapid Transit and extending and building new lines,” Waters says.
“But it’s not happening quickly enough.”
Transit commuters also feel the speed at which capacity is increasing is very slow.
“Public transportation in Calgary is not good,” says Rishan Mesfun, a SAIT English language foundation student.
“We have only one bus serving the Beddington area.”
People in this area have a hard time getting around because of low frequency and repeated delays, according to Mesfun.
“Even though I’m on time the bus is late, sometimes by half an hour,” she says. “I have missed the connecting bus so many times because of this.”
Mesfun says the bus route is often used to train new drivers, which might be one of the reasons for the delays.
“Sometimes I have to take a taxi or call my husband to drop me, just to get to work on time,” she says.
According to Calgary Transit’s 20-year capital plan from 2006-2025, ridership on the CTrain system has increased by 120 per cent between 1995 and 2004.
But Transit is also facing a funding shortfall of $802 million to maintain, replace, upgrade and expand Calgary Transit’s infrastructure and fleet for the period 2006 to 2015.
Yet Calgary Transit is continuously working towards resolving travellers’ problems, according to Ron Collins, public relations manager for Calgary Transit.
“There have been weather related delays and they’re unfortunate because people are waiting in the cold,” Collins says.
“But when the temperature dips below 40 C, not even our CTrains can handle it.”
Buses also get delayed due to heavy traffic which is moving slowly due to slippery roads, he says.
As for improving bus frequencies and adding more routes, Transit is currently looking at bus and LRT service plans for 2007.
“There will probably be new routes and schedule changes, but we’re just looking at that,” he says.
Collins says that the option of GPS in buses is also being explored.
“GPS would augment the Teleride program,” he says. It will make getting schedule updates faster and easier for customers.
Photo - Highland Games
Calgary's Gord Walsh won the 22 pound heavy hammer throw at the Calgary Highland Games 2006. His best throw was an impressive 98 feet and 1.5 inches.
Layout - Brochure
Cover and Back page of a Plant Safety brochure for the Poison and Drug Information Service of Alberta.
Pages 2 and 3 of the Plant Safety brochure for the Poison and Drug Information Service of Alberta.
Editorial - Covering the execution of a dictator
As soon as the Saddam Hussein execution video came into the hands of news organisations, they put it on air and played it over and over again. And for those who missed it, the video was available on the websites of most news organisations. The media did not wait to confirm whether the video was lawfully acquired or whether it was moral to show a man’s final moments.
The Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War clearly states that prisoners of war must be protected against insults and public curiosity. But Hussein was insulted as he faced his execution. The media could be lauded for following up on this shameful act.
As the recent movement of U.S. troops to Iraq suggests, the war is far from over. Thus the repatriation of Hussein should be called into question as countries do not send back prisoners of war until hostilities cease. Hussein was returned to a country embroiled in a war created by the U.S. and then a partisan court sentenced Hussein to death. But the media was focused on ensuring that there was no loopholes for Hussein to escape through.
A lot of countries and the European Union spoke against the execution of Hussein. The media gleefully printed their responses and forgot to question them about why they did not speak out before the execution. Also would these countries be imposing any embargoes against the U.S., after all that’s what they usually do to show political displeasure. Or is it a stupid question because nobody wants to throw a rock at the bully? The media could have made an issue of this discrepancy in attitude.
Another question that seems to have been lost in the melee is why were the Geneva Conventions ignored by the U.S. and why is the U.S. getting away with it? Is the death of a tyrant at the hands of another considered poetic justice by the media? If so, then the media has cleared the way for a dictator to go free at the price another’s head.
The Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War clearly states that prisoners of war must be protected against insults and public curiosity. But Hussein was insulted as he faced his execution. The media could be lauded for following up on this shameful act.
As the recent movement of U.S. troops to Iraq suggests, the war is far from over. Thus the repatriation of Hussein should be called into question as countries do not send back prisoners of war until hostilities cease. Hussein was returned to a country embroiled in a war created by the U.S. and then a partisan court sentenced Hussein to death. But the media was focused on ensuring that there was no loopholes for Hussein to escape through.
A lot of countries and the European Union spoke against the execution of Hussein. The media gleefully printed their responses and forgot to question them about why they did not speak out before the execution. Also would these countries be imposing any embargoes against the U.S., after all that’s what they usually do to show political displeasure. Or is it a stupid question because nobody wants to throw a rock at the bully? The media could have made an issue of this discrepancy in attitude.
Another question that seems to have been lost in the melee is why were the Geneva Conventions ignored by the U.S. and why is the U.S. getting away with it? Is the death of a tyrant at the hands of another considered poetic justice by the media? If so, then the media has cleared the way for a dictator to go free at the price another’s head.
Editorial - When the Blues go Green
The Conservative government has tried to go green again by suggesting a boost for nuclear power. Nuclear reactors emit lower amounts of greenhouse gases than a coal-fuelled power station, but they leave behind a product far more dangerous that carbon dioxide. Unless the government has some miraculous plans for making the radioactive waste disappear, it should stay away from nuclear power.
Ontario can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 18 million tons by using electricity generated by Pickering’s six nuclear reactors. But one nuclear plant produces 25-30 tons of toxic waste every year, six plants would produce nearly 200 tons. And if Ontario gets the go ahead, then New Brunswick and Quebec would probably demand their nuclear reactors be allowed to run as well. Where would the government put the increasing pile of cancer-causing garbage which takes 10,000 years to decay to dormancy?
The government might run out of places to store the waste without threatening public health and safety. And there is always the threat that the waste might get into the wrong hands and end up as part of a low-grade but effective nuclear bomb. This is why Iran is struggling to get a nuclear reactor going and Canada should consider the security aspect of jumping in with both feet in a puddle of toxic waste.
In the U.S., nuclear companies operate their reactors with a federal guarantee that they will not be held liable for damage caused by nuclear accidents. People living close to nuclear reactors can’t get their homes insured against a nuclear plant accident. Now that might be a hard one for the Conservatives to fly by the Canadian people after promising accountability.
Nuclear power plant maintenance is constantly digging into the cash reserves. There are other cheaper, more natural options to nuclear power which have shorter planning and construction cycles. Revenues start flowing earlier and drive down the cost of setting up. Competitive markets in the alternative energy sector push technical progress and lower costs. Cheap, easy and safe; what more can the government ask for?
Ontario can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 18 million tons by using electricity generated by Pickering’s six nuclear reactors. But one nuclear plant produces 25-30 tons of toxic waste every year, six plants would produce nearly 200 tons. And if Ontario gets the go ahead, then New Brunswick and Quebec would probably demand their nuclear reactors be allowed to run as well. Where would the government put the increasing pile of cancer-causing garbage which takes 10,000 years to decay to dormancy?
The government might run out of places to store the waste without threatening public health and safety. And there is always the threat that the waste might get into the wrong hands and end up as part of a low-grade but effective nuclear bomb. This is why Iran is struggling to get a nuclear reactor going and Canada should consider the security aspect of jumping in with both feet in a puddle of toxic waste.
In the U.S., nuclear companies operate their reactors with a federal guarantee that they will not be held liable for damage caused by nuclear accidents. People living close to nuclear reactors can’t get their homes insured against a nuclear plant accident. Now that might be a hard one for the Conservatives to fly by the Canadian people after promising accountability.
Nuclear power plant maintenance is constantly digging into the cash reserves. There are other cheaper, more natural options to nuclear power which have shorter planning and construction cycles. Revenues start flowing earlier and drive down the cost of setting up. Competitive markets in the alternative energy sector push technical progress and lower costs. Cheap, easy and safe; what more can the government ask for?
Feature - Growing up young
Nadine Mundy is a 15-year-old, Grade 10 student at William Aberhart High School in Calgary. And woven into the intricacies of her teenage life is the question of when to become sexually active.
More and more teenagers are choosing abstinence till they’re older and ready for what a sexual relationship might bring.
“You’ll be smarter and more aware of the dangers of having sex and you’ll be more careful,” Mundy says.
Younger people are realizing that sex in not a casual thing; there are emotional and psychological aspects to it, says Dr. Marta Edgar, a counsellor at the SAIT student services centre.
But mental or physical preparedness isn’t the only thing holding the teens of today back.
“Sexually transmitted infections are on the rise, and then there is AIDS which is a life threatening disease. People realize it’s not a fantastic idea to jump into a sexual relationship,” Edgar says.
For teenage girls, the fear of pregnancy is almost greater than the fear of contracting a sexually transmitted infection.
“I know someone who had a problem with failed contraception and it’s a lot harder than you’d think to get Plan B,” Mundy says.
Teenage pregnancy also brings with it social rejection for the girl.
“People think they (pregnant teens) made a wrong choice and so they don’t need to treat them (pregnant teens) like any other person,” Mundy says.
Alyssha Hansma, another 15-year-old, Grade 10 student at Henry Wisewood High School, agrees that teen pregnancy still has some stigma attached to it.
“I decided to wait longer because I don’t want to get pregnant,” she says.
According to Hansma, getting pregnant as a teenager is the road to poverty, welfare and abortion.
So while more and more teenage girls are choosing abstinence and safe sex, fewer of those who do get pregnant choose to give birth.
In 1997, the estimated number for teen pregnancies came down to 42,162 compared to the estimated total 46,753 for 1994, according to a health report on teenage pregnancy by Statistics Canada.
While the number of teenage pregnancies is going down, abortion is gaining popularity among teens who do get pregnant. This had been the case for younger teens in most years since 1993.
More teens are choosing abortions because teen pregnancies are full of risk, according to the report.
Children of teenagers are more likely to have low birth weights, and to suffer the associated health problems. Pregnant teens themselves are also at greater risk of health problems, including, for example, anemia, hypertension, renal disease, and depressive disorders.
“Reaching puberty means a girl is physically ready to carry a baby to full term,” says Kazia Gerber, a SAIT health services nurse.
But there can be problems for both mother and child if the mother is too young.
The age of puberty has also gone down significantly in the past few decades, according to a report by the Lawson Wilkins Pediatric Endocrine Society, based in California.
The average age of girls showing signs of puberty has dropped from 11 to seven or six.
In case of a pre-teen pregnancy, the mother’s health is at a very high risk and the survival of the child to full term is difficult.
Even abortion can be dangerous because it might lead to hemorrhaging, Gerber says.
“It’s more complicated for a teen, especially a younger teen, to carry a pregnancy to full term,” says Celia Posyniak, manager of the Kensington Clinic.
“An abortion does not endanger them as much as a pregnancy.”
Kensington Clinic is an abortion facility funded by the Calgary Health Region, providing surgical and medical abortion services up to the 20th week of the pregnancy.
The clinic provides counselling on the day of abortion and after abortion, if required.
“But most people who come to us have already made up their minds and usually are relieved after the abortion,” Posyniak says.
It is a quick solution to all the teenagers’ questions about raising a child alone without good support systems and still managing to achieve something in their own lives, she says.
Teenagers who need help with making a decision should call government counselling services like the Calgary Birth Control Association, the Family Planning Clinic operated by the Calgary Health Region or Planned Parenthood Alberta, she adds.
“There are some organisations out there that are pro-life and would counsel you to keep the child, without taking your situation into account,” she says.
Some crisis pregnancy centres try to present themselves as non-religious, non-judgmental counselling agencies, according to Posyniak. But they primarily counsel against abortion and sometimes have a hidden faith-based mission.
Birthright Calgary is a pro-life pregnancy helpline. They receive financial support from Catholic Charities, a division of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary.
“We support carrying the baby to term,” says Sue McCullogh, director of Birthright Calgary.
Their helpline is run by a group of volunteers, mostly “everyday women,” who say they give all available options to teens even though they admittedly avoid the topic of abortion.
The teens or distressed women who come to the Birthright office receive free pregnancy tests, with the advice to confirm test results with a physician.
“If a positive pregnancy is confirmed, we help the teen or woman find the resources to support themselves and their baby,” McCullogh says.
Although Birthright does not provide financial support to teens, it does provide emotional support. If a teen requests, a volunteer accompanies her to help with breaking the news of the pregnancy to the teen’s parents.
If the teen wishes to put her child up for adoption, then Birthright can assist with the process.
But carrying the baby to term is always the best option for every pregnant woman or teen, according to McCullogh.
“Pregnancy is not a problem. We need people to see that we are here to support in every way we can.”
Pregnancy may or may not be a problem, but young mothers, especially teens, need a lot of support especially if they choose to keep the baby.
The Louise Dean Centre assists pregnant and parenting teens with their educational, social, emotional and health needs, according to Cindy Pringle, the centre’s nurse.
The centre is supported by the Calgary Board of Education, the Catholic Family Service and the Calgary Health Region.
“Majority of the girls here come from single parent families,” Pringle says.
“Even if they have both parents, the support systems are pretty weak.”
At the centre, there are teachers, Public Health personnel and social work counsellors to help the young women through their problems.
The mothers-to-be take pre-natal classes and get credits for a parenting course after the birth of the child. They also have access to couples counselling and classes to help their parents prepare for being grandparents.
The centre mostly focuses on the social and emotional needs of the pregnant teens.
“They are physically ready for children but there is a social risk due to poor nutrition, drinking and drug abuse,” Pringle says.
“And they tend to have undiagnosed depressive or other psychological problems.”
The assumption that pregnancy disrupts the lives of teenagers is incorrect, she explains.
“Most of them are drifting, feeling left out, living on the streets for at least a year before they get pregnant,” she says.
They also make friends with other teenagers who are also pregnant and find acceptance, sometimes for the first time in their lives.
“Having a baby makes them happy, they feel like a success.”
More and more teenagers are choosing abstinence till they’re older and ready for what a sexual relationship might bring.
“You’ll be smarter and more aware of the dangers of having sex and you’ll be more careful,” Mundy says.
Younger people are realizing that sex in not a casual thing; there are emotional and psychological aspects to it, says Dr. Marta Edgar, a counsellor at the SAIT student services centre.
But mental or physical preparedness isn’t the only thing holding the teens of today back.
“Sexually transmitted infections are on the rise, and then there is AIDS which is a life threatening disease. People realize it’s not a fantastic idea to jump into a sexual relationship,” Edgar says.
For teenage girls, the fear of pregnancy is almost greater than the fear of contracting a sexually transmitted infection.
“I know someone who had a problem with failed contraception and it’s a lot harder than you’d think to get Plan B,” Mundy says.
Teenage pregnancy also brings with it social rejection for the girl.
“People think they (pregnant teens) made a wrong choice and so they don’t need to treat them (pregnant teens) like any other person,” Mundy says.
Alyssha Hansma, another 15-year-old, Grade 10 student at Henry Wisewood High School, agrees that teen pregnancy still has some stigma attached to it.
“I decided to wait longer because I don’t want to get pregnant,” she says.
According to Hansma, getting pregnant as a teenager is the road to poverty, welfare and abortion.
So while more and more teenage girls are choosing abstinence and safe sex, fewer of those who do get pregnant choose to give birth.
In 1997, the estimated number for teen pregnancies came down to 42,162 compared to the estimated total 46,753 for 1994, according to a health report on teenage pregnancy by Statistics Canada.
While the number of teenage pregnancies is going down, abortion is gaining popularity among teens who do get pregnant. This had been the case for younger teens in most years since 1993.
More teens are choosing abortions because teen pregnancies are full of risk, according to the report.
Children of teenagers are more likely to have low birth weights, and to suffer the associated health problems. Pregnant teens themselves are also at greater risk of health problems, including, for example, anemia, hypertension, renal disease, and depressive disorders.
“Reaching puberty means a girl is physically ready to carry a baby to full term,” says Kazia Gerber, a SAIT health services nurse.
But there can be problems for both mother and child if the mother is too young.
The age of puberty has also gone down significantly in the past few decades, according to a report by the Lawson Wilkins Pediatric Endocrine Society, based in California.
The average age of girls showing signs of puberty has dropped from 11 to seven or six.
In case of a pre-teen pregnancy, the mother’s health is at a very high risk and the survival of the child to full term is difficult.
Even abortion can be dangerous because it might lead to hemorrhaging, Gerber says.
“It’s more complicated for a teen, especially a younger teen, to carry a pregnancy to full term,” says Celia Posyniak, manager of the Kensington Clinic.
“An abortion does not endanger them as much as a pregnancy.”
Kensington Clinic is an abortion facility funded by the Calgary Health Region, providing surgical and medical abortion services up to the 20th week of the pregnancy.
The clinic provides counselling on the day of abortion and after abortion, if required.
“But most people who come to us have already made up their minds and usually are relieved after the abortion,” Posyniak says.
It is a quick solution to all the teenagers’ questions about raising a child alone without good support systems and still managing to achieve something in their own lives, she says.
Teenagers who need help with making a decision should call government counselling services like the Calgary Birth Control Association, the Family Planning Clinic operated by the Calgary Health Region or Planned Parenthood Alberta, she adds.
“There are some organisations out there that are pro-life and would counsel you to keep the child, without taking your situation into account,” she says.
Some crisis pregnancy centres try to present themselves as non-religious, non-judgmental counselling agencies, according to Posyniak. But they primarily counsel against abortion and sometimes have a hidden faith-based mission.
Birthright Calgary is a pro-life pregnancy helpline. They receive financial support from Catholic Charities, a division of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary.
“We support carrying the baby to term,” says Sue McCullogh, director of Birthright Calgary.
Their helpline is run by a group of volunteers, mostly “everyday women,” who say they give all available options to teens even though they admittedly avoid the topic of abortion.
The teens or distressed women who come to the Birthright office receive free pregnancy tests, with the advice to confirm test results with a physician.
“If a positive pregnancy is confirmed, we help the teen or woman find the resources to support themselves and their baby,” McCullogh says.
Although Birthright does not provide financial support to teens, it does provide emotional support. If a teen requests, a volunteer accompanies her to help with breaking the news of the pregnancy to the teen’s parents.
If the teen wishes to put her child up for adoption, then Birthright can assist with the process.
But carrying the baby to term is always the best option for every pregnant woman or teen, according to McCullogh.
“Pregnancy is not a problem. We need people to see that we are here to support in every way we can.”
Pregnancy may or may not be a problem, but young mothers, especially teens, need a lot of support especially if they choose to keep the baby.
The Louise Dean Centre assists pregnant and parenting teens with their educational, social, emotional and health needs, according to Cindy Pringle, the centre’s nurse.
The centre is supported by the Calgary Board of Education, the Catholic Family Service and the Calgary Health Region.
“Majority of the girls here come from single parent families,” Pringle says.
“Even if they have both parents, the support systems are pretty weak.”
At the centre, there are teachers, Public Health personnel and social work counsellors to help the young women through their problems.
The mothers-to-be take pre-natal classes and get credits for a parenting course after the birth of the child. They also have access to couples counselling and classes to help their parents prepare for being grandparents.
The centre mostly focuses on the social and emotional needs of the pregnant teens.
“They are physically ready for children but there is a social risk due to poor nutrition, drinking and drug abuse,” Pringle says.
“And they tend to have undiagnosed depressive or other psychological problems.”
The assumption that pregnancy disrupts the lives of teenagers is incorrect, she explains.
“Most of them are drifting, feeling left out, living on the streets for at least a year before they get pregnant,” she says.
They also make friends with other teenagers who are also pregnant and find acceptance, sometimes for the first time in their lives.
“Having a baby makes them happy, they feel like a success.”
Feature - Being the Dance
As the soulful poetry of a Spanish gypsy fades away to the strumming of the flamenco guitar and rhythmic hand clapping, the dancer on stage is tapping her heels faster and her complex hand gestures are holding the audience captive.
As the dance ends the audience slowly breaks out of the spell and remembers to applaud, thunderously.
The dancer, Fiona Malena, directs the attention of her audience to the other performers on stage. Her hands articulating to her audience, ‘But for them, what would my talent be.’
Malena, 27, is a born and bred Calgarian. Yet her passion for flamenco, a gypsy dance form from the southern Spanish region of Andalusia, equals that of a die-hard Spaniard.
A lot of dancers get to a certain level and leave for Spain, she says.
But Malena wants Calgary’s fast evolving, cosmopolitan art scene to have a space for flamenco on the mantle.
“That’s why I want to stay here and develop the flamenco culture.”
She was exposed to flamenco when she was young but she didn’t take it very seriously. But in her teens she started getting more interested in the dance form. The turning point for her was a show by Calgary-based flamenco guitarist Peter Knight. The show featured a Mexican dancer whose masterful dancing combined with Knight’s expert guitar work opened Malena’s eyes to a new world.
“I saw how everything came together in the show. And I didn’t just want to watch the show; I wanted to be a part of it.”
With Knight as her mentor, she began her immersion into the fascinating world of this gypsy dance form. While attending university, Malena took few trips to Spain, the Mecca for flamenco aficionados.
She was still mulling the question of whether she wanted to be a bailaora, a flamenco dancer, for the rest of her life or not.
“But then flamenco started taking over my life. And I just let it.”
There have been ups and downs since but there has been no looking back.
Flamenco demands everything that one has to give, Malena says.
“Motivating yourself is hard to do when you’re an artist,” she says.
And trying to break new ground in a traditional art form, on land foreign to the art, taught Malena a few hard-learned lessons. Mistakes happened and she took the criticism to heart.
But she’s learned that people have different opinions on how flamenco must be and that’s their point of view.
“When you’re out there, you have to be more internal. Now the only thing that would really upset me would be if I stopped growing as an artist.”
It’s hard for her to stay so far from the home of her art form and maintain the deep sub-conscious connection that spurs her on.
“When I’m in Spain, flamenco is everywhere. But in Canada I have to make a conscious effort to surround myself with it.”
But even in Stampede town, Malena has managed to immerse herself in her art. Not only is she is a flamenco performer, she is also a flamenco teacher.
So far, teaching has been a mixed experience for Malena.
“I enjoy teaching people who are in it for the right reasons. But some people can’t make the commitment that flamenco needs and when they leave you’re not sure what you left them with.”
She hopes that some of her love for the dance rubs off on her students, whether they choose to stay or not.
Malena is also keeping herself busy by learning how to play the flamenco guitar.
“I’m terrible at it though,” she says, laughing at her ineptitude with strings. “Especially since I know how it's supposed to sound.”
There is a dearth of good flamenco musicians, she says. Especially singers.
“Singing is the most unreachable part of flamenco. The nuances of voice and tone are so difficult.”
Although she hasn’t tried singing yet, she is trying to spread the magic of flamenco in her hometown.
And that’s how the Fiona Malena Flamenco Society came about. A non-profit organization, the society works towards increasing awareness about flamenco through performances and outreach.
Poesia Gitana, Spanish for gypsy poetry, is a flamenco performance being organized by the Society at the Calgary Opera Centre on Nov.18.
Artists like percussionist Amir Amiri and actor Grant Paterson are contributing their talents to the show.
Amiri will be adding some Persian influence to the show with the santoor, a 72-string instrument, while Paterson will be reading English translations of Spanish poetry during the intervals between performances.
Malena, as artistic director of the Society, hopes the poetry will help novices to flamenco get some context to the art form.
She also hopes to dispel some misconceptions about flamenco. For instance, a lot of people think that flamenco involves couples dancing.
“Flamenco is not a social dance. It’s like the ballet.”
And just like ballet it takes a lifetime of learning.
“The thing I like a lot about flamenco is that it’s an extended art form. Sixty-, 70-year-olds are up on stage performing.”
Malena hopes to do the same. In a few years, she would like to have a bigger flamenco community in Calgary.
“I would like to have a larger reach and more impact for flamenco. I would like to reach people’s lives in significant way.”
And she’s depending on hard work to achieve results. She doesn’t have any lucky charms and she probably doesn’t need one.
She does remember having a packaged band aid in her shoe throughout one of her best performances.
But it wasn’t for luck. She’d slipped it in her shoe in case she needed it, but she forgot to slip it out before she started performing.
Throughout the performance, she wondered what was in her shoe.
“It was a great performance so I think it was a lucky band-aid,” she says, laughing at the idea. “I haven’t used the band-aid again though.”
Flamenco guitarist Holly Blazina, a long-time friend of Malena, would agree that Malena doesn’t depend on luck.
Blazina has known Malena for nearly six years but they have been performing together constantly for the past five months.
“I took a break from performing because I was playing the same traditional music,” Blazina says. “I decided to stop performing till I could be creative again.”
Working with Malena gives her the opportunity to try new things. Their mutual dedication to the art keeps them pushing each other’s creative limits.
“Sometimes I’ll come up with a different rhythm and she’ll improvise on her movements,” Blazina says.
“Or she’ll say to me give me this rhythm here, this there and that there and I can draw on my experience or improvise.”
While Malena is learning to play the flamenco guitar from Blazina, Blazina is working on her ability to come across on stage like Malena does.
“I’m not usually very comfortable with being in front of an audience,” she says. “But Fiona is very comfortable and shares everything with the audience and encourages other artists, even on stage.”
Malena’s students also deeply appreciate her encouragement.
Kate Skolnik has been Malena’s student for nearly three years and is also part of Malena’s dance ensemble.
“She has amazing qualities as a teacher,” Skolnik says. “She takes things down step-by-step.”
Malena also tries to inculcate a deep appreciation of the art in her students, so that while they learn the choreography, they still know how to improvise.
“She is very excitable and enthusiastic,” Skolnik says. “We will try anything in class.”
Skolnik giggles as she remembers the time they decided to do a choreography piece with canes.
Because they couldn’t find canes, they improvised with broomsticks. But they hadn’t taken into account the length of the broomstick.
“I think we took out a few bulbs that day,” she laughs.
Malena has been a huge influence for Skolnik.
“She doesn’t just focus on her own performance,” Skolnik says.
“She focuses on growing the community.”
And because she believes so deeply in community, Malena decided to be the Communications Chair for the Calgary West riding of the Green Party.
“I like the fact that they support the arts and the environment,” she says.
How does she balance her passion for flamenco with home and hearth?
“Not very well,” she says. She credits her husband for being extremely supportive and helping out wherever and whenever needed.
David Van Den Assem, who is Malena’s husband, tries to help out with the making of arrangements for performances, video recording her performances for later review and leaving her free to go to Spain for a period of three months so she can study her art further.
And even though he doesn’t have a flamenco background, Van Den Assem has started offering some very constructive advice to Malena.
“He’s become the ultimate flamenco critic,” she says, only half-jokingly.
Malena’s fixation with flamenco grows stronger every day and she hopes that’s how it will be for a long time to come.
“It’s an obsessive art form,” she says.
“It takes a lifetime.”
As the dance ends the audience slowly breaks out of the spell and remembers to applaud, thunderously.
The dancer, Fiona Malena, directs the attention of her audience to the other performers on stage. Her hands articulating to her audience, ‘But for them, what would my talent be.’
Malena, 27, is a born and bred Calgarian. Yet her passion for flamenco, a gypsy dance form from the southern Spanish region of Andalusia, equals that of a die-hard Spaniard.
A lot of dancers get to a certain level and leave for Spain, she says.
But Malena wants Calgary’s fast evolving, cosmopolitan art scene to have a space for flamenco on the mantle.
“That’s why I want to stay here and develop the flamenco culture.”
She was exposed to flamenco when she was young but she didn’t take it very seriously. But in her teens she started getting more interested in the dance form. The turning point for her was a show by Calgary-based flamenco guitarist Peter Knight. The show featured a Mexican dancer whose masterful dancing combined with Knight’s expert guitar work opened Malena’s eyes to a new world.
“I saw how everything came together in the show. And I didn’t just want to watch the show; I wanted to be a part of it.”
With Knight as her mentor, she began her immersion into the fascinating world of this gypsy dance form. While attending university, Malena took few trips to Spain, the Mecca for flamenco aficionados.
She was still mulling the question of whether she wanted to be a bailaora, a flamenco dancer, for the rest of her life or not.
“But then flamenco started taking over my life. And I just let it.”
There have been ups and downs since but there has been no looking back.
Flamenco demands everything that one has to give, Malena says.
“Motivating yourself is hard to do when you’re an artist,” she says.
And trying to break new ground in a traditional art form, on land foreign to the art, taught Malena a few hard-learned lessons. Mistakes happened and she took the criticism to heart.
But she’s learned that people have different opinions on how flamenco must be and that’s their point of view.
“When you’re out there, you have to be more internal. Now the only thing that would really upset me would be if I stopped growing as an artist.”
It’s hard for her to stay so far from the home of her art form and maintain the deep sub-conscious connection that spurs her on.
“When I’m in Spain, flamenco is everywhere. But in Canada I have to make a conscious effort to surround myself with it.”
But even in Stampede town, Malena has managed to immerse herself in her art. Not only is she is a flamenco performer, she is also a flamenco teacher.
So far, teaching has been a mixed experience for Malena.
“I enjoy teaching people who are in it for the right reasons. But some people can’t make the commitment that flamenco needs and when they leave you’re not sure what you left them with.”
She hopes that some of her love for the dance rubs off on her students, whether they choose to stay or not.
Malena is also keeping herself busy by learning how to play the flamenco guitar.
“I’m terrible at it though,” she says, laughing at her ineptitude with strings. “Especially since I know how it's supposed to sound.”
There is a dearth of good flamenco musicians, she says. Especially singers.
“Singing is the most unreachable part of flamenco. The nuances of voice and tone are so difficult.”
Although she hasn’t tried singing yet, she is trying to spread the magic of flamenco in her hometown.
And that’s how the Fiona Malena Flamenco Society came about. A non-profit organization, the society works towards increasing awareness about flamenco through performances and outreach.
Poesia Gitana, Spanish for gypsy poetry, is a flamenco performance being organized by the Society at the Calgary Opera Centre on Nov.18.
Artists like percussionist Amir Amiri and actor Grant Paterson are contributing their talents to the show.
Amiri will be adding some Persian influence to the show with the santoor, a 72-string instrument, while Paterson will be reading English translations of Spanish poetry during the intervals between performances.
Malena, as artistic director of the Society, hopes the poetry will help novices to flamenco get some context to the art form.
She also hopes to dispel some misconceptions about flamenco. For instance, a lot of people think that flamenco involves couples dancing.
“Flamenco is not a social dance. It’s like the ballet.”
And just like ballet it takes a lifetime of learning.
“The thing I like a lot about flamenco is that it’s an extended art form. Sixty-, 70-year-olds are up on stage performing.”
Malena hopes to do the same. In a few years, she would like to have a bigger flamenco community in Calgary.
“I would like to have a larger reach and more impact for flamenco. I would like to reach people’s lives in significant way.”
And she’s depending on hard work to achieve results. She doesn’t have any lucky charms and she probably doesn’t need one.
She does remember having a packaged band aid in her shoe throughout one of her best performances.
But it wasn’t for luck. She’d slipped it in her shoe in case she needed it, but she forgot to slip it out before she started performing.
Throughout the performance, she wondered what was in her shoe.
“It was a great performance so I think it was a lucky band-aid,” she says, laughing at the idea. “I haven’t used the band-aid again though.”
Flamenco guitarist Holly Blazina, a long-time friend of Malena, would agree that Malena doesn’t depend on luck.
Blazina has known Malena for nearly six years but they have been performing together constantly for the past five months.
“I took a break from performing because I was playing the same traditional music,” Blazina says. “I decided to stop performing till I could be creative again.”
Working with Malena gives her the opportunity to try new things. Their mutual dedication to the art keeps them pushing each other’s creative limits.
“Sometimes I’ll come up with a different rhythm and she’ll improvise on her movements,” Blazina says.
“Or she’ll say to me give me this rhythm here, this there and that there and I can draw on my experience or improvise.”
While Malena is learning to play the flamenco guitar from Blazina, Blazina is working on her ability to come across on stage like Malena does.
“I’m not usually very comfortable with being in front of an audience,” she says. “But Fiona is very comfortable and shares everything with the audience and encourages other artists, even on stage.”
Malena’s students also deeply appreciate her encouragement.
Kate Skolnik has been Malena’s student for nearly three years and is also part of Malena’s dance ensemble.
“She has amazing qualities as a teacher,” Skolnik says. “She takes things down step-by-step.”
Malena also tries to inculcate a deep appreciation of the art in her students, so that while they learn the choreography, they still know how to improvise.
“She is very excitable and enthusiastic,” Skolnik says. “We will try anything in class.”
Skolnik giggles as she remembers the time they decided to do a choreography piece with canes.
Because they couldn’t find canes, they improvised with broomsticks. But they hadn’t taken into account the length of the broomstick.
“I think we took out a few bulbs that day,” she laughs.
Malena has been a huge influence for Skolnik.
“She doesn’t just focus on her own performance,” Skolnik says.
“She focuses on growing the community.”
And because she believes so deeply in community, Malena decided to be the Communications Chair for the Calgary West riding of the Green Party.
“I like the fact that they support the arts and the environment,” she says.
How does she balance her passion for flamenco with home and hearth?
“Not very well,” she says. She credits her husband for being extremely supportive and helping out wherever and whenever needed.
David Van Den Assem, who is Malena’s husband, tries to help out with the making of arrangements for performances, video recording her performances for later review and leaving her free to go to Spain for a period of three months so she can study her art further.
And even though he doesn’t have a flamenco background, Van Den Assem has started offering some very constructive advice to Malena.
“He’s become the ultimate flamenco critic,” she says, only half-jokingly.
Malena’s fixation with flamenco grows stronger every day and she hopes that’s how it will be for a long time to come.
“It’s an obsessive art form,” she says.
“It takes a lifetime.”
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