The Converged Citizen - February 26, 2015.

VOLUME X ISSUE 11 WWW.THEMEDIAPLEX.COM FEBRUARY 26, 2015

CONVERGED CITIZENTHE

PAGE8

HEALTH

PAGE9

SPORTSGALLERY

PAGE12

A firefighter pauses during a working blaze in the 700 block of Windsor Avenue. Crews were called to the house shortly after6 a.m. and found flames shooting from the basement of the home. Damage was extensive but there were no injuries.

Firefighters respond

to Windsor house fire

Photo by Mark Brown

Dating after

divorceMark Brown

Citizen Staff Reporter

SEE PAGE 1

As the afterglow of

Valentine’s Day begins to

fade, members of a divorce

support group heard advice

from relationship coaches.

Half a dozen women gath-

ered in Sobey’s Community

Room in St. Clair Beach Feb.

17 to hear the dos and don’ts

about relationships at a meet-

ing sponsored by Divorced

Divas, a support group for

women affected by divorce.

Kaysandra Curtis, president

and founder of the group, said

the purpose of the event was to

give encouragement to

divorced women who are con-

sidering dating again and the

tools to help them get the

process started.

“It’s so important to create a

Everest College closure leaves students shocked

Photo by Justin Prince

Bobby Knight (right), a 25-year-old personal support worker student at Everest College, hugs hisclassmate Amanda Hunter, 27, after finding out about the closure of the college at their campuson Ouellette Avenue in Windsor Feb. 19.

Justin Prince


An independent regulator

has suspended operations for

all 14 Everest College cam-

puses in Ontario, leaving

Windsor students shocked and

furious.

The superintendent of pri-

vate career colleges

announced Feb. 19 they would

suspend the college’s operat-

ing license in the province

“for the protection of its cur-

rent and future students” and

because the superintendent

was “no longer satisfied that

Everest could be expected to

be financially responsible in

the operation of a private

career college and in the offer-

ing of its vocational pro-

grams.”

Under the Private Career

Colleges Act, the superinten-

dent, who is a private inde-

pendent statutory regulator in

charge of more than 420 pri-

vate career colleges within the

Ontario Ministry of Training,

Colleges and Universities, is

able to suspend any PCC

license if they are no longer

satisfied it can financially

operate as a private career col-

lege.

Corinthian Colleges Inc., which

owns Everest College, had been

attempting to sell all the campuses

SEE PAGE 1

2CONVERGED CITIZENNEWS FEBRUARY 26, 2015

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Referendum vote could impact students’ health

Taylor Busch

CP Editor

The Student Representative

Council of St. Clair College is

looking to increase health ben-

efits and costs for students if

enough students vote yes in

next week’s election.

According to the St. Clair

College website, the last time

students voted in a referendum

was nearly five years ago

when students voted in favour

of SportsPlex facilities for the

school’s South and Chatham

campuses. Members of the

SRC are confident students

will vote yes on this issue

which will benefit thousands

of students for years to come.

“We are looking to expand

health coverage for the stu-

dents of St. Clair College so

they will also be covered for

vision and dental work on top

of the benefits they’re already

receiving from the college,”

said Olivia Bauer, vice presi-

dent of Downtown Affairs.

“We felt our students really

need this increase so they can

be able to complete their

studies without having to

worry about extra costs.”

Bauer said the council spent

many months negotiating the

terms of the new coverage to

make it as affordable as possi-

ble for students. If the refer-

endum is passed, students

who choose to keep their cov-

erage can expect to see an

extra $130 added to their

tuition expenses each year

they attend the college.

Students who choose to opt-

out of the coverage will be

given a refund of approxi-

mately $257.

Sanu Basheer Mohamed is

an international student tak-

ing business at the college.

She said she does not support

the referendum because she

can barely afford her tuition

and living expenses as they

are now.

Brandon Williamson from

the marketing program said

he thinks students can benefit

from increased coverage and

the college should be looking

at some of the companies and

unions in Windsor to find the

best way to do it.

“Personally, I think it could

be a huge selling point for the

college,” said Williamson.

“The better our benefits are,

the better our school will look

to the students who are com-

ing in because they’ll see St.

Clair has benefits other col-

leges and institutions don’t

have. It could become a huge

selling point for the college

and draw a ton of new students

here.”

Under the new coverage,

students would be entitled

to $150 for glasses and/or

contacts, $75 for vision

exams and consultations

and up to $750 for dental

screenings, x-rays, minor

restorative procedures,

extractions and oral surger-

ies. In addition, periodon-

tic and endodontic screen-

ings and major restorative

SEE PAGE 9

Tax filing, trying time for manyRabiul Biplob


Many taxpayers find it dif-

ficult to choose how to sub-

mit their income tax return

and find the constantly

changing rules make it com-

plicated.

Many also don’t understand

why they should submit an

income tax return. They also

find it confusing to decide

whether to submit online, use

software or ask for help from

an income tax consultant.

People who have no income

are often unsure of whether

they need to file a tax return.

“Even if one has no income

to report or tax to pay, one

may be eligible for certain

payments. In order to receive

these payments, one must file

a return,” said Monsur Elahi,

a tax consultant in Windsor.

He said an income tax

return must be submitted to

receive the HST/GST credit,

Canada Child Tax Benefit

payments and other provincial

or territorial tax credits. Elahi

also said it is important for

people to get advice from an

expert. If people can’t afford a

tax consultant there are free

clinics available.

The University of Windsor

has a free consultation and

support centre where interna-

tional students can go to get

answers about submitting

their income tax return.

There are other volunteers

who help individuals with

their problems with filing

income tax returns such as

Community Volunteer Income

Tax Return. CVITP works

with the Canada Revenue

Agency. The organizations

host tax preparation clinics

and arrange for volunteers to

prepare income tax and bene-

fit returns for eligible individ-

uals who have a modest

income and a simple tax situ-

ation.

Azharul Chowdhury works

in a factory as a technician

and his wife Nasreen Akter

works as a teacher in Kuwait.

“We submit our income tax

return through a tax consult-

ant. We do not have to worry

about that,” said Chowdhury.

“Our tax consultant is in

Ottawa and I am in Toronto

and we did not face any prob-

lem with that.”

Sayeed Sultan Alamgir is

the owner of a grocery store

on Sandwich Street.

“I take help to file my own and

for my business from a tax con-

sultant. He does all the accounts

and tax part,” said Alamgir.

Elahi said the tax code is com-

plex and always changing. Filing a

tax return without help can be

overwhelming.

Canadian tax returns are due to

the Canada Revenue Agency on

April 30.

Photo by Rabiul Biplob

Monsur Elahi a tax consultant working in his office on University Avenue in Windsor on Feb. 19


-

Lower Canadian dollar

isn’t all bad for WindsorJustin Prince


Financial experts have been

predicting a weaker Canadian

economy in recent months,

but the lower dollar is a good

thing for the region according

to Windsor-Essex Regional

Chamber of Commerce presi-

dent and CEO Matt

Marchand.

Since February 2014, the

value of the Canadian dollar

has decreased by more than

10 per cent according to the

Bank of Canada. The loonie

was also predicted to go as

low as 69 cents U.S. by

Macquarie Group and other

investment banks and corpo-

rations by Feb. 2. As of Feb.

20, the value of the Canadian

dollar is less than 80 cents

U.S. The Bank of Canada also

cut the country’s interest rates

last month due to a decrease

in crude oil prices.

“It’s a positive for the

Windsor-Essex region and

Southwestern Ontario for that

matter,” said Marchand. “The

low dollar will encourage

people to come over from the

U.S. to Windsor-Essex, but at

the same time, make our man-

ufacturing sector more com-

petitive.”

Reynold Brash, a tool work-

er at Colonial Tool Group on

Walker Road, agreed. He said

the lower Canadian dollar has

created more American busi-

ness for his company.

Marchand said that along

with manufacturing, the

tourism industry could also

see more business from the

U.S.

“Any advantage for

tourists to cross the border

… is a positive for us,”

said Caesar’s Windsor

Public Relations and

Communications Manager

Jhoan Baluyot. “It gives

them another reason to

come across here for the

entertainment, the per-

ceived safety of our city

and also the other tourism

highlights of our city.”

Marchand also explained

the retail industry could

see a positive impact. He

said although stores and

companies were slightly

unhappy about the

increase in costs for

equipment and products in

the U.S., the situation was

a positive one.

“Our company deals with

the U.S., so yes it has

affected us because now

our company’s invoices are

up 18 per cent,” said Chris

Gallant, the owner and

founder of online used car

search website

C a r c o m p e t e . c o m .

“Obviously that’s not a

good thing when we’re

dealing with the U.S. or

Europe that our Canadian

dollar is down, but then

again, you have to look at

the overall economic pres-

sures we’re facing when

our dollar is too high. This

is definitely going to help

Canada and especially bor-

der towns like Windsor.”

Marchand said this issue

could “damper” a desire

for Windsorites to shop in

the U.S. He said he hoped

the currency rate would

lead to more Windsorites

buying local.

“My wife doesn’t go

shopping across the border

as much because it’s now

more expensive to go

across the border and

because the oil prices have

dropped, it’s not worth to

go for the gas anymore,”

said London, Ont. native

Dave Goodreau. “People

will stay at home in

Canada and it will be better

for all of us.”

Marchand cautioned

though that the Canadian

dollar may rise at any time.

On Feb. 5, the Canadian

dollar rose back above 80

cents U.S. before dropping

below that total the next

day. He also said

Windsor’s economy is

more unique and “curren-

cy-dependent” than other

parts of Canada because of

Windsor’s proximity to the

U.S. Because of the unpre-

dictability of the value of

the Canadian dollar, he is

encouraging his organiza-

tion’s members to invest

sooner rather than later.

“We’ve had some head

winds in the past with

respect to a high dollar so

now those head winds are

turning a tail wind,”

Marchand said. “Right

now, it’s a good opportuni-

ty to take advantage of

that.”

True reflections, celebrates differencesDavid Zoungrana


The organizers of a new

group promoting mental

health awareness dropped by

the Mediaplex feb. 4.

Hailey Trealout, an editor for

the LaSalle Post, and Caleb

Workman, a current St.Clair

College journalism student,

have come together to launch

True Reflections: A

Celebration of Differences.

Trealout describes this

opportunity as a way for peo-

ple to openly highlight and

express characteristics they

are proud of, as opposed to

focusing on the negative

aspects of their own being.

“True Reflections wants to

give a positive look to what

other people see as negative,”

Trealout said. “Often times,

we find that differences are

given a negative light. For

example, the gap between

people’s teeth, the number of

freckles one has. These are all

things that can be seen posi-

tively.”

Trealout elaborated on the

sensitivity of the issue, and

said she herself could relate

to a lot of struggles associated

with mental illnesses.

“Mental health illnesses

directly affect many people

that I know, including myself.

I suffer from anxiety and

panic attacks, so it’s some-

thing that hits close to home.”

True Reflections invites

people to submit self-expres-

sive art via Facebook, Twitter

and the organization’s own

website. Caleb Workman said

True Reflections will be

working on various projects

with people.

“We started out with the

idea of having just a single

event. We wanted to get a

bunch of people from the

community, the college, high

schools, grade schools, and

parents in one central venue

and have a sort of a walk-

through,” he said. “One of

our main attractions is actual-

ly a photo shoot where we

take a picture of a person, and

that person is to tell us the

characteristic they’d like to

be noticed.”

True Reflections also

announced they will be

holding an event on Feb.

27, where all proceeds

will be donated to mental

health awareness founda-

tions.


Free ice skating at Leamington complexDavid Dyck


Leamington residents were able

to skate for free at the Leamington

Kinsmen Recreation Complex on

Family Day.

Visitors coming to the complex,

commonly referred to as the

“Sherk,” were given two hours of

free skating sponsored by the Full

Gospel Tabernacle Church. The

complex also offered five hours of

an open gym and two hours of

open pool time. This is the third

year the church has celebrated

Family Day with the community.

Along with skating, popcorn,

cookies, hot chocolate and a giant

inflatable bouncy castle, the

church also offered draw prizes for

rink users. Prizes included a $100

gift card for Adventure Bay, a $50

gift card for the Cineplex Odeon

and two $25 prizes for Domino’s

Pizza.

“We just wanna love on

Leamington,” said Nathan

Albrecht, pastor of the F.G.T.

church since 2012. “We wanna

celebrate Family Day with our

community.”

While the church holds many

special events throughout the year,

Albrecht is especially thankful for

a holiday set aside just for spend-

ing time with the family, which

also serves as a break in between

the long interval between

Christmas and Easter.

“I think it’s great our provincial

government… decided to create a

holiday specifically for families…

It’s a nice opportunity for families

to spend some quality time togeth-

er in the winter.”

One of the many families enjoy-

ing the rink was Trevor Brown, 40,

who was there with his five chil-

dren. He said Family Day offers a

“chance to catch up when we don’t

have time in our busy lives.”

According to Brenda Fischer, the

supervisor of marketing events

and customer service for the com-

plex, it is the Sherk’s primary aim

to get people moving. She said

during the year, parents may not

always be available to be with their

children when they drop them off

at the Sherk, but events like these

give parents a chance to be active

along with their children.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity if

kids are off school and parents

aren’t working, for them to come

out. It encourages families to come

out and play together,” said

Fischer.

Fischer said she was also thank-

ful for the partnership they have

with the church. Along with other

organizations, the complex brings

activities to the municipality to

“get people in motion.”

Albrecht plans to hold the event

again next year and bring even

more items to entice families.

Photo by David Dyck

Trevor Brown skates with his daughter amid a sea of familiesenjoying the two hours of free skating at the LeamingtonKinsmen Recreation Complex.

FROM DIVORCE PAGE 1data dating profile,” said

Curtis, a divorcee who owns

Curtis Coaching and

Mediation in Windsor, which

handles divorce and relation-

ship coaching. “If you don’t

know the kind of man you’re

looking for, you’re not going

to get him.”

While Curtis understands

that women are looking for

men who describe themselves

as fit or good looking, she says

single women need to look

deeper.

“Does he have integrity? Is

he trustworthy? Is he atten-

tive? Is he affectionate?” said

Curtis. “When you’re looking

for a life partner, you can’t just

go by looks.”

Curtis said it’s also impor-

tant for women to look for red

flags when they start a new

relationship, such as men who

are disrespectful, constantly

late, reluctant to meet their

family or break plans with

them when a better offer

comes along.

Relationship coach Jacques

Berge spoke to the group and

discussed communication.

He said body language is

important for couples.

“Eye contact, body gestures,

small physical touches, just

being respectful to other peo-

ple’s boundaries,” said Berge.

“That’s the easy part of com-

munication.”

Berge said he also believes

relationships are driven by

two primary emotions.

“There’s love and fear,”

said Berge. “When you’re

dealing in fear, there’s

comfort, control and con-

fusion. When you’re deal-

ing in love, there’s trust,

acknowledgment and

action. If you’re in the

world of love, that means

there’s trust and acknowl-

edgment. That means you

have the full ability to

express what it is, the way

you feel, what you want

and that’s what really, I

think, allows for long-last-

ing and gifted relation-

ships.”

Curtis said that of

course, not all relation-

ships are that way.

She pointed out that

about half of all marriages

end in divorce.

She said mission is to

ensure that such a negative

event is handled as posi-

tively as possible.

“I coach people going

through divorce, both men

and women, so they have a

divorce that is more like an

uncoupling, or untying the

knot rather than becoming

adversarial,” said Curtis,

who also pointed out that

money, not infidelity, is the

top reason couples split up.

Divorced Divas meetings are

generally held each month.

For further information, call 1-

855-600-2267 or email

[email protected].

FROM EVEREST PAGE 1 Completion Assistance Fund. The

fund allots $3 million for students

from all 14 campuses to receive

refunds or to pay to complete their

training, but was not guaranteed

during the meeting, according to

Cadieux.

“We came to class today and it

was like ‘nope, your last day was

yesterday’ and no one has said

anything other than ‘there’s noth-

ing we can do for you. You have

to file a claim. You have to do this,

you have to do that,’” said

Amanda Hunter, a 27-year-old

personal support worker student

at the college after the meeting

while in tears. “If every school in

Ontario now is closed, look at all

of those people that are going to

be filing a claim. How are they

going to get to us in a timely man-

ner?”

Lesley Ceshan, a 43-year-old

medical laboratory assistant/tech-

nician student at the college, said

she worked midnight shifts and at

part-time jobs while raising a fam-

ily as an adult student to pay for

her schooling at Everest and had a

95 GPA in her program before the

school was shut down. Because of

the closure, she said some stu-

dents don’t know what to do.

“Most of my classmates were

almost finished the course. We

had one week left in placement,”

said Ceshan. “We had to leave

(our placements) just to come to

this meeting just to find out we

can’t return to practicum. So now

we’re going to have to just see

what we can do and plead for our-

selves to see if we’ll still be con-

sidered for a job once we’re fin-

ished (at our placements).”

since July 2014. Corinthian also

announced after the ruling all

classes would be cancelled imme-

diately. The decision affects hun-

dreds of students in Windsor and

more than 2,400 students across

Ontario. More than 450 employ-

ees are also affected. The MTCU

said Corinthian has 15 days to

appeal the ruling.

“This came a surprise to us as we

have been working with the

Ministry for the past several

weeks and months to determine

our best path forward,” said

Everest College spokesperson Joe

Hixson. “We are working with the

Ministry to determine our next

steps and will update all con-

cerned parties as we gain more

information.”

After the decision was

announced, students at the col-

lege’s Windsor campus were

upset. The students were said to

be swearing and angry in a meet-

ing with faculty at their Ouellette

Avenue location. Some students

claimed the president of the cam-

pus allegedly ran down the back

stairwell of the building, went into

his car and waited for the meeting

to end.

Early childcare assistant student

Paige Cadieux, who started her

program two weeks ago, said

some of her fellow students

couldn’t take their certification

tests due to the decision. Others

said they had at least $30,000 in

Ontario Student Assistance

Program debt. Students were also

given forms to file claims with the

MTCU through the Training

Cadieux said she planned to

explore her options at Trios

College, another private career

college in Windsor, but for most

students, their futures are

unknown. St. Clair College plans

to consult and meet with former

Everest students Feb. 21 from 9

a.m. to 11 a.m. to discuss potential

transfers. In a statement, the

MTCU said it also plans to meet

with students at each Everest cam-

pus to provide information about

the next steps to take. The MTCU

said one of their main priorities is

“to ensure that students are provid-

ed with training completion

options that will allow them to

promptly complete their programs

with as little disruption as possi-

ble.”

“I just want to figure out

things sooner than later,” said

Bobby Knight, a 25-year-old

personal support worker stu-

dent. “This was the career I

chose and was looking for-

ward to my future for my kids

and everything. It’s just on

hold right now, but you’re

thrown curveballs in your life,

so you just got to deal with

them the best you can.”

Students are asked to

contacted officials from

the MTCU over the phone

at 416-314-0500, toll free

at 1-866-330-3395 or on

their website at

http://www.tcu.gov.on.ca/p

epg/audiences/pcc/faqnote

1.html. Staff of Everest

College can also call the

Employment Ontario

Hotline at 1-800-387-5656

for assistance.

OPINION


Pancakes or packzi on Shrove Tuesday

Ashley Ann Mentley


Many people in Windsor are

snubbing tradition and cele-

brating an ancient holiday by

choosing deep-fried and jelly-

filled over the classic pan-

cake.

Feb. 17 was Shrove

Tuesday, otherwise known as

Fat Tuesday or Pancake Day.

It is a day celebrated around

the world in various cultures

as one when it is okay to eat

excessive amounts of food,

most commonly pancakes,

and dates as far back as the

medieval ages.

More recently, however,

Windsorites have been known

to forego the plain old pan-

cake for something cool, hip

and European – the paczki.

A paczki, pronounced

POONCH-key, is a Polish

dessert, according to Blak’s

Bakery in Windsor.

“It’s basically a jelly-filled

pastry, but also a doughnut,”

said Kaitlyn Pindus, who

works at the century-old bak-

ery. “The paczki dough is

very rich and it’s powdered

and has filling in the middle.”

While making the two foods

is similar – using up all the

eggs, butter and sugar before

the start of Lent, a Catholic

season which historically

involves fasting – locals seem

to have lost sight of the name-

sake of Pancake Day.

A recent Facebook poll

showed that 70 per cent of

Windsorites prefer a paczki

over a pancake.

“You can have a pancake

any day of the year,” said

Jessica Cameron, a Windsor

native.

And it’s true. Even though

there are pancake dinners held

at various locations around

the city to celebrate, it is the

authentic European bakeries

that really ramp up the paczki

production in advance of Fat

Tuesday.

Pindus said Blak’s starts

baking paczkis the Thursday

before Shrove Tuesday. On

Feb. 17 alone, she estimated

they sold almost 30,000 of the

powdery Polish pastries.

With each paczki averaging

700 calories, Windsorites ate

over 21 million extra calories

on Fat Tuesday.

And for those who have

moved away from Windsor?

They just might have to settle

for Aunt Jemima and maple

syrup. The popularity of the

paczki seems to be focused in

areas with higher Polish popu-

lations, Windsor and Metro

Detroit being one of them,

with people from out of town

asking, “What’s a ‘patch-

key?’”

It is difficult to not be bom-

barded by paczkis when gro-

cery stores start stocking them

three weeks ahead of time and

the iconically Canadian Tim

Hortons also sells them on

Feb. 17. On the windsorite.ca

website, there is even a tab at

the top called “Where to get

paczki in Windsor.” But what

about the forlorn flapjack?

Emmanuel United Church

was one of the few local estab-

lishments offering a tradition-

al pancake dinner. As a volun-

teer and member of the con-

gregation, Mary Dajenais is a

proud supporter of the tradi-

tion.

“Even as a kid, I remember

having pancakes on Shrove

Tuesday,” Dajenais said.

“Whereas the paczkis, I don’t

know, I feel like that’s been

the last eight or 10 years.”

And although Dajenais said

pancakes should always be the

winner, even she admitted to

eating a paczki for breakfast

on Tuesday.

With more people now refer-

ring to it as Paczki Day, the

future of the pancake in

Windsor seems a dismal one.

Shelves at the grocery stores

remained fully stocked with

the ingredients while locals

had to pre-order their Polish

doughnuts just to ensure their

availability.

Blood donation is needed

to make a differenceNaureen Shafi


Canada’s blood inventory is

critically low and the

Canadian Blood Service is

encouraging all eligible

donors to make a donation.

Erin McGuey, communica-

tions specialist for Canadian

Blood Services, said in order

to meet hospital demand CBS

collects 17,000 units of blood

per week. However, they need

an additional 7,500 units per

week to reach adequate levels.

“People have made a big dif-

ference and saved many lives

through routinely donating

blood,” said McGuey. “But in

recent months, an extremely

low attendance at blood donor

clinics across Canada has been

observed.”

“Without the help of

Canadians we may have diffi-

culty in meeting the hospital

demand across the country,”

said McGuey.

Dr. Riffat Rahman is a pedi-

atrician at Windsor Regional

Hospital. She said blood plays

an important role in regulating

the body’s systems by supply-

ing oxygen and nutrients to

tissues, removing waste, trans-

porting hormones and other

signals throughout the body.

She said red cells, platelets

and plasma can be used sepa-

rately for patients with specif-

ic conditions.

It takes about an hour to

make a whole blood donation.

Donated blood is usually used

within days to help save or

improve someone’s life, said

McGuey.

“Blood donation saved my

life,” said Jennifer Grace, who

received blood transfusions

and blood products when she

hemorrhaged after giving birth

to her son. “I was extremely

scared to see myself bleeding

profusely.”

Grace got several units of

blood in order to save her life.

She said she and her family

then realized the importance

of blood donation. Following

the ordeal, her husband

Nathan donated blood for the

first time and he continues to

do so regularly.

For the safety of the donor

and the patients, all volunteer

blood donors are evaluated to

find out if they are eligible to

give blood, said McGuey.

University students address

income inequalityJonathan Hutton


Students from the

University of Windsor par-

ticipated in a model United

Nations council at the uni-

versity in Windsor on Feb.

9.

The debate, which fea-

tured three University of

Windsor professors and

more than 100 students,

aimed to raise interest in

income inequality among

students, and address social

and economic issues in the

region.

“Income inequality is a

big concern for younger

generations,” said Jamey

Essex.“ In Windsor and

Essex County it’s pretty

bad, but it’s a problem any-

where.”

According to a report

called “The Rich and The

Rest of Us” published by

Pathway to Potential, there

has been a significant

increase in income

inequality in Windsor

since 2010. The wealthiest

one per cent of Windsorites

has seen a 21 per cent

increase in income, while

the average resident has

seen a decrease of three per

cent.

The organization also

published a report called

“Reality Check” that says

one in 10 Windsorites cur-

rently live in poverty.

“Income inequality is not

simply a difference in the

amount of money people

have access to, it’s a prob-

lem in terms of complete

access to resources and

opportunities that make

life worth living,” said

professor of political sci-

ences Andrew Richter.

“Currently, one small

group of people control

extreme amounts of wealth

and resources while the

majority of people are

struggling just to get by.”

Since 2010, the wealthy

one per cent of Windsorites

has seen an average income

of nearly $300,000 while

90 per cent of Windsorites

live off close to $29,000.

Eric Hubberstey is the

director of marketing of

the Model UN and is also a

student at the university.

He said the growing gap in

income between the upper

and lower classes has had a

huge impact on students

financially and psychologi-

cally.

“Here at the university, a

lot of people are in the

lower to middle class range

of society,” said

Hubberstey. “Students are

more worried about

whether they can pay for

their tuition than what their

grades are. Many students

have to apply for grants

and OSAP just to attend

school.”

Richter ended the debate

with a message to students.

“Income inequality is the

contradiction of the very

nature of a free society,

and our city is ground zero

for the widening equalities

of the world,” he said.

The Model UN holds

weekly meetings on

Monday and Thursdays to

address current global

issues. It is open to

Windsor residents and stu-

dents who are interested in

learning more about the

UN and the issues it faces.

For more information visit

the Model UN’s website

www.winmun.ca SEE PAGE 6


A feline Valentine’s DayAshley Ann Mentley

CP Editor

Windsorites were given

new choices this Valentine’s

Day: the release of a sexy

movie or a sale on adorable

cats.

On Feb. 14, the

Windsor/Essex County

Humane Society hosted an

adoption event called “50

Shades of Grey…Cats” as a

nod to the anticipated release

of the Fifty Shades of Greymovie on Feb. 13. Grey cats

were offered at a discounted

adoption rate for the day.

The movie, based on the

popular book series by E.L.

James, is known for its erotic

romanticism. The series is

made up of three books and

has sold over 100 million

copies worldwide.

“Of course, Fifty Shades ofGrey is for adults only, so this

promo applies to adult cats

only,” read Humane Society’s

Facebook post.

The executive director of

the Humane Society said this

is not the first promotion they

have tied to current events.

“We’ll be shameless, trying

to use anything we can to

draw attention to adopting

animals who are looking for

homes,” said Melanie

Coulter. “Whether it’s a hol-

iday, the royal baby, the

Olympics, we’ve done all

kinds of promotions playing

off whatever’s going on.”

Coulter said they had about

15 grey cats on Saturday

morning and she hoped to see

them all adopted out.

Mackenzie Fleming is a

Grade 12 student at Tecumseh

Vista Academy. After finding

out her brother is no longer

allergic to cats, her family

decided to start looking to

adopt one.

“My mom really likes grey

cats,” Fleming said. “We

heard about this event so we

decided to come out to see

what they had. I’m not sure if

we’ll end up getting a grey

one or a different colour.”

Though Fleming’s mom and

friends are fans of the Fifty

Shades series, she said the

movie didn’t interest her.

“I think it’s good that they

can make a good event out of

it though,” she said.

Humane Society volunteer

Kimberley Krestick agreed

and said she enjoys seeing

them host an event that ties in

with current events, but she

won’t be seeing the movie

either.

“It’s great because it brings

people in,” said Krestick,

who volunteers at least two

days a week. “There are cer-

tain times when we have

excess numbers of a certain

colour or breed of cats so

we’ll do a promotion.”

Coulter said since dogs are

easier to adopt out, their pro-

motions generally focus on

cats. The normal adoption

fee for an adult cat is $125

plus a $30 administration fee.

On Saturday this was lowered

to a total of $50 for the pro-

motion.

The movie brought in $258

million at the box office over

the weekend making it the

highest grossing R-rated

February release ever, but the

reviews were not so

favourable. Film critic Roger

Ebert gave it 2 out of five

stars and Lisa Wilkinson, an

Australian TV host said, “50

Shades of Grey is, quite sim-

ply, the worst movie I’ve ever

seen.”

At the humane society,

however, the promotion was

a success on all levels.

Coulter said they adopted out

seven grey cats, plus 10 oth-

ers and three dogs, which she

considers great results in

spite of the record-breaking

cold weather.

Photo by Ashley Ann Mentley

London was one of the seven grey cats to find a home during the Windsor/Essex County HumaneSociety’s “Fifty Shades of Grey…Cats” promotion held on Saturday, Feb. 14. All adult grey catshad their adoption fees lowered to $50 for the event that coincided with the movie release of FiftyShades of Grey

Gluten-free product prices reduced but still highAlexandra Latremouille


Gluten-free products are

becoming less expensive,

even though they still cost

more than foods containing

gluten.

A 2013 study by gastroen-

terologist, Mohsin Rashid,

found Canadian gluten-free

items cost, on average, 162

per cent more than regular

products. In 2008, he found

they were even higher.

According to a marketing

professor at the University of

Windsor, this decrease is a

direct result of there being

higher demand for gluten-free

foods.

“We see there are a lot of

specific food items being

offered on the market

responding to allergies,” said

Peter Voyer, assistant profes-

sor of marketing at the Odette

School of Business.

“It’s the ultimate desire of

marketers to meet these needs

— the desires of consumers

— and in many cases to create

those needs.”

According to Agriculture

and Agri-Food Canada,

roughly 10 million Canadians

are purchasing gluten-free

products. About seven million

are doing so for non-medical

reasons.

“A big thing is weight loss,”

said Voyer. “The whole

gluten-free notion is integral-

ly linked to the Wheat Belly

aspect related to obesity and

weight loss and, in turn,

issues surrounding health.”

The head of the Windsor

Celiac Foundation said this

tendency to view gluten-free

products as a solution for

weight loss is affecting those

with gluten intolerances.

“[People with these prob-

lems] feel the people who do

not really need the gluten-free

diet are making it hard for

those of us who do,” said

Shirley Girard, founder of the

Windsor Celiac Foundation.

“Some people at restaurants

and stores feel that we may

just be fussy people who are

on a fad kick and they in turn

don’t take our needs too seri-

ously.”

The increased gluten-free

market has enabled these

products to be more easily

available for those with celiac

disease and gluten intolerance.

The variety of these products

has increased by nearly 80 per

cent between 2005 and 2010,

according to Joy Kiddie, a

Canadian human nutrition

specialist.

An article on Real Food for

Life states that the primary

reason prices remain high is

manufacturing costs. For

According to Canadian

Blood Service the frequen-

cy of donation is every 56

days as this is the length of

time it take for red blood

cells to be replenished.

The blood is tested after

donation. If any disease is

detected, it is thrown away.

“When you go to donate

you will be asked a number

of questions to determine

your eligibility, said

Rahman. “If you are at

least 17-years-old and in

good general health, feel-

ing well and able to per-

form your normal activi-

ties, you are eligible to

donate blood.”

According to CBS, if you

are thinking about donating

blood for the first time find

out if you are eligible to

donate by calling your

nearest blood donation

centre.

example, gluten-free bread

contains 20 ingredients to

compensate for the lack of

wheat, each of which must be

free from contamination.

Manufacturers also have to

pay for the certifying and

labelling of these foods.

A sales associate at Pure

Nature Nutrition said she

believes costs are also depend-

ent on where stores are located.

“Some cities are more sensi-

tive to gluten-free and prices

are more mellow,” said Sarah

Emerson. “When you’re in a

city like this it might be a

newer thing so prices will be a

little bit higher. But I think it

will all average out eventually

because gluten-free isn’t any-

thing new.”

Regardless of cost, Emerson

said people should try a gluten-

free diet for at least a few

weeks to see if it positively

impacts their health.

FROM PAGE 5


Windsor youth discuss jobs at the Windsor Star News Cafe

Photo by Victoria Parent

(From left to right) Frank Abbruzzese, Alex Denonville, Danielle Mixallef, Nour Hachem, and Jonathon Azzopardi discussed youthemployment at the YKNOT forum on Feb. 19, at the Windsor Star News Cafe

Victoria Parent


Youth from Windsor and

Essex County came out to the

Windsor Star News Cafe on a

chilly Thursday night to dis-

cuss jobs and employment in

the area.

YKNOT Windsor’s Dan

Brown held a forum at the cafe

to discuss topics such as

resume building and network-

ing steps for youth looking for

employment.

Around 30 people participat-

ed in the event. People could

also send tweets with ques-

tions to the six panelists.

Others could watch the event

which was filmed live and

streamed on the web.

“We wanted to take it to the

next level from the Windsor

Gone forum that was held a

month ago,” said Brown. The

previous forum was held to

discuss youth education and

retention issues raised in

Carolyn Thompson’s Windsor

Gone series featured in the

Windsor Star last month.

Brown had decided to flip it to

something more positive with

a forum to aid Windsor youth

in their job search.

Six panelists from around

Windsor came to the forum

from different backgrounds.

These people included

Danielle Mixallef, an employ-

ment consultant at St. Clair

College and Nour Hachem, a

project manager at St. Clair

College.

“It’s not as easy as it used to

be,” said Mixallef. “Right now

we are in a very tough eco-

nomic climate here in

Windsor.”

Mixallef and the other pan-

elists gave advice during the

event. The topics ranged from

resume building to interview

preparation.

“You can never be skilled

enough at interviews,” said

Hachem. Researching the

company you wish to work for

and creating a professional

social media page were also

among the discussed topics.

Many of the youth who came

out took the information to

heart, including those who

viewed the event over the

web.

“It was well organized, very

nice atmosphere, questions

were answered tailored to stu-

dents,” said Abdul Abdul, vice

president of student services

and a member of the Gay

Straight Alliance at the

University of Windsor. Abdul

said he had learned a lot from

the night about which employ-

ers he should target and how

to build his resume.

“I feel it was very success-

ful,” said Brown. “I am glad

that everyone was here tonight

to take part and to get the

questions online as well.”

Brown said he is planning on

making this type of forum a regu-

lar event and will be having more

in the future. He and the other pan-

elists urged youth to go online to

the various job-help sites and to

check out the employment help

Americans have strange ideas about CanadiansEugenio Mendoza


Many young Americans

admit there are stereotypes

when it comes to their percep-

tion of Canadian lifestyle.

Although Canada is adja-

cent the United States and is

connected by a border which

spans almost 8,900 kilome-

tres, they say the Canadian

lifestyle differs greatly from

the typical American way of

life.

Daneyale Feril, a student

at California State

University, Monterey Bay,

said her idea of Canada

involves a country consis-

tently dealing with strong

winter weather as well as

heavy accents.

“Canadians would be

described as someone

dressed in winter attire such

as a winter vest, beanie,

etc.,” said Feril. “I picture

Canada as snowy with sev-

eral pine trees and pine

cones littered throughout the

ground along with plenty of

moose,”

Jena Franco is an electrical

engineering major at San

Jose State University, also

in California. She said she

believes many Canadian

stereotypes are over exager-

ated.

“From what I’ve been

hearing about the Canadian

image in general, they don’t

seem like they are much dif-

ferent than Americans,” said

Franco. “There is the stereo-

type that they apologize for

everything, that they don’t

feel as cold as people do in

America because of their

constant cold weather.”

Franco spends her sum-

mers in British Columbia.

She has visited many other

provinces and said she

thinks it is the lack of edu-

cation about Canada which

leads to such odd stereo-

types.

San Benito, California

high school student Alyssa

Derheim, said she doesn’t

know where the stereotypes

come from, but believes her

views are shared by many

Americans.

“As an American, I would

describe a Canadian as a

person that says ‘eh’ a lot

and also who eats maple

syrup every day,” said

Derheim.

Derheim has never been to

Canada and admits she

doesn’t have a clear under-

standing of Canadians

despite having multiple

family members there. She

said she has never felt the

need to learn about Canada

and believes it is not a major

concern for her.

Edward Camangeg, an

architecture major at the

University of Illinois

Chicago has visited Canada

multiple times. He said the

stereotypes associated with

Canadians are not necessari-

ly negative.

“One stereotype being that

they end their sentences

with ‘eh.’ Another is that

they are the nicest people in

the world,” said Camangeg.

“They’re humble people.”

“I envy Canada because

they have free health care,”

said Derheim.

According to all of the stu-

dents, they say they would

like to see America provide

a free health care plan simi-

lar to Canadas. President

Barack Obama attempted to

establish a universal health

care program in 2014,

known as Obamacare.

However the program has

faced considerable criticism

and has, up to this point,

been deemed by some

Americans, as ineffective.

Americans are so well

known for having misconcep-

tions about Canadians, in 2001

Rick Mercer did a special in

which he went to the United

States and asked people about

Canadians.

8CONVERGED CITIZENHEALTH FEBRUARY 26, 2015

Measles outbreak in North AmericaBy Allanah Wills


An illness that once

killed many of its victims

and was thought to be

wiped-out in North

America has returned.

The measles virus has seen

an outbreak in the past few

months across North America.

According to Ontario’s Health

Ministry there have been 17

lab-confirmed cases of

measles this year in Ontario as

of Feb. 19, compared to 22

cases reported for all of 2014.

“Measles is a disease that is

caused by the measles virus, a

member of the morbillivirus,”

said Vanessa Petrilli, a regis-

tered nurse at London’s

Victoria Hospital. “It is infec-

tious, very contagious and has

no cure.”

The viral disease is spread

mainly through the respiratory

tract and causes fever, rash,

cough, runny nose and poses

the threat of a serious illness-

encephalitis, which is an

inflammation of the brain.

“Measles can lead to serious

complications from ear infec-

tion and pneumonia to blind-

ness,” said Petrilli. “In one in

every 1,000 cases encephalitis

can occur, which may lead to

permanent brain damage.”

Once a common childhood

illness, measles decreased as

widespread vaccinations

became more available.

According to the World Health

Organization, prior to 1980,

measles caused around 2.6

million deaths globally each

year. In 2013, it was responsi-

ble for 145,700 global deaths.

The current outbreak gained

widespread attention in

January when its beginnings

were linked to Disneyland

California, infecting 102 peo-

ple across 14 states.

Courtney Nelson, an RN in

the medical unit at Windsor

Regional Hospital, thinks the

outbreak is due to a mix of

lack of vaccinations and how

the contagious nature of the

illness.

“One of the main reasons the

measles virus has returned to

North America is due to the

fact that parents are not vacci-

nating their children,” said

Nelson. “Those who are not

vaccinated can contract the

virus from children who have

been vaccinated, making the

virus prevalent again.”

Since the outbreak began,

the issue of vaccinations has

been a topic of much debate.

Although there is an estimated

84 per cent global immuniza-

tion coverage, there is still a

large group of people opposed

to vaccines.

“There’s lots of stigma

behind it (the vaccine),” said

Nelson. “With the media,

everything gets out easier. If

one child has a bad reaction it

goes all over social media,

and people worry.”

This worry has been around

for more than 25 years. Dr.

Andrew Wakefield published

an article in 1988 in the med-

ical journal, The Lancet, sug-

gesting the measles, mumps

and rubella vaccine was

linked to autism.

“Scientists do not know

what causes autism exactly,

this is a fact,” said Petrilli.

Despite The Lancet eventu-

ally retracting Wakefield’s

publication, the study

launched the latest “anti-vac-

cination movement.” A

Google search of this term

will provide dozens of web-

sites where parents are dis-

couraged from getting their

children vaccinated.

VacTruth.com allows parents

to sign up for a report that

shows all the ingredients in

the vaccines that children will

receive by the time they are

six years old, and claims par-

ents are often pressured into

getting their children vaccinat-

ed.

Melissa Hansen is a

Windsor mother who made

sure her three-year-old son

was vaccinated.

“I am scared of the

measles,” Hansen said.

“That’s why I got my child

vaccinated. Measles are so

contagious and I know

there’s all this talk about

autism, but there’s risks to

everything. If parents don’t

want to vaccinate, then

that’s their choice and they

should keep their kids at

home.”

Vaccinated or not, health

care officials are asking all

parents to be vigilant about the

symptoms of measles and if it

is suspected a family member

has been exposed to the virus,

call a health care provider

immediately.

Melissa Hansen and her son Preston, 3, at their house in Windsor on Feb. 9, Hansen is an advo-cate for child vaccinations.

LaSalle group takes up weight loss challenge

LaSalle recreational teams

have been pushing to improve

the lifestyles of residents in

the community with pro-

grams, activities and food.

People from LaSalle and its

surrounding areas have come

together at the Vollmer

Recreation Complex for a six-

week time period to better

their lives with a healthy eat-

ing program. According to

Patricia Cabagay, the assistant

developer and organizer of the

program, the most recent

group has collectively lost 200

pounds.

“There are six or seven peo-

ple who lost over 10 pounds in

six weeks,” said Cabagay.

“Several people have changed

their eating habits and their

exercise. Several people have

also joined the gym since the

introduction of the clean eat-

ing and other programs here

at the Vollmer.”

Cabagay said most people

don’t know there are alterna-

tives to replace the unhealthy

food they eat.

“I want LaSalle to know that

there are healthier choices out

there,” said Cabagay. “When

you’re going in the grocery

stores you know that there are

certain foods you shouldn’t be

eating. Especially the ones

who have kids, it’s important

the parents are the role mod-

els for the kids.”

Cabagay and the organizers

will hold another program in

April to be called “Commit to

be Fit.” This was 16-year-old

Lucas Towle’s second time

participating.

“When I saw the terrifying

number on the scale a few

months ago I got started,” said

Towle. “I walked in the first

time they had it and I really

liked it so I got involved.”

Towle and many other mem-

bers of the program said crav-

ings are the hardest thing to

control while attempting to

lose weight.

“It doesn’t matter how

old you are, what your

body size is, you need the

mindset that you can’t lose

easily,” said Towle. “I

remember there was this

guy who walked into the

gym when I first started the

program and I talked to

him because he wanted to

know more about the gym

and if he could lose 100

pounds in three months. If

you have the dedication

you can do it, but three

months for that much

weight is kind of unrealis-

tic.”

Towle said it takes time

and dedication and that is

something the people com-

ing in should keep in mind

so they stick through the pro-

gram.

“The program is very

good,” said John Guarini,

50. “Everybody is very

encouraging and it pro-

vides new ideas on how to

control your eating habits

and diet and help you

make changes.”

This was Guarini’s first

program but he said it will

not be his last. He said

there are many challenges

he comes across every day

and the program is his

biggest help.

“I think it’s going to be eas-

ier to control my eating habits

moving forward, maintaining

it will be the biggest strug-

gle,” said Guarini. “It’s very

hard to maintain because it’s

so easy to go back to your

older habits. It’s the power of

saying no.”

The program in April will

be held as a six week program

and is open to everybody

from the area. There will be

guidance and tips for anyone

who comes out.

By Caleb Workman


Photo by Allanah Wills

9CONVERGED CITIZENGALLERY FEBRUARY 26, 2015

Nearly 500 students were recog-

nized at the college’s Annual Awards

Ceremony held at the St. Clair

College Centre for the Arts on Feb.

18 and 19.

Students from the Converged

Journalism program at the

MediaPlex, located at the corner of

Victoria and University, received

sholarships from local media organi-

zations including SnapD Windsor,

Blackburn Radio and TV Cogeco.

Students awarded Scholarships

Photos (left and center) by Amanda Moffat,

student from St. Clair College’s Public

Relations program - also a scholarship

recipient.

Photos (top and right) by Kristi Pierce ****

1 - Bobby Jo Keats and Journalism Program

Coordinator Veronique Mandal.

2 - Group shot of MediaPlex students with

Program Coordinator Veronique Mandal.

3 - Shawn Garrity and Robert Robinson,

publisher of Windsor Life Magazine.

4 - Taylor Busch and Program Coordinator

Veronique Mandal.

5 - Lynette Tabor and ****

1

5

4

3

2

FROM PAGE 2procedures would be covered

at 10 per cent of their total

cost.

“It’s important to vote

yes because as students,

we already have so much

to worry about and we

don’t tend to think about

things happening until

they’ve happened, so God

forbid you break a tooth or

worse,” said Bauer. “But

there’s very good coverage

with this new plan and I

believe it will help stu-

dents whose parents don’t

have full coverage and

don’t have an extra $750

just in case something

happens to them.”

Students are encouraged

to participate in the refer-

endum by voting at one of

the many voting stations

that will be set up on col-

lege campuses from Feb.

23 to Feb. 25. Bauer said

information packages and

SRC members will be

available to voters on

those days so they can

make an informed decision

before casting their vote.

At least 51 per cent of stu-

dents must vote yes for the

referendum to pass.


Symphony schedules ‘innovative’ programSean Frame

Managing Editor

The Windsor Symphony

Orchestra has announced

their next season with some

new ideas for the 2015-16

concert season. According

to Robert Franz, the WSO’s

music director, next season

will feature ideas from pre-

vious years as well as inno-

vative ideas. Some of these

were demonstrated in the

WSO’s current season in

which the orchestra has

branched out into more mul-

timedia.

On Feb. 7 at the Capitol

Theatre WSO presented

Wright Flight, an original

piece featuring music writ-

ten by American composer

Lawrence Dillon in collabo-

ration with Franz and

accompanied by three actors

telling the story of Orville

and Wilbur Wright.

According to Franz, this is

just a taste of what will

come next season wheny

they will showcase

American violinist Rachel

Barton Pine, Broads on

Broadway and much more.

“The orchestra really is a

part of how the city feels

about itself,” said Franz,

explaining why the orches-

tra is important to Windsor.

“This is a place where peo-

ple can come and escape the

world they’re in. They can

be engaged, they can be

entertained, they can be

thrilled, they can be brought

to tears, they can be made to

laugh. There is just so much

music can provide in a per-

son’s life when heard

through a live perform-

ance.”

During the next season

there will be numerous gen-

res and performances on

stage. In their current season

they began with astronaut

Chris Hadfield and Franz

said he promises the future

of the WSO will only get

better.

In late 2015 and early

2016, the Capitol Theatre

will be hosting two new fes-

tivals. The first will be late

2015 and will be called

Operafest and the second

will be in spring 2016 titled

Mozartfest which will pres-

ent two concerts featuring

the music of Mozart.

“The work that Robert is

doing is to break down that

preconceived idea of what

an orchestra concert experi-

ence can be and make it

something new and excit-

ing,” said WSO

Communications Manager

Shelley Sharpe. “I think

with this next season and

with this season too, it is a

great opportunity for people

to try something new out no

matter what you like. If you

want to see opera, there is a

great opportunity to come

out and see a couple of dif-

ferent operas. If you want to

see hunky firemen (Burning

Love) on stage, you can

come out and do that as

well, and everything in

between. It sounds cliché to

say there is something for

everybody, but there really

is something for every-

body.”

The orchestra’s next show

will be on Feb. 15, where

Tony Award-winning

American actress Debbie

Gravitte will join the WSO

and sing some romantic love

songs.

Photo by Sean Frame

Robert Franz discusses the upcoming Windsor Symphony Orchestra season on Feb. 5 at the Capitol Theatre.

Energy distributed via healing circlesJosh Teixeira

Production Team

Many Windsorites are treat-

ing stress with the help of the

holistic arts. One ritual

involves the sharing, creating

and sending of healing energy

through drumming.

Drumming is a powerful

form of energy creation,

prayer, meditation and creativ-

ity. It activates healing and

raises vibration. Any kind of

drums can be used, including

hand and rattle drums.

In accordance with the lunar

days that fall each year, White

Feather Holistic Arts is one

Windsor location that creates

drum circles, including heal-

ing circles.

“It’s a drum circle that’s

done at the time of the full

moon and the full moon is a

time when energies are high,”

said Tracey Rogers, owner of

White Feather. “When it’s a

new moon it’s about planting

new things, and when the

moon is full it’s when things

have been planted and they’ve

come to fruition and it’s time

to celebrate incomplete proj-

ects.”

White Feather Holistic Arts

is located on Ottawa St. in

Windsor. The store offers a

wide variety of healing crys-

tals, jewelry, spiritual items,

books, CDs, incense and

more.

According to Rogers, drum-

ming circles involve prayerful

healing and sending out posi-

tive vibrations to people.

“We’re not really focusing in

on grief as much as we’re

focusing in on how to heal and

get over things and to move

past things, and so to energet-

ically move to higher vibra-

tions,” said Rogers.

Participants of the drum cir-

cle find the ritual to be reliev-

ing, leaving them feeling pos-

itive and eager to share their

experiences.

“All my cares sort of go

away, everything disappears,”

said Sue Fischer who partici-

pated in her first drum circle

in early February. “I’m just

drawn in.”

Drumming circles can be

participated in for free.

Anybody can take part and no

previous drumming experi-

ence is required. All age

groups are welcome and

drums are provided but can

also be brought to the circle.

Caitlyn Lloyd, another

drumming circle participant, is

more experienced with them

and says she visits several

times a year.

“It boosts your system, you

don’t feel down. It’s like a

kaleidoscope,” said Lloyd.

“It’s easier I find if you have a

constant sound like a drum

beat. I have drum beats on my

phone on my music list that I

use just to relax.”

Lloyd explained that drum-

ming circles had a role in the

discovery of a new hobby of

hers in the form of paranormal

activity.

“We go to businesses and

private homes to do investiga-

tions, and we don’t charge

anything,” said Lloyd.”

She says the spiritual side of

drumming circles had her

interested in paranormal activ-

ity when her friends suggested

it.

The next drumming circle at

White Feather will be held on

March 20 following the

Spring Equinox. Drumming

circles are also offered at The

Bloomfield House.

CONVERGED CITIZENNEWS FEBRUARY 26, 2015

A farewell to five LaSalle Vipers

Photo by Chelsea TurnbullChris Piganelli, Korey Morgan, Graham Pickard, Nicolas Crescenzi and Brett Langlois are hon-oured by teammates and fans at the graduation game on Feb. 18.

Chelsea Turnbull


Five LaSalle Vipers will be

graduating from the team at

the end of this season.

In order to be eligible to play

in the Greater Ontario Junior

Hockey League players must

be between the ages of 16 and

21. Players Nicolas Crescenzi,

Korey Morgan, Brett

Langlois, Chris Piganelli and

Graham Pickard were hon-

oured for their graduation on

Wednesday Feb. 18 at their

game against the Sarnia

Legionnaires.

“It’s definitely sad to see this

chapter of my life come to an

end, but I’ll always be a Viper

after so, it’s definitely some-

thing that I’m going to take

with me for the rest of the

time,” said Viper’s Captain

Brett Langlois.

Langlois said school is now

his main focus and is pursuing

his career as an electrician at

St. Clair College.

Chris Piganelli, the longest

active Viper on the roster, said

although he is also sad to go,

he is ready to move on.

“It’s going to feel a little

weird, knowing I’m not going

to be able to play in front of a

crowd again, but life goes on

and you have other things to

do,” said Piganelli. Piganelli

said he may continue his

hockey career but school is his

main focus right now. “I’ve

kept it open but I have to go

year by year with my school

schedule, because obviously

school comes first.”

Dan Beaudoin, is an 18-year-

old player on the team who

has been playing for the

Vipers for three years. He said

even though they are losing

good players, they will gain

more.

“Obviously it’s going to hurt

a little bit, since we’re losing a

lot of important key guys, but

in the past few years we’ve

lost like pretty much half of

our team every single year. So

I don’t think it’s something

that we can’t handle,” said

Beaudoin.

Beaudoin said he thinks even

without these players they’ll

manage next year and bring in

new recruits who will benefit

the team.

With graduation on their

minds, the Viper’s continued

to play hard throughout the

night, but the team ended up

losing 6-3 against the

Legionnaires Wednesday

night.

The graduates will continue

to play a pivotal role for the

Vipers as they push for the

upcoming playoffs.

Windsor Spitfires honour Mickey Renaud

Photo by Erik Zarins

Despite the 3-1 loss to the Plymouth Whalers, the WindsorSpitfires honoured late Captain Mickey Renaud who passedaway seven years ago. Since his death, it has been tradition toplay on Feb.18 to honour his legacy.

Erik Zarins


On Feb. 18 2008, the City of

Windsor and the Spitfires

community lost a key member

of the hockey club.

Mickey Renaud was 19

years old when he died of a

rare heart condition called

hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

which causes the muscles

inside the heart to tighten and

reduce the flow of blood

which can cause sudden car-

diac death. His teammates

were pallbearers at his funer-

al.

Upon hearing the news, the

Spitfires retired Renaud’s

number 18 the following day.

His banner was raised on

Sept. 25, 2009 at the first

home opener played at the

WFCU Centre. When the

arena first opened the road

leading to the arena was

named “Mickey Renaud Way”

in his honour.

Charities and scholarships

like Mickey’s Run and the

Mickey Renaud Memorial

Scholarship have kept his

spirit and legacy alive.

One legacy in particular is

the memorial window that

fans inside the WFCU Centre

pass during game days that

displays his hockey stick,

family photos, fan letters and

remembrance, commemora-

tive pucks and a mini Calgary

Flames Stanley Cup- the team

which drafted him.

Another is the locker stall

from Windsor Arena where

the Spitfires had previously

played for 84 years. Renaud’s

stall features his skates, pads,

helmet, gloves and his jersey,

all of which have remained

untouched for seven years.

Hannah LeClair, an early

childhood education student

at St Clair College, recalls her

memories of the late hockey

player.

“He had massive impact on

Windsor. He gave our team

hope of a Memorial Cup and a

reputation not to be mis-

judged,” said LeClair. “When

I was in Grade 4, my class

was doing a skating trip with

the Spitfires and I remember

him being just so fun and full

of life.”

Renaud started his junior

hockey career with the

Tecumseh Chiefs of the for-

mer Western Ontario Hockey

League in 2004. He began

playing with the Spitfires in

2005. Throughout his career

he gained a reputation as a

“fan favourite” player due to

being a Tecumseh native.

At the 2007 NHL Entry

Draft he was selected by the

Calgary Flames in the fifth

round 143rd overall. He

attended the Flames training

camp before being cut from

the team and sent back to

Windsor. He was named the

Spitfires captain at the begin-

ning of the 2007-08 season.

His dream of being in the

NHL would tragically be cut

short.

Fast forward to 2015 and the

legacy lives on throughout the

Windsor Spitfires community.

The 2015 Mickey Renaud

night drew 4,781 fans to the

WFCU Centre to watch the

Spits play against the

Plymouth Whalers. Despite

taking a 1-0 lead after one

period of play, Windsor even-

tually lost 3-1.

Before the game, several ex-

Spitfire players took to

Twitter to pay their tributes to

Mickey Renaud.

Edmonton Oilers forward

Taylor Hall tweeted,

“Remembering a great captain

and an even better person

today. RIP Mickey.”

Buffalo Sabres defensemen

Mike Weber tweeted,

“Wishing I was with my

@SpitsHockey family today

to remember a great friend

and leader Mickey Renaud.

#OurCaptainForever.”

Orlando Solar Bears forward

Brady Vail, who spent last

season with the Spitfires,

tweeted, “Remember #18”

along with a tribute photo of

Renaud.

The Calgary Flames paid

their respects to the young

prospect tweeting “Today we

remember Mickey Renaud,

who passed away 7 years ago.

RIP Mickey.”

OHL Tonight broadcaster

Angelo Aversa joined the

broadcasting team for the

Spitfires a year after Renaud’s

passing but still had memo-

ries about how much of an

impact the teenager had on

the team.

“I started working for

the Spitfires the year after

his passing and I was part

of the first night that they

paid tribute to him.” said

Aversa.

“My biggest memory of

him is just the way he

competed following his

draft with the Calgary

Flames. He came in here

early on and he really

showed what it took to get

to the next level and you

can tell how hard he want-

ed to work. I wasn’t

around the team, but from

the stories I heard, you

just knew how much this

team is meant to him and

his teammates and that

was the first memory I’ve

had of him.”

11

CONVERGED CITIZENSPORTS FEBRUARY 26, 2015

Saints beat Niagara 66-54

St. Clair College Saints forward Shannon Kennedy leaps overNiagara forward Miranda Ross, left, during the final quarter oftheir game at St. Clair College SportsPlex in Windsor on Feb.15.

Photo by Taylor Busch

The St. Clair College

women’s basketball team

defeated the Niagara College

Knights at the St. Clair

College SportsPlex in

Windsor on Feb. 15.

Forward Shannon Kennedy

led the team scoring 23

points and secured the team’s

home court advantage for the

opening round of the play-

offs.

After trailing at the half and

again in the third quarter, the

Saints scored 26 points in the

final frame to earn the win.

“I am very pleased, our

character showed very

strongly in that game,” said

Saints head coach Andy

Kiss.

“Some things didn’t go our

way in the beginning, but I

thought that in the fourth

quarter our conditioning

really showed off and we

were able to win that quarter

26-9 so we’re very happy

because we needed to win

this game.”

The Saints have now

secured at least fourth place

in the Ontario Colleges

Athletic Association Western

Division and will have a shot

at third place if they defeat

the Fanshawe Falcons

Sunday, Feb. 22 at the

SportsPlex.

Kiss said Kennedy came

through for the team in the

final quarter, leading them to

the victory. Last year, she was

named most valuable player by

the OCAA for Western Ontario

and this year, she is currently

tied for second in scoring and

third for blocking in the

province.

“Personally, I feel good and

as a team I feel good too,”

said Kennedy. “Id rath suceed

as a team than

individually. As a team if we

get, gold I’ll be happy with

that.”

Knights head coach Mike

Beccaria said his team was

tired from playing the Lambton

Lions just 12 hours prior.

“This is the third time we’ve

played the Saints this year so

we know each other very well

and we have a bit of a rivalry

going on,” said Beccaria. “But

both teams played very well

and Shannon was unbelievable

at the end. So naturally, we’re a

bit disappointed, but we’ll be

alright.”

The St. Clair Saints basket-

ball program are hoping to see

a large turnout when they kick

off their playoff season at

home on March 1.

Taylor Bush

Citizen Staff Writer

Saints go marching into the playoffs

Shannon Kennedy (14) sets up the pick for Sarah Bondy as shepushes past a Niagara Knight player at the top of the key. TheSaints won 66-54 and now sit in 2nd place, in the OCAA West,two games behind Humber. Sunday at the SportsPlex.

Photo by Ian Shalapata

The St. Clair Saints women’s

basketball program is headed

into an Ontario Colleges

Athletic Association playoff

birth following a 66-54 victo-

ry over the Niagara Knights

Feb. 15.

The game against Niagara

was a “must win” for the

Saints as they have secured

fourth place in the OCAA

Western Conference as well as

a home playoff game.

St. Clair has won five of its

last six games and is led by

second year forward and co-

captain Shannon Kennedy

who is averaging 19.1 points

per game.

“We are not just happy to be

here,” said Kennedy. “We are

looking to make a long, deep

run into the playoffs…. and

we aren’t going to settle.”

Kennedy said the team’s

focus is solely on facing the

Fanshawe Falcons in their

final regular season game.

That game could determine

third place in the OCAA West

Divison, as Fanshawe current-

ly sits two points ahead of St.

Clair in the standings with 24

points on the season.

St. Clair’s head coach Andy

Kiss has a combined 15

Windsor Essex County

Secondary School Athletics

titles to go along with six

provincial championship tour-

nament appearances. He is

confident that his players are

capable of playing for an

OCAA title.

“Our short term focus is on

getting to Scarborough, Ont,

and bringing home OCAA

gold,” said Kiss.

He added that all players who

make up his team have roles to

play come playoff time.

“I consider every single play-

er important, regardless of

how many minutes they play

or points they score, we need

all 11 people who make up our

team to be successful,” said

Kiss.

Lauren Pizzicaroli, a fresh-

man on the team, is averaging

4.2 points per game this sea-

son. She said this team has had

a “turning-point” moment

which has bound the players

together for the upcoming

playoffs.

“Our ‘buzzer beater’ loss

against Humber was a turning

point in our season,” said

Pizzicaroli. “We realized that

not only can we compete with

the best teams in Ontario, but

have the potential to medal in

OCAA (championship).”

Kennedy said if anyone will

be able to take St. Clair into

Scarborough, and win games

it will be coach Kiss.

“His philosophy is to apply pres-

sure, take advantage of the oppo-

sition’s weakness and leave

everything on the floor as a team,”

said Kennedy.

Playoff dates have yet to

be announced for the

Women’s team, however

coach Kiss said the team is

still going to take the rest

of this season “one game

at a time.”

Practice makes perfect

High school students from

across Michigan gathered at

Joe Louis Arena for the

Detroit Red Wings’ media

day Feb. 13

Aspiring journalists from

Saline to Warren congregated

inside the Joe Louis Arena’s

Olympia Club to take part in

an interactive press confer-

ence with notable sports per-

sonalities from professional

media and the Red Wing

organization.

Red Wing’s general manag-

er Ken Holland was among

the sports personalities on

hand. Holland who has been

with the club since the early

1990s, said this event has been

part of Red Wings culture

since he’s started.

“I think it’s a great

opportunity for students

who are going to school

and want to get into jour-

nalism,” said Holland. “I

think that if you can help

them (students) gather

knowledge in the pursuit of

their passion… I’m glad we

can help them out one day a

year.”

Holland said he thinks it is

important for Red Wings’ per-

sonnel to handle the media via

league regulations. He said

fans want to get as close to the

action as possible.

“You can only let them get so

Michael Hugall


SEE PAGE 13

Michael Hugall

Sports Editor

close,” said Holland. “We

need to get our story out and

that’s what the media does.”

It seems as though the

message might be getting

out faster to the public in

the near future as many

students said they enjoyed

their time at the event and

want to pursue a career in

journalism.

Nick Warner, 16, an

aspiring journalist, said he

was excited to be given the

opportunity to ask ques-

tions to members of a pro

hockey team which he

loves.

“I follow the Red Wings a

lot and it’s been a great expe-

12

CONVERGED CITIZENSPORTS FEBRUARY 26, 2015

“I think it’s a great

opportunity for students

who are going to school

and want to get into jour-

nalism,” said Holland. “I

think that if you can help

them (students) gather

knowledge in the pursuit

of their passion… I’m glad

we can help them out one

day a year.”

Holland said he thinks it

is important for Red

Wings’ personnel to handle

the media via league regu-

lations. He said fans want

to get as close to the action

as possible.

“You can only let them

get so close,” said

Holland. “We need to get

our story out and that’s

what the media does.”

It seems as though the

message might be getting

out faster to the public in

the near future as many

students said they enjoyed

their time at the event and

want to pursue a career in

journalism.

Nick Warner, 16, an

aspiring journalist, said he

was excited to be given the

opportunity to ask ques-

tions to members of a pro

hockey team which he

loves.

“I follow the Red Wings

a lot and it’s been a great

experience for me,” said

Warner. “I’ve learned that

(journalism) is a tough

experience. There is a lot

of being away from family,

but it has its perks as

well.”

Warner said his favourite

part of the event was

watching the Detroit Red

Wings practice as he gath-

ered information to ask

questions to head coach,

Mike Babcock and players

Dan Cleary, Stephen Weiss

and Luke Glendening.

“If I could be one person

that I looked up to today it

would be Kevin Allen

(USA Today’s main hock-

ey writer),” added Warner.

Also on hand was 18-

year-old student Patrick

Canavan from Saline,

Mich. who said his

favourite experience was

being able to ask questions

to the panel veteran sports

journalists which included

Allen, as well as Detroit

Red Wing play-by-play

announcer Ken Kal of 97.1

FM the Ticket.

“It really gave me a lot

of tips on how to approach

things from now on,” said

Canavan.

Canavan sees this to be

an event he would recom-

mend to fellow students

who are still undecided as

to whether a career in jour-

nalism is right for them.

“Take a chance and go,”

said Canavan. “If you

don’t like hockey, go, if

you like sports and you

like being on camera and

you like journalism go and

see what happens.”

In an industry that has

been said to be dying

because of the age of

social media, events like

media day at Joe Louis

Arena serve a practical

purpose for students aspir-

ing to be journalists.

Siddall MLB has a conflicting proposal

Blue Jays play-by-play announcer Joe Siddall prepares to call a game during the 2014 season.Photo courtesy of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Photo courtesy of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Christian Bouchard


With offence on the decline

and strikeouts soaring,

Major League Baseball is

looking to reduce the size of

the strike zone.

Rule 2.00 of the Major

League Baseball rulebook

defines a strike zone as “that

area over home plate the

upper limit of which is a hor-

izontal line at the midpoint

between the top of the shoul-

ders and the top of the uni-

form pants, and the lower

level line at the hollow

beneath the kneecap.”

MLB’s Playing Rules

Committee must approve any

changes to the rules. The

committee will be paying

close attention to the strike

zone this upcoming season

and changes could potential-

ly be implemented as early as

2016. The last time MLB

officially changed the defini-

tion of the strike zone came

after the 1996 season.

The strike zone has expand-

ed significantly since 2009,

as a result of loss of offensive

production. Runs per game

fell to 4.07 in 2014, the low-

est mark since 1981.

According to research con-

ducted by Hardball Times

writer Joe Roegele, the size

of the MLB strike zone has

grown 40 square inches,

from 435 in 2009 to 465 in

2014.

Joe Siddall, the current

play-by-play announcer for

the Toronto Blue Jays and

former Detroit Tiger’s catch-

er, said he believes MLB is

thinking of shrinking the

strike zone in an attempt to

increase offensive produc-

tion.

“MLB wants to attempt to

bring back some offence to

the game,” said Siddall.

“They think if they shrink

the strike zone just a bit, it

may give a small advantage

back to the hitters and hope-

fully help teams score more

runs.”

The problem, however, is

that MLB is also looking for

the length of games to be

shortened.

“The problem is that the

issue conflicts with the issue

that they have with wanting

more offence created at the

same time,” said Siddall.

Siddall also said too much

time is being wasted in game

and with just a couple minor

adjustments, MLB could

have the best of both worlds.

“I would suggest MLB not

to allow hitters to take unrea-

sonable amounts of time out

of the batters box,” said the

retired catcher. “The same

goes for pitchers on the

mound and not allow mound

visits to last too long. When

the TV commercial is over,

play is ready to be resumed

immediately between

innings.”

Whether the change to the

strike zone happens or not or

the average game time is

reduced in the upcoming sea-

sons, fans will likely play the

biggest role in the final deci-

sion, according to Jeff

Watkin, catcher for St. Clair

College.

“Sports are about money

now,” said Watkin. “People

don’t pay to watch good

defences or how a pitcher

plays the game mentally

against hitters. They want

homeruns and runs scored.”

In 2013, 6.7 million people

watched the annual MLB

Homerun Derby, according

to data obtained by

SportsMediaWatch.com.

According to MLB, the

strike zone itself is said to be

the ultimate cause of dimin-

ishing offence, pitchers have

also been getting significant-

ly better over the years as

well. Since 2009, a total of

24 hitters have been thrown.

MLB came up with a solu-

tion to give the hitters a bet-

ter advantage back then. The

pitchers mound was lowered

from 15 to 10 inches and the

strike zone was reduced.

“I think they should leave the

strike zone and perhaps lower the

mound again as they did after the

1968 season,” said Siddall. “This

gave a slight advantage back to

the hitters and pitchers Earned

Runs Average went up.”

Sports Brief

Women’s Volleyball at

home to take on Durham

The St. Clair College

women’s volleyball team

will host a playoff match

this Saturday, Feb. 21

against the Durham

Lords at the St. Clair

SportsPlex

The Saints are looking

to advance to the Ontario

College’s Athletic

Association champi-

onship in Ancaster, Ont.

Feb. 26-28.

The Saints ended the

Michael Hugall


regular season in a tie for

third place with a record

of 12-6 and are currently

ranked fifth in Ontario.

Both St. Clair and

Durham come into this

contest having won eight

of 10 games.

St. Clair is led by third-

year left side hitter Helen

Wiebe who is fifth in the

OCAA averaging 3.06

kills per set, as well as

second-year libero

Monica Roch who led the

OCAA in digs with an

astounding 297 this sea-

son.

First serve is scheduled

for 2 p.m.

FROM PAGE 12

13

CONVERGED CITIZENFEBRUARY 26, 2015ENTERTAINMENT

University Film Festival Kassandra Coates


The University of

Windsor’s Film Festival

has decided to release a

new movie called Blight.Blight is set in a fictional

1910s town with a mysteri-

ous illness. It is a thriller

about the lengths families

will go to to protect one

another. Douglas

Cunningham, the director

of the movie, said the film

centres on socially-dam-

aged characters trying to

stay together in an increas-

ingly hostile environment.

“I wanted to tell a story

about characters that have

to adapt and survive in a

state of chaos,” said

Cunningham. “It’s at this

breaking point, desperate

and bankrupt, that they

interact.”

It took nearly two-and-a-

half months to make the

film and is currently still in

the process of being edited.

They had a crew of eight

local performers and 25

volunteers taking part in

all kinds of tasks.

A U of W drama student,

Madison Gignac said she

was thrilled to be one of

the actors in the film.

“I love acting, it’s my

passion. So when I got this

opportunity, I took it right

away,” said Gignac. “The

cast and crew were just

amazing.”

The producer of the film,

Nat Dupes, said it was

quite a struggle coordinat-

ing a whole cast and crew

of students with various

schedules, but they made it

happen.

“We shot early mornings

and weekends mostly,

especially since our loca-

tion was in Essex and

based out of Windsor,” said

Dupes.

Dupes said she is current-

ly working on an ongoing

project that has special

effects and is planning to

submit it into the festival

as well.

The film will be shown to

the public at the film festi-

val in mid-April, with tick-

ets being sold at the uni-

versity starting in March.

Poetry alive and well thanks to local poets

Ryan Adams

Cititzen Staff Reporter

It is often said that poetry is

a dying art, but the local poets

reading their works at Phog

Lounge in Windsor every

month would say otherwise.

On the third Tuesday of each

month Windsor writers gather

at Phog to share various forms

of poetry. The gathering,

known as TOAST, was started

well before current host,

Benny Alexander, took over

Photo by Ryan Adams

Benny Alexander, the host of TOAST, reads his poem ‘Frequency’ off of his cell phone during thepoetry event’s 2nd anniversary that was held on Feb. 17 at Phog Lounge.

two years ago.

A poet in his own right,

Alexander, 28, said poetry

should be present in all com-

munities because it is a unique

way for writers to express

themselves.

“It is incredibly important

for someone to express what

they are feeling,” said

Alexander. “And poetry is a

very good expressive tool.

It’s cliché for a reason.”

Alexander said poetry is not

a lost art form and he credits

social media and an online

community of poets for keep-

ing it alive.

“Button Poetry is a fantastic

resource for any poet that

enjoys the art,” said

Alexander. “They have a

YouTube channel, which is a

great resource for spreading

poetry to the masses.”

New poet Ryan Lengyel said

social media helps poets who

want to share their work and

who want to read other poets’

works through online commu-

nities.

“2014 was probably the

most visible year for poetry

thanks to social media,” said

the poet. “Artists like Patrick

Roche and Neil Hilbron

earned millions of views on

YouTube which is unheard of

among independent poets and

that’s a credit to the introduc-

tion of sharing online.”

Lengyel said he believes the

poetry scene in Windsor will

continue to grow as more peo-

ple learn about modern forms

of poetry including “slam

poetry.”

Slam poetry is described as

a type of poetry expressing a

person’s personal story or

struggle usually in an intense-

ly emotional style. Slam is

one of many modern styles

keeping the art form from

dying out, said Alexander.

Emily Hope Brogan is a 25-

year-old published writer and

editor for Kenning Journal, a

literary magazine in

Delaware. She said poetry

has to be viewed through a

wide lens and new readers

must look past poetry of the

past to help keep it alive.

“I think poetry is very

alive,” said Brogan. “But I

think to see that, you have to

look at poetry with a wider

lens than just remembering

poetry as the boring rhymes

written by dead British guys

they were forced to read in

high school.”

Brogan, who has had her

poetry published by Red

Paint Hill Publishing, said

social media and a thriving

online presence is a bene-

fit to the art of poetry and

she can’t see how social

media could ever hurt

poetry in the future.

Thanks to events like

TOAST, venues like Phog

Lounge, The Green Bean

Café in Windsor and vari-

ous online communities,

poets have many places

where they can read their

own work or the work of

someone else in an attempt

at keeping poetry alive.

14

CONVERGED CITIZENFEBRUARY 26, 2015

The Grand Budapest Hotel

In typical Wes Anderson

fashion, The Grand BudapestHotel delivers a hilarious and

heartfelt tale that blends

Anderson’s distinctive style

and quirky visuals with touch-

ing character drama.

The film stars Ralph

Fiennes who plays a

renowned hotel concierge at

the Grand Budapest and new-

comer Tony Revolori as his

new lobby boy. The two

become quick friends as they

get caught up in a wild con-

spiracy with Fienne’s older

love interest.

Anderson himself is up for

two personal nominations this

year, one for original screen-

play and the other for best

direction.

Whiplash

Whiplash combines tense

drama with awe-inspiring

musical performances, partic-

ularly in the film’s third act,

along with knockout perform-

ances from the two leads, up-

and-comer Miles Teller and

veteran actor J.K. Simmons.

Teller plays the film’s prom-

ising young drummer, with

Simmons playing his cut

Birdman and Boyhood race for Academy’s biggest prizeRyan Adams

Citizen staff reporter throat and beautifully intense

musical coach. Throughout

the film the chemistry

between them makes it seem

as though the two have been

working together for years.

J.K. Simmons, at age 65, gets

his first-ever nomination in a

supporting role.

Boyhood

Director Richard Linklater,

who has directed other ambi-

tious films including the

Before Midnight trilogy, has

again created something that

has never been done before.

Linklater filmed the movie

over a 12-year-period. The

result was a movie that is both

heartfelt and incredibly real.

The film chronicles the life

of a young boy played by

Ellar Coltrane and his family,

made up of Ethan Hawke and

Patricia Arquette, both of

whom are nominated for sup-

porting roles this year.

The creative direction of

Linklater landed him a nomi-

nation for Best Director as

well as a nomination for

Original Screenplay this year.

Birdman

Birdman may have been the

most ambitious project of the

eight nominees this year if it

weren’t for some other nomi-

nees. However, Birdman still

delivered a style and concept

that was wholly original.

Director Alejandro González

Iñárritu edited the film to

make it seem like the entire

thing was one continuous

shot. This was well done and

helped land Iñárritu a nomina-

tion for Best Direction.

Michael Keaton starred in

this tale of a washed up actor

from an old superhero fran-

chise as he attempts to revive

his career and mend family

affairs before the opening of

his Broadway play. This was

Keaton’s first leading role in

six years and his performance

got him nominated for Best

Actor in a Leading Role.

The Imitation Game

The Imitation Game, an

adaptation of Andrew

Hodges’ novel, is based on the

true story of World War II

mathematician, Alan Turing,

and his success in cracking

the German enigma code.

The cast includes Kiera

Knightley, Matthew Goode

and Oscar nominee Benedict

Cumberbatch.

Cumberbatch was the pow-

erhouse in the film as he

brought a very misunderstood

character to life on the big

screen in a remarkable per-

formance that helped him to

his first ever Oscar nomina-

tion.

American Sniper

American Sniper is the story

of Navy SEAL sniper, Chris

Kyle and his struggles with

his role in the war in Iraq.

Bradley Cooper plays Kyle,

who wrote the book the movie

is loosely based. The book re-

counted his time overseas and

the Post Traumatic Stress

Disorder that stemmed from

the acts he carried out while

fighting.

Cooper is on a bit of an

Oscars tear right now as his

Best Actor nomination for

American Sniper gives him

three nominations in the last

three years.

He is definitely one of, if

not the most, prolific actors

working today.

American Sniper was well

shot, landing a nomination for

Achievement in Film Editing,

but could have focused more

on Kyle’s suffering with

PTSD that was so prevalent in

the book.

The Theory of Everything

In a year with many great

performances, one has to look

at what Eddie Redmayne and

Felecity Jones were able to

accomplish in The Theory ofEverything and admire their

dominance of the screen.

The two were able to bring

to life the relationship of

famed physicist Stephen

Hawking and his wife, Jane

Wilde, as they dealt with the

struggles of Hawking’s diag-

nosis of amyotrophic lateral

sclerosis.

The film is nominated for five

Oscars including Best

Writing, Adapted Screenplay

but it is the film’s original

score from acclaimed com-

poser Jóhann Jóhannsson,

which really impressed.

Selma

Continuing the run of biog-

raphical films in the Best

Picture category Selma is the

account of celebrated civil

rights activist, Dr. Martin

Luther King Jr. and his dan-

gerous three month long cam-

paign for equal voting rights.

The film was solidly acted

by male lead, David Oyelowo

and although he wasn’t nomi-

nated, there is consensus by

critics that there is a bright

future in acting for the 39-

year-old British actor.

The most notable aspect of

the film was the song nomi-

nated for Best Original Song,

which was written by artists

John Legend [John Stephens]

and Common [Lonnie Lynn].

The big winners of the

2015 Oscars Best supporting actor: JK Simmons for Whiplash

Best supporting actress: Patricia Arquette for Boyhood

Best director: Alejandro González Iñárritu for Birdman

Best actor: Eddie Redmayne for The Theory of

Everything

Best actress: Julianne Moore for Still Alice

Best picture: Birdman

Last Year’s Big Winner

Best picture: 12 Years a Slave

Best Directer: Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity)

Best Actor: Matthew McConaughey ( Dallas Buyers Club)

Best Actress: Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)

Best Supporting Actor: Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)

Best Supporting Actress: Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave)

The Last Five Best

Picture Winners

12 Years a Slave (2013)

Argo (2012)

The Artist (2011)

The King’s Speech (2010)

The Hurt Locker (2009)

By Allanah Wills

ENTERTAINMENT 15

CONVERGED CITIZENENTERTAINMENT FEBRUARY 26, 2015

Comic book industry explodes following cinematic growthRhiannon Lotze


Movies based on comic

books are all the rage in

theatres and their growing

popularity may also be

increasing comic book

sales.

Since 2010, more than 10

movies based on comic books

have appeared in theatres and

at least three more movies are

coming this year. Five televi-

sion shows based on comic

books have also been

released since 2010, making

it one of the biggest indus-

tries in entertainment.

According to

www.comichron.com, aver-

age sales for the comic book

industry have increased by

millions of dollars each year

since 2010. This correlates

with the increase in popularity

of movies and TV shows.

Windsor has become a

hotspot for comic book

lovers, boasting several comic

book stores and studios.

Rogues Gallery Comics is one

of the stores in downtown

Windsor dedicated to comic

book sales.

“It’s all of a sudden become

popular to be a nerd,” said

Shawn Cousineau, owner of

Rogues Gallery. “We’ve seen

an immense hike in business

from not only the movies but

from the TV shows as well.”

Cousineau also said sales have

increased in memorabilia-

based comic books.

Sellers of comic books aren’t

the only ones who have

noticed a spike in their popu-

larity because of recent

movies.

“I think the movies have

inspired more writers which

has increased the popularity of

the comics,” said Courtney

Pike, a comic book collector.

Pike owns more than 100

comics and has been interest-

ed in them for years. She also

said while the movies are gen-

erating popularity for the

Local musician putting Windsor on the mapAnthony Sheardown


comic books, the original

comics are what created the

initial interest in the movies.

However, some say that

comparatively speaking, the

comic book industry is not as

popular as it once was.

Tony Gray is the owner of

GlassMonkey Studios Inc., a

local comic book company.

He writes and illustrates sever-

al original comic book series,

such as Tales of the Incredible

Conduit.

“The sales of the comic

books haven’t been as dramat-

ically influenced as you might

expect. Sales are extremely

good… but back in the 60s

and 70s, a top selling comic

book would sell 600,000 to

700,000 every month. Now, a

top selling comic book might

sell 100,000 a month,” said

Gray, who has been in the

business for 14 years and has

worked for DC Comics.

Despite this, Gray said since

there is a wider variety of

comic books and they are now

more expensive, it makes up

for the dip in numbers sold

and means that comic book

sales have been very success-

ful.

With over 40 comic book

movies scheduled for the next

five years, the comic book

industry is expected to contin-

ue growing.

When Jarret Sorko was 13

years old, he picked up a gui-

tar and knew he had found his

career – but little did he realize

he would find success in the

comedic music genre.

In high school, he played

guitar in a band, Flaming

Yawn, but it was never

enough. Inspired by his

favorite band Sum-41 and

comedian Bo Burnham, he

began to write his own materi-

al.

“I saw Bo Burnham for the

first time in 2009. He was

starting off on YouTube. He

wasn’t that big back then,

there were about 50 people at

his show,” said Sorko. “After

that, I started writing comedic

songs and performing them at

Leo’s Komedy Korner in

Windsor.”

Sorko started doing home

recordings in 2009 and found

success when he wrote the

local hit song Yo I’m FromWindsor Dude. It was released

in March 2011.

Sorko had the idea for the

song when he was using

YouTube and searched

“Windsor Ontario.” When he

found nothing he wanted to

write a signature song so that

when people searched for

“Windsor,” his song would

come up.

The song went viral and

YouTube was sending him

emails.

“By the end of the first week

of the song being out it had

40,000 views and the Windsor

Star wrote a story,” said

Sorko. “It had an insane

amount of views. I was sur-

prised. I remember I had a

Blackberry and it was going

off so much I had to turn off

the notifications.”

Windsorites are pleased that

Sorko put a positive light on

Windsor and is publicizing the

city’s name.

“I met Jarrett through come-

dy back in July. The cool thing

is before I met him, I had

heard about him and seen a

few of his music videos so it

was essentially meeting a

local celebrity,” said Chris

Mailloux a 23-year-old St.

Clair College student in

Windsor. “Overall, I think he

has helped put a spotlight on

Windsor, his song 519 being a

great example. Every single

word in that song is Windsor

and in the end, it’s a great

piece of art that helps make

people truly appreciate

Windsor.

Mailloux also said the 519

song helps people be more

appreciative of Windsor. Other

fans say it is bringing more

attention to the city.

“I think Jarrett has done a

great job at revamping the

comedy scene in Windsor

especially with the release of

his 519 video,” said Elyza

Macher, a 24-year-old

University of Windsor student

studying Kinesiology. “Before

the video, I know a lot of peo-

ple were unaware that

Windsor even had a comedy

scene.”

Sorkos new album is called

Jarret Sorko 4 Mayor. The

album consists of five songs

intersected with skits.

On Feb 15, Sorko recorded

his newest music video for the

song All Over Your Face at the

The Windsor Beer Exchange

downtown. For this particular

shoot, which was sponsored

by Macleans Brewery, Sorko

did something a bit different.

He filmed the video in a con-

cert and party type scene. he

invited friends and

Windsorites who wanted to

attend the shoot.

The style of the video was

Sorko on and off stage party-

ing and performing with fans

as the fans danced and had a

good time. There were also

other creative aspects shot for

the video by Mike LeClair.

Sorko has very loyal fans

who say they love his music

and think highly of him. He

was signing autographs after

the show.

“Besides being super talent-

ed, Jarrett is a genuinely nice,

down to earth and humble per-

son,” said Macher. “Even

though I have Jarrett’s newest

album on my iPod and listen

to his songs all the time, they

always make me laugh. The

video shoot was the most fun

I’ve had in a long time.”

Sorko said the videos for the

album are almost finished.

“We have four videos other

than this one wrapped up now

from this album,” said Sorko.

“There is one more that I am

actually going to do a surprise

release for, hopefully soon.”

Sorko said they had been

planning this video for about

eight months. The last video

they shot was in May of last

year.

“We hardcore planned this

video the last two weeks,” said

Sorko. “I think 40 to 50 people

came out tonight, I knew

about half the crowd. We got a

sponsor from MacLeans brew-

ery as well for the video

tonight. The first 20 people

that came out, beer was on

us.”

People had a lot of fun and

thought it was cool that

MacLeans Brewery sponsored

the shoot.

Jarret Sorko is posing for a photo on the set of his newest musicvideo at the Beer Exchange

Photo by Anthony Sheardown

16

The Converged Citizen - February 26, 2015.

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