Shelter breaks out its cold weather beds

Bethany Lindsay, North Shore News
Published: December 17, 2008

As we can all tell it is freezing cold outside, but we have a house to go to and sleep in, now image you don’t have anywhere to go, there is snow on the ground and the temperature is below zero degrees Celsius. This is a hard time for people that are living on the streets, that is why The North Shore Housing Center has put up extra beds for people to sleep in. So far 39 people have taken advantage of these extra beds for the 5 days that it has been open. But there is enough beds for everyone if need be, there are 25 emergency beds in each shelter and 15 more at the North Shore Neighbourhood House. These houses will stay open as long as the temperature is below zero; there is snow on the ground and server wind warnings. The extra funding that is needed at these times comes from BC Housing and private donations. The number of nights the houses have stayed open have increased over the years and they hope it will increase this year if need be. I can’t even imagine what these people are going through, at these temperatures someone sleeping on the streets may never wake up. It is understandable why these people would drink so much, they want to keep warm and be numb from the pain they are going through. It is a great thing what these houses are doing and more funding should be put towards them. We don’t want someone dyeing because we can't donate a little of what we have when they have nothing.

Living in the snow

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Mall Santa’s life is not so jolly

Sheri Levine, The Province
Published: December 18, 2008

Who hasn’t gone and sat on Santa’s lap and told him everything they want for Christmas? Well I know I have more than once I will have to admit. This aticle has interviewed three different mall Santas in the Toronto area and they all say that it can be a very tiring job. Long hours, and you have to deal with all the children naughty or nice. Santa’s job is to bring holiday spirit to everyone. Every time you go and see the big jolly guy you can remember hearing that screaming kid that doesn’t want to be there yet the parents want that picture so they won’t let them go; which Santa has to deal with. The Santa’s that were interviewed have been there for 50 years, 12 years and a newbie. These men have taken their own time to share the holiday spirit with everyone. They get dressed every day no matter what and go and enjoy their jobs. Santas are a very important job yet they are always looked passed because they are always there and expected to be there. Now that I am older I can appreciate everything that these men are doing and even the elves that help Santa. It is a very hard job to have not just physically but emotionally. Image you have to happy no matter what, you can’t have an off day, that it pretty difficul to do. Thank you to all the mall Santas out there, and Merry Chirstmas!

Santa and a screaming child

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Some cough medicine overdoses deliberate: Report

Maggie Fox, Vancouver Sun
Published: December 18, 2008

In the United States it has been reported that a significant amount of children that have died from medicine overdose has been done on purpose. In these cases parents have given their children nonprescription medicine, or given medicine when it was not needed but there were some cases where they did not mean to hurt the child, they thought it was helping. U.S. Food and Drug Administration made the banning of over-the-counter medicine legal to children fewer than 4, but FDA is trying to up this ban to 12 year olds. I personally don’t believe the ban should be moved up to 12 year olds, when they are 12 they should know if they need medicine or not. The problem with this ban is that in some cases parents are giving their children the medicine to shut them up and this ban will not do anything. They can don’t determine how old the children are when an adult is buying it for them, they can also not stop the parent from giving their child medicine. It is said that most of the parents that are doing this have a history of child abuse, lower-income, and under educated. Still it is unbelievable that a parent will pour medicine down a childs throat just to shut them up. I don’t know how someone can think that is good for a child, or that it isn’t even life threatening. They are still drugs even if they are sold at stores; if they are used not properly they can be just as harmful as drugs on the street.

Cold Medicine

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Classic silver for Royals

Andy Prest, North Shore News
Published: Wednesday, December 10, 2008

The HSBC Classic basketball tournament was held on December 4th till 8th where the Handsworth Royals finished in second behind Elgin Park a score of 68 - 66; Elgin Park being number one in the province now. Handsworths main player Young and Lee are in grade 11 but that doesn’t matter, they are both starters and leaders on the team. They have been with the team since grade 9. They are both also a part of the U-17 Provincial team. Yes the Royal are number one on the North Shore they have to watch out, Argyle is coming in close behind them being led by going to be SFU Clan member and also part of the Provincial team, Carla Wyman. All three of these players were all-stars at the tournament. Games between Argyle and Handsworth but become very popular and will be broadcasted live on the internet. The HSBC Classic tournament is also open to guy’s teams which our Sutherland Senior boys played in. The tournament also gives out scholarships to players, Andrew McGuiness was offered a scholarship presented by the Notaries Society of B.C, the Quinn Keast Memorial was also given to Chantelle Martin a player for the Gold Metal Girls team, Elgin Park. A comment that came from the coach of the Sutherland Secondary senior girl’s team was that Handsworth should be number one in the province they have more depth. Sutherlands senior girls have been struggling this year, it is hard for them because they are pretty much making a whole new team, There are only 3 seniors on the team this year and a Grade 11, Hailey Hebron, that played senior last year. Being the manager of the team and also a former player it is hard to see the team go on such a steep slope downwards, I know the team can do a lot better than they are showing right now.

Diana Lee

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Crash victim’s recovery astounds

James Weldon, North Shore News
Published: December 10, 2008

Brandon Blasbalg, 18, a graduate from Sutherland Secondary school got in a horrible car crash on September 20 and is recovering faster than anyone imagined. Brandon was driving down Boundary Road and Marine Drive at 2 am when he fell asleep at the wheel and lost control of his car, crossed the meridian and hit an oncoming semi where he was thrown back and caught on flames. Lucky there was a police officer off duty traveling not too far behind him, she quickly grabbed her fire extinguisher and started to put out the flames, yet it was not enough. Another officer was going and collecting other fire extinguishers from nearby neighbours. A total of 10 extinguishers were used before the fire trucks arrived. Brandon was finally pulled out of his car by using the Jaws of Life. He served major burns to his head, arms and legs, and broken bones in his face, when arriving at Vancouver General hospital was put into metical indorsed coma. At first Brandon was thought to someone else, another ID was in the car and was recovered first but finally they figured out who he was and told Linda Shores, his mother. The first days at the hospital they were told that he might not make it, or that if he does he is going to be in a wheel chair and lose parts of his body that were severely injured. Brandon amazingly woke up from his coma. He was moved to the burn center in the hospital where he went through a lot of different procedures to help with the burns. He returned home on November 22, but still has to wear a full body suit. In the hospital Brandon was given many gifts from the community to make his life just a little bit easier, he was also fully supported through this whole thing from family and friends. This story is hard hitting to any teenager that knows Brandon, I am lucky to be one of those people. This story shows so much and how miracles can happen. Brandon went from almost going to die to being let out early from the hospital. "I just want kids to know that they're not invincible." This statement made my Linda Shores is true and is proven by Brandon’s accident he was just lucky enough to survive.

Brandon and Mother Linda

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Criminals help police recover toys stolen from Salvation Army

Darah Hansen, Vancouver Sun
Published: December 9, 2008

A huge turn around for these few criminals. Toys for the homeless and needy were stolen from the Salvation Army warehouse on Kingsway and Fraser Street. $25,000 of food, and toys were taken from the warehouse, but the police were tipped off of who these criminals might be by other criminals. I know its out there why would someone rat out someone like them, but it was said that criminals are even disturbed by this act. The police meet with these criminals and were able to follow their lead and recover 26 boxes of toys and meat, yet the meat had to be thrown out due to it could have gone bad or tampered with. Another 8 boxes were discovered later and the residences inside the house were arrested yet let go due to the house was a home to many people not just them. The Salvation Army was grateful of the return of the toys, yet before the return money was raised to take place for what had been stolen, they were able to raise $100,000 so far. The community came together, radio stations advertised it and donation came in, in great amounts. They are able to create all the hampers they wished to with the new money and goods that have come it, and any money left over will go to other programs the Salvation Army has. “The Salvation Army is also now considering purchasing a security system for its warehouse, Venables said.” Hearing about this break in was devastating, why would someone want to steal from people that have nothing; this might have been the only thing they get at Christmas. I am proud of this community and how everyone contributed to this cause even people who wouldn’t normally. It is a happy story to tell, I just hope that they are able to catch who ever did this and be punished greatly; who ever did this doesn’t deserve to be let down easily.

Stolen toys recovered

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Vancouver police examining YouTube video of racing cars

Vancouver Sun
Published: December 9, 2008

A YouTube video was discovered by a CBC reporter and tipped of the Vancouver police. The video was of two cars racing down highway 99 at speeds of 234 km/h. The video was clear enough to be able to see that the road conditions at that time were not great, the road was wet and it was dark out. The video shows that they came in vision of other cars on the road, and even stopped at a stop light, which could allow for pedestrians to be near. The video gave tips for who the drivers might be, and could be able to recognize through their voice. If the drivers were to be found they would be charged and get their licenses taken away. This was an unbelievable stupid thing to do, they didn’t just put their selves in danger but also the people around them. I can see why these drivers would want to put such a video on YouTube but do actually do the act is unthinkable. I can understand that yes they were probably teenage boys that just wanted to show off and have fun, but thinking of doing it on a wet cold night is just plain dumb. In those conditions it is easy to slip when you are going the legal speed but to go 3 times that speed the risk of slipping it a lot greater. Car accidents happen every day, and you can see how much pain can come from an accident at legal speeds image crashing at 234km/h those kind of speeds it is life threatening. So why would someone want to put their live on the line for a few minutes of fun?

Street Racing

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Indian Woman says she’s a mother at 70

The Associated Press
Published: Tuesday, December 9, 2008

A 70 year old woman in New Delhi claims to have had her baby at the age of 70. A baby girl, the first child in the Devi family, was born on Nov 28, 2008 by a cesarean section. The baby girl was healthy and doing well after the birth. This was a miracle, with a woman at the age of 70 to even be possible of having a baby. The conceiving of the baby was not done natural by in the vitro fertilization treatment. The Devi family decided to try this method because they had been childless through their 55 years of marriage and wanted a baby. They had heard of a 58 year old gave birth to twins after this treatment, and decided it would be a good idea to try this as well seeing that it wouldn’t happen naturally. It was hard to tell if Rajo was the oldest woman to give birth because she didn’t have a birth certificate, but she told “the Associated Press” that she was around 70 and she husband was about 72. The oldest woman before her was a woman from Spain who delivered twin boys at the age of 66. The Devi family was very lucky to be able to have a child and it is a miracle that the baby didn’t have a metal problem and the Rajo didn’t suffer from the pregnancy. This story deserves to be told, even though it might not seem very important in today world; it is a special and amazing story. News is mostly about sad thing and to see such a happy article makes it stand out and want to be read. From a health point of view this is a story to be told, it gives hope to older families that still want to have a child and weren’t able to yet, it also gives another way the one can get pregnant if other options are not working for you.

Devi Family

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Ontario government urged to ban flavoured cigarillos

The Canadian Press

Published: Thursday, November 27, 2008

In Ontario members of all Ontario political parties are trying to ban the selling of flavoured cigarillos to youth. Cigarillos are smaller versions of cigars, which are flavoured to appeal to youth. They come in 21 flavours, and are sold individually for $1 each. Cigarillos are exempt from the anti- smoking regulations because they are not wrapped in tobacco paper but are wrapped in tobacco leaves. Cigarillos are "deliberately designed and sold in a way to appeal to young people." says Canadian Cancer Society, which I believe it true. They make smoking seem not as bad for you by making them different flavours and make them seem okay to smoke. The number of cigarillos sold have drastically increased or the past few years. I believe in this banned, that it is a good thing. Youth shouldn’t be able to get smokes even if they are technically not cigarettes; there is a reason why the legal age is 19. They are not good for your health or even worse then regular cigarettes. Without the banning of cigarillos it allows for youth to start smoking legally which has a higher percent of youth becoming addicted and when they are legal will start and smoke cigarettes. The only purpose of cigarillos is to attract youth to start smoking and get them to be a client for life, which I believe shouldn’t be allowed to happen legally.

Comparing cigarillos to lip gloss

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2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Torch Relay route announced

Gary Kingston, Vancouver Sun
Published: Thursday, November 20, 2008

As the 2010 Winter Games approach details about the Games have become public such as the carrying of the Olympic Torch though Canada. Its route will start in Victoria on Oct 30, 2009 and continue circling across Canada until it reaches BC on Jan 21, 2010. It will travel around BC for 27 days visiting most of the province and the Canadians living in BC. On its journey it will travel 45,000 KM just inside Canada, the longest domestic route, and will be carried by 3500 torchbearers. The Olympic Torch Relay has been a tradition of the Olympics which Canada tends to keep. I believe it is a good way to bring everyone together, "We will share the Olympic Flame with young and old, northern and southern, eastern and western - and everyone in between - in order to make these truly Canada's Games." It doesn’t matter your sex, age, ethnic background, and culture, all that matters is that you are Canadian and want to share in this glory Canada has been given. It’s a once in a life time opportunity and Canada has to make this perfect. I agree that the torch should been seen all around Canada, even in the most northern parts, because it means that you don’t have to be at the Games to be a part of Canada’s Olympics. The propose of the Torch is to unite Canada and make it not just the Vancouver Games but Canada’s Games.

Map of Route

A video of Canada’s Torch Route
Can be seen on this website:

Website