http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca Presented by St. Thomas University Journalism Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:59:30 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Presented by St. Thomas University Journalism New Brunswick Beacon no http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/2012/01/19/laughter-infectious-medicine/ http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/2012/01/19/laughter-infectious-medicine/#comments Fri, 20 Jan 2012 03:22:11 +0000 Shane Fowler http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/?p=18010 http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/2012/01/19/laughter-infectious-medicine/feed/ 0 Being sick is a lonely, isolating, and at times, frightening experience. But being sick as a group is hilarious. I’m one of the surviving journalists of the great norovirus episode of Victoria, British Columbia circa January, 2012. Sure, it wasn’t funny at the time, but a lot can change in seven days. For starters, I had no idea what norovirus was. Now I’m an expert. We all are. Shameful experts, that can’t look each other in the eye anymore, but experts just the same. It’s a flu-like virus that causes gastroenteritis, which is fancy doctor-talk for “Your body is hosting a door-crasher sale and everything MUST go!” The result is a lot of time spent in the bathroom as your body takes a shovel to everything inside that you hold dear in an effort to clean house. You’ll spend a lot of time on your hands and knees making demon noises and yelling into the toilet. Take a short break to play the grocery-guessing-game (When did I eat leaves?) before a fireman kicks open your backdoor to evacuate a box of brown puppies. The turnaround between these north and south explosions can be enough to make you dizzy, but you’re in such a stupor that it won’t occur to you to just sit down and hold a bucket. Who’s got time to think, you’re dying here! Normally this is the kind of horror that is best saved for the privacy of your own home, but when you’re with a group such as I was, confined to a hotel, the experience becomes a shared nightmare that you can’t help but laugh at. Attractive members of the opposite sex suddenly lose all gender and you start lining them up to make sure you could body-check them aside so you can punish that toilet in the corner some more. In the struggle for survival, everyone becomes an equal mess. Now, in comparison to other illness, norovirus isn’t as lethal as, say, SARS, which is a shame. At least with SARS there is a 4% chance that you’ll throw in the towel early and be saved the nightmare of surviving. No, with the norovirus you’re pretty much doomed to live through the entire ordeal which can last up to 48 hours. Fortunately, in the 21st century, science has come a long way. Unfortunately that science doesn’t apply to treatments or cures for this virus. Nope, modern science simply says to curl up in a ball and ride it out. The most advanced treatment comes in off of the sidelines of football games in the form of Gatorade. They’ll tell you it’s great for keeping what’s left of your body hydrated, but the only difference you’ll notice is that your vomit now tastes pleasant in comparison to whatever your stomach was scrounging up before. I recommended flavor: Red. Cheerful colour, pleasant aftertaste, doesn’t taste like bile. Sharing disgusting tips such as these becomes the norm in a group of sick people. You won’t realize how pathetic it sounds until later. But when you do start to come around you will laugh as your friends describe how comically sad you really did look in the fetal position nibbling on crackers like a stoned squirrel. You survived and shared an experience, the same as a group of hikers that climbed a mountain together. Sure, you saw and heard things that you didn’t want too, but that’s part of the loving memory you helped craft. Make sure to get a group photo. Now, if this doesn’t sound like the fun-filled, team-building weekend exercise that you’d like to participate in, then there are several ways to avoid black-death norovirus. For starters avoid touching anything…..ever. Norovirus can spread simply by touching a door-handle or high-fiving a pale stranger at an airport. If you are into the whole touching thing, get real neurotic with some Purell hand sanitizer instead. Norovirus most commonly comes from people touching fecal matter or tainted food.  So scrub up, because for every case of norovirus there is someone who was basically sticking their fingers in something gross. You can also catch it simply by being in close [...] Being sick is a lonely, isolating, and at times, frightening experience. But being sick as a group is hilarious. I’m one of the surviving journalists of the great norovirus episode of Victoria, British Columbia circa January, 2012. Sure, it [...] http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/2011/12/10/the-grim-future-of-greece/ http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/2011/12/10/the-grim-future-of-greece/#comments Sat, 10 Dec 2011 21:15:42 +0000 Amy MacKenzie http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/?p=17726 http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/2011/12/10/the-grim-future-of-greece/feed/ 0 Greeks protest against austerity measures in Athens (Makedonia Koutsoumpeli/NBBeacon) Greeks suffer under austerity measures: It’s been two years since Greece’s debt crisis began and the Greeks are becoming more and more hopeless. The small Mediterranean country was borrowing and spending beyond its means for years and their debt pile became more than they could afford. In order to avoid bankruptcy, wealthier countries in the European Union offered Greece bailout packages to help them continue to pay off their loans. But the countries insisted that in order to receive bail-outs, Greece must subject its citizens to harsh austerity measures. Cutting pensions by 30 per cent, increases in property tax, hiking up the sales tax by 23 per cent and increasing power bills are some of the austerity measures the Greek government has placed on its people. This has turned the every-day lives of Greeks upside down. Makedonia Koutsoumpeli is from Greece. She is currently studying at St. Thomas University in Fredericton but her family and friends are still there. She says it’s difficult to watch her loved ones suffer from afar. “No one wants that for their country when they are so far away and they have their loved ones back at home,” she said. To listen to the audio report: Koutsoumpeli was in the center of the riots that happened in Athens this summer. She says the people protesting have gone from being middle-class or wealthy to living in poverty. She said they’re angry with the government for punishing the people when it was the government who overspent. “The average Greek was paying his or her taxes and they feel that they shouldn’t be having to cut their life expectations by 30, 40 or 50 per cent,” she said. “Their anger is towards the government and the past governments who they blame for the mistakes that have been made in mismanagement and towards international organizations including the European Union and the International Monetary Foundation.” In September, one in four businesses were closing up shop. That meant a 25 per cent loss of jobs in the biggest city in Greece. Koutsoumpeli watched from afar as over half of the people she used to work with found themselves unemployed. “At the place where I used to work, the Public TV station, 50 per cent of my colleagues were either laid off or their contract wasn’t renewed,” she said. “So you can image out of 20 people that you work with everyday, 10 of them aren’t there anymore. They’re looking for an alternative and I don’t know frankly what that is and I don’t think they know either.” The protestors gather daily at the center of Athens. They want to see less austerity measures and more job creation to get the economy back on track. They don’t see any logic in the way the government is currently handling the crisis. “They want a chance to start all over again with new job creation, new investments, money getting into the market,” said Koutsoumpeli . “So first of all they can pay their bills and second, have a chance to work and get the money they need for basic good standard of living.” But after almost two years of rioting and protesting these austerity measures, Koutsoumpeli says they are losing hope. “Greeks are getting more depressed along with the economic problem in the country this is because they have run out of options,” she said. “They see that no matter how much they react or how much they protest or how much they want things to change that that cannot happen not without some magic plan that’s what they think, that only a miracle could save them now” Tensions rise between wealthy and poor European countries Greece is only one part of the puzzle. Other smaller countries, such as Italy and Spain, face the same economic uncertainties as Greece. This has put a strain on the relations between the countries that share the euro as their currency. Wealthy countries such as France and Germany own the banks that much of [...] Greeks suffer under austerity measures: It’s been two years since Greece’s debt crisis began and the Greeks are becoming more and more hopeless. The small Mediterranean country was borrowing and spending beyond its means for years and their [...] http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/2011/12/08/stu-chooses-lily-fraser-as-vp-finance-and-administration-3/ http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/2011/12/08/stu-chooses-lily-fraser-as-vp-finance-and-administration-3/#comments Thu, 08 Dec 2011 16:34:02 +0000 Stephanie Kelly http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/?p=17678 http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/2011/12/08/stu-chooses-lily-fraser-as-vp-finance-and-administration-3/feed/ 0 There will be a new face around campus after Christmas break. Lily Fraser has just been announced as St. Thomas University’s next vice-president of finance and administration. She is the first female to hold the position and will begin her term on January 3. Stephanie Kelly sat down with her yesterday to meet the woman behind the title. Here’s an excerpt from that interview. There will be a new face around campus after Christmas break. Lily Fraser has just been announced as St. Thomas University’s next vice-president of finance and administration. She is the first female to hold the position and will begin her [...] http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/2011/12/07/stepping-up-new-brunswicks-game/ http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/2011/12/07/stepping-up-new-brunswicks-game/#comments Wed, 07 Dec 2011 23:15:48 +0000 Karissa Donkin http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/?p=17620 http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/2011/12/07/stepping-up-new-brunswicks-game/feed/ 0 Saint John Sea Dogs forward Zack Phillips tapes a stick at Harbour Station. (Karissa Donkin/NB Beacon) When Mike Eagles was 16, he made a big decision. He decided to move across the country by himself in pursuit of his hockey dreams. Eagles moved from his small hometown of Sussex, N.B. to try out for teams in the Western Hockey League. He ended up playing Junior A hockey in Saskatchewan before moving on to the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League. “When I was growing up, you dreamed of playing in the NHL but you really didn’t see the process of how that could happen,” said Eagles, who is now athletics director at St. Thomas University. “[It was a] bigger stretch of the imagination because there was so much unknown about how to get to the NHL.” Eagles’ dreams came true. He built a 15-year NHL career with four different teams. But his story is more rare than common among the crop of New Brunswick hockey players he skated with in the 1970s. Today, hockey dreams are as much within reach in small-town New Brunswick as in Toronto. The proof is in the names of young, up-and-coming hockey stars who hail from the province – Patrice Cormier, Sean Couturier and Jake Allen top the list. The proof is also in this year’s World Junior squad. Four players with New Brunswick connections will head to selection camp in Calgary on Saturday, to push for a spot on the team that will compete for a gold medal in December and January. Among the invitees are Saint John Sea Dogs and first-round NHL draft picks Zack Phillips, who calls Fredericton home, and Nathan Beaulieu, an offensive defenseman from Strathroy, Ont. Beaulieu spent some of his minor hockey years living in the Saint John area while his father, Jacques Beaulieu, was head coach of the Dogs. Saint John captain Jonathan Huberdeau – who was drafted third overall by the Florida Panthers last June – and Moncton Wildcats defenseman Brandon Gormley have also been invited. Both are considered locks to make the team, assuming Huberdeau’s broken foot is healed sooner rather than later. Rounding out the New Brunswick connections are Andrew Brewer, a video coach with Hockey Canada originally from Fredericton, and therapist Jeff Thorburn, who hails from Dalhousie, N.B. but works in Kelowna, B.C. for the Rockets of the Western Hockey League. Like Eagles, Phillips left home at an early age. He went to prep school in New England when he was 13, leaving the familiar comforts of his home behind. But Phillips doesn’t think players need to leave the province to make it to the pros. He said the province is now doing a better job of developing its top talent. “Back then, there was not as much talent to be playing against. I decided to go down and try something new, try something different. I know it worked for me, but it’s not for everybody,” he said. “I’m not sure what’s really changing but something is, and it’s working.” The expansion of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League into the Maritimes is the biggest thing that’s helped the province produce elite players, said Brian Whitehead, executive director of Hockey New Brunswick, an organization that oversees hockey leagues in the province. “It’s one of the best learning tools for people to imitate great players,” Whitehead said. “Now that we have players in the Quebec league going on to pretty solid professional careers…we get to see them more often. That’s exposed our membership to a side of the game that wasn’t available as many as 10 years ago.” This past year, Phillips and his Sea Dogs teammates became the first Maritime team to win the Memorial Cup, the holy grail of Major Junior hockey. Getting a chance to see NHL-bound players like Phillips, Huberdeau and Beaulieu up close and personal gives young Maritime players role models to look up to, Whitehead said. “Those guys go back to their hometowns in the summer and they train 12 months of the year. Players they used to play with [...] When Mike Eagles was 16, he made a big decision. He decided to move across the country by himself in pursuit of his hockey dreams. Eagles moved from his small hometown of Sussex, N.B. to try out for teams in the Western Hockey League. He ended up [...] http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/2011/12/07/stu-chooses-lily-fraser-as-vp-finance-and-administration-2/ http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/2011/12/07/stu-chooses-lily-fraser-as-vp-finance-and-administration-2/#comments Wed, 07 Dec 2011 23:04:45 +0000 Stephanie Kelly http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/?p=17608 http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/2011/12/07/stu-chooses-lily-fraser-as-vp-finance-and-administration-2/feed/ 0 Lily Fraser will become STU VP Finance and Administration Jan. 3 2012 (NB Beacon/Stephanie Kelly) Lily Fraser has been crunching numbers for as long as she can remember. “I’ve always migrated to numbers. I was always strong in math…for me, that’s one of those things that comes easily.” Fraser will be doing her fair share of math this January when she joins St. Thomas University as Vice-President of finance and administration. Right now, Fraser is the assistant deputy minister in New Brunswick’s Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour department. She officially assumes her new position with the university on Jan. 3 2012. Fraser is the first female to hold the position of vice-president finance and administration at STU. On July 1, Dawn Russell began her term as president and vice-chancellor, meaning for the first time in its history, the university has two women in top administrative positions. Fraser said she’s honored to be chosen for the position, but that being a woman has nothing to do with her accomplishments. “My experience through my career so far is that we hire people based on their competency and skills and those are not necessarily related to gender.” Fraser got her start at McGill University studying microbiology and immunology. She considered becoming a doctor, but after a few biology labs, realized it wasn’t for her. After McGill, she moved onto the University of Ottawa where she did a Master’s in Health Administration. She’s worked in government for 19 years in roles including financial analyst and program evaluator for the New Brunswick department of health. Fraser was born and raised in Grand Falls, New Brunswick and comes from a family of seven children. Her father was a self-employed businessman who assessed property values, and her mother was a homemaker. University was a natural choice for Fraser  because she always had a passion for learning. “I had an interest in languages, science and administration, so I knew that I wanted to go to post-secondary education. Even though my parents did not do post secondary, they certainly instilled the value of an education in their children.” STU’s quest to find the new vice-president finance and administration began in mid August. A search committee was chaired by president Dawn Russell and included vice-president academic Barry Craig, student representative Craig Mazerolle, and registrar Karen Preston. After a series of public consultative meetings and a lengthy interview process, Fraser was chosen for the job. An official announcement was made last Thursday, Dec. 1. In short, Fraser’s role is to manage the university’s pocketbook. This includes creating policies that deal with how and where money is spent. Fraser said part of her job is to evaluate any financial risks the university faces. “I’ve gotten glimpses of what the challenges might be…our population is aging and we have fewer children and fewer youth who would go onto post-secondary education, so that obviously would have an impact on post-secondary institutions.” She admits she’s new to the role and to the university, but said her leadership and experience with finance management will lend themselves to the position. “I tend to learn quickly and establish good working relationships with people.” Fraser will replace Lawrence Durling, who has served as vice-president finance and administration for St. Thomas University since 1991. Lily Fraser has been crunching numbers for as long as she can remember. “I’ve always migrated to numbers. I was always strong in math…for me, that’s one of those things that comes easily.” Fraser will be doing her fair share of math this [...] http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/2011/12/03/occupy-christmas-protestors-stay-for-tree-lighting/ http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/2011/12/03/occupy-christmas-protestors-stay-for-tree-lighting/#comments Sun, 04 Dec 2011 03:35:11 +0000 Stephanie Kelly http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/?p=17515 http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/2011/12/03/occupy-christmas-protestors-stay-for-tree-lighting/feed/ 0 Intro: Hundreds gathered at city hall last night for the 26th annual Christmas tree lighting, but this year, they had company. Occupy Fredericton protesters are still camped out on the grounds and say they’re here to stay. Stephanie Kelly has the story. Intro: Hundreds gathered at city hall last night for the 26th annual Christmas tree lighting, but this year, they had company. Occupy Fredericton protesters are still camped out on the grounds and say they’re here to stay. Stephanie Kelly has the story. http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/2011/11/11/hundreds-gathered-in-fredericton-to-remember/ http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/2011/11/11/hundreds-gathered-in-fredericton-to-remember/#comments Sat, 12 Nov 2011 00:48:14 +0000 Leanne Osmond http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/?p=16301 http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/2011/11/11/hundreds-gathered-in-fredericton-to-remember/feed/ 5 Cenotaph Downtown Fredericton. (Bryannah James/NB Beacon) Despite the pouring rain men, women, and children gathered around the Cenotaph  in downtown Fredericton to remember and honour Canada’s soldiers who fought and died in wars past, and present. Service men, women, and veterans from all branches of the Canadian Armed forces marched from the Carleton Street Armouries continuing down Queen Street to the Cenotaph for the official ceremony. After the service the parade marched back up Queen Street and to the Armouries for a Remembrance Day reception. Leanne Osmond brings us this piece from this year’s Remembrance Day ceremony. Despite the pouring rain men, women, and children gathered around the Cenotaph  in downtown Fredericton to remember and honour Canada’s soldiers who fought and died in wars past, and present. Service men, women, and veterans from all branches [...] no http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/2011/10/29/charlotte-street-arts-centres-haunted-tour/ http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/2011/10/29/charlotte-street-arts-centres-haunted-tour/#comments Sat, 29 Oct 2011 23:05:26 +0000 Starlit Simon http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/?p=15878 http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/2011/10/29/charlotte-street-arts-centres-haunted-tour/feed/ 0       The APEGNB, Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of New Brunswick, have collaborated with the Charlotte Street Arts Centre in presenting a one of a kind Haunted Tour to raise funds for the CSAC’s outreach program.             The APEGNB, Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of New Brunswick, have collaborated with the Charlotte Street Arts Centre in presenting a one of a kind Haunted Tour to raise funds for the CSAC’s outreach program. [...] http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/2011/10/05/homeless-make-donation-to-oromocto-spca-radio/ http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/2011/10/05/homeless-make-donation-to-oromocto-spca-radio/#comments Thu, 06 Oct 2011 01:47:52 +0000 Viola Pruss http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/?p=14778 http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/2011/10/05/homeless-make-donation-to-oromocto-spca-radio/feed/ 0 It’s pretty rare to hear about homeless people collecting money for a good cause. Two weeks ago, members of a Fredericton church group donated money to the SPCA in Oromocto. Viola Pruss visited the animal shelter to find out more. "It was amazing. It was very inspiring. I mean this is a group of people, they don’t have a lot and yet they are willing to give it up and donate some money to us. And myself and Tracy were almost in tears," said Oromocto SPCA employee Charlotte McInnis. (Viola Pruss/NB Beacon) Transcript: Since 1999 the Oromocto SPCA cares for cats, dogs and all other animals left behind. Two weeks ago, the Meeting Place church in Fredericton provided them with a donation of 18 dollars and 81 cents. More surprising, the donation was made by a group of homeless and low income members of the church’s drop in center. Charlotte McInnis was working the day the money was brought into the SPCA. It was amazing. It was very inspiring. I mean this is a group of people, they don’t have a lot and yet they are willing to give it up and donate some money to us. And myself and Tracy were almost in tears. This July, when the SPCA planned a fundraising event, they found their BBQ stolen. When members of the Meeting place church heard about the theft, they wanted to help. Gregory Gilmore was one of the people donating money. He is blind, and lives in a low income housing unit with his dog Pal. The SPCA is very dear to me. As a matter of fact Pal probably would have ended up at the SPCA. With the SPCA entirely running on donations, even small amounts of money can make a big change for animals without a home. For STU Journalism, Viola Pruss, Fredericton To watch a TV story about this donation, click here. It’s pretty rare to hear about homeless people collecting money for a good cause. Two weeks ago, members of a Fredericton church group donated money to the SPCA in Oromocto. Viola Pruss visited the animal shelter to find out more. Transcript: [...] Viola Pruss SPCA clean http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/2011/04/29/a-documentary-about-nothing/ http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/2011/04/29/a-documentary-about-nothing/#comments Sat, 30 Apr 2011 02:18:18 +0000 Elizabeth Sullivan http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/?p=12626 http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/2011/04/29/a-documentary-about-nothing/feed/ 0 and why it’s ok to care. Advertisement for the graphic novel club, one of several started at the Saint John West Branch library (Photo: Elizabeth Sullivan)   A few moons ago I found myself fascinated with Comic books and why so many people were coming out as comic book fans – because at the time it was a big deal. The importance of comic books and ‘hero culture’ came up again while working on a story about e-books being introduced to New Brunswick libraries, and subsequently with the New Brunswick literacy project that some fellow students and I are currently working on, which will be updated as we conclude the semester. This is the second edition edited version that aired on Where Monsters Dwell.     Transcript available here. and why it’s ok to care.   A few moons ago I found myself fascinated with Comic books and why so many people were coming out as comic book fans – because at the time it was a big deal. The importance of comic books and ‘hero culture’ came [...]