INSIDE COMMUNITY EVENTS B2 MY POINT OF VIEW ARON STRUMECKI Wicked world T’S A WICKED thing, the way this I world turns. It wasn’t that long ago that the media pundits were talking about the current generation of kids as being the first to grow up without ever knowing war, strife and conflict, The hope was, of course, that most of the problems of yesteryear (Colonialism and Imperialism to name a few) were solved after World War I and I]. With the end of the Cold War, peace itself seemed to be the winner, and the world sighed a collec- tive sigh of relief. Now all you had to do was get into computers and your problems were solved. The youth of tomorrow had nothing but shiny eyes and bright futures. What a wonderful time to be young. What a great time to inherit the earth. After all, the hard work was already done; all that was left was a couple of little messes over there in the Middle East. Those would be easy enough to sweep under the rug after all, The world is a wicked thing all right. ‘Overnight, the hope for a peaceful world was shattered.’ After all, who expected someone would ac- tually plow a fully-loaded passenger jet into the side of a New York skyscraper? Who'd have thought that our worst terrorist dreams would have come through in glorious flying Technicolor? Who knew, that in the blink of an eye, the world would come down on its knees, weakened by the bite of a fly no one expected. ‘Overnight, the hope for a peaceful new world was shattered, and gave way to a bug- hunt of grand proportions, with rockets and daisy cutters standing in for fly-swatters. Ta the beginning, in the life before the event of 9/11, you know, the world we used to live in just over three months ago, things seemed pretty good. You know, they were stable, happy and predictable, but all bets seem to be off now. A more cynical person could look back at the Cold War with a glint of nostalgia; the threat of mutually assured global annihilation was at Jeast predictable. The nukes could have started to fly at any second, but then again, at least the airplanes ran on time. Now it seems the only thing it seems we can depend on is the dropping value of the Canadian dollar. The Taliban might be seeing its last gasp today, bul whether or not America stops its war against terrorism with the country of Afghanistan is another question. September 11th wasn't that long ago and the wounds are slill rather fresh. Our newly-minted anti-terror- ist laws haven’t even been taken out of the wrapper yet, and who knows when we'll see the end of economic down spiral. Who knows what will happen next? The only thing [ da know at this point is that I know nothing. Maybe in that, I can find strength, and be open to the answers we all need to know. I care passionately aboul this world its people and its future, but I feel powerless to change it. I love my country but I wonder about its fulure. T love ny family but it’s hard to feel hope. I believe in our system bul our politicians make me doubt, I want a better future for us all, but I don’t know how to get it, and I want to know how. I know the standard answers; get a job, find a girl, work harder, but they just don’t work. ‘Who knows what will happen next?’ There has to be something more to life than finding encugh money to be able to afford ta procreate, There has to be more to life than an endless cycle of war and revenge, I mean, if there’s a point to any of this, you know, life human civilization and all that, then there has to be a point we are going to have to stop this insanity. We musi change, and grow, and for me, I think the best. place to start would be with Afghanistan. It’s time to put aside our petty differences, our cultural prejudices and pre- conceived notions and do what’s needed. We must follow the lead of our friends down south, the Americans in the ‘40s who rebuilf Japan ¥" live and to thrive. We must do all that we can for the Afghani people, and give them the country we wish we had. ° In. the end, it’s the only. way to stop the world. from being so wicked. SECTION B ENNIFER LANG 638- (283 SLRS VEIL By JEFF NAGEL IT WAS a sunny day in May of 1942 when 16- year-old Gen Roberts was handed her death sentence. The Grade 10 student in Drumheller, Alber- ta was given perhaps five years to live before becoming as extinct as the dinosaurs embed- ded in the surrounding hills. She had been diagnosed with juvenile-anset (type 1) diabetes. Now in her 60th year of living with the dis- ease, Roberts is the ultimate survivor. No other diabetic in northern B.C. has tesis- ted the disease as long as she has. In fact she has long outlived all those who predicted she'd die young. But her victory has not come without unbe- lievable cost in perseverance and personal commitment. “Five years was the best anyone would have done then,” she says, “But I was deter- mined I would live forever.” A bright young student, Roberts wanted to be a doctor. No university would accept her. And gaining any kind of skill or career would prove a fight. “Nobody was training a diabetic because at that time diabetics didn’t live long,” she said. While staying in hospital after her diagnosis she began washing dishes and learning lab test procedures. She went on to become certified as an X- ray technician. GEN ROBERTS examines her insulin injector, a constant companion in her fight against diabetes. Roberts has lived with the disease for 60 years through constant vigilance and monitoring of her blood-sugar levels. JEFF NAGEL PHOTO Beating the odds They told Gen Roberts she wouldn't live long. That was 60 years ago.. death. But the key to its use remains near-constant monitoring to keep sugar levels in the blood in balance. “You’re always living on a high wire,” Ro- berts says. When Roberts was first diagnosed she had to take urine samples and boil them for several minutes in arder to She made career moves at times keep- ing her condition a se- cret from bosses, fear- ing otherwise she forever.” “Five years was the best any- one would have done then. But | was determined {| would five perform a test to gauge her blood sugar level, Today it’s simpler. She pricks her finger wauldn’t get the job. Roberts also went on to marry, twice, and have a son. “lve lived an intersting life,” she says. aa In juvenile-onset diabetes, the body usually produces no insulin - the hormone that regu- lates the level of sugar in the blood. The advent of insulin as an injectable drug helped new diabetics dodge quick and certain and carefully squeezes a drop of blood onto a test strip. A number appears on a digital readout and she records it. She performs this ritual eight times each day. Stacks of tiny booklets filled with numbers recount each bounce and drop in Roberts’ biood-sugar levels for decades, Continued Page B3 By JENNIFER LANG WHETHER YOU’RE into photography or T'ai Chi, classic cars or community ser- vice, it’s a solid bet someone else here shares your passion, Terrace has dozens of clubs. From . Square dancing to Scrabble, there’s some- thing for ody. tae Bh As, Dut, Chris Sturrock, .. i ies Paar C."assessment employee wha transferred to rainy Terrace from Courlenay, B.C., in September, He can’t help but notice that Terrace doesn’t seem to have a ‘Wood working hobby club. CHRIS 'STURROCK using a sliding compound | meter saw. JENNIFER LANG PHOTO Club starter to unite hobby wood workers So he’s decided to start one himself. He wanis to bring together people who are passionate about wood working, “Ever since I can remember hammer and a nail in my hand,” he ex- plains with a nostalgic smile. “As I grew up, I just kind of got more and more into it.” He’s got many of the right tools he needs for his own projects but since he lives in a condominium, he doesn’t have anywhere to use them. For example, right now, his sliding compound meter saw is hanging out in his 1 had a Continued Page B4 DARCY Besharah, left, lines up with friend Danika Christiansen and her mom, Lynne, THE LINE for the Saturday matinee started early, Stretching all the way inio the parking lot and be- yond, as hundreds of kids (and almost as many patents) waited for the box office to open up. With little fanfare, one of the year’s most antici- pated movies ~ the blockbuster Harry Potter and the Philosophers’ Stone ~ had arrived in Terrace, opening on the same day here as it did in theatres across North America. Word spread quickly. Marty Christiansen, 13, his mom Lynne, sister Danika, and her friend Darcy Besharah, lined up an hour before showtime Nov.17. Marty, a big fan of the novels, has read all four Harry Potter books - five times each. “The first one I only read four times,” he confided. With such devoted young fans, it’s little wonder the movie version of Harry Potter smashed box of- fice records in ifs opening week. Wild about Harry