- B1 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, March 15, 2006

DUSTIN
QUEZADA.

CHARLY NN TOEWS

Beware

fy you w glance up to the top of the page, you ll
-see' we are at mid-month; the “Ides” of ©

_ March.

This general warning is , for entertainment

| _, purposes only. »

Scribes and soothsayers have been cautioning

us continually about this day. Earlier this month, a
BBC journalist warned that PM Tony Blair’s vote

on educational reforms, to take Place on March 15, ,

may not go well.

American commentator William S. Lind fore-

sees escalating troubles in Iran and Iraq. One blog-
ger tells of an impending global oil‘crisis, while
another says the US ‘Dollar will collapse, on or

about today. Analogies are made regarding men...

in togas wielding long knives, “Beware the Ides. of
March” i is the common headline.

. Of course, the most famous harbinger of doom

was in Shakespeare’s Play “Julius Caesar. ” The
' British = -
‘ Broadcasting Corporation. can fill us in here:

“But where does the expression come: from? :
And why should this date in the calendar be asso- -
ciated with leaders getting a knife in the back from «7

their colleagues?

“The famous ‘phrase “Beware the Ides. of
March” appears in Shakespeare’ s Julius Caesar -
- and is the warning given to the Roman ruler by
a soothsayer.. .

_ “Caesar ignored the far-sighted warning to stay
away from the senate and, on 15 March in the year
44 BC, he was assassinated by his’ own people -

- setting up the classic image of political betrayal

* that has been endlessly recycled by’ dramatists,
cartoonists and comedy sketch writers.”

“Well, why not simply say, “Hey, J! Watch out
for Wicked Wednesday!” instead? Turns out the

days of the week or the numbered dates of the .

month are a very modern way to count your way
to payday.

The “Ides” were part of the old Roman calendar °
-- falling on the. 15th day of March, May, July and

October, and on.the 13th day of the other months.
Ides means “divider.” (“Month twain in two, pay-
cheque is due!” might have been a popular poem of

the day, if it weren’t for all those Sonnets crowd- .

ing the market at the time.)

Back in 1599 or so, it was common to Say, for

| example, “TI have my e-mail to you by five Ides,”

meaning five days before the 15th. Okay, maybe

not e-mail, more like fax or folio.
‘s The Ides. were used alongside two other mark-
ers -- “Kalends” for the first day of the month and
-“Nones,” for the 5th or 7th day. Kalends means
calendar, and was traditionally the day that bills

were due. You might dread Kalends more than .

Ides, especially if we’re talking about Kalends

stamped “overdue” or that dreaded red “Final No-.

tice.”
“Nones” as the sth or 7th day of the month

doesn’t seem to have.a lot of meaning on its own, |

other than a spacer between Invoice Due and
Treachery Looming. “Let’s meet for lunch on V
Nones,” could mean Don D’s on March 3. (“Sor-

ry, my sundial was clouded over out in Thornhill,

hope you weren’t waiting too long.”)
This day-timer system lasted 2000 years, so
that Shakespeare could be confident his audience

' would immediately understand the Ides of March

to mean the 15th.
Skipping out all the boring parts, (guys in togas,

much “Forsooth!” and so forth) here’s the scene.

that sets the scene:

, Caesar: Who is it in the press that calls on me?
- I hear a tongue, shriller than all the music Cry
- “Caesar!” Speak. Caesar is turn’d.to hear.

’ Soothsayer: Beware the ides of March.

Then stab, stab, “I die! I die!” and “Et tu, Bru-
. tus?”

These days, a tragedy i is sad and a comedy is
happy. Back in Billy S’s time, a tragedy was a

story in which a moral flaw led inevitably to the.

character’s downfall, which is still sad. We might
say today, “Zounds! He wast such a jerk and had-
'deth it coming to him!”

_ Acomedy takes things lightly, and rushes right
in without too much explaining or background. It

should contain at least some humour.
Here’s something to look forward to: between
~ the Ides of March and the Kalends of May, is our
dear Will’s birthday. My Shakespeare prof made
a surprise announcement during the final exam: a
’ bonus question would award us extra points, if we
could write down Shakespeare’s birthday. Alas
and alack, I didn’t know on April 23, 1980 when
I was writing said exam, how important that date
was. I felt dismayed and ripped off about my loss,
but in retrospect, it’s kinda funny.

Vesta shi

By. MARGARET SPEIRS

FRIENDS HELD a memorial tribute

at the Dr. REM. Lee Theatre
March ‘5 to say goodbye to Vesta

‘Douglas, the much-loved teacher «

and philanthropist, who was also “a
legend in her own time.” woof
‘Reverend Wally Hargrave opened
with a prayer, read his own tribute to
Douglas and tributes from members
‘of the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra, |
whom Douglas adored.
- Longtime friend’ Charles Meek
read ‘tributes to her from people

~ around the world and locales who »

~ couldn’t be present to honour Doug-

_las, who passed away last month just.

before the opening’ of ‘thé Terrace —
~ Curling © Association’s Valentine’s °
’ ‘Bonspiel, an event which she started
50 years ago. _

Meek . remembered Douglas’s"

close friends who could not be pres-

ent, such as the Camerons who were
“a blessing to her” and Jim MacDou-

gall, who was with Douglas when

she passed.
.He also thanked the Terraceview
Lodge staff for its dedication and

_ care for her and the Terrace Hospice
Society. |

He pointed to a spotlighted photo

of Douglas: that sat next to a dozen |

red roses on an onstage table.

Meek said he brought her roses
every week and she loved them and”
told him she’d miss them when she
was gone.

Meek promised her that even af-

- ter.death she would continue to re

ceive them: .

* “f intend to keep that promise,”
he told the audience of about 175
‘people.

‘A poem ‘Meek wrote for Douglas
two years ago, aptly titled Vesta’s’

_ Poem, was read aloud and accom-

panied by live music. The stage was
darkened and the only light was the
spotlight illuminating her photo.

Meek said when he -first recited
the poem for Douglas, he couldn’ t
look in her eyes. _

But as it- drew to a close, he
looked at her and she said, “Why

ms TERRACE STANDARD

“

CHARLES MEEK, left, ‘and Reverend Wally Hargrave flank the photo of.Vesta Douglas that was Ppromi- :
nently displayed on stage, during the memorial tribute to Douglas at the Dr. R.E.M: Lee. Theatre. March 5..

-ones,”

would somebody write something
so nice about me?” .

“Simply, you’re a ‘special lady,’
he told the audience... . —

+

“She loved trouble and our jokes .

and there - ‘was indeed many Bod
he said.

Edna Cooper, who. spoke on be-
half of the Coast Mountains School
District, remembered Douglas’s
words that the children in the class-

room would always be her chief .

concern.
Douglas believed deeply that ev-
ery person had value and said “the
privilege of learning from children
has been a priceless experience.”
Mary-Ann Burdett, Dominion

‘Command President “Royal. Ca-

nadian Legion, offered. her own .
- memories of Douglas as a. usual
‘and welcome sight at the. legion, -
‘always present for the judging-of |
-the Riverboat Days_parade,: the
legion’ s: steak nights and special
. occasions ‘as long as she was able

to get there.

Douglas was always the first’ to |
" nizations Douglas held dear was the

congratulate her on her move up the
legion ranks, Burdett said.

“The most special was when she
took me'by the hand and said ‘ you’ve
done well, Mary-Ann. We’re proud

of you but be happy. That’s what’s ©

truly important. Happiness doesn’t

just: happen, Mary-Ann, you’ve got».

Locals bring water,
hope to Ethiopia —

By SARAH A. ZIMMERMAN

~ WHEN LESLEY Erasmus returned to

Terrace from her. first trip to Ethiopia three
years ago, she felt a little guilty. every time
she used her tap or fiushed the toilet.

- After seeing the great lengths many vil-

lagers go to just to get fresh water, she real- :

ized the access to clean water Canadians en-

| joy is something to cherish rather than take

for granted.

’ “Most of the women spent. their time ‘haul-..
_ ing water,” recalls Lesley of her first visit to”
the African country. “It’s pretty instructive -

to. see how people live and how lucky we.

VILLAGERS gather water from a water
source above. Below, a young Ethiopian
girl carries water on her back. |

That’s why she and her husbarid Ant, also

a Rotarian but from the Terrace Downtown
"Club, have since spearheaded a campaign to

raise money through Rotary to help bring

fresh, clean water to a-small African com-.

munity.

Rotarians, the couple learned about Ginnir,

"a small goat herding village located 500 km —
south of the nation’s capital, Addis Abbaba.° —
Ginnir is the meeting place for shepherds '

~ while the men work ‘herding goats, the
women and children are left to maintain the
home. .

The community” s only water source is lo-
cated seven km from the village,
For nearly 20 years, water from the well

was pumped to Ginnir, but about four years

- ago it failed and went out of service.
_ Since then, villagers have had to walk to
and from the water ‘source to collect water. §
-— something that can be a dangerous venture |
‘for the community’s most vulnerable mem-

bers — young girls.

“In particular, girls and women’ are the
main victims — girls are forced to quit school
and women, who shoulder the burden and

the sole responsibility of caring for. their

children and making food, are now burdened -

ye with the extra task of providing their fami-
says Ethiopian Rotarian

lies with water,”
Teshome Kebede.

The round trip journey to and from the
_ well brings with it it’s own dangers.

“They are often at risk of being preyed

“upon by not only animals but by older men
as well,” explains Lesley.

The task is labour intensive with: pitchers

of water sometimes weighing twice as much

as the girls’ own weights, says Kebede.

Kebede is a member of the’Rotary Club -
of Addis Abbaba, the Ethiopian sister club
joining-forces with Lesley and Art to install
the new generator and pump in Ginnir.

Once it’s installed, young girls can start _

returning to school — something most have
been denied since the well went out-of ser-
vice.

It’s one example of how bringing water
to a small community can affect dramatic
social change.

On sité access to clean water reduces the
incidence of waterborne diseases, which in

Continued Page B3

Through: their contacts with Ethiopian

999

to give it.a little ‘nudge, ” she said.

Hargrave and Meek named the 7
_ Many organizations Douglas. sup* -

ported. Everything from the Terrace |
Beautification Society. to the Terrace -
Public Library to the. Terrace Pipes *

.and’ Drums benefitted from Doug-
_ las’s: kindness, love and generosity,

they said,
Hargrave noted one of the orga-

Child Development Centre and in-
vited people to honour-Douglas by
making a donation to the centre. ._
Hargrave summed up the emo-
tional day, reading from a letter.by —
former teacher Art Erasmus: “She
indeed will be missed.” —

“Around Town _

Book yourself a night of

literary and family fun

SKEENA JUNIOR Secondary School plays host to Family.
- Literacy’ Night next Tuesday, March 21 from 7-9..p. m.:
featuring keynot speaker and author Eden Robinson, :

Robinson, . ~ Haisla®

: Eden Robinson |

gi nning. .

woman who grew up near
_Kitamaat' and now lives in
North .Vancouver, has ; re-
. cently finished her third pub-
‘lished. book, Bloodsport..
Her previous “published. -
- books ~ include” Monkey
= Beach and Traplines,. a col: -
~~ Jection of - stories that was <.
awarded the Winifred Holt-
_by. Prize. for the best. first’
work of fiction in the Com-
_ monwealth, and was a New
- . York Times Editor’s Choice
Sand Notable: Book: of the ”
Years:
~ The evening will kick off
with opening ceremonies by |
the Clarence Michiel’ Drum ©
Group: and that’ s just the be-..

There will be booths set up by the First ‘Nations Educa:
tion Centre, the Terrace Public Library, Misty River Books,
the Skeena’school library, the Kermode Friendship Centre.

~ and Sue Spalding. °

Emily Bryant will be storytelling, plus there. will be'ac- *
tivities for younger readers, ‘including a story | book comer. ©

and games.

Refreshments will be available and door prizes will be:

offered.

Robinson will also be talking to individual classes during

the day at the school.

Leona Wells at Skeena Junior Secondary school i is ‘the :
organizer with the help of students’ from. ‘the ‘Na aksa Gila

| Kyew Learning Centre.

Make a racket at the Kiva

THE KIVA Café at Northwest Community College is '
hosting a squash tournament March 16- 19 and there’ s plenty
happening around the games.

On Friday, March -17, there will bean open mic ‘for St.
Patrick’s Day from 4 p.m. until close.

The following night, Saturday, March 18 the café hosts a

potluck for spectators and players.

And throughout the Thursday to Sunday toumament door
prizes will be awarded to spectators. ~

Interested players see page B10 for the sporting info and
questions can be directed to Elaine at 638-5457.

638-7283