On jammed frequencies

If you live in Kingston, ON and have a Bell or TELUS GSM phone, chances are you're experiencing some technical difficulties: dropped calls, failed calls, delayed text messages... I know I am.

I called in a technical ticket and should have an answer by Tuesday. Meanwhile, the problem hasn't been resolved. In fact, it may have gotten worse.

Every time I try to make a call, whether local or long distance, it fails. It'll fail five or six times before going through, and then, though I haven't moved, the call will drop after a couple of minutes of airtime. It's very tough to have a decent conversation, which is super frustrating. In fact, it totally sucks.

The TELUS rep at the store downtown was much more helpful than the 611 technicians in explaining the nature of the problem to me. It seems that these issues arise yearly, which is something the phone techs are not necessarily aware off. When all the Queens students come back to town, the population of Kingston, ON doubles. To make matters worse, the new influx of cell signals is concentrated to the downtown core. This causes the cell towers to be completely overloaded, especially because GSM signals* aren't as strong as the old CDMA and other non-SIM card technologies. To make matters worse, TELUS hasn't put up its own towers in Kingston yet, so all non-Rogers 3G customers are dependant on the proper functioning of the shared Bell towers. Clearly, they do not have the capacity to provide proper service to all those who want it, and I will be asking for a partial refund on my service.

At least the @TELUSSupport rep on Twitter was helpful in letting us know that they were experiencing text message delays on the HSPA network. At least this means the text messages are actually going through and coming in - unlike yesterday - just not in a timely fashion.

If you're in the same situation as I am, don't despair! Apparently, the network traffic overload will be lessened in a week or so and in the next couple of days, everything should be back to normal. Hopefully.

* Please excuse any terminological errors... This isn't my field of expertise!

On keeping busy

The month of April has come and gone, bringing us sun and flowers, then taking them away with freak snow and wind storms. Life goes on, no matter how busy you are, and I have been so busy that I haven't had time to Facebook, tweet or blog properly, though I've been trying really hard to keep everyone up to date.

My World Partnership Walk fundraising campaign has been going well, thanks to some very generous donations from some people who are very dear to me. Their kind words have helped boost my efforts, both on the personal front and on the not-for-profit professional front. I'm very excited about the involvement of local media in the 2010 Walk in Montreal and as soon as I officially can, I'll share some of their plans with you.

Meanwhile, two articles I have written in the past few months were finally published! The first one is available online, at The Ismaili.org. It touches on the Bridges That Unite exhibition that was held at Concordia University in March, and in 5 other cities before then, showcasing Canada's development work and 25-year partnership with Aga Khan Foundation Canada. You can read it here.

The other article I wrote appeared in The Ismaili Canada Magazine, which is distributed mainly to the Ismaili community in Canada periodically. It touches on women's role in development and how empowering the women in the developing world can help break the cycle of poverty. I've posted it below for your enjoyment.

Apart from writing, working on the Walk, and translating, I've been doing a fair amount of TV work! HBO Boxing, Versus Hockey broadcasts, CBCSports' coverage of the 2010 Canada Cup... It's been pretty much non-stop work in one field or another for me since my birthday. But hey, I'm not complaining! I am, however, very much looking forward to my mini-escape to Toronto from June 22 to 28. If you want to meet up while I'm in town, you know where to reach me! :)

And now, please excuse me as I go back to translating. Stay tuned...


Empowering women to break the cycle of poverty
By Naila Jinnah

How much do you make in a year? A typical Canadian family with two earning adults made approximately $100,000 before taxes in 2007. Imagine if that amount was cut in half. Could you offer your family the same quality of life on just one income?

In many developing countries, families have to rely on the inadequate salary of only one earner. These families work hard, but often do not see financial returns. In many rural regions, crops are consumed for subsistence rather than sold to the market. This reduces the revenues a family has available to ensure a higher quality of life.

The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) estimates that women represent 70 percent of the world’s poor. Statistically, women are more likely than men to be poor due to the discrimination they face in areas of education and employment.

So how can women be empowered to break out of the cycle of poverty?

There are short-term and long term approaches to this challenge. The Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), strives to provide economically viable solutions to poverty in the developing world by investing in entrepreneurship and offering financial services to those who are not usually eligible to receive them. These programs go beyond micro-lending into the area of private and for-profit enterprise. One example of AKFED’s investment ventures is Kenya’s
Frigoken Ltd.

Frigoken works with small-scale farmers to stimulate regional economies by providing business development services like price guarantees, quality control, training and seeds. This venture works on two levels. First, it enables entire farming villages in the coastal rural region of Mombasa to confidently invest in their crops, providing a higher and more stable source of income, and allowing families to educate their children. Second, it stimulates the national economy by providing factory jobs for trained workers who process and package the vegetables
for export.

Approximately 2,700 people work in the Frigoken factory. Most of them are women who are providing a valuable secondary income for their families. There is also an on location daycare service for the younger children. But often where agencies like AKDN are not active, employment opportunities for women remain limited.

Unskilled women with limited education are dispensable in the economic chain. In the city, these women are confined to low-paying and low-status jobs like domestic and cleaning services. Even in Canada, many immigrant families are stuck in low income lifestyles with no apparent way out. Single mothers here resort to night jobs in factories or mid-day shifts in the hospitality industry in order to accommodate their dual role as parents and earners.

The root of the poverty problem lies deeper. According to UNIFEM, women make up approximately 60 to 80 percent of the manufacturing workforce, a struggling industry in the
ongoing global economic crisis. How can they save their families from the desperation of poverty?

The solution is education. Offering proper educational services that are tailored to girls’ needs from early childhood through to adulthood is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty. Fortunately, children in Canada are provided with free, quality education until the age of 16
regardless of their backgrounds, providing hope for a better life for future generations.

But in developing countries, it’s not that simple.

Children living in cities are well serviced by primary and secondary schools. But in rural areas, educational facilities are less accessible. One common form of early childhood education is the madrasa, a religiously focussed pre-school. AKDN partners with villages in East Africa to build madrasas, allowing the community to unite and effectively run the schools. Along with providing financial support, the AKDN trains village women to be teachers, ensuring that a secular curriculum is taught for at least part of the day. This allows children from all backgrounds to attend and accommodates responsibilities at home.

Girls benefit the most from this arrangement; they can still tend to sick family members or help in the kitchen or farm before and after school. Since the teachers are local women who are paid by the village, the madrasa project also empowers women on a secondary level.

Most parents understand the value of education in providing a better future for their children but they cannot afford to lose their workforce for extended periods of time. Many girls drop out of school in their teens, while boys often finish high school. The issue lies in the sensitivity to girls’ physiological and practical needs, rather than cultural considerations. Many girls stop going to school when they reach puberty because schools do not have proper latrines tailored to women’s needs. Even when they do, the poverty is so extreme that girls cannot afford feminine hygiene products. Worse, many girls do not have spare undergarments and uniforms and must go home to wash and dry them, which disrupts the school day.

The Aga Khan School Improvement Programme (SIP) is one AKDN initiative that directly addresses this challenge by providing a forum for girls to discuss issues that are relevant only to them in a secure, private setting and make suggestions to the school on their educational experience. Programs like SIP invest in girls by providing them with the tools they need to escape poverty on a practical and educational level. It empowers girls to change their lives and livelihoods and opens up a wide array of possibilities for their future. Many
dream of being doctors and teachers.

In his speech at the commemoration of the 25th Anniversary of the madrasa programme in Mombasa, Kenya, in 2007, [The Aga Khan] noted that, ”… we sometimes give too little attention to the schools which prepare young children for life itself—in all of its holistic dimensions. And yet the evidence accumulates steadily showing that an investment made in the earliest, pre-school years can bring enormous dividends as a child proceeds from one level of education to another.”

Women perform 66 percent of the world’s work, produce 50 percent of the food, but earn only 10 percent of the income and own a meagre one percent of the property. With services that are sensitive to their issues, women have the opportunity to provide a higher quality of life for their families. With some support, these girls could one day lead the developing world out of the devastating cycle of poverty.

(First appeared in The Ismaili Canada Magazine, Issue 1, March 2010)

The story behind a Canadian Cyclist

Some months ago, I was asked to do a one-on-one interview with reporter Alain Gravel, host of Radio Canada's investigative reporting programme "Enquête". Gravel, as you may recall, is the reporter who broke the story of Quebec's biggest doping scandal. After many months of pushing, cyclist Geneviève Jeanson admitted to Gravel and his team that she had in fact taken drugs and had been doing so from a very young age.

The interview was published in Media Magazine, the publication put out by the Canadian Association of Journalists. Ironically, Gravel was, at the time of the interview, the president of the Fédération Professionelle des Journalistes du Québec.

This interview was particularly tough to write up, not because of the translation work required, but because of the sheer amount of content that the interview provided. Originally, I had planned on a 15 to 30 minute interview - MAX. Instead, I had just over an hour of tape to listen and sort through. Plus, the story itself was very complex, as there was a lot of back and forth before Gravel and his team were able to get a confession out of Jeanson. In fact, the story was so complicated that even Gravel had to think hard about the timing and sequence of the events leading up to his scoop. Not to mention that the story and the pursuit of the story were both very interesting and full of juicy details.

All in all, I was very satisfied with the article and with the editing job - with one exception. Near the end of the second page, the text mentions that "a Canadian cyclist had written about a marriage certificate" when it should instead say "Canadian Cyclist had written about a marriage certificate", meaning the industry magazine Canadian Cyclist.

Without further ado, here I am, on page 18!

Stay tuned for more goodies...

Paper trail...

In honour of the NHL trade deadline, it's time to think of something else. In this case, paper.
This year, I once again was an intern for The Reporter, Pulp and Paper Canada's daily publication during PaperWeek International and EXFOR 2008.
It took place in early February, so while I'm a bit slow on the posting, I figured today was a symbolic day for looking back at past success and forward at new horizons.

Here are a couple of texts I wrote during that week.

Irving impresses with SC-A upgrade

In 2006, Irving Paper Ltd. decided to convert its PM1 to an SC-A grade machine, with plans to upgrade to SC-A+. The PM1, which was built in 1964, was in need of an upgrade, especially in the press and calendering areas.

“This was a strategic decision by the company to move away from newsprint and go to value add grades, so that was probably the biggest asset,” said PM1 Superintendant Terry Tomney.

One of the most interesting aspects of this presentation, which was part of Metso’s annual conference, was the time lapse photography of the whole process. The upgrade took 65 days to complete, and the bird’s-eye view of the calendering and dryer hood deconstruction and reconstruction was captured every 20 minutes, providing a remarkable amount of material for an impressive slideshow.

Most inspiringly, the process was ongoing as workers were on the floor 24 hours a day and the project was completed with no downtime.

At first, Irving experienced some quality issues such as dry end breaks, VIB Digital Block Corrosion, and wrinkling due to air entrapment, but Metso and Irving cooperated in finding the solutions to these problems, often by using new technologies such as the OptiReel Plus.

However, several of Irving’s concerns turned out to be non-issues.

“One thing we were really concerned about,” said Tomney, “is that it’s approximately 80 meters that the sheet runs, so there’s a lot of opportunities for issues. But to our great surprise, thanks to the advance work we had done with Metso, we had no issues with threading.”

Since Irving has only two paper machines, it was important for the company to minimize downtime. One of the keys to accomplishing this was quicker troubleshooting of E&I issues, as software made it possible to resolve issues in ten to fifteen minutes rather than four to five hours.

“We are taking a quantum step in development for ourselves and we’re entering an area that we didn’t know so much about,” Tomney said. “[Metso] was very valuable to us, so much so that we extended our co-operation agreement.”

Still, while early 2007 results showed a great increase in the quality of the paper produced by Irving’s reconstructed SC-A/SC-A+ machine, there is still a lot of room for improvement.

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Industry analyst forecasts transition year

By Naila Jinnah

Tuesday’s plenary session provided much food for thought as TD Newcrest’s Paper and Forest Products Equity Analyst Sean Steuart, CFA, presented his forecast for the year to come.

His presentation, appropriately entitled “Outlook: An Industry in Transition”, was a perfect partner to PaperWeek International’s theme for 2008, “A Bridge to the Future”.

Steuart explained that the pulp and paper industry in the United States and in Canada has a poor reputation in the investment community, partially because of its failure to meet performance expectations in the past few years but also because of the way brokers emphasize the pros but neglect to stress the cons of investing in the sector.

Since 1999, capital has been down 6%, with a more pronounced trend since the Canadian dollar started rising. Therefore, the industry is losing relevance in the investment community, as Canadian, US and European investments in the sector account for less than 1% of the equity market.

“I think there’s a credibility issue both on the analyst side and the industry side,” said Steuart. “We definitely get the sense that investors want to see how this unfolds in the next couple of years.”

In 2008, only five Canadian P&FP companies were listed in the S&P/TSX Composite Index, accounting for $6.0 million Canadian in market capital. That’s a huge drop from 1995, when 23 companies combined for $14.8 million in market capital. One major factor is the mergers and buyouts of the past few years, as traditionally Canadian companies like Abitibi and Domtar became listed as US companies.

Steuart looked back at the downturn of the past year and provided short, mid and long term trends, focusing primarily on the Canadian market.

“We estimate that the weighted average cost of capital for Canadian companies is 13%,” said Steuart of the current situation. “I wouldn’t say that USA and Europe companies have been better, but they’re certainly better than Canada. Companies have been withholding investments and share prices have gone down as a result.”

Steuart also addressed the recession fears in the US, claiming that although a broad recession might not take place, but that various commodities in this sector are already in recession.

Wood products were hit especially hard in 2007 and over the past five years, mitigated by actual demand improvement but also because of factors like the US housing crisis. New technologies will also play a role in the long term.

“A couple of products are in structural demand decline for North America,” said Steuart, “especially newsprint and uncoated freesheet. This reflects the trend in the way people are accessing information, especially with new technologies.”

Most wood product companies have a negative cashflow, especially in Canada, and further consolidation is inevitable, according to Steuart.

“Prices have fallen so much because companies with good balance sheets have decided to push their assets too hard and burn cash instead of sitting back and balancing,” said Steuart.

As for market pulp, prices are still rising across most grades and regions. The market remains tight, especially for hardwood, but momentum is decreasing due to the short term fibre scarcity caused by issues like weather, closures, and union disputes. In the long term, there will be a steady demand growth with closings of high demand price mills as new greenfield pulp mills open in the Southern Hemisphere. China remains a big driver, as shipments to that country account for 20% of the 19 major companies’ exports.

Prices for newsprint, primarily a Canadian commodity, have started increasing.

“A number of the smaller companies were waiting for Abitibi to finish their merger and proceed with expected closures. And they sort of sat at on the sidelines and waited, and prices went down,” explained Steuart.

For Steuart, it’s hard to believe prices went down so much, since the effect of inflation in the last 8 years in Canada coupled with the Canadian dollar appreciation made it double the US values.

“It’s been a very tough few years, but I think we’ve turned the corner,” said Steuart. “Part of the reasons we’re positive is that the big publishers in the States appear to be aboard and understanding our struggles.”

All Canadian lumber producers except for Interfor are losing operating cash before taxes and adjustments.

“We’re going to see the worst data in Q4 that we’ve ever seen. It’s going to be a tough quarter,” Steuart warned.

-30-

I also have an article going into the March issue of Pulp and Paper Canada, which is always interesting, and I should be writing an article on one of my pet subjects as of late, so...

Stay tuned!

New Feature!

Of the written kind, I mean.

Here's the piece I wrote on the goalies of the Concordia University women's hockey team, the Stingers. It was published in today's edition of the Link.

Enjoy!

Passion brings Stingers goalies together

But a little competition is healthy for women's hockey teammates

By Naila Jinnah

On paper, Concordia Stingers goaltenders Meggy Hatin-Léveillée, Audrey Doyon-Lessard and Stephanie Peck don’t have much in common, apart from sharing a spot on the women’s hockey team.

A quick glance at the roster shows that the girls have different eligibility years, come from different CÉGEPs and are in programs that couldn’t be more different: honours psychology, exercise science and marketing respectively. But one look at these three masked warriors and all those differences come crashing to the ice.

Goalies are a special breed, a saying that rings especially true for collegiate teams. For years, these girls have been the only goaltenders on their team, left aside at practices while the rest of the players worked on drills. They have become more self-sufficient than their teammates, often learning on their own and from their own mistakes. They have been the starting goalie every game—by default. But CÉGEP brought not only a new level of play but also a new reality—competing for the starting spot with at least two other girls.

This is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, there is the risk of spending most of the season on the bench rather than on the ice. On the other hand, practices are a bit more fun when you have a companion to run goaltending drills with.

“With the three of us, practice is more fun, because it’s like a team of goalies!” said Hatin-Léveillée, laughing with her goaltending partners.

“Being goalie is a very special bond,” she added. “Aside from our field of study, we really understand each other, even if others don’t. We know we can rely on the other two to understand, so we don’t feel awkward or out of place.”

Hatin-Léveillée and Doyon-Lessard have been splitting the load for one season, but Peck joined the team this year. They were an instant fit.

“I totally felt welcome with them,” said rookie Peck. “I knew right away that they got along really well because it showed. It really makes a difference when you get along with your goalie partner.”

This year, the girls need to get along with someone else too. For the first time in four years, the Stingers have added a goalie coach to their staff. Dave Paré gets on the ice with the girls during practice and his feedback is definitely appreciated.

“Last year we couldn’t improve on anything because no one would tell us what the problems were,” Hatin-Léveillée said. “But this year, in practice, our coach tells us what we do and we can improve our game.”

“It makes us feel more part of a team and more important, in a way.”

“I think it shows that we just prioritize the goaltending and that it’s really important,” said Peck. “We need that kind of help and it’s good to have that kind of support.”

The girls also get a lot of support from each other—they spend a lot of time together and the comfortable chemistry that was established during training camp turned into friendly competition as the season started. At the beginning, Hatin-Léveillée and Doyon-Lessard were the goaltending duo of choice, and while Hatin-Léveillée got many starts, there was no clear-cut number one goalie. But on Oct. 28, 2007, Doyon-Lessard was injured in a game at Carleton University.

“I tried to cover the puck and was going forward, but the girl sort of skated on my head,” explained Doyon-Lessard.

She was diagnosed with a concussion, an injury that is particularly hard to recover from since it requires complete rest. After over two months on the injured reserve list, Doyon-Lessard finally made it back between the pipes on Jan. 6, 2008 for the championship game of the Theresa Humes tournament, replacing starter Hatin-Léveillée. The Stingers lost 7-0 to McGill.

“It was great for me to play,” Doyon-Lessard said after the game, “but I didn’t like the reason why I had to go in.”

Meanwhile, Peck was back at her usual seat in the stands. The third goalie is often lost in the rush, but she is just as much a member of the team as the other girls. Like Doyon-Lessard when she was injured, Peck needs to attend all practices and games, even if she’s not dressing for the latter. The average observer doesn’t notice her, but she is far from invisible to her teammates. And while the seats in the stands are mostly comfortable, it’s not Peck’s spot of choice.

“It’s really tough coming in as a third goalie,” she said. “People don’t understand unless they’ve lived it.”

“With goalies, there are only three spots, and two that dress,” said Hatin-Léveillée. “With players, there’s a lot more room to work with. They have twelve!”

“I’ve lived it,” she added, “and now Steph is going through it.”

“It’s a real learning experience,” Peck said. “It’s definitely going to make me better for it. Stronger. It’s humbling too, because you have to earn it. Everybody has to pay their dues.”

The bond between these three girls is apparent in their interactions on and off the ice, and their unofficial ranking on the roster is not of much concern to them.

“We try to stay together and keep it equal in practices,” Hatin-Léveillée said. “And come game time, for sure there’s going to be a goalie who plays and a goalie who doesn’t dress. I think that’s the only time that there’s a difference.”

“In practice, we don’t see number one, number two, number three. We don’t see a difference.”

But for Hatin-Léveillée, having a new partner in crime didn’t change the way she approached the game. Competition is important, but the girls each have a different role to play on the team. They push each other in positive ways.

“It’s never taken for granted,” Hatin-Léveillée said. “I’m not number one for sure. We have to work for it, earn it, and if I play a good game, more points for me!”

“It’s a competition, but at the same time it’s healthy, because we’re not bitching about it and we’re not being mean about it. We want our spot and we want to deserve it. If I don’t feel like I deserve it, I don’t want to be the one in nets.”

“It’s not like if someone has a bad game, you’re like ‘yes!’ You put the team first,” Peck agreed.

“We all can do it, and we all know that everyone here can stop the puck wherever it is,” said Hatin-Léveillée. “When it happens that we have bad games, we know it’s a mental thing. So we go up to each other and tell the other goalie to get back in there and to be strong mentally.”

The girls don’t really see each other outside of hockey, although that’s probably a good thing. With practice, workout sessions, school and homework, it’s hard to find time to relax, not to mention that non-hockey friends tend to get jealous.

“You’re with each other every day,” said Doyon-Lessard. “We see each other more than our family!”

It is this commitment to the game that enables the girls to make these sacrifices. Their love for hockey is apparent on and off the ice, and their passion brings them together just as it divides them.

“We have that thing in common that we love to come here to play hockey in the morning,” said Hatin-Léveillée.

“But like it or not, we’re here to play hockey, and we all want the same thing,” concluded Peck.

-30-

Money

Alexander Ovechkin just signed a multi-year deal that has been rumoured to earn him $124 million dollars over 13 years. That's the first six years at $9 mil and then next seven years at $10 mil.

Okay, so I love hockey and all, but, are you serious?!

$10 million?! What does one do with 10 million dollars a year?!

Sure, about half of that gets eaten up in taxes (if you're in Canada), and you've got to pay for a house and utilities you barely use... But all your travel and accommodations are paid by the team. You even get meal vouchers and/or a daily stipend.

Sure, it's nice to party once in a while when you're not at work, and as a "celebrity" you need good looking (read expensive) clothes.

Still, $10 million dollars is a whole lot of cash! But somehow, for some reason, I don't think he's gonna donate, say, 1 year's salary to charity. Not in a chunk, that's for sure. And chances are, even if he does make donations, they won't total up to 10% of his total gross salary. As in $12.4 million.

I don't mean to rag on Alexander Ovechkin. There are other superstars out there being locked up for longterm multi(gazillion) million dollar deals and entertainers racking up millions for one project. This is just the latest case in a series of (un)fortunate events.


Lets just take a second to put things into perspective.

* Half the world - nearly 3 billion people - live on less than $2 a day.

* Every year 15 million children die of hunger.

* Every day, about 25,000 people die from hunger, most of them children

* Every 3.6 seconds someone dies of hunger, but...

* It is estimated that some 800 million people in the world suffer from hunger and malnutrition, about 100 times as many as those who actually die from it each year.


Closer to home,

* One out of every eight children under the age of twelve in the U.S. goes to bed hungry every night.

*

Now consider this...

* The combined wealth of the world’s 200 richest people hit $1 trillion in 1999; the combined incomes of the 582 million people living in the 43 least developed countries is $146 billion.

That's insane. What's more insane is this:

* The cost of ending world hunger completely is about $195 billion a year.

And there are more shocking statistics available online about how a little bit of money can change a lot. And check this out!

We can raise the $195 billion if, for every $100 made in Canada, the country donates 30 cents. In the US, that's 17 cents.

That's not too hard to do, yet we prefer to pay exorbitant amounts of money to watch 40 grown men take to the ice. (And yes, I do this too...)

*

Oh, and just fyi...


During the 2 minutes it took to read this post, 33 people died of extreme poverty.

I'm all for hockey players getting million dollar contracts. It's a tough life, I get it. Maybe you can't donate your whole paycheck... taxes eat up most of it anyway. Still, I don't think it's right to pay someone $10 million a year to lace up skates where there's so much more we could be doing with the money.

My first Montreal Gazette byline...

Sometimes, it takes a while for me to get stuff up on here. This time, I have an excuse... I was in Toronto when it happened.
And if that one doesn't work, blame it on the ear infection I got last Thursday. Yes, two weeks later.

Cutting to the chase... (an expression that makes no sense, if you ask me. Shouldn't you be cutting THE chase and getting to the point?)

I am now the proud owner of a Gazette byline. Sure, it's the West Island section, but that doesn't make it any less cool.

It's an article I wrote back in July, I believe, about the Lakeshore Camera Club celebrating their 50th anniversary. Here's the link: Camera Club is a wide-angle affair

Enjoy!

Lagging...

Yes, yes, I've been lacking in my updates. But school is finally over - for now. I will soon have a lot of goodies, including a newscast I produced for my TV course. But first, here's a profile I wrote on a photographer I worked with at Pulp and Paper Canada. Her name is Kate Fellerath, her work is awesome, and you can contact her on www.fellerath.com.

Bringing Stills to Life

A professional photographer makes posing for portraits fun

By Naila Jinnah

She’ll take the typical headshot you asked for, but Kate Fellerath will make you laugh as she’s snapping away. She will make you comfortable, and no matter what, she will make you look good.

After all, that’s her job. A professional photographer aims to make the client happy.

But for Fellerath, that’s not enough.

“I think I try to make a connection with the person I’m taking a picture of,” she said, “because as boring as the process can be, it must be extra boring for them!”

Fellerath’s personality and personableness has earned her many smiles over the years, but it’s the quality of her work that has brought her jobs.

“When you’re in this kind of business, you really need to get along with everybody because you rely on word of mouth,” she said. “I don’t do it on purpose, but I think I do get along with everybody, and that’s the key.”

The key to her success. Fellerath was a customer service representative in Toronto when she realized that she was unhappy with her life. Her friends recommended that she look back at what she loved as a child.

“I actually got into photography when my dad gave me a camera for Christmas when I was 10,” she said.

Fellerath’s life had brought her elsewhere, but a trip to Europe in the late 90s made her rediscover her passion. It was time to return to her roots, and her hometown of Montreal. There, she enrolled in the rigorous three-year commercial photography program at Dawson College, where she had previously completed a creative arts diploma.

While in school, Fellerath started working for Lawrence Clemen, a prominent Montreal wedding photographer. Clemen became her mentor, teaching her all about being a professional photographer. Through his generosity, he encouraged her to open her own business.

And so she did. It was a progressive endeavour, with Fellerath gradually taking more projects of her own, and spending less time at work.

“Soon, I got so busy, I just gave up all my other jobs,” she recalls. “That would have been probably in 2005. I was on my own.”

Two years later, Fellerath’s business is thriving. She has a solid client base and spends her summer photographing weddings.

“I basically started my business in weddings,” she said, “because that’s a word of mouth business.”

“If you do a good job, people will tell other people, so I didn’t have to invest in marketing or advertising. I just naturally started getting my name out there, and got more and more jobs.”

From weddings, Fellerath has expanded her business to include travel photography, still life, documentary photography, commercial advertising projects, and now, portraits.

“I think that’s the next step for me, to photograph family pictures, and kids, and stuff like that,” she said.

“And then I might get a studio. I’m pretty careful with my finances so I’d have to make sure that that’s a good investment for me.”

So far, Fellerath owns two film cameras, and two digital cameras. She also has six lenses. That’s not a lot for a professional photographer, but it’s not because she can’t afford the equipment – or the studio.

“I try to buy my equipment really smartly,” said Fellerath. “I try to buy the best equipment that I can, and then I just add a little bit at a time. I make sure that I actually need it first!”

Just like starting her own business, Fellerath is expanding slowly, but by choice. She even rents equipment to try it before buying it.

The one step Fellerath took faster than most small businesses and artists was creating a website.

“It’s an incredible tool,” she said. “It’s gotten me a lot a lot of work because when people recommend me, they just send my website. It’s like a calling card.”

On her website, Fellerath displays a selection of her favourite travel, wedding, and portrait photography. Throughout her portfolio, Fellerath demonstrates a unique blend of photojournalism techniques and fashion with an artistic eye. Her work shows a strong use of light, composition and colour that seems instinctive.

What truly makes Fellerath’s photography exceptional is her ability to channel the intrinsic beauty in every shot.

“I love beautiful imagery,” she said. “Something that’s sad, something that is going to move somebody. I love colors, I love interesting compositions. That’s what I really enjoy.”

What Fellerath loves to create is what she enjoys seeing in the work of others, like fine arts photographer Keith Carter.

“First of all, I look at it, and there’s no way that I would be able to take those photos,” she said. “That’s one thing that I really like.”

“When I see a photographer that just has that sort of artistry, and it’s a traditional method of photographing and it’s all kind of warped and blurry and suctions…” she goes on passionately.

She also admires Henri Cartier-Bresson, a pioneer of modern photojournalism.

“It’s really beautiful street life photography,” Fellerath said, “and it’s really interesting because every day you look around and it’s not as exciting as what you see in his photography.”

Luckily, Fellerath manages to make all her photographs exciting, even her still life. In fact, some of her favourite still life and architectural shots of Montreal are currently displayed at Sur Bleury Restaurant, in the downtown core. Her work has been displayed in galleries and local cafés before, but it has been tough for Fellerath to find the time to devote herself to creative endeavours.

Even though she only schedules one job a day – in case a client needs more time or more work – Fellerath’s months have been busier than ever.

“When you work for yourself you’re always working,” she said.

But striking a balance between the photography and the business side is the real challenge, not time management.

“My goal is to take on lots of interesting projects,” said Fellerath. “Maybe expand my business, get a studio, and hire someone to do all the tough stuff.

“Then I can just concentrate on the shooting,” she laughed.

She still has a long way to go, but those who have worked with Fellerath or simply seen her photography agree that she has made it as a professional photographer.

“I never actually expected to become a professional photographer,” she said. “I thought that it was a really hard thing to get into. Everyone was saying that there wasn’t a lot of work for photographers.”

“I just thought it would be just a nice skill to have to take beautiful pictures, and it would be a nice way to see the world,” said Fellerath.

“And it just happened that things worked out.”

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A few Dawson stories...

... As you might know, I have been following the Dawson Blues this season. My teacher - it's for a sportswriting class - said he would create a website where we could post our stories. It hasn't happened.

So here are 3 recent feature-ish stories. I think they're interesting... so they might interest you too!

Just as a bit of background, Dawson is the school where shootings occurred earlier this year. And the women's hockey team is undefeated with 5 games left in the season. 2 years ago, they were in the last few teams.

Enjoy!

Women’s Hockey

Dawson Blues still unbeaten with 6 games left

By Naila Jinnah

The Dawson Blues' 7-2 win over the John Abbott Islanders this weekend brought their record to an impressive 21-0. With only six games left in the regular season, the Dawson women’s hockey team is on the road to an undefeated season.

But the team’s perfect record does not equal perfect play. The Blues are having trouble focusing on their game, especially when they are not facing their closest rivals, the St-Jerôme Cheminots.

“They shouldn’t be paying attention to who they’re playing,” said Blues coach Scott Lambton. “They should be paying attention to how they want to play. Unfortunately, today it didn’t work.”

“Today wasn’t one of our better games and I think that has to do with a lack of focus on the game,” said second-year player Mallory Lawton. “When we play against St-Jerôme, we’re focused for like 2 weeks. I think that we have to stay focused for every game and not just specific ones.”

Lawton is one of eight players who were also on the Blues’ roster last season, when Dawson finished second in the league with a record of 23-4. St-Jerôme was first with a perfect 27-0 record.

This season’s role reversal is a source of pride for team, and testament to their talent.

“I just think we did a really good job with the recruiting,” said Blues’ head coach Scott Lambton. “A lot of very good hockey players came to our team this year.”

The Blues have ten new girls on the roster, five of which came from the Quebec Avalanche, an elite women’s hockey team that trains players to play in the Women’s National Hockey League.

It was luck, while tragic, that brought the girls together at the beginning of the season. The Dawson shootings forced the cancellation of the first game of the season, originally scheduled for the following Sunday.

“I think it played a big part in the chemistry of the team,” Lambton said. “They have really come together from such a tragedy. They bonded very quickly.”

The pressure of winning has only strengthened that bond, while the leadership of veterans like Lawton has given the team the push they’ve need a lot in recent games to regain their focus.

“You try to take each period at a time,” Lawton said. “You do good things (on the ice) and when a player doesn’t work you tap them on the back, and you keep (the game) going.”

“You’ve got to stay positive. If you go into it negative, and you say ‘We can’t do this’, automatically you’re done.”

Coach Lambton does not think it’s a fear of losing that’s causing his team to slack off in so-called easy games.

“It’s just giving a consistent effort,” he said. “Nothing’s going to come easy, and there are going to be some games where things aren’t working in terms of passing and stuff, but what should be there each and every game is your effort.”

“The last game against St-Jerome was a good wakeup call,” Lambton said, “because I think we have been getting overconfident.”

Lambton wants his team to concentrate on refining its play rather than focusing on its 21-0 record. By looking at the individual game statistics and holding practices full of skill development, he hopes the Blues will step up their game in time for the playoffs.

“I want them to take more risks,” he said when asked if the team should keep its play simple. “I want them to be really aggressive, and I want them to be really creative. And just always remember to switch it up. Risks are good, you learn from risks.”

But what about the risk of losing?

“I think you have to think that, you have to,” said Lawton. “You can’t go into every game thinking we’re going to kill this team. If you’re not having a good game, you start to panic. We feel like we have to keep going with our streak, and you have to get it in your head that you can lose.”

“You never know what can happen, and you got to be ready for it,” she said.

The last six games of the regular season will be challenging for the Blues. With no more match-ups against St-Jerôme, the team will have to find a different form of motivation. There’s no question that Dawson is a talented team, but a lack of focus and effort could be the weakness its opponents are banking on to serve the Blues their first loss of the season.

The Dawson Blues next take the ice against the Lévis-Lauzon Faucons at the Ed Meagher Arena on Sunday, Feb. 4 at 2:20 pm.

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Women’s hockey

Dawson shootings bring motivation, chemistry to Blues

Now 22-0, only 5 games left for undefeated season

By Naila Jinnah

With five games left in the regular season, the Dawson women’s hockey team are on the road for an undefeated season. The Blues brought their season record to an impressive 22-0 after beating the Lévis-Lauzon Faucons by a score of 4-1 on Sunday.

No one could have predicted that such a young team in a budding program would have such a strong season. Then again, no one could have known that Dawson College would be the target of a killer’s wrath.

“I think it played a big part in the chemistry of the team,” said Blues’ head coach Scott Lambton. “They have really come together from such a tragedy. They bonded very quickly.”

The Sept. 13, 2006 shootings made Dawson a media favourite, so it comes as no surprise that the women’s hockey team’s success has been covered in many of the local media. Although no one on the team knew her personally, the death of Anastasia De Sousa had an untold impact on them. The Blues were scheduled to start the season on the Sunday following the attacks, but out of respect, the game was cancelled.

“Yes, we’re playing for Dawson, but we’re also playing for her,” said assistant captain Ann-Sophie Bettez. “Even though she was no one at the beginning and now she’s known by everyone, we have to play for her in a way.”

Each team member wears a black band on her left arm to honour the memory of their schoolmate. They have even donated the proceeds of the admission to some of their games to the Anastasia De Sousa fund.

“When you go out there you play for your school and you represent them,” said second-year player Mallory Lawton. “Especially now, because it’s a school that has struggled a bit.”

It is not only the school that has suffered, but the women’s hockey program. The Blues might have finished second in the regular season rankings in 2005-2006, but for seasons before that, they were a bottom three team.

Now, they outrank the St-Jerôme Cheminots, their closest rivals, in the rankings, in a reversal of fortunes. Last season, the Cheminots finished first with an undefeated season. With the Blues well on their way to accomplishing this same feat, the sentiment around the locker room is one of pride and fulfillment.

“I think it’s a feeling you can’t describe,” said Lawton, “because no one ever thought this program would ever beat St-Jerome and the fact that we’ve done it now… It’s an incredible feeling and I’m proud, to be really honest, to be a part of it.”

“It’s very satisfying!” said coach Lambton. “We’ve put so much work in over the past four years. It’s come a lot quicker than we thought it would but it’s extremely satisfying because you know all the work that you’re putting in is paying off.”

The Dawson shootings might have brought the team together faster and more completely than expected, but no one is disputing the players’ skill, determination, and hard work ethic.

“It’s really good, considering what Dawson has been,” said Bettez. I think that we have the team to (go undefeated), and it just makes me feel good and want to win each game.”

The current roster, with ten veterans and eight rookies, knows that their success is partly due to the chemistry generated by the shootings. But it is the thought of all the girls who went through a mediocre program in the past that is motivating the team to go all the way.

“I wish I could share it with all the girls who have gone before us,” said Lawton. “This program wouldn’t be what it is right now if it hadn’t been for those teams that went 1-27, or 0-28.”

“When we go out there, part of us plays for them because if it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t have this opportunity. We wouldn’t be where we are now.”

So while the Blues may be playing to honour the memory of their slain classmate, they are also playing for themselves, and there is no greater motivator than that.

The Dawson Blues next take on the Lionel-Groulx Nordiques on Feb 18, 2007 at 11:50 at the Ed Meagher Arena.

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Dawson Blues Women’s Hockey gets a boost

Two members of the Blues family honoured

By Naila Jinnah

The Dawson Blues women’s hockey program received an unexpected bit of exposure this week, and not because the team is five games away from an undefeated season.

The Montreal Canadiens, in association with Dawson College, announced a $3000 bursary program to be awarded annually to a graduating Blues player pursuing their academic and hockey careers in university.

“The inspiration for this award was the tragedy of September 13 and our will, shared by Dawson, to promote women’s sports and academic performance,” said Canadiens’ president Pierre Boivin.

The criteria for handing out the Catherine Ward Women’s Hockey Scholarship have not yet been determined, but Blues’ coach Scott Lambton said there was no hesitation in naming the scholarship after his former defenseman.

“She just embodies everything that we want to encourage in terms of athletics, and in terms of academics,” he said. “She’s an incredible hockey player. I don’t think there’s anybody in Canada that can do what she can do.”

Ward, who is credited for turning around the Dawson women’s hockey program over the past three years, left quite an impression on former teammate Mallory Lawton.

“Catherine is just an absolute special player,” she said. “There are times where she would do these plays, and I wish I could just watch them over and over because they were really that amazing.”

“You strive to be like her,” Lawton said. “You see her do moves and you try to practice them in practice to be just like Cat Ward. She’s so much fun to just watch, and she was fun to play with even more.”

The Blues found out about the Catherine Ward scholarship at practice last Thursday, but the official announcement was made during the Canadiens’ game at the Bell Center on Tuesday.

“Before the game, we sold tickets for the Montreal Canadiens Children Foundation,” said Lawton. “It was really successful, we sold all 3000 tickets.”

“It was just a wonderful experience to be in the press room, with Catherine, and her parents,” Lawton said. “It was a proud moment for all of us, even the girls who didn’t play with her last year. You could see how proud they were to have that jersey on.”

Blues assistant captain Ann-Sophie Bettez has known Ward on and off the ice since high school. She called her friend to congratulate her, but Bettez also had her own reason to celebrate, as she was honoured with the Medaille d’Or for 2006-2007, an award Ward was awarded last year.

“I was just surprised to be nominated for it, because I was not expecting that,” said Bettez.” I was so grateful just to be rewarded because I’ve worked so hard. I think that it felt good to be rewarded for it.”

The Medialle d’Or is awarded based on athletic and academic performance, something Bettez had trouble with last year.

“She’s the best pure skater in our league, in terms of technique and in terms of speed,” said coach Lambton. “So she combined hockey with good grades, which is really nice, because last year she wasn’t pulling those grades.”

The award makes Bettez a member of an exclusive club that include former Habs legends Maurice Richard, Réjean Houle, and Claude Mouton.

And Catherine Ward.

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Game story: Concordia puts up a fight against Carleton, loses 3-0

Concordia puts up a fight against Carleton, loses 3-0

By Naila Jinnah

For the first time this season, the Carleton Ravens woman’s hockey team beat the Concordia Stingers by a score other than 4-3. Carlton goaltender Valerie Charbonneau stopped all 32 shots against her to earn a 3-0 shutout, her first of the season.

“It’s amazing,” said Charbonneau. “I’m really happy that it was a team effort, more than just a shutout.”

The first period ended tied at zero, with both goaltenders keeping their team in the game. Despite both teams hooking and slashing away, only four penalties were called.

The second period was much more aggressive. Carleton started out strong, scoring two goals in the period’s fourth minute. Right-wing Carly Snell passed the puck to Kristina Romeo in a 2-on-1 that caught Stingers’ goalie Meggy Hatin-Léveillée in the middle of her lateral movement. Forty-eight seconds later, Caitlin Cadeau accepted a breakaway pass from Amanda Stillar to secure a two-goal lead.

Concordia retaliated by tightening their defence and dishing out a strong forecheck, spending most of the next two minutes in the Ravens’ zone. The Stingers’ aggressive play forced Carleton to take three consecutive penalties, but the Ravens were excellent in killing the penalties.

“Out of the 10 penalties called in the period, (8) were against us,” said Carleton head coach Marco Ouellette after the game. “I really think the penalty-kill came strong for us, especially from our goalie.”

The Stingers’ offensive efforts ended with a two-minute hooking call on captain Andrea Dolan.

On her next shift, Dolan and Carleton defender Maxime Vaillant collided at the Stingers’ blue line. Vaillant received a delayed cross-checking penalty. As the play moved to the Ravens’ zone, Carleton captain Michelle Higgins elbowed Dolan, who was in mid-stride. For several minutes, Dolan writhed on the ice. Finally, she was carried off to the dressing room, helped along by her teammates and cheers from the stands.

Higgins was served with a 5-minute penalty for cross-checking, a 10-minute game misconduct, and a 2-minute subsequent penalty for elbowing (served by Jessica Bradley).

“It was unexpected,” said Charbonneau. “I knew emotions were running high, but my captain is always in control of her emotions. I asked her after the game and she said she wasn’t intentionally trying to (injure her).”

“She was just trying to get off the ice,” concluded the Carleton goalie.

With less than a minute left in the second period, Concordia had a 5-on-3 opportunity, but they were unable to capitalize on their chances.

Dolan returned to the bench to start the third period and brought with her a renewed and energetic team. But motivation was not enough, as star player Angela Di Stasi was called for roughing.

“We were in a position to get back in the game,” said Stingers’ coach Les Lawton, visibly disappointed. “We had a 5-on-3 for three minutes, then we took a needless penalty.”

Carleton would add an insurance goal midway through the third period. Veteran Stingers’ defender Esther Latoures handled herself well on the one-on-one, but Hatin-Léveillée gave Ravens’ centre Tara O’Reilly a soft rebound.

The Stingers could have stopped trying, but instead, they battled with almost fierce determination until the final buzzer.

“We never got control on the ice,” summed up Lawton. “We’re working on that, but I think everyone was on a different page tonight.”

On paper, Carleton and Concordia are evenly matched. Carleton is only four points in front of Concordia in their division, with one game in hand, and all four of their wins have come against the Stingers.

The Carleton coach thinks both teams are very talented. “Concordia only won one game,” said Ouellette, “but they’re one of the strongest teams in the (Canadian University Sports League), as they proved at the Theresa Humes Tournament.”

It remains to be seen if Concordia can be competitive when it actually counts – not just in exhibition games. The Stingers next take the ice against the Ottawa Gee Gees on Friday, Jan. 19 at 7:30 pm at the Ed Meagher Arena.

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P.S.: My Canada's Top Female Athlete in 2006 article earned me an A+

Canada's Greatest Athlete - Female Edition

Here's an article I wrote for my sportswritting class. Enjoy!

Canada’s Best Athlete of 2006 – Female Edition

By Naila Jinnah

At the end of each calendar year, experts and fans alike weigh in on Canada’s best athletes. The Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy made 2006 an especially fruitful year, as Canada placed third overall, earning a record 24 medals.

Canadian athletes also dominated the professional sports. Steve Nash was named the NBA’s most valuable player for the second consecutive season, and Joe Thornton won several prestigious NHL awards, including the Art Ross Trophy and the Hart Memorial Trophy. The MLB also profited from the play of a Canadian first-baseman Justin Morneau, the American League MVP.

But what about the women? Apart from the Olympics, there aren’t many competitions where female athletes can broadcast their talents to the world. That makes their accomplishments harder to spot, and tougher to applaud. This top three of Canada’s best female athletes for 2006 is sure to stir up some memories.

Speed skater Cindy Klassen indisputably takes the top spot. The 26-year-old Winnipeg native earned record-breaking five medals at the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics, making her the most decorated Olympian ever in Canada. Klassen placed third in the 3,000 and 5,000 meters, came second in the 1,000 race, and earned her first gold medal in the 1,500 meters. She also won a silver medal for her performance in the 2,400 team pursuit, playing a major contribution to Canada’s third place finish. Klassen also won the overall title at the world championships, and was crowned the World Cup champion in the 3,000 meters race. She set numerous world records in the 1,000, 1,500 and the 3,000. Klassen has six career Olympic medals, having won the bronze in the 3,000 during the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.

Christine Sinclair is not a household name, but the Burnaby, B.C. soccer player is making a name for herself on the international scene. Sinclair was named the MVP of the 2006 W-League Championship Tournament, leading the Vancouver Whitecaps to their second title in three years. The 23-year-old university student was also on the Canadian national team that finished second in the Women’s Gold Cup, playing the full 90 minutes in most games. Sinclair was named to the FIFA shortlist for the 2006 player of the year, her second consecutive nomination for the award. Sinclair also received honours for her performance in the NCAA, having played with the University of Portland Patriots for the 2005-2006 season. She was named the top female college athlete of 2006, taking the Honda-Broderick Cup for her record-setting 39 goals in one season. For her strong performances in many different circuits, Christine Sinclair is the runner-up for Canada’s best female athlete of 2006.

Clara Hughes won her first-ever gold medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics, topping fellow Winnipeg native Cindy Klassen in the 5,000 speed-skating event. But it’s her determination that places her third on this year’s list. Trailing by nearly four seconds halfway through the race, Hughes pushed herself to the limit on her final lap, finishing in six minutes and 59.07 seconds. Hughes also earned a silver medal in the team pursuit event. The 34-year old became the first-ever Canadian to win multiple medals in both the Summer and Winter Olympics, having earned two bronze medals in cycling at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games. Inspired by American speed skater Joey Cheek’s donation of his $25,000 medal bonus to the athlete-driven charity Right to Play, Hughes donated $10,000 of her own money, since Canada does not give out medal bonuses.

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Feel free to comment!