Winnipeg Free Press

A Powerful Problem

An Environment Canada study released last year found Canadian shoppers bought roughly 450 million batteries in 2004. The study doesn't break down by region, but if those batteries were spread evenly across the country it would work out to about 13 batteries per person, or roughly 16.1 million sold in Manitoba. Lithium and cadmium "are both known to be hazardous and very toxic metals," said Vaughn Bullough, vice president and general manager of Miller Environmental, which runs a depot for hous...

Uneven Collection Enthralling, Unsatisfying

It's a universally appealing theme. But while B.C. writer A.S. [Jack, Penne] has definite gifts for language and creating believable characters, she sometimes falters when it comes to constructing a clear narrative. One of Reckoning's flaws is that Penne reuses the same basic situation in more than one story. The idea of a woman reluctant to take a male friend on as a lover is repeated four times. Reckoning's saving grace is in Penne's keen eye for human behaviour.

Midwife Weaves Memories Into Gown

Readers will find [Patricia Harman]'s practice as a nurse-midwife strikingly different from the way midwifery is practised in Manitoba. Most notably, by the time the memoir opens, Harman no longer delivers babies. When malpractice insurance became prohibitive in 2003, Harman and her husband had to make the difficult decision to stop caring for women through labour and delivery. Now Harman only sees a woman in the first three months of pregnancy. Though initially trained as a lay-midwife atten...

Growing Up Brady a Nightmare for 'Marcia'

"For most of my life, I have been followed, and sometimes haunted, by [Marcia Brady]," she writes. "Imagine always being shadowed by a younger, prettier, more popular you." In a straightforward style that makes for a fast and interesting read, she confesses that all of the Bradys had their problems: patriarch Robert Reed "hated the show" and hid his homosexuality, while Eve Plumb (younger sister Jan) "resented" [Maureen McCormick] for stealing the spotlight from her. "Barry Williams (Greg) de...

You've Never Had so Much Fun in a Graveyard Before

The author gleefully lets readers in on the lingo of the trade, shares descriptions of vintage "grave trappings and mortuary accoutrements," and reproduces his boss's burr. His descriptions of a heat wave-inspired gravedigger's strike and the court-ordered exhumation of a body that was buried in a "cracker box," or cardboard coffin, are riveting and squirm-inducing all at once. The memoir also benefits from the fact that [Charles Wilkins] is a dab hand at characterization. Who doesn't recogni...

Children's Advocate: Followup After 18

"If they're 18 when they die, we would not receive that information from the chief medical examiner," says [Billie Schibler]. "We know that statistically these children are the most vulnerable." "That in itself is a story that needs to be told," she says. "This is really about every publicly funded service that should have been attached to the family." "Do I want things to move faster? Of course I do," she says. "But I have never seen the child-welfare system as open to being examined or as o...

Faith Briefs

Shaarey Zedek Synagogue lighting of the synagogue Chanukiah, Dec. 21, 5:30 p.m., 561 Wellington Cres., on the front steps of the shul followed by refreshments then minyan service, 6 p.m. Register: 975-3481. United Church in Meadowood celebrates the Fourth Sunday in Advent with a Choir Cantata, Dec. 21, 10:30 a.m. and the Gathering Circle hosts a special service for those finding it hard to rejoice at this time of year, Dec. 21, 2 p.m., 1111 Dakota St.

Phoenix's Legacy Takes Shape

"Her tragic loss, at least, has been able to spur an examination of the child-welfare system like never before in the history of this province," said Family Services and Housing Minister Gord Mackintosh. "There's been a lot of examinations historically but nothing this comprehensive." "The biggest complaint I hear is money didn't trickle down to the agencies," said a senior worker at a southern agency. "The money went for system-wide projects and maybe one FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorde...

Mapping Out Manitoba's Cfs System

Serves: Birdtail Sioux, Canupawakpa (Oak Lake), Dakota Plains, Long Plain, Roseau River, Sioux Valley, Swan Lake Serves: Ebb and Flow, Gambler, Keeseekoowenin, O-Chi-Chak-Ko-Sipi (Crane River), Pine Creek, Rolling River, Skownan, Tootinaowaziibeeng (Valley River), Waywayseecappo Serves: Pukatawagan (Mathias Colomb), Marcel Colomb, Chemawawin, Wuskwi Sipihk, Sapotaweyak, Misipawistik (Grand Rapids)

New Specs, Fresh Ideas

"I thought, 'Why not go with some dark brown cork?'," he recalls. "My thinking was that people might appreciate a different look, having seen so many different types of hardwood floors. The cork we sourced was just right -- it's cut nicely, and has an excellent texture to it. Plus, it's very comfortable underfoot. And it brings a real warmth to the entire main floor." "That design makes for a high level of privacy," [Jason Arlt] explains. "We really got creative with the master bedroom. It's ...

Know Your Leather Before Cleaning It

ANSWER - Smart guy, it's always best to know exactly what you are dealing with before applying cleaners. Top-finished leather is leather that has a sealed finish. To check if your couch is made of finished leather, lightly scratch it in an inconspicuous place -- if the scratch is roughly the same colour as its surroundings, it's finished leather. Typically, leather in cars and the majority of leather used on furniture is top-finished. (New Bothwell, MB) Begin by determining if the stipple ha...

Winnipeg Author Sherri Smith's First Novel Out in Canada Next Month

J.K. Rowling's latest, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, has become the fastest selling book of 2008 in the U.S. and the U.K. It is also the No. 1 kids bestseller in Winnipeg, according to McNally Robinson Booksellers. Everything Breathed, [Struan Sinclair]'s earlier collection of short stories, was described by the U.K.'s Guardian as "a genuinely exciting book." Former Winnipegger Ian Cameron Esslemont has sold world book rights for four of his fantasy books set in the fictional Malazan Empire t...

Toronto St. In-Filled with Pride

"When you're working to bring new life to a neighbourhood, it's essential that you do things right," says realtor Frank Zappia, who specializes in selling homes in the Spence and Daniel Mac/St. Matthews areas, among others. "This was the first opportunity we had to build from scratch. It's a simple, efficient design with a solid finish quality. It's a home that new owners can move into, have pride in and make their own." "It seems that when we start renovating or building, all of a sudden, ne...

Bruce Hoping for Homecoming Party

"It means a lot," he said. "We've shared some ups, downs, in-betweens. It's special. Still live there, so it's special." "He kind of represented St. Louis for many years," [Mike Martz] said. "When we weren't doing well, he was kind of our featured player in the mid-90s. He played in the first game that was played in that stadium, so there's attachment I'm sure for [Isaac Bruce] in St. Louis, too."

On the Nighttable

Gone by Ishmael Beah. It's young boy's years as a child I'm looking forward to enjoying

New in Paperback

By Diana Gabaldon (Anchor, $17) The Bush Tragedy By Jacob Weisberg (Random House,

Medical Examiner: Better Parenting

"What would I do if I had no money? If I was living in places that are like concentration camps? There's no hope. They've lost their traditional way of life. They drink, they do drugs. I, too, would do the same thing. "People should care for their children. They shouldn't take alcohol, they shouldn't take drugs," he says bluntly. "Maybe they shouldn't have so many kids. It's overwhelming."

The Great War Through the Eyes of Those Who Fought It

As with the first volume this is, above all, a history of the infantry and the artillery, and occasionally the cavalry. [Tim Cook]'s focus is what he calls "combat effectiveness" or the ways in which the Canadian army fought its battles. Cook's accounts of individual soldiers' experiences are drawn from an enormous variety of sources. This is war as we might have seen it had reporters been embedded with the front-line troops back in 1917-18. In particular, Cook shows that while innovative pla...

System Overhauled, but the Deaths Continue

1Since Phoenix's death, the province's child-welfare system has been overhauled and pumped with money. But at least 16 kids in care or with open Child and Family Services (CFS) files, still died from homicides, suicides or accidents. Many are still anonymous because the province won't release details of the deaths, citing confidentiality. [Gage Guimond] and his sister were taken from their mother and sent to live with an experienced foster family shortly after Gage's first birthday. In the wi...

City Budget Targets Park Police

"This move is going to be felt by the public. I just don't think this is a positive move at all," [Mike Davidson] said. "For 2007, park policing is expected to cost the City of Winnipeg $1.1 million. As a significant number of incidents could be handled by security firms... The Winnipeg Police Service should continue to handle all major incidents," the report said. "There's enough of a strain on the police department as it is," Davidson said.