www.pgcitizen.ca | Friday, March 20, 2009 17 pglife Doc film festival to light up screen Citizen staff The province's largest documentary film event will be in Prince George from March 26 to April 4. The Traveling World Community Film Festival inspires thought and dialogue wherever it is presented. The collection of films, coordinated by the World Community Development Education Society in the Comox Valley, is seen in seven communities before the long-play version in Prince George. This year's event showcases everyday heroes who have taken action in response to the challenges they see in their world. "This is what community is about -- by coming together, we create change," said Jovanka Djordjevich, one of the organizers of the event. "It is fairly costly to pay for the licensing for the film package, but by pooling our resources and with the support of venues like Sassafras Savouries and Artspace, each group assumes only a small portion of the time and costs to run the event. This festival is by community for community." Organizers are offering the tickets at a bargain, so people can afford to attend, added Djordjevich. Festival pass is $30 for 31 films, day pass -- 2 to 4 films is $5, brown bag pass -- five lunch-hour films is $10. A schedule and link to the film listing is available at www.booksandcompany.ca. Tickets can be purchased at Books & Co., 1685 Third Ave. and Sassafras Savouries, 415 George St. Nominations sought for citizen of year Citizen staff The call is out for nominations for the 2009 Prince George Citizen of the Year. All citizens in the region are eligible except directors of the Prince George Community Foundation which organizes and hosts the annual event. Eligible nominees are those who have dedicated above average volunteer time or humanitarian service to the community. They must have provided volunteer service for a minimum of three years and have received no pay for the volunteer activity for which the award is being proposed, or have performed volunteer duties related to their job that go significantly beyond what is expected of a person holding that paid position. To learn about the nomination process call Murry Krause at 250561-7772 or Michael Kerr at 250960-5738. Nomination forms can be downloaded from the web site at www.pgcf.ca. June 1 is the deadline to submit nominations which may be dropped off or mailed to the Prince George Public Library in care of Marjory Tunney. The nominees will be announced at the Canada Day celebrations in Fort George Park, and the winner will be announced at the award dinner in October. In 2008, Michael Kerr, an industrial technology adviser, was given the honour. Art Space rocks Sunday Citizen staff A one-man rock show is hitting the Art Space stage Sunday night. B.A. Johnston from Hamilton, Ont., is bringing the Drivin' and Dryheavin' Tour to Prince George with friends coming along for the ride called The Stables, a country rock band from Oshawa, Ont. The evening's entertainment also includes local rock band, the Concerns of Royalty. Johnston offers an outrageous, contagious and audacious performance. "There's a fine line between entertaining and annoying and I straddle that line," said Johnston. The show starts at 7:30. Tickets are $8 in advance at Meow Records, or $10 at the door. Author signing novel Citizen staff Local author Joylene Nowell Butler will be at Coles at the Pine Centre Mall to sign copies of her suspense thriller Dead Witness on Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. Dead Witness is the story of Valerie McCormick, wife and mother who is suddenly plunged into international intrigue and danger after witnessing the execution of two FBI agents in Seattle. The story is set in Prince George, Seattle, and Baja, California. Nowell Butler raised five sons in Prince George. Butler and her husband built their dream home on the shore of Cluculz Lake and have lived there since 1991. CUT TING A RUG -- Mike Ni, 17, left, and Camille Ginnever, 14, had a workout and a good laugh Thursday afternoon doing Dance Dance Revolution during the Spring Break Getaway at the Bob Harkins branch of the Prince George Public Library.The library has other spring break events today and Saturday. Citizen photo by David Mah Scientists hope to stop pothole persecution A group of 100 scientists from around the world is holding a conference in Prince George next month to discuss potholes. "We're hoping the forum can help educate the public about the value of potholes in road ecosystems," said Dr. Freddy Bumpindarode, the director of orcacavus studies (the scientific word for pothole is orcacavus from Latin) in the urban planning department at UNBC. Some of the workshops open to the public include an introduction to the various breeds of potholes, orcacavi reproductive habits and the socio-economic benefits of potholes in the Canadian polity. A debate is also planned on whether potholes evolved from dinosaur footprints or whether they are just punishment from a divine Creator. Bumpindarode realizes there is a huge public backlash against potholes. "That's why we picked Prince George to host our conference," he explained. "The city is blessed with an amazing diversity of potholes worthy of continued study and residents should appreciate what they have." The professor makes a compelling case. The current negative view of potholes across North America, he argues, is comparable to how wolves were shot by early settlers for being a nuisance and a threat to cattle. Filling in every pothole in a community like Prince George would make local roads worse, not better, because smooth roads, free of obstacles, have a higher accident rate than streets littered with potholes. That's one of the findings of a major new study published in the prestigious Journal of Orcacavus Studies. In a five-year study of more than 10,000 drivers in 22 cities, ranging in size from Prince George to Los Angeles, both the number of accidents and the severity of the accidents in terms of injury and death declined on streets with more potholes. Tiny cameras mounted on the rearview mirror showed how drivers paid closer attention and drove more carefully on streets when they had to dodge holes in the road. "Potholes serve a clear and useful purpose in street ecology," says Prof. Pete Fulluvit, one of the main authors of the groundbreaking study and a professor of sociology at York University in Toronto. The report recommends cities demand subdivision developers to build potholes into the streets of new neighbourhoods, forcing drivers to slow down and watch for seniors and children in residential areas. Bumpindarode contributed data from Prince George to the study and agreed that city council needs to take a more modern view of the long-misunderstood pothole. "Filling in potholes on four-lane streets like Fifth, Foothills, Ospika, Tabor and Domano just turn these roads into accident-prone raceways over the summer," he said. "Our study, combined with statistics from ICBC, shows potholes are not the road hazard we have always believed they are." One of the academics attending the conference is already in Prince George, cataloguing the range of pothole breeds. Prof. John Nutbar, a top orcacavus expert and pioneer in the fledgling field, from the University of Wisconsin can be found most days dodging traffic while measuring the size and depth of potholes on city boulevards. "What you have here in Prince George is amazing," Nutbar gasped breathlessly, safe on the sidewalk on Massey Drive in front of Masich Place Stadium, having been nearly run down by a latemodel Ford pickup. Massey Drive between Carney Street and Pine Centre Mall has five breeds of pothole species coexisting together: the common crevice, the spotted whole-lane crater, the spring road chasm, the deadly road rupture and the double-humped trench. Nutbar has also observed in Prince the endangered camouflaged fissure and the grey-striped dugout, along with the only confirmed sighting of a muddy water hollow made in the last five years anywhere in the world outside of Africa or Afghanistan. "Unfortunately, society just wants to fill in all of these beautiful creatures," Nutbar sighed, preparing to dash out to measure an infant road rupture during a short break in traffic. "I just dream of a time when people will stop persecuting them and appreciate them for how special and unique they are." Neil Godbout is The Citizen's news editor. ngodbout@pgcitizen.ca WE ARE GIVING AWAY A TRIP TO LOS ANGELES! LISTEN TO 97.3 FM SPENDING MONEY AT 8:20, 12:20, PLUS $500 PER TRIP! 4:20 WEEKDAYS ® 00651874 Sunburst Travel & Cruises Ltd. F O R YO U R C H A N C E TO Q U A L I F Y !