The story of Isaac

Here it is the complete and full cut of The Story of Isaac.

The 20th Annual Frankford Santa Clause Parade

The 20th Annual Frankford Santa Clause Parade

  Friendly faces wave to the crowd

Santa's helpers hand out candy canes to excited attendees

The Concert band of Cobourg

An excited 6 year-old waits impatiently for the arrival of Santa Clause.

Santa Clause Look alike

Street Medics in training

BELLEVILLE, ONTARIO, November 11, 2009 On the top floor of a down-town Belleville cafe, in a dimly lit  yellow room decorated with Christmas lights,  political activism posters and brightly coloured paintings, a group of 11 future Street Medics meet. The group training is being presented by two, knowledgeable,  60 something Street Medic's named Jack and Mary. Dressed casually in jeans, dessert boots and an army green hoody, Jack has a very enthusiastic, energetic personality. He has been involved with social demonstrations for 30 years and has helped a lot of protestors, activists and participants while acting as a Street Medic during events. He believes having trained street medics in the crowd during events is extremely important, "they are the ones who pull victims from the front line and administer first aid."

Mary, a registered nurse, has worked for over 20 years helping people in both field and hospital settings. She is a kind lady, who was quick to smile and very willing to share information and her experiences treating others.

During a protest there can be a lot going on at one time, police and activists can end up clashing resulting in injuries including everything from head wounds to tear gas exposure. Having someone who is participating as a primary caregiver for the injured makes it safer for both police and activists. That is the reason Mary and Jack held this training session, which covered topics including minimalist first aid from rubber bullets, how to create a medic kit, safety planning and self protection.

Protecting ones self was a main point of focus, according to Jack "police will take out the first two lines so stay out of the box," if you get hurt you can't help others. He recommends having two buddies or non protestors to assist you and watch your back while you are helping people. Items a street medic should have on them at the scene include first aid kit, bottled water, gloves, ear plugs and a red cross arm band to identify them as a first aid responder.

Although most demonstrations are peaceful and non-violent there are common ailments and injuries that can become serious if not treated and watched. Heat stroke is a common ailment and  can affect anyone out in the sun for long periods of time. Knowing how to help someone who is sick or injured is a benefit to everyone participating in the event and being a Street Medic may save the life of a friend or fellow participant who is in distress.

Frankford Remembers

FRANKFORD, ONTARIO, November 11, 2009- A large number of Soldiers, Veterans and Civilians came together for Remembrance Day Ceremonies held at the Cenotaph in Frankfrord, Ontario. A parade marched from the Royal Canadian Legion Branch # 387 to the Cenotaph located on Mill Street, a reception for members, veterans and supporters was held at the legion after the ceremony.

The Chase

    (photo by LJ Henshell)

     Frankford, Ontario October 29, 2009 A robbery at the Foodland Grocery Store in Stirling shortly before 8:00 pm led  Stirling/Rawdon Police on a high speed chase from Stirling to Frankford. The chase ended with a Silver Chevrolet Cavalier running a red light on the corner of HWY 33 and Mill St and colliding with a pickup truck. After pulling into the parking lot of Rose Home Hardware the driver fled on foot through the Frankford Royal Canadian Legion Branch 387 parking lot with an officer in pursuit.

   (photo by LJ Henshell)

The suspect was last seen running toward the Frankford Municipal Golf Course, Police cleared the area  as the Stirling Police Force, Ontario Provincial Police and a K-9 unit proceeded to search the area on foot using a tracking dog. Two hours after the incident the abandoned Cavalier continued to be searched and processed. One officer was reported to have sustained minor injuries after falling in the Legion parking lot while in pursuit.

(photo by LJ Henshell)

Police later arrested a 24 year old Scarborough man, charging him with robbery, flight from police and possession of stolen property.

About Me

10 things to know about me....

1. I'm originally from Thunder Bay, Ontario
2. I started my media journey in the television broadcasting industry
3. I love photography, photoshop and creating media
4. I play the drums, guitar and can also play clarinet, trumpet and numerous percussion instruments.
5.  My first SLR camera was a 1965 35mm Pentax with a dead unreplacable battery and no light meter

6. I love the show Criminal Minds, and watching documentaries on all kinds of topics

7. I have a secret ambition to become a war photographer, oops,  I guess it's not a secret anymore.

8. I love to read, I'll read anything including cereal boxes, package warnings and the fine print.

9. I own and operate a photography and graphic design company called LJ Henshell Photography & Design

10. I'm a photojournalism student at Loyalist college

There's really not much else to say, the best way to get to know me is through talking to me and viewing my work.

Isaac's story- Rough outline

Isaac Toman is a thoughtful, charismatic, active, 12 year old martial art student from Ottawa, Ontario.  When he was young he had behavioural issues caused by Attention Deficit Disorder, he would get into fights, had trouble concentrating and was very forgetful.

Isaac is extremely intelligent, sensitive, enthusiastic and has dreams of becoming an engineer with the Canadian Forces when he is older. He hopes to one day design, repair and improve vehicles, mainly tanks and build devices to help people stay safe. He loves creating, fixing and modifying his toy weapons,  skateboarding and martial arts.

          

Isaac has overcome many of the challenges and behaviours that led doctors to believe he has ADD. His parents decided early on not to put Isaac on medication but to try alternative ways to handle the disorder.

Isaac Shows off a small part of his "weapon" collection. His collection includes a variety of non-lethal "nerf" handguns, shot guns and launchers. He also has one air/paintball gun and his own daisy air rifle. 

 Isaac has been in Jiu Jitsu for close to three years and recently got his green belt.  He says that being in Jiu Jitsu has taught him "discipline", and helped him learn to "walk away" when faced with conflict at school.   He takes his lessons very seriously and plans to continue studying Jiu Jitsu for as long as he can.

Isaac and his sister,  Celeste, 11, also a fellow green belt, practice their moves at the Therien Dojo in Stittsville, Ontario

He attends classes three days a week and says he enjoys the "ground combat, grappling and sparring the most." His sensei has taught him how to handle tense situations in which he is provoked by others calling him names using the "warning" method. This method teaches Isaac to use his words and tell others when they are angering him instead of resorting to name calling, violence or retaliation. "I usually give them like two or three warnings to stop saying dumb things, then I walk away."

Isaac and his favorite teacher, Jean-Yves 

Theriault work on the mats during saturday 

afternoon training class.

Isaac also likes spending time playing video games with his older brother, Jeremy, 15, and his dad Glenn.  Isaac is the middle child in the family and at times has tested his fathers patience by acting out, talking back and having "melt downs".  His father claims that Isaac liked to "question authority" and was very "hyper" and "destructive" when he was younger.  Since starting martial arts Glenn believes Isaac is a lot "calmer" and "more in control." "He has to know why for everything" and he still has trouble "respecting people in authority" but "he listens more now."



A rough first draft

First Post- Drive by shooting

On Monday while on my way home I did some "drive by shooting," something I often do when riding shot gun in my car.   Now before there's any miscommunication I just want to clarify what I mean when I say drive by shooting.

It involves skill, a good eye, timing, as well as, a lot of observation and calculating.                      

 

First of all there are no guns involved, although I do use a Canon to capture the images. Secondly, most of the time no people are involved in the drive by shootings, and if I happen to shoot a scene with people, they usually can't be identified. 

I try and shoot it that way in order to avoid having people cringing, shying away from or posing in an inappropriate manner while I get the shot.

Drive by shooting is a technique I began using last spring while on our way back to Thunder Bay, Ontario. We didn't have a lot of time to stop so that I could take photographs, so I shot through the open passenger side window while we were traveling.

BLIND RIVER, Ont.

I found this to be a challenging way to take photographs, because it is a lot more difficult to capture a stationary object or scene when you are moving at 80/Km an hour.  Let's face it, vehicles shift, bounce and have blind spots. These can be major problems for a photographer trying to get that perfect shot.

 There's a lot you have to compensate for while shooting in a car, such as the bumps. There often seems to be a pot hole right near a scene requiring a steady hand, more often than not, I've found that pot holes seem to stick together in a group. Giving you a rough ride and an additional challenge while sighting the shot.

 You also have to keep a look out on the road ahead in order to

prepare your shot and know what's coming. Sometimes going down a familiar road and shooting, turns out some great shots. You can prepare and time your shots of a building, scene or landmark in advance if you have a rough idea of what's ahead.

  While I'm sure there are some people who think that shooting out of a car is lazy, silly or unprofessional. I, however, enjoy it and recognize that it's not as easy as it looks to get shots that are composed well and in focus.

It started out being a convenient way to take photographs while traveling and following a schedule. It then turned into a challenging way to further develop my photography skills, get some fast shots and capture random images on the fly.  It has also created a way for me to experiment, try different angles and learn to prepare for the shot.

It's a great hobby that's not only challenging and enjoyable, but it

does produce some interesting photographs. It creates memories, builds skill and is a great way to pass the time during road trips or long drives. I never look at my pictures until I get home, or end up somewhere I can set up my laptop. This heightens the enjoyment for me because it kinda feels like a kid on christmas morning waiting to open presents. I admit that I have taken some shots that immediately went into my trash bin but, more often than not, I end up with at least one sick shot that stands out from the others and impresses.