VANOC introduces new ticket marketplace to their website Tanya Colledge Staff reporte unveiled a new fan-to-fan ticket reselling website providing ticketholders with a place to resell their tickets without any upper limits on the prices charged, and a legitimate place for those wanting tickets without the risk of counterfeits. “We decided-after much debate to allow a free market on the site,” said VANOC ticketing vice president Caley Denton at a press conference where the new website was unveiled. “If someone’s selling tickets outside of this website, people need to ask Je: before Christmas, VANOC that and is that truly a valid ticket.” Both the ticket buyer and seller will pay a 10 per cent service fee to VANOC for each transaction in order to sustain the online service. Olympic organizers are expecting that ticket prices will initially be quite high as sellers test the market to see what buyers are willing to pay for the coveted tickets. Although 90 per cent of ticket holders for the 2010 Winter Games say they plan to use their tickets, there are often individuals who are unable or unwilling to attend at the last minute. Officials say the cost-recovery marketplace on VANOC’s website is designed to protect consumers from fraud and ensure that all event venues are full when it comes to game time. Access to the ticket-reselling site will only be available through the ticketholder’s pre-existing online account. Sellers will be able to offer as many tickets as they want at any price and will also be able to change or pull their selling price at any time. VANOC is warning ticket sellers that the payout for all tickets sold will not occur until the spring after the Paralympics are over. For those interested in purchasing tickets from the website, the site will only accept Visa, the official credit card of the Games, and will courier all tickets bought with a new barcode. Sales will stop 24 hours before each event, with all unsold tickets retaining their original proprietorship, and can also be donated to various charities and community groups within Metro Vancouver without service fees. themselves why they would be doing Cessna pilot makes emergency landing in Port Coquitlam field Engine problems forced landing minutes into flight By Liam Britten, Editor in chief \ N y hile it may not have been as impressive as “Sully” Sullenberger’s landing of a jet plane on the Hudson River, a Lower Mainland pilot is feeling just as fortunate after making an emergency landing in a Port Coquitlam soccer field. On Tuesday, December 29, a two-seat Cessna made an emergency landing in Port Coquitlam’s Gates Park after taking off from Pitt Meadows Regional Airport at around 2:30 p.m. The plane, en route to Squamish, hit engine problems 10 minutes into the flight, forcing pilot Dave Deno to look for an alternate landing site. Deno was the only person on board the plane, and neither he nor anyone on the ground was injured. A 20-year pilot, Deno knew something was wrong when his engine started making unfamiliar noises shortly after takeoff. His engine then cut out and Deno radioed in a mayday call to air traffic control. With the help of another Cessna pilot who had taken off minutes before he had from Pitt Meadows, Deno found Gates Park, a soccer field next to Riverside Secondary School in Port Coquitlam. His engine no longer functioning, Deno had to lose altitude and speed carefully before touching down in the field. “I saw the whole thing; he did a good job as far as I’m concerned,” a witness told The Other Press, who described seeing the plane bank and descend in slow spirals above the park. Complicating matters further, tall trees surrounded the field Deno was landing in, and his plane actually clipped one during the approach, damaging a wing and the front of the fuselage. The landing almost ended disastrously —moments before Deno hit the ground he saw a small child right in his landing path, and, unaware of the silently gliding plane coming towards her, the girl was nearly hit. Fortunately, she moved out of the way before the plane touched down. “T wish I had a horn on this thing,” Deno said of his inability to warn the little girl. While Deno wasn’t certain what caused the engine failure, he believes it was a fuel problem or possibly a problem related to ice on the plane’s exterior. The Cessna was towed to Pitt Meadows for repairs. Tighter airport security expected to continue into the New Year By Tanya Colledge, Staff Reporter onger lineups, enhanced restrictions and flight delays are only some of the things travelers can expect to continue into the New Year in reaction to an attempted terrorist attack Christmas Day. Transport Canada has declared that the increased security, which includes checks, carry-on luggage restrictions and new physical searches on all flights destined to the United States, will remain in place until further notice. For Canadian travelers, these tighter security measures mean those flying to or from the U.S. can expect multiple delays and cancellations across the continent. Airlines such as Air Canada and WestJet are advising travelers to arrive at the airport at least three hours before their scheduled departure times to help cope with the delays. The increased security measures seen across North America and in Europe were implemented as a direct result of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab’s alleged attempt to blow up a NorthWest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day. The 23-year-old engineering student allegedly tried to ignite an explosive hidden in his underwear as the aircraft was flying over southern Ontario, but was averted due to a faulty detonator. The explosion could have killed the 279 passengers and 11 crew members on-board. Abdulmutallab, on a U.S. watch list, has been in custody since the flight landed safely in Detroit, and has also been said to have trained with al- Qaeda in Yemen prior to the attack. Although the attempted attack is suspected to have willfully occurred within the aircraft jurisdiction of the U.S., Canadian airport officials and Transport Canada promptly issued heightened security measures, including a ban on all carry-on luggage a day after the incident, encouraging passengers to check roller bags and large backpacks that had once been allowed on planes. Travelers may now only take personal items with them on-board such as medication or medical devices, diaper bags, laptop computers, small purses, cameras, coats, crutches and musical instruments. In addition, passengers headed to the U.S. will be subjected to additional screening, where they will be patted down and personal items checked over again. The botched terrorist attack has also re-opened debates concerning full-body scanners that use 3D imaging technology, also known as “naked” scanners in Canadian airports. Airports in Chicago, the Netherlands and Nigeria have announced plans to install the high-tech scanners within the year, but Transport Canada has yet to come to a decision on whether the technology should be used in Canadian airports and retain a balance between security and privacy concerns. Douglas College Wrap-Up By Kristina Mameli Student ID cards Student ID cards will be available to new students starting January 4 in room 3272 at the New Westminster campus and in room D1019 at the David Lam campus. Decals for returning students will also be available at the CEIT offices and the Libraries at both the New Westminster and David Lam campuses starting January 4. For more information on student ID cards visit: http://www.douglas.be.ca/ceit/student-services/ general-info/id-cards-and-badges/student-id-cards. html DSU Upper Lounge grand opening— complete with cake On Tuesday, January 5 from 10-1 p.m., the Douglas Students’ Union will celebrate the grand opening of its newly refurbished DSU Upper Longue on the New Westminster Campus. The project, headed by the ‘09-‘10 DSU Rep Committee, has seen the space fully refurbished with a pool table, study tables, microwave, and social seating areas and will soon even include vending machines. The group plans to open the space to students on a regular basis, not just for events. The DSU hopes to inspire lively debate, parties and movie nights. The lounge will open with a cake celebration as well as a DJ. Pancakes and Family Guy As the inaugural event for the newly renovated DSU Upper Lounge, the DSU will serve up a free pancake breakfast with a side of Family Guy on Wednesday, January 6 from 9-2 p.m. DSU cartoons and chilli lunch In the spirit of welcoming the Winter Semester, the DSU continues a series of luncheons with a “Sweet Chili Heat Chili Lunch” Thursday, January 7 from 10-2 p.m. in the DSU Upper Lounge. The event will also feature a collection of chilli-related cartoons. DSU announces poetry/writing contest winners Congratulations to the Douglas students whose submissions about student debt contained “wisdom, imagery, humour, and explicit or implicit messaging.” The winning submissions in the writing contest portion include: 1st Place: Indebeted by Elizabeth Dowding 2nd Place: My Own Private Student Loan by Mystery Beck And the winning submission for the poetry portion include: Ist Place: A Reminder by Jeanne d’ Arc Hassko 2nd Place: Ode to Student Debt by Liz Da Silva The DSU thanks Janet Allwork on the Douglas English Department and Elizabeth Bachinsky of the Douglas Creative Writing Department for serving as judges.