Pop goes the Saviour FATHER JOHN PUNGENTE writes on "The Passion Of The Christ" in the Toronto Star
	Excerpts Some 30 years ago, religious leaders recognized that it wasn't just the church, the family and the school that were passing on values to children — the media had been added to the mix. Now we have Mel Gibson's very controversial movie, The Passion Of The Christ, which opened Wednesday. The film — based on the four Gospels, the writings of a 19th-century German nun, Sr. Anne Catherine Emmerich , and other sources — presents the last 12 hours of Christ's life.
Gibson has said he did not try to make a religious movie but rather something that was real to him. He wanted the movie to be a contemplation where — as he writes in the companion coffee table book — "one is compelled to remember ... in a spiritual way, which cannot be articulated, only experienced." But promoters have produced a Passion lapel pin, witnessing cards and — incredibly — replicas of the nails used to crucify Jesus in the movie (6.5 centimetres long, in pewter) that are selling out in the U.S. and are coming soon to Canada. St. Ignatius of Loyola, who founded the Jesuits in the 16th century, had the insight that we all live in imagined worlds. That our imagination constructs the worlds in which we live using our experiences, our hopes, our pains and our joys. In effect, we live in a selective world that defines what is possible for us and how we interact with others. Today the media — particularly film and TV — are powerful influences on our imagination. It is film and television which propose to us forms of the world and ethical ways of living in those forms. When we watch movies and TV shows we are more than being entertained; we are being formed and shaped. We expose ourselves to narratives that shape what is possible, and then we can, consciously or unconsciously, live out those possibilities. So, at the movies — and indeed on our TV screens — we begin that pilgrim journey into the unknown to discover that we are more than who or what we think we are. We observe and reflect upon the actions and choices of the characters that attract our attention, and on the worlds in which they find themselves. We also reflect upon the way those characters and worlds are presented to us. We fashion our lives and the contexts we live in. Such contemplation is more than media literacy; it is genuine spiritual literacy. It may be a minor miracle but such spiritual literacy grows out of the pop culture of this mass-mediated world in which we live.

It may be cold out now, but travelers are already planning their summer vacations and they are using Bed and Breakfast Online Canada to do it
OTTAWA, March 4 /CNW/ - This year, BBCanada (www.bbcanada.com) - the country's largest and most extensive bed and breakfast website - has had a 31% increase in traffic over the same period in 2003. One million visitors had used the site by Valentine's Day.
"We're very pleased. We usually see a surge in late March early April. That's traditionally been the beginning of our busy season, but this year we're early," said Doug White, co-founder of BBCanada.
The news is good for Canada's tourism industry, said White, particularly the "rubber trade" - the sector catering to tourists traveling by car, bus and train to locations across the country. These travelers represent the bulk of B&B clients.
White expects the site's traffic to climb to about 8 million visitors in 2004.
BBCanada is the nation's largest bed and breakfast database with more than 5,000 bed and breakfast locations listed on the site. It features photographs, descriptions, maps and rates for B&Bs all across the country and serves French-speaking Canada with its sister site GitesCanada (www.gitescanada.com)
The site, which began as a small project in 1994 to create a user- friendly way for people to find bed and breakfast homes in Canada, is averaging over 20,000 visits a day.
In 1994, Doug and Annabelle, both former schoolteachers, launched BBCanada and have made it the country's premier Bed and Breakfast site. It now boasts B&Bs from Witless Bay, Newfoundland to Tofino, British Columbia and is available in both official languages. The software behind BBCanada allows users to search by province and then by city or town. An expert search tool is also available.
The award-winning site (Sympatico-Netlife's Top 200 and Chatelaine's Top 300) is powered by more than 2 million lines of code written by BBCanada partner J.D. Robbins, a former student of Doug White, who resides in Ottawa.
Today, the BBCanada team is working hard to improve the site and to branch out to other online services such as a Spa directory - spalifeonline.com and Hair stylists - saloncanada.com.
"We're pleased to see that more people are using the site and planning their trips in Canada," said White. It's a good sign for B&Bs and a positive development for the tourism business in general."

CAA reports more snowbirds heading south
THORNHILL, ON, March 4 /CNW/ - CAA Central Ontario reports that, so far this winter, about 1,000 more members have requested its popular routing maps to sunny destinations like Florida compared to this time last winter. CAA Central Ontario has tips to send vacationers safely on their way.
"The long, cold winter we've experienced has prompted more people to travel south," said Carey-Ann Greenham, media and public relations specialist, CAA Central Ontario. "CAA reminds roadtrippers to remember to bring their common sense along for the ride."
The auto club reminds motorists to take breaks every two to three hours to avoid becoming drowsy behind the wheel.
"Sometimes motorists are so anxious to get to where they are going that they forget to take breaks along the way," said Greenham. "Getting out of the car for 15-minute breaks is a great chance to exercise your body and mind to ensure a safe and comfortable road vacation."
A study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that almost half the drivers in sleep-related crashes said they did not feel even moderately drowsy before they crashed.
To minimize the chances of a breakdown while away from home, have a certified mechanic thoroughly inspect your vehicle, and top-up all the fluids before you depart. Greenham adds that having this inspection performed on your vehicle will make your journey more relaxing by giving you the peace of mind that comes with knowing your car is in top condition.
CAA members are covered under their plan for emergency roadside assistance in the United States through the American Automobile Association (AAA). Members can look on the back of their membership cards to find the number they can call for help in the U.S.

Recommended routes

1. I-75 from Detroit, Mich., directly to Orlando, Fla.

- Kilometres from Toronto: about 2,260.

- CAA's most popular route with its members for winter driving because the chances of running into snow are slimmer than on the I-90 combination route.

- Expect short delays because of construction around Knoxville, Tenn., south of Atlanta, Ga., and north of the Florida border.

- Strict speed enforcement on the I-75 south of Valdosta, Ga., approaching the Florida border. Speed limit is 60 miles per hour.

2. The I-90 combination route (from Buffalo, N.Y., to I-90 to I-79 from Erie, Pa. to I-77. Take I-77 to Columbia, S.C. before joining (via I-26) I-95 northwest of Charleston, S.C.)

- Kilometres from Toronto, Ont. to Orlando, Fla.: about 2,092.

- Because of mountainous terrain, fog and drifting snow in sections, CAA Central Ontario suggests driving with care along this route.

CAA Central Ontario is a not-for-profit auto club offering insurance, travel and emergency road services. There are 1.7 million CAA members in Ontario and four million CAA members in Canada.