Features
David Asper has brought excitement to a new generation of basketball fans with the Winnipeg Sea Bears
By BERNIE BELLAN
June 8, 2023 The name David Asper has long been associated with Winnipeg sports teams.
A former Chair of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers – and someone who achieved both notoriety for how directly involved he became with that team – even going so far as to invade the locker room after a particularly brutal loss (only to be pushed out by now CEO Wade Miller), Asper was also involved with a pro basketball team known as the Winnipeg Thunder, which played here from 1992-94.
This past year, however, Asper took another foray into sports at the ownership level with Winnipeg’s newest sports franchise, the Winnipeg Sea Bears.
The Sea Bears play in a summer league – which is also when the Winnipeg Thunder, a team in which Asper also had an owership stake played. (Another team, the Winnipeg Cyclone, owned by Earl Barish, played in the winter.),
The Sea Bears franchise is the newest addition to what is now a 10-team All Canadian league known as the Canadian Elite Basketball League. So far, by any measure, the team is off to a roaring start.
Recently I chatted with Asper about what led him to enter – again, into the risky world of professional sports and why he’s confident that this time around, the Sea Bears and the league they play in, will be lasting successes.
I began by asking him whether he’s pleased with the attendance at Sea Bears games thus far? (At the time of our conversation the team had played five home games, with an average attendance over 4,000 each game.)
“Yes, I’m very pleased with the reception we’ve gotten so far,” Asper said, “but it’s my nature – it’s the entrepreneur’s curse, to be very cautious about it, because when we began – when you start a business – any business, you never know whether anyone’s going to actually show up and, if they do, whether they’ll keep coming back.”
I suggested to Asper that the history of pro basketball teams in Winnipeg is less than impressive, but he responded that the Winnipeg Thunder actually did “very well,” but “both leagues that the team was affiliated with collapsed.”
“The Thunder played in the summer. The Cyclone played in the winter. I had a better perspective of seeing what would happen if you played in the summer – which is what appealed to me about this league,” Asper added.
I asked, “How far back in time did your planning for the Sea Bears begin?”
Asper said he “started in the spring of ’22, spent time all last summer going across country to games, and then I decided I really liked what I was seeing. I was concerned about the show – the competitiveness of the basketball – and I’m not a basketball person, but I think I have a sense of when something is entertaining and athletic.
“By mid-summer we thought we were going to go for it, we had some negotiation with the league, and we were finally able to announce – late, relatively speaking, at the end of November. We put ourselves in quite a time crush being able to launch for 2023 because training camp starts mid-May, so we only had five months really. We had to hire staff, get tickets out and get ourselves prepared, so it’s been a very hectic time.”
I said to Asper that I wasn’t all that familiar with the Canadian Elite Basketball League and he did give me some of the league’s history, but after the interview I dug deeper into the league’s history.
The CEBL is now in its fifth season, having begun in the summer of 2019, originally with six teams, which were all owned by the league. It now has ten teams in two divisions, from six different provinces:The east division is made up of one team in Quebec (in Montreal), and four in Ontario (in Brampton, Niagara, Ottawa, and Scarborough); and a west division: one in Manitoba (the Sea Bears), one in Saskatchewan (in Saskatoon); two in Alberta (in Calgary and Edmonton), and one in BC (in Langley).
While five of the teams are still owned by the league, there are now five private owners – in Langley, Calgary, Edmonton, and Scarborough, in addition to Asper in Winnipeg.
For the most part the teams play in smaller venues, with the exception of the Sea Bears, who play in Canada Life Centre, which can hold over 15,000 (although seating is confined to the lower level).
Another difference between the CEBL and other leagues that have come and gone in Canada is the heavy emphasis on Canadian players on each team. As Asper explained, each team has 10 players, of whom six have to be Canadian, three can be American, and a tenth can be international.
“We collaborate with Basketball Canada,” Asper observed, and it is a great opportunity for Canadian university players to hone their skills.
Not only that, Asper added that “last year nine players coming out of our league signed NBA contracts,” which gives you an idea what a high level of basketball is played in the CEBL.
According to Wikipedia, each team operates under a salary cap of only $8,000 per team per game. (There are 20 regular games, followed by a round robin playoff tournament modeled on the NCAA Final Four tournament.)
I asked Asper about what I described as his “abiding interest in sports,” given his history of involvement with both pro basketball and football teams.
He said that he thinks “sport is an important part of culture.”
“Where does it come from?” I asked.
“Well, I played sports as a kid,” Asper answered. “I didn’t play basketball, but I’ve seen the power of sports to be inclusive, to be inspirational, to be a shared common experience. I believe very strongly – I know that others in the arts community will dispute it, but I believe sports is as integral to culture as is art and other forms of activities.”
I asked Asper about the role he played in the building of IG Field (where the Blue Bombers now play).
He said that it was never his idea to build a new stadium at the University of Manitoba.
“My plan was to build it at Polo Park and I had everyone lined up and agreed to build it there. I don’t know what happened. I had led the whole project and Greg Selinger wound up taking it over.
I remarked: “Oh yah, I remember, there was an election.”
Turning back to the Sea Bears, I observed that, from pictures in the paper and what I had seen on TV, the team has been drawing a much younger crowd than say the Bombers or Jets – and a far more diverse crowd ethnically. I asked Asper whether that was part of the plan when he thought of starting a basketball team here.
He said, “The answer is yes. When I went across the country last summer and went to games and talked to fans, you could visibly see who was there and a lot of them were young families. There were also grandparents – people my age. It was a broader demographic than I thought it would be. I think that seeing young people at a game is very appealing to a broad age demography, but Bernie, when I would talk to first or second generation Canadians at those games, these were not people who grew up with hockey or football, but for them – basketball – when I talked about shared common experience and shared culture, I’m talking about these families – these new Canadians, meeting with legacy, old Canadians and having a shared common experience as Canadians that was so heart-warming. I said: ‘I want to be part of this.’
“It may be relatively small compared to football and hockey, but it’s doing a service. It’s serving a larger purpose, and what we’ve seen at the games so far – and it really overwhelms me, is that’s exactly what’s happening in Winnipeg.”
“I was talking to kids at the last game – they were part of two youth groups, who had never been to Canada Life Centre and came for the first time to a basketball game – and it blew their minds. They could not believe how great this was – predominantly new Canadians.”
I asked what the ticket price structure is?
Asper said, “They start at roughly 20 bucks. We try to have an entry point for families that’s very accessible.”
I asked whether Ruth (David’s wife) is involved with the team (since she was pictured seated along side David at the first game)?
Asper said, “No, but she’s the team’s number 2 fan.” He also told me that Ruth has a very strong background herself in sports.
I said that I remembered when she was co-owner of Tights, along with other fitness centers in Winnipeg over the years.
Asper said, “Not only that, but Ruth was the trainer for the (University of Manitoba) Bisons football team and she was the trainer for the Churchill Bulldogs football team. She’s in the Churchill Bulldogs Hall of Fame. She really has an experiential perspective on sports. She’s not involved, but she certainly knows the owner – let’s put it that way.”
I wondered about the stability of this particular basketball league – given the past failures of other basketball leagues that had Winnipeg franchises.
“Have there been any teams that have dropped out since the league started five years ago?” I asked.
“There was a team in Newfoundland, and it dropped out,” Asper answered. “Other teams have moved to different markets, so Hamilton moved to Brampton, Guelph had a team that moved to Calgary – which was important because that created a west and an east division. The league has seen unparalleled success this year. The growth in the league is really quite remarkable.”
Asper also noted that “We’re trying to build a sustainable summer event, so it takes a significant investment to start a team up, but the owners who are either starting or acquiring franchises are very committed to investing and growing. The league itself has come through its start-up anarchy, which is always the case in a start-up anything and now it’s moving into scaling up – because it’s working. People want to see this product.”
He also observed that the league is very competitive. Because it’s such a short season (only 20 games), “every single game matters.”
Asper explained that “we have a unique ending to the games” (in the CEBL). “Instead of the clock just running out – like you’d see in an NBA game, where you’d see them try to manage the clock, where the team that’s winning will try to run out the clock and the team that’s losing will try to create fouls and slow it down, what we do is, at the first stoppage in play with close to four minutes left to go in the game we create what’s called a ‘target score,’ so we add nine to the leading team’s score, so that, for example, the score is 84-80, then we turn off the clock, and the first team to 93 wins.
“So, not only does every game matter, the way the games end are so exciting that people leave feeling exhilarated or demoralized. There’s a really emotional way that our games end that really creates a compelling fan experience.”
I asked: “Anything else you want to add?”
Asper said: “Get your tickets at seabears.ca!”
Features
New movie, “Bau, Artist at War,” scheduled to open in Winnipeg on Sept. 26, tells the amazing story of Joseph Bau, whose marriage to his wife Rebecca was made famous in “Schindler’s List”
“They can starve us, beat us, cage us – but they could never kill our spirit.“ – Joseph Bau
A gripping new movie, titled Bau, Artist at War, scheduled to open in Winnipeg on Sept. 26 at the Grant Park Landmark Theatre, tells the story of Joseph Bau, whose dramatization of his marriage in Plaszow concentration camp to his wife Rebecca was an unforgettable scene in the movie Schindler’s List.
The film is based in large part on Bau’s memoir, Dear God, Have You Ever Gone Hungry? (published in 1998). The film was written by Deborah Smerecnik, Ron Bass, and Sonia Kifferstein, and is directed by Sean McNamara.
Featuring stellar performances by Emile Hirsche (who appeared in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) as the protagonist, and Inbar Lavi (who appeared in the Israeli television series Fauda and the U.S. television series Imposters) as Rebecca, the movie is a combination love story and espionage tale that deserves attention in an era, as one commentator has said, “where survivors are fading away, and the Holocaust is slipping from memory.” It’s also a story about resistance during the Holocaust.
In the movie, during his time in Plaszow Concentration Camp, Bau is a Jewish forger, an artist and a designer. He is employed by the brutal commandant Josef Liepold to draw a newly planned wing in the prison. He is simultaneously forging IDs for Jewish inmates helping them escape the prison. Hirsche as Bau, also draws comics for the prisoners, and his gift of art inspires his future wife with his colorful “lifegiving” creations, to which she responds in the gloomy setting of the death camp. McNamara cleverly intercuts these wonderful artworks within the film’s action.
Joseph Bau was a man who defied the darkness of the Holocaust with art, humor, and an unbreakable spirit. A gifted artist and master forger, Bau risked his life to save others, using his talent to create false documents that helped fellow prisoners escape certain death. But in the depths of despair, he discovered something even more powerful…love.
In the Plaszow concentration camp, amid relentless brutality, Joseph met Rebecca – a woman whose courage matched his own.
Years later, when Joseph is called to testify against the sadistic Nazi officer who tormented him, he is forced to relive the horrors of his past. But through it all, he draws strength from the love that saved him, the art that sustained him, and the unyielding will that kept him alive.
A gripping war drama, a daring espionage thriller, and one of the greatest love stories of our time, Bau, Artist at War is a testament to the power of resilience, the triumph of the human spirit, and the unbreakable bonds that even war could not destroy.
Features
Israeli startup Combatica is transforming education and entertainment in Uganda through VR and AI technologies
In early June 2024, the Israeli startup Combatica opened the first next-generation virtual park in Africa, located in Uganda. This step attracted the attention not only of local residents but also of professionals worldwide. The use of artificial intelligence and virtual reality is changing the approach to education and leisure: what fundamentally new does such a project bring? Why is this considered a real technological breakthrough, and what new horizons does it open up for African countries and the entire world?
Combatica: The history of an innovative startup and its philosophy
The company Combatica was founded four years ago by a group of Israeli engineers and military experts. From the very beginning, its mission was to create a simulator of the future, combining gaming technologies and professional training for both military and civilian tasks. According to the Globes Israel portal, the Combatica platform was initially used in Israeli military structures for tactical training of fighters. But within a year, it achieved international implementation in the Middle East and Europe.
In this context, it is important to note that over the past two years, the company has not only increased sales in the domestic market but also attracted the attention of Frost & Sullivan analysts, who named Combatica the largest player in the tactical training market by 2025. International expansion became the next stage of development: now Combatica technologies go beyond military tasks, also covering education and mass entertainment.
Combatica VR park in Uganda: a new step for the region
The Combatica park in the town of Busika became the first of its kind for the African continent. At the same time, it is a space for recreation, an interactive learning field, and a platform for demonstrating technologies. The opening was supported by representatives of the local administration and the media, and the first visitors noted the extraordinary realism of the simulations.
In this context, it was significant that Uganda was not chosen by chance. As experts claim, the country is actively investing in digital initiatives and education, turning into a technological hub of East Africa. Why did the African region become the launch pad? The answer lies in the high interest in innovative forms of learning and the desire to attract the youth to the professions of the future.
Technologies and capabilities of the Combatica 2.1 platform
At the core of the VR park is the Combatica 2.1 platform—an integrated system combining artificial intelligence, real-time analytics, and elements of tactical games. As the developers explain, the platform creates complete immersion in a digital environment, and the scenarios bring participants as close as possible to real-life situations.
The technical characteristics of Combatica 2.1 include:
• More than 50 interactive scenarios modeling different levels of complexity
• Seven detailed maps reflecting real and fictional landscapes
• Special night vision modes for simulating operations in darkness
• An analytics system tracking each player’s actions in real time and allowing tasks to be tailored to individual needs
The term “metaverse” in this context means the unification of digital worlds where users interact not only with virtual objects but also with each other, while “portability” underlines the mobility of the solution.
Unique features: portability and adaptability
One of the key distinctions of Combatica is the exceptional mobility of the system. All the equipment needed to launch the platform fits into two standard suitcases, allowing a training or game session to be organized almost anywhere in the world with minimal preparation.
In this context, it is important that Combatica has proven its versatility. The platform has been successfully used in military exercises to practice actions in real conditions, as well as at corporate events and festivals for team games and leadership skills training. Can such flexibility be called a unique feature among similar VR solutions? Many experts tend to believe that it is precisely adaptability and ease of deployment that make Combatica in demand among different audiences.
Impact on education and the entertainment industry
In recent years, VR and AI-based simulations are gaining unprecedented scale. Modern scenarios include not only military missions or rescue operations but also team strategy games for teenagers and adults. Analysts note that in Africa, where access to traditional education and training is limited, such solutions open up fundamentally new opportunities.
For example, Statista data for 2023 show that the global VR training market reached $5.5 billion, with growth of more than 15% per year, and in African countries, demand is growing faster than the average. This approach is especially in demand among the army, security services, and educational institutions seeking interactive and effective tools.
International plans and ambitions: global scaling
The next stage of Combatica’s development is the launch of similar VR parks in the USA and Europe. According to company representatives, by 2026 it is planned to open at least three new centers focused on professional training, corporate programs, and mass entertainment. The demand for such technologies is explained by the desire to combine gaming experience, analytics, and training in a single environment.
In this context, it is important to emphasize that Frost & Sullivan analysts note a sharp increase in Combatica’s global sales this year. According to estimates, the dynamics are due to the flexibility of the platform and its rapid adaptation to different tasks, which is especially valuable for Western markets.
Expert evaluations and market recognition
In an interview with Globes Israel, Frost & Sullivan analysts noted: “Combatica is a market leader thanks to the speed of innovation implementation and consideration of user needs.” Sales of the platform in just the past six months have tripled compared to the same period last year. Success is explained not only by technological leadership but also by the ability to adapt to changing market conditions.
At the same time, some experts draw attention to a number of challenges: the cost of equipment, data security issues, and accessibility for educational institutions in developing countries. Although most of these problems can be solved in the coming years, it is important to take them into account when planning scaling.
Context and prospects for the region
The impact of the implementation of VR and AI solutions on the educational and gaming industry of Africa is hard to overestimate. The opening of the Combatica park may become an important catalyst for the development of technological literacy, specialist training, and attracting investments to the region. Nevertheless, experts emphasize the need to modernize infrastructure, train personnel, and create conditions for mass access to innovations.
In this context, the prospects seem promising: according to the African Development Bank, annual investments in digital education and interactive platforms will only grow, and the experience of Combatica can become a model for new projects on the continent.
Material prepared with the support of App1win
Features
Is Hamas a “treatable” cancer?
By GREGORY MASON If we define Hamas as a cancer, can we devise a strategy to, if not defeat Hamas, at least manage it? Is Hamas “treatable?”
Defining treatable cancer
Although the cancer charities like to promote the notion that we are winning the war against cancer, a reference that confirms the suitability of conjoining cancer and Hamas, the reality is that five-year survival rates are increasing only slowly. While curative therapies continue to improve, early detection —encompassing both greater testing participation and technological advancements in testing —appears to be the most crucial factor in lengthened survivability.
The key treatment condition is the stage at which cancer becomes known. The typical staging has four levels, where the tumour:
- remains entirely within the margins (edges) of the organ
- reaches the margins.
- moves beyond the margin and invades the surrounding tissues.
- move another organ or system.
Sometimes oncologists refer to precancerous growths as “stage 0” when a surgeon removes a skin lesion as a precaution. Progression among the cancer stages is known as metastasis.
Most important is to understand that the five-year survival standard includes no reference to quality of life. Most cancer treatments compromise quality of life.
Patients often assume the word “cancer” means a death sentence. Yet if detected early, the idea of “treatable cancer” invariably creates a sense of optimism since it also implies a course of action leading to a “cure.” Most oncologists are wary of raising false expectations when discussing the nature of a patient’s condition and the options for treatment.
Three conditions mark a treatable cancer. - Treatment options exist.
- Actions are feasible – the patient resides where the technology, talent, and treatments (medications) are available.
- Patients receive no guarantees that exist for a cure (complete remission), extension of life, or improved quality of life.
Treatment outcomes for cancer exist in several dimensions: the extension of life, the quality of that life, and the difficulty of the treatment. Patients and physicians face complex trade-offs, where the difficulty of the treatment versus the expected gain in quality of life may induce the patient to curtail active treatment. The patient submits to the inevitable and enters palliative care.
Setting aside voodoo, cancer treatments include surgery that targets specific tumour sites, chemotherapy that uses a cocktail of chemicals that targets cancerous cells without affecting healthy tissue, and palliative care. Palliative care accepts the inevitable course of disease leading to death.
The final issue is that a systemic cancer, such as lymphoma, stands in contrast to a tumour, which exists at a defined point. Treatment is different for each type. Systemic cancers require chemotherapy, while point cancers require surgery.
Hamas as a cancer.
Some may object to my characterization of Hamas as a cancer since they see Hamas as freedom fighters for Palestinian independence. No comment. No apology.
The origin of Hamas is the Muslim Brotherhood, which started in Egypt during the late 1920s as a labour movement among Suez Canal dockworkers, led by Hassan al-Banna. Its goals were to spread Islam across the Arab world, oppose colonialism (primarily British and French) and promote the Arab mission in Palestine. This movement has spread rapidly throughout the Middle East and beyond.
Hamas (Harakat-al-Muqawama-al-Islamiya or “Islamic Resistance Movement”) was established in 1987 following the first intifada, when Arabs living in Gaza, Judea/Samaria and East Jerusalem engaged in a violent protest against what Hamas and other groups perceived as unjustified Israeli governance over their lands. A core goal was to build support for the Muslim Brotherhood, which had lost support to Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) sponsored by Iran. It is one example of the conflict between Sunni Islam (Muslim Brotherhood) and Shia Islam (PIJ).
Rather than an isolated tumour, Hamas in Gaza is but a derivative lesion of the broader Muslim Brotherhood cancer. Although not part of the Palestinian Authority, it is the most popular movement in the West Bank. It may well have had a hand in the weekend attack in Jerusalem that killed six and injured 13, although many malign actors are available.
Another Muslim Brotherhood lesion is the Hamas leadership that has remained ensconced in luxury Qatar hotels. Israel’s recent attack on the Hamas leadership in Qatar is another attempt to excise the tumour, with a subtle twist. Qatar has operated duplicitously. On the one hand, it has sheltered Hamas leaders and shovelled buckets of money to support their war against Israel while also serving as a “neutral” mediator in the hostage negotiation. Along with Iran and Türkiye, it is a significant funder of the Brotherhood, not only throughout the Middle East, but also in Europe and North America.
Qatar has also opened a series of tumours in post-secondary education, especially in its funding of elite universities. This aligns with the long view inherent in radical Islam and the Muslim Brotherhood. Funding “endowed chairs” enables external funders to circumvent standard academic hiring procedures, placing academics with specific viewpoints in key academic positions. This becomes a critical element in the metastasis of radical Islam. In addition to promoting Islam and an anti-Israel perspective, these faculty members work in partnership with post-modern ideologies that undermine recognition of the past achievements of Western civilization. This is not to defend the past, as much exists in Western history that needs correction.
Defeating Hamas: Tactical win or strategic loss?
Israel’s goals in Gaza have fluctuated, reflecting its extraordinary duration and the existence of the hostages. Many do not want the Netanyahu government to proceed with the final expulsion of Hamas from Gaza. Most opponents to such a campaign within Israel fear it is not possible without massively increased civilian casualties, further hostage deaths, and a prohibitive cost in soldiers’ lives for the Israel Defence Forces.
In addition to the potential costs, commentators such as Andrew Fox believe it is not possible to eliminate Hamas. His essential point is that Hamas has shown a remarkable capacity to adapt. However, he has applauded the attack on the Hamas leadership in Qatar.
The situation has become dire. First, throughout the Middle East, a multitude of cancerous lesions exist in the form of radical Islamic parties vying for control. In the West Bank, in addition to Fatah, the Palestinian Authority (PA) includes other factions such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (a Marxist-Leninist group), the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Palestinian Peoples Party, and the Palestine Popular Struggle Front. Not part of the PA, but very influential and popular are Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
In Gaza, in addition to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the major political factions include Fatah (much weakened since 2007), a range of Salafi-Jihad Groups, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, all of which vie for support. Finally, in addition, several clan-based militias are operating, which Israel currently funds and arms, primarily to irritate Hamas.
A multitude of factions may arise to fill the vacuum if Hamas disappears. Indeed, none are anywhere as strong and capable as Hamas was. But deep pockets exist in the form of Qatar, Türkiye, and Iran to rebuild Islamist military capacity in Gaza.
The many points of radical Islam, comprising funding in Western universities, the mass migration that results in multiple Western societies being unable to integrate newcomers, and post-modern ideas infusing government and corporate management, have merged to create a systemic cancer that seems impervious to treatment, certainly to precise tumour excision.
Israel can play a furious whack-a-mole model of surgical strikes to excise the many tumorous lesions originating from the Muslim Brotherhood. And it may succeed in bringing Hamas to the table to release the remaining hostages and cease its Gaza operations. Israel can score a tactical victory.
But if the West declines to address the systemic cancer of radical Islam and Hamas reconstitutes itself in the West Bank, a strategic victor will elude Israel, and it will return to excising yet another tumour.
Israel’s refusal to wage the information war and Western leaders losing their way and becoming politically indebted to recent migrants may become the strategic errors prolonging the conflict.