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16 THE NEW TANNER THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 07, 2013 After 9/11 ­ one reporter's SILVERCREEK SPA front row seat to history Valentine's Special & On September 10, 2001, Toronto Star reporter Michelle Shephard did a story about a purse-snatcher. The next day, on what is now known as 9/11, her career changed forever, leading her from Ground Zero to the world's terrorism hot spots as a national security reporter for the Toronto Star. Shephard, winner of many major journalism awards and author of two award-winning books, talked about how the world has changed since those terrorists' attacks to a spell-bound full house audience at the Acton Town Hall Centre recently. She was the guest in the Absolutely Acton Speakers' Series. The series fundraiser was the brainchild of the late Tracey Tyler, a colleague of Shephard's at the Toronto Star, and a founding member of Heritage Acton. Post 9/11, Shephard focused on three hot spots ­ Somalia, Yeman and Guantanamo Bay ­ as she developed her foreign reporting skills and found a front row seat to history. In Somalia, Shephard met a teenager who had been mutilated by a radical group for refusing to join them. He saw her Canadian flag pin on her bag and through a translator begged to be taken to Canada. An article she wrote about his story led to his rescue and a new life in Norway. Shephard discussed her latest book, Decade of Fear ­ 10 years worth of stories of warlords, presidents, spies and global terrorists to describe how the West's solutions for terrorism only made things worse. After being banned from Guantanamo for naming a source, and then invited to the Pentagon to talk about improving media relation, Shephard, admitted to having "Gitmofatigue" (but) "I can tell you it remains a sore spot in many counties and an enduring propaganda gift for Al Qaeda." $ Colour, Cut & Accent Foils Reg. $90 75 24 $ Bio Sculpture overlay Reg. $48 Specials end March 2nd 2013 Acton Mews Plaza, 56D Mill St. East, Acton 519-853-0811