SOLIDARITY SHOWN AT SAFEWAY 16END OF THE CENTURY

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THE UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEG STUDENTS’ WEEKLY
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INSIDE
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News
Editorial
Comments
Listings
Humour
Features
Arts & Culture
Sports
16
03
02 SOLIDARITY SHOWN AT SAFEWAY
11 THE ROAD RULES OF REGGAE
END
OF
THE
CENTURY
16
20 VIEW FROM THE RING—PART II
SAFEWAY EMPLOYEES RALLY AT THE CONVENTION CENTRE
10 DAYS IN A VAN ACROSS WESTERN CANADA
16
STORY OF THE RAMONES
A DOCUMENTARY OF ONE BOXER’S FIGHT
20
»
15
A Winnipegger in New Zealand
Photo by: Wade Andrew
11
Ɯ
VOL.59 ISS.12
01
02
Editorial
03
NEWS PRODUCTION EDITOR
Derek Leschasin
[email protected]
NEWS ASSIGNMENT EDITOR
03 Belik [email protected]
BEAT REPORTER
» Jacob Serebrin
FEATURES EDITOR
06 [email protected]
07
» Vivian
» Scott de
SENIOR BEAT REPORTER
04 Groot [email protected]
05 [email protected]
»
» David Pensato
ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR
» Jo Snyder
[email protected]
SPORTS EDITOR
08 [email protected]
» Leighton Klassen
COMMENTS EDITOR
09
[email protected]
10
[email protected]
HUMOUR EDITOR
» Daniel Blaikie
» Janet Mowat
» Wade Andrew
11
PHOTO EDITOR
12
LISTINGS COORDINATOR
[email protected]
COPY & STYLE EDITOR
13
» Jan Nelson
[email protected]
» Melody
Rogan [email protected]
14
15
16
DISTRIBUTION MANAGER
Scott McArthur
»
PRODUCTION MANAGER &
GRAPHICS EDITOR David C. Tan
»
[email protected]
ADVERTISING MANAGER
»
Ted Turner
[email protected] 786-9779
THIS WEEKS CONTRIBUTORS
Josh Grummett • Paul Ryan• Mark Johnson•
Ashley MacDonald• Edward Cheung• William
O’donnell• Michael Banias • William Blades •
Paul Wedel • Dan Hugyhebaert • Nora Dector
• Andrea Collins • Patrick Faucher • Sheri
Lamb • Jon Symons • Mike Pyl • Jon Symons
• Sarah Hauch • Jesse Matas
The Uniter is the official student newspaper of the
University of Winnipeg and is published by the
University of Winnipeg Students’ Association. The
Uniter is editorially autonomous and the opinions
expressed within do not necessarily reflect those of
the UWSA. The Uniter is a member of the Canadian
University Press and Campus Plus Media Services.
SUBMISSION OF ARTICLES, LETTERS, PHOTOS
AND GRAPHICS ARE WELCOME Articles should
be submitted in text or Microsoft Word format to
[email protected]. Deadline for submissions is
noon Friday (contact the section’s editor for more
information). Deadline for advertisements is noon
Friday, six days prior to publication. The Uniter
reserves the right to refuse to print submitted
material. The Uniter will not print submissions that
are homophobic, misogynistic, racist or libelous.
We also reserve the right to edit for length or style.
»
CONTACT US
General Inquiries: 204.786.9790
Advertising: 204.786.9779
Editors: 204.786.9497
Fax: 204.783.7080
Email: [email protected]
08
09
10
11
12
13
15
Winnipeg Free Press Announces Second Coming
A
nyone who had concerns
about the new arena
need not fear any longer.
According to the first
seven pages of the
Wednesday, 17 November
issue of the Winnipeg Free Press, downtown
Winnipeg’s MTS Centre is ‘Absolutely
Magnificent.’ Moreover this messiah of the
downtown is heralded as the spearhead of
new development in the area, bringing capital
investment and solutions to the problems
of downtown. Indeed, as the front page of
the Free Press declared on the 17th in a font
larger than any this paper usually publishes,
Winnipeg has in fact a ‘Downtown Reborn.’
And how exactly is it that the arena will
solve the problems of downtown Winnipeg?
Well, let us recap. First of all, it offers
Winnipeggers a wide range of ‘savoury treats’:
everything from pickerel fingers to veggie
trays. Granted they are charging $6.50 a beer,
but one should not be bothered by this because
one spectator noted that when he goes to
Edmonton, prices are comparable.
Moreover, the Tragically Hip are coming
to play at the new centre. Really, one would
have to be a fool not to see how this arena,
having such friends as the Tragically Hip, will
help address the crucial problems facing
Winnipeg’s core. Why, it’s as obvious as the
Emperor’s new clothes. And those were made
News
News Editors
from the best and finest materials in the
land!
Does this arena sound great or what?
If you didn’t answer with a soulful Amen
to the question above, here is another way the
MTS Centre will help alleviate some of the
major problems afflicting our downtown: “It’s
bright inside, making it easy to see what’s
going on everywhere,” as Tim Campbell put it
so eloquently in an article on the front page of
the Winnipeg Free Press 18 November issue.
Or at least the bright lights of the MTS Centre
help see everywhere inside the arena, but
where’s the in depth reporting on how the
MTS Centre will save the downtown. All the
hype aside, a building – no matter how
wonderful – does not a community make.
Wasn’t this lesson learned by way of the
false prophet Portage Place? It too promised
salvation when it rolled into town. But no dice.
With that experience under our belt, we know
that saying does not make it so. It’d be nice if
Winnipeg’s major daily newspaper would help
shine a light on how the promise of the MTS
Centre is any different than that of Portage
Place. Another question serious reporters might
ask is why people would shop more downtown
because of an arena, when there are plans to
develop the site of the old arena – far, far away
from downtown – into an extension of the
shopping megaplex that is Polo Park.
Ok, ok, they also reported some things
» Derek Leschasin & Vivian Belik
E-mail
»
O
“924 employees
attended the
strike vote in
Winnipeg”
COVER IMAGE
Photo by: WADE ANDREW
NOVEMBER 25,
25, 2004
Tele
» 786-9497
Solidarity Shown at Safeway
n Sunday, November 14,
the Winnipeg Convention
Centre played host
to nearly a thousand
Safeway
employees,
assembled to determine
whether or not they would strike on Monday.
Robert Ziegler, the president of UFCW Local
832—Safeway’s union—and the 20-member
bargaining committee gave a presentation
on tentative agreement between Safeway and
Local 832, subject to that evening’s vote.
»
outside the arena. There was the hotdog vendor
that was sent packing from the area around the
arena on the first night, and the general increase
in parking fares. But not to worry, that’s
business as usual, and we should just be
thankful it’s going on once again in the
downtown.
Maybe the best thing the arena has brought
back to Winnipeg’s core is ‘Can-do spirit,’
hence the aptly titled editorial in the 17
November Free Press. After all, if the poor
and disadvantaged in Winnipeg’s downtown
area are to be helped, the best thing that can
be done is to combat their ‘can’t-do’ attitude
that’s holding them back. Without it they
could learn to get a job and get away from
their dependency on government hand-outs
and . . . hmmm . . . this movie sounds a little
too familiar.
Okay, so maybe the new arena will help out
the downtown, maybe it won’t. And maybe
the Free Press wants to help the MTS Centre
help Winnipeg by casting a positive light
on it from the get go. In a world where the
Canadian dollar can drop by nearly a full
cent in one day because investors thought
its high value would lower its value (Huh?
Go figure), perception means a lot. In any
event, there’s a difference between strategic
optimism and shameless suckholing. One is
at least arguably justifiable in a widely read
newspaper, the other is not.
[email protected]
Josh Grummett
THE UNITER
Room ORM14
University of Winnipeg
515 Portage Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 2E9
02
CONTACT: [email protected]
07
Image by: David Tan
02
Patterson [email protected]
06
»
01
» James D.
05
MTS Centre, Superstar!
UNITER STA FF
MANAGING EDITOR
04
Among the significant benefits of the
agreement were the creation of a “health
spending account” for each employee, to
accommodate broader medical needs; the
first major improvements for courtesy clerks
in well over twenty years; job security for
the Meats department, which had been
outsourced in the past in some stores; and
letters of assurance for the pension plan, and
the issue of respect and dignity.
One of Safeway’s withdrawn proposals
was to require that new employees work on
Sundays.
When asked about the proposal and its
defeat, Ziegler said that it was “withdrawn
because we kept telling them it violated the
law. Sundays are voluntary. They tried to
argue that you could opt out, or avoid the
law by putting it in the
contract. Sunday is a
busy day, but pay the
premium if you want
employees to work it.”
For the first time
ever, the bargaining
committee included a
cour tesy
clerk—the
people who bag your
groceries and bring in
the carts. It showed in
the improvements that
courtesy clerks received
in the new agreement:
they can now work more
hours in a week (with
career clerks given even
more), and courtesy
clerks promoted to part-time positions may
pick up additional courtesy clerk shifts, if
they find that they aren’t receiving enough
hours in their new position.
On the possibility of further diversification
of the committee in future contracts, Ziegler
said that he would “gladly try and find a
university student for the next contract. It is
our goal to have more and more representation
from younger employees.”
In all, 924 employees attended the strike
vote in Winnipeg. 770 voted to accept the
agreement; 112 voted against. Across
Manitoba, 1,300 employees attended their
strike vote meetings, and the provincial
results were 89 percent in favour of accepting
the tentative agreement.
Prior to the strike vote meetings, literature
was distributed in break-rooms throughout
the province: pamphlets from Local 832 and
photocopies of a “Dear Employee” letter
from Safeway president Chuck Mulvenna
were present.
It’s likely that without the strike mandate
voted on in late October, the union wouldn’t
have been able to secure a similar agreement.
The union encouraged employees to talk in
the stores about how they were going to
vote—especially if voting against a bad
agreement.
“When you go into negotiations the
company’s goal is to make as much profit as
possible. But they try and judge the
membership—and if the membership stands
together, they can get a better offer,” said
Ziegler.
CONTACT
»
News
News Editors
» Derek Leschasin & Vivian Belik
E-mail
»
[email protected]
Tele
» 786-9497
O
n November 16,
the University
of Winnipeg’s
c a m p u s
sust a inabil it y
g r o u p ,
SUNSET (Sustainable University
Now,
Sust a i nable
Earth
Tomorrow) officially launched its
vision of a healthier future for the
U of W.
On hand to speak about the
initiative was U of W president
Lloyd Axworthy and project
coordinators Dini Silveira and
Andrew Basham. Speaking to a
crowd of about fifty interested
students, staff, and media, the
proponents of SUNSET illustrated
the importance of incorporating
sustainability into all aspects of
university life.
“The project will strengthen
the social capital and physical
also allow the University of
Winnipeg to become a leading
example in sustainable practices
for other institutions”.
Modeled after a sustainability
project that was implemented at
Concordia University last year,
SUNSET aims to uncover a
multitude of factors that may be
preventing our university from
being as sustainable as possible.
Silveira and Basham explain that
the project will focus on the
interconnection of two distinct
dimensions found within campus
life, namely, people and the
surrounding environment.
In the first phase of the project,
SUNSET will be collecting
information on a variety of subject
areas ranging from overall
electricity usage on campus to the
number of food options available
at our cafeteria. In gathering its
research, SUNSET will take its
inspiration from the Campus
Su st a i n a bi l it y
A ss e ssment
Framework (CSAF)
used by the students
at
Concordia
Un iversit y.
T he
CSAF has identified
about 170 different
indicators of campus
health encompassing
such broad areas as
water and energy
management,
mater ia ls,
la nd
usage, student health
a nd
wel l-bei ng,
school governance, economy and
wealth, community involvement,
“The administration
has already eagerly
committed itself to the
vision put forward”
environment of our campus,”
stated Silveira. “[SUNSET] will
»
News Editor
and the environmental knowledge
base of students. When completed,
the research portion of SUNSET
will be a comprehensive overview
of the level of sustainability at the
U of W.
Silveira and Basham are
hoping that the project will be
incorporated into the class work
of a variety of different university
departments, ultimately giving
students the opportunity to
research indicators for course
credit.
Jenn Logan is the first student
at the U of W to have researched
an indicator as part of a class
assignment. Logan was interested
in assessing the level of recreation
among faculty and students at the
university for her Recreational
Geography course.
“What I found quite shocking
is how high our participation
levels are,” stated Logan in
reference to her discovery that the
amount of recreational activity
done by males and females at the
U of W is currently higher than
the national average.
When all of the indicators have
been researched, a process that
may take more than a year to
complete, SUNSET will analyze
all of the data and make
re com mend at ions
to
t he
administration on what sorts of
changes should be made to
increase sustainability at the U of
W.
The administration has already
eagerly committed itself to the
vision put forward by SUNSET,
and views campus sustainability
as an initiative that will go handin-hand with the university’s
future plans to revitalize Spence
Street.
Speaking on behalf of the
university administration at the
launch, Axworthy highlighted the
importance of sustainability at
both the University of Winnipeg
and the community at large.
Axworthy pointed to the Arctic
Assessment Report, an ongoing
evaluation of the impact of climate
variability on the North, as one
reason why the school should be
incorporating SUNSET into its
daily routine.
“What we do here [at the
university] everyday...whatever
the activity, when one accumulates
it all, it becomes a threat to the
North and all of the environment,”
he said.
As a fitting conclusion to the
launch, Lloyd Axworthy, Sarah
Amyot (UWSA president), and
A la n
Diduck
( Head
of
Environmental Studies), all
signed a sustainability pledge to
prove their commitment to the
project.
Image by: David Tan
Vivian Belik
Photos by: Illana Simon
Student Group Unveils Plan to Make
U of W More Sustainable
Paul Ryan
L
arry Chartrand,
A s s o c i a t e
Professor
of
politics at the U
of W, and Director
of the Aboriginal
Self-Governance
Program,
spoke on November 16 at the
Onashowewin centre as part of a
series of lectures for Restorative
Justice Week.
Chartrand highlighted the
importance of using restorative
justice in the “restoration” of
treaties that Aboriginal leaders
signed over a century ago. He said
that these treaties were signed
without a total comprehension of
the terminology and of their
ultimate consequences.
The treaties were not translated
into native languages and were
written by British and Canadian
offi cials without any sort of prior
consultation with Aboriginal
authorities.
Additionally, these
agreements were
written in legal
jargon
(dubbed
““legalese””
by
p r o f e s s o r
Char trand),
s o m e t h i n g
unknown within
Aboriginal society
at that time.
The oral terms
of the treaties have
not been taken
seriously either,
“Canada has
imposed a sort of
authority on
native groups
that it does not
actually possess.”
according to Chartrand. There is a
critical lack of academic research
on the subject of oral interactions
between treaty commissioners and
Aboriginal elders.
Chartrand also noted that the
signing of treaties could be
understood on more than one
level, especially if one looked at it
from an Aboriginal point of view.
Such agreements can be seen as a
pact between two distinct nations.
In the case of Canada, it is a pact
between the First Nations people
and the European nation (British
Canadians). There is inherent
benefit for both sides and,
c o n s e q u e n t l y,
increased
motivation
for
a
positive
relationship. In theory, neither
side would interfere in the internal
politics of the other. However,
Chartrand said that if this latter
point is true, Canada has imposed
a sort of authority on native groups
that it does not actually possess.
A second way of defining these
agreements would be to view both
sides as making a decision to
“meld into a new nation,” as
Chartrand put it. The constitution
of the new nation would be the
treaty. Canada would actually be
a conglomeration of national
unions and constitutive new
nations.
Canada, in today’s world, is
under pressure to justify its
relationship with the First Nations
people. Ironically, the Supreme
Court of Canada must continually
“legitimize an underlying myth”,
when faced with certain legal
claims from Aboriginal groups and
individuals. It is impossible for
the Supreme Court to question
Canadian sovereignty because it
is “covered” under the Canadian
constitution.
Chartrand stressed that serious
thought must be given to the treaty
relationship, in order to look at the
issue of Aboriginal independence
and autonomy.
An analogous example of a
distinct people with particular
identity, said Chartrand, was that
of the Quebec nation, which exists
within the nation of Canada.
In some concluding remarks,
»
Prof Seeks a New Perspective on Treaties
Chartrand said that a lot of
work must be done in order to
educate the Canadian public
about the challenges and
problems that face Aboriginal
people. Most Canadians do not
know much at all about the
First Nations, according to
recent polling data.
NOVEMBER 25, 2004
, 2004
03
News
Derek Leschasin
World News Report
News Editor
01
Rwanda— According
to the Mail & Guardian,
Rwandan lawmakers are
currently drafting a bill that accuses France of
downplaying the 1994 genocide against the
03
minority Tutsi population, during which about
04
one million people were killed.
The draft bill would be part of a process to
set up a commission that would investigate
France’s role in the killings. The Hutu
government, which directed the genocide,
01
02
was strongly supported by the French
government, and the current Tutsi
government has often accused France of
training and arming the Hutus, who carried
out the genocide. The Hutu community
makes up about 84 percent of Rwanda’s
population.
02
Guatemala— The
United Nations has ended
its peace-keeping mission in
Guatemala, eight years after the end of the
nation’s bloody civil war. Reuters quotes
United Nations staff as saying that the peace
process has been carried out sufficiently as
to ensure that violence will not return to the
country, although the root causes of the war,
systemic poverty and racism, remain.
Winnipeggers Upsetting War on Terror
Mark Johnson
A
new surge of activity
against the war on Iraq
has emerged following
the re-election of George
W. Bush as President
of the United States.
On November 9, the UK experienced
demonstrations and actions against the war
About 200 thousand people were killed in the
36-year conflict between government and
leftist guerrilla forces, most of them were
Mayan Indian civilians murdered by
in thirty cities, and in the US, demonstrations
erupted in several major cities as thousands
took to the streets. On the same day, Winnipeg
was home to a “die-in.” Twenty body-bagged
people symbolically “died” at the front entrance
to Portage Place during rush hour.
The Applecart Collective, along with
several organizations and high school
contingents, wanted to show “Iraqi people you
are not alone,” as several placards read. A
masked agitator shouted to a supportive and
vigil-like crowd that over 100 thousand
people have died since the invasion, and over
one million were killed by the preceding
decade of economic sanctions.
A youth and community contingent left
from the U of W to meet the other groups, led
by a banner reading, “Stop The War – Another
World Is Possible.”
The bodies lay “dead” for approximately
thirty minutes. The protest then revived the
“dead” for a spontaneous march to the US
consulate at Notre Dame and Portage,
chanting “Iraq is Arabic for Vietnam,” and
“US, UK, Out of Iraq Today!”
Police told several demonstrators that they
would shut down the event if it violated any
laws. The high police presence “was to be
expected,” commented one organizer.
Steady effort has been placed into
exposing the nature of the ‘War on Terror’
and its effects on people around the world.
The case of Mahar Arar, being sent back
to Syria where he was tortured, has been
widely reported with the launching of an
official inquiry. Amnesty International’s
condemnation of the deportation to Syria has
left many wondering about the intentions of
the government’s support for the ‘War on
Terror.’
The ‘War on Terror’ now threatens to
deport another Winnipegger, Ammar Khatib,
and No One Is Illegal has been stepping up
the struggle to keep him here with his
Canadian wife and infant daughter.
government forces carrying out a “scorched
earth” campaign. Though a peace agreement
was signed in 1997, the UN was asked to stay
due to power struggles in the army and
private sector.
While state violence has decreased since the
end of the war, poverty continues to fuel
organized crime, giving Guatemala one of the
world’s highest homicide rates.
03
Ukraine— Amnesty
International is voicing its
concerns over what appear to
be the arbitrary arrests of peaceful protesters
in Ukraine. Notable among their concerns is
the arrest of six demonstrators who gathered
at a polling station in the town of Sumy on
October 31, demanding that the results of
the votes for the presidential election be
displayed, as is required by the Ukrainian
constitution. Staff called the police and ten
people were arrested and then released. On
November 13, police came to the protesters’
houses in the early morning and arrested
them, sending six to prison for ten days.
However, neither lawyers nor the public were
present at their trial, and families were not
informed of where they had been taken.
The Ukrainian presidential elections have
been marked by accusations of irregularities
and intimidation.
04
Nepal— Environmental
lawyers are trying to launch
an initiative that would force
large nations to cut their CO2 emissions
in order to comply with their obligation to
protect designated World Heritage sites,
BBC reports. The lawyers argue that climate
change is destroying certain sites, and
Unesco members are legally bound by the
World Heritage Convention to prevent that.
The lawyers are arguing that three sites have
already shown signs of damage: the Belize
Barrier Reef, which is suffering from warming
water, Huascaran National Park in Peru, and
Sagarmatha national park in Nepal, which
includes Mount Everest. Nepalese groups are
voicing concerns over drastic glacial melting,
which they fear will flood settlements.
The challenge faced by the lawyers is to
prove this damage is caused by global
warming. Even then, there is little in the way
of enforcement measures to ensure that
polluters comply.
04
NOVEMBER 25,
25, 2004
»
CONTACT
News Editors
» Derek Leschasin & Vivian Belik
E-mail
»
[email protected]
Tele
» 786-9497
Satellite Radio Threatens Campus Stations
Jacob Serebrin
T
Beat Reporter
he National
Campus and
Community
Radio
Association
(NCRA)
has asked the Canadian
Radio-television and
Telecommunications
Commission to give not-for
profit community-access
radio stations special
consideration in hearings
on digital and satellite
radio stations, citing
concerns over Canadian
content, potential damage
to listenership, as well as a
lack of community access.
The CRTC is currently
reviewing the applications of
three companies looking to
provide digital and or satellite
radio to Canadians: Canadian
Satellite Radio (CSR), in
partnership with American giant,
XM Satellite Radio; the Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation (CBC),
in partnership with SIRIUS
Satellite Radio and the American
company Standard Radio, and a
third application from Toronto
based CHUM.
The NCRA is asking the CRTC
to require the proposed radio
services to set up a “Community
Radio Fund”; the fund would be
administered by the NCRA and
similar
organizations
and
distributed to community radio
stations across the country. So
far the CRTC has asked the
applicants
to
voluntarily
contribute to such a fund,
something all three have agreed
to do. The NCRA, however,
hopes they will go further, and
make the fund a license
requirement.
According to Melissa Kaestner,
the NCRA National Coordinator,
satellite radio offers many of the
same things as campus and
community radio stations, the
most important being what she
describes as “diversity and
choice.”
CKUW (the University of
Winnipeg’s radio station) station
director and NCRA board
member Rob Schmidt echoed
her sentiments, saying satellite
radio offers “a lot of the specialty
programs normally found on
campus radio.” Schmidt is quick
to say, though, that he doesn’t
feel that satellite radio is a major
threat to campus and community
radio, and dismisses such fears
as “alarmist.” While he says
satellite radio may take away
some CKUW listeners, he adds
that commercial radio will feel a
bigger impact.
Kaestner, though, worries that
campus and community stations
“can’t keep up,” saying that
campus stations could not afford
to convert to a digital format.
“The CRTC does support
campus and community radio,”
says Kaestner, “(and) wants to
see us protected.”
Schmidt says the NCRA’s
main objection to the satellite
radio is the lack of community
content. According to Schmidt,
the Broadcast Act, the only piece
of legislation covering radio
Philip
Weiss:
Holocaust
of
Prominent
Disability
ActivistSurvivor
Speaks OnWarns
Campus
Increasing
Anti-Semitism
Scott de Groot
Senior Beat Reporter
A
t the University
of Winnipeg on
Saturday, Nov.
20 th , disability
advocate Jim
Derksen spoke
to a group of students, faculty, and
community members on a number
of important issues affecting the
disabled community in Winnipeg,
Manitoba, and around the world.
His presentation, entitled
“Finding Our Cultural Place:
Explorations in the Construction
of Disability,” explored the history
of the disability rights movement
and a number of pivotal turning
points therein. The issue of labels
was one of these, and it took a
prominent place in the discussion.
Crediting
the
women’s
movement with highlighting the
use of labels as a powerful tool of
oppression, Derksen explained that
the disabled movement took this
lesson to heart when it began to
re-construct the social identity of
the disabled by challenging the
labels imposed on them.
This included an attack on
pejorative terms such as ‘confined’
to a wheelchair, ‘deaf and dumb’,
‘crippled’, and ‘invalid’ – which
were eventually banished from the
public discourse and replaced with
less negative identity terms such as
‘disabled.’
Rather than simply a matter of
‘political correctness,’ Derksen
asserts this was a major victory,
positing that labels – which take
subtle forms and cloak themselves
in our language – are oppressive
and must be “rooted out” before
social equality can be achieved.
Underlining this point was the
emotional outpouring of a young
male audience member, who
explained that throughout school,
his classmates and teachers called
him an “idiot” – in reference to his
learning disability and dyslexia –
which hindered his academic
success and damaged his selfesteem.
“I am not an idiot,” he said,
responding to a call for audience
participation. ”But my whole life I
have been labeled an idiot, ever
since elementary, and it stayed
with me all the way through to
high school.”
Derksen acknowledged that
there have been many successes
made by the disabled rights
movement over the past decades –
among them the removal of barriers
ranging from those of a physical
nature, such as wheelchair
inaccessible
buildings
and
sidewalks, to more abstract
barriers,
such
as
societal
understandings of the potentials of
the disabled. However, he also
acknowledged there is still much
work to do.
For example, there are still
difficulties regarding adequate
transportation and employment
opportunities, and older buildings
– such as the House of Commons
– remain difficult to access.
Moreover, as Rhonda Weiebe from
the Canadian Centre for Disability
Studies Pointed out, “there is still
an assumption of tragedy attached
to the disabled … there is nothing
more un-empowering than people
feeling sorry for you.”
Derksen also described “a
leadership development gap” as
another issue facing the disabled
movement – specifically in
Manitoba, as many of its leaders
such as Derksen himself are getting
older and must someday be
replaced.
Derksen was born in 1947 in
Morris, a small farming community
in Manitoba, where he was disabled
during a polio epidemic in 1953.
During his distinguished career, he
participated in the founding and
served as president of the Council
“Labels are
oppressive and
must be rooted
out before social
equality can be
achieved”
of Canadians with Disabilities, the
Canadian
Disability
Rights
Council, and several other
disability rights organizations. He
has also had several Privy Council
and Ministerial appointments, and
is past-Chair of the CCD’s Human
Rights Committee.
stations, sets up three types of
broadcasting: public, private,
and community. Schmidt and
the NCRA feel that because
satellite radio does not offer
community access they should
“pay a penalty,” one that would
go to support campus and
community radio.
Schmidt
compares
the
proposed
“Community Radio Fund” to the
Canadian Television fund, which
receives funding from cable
companies and satellite providers
to support Canadian television
programming.
“The same way cable
companies pay for Canadian
content…radio should pay for
Canadian radio,” he said.
Schmidt does say he would
like to see community radio
stations working with satellite
radio, citing the example of a
satellite radio station in the
United States, which broadcasts
community radio programs from
across the country.
The NCRA has also taken
issue with a lack of Canadian
content on two of the satellite
radio applications. Both the bid
by CSR and the CBC/SIRIUS
would have the majority of
stations, 97 in the case of
CSR and 74 in the CBC
application, produced in the
United States with only four
coming from Canada.
According to Schmidt “very
few of the stations represent
Canadian
news
and
opinions.”
He adds, “It’s not fair to all
Canadian radio stations when
we have to play 35 percent
Canadian content.” Schmidt
says this is another reason for
the satellite stations to “pay a
penalty to Canadians.”
“Satellite
radio may
take away
some CKUW
listeners”
U of W Food Bank Gears Up
for Food Drive
Derek Leschasin
believe that they should be self-
News Editor
sufficient,” says Reid, and people
christmas
charity, feeling that they are living off
W
ith
approaching, the
may be uncomfortable accepting
of their fellow students.
U of W foodbank
It’s unclear what can be done
is gearing up for
about the latter factor, but in terms
what will likely be
of visibility the food bank has had
a busy season,
more success in the last several
and the last big food drive of the
months. The coordinators have been
semester.
visiting student groups to try and
From November 30 to December 2,
facilitate involvement, and a number
the Food Bank will be running its winter
of groups have bins set up for
raffle in the Riddell atrium. Donations
donations.
of either money of non-perishable food
During the QUEST conference
items will get participants their tickets
held last month, visitors were
and help hungry students at the same
encouraged to contribute food items
time.
for the food bank, and Reid says the
“All the money we get we’ll use to
response was quite impressive, so
buy food,” promises Mike Reid, who,
much so that Reid says he was
along with Susan Batten, works as the
unable to move the box full of
food bank coordinator.
donations on his own.
Prizes for the event were all donated
The Christmas season may be the
time of year when food banks get the
highest
publicity,
“The volunteer base (for the food
bank) is outstanding,” adds Reid,
by local merchants.
but
hunger
in
Manitoba is a concern throughout the
year.
Reid estimates that on average
throughout 2004, about 20-25 students
on average make use of the food bank
nothing that he and Batten have had
“We live in a culture
where people believe
that they should be
self-sufficient”
every day. Reid says that he expected
there would be an increase in students
no difficulties getting students to
after the summer break, but that didn’t
help out with running programs,
happen.
picking up food donations, and
“There are tons of hungry students
soliciting local businesses.
Though the U of W food bank
not coming.”
Reid thinks that this perhaps can
has been in operation for at least a
be attributed to the food bank’s lower
decade, this is the first year that it
profile on campus, coupled with a
has had paid coordinators running
stigma that is attached to people who
it. In the past, the UWSA vice-
use food banks.
president
“We live in a culture where people
advocate
handled
operations.
NOVEMBER 25, 2004
, 2004
05
y
UWSA By-Election
Candidates
VOTING DATES: Monday November 29th — Thursday December 2nd
LOCATION: Second Floor Centennial Escalators from 8:30 a.m. — 7:00 p.m.
*Bring your STUDENT CARD!
Karen Korchinski
Oyebola (Bola) Oyenuga
Nathan Sawatzky
Education Director candidate
International Students’ Director Candidate
Arts Director Candidate
Arts Director Co-candidates
No one ran for Education Director in
the spring UWSA elections. Why? It is
possibly because of the extreme
demands on the Education students
including, practicum requirements,
condensed programming and large
course loads. I understand these
demands and strongly feel that we need
a voice on student council. I am excited
and proud to provide that voice. I will be
accessible to listen to the needs of
education students as well as the
collective student body. I will advocate
for consistent grading within the
Education Department, other faculties
and across the entire campus.
Additionally, I will work with the
Education department to ensure that the
needs of all streams of Education
students are met, including; those from
the integrated program, after-degree,
Red River Business, Vocation and
Industrial Education departments. There
are so many streams in which to fulfill
your Education degree requirements, yet
all candidates are merged into cookiecutter programs that fail to meet
individual stream needs and issues. I will
liaise with the Education Students’
Association and the Education Faculty to
voice your concerns, issues and triumphs
and play an active role in the current
issues and events already underway with
the UWSA board. I am fifth year
Education student that cares about all of
the U of W students.
Hello! My name is Oyebola Oyenuga
(you can just call me Bola, it’s easier). I
am running for the position of the
International Students’ Director.
International students are undoubtedly
assets to the university community. We
are culturally rich, and bring a muchneeded diversity to the school. We bring
the world to Winnipeg’s doorstep. Our
lives and experiences help others have a
feel of different parts of the world.
As an international student, I have first
hand experience of what it’s like being a
foreign student. It is difficult enough
being a regular student, this is further
complicated as an international student.
The cost of living and education is
overwhelming, having to learn new ways
of life and adjusting to a new climate and
society is challenging. It is these issues
that have prompted my interest to
represent this constituency on the UWSA
Board of Directors.
About me:
Apparently I find it difficult to stay
away from Philosophy, Calculus, French,
Politics, or Classics, but I am officially a
third year student in International
Development Studies (IDS). Having
divided my childhood between East
Africa and Canada, I entered the IDS
program to learn to represent and to act
on behalf of the voiceless poor. Recently
I wrote articles for the Uniter about
Sudan and about the MSC Faith Based
Hiring Policy debate; my goal – to give
accurate, fair representation to each side.
I enjoy physics, writing, dancing,
singing in choirs, soccer, and
microwaves.
About Arts Directors:
Representing all students in Bachelor
of Arts Programs, this position requires
many things, among which are (1) being
available on a regular basis, (2) being
capable and motivated to relate to a wide
variety of people, and (3) effective
advocacy.
Why it all makes sense:
I will be on campus Mon-Fri for the
rest of the school year. For me, listening
is key, and I talk straight.
If elected, my efforts will centre on
three things:
(A) Microwaves in Cafeterias. (I love
microwaves)
(B) Diligent Representation. (I love this
more than microwaves)
(C) Quality of Education. (Microwaves
are good, but this is fundamental to
being at UW)
I want to help students address their
concerns – whether grade appeals,
government lobbies, sensitive issues
such as harassment, or personal crises.
If you support these goals (and
microwaves), drop a vote for Nathan
Sawatzky for Arts Director.
Hi! We’re Tammy and Cory, and we’re
hoping to be your new co-arts directors.
With an open-ended position like arts
director, we believe two of us can cover
more ground and pursue more initiatives.
We share the feeling that student life
has great potential; it’s a time in life when
our core values are shaped, refined and
enriched. It is exciting to us that everyone
here will change the world in some way.
Since a large part of being an active
global citizen is learning and interacting
with others, we hope to help foster more
interaction within the diverse university
community.
The UofW is unique in that it crams
people from diverse backgrounds onto a
square block of campus. The potential
for what we can learn from each other as
UofW students is immense.
As arts director, we want to help
students become engaged with campus
life, and sustain a positive, dynamic
campus culture. To do this, we must be
an active and visible presence on
campus, be open and receptive to ideas
from students, and use new ideas for
building community in ways that are
accessible and not daunting. Making
campus life fun and meaningful is key to
having a good university experience.
More broadly, we want to advocate for
the interests of arts students, whatever
their goals are at the UofW. Whether you
want more microwaves around school,
want to plan an event that would appeal
to various student groups, or have
concerns regarding arts programs, we
want to work with you.
As the International Students’ Director,
these issues would be duly addressed.
All the available resources from the
UWSA and all other levels of authority
would be pooled to ensure that that this
constituency realizes its full potential.
CONTACT
Comments Editor
» Daniel Blaike
E-mail
»
A Response to Daniel Blaikie’s
Bloc Heads
Ashley MacDonald
D
aniel Blaikie’s
a r ti c l e
of
November 11,
2004 does not
fully address
the issue at
hand. He seems to put forth
this notion that if one is elected
to the House of Commons they
must subordinate their politics
to that of the presiding state.
A Bloc MP’s choice to not give
away free Canadian flags to a
branch of the Royal Canadian
Legion is not news; it is nothing
more than an expression of
reality. It is not “a lack of class”
as Transport Minister Jean
Lapierre and Mr. Blaikie imply,
06
[email protected]
» 786-9497
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
but a personal choice based on
history and ideology.
The Bloc Quebecois are, at least
for now, the emanation of Quebecois
nationalism on the federal scene and
this nationalism is, in many respects,
borne from the anti-conscription
crises of the World Wars. The
rejection of the Quebecois people of
the British call to service emanated
from the belief they were a subjugated
nation held in colonial slavery to the
English Canadian rulers, who were
acting as surrogates for the real
rulers in Britain. Because of this
belief, many efforts at conscription
were met with hostility.
Some Quebecois chose to fight
alongside British and EnglishCanadian soldiers; but not all chose
to follow this path as many also ran
away from training camps after being
conscripted into the military. The
NOVEMBER 25,
25, 2004
Tele
»
Comments
Comments
»
I am willing to take on this position
and help make a difference!
decision to fight in the war was, in
many respects, a personal choice for
many Quebecois as was the decision
not to join in the war effort.
Because of this, how can we
expect a Quebec Nationalist to
supply the flag of a nation to which
they do not wish to belong? You
imply that MP Andre Bellavance is
somehow shirking his duty to the
Crown because he has sworn
allegiance to the Queen and is
currently drawing a federal paycheque. I think it is a rather absurd
assumption to believe that his
allegiance to the Crown is assured
by his swearing of a pledge and the
drawing of a paycheque. This means
nothing, as the pledge of allegiance
to the Queen is an outdated
anachronistic symbol of a bygone
era; one I truly hope will soon be
dead and gone. Do you really think
'
/
30
5-*/&
every MP who swears allegiance to
the Crown is swearing allegiance to
the Crown and not just going through
the motions.
I have a question for you, if not in
Ottawa, with a seat in the House of
Commons, where is a Quebec
Nationalist to speak for Quebec? If
you do not take the fight to the
enemy, how are they ever going to
see your resolve?
In my view, asking a Quebec
Nationalist to give away a symbol
of another nation, a nation they
wish to leave behind, is on par
with asking Ralph Nader not to
run in the ’04 election because it
might hurt Kerry’s chances. You
are essentially asking them to
abandon their very beliefs in order
to please the system.
I will agree with Mr. Blaikie’s
underlying
argument
that
Remembrance Day is not a time
to play politics. It is a time to give
respect to the people who helped
define modern Canada. But, MP
Bellavance
and
the
Bloc
Quebecois are an emanation of
modern Canada and we cannot
ignore
the
historical
and
ideological reality they compose.
Illustration by: David Tan
The issues that are paramount for
international students are;
1. Availability and accessibility of
information such as scholarships,
immigration, and graduate studies.
2. Active involvement of international
students in policy and decision
making at all administrative levels,
from the UWSA to the Senate.
3. Employment: during and after
graduation.
Tammy Andrejowich & Cory Bellhouse
» Daniel Blaike
Comments Editor
CONTACT
E-mail
»
[email protected]
Tele
ѥ
» 786-9497
In The House:
Your Attention
Please:
Questions and Comments by Our
Representatives in the House of Commons
A PEP TALK TO TODAY’S PROVINCIAL NDP
A Party Trapped And Full Of Fear
roots, your popularity, or the reason you got
into power. You look like a scared party
The following are questions posed by the opposition parties in the
House of Commons last week. Hansard for the entire proceedings of
the House of Commons can be accessed at www.parl.gc.ca
trying to prevent the erosion of what
support you have, without trying enough
to build support through policy. Your
New Democratic Party of Canada
opposition will eventually whittle you away
with small battles, and so far you’re giving
your supporters little to have faith in.
Opposing views like that of the Canadian
Taxpayer Federation, or Tom Brodbeck are
Ms. Judy Wasylycia-Leis (Winnipeg North, NDP): Mr. Speaker, the minister just
does not get it. He is the one who has been out $61 billion in the last five years.
People are sick and tired of not having numbers they can trust. Just look at the
workers at Nortel and the people whose pension plans are invested in Nortel.
vocal in the press. But you never challenge
their politics, set your own agenda, or
defend it. You have the power, and
despite the army of spin-doctors, you
seem unable to use it.
Now you play safe politics. Your
most grandiose and innovative
politics are those that have already
been done by other governments.
Your ban on smoking was already
The United States has tough corporate accounting laws, not Canada. The U.S. has a
common securities commission, not us, even though the Liberals promised it in two
throne speeches.
If a piece ever
appears in the
Comments
section – or any
other for that
matter – that you
feel deserves a
response, do not
hesitate to pick up
a pen. Contact
me, Daniel Blaikie,
and have your
view represented
in the pages of
the Uniter as well.
Can he explain why, more than two years after the United States cracked down on
corporate accounting crime, the Liberals have done exactly nothing?
Hon. Ralph Goodale (Minister of Finance, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I am just peering
down to see if the leader of the NDP has left the chamber because I have just heard
that party’s finance critic say that we should blindly copycat every policy of the
United States of America which will necessarily be good for Canada.
Daniel Blaikie
Comments Editor,
Uniter
implemented in the majority of the
population, and it had been done in
many cities. You also have made it
possible for gay marriages to
The fact is that we have our own foreign policy, we have our own economic policy,
and we are leading the United States on most of the most important economic
indicators.
[email protected]
Comments
Comments
»
occur. Nice effort, but it came well
after other provinces had set the
James Patterson
Managing Editor
Dear Provincial NDP:
I
Conservative Party of Canada
example.
Please stop following others
and do what you were elected for:
leadership. Innovation may not be
as safe but at least it shows you
have some vision.
Mr. Monte Solberg (Medicine Hat, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I think taxpayers are going to ralph if they hear any more
of that.
The $8.9 billion is not the Prime Minister’s fun money to play with any way he wants. It belongs to Canadians. I
remind him that he agreed three weeks ago in the throne speech to give some of that money back to Canadians.
recently had the opportunity
Sure, you’ve kept the tuition
of attending a fundraiser
freeze, but the wonder of that
for Canadian Dimensions
social innovation has been beaten
Magazine.
you
that like a dead horse for years. As
Hon. Ralph Goodale (Minister of Finance, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, a number of years ago, when the Prime Minister
have forgotten, Canadian
I understand, it will be gone in the
was the Minister of Finance, the government implemented the biggest tax cuts in Canadian history, $100 billion.
In
case
The Finance Minister told us yesterday at the finance committee that he wants our input. Here is our input: tell the
Prime Minister to fulfill his promise and give Canadians their money back.
Dimensions is a national
near future. That’s too bad. It sure
magazine based out of Winnipeg.
was helpful in getting and keeping
It’s leftist, has been around for 42
support for the last little while, and
years, and for the ardent socialists
those of us who needed the cash
who have seen their movements
appreciated it. But honestly, it has
rise and decline over the years, its
been at the expense of our
survival is quite an achievement.
administration’s ability to function
[Translation]
The people in attendance advocate
and grow. If our schools want to
its causes and most of them are
give us a better education they
Mr. Paul Crête (Montmagny—L’Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, BQ): Mr. Speaker, the aerospace
part of the NDP membership. They
resort to loopholes you provide
are good people working hard for
them
change, and despite their support,
partnerships,
I’m not quite sure the NPD has
wallets of non-voting international
reciprocated those efforts while in
students, (by the way thanks for
power.
letting international students have
The keynote speaker at the
fundraiser was the leader of your
like
public-private
or
gouging
the
jobs, it will be helpful when tuition
is due).
federal counter-part, you know,
The result is that you have
Jack Layton. You could hear the
pitted the actors in the education
positive things in Jack’s speech:
system against one another. We
Aboriginal
politics,
a
The financial statement yesterday spoke about the value of a competitive tax system and the need to maintain that
kind of tax system in Canada, and we will do that. That is all part of having the best fiscal record in Canadian history
and the best fiscal record in the G-7.
Bloc Quebecois
industry has every reason to be concerned, considering the government’s vague replies and the Minister of
Transport’s statements to the effect that he will not give in to a bidding war. The Bloc took time to consult
stakeholders before tabling its policy for the development of the aerospace industry.
We are asking the government to make a commitment and tell us whether the plan that it has in mind for the
aviation industry is along the lines of the proposals made by the Bloc Québécois. Will the Minister of Transport
finally assume his responsibilities as the government’s representative in Quebec?
Hon. Jean Lapierre (Minister of Transport, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, it is rather easy for the Bloc Québécois to come
up with a so-called aerospace policy, when it knows that it will never have to implement it, because it will never be
in office. Bloc members will always be irresponsible.
The truth is that this government will support the aerospace industry, as it has always done. If there is an aerospace
industry in Quebec, it is thanks to this government and definitely not the Bloc Québécois.
national
don’t want to fight. It sucks. We
daycare program, and resisting the
want to provide and get a better
Strategic Defense Initiative that our
education.
apocalyptic brothers to the south
innovative ideas out there to end
power by pleasing all of us at the same
Look at what’s happening around
Charleswood and Tuxedo. They
want to initiate. But Jack needs
this sort of thing within the
time. Your supporters didn’t elect you
you in the community and act on it.
didn’t elect you, your supporters
examples of innovation and social
community.
because you’re a brokerage party, so
We have active communities and
did. When flack occurs, remind
There
are
lots
of
gains he can export from popular
And Waverly West? What the
try to stop acting like one. They were
social movements in the downtown
Joe Public of the vote rigging,
NDP governments to gain support
hell are you thinking? I know it’s
tired of fiscal conservatism and service
and all across the province, and many
service cuts, privatization, and
at a national level. You seem pretty
important to keep city politicians in
cuts. You have support because we
are made up of your supporters.
Filmon Fridays. They’ll remember.
popular. Can you do this?
the dark, but this is big stuff you’re
wanted change. We elected you
Capture that spirit and work together
In the end, you ‘have the ball’,
Jack seems scared that he will
hiding from them. Are you really
because you promised to make a
on issues. Help them and they will
use it. If you don’t, the only thing
lose the ground that has been
trying to sell land while the values
difference, and we know you can
help you. The MLA in Wolseley (a
that will prevent an eventual
gained. This has happened to you
are high to a city riddled with
because of your history.
notable exception) and the MP in the
“Jump-to-the-Pump” government
guys historically in federal elections
sprawl? And why are you attaching
Examples of innovation are in your
Winnipeg Centre know how to do
is a PC leadership review. If you
after minority governments. Your
it to some environmental geo-
roots. Ideas like healthcare have built
this, if you need to, talk to them. You
keep up the average work, you will
example of popularity could really
thermal public relations stunt?
support and relieved some alienation
used to talk about social justice;
perish, and trust me there are
help him, especially since the
Have you told everybody how you
felt by struggling youth and the poor. In
we’re just not seeing much action
people banking on it. The people
exported anti-Bush movements
stand to gain and how the city will
the end, these ideas help everybody,
now that you’re in the big leagues.
who voted you in or helped you
that catalyzed much of NDP’s
lose
increasing
and although they don’t like to admit it,
I know you get lots of flack for
federal support, have imploded
infrastructure costs? Who taught
even the greedy ones use it. But these
increasing taxes and you remember
They believe and vote for you
upon Bush’s re-election.
you that? It sure wasn’t your
ideas are just a shadow of what is your
how scandals cost you dearly in the
because you are the only party
brand of leftism.
because
of
Most importantly is what type of
supporters. Are you guys in bed
example you are setting. It seems
with the development community?
the work you guys have done while
Sure sounds like it.
in power is not reflective of your
Please stop trying to stay in
achieve power expect more.
past, but if you are smart about how
that had any connection to social
too
you change, the outcome does not
justice. It is in your history and you
pragmatic. It is OK to be somewhat
have to be the same. All that flack is
shouldn’t
idealist. It allows you to be innovative.
from the Tories and their cronies in
example.
You’ve
changed.
You’re
deny
NOVEMBER 25, 2004
, 2004
it….be
an
07
Listings
»
CONTACT
Listings Coordinator
» Jan Nelson
E-mail
»
[email protected]
Tele
» 786-9497
Fax
» 783-7080
ON-CAMPUS
Ongoing
student proving financial need who holds a satisfactory academic
record. Many of our bursaries are available to University of
Winnipeg students in any year or their program.
CENTERING PRAYER University Of Winnipeg Chapel - 1st Floor
BRYCE HALL Monday to Thursday 12:15 - 12:45pm Friday Lectio
Divina 11:30am - 12:00pm Sept 20 - Dec 3/04, Jan 3 - April 1/05.
Everyone welcome. Sponsored by the University of Winnipeg
Faculty of Theology.
SOROPTIMIST FOUNDATION OF CANADA AWARDS FOR
WOMEN Each year, more than $800,000 is disbursed through
awards at various levels of the organization to help women achieve
their dreams of a better life for themselves and their families. Since
the Women’s Opportunity Awards program began in 1972, it is
estimated that $15 million has been disbursed and more than 20,000
women have been assisted. Applications are now available in the
Awards office, or you can get an application form at www.
soroptimistfoundation.ca Deadline: December 1st, 2004.
FITNESS CLASSES Get your body into gear! Noon hour total body
fitness classes – a little sweat & a little muscle packed into a
convenient 45min class, 5days a week! Lots of program variety, and
instructors teach to all fitness levels. M (Hi-Lo)/W (Boot Camp) F
(Core Body Conditioning) 12:30-1:15pm Tu (Cardio Burn)/Th
(Step/Hi-Lo combo) 12:05-12:50pm Don’t lose any more time.
Classes run Sept 13 – Dec 3/04 and Jan 4 – Apr 1/05. Register at
the Duckworth Centre Customer Service Desk.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE PARTNERS needed at the Language Partner
Program, U of W Continuing Education Campus, 294 William St.
Language partners are native (or fluent) English speaking volunteers
who give ESL (English as a Second Language) students an
opportunity to practice their English outside of the classroom and
to learn more about the Canadian way of life. The day and time
partners meet is flexible. Time commitment 1 - 2 hrs./week.
Contact Rina Monchka, 982-1151, email [email protected].
LOOKING TO JAZZ UP YOUR SCHOOL YEAR? Come join the
University of Winnipeg Downtown Jazz Band. Contact Meghan @
[email protected] for more details.
Announcements
THE ENGLISH STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION is pleased to announce
a call for papers for its upcoming Colloquium Series. Submissions
should be in the form of completed essays or detailed proposals that
would make up a 15 to 20 minute presentation. Submissions should
be in MLA format, of any topic relating to English Studies (we
welcome submissions from any department), and be appropriate for
a scholarly forum. Submissions can be made to dpalson@iam.
uwinnipeg.ca or by dropping them off at the ESA mailbox in the
English Department Office (2A46). We would like to emphasize the
performative aspect of the Colloquium, which engages an audience in
active debate and conversation. Information regarding the series can
be obtained by e-mailing Derek Palson at [email protected].
All
students
are
encouraged to take
part.
TH E
E NG LI S H
DE PARTME NT
PRESENTS: Workshop
for English Students
Applying to Graduate
S c hool
Fr id ay,
November 26th 12:301: 30 pm,
English
Students’
Common
Room (2A47). The
English Department
encourages students
who are currently in
the
process of applying for
scholarships
and
graduate programmes
to attend a workshop
on writing and editing
research proposals.
Faculty members will
be available to advise
students on all aspects
of the application
process and will provide
feedback on drafts of
application materials.
Students who are
considering applying to
graduate programmes
in future years are also
welcome. For further
information contact:
Cathleen Hjalmarson 786-9292 or Kathleen Venema, 786-9333.
JUICE: A UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEG CREATIVE WRITING
JOURNAL, Volume 5, is seeking your submissions. Send us your
fiction, drama, creative non-fiction & poetry. Maximum length for
submissions: Poetry: up to 6 poems totaling no more than 6 pages.
Prose, Creative Non-Fiction, & Drama: 10 pages or approximately
3000 words. Digital Copy: E-mail, e-mail attachments or removeable
media: MS-Word(.doc), Corel WordPerfect (.wpd), Plain Text(.txt),
or Rich Text(.rtf) Hard Copy: Submissions can be dropped off at
any of the drop-boxes located at the UWSA Info Booth, UWSA
General Office in the Bulman Centre, the Aboriginal Students’
Lounge, and the Writers’ Collective, 5th floor Library in the
Archives area. All Hard Copies must have a digital copy attached:
either floppy or cd.
Juice does not return manuscripts. Mail to: Juice c/o The Writers’
Collective, University of Winnipeg, 515 Portage Avenue R3B 2E9
Fax: (204) 783-8910 E-mail to: [email protected]
Financial Aid,
Bursaries, Awards
AUCC AWARDS: The Association of Universities and Colleges of
Canada, provides 150 scholarship programs on behalf of the Federal
Government, domestic and foreign agencies and private sector
companies. Check out website at www.aucc.ca Look under
programs and services. Deadlines: Various
UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEG BURSARY APPLICATIONS
Application forms are now available in student services in Graham
Hall at the front counter. A bursary is a grant normally made to a
08
NOVEMBER 25,
25, 2004
P.E.O. AWARDS Provides awards for women in the USA/ Canada to
help women achieve their dreams. P.E.O. Program for Continuing
Education: This program was established in 1973 to provide need
based grants to women in the United States and Canada whose
education has been interrupted and who find it necessary to return
to school to support themselves and/or their families. P.E.O.
International Peace Scholarship Fund: Believing that education is
fundamental to world peace and understanding, members of the
P.E.O. sisterhood provide grants in aid for selected women from
other countries for graduate study in the USA and Canada.
Maximum $6,000 annually. You must be a F/T Grad student and
promise to return to their country within 90 days of completion of
degree to pursue their professional career.Pick up application in
Awards office or go to http://www.peointernational.org Deadline:
December 15th, 2004.
LUMINOUS ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH GRANTS (LERG)
The Winnipeg Section of the Illuminating Engineering Society of
North America (IESNA) is offering the Luminous Environment
Research Grants (LERG). The LERG is a small grants program to
assist students in projects involving manipulation of the colour or
lighting features of architectural spaces, how people use lighting, and
light and colour in the visual and literary arts. These grants, of up to
$500, will be used to purchase materials related to the project (e.g.,
wiring, circuitry, lamps, database access, paints, art supplies,
wallpapers, publications etc.). In addition to monetary support,
there is also the possibility for consultative support, as well as the
loan of specialised instrumentation. In some cases, laboratory space
might be available for experimental projects with human
participants. Eligible projects can be empirical in nature, a review of
relevant literature, or a design project. They could include, but are
not limited to: (a) research projects where colour and/or lighting
features are manipulated in an experimental design. (b) design
projects where colour or lighting features are incorporated into an
interior or exterior design and justified. The outcome of such
projects would generally be a model and/or drawings.(c) light/colour
aspects of theatre, literature, and the visual arts. (d) the
understanding of, or attitudes toward, lighting projects in energy
conservation. (e) promotion of energy efficient lighting use in
domestic and business interiors. (f) light and/or colour effects on
the perception or evaluation of architectural spaces or visual art. (g)
the role of lighting in urban safety. Accepting proposals for student
projects at any time. See http://winnipeg.iesna.net.
MR. & MRS. ONG HOO HONG MEMORIAL BURSARY IN
RELIGIOUS STUDIES: This bursary will be awarded to a University
of Winnipeg student who has a minimum 2.5 GPA, who is facing
unique financial hardships such as being a student with a dependent
or a student with a disability. You must be registered in at least one
Biblical Studies course in the Dept. of Religious Studies during the
academic year. The value of this award is variable, but normally up
to $1000. Pick up an application form in Student Services, Graham
Hall and return it to the Awards office by December 3rd 2004
FRANK KNOX MEMORIAL FELLOWSHIPS TO HARVARD
UNIVERSITY Up to three awards for GRADUATE studies (Master’s
and Ph.D) will be offered for one academic year valued at 18,500.00
US, plus tuition fees and student health insurance. These awards
are open to Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada
who have recently graduated or who are about to graduate from an
institution in Canada which is affiliated to AUCC (the U of Winnipeg
is affiliated to AUCC). More information can be found at www.
aucc.ca or by emailing [email protected]. Applications can be
obtained on line or at the Awards office in Graham Hall. Deadline:
December 31st, 2004.
TRUDEAU FOUNDATION DOCTORAL SCHOLARSHIPS:
Open to Canadian citizens and landed immigrants pursuing doctoral
studies in Canada. To be eligible for consideration by the
Foundation, candidates must be applying into the first year of a
doctoral programme, or must be registered in the first of second
year of such a programme. Candidates may apply if the university
where they completed a degree programme has nominated them.
Our U of Winnipeg research and graduate studies contact person is
Marina Ames in the President’s office 786-9137. For more
information you may also contact [email protected] or
go to their website http://www.trudeaufoundation.ca. Deadline:
January 11th, 2005.
U Events
ADVENT SERVICE Gordon MacDermid, Dean, Faculty of Theology,
University of Winnipeg invites you to attend an Advent Service
Thursday November 25th, 2004 Bryce Hall Chapel 5:30 - 6:15pm.
Reception to follow Faculty of Theology Lounge, First Floor Bryce
Hall. Please join us as we enter mindfully into the Season of Advent
and share with us as we anticipate the season with students,
colleagues, family and friends.
CATHOLIC OUTREACH Mass on Campus: December 1st
In the Chapel, 7pm. Event to follow: “Everything you Wanted to
Know About Catholicism but Didn’t Know Who to Ask”: Speaker
Advertise your event
[email protected]
Deadline: Sundays
(Last issue for 2004: Dec 2nd)
to come every second Monday in 3C29 at 12:30-1:30. For more
information please contact us at [email protected].
THE GARDEN AMONG US: “OF A WOMEN BORN” A discussion
of the meanings of December 6th as we have lived them these last
15 years. Speakers: Dr. Keith Louise Fulton and UWSA President,
Sarah Amyot Dec 1st 12:30-1:30pm, University of Winnipeg, Rm
1L06.
DEC 6TH MEMORIAL VIGIL University of Winnipeg 1C03 foyer,
12:30pm. Evening Vigil at the Women’s Grove in Memorial Park near
the Legislature, 7:30pm.
WHERE THE WILDE THINGS ARE II The English Students’
Association presents...A Fancy Dress Social Evening, Thursday
December 2nd, 2004 at the King’s Head Pub (120 King St.) The
Event starts at 8ish with a live DJ from 9-12. Tickets $5 in advance
or $7 at the door and are available at the ESA Common Room
(2A46), from any ESA member or email [email protected].
Intercampus
HISTORY FACULTY/GRAD STUDENT COLLOQUIUM
November 26th 4pm Faculty Club, University of Winnipeg.
Prof. Adele Perry, History, University of Manitoba “Archives on
Trial: Colonialism and the Politics of History in Delgamuukw v.
British Columbia” A presentation of the Faculty/Graduate Student
Joint Master’s Program Colloquium series. For more information,
contact: Tamara Myers Chair, JMP History [email protected]
Phone: (204) 786-9353
NATIVE STUDIES COLLOQUIUM: TSAWALK, A NUU-CHAHNUKTH WORLD VIEW December 1st 12:30 - 1:20pm Rm 307
Tier Bldg, U of M. Richard Alteo, Visiting Scholar: “Tsawalk, a Nuuchah-nukth World View” For more information, contact: Lois Gray,
Department of Native Studies [email protected] Phone: (204)
474-9899 Fax: (204) 474-7657.
CL ASSIFIEDS
FEMALE ROOMMATE WANTED -DEC 1
Move-In To Share 4-Story House in Osborne Village:
Newly Renovated; Dishwasher-Clothes Washer&Dryer; 5bedrooms; 2 washrooms; kichten; large living room (&
fireplace); dinning room; free parking.
Rent:
$400 +Heat for Bedroom
$500 +Heat for Bedroom and Studio
FOR INTERVIEW AND VIEWING, PLEASE CONTACT
CATHERINE OR BRIAN AT 772-2139
ROSENSTOCK LAW OFFICE
Injury Claims
Family Law
Medical Malpractice
Criminal Law
Immigration
Telephone: (204) 488-4121
1996 TOYOTA TERCEL, AT,PS,PB,JVC CD Stereo.
Safetied. Excellent Condition, new tired, no rust. Original
Owner. 105,000 kms, $6500 — Call Ian (204) 452-6873
Room to let in nice home located in beautiful area of
Osborne Village. Ideally suited for a quiet, non-smoking,
non-drinking student. $415 per month, available
December 15, 2004. 452-9712.
Te a c h E n g l i s h O v e r s e a s E.S.L. Teacher Training
Courses. Intensive 60 hour program. Classroom
management techniques. Detailed lesson planning.
Comprehensive teaching materials. Internationally
recognized teaching certificate. Job guarantee included.
Thousands of satisfied students.For more information call
Oxford Seminars 1.800.269.6719.
www.oxfordseminars.com
LSAT, MCAT, GMAT, GRE Preparation Seminars.
Complete 30 hour seminars.
Proven test taking strategies.
Personalized professional instruction.
Comprehensive study materials.
Simulated practice exams.
Free repeat policy.
Personal tutoring available.
Thousands of satisfied students.
For more information call Oxford Seminars
1.800.269.6719.
www.oxfordseminars.com
To share - One 1800 sq. ft. house with one UofW
student. Furnished, with one and a half baths, double
vanity in the main bath and jacuzzi tub. Near St.Vital mall.
Great bus service. Call Kelly @ 255-0318.
N e e d C h r i s t m a s C a s h?
4-8 Week Work Program (Regular size type, all capital
letters, bold, centered, one line) Good pay, flex schedule,
sales/ service, will train,
conditions apply 949-1828
www.workforstudents.com
Listings
»
CONTACT
Listings Coordinator
» Jan Nelson
E-mail
»
[email protected]
Tele
» 786-9497
Fax
» 783-7080
ABOUT TOWN
Concerts
Globe Cinema 393 Portage Ave. Nov 26th - Dec 2nd: Sideways/
Vera Drake/The Motorcycle Diaries Call 694-5623 for showtimes.
Winnipeg Classical Guitar Society Jérémy Jouve in Concert,
Nov 26th, 8pm, Planetarium Auditorium. Tickets $15-10-5. Ph. 6639226 or 775-0809.
Towne 8 Cinema 301 Notre Dame Ave. Nov 26th - Dec 2nd:
Christmas With the Kranks/National Treasure/After the Sunset/
Alexander/The Incredibles/The Spongebob Squarepants Movie/Polar
Express/What the Bleep Do We Know?/Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason.Call
947-2848 for showtimes.
SNFU Nov 27th Collective Cabaret $12 advance Soul Survivor, Into
the Music, SK8, $15 door.
»
THE WEAKERTHANS ‘A Night and a Day in Winnipeg’ Nov
26th, 10pm, Pyramid Cabaret w/ The Telepathic Butterflies,
FemBots. Nov 27th, 1pm, West End Cultural Centre w/ Western
States; Tix $15 Pyramid, WECC
Cinematheque 100 Arthur St. Nov 26th - Dec 2nd: ‘Nothing’ 7pm
(sci-fi ), ‘ End of the Century: Story of The Ramones’’ 9pm. Sun 2pm: ‘And
No Birds Sing’ - tribute to the late Vic Cowie.
U of W Film Geek Society Thurs night screenings. Dec 2nd: Michele
Soavi’s ‘Cemetery Man’: Story of misbegotten love and the living dead,
7pm, Rm 1L12.
Camerata Nova ‘Mediterraneum: Early Songs from Byzantium to
Barcelona’ Nov 27th 8pm, & 28th 2pm. Rotunda, Manitoba
Legislature. Free admission. Call 989-6030 ext. 8 for info.
Jana Ting, “Roses In Winter” piano, Nov 28th, 2pm EckhardtGramatté Hall, UofW. Part of VCI’s Emerging Manitoba Artists.
Adult $15, senior $10, student $5, call the Ting residence at 4894128.
RUSSKIFEST! Aggasiz Chamber Players December 6th, 8th, &
12th at 8pm, featuring Paul Marleyn, Oleg Pohkanovski, and
Alexander Tselyakov, cello, violin, and piano. Emerging Artist Recital
Dec. 6 @ 7:15pm. Eckhardt-Gramatté Hall, UofW. Free parking
behind CBC. Call 786-9000 or 475-1779 for tickets.
Film
REEL PRIDE XI Nov 24th - 28th Imax Theatre & Globe Cinema
Annual GLBTTQ (and friends) Film Festival. Directors of two
international films will be with us: Dawn Mikkelson will present her
film “Treading Water: a documentary” humourous and sensitive take
on life for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and queer folk living
in rural Minnesota. Info: ww.reelpride.org
BARS/VENUES
Academy Bar and Eatery 414 Academy Rd. Sundays Jazz
Composers Forum, 3pm. Nov 27th Andy Sheppard and Michael Johnston
Nov 28th: Camarillo (aft.) Dec 2nd: Reid Jameison with Michael Johnston
Dec 3rd: Glenn Buhr Dec 4th: Glenn Buhr
Barca Club 423 McMillan Ave. Billiard hall and cabaret in Osborne
Village. Mondays: Hip/hop, R&B, funk open mic nights, Weds: Back to
the lab DJ night
Belgian Club 407 Provencher Thursdays Open Jam hosted by Mojo
Mechanix, 8:30pm.
Bella Vista 53 Maryland St. Wolseley neighbourhood pizzeria w/ live
rock, roots, blues on weekends.
Charleswood Hotel 3425 Roblin Blvd. Nov 30th: Driver CD
Release Party, 8pm.
Collective Cabaret 108 Osborne St. Punk and alternative. Nov
27th - 28th: SNFU w/ Married to Music and other guests. $12 advance
Soul Survivor, Into the Music, SK8, $15 door.
Club Desire 441 Main St. Multi-level ‘straight-friendly’ glbt dance
club.
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: ‘CELEBRATING WOMEN’S LIVES’ December
McNally Robinson Portage Place Nov 25th: George Wilkins reads
and signs ‘Walk to New York’ 7pm. Dec 9th: Launch of ‘The Great
Canadian Sedition Trials: The Courts and The Winnipeg General Strike
1919-1920’, published from the manuscripts of the late lawyer and
researcher Jack Walker, 7pm.
Annex Gallery 2nd flr - 290 McDermot Ave. To Dec 3rd: ‘Have
I Been Here Before?’ works by Roewan Crowe, Lori Fontaine, Dana Kletke,
Sasha Kucas.
Gallery 1C03, U of Winnipeg, 515 Portage Ave. To Dec 4th:
Patrick Treacy ‘And’. Adult perceptions of childhood are questioned
through multi-layered, narrative paintings and drawings.
Graffiti Gallery 109 Higgins (at Gomez) urban/street-inspired art.
Nov 26th, 10pm (door 9pm) S H A D I N G featuring Capenwray,
Philia,Curtis Peters, and Monochrome Gnome. $5 ($3 w/ nonperishable
food item).
Label Gallery 510 Portage To Dec 15th: ‘$200 Days’ - national
group show about treeplanting.
Platform (Centre for Photographic and Digital Arts) 218100 Arthur St. To Dec 10th: ‘Rhopography’ Joachim Froese.
Photography and the still life tradition.
Plug-In ICA 286 McDermot Ave. Opening Nov 26th: Mark
Karasick - Encaustic Paintings/Drawings/Projection. Meet the artist at the
opening reception, Nov 26th, 8pm.
<Site> Gallery 55 Arthur St. To Nov 27th: Tim Schouten, ‘The
Treaty 2 Suite (Where IS Treaty Land?)’, encaustic on canvas.
Quiet Room Gallery, St, John’s College, UofM To Dec 16th:
“terga vertere” exhibit of photographs by Sarah Crawley
Fort Garry Hotel Palm Lounge 222 Broadway Sun-Thurs light
piano music.
Gio’s 155 Smith St. GLBT club with dance floor, private patio. 1st
Saturdays womyn’s night.
McNally Robinson Grant Park Nov 29th: Pauline Couture signs
and presents slide show of her new book ‘Ice’: a book about - ice.
Etc.
God’s Country: Tales Of Doom From The North End
Theatre Projects Manitoba, Nov 26th and Nov 27th 8pm Tix $12
Reserve 989-2400. Written and Performed by Devin McCracken,
Ragpickers Performance Studio 216 McDermot.
Three Ring Circus: Israel, The Palestinians And My Jewish
Identity by Daniel Thau-Eleff. Winner of the 2004 Harry S. Rintoul
Award for best new Manitoba play in the Fringe. Dec 1st, 8pm
Eckhardt Grammatte Hall, University of Winnipeg, Dec 4th at 8pm
and Dec 5th at 2pm Etz Chayim Synagogue, 123 Matheson Ave.
[Un]silenced: Night Of Dinners & Stories II December 3rd,
6:30pm. Benefit for Mine Action in Canada, and Landmine Survivors
in Uganda through YMAAP and the Canadian Physicians for Aid and
Relief. First Unitarian Universalist Church of Winnipeg (603
Wellington Crescent). international dinner, music and stories for
mine-affected countries. Email: [email protected] or 9876422.
Times Change(d) High and Lonesome Club Main St. @ St.
Mary Nov 26th: JP Lepage, Nov 27th: The D.Rangers, Dec 2nd Hank
and Lily w/ guests, Dec 3rd: El Camino, The Wind-Ups, Turnstiles, Dec
4th: Twilight Hotel, Sky Onosson
Hooligan’s 61 Sherbrook St. Wolseley neighbourhood bar and
restaurant. Local cover, rock and alternative acts. Thurs nights: students
night.
West End Cultural Centre 586 Ellice St. Nov 25th: Jane Siberry
Tickets $25/$28 Ticketmaster and WECC. Nov 27th 1:30pm: The
Weakerthans: A Day and a Night in Winnipeg (all ages afternoon show).
Nov 27th 8pm: Stephen Fearing.
King’s Head 120 King St. English-style Pub. House bands on
weekends.
Windsor Hotel 187 Garry St. Monday night jams with Tim Butler,
Wednesday nights with Big Dave McLean.
Market Avenue Social Hub 110 Market Ave. Multi-level resto/
pub/disco.
The Zoo (Osborne Inn) 160 Osborne St. Nov 26th: Mercy w/
HCE and guests. Nov 27th: Godsize (Pantera tribute) w/ guests. Dec 3rd:
THC w/ guests.
Osborne Freehouse 437 Stradbrook at Osborne Mon Jazz
Hang Nights featuring various local jazz artists.
Pyramid Cabaret 176 Fort St. Nov 26th: The Weakerthans (A
Night and a Day in Wpg). Nov 27th: Mad Caddies and 10 too Many. Dec
1st: Down Town Love Affair, General Stone, Brave Stereo. Dec 2nd:
Backwoods Murderer, Joseph K. Dec 3rd: Moses Mayes,Scott Nowlan
Franco-Manitoban Cultural Centre 340 Provencher Blvd.
Mardi Jazz: Begins again Jan 2005.
Royal Albert Arms 48 Albert St. Punk, alternative and cheap beer
in the Exchange.
COMMUNITY
CO-OPERATIVE HOUSING FORUM December 2nd & 3rd, Union
Centre, 275 Broadway. Speakers from Manitoba and other parts of
Canada will talk about the past, present and future of co-ops in
Manitoba. They will also discuss their experiences and provide
advice on establishing, financing, maintaining and living in
co-operative housing developments. Website @www.co-ops.mb.ca
for speaker and forum updates. For more information, call 9454451.
Prairie Ink Portage Place & Grant Park (in McNally
Robinson Booksellers) Local jazz, folk and blues ensembles perform
each weekend.
Franco-Manitoban Cultural Centre 340 Provencher Blvd. To
Jan 2nd: paintings by Noëlla Muruvé.
Regal Beagle Pub 331 Smith St. Wed’s Open Mic Nights w/ Neal
Pinto. This weekend ‘Estrogen On Ice’ Sponsored by UMFM 101.5 and
Pussyfingers Fine Erotic Wear. Nov 26th: Small Girl, www.smallgirl.ca,
10pm. Nov 27th: Vav Jungle www.vavjungle.com, 10pm.
PIANO & STRINGS MASTERCLASSES Learn from the experts at
the Manitoba Conservatory of Music and Arts masterclass series.
Play for our expert adjudicators, and hear other students perform.
Upcoming masterclasses include strings with WSO violinist Laura
Chenail and piano with Marlene Pauls Laucht on November 27th at
the Conservatory, 211 Bannatyne at Main. For details or to register,
call the Conservatory at 943-6090 or email [email protected].
Literary/Coffeehouses
Dregs Cafe & Gallery 167 Osborne St. Winnipeg Poetry House
Presents: Dec 6th: SPEAKING CROW Open-mic poetry, 8pm. (No WPH
event Nov 30th) Details www.winnipegpoetry.ca.
Dregs Cafe & Gallery 167 Osborne St. Weds Open mic/jam. Nov
26th: Laine Hoogstraten & Band, 9pm. Nov 27th Hayley Gene w/ Laine
Hoogstraten & Band. 9pm.
LITE’S 8th ANNUAL WILD BLUEBERRY PANCAKE BREAKFAST
Kick off winter with Winnipeg’s hottest inner-city celebration....
Friday November 26th, 7 - 10 am, Indian and Metis Friendship
Centre, 45 Robinson St. Enjoy warm pancakes and syrup with great
inner-city entertainment, craft and art fair, and door prizes. Live art
demonstration and exhibit from Graffiti Gallery. New this year:
muffins and fruit as a second breakfast option! Tickets $7 or $3.50
low income earners (children under 12 free if accompanied by
adult). Tickets and information contact Karen Schlichting @ 9428578 or email [email protected].
Winnipeg Art Gallery 300 Memorial Blvd. AMERICAN
TABLEAUX: selections from the collection of The Walker Art Center/
Mark Ruwedel: Written On the Land/ Steve Gouthro: Through the Mill/
Canadian Mosaic: selections from the WAG’s 20th Century Canadian
Collection/ L.L. Fitzgerald: Beauty in a Common Thing/ Power of Dreams
(Inuit).
Galleries
6th, The National Day to End Violence Against Women, is fast approaching.
We are putting together a feminist art exhibit which will be held at Dregs Café
and Gallery from Dec. 6th – 26th. It is open to all genres, all genders, and all
people of varying artistic abilities and creative backgrounds. Submissions can
be dropped off at Dregs (167 Osborne St) no later than Dec. 2nd. Contact
Jennifer Porter Email: [email protected] Ph. 786-9788
Rumba Sound, Salsa Explosion and Dance by Latin Motion,
Axe Capoeira Nov 27th, 8 pm Empire Cabaret, 436 main St. Tix
$10 adv or $15 @ door.
Video Pool Media Arts Centre 300 – 100 Arthur St.
Nov 26th: ‘Let’s Get Tested’: experimental film, video and audio curated
by NY-based Astria Suparak. Kick-off for Video Pool’s new Pool Room
(lower level of the Platform Gallery, Artspace Bldg) Doors 7:45pm,
Screening 8pm. Free admission.
Comedy/Improv
Crosseyed Rascals: The Clean Edge Of Comedy in
‘Oma’s Fruitcake’ December 11th, 7 and 9pm, Franco-Manitoban
Cultural Centre Tickets: Free Advance tickets available at: Hull’s
Family Bookstore, McNally Robinson Booksellers. For more
information call: 669-4404
Rumor’s Comedy Club 2025 Corydon Ave. Nov 23rd - 27th:
Lawrence Morgenstern, Nov 30th - Dec 11th: Kelly Moran
children. Call 474-1492.
X-COMPANY, DANCE & MARTIAL ARTS PERFORMANCE TEAM,
iFundraising Gala “Building the Show” December 3rd, 7pm in the
Mustangs Clubhouse at 190 Frobisher Rd. Along with musical guests
The Reception & Don Amero, X-Company Performance Team will
be doing special high-energy dances to Hip Hop, Martial Arts,
Xtreme Dance Combat & more. This family-friendly evening will
include a cappuccino bar, gourmet desserts, slushies and over $2500
of silent auction prizes. Tickets are $10 and available at Quest
Musique, Hull’s, Inspirations, or by calling 470-KICK (5425). Part of
the proceeds will go to inner-city outreach, Living Bible Explorers.
ANNUAL LEGISLATIVE BUILDING OPEN HOUSE Saturday,
December 4th 1 - 3:30pm. Children’s activity centre, emails to Santa
station, musical performances, seasonal refreshments and a visit
from Santa.
DEC 6TH MEMORIAL VIGIL University of Winnipeg 1C03 foyer,
Dec 6th, 12:30pm. Evening VIgil 7:30pm at the Women’s Grove in
Memorial Park near the Legislature.
Volunteer
Opportunities
IMMIGRANT WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF MANITOBA needs
mentors to share their stories about first or second-generation
immigrant life to a variety of different audiences. Sharing your
personal story will involve talking about specific issues such as:
experiences of childhood, school and extra-curricular activities,
parental expectations and cultural baggage, discrimination, obstacles
and opportunities. Mentors are granted a small honorarium for two
hours of their time. Car is an asset. Call 989-5800 or email
[email protected].
FRONTIER COLLEGE is looking for volunteers to read with
children who are struggling with literacy in the community. One
hour a week commitment; near the University of Winnipeg. Contact
253-7993 or [email protected] for more information.
‘SEUSSICAL’ Contemporary re-imagining of Dr. Seuss, musical
format, Dec 7th - 10th 7:30pm. Presented by Kelvin High School
(Fine Arts), 155 Kingsway. Tickets $8 adults, $5 Students and
NOVEMBER 25, 2004
, 2004
09
Humour
»
CONTACT
Humour Editor
» Janet Mowat
E-mail
»
[email protected]
Tele
» 786-9497
Madam Janet
Rantings of a First Year Liberal Arts Student
By Michael Banias
R
ecently, I read an article in
the Winnipeg Free Press
about crossing guards
and the drivers who bump
them. At first, I chuckled
a bit. This must be a joke,
I thought. I read the article and to my
surprise, drivers actually do hit crossing
guards. I shook my head in disbelief. How
could a driver bump into a person who
volunteers to safeguard children as they
cross our obviously dangerous streets?
The article stated that it wasn’t the
horrendous driving skills, but our lack of
patience. Whoa whoa whoa...I’m not
prepared to give Winnipeg’s drivers any
credit. We have no patience and our driving
skills are about as good as Keanu Reeves’
acting.
Whatever happened to the times of old?
People would go about smiling and
waving, letting others into their lanes,
tipping hats, and not hitting crossing
guards! What happened to our
patience, our cordiality, our common
courtesy?
Well, unfortunately, I’m not too
sure. It vanished somewhere between
the 60s and now, or maybe not. Maybe
we have just become lazy. Maybe we
don’t let people into our lanes, pull
over to help a stranded car, or refrain
from striking crossing guards with
our five-thousand-pound vehicles out
of sheer laziness. We have become
busybody little tin Hitlers, not caring
about others. Are we so pompous that
we look out only for ourselves?
It seems that we, as a species, have
digressed. We were a happy-go-lucky
race once; misguided, but at least we
kept our niceties. Now look at us;
we’re still misguided, but without
that “peachy-keen jelly bean” attitude.
I think I have a good plan to help
stop this problem of striking crossing
guards with our motor vehicles. I want
a megaphone on my car. Next time I
see an impatient jerk bumping one of
these innocent volunteers, I’m going to
turn that bad boy on and give him a
piece of my mind. I’ll say, “Hey! You
ignorant codpiece! Calm the f*ck
down, and learn how to drive. How
would you like it if I ran down your
psycho ass, and drove around with your
ugly face plastered on my grill?!?!
Huh?!? Yeah, keep driving you f*ck
head! Oh yeah?! That’s it!”
BANG! BANG! BANG!
...I’d also get a machine gun or
something...
Aries –
Keep your eyes open for
moneymaking opportunities. Of course,
you won’t actually gain anything from
these ventures, but they kill time. Plus,
whenever you’re stuck in a social
situation with nothing to say, you can
base an entire conversation on
complaining about your failure. A very
cute person will spit on you this week.
Taurus – You will solve a Rubik’s
Cube this week. Having now
accomplished your life’s goal, you will
live the rest of your days with a perpetual
sense of anti-climax.
Gemini – Someone will take a
very bad picture of you in the near future.
While it may seem harmless at the time,
you will regret it years from now when
you’re rich and famous and it is plastered
all over all the tabloids.
Cancer – For some reason,
whenever people ask you a question this
week, you will freeze up. Your brain will
immediately devote all its strength to
remembering every McDonald’s motto
from the past ten years, and you will
mumble incoherently until they give up.
Not only is this embarrassing, but people
will henceforth think that you’re an idiot.
Leo –
You have a romantic week
coming up. You will win a 7-day getaway
for two to an exotic location.
Conveniently, your schedule and that of
your significant other will be completely
free, enabling you to drop everything and
leave. So sit back, relax, and drink
martinis.
Virgo –
The stars are pointing to
huge musical success in your future, but
only if you form a Beatles tribute band
and play the part of George Harrison.
This may require learning how to play the
guitar, and possibly some major plastic
surgery, but the end results will be well
worth it.
Libra –
As a test of your stamina,
quick-wittedness, and knowledge of
useless things, speak only in song lyrics
this week. If people don’t notice, that
means you’re doing extraordinarily well.
If people do notice, and ask why the hell
you’ve been quoting Britney Spears at
them all day, tell them that you are
merely doing the stars’ bidding. That’ll
clear everything up.
The Morning After The Grey Cup
Scorpio –
If you want to expose
yourself to a band that you’re not really
familiar with, ignore the tauntings of
people who are cooler than you and buy
the damn greatest hits album. Nobody
actually cares, and you’re getting a good
sampling of the music. So what’s the big
deal? The stars say that they personally
own many greatest hits albums, and they
have no regrets whatsoever.
Illustration by: Edward Cheung
THE UNITER is always on
the look-out for your stories,
ideas, humour, and commentary.
Whether you want to write, draw,
or snap photos, whether you
want to cover a story, or know of
a story that you think we should
cover, we want to hear from you.
CONTACT US: with your
ideas, recomendations, and
feedback at
[email protected]
Sagittarius –
Things will take
way longer than you were expecting
them to. Keeping this in mind, you may
want to budget more time for everything,
but then it will all take even longer to do
and you’ll be a basketcase. Basically, the
universe has it out for you in this
particular area this week, and there’s
nothing you can do about it.
Capricorn –
You have a
serious problem with B.O. Get a
sympathetic friend who can guide you in
these areas, and go soap shopping.
Fruity scents are always good, but
remember that even the best products
only work for so long, and then you have
to bathe again. Also, an annoying
neighbour will decide to try out their new
power drill at 7 o’clock the one morning
you would have been able to sleep in.
Aquarius –
You will throw out
your back this week. Nothing you do,
from downing painkillers to getting
people to walk on it, will make it better. I
suggest stationing yourself on the couch
for the week and taking full advantage of
the fact that everyone else has to do
everything for you.
Janet Mowat
010
HOW TO DEVELOP A SENSE OF HUMOUR TIP OF THE WEEK:
NOVEMBER 25,
25, 2004
Pisces –
You will help out a
mysterious stranger, who will then offer
to grant you three wishes. You know the
old adage, “Be careful what you wish for,
because it might come true”? It’s not
true. Wish for whatever the hell you want,
and nothing bad will happen.
CONTACT
»
Features Editor
» David Pensato
Features
E-mail
»
[email protected]
Tele
» 786-9497
FEATURE ARTICLE
THE ROAD RULES OF REGGAE
JAMES PATERSON
The circumstance and commentary of a merch guy and a seasoned troupe of
musicians, made up of one bitter New Yorker and six prairie men, all hell-bent
on to taking Western Canada in the name of the almighty Jah.
THE PRELUDE BEFORE THE
JOURNEY  WINNIPEG,
MANITOBA
I
pulled up late, drop-dead tired, and
mildly intoxicated to The Orbit Room,
a small club and eatery in the south
of Winnipeg. This is the where the
race begins, a ten-show tour across
western Canada, showcasing what
prairie reggae has to offer. This will be the
last time I will see the Winnipeg music scene
from the outside for a while– a community
I’ve observed and safely imbibed in for years;
from here on, I will be on the other side of the
fence– I will be one of the road warriors. I am
now in the hands of the Winnipeg Ska-Reggae
scene.
Insecurity washes over me. I wonder what
will change. I will be taken from my safe role
of show patron and plunged into the unknown
world behind the performance. Will it be a
healthy experience? I know it will be filled
with its own euphoria– and wretched taint, but
will it forever tarnish me and all aspects of the
music community I have enjoyed? Or, will I be
drawn even further into its allure?
I walk into the venue and see the dishevelled
state that my soon-to-be comrades are in. The
merch is in disarray, everyone in the band
glazed-over and visibly intoxicated. I begin
my first set-up when Rusty the guitarist comes
over with a beer for me; he’s all smiles. He
ridicules me and my role on the upcoming
tour. I am now officially The Merch Guy, a
lowly position. But I’m not complaining– it
gets me a free trip across western Canada.
Rusty tells me how much work this gig is
going to be; he tells me that I am now their
bitch. What the fuck have I done?
Each band member approaches me
throughout the night with a unique, all-tootelling, look of mischief. All say things like:
“Are you sure you want to come?” or “You’re
not gonna back-out are you?”
ROAD RULE 1
Don’t take any shit
from seasoned reggae artists…they are jaded
individuals seeking to steal you spirit of
adventure and inquiry.
1
Day
DAY ONE REGINA,
SASKATCHEWAN
We have to gather the troops before we can
hit the road. It takes us four hours. The pick-up
process is laborious, tedious, and mimics a
ritualistic dance or rut found on nature shows.
Upon each pick-up, the following: The band
member being picked up leaves his house,
smiles as those in the van cat-call and harass
his approach. Everyone files out of the van,
accepting the new inductee into the musical
harem. The new “road brother” accepts his
place in the van by making fun of how the
equipment is packed. Then the ceremony of
loading and unloading equipment begins.
Finally, a cigarette break marks the induction
of the next musician who has officially reported
for their call to duty. Upon completion we are
a team.
The van’s atmosphere is a blatant
juxtaposition of the social and the isolated.
Trapped in a moving vehicle with your friends
for up to 10 hours a day, everyone is torn
between socializing and doing his own thing.
We will eventually find our comfort zone, but
for now I settle for getting to know my
comrades with a series of experiments; this
mostly involves mocking the few bandmembers I know. We all know ten days of this
are ahead– in the end we will all be the butt of
numerous jokes. I consider myself lucky; often
bands in ‘tour mode’ will be at each other’s
throats, enduring breakdown after breakdown.
Thankfully, we just decompress by mocking
each other. This is the first sign of struggle
from the road life.
The six-hour drive from Winnipeg to
Regina pulses with lively conversation but
eventually peters out. Members drift into quiet
reflection, reading, or focus in on the Game
Boy. Conversation returns to boisterous levels
upon flatulence. This happens often.
The Regina show is played in a lovely little
pub called Mc Nalley’s. In any other town this
would be a fun venue, but this is Regina.
Regina is a defeated city; its storefronts are
empty, the streets are dead, and on this night,
the attending crowd might as well be dead.
Some patrons teach friends to play “paper,
rock, scissors.” They play repeatedly, finding
astounding degrees of humour in it. As I sit in
sheer amazement of this spectacle, the band
tries to liven up the sparse crowd up by making
fun of their city’s name. The crowd is unfazed.
The citizens are used to this form of ridicule.
Then true insults fly; one band member makes
fun of the single thread of pride left in this
town– the football team. Jeers erupt throughout
the room and then die out in about five
seconds. It is a testament to this town. No
merch will be sold tonight; Given the bands’
irreverence, they have ensured this. Regina,
there is truth in your meaning; a pile of
bones.
ROAD RULE 2 Whenever on tour, the
initial load-up is a valuable tool of assessing
where all members stand. If a member
skulks into the van, he will be trouble– you
should watch him like a hawk. If a member
of the band is pacing in the back lane
shirtless and shoeless as you approach his
residence, you are fucked.
2
Day
DAY TWO SASKATOON,
SASKATCHEWAN
I wake up early and peruse the streets of
Regina. It is 8:45 AM, yet the peak of rush
hour does not exist. I want to leave this town.
We pile into the van after breakfast to endure
an uneventful four-hour drive north. We arrive
in the one of the most underrated and beautiful
cities in Canada– Saskatoon. Every street
downtown teems with life, the whole city
looking like an expansion of the one or two
popular avenues found in other major cities. I
am charmed.
We arrive at the venue– Amigo’s. The band
is concerned about not playing at Lydia’s, their
normal venue. Amigo’s looks like an old
legion that’s been converted into a 250-person
venue. It has a quaint contemporary Mexican
feel (colourful walls adorned with local art,
deco checkerboard-tile floors). The potential
to draw a crowd seems there. Famished, we
order food and anxiously await the mediocre
swill thus far endured. When it arrives, we are
delighted in some of the best in Mexican food
around.
By the end of dinner, the place is packed.
We resume drinking at last night’s pace. One
of the more interesting phenomena in live
music is the music geeks who show up early to
purchase copious amounts of merch. These
fiends have chosen an existence that includes
hanging out at the merch booth emphatically
while I set up. They ask moronic questions like
“dude, are you selling CDs?” They try getting
deals (like it is my stuff), tell me that this CD
got them through high school, etc, etc. Tonight
a single person purchased worth well over
$100 of merch. He forgoes food for his
compulsive music addiction, by the looks of
him.
By the time the band starts their set, the
earlier concerns of attendance have returned
as reality; the place has cleared out. The
frustration of this about-face is clearly evident.
We pile in the van afterwards, looking to
drown the two mediocre shows. We head to
Lydia’s, which turns out to be packed. By the
end of the night, drunkenness has overtaken
all logical thought. By 2 am the bar pours out
onto the street.
Another problem on tour is rounding-up
band members for the trip to the hotel. It is
futile at times– like rounding up cats. We
decide to leave around 3:30 am, and manage to
gather almost everybody into the van. But
there are stragglers. After twenty minutes of
waiting, only the trumpet player is left, and
despite repeated cat-calling to get in the
fucking van, he does not. I decide to take
things into my own hands. I get out, corral
him, and push him into the van. He dumps the
pint he snuck out of the bar all over himself.
Somewhere in this innocent process, I
dislocate my shoulder (this has happened a
couple of times in my life). But at least he is in
the van. What should be sheer pain is
substantially dulled by intoxication. The band
members begin to freak out as they see my
pain. We decide to return to the hotel, to see if
I can be repaired without the aid of doctors. I
am too intoxicated for medical grade
painkillers, and this would take hours of
waiting in a hospital. I know that the pain of a
dislocated shoulder compounds over time as
muscles spasm and eventually cramp up in an
effort to pull bone back into socket. This could
fuck up the tour schedule and result in a very
restless night. I don’t want part of either. On
the way to the hotel, I fidget and fight with my
injury, eventually putting the shoulder back in
myself.
We stop at a 7-11 for slurpees and a bag of
chips in celebration. I take a silent solace– there
will be no more loading or unloading for me
for the next few days at least. Sometime after
this, I black out.
ROAD RULE 3
Good food at clubs
should be relished, but rarely expected.
Supplements are a necessity, and given the
events of tonight, injuries on the road are
inevitable.
3
Day
DAY THREE EDMONTON,
ALBERTA
We are inundated on both sides of our set
by punk bands tonight. The wild times of the
previous night have taken a down-turn, and the
ugly spectacle of musician’s intention has
reared its head. Conversation in the van and on
stage has alluded to this; a story of how a band
member got laid that time in some city, another
asking the crowd a series of questions including
“how many guys want to be ‘in’ girls right
now” (followed by loud drunken cheers… was
there any doubt?); members of other bands
talking constantly about how they are going to
get laid paired with stories of how popular
their band once was. Every conversation has
resulted in a pissing contest uttered by a
collection of know-it-alls. Beer has satiated
any need to lash-out at this tom-foolery.
All of this leads to questions regarding the
artist’s motivation. Most of the time, bands do
not live on the money they generate; few can
feed themselves with this type of pay. Some
play for the music, some have more primal
goals. At times, the inspiration they draw from
is a shallow well.
»
Continued on the next page
NOVEMBER 25, 2004
, 2004
011
Feature Article
feature article
Fe
» Continued from page 11
Later, alcohol is consumed in bulk, and the
night progresses into debauchery. I assume
this is due primarily to acute overexposure to
van-mates. This is becoming more and more
evident. It is partly due to the show attracting
400 lunatics looking for a good time. All
issues at the beginning of the night and during
the show are resolved through overindulgence.
A good draw for one show can make up for the
shitty attendance at several.
We reach the hotel at 3am and find not
normal rooms but one large, magnificent suite.
It is a holy shrine with multiple rooms and
common areas that holds all eight of us. We
feel important. Inspired by our good fortune,
we continue our consumption and raid the
mini-bar. Then we discover the 24 hour spa.
Juvenile behaviour, and eventually nakedness,
ensues. Numerous blackouts follow.
ROAD RULE 4
Mutual support is
absolutely key to survival on the road. When
one member is pissed off, you help him
decompress. Animosity cannot linger when
you are in a van several hours a day with
someone who you are mad at. In a lot of ways,
the band is your family, and when push comes
to shove, you have to act as a family.
4
Day
DAY FOUR GOLDEN, BRITISH
COLUMBIA
The day breaks and the realization sets in
that combining a hot-tub with massive amount
of alcohol has nearly poisoned us. Some of us
are still wasted– the fact that one member has
tripped and fallen over a pair of socks is a
testament to this. The seven-hour drive ahead
of us will have to be done in our weakened
state. There is little conversation in the van as
we try to focus on the task at hand.
The van reeks of body odour, mouths that
need to be brushed, and last night’s booze.
Though we cleaned it out last night, filth has
accumulated in the van. The garbage
accumulation is astounding and we reflect on
how good it is that babies or small animals
aren’t on tour with us. I cannot imagine what
type of social setting the van would be had last
night’s show not gone so well.
After six hours, we arrive at Packer’s Place,
a small dingy bar in the middle of a mountain
town. Picture any cottage-country bar
splattered with neon beer signs and you get the
idea. After we unload we are told that there
will be no sound guy and the band begins to
frantically set up and sound check before the
show. In the mean time the beers begin to
flow.
The women in Golden are loud and wild.
Sexual frankness frightens several band
members. At one point, for instance, I watch a
women place some sort of gel on a man and
light his nipples on fire in the bar. Though he
remains unhurt, I and the others shudder with
fear wondering what planet these people are
from. Earlier in the day, the token American,
now known as the ‘Cranky Yankee’, thinks
these people are going to turn out to be pagans.
Given the above circumstances, he is not far
from the truth.
The show is attended by a few local drunks
and little else. We load up and continue the
party, deftly avoiding the local women. Later,
we go up to our rooms and shower, trying to
remove the stink of the bar (ranging between
puke and parmesean cheese) from our skin.
ROAD RULE 5 Some people subscribe
to the “ hair of the dog” philosophy to cure
a hangover (ie. you consume more poison to
012
cure the pain). Whoever suggested this is an
evil, sadomasochist weekend warrior and
has never been on the road. From here on in
it is one day on, one day off…at least in
theory.
5
Day
DAY FIVE WHISTLER,
BRITISH COLUMBIA
We have an eight-hour drive ahead of us
and wake up early as possible. After a couple
of hours of consuming coffee and cool
mountain air, we rendezvous at the van. The
bass and trumpet players continued to party
after the show, by the smell of them. Sometime
in the night, the bass player fell and knocked
out half a front tooth (please refer to road rule
number three for clarification). While we get a
fast food breakfast, the bassist continues his
day of hell and cuts open his head on a large
metal sign. He bleeds and complains for a
while. We disconnect from each other in the
van using the time to recuperate, catching
small snatches of sleep or catching up on
reading.
As we head though the mountains, foul
weather approaches and we are stuck with the
situation of white-knuckling it through the
Canadian Rockies. One of the most unsettling
situations imaginable is being situated between
sheer rock and a 100 metre drop while 5cm of
wet snow accumulates. It sets us off-kilter, and
gets worse as we pass increasing numbers of
vehicles that have hit the side rails, gone into
the ditches, or opted to pull-over and wait it
out. We are forced to continue driving or miss
the show. Many of the band members in the
back of the van don’t want to deal with the
stress and try to sleep. It takes us about eleven
nail biting hours until we reach Whistler.
The conversation at The Boot, a hostel, is
ecstatic about the snow. This type of talk is
hedonistic given what we have just suffered
through. We need to decompress, so we start
to drink as soon as we get to the venue. It
clouds our judgement and does little to relieve
stress. We unload the gear and start looking
for food, cutting out several rest-stops to get to
the venue on time. We get our meal vouchers
only to discover that the restaurant closed
early. We retire to our room only to discover
that we are all sharing a room with 4 bunk
beds. It’s gonna be a long night.
The show ends up being a sausage party of
about 75 snow-boarding males. Because of
this, the sets are cut short. None of us can get
drunk from the watered down draft being
served, though the bartender tries his best to
make up for it by sheer quantity.
We retire to our bunk beds and endure a
restless night of snoring and a puking trombone
player. When we wake up the room smells like
ass.
NOVEMBER 25,
25, 2004
ROAD RULE SIX
When in a
snowstorm, always let the most nervous
person drive. It sounds like a recipe for
trouble, but this person will be the safest
driver, and he cannot be a back seat driver
(the most annoying thing about being in a
van with eight guys who refuse to use
maps).
6
&7
Day
DAY SIX AND SEVEN
VANCOUVER, BRITISH
COLUMBIA
The drive out of the now slushy areas
surrounding Whistler soon give way to the
temperate and warm coastal valley. The snow
is gone, and the four-hour drive is easy; we sit
back and take in the green mountains and
ocean.
We arrive in Vancouver full of excitement.
Nothing is more satisfying than a day off
while on tour. We check in at a posh hotel and
disengage from one another, hitting the streets
of ‘Van’ for exploration, year-round patios,
micro-roast coffee shops, and cheap sushi.
After a day and a half of indulgence, we
show up at the venue and resume the process
of selling music. The show is held at The
Railway Club, a beautiful pub located in the
downtown area. The show attracts a decent
crowd, and when it is time to settle up, we end
up feeling stiffed by our earnings. This is
always a problem for bands, and tonight
requires intensive negotiations by the tour
manager.
After the show, women flock to the band
members. This happens regularly. They flirt
and flirt, but with the exception of one or two
members, the band is ‘paired-off.’ These
actions will go nowhere. But it is an interesting
phenomenon– you could be one of the ugliest
band members in the world and this will
happen. I attribute it to the enrapturing power
Orpheus’s lyre.
Another interesting phenomenon: whenever
someone gets close to woman, another band
member will interrupt the conversation and try
to ruin any potential gains. It is ape-like in
nature and happens without fail after every
show.
ROAD RULE 7 Losing a band member
for a night happens from time to time, and
should be expected. Finding him in the
morning can be a bitch. Threats to leave him
behind can be helpful, ensuring compliance
to deadlines.
Day
8
DAY EIGHT VICTORIA,
BRITISH COLUMBIA
We leave Vancouver refreshed, which is a
good thing since we will get no sleep tonight.
After a pleasant ferry ride to the island, we
arrive at Lucky Bar in Victoria. It takes about
three hours, minus a tip to the International
House of Pancakes.
The city of Victoria is alive with young
people, and this raises our hopes for a good
show. It is a pleasant surprise given the `newlywed or nearly-dead’ stigma of Victoria. We
spend the three hours before the show travelling
from pub to pub (I recommend the microbrewery called Hugo’s) downtown. The air is
fresh and warm.
We set up eventually. The show attracts a
good crowd, and by the end of the evening it’s
a shame to leave. The people in the audience
are so friendly, and it feels like this part of the
night should last forever. It will not last
forever; instead, it will involve an all-night
drive.
We frantically pack up the gear for the two
hour ride to Nanaimo. We have reservations
for the 5:30 ferry to the mainland. We try to
gather members of the band to load up, but it
is futile– they are interspersed in the crowd.
None of us want the trip to Canmore. One
band member yells from the stage for the
others to no avail. Eventually, we pack up and
drive the promoter to his house. When we drop
him off, he steals precious seconds with hugs
and idle chit-chat. This seems like an eternity.
We eventually have to close the doors of the
van on him. At around 3:30 AM we speed off
into the night reaching speeds of 130 km/h in
a fight to catch our ferry. Or else, we lose a
show.
ROAD RULE 8
Always leave ample
time for fun on tour. It is gruelling at times,
and too many opportunities lost cause
friction in the van.
9
Day
DAY NINE CANMORE,
ALBERTA
We arrive at the ferry at 5:15 AM, fifteen
minutes before boarding. Four of us file out of
the van in search of places to lay down. We
Photos by: James Patterson
»
find some lifejacket storage chests in the front
the ferry. It is a religious scene: four plywood
chests raised on a pulpit in front of 100 halffilled seats. We mount them and fall asleep–
little lambs on sacrificial alters of the road.
The staff and the people surrounding us say
nothing of our actions or smell. The rest of the
band crashes in the van. After an hour and a
half we reach the mainland and continue our
drive for another twelve hours. The weather is
clear, and after making the conscious decision
to break traffic laws to the utmost extent
possible, we reach Canmore two hours early.
The ritual continues upon arrival: we enjoy a
meal, begin drinking, and get our rooms.
By evening, the Canmore hotel is packed,
but the audience seems unaware that a New
York Ska-Reggae legend is playing in front of
them. It might as well be a cover band. It
seems like an old pick-up joint that exists
purely because of the youthful soul across
Canada who wants to disengage from normal
life and live as a ski-bum. The audience is
satiated by an apathetic mixture of pot and
booze. The place is packed, but no one seems
into it, though by the end, this seems to
change.
The show ends, and we get food from the
restaurant attached to the hotel. We get our
own rooms tonight but have to share bathrooms
in one of the dingiest hotels I have ever seen.
We go up to our rooms at 4 AM and find that
the hallway smells like death. I go and tell the
bartender. He brings up the Febreeze to mask
the problem. I sleep with a locked door and
one eye open. The smell lingers when we leave
in the morning
ROAD RULE 9 Overnight trips are hell
and should be avoided.
10
Day
CONTACT
»
eatures
DAY TEN CALGARY ALBERTA
The one-hour drive from Canmore to
Calgary is the shortest, therefore, the most
delightful drive yet. We spend most of the
day and evening in our hotel rooms watching
TV and soothing our bloated, tired bodies.
We arrive at the Night Gallery, one of the
only live venues downtown. It is a nice little
place with American propaganda covering
the walls. It looks like it should be a good
show, a good ending to the tour, until
another accident happens. The Cranky
Yankee falls when the cinder blocks, which
are being used as makeshift stage stairs,
give way. The tumble cracks his beloved
ukulele; he freaks and remains vexed for
most of the evening. It is not a fitting end to
this tour, and it becomes completely evident
that we all want home. We are set up. We
look forward to getting the sound-check out
of the way. Dinner is pizza-by-the-slice from
the convenience store beside the venue.
The crowd begins to file in, and the
opening band, The Operators, begin. They
are a surprisingly talented ska-punk hybrid
using keyboards and a sax to augment their
traditional anthem-punk sound. I find myself
enjoying them– something different. I now
know that my love for live music will not be
tarnished by this experience. At the end of
the show we learn that this is The Operator’s
last show. We all know the trials of being a
band, and some of us try to convince them to
persevere.
The audience is large and boisterous,
making for an enjoyable show. They play
until 2:30 AM, trying to make the final set
last as long as possible. But the band is
melancholy, and the music they play reflects
it. After the take down, we load up and pour
Features Editor
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out on to the streets of Electric Ave. We
enjoy the dwindling nightlife for about an
hour. Exhausted, we crawl into our beds. In
the morning we begin the long trek home to
real life.
ROAD RULE 10
Being in a touring
band is perceived by most to be something it
is not. It is glorified by the audience and
looked at not as a job but an ideal of
freedom. Nothing could be further from the
truth. It is the same work, filled with unique
Tele
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stresses, and procedures. It can be a gruelling
pace, and it is easy to fall into a repetitive
life: drive, unload, set up, play, re-load and
go to sleep. On the best days, you get to
repeat this scenario the following day. On
the worst, you remove the sleep. Some bands
do this for months on end. As with anything,
there are things to hate and love. The most
important thing to enduring life on the road
is to hold on to the things that mean the
most: the memories, the music, and above
all, the comradery.
NOVEMBER 25, 2004
, 2004
013
PublicFeatures
Domain Series
PU BLIC DOM A I N SER IES
THE ENEMIES OF BOOKS"¤"
THE ENEMIES OF BOOKS
 Bookbinders
WILLIAM BLADES 1888
A good binding gives pleasure.–Deadly effects of the “plough” as used by binders.–Not confined to bye-gone times.–
Instances of injury.–De Rome, a good binder but a great cropper.–Books “ hacked.”–Bad lettering–Treasures in bookcovers.–Books washed, sized, and mended.–”Cases” often Preferable to re-binding.
n the first chapter I
m e n t i o n e d
bookbinders among
the Enemies of
Books,
and
I
tremble to think
what a stinging
retort might be
made if some irate
bibliopegist were to
turn the scales on
the printer, and place HIM in the same
category. On the sins of printers, and the
unnatural neglect which has often shortened
the lives of their typographical progeny, it is
not for me to dilate. There is an old proverb,
“ ‘Tis an ill bird that befouls its own nest”; a
curious chapter thereupon, with many
modern examples, might nevertheless be
written. This I will leave, and will now only
place on record some of the cruelties
perpetrated upon books by the ignorance or
carelessness of binders.
Like men, books have a soul and body.
With the soul, or literary portion, we have
nothing to do at present; the body, which is
the outer frame or covering, and without
which the inner would be unusable, is the
special work of the binder. He, so to speak,
begets it; he determines its form and
adornment, he doctors it in disease and
decay, and, not unseldom, dissects it after
death. Here, too, as through all Nature, we
find the good and bad running side by side.
What a treat it is to handle a well-bound
volume; the leaves lie open fully and freely,
as if tempting you to read on, and you handle
them without fear of their parting from the
back. To look at the “tooling,” too, is a
pleasure, for careful thought, combined with
artistic skill, is everywhere apparent. You
open the cover and find the same loving
attention inside that has been given to the
outside, all the workmanship being true and
thorough. Indeed, so conservative is a good
binding, that many a worthless book has had
an honoured old age, simply out of respect to
its outward aspect; and many a real treasure
has come to a degraded end and premature
death through the unsightliness of its outward
case and the irreparable damage done to it in
binding.
The weapon with which the binder deals
the most deadly blows to books is the
“plough,” the effect of which is to cut away
the margins, placing the print in a false
position relatively to the back and head, and
often denuding the work of portions of the
very text. This reduction in size not seldom
brings down a handsome folio to the size of
quarto, and a quarto to an octavo.
With the old hand plough a binder
required more care and caution to produce an
even edge throughout than with the new
cutting machine. If a careless workman
found that he had not ploughed the margin
quite square with the text, he would put it in
his press and take off “another shaving,” and
sometimes even a third.
Dante, in his “Inferno,” deals out to the
lost souls various tortures suited with
dramatic fitness to the past crimes of the
victims, and had I to execute judgment on the
criminal binders of certain precious volumes
014
I have seen, where the untouched maiden
sheets entrusted to their care have, by
barbarous treatment, lost dignity, beauty and
value, I would collect the paper shavings so
ruthlessly shorn off, and roast the perpetrator
of the outrage over their slow combustion. In
olden times, before men had learned to value
the relics of our printers, there was some
excuse for the sins of a binder who erred
from ignorance which was general; but in
these times, when the historical and
antiquarian value of old books is freely
acknowledged, no quarter should be granted
to a careless culprit.
It may be supposed that, from the spread
of information, all real danger from ignorance
is past. Not so, good reader; that is a
consummation as yet “devoutly to be wished.”
Let me relate to you a true bibliographical
anecdote: In 1877, a certain lord, who had
succeeded to a fine collection of old books,
promised to send some of the most valuable
(among which were several Caxtons) to the
Exhibition at South Kensington. Thinking
their outward appearance too shabby, and not
knowing the danger of his conduct, he
decided to have them rebound in the
neighbouring county town. The volumes
were soon returned in a resplendent state,
and, it is said, quite to the satisfaction of his
lordship, whose pleasure, however, was sadly
damped when a friend pointed out to him
that, although the discoloured edges had all
been ploughed off, and the time-stained
blanks, with their fifteenth century
autographs, had been replaced by nice clean
fly-leaves, yet, looking at the result in its
lowest aspect only– that of market value–the
books had been damaged to at least the
amount of L500; and, moreover, that caustic
remarks would most certainly follow upon
their public exhibition. Those poor injured
volumes were never sent.
Some years ago one of the most rare
books printed by Machlinia– a thin folio–was
discovered bound in sheep by a country
bookbinder, and cut down to suit the size of
some quarto tracts. But do not let us suppose
that country binders are the only culprits. It
is not very long since the discovery of a
unique Caxton in one of our largest London
libraries. It was in boards, as originally
issued by the fifteenth-century binder, and a
great fuss (very properly) was made over the
treasure trove. Of course, cries the reader, it
was kept in its original covers, with all the
interesting associations of its early state
untouched? No such thing! Instead of making
a suitable case, in which it could be preserved
just as it was, it was placed in the hands of a
well-known London binder, with the order,
“Whole bind in velvet.” He did his best, and
the volume now glows luxuriously in its gilt
edges and its inappropriate covering, and,
alas! with half-an-inch of its uncut margin
taken off all round. How do I know that?
because the clever binder, seeing some MS.
remarks on one of the margins, turned the
leaf down to avoid cutting them off, and that
stern witness will always testify, to the
observant reader, the original size of the
book. This same binder, on another occasion,
placed a unique fifteenth century Indulgence
in warm water, to separate it from the cover
NOVEMBER 25,
25, 2004
upon which it was pasted, the result being
that, when dry, it was so distorted as to be
useless. That man soon after passed to
another world, where, we may hope, his
works have not followed him, and that his
merits as a good citizen and an honest man
counterbalanced his de-merits as a binder.
Other similar instances will occur to the
memory of many a reader, and doubtless the
same sin will be committed from time to
time by certain binders, who seem to have an
ingrained antipathy to rough edges and large
margins, which of course are, in their view,
made by Nature as food for the shaving tub.
De Rome, a celebrated bookbinder of the
eighteenth century, who was nicknamed by
Dibdin “The Great Cropper,” was, although
in private life an estimable man, much
addicted to the vice of reducing the margins
of all books sent to him to bind. So far did
he go, that he even spared not a fine copy of
Froissart’s Chronicles, on vellum, in which
was the autograph of the well-known booklover, De Thou, but cropped it most cruelly.
Owners, too, have occasionally diseased
minds with regard to margins. A friend
writes: “Your amusing anecdotes have
brought to my memory several biblioclasts
whom I have known. One roughly cut the
margins off his books with a knife, hacking
away very much like a hedger and ditcher.
Large paper volumes were his especial
delight, as they gave more paper. The slips
thus obtained were used for index-making!
Another, with the bump of order unnaturally
developed, had his folios and quartos all
reduced, in binding, to one size, so that they
might look even on his bookshelves.”
This latter was, doubtless, cousin to him
who deliberately cut down all his books close
to the text, because he had been several times
annoyed by readers who made marginal
notes.
The indignities, too, suffered by some
books in their lettering! Fancy an early
black-letter fifteenth-century quarto on
Knighthood, labelled “Tracts”; or a translation
of Virgil, “Sermons”! The “Histories of
Troy,” printed by Caxton, still exists with
“Eracles” on the back, as its title, because
that name occurs several times in the early
chapters, and the binder was too proud to
seek advice. The words “Miscellaneous,” or
“Old Pieces,” were sometimes used when
binders were at a loss for lettering, and many
other instances might be mentioned.
The rapid spread of printing throughout
Europe in the latter part of the fifteenth
century caused a great fall in the value of
plain un-illuminated MSS., and the immediate
consequence of this was the destruction of
numerous volumes written upon parchment,
which were used by the binders to strengthen
the backs of their newly-printed rivals. These
slips of vellum or parchment are quite
common in old books. Sometimes whole
sheets are used as fly-leaves, and often reveal
the existence of most valuable works,
unknown before–proving, at the same time,
the small value formerly attached to them.
Many a bibliographer, while examining
old books, has to his great puzzlement come
across short slips of parchment, nearly always
from some old manuscript, sticking out like
“guards” from the midst of the leaves. These
suggest, at first, imperfections or damage
done to the volume; but if examined closely
it will be found that they are always in the
middle of a paper section, and the real reason
of their existence is just the same as when
two leaves of parchment occur here and there
in a paper volume, viz.: strength–strength to
resist the lug which the strong thread makes
against the middle of each section. These
slips represent old books destroyed, and like
the slips already noticed, should always be
carefully examined.
When valuable books have been evilentreated, when they have become soiled by
dirty hands, or spoiled by water stains, or
injured by grease spots, nothing is more
astonishing to the uninitiated than the
transformation they undergo in the hands of
a skilful restorer. The covers are first
carefully dissected, the eye of the operator
keeping a careful outlook for any fragments
of old MSS. or early printed books, which
may have been used by the original binder.
No force should be applied to separate parts
which adhere together; a little warm water
and care is sure to overcome that difficulty.
When all the sections are loose, the separate
sheets are placed singly in a bath of cold
water, and allowed to remain there until all
the dirt has soaked out. If not sufficiently
purified, a little hydrochloric or oxalic acid,
or caustic potash may be put in the water,
according as the stains are from grease or
from ink. Here is where an unpractised
binder will probably injure a book for life. If
the chemicals are too strong, or the sheets
remain too long in the bath, or are not
thoroughly cleansed from the bleach before
they are re-sized, the certain seeds of decay
are planted in the paper, and although for a
time the leaves may look bright to the eye,
and even crackle under the hand like the
soundest paper, yet in the course of a few
years the enemy will appear, the fibre will
decay, and the existence of the books will
terminate in a state of white tinder.
Everything which diminishes the interest
of a book is inimical to its preservation, and
in fact is its enemy. Therefore, a few words
upon the destruction of old bindings.
I remember purchasing many years ago at
a suburban book stall, a perfect copy of
Moxon’s Mechanic Exercises, now a scarce
work. The volumes were uncut, and had the
original marble covers. They looked so
attractive in their old fashioned dress, that I
at once determined to preserve it. My binder
soon made for them a neat wooden box in the
shape of a book, with morocco back properly
lettered, where I trust the originals will be
preserved from dust and injury for many a
long year.
Old covers, whether boards or paper,
should always be retained if in any state
approaching decency. A case, which can be
embellished to any extent looks every whit as
well upon the shelf! and gives even greater
protection than binding. It has also this great
advantage: it does not deprive your
descendants of the opportunity of seeing for
themselves exactly in what dress the book
buyers of four centuries ago received their
volumes.
Features
A WINNIPEGGERin
IN NEW
ZEALAND
A Winnipegger
New
Zealand
elections and homes
 Finding Work, or, Wouldn’t You Rather Get Drunk & Play Videogames?
PAUL WEDEL
Paul Wedel was born in Winnipeg and has suffered through 26 Manitoban winters without reprieve. He is
currently spending one year in New Zealand, and writing about it for The Uniter. Last week, he gave us a
glimpse of the beach, the heat, and his new home. This week, he’s still on about the heat, but has added
employment– and the possibility of permanent relocation– to his list of concerns.
»
Photo by: Paul Wedel
A
fter one week in our
new place, a different
kind of reality is setting
in. We’ve landed in a
new city– a vague
and beautiful city.
Relocation is a strange creature. I find
myself both gawking and trying to appear
as though I belong. Each time I leave the
house, I make the definite choice to leave
my camera behind. No residents carry a
camera in their pack. Small steps towards
feeling like I belong. I still refer to the coilbook map placed discretely in my black
nylon bag, but only when I’m sure no one
is watching.
Wellington is both inviting and
expensive. Sure, it is not too expensive, but
it’s certainly more so than Winnipeg. If and
when we come back to Canada, I promise
never to complain about the price of CDs or
DVDs ever, ever again. For instance, want
that latest Franz Ferdinand? It’ll be $35,
please. Dying for that extended cut box set
of Return of the King? Eighty bucks without
breaking a sweat. So I implore all you
Winnipeggers: please– give those recordstore employees a break during Christmas
madness.
Walking through the shops of Lyall Bay
(imagine a large and hilly Wolseley by the
ocean), I pleasantly note the lack of
shopping insanity. There are displays and
carols, but these are subtle – occurring with
less frequency than I imagined possible at
this time of year. And, the stores are full
but not crowded. I think it’s the weather:
why shop when you could be lying on the
beach? I’m still trying to align my mind
with the sun and the heat. It’s late November,
and it’s twenty-five above. Weird. But our
bank account increasingly notifies us that
we are not going to be able to spend every
day at the Oceanside. The time has come,
then, to find work.
For Leigh, it turned out to be not much
of a search. Two jobs fell into her lap. Not
much effort was required on her part. One
of them is within a government office– they
told her that because she is the only
candidate fitting their (very particular)
requirements, they are going to sponsor her
application for a work permit. This allows
us – yes, common-law rights extend into
New Zealand– to stay beyond the one-year
limit sanctioned by our working holiday
visas. A prospect that is both exciting and
frightening.
We are suddenly facing the possibility
of residing in New Zealand. We’ve only
been in Wellington for ten days! In New
Zealand for only two months! How did this
happen? Before we left, Leigh and I often
discussed what it would be like if we
relocated, but I never considered that it
might really be easy. But we haven’t made
any definite choices. How could we? I don’t
know what it is to live away from home.
We’re still too new at this. It’s easy now,
because it’s summer. When July rolls
around, I have a feeling I’m going to be
missing that Manitoba beach weather.
NOVEMBER 25, 2004
, 2004
015
CONTACT
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&
Culture
Arts
&
Culture
»
Arts Editor
» Jo Snyder
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End of the Century : The Story of the Ramones
Dan Hugyhebaert
T
here’s a distinct
point in this film
where I go from
sheer joy to utter
heartbreak. It’s
the exact point
in the Ramones history where
they know they are finished
as a band, but continue
to march on, partly out of
money, partly out of need.
They didn’t really know how
to do anything else, and it
pained me, as a big Ramones
fan, to see this unfold right
before my eyes. It is also a
tribute to directors Jim Fields
and Michael Gramaglia for
making an honest, open film
about one of the world’s most
influential rock acts.
The documentary unfolds
from their beginnings in New
York as misfits who banded
together through their love of
misfit music : The Stooges,
New York Dolls, MC5. They all
took the name Ramone as a
means of bonding together. In
1976, they became a revolution.
They played very loud, simple,
short songs with no guitar
solos. The song subjects
ranged from sniffing glue, to
horror movies, to pimping on
the harsh streets of New York.
They dressed in leather jackets
and jeans, which was simple
compared to the Glam trend at
the time. Their first tour of Europe
was credited with kick-starting
the punk scene in England.
Seeing the old live footage made
me feel all nostalgic and warm
inside, as if I was there witnessing
history while the pure, energetic
power of their music gave people
the kick in the ass they deserved.
Many people attributed them
with saving rock’n’roll, but fame
has always eluded them,
especially in North America, and
that would be their death knell.
The film is more about the
personalities behind the band.
Dee Dee, the heart of the
Ramones who would rather take
drugs and act like a six- year-old.
Johnny is arguably the most
fascinating. A crook at a young
age, he simply turned over a new
leaf and planned out his life. He
was a tough disciplinarian and
ultraconservative. (He would
thank God and George Bush
during his acceptance speech
into the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame.)
And of course, Joey, the geeky
and romantic front man who
overcame his shyness to speak
out for social issues. The original
drummer, Tommy, quit the band,
tired of being bossed around by
Johnny. Out of the original
members, only Tommy is still
The Ramones
alive, although at the time of
filming, only Joey had passed
away. Recent interviews with all
members of the band, including
Dee Dee’s replacement, CJ, and
drummers Marky and Ritchie,
round out a reunion of sorts.
The film doesn’t quite focus
on the musical aspect of the
band, for, let’s face it, they didn’t
really change much following
their breakthrough debut album.
Instead, Fields and Gramaglia
focus on the emotional issues
that split the band apart, the
most notable being the Phil
Spector sessions and Johnny’s
“stealing” of Joey’s girlfriend
(which Joey turned into the song
“The KKK Took My Baby Away”).
The latter was an event from
which the band never recovered.
Johnny was still married to her at
the time of filming, and Joey
never forgave Johnny for that. It
was obvious the band was stuck
in a timewarp, with Johnny and
Joey acting stunned and going
through the motions instead of
dealing with an issue that was
gnawing at them both. This is
quite evident in Johnny’s
indifference to questions about
Joey’s death.
The directors also interview
several musicians inspired by the
Ramones: Debbie Harry of
Blondie, Joe Strummer of the
Clash (whose White Riot was
scoffed at by the band for
completely copying them), Lars
Frederickson of Rancid, Rob
Zombie, Kirk Hammett, Thurston
Moore of Sonic Youth and Glen
Matlock of the Sex Pistols.
Also shown is Dee Dee’s
foray into rap music (including
the video he made - even he
admits it’s pretty awful), but
not shown are any behind-thescenes footage from the filming
of Rock ‘n’ Roll High School.
The film is not an exhaustive
history of the band, but for an
act that has been around for
almost 25 years, its focus on
the emotional dynamics of the
hardest driving band in the
world will keep any music fan
safety-pinned to their seat.
Starts November 26 at
Cinematheque (in the Exchange
in the Artspace Building).
Author Profile: Emily Pohl-Weary
Nora Dector
A
Girl like
Sugar delivers
a lesson in
self-discovery
from the fastpaced streets
of Toronto. This is author Emily
Pohl-Weary’s first novel, her
other work includes co-founding
the zine Kiss Machine and an
award winning biography of her
grandmother, Better To Have
Loved.
With an eclectic cast of
characters, Pohl-Weary gives
readers a glimpse of what it’s like
to be caught in a stagnant pool of
post-adolescence and sends the
message that there’s nothing wrong
with taking a little time to figure
things out. A Girl Like Sugar reads
like pages torn from the diary of
wild It-Girl after a long bender.
By melding real life cultural
references with elements of
fantasy, Pohl-Weary creates
smooth, bright prose, and
characters so deliciously strange
you’ll wish they were real. Emily
Pohl-Weary gets my vote as the
new, sleazy, Judy Blume.
A Girl Like Sugar isn’t like
most books aimed at young girls
or women. What sort of story or
message did you set out to
convey?
016
I was feeling that there weren’t
enough contemporary novels about
girls who were slackers or were
apathetic for some reason. I think
they exist but not enough people
have really explored it. I wanted to
make Sugar someone who had
reasons for not being ambitious in
the way that we’re told to be. She’s
not going to business school. She
doesn’t particularly care if she has
a job.
Sugar is so interesting in that
her boyfriend is a talented
musician and this big star, and in
comparison she’s pretty ordinary.
Where did the idea for her
character originate?
Well, I think I’ll admit it,
obviously it’s Courtney Love.
Sugar isn’t Courtney Love, but I
do have a real fascination with
ugliness and I think that Courtney
definitely seems to be in a sort of
ugly part of her life right now. But
I find it fascinating because it’s
also quite rare that you see that
side of women and she’s still
managing to continue to be
successful, like by putting out a
big album. And she’s poking fun at
all these horrible things like
calling her album America’s
Sweetheart. I think that’s hilarious
actually. Who would do that? She’s
one of the most reviled women in
America
The parts with Sugar’s dead
NOVEMBER 25,
25, 2004
boyfriend’s ghost are great. Did
anyone inspire you style wise?
Francesca Lia Block. She’s
awesome. She definitely inspired
me. She showed me that you could
meld realism and supernatural
things and treat them like they’re
normal and people will be like
“Sure, I’m along for this ride.”
When Marco dies, Sugar spends
some time holed up in her
apartment, watching her collection
of Parker Posey movies. Why
Parker Posey? Is she a favorite of
yours?
Umm, yes. I’m totally not
obsessed with Parker Posey, but I
thought it was kind of funny to
take it to an extreme. I thought it
would be funny for her to watch
the same things over and over
again. It almost parallels her life;
she’s doing the same things over
and over again and at the same
time going in circles.
Through her new love interest,
Thomas, Sugar gets involved in
some protests and activist groups.
Did you do research for that aspect
of the book? And there are some
pretty radical people at the group
meetings. Are they based on people
you’ve encountered?
The riot that happens – the
protest that becomes violent -- I
was at something like that in
Toronto. As for the activism
groups, I’ve been to a thousand
meetings, but none of them like
the one in the book. Those people
aren’t real. The things that I did
take from real life are the ways
people make Sugar feel, and the
way she feels about them. These
are the things that I could draw out
of my life.
It took you about five years to
write the book. What sort of
setbacks and obstacles did you
encounter along the way?
The main thing is confidence.
Girls have problems with it, and
guys do too. I know in high school,
all I cared about was looking cute
and boys, but at a certain point you
realize “what the fuck, I’m scared,
but I’m going to do it anyways.”
With the novel it was like that.
Lots and lots of drafts, lots and
lots of revisions. You can’t be
perfect. You have to have patience.
If it’s something you want to do,
that’s fine, what the hell else are
you going to do? Take the time,
make it wonderful. It’s way better
to have something you’re working
on than to not be doing anything.
A lot of people have problems with
that. But that’s what life is about.
You dedicate the book “to the
empty girls.” What sort of message
do you hope that girls will take
from the story?
I definitely was motivated by
the fact that I went through a
process like Sugar’s. A lot of
people do. It’s a process that you
kind of have to go through to
become comfortable with yourself,
and it’s not an easy one. It’d be
very nice if people could read the
book and just see that they’re not
totally alone.
& Culture
Arts
Culture
» Arts&
CONTACT
Arts Editor
» Jo Snyder
E-mail
»
[email protected]
Tele
» 786-9497
Native Winnipegger is
“Heading Home”
By Paul Ryan
T
om Colclough was born in Winnipeg, but left
the city at the age of three when his family
moved east to Montreal. Tom, who is playing
a pair of concerts with the Winnipeg Jazz
Orchestra on November 28, now resides on
the west coast, in Vancouver.
and Buddy Defranco. Tom started playing tenor sax when he was 15, and was
inspired by the sounds of Cannonball Adderley, Phil Woods, John Coltrane,
and Bob Berg, among others.
We also discussed our common admiration for Sonny Stitt, the
extraordinary saxophonist who put out a voluminous number of
albums over his lengthy career.
Tom’s main instruments are the clarinet and tenor
saxophone, but he also utilized keyboards and
synthesizers on his debut album, Heading Home,
which was released in 2003. On a few of the tunes,
Colclough plays all of the instruments. Tom
mentioned that laying down one part and then
another allows him to have “complete control”
over how the song will sound.
Tom said that he and the WJO will be playing tunes by
Benny Goodman, Shaw, and Canadian clarinetist Phil
Nimmons. He also mentioned that “people don’t just
want to hear the hits like Begin the Beguine, so the
ensemble will be performing other ‘non-hits’ like Let’s
Dance and Don’t Be That Way.”
I asked Colclough about the Vancouver jazz
scene and he responded that it’s “better in other
parts of Canada.” He added that there is “not
much support” for the jazz community, although
clubs like The Cellar and O’douls feature live
improvised music on a regular year-round basis.
Heading Home also features one vocal
track, Father Says Son. Tom mentioned that
the song was written about the father of one
of Tom’s better friends.
Colclough actually has a new album
coming out, entitled Spring Thaw. It will,
aptly, be coming out in the Spring of
2005. He noted that it will be “more of the
same, but more acoustic” than his last
record. Tom added that a few tracks will
have voice as part of the background mix
and that he drew a lot of inspiration from
certain aspects of David Sanborn’s
recorded output.
Even though Tom has mainly been performing
out west, he has worked with a number of
Winnipeg musicians already, including
saxophonist/radio host Wally Larson, Sasha
Boychuk, and guitarist Greg Lowe.
Colclough is looking forward to performing in
Winnipeg and mentioned that he hopes to
spend some time with his aunt and uncle, who
reside in the city.
It was an Artie Shaw album that he
received from his parents that really
motivated Colclough to pick up the
clarinet at the age of 11. His other primary
influences on clarinet were Eddie Daniels
Tom Colclough performs two
shows with the WJO on Sunday,
November 28 at the WAG. The
matinee begins at 2:00 p.m.,
while the evening show
commences at 7:30 p.m. Tickets
can
be
obtained
from
Ticketmaster and are $20, $12
for students.
“Dying to be Thin”: A Review
Andrea Collins
T
he warm lobby
of the Manitoba
Theatre
For
Young People
buzzed
with
the voices of
adolescent girls. The décor was
warm and colourful, emanating a
safe feeling, the lobby filled with
items related to eating disorders.
This included two mirrors which
reflected distorted images back
at the viewer: one making their
body appear short and stout, the
other turning their reflection
upside down. Observers are
fixated on the mirrors. They
giggle and reach out to touch the
glass. One young girl, with long
brown braids, sits thoughtfully
reading a pamphlet, occasionally
looking up, wide eyed, pondering
her reflection. She puts down her
reading and inches up to the
mirror, sitting cross-legged, she
shifts uncomfortably. I notice
her observing her distorted
reflection and wonder what she
thinks at that very moment.
Is she burdened by personal
insecurities and concerns as many
young girls are at that stage of life?
Could she potentially be a victim
of an eating disorder? Outside
the theatre, the Eating Disorders
Association of Manitoba offers
educational pamphlets and
posters. Several familiar images
decorate the walls. A poster
juxtaposes the legs of a woman
plagued by an eating disorder
with the legs of a famine victim.
The similarities are undeniable.
Once taking our seats, we are
astounded that the entire audience
is teenaged girls accompanied by
their mothers. This may be an
attempt to teach their daughters
about the difficult subject of
eating disorders, and possibly
even to learn more about the
startlingly common disorder
themselves. Jo Snyder and I were
the two oldest girls in the audience.
The audience appeared unsure of
what they were about to witness.
The lights dim and the play
begins. The entire play takes place
in young, Amanda Jones’ bedroom.
The storyline covers an hour of her
thoughts concerning bulimia, which
consumes her young life. The walls
of her bedroom are covered with
pictures of her at her “skinny
stage” and her much
thinner sister with whom
she plans elaborate
diets. Her sister is an
unhealthy role model
who competes with
Amanda to lose the
most
weight.
Although Amanda’s
sister is never
actually introduced
into the play, her
presence is evident
in
Amanda’s
conscious. Amanda
even worries about
how she will lose
weight before her
sister comes to
visit. Her mirror is
in the shape of the
ideal
women’s
figure, thin and
curvy. Every time
Amanda looks in
the mirror she is
reminded of what she
is not, and what she
strives to become,
while harming her
body in the process.
Food is hidden in every
corner of her bedroom, where she
secretively binges. Amanda even
uses her ironing board as a table
where her mass quantities of food
are strewn about.
The monologue format of the
play helps to clarify the fact that
individuals suffering from eating
disorders are very much alone.
Keeping their disorder secretive
creates a very secluded lifestyle.
It is evident throughout the play
that
Amanda’s
personal
relationships with her boyfriend
and friends are deteriorating due
to her illness. She also complains
about failing in school because
she is so concerned with people
judging her weight. After talking
about how she has thrown up
numerous times, in a variety of
places, Amanda claims, “I know
the very best toilets.” This shows
Amanda mocking her illness,
while the audience sympathizes
with her character. Amanda also
states that she cannot stop the
vicious cycle until she feels,
“completely empty.” This statement
is not only related to her stomach,
but also her psychological state of
mind, which is slowly destroying
her.
Sarah Henriques, the actress
portraying Amanda Jones, played
a captivating role. She was a very
convincing teenager, from her
clothes, to her hair, to her
mannerisms. After the play,
Henriques, took the time to
informatively answer questions
from the audience. Not only was
she an exceptional actress, she
was also very well researched on
the topic of bulimia. While
preparing for the play, Henriques
spent a week with playwright,
Linda A. Carson, whose real life
struggle with bulimia is portrayed
in Dying to be Thin.
Dying to be Thin was an
accurate portrayal of a teenaged
girl struggling with the vicious
binging and purging cycle of
bulimia. The play focuses on new
beginnings, although the audience
is left unsure of Amanda’s fate.
Dying to be Thin promotes a
feeling of helplessness for the
audience because they witness a
young girl evidently ruining her
life. The play does an excellent
job of de-glorifying bulimia and
informing young audiences of its
negative consequences.
NOVEMBER 25, 2004
, 2004
017
& Culture
Arts
Culture
» Arts&
CONTACT
Arts Editor
» Jo Snyder
E-mail
»
[email protected]
Tele
» 786-9497
CD REVIEWS
»
THE DEARS
(Maple Music/Universal)
Thank You Good Night Sold Out
If you’re not already a fan of The Dears, then
perhaps this recent live album is just the thing
for you. The collection found here spans the
band’s six-year existence and sounds great in
a live setting – from the opening epic,
Autonomy, which sounds like early Pink
Floyd with its subtle beginning and raucous
finish, to the closing mega-epic Pinned
Together, Falling Apart (a lengthy jam
clocking in at twenty-three minutes) – this is
a solid album. In between are some shorter,
more straightforward tracks, such as End of a
Hollywood Bedtime Story, that change up the
vocals and tempos to keep things interesting.
The reverb and crowd noise add colour to the
tight performance, which never sounds too
synthetic even with two keyboards in the mix.
www.thedears.org
David Garvey
ZEKE
(Relapse Records)
‘Til the Livin’ End
For those out there who are worried that
Lemmy won’t be able to keep the spirit of
Motorhead alive in the 21st century, fear
not—Zeke is here to make it all okay. Their
sixth and latest release, “‘Til the Livin’ End”,
is fifteen tracks of pure, uncut rock and roll
that would make Lemmy proud. For most of
the album, it’s full-out punk in the spirit of
the Ramones and Motorhead, the kind of
songs that make you want mosh out at The
Albert (where Zeke played on November
5). When Zeke does slow things down a bit,
and make no mistake it’s still nice and heavy,
they sound somewhat like Fu Manchu (see
Dragonfly and Ever Onward). If you’re still
not sure what Zeke is all about, then maybe
the V8 dripping blood, or the Ride to Live
emblem on the inside cover will set you
straight. It’s always good when a band delivers
on what it promises, and Zeke does that in
spades (the ace of). www.zekeyou.com
David Garvey
MOS DEF
(Geffen Records)
The New Danger
The Brooklyn borough has always been held
in high regard when it comes to hip hop,
turning out some of the most notable acts in
the history of the industry. And this time it’s
no different. With the release of his second
album, The New Danger, Mos-Def’s sociallyconscious lyrics wrap themselves around his
positive hip hop vibes, and draw from
numerous sources including blues and rock.
Drawing from the inspirations that surrounded
him in his younger years, this Brooklyn
native took his lessons from the superstar
MCs of the early era including Big Daddy
Kane, Rakim and new-school leaders De La
Soul and the Jungle Brothers. Hip hop wasn’t
the only staple in his diet however, as he was
never afraid of treading through the jazz or
pop soundscapes. Tack on a healthy film
career, and you’ve got one multi-talented
artist.
The New Danger offers up seventeen tracks
in total ranging from the synthesized hip
hop/rock sounds of Mos’ pet project Black
Jack Johnson – showing that both sounds can
co-exist harmoniously – to the solid samplings
of Marvin Gaye and the reworking of Grand
Master Flash’s The Message. Behind the
mixing board, the track Sunshine receives
some assistance from fellow rapster Kanye
West. And as impressive as that might sound,
the track itself combines the familiar Let the
Sunshine In hook with Mos’ take on the
current situation facing the hip hop scene,
blending nicely into the aptly named Close
Edge.
After a full listen it’s hard to walk away
disappointed, and that applies to pretty much
anything Mos Def produces. His lyrics
provide us with a perspective of an American
who knows something is wrong with his
country and is aware of the perceptions that
the rest of the world hold too. But instead of
just complaining about it or taking the easy
way out, Mos Def strives for change and
offers up plenty of alternatives to help set
those changes in motion. So turn the lights
down low, crank up the stereo and let The
New Danger invade your mind. It’s a positive
hip hop experience.
Jonathan Davis
018
SNFU Forever.
Literally.
Dan Huyghebaert
O
disc. It’s still as thrashing as ever, sounding a
lot like a throwback to Better Than a Stick in
the Eye.
Belke, now 40, has seen the Canadian punk
scene grow since they first started touring back
in the early 80s. When they first started out, all
they really wanted to do was tour for the
experience, as they blazed a path for many
up-and-coming punk acts to follow. “The
Winnipeg scene back then was a great
inspiration with bands like Stretch Marks,
Personality Crisis and The Unwanted.” Back
then, the band had to worry about getting
money from promoters for their shows. Money
is more guaranteed now, so the band can
concentrate on playing for the crowd.
Performing is something SNFU excels at and
they have garnered a reputation for being an
incredibly intense live act. “We feed off the
audience, and if they are not reacting the way
we think they should, then we just work extra
harder to make sure they have a good time.”
The current lineup consists of Belke,
original singer Mr. Chi Pig, bassist Matt
Warhurst, and drummer Shane Smith. Marc’s
twin brother, Brent, left the band in 1997,
getting his music degree from Simon Fraser
University and now scoring independent films
around the Vancouver area.
The band also enjoys its fair share of
Canadian pastimes. The band sometimes hooks
up with Dave Ogilvie of Skinny Puppy for
some games of hockey, which led him to
produce their ‘96 release FYULABA (Fuck You
Up Like a Bad Accident). “He was a friend of
ours first, so he understood what we wanted,
and what to look for in us.”
Speaking of our great pastime, what does
Belke think of the NHL strike?
“I don’t really care, but I would have to side
with the owners, I guess. As an owner, you
should have the right to make some money.”
riginally an acronym
for
Society’s
No
Fucking Use, SNFU
formed in Edmonton in
1983. Voted one of the
top five skate bands in
“Thrasher” magazine, the searing punk/
skate band has been around since the
beginning of the Canadian punk scene,
releasing its first record way back in ‘85.
They hit town on November 27 at the
Collective Cabaret with Vancouver’s Married
to Music in support of their new disc, In The
Meantime and In Between Time, which begs
the question: “Why do all of their album titles
consist of seven words?”
“It started out as a coincidence,” says
original guitarist Marc “Muc” Belke from his
home in Vancouver. “Then someone spotted
that fact and it just kinda stuck.”
In the Meantime has
95.9 FM CKUW
just been released on their
own label, Rake Records,
Campus/Community Radio
following a couple of
stints at Epitaph and
Alternative Tentacles.
“We did an EP for A.T.
(The Ping Pong EP),
November 8 – November 14, 2004
mainly so we can let
! = Local content, * = Canadian Content
everyone know we are
still around. We found
LW
TW
Artist
Recording
out that A.T. doesn’t front
NE
1
Saint Etienne
Travel Edition 1990-2005
any band money to
2
*William Shatner
Has Been Shout!
2
record, so we basically
8
3
Swayzak
Loops from the Bergerie
decided to do it on our
3
4
* Neko Case
The Tigers Have Spoken
own.” Belke now finds
RE
5
Eliott Smith
From a Basement...
himself spending more
1
6
!Break Bread
Break Bread ep
time managing the tour
RE
7
Nick Cave/the Bad Seeds
Abattoir Blues...
details of the band then
RE
8
REM
Around the Sun
focusing on music, but
7
9
!Nathan
Jimson Weed
that still doesn’t detract
9
10
Lamb of God
Ashes of the Wake
from the finished new
NOVEMBER 25,
25, 2004
Top 10 CD - Albums
Label
Sub Pop
Factory
!K
Mint
Anti
Peanuts & Corn
Anti
Warner
Nettwerk
Epic/Sony
Sports
»
CONTACT
Sports Editor
» Leighton Klassen
E-mail
»
[email protected]
Tele
» 786-9497
Let’s Get it Started in Here
Patrick Faucher
Every second week, Patrick Faucher
breaks down the latest NBA news to
help sports fans university-wide
through the cold, NHL-less winter. Email him (love or hate) at
[email protected]
H
eadlines from week
one of the NBA
season:
Alonzo
Mourning is making
the
improbable
return
from
a
kidney transplant, and the Miami
Heat are the hottest team in the
NBA. Unfortunately for ‘Zo, he’s
now playing for the on-a-budget
New Jersey Nets, who squeaked
a 64-60 win by the Trailblazers on
November 9 in a game that nearly
set a shot-clock era record for
NFL
PICKS
W
ith Fantasy Football
moving into the
colonization
status of fan friendly
sports gambling, any bit of
information and resources
will give you an edge on
predicting the likely outcome
of a football game. So, the
Uniter sports team have
decided to offer our voice
on what team will come out
on top of every week of NFL
football. We’ve structured
it in a format where we’ve
handpicked what we think
are the top five games of the
week, which we’ll then apply
our expert opinion on who
will be victorious and why.
Here are this weeks top five
games.
Buffalo @ Seattle
San Diego @ Kansas City
Tampa Bay @ Carolina
Jacksonville @ Minnesota
5
Cleveland @ Cincinnati
Picks
offensive futility. Meanwhile, his old
team the Miami Heat were the last crew
in the league with a perfect record (4-0),
before losing to Dallas on November 11.
Miami’s success is in part because they
have the most dominant force in the
league, Shaq. But his presence is being
overshadowed by the 6’4” second-year
guard Dwayne Wade, who is averaging
24.4 ppg, 7.1 asts, 5.4 rebs and 1.7 stls
while managing to shoot a deadly 53.9
percent from the field. Forget All-Star,
Wade’s gunning for MVP (but he won’t
get it…this year).
While we’re talking about post-season
awards, mark down Luol Deng of the Bulls
as Rookie of the Year. However, the
biggest future star in this year’s class may
turn out to be the kid the Mavs brought in
to replace Steve Nash. Devin Harris is a
major reason for Dallas’ strong start (7-2),
fitting in perfectly with their new D-fensive
mentality.
Speaking of defence (and mental for
that matter), I have to comment on the
loose canon himself, Ron Artest. The
dude’s been busy promoting his new rap
CD, and asked the Pacers’ front office for
some time off before fully dedicating
himself to the team. So Indiana punished
him the only way they could, by suspending
him (with pay) for two games. The team
then went out and got served 102-68 by
the Clippers while Artest took his little
vacation.
Sheri Lamb (21-14)
Seattle over Buffalo
-The Seahawks need this one
if they want to make the
playoffs this season and I
don’t see them blowing this
game. Expect the Bills to
keep it close, but the
Seahawks will earn the
victory.
San Diego over Kansas City
-The Chargers continue to
prove they’re “for real” with a
victory in their division rivals
home park. Brees and
Tomlinson should light it up
agains the Chiefs defense.
Tampa Bay over Carolina
-The Bucs still have hopes for
a playoff spot, while the
Panthers two game win
streak (49ers and Cards)
comes to an end.
Minnesota over Jacksonville
-With or without Moss, the
Vikings should be able to put
up more points than the
Jaguars, especially in the
noisy Metrodome.
Cincinnati over Cleveland
-At 4-6 the Bengals still have
hopes of earning a wild card
spot this year - slim, but...
while the Browns at 3-7 are
just playing out the season. I
see Chad Johnson having a
big game and then ‘paying’
for it on Monday when the
NFL comes calling.
Jon Symons (22-15)
Seattle over Buffalo
-Wow. Nice work last week
by the Bills, picking up their
fourth in a row at home, and
maybe convincing me that
yes, they aren’t that bad a
football team. A Bills team on
There seems to be a severe
disconnect between today’s modern
athlete and the concept of team sports.
Shaq is only in Miami because he threw
a tantrum in LA. Vinsanity did the same
thing this pre-season, wanting out of
the Tdot (although now that they’re
winning, he’s probably more than willing
to retract that statement). The worst,
however, has to be Latrell Sprewell
refusing a three-year contract worth an
estimated $20M-plus by saying, “I got
my family to feed.” He wants the money,
but is only willing to work two years for
it. With all the bombings and Bushelecting that are going on in the world,
I don’t see where these guys get off.
Just play the game, man.
24 second drill: Everyone off the
Denver bandwagon! All aboard the
Jazz’s! The Snow is falling… if you
didn’t see Wade break Eric Snow’s
ankles, you need to. Sick... Vince
Carter: Half-Man, Half-Invisible. Jalen
Rose is leading the Raps with 15.4 ppg.
Speaking of leading, Seattle is top dog
in the L at 8-1… What? Don’t worry, I
had to re-read that one again too. The
only winless team left: Nawlins Hornets.
Welcome to the west, boys...
Game of the week: Yes, they’ve
choked as of late, but they’ve beaten
the Pistons and the Jazz. Raps vs.
Heat. Alston vs. Wade. November 30,
6:30 p.m. on The Score.
the road is a different matter.
Although the Seahawks barely
got by the Dolphins without
Hasselbeck, Bledsoe just can’t
play away from Ralph Wilson.
San Diego over Kansas City
-To me, this all comes down to
consistency. San Diego’s riding
a four game win streak after
starting the season 3-3, while
the Chiefs have been up and
down all year. It’s a longshot,
but I think the Chargers have
enough momentum going to
pick up a win here.
Tampa Bay over Carolina
-I don’t know about you, but
I’m going to start nominating
either Nick Goings or Joe
Jurevicius (possibly the best
name in football) for MVP. Both
these teams hit 35 points last
week on the strength of two
unheralded offensive weapons
and could do the same when
they meet here. I like Griese, so
I’m gonna go with the Bucs.
Minnesota over Jacksonville
-Without key parts in the
offense, (Leftwich for the Jags,
Moss for the Vikes) the Jags
and Vikes are now finding
themselves fighting for a
playoff spot after hot starts.
Both these teams are sporting
identical 6-4 records and have
fallen fast, but the Vikes are the
stronger of the two right now.
It’s about the time of year for
the Annual Minnesota Vikings
Collapse, but I think they
should be safe for this one.
Cincinnati over Cleveland
-Even if my Bengals were going
up against the Pats, I’d still
pick ‘em. Luckily, the Browns
aren’t the Pats. With Jeff
Garcia out, one year wonder
Kelly “the original clipboard
holder for Peyton Manning”
Holcomb isn’t the guy to lead
this team. In the great Battle of
Ohio, Cincy easily emerges
victorious at home.
Mike Pyl (15-20)
Buffalo over Seattle
-Much to the delight of my
Bills-crazed editor, a
Hasselbeck-less Seahawks
team will be no match for
the suddenly hot squad
from Buffalo.
San Diego over Kansas City
-Terrell Owens undoubtebly
gets the headlines, but
Charger TE Antonio Gates
has made a T.O.-likedifference in an offense
that was once 10 men
getting out of the way of
LaDainian Tomlinson.
Tampa Bay over Carolina
-I refer you back to an
earlier edition of the Uniter.
Who predicted the demise
of the defending NFC
champs? He starts with an
M and ends with...
Minnesota over Jacksonville
-Finally, a home team to
bank my money on. While
it’s true the Vikes have
been no better than
mediocre ever since Randy
Moss strained his
hamstring five weeks ago,
the Jags are just not the
same without tough QB
Byron Leftwich.
Cincinnati over Cleveland
-The Bengals have come
on as of late, pushing the
red-hot Steelers to the
brink last week. The
Carson Palmer Project
finally appears to be
progressing. With Jeff
Garcia out, Cincy’s gotta
look good.
November 19
Men’s volleyball
Wesmen def. Saskatchewan
3-2 (29-31, 25-22, 21-25, 2517, 16-14)
Women’s volleyball
Saskatchewan def. Wesmen
3-0 (25-19, 25-16, 25-13)
Men’s basketball
Wesmen 90 Saskatchewan
101
Women’s basketball
Wesmen 74 Saskatchewan
59
November 20
Men’s volleyball
Saskatchewan def WESMEN
3-1 (27-25,27-25,19-25,25-17)
Women’s volleyball
WESMEN def Saskatchewan
3-0 (25-21,25-21,25-22)
November 21
Men’s basketball
Wesmen 84 Alberta 99
Women’s basketball
Wesmen 73 Alberta 59
Upcoming
Home
November 25
Men’s basketball (0-4) vs
Brandon (3-1)
Women’s basketball (6-0) vs
Brandon (0-4)
November 26
Men’s volleyball (2-4) vs
Regina (0-8)
Women’s volleyball (6-2) vs
Regina (6-2)
November 27
Men’s basketball vs Brandon
Women’s basketball vs
Brandon
Men’s volleyball vs Regina
Women’s volleyball vs Regina
NOVEMBER 25, 2004
, 2004
019
Sports
»
CONTACT
Sports Editor
» Leighton Klassen
E-mail
»
[email protected]
Tele
» 786-9497
VIEW FROM THE RING
Image by: David Tan
LEIGHTON KLASSEN
020
a
from his
mouth – half
s m i l i n g ,
discreetly laughing.
“Today he asked me if he can
play some of his stuff and I said
‘yeah, sure, as long as there’s no
swearing, you know’, and then he
puts that in… it’s Johnny Cash!,” he
says as he throws his hands in the air,
smiling, sporting a ‘well what-canya-do’ expression.
I take a closer look at Andy
skipping and notice some black
plastic peering out from under his
muscle shirt.
“It’s a plastic bag,” responds
Stewart, looking right at me. “It
keeps the heat in because right now,
we’re working on weight. Andy will
just be skipping today, walking
around, hitting the bag, and just
keeping the heat up.”
It’s to bring Andy’s weight down
to what it is supposed to be for his
class – 165 lbs.
“Right now, he’s 172, but he’ll be
165 tomorrow,” Stewart says, shaking
his head with a nod, lips tightened.
“Hey, there’s a cake there,”
Stewart says to a group of boxers
tending to themselves at the table
decorated with fresh tape, torn off
tape, gloves, mouth-guards.. “It’s
Ryan’s cake, it’s his birthday…who
brought it?” Stewart says jokingly,
while smiling.
Andy took a break from skipping
and sat down on the edge of the ring
– bag peeking from his shirt, face
red with sweat.
I asked him what the plan was for
tomorrow.
“Well, I’m going to wake up and
then go to the weigh in and then eat
something,” he says with more
magnitude than he normally offers.
“I’ll probably have pasta for lunch
and then listen to music the whole
day, to pump me up – some hardcore,
like AC/DC or something.”
Andy’s been to GoJo’s gym
before, but he says he doesn’t like it
very much.
“It’s pretty good, but it’s a little
NOVEMBER 25,
25, 2004
too big
– I don’t
really like that,”
he says while frowning, his lips
squirming.
After walking around, observing
other boxers, Stewart warns me about
tomorrow.
“You know the thing about
amateur boxing is that you never
really know if the fight’s going to
happen,” he says, his gaze fluxing
between me and the army of boxers
practicing in the near distance.
“When they walk up to the scale,
coach gives them the ‘o.k.’, then you
know you have a fight, but until then,
you never know.”
Back to GoJo’s, Saturday, 10:30
a.m.
“Stewart,” yells a voice coming
from the judging desk in the far
corner of the gym. Zaaaam, Stuart
ejects himself from a seat as though
his rear just caught fire, and goes to
the desk.
Andy and I somehow got talking
about cars. I told him about the time
I rode in a Mud-Bog machine, while
covering a demolition derby this
summer.
“Yeah, I like trucks, especially
the old ones,” he says. “I have a Ford
Ranger.”
Brad then asks me if a Ford or
Chevy won the Bog, as he walked
away to join Stewart at the judging
desk. I told him I didn’t know, but I
said probably Chevy.”
Andy gives me a peculiar smile.
“Are you guys Ford or Chevy,” I
ask.
“Ford,” he says, now smiling with
all his teeth.
Now I know why his Dad gave
me that accusing look.
“What’s you’re favorite kind of
car,” Andy asks me. I told him it was
1 9 6 7
Camaro, and
asked the same
question back.
“I don’t really have
one, they’re all really nice,” he
says.
And then, our conversation is
broken up. Stewart is walking back
towards us from the judges desk…me
and Andy’s eyes trying to read….is
the fight on?……what does that look
mean?….wait…there is no look…no
expression…a flat face…..and
then….a quasi smile…..a nod….
there….the nod….it’s on…the fight
is on.
“O.k., so 1:00, we’ll meet back
here, we got a fight,” Stewart says in
an authoritative voice.
Andy went home to eat and listen
to music, Stewart left somewhere
else, and I went to catch a few Z’s.
It’s one o’clock– the place is now
bustling with boxers, kids, adults,
old, young, jeans, tee-shirts, track
suits, trainers talking, spectators
talking, boxers tuned into their own
– the mindset – operation knock
out..”box the shit out of him,” speaks
a rusty quiet voice behind me – a
trainer says to boxer as they walk -the place is now vibrating.
I ask Andy’s dad what Andy ate
for lunch.
“Macaroni and butter,” he says,
comically. “And he made it
himself.”
A short man wearing small wired
glasses, shaved head, wearing a
tracksuit walks up to Andy’s dad.
“This guy’s green, he’s never been in
a fight before – but it should be a
good fight.”
The green guy is Kelly Page, the
kid whose going to try to knock
Andy out and the kid that Andy is
going to try to knock out. I sat down
with him. He was sitting close to the
ring on one of the spectator seats,
with his coach. He was a bit shorter
than Andy, and not as built, but he
had a face made of shrapnel – rigidly
tough. His head was shaved, lips
thick, and no stare other than mean.
I introduce myself. He reaches his
hand out to shake it and then I ask
him what the best piece of advice his
coach has given him for his first ever
fight.
“We’ll, just keep your hands up,”
he says with a stern voice. “And also
to shake off any bad thoughts you
have before the fight, like any
negative thoughts, just get them
out.”
He said he’s watched Andy fight
before – just one of the fights – so I
asked him what he knows about
Andy.
“Absolutely nothing, I know very
little,” he says while stressing each
syllable.
“What’s one word you’d use to
describe Andy,” I ask him.
“Dominant – but that’s just from
the one fight,” he says.
I asked him if he talked to Andy
today.
“Yeah, I said ‘hi’ and ‘good
luck.’”
I thanked Kelly for the time, and
he again initiated a hand shake, and I
left to go talk with Andy’s dad who
was standing at the back of the gym.
I asked him what kind of advice he
gave Andy today.
“I told him to always keep his
hands up – you have to – because if
something goes through, you’re
going down,” he said.
“How do you think Andy is
feeling right now,” I asked.
“I can never read Andy,” Brad
says with a concerned voice. “I’ve
asked him ten times if he’s ok,
comfortable, and nothing. He’ll tell
me after the fight if something was
bothering him.”
A few of Andy’s friends show up
– Andy goes to the group.
I take a look around…beside
me….Hey it’s Johnny Cash…well,
it’s just Phil from the gym…the
Johnny Cash fan.
“I take it you’re hear to watch
Andy fight.”
“Yeah, it should be good,” he says
looking up at me – he’s only in grade
eight.
We talk about the fight for a few
minutes and then I turn to Andy.
“So what do ya think of him,” I
ask Andy, assuming he knows who
I’m talking about.
“I don’t know, he seems pretty
tough, but we’ll see after the first
round,” he says with the newly
furbished enthusiasm.
I see Kelly walking towards us…..
»
Part 2
T
he weather was
sour on the day of
the fight. It was 9
a.m. on a Saturday
morning, the streets
were
silenced,
most businesses were lifeless, and
a sharp drizzle was thrown down
from the charcoal grey sky. The
inside of GoJo’s gym was generic
to the presumed stereotype– large,
abounding with seats, with the ring
placed near the centre of the facility.
People everywhere, walking around
mingling, a kid – about 17-years-old
hammers on a nearby boxing bag
hanging from the roof – rolling one
fist over the other like a steel forged
crankshaft spinning at the redline…
chchchcchchc, like a machine gun
having an orgasm. A tough group
walks in – wearing baggy sweatpants,
hoodies, sideways hats – thick faces,
numerous coaches proudly wearing
their representative club emblems on
their nylon jackets “Orioles Boxing
Club,” “GoJo’s Boxing Club”, jerseys,
jeans, tracksuits, people everywhere
– walking around mingling – ah the
allure of boxing.
Stewart, Andy, and his father
Brad, are sitting down at a few chairs
near the back of the gym. Stewart is
talking to Brad, eyes shooting off
sporadically at the east/west
surroundings, Andy’s holding a large
water bottle, wearing a toque, jeans,
and a black hoodie. Stewart tells me
he just had the weight in.
“So you pass,” I ask Andy.
“Yeah,” he says, and gives that
nod.
“He’d better pass,” cuts in Stewart
with his signature thick Scottish
accent. “If not, then I’m in trouble – if
he can’t pass, then how would I ever
pass,” saying with a boisterous smile,
adding a deepened cackle of a
laugh.
Andy Passed the weigh in, but it’s
a story transpiring from the last day
of training – yesterday….back to the
training grounds at Crecentwood….
The atmosphere was eerily balmy
– no hip hop, not many “Shoe, Shoe,
Shoe” banters from boxers fighting
invisible opponents, and skip ropes
treating the floor like a first date – no
rough stuff. Andy’s skipping – his
trademark stance laminated – the
eyes gazing the horizon, head
bobbing left to right, chain having a
field day.
And above all the obsceneness,
Johnny Cash is screaming out of the
nearby stereo.
“It’s Phil’s,” Stewart says quietly
to me, exaggerating the movements
»
A two part documentary of Andy Gardiner, a 16-year-old boxer who is about to step into
the ring for this fourth fight as an amateur. His record stands at two wins and one loss — the
loss occurring less than nine months ago during his first ever fight. But in the rematch, he
won by knockout in the first round and he then went on to win his next fight. He has now
completed the final stage of his training regimen in preparation for his next fight that took
place on November 20. Part two of the story documents the events on the final day of
training and the entire day of the actual fight, including the fight itself.
»
Continued on the next page
Sports
»
Sports Editor
» Leighton Klassen
E-mail
»
[email protected]
Tele
» 786-9497
»
Photo by: Leighton Klassen
CONTACT
Stewart Sutherland gives advice to 16-year-old Andy Gardiner after the first
»
round ended in his fourth fight as an amateur. The fight took place on November
Continued from page 20
slow motion….as he walks by….the
background
blurs…foreground
focuses…his eyes fixated in our
direction….shrapnel face….thick
lips…..the stare…as he walks by….
slow motion….Andy no expression…..
Kelly no expression, maybe
grimacing…and he walks up to the
prep room.
We all soon followed, up the
narrow stairwell – walls painted
green – and all sound was suctioned
out. There was no buzz, no vibrations,
no mingling, no loudness, but no
silence, and just darkness. There
were no lights on. The light came
from the windows, from the dark
charcoal sky, the drizzle still falling.
A few boxers – the ones in the first
couple fights -- were in the staging
phase, getting ready to step into the
ring. The tension in the room was
tight enough to burst your eardrums.
We walked to the back of the room,
passing Kelly who was dancing in
front of the mirror, feet always
moving, hands throwing punches.
All you could hear was the sound of
feet moving…dancing…and a few
whispers, soft quite voices of
advice.
Andy began to undress and get
into his shorts. His dad was fixing
the waist string that came out.
“Don’t worry about it dad,” Andy
said, in an annoyed voice.
“Well you don’t want your pants
falling down in the middle of the
fight,” replied his dad…no laughs..
It was time for church. Andy
sticks his arms out, Stewart takes
them in his big hands – tattooed
arms – fixes his eyes downward and
begins wrapping up the gun barrels
– precision. Andy tilts his head
downwards….but it props back up,
looking around, those lollipop eyes
back as he looks. Mouth still, not a
motion, not a noise but the soft sound
of light feet dancing in front of the
20 at GoJo’s boxing club.
mirror…sh sh sh…sh sh sh…the
dance…Andy’s adams apple rolls
over – a hard swallow. Stewart’s eyes
still fixated on the taping, then looks
up, “alright,” he questions Andy as
the last piece is fitted.
“yup,” and a nod.
After the gloves are fitted, Stewart
makes some adjustments and begins
his final words in a voice, a tone,
soft, and slow, but authoritative.
“You gotta jab,” he says, almost
whispering. “He’s a short guy, stay in
the front.” Andy’s looking right into
Stewart’s eyes. “First round is always
hard, anything can happen, just
roll…just roll…when he’s not looking
get him. But don’t get too anxious,
breath slow. I’ve seen him, he’s slow,
do this,” Stewart gestures a punch.
“O.k.,” Andy nods, and takes a
deep breath, and to the ring. It’s
time.
DING, Round 1,
and the lions are set out of the
cage. Pow, pow, pow, punches flying,
It’s a war out here!….machine guns
blasting, barrels smoking…Andy
lands, Kelly lands, Andy lands, Kelly
lands….too fast, punches distort the
view…a blur of red dotted pixels
smearing the ring. Andy fires off two
hooks…..Smack Smack…they lean
in to one another, the ref waves his
hands in the air….points to the
judges..”Warning.”
Andy gets a warning. And they’re
back….both madly circling the ring,
Pow Pow Pow, at each other again,
Kelly lands a few Jabs into Andy, he
comes back….hooks from both
hands…Kelly’s head ricochets back
and forth…Pom Pom Pom, “THAT’S
IT ANDY, YEAH YEAH,” screams
a voice from the crowd.. the sound of
gloves hitting the body pook, pook,
pook..”AWWWEE”, shout from the
crowd…both land body shots….
Ding, round one over.
Both boxers walk into their
corners – Andy’s face, expressionless,
eyelids cranked wide open, skin
dripping with sweat. He takes a seat
in the corner, Stewart kneels down
and carefully feeds him the water
bottle. Huuu, Huuu, Huuu, Andy’s
chest bends in and out as he sits, feet
spread apart with both elbows resting
on his knees -- Drink that water kid
-- eyes wide open, saucers.
“Get the jab right up there, get it
up there,” Stewart tells him in
between squirts of water, Huuu,
Huuu, Huuu, Ding, round two.
Andy and Kelly charge at each
other -- two bulls on Meth -- wailing,
wailing on each other. Whap, Whap,
Whap, “get him with the hook Andy,”
a eccentric voice shouts from the
crowd, Whap Whap, Kelly lands into
Andy’s face, but back he comes -right back into Kelly’s face. The ref
waves his hands -- issues another
warning to Andy. Stewart, standing
at his position just outside the ring
with his hands on the mat, drops his
jaw, shouts in objection into the ring.
The crowd frowns, “BOO’S and
“AWES” perpetuate, “COME ON
REF, WHAT THE HELL WAS
THAT FOR,” and they are back at
each other -- two bulls on meth -Pow Pow, both land several punches,
they swivel positions, Andy’s now
facing the opposite way. His feet
dance with charisma, rhythmically,
on their tip-toes, muscles sculpting
his figure -- in flex, can’t see his face
though, just those arms, wailing,
wailing, flying from both sides at
Kelly’s head, cutting through the air
encompassed with yells from the
crowd.
The balance has now shifted,
Andy backs Kelly near his own
corner, arms wailing, Pow, Pow, and
then the puncture....blood now runs
down Kelly’s face, his nose the
victim of the attack, but he keeps
fighting, throwing his fists into
Andy Gardiner
Andy. The ref waves his arms in the
air, the fighters turn their engines
off, back away, wait for the call -- the
one that could end the fight, or keep
it going....“Disqualified,” the ref
shouts out, directing his finger at
Andy. The crowd goes berserk
“Booooo, Come on Ref.” Andy, head
down slowly walks to the corner.
Kelly is still standing, with hot blood
flowing down his face and onto his
sweat beaded chest.
“You disqualified him, how could
you do that, I don’t believe this,”
Stewart loudly says into the ring.
Amidst the disgruntled crowd,
Stewart takes Andy’s head gear off
and carelessly throws it on the mat,
and then darts back with Andy to the
upper gym staging area.
The lights are still off, light
coming through the windows -- the
tension still stinting the atmosphere.
We all walk back up to the far corner
of the gym, where Andy put his gear
on, had his hands taped. The same
place where his dad fixed the elastic
in his shorts, the same place where
Stewart told him how to hit Kelly,
where he stretched, gazed over at
Kelly dancing by the mirror, put his
helmet on, and left to go pound the
grease out of somebody in the ring.
He’s back now, covered in sweat, left
shoulder blood-bruised, hair wet,
and begins to unravel the sweated,
weathered tape from his hands.
“I messed up my hand,” he says in
a low voice, while holding his hand
out, open palm. “I can’t close it.”
Stewart directs his eyes to the
hand.
“We’ll get some ice on that,”
shaking his head. “You know, it
was a damn good fight, it was real
good, and it’s bad they had to ruin
it,” he sternly says. Andy was
disqualified for putting his gloves
over Kelly’s head when they were
locked up. A boxer is disqualified
after receiving three warnings.
There wasn’t much more
conversation in the room, just untaping,
stretching,
pacing,
gathering breath, and trying to
close the battle-worn fist, battle
worn body.
But Andy had the lollipop eyes,
his face offering discrete smiles
from time to time. I asked him
about the fight.
“He had a pretty hard head, I
kept hitting him, but it didn’t do
too much,” he says with enthusiasm.
“He got me a couple times pretty
good, but it didn’t hurt though -- I
spar with the pros, so I’m used to
that.”
I then asked him if he wanted a
rematch.
“Oh yeah, we’ll fight again -Stewart says we will,” he said
nodding.
On our way out, we passed
Kelly who was standing by the
mirror, still removing the tape
from his hands. Stewart shook his
hand, and told him he fought a
good fight and that they’ll be
back.
The sun was now peeking
through the glum sky as we exited
the gym, the streets were now busy
with traffic, and the businesses
now bustling with anxious
customers. Andy, his dad, and
Stewart retreated to their homes to
spend the rest of their Saturday
afternoon with their families. But
on Monday, Andy will be back in
the gym, skipping just as he always
does with his head bobbing left to
right, eyes gazing the horizon,
chain having a field day, to do it all
over again -- dancing on the hard
canvas, wailing, wailing, wailing
his fists at another body, another
warrior, on the floors where
human wars take place.
NOVEMBER 25, 2004
, 2004
021
Sports
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CONTACT
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» Leighton Klassen
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Wesmen Can’t Pull Off Sweep in
Back and Forth Battle with Huskies
Jon Symons
F
ollowing a big win on Friday
night, the men’s volleyball
team was looking for the
upset Saturday afternoon in
completing a sweep against
the defending champion
Saskatchewan Huskies. Unfortunately, that
may have been too much to hope for as
a much stronger Huskies team came out
to play, winning 3-1 (27-25, 27-25, 19-25,
25-17). With the Parade of Lights expected
to hold up traffic for hours in the late
afternoon, a sparse but vocal crowd turned
out to watch the Wesmen men’s volleyball
team in a rare matinee.
“I think we struggled today and I share the
players’ frustration with that,” said coach Larry
McKay following the game. “They tried super
hard today and their game wasn’t as good as it
could’ve been. They’re pretty frustrated by it
and that’s normal, you know, but, no lack of
effort out there and if they continue with that
effort then they’re going to get better quickly.”
The Wesmen looked strong early, jumping
out to a 13-9 lead after a huge kill from Jarrod
Small split the Husky defense and looked
poised to duplicate his impressive performance
from Friday. The Huskies clawed back to tie
the set at 18 however, and got some good late
play from left side Mark Dodds to win a back
and forth tug-of-war 27-25. The second set was
an uphill trudge from start to end for Winnipeg,
as the squad was plagued by errors and fell
behind 16-10. The Wesmen followed the lead
the Huskies set in the first set however, and
fought back to tie the set at 24 on the strength
of three late kills by Martin Rochon who
finished the game with 11. The quick comeback
022
bolstered the confidence of the team and kept
the Huskies on their heels.
“We have some good players, so we know
that we can go on some runs at times, some
positive runs, and it can happen at any time,”
McKay said of the team’s rebound. “We just
forgot about the score and we knew it would
come around, and it did.” Rochon’s heroics
weren’t enough, however, as the Huskies took
the set 27-25.
The third set found the Wesmen
capitalizing on six service errors by
Saskatchewan, and led all the way through to
a 25-19 victory. Alan Ahow proved to be a
key factor for the third set victory, coming in
off the bench to record three kills and finished
the game with seven.
The Wesmen couldn’t swing the
momentum in their favour for the fourth set
though, as the Huskies broke out with an 8-2
run and took the set 25-17 for the victory.
The Huskies got a fantastic game from
Kris Brand, who led the squad with seventeen
kills, and 6’9’’ Darren Dove, who had eleven
kills and five blocks.
Ben Schellenberg led Winnipeg with
thirteen kills, while Marc DeSpeigelaere
finished with eleven digs. A key factor in the
Wesmen loss may have been a struggling
Jarrod Small, who finished with five kills and
two blocks.
Next up for Winnipeg is a set against
Regina next weekend.
“We have to get better in every aspect
really, and we’re going to continue with our
work this week, and hopefully we’ll get better
over the course of the week,” McKay said
about preparations for next week. “I think we
got better last week, and (we’ll) try and
continue with that.”
NOVEMBER 25,
25, 2004
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» Leighton Klassen
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Life as a Kicker is More Than Unfair
Mike Pyl
Illustration by: Edward Cheung
I
f there is an easier
scapegoat in sports than
football’s placekicker, I’ve
yet to find it.
Is it not obvious to see
why?
At
practices,
they don’t partake in most drills.
They stand off to the side and kick
the ball back and forth between
themselves and the punter. Their
equipment is always as small as
possible, including those wimpy,
single-bar facemasks.
On the kickoff team, they don’t
run downfield to make the tackle.
Instead, they hide behind the
coverage and, should the returner
break through, they make a halfassed attempt to take him down, just
enough to ensure they are not
chastised during film the next day.
On the sidelines, they keep a fair
distance between them and those
scary, scary linebackers. And should
they get too close, hey, the kicking
net can always provide adequate
shelter.
Their contributions go largely
unrecognized. Save for the occasional
55-yarder, kickers are given little
slack. Field goals are their specialty
-- little credit is doled out when they
make them. When they don’t, their
names are always the first mentioned
on the way out, by fans anyway.
They lose games by missing lastsecond field goals.
Two Sundays ago, Saskatchewan
Roughriders’ kicker Paul McCallum
lined up at the left hash for what
would be an 18-yard field goal -- the
utmost definition of chip shot. With
the score knotted at 24, the Riders’
drive had stalled on the BC 11 on the
first possession of overtime. The
crowd of 55,000-plus at BC Place
was in relative silence, resigned to
the fact this was a gimme. Their
focus had shifted to the Dave
Dickenson-led offense that was about
to take the field to overcome this
three-point lead.
We know what happens next. BC
takes the field, runs the ball a couple
of plays, and Duncan O’Mahoney
connects where his Saskatchewan
counterpart couldn’t. Pack yer bags,
Lions are off to the Grey Cup.
McCallum’s now infamous left
hook set off a series of events that
would make international headlines:
“CFL kicker loses game, wins
manure.”
“McCallum miss egg-cellent for
Lions.”
Shortly after the loss, disgruntled
and frustrated Rider fans lobbed
eggs at McCallum’s Regina home. A
small pile of manure was left on his
driveway soon after. Since this was
only moments after the game, he was
clearly still in Vancouver. His family,
rather than him, got to deal with it.
The disgrace and shame the
incidents caused were undeniable.
But was anyone really surprised?
It has become a given that the
kicker will be singled out in situations
such as these. Whether the gamewinning miss was the only shank of
the day, or if it was the last of a
woeful afternoon, sporting culture
dictates the goat wears the horns.
Remember the aftermath of the
2001 Grey Cup? After chocking on
three of four attempts, the name Troy
Westwood was loaded with the same
amount of profanity-laden punch
equivalent to about four or five
normal curse words.
How about New Orleans Saints’
kicker John Carney? With a trip to
the playoffs on the line, Saints special
teams improbably returned a
Jacksonville kickoff to the endzone
with nothing but zeroes on the clock
in the final game of the season. With
nothing but the extra point left to
send the game into overtime, Carney
shanked what is usually nothing
more than a formality.
Then there’s ex-Buffalo Bills
kicker Scott Norwood, arguably the
most infamous of them all. His ’91
Super Bowl miss has practically
redefined the term “wide right.”
Now imagine how these four
must have felt. With the desperate
hopes of fans, and in particular, their
teammates who had been living for
this moment all their lives, riding on
the angle they kick the ball, they
could not deliver. Picture the
desperation and the helplessness
these grown men must have felt.
They undoubtedly were brought to
tears by the weight of the expectations
of thousands. It took McCallum
between 45 minutes to an hour before
he could even enter the same dressing
room as his teammates.
Imagine the inner turmoil and
distress they must have succumbed
to. A self-inflicted emotional prison
in which they have been sentenced to
life.
Imagine the courage it took for
McCallum to rejoin the rest of the
team. This should have been
punishment enough.
What’s most disturbing about the
incident is not the disgusting actions
of a few fans who took the game too
seriously. Instead, it’s the realization
that this process of scapegoating has
become the norm.
What if Kenton Keith hadn’t
fumbled on the BC five? What if the
BC offense, which was on fire at the
time, had responded to a Rider field
goal with a quick touchdown? What
if Saskatchewan hadn’t missed one
or two more tackles, or made one or
two more key blocks?
What has happened in our society
that justifies the singling-out of the
kicker? Has this current generation,
weened on a world of cell phones,
internet, and 200+ channels, seen
our collective attention span wither
away to the point where we cannot
recognize the slightly-less-evident
contributions of others, in the
quintessential team sport of football,
no less?
Or am I simply just stranded far
up on the hyperbolic level of
generalization?
Luckily, most still do not condone
this behaviour. The outpour of
support from Rider fans the next day
saw McCallum’s home littered with
flowers and cards, instead of the
initial weapons of choice. Other
Saskatchewan players refused to lay
blame on their star-crossed kicker, at
least publicly. National media
promptly lambasted the culprits.
While
undoubtedly
the
appropriate reaction, there is more to
it. When a kicker blows a field goal,
we should not be wondering what
kind of excrement he will find on his
driveway. This horrible expectation
must be eliminated. It is incredibly
unfair to the kicker, and a poor
representation for those of us who
happen to enjoy watching sports.
It is those who perpetuate this
ever-prevalent notion of blame that
are the only true scapegoats.
Fact & Fitness
BY
SARAH HAUCH
Are you frustrated by the astronomical amount ot “get in shape” slogans out there? Don’t know what to believe or where to start? Well, I’m here to let you know the truth about the myths and
facts of fitness. As a third year student in the faculty of Physical Activity and Sports Studies, I have the inside info and want to show you just how simple ‘being in shape’ can be.
If you guys take anything away
from this article I hope it’s the
following advice!!
A countless number of
people ask me questions along
the lines of, “Why is it that I go to
the gym and still can’t lose
weight”, or “How can I lose
weight?” The answer is VERY
simple. Okay, do you have your
pens and pencils ready?
Your calories in have to be
less than your calories out.
This means that you have to
work off all the food you
consume and then a little extra.
Accomplishing this is not as
hard as it seems and GOING TO
THE GYM IS NOT THE ONLY
WAY TO BURN CALORIES!!
You’re body cannot tell whether
you are burning calories from
activities such as running, lifting
weights, playing football, vacuuming,
sleeping, or even having sex. All it
knows is that your body needs to
create energy, which is accomplished
by burning off the calories you
consume, in order to allow you to
function properly. Of course the
harder the activity, the more energy
required, and the more calories
burnt.
But keep this in mind. If you go to
the gym for, let’s say, 1 hour, we’ll
assume that you burnt 450 calories.
You’re feeling pretty good about
yourself — if fact, so good in that
you that you treat yourself to a large
pita, a soda and, what the heck, a
bag of chips. This meal costs you a
whopping 1000 calories. Similarly
you also have to spend the rest of
the day sitting in class or studying at
home. Basically meaning that you
hardly move for the rest of the day.
You may have gone to the gym but
your ‘calories in’ still exceeded your
‘calories out’, which means you
could have even gained weight that
day.
Conversely, your mother who
never goes to the gym may actually
be burning more calories than you.
If she’s spending her day running
around doing errands (groceries,
Christmas shopping, etc.), doing
chores (vacuuming, raking, dusting)
or walking the dog, and if she’s
eating properly, it is quite possible
she could maintain, and even lose
weight.
What am I trying to get at is that
there are many different ways to
burn calories, and that going to the
gym may not necessarily mean that
you are burning off more calories
than you eat.
So how can you lose weight?
Make small changes to start. It is
only healthy to lose 1-2 pounds per
week. Each pound = 3500 calories.
So if you would like to lose 1 pound
per week you must burn an extra
500 calories a day. The most
effective way of doing this is by
cutting out 250 calories from your
diet and 250 from extra physical
activity. If you do it solely through
diet, you could cause nutrient
deficiencies and also cause your
metabolism to slow down.
But to illustrate my point that
little changes go a long way, let’s
create a mini scenario. Let’s say you
drink 1 glass of 2% milk each day
and always take the elevator to your
classes. If you switched to skim milk
and walked up the stairs, you could
cut out 70 calories a day. Now
multiply 70 by 365 and you wind up
burning 25550 calories in a year,
which equals about 7 pounds. Pretty
significant considering you barely
changed a thing. Now imagine that
you walked the dog for a half
hour each day on top of those
other changes. If you burn 150 a
day from walking the dog multiply
it by 365 days, and that equals
54650 calories a year (or about
15 pounds.). You could lose 22
pounds a year if you just switch
milk, take the stairs, and walk the
dog. AND, you didn’t even have
to go into the gym.
I hope this info made some
sense. If you’re confused I’d be
happy to talk to anybody about it.
Losing weight and being healthy
is easier than you may think and
doesn’t need to be a constant
struggle. Eat in moderation and
enjoy being physically active.
Together, our generation can
create a society of healthier
individuals. Remember, being
active is not a fad, it’s a lifestyle.
Be active — always!!
If you would like to ask a fitness question, or comment on anything related to fitness and getting into shape, email Sarah Hauch at [email protected], or leave a message at 786-9497
NOVEMBER 25, 2004
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