Uniter #13-no pixF.qxd

Christmas
Gifts That
Keep On
Giving!
Have You Seen
This Band?
Page 10
Page 15
T HE
Volume 58, Issue 13
november 27, 2003
Uniter
T H E OF F IC I A L W E E K LY S T U DE N T N E W S PA P E R
OF THE
‘Tis the Season
UNIVERSITY
OF
WINNIPEG
the
the
pa g e 2
Volume 58, Issue 13
November 27 2003
T
A
F
november 27, 2003
n e w s
uniter
S
uniter
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Jonathan Tan
Editor In Chief
[email protected]
Michelle Kuly
Managing Editor
[email protected]
A. P. (Ben) Benton
News Editor
[email protected]
Cheryl Gudz
Features Editor
[email protected]
Jeff Robson
A & E Editor
[email protected]
Leighton Klassen
Sports Editor
[email protected]
Stu Reid
Photo: Daniel Larsson
Production Manager
[email protected]
Julie Horbal
Listings Editor
[email protected]
Chandra Mayor
Copy Editor
Hydro Planning on
Hudson’s Bay?
Ted Turner
Advertising Manager
[email protected]
Scott deGroot
Beat Reporter
Kent Davies
Diversions Coordinator
M.D.Cohen
Diversions Coordinator
Joe Myles
Distribution Manager
Jacqueline Hebert
Ainslee Smith
Guest Photo Editors
THIS WEEK’S CONTRIBUTORS
Julie Horbal, James Paskaruk,
Sheri Lamb,Jeanne Fronda,Paula
Medeiros, Karin Kliewer, Jeremy
Strub, Leah Allen, Sarah Petruscu,
Sarah Hauch, Andrea Patenaude,
Chris Madden, Danene Goulet,
JJS Mcleod, Michael Rosenby
Cover Photo by: Ainslee Smith
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
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The Uniter
Room ORM14
University of Winnipeg
515 Portage Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 2E9
B Y
C H R I S
M A D D E N
n November 18th, Manitoba Hydro
hosted a public review of sites for their
new Downtown office project at the
Winnipeg Convention Centre. There are currently seven sites in the running, all in the
downtown Winnipeg area. As of yet, there is
no indication that Hydro is leaning towards
any specific choice. In fact, they are quite
eager to receive input from the people of this
city in regards to where Winnipeggers think
the new building should go. One of the proposed sites is where the Hudson Bay Company
department store stands on the corner of
Portage and Memorial. Upon hearing the proposal announcement last July, many
Winnipeggers have been worried about the
future of the Heritage-listed, former flagship
store of the Hudson Bay Company.
Last year, Manitoba Hydro bought
Winnipeg Hydro from the City of Winnipeg.
Negotiated into the deal was a commitment
that Manitoba Hydro would build a new office
building in the downtown Winnipeg area
measuring in at a minimum of 400,000 square
feet. The time has come, and the location of
the new building will be decided by year’s
end. Being an environmentally conscious
organization, Hydro has organized a specific
set of criteria to be met before the final selection of its location. Besides the typical worries
such as prime visibility, notable identity and
image, the company is also taking a more
thoughtful approach with criteria such as
access to solar energy, transit accessibility, and
energy efficiency. The final decision will be a
difficult one. These seven sites have already
been heavily scrutinized and represent the
only remaining candidates that survived from
a long list. All are prime locations. Hydro
wants its new headquarters to set an example
for all new buildings designed in the future—
their goal is an impressive 60% reduction in
energy consumption compared against a structure of relative size.
For the most part, people have not paid
much attention to the majority of the proposed
sites. One proposal would take the place of the
Nutty Club building beside Can-West Global
O
Park; another, proposed by the Asper family,
would see a 40-storey skyscraper on Portage
and Main. Portage Place has suggested its east
wing for redevelopment, as have other properties in the core of our city. Hydro employees
were all too willing to talk about the different
possibilities, trying to clear up any misunderstandings regarding the sites. Still, the proposition of the HBC property was the one most
talked about, but at least some questions were
answered.
Most of us are already aware that the
HBC has condensed its downtown store into
three floors and moved in to a second store
down at Polo Park. After a move like that, one
can assume that the building isn’t exactly raking in the profits right now. The Bay’s proposal for the new Manitoba Hydro building would
keep the department store alive. After losing
Eaton’s, Winnipeggers would spit nails at the
idea of watching another heritage department
store being torn down, and developers appear
to be aware of that. The proposal suggests that
HBC would continue to occupy the first three
floors of its building, and the beautiful limestone face we all know and love would be preserved if Hydro did indeed move in. It is
rumoured that a tower of some sorts would rise
above the top of the remodelled HBC building,
in addition to an adjacent complex, built in
the place of their existing parking garage
(800 spaces gone!
Yikes!!). If you’ve
ever been to Toronto,
you may have noticed
remodelled heritage
buildings living glorious second lives as the
bases of office towers;
if Hydro went ahead
with this proposal, it
wouldn’t be the first
time a building was
redone in this fashion.
An older gentleman at the public
review made the very
good point that if
Hydro did select the HBC proposal, it would
provide Winnipeg’s central business district
with an anchor on its west end. Future developers would likely look more closely to the
area between Main St. and Memorial if there
were eye-catching complexes at either end,
condensing and beautifying our city’s main
strip. This does not go so far as to say that
Hydro should accept the Bay’s offer, as there
are six other excellent locations for the building, and all have their merits.
Businessmen and entrepreneurs were
giving their own opinions for what should be
done with the HBC building, saying that it
would be a waste of a landmark for Manitoba
Hydro to build their offices there. The idea of
a year-round entertainment complex was
brought up: with venues, specialty shops and
the like thriving within the building along with
the Bay. Helping the Hudson Bay Company
maintain its legacy in the heart of our city is a
priority for many, so don’t think Hydro is the
sole saving grace.
The seven possible locations are available on the Manitoba Hydro website:
www.hydro.mb.ca. Check it out if you’re
interested and let them know what you think is
the best proposal. Everyone’s opinion
counts—they want to hear from you.
the
november 27, 2003
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Cross Border Drug Dispute Heats Up
B Y
S C O T T
D E
G R O O T
t’s well known that Canada’s health and
safety standards are similar to, if not better
than, our neighbours to the south. That’s
not what the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) would have us believe. In a scramble to
seal the border to cheap prescription drugs
purchased through Internet pharmacies, the
FDA is claiming that Canadian drugs are
unsafe—much to the chagrin of Health
Canada. And although the FDA says it’s acting
in the interests of public health, many believe
it’s just trying to protect the profits of the
multi-billion dollar U.S. pharmaceutical
industry.
When FDA and Health Canada officials
met in Ottawa last week to share information
on the cross-border prescription drug trade,
divisions between the two organizations
immediately surfaced. “We have seen lots of
examples of unsafe drugs coming into the
United States from Canada: unapproved medicines, medicines that were not stored properly, medicines that were dispensed in the wrong
amounts or without a physician’s labelling,”
said Mark McCellan, the FDA commissioner.
“Some of them are Internet versions of legitimate street pharmacies. Some of them are not.
The problem is we don’t have any regulatory
mechanism in place across our countries to
reliably tell the difference.”
His remarks did not go unchallenged by
Diane Gorman, assistant deputy minister of
Health Canada, who stood up for the agency’s
safety record. She bluntly stated there’s no
evidence to support the FDA’s claims. “We
have no evidence at this time, in the context of
Internet pharmacies, that there are unsafe
products going to the United States,” she said.
“It’s very clear that Canada’s safety record is
second to none internationally.”
Lately, the U.S. has been cracking down
on shipments of prescription drugs from
Canada, which are illegal under American
law. The FDA has stepped up the pressure,
using a variety of scare tactics ranging from
I
public warnings to legal action. In early
November, an Oklahoma court ordered the
temporary closure of RX Depot, a chain of 80
storefront operations across the United States
that help Americans get prescriptions filled in
Canada. Americans have been purchasing
Canadian drugs in record numbers.
Most Internet pharmacies are located in
Manitoba and the industry is now worth a
whopping $400 million to the provincial economy compared to $250 million in 2001.
Manitoba, which has more than 60 Internet
pharmacies catering to Americans, has
become a hotspot in the growing debate.
Today 1,500 Manitobans are employed by
online pharmacies, many in small towns that
had been struggling to stay alive, said Graham
Starmer, president of the Manitoba Chambers
of Commerce.
The industry as a whole is worth 1.2 billion dollars annually to Canada. Due to government price controls, Canadian prescription
drugs often cost over 50% less than they do in
the U.S., and sales in Winnipeg are growing
by ten percent a month.
A new poll suggests that most
Americans believe it should be legal for them
to buy prescription drugs outside of the U.S. if
prices are lower. A majority, seventy percent
of respondents, said buying drugs from other
countries should be legal, and one in eight
said they or someone in their home has done
so.
Many American state and municipal
governments are also looking to Canada to
save some major cash. The state of Wisconsin,
which spends $600 million dollars a year on
prescription drugs for its Medicare program,
is currently looking into Internet pharmacies.
So far, Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota and
Illinois are also exploring the option.
In July of 2003, Springfield,
Massachusetts became the first major
American City to officially purchase
Canadian drugs for city workers and retirees.
Springfield’s mayor Michael Albano said that
the city of 150,000 would save around $4 mil-
lion dollars annually. “The exact same drug is
20 to 80 percent cheaper,” said Albano. “It
would be irresponsible not to take advantage
of the savings.” Other centres such as New
York City and Chicago have plans to follow
suit.
With more and more Americans getting
on the bandwagon, there are concerns that
Canadians will face drug shortages in the
coming months. Pharmacist Fred Boyle, an
Alberta pharmacist with forty years of experience says his business is already feeling the
effects. “There are more shortages from our
wholesale supplier than there has been in my
memory as a pharmacist,” Boyle said. “Some
times it takes quite a while to correct the
shortages.”
The response of the pharmaceutical
giants has the potential to adversely affect
Canadians. Many have publicly declared they
will not ship supplies to Canada that might
find their way back into the United States at
lower prices. As a result, supplies of drugs like
Losec, used to treat heartburn and ulcers, or
the blood pressure medication Chronovera,
may be running low, according to some pharmacists. However, health minister Anne
McLellan said there was no evidence of any
actual shortages.
The pharmaceutical companies have
also begun to raise prices in Canada for certain top-selling drugs by between 1-5%.
Although Canadian price controls protect
against massive increases, drug prices have
remained steady for several years allowing for
further price adjustments. The drug giants are
also claiming that if the U.S. market is further
opened to cheaper imported drugs they could
lose $600 billion in profits in the next decade,
some of which goes towards research and
development.
Canada accounts for barely two percent
of global pharmaceutical sales, while the U.S.
accounts for around one half.
the
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november 27, 2003
n e w s
Restorative Justice
Emphasizes Holistic Approach
B Y
K A R I N
K L I E W E R
n the quest for true justice, it is the journey
itself that matters most. In celebration of
this “journey,” Restorative Justice Week
(November 17-21) addressed alternate ways
of approaching harm done to individuals and
communities. This was a week of awareness
and connection-building, between local justice organizations, students, and the general
public.
Restorative Justice Week was full of
thought-provoking discussions and events.
The U of W hosted a Tuesday night panel discussion on “faith and restorative justice,” and a
play and discussion entitled “Circles of
Support and Accountability” was held at the
Justice Resource Centre, 583 Ellice Avenue,
on Wednesday afternoon. On Friday, the
Winnipeg Art Gallery showed a film on this
topic, and the week ended with a coffee house
circle discussion on Sunday. Numerous other
events were hosted by different organizations
around the city.
The concept of Restorative Justice portrays alternative ways of approaching crime
that emphasize holistic methods. Neil FunkUnruh, a Menno Simons College professor,
reminds us that “so much of what we hear is
based on punishing, [but] community health
and safety may have more to do with finding
ways for people to heal, finding ways to
I
rebuild connections.”
Such processes are not new; they have
been (and are) used in indigenous societies
throughout the world. They provide an effective tool for justice, while influencing and
inspiring newer programs towards holistic
healing. Examples of this include VictimOffender Mediation programs, South Africa’s
Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC),
Family Group Conferencing in New Zealand,
and holistic circle healing responses to sexual
abuse in Hollow Water First Nations here in
Manitoba.
There are also many such groups active
here in Winnipeg. Among these are the John
Howard Society and the Elizabeth Fry Society,
both of which work with prisoner rehabilitation. Open Circle is another local program that
organizes visits between members of the community and those within correctional institutions. Circles of Support and Accountability
works with sexual offenders who are out of
prison, but remain at some risk of re-offending
if they do not connect with community.
Such initiatives are important, as typical
retributive systems—those that are reflected
by court processes and traditional “eye for
eye” mentalities—leave little room for the
“journey of justice,” as outcomes such as a jail
sentence are paramount. Although such
processes do have a place within our society,
we may currently be too reliant upon this as
our only source of justice.
According to Professor Funk-Unruh,
“The biggest challenge [for restorative justice]
is getting through the mindset that we can protect society by locking people up, and that
that’s somehow going to change the way they
behave, the way they think, and somehow create safety for the rest of us.”
The concept of restorative justice, however, focuses on making things right, not only
between victims and offenders, but also within
surrounding communities such as family,
friends, or neighbourhoods also affected by
criminal behaviour. Programs that reflect
restorative purposes seek to: (a) identify harm
done by certain individual while taking steps
to heal wounds caused by these harms; (b)
involve all who are affected by the action(s);
and, ultimately (c) transform traditional community and governmental responses to crime
to reflect more restorative values. This is a
daunting, yet worthy goal, as it takes into
account the complexity of human conflict and
behaviour, as well as our potentials for relational healing.
Professor James Loewen, also from
Menno Simons College, states that Restorative
Justice is unique as it is “concerned with the
victim, and participation of the victim.
Criminal Justice isn’t. Restorative Justice is
concerned that healing be a major outcome of
any justice process…. Causing more harm
only creates larger amounts of harm rather
than less.”
The concept of Restorative Justice is
clearly gaining momentum, and is continuing
on its own journey of incorporating relational
justice and healing into daily life. The
University of Winnipeg offers courses centred
around the principles of Restorative Justice in
the Conflict Resolution Studies department
(course #61.2221/3 in the University of
Winnipeg Calendar). For more information,
check out www.restorativejustice.org
FOR SOME OF THE BEST
USED VEHICLES IN MANITOBA
Visit us on the web at
www.manitobacarfind.ca
the
november 27, 2003
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International Students
Respond to Pilot Project
PA U L A
M E D E I R O S
nternational students earned a big victory
when the federal and provincial governments in partnership signed on a twoyear pilot project that allows international
students to work off-campus.
Some people still have doubts if it really will bring benefits for the students or if it
could harm them by diminishing study time.
International students who already have been
working on campus answer that question
affirming that permission to work off-campus is definitively “a good idea.”
One Brazillian student majoring in
environmental and international studies,
works four different jobs on campus—
Petrified Sole, Beyond Words Bookstore,
Enrolment Service and Program Staff of
UWSA. Although this looks like it’s easy to
find a job, it’s not; she had to wait one year
to get the first job, mainly because vacancies
on campus are few and far between.
“Whoever wants work has more options with
this new legislation and they don’t need to
wait so long to find a job. Probably I will
apply to work during the summer,” she said,
because during regularly scheduled breaks
she is allowed to work full-time.
Another international student who
divides his time between Infobooth, Beyond
Words Bookstore, the Cafeteria and staffing
the UWSA is business student Roshan
Makhijani from India. “I like and prefer
working here in the university, because outside they’re going to pay almost the same
and here we have a flexible schedule and it is
very good when the semester is ending,”
I
explained
Roshan. He
is satisfied
working an
average 13
hours per
week, the
current legislation permitting
a
maximum
of
17.5
hours per
week
to
work
on
campus.
F o r
international
students to
apply, the
forms to request off-campus employment
will be available in the Student Services
International Office from the first week of
December. This work permission allows the
international student to work twenty hours
per week during regular academic session for
employers in the province of Manitoba. To
apply, the international student must possess
a valid study permit, have completed two
consecutive semesters of full-time study
within the past twelve months at one of the
certified post-secondary institutions in the
province, be currently enrolled in full-time
studies, and maintain acceptable academic
standing.
Konrad Kalicki, a politics student from
Poland, thinks that the advantages of this
new program are many. “It is a very good
Clockwise from left:
Roshan Makhijani, DiniSilveida, Konrad Kalicki
idea and is not about the job and
the money you can get, but also
about getting experience in
Canada.” With his jobs in the
Dean’s Office, and as the ESL
Program and Teaching Assistant
for the Politics Department, it is
clear that Kalicki enjoys variety,
but he agrees that jobs more related to a student’s course of study
would be better.
No matter if students are
looking for jobs that will give
them experience or just looking
for anything to pay the bills, the
new pilot program seems to have met a need.
“At least now we have this possibility, before
it wasn’t available to us,” says Kalicki.
Photos By: Paula Medeiros
B Y
For more information contact the
Student Services International Office at
786-9858.
U.S. in Hot Water over Arar
Deportation
B Y
S C O T T
D E
G R O O T
resident George W. Bush and Maher
Arar should do lunch. They may not
have much in common but there’s one
topic they could discuss for hours. In Bush’s
own words, Syria is a country with “a legacy
of torture, oppression, misery, and ruin.”
That’s something Arar knows all about.
Thanks to U.S. officials he was beaten and tortured there for almost a year. An area of discussion they may want to avoid, however, is
that of U.S. law. It unequivocally forbids
deportations that result in torture.
Arar’s hellish odyssey began on
September 26th 2002 when U.S. authorities
detained him at the JFK international airport.
He was switching flights on his way home to
Canada, travelling alone from a family vacation in Tunisia. Suspected of having links to alQaeda, Arar was questioned for hours, stripsearched, and eventually deported to his native
Syria – a country he hadn’t lived in for 15
years. Arar was not allowed to contact a
lawyer, the Canadian embassy, or even his own
family. In fact, his whereabouts was not determined until almost a month later, much to the
distress of his wife and two young children in
Ottawa.
Despite months of the foreign affairs
department’s “quiet diplomacy” and pledges
from the Prime Minister to act, Arar was held
P
in Syrian jail for over a year. He was interrogated day and night, constantly beaten, and
held in a tiny, dirty cell.
Finally, on October 6th 2003, 375 days
after being taken into custody in New York, the
Syrians set Arar free stating there was not
enough evidence to link him to al-Qaeda. He
soon arrived at Montreal’s Dorval
International airport and was thrust into media
frenzy.
Obviously shocked, Arar described his
ordeal at a press conference held in Ottawa.
“What I went through is just beyond imagination. Interrogation lasted about eighteen hours.
They beat me from time to time and made me
wait in the waiting room for one to two hours
before resuming the interrogation. While in the
waiting room I heard a lot of people screaming.”
But with Arar safely back in Canada,
there seems to be more questions than answers.
As a result, the tension is rising for governments on both sides of the border.
After adamantly denying that the RCMP
was involved in the U.S. Arar’s deportation,
Wayne Easter, Canada’s solicitor general,
changed his tune last week by acknowledging
for the first time that Canadian officials provided information to the U.S. on Arar. The
announcement came after a meeting with U.S.
Attorney General John Ashcroft in Washington
D.C.
However, Easter was less than apolo-
getic and attempted to deflect some of the
responsibility. “Our discussions indicate that
this information didn’t come from Canada
alone. The information comes from a number
of agencies globally. Specifically as it relates
to Canada, that information will come out as
we go through review.”
Attorney General John Ashcroft,
Easter’s U.S. counterpart, has even gone so far
to deny that Arar was tortured at all. He said
that the Syrian embassy in Washington has
assured the U.S. government that Arar was not
tortured, a claim he apparently believes.
In the eyes of human rights organizations and Arar’s supporters, Ashcroft’s stance
is contradictory to U.S. policy and the words
of President Bush himself. Washington has
attacked Syria’s record on human rights so
often lately it’s become mantra. And a recent
U.S. State department report has said that most
common types of torture in Syria are beatings,
electric shocks, pulling out fingernails, forcing
objects into the rectum, and bending prisoners
into the frame of a wheel while whipping
exposed body parts.
Stephen Watt, Arar’s lawyer, thinks he
may have a case against the American government. American law strictly forbids the deportation of a person to a country where they will
be tortured. “Regardless of whether assurances
were obtained, Maher was subjected to torture,” Watt said. “And so these reassurances
that the United States may have obtained from
Syria were clearly not worth the paper they
were written on.”
Bill Graham, Canada’s minister of foreign affairs issued his own statement in
response to Ashcroft’s remarks. His spokesperson said that Ottawa has no reason to doubt
Arar’s honesty, and that his account of torture
is a compelling one.
Here in Canada, the CPC, the commission for public complaints against the RCMP is
investigating the deportation. Arar hopes the
investigation will clear his name. “I am not a
terrorist,” he said defiantly. “I am not a member of al-Qaeda, I don’t know anyone who
belongs to this group. I know the only way I
will be able to move on is if I can find out what
happened to me.”
Shirley Heafey, head of the commission,
says it’s important to find out if the RCMP
improperly gave information about Arar to
U.S. authorities leading to his deportation. The
RCMP Complaints Commission has no power
to impose discipline or to order compensation
payments to victims. It’s unknown how long
the investigation will take.
Arar, who has lived in Canada since
1987, earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees
in computer engineering, and has since worked
in Ottawa as a telecommunications engineer.
He does not have a criminal record or any prior
altercations with the law.
the
pa g e 6
uniter
november 27, 2003
e d i t o r i a l
Six Figure Salaries for Two Months
Work, Welcome to the Canadian Senate
ment accountability shows the importance of
the issue to Canadian voters. The Senate’s
actions mean the bill returns to the now
T A N
defunct Chretien regime’s government, ensurEditor In Chief
ing it will die despite months of parliamentary
debate. There are accusations from some
ith the Canadian
Senators who opposed the amendments that
Senate’s recent
the Senators who proposed the amendments
actions that have
do not want to have their finances publicly
effectively killed the govscrutinized for fear of revealing conflicts of
ernment’s ethics commissioner bill and a host
interest. This is because many Senators also
of others, the Canadian public should again
sit on corporate boards; it is possible that they
take notice of the most unaccountable of
are receiving financial compensation that is
Canadian government institutions.
inappropriate for someone in their position.
The Senate’s proposed amendments to
Killing the ethics commissioner bill ensures
the Ethics Bill C-34, a bill that was passed
that these figures will remain outside of pubunanimously in the House of Commons,
lic scrutiny.
would effectively give the Senate control over
The other major government priority
the position. The fact that all parties in the
that the Senate has effectively killed is Bill CHouse were able to put partisan differences
49, which would redraw the electoral boundaside in an effort to create increased governaries to correspond with the most recent census data. This might make it impossible to have a spring election.
The Senate claims that it
is the government that is to blame
if these bills die, stating that the
Prime Minister’s desire to prorogue parliament to avoid sitting in
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a House controlled by Paul Martin
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or e-mail at [email protected]
a venue for regional representation
for rates and info.
and sober second thought on government bills. In large part they
J O N A T H A N
W
Uniter Classifieds
Letters
Re: Scandalous Poster
In response to the misrepresentative letter from A.D. in opposition to Mathew
Gagne’s Scandalous Poster letter.
Although many students are open
minded, some are not. This is one of the
many reasons why the LGBT* Centre strives
to battle homophobia by challenging people
on their ideas.
Sado-Masochistic,
Master/Slave sexual scenarios are healthy,
natural, and common, regardless of sexual
orientation, sex, or gender.
Are you the all-knowing power of what
women think about sex and violence?
Apparently not, because in no way were any
issues of sexual harassment, male domination, or rape implied by the poster.
As the artistic designer of the poster, I
would like to inform you, as well as the rest
of the student population, that concerns as to
the appropriateness of the images were considered in the designing process. Art meant
to advertise is about making an image that
stays in people’s minds, an image that will
help the sponsoring group advertise their
current promotion. By this measure, the
poster was an enormous success. If you feel
this poster stereotypes the GLBT* community, maybe you are not as open minded as
the majority you refer to! If students are
offended by an S&M image, perhaps it is
their openness to varied sexual practices that
should be questioned, rather than a “safe
place.”
There are many posters hanging in the
Centennial hallway that may have to do with
religious practices as well as political and
social programs offered by various student
groups on campus. I do not regret seeing
these images because I understand freedom
of speech and freedom of expression, and
that EVERY student group on campus
deserves to advertise their programs and
campaigns as they see fit. If this poster has
left distaste in your mouth, I would highly
suggest you stop by the LGBT* centre, room
OR13 in the Bulman Student Centre, and ask
a few questions. That may clear the distaste
of homophobia.
Nina Fielding
Re: Scandalous Poster
In response to the response regarding
the “Scandalous Poster” of Homohop X,
there are a number of issues that come to
mind.
Firstly, I applaud the discussions and
that are taking place regarding the interpretation of the banner/poster. It’s truly important to raise all the issues, debate and dialog
subject matter that not everyone necessarily
agrees with.
I am one of the artistic directors of the
original photograph before it was reproduced into the splendid overhanging banner.
The re-creator of the photograph successfully captured the focus of the two subjects –
consensual and loving.
It’s necessary to
examine the issues that the respondent raised
in order to give clarity in hopes of opening
up further dialog.
Firstly yes, a black hat and armbands in
the image can be interpreted as sadomasochistic imagery. However, what is truly
rarely perform these function, mostly rubber
stamping government bills into law. Senators
are appointed by the Prime Minister’s office.
These patronage appointments place partisan
loyalists into the Upper Chamber with a base
salary of $114,200 plus $12,000 for travel and
a living allowance; they are also given a
budget for their office. The appointments last
until the Senator turns 75. Because they are
patronage appointments to the Senate, most
Senators are Liberals, but there are also many
Progressive Conservative Senators.
In other countries, like the United
States or Germany, the upper house is much
more effective than here in Canada. In
Germany, and in the U.S. they ensure that
there is regional representation from all states
or provinces at the federal level. In Canada,
because of the strong party line that operates
in the House of Commons, MPs from the
provinces are often ineffective in representing
the concerns of their constituents because
they are compelled to tow the party line, even
if the bill in question will have negative
effects on their constituents. A reformed
Senate in Canada could help to diminish
regional discontent.
Indeed this was one of the major policy
goals of the Reform party during the 1990’s.
They called for a Triple E Senate- Equal,
Elected and Effective. While it may be difficult to establish what constitutes equal
(should it be the same number of Senators per
province or should it reflect levels of population?), it is clear that our current system of
patronage appointments is far too arbitrary.
The fact that someone has been loyal to the
ruling party or Prime Minister should not
automatically qualify them to represent the
interests of Canadians in government. The
offensive to the S/M community are the
assumptions of gender roles/stereotypes and
its association to violence. The S/M community is based on the fundamental principles of: Safe, Sane & Consensual regardless
of gender or sexual orientation. And that is
a fact. Anything otherwise is violence and
therefore not an S/M practice. A practice
not acceptable to the S/M community. In
S/M relations, there is a considerable
amount of negotiation and care prior, during
and after an activity… but I digress.
Historically, the queer community has
been subject to oppression in many forms
that includes who one commits to, loves, or
engages in sexual activity with. The queer
community values its sex positive space that
it created and should not be shamed for its
depictions.
Other than the attire, the image on the
left depicts eye-to-eye contact and the image
on the right depicts both parties in a loving
caress. How could this not denote a positive and safe scenario? Would it have been
more appropriate to have the two subject
matters painted in a blue shirt rather than
black? Would it be more appropriate to have
the subject matters standing beside one
another rather than one caressing the other’s
torso? What emotions would the image
conjure if it were a woman standing and a
man caressing her torso? I’m not at all trying to be condescending but to examine
issues of power, sex and gender. I acknowledge that you did not choose to view the
image, but you however chose to associate
the image with violence, coercion and
restraint (non consensual acts) that is not
supported nor tolerated by the S/M (safe,
sane, consensual acts), queer or heterosexual
community.
As a female born and feminist identi-
inability of the public to hold these people
accountable, by voting them out, can lead to
arrogance, such as that displayed by the
Senate’s most recent actions. Another factor
to consider is that Senators’ compensation relative to the work they actually perform is
unreflective of the reality faced by other
Canadians. The Senate sat for 67 days this
year. What other job pays six figures for just
over two months of work? Their ability to
represent Canadians is further hampered by
the gap between their reality and ours.
To reform the Senate we would have to
re-enter the realm of Constitutional politics,
something many citizens and politicians do
not have the stomach for after the failed
attempts to amend the Constitution in the 80s
and 90s. However, it has been suggested that
incoming Prime Minister Paul Martin could
hold a special Senate-only round of
Constitutional talks. Most provincial leaders
would be in favour of Senate reform; the real
difficulty would be to avoid horse-trading by
the provinces on other Constitutional issues.
In short, what is needed is political will on the
part of both the federal and provincial governments to reform the increasingly unpopular, useless and unaccountable Senate.
Paul Martin is promising to address the
‘democratic deficit’ in this country. He has
also, for the moment, ruled out changes to the
electoral system or the Senate. As citizens we
need to ensure that democratic reforms in this
country are more than token window dressings. Political pressure needs to be firmly
applied on the issue of Senate reform
throughout Mr. Martin’s first term in office,
so that hopefully when it comes time for reelection, Senate reform will be an election
issue in earnest.
fied, I have delved into many issues involving sex and gender. I truly believe you are
not miseducated about the equality, support
and respect that the LGBT community
strives for, however I do feel you are
un/miseducated about S/M and its associations. We at the university are in a very
privileged position to identify, deconstruct,
reclaim and inform on issues on what the
“highly visually sensitive society” may connote. It’s too easy to sit back apathetically
and agree with assumptions rather than challenge people’s ideas, and in this case, on
artistry and themes that intend to denote otherwise.
Sincerely,
Reece Lagartera-Manning
“Earn Nothing Day?”
Dear Editor,
I’ve been noticing many advertisements
around campus for “Buy Nothing Day.” It
seems to me that if we were to adopt such a
maxim, and if we remember our rudimentary economics, that this would prevent the
flow of money, at least for one day. So at the
same time we are essentially promoting
“Earn Nothing Day,” perhaps not a very
attractive option, especially if we want to be
globally conscious individuals. This should
remind us that if indeed we want to “fight
the power,” we should look for more effective means, or at least not feel content with
these short-sighted solutions. Please do not
see this as a defence of capitalist oppression.
Stephen Harfield
Student U of W
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D I V E R S I O N S
bored games
Tales From a Muirite
BY M.D. COHEN AND KENT DAVIES
Songs for the Season
straight faced
Christmas time again, the tree is lit, the stockings are stuffed, and
horrible, horrible music is being played over the loud speakers.
I t’shorrible,
Maybe its time the family invested in some new listening material this
B Y
season? Maybe something other then Michael Bolton, Bing Crosby or (God
Forbid) the Backstreet Boys?
Here at the diversions section we would like to suggest some alternative
songs for your listening pleasure this holiday season.
M
D
C O H E N
o this week I decided to make something every weekly magazine needs: a
personal section. I thought this would
be a great idea but the problem with it is the
fact that people might take it too seriously.
The Uniter would get letters from interested
people and I would be to blame. So I began
to think about who would be best served by
this kind of section. The answer was obvious: Board game pieces. So, for your enjoyment, here is the Uniter’s new personal section entitle Bored Games.
S
Are you tired of dating players and having
token boyfriends or girlfriends? Are you
puzzled at the prospect of finding your missing piece? Are you looking for love? If you
answered yes to any of the above questions,
the Uniter’s Board Game Dating section
might be for you. Check out some of the eligible candidates looking for their match.
“I’m the One Who Shot Santa
Down” - Deadbolt
- Sonic Youth
“Christmas with the Devil”
- Spinal Tap
“Here Comes Santa’s Pussy”
- The Frogs
“Be Claus I Got High” - Bob Rivers
“Santa Claus Conquers the Martians”
- Sloppy Seconds
“Christmas in Prison” - Ry Cooder
“12 Days of Christmas”
- Bob and Doug Mackenzie
“Grandma Got Run Over by a
Reindeer” - Less Than Jake
Dr. Muire has his own line of Action Figures.
Accesories include a boxed drink, striped
T-shirt, and a copy of Plato’s Republic.
“Fairy Tale of New York (Christmas in
the drunk tank)” - The Pogues
“Daddy Drank Our Xmas Money”
- TVTV$
And the always classic
“Santa Doesn't Cop Out on Dope”
“Blue Christmas” - Porky Pig
Blurred Vision
B
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K
A
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Monopoly: Top hat seeks good head. Excons welcome.
Clue: Mrs Peacock seeks man who can cut
the Mustard. Are you the one?
Backgammon: Black pip is looking to join
an inter-colour relationship. Has rolled
snake eyes in the past and wants to go again.
Twister: Looking for a woman with her feet
on the ground. Preferably one on yellow and
one on red.
Cards: Queen of Diamonds is tired of the
club scene. Seeking man with heart.
America’s Military:
Protecting what’s important.
Yatzee: Will you take a chance on me? Let’s
roll the dice and see what happens.
Etch-a-Sketch: My life has taken too many
turns just to end up with the same knob. Will
you etch out a new life with me?
Hypocrites Anonymous
B Y
Chess: Knight owl seeks same.
Jacks: Don’t drop the ball. This Jack won’t
be on the market for long.
Darts: Couple seeking third party. Throw
caution to the wind and make it a triple.
M I C H A E L
R O S E N B Y
o the other day I was driving home from
work through rush hour. I was making
great time until the asshole in front of me
decided to make a left-hand turn. Do you know
how long you have to wait to make a left hand
turn? I mean sure, there was no goddamn sign
that said he couldn’t do it, but how inconsiderate.
That guy was a selfish bastard. Well, after about
S
fifteen minutes of waiting, I was able to continue
on. The rest of the ride was fairly crappy but it
only got worse. I finally get to my street. So I flick
on the old turn signal and began to wait patiently
for an opening to turn onto my street. All of a sudden some asshole behind me starts honking his
horn and giving me the goddamn finger. I mean
come on, how else am I supposed to get home?
What a prick. As if he never makes left-hand
turns. Some people, you know, some people.
Heard In the Halls
B Y
K E N T
D A V I E S
Time: 12:34
Place: Manitoba
Male: We went to see Ms. Nude
Israel
Female: I didn’t know they had
strippers in Israel
Male: Maybe they’re from the
Gaza strip. Huh, huh, nothing?
Female: That’s awful.
Stream of Consciousness
alloween is over. All the big kids used
to steal my candy, and this year, I
decided it was time to break the
vicious cycle. So I gave all the younger kids
cans of mace instead of candy. AND I
punched all the big kids in the face. Just doing
my part.
My lifelong dream is to bathe in soya
sauce. But the chinese restaurants won't let
me come in and take their little packets anymore. I tried applying at the Make a Stupid
Wish Foundation, but they said they were too
busy collecting Jell-O for some girl, and a
whole bunch of guys who wanted to watch.
Anyone interested in donating soya sauce
packets can email me. Thank you, and God
bless.
After years of study, I've discovered
that badgers CAN get drunk. But unfortunately, they're violent and abusive drunks.
And I never trimmed their claws. ...No further
testing is planned at this time.
Sometimes I wonder if mankind will
H
B Y
J J S
M C L E O D
survive into the fourth millenium. Will we
ever be able to repair the damage we've done
to the earth? Will we be able to solve world
hunger and end world war before we exhaust
our resources and destroy our mother planet?
But then I remember I'll be dead by then.
"...so there I was, facing twenty very
angry Scout masters, and wearing nothing
but a loincloth made out of a Furby. And so
I did the only thing I could do. I can't
remember exactly what that was. I was pretty drunk at the time. I woke up in a field."
There was a murmur of approval and admiration from the several drunk listeners, and
I topped my hat at them and went to get
another drink. They live for my stories.
Next time I'll tell them about the time I
infiltrated the girls’ steam room with a camera in my babushka, and then got electrocuted because the equipment got moist from
all the steam. My cover was blown (literal-
ly and figuratively), and I think they ended
up stealing my pants.
You know, life is like a box of chocolates. It's rectangular, often wrapped in foil,
and it may contain nuts.
If I could be any animal, I would be a
magic fish. Cause whenever anyone caught
me, I'd say, I'm a magic fish, and if you let me
go, I'll grant you three wishes. And then when
they let me go, I'd say "Suckah!!!"
If you're ever feeling down about the
way your life is going, just take the evening
off, and go watch the sunset from a high
building or mountain. In the presence of the
awesome beauty of nature, you'll quickly
forget all of your insignificant problems. Oh
yeah, and have about 10 beers first. Or you
can have 12 beers, and watch tv instead of
the sunrise. In any case, there's beauty all
around you. You're just not drunk enough to
see it yet. I should write one of those Life's
Little Instruction Book things. I got inspiration coming out of every orifice.
Time: 1:12
Place: Manitoba
Female: Where’s my liquor, I have
class.
Time: 11:26
Place: Ashdown
Female: You think you know awkward? My boyfriend’s a med student and his roommate is the doctor who gives me physicals. How’s
that for awkward?
Time: Bulman
Place: 1:23
Male: Okay, I admit it I don’t
know what gives girls yeast infections.
Female: Tight pants.
Male: Really.
Female: Yeah.
Male: Is that why every time I go
to the ballet I smell bread?
What have YOU heard in the halls?
Let us know – email
[email protected]
the
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Photo: David Fenton
a
uniter
Film Examines Political Climate
and The Weather Underground
“We felt that doing nothing in a period of repressive violence is itself a form of
violence. That’s really the part that is the hardest for people to understand. If you
sit in your house, live your white life, go to your white job and allow the country that you live in to commit genocide, and you sit there and don’t do anything
about it, that’s violence.” -Naomi Jaffe, former Weather Underground member.
B Y
J A M E S
P A S K A R U K
lthough the modern perception of the
60s is that of a cheesy Halloween costume driving a VW in a Dempster’s
bread commercial (“Wow, Man.”), the social
reality of the decade and of its youth was far
more serious than the peace-and-love clichés
would suggest. Hunter S. Thompson’s single
greatest metaphor in his entire body of work
was that of looking back at a high water mark
from a Las Vegas hotel room in 1972, that
mark denoting the place and the moment when
the energy of the idealistic youth movement of
that decade broke and began to recede. There
are many accounts (which get far less exposure than the happy reminiscences of flower
power) of the vibes turning more nasty and
desperate as the 60s progressed into the 70s.
The Weather Underground, a benign terrorist
group (if such a thing can be said to exist) who
A
successfully used bombs to destroy only property throughout the 70s, is emblematic of this
duality of the youth movement of the decade.
The film begins with some expository
footage about the Underground itself and its
social and political context, including footage
from the Vietnam war - some of it well-known
and some not so well-known but shockingly
graphic. This is not done gratuitously, however, because it’s very important that the viewer
understands the gravity of where this came
from. As in Saving Private Ryan, anything less
than this would be an injustice to the subject of
the film.
The Underground had its roots in a student activist organization called Students for a
Democratic Society (SDS), which by the late
60s had proven to be a harbinger of things to
come for the American left as it splintered into
many small and ineffectual factions. In 1969,
the Weathermen, a group who had taken their
name from Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean
Homesick Blues,” split off with a more militant and confrontational ethos than the principled nonviolence of the earlier 60s. In the
same period as Altamont and the Manson
killings, the Weathermen came to the fore with
an announcement of the “Days of Rage,” a
protest action in which they intended for thousands of kids to confront the Chicago police in
the streets.
The section dealing with this is the most
fascinating of the documentary, and the most
telling of the inherent flaw of the
Weathermen’s methods. Archival news
footage of the damage wreaked by the spree
of property destruction (which did not include
violence against people) included an
announcer’s voiceover saying, “It seemed to
be violence for violence’s sake, the rioters
making no specific demands!” Those who follow the anti-WTO protests will recognize this
sentiment in its plausibility and its deceptiveness.
This highlights the problem with using
violence, be it against people or property – the
message gets lost in the sensationalism of the
tactic. The Weathermen had legitimate grievances against the US government’s war in
Vietnam and racist policies at home (it is also
noted in the film that while they were harassed
and intimidated, members of the Black
Panther Party, who opposed their actions, were
assassinated). The anti-globalization movement has legitimate grievances and a message
for anyone who is willing to pay attention for
longer than a 30-second sound-bite on Fox
News. The Palestinians have more than legitimate grievances against the Israeli government and the IDF. In all three cases, the violence of their forms of protest has enabled the
press to distort their image to the public.
Indeed, one former member mentions in the
film that the Weathermen were really a gift to
the law agencies that opposed them, the people
behind Cointelpro and the murders of the
Black Panthers. Not only did their destruction
of property force them underground and ultimately accomplish nothing, it enabled the
establishment they opposed to paint the entire
youth movement in their cult-like zealot
image.
Still, as the 70s move on and the
Weathermen
become
the
Weather
Underground, it is difficult to not be sympathetic to most of the people in the movement.
One amusing fact, revealed near the end, is
that even after some members turned themselves in, charges against them had to be
dropped because the FBI had themselves broken so many laws in pursuing them that the
cases were impossible to prosecute. We get a
sense of the isolation and pain of their life,
doing what they believed had to be done, from
letters and accounts of the time, as well as a
picture of the United States in the late 70s,
with mass unemployment and the oil crisis. In
hindsight, the Reagan years seem like an
inevitability, and perhaps the most disquieting
and illustrative juxtaposition of the entire film
is the earlier shot of Jane Fonda in her Hanoi
Jane days with the clip from her carefree 80s
Workout video.
Though depressing at times, this is great
stuff, and is an important documentation of
that proverb about the road to hell. “When you
believe that you have right, God or history on
your side,” says one interviewee, “You can do
the most horrible things imaginable.” Wow,
man.
Showing at the Cinematheque, Nov 28-Dec 4
Also playing Tomorrow until Sunday
night at 9:00pm is Bukowski: Born Into This,
which will be a treat for fans and Bukowski
neophytes alike. For those not in the know,
Charles Bukowski (or Hank, as he was known
from his literary alter-ego) was a writer from
the 50s until his death in the 90s. He lived in
Los Angeles among the drunks, pimps and
skid-row bums, and his prose and poetry are
full of the harsh but vibrant life of that place.
You may already know Bukowski as the
writer of Barbet Schroeder’s Barfly, which
starred Faye Dunaway and Mickey Rourke as
the young Hank. If you don’t, this is not to be
missed as an intro. First time director John
Dullaghan has compiled a brilliant picture of
Hank’s life, featuring interviews with those
who knew him and lots of archival footage.
the
november 27, 2003
uniter
pa g e 9
F E AT U R E S
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Bondage Class Sparks
Controversy
Workshop Called Immoral
considering we were all about to be tied up.
Most of the participants are twentysomethings who appear to be bondage
novices. Ladyfish and Fisherman lay out the
main points of the workshop and the
Sagacity philosophy. Their motto: Safe, Sane
and Consensual is a common one among
fetish groups.
They are comprised mostly of heterosexual middle-aged professionals, ranging
from counselors and molecular biologists to
sailing instructors. There are also a lot of
government workers. Fetishes range from
wax play and bondage to needle piercing and
whips.
Sagacity hosts frequent “play” parties drug, sex- and alcohol-free events - to showcase their talents, and meets once a week at
a restaurant just outside Victoria. At a meeting the night before the workshop, they discussed how the media attention to the workshop could help shatter public misconceptions of kinky folk as sinister or weird.
“We need to change how people think
of kinksters,” Ladyfish told the crowd of 43.
“We’re like queer people were 20 years ago.
They can’t be discriminated against now for
being gay because that is not acceptable, but
kinky people still have to hide their
S A R A H P E T R E S C U
The Martlet
(CUP) Curious couples learned the
ropes of bondage safety at the University of
Victoria at a workshop dubbed “Bondage
101.” And no, it was not a credit course.
“There isn’t a whole lot of literature
out there on practicing bondage safely,” said
Michael Joyce from the UVic Pride
Collective, who organized the workshop
with local fetish group Sagacity.
The event created a media fervor. The
Calgary Herald warned it could promote
dangerous sexual activity. In the United
States, conservative commentator Doug
Patton called the workshop “immoral.”
At first glance, the workshop resembles a lamaze class, with 11 couples sitting
on blankets in a semi-circle around a large
room in the student union building. A closer
look reveals it is not. Each pair has 100 feet
of rope beside them, and the facilitator is a
leggy redhead who wears a corset, six-inch
stilettos and not much else. Like others, she
uses a pseudonym to protect her privacy.
The woman introduces herself as
“Ladyfish” and her partner as “Fisherman.”
The mood was surprisingly warm and casual,
lifestyle.”
Sagacity wants to connect with the gay
community, which is part of the reason they
are doing the workshop.
“We want to reach out to new folks and
make them aware of what we are doing,”
said Ladyfish.
The workshop is a mix of same- and
mixed-sex couples, along with a few who
came as singles. The facilitators first give a
bondage pep talk, focusing on the importance of safety, trust and communication.
They emphasize that no drugs or alcohol
should be used in bondage play, and they
firmly suggest having a safe signal word
between couples if any danger arises.
“Often people get an adrenaline rush.
I’ve seen people get sick and worked up. It is
important to let each other know what you
are doing and what you can take. Having a
safe word that is out of context of your play
is essential,” said Fisherman.
The first ties are basic single limb
binds. More complicated ones follow, like
the Crotch Tie (a.k.a. the “ooh hoo”) and the
Chest Harness, which cause giggles to ripple
through the room. Soon, keener couples are
testing their knowledge by awkwardly tying
each other to chairs and handrails.
Explanations for simple knots like the lark’s
head and square knot are made with analogies to tying shoes and “put the bunny in the
hole” explanations. The workshop could
have alternatively been called “Kinky Girl
Guides” or “Boy Scout Bondage.”
The grand finale is a demonstration of
combination bondage called “The Forced
Bow,” where Fisherman ties Ladyfish in an
elaborate ensemble, binding knees and chest.
Bent over, forehead to feet, she has little
control. The couple relies on communication
and trust to execute the bind, a moment of
tense intimacy.
The evening ends on a cheery vibe,
with most staying behind to test out their
new skills. A nearby couple said they had
always been interested in bondage but didn’t
know how to go about doing it. They were
pleased to learn some safety and technique
and said they will definitely sign up again.
Ladyfish ends the night with a reminder.
“We hope you will begin to help educate that kink is not sick or twisted. It is
about truth, reality and letting out all those
dark secrets we have - now have fun.”
The workshop organizers are currently
planning Bondage 102, which will focus on
suspension.
Photo By: Jacqueline Hebert
B Y
Exclusive Student Offer!
Sony Ericsson T300
>
FREE Digital Camera
> Up to 33% off your monthly bill
> NO contract
> NO mail-in rebate
All for
$
*
50
(Regular price of phone,
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of offer, $445)
Only at the Student Phone Store
Available with all FIDO monthly plans.
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To get this offer go to www.StudentPhoneStore.com , your nearest
Travel CUTS shop, or call 1.866.287.1835.
You can also check out our other exclusive student offers from Fido,
Bell Mobility, or Rogers AT&T.
Better
Terms for
Masturbation
B Y
L E A H
A L L E N
espite the fact that masturbating
is good for your health, is the
safest kind of sex, and might
even contribute to ending war (check out
www.masturbateforpeace.com), it still
has a social hangover from being linked
to guilt, shame, and sin for hundreds of
years. Since some of the stigma that surrounds masturbation might come from
the fact that so many of the terms we use
for it are gross, violent, or just plain
goofy, here is a list of terms for masturbation that celebrate it for what it is: a
safe and fun way of expressing your sexuality!
D
clitorize
disseminating
doing your nails
double-clicking your mouse
hand-to-gland combat
(potentially violent, but can
be used tongue-in-cheek)
having sex with someone you love
Jack/Jill off
know thyself
ménage a moi
mistressbate
Onan’s Olympics
petting the bunny
practice Malthusianism
selflove
she-bop
solo sex
the sound of one hand clapping
the
pa g e 1 0
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november 27, 2003
F E AT U R E S
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Getting Lippy
Before you start
playing spot the
mistletoe, make
sure your partner’s lips are
prepared for the
challenge. MAC
Lip Conditioner
is perfect for men
and women, and offers deep conditioning to
protect against Winnipeg winters. Choose
between tube or pot format.
$10
Available at The Bay MAC Counters
Naughty or Nice?
A Holiday Gift Giving Guide
If seduction is your game,
follow conditioning with
MAC Lip Glass. With 30
shades to choose from and
new deep berry shades in for the holidays
you should find something your partner
would like. Word of warning: lip glassed
lips sure look good, but their kiss-worthiness is another story. Lip Glass is designed
to stay put, so prepare yourself for some
sticky encounters.
$16
Gift Sets: $36.50
Available at The Bay MAC
Counters
No holiday season is complete without the last
minute gift purchase at your local 24-hour drug
store. While you’re combing the aisles this year,
pick up Covergirl Outlast, lipstick guaranteed for 10 hours of full lip lock.
Sound impossible? Perhaps some investigative lip locking of your own is in
order.
$10
Available
at
Shoppers Drug
Mart
Okay, so you’re a
student. It’s the thought that
counts right? If your budget
is the “all I’ve got is the
money I made off my empties” type of budget, first
rethink your drinking
habits, then, pick up NYCs
lip-gloss in watermelon. Smells
and tastes super.
$2.
Available at Shoppers Drug Mart.
Each time the holiday season rolls around the
gift list for good little boys and girls seems to
grow exponentially. Billy? Bobby? Jenny?
Managing Editor
Susie? Cathy? Timmy? The list goes on. How
tiresome. This year, switch things up and pick up a nasty little something
for your naughty neighbour instead. Even the most adept shopper could
use a few hints when it comes to the naughty side of gift giving, so here’s
a helpful guide to ensure you and yours heat things up this winter.
M I C H E L L E
K U L Y
Aqua Erotica:
18 Stories for a Steamy Bath
Edited by Mary Anne Mohanraj
This collection is composed of short stories featuring a water
theme. The content is varied, incorporating heterosexual and
homosexual themes, single and multiple partner scenarios and
stories from the everyday to the fantastic. Best of all, the book
is completely waterproof and ready for the bathtub. A second
collection of aqua erotica, Wet:
More Aqua Erotica was
published in 2002 and is
also available locally.
The Joy of Sex
Updated Gift
Edition
By Dr. Alex Comfort
That’s right, the good book
is back better than ever. A
classic read that will look
right at home next to your
parent’s copy from the 70s.
The great news is that this
edition is updated for the 21st
century. True, some of the great kitsch value a la “check out
his mullet in that photo!” is gone, but this edition is still a great
comprehensive guide for all your sex related inquiries. The
volume is full of provocative photos and illustrations.
Nerve Literate
Smut
Some of the best holiday
relaxing can be done in
front of a fire curled up
with a good book. This is
especially true if you have
something particularly
hot to read. Not only is
erotic literature a great
gift for your partner to
read on his or her own,
but it is also wonder-
Nerve.com
Edited by Genevieve
Field
Ms. Claus Getting Naughty on the
Big Screen
Well, not really. I simply couldn’t find any red
and white itsy bitsy leather titles anywhere. Go
figure.
Play Time!
Ahhh, childhood memories of spending a relaxing boxing day playing with newly acquired
toys. Oh, those days of yore can be yours again
if you put these items on your wish list this season!
Audi-oh
For
the
electronic a l l y
inclined,
this vibrator uses sonic energy to
create vibrations through
audio impulses. It hooks
up to portable CD and
MP3 players, your guitar,
or accordion and turns
sound into variable vibration. It even picks up environmental sounds. Imagine the possibilities… AC/DC for real.
Approx. $70
Available on-line.
Rubba Ducky
…you’re the one. You make
bath time so much fun?
More fun than ever really.
Not only does this
vibrating duck
look completely
innocent
( n o
embarrassing
“Aunty, is this a
lollipop?” moments), but it is waterproof as well. It comes
with a sponge bottom as well as a nubbed massager bottom.
Slightly awkward shape, but fetish friendly.
$34.95
Available on-line.
Incognito
Mini clitoral vibrator.
Looks like nail polish. Surprise for mom?
$24.95
Available on-line.
Titillation
What the Fuck
The Avant-Porn
Anthology
ful to
share. Unfortunately
reading various sexual
scenarios aloud to a
partner may seem
only slightly less
intimidating than hula
dancing
naked.
Thankfully the selection of erotic reading
material available at
your local bookstore
is expanding, with
collections of sexual scenarios that
appeal to all sexual interests.
S
No more coal in
your stocking
with these minigifts
The 35 pieces of fiction and non-fiction in
Nerve Literature Smut
are less erotica than a
thought-provoking
consideration of the
nature of human sexuality. Excellent choice
for sleep deprived
roommates requiring
distraction. If only it
had an audio component.
Read This First
E
Edited by Michael
Hemmingson
This anthology is born in
the experimental aesthetic. It incorporates a
broad range of sexual
ideas and themes and
its diversity makes it
an ideal gift. Some of
the stories are shocking, some are quirky
and some are just
downright
strange.
What the Fuck is fresh
outlook on the genre,
a great choice for a fresh new year (yay!).
Hot pink and wireless. Sounds like a
cell phone ad but these vibrating nipple clips can
free up
hands for
other work
during sex. The clamps are covered in thick jelly and adjust to
your desired pressure.
$39.95
Available on-line.
A Do-It-Yourself Holiday
Season
Gift givers on a budget of nothing,
nadda, zip, zero can still afford a sexy
holiday, it just requires a bit more
ingenuity. Luckily, Winnipeg in December can be a
pretty sexy place, so try sneaking in some sex in the coatroom
at a holiday party, in your little brother’s snow fort, or in the
middle of a hockey rink. Do it dressed up like elves, or
wrapped up in gift-wrapping. At the very least, try to be a little naughty this holiday season; you can start by stealing
Santa’s cookies and letting him catch you. He might just give
you a spanking ; )
the
november 27, 2003
uniter
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Critical Eye for the “Queer” Guy
Gay TV not to be confused with Queer TV
C H E R Y L
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Fe a t u r e s E d i t o r
f you consider all the
gay-themed shows on
television and all the
gay and lesbian characters
appearing on a number of other shows, you
would think that "queer" sexualties are being
well-represented on the tube.
In fact, the December 2003 issue of Vanity
Fair supports this very conclusion. Looking fabulous on the luxuriously photographed cover are
the cast of Will & Grace, Gale Harold principal
character "Brian" on Queer As Folk and fashion
expert Carson Kressley of Queer Eye for the
Straight Guy.
Turn to the article and many more actors
from these three shows plus the upcoming
Showtime drama The L Word (think Queer as
Folk for women) are striking a provocative pose.
"Gay TV" is here, that's for sure, and out of
the proverbial closet.
What's interesting to me though, as a student with some background in queer theory, is
how the term queer is being used to name shows
where gay men's sexuality is primary and central.
I am of course talking about the programs Queer
Eye for the Straight Guy and Queer As Folk.
So lets get our terms straight (or not!).
What is queer and what is queer theory?
"Queer" has not always been used in positive ways -- to say the least. In its most degrading
form it has been used as a slur against gays and
lesbians, but namely gay men. But like other
words which have been used against marginalized groups to oppress and demean (e.g. bitch),
queer has been reclaimed by those who want to
remake its meaning through the empowering act
of self-naming. Now queer is being used as both
a shorthand for the increasingly long list of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, two-spirited
and queer sexual identities (LGBTTQ) and also
as a broad term to describe someone who doesn't
solely engage in heterosexual sex.
Dr. Pauline Greenhill, Professor of
Women's Studies at the University of Winnipeg
has taught a course on queer theory and also does
research on queer topics. How does she define
queer?
"How I understand it, and I'm not speaking
from experience but more from reading and talking with LGBTQ etcetera people, the original
idea of reclaiming the word queer was to find a
word that didn't have gender implications. So,
almost like a word like homosexual, except
homosexual has all those kind of medicalized
aspects to it and therefore isn't all that happy a
word."
Greenhill says that queer has other advantages.
"I guess I feel a lot more people of various
different kinds of persuasion, perverse or otherwise, [are] trying to use the word queer as an
inclusive word that means anyone whose sexuality is not exclusively straight." (The term "perverse" is also being reclaimed, because as
Greenhill explains, it is even "more in-your-face"
than queer).
Understanding queer theory is a bit more
complex. Queer theory is an area of academic
study that borrows from feminism, postmodernism, and gay and lesbian studies, but uniquely, challenges the heterosexual binary that
informs most of our thought. It strives to undermine gender and sex as natural or essential in an
effort to show how what we take as a given (such
as our sex) is socially constructed. As such, this
has implications for those who organize their
basis for action on gender or sexual oppression.
Many feminists and gays and lesbians feel
threatened by queer theory's vision of eradicating
I
categories of gender and sex. Queer theorists
would advocate that groups need not organize on
the basis of a perceived common identity to
achieve political gains.
For example, a queer theorist might be critical of feminism for emphasizing woman-centred
analysis (based on a perceived commonality of
experience), when the category of woman is a
fabrication that we should be working to deconstruct.
But summarizing what queer theory is all
about in a few sentences is no easy task. There
are so many different approaches taken by its
supporters, it is helpful to remember there is
not one simple definition. However, what
remains constant is that queer as a term tries to
represent a variety of sexualities and sexes;
which brings me back to my dilemma about
"queer" TV at the start of this article. Why
name a show queer when the sexualites are not
diverse, but only gay and male?
Not suprisingly, Greenhill says this has
been one of the problems queer theory has faced
and continues to face to a certain degree. "The
problem that has been encountered in the actual
theoretical use of the word queer is the extent to
which it's associated primarily with gay men.
And also primarily with white privileged gay
men. So, it's not that the term has anything inherent in it that means gay white priviliged men, it's
more in terms of use that it has become gay white
priviliged men."
Look no further than your television screen
to see if this rings true for our dear characters on
Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and Queer As
Folk.
In Queer Eye, five exceptionally fashionable and cultured gay men (The Fab 5) take one
clueless straight man and give him a "make-better" (their word for make-over). The Fab 5 represent experts in the following domains: grooming,
fashion, food & wine, culture, and interior
design.
The show is well done and humorous, but
it also plays off one of the major stereotypes that
plague gay men -- that of a superficial obsession
with appearances. Our gay experts are also successful, privileged and almost all white -- except
for cutie Jai Rodriguez.
In Queer As Folk, perhaps the stereotypes
are more alarming because the one-hour long
drama has time to develop the personal lives of
the main characters over the course of a season.
Now in season three, the fact that people of
colour are never cast for more than one show but
instead are relegated to the realm of extras and
one night stands, is bothersome. And what about
the women?
Yes, there is one likeable lesbian couple on
Queer As Folk, but they are hopelessly domestic
thanks to boring storylines. While their gay
friends are out partying and meeting studs, their
primary dilemma is figuring out who will father
their second child. "The lesbians" also serve as
joke material for most of the boys who cringe at
Melanie's butchiness and the idea of actually liking vaginas.
Lesbian women will probably embrace the
upcoming show The L Word, but it is likely the
program, like Queer As Folk, will miss the mark
when it comes to representing a range of queer
sexualities.
"Queer means gay, white, privileged male
in the context of that show [Queer As Folk] and I
guess Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. It's not
only white, male and privilged but also excessively concerned with appearances," says
Greenhill who is happy the shows exist, but
thinks the representation reflects a limited view.
"There's nothing fundamentally wrong
with having some stereotypical views being publicly presented, but the sad thing is that there's
really nothing else."
This is particularly true for the less "marketable" queers who are not benefiting from the
gay revolution on TV. I think it's fair to say we
won't be seeing any transgendered people of
colour with their own developed storylines, nevermind their own programs, on television any
time soon.
Ultimately, many sexualities and races
should be celebrated, and until we start to see a
little more diversity on the tube, some of us will
stay critical of the shows we deep down want to
embrace with enthusiasm..
the
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november 27, 2003
F E AT U R E S
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Dr. Ruth: An Influential but
not All-Knowing Sexpert
BY ANDREA PATENAUDE
am a sex media junkie. Before I even
glance at the cover story of any publication, I must first turn to the sex advice
column to satiate my appetite for other peoples’ juicy dilemmas. It is also a rare
Thursday that I actually check my email
without first looking up the latest Savage
Love column in the Seattle-based web-zine
“The Stranger.”
You can imagine my pleasure at having
the opportunity to attend a November 18th
lecture at the Centennial Concert Hall given
by the mother of all sex media personalities,
Dr. Ruth Westheimer. Dr. Ruth, as she is
known throughout the world, is a cultural
icon whose very name has become synonymous with sex.
In her first visit to Winnipeg, the famed
75-year old psychosexual therapist interspersed expected talk of orgasms, masturbation and erections with her views on how far
society has come, and how far it has yet to
go, in becoming sexually literate.
“We all come from a background
where the Victorian mother told her daughter
on the night of her wedding ceremony to ‘lie
back and think of England,’” she said. “In
other words, do not expect orgasms.” What
little there was in the way of sex education
mainly emphasized duty over pleasure and
associated sexual organs with urinary functions.
Work to overcome those early impressions has been primarily a matter of dispelling myths and disseminating accurate
information, a task that Westheimer has
approached with a heavy reliance on scientific data combined with her characteristic wit.
“A lesson taught with humour is a lesson
retained,” she insists.
Born in Germany just before World
War II, Westheimer’s early life was shaped
by the conflicts of the day. After suffering
the loss of her family during the Holocaust
and being trained as a sniper for the Jewish
freedom fighting group, Haganah, in Israel, it
is small wonder that she made a career out of
sex, the precursor to life.
Immigrating to the US in 1956, she
obtained her doctorate in Education from
Colombia University and began working for
I
Planned Parenthood. The experience provided her with a shocking, but captivating first
exposure to sex education. She abandoned a
thesis project investigating the lives of war
orphans to instead study human sexuality
under Dr. Helen Singer-Kaplan at Cornell
University.
Following her initial rise to fame as the
host of the radio program “Sexually
Speaking” in the 1980s, Westheimer has been
prolific in contributing to sex education
efforts through newspaper columns, books,
movie cameos, home videos, board games,
television shows
and a website
launched in 1996.
She is currently an
Adjunct Professor
at NYU and continues to pursue private practice.
Westheimer
credits the proliferation of educational
resources through
various media for
society’s increasing
rate of sexual literacy. For example, the
Internet provides
excellent opportunities for getting
messages across to
broad audiences;
however, she also
worries
about
implications
for
personal security and for the spread of misinformation.
There is also a valuable role for parents
and community in initiating sex education
during early childhood, when attitudes begin
to form. “It is very important that parents are
‘askable’ parents,” she emphasized, “alongside synagogues and churches and community organizations.”
Evidence of changing attitudes towards
sex, she suggests, is apparent in that unwanted pregnancy rates in 2003 are lower than
ever before. She also stated that scientific
research coupled with education have contributed to more women being able to enjoy
orgasms and fewer men experiencing prema-
ture ejaculation than ever before.
Despite these advances, there is still
much work to do. Masturbation, for instance,
remains one of the most difficult topics to
discuss, in part due to biblical prohibition of
the practice.
While we are making progress obliterating some of the more persistent myths,
such as the classic hairy palms for masturbators, modern times come with a whole host of
other misconceptions that can impede
healthy sexuality.
As a pharmacological breakthrough,
Viagra has been the
hailed as a golden
calf for overcoming
impotence, however, she cautions
against allowing
restored
sexual
prowess to replace
basic relationship
values.
"He gets that
Viagra pill and
comes home with
an erection from
the floor to the ceiling, but it means
absolutely nothing
if he hasn't shown
his wife affection
or helped her with
the dishes,” says
Westheimer.
S i m i l a r l y,
some women’s preoccupation with the g-spot and achieving
female ejaculation threatens to compromise
their feelings of sexual adequacy if they are
not able to get off in that way. While not dismissing the g-spot as an erotic zone for some
women, Westheimer states that there is, to
date, no data on the g-spot.
In addition to overcoming long held
myths and thwarting the creation of new
ones, part of the work needed to change attitudes involves updating some seminal but
now outdated studies on human sexuality
such as the Kinsey Report and the Masters &
Johnson study. These studies have been critical in understanding sexual behaviour,
response and dysfunction, but their findings
may not be applicable to all segments of a
modern population.
For example, while Westheimer insists
that “respect is not negotiable” with regards
to acknowledging sexual orientation, she
claims that the root causes of homosexuality
and bisexuality are poorly understood and
require further study. As virtually the only
comments that Westheimer made respecting
sexual orientation, it became obvious that her
lecture was targetted at a heterosexual audience. Beyond these comments, Westheimer
failed to provide much in the way of constructive information for members of the
LGBT community.
Westheimer also used her forum to
advocate for the continued availability of
abortion “not as a contraceptive method, but
in the case of contraceptive failure.” She
prefaced the statement by recognizing the
controversy surrounding the topic, but maintained that consequences to women’s health
of it not being available make it a necessity.
For all the sex talk that filled the air in
the Centennial Concert Hall, “the sex lady”
never missed an opportunity to call herself
“old-fashioned" and "a square.” While it was
clear that she was expressing her own belief
that sex is about relationships rather than the
act itself, this pronouncement was most frequently made while taking anonymously
written questions from the audience following her lecture.
Her response to questions from the
audience on such topics as polyamorous relationships, kinky practices and bisexuality
indicate that there are some topics on which
she hesitates to be considered an expert.
Recounting an instance in which she
referred a couple that practiced sadomasochism to another therapist, it is possible
to see how people outside of the vanilla sex
mainstream might have to look beyond
Westheimer to have their issues addressed.
However, for the majority of the
inquiring audience in the Concert Hall last
Tuesday night, Westheimer answered questions with the knowledge, directness and
humour that have allowed her voice to
become the voice in all our heads when it
comes to sex. And it certainly is the voice in
my head no matter whose sex column I am
reading.
Is There a Power Dynamic in Oral Sex?
B Y
J E A N N E
F R O N D A
any Winnipeggers say that it really is
better to give than to receive. Oral
sex, that is.
I asked students and members of the
University of Winnipeg and Red River College
community, what are the power structures at
play when performing oral sex? Does one person have the power and another doesn’t?
When asked, most interviewees would
agree; whether there is a power dynamic in the
oral sex act depends on the nature of the relationship, because it can also be an affectionate
act that occurs in a loving, trusting relationship.
Lorie Quileza, a technical communications student at Red River College thinks the
person performing oral sex is in control.
“Giving it means you have the power,” she
says. “The person giving it can give as much
or as little as they want.”
M
Aaron Nadon, a first year U of W student, agrees that the person who is on the giving end has control. “The person performing it
is definitely the one in control,” he says.
Kristi Jacques, a first year University of
Winnipeg student, also says it is the person
performing oral sex who has the power.
“Essentially it’s the person who’s giving it
[who has the power] because you have control
over whether or not it’s going to finish,” says
Jacques, but the power can shift during the act.
“I think men try to assume control,” says
Jacques regarding oral sex between a man and
a woman. “You can either fight it off or keep
in control. I don’t necessarily take offence to
men pushing you down because they get so
into it they don’t realize they’re grabbing or
pushing.”
Consent at all stages of any sexual act is
imperative. Both partners must be communicating what they are comfortable with and how
far they intend to go. It is sexual assault if
someone is forcing another person to do something they are not comfortable doing.
Fiona Green, Co-ordinator of the
University of Winnipeg’s Women’s Studies
program, says if pain is inflicted without a person’s consent then that becomes the issue, not
who has theoretical power.
“Consent between both parties as an act
is continuing and must go on. Communication
is the key to what the intent is,” she says. “Just
because you agree to an act doesn’t mean people don’t have the right to stop. No means no
for both people involved.”
Green also says it’s not easy to simplify
the power dynamic when talking about oral
sex.
“Context is everything. It’s not that easily divisible into the giver and receiver, or who
is powerful or who is powerless,” she says.
Green says the idea of power during oral
sex traditionally stems from heterosexual
porn.
“Often when we think of oral sex and the
power dynamic it’s because of heterosexual
porn. Often [heterosexual porn] is about
power,” says Green. “The one giving is not in
a position of power.”
Although the power dynamic is implied
in the act of oral sex, it can be an affectionate
act between partners. Green says the giver can
find “ immense pleasure from giving pleasure.”
Lee-Anne Peluk, culture editor for
newwinnipeg.com and All Things Nasty
columnist says that oral sex is a healthy part of
one’s sex life. There are a lot of factors to think
about when discussing the role of power in
oral sex. She says the very nature of oral sex
indicates a power dynamic.
“In oral sex, one person is giving and
one person is receiving. This implies a power
structure if it is not in the context of a mutually agreed-upon arrangement or a trusting relationship.”
the
november 27, 2003
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Photo: Angela Browne
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Local Trio Building on Strong Start
J E F F
R O B S O N
Arts Editor
n the middle of January
2002, a trio of
Winnipeg singer/songwriters got together for a
one-time show at Sled Dog Music in Wolseley.
The immediate interest in that show spawned a
second night, and the interest in both nights
would go on to spawn a very promising career
that’s taken off over the past 22 months.
The three musicians who make up The
Wailin’ Jennys had each previously worked
hard to carve out their individual careers, each
with different focuses, but all with promising
success. Nicky Mehta has been singing and
playing around Winnipeg since 1995. In 2001,
she released a critically acclaimed solo CD
called Weather Vane. It’s a collection of serious
and thought provoking songs that are introspective and poetic and beautiful. Cara
“Lovely” Luft was raised by professional folk
singing parents, and has a great love and appre-
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ciation for traditional folk. She also harbours
what she calls “her inner rock child” which has
helped make her a well-respected guitarist who
once
played
England’s
prestigious
International Guitar Festival. And Ruth Moody
spent four years touring the world as the lead
singer for internationally renowned celtic band,
Scruj MacDuhk. When that band broke up, she
went on to release a solo CD called Blue Muse.
With such promising individual careers,
there was no plan to form a band and start
something else; the pieces just sort of fell into
place, says Nicky Mehta, “I remember at the
time, the person who helped us put our first
show together, the owner of Sled Dog Music,
John Sharples, I remember him saying, ‘I have
a feeling this is going to go far,’ but I doubted
it, because I had just released my album and we
were all pretty much concerned with our own
careers at that point, so we didn’t take it that
seriously. But you just can’t ignore that kind of
interest when it happens as quickly as it did. It
was a real surprise and a gift that it happened.
We decided to follow it and it’s led us to some
pretty great places.”
What happened is that a magical on-
# 4
here is a dilemma that
often follows young
artists in their careers.
They are often talented, young,
and have new ideas on pieces,
however they sometimes struggle to grasp what their limits
may be, and sometimes they
cannot convey the emotion or
effect that they intended. A similar
predicament
befell
Alexandre Da Costa during his
recent concert with Juan Carlos
Garvayo.
Beginning with Sonata #
2 for solo violin by Ysaye, Da
Costa opened the show. The Sonata is divided into
four movements. In the first movement, titled
Obsession, the passion was there, the sound was
good, but the effect of the solo violin meant that
the feeling was just a bit overly dramatized, which
is what might happen with just such a movement.
De Costa’s attempt at the second movement,
Malincolia, had a significantly richer sound, but
unfortunately the atmosphere was not established
quite as it should have been. The effort improved
during the third movement, called Dance des
Hombres and it led into the last movement, called
Les Furies. The emotion came through, but the
overall effect wasn’t quite established, as it
seemed De Costa lacked the stage presence at that
moment to execute it completely, and he set the
O F
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T
stage chemistry was obvious to all in attendance at those shows, and there was demand
for the trio almost immediately. The initial
shows were a combination of original songs
from each member, and some carefully selected covers. Each member brought songs that
they’d like to do together, and they ranged
from traditional folk songs to contemporary
singer/songwriters to fun and goofy covers of
classic rock songs. And no matter what the
song, each was presented in such a fun and
magical way that audiences responded quickly.
“We’ve always done our original material
right from the get-go, and we’ve always tried to
inject humour into the show. I don’t think we
could do it any other way, it’s not like we consciously try to be funny, it’s just that that’s what
we would want to see from other artists. We generally are having fun,” says Mehta. “For some
reason, it seems to have caught on and people
seem to like what we do so we’re really lucky to
get the audiences we have.”
Those audiences quickly included ones at
many Canadian folk festivals, including the
prestigious Winnipeg Folk Festival, where the
group played main stage on opening night, a
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bar a bit high as to how he
would follow a move such as
that.
However, De Costa carefully downplayed that with Brahms Sonata Number
3 for Violin and Piano. Playing along side Carlos
Garvayo, De Costa seemed more complete, and
this showed in the first movement, the Allegro.
The sound was very rich and melded well, and De
Costa added warmth and passionate sympathy to
the Garvayo’s piano playing. I took issue with Une
Poco Presto e Con Sentimento movement and the
Presto Agitato, noting that there should have been
more of a marked difference in the pace and emotion between the two, but it worked well and it left
the audience anticipating the second half.
The artists went with a Spanish Composer
named De Falla and his piece Canciones Populare.
This featured six short musical sketches of different regions of Spain. They all had very marked
M
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The Wailin’ Jennys will headline their
own show at The West End Cultural Centre for
the first time on Friday, December 5. Opening
the show will be singer/songwriter Dale
Nikkel. Tickets are $14 in advance at
Ticketmaster and the WECC, and $16 at the
door. For more information on The Wailin’
Jennys, visit www.thewailinjennys.com.
C O N C E R T
ALEXANDRE DA COSTA &
JUAN CARLOS GARVAYO
B
tremendous feat for a group only a few months
old. And things have carried along in that fashion ever since; The Wailin’ Jennys have been
lucky enough to play almost every major
Canadian folk festival, including a spot this year
at the star-studded Edmonton Folk Festival.
It’s been a bit of an incredible ride,
explains Mehta, “There’s been so many different kinds of highlights. I think meeting so many
different people across the country and into the
states and from abroad and musicians on the
road, has been a really great thing. We played
the Dawson City Folk Festival, which is up in
the Yukon north of Whitehorse. And we were
up there in the summer when there’s almost no
night time, it’s constant sunlight. Things like
that, I don’t know that I ever would have gone
up there in my life if we hadn’t been invited to
a festival up there. Those are the times when
you think, ‘man, I’m so lucky to be doing this.’”
The Wailin’ Jennys released their debut EP
a few short months after those first fateful concerts. The six song CD contained one original
song from each member of the group, and three
covers. It succeeded in getting a great deal and
support from the CBC and campus and community radio. Just this month the group began
recording a full-length follow up album, which
will be released on Canadian roots label Jericho
Beach. With label support, as well as strong
management and booking agents in place, the
group seems poised for even greater success in
the future, and with that comes a stronger commitment from each of the members.
“The more time has gone by, the more
you have invested in it, the more willing you
are to see it through to whatever conclusion it
has, whether that’s five years down the line or
a year down the line or ten years down the line
or whatever,” says Mehta, “I think now that
[the group has] become a little bit more of an
organized venture, it’s going to give us a little
more time to go out and sing our own songs
and play our own shows when we want to, but
I think we’re all pretty jazzed about how it’s
been going as a group. That’s going to be the
focus, but I think we’ll dabble here and there
with the solo stuff.”
U
B
and distinct differences, but
they seemed too abrupt and
disjointed to truly establish a
mood. Still the artists, although
sometimes lacking in effect, did give a good
impression of these regions of Spain.
Next was a piece that really captivated the
audience. It was Introduction and Rondo
Cappriccioso by St Saens. De Costa was trying to
convey a French take on Spain as he explained on
stage (he’s originally from Montreal). He captured
the romance and the passion, and both he and
Garvayo took turns conveying their instruments as
foreground and background seamlessly and it
helped establish an authoritative presence.
That
authority
continued
into
Zigeunerweisen by Sarasate. There was a dominant presence that came through even in the passage’s high notes and pizzicato. That was contrasted by a great sadness, but the last part, which is
S E R I E S
played quite fast and was
where it seemed to slip. While
De Costa had extraordinary
technical control on the violin
(a 1689 Stradivarius given to
him by The Canada Arts
Council, he explained on stage)
it seemed quite difficult to separate the flash from the emotion. That ended the regular
program, and here’s where the
young violinist got too ambitious and went a bit too far. He
chose as an encore “Manic
Depression” by Jimi Hendrix,
off of the album Are You
Experienced. While it was quite a treat, he couldn’t even begin to tackle the emotion involved. The
audience seemed to like it, rolling with his natural
showmanship on violin, and giving a standing
ovation. I will, however, say quite frankly that this
was the first time rock and roll worked its way into
a Virtuosi Concerts program since its inception in
the 1990s. I may be a fan of rock and roll music,
but there are some borders best left uncrossed by
classical musicians, particularly with an artist like
Jimi Hendrix.
The next Virtuosi concert will feature Nadejda
Vlaeva on piano, on Saturday, December 6.
Tickets are $26/24/14. For more info, visit
www.virtuosi.mb.ca.
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november 27, 2003
e
because I’m rich! Now that’s what it is. It’s
just like, people like hanging around me
because they’re hoping they’ll get rich too.
Because I just exude good fortune. And so
that’s they key to my appeal. People just want
that to rub off. In fact, I have a new song that
I’m gonna throw at people that I didn’t play
last time I was there. I’ve got a few new songs
but I got a new song that’s going to be the title
track of my next album. It’s autobiographical.
It’s called, “Lucky God damned Jew.” People
can look forward to that. And you know, that
kind of good fortune and good feeling will just
rub off on them and they’ll probably win the
lottery the next day.
JR: Really?
GB: Yeah, It’s true. I had this great show the
other day in Courtney, which is a small town
on Vancouver Island and 45 people showed up
and they paid like 12 bucks to get in! And it
was just me! And I yelled at them and then I
pulled the accordion back and forth and then
they bought some CDs. But the thing is that I
had had a fortune cookie at the Red Ruby, the
Chinese and Canadian cuisine restaurant next
to the venue, before the show that said “Your
originality will be rewarded”. So you know,
this program is working. I’m sort of like a
Tony Robbins figure .
JR: You’re motivating me, that’s for sure.
GB: See? That’s what the key is, my Tony
Robbins-like motivational speaker aspect. I
don’t have as big teeth, but I’m going to buy
some because I’m rich now.
JR: I hear you recently had a new baby,
how many kids do you have?
Geoff Berner’s One Lucky Jew
– Or So He Says
love listening to Geoff Berner and he’s one of my favourite live performers, but it’s tough interviewing the guy. Don’t get me wrong,
he’s got lots to talk about; he’s a well renowned songwriter, his song
“Light Enough To Travel” was a big hit for The Be Good Tanyas a couple of years ago, and he’s toured the world, opening for such diverse
acts as Billy Bragg, D.O.A., and Carolyn Mark. His first full length CD,
We Shall Not Flag or Fail, We Shall Go On to the End, is a critical and
I
B Y
J E F F
R O B S O N
&
K R I S T I
K O L B A U E R
Jeff Robson: How are things in Twin Butte?
GB: [The concert] was wonderful. You know,
the whole town came out. The people of Twin
Butte are living the life that they’ve decided to
live and money is not the issue for them so
they understand why we make music and stuff.
JR: It kind of sounds like you actually.
GB: Well, yeah, except of course now, I’m
rich.
JR: Are ya?
GB: Yeah! I just found out that while I was
away I got an $1100 SOCAN cheque.
JR: Really?
GB: I’m a rich man. You’ll see me in
Winnipeg, I’ll be the guy smoking the Cuban
cigar. I’m rich, I’m rich! But don’t even ask to
borrow money off of me.
JR: Tell me about Geoff Berner.
GB: I play solo accordion and I sing songs that
I made up. The odd time I sing songs that other
people made up, but they are usually friends of
mine. Unless of course, I get really drunk, then
of course the stunt covers come out and all
dignity goes out the window.
JR: I understand you’ve done a bunch of
shows with the legendary Billy Bragg. That
must have been a treat.
GB: Yeah, I played a bunch of shows with
commercial success. This is kind of a strange thing, considering that
Berner’s primary musical instrument is the accordion. He writes songs
that are at times political, thought provoking, and beautiful, but through
it all, he’s the funniest guy I know. You don’t interview Geoff Berner,
you kind of just wind him up and let him go. Recently I had the chance
to wind him up, and he certainly let go. He phoned me from a payphone
at the general store in Twin Butte, Alberta.
him, and his management people let me sleep
in their office when I go to London. So you
know, I’m rolling.
JR: Do you enjoy sleeping in offices?
GB: If you sleep in the t-shirt room, they also
keep the photocopier there, and the hum of the
photocopier, it’s like a white noise thing that
blocks out the sound of London, you know,
and it makes it easier to sleep. It’s pretty cool
sleeping in the t-shirt room next to the photocopier because there’s like a gold record from
pink Floyd there. It’s like, glamorous.
JR: Tell me about shows with Billy Bragg
GB: I had my dad’s politics ‘til I was about
thirteen or fourteen and went with some
friends to the Vancouver Folk Festival. It was
Thatcher era, and they had all these antiThatcher, left wing, English political musicians there and the one that I sort of looked up
to was Billy Bragg because he was like, he
was punky, you know, he was a punk guy
alone with an electric guitar. He was funny and
he sang you know, love songs, and he also was
very, very political and my whole world view
changed that weekend. And since then I’ve
been basically a raving socialist
JR: Do you write politically themed stuff?
Is there a message to your songs?
GB: Well you know, it’s a political act and a
bad political act to separate politics from regular to-ing and fro-ing of life. You know, politics is in the fabric of life, and you shouldn’t
like, try to cut it out. You know, it just goes in
there. I see every one of my songs as political,
even if it doesn’t mention the results of the last
election, or if it doesn’t actually speak directly
to the current scheme of distribution of wealth
in my country or something like that.
JR: Really?
GB: Well yeah. Showing up for me is a political act. Because like, when musicians show up
to play, it’s a political act because it’s like,
screw that American Idol bullshit. That’s not
music or culture. That’s just putting people
down. That’s just making people feel bad for
not being good enough and it’s just all about
empty fame and it’s all about the consumerists’
suburban bullshit complex. And so, when I
show up, I’m funny looking and I play the
accordion and I don’t do the little trills that
people on American Idol do. I sing stuff I made
up, and it’s about specific things that happened
in people’s lives and details and stuff. It’s a
political act because I’m not just writing those
stupid god damned “you” songs where there’s
no specifics and it’s all for the lowest common
denominator. Well let’s see what we could put
in this song, well, we should put the word eye,
and the look in your eye because everyone’s
got eyes. Should we talk about uh, you know a
particular street in someone’s hometown? No!
Because like people might not relate to that and
not buy it. Let’s talk about like, arms.
Everybody’s got arms. In your arms, you know,
and love and tonight. Everyone can relate to
the concept of tonight.
JR: Where do you think your strength lies,
as a songwriter or a performer?
GB: People just want to hang around with me
GB: I’ve got three kids. The first two are
already earning their keep and stuff like that.
Joseph is only 9 weeks old so we haven’t put
him to work yet. In BC we got new child
labour laws. There are really no standards
anymore, it’s just, uh, basically you have to
have a note from your parents saying it’s okay
to work. It used to be that the child labour protection officer who had to sign off on you
working in a particular place, but they got rid
of that.
JR: Have you started working on a new
album yet?
GB: Well it’s mainly written but I also have
another album that is already recorded but I
don’t know if I’m going to put it out or how
it’s going to work or what. It’s a Live in Oslo
record.
JR: Why not put it out?
GB: Well I just have to find somebody to pay
for it to come out.
JR: I’ll give you 20 bucks for a copy
GB: Well, that’s a good start. See, but like, it’s
not recorded in Canada so FACTOR and all
those other people, they won’t pay for like,
grants and shit. You need all that other money
for like, the publicity and stuff so you can give
a record a chance in life. You can’t just throw
a record out on the street and say “Good luck,
kid!” You got to give a record some tools to
survive out in the world. A lot of people they
do that, they just make a record and soon as
the record is old enough to walk they just put
it out on the street. But it doesn’t know how to
feed itself, it doesn’t know how to print a
resume or anything. You got to give your
record a chance. So, I’m not putting the record
out there in the cold until I know that I can
give it the tools and the wisdom it needs to get
by in this crazy world. I have to pee. So I gotta
go pee, and then continue the interview. I want
to talk to you more so I’m going to call you
after I pee.
Catch Geoff Berner and his guest Dave
Lang on Friday, November 28 at The Academy
Coffee Company, 414 Academy Road. Tickets
are only $2 at the door. Geoff assured me that
he will go pee before the concert, and I suggest
you do the same.
For more information on Geoff Berner,
visit www.geoffberner.com.
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november 27, 2003
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P U R E
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Coleco
B Y
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ne of the most talked about bands in the Uniter office these days is Coleco, a
five-year-old, five-member pop-rock band rising in the ranks of the local music
scene. For this week’s edition of Pure Peg, I made the trek into the depths of St. B
and sat down with them to get the dirt on pop rock, pop culture and the pains of
popping into the professional music scene.
O
H O R B A L
n a foggy Sunday night in the middle
of November, the members of Coleco
are sitting in the middle of an old
warehouse in the middle of St. Boniface.
They’re huddled in their makeshift studio,
which is currently devoid of any equipment
(save for their token electric fireplace), with
their parkas zipped up tightly, set to do their
first “real” interview.
After five years of playing together,
Korbin Grae, Paula McLeod, Rick Herrera,
Brad Smyrski and Adres Nieto - aka Coleco –
are finally on the move and are experiencing a
lot of firsts. They’ve just recorded their first
CD, they’re planning the first expansion to
their studio, and - after more than a few
appearances on radio - they’re getting ready to
see their names in the paper for the first time.
And it’s been a long, long road for them
to get to where they are today.
Although all five members have been
playing music separately for quite some time,
Grae, McLeod, Herrera, Smyrski and Nieto
were all “just friends” for what they call “too
long of a time” before they finally got their acts
–and this act – together about five years ago.
Nieto and Smyrski were experimenting together with a band that ended up fizzling out and
Herrera and Grae were fooling around, musically, when the four friends decided to “quit
wasting their time” and try playing together.
“We finally just all got together and did
something,” says Smyrski.. “And it sounded
really good. So we decided to keep playing.”
For the group, playing was the easy part.
Among the many struggles a developing band
faces, coming up with the band’s name was
one of the hardest things for these guys (and
girl, who joined the band about three years
ago).
“The greatest feat for the band was probably coming up with the name,” says Herrera,
of the group’s struggle through names like
Frequency League and Code Name Coleco.
Adds McLeod, “The thing about a name
Photo: Leighton Klassen
O
is that it’s supposed to be all encompassing.
And that’s hard to do.”
Whether it encompasses them or not
(and they claim that it “sort of does… the
whole pop culture, product of the 70’s
thing..”), the band can thank a late night at the
Pembina Draft House and a routine flashback
to disco pop-culture for their current moniker.
“We were all at the Pemby getting
drunk,” says Nieto. “On of us was like, how
about Coleco – like the video game from the
‘70s. And it stuck.”
Although their name is quite original,
Coleco is not a band that is striving to be
known as unique. The group says uniqueness
is just being as creative as they can be, and it
doesn’t really matter to them if people see
them as being different.
“We’re not doing this to be different,”
says Herrera. “We’re just playing because it’s
something that we love. And if we could make
a living doing it, then all the better. But it’s not
going to be because someone thinks we’re
‘different’.”
“It’s hard to say what’s different. We’re
just a band trying to do what we love,” says
Herrera, adding with a laugh, “We’re a rockmetalcountryjazzthing.”
All joking aside, the Coleco sound is a
brand of pop rock, with all songs being original and written “in house” by Grae – with the
help of his like-minded band-mates. The group
credits the writing process as being one of the
most dynamic and interesting aspects of the
band, thanks primarily to the way songs work
themselves out.
“When I write, I’m inspired by the song
itself,” says Grae. “I’ll bring a riff or something in to practice, and the rest of the song
will just flow. Someone will start jamming
over it and it will evolve. We all know where
we want to go with something, so - when a
new song is being worked out - we can all go
there together.”
The members of Coleco say that a
career in music is where they’d all
love to be going, but they’re not worrying too much about anything but
writing songs and making beautiful
music right now.
Plans are in the works for a crosscountry summer tour, a second CD,
and a mass distribution of Coleco’s
first disc to recording labels – but for
right now, the band is just worrying
about keeping up with what’s gotten
them this far and reworking the mistakes they’ve made in the past.
“We know what we’ve done wrong
with the first album,” says Herrera.
“We didn’t know the business side of
things, we didn’t know about promotions.”
“We’ve played shows to three people and we’ve played shows to 300
people,” says McLeod of the inconsistency of the local music scene.
“Then we were like, ‘oh – we don’t
have any posters. No wonder there’s
nobody here. People just don’t
know.”
“But we’re not all that concerned,”
says Nieto on the topic of success and
Coleco’s future.
“We’re just going to keep on playing
music and making CDs like we do,”
says Nieto. “Because at the end it all
makes sense.”
COLECO
MEMBERS:
Korbin Grae – vocals and guitar
Paula McLeod – keyboard and vocals
Brad Smyrski – bass
Rick Herrera – guitar and vocals
Andres Nieto – drums
RECORDINGS:
Coleco (available at all Music Trader and
Into The Music locations)
NEXT SHOW(S):
Sat Nov 29 @ The Collective Cabaret
Boys Just Wanna Have Fun!
B Y
D A N E N E
G O U L E T
hat if I said to you, you would
have the opportunity to tune out
your mind to your day-to-day
problems by opening your mind and ears to
some great music? Also what if I said that for
less than $15.00 you would be supporting a
place that helps save and rebuild lives. Oh
yeah one more thing, what if I said to you
that it’s not your average show, it’s a great
show with a great line up with a unique
twist? Are you intrigued yet? Organizer/performer Michael Johnston answered some of
my questions and possibly yours. The name
of the show is “Boys Play Girls” and it is in
support of the KLINIC here in Winnipeg.
W
Danene Goulet: Is this the first time Boys
Play Girls has been done in Winnipeg?
Michael Johnston: Yes, The first Boys Play
Girls show was in January of 2002, and featured myself along with Greg Keelor (Blue
Rodeo), Moe Berg (Pursuit of Happiness),
Bob Wiseman, Don Ross, and Andy Maize
and Josh Finlayson (The Skydiggers) . I took
the concept to my hometown, Peterborough
ON, a few months later and had Dave Tough
(The Silverhearts) and other local artists per-
form. Paul Myers (Mike’s brother) was at
the Toronto show, and was so taken by it that
he helped to organize a Boys Play Girls concert in Vancouver later that year. Since I
arrived to Winnipeg in February I’ve known
that I wanted to put an evening together here.
It took Cate Friesen, a friend and musician
who’s also recently moved from Toronto, to
help set the wheels in motion.
DG: Why did you choose the KLINIC as the
facility to support?
MJ: I have several close friends who’ve
been victims of sexual abuse, and they’ve all
had to deal with that reality on their own.
What’s great about Klinic is that they provide “hope and healing” (their mission statement) to not only victims, but partners and
families as well.
DG:
How
successful
has
this
project/fundraiser been in the past?
MJ: This show was an overwhelming success in Toronto a few years ago – the 220seat venue was sold-out in advance, and
there was a lineup around the block on the
night of. It was a charmed evening, really.
This is actually the first time it’s been set-up
as a benefit though. The performers in
Toronto ended up having such a fabulous
time, that at the end of the night, money was
an afterthought. It seems to make more sense
to pool money from a variety show like this
to support one cause.
DG: Is it a struggle to get bands to jump on
board for this?
MJ: Not at all. Everyone committed almost
immediately to this concert. Most musicians
jump at any chance to play outside of the little boxes we paint for ourselves. It’s a great
thrill and challenge to learn and re-interpret
songs written by female writers. Have you
ever heard Miles Davis’ cover of “Time After
Time”? Women have performed songs written by men since Schubert’s art songs in the
1800s. The Beatles covered Carol King in
the 60s, but most of us couldn’t name many
other popular instances of men covering
women’s tunes.
DG: What is the percentage of the money
that goes to the charity of choice?
MJ: All of the profits will be donated to
Klinic.
DG: What separates this fundraising event
from others out there?
MJ: I can’t really speak to that, but I’m very
excited to be part of an evening that’s only
ever gonna happen once. People can be so
indifferent to live music nowadays – it’s
much easier to justify NOT going out, since
there’s usually a “next time”– but there’s no
snooze button for a show like this.
This may sound a trite cliché to end this
piece but I’m going to say it anyway, it is so
great to see artists out there doing something
great for the community. With that said, I
hope you all will mark Wednesday, Dec. 3 @
8:00pm on your Calendars. Johnston will be
covering the songs of Kate and Anna
McGarrigle; James Keelaghan will perform
as Sheryl Crow; Novillero takes on the persona of Carol King; Chords of Canada will
do their best Cyndi Lauper; The Farrell
Brothers will portray The Pretenders;
Richard Moody will show us his inner Joni
Mitchell; and Old Seed is billed as The
Ladies of the 80s. To be sure that you are
front and center for this event you can get
your tickets at the West End Cultural Center
(586 Ellice Ave.), Music Trader in Osborne
Village, The Winnipeg Folk Festival music
store and Sled Dog Music. Admission is $10
in advance or $12 at the door.
the
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uniter
november 27, 2003
l i s t i n g s
ON CAMPUS COMMOTION
If you have anything you want included in our listings,
you have one of five options:
1 - go to www.newwinnipeg.com and fill out the
request form
2 - send an email to Julie (that would be me) at
uniter-events@newwinnipeg,com
3 - fill out a request form @ the U of W Info Booth
THE ROAD TO RABIN SQUARE
A Film by Michael Karpin
Thurs Nov 27, 7:30pm - 4M31
RAE BRIDGMAN:
INVISIBLE CITIES
Until Nov 29 - Gallery 1C03
ISLAM AWARENESS WEEK
Presented by the U of W
Muslim Students Association
Mon Nov 24 - Fri Nov 28
Displays next to Riddell Hall,
Lectures, Refreshments
For more info call 786-9052 or
visit www.uwmsa.org
MENTORSHIP PROJECT IN
WINNIPEG SCHOOLS ESL FORUM
Fri Nov 28 - 2M70, 11am-1pm
UKRAINIAN RESOURCE &
DEVELOPMENT CENTRE
AWARDS
Info and applications in
Awards Office
Deadline Nov 30
NOT A LOVE STORY
A film about pornography
Tues Dec 2, 6-8pm
Margaret Laurence Women's
Studies Centre
U of W BURSARY PROGRAM
Applications in Awards Office
LATIN AMERICAN STUDENT
ENTRANCE SCHOLARSHIP
$220.00 Scholarship for 1st year
Latin American student
Applications in Awards Office
GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL
STUDIES APPLICATION
EXPENSES BURSARY
Applications in Awards Office
SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION
Visit
www.scholarshipscanada.com
www.millenniumscholarships.ca
www.finaid.org
www.studentawards.com
GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL
STUDIES APPLICATION
EXPENSES BURSARY
Info and applications in
Awards Office
WOMENS OPPORTUNITY
AWARD
Scholarships available to
female head of households
attending an undergraduate
degree program
Info in Awards Office
Deadline Dec 15
C o m p i l e d
b y
SPACE EXPLORATION
SCHOLARSHIP
Scholarship for NASA's
summer research program
Applications in Awards Office
Deadline Jan 15
J
U
L
I
E
H
4 - send a fax to 783-7080
5 - stop by and visit me at the Uniter office (ORM14)
If you don't have anything you want included
and don't feel like sitting inside and watching the
snow fall, get off your bumper and go check out one of
these fine local events!!!
O
R
B
A
L
, Listings Coordinator
DARCIA SENFT &
JAMES HICKERSON
McNally Robinson
Grant Park,
8pm
CALEDON
Pantages Playhouse, 7:30pm
Tix @ Ticketmaster
ORGANIZATION OF
AMERICAN STATES
FELLOWSHIPS
For grad study in variety
of countries
Info in Awards Office
Deadline Jan 23
FRED
REDEKOP
& ALAN
POPOWICH
McNally Robinson
Portage
Place, 6:30pm
ROUND THE PEG PURSUITS
Drama
FEELGOOD
MTC
Warehouse
(Rupert & Lily)
Tix $10-$36
Thursday
November 27
Words
ANDREW KAUFMAN
Reading of All My Friends
Are Superheroes
McNally Robinson Grant Park,
7:30pm
THE DIARY OF ANNE
FRANK
MTC Mainstage
Tix $19-$60 @ 942-6537
WILLIAM REEVES
Launch of
Building Antique
Model Cars in
Wood
McNally
Robinson Grant
Park, 8pm
Sounds
ADE
W/Freshie &
M. Zacharias
West End Cultural
Centre
(586 Ellice Ave - 783-6918),
7:30pm
Tix $10 @ Quest Musique &
Hull's Bookstore
CROWNED KING, STEPHEN
FRANKE, SAVING SUMMER
Pyramid Cabaret
(176 Fort St - 957-7777)
THE TURNBULL A.C.s,
THE QUIFFS
Royal Albert Arms
(48 Albert - 943-8433)
LA GROTTE
Le Circle Moliere /
Theatre de la Chappelle
(825 Satin-Joseph)
Tix @ 233-8053
ZADIES SHOES
Winnipeg
Jewish
Theatre
(3rd Floor
- Portage
Place)
Tix $20 -$28 @
942-5483
HIGH AND LONESOME NIGHT
at The West End Cultural Centre
Saturday, November 29, 2003
Featuring Geoff Berner, Dave Lang, Nathan,
The Perpetrators, and other special guests.
Special guest MC Times Change(d)
President/Janitor, John Scoles
And it wouldn‚t be a night at Times Change(d) without
the famous rubber chicken toss! All net proceeds
from the event will go to help reopen the High and
Lonesome Club.
Doors 7:15 pm, Show 8 pm
Tickets $10 at the door
CKUW Campus/Community Radio 95.9 FM
Top 10 CDs Nov.16 - Nov.22, 2003
! = Local content, * = Canadian Content
LW
5
TW
1
JOE STRUMMER
Streetcore
4
2 * JOEL PLASKETT EMERGENCY
Truthfully Truthfully
1
3
Maple Music
SHINS
Chutes to Narrows
17
Hellcat
Sub Pop
4 * KID KOALA
Some Of My Best Friends Are DJs Ninja Tune
14
5 * UNICORNS
Who Will Cut Our Hair When..
20
6
THE BOOKS
The Lemon of Pink
2
7 ! ALBATROSS
7
8
16
9 ! SHADEZ
Note
Thee Impossible
Independent
RCA
Slo Coach
10 ! THE WEAKERTHANS
Reconstruction Site
Drama
FEELGOOD
MTC Warehouse
(Rupert & Lily)
Tix $10-$36
THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK
MTC Mainstage
Tix $19-$60 @ 942-6537
Tomlab
STROKES
Room On Fire
6
Alien8
JUNIOR SANCHEZ
W/Len & IRS
Colosseum
(CanadInns Windsor Park)
Tix @ 694-7469
Epitaph
LA GROTTE
Le Circle Moliere /
Theatre de la Chappelle
(825 Satin-Joseph)
Tix @ 233-8053
ZADIES SHOES
Winnipeg Jewish Theatre
(3rd Floor - Portage Place)
Tix $20 -$28 @ 942-5483
Movement
RISQUE - FORTIER DANSE
CREATION
Winnipeg Contemporary
Dancers Studio
(211 Bannatyne - 452-0229)
8pm
Tix $12-$22 @ Ticketmaster
Friday
November 28
Sounds
HIDE YOUR DAUGHTERS,
THE DOWN AND OUT
Royal Albert Arms
(48 Albert - 943-8433)
MANITOBA INDEPENDENT
SONGWRITERS CIRCLE
West End Cultural Centre
(586 Ellice - 783-6918)
8pm
Tix $5 @ WECC
Saturday
November 29
Sounds
HIGH AND LONESOME NIGHT
Feat. Nathan, Dave Lang, Geoff
Berner, the Perpetrators
Help reopen Time(s) Changed
West End Cultural Centre (586
Ellice - 783-6918)
GROUNDSWELL
Feat. Ivory and Gut
Winnipeg Art Gallery
(300 Memorial Blvd. - 786-6641),
8pm
Tix $8-$15 @ McNally Robinson
& door
DIMITRI ILLARIONOV
Eckhardt Gramatte Hall
(University of Winnipeg), 8pm
Tix $15-$20 @ 663-9226
SISTER DOROTHY
McNally Robinson Grant Park,
8pm
Drama
FEELGOOD
MTC Warehouse
(Rupert & Lily)
Tix $10-$36
THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK
MTC Mainstage
Tix $19-$60 @ 942-6537
LA GROTTE
Le Circle Moliere /
Theatre de la Chappelle
(825 Satin-Joseph)
Tix @ 233-8053
ZADIES SHOES
Winnipeg Jewish Theatre
(3rd Floor - Portage Place)
Tix $20 -$28 @ 942-5483
Movement
RISQUE - FORTIER
DANSE CREATION
Winnipeg Contemporary
Dancers Studio
(211 Bannatyne - 452-0229)
2pm & 8pm
Tix $12-$22 @ Ticketmaster &
WCD
Sunday
November 30
Sounds
THE HURON CAROLE
Centennial Concert Hall, 7:30pm
Tix $25-$30 @ Ticketmaster
WINNIPEG JAZZ ORCHESTRA
Big Band Classics with Fred
Stride & Cam Ryga
Winnipeg Art Gallery
(300 Memorial Blvd. - 786-6641)
Tix $12-$18 @ Ticketmaster,
WAG, McNally Robinson
RICK DERENGER
W/ Big Dave McLean
Burton Cummings Theatre, 7pm
Tix $44 @ Ticketmaster
Drama
THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK
MTC Mainstage
Tix $19-$60 @ 942-6537
LA GROTTE
Le Circle Moliere /
Theatre de la Chappelle
(825 Satin-Joseph)
Tix @ 233-8053
ZADIES SHOES
Winnipeg Jewish Theatre
(3rd Floor - Portage Place)
Tix $20 -$28 @ 942-5483
Monday
December 1
Words
DUNCAN THORNTON
Launch of The Star Glass
McNally Robinson Grant Park,
7:30pm
Drama
THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK
MTC Mainstage
Tix $19-$60 @ 942-6537
LA GROTTE
Le Circle Moliere /
Theatre de la Chappelle
(825 Satin-Joseph)
Tix @ 233-8053
ZADIES SHOES
Winnipeg Jewish Theatre
(3rd Floor - Portage Place)
Tix $20 -$28 @ 942-5483
Tuesday
December 2
Words
SEASONAL RECITATIONS
Feat. David Stubel &
Ron Robinson
McNally Robinson Grant Park,
7:30pm
HELEN WEBBER, MARIE
WOOSLEY & DENNIS FAST
Presentation of Ice & Belugas
McNally Robinson Grant Park,
8pm
Drama
THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK
MTC Mainstage
Tix $19-$60 @ 942-6537
LA GROTTE
Le Circle Moliere /
Theatre de la Chappelle
(825 Satin-Joseph)
Tix @ 233-8053
ZADIES SHOES
Winnipeg Jewish Theatre
(3rd Floor - Portage Place)
Tix $20 -$28 @ 942-5483
the
november 27, 2003
uniter
pa g e 1 7
l i s t i n g s
Wednesday
December 3
Words
KADY MACDONALD DENTON
Presentation of I Gave My
Mom A Castle
McNally Robinson Grant Park
7:30pm
Sounds
BOYS PLAY GIRLS
Benefit for Klinic
West End Cultural Centre
(586 Ellice Ave - 783-6918), 8pm
Tix $10
Drama
THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK
MTC Mainstage
Tix $19-$60 @ 942-6537
LA GROTTE
Le Circle Moliere /
Theatre de la Chappelle
(825 Satin-Joseph)
Tix @ 233-8053
ZADIES SHOES
Winnipeg Jewish Theatre
(3rd Floor - Portage Place)
Tix $20 -$28 @ 942-5483
Thursday
December 4
Drama
THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK
MTC Mainstage
Tix $19-$60 @ 942-6537
LA GROTTE
Le Circle Moliere / Theatre de la
Chappelle
(825 Satin-Joseph)
Tix @ 233-8053
ZADIES SHOES
Winnipeg Jewish Theatre
(3rd Floor - Portage Place)
Tix $20 -$28 @ 942-5483
GALLERIES
AOUDLA PUDLAT EXHIBIT
Adelaide McDermot Galery
(318 McDermot - 774-0677)
Until Dec 2
SNAPS II PHOTO EXHIBIT
Alfa Gallery
(510 Portage)
Until Dec 7
INTIMATE REFLECTION
By Josh Roshon
5 on Third Gallery
(3-290 McDermot - 949-0274)
Until Nov 29
BLIND SPOT: THE GOTHIC
UNCONSCIOUS
Gallery One One One
(U of M - 474-9322)
Until Dec 5
CHRISTMAS EXHIBIT
Medea Gallery
(132 Osborne - 453-1115)
Until Dec 31
BRENT ROE EXHIBITION
Plug In ICA
(286 McDermot - 943-1043)
Until Dec 20
LUTHER POKRANT EXHIBIT
Piano Nobile Gallery
(Centennial Concert Hall
555 Main - 489-2850)
Until Dec 6
JERRY TWOMEY COLLECTION
Winnipeg Art Gallery
(300 Memorial Blvd. - 786-6641)
Gallery 1
Until March
STATES OF BECOMING
Winnipeg Art Gallery
(300 Memorial Blvd. - 786-6641)
Galleries 2&3
Until Jan 4
TOM THOMSON
Winnipeg Art Gallery
(300 Memorial Blvd. - 786-6641
Until Dec 6
DANCING IN THE THIRD AGE
By Marya Zajac
Main/Access Gallery
(121-100 Arthur - 956-2089)
Until Dec 20
JANE SIBERRY
Coming soon to the
W.E.C.C.
Saturday
December 13
UP IN THA CLUBS
BLEACHERS
(308 Fort - 942-4010)
Sun: Rock Jam Sundays
BLUE AGAVE
(335 Donald - 943-5538)
Thurs: Keep It Thuro feat. Spitz
& ICQRI
Fri: Grant Paley & Dr P
Sat: DJs Joe Silva & Gus
Sun: Industry Night w/ DJ Joe
Silva & Sherry St Germaine
BUFFALO BILLS
(826 Regent - 224-1681)
Tues: Industry Night w/ DJ
Chuck
Thurs: Weekly Twist & Shout
Party
Fri/Sat: DJ Vance Jr
Sun: Cruisin the Peg
BRAEMAR VILLAGE BAR
(349 Wardlaw - 949-7200)
Mon: Del Paxton
COLOSSEUM
(CanadInns Windsor Park
253-2641)
Mon: Neon Nights
Wed: Popes Hill
Fri/Sat: DJs Walker, Shami &
Skittlez
EMPIRE CABARET
(436 Main - 943-3979)
Wed: DJ Gus
Thurs: Cleopatra Nights
MARDI GRAS
(CanadInns Garden City
633-0024)
Tues/Thurs: DJ Wizzard
Wed: DJ Skittlez
MIRRORS
(1975 Portage - 338-8777)
Wed-Sat: Top 40
MONTY'S
(2280 Pembina - 261-4808
Wed-Sat: Top 40
PHARAOH'S
(CanadInns Windsor Park
474-2582)
Wed: Elite Urban Wednesday
SAFARI CLUB
(CanadInns Transcona
474-2582)
Monday Night Football
Wed/Fri/Sat: DJ Jess
Thurs: DJ Chuck & PWR 97's
Wheeler
SILVERADO'S
(CanadInns Garden City
633-0424)
Thurs: Live Country
Fri/Sat: 2 Clubs 1 Cover
TIJUANA YACHT CLUB
(CanadInns Polo Park
775-8791)
Mon: Jaret's Juice Jam
Thurs: Ladies Night
Fri: Lingerie Love Jam
Sat: DJ Steve Adams
VERTIGO
(291 Bannatyne - 943-3979)
Thurs: Hip Hop/R&B
Fri: Shared Cover w/Empire
ZEN LOUNGE
(253 Portage - 944-8881)
Thurs: Rinsed Drum & Base
Fri: 4-7:30pm - Beni. D Quintet
Fri night: Platinum Fridays
Sat: house/techno
LOUNGIN' IT
ALLEY CATZ
(1824 Pembina - 474-4263)
Thurs-Sat: Alley Catz Players
CHOCOLATE SHOP
(268 Portage - 942-4855)
Nightly Karaoke
EDDY'S GARAGE
(61 Sherbrook - 783-1552)
Fr/Sat: DJ Dubez
FINN McCUES IRISH PUB
(The Forks - 888-6900)
Mon: Open Jam Night
Wed: Trivia Night
Thurs-Sat: Live Celtic Music
KINGS HEAD
(120 King - 957-7710)
Thurs: The Knights of Jam Band
Battle w/ Airfoil
LATIN GARDEN
(500 Portage - 774-8440)
Fri: Oscar y su Grupo Sabor
RED CACTUS
(691 Corydon - 453-4616)
Wed: Rack the Cack feat.
Swivelhip
Thurs-Sat: Live Bands
PSAs
Youth Employment Services
Free employment counseling,
job training & postings, resume
writing services
330-267 Edmonton St.
www.youthemployment
services.com
the
pa g e 1 8
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november 27, 2003
s p o r t s
Men’s Volleyball
November 21
Calgary defeats Wesmen 3-0
(25-19, 25-22, 28-26)
November 22
Wesmen def. Calgary 3-2
(21-25, 25-21, 25-18, 18-25, 15-9)
Women’s Volleyball
November 21
Wesmen def. Simon Fraser 3-1
( 25-12, 25-16, 21-25, 25-17)
November 22
Wesmen def.Simon Fraser 3-0
(25-21,25-9, 25-22)
Men’s Basketball
November 21
Wesmen 73 Regina 80
November 22
Wesmen 56 Regina 86
Womens Basketball
November 21
Wesmen 57 Regina 75
November 22
Wesmen 53 Regina 75
UPCOMING
Home
November 28 & 29
Men’s Volleyball vs Saskatchewan
November 28 & 29
Women’s Volleyball vs Calgary
December 27-30
Men’s Basketball
Wesmen Classic Tournament
Photo: Leighton Klassen
Away
November 28
Men’s & Women’s Basketball
vs Calgary
Kristin Brisbois in action, sending
over the leather in the third set.
November 29
Men’s & Women’s Basketball
vs Calgary
Brisebois Serves Up
Momentous Victory!
B Y
S H E R I
L A M B
ristin Brisebois’ positive attitude and
quiet leadership on the court helped
earn the Wesmen women’s volleyball
team two valuable points last Friday night.
“B” as she is affectionately called by her teammates led the Wesmen in their best and
strongest performance of the season by deafeating the Simon Frasier Clan by a score of 31.
“Kristin Brisebois played awesome and
she just brought the team with her,” praised
third-year Jocelyne Roy, munching on a hot
dog after the game. “Tonight it just really felt
that everyone brought something different to
the court.”
On the eve of the anniversary of
President John F. Kennedy’s death, the 9th
ranked Wesmen knocked off Simon Fraser
University Clan (ranked 10th ), in the first of
two key matches last weekend. After taking
the first set with ease over the perennial slowstarting Clan, the Wesmen fell behind in the
second set, until Brisebois served the home
team 8 straight points that resulted in a 14-9
lead. The Wesmen went on to win that set, and
eventually the match by a score of 3-1 (25-12,
25-16, 21-25, 25-17).
“I thought we came out really strong in
the first and second set. We had full control of
K
our game and then in the third set we kind of
let down a bit, but we regained it all in the
fourth set,” describes Brisebois on her view of
the match.
After blitzing the Clan in the opening
set, the Wesmen looked like they would continue their pattern of relaxing in the second set
and letting their opponents back into the
match. But it was Brisebois who stepped up to
the service line. Down by three to an improving Clan squad, a poised Brisbois calmly
served her team into a lead that they wouldn’t
relinquish. Up by two sets and looking for the
sweep, the Wesmen lost their killer instinct in
the third set, letting down their guard and
allowing the Clan back into the match. In
knowing how important a win this evening
was to their season though the Wesmen came
out hungry for victory in the fourth set, and not
wanting to tempt fate with a fifth, they put
away their opponents in a hard-fought match.
Coach Diane Scott echoes her third-year
middle’s views, “I thought overall we played
solid. We had a couple of letdowns and we
were a little passive in the third set [allowing]
Simon Fraser to control that set more, but
overall our play was pretty tight, pretty consistent and probably the best we played as a unit
all year.”
“B” had a career high 16 kills, leading
the team, to go along with 4 stuff blocks as
she turned in one of her best performances in
a Wesmen jersey.
“I thought she had a great match and
probably the best one she’s had overall,” a
pleased Scott said after the game about “B”,
noting that she passed and blocked very well
during the evening too.
“B” helped keep the team’s spirits up
over the past month as the losses piled up and
the flu bug made its way through the team.
That upbeat attitude carries over to the court,
where she combines it with determination and
leadership.
“She’s got a great attitude on the court.
When she steps onto the court she’s ready to
play, [doing] what needs to be done, to make
our team play better,” the third-year Roy says
about her teammate and friend.
A humble Brisebois was happy to contribute to her team’s success and hopes she
can maintain that consistently in the future.
“I would say it’s probably one of the
best performances I’ve had in a while. I’m
glad I came out as strong as I did and I hope
that I can continue,” “B” said, relaxing after
the game.
An outstanding performance by “B” for
sure, but she had lots of help from her teammates who all contributed nicely in the victory. The very reliable and consistent Jocelyne
Roy chipped in with 12 kills, while Andrea
December 28
Women’s Basketball
Toronto Invitational Tournament
January 2-4
Women’s Volleyball
Toronto Invitational Tournament
Wesmen CIS Rankings
(As of 11/18/03)
Men’s Basketball- Not Ranked
Women’s Basketball- #4
Men’s Volleyball- #3
Women’s Volleyball- #8
Charbonneau had 14 kills and 9 digs to go
along with a service ace. Aynsley Laluk had
11 kills, while setter Christa Desrochers supplied 54 assists in distributing the ball effectively.
“When we have that sort of production
out of four of the players on the floor at one
time, that’s huge, it allows us to do a lot of different things offensively. You have to credit
all of that to Christa Desrochers, she had a
great match, distributed the ball well, and
made some good choices and set the ball
well,” said Scott.
Wondering why Kristin is called “B”?
The tricky pronunciation of Brisbois is where
the nickname “B” sprang out of since certain
members of the squad found it difficult to call
out to the 6’1” brunette.
“It’s hard to say Brisbois,” Scott says
easily.
To protect the privacy and save them
from any embarrassment, the name of the person or persons who came up the nickname
won’t be revealed here.
the
november 27, 2003
uniter
pa g e 1 9
s p o r t s
BY LEIGHTON KLASSEN
s clichéda as it sounds, home is
indeed a sweet place to be. There’s
no better place to put your face in the
pages of a book without being distracted, or to
unwind after a ‘hard day at the office’. It’s a
place where you can eat at the kitchen table au
natural besides the boxers (providing you
don’t live with your parents and have cool
roommates), and a comforting place to retreat
to after your girlfriend just dumped you.
But for the Wesmen teams, home
means a little bit more than just the ‘fuzzy little things’, it means wins, and when they’re
not home, being homesick is only the tip of
the ice burg.
The teams; yes all of them, have been
getting bomb-shelled, axed, steamrolled, and
synonyms of the like while on the road, as of
late.
A snapshot for your album- After
pulling off a double digit winning streak, the
women’s basketball team got pulverized in
both their games in Regina this past weekend.
For two top ranked teams in the Canada West,
the games were slated to be close match ups
but when the smoke cleared, the Wesmen got
beat by nearly 20 each round. Earlier this
week the women’s volleyball team returned
home from Regina, virgins of a victory, and
only managed to win one set of the two
matches they played. Another ransacking on
the road. And what did they do this past
weekend at home? A three game sweep in
under an hour and a half. The win was suc-
A
cessful in making Simon Frasier University
look like a group of high school volleyball
rejects, in yet another game that was slated as
a tight match up considering both teams lined
up underneath each other in the standings.
Same story for the men’s volleyball. They got
smoked while on the road two weekends ago,
and although they lost their game at home last
Friday, they came up strong on Saturday by
winning and taking the split.
So what is it about Winnipeg that
makes it such a winning place for the
Wesmen. Is it the cold weather? Probably
not, just ask men’s basketball star Mike
Gomez who moved here from Los Angeles
this past summer- I think he’s had a cold for
two straight months now. Is it the pre game
music they play before the game at the
Wesmen games that the teams are missing?
Up until a couple weeks ago, it was the same
outdated, washed up, and cheese doused tunes
that could probably break glass on even low
volumes. So they can no longer use it as un
excuse for losses at home (which actually was
a valid excuse at the time). Are they missing
the stomach-churning stench that radiates
from Wesley Coyote that they’ve all grown
accustomed to? Who knows. Could be a reason though. Truth is you never know. There
is now no accurate explanation that brings
reason to the Wesmen’s rampant losses on the
road and their stunning success at home. But
there does remain one final suggestion that
may bring light to the question. They must
just really miss the extraordinary performances by our own Coyote cheerleaders. Or not.
Photo: Leighton Klassen
Home Sweet Home
Fact & Fitness
B
Y
S
A
R
A
H
H
A
U
C
H
Are you frustrated by the astronomical amount of “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 second 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.
Q: I commonly experience lower back pain. Could exercise be dangerous or create
more pain? Is there anything I can do to relieve symptoms and reduce pain?
A: More than 85% of people experience
back pain at some time in their lives. Lowback pain is the second most common ailment and the second most common reason
for absences from work.
People may experience pain along
any length of the spine (the lumbar area)
because it bears the majority of your
weight, and therefore is the most common
site for pain. Any type of movement that
poses excessive stress on the spinal axis
may result in pain that can lead to injury.
Incorrect posture when standing, sitting, lying down and lifting, all contribute to
low-back pain. Practicing proper posture by
keeping the spine as a unit will distribute
force/stress evenly along the spinal column.
Generally, symptoms of back pain go
away on their own in a matter of days. You
may be able to recover quicker and ease
pain and inflammation by first applying
cold and follow by applying heat. Apply
ice to the area a few times a day. When
inflammation and spasm subside, apply a
heat treatment (i.e. a hot bath or a heating
pad).
Changes in everyday posture and
behaviour can help prevent and alleviate
low-back pain.
When resting or sleeping you should
lie on your side with your knees and hips
bent. Lying on your stomach is not highly
recommended, and if you prefer sleeping
on your back, it is best to place a pillow
under your knees for additional support.
While sitting, it is recommended to
keep your back slightly rounded and feet
on the floor. Knees should rest higher than
the hips which may be accomplished with
the aid of a footrest.
Lifting heavy objects creates a large
stress on the back. You must never lift an
object with straight legs. The legs should
always bend at the knees. While actually
lifting, stand up, push with your leg muscles, and keep the object close to the body.
Other quick hints include supporting
your weight on your heels while standing,
avoid standing for prolonged periods of
time, and avoid wearing high-heeled shoes.
Additionally exercising; especially resistance training, is great for reducing lowback pain by strengthening the back and
leg muscles. In tasks such a lifting, a
stronger back retains proper posture while
stronger leg muscles generate the force to
lift the object as apposed to relying on the
lower back.
I hope this information helps you
reduce the symptoms of low back pain.
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.
Stephen Ens delevering on one
of his team leading 11 kills
Dinos Take Life
Out of Wesmen
B Y
S H E R I
L A M B
The Wesmen men’s volleyball team disappointed the Duckworth faithful on Friday
night, turning in one of their poorest performances of the season in losing to the Calgary
Dinos.
Unable to build off the momentum from
the Wesmen women’s victory earlier in the
evening the second ranked men went down to
defeat in straight sets to the seventh ranked
Dinos. After dropping the first two sets, the
men gave a valiant effort in the third, but
failed on chances for three set points to extend
the match. The Dinos effectively executed the
spike, which the Wesmen were unable to
defend against, going on to the straight sets
victory 3-0 (25-19, 25-22 and 28-26).
“We played poorly,” a displeased coach
Larry McKay said after the game, unimpressed with his team’s inferior effort on the
night.
On the positive side of the loss, fifthyear player, Stephan Ens continued to lead the
Wesmen with 11 kills and a service ace, while
third year Jarrod Small chipped in with 8 kills.
Cam Dobie, also in his fifth season with the
Wesmen, had 7 kills.
the
pa g e 2 0
uniter
november 27, 2003
s p o r t s
‘Neat And Tidy’- Wesmen Sweep SFU
L E I G H T O N
K L A S S E N
Sports Editor
f you didn’t think a
game in the early
stages of the season
wasn’t big, think again.
After being diagnosed with a 2 game
losing streak and a 5 place slip in the CIS
standings, a win at home for the women’s volleyball team was exactly what the doctor
ordered to get them back onto a healthy
record. And after this past weekend’s performance, it looks like the girls followed their
prescriptions by sweeping the Simon Frasier
Clan in three straight sets Friday night at the
Duckworth Center.
“This win was very important to us,”
said head coach Diane Scott following the
game. “We needed to take the four points this
weekend in order to get up on Calgary, and it
is always important to win at home,” she said.
“It’s been heart-wrenching the last couple of weekends because we haven’t been
playing well, and this weekend was definitely
a step up, and we’re excited about it,” added
3rd year setter Jocelyne Roy who spoke while
sitting on the ground with her leg wrapped in
an ice bag- a standard post game procedure.
The Wesmen staged a back and forth
battle in the 1st set, until the halfway point
when an Andrea Charboneau kill was followed
by Roy volleying the leather for another point,
resulting in a five point lead at 16-13. The
Wesmen dialed in their consistency and held
their point gap, ending the match with a win at
25-21.
An unexpected Wesmen ambush left the
Simon Frasier Clan down 14-3 early in the
second set, and they kept their barrels ‘a blazing by winning the set by a score of 25-9.
Simon Frasier seemed to re-group and
attempted to pitch a comeback in the third set
by forcing many long-winded rallies, but the
Wesmen drew the last card and edged by with
a victory of 25-22.
The win for the Wesmen snapped a two
I
Photo: Leighton Klassen
game losing streak, but it also put their record
back up to the .500 mark, which is something
that the team can use as a stepping stone
according to Roy.
“I mean we weren’t above .500 prior to
this weekend, and the wins we had still
weren’t us playing our best volleyball, but we
are getting better, and I think we’re moving
Manon Paquin after she drops a
bomb into Simon Frasier territory
closer to our potential, and going the right
way,” she said.
The win/loss deviation may reflect the
comparison between wins and losses, but for
head coach Diane Scott, points are what really
counts considering more are on the line with
out of conference teams such as Simon Frasier,
in comparison to in-conference when only a
single point is up for grabs.
“When we lost to U of M and U of
Regina, we only lost two points on each time
because they are in-conference teams, but this
weekend getting four points was critical and
can really take some games off of Calgary (the
Wesmen’s next opponent),” she said.
The Wesmen’s losing steak prior to their
win over Simon Frasier was partially attributed to a flu bug that seemed to commune to
her team’s locker room, but as Scott points out,
the team’s losses verses Regina was still considered to be a session of improvement for the
team.
“We were ill, the flu was going around
on the team, but we were still playing better
and it was coming together, and we’re working
harder together as a team,”
Scott also said a productive week in
practice was essential to the team regaining
their focus and maintaining consistency;
something that is often the determining factor
to a win.
“We worked a little harder in practice,”
she said. “If we control our discipline in our
game system, we can compete with anybody
in the league, but we have to work together as
a unit.”
The Wesmen were unquestionably
working as a unit in this game where they
posted .250 and .219 consecutive Team Attack
ratings in the 2nd and 3rd sets. They also nearly doubled their stats in Kills with 34 in comparison to SFU’s 18.
Jocelyne Roy lead the Kill department
with 11, and also sat at the top of the Total
Attack rankings with 29. Third year Aynsley
Laluk posted 11 kills, and 26 Total Attack
points, and middle, Andrea Charbonneau led
the Dig department with 12.
The Wesmen will host the #1 team in the
CIS, the Calgary Dino’s next weekend at the
Duckworth.
“We have a week to work on some
things, adjust, and improve on some things,”
says Scott.
Improved Effort Secures Split for Men
ou can slash as many tires on the men’s volleyball
teams’ bus as you want, but the fact of the matter is
they’ll keep on truck’n.
After returning from down south in an exhibition match
with ‘no profits’ in the win department two weekends ago, the
Wesmen took another slap in the face last Friday by dropping
their game verses the Dinos. But the rematch Saturday
proved to be bitter revenge where the veterans stepped up and
drew the curtain over the Dinos, sending them back home to
cow town with a big fat loss.
“They played amazing tonight! They’re fifth year guys
and they led us through every game and they came up big
when we needed them to,” said third-year middle blocker
Jarrod Small in reference to his teammates Cam Dobie and
Stephan Ens performance.
Playing in the second consecutive match against the
visiting Dinos, the University of Winnipeg Wesmen men’s
volleyball squad managed a split of the weekend series by
downing their opponents in five sets. After dropping the first
set, the Winnipeg team stormed back, taking the next two, but
a determined Calgary team forced the deciding final set. Cam
Dobie and Stephan Ens both came up with kills at key
moments in the deciding set to help secure the victory for the
Wesmen and first-year player Ben Schellenberg put the finishing touch on the extinction of the Dinos with the final
definitive kill. The Wesmen took the match 3-2 (21-25, 25-21,
25-18, 18-25 and 15-9).
While happy with the win, coach Larry McKay feels his
team still has a lot to work on in order to perform more consistently in the future.
“We transitioned better tonight. We blocked a few balls
and we dug and killed balls a little better than we did last
Y
night,” McKay said, noting his team’s improved
defensive play was the difference in Saturday’s win.
“We played better defense, that was the difference.”
The match opened and closed tight, and was
highlighted by many long winded rallies, but the
Dino’s proved to have more ammo in their bunker,
taking the match at 25-21.
The second match opened as a back and forth
battle until a Cam Dobie spike sent the leather over
the mesh and slated the Wesmen’s first 3 point lead of
the game with a score of 24-21. The Wesmen kept on
their heels, throwing another ball on the floor of the
Dion’s side one more time to take the win 25-21.
Another motionless arm wrestle was the case in
the third set, but a tight Dino defense left the Wesmen
shooting blanks in surrendering a 25-18 loss.
An evenly played fourth set was blown open by
the Dinos when they served up five consecutive
points, turning a 14-12 lead into a 19-12 advantage,
cruising to the set win and forcing the decisive fifth
set.
Stephan Ens paved the way to victory for the
Wesmen with 15 kills, 7 digs and 3 service aces,
while fellow fifth-year player Cam Dobie countered in with 10 kills and 3 digs. Schellenberg and
Small finished the night off with 9 and 11 kills,
respectively.
Satisfied his team obtained the important conference win, McKay believes there is still lots of
room for improvement on his 5-2 squad.
Rookie Ben Schellenberg delivering
a spike in the 2nd set
Photo: Leighton Klassen
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