campers page 13 page 16 volume 57, issue 21 s e the uniteruniter.ca/pdf/uniter-57-21.pdf · by...

B Y G I N N Y C O L L I N S

Campers should be cautious when start-ing fires this spring as campgrounds andparks open. So far this year there have been38 forest fires in Manitoba, some burning asmuch as 5000 acres of woodland and reach-ing speeds of 20-30 metres a minute, saysManitoba Conservation.

“Right now there is a lot of dryness inManitoba,” said Bob Enns of ManitobaConservation. “Green acts as a fire retar-dant but we’re not seeing a lot of that rightnow.”

This season, the fires have hit hardest inbrush areas. These grass fires tend to burnvery quickly and cover the largest amountof space. The southern part of the province

has received more precipitation than thenorth and these dry areas are becoming highrisk.

According to Manitoba Conservation,about 90 per cent of forest fires are causedby human activity. These include campfires,crop burnings and sparks made by passingtrains. A few fires are caused each year bylightening but most are caused unnaturally.

“There is always a human risk during aforest fire. One Manitoba home has alreadyburnt down this year because of one,” saidEnns, Manitoba Conservation’s FireProgram Manager.

Where forest fires are concerned, theloss of human life is the greatest risk, butforests themselves need fires as a naturalway of staying healthy and green.

This fall’s tuition fees arefrozen for the fourth yearin a row following the

recent provincial budget announcement. TheDoer announcement is a small cause for cel-ebration for some, but many student leaderssay more needs to be done.

Following the announcement, UWSAVice-President Advocate Cathy Hamilton

said that while she is pleased to see thetuition freeze, the government needs to takefurther measures to ensure quality education.

“I think the Canadian Federation ofStudents is happy the provincial governmenthas decided to freeze tuition fees for anotheryear. But the CFS believes the tuition feesneed to be lower,” Hamilton said.

One of the biggest surprises in the budg-et is the extension of student loan paybacks.Students now have an extra six months -nowone year in total- to start paying back theirstudent loans without interest charges. This isto help alleviate the burden of graduatessearching for their first career employment.

The UWSA is pleased with the extendedinterest-free period given to student loans.But they say there is a case to be made forextending the deadline – which has now beenincreased to one year after graduation – evenfurther.

“It’s good but more can always bedone… I believe it was Diane McGiffordwho said the freeze can’t last forever,”Hamilton said.

Education Minister Diane McGiffordsaid she thinks the budget - particularly thefreeze, an extended interest free loan periodand the tax credit for co-op education- isgood news for university students, in spite of

the criticisms.“I’ve never heard a university say it’s

enough. Of course universities are going towant more. Everyone wants more,”McGifford said in a telephone interview inthe week following the announcement.

The recent budget sees a tax credit of upto $1,000 for businesses who take on studentinterns. UWSA President Chris Minaker said,however, that the provincial government istackling the wrong issues. “This is important too. Partnerships areimportant, but until they [government]addresses the proper issues of funding and

Continued on Page 2

Jazz or Something Like It Festival - page 10

Tuition Fees Frozen at 1999 LevelsBut Burning Issues Still Bother Student Leaders

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Volume 57 , Issue 21 S U M M E R E D I T I O N m ay 29 , 2003

T H E O F F I C I A L W E E K L Y S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F W I N N I P E G

Weeeee!4Happy

Manitoba CampersPage 16

Page 13

Controvercial Cinema

T A M A R AK I N G

Features Editor

Big Ol’ Headline goes Here!

Conference Explores Transgender Issues,Features Renowned Psychologist

page 2 M Ay 29 , 2003uniter

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CFS Backs Same-Sex Marriage RulingB Y S C O T T D E G R O O T

Adding to the list of Canadian courts tomake similar decisions, on Thursday, May 1st,the BC court of appeals ruled in favour of samesex marriage.

The ruling stated that current laws prohibit-ing same sex marriage are illegal under thecharter of rights and freedoms. The courtdefined marriage as a loving union betweentwo partners of whose sex is irrelevant. It alsorejected the assumption that the ability to pro-duce children is a defining attribute of mar-riage. The ruling gives Ottawa a deadline ofJuly 12, 2004 to enact new legislation on thematter. The federal government has yet todecide whether it will appeal the decision.

This latest legal challenge began after BCSupreme Court Justice Ian Pitfield ruled thatthe legal definition of marriage should beexclusive to heterosexuals in 2001. The rulingwas challenged later that year when eighthomosexual couples took the matter to the BC

Court of appeals, the province’s highest court.Pitfield maintained that his decision was justi-fied under the Canadian Constitution. However,the court of appeals overturned the ruling, put-ting an end to the matter on May 1st.

Similar decisions on same-sex marriagehave been made by Superior courts in Ontarioand Quebec, both of which ruled that existingfederal marriage restrictions are unconstitution-al. The federal government has decided toappeal those rulings while it conducts its owninvestigation into the matter.

According to federal common law, mar-riage is defined as ‘the union of one man andone woman’, but the federal standing commit-tee on justice and human rights is reviewingthis definition. The committee is holding aseries of public meetings across the country tolisten to Canadian’s views.

The committee recently stopped inSteinbach to gauge public attitudes, but like thecommittee members themselves, Manitobanswere split nearly 50/50 on the issue.

The Canadian Federation of Students hasapplauded the BC Court of Appeal on its deci-sion. CFS has taken a strong position maintain-ing that homosexuals should enjoy equality insociety, including the right to marry. The feder-ation has initiated a lobbying and letter writingcampaign to the federal government and sup-ported Svend Robinson’s private members billto change existing marriage laws.

“Same-sex couples are entitled to the samerights, privileges, and protections entitled totheir heterosexual counterparts,” said SummerMcFayden, the BC CFS chairperson.“Hopefully this ruling will send a message toother provincial governments and the federalgovernment that it’s not a radical thing to do toallow people who want to get married to marry.There shouldn’t have to be such a targeted cam-paign. Its unfair that lesbian and gays have tospend so much time just to have the samerights.”

CFS plans to continue its campaign untilthe federal government takes action.

B Y S C O T T D E G R O O T

A N D M I C H E L L E J O N E S

An extremely important event explor-ing transgender (TG) topics, the GenderLoving Care conference, took place over theMay long weekend from the 16th to the 17th.The conference focused on developing newskills and providing information to health-care workers and other professionals whodeal with TG issues. It also attempted tobroaden the support system for TG individ-uals in the community by bringing togetheropen-minded psychologists, doctors, thera-pists, and clergy.

There were approximately 30 profes-sionals in attendance when the event openedon the 16th. Dr. Randi Ettner, a renownedclinical and forensic psychologist based outof Evanston Illinois, was featured as thekeynote speaker. As the president of theNew Health Foundation, Dr. Ettner hasworked with transgendered people for manyyears. She is the author of two books on thesubject, “Confessions of a GenderDefender” and “Gender Loving Care”.

Ettner was first exposed to TG individ-uals while working as an intern at the ClarkeInstitute in the 1970’s. During her time there,she learned to reject the harmful labels of‘crazy’ and ‘sick’ placed on individuals whofelt trapped in the wrong gender. She hassince dedicated her life to educating the pub-lic in the pursuit of tolerance.

Throughout her career, Ettner has con-ducted extensive research into the manyfacets of the TG experience. Her studiesinclude investigating the nature of TG rela-tionships and the connection between trans-gendered parents and their children.Arguably, her most comprehensive researchinvolves the effect that a parent’s genderreassignment process, which can includeanything from a lifestyle change to invasivesurgery, can have on their children.

Taking the role of facilitator, Dr. Ettnerbased her presentation around questionsand issues raised by the audience. Manytransgendered people in attendance sharedpersonal stories about the shame and guiltthey have faced and how it has affected theirlives.

The presentation focused on the differ-ences between the female-to-male (FTM)and male-to-female (MTF) experiences.Ettner noted that in general, FTM transgen-dered people experience fewer internal psy-chological struggles and less societal discrim-ination than their MTF counterparts. Ettneralso explained that transsexual tendenciesusually emerge in a child’s behaviour from avery young age. Many TG adults have mem-ories of feeling ‘different’ and wearing oppo-site sex clothes or wanting to be called by anopposite sex name. However, adults whowould only classify themselves as ‘cross-dressers’ usually remember experimentingwith gender roles around the age of 12 or 13.Ettner did point out that just because a child

may be sending out TG signals, they will notnecessary grow up to become transgen-dered.

On Saturday, the17th, the conferencewas opened to the general public.To an audi-ence of 45 professionals, transgendered per-sons, and community members, Dr. Ettnerbegan the day with a keynote address. Sheoutlined the ‘healing process’ that can help aTG person get through the gender reassign-ment journey.

A Panel discussion featured MichellePaquette and Rachel Morgan, post-opera-tive transsexuals and co-coordinators of theWinnipeg Transgender Group, Natalie M, amale to female transsexual and JakeJosephson, a TG parent. The group sharedtheir personal struggles and experiencesbefore opening up the floor to questions.

A common theme was the abuse ofdrugs and alcohol, a major problem for theTG community. The general consensus wasthat the best way for TG people to overcomesubstance abuse and emotional distress isthrough the support of a welcoming commu-nity of friends, family, and healthcare work-ers during their process of gender reassign-ment. The creation of such a community wasone of the main goals of the conference.

“This event is important to build a net-work of healthcare professionals to deal withTG issues”, said Rachel Morgan. “Many TGpeople live in isolation and this event letsthem know that they are not alone.”

Volume 57, Issue 21May 29, 2003

S T A F F

Cortney PachetNews Editor

Tamara KingFeatures Editor

Jonathan TanFocus Editor

Michelle KulyView and Culture Editor

Andrew BuckSports Editor

Ginny CollinsBeat Reporter

Andriy MichalchyshynPhoto Editor

Eszti NagyDistribution Manager

Stu ReidProduction Manager

Ted TurnerAdvertising Manager

Matt Hiebertthe Uniter Coordinator

THIS WEEK’S CONTRIBUTORS

Allison BeselMiss Pasjmina Constantinas

Scott de GrootPhil Heidenreich

Julie HorbalDan Huyghebaert

Michelle JonesSheri Lamb

Jamie McCullochOllie North

Chantille PapkoGraça Resendes

Jeff RobsonJenny Western

The Uniter is the official student newspaper ofthe University of Winnipeg and is published bythe University of Winnipeg Students'Association. The Uniter is editoriallyautonomous and the opinions expressed withindo not necessarily reflect those of the UWSA.The Uniter is a member of the CanadianUniversity Press and Campus Plus MediaServices. Submission of articles, letters, pho-tos and graphics are welcome. Articles shouldbe submitted in text or Microsoft Word formatto [email protected]. Deadline for submis-sions is noon Friday (contact the section's edi-tor for more information). Deadline for adver-tisements is noon Friday, six days prior to pub-lication. The Uniter reserves the right to refuseto print submitted material. The Uniter will notprint submissions that are homophobic, misog-ynistic, racist or libelous. We also reserve theright to edit for length or style.

Contact Us

General Inquiries: 204.786.9790Advertising: 204.786.9779

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The UniterRoom ORM14

University of WinnipegManitoba, R3B 2E9

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Headline Headline YoB Y J A M I E M C C U L L O C H

Hoving union between two partners ofwhose sex is irrelevant. It also rejected theassumption that the ability to produce chil-dren is a defining attribute of marriage. Theruling gives Ottawa a deadline of July 12,2004 to enact new legislation on the matter.The federal government has yet to decidewhether it will appeal the decision.

This latest legal challenge began afterBC Supreme Court Justice Ian Pitfield ruledthat the legal definition of marriage shouldbe exclusive to heterosexuals in 2001. The

ruling was challenged later that year wheneight homosexual couples took the matter tothe BC Court of appeals, the province’s high-est court. Pitfield maintained that his deci-sion was justified under the CanadianConstitution. However, the court of appealsoverturned the ruling, putting an end to thematter on May 1st.

Similar decisions on same-sex marriagehave been made by Superior courts inOntario and Quebec, both of which ruled thatexisting federal marriage restrictions areunconstitutional. The federal governmenthas decided to appeal those rulings while it

conducts its own investigation into the mat-ter.

According to federal common law, mar-riage is defined as ‘the union of one man andone woman’, but the federal standing com-mittee on justice and human rights is review-ing this definition. The committee is holdinga series of public meetings across the coun-try to listen to Canadian’s views.

The committee recently stopped inSteinbach to gauge public attitudes, but likethe committee members themselves,Manitobans were split nearly 50/50 on theissue.

B Y J A M I E M C C U L L O C H

This summer several U of W stu-dents are being reluctantly evicted fromtheir Furby St apartments by Kinkoradevelopments in order to make room forstudent housing.

Kinkora, who are responsible forthe eight student housing projects on Spence and Balmoral, have purchasedthe building and plan to do extensive renovations in order to make the com-plex suitable for student housing. The building itself, built in 1925, will be ableto house at least 30 students who are presently waiting to be placed instudent housing at the U of W. The current tenants have been given 90 daysto find new accommodations before Kinkora begins renovations. Many areunhappy with the demand.

(quote from an unhappy tenant)

Despite the objections of some ofthe tenants, Maureen Pendergast insists that the house in its current state is notsafe for people to be living in.According to Kinkora, the building has-n’t been inspected in 16 years and the health and safety of the occupants couldbe at risk.

“Aesthetically, the house is pleasing,but the mechanical systems are falling apart,” said Pendergast, founderand president of Kinkora

developments. “There are concernsabout the potential for fire hazards and it’s likely that duct tape has been used asasbestos wrapping.”

(rebuttal quote from tenant)

To make the home transition easierfor the Furby St residents, Kinkora has offered them a moving package in whichthey will pay the moving costs, the cost of forwarding mail, and many otherexpenses that movers might encounter.

“We are going above and beyondour duty by offering this kind of package.The government only requires us to payonly a fraction of what we are offering to cover,” said Pendergast.

(quote about the difficulties of movingfrom tenant)

Kinkora has received complaintsfrom several tenants in the building, but they plan to proceed with the evictionsand renovations.

“This in Kinkora’s approach.Dislocation is inevitable. The building isnot safe or sanitary and we believe it poses arisk in its current state.”

n e w sM Ay 29 , 2003 page 3unitert

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Housing Housing HousingHeadline Headline Yo YoHey Ho Let’s Go! Hey Ho Let’s Go!

Aiming to provide a An extremely impor-

tant event exploring trans-gender (TG) topics, the

Gender Loving Care conference, took placeover the May long weekend from the 16th tothe 17th. The conference focused on devel-oping new skills and providing informationto healthcare workers and other profession-als who deal with TG issues. It also attempt-ed to broaden the support system for TGindividuals in the community by bringingtogether open-minded psychologists, doc-tors, therapists, and clergy.





The presentation focused on the differ-ences between the female-to-male (FTM)and male-to-female (MTF) experiences.Ettner noted that in general, FTM transgen-dered people experience fewer internal psy-chological struggles and less societal discrim-ination than their MTF counterparts. Ettneralso explained that transsexual tendenciesusually emerge in a child’s behaviour from avery young age. Many TG adults have mem-ories of feeling ‘different’ and wearing oppo-site sex clothes or wanting to be called by anopposite sex name. However, adults whowould only classify themselves as ‘cross-dressers’ usually remember experimentingwith gender roles around the age of 12 or 13.Ettner did point out that just because a childmay be sending out TG signals, they will notnecessary grow up to become transgen-dered.

On Saturday, the17th, the conferencewas opened to the general public.To an audi-ence of 45 professionals, transgendered per-sons, and community members, Dr. Ettnerbegan the day with a keynote address. Sheoutlined the ‘healing process’ that can help aTG person get through the gender reassign-ment journey.

A Panel discussion featured MichellePaquette and Rachel Morgan, post-opera-tive transsexuals and co-coordinators of the

Winnipeg Transgender Group, Natalie M, amale to female transsexual and JakeJosephson, a TG parent. The group sharedtheir personal struggles and experiencesbefore opening up the floor to questions.

A common theme was the abuse ofdrugs and alcohol, a major problem for theTG community. The general consensus wasthat the best way for TG people to overcomesubstance abuse and emotional distress isthrough the support of a welcoming commu-nity of friends, family, and healthcare work-ers during their process of gender reassign-ment.The creation of such a community wasone of the main goals of the conference.

“This event is important to build a net-work of healthcare professionals to deal withTG issues”, said Rachel Morgan. “Many TGpeople live in isolation and this event lets

An extremely important event explor-ing transgender (TG) topics, the GenderLoving Care conference, took place over theMay long weekend from the 16th to the17th. The conference focused on developingnew skills and providing information tohealthcare workers and other professionalswho deal with TG issues. It also attempted tobroaden the support system for TG individ-uals in the community by bringing togetheropen-minded psychologists, doctors, thera-pists, and clergy.





The presentation focused on the differ-ences between the female-to-male (FTM)and male-to-female (MTF) experiences.Ettner noted that in general, FTM transgen-dered people experience fewer internal psy-chological struggles and less societal discrim-ination than their MTF counterparts. Ettneralso explained that transsexual tendenciesusually emerge in a child’s behaviour from avery young age. Many TG adults have mem-ories of feeling ‘different’ and wearing oppo-site sex clothes or wanting to be called by anopposite sex name. However, adults whowould only classify themselves as ‘cross-dressers’ usually remember experimentingwith gender roles around the age of 12 or 13.Ettner did point out that just because a childmay be sending out TG signals, they will notnecessary grow up to become transgen-

C O R T N E Y P A C H E T

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o p i n i o nf o c u s

B Y K E N N E T H S I G U R D S O N

The industrial ethanol model being pro-posed by the Manitoba government will be acostly misadventure for all Manitobans, as thisindustry requires massive long-term subsidiesfor viability. An eight-month analysis ofethanol manufacturing by the National FarmersUnion has concluded there is no positive eco-nomic or environmental case to be made formanufacturing ethanol.

The plan announced by Manitoba will havethe province subsidize the industry with a 20cent per litre subsidy on every litre of ethanolproduced. In addition the federal governmentprovides a 10-cent per litre subsidy by remov-ing the excise tax on ethanol. The total subsidywill be 30 cents for every litre of ethanol man-ufactured. Since a litre of ethanol has about63% of the energy (BTUs) of a litre of gasoline,the equivalent energy subsidy will be 47 centsa litre. This 47-cent a litre subsidy would cur-rently buy the gasoline. I can think of no otherindustry where government provides a subsidyequivalent to the acquisition price of the prod-uct being produced.

Manitoba Government officials argue thatethanol blended gasoline is good for the envi-ronment by reducing CO2 emissions. However,a 1997 report prepared by the Office of theLegislative Auditor in Minnesota concluded, “In any case a substantial amount of energy isused in ethanol production and this is mostlyfossil fuel used in growing corn, producing fer-tilizer and distilling alcohol.” The report con-cludes, “Ethanol’s potential to contribute to theproblem of atmospheric CO2 is extremely lim-ited.” The General Accountants Office in theUS reached a similar conclusion. In additionethanol adds aldehydes and alcohol to the

atmosphere, both carcinogens.Mr. Tim Sale, Manitoba Energy Minister

often quotes a wheat ethanol report done forNatural Resources Canada, which underesti-mates and omits many energy inputs requiredto grow wheat thus making the ‘energy bal-ance’ positive for ethanol production. Thisreport done by S&T consultants overestimatesManitoba wheat yields by using a yield of 40bushels to the acre. Manitoba Crop Insurancedata indicates Prairie Spring wheat yields 36bushels an acre on a ten-year average. The S&Treport indicates to grow this 40-bushel wheatcrop requires per acre inputs of 48 lbs. of nitro-gen, 12 litres of diesel fuel and about $4.50 inagricultural chemicals. The ManitobaAgriculture document Guidelines forEstimating Crop Production Costs indicates ittakes 70 lbs. of Nitrogen, 22 litres of diesel fueland $32.00 in chemicals and fungicides peracre to produce a crop of wheat in Manitoba.

Inputs excluded by this S&T study areenergy to haul inputs 600 miles by truck,wastewater treatment, pollution control, andthe manufacture and repair of farm equipment.Farm equipment can add 36,000 BTUs of ener-gy or about 30% of the energy required to growa bushel of wheat. Mr. Sale’s office and AgMinister Wowchuck have been informed of thediscrepancies and inaccuracies in this reportbut it appears they have no intention of provid-ing factual information to Manitobans. Underfull and realistic energy accounting, wheat(grain) ethanol will increase green house gasemissions. That is, more energy is expended ingrowing the crop and processing it than theethanol provides. I do not believe the Manitobagovernment has discovered perpetual motionwith their ethanol initiative.

Recently the largest ethanol manufacturer

in the US, ADM, reached a 340 million dollaragreement with the Environmental ProtectionAgency to install pollution control equipmentat its ethanol plants. The EPA also fined ADMfor violations of the Clean Air Act. TheManitoba government has made no commit-ment to require ethanol plants to control airemissions with thermal oxidizers that areexpensive to purchase and costly to operate. Inaddition ethanol plants use large amounts offresh water and produce large amounts of nutri-ent rich wastewater. This should not be viewedas someone else’s problem (local govern-ment’s) and is directly related to ethanol manu-facturing.

The government maintains that ethanolmanufacturing has become very efficient whichbegs the question- if ethanol manufacturing isefficient, why the subsidies and why is Mr. Salelobbying Ottawa for even more subsidies? Oneof the most modern efficient ethanol plants inCanada is the API plant at Red Deer Alberta.Being modern and efficient did not prevent thisplant from going into receivership. If ethanolplants actually created energy they would useethanol as a fuel source rather than natural gas.

The Manitoba government also promotesethanol as a value added initiative for farmersand jobs for rural Manitoba. However, as afarmer I question how I can benefit by invest-ing thousands of dollars in an ethanol plant so Ican sell cheap grain to that same plant. Anotherproblem identified by U of M Agriculture econ-omists Kraft and Rude is that Manitoba doesnot have feed grains for ethanol manufacturing.They state that the likely raw ingredient forManitoba ethanol plants will be imported sub-sidized US corn. Corn is the cheapest grainwith the highest starch content for ethanol man-ufacturing. It should be noted that US corn

yields 120 bushels an acre while wheat yields36 bushels an acre. An acre of wheat provides90 gallons of ethanol while an acre of corn pro-vides 300 gallons of ethanol per acre. Wheat asthe raw ingredient for ethanol manufacturing isa non-starter.

The jobs created by this subsidized indus-try come at a high cost. The Manitoba govern-ment ethanol information indicates an 80 mil-lion-litre ethanol plant employs 30 to 35 peoplewhile a 160 million-litre ethanol plant employs40 to 50 people. With a subsidy of 30 cents alitre of ethanol manufactured, the cost of jobsrange from $680,000.00 to $1.200,000.00 perjob per year.

In Manitoba we have many projects for theCanadian Food Grains Bank producing foodfor some of the 3 billion hungry people of theworld. What are the ethical and moral impli-cations of setting up these subsidized foodburners? Why create the illusion that Manitobacan create energy to burn in a SUV. The Manitoba government plans to mandateethanol, proposing the subsidies will lessen andthe consumer will probably pay for the gasoholthrough higher prices. Ethanol manufacturingis wasteful of fossil fuel resources and cannotbe considered renewable energy. Manitobafarmers can’t afford to grow cheap grain forethanol plants. Manitoba taxpayers cannotafford to subsidize ethanol production and driv-ers can’t afford to burn it in their cars either.Ethanol manufacturing is an expensive misad-venture for Manitoba.

Kenneth Sigurdson who operates a grainfarm near Swan River, studied ethanol in hiscapacity as Regional Coordinator for theNational Farmers Union Ph 204 734 3644

Manitoba Should Scrap It’s Planto Subsidize Ethanol Manufacturing

Tuition Fees, Funding and Quality EducationB Y C A T H Y H A M I L T O N

UWSA VP ADVOCATE

There is a common misconception thatthe tuition fee freeze has diminished the qual-ity of Post-Secondary Education in Manitoba.There are two main reasons why this is amyth.

First, educational institutions with hightuition fees are not proven to offer betterquality education or research. Post-SecondaryInstitutions in both B.C. and Quebec illustratethis point. British Columbia had a tuition feefreeze and then a 5% reduction from 1995until 2001. During this period, the Universityof Victoria was ranked by the Canadian BarAssociation as the best comprehensive uni-versity in the country, for two years’ running.Meanwhile, Ontario universities that drasti-cally increased fees did not measure up.Equally important is that Quebec has had atuition fee freeze for the last decade and con-tinues to offer high quality education. Forexample, Université de Laval and McGillUniversity are among the best universities inthe country. Furthermore, many of Quebec’sCEGEPs (public colleges which charge notuition fees) offer high quality education. Iflower tuition fees really threaten quality,these institutions would not fare so well in therankings.

Second, tuition fee increases often do notend up being allocated for improvements suchas new services, course development, or hir-ing faculty and staff. It is often the case thatnew tuition fee monies simply displace otherfunding sources, or end up being spent onbudget items that do not improve the qualityof education. The U.K. recently experiencedthis problem when tuition fees were raised

and the “extra” money did not go into univer-sity coffers. Headlines in the U.K. screamed,“Tuition fees ‘not benefiting’ universities”.Professor Sir Howard Newby, ChiefExecutive of the Higher Education FundingCouncil, stated “the result is the £400m annu-al revenue has only been used to maintainuniversity budgets, not provide extraresources for the academic sector.”

However, there is a correlation betweenadequate public funding and high qualitypost-secondary education. Canada’s publicuniversities are all of comparably high quali-ty precisely because they were built withpublic funds over a number of years. Sincethe funding cuts of the 1980s and the 1990s,quality has suffered to some extent. Raisingtuition fees has not stopped the damageinflicted from federal and in some casesprovincial funding cuts, and it has dimin-ished the diversity of our institutions byresulting in the decline of participation levelsby those from low-income backgrounds.Since 1993, the federal government has cutover $5.2 Billion to post-secondary educa-tion: this is the single largest threat to thequality of Manitoba’s colleges and universi-ties.

Funding cuts can also spur on privatiza-tion, because the public system becomesunable to cope with the demand for highereducation. It is commonly known that someof the lowest quality and most unreliablepost-secondary institutions in Canada arethose that charge massive tuition fees: theprivate career and vocational colleges.

Public control and funding of educationhave the greatest impact on the quality ofeducation. Tuition fee reductions are one ofmany public policy tools that help improveaccess, bringing more students into the high-

er education system. In the short-term, that’sgood for diversity and quality of education,and in the long-term, it builds Manitoba.

Think of these issues when you go to thepolls in the provincial election on June 3,2003.

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Dear Uniter,

I was surprised and excited to read withinterest the feature in May’s Uniter “ShelterCivilization”. This article gave us, students whohaven’t experienced the realities of shelter life apoignant portrayal of life within.

I was saddened however, by the spirit withinwhich the article was written. I thought the crit-ical portrayal of the shelter was interesting, butwas not balanced by a thankfulness for the help-ing hands that make these shelters move day andnight, every day of the year.

On the one hand, “Skyla” was overwhelm-ingly thankful to her roommate for any clothesshe had available. As the writer rightfully men-tioned, shelters are on a tight provincial budgetand so should not this same attitude apply to theshelters that are doing their best to provide whatthey can and know within a tight monetary situ-ation ? This is not to say that the criticism wasunjust, but the frustration rightfully mentionedabout the sterility of the shelter and lack of spir-itual outlets should be directed towards thepower behind the situation, the government.Can we expect a private shelter run by a certainspiritual group to provide anything other thanwhat they hold as the ultimate good and truth?Just as with any other spiritual group, encourag-ing anything other than what they believe to besolely true would seem to be cheating the peopleof what they, as a private shelter truly believe isbest for the people they work to serve.

Wonderful read, but I think the writer shouldhave lobbied the government for more diverse,government-run shelters if that’s what she feltwas needed, instead of criticizing the hand thatgave her a warm place to stay.

Christine Esselmont

Letters


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Manitoba’s job growthtranslates into little gainsfor women, young people

and other low wage earners, says newreport.

The report from the Canadian Centrefor Policy Alternatives (CCPA) Manitobaoffice shows that Manitoba’s job gainsbetween 1997 and 2002 have been mainlylow-wage jobs. Despite having the lowestunemployment rate in the country for mostof the past five years, the competitiveManitoba labour market failed to result insignificant wage increases for thosealready earning low wages. In 2002, 31 percent of Manitoba workers, 36.5 per cent ofwomen and 25.8 per cent of men, earnedlow wages, placing Manitoba below thenational average on wage inequality.

The distribution of hourly pay wasexamined as the “purest” measure of wageinequality, and included those workerswho are salaried by dividing their salariesinto hours worked. The hourly wage meas-ure is favoured because weekly and annualearnings may differ, due to hours workedin a week or year depending on unemploy-ment, seasonal work and part-time work.Even using hourly pay to measure wageinequality may underestimate the disparitybetween high and low-wage earners sincelow-wage workers are more likely to workpart-time and have fewer benefits.

According to the report this means that thesituation for low-wage workers is almostcertainly worse than the data suggests.

Young people in Manitoba make upthe largest portion of low-wage workers. In2002, 71.5 per cent of male and 78.8 percent of female workers aged 15 to 24earned low-wages. With the service sectoraccounting for 76 per cent of all employ-ment in the province it is not surprisingthat most young workers earn low-wages.Service sector jobs employ more youngpeople and are less likely to be unionized.According to the report unionized workersare much less likely to earn low-wages andmore likely to earn high-wages than theirnon-unionized counterparts. In 2002, 12 ofevery 100 union workers were paid low-wages compared to 42 of every 100 non-union workers.

Many service jobs pay minimum wage.The minimum wage level in Manitoba hasrisen just over 20 per cent from $5.40 to$6.50 per hour between the years 1998 to2002. This is the largest increase amongprovinces over that time period and was aresult of the provincial government’s prac-tice of raising minimum wage by 25 centsan hour annually. The report suggests thatthe provincial government should pursue amore aggressive increase in the minimumwage, extend it to cover agriculture andintensive livestock operations and pro-mote the growth of unionization in orderdecrease the income inequality in theprovince.

The distinction between low and high-wage workers was made using a measure

based on the national median hourly wage.The median hourly wage is the exact mid-dle of national wage distribution; half of allworkers make less, half make more. Low-paid workers are defined as those earningless than two-thirds the median wage, high-wage workers are those earning double ormore the median wage. In 2002, the nation-al median wage was $15.65 per hour, mak-ing low-wage workers those who earnedless than $10.42 per hour and high-wageworkers those earning $31.30 per hour ormore. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) hasused the median wage measure to look atthe differences in wage distributionbetween countries. The CCPA-MB used itto do the same between provinces.

The report titled “Rising Job Tide notLifting Low-Wage Boats,” was co-authoredby economist Errol Black and CCPA-MBDirector Todd Scarth. It used customizedStatistics Canada data to track develop-ments in Manitoba’s labour marketbetween 1997 and 2002. The data, commis-sioned from the Labour Force Survey bythe Canadian Labour Congress, illustratessome key developments affectingManitoba’s labour force, in particular thedistribution of hourly pay.

The report also notes a number of pos-itive developments in Manitoba’s econo-my. With the exception of 2001, Manitoba’sunemployment rate has been the lowest inthe country since 1998. It has averagedabout 5 per cent since 2000, down from 6per cent during the previous three years.Over the same period Manitoba’s labour

force participation rate has climbed from66.6 per cent in 1997 to 69.2 per cent in2002, second only to Alberta. Typicallytight labour markets should result in rapidincreases in wages as employers competefor available workers. Employers herehave not displayed a willingness to raisewages to fill vacancies despite shortages incertain industries and occupations. StillManitoba managed to counter the nationaltrend toward more low-wage jobs andgreater income inequality between 1997and 2002. Here the percentage of low-wagejobs fell; the percentage of high-wage jobsrose and earnings inequality fell. However,these modest changes were not enough tochange the province’s national ranking,which remained unchanged in all incomecategories.

As the provincial election approaches,the reality that the fastest growing group ofpeople living in poverty in Manitoba arethe working poor, as well as the expresseddesire of political parties to retain youngpeople in the province, should make wageinequality an election issue. Job growth is asign of a healthy economy but for thoseearning low-wages the economy may feeljust as sick as ever. The report notes thatgovernment can have a significant impacton this situation without incurring directexpenses by making proper policy changes,like increasing the minimum wage. Formore information or to read the report gotto www.policyalternatives.ca/mb and lookunder publications.

p e o p l ef e a t u r e s

J O N A T H A NT A N

Focus Editor

New Report Questions Impactof Job Growth

You Call Yourself a Writer?The Uniter is looking for submissions for its first Creative Writing supplement, due out July 2003.

Short story submission should be a maximum 3000 words, while poetry submissions should be a

maximum of 500 words. All submissions are tentatively due June 16.

Queries or comments will be addressed by e-mailing [email protected] or by calling 786-9790.


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B Y M I C H E L L E K U L Y

Sequel-mania is hitting Winnipeg hardthis summer, and if the prospect of yetanother Saturday night spent Charlie’sAngels, the X-Men or Keanu Reeves hasyou sighing with despair, perhaps it’s time toscale things down a bit.

For the last five years, a group of localvolunteers have been working hard to giveWinnipeggers another option. When BevanKlassen was visiting Seattle half a decade

ago, he discovered a film community with athriving microcinema. He decided then tobring the idea home to Winnipeg, gatheringthe contacts he needed to bring internation-al shorts films to Winnipeg audiences.Shortly thereafter, Catacomb microcinemawas born, screening local and internationalfilms the last Saturday of the month eversince.

Catacomb started small, and five yearslater it’s managed to maintain its small, inti-mate structure. According to Kevin Nikkel,

one of the five volunteers who organizeCatacomb’s monthly screenings.

“Catacomb started really small and wewanted to keep it that way – small is good,”he explains. “Our maximum capacity is 60people. We have a lot of regulars, and ateach screening we try to have the filmmak-ers present too.”

Catacomb is about as far from bigscreen sequels as you can get. A typicalSaturday offers free coffee and screeningsof several short films interspersed with

question and answer and discussion periodswith the filmmakers.

“It’s more than just an art house experi-ence,” says Nikkel. “We try to do somethingdifferent. We’ve tried theme-basedapproaches, depending on what [films] wereceive. We’ve had a screening of all–femalewritten and directed films, we’ve had anti-establishment month, and we’ve screenedexperimental films too.”

Organizing monthly screenings is justone of many sidelines for Nikkel and hispartners. Nikkel is an English teacher at St.Norbert Adult Education Centre, anddivides his limited free time between hisown film projects and Catacomb. But eventhough the Catacomb season is windingdown - there are only two screenings leftbefore Catacomb breaks for summer, May31 and June 28 – Catacomb’s organizers arenow faced with a new dilemma that willmost likely consume some long summerdays. Recent condo development in theExchange District will render their presentscreening venue – the historic TravellersBuilding at 283 Bannatyne – unavailableafter their June screening.

“When Catacomb starts up again inSeptember, we’ll be in a new venue. Thebuilding [we’re in now] is being convertedinto condos, so we’re being evicted,”explains Nikkel.“When we were looking fora small, intimate space five years ago, weoriginally were thinking of a café stylespace, perhaps something in OsborneVillage, but then an antique dealer friendssuggested the Great Room of the TravellersBuilding. It worked well for us.”

Before summer truly sets in andCatacomb Microcinema moves, you cancatch some excellent short films at their twofinal screenings. On May 31st Catacombwill be screening an eclectic mix of films,including local filmmaker Jeff Skinner’s “AFare to Remember.”

B Y D A N H U Y G H E B A E R T

Warning: Disturbing Content. Thisreview reveals plot devices that may beunsuitable for people accustomed tosweeping disturbing social subjects underthe carpet, or otherwise ignoring theiroccurrence.

"Disturbing." "Brutal." "Controversial."Every year a film comes along, hyped as"the most controversial movie of the year."Film critics react by alternately acclaimingand lambasting the film, the public isshocked and dismayed, and the film usuallygets labeled as pornography and is general-ly forgotten within a few years. Do any ofyou remember the French film Baise-Moi?Otherwise known as Thelma and Louisegone XXX? It received similar hype andnow it stands besides such classics asMcHale's Navy and The Stupids. (Baise-Moi wasn't THAT bad, but it was noMidnight Cowboy either.)

The newest film to follow this trend isyet another French film, Irreversible, direct-ed by Argentinean-born FrenchmanGaspar Noe. Noe is no stranger to contro-versy - his previous film, I Stand Alone, is acharacter study of an angry butcher wholoses his job and spends the entire moviewandering aimlessly through the streets ofParis, and it is not until the end that we findout the crux of his character. While I won’tspoil the whole film, I will say it touches ona more disturbing subject than this filmdoes, though both touch on exploitationand violation. Some of his characters areviolent and angry, carrying with them a self-ish moral justification to their actions.

Irreversible deals with rape and the

vengeance thatresults. The filmfollows two men:the boyfriend ofthe victim, Marcus(Vincent Cassel)and his friendPierre (AlbertDupontel) as theyfeverishly try to find the man responsiblefor the despicable act committed againstMarcus' girlfriend Alex (played by MonicaBellucci, Cassel's wife at the time andPersephone in Matrix Reloaded).

The film's trick is that the scenes areplayed backwards, so we see the aftermathof the revenge first. It is brutal in its depic-tion of both the act of revenge and the rapeitself, and it is one of the few films I haveseen that made me flinch. It is not for the

faint hearted,but then again,violation of thehuman body isnot somethingto be glamor-ized.

T h efilm is shot

with very few edits, and the few there areoccur between scenes to create a sense ofrealism. The camera - following the twomen through a gay sex bar as they look forthe perpetrator - is dizzying and hallucino-genic, creating a need amongst viewers forMarcus (via the camera) to gain a sense ofself-discipline, although we know this won’thappen. Marcus is a womanizer and hisreaction in the club is one of moral indigna-tion, adding to his anger and hate against

the rapist, as he spins closer towards vigi-lantism. These scenes are hard to swallowfor they are disorientating and they do notpaint homosexuals in a positive light,though this is from Marcus' reaction, andMarcus himself is not painted in a positivelight either. The only man of moral worthhere is Pierre, and he is only drawn intoMarcus' quest in desperation as he tries toprevent Marcus from doing anything dras-tic. As Alex’ ex-boyfriend, he is depicted asa man of moral standing and kindness, butit is Pierre, however, that pummels an inno-cent man with a fire extinguisher – a scenethat haunts his character through the rest ofthe film.

The film plays with determinism, for thebackwards scene structure reveals the char-acters' fate. I found myself wanting to shoutat the screen and warn the characters oftheir fate, and in the case of the rape scene,I wanted to get up and do something aboutit. The scene is shot in one take, and whilenot being sexually explicit, it is brutally vio-lent. The camera is still through out thescene, unblinking to the brutality. Andthough the audience may feel inclined tointervene, no one in the film actually does.One person appears briefly in the back-ground, and thinks it better not to getinvolved. Noe's style of filmmaking getsyou – the viewer – involved, for better orfor worse.

The film ends at the beginning, sharingan intimate moment between Alex andMarcus that lends optimism to the depic-tion of human nature. But most likely, youwill only hear about the darker aspects ofthis film and that in itself is a commentabout human nature.

French Film Offers Controvercial Content

page 8 M Ay 29 , 2003uniterth

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IRREVERSIBLECinematheque

June 7 -12, 9p.m.

P R E V I E W

Catacomb vs. Terminator …14?

Local Microcinema Offers Welcome Alternative toSummer Sequel Blockbusters

B Y D A N H U Y G H E B A E R T

These days, everyone’s a filmmaker. Orat least that’s what I figured after the successof U ofBut it was interesting to start off inNew York, it makes bits more universal.”reveals plot devices that may be unsuitablefor people accustomed to sweeping disturb-ing social subjects under the carpet, or oth-erwise ignoring their occurrence.

"Disturbing." "Brutal." "Controversial."Every year a film comes along, hyped as"the most controversial movie of the year."Film critics react by alternately acclaimingand lambasting the film, the public isshocked and dismayed, and the film usuallygets labeled as pornography and is general-ly forgotten within a few years. Do any ofyou remember the French film Baise-Moi?Otherwise known as Thelma and Louisegone XXX? It received similar hype andnow it stands besides such classics asMcHale's Navy and The Stupids. (Baise-Moi wasn't THAT bad, but it was noMidnight Cowboy either.)

The newest film to follow this trend isyet another French film, Irreversible, direct-ed by Argentinean-born FrenchmanGaspar Noe. Noe is no stranger to contro-versy - his previous film, I Stand Alone, is acharacter study of an angry butcher wholoses his job and spends the entire moviewandering aimlessly through the streets ofParis, and it is not until the end that we findout the crux of his character. While I won’tspoil the whole film, I will say it touches on

a more disturbing subject than this filmdoes, though both touch on exploitationand violation. Some of his characters areviolent and angry, carrying with them a self-ish moral justification to their actions.

Irreversible deals with rape and thevengeance that results. The film follows twomen: the boyfriend of the victim, Marcus(Vincent Cassel) and his friend Pierre(Albert Dupontel) as they feverishly try tofind the man responsible for the despicableact committed against Marcus' girlfriendAlex (played by Monica Bellucci, Cassel'swife at the time and Persephone in MatrixReloaded).

The film's trick is that the scenes areplayed backwards, so we see the aftermathof the revenge first. It is brutal in its depic-tion of both the act of revenge and the rapeitself, and it is one of the few films I haveseen that made me flinch. It is not for the

faint hearted, but then again, violation ofthe human body is not something to beglamorized.

The film is shot with very few edits, andthe few there are occur between scenes tocreate a sense of realism. The camera - fol-lowing the two men through a gay sex baras they look for the perpetrator - is dizzyingand hallucinogenic, creating a needamongst viewers for Marcus (via the cam-era) to gain a sense of self-discipline,although we know this won’t happen.Marcus is a womanizer and his reaction inthe club is one of moral indignation, addingto his anger and hate against the rapist, ashe spins closer towards vigilantism. Thesescenes are hard to swallow for they are dis-orientating and they do not paint homosex-uals in a positive light, though this is fromMarcus' reaction, and Marcus himself is notpainted in a positive light either. The only

man of moral worth here is Pierre, and he isonly drawn into Marcus' quest in despera-tion as he tries to prevent Marcus fromdoing anything drastic. As Alex’ ex-boyfriend, he is depicted as a man of moralstanding and kindness, but it is Pierre, how-ever, that pummels an innocent man with afire extinguisher – a scene that haunts hischaracter through the rest of the film.

The film plays with determinism, for thebackwards scene structure reveals the char-


e

R A D I O R A D I Ov i e wNCRC NCRC NCRC NCRC

Hey What is the article about anyway?????????

Sidebar Stuffreveals plot devices that may be unsuit-able for people accustomed to sweep-ing disturbing social subjects under thecarpet, or otherwise ignoring theiroccurrence.

"Disturbing." "Brutal.""Controversial." Every year a filmcomes along, hyped as "the most con-troversial movie of the year." Film crit-ics react by alternately acclaiming andlambasting the film, the public isshocked and dismayed, and the filmusually gets labeled as pornographyand is generally forgotten within a fewyears. Do any of you remember theFrench film Baise-Moi? Otherwiseknown as Thelma and Louise goneXXX? It received similar hype andnow it stands besides such classics asMcHale's Navy and The Stupids.(Baise-Moi wasn't THAT bad, but itwas no Midnight Cowboy either.)

The newest film to follow this trendis yet another French film, Irreversible,directed by Argentinean-bornFrenchman Gaspar Noe. Noe is nostranger to controversy - his previousfilm, I Stand Alone, is a character studyof an angry butcher who loses his joband spends the entire movie wanderingaimlessly through the streets of Paris,and it is not until the end that we findout the crux of his character. While Iwon’t spoil the whole film, I will say ittouches on a more disturbing subjectthan this film does, though both touchon exploitation and violation. Some ofhis characters are violent and angry,carrying with them a selfish moral justi-fication to their actions.

Irreversible deals with rape and thevengeance that results. The film followstwo men: the boyfriend of the victim,Marcus (Vincent Cassel) and his friend


e

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B Y J A M E S P A S K A R U K

In Ken Burns’ definitive Jazz documentary, Wynton Marsalispoints out that Jazz is a fine gumbo, and you cannot have gumbowithout a roux, and that roux is the Blues. With that in mind, thisyear’s Jazz Festival, taking place June 12 - 21 features suchBlues talent as Bad Weather, Tracy K, The River City BluesBand and Jack De Keyzer, who recently won a Juno for his lat-est release, 6 String Lover.

6 String Lover is a gumbo in itself, mixing in the many facesof Rhythm and Blues, the music closest to De Keyzer’s heart.

“It’s a Rhythm and Blues odyssey,” he says over the phonefrom his home in Toronto. “It covers various kinds of R&B thatI like, whether it’s Delta blues, Chicago, Texas, Jump Blues,Swing, Funk… I heard BB King say once that he didn’t under-stand why they don’t call it R&B anymore. What we play withdrums has a lot more rhythm to it than the old style 1920s stuff.Whether it’s the rockabilly of Chuck Berry, the down-home gritof Muddy Waters or the swing of T-Bone Walker, it’s all R&B.”

De Keyzer bears a fine musical pedigree. Having looked upto Cliff Richard’s British Rock ’n Roll while growing up inEngland, he first picked up guitar when he was only ten. His firstbig break came courtesy of the late Richard Newell (aka KingBiscuit Boy), one of Canada’s best-known harp players of the70s and 80s. De Keyzer then joined The Hawks, the legendarybacking band of the equally legendary Ronnie Hawkins, in 1973.

“It was a really good experience, playing live with greatmusicians,” he relates.

De Keyzer is a musical jack-of-all-trades (no pun intended),producing and recording in his own home studio and also havingserved as a session man for such blues royalty as Bo Diddley,Etta James and Otis Rush.

“I see the blues as a blank canvas that you can paint any kindof picture on, whether you're as raw and primal as Bo Diddley oras sophisticated and far out as Charlie Parker, you're alwaysplaying over the same canvas,” he explains. De Keyzer wraps upthe fest at the Windsor on June 21.

And speaking of painting any kind of picture, what is per-haps most remarkable about this year’s Jazz Winnipeg Festival

is the far-ranging nature of the musical lineup. WhileJazz has always been a musical form in constant flux,mutating and incorporating influences from all over theworld, this year’s fest goes quite far a field. You canhear such way-out musical forms as hardcore from BurnRome in a Dream, ska by the Afterbeat, the Southern Rockof Little Feat and Hip Hop courtesy of the legendary DJGrandmaster Flash, whose “The Message” defined a newera in music upon its release in 1982, paving the way for amovement that is showing no signs of slowing down.

Other acts of note are Mark Atkinson, whocontinues the tradition of Gypsy Swing – ifyou saw Woody Allen’s Sweet andLowdown and liked what you heard,don’t miss this. Back again is AntibalasAfrobeat Orchestra, the incendiaryBrooklyn rhythm collective who are aguaranteed great show. A name thatsurprises many is Lee Aaron – and no,they haven’t gone so far as to includeclassic heavy metal on the lineup thisyear. Aaron has been singing vocalJazz for several years now, and whileshe no longer comes like thunder outfrom the ground, she still rocks us allwith a surprisingly great delivery.Who knew?

Naturally, there is also a largeselection of local talent, includingLatin grooves from Papa Mambo,Big Band courtesy of Ron Paley,jazz from the Beni D. Quintet,Roots Rock from Mark Reeves,Funk from the incredibly hotRudimental, and many others.

The Jazz Fest runs ThursdayJune 12 to Saturday June 21, info at(204) 989-4656 or at www.jazzwin-nipeg.com.

De Keyzer Brings the Blues to JazzToronto Based Blues Man Just Oneof Diverse Acts to Play Jazz Fest JAZZ

WINNIPEGFESTIVALJune 12 - 21Call 989-4656 orvisit www.jazz-

winnipeg.com forfestival info.

P R E V I E W

Destination: New York CityTry The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. The defin-itive New York book, by the definitive New Yorkauthor. See the city through the eyes of a misanthrop-ic protagonist whose company and profound observa-tions you will either love or hate. (P.S. if you’re a fan ofthe movie The Royal Tennenbaums, also check outFranny & Zooey by the same author.)

Destination: San FranciscoTry A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius byDave Eggers. At the age of 22, the author becomesboth an orphan and a "single parent” to his grade-school-age sibling when his parents die within fivemonths of one another of unrelated cancers. Soundsdepressing but it’s actually really, really funny; one ofthe few memoirs that is more self-conscious than it isself-indulgent.

Destination: FloridaTry All Families are Psychotic by Douglas Coupland.Accompany the Drummonds as they wreak havoc onthe Sunshine State. True to Coupland’s style, his char-acters are just as immersed in pop-culture as they arecynical of it, which makes Florida an excellent locationfor this novel; watch for particularly amusing, off-beatscenes in landmark sites like Cape Canaveral andDisney World.

Destination: EdinburghTry Porno by Irvine Welsh. A fan of Trainspotting?Well ten years later, Renton and the boys are back withmore hackneyed schemes, this time involving adult filmproduction. Welsh’s trademark style will really giveyou a feel for the local dialect, and the book’s eye-catching cover makes a great conversation piece.

Destination: AmsterdamTry My ‘Dam Life by Sean Condon, written about anAustralian’s three-year stint in the city where any-thing can happen. Unique characters emerge throughmany entertaining anecdotes about everything fromtoilets to bicycle thievery to “coffee shops” (yes thosecoffee shops) to the infamous red light district. Grabyourself a couple of Heineken, and have a good read.

Destination: LondonTry Human Punk by John King. Coming-of-age novelset in the East End, 1977. Another book with a greatsoundtrack, old-school Brit-punk fans will particular-ly enjoy this. If you gave Porno a go, only to discoverthat Welsh’s dialect was driving you nuts, King’s cock-ney dialect is a bit easier on the brain, while remain-ing just as entertaining.

Destination: TorontoTry Flyboy Action Figure Comes with Gasmask byJim Munroe (AKA: Toronto’s best-kept secret.)Ryan is a shy, caffeine addicted U of T student. Andoh yeah, he can turn into a fly. Quirky sci-fi mixedwith witty left-wing social commentary, in the heart ofdowntown Toronto. Also check out Munroe’s person-al site (www.nomediakings.org), for e-texts, games,and plenty of tips on guerilla book-publishing.

Destination: Win-a-peg, the game showfor piratesGotta come home sometime. Check out In The LastEarly Days of My Death by Catherine Hunter.Written by a talented local poet in beautifullydescriptive prose, this engaging Winnipeg whodunnitwill make you happy to be back.

Have a good summer, you guys.

DestinationUnknown

Summer Reading to take You Away...

B Y N Y A L A A L I

No summer plans that involve leaving town? Then put

yourself in the “have book, will travel” mind frame

and explore different cities through one (or more) of

the following titles. In addition to exhibiting a strik-

ing sense of place, these are all great reads, I promise.

M Ay 29 , 2003 page 1 1uniterth

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Moses Mayes Together Again

After almost a year hiatus, local funk/house groovsters Moses Mayes are returning to thestage – and for good this time. Sources say they just couldn’t help stay apart any longer,and the group has already arranged a reunion at this year’s Jazz Festival. You can catchthem at the Old market Square Stage, Sunday June 15, during the festival’s opening week-end showcase. A new album and touring is in the works too - we can hardly wait.

Early Bird Gets the Cheapie Tickets

The 30th Annual Winnipeg Folk Festival is almost here, and festival organizers have man-aged to round up some super talent for this year’s lineup. From July 10 – 13 you can checkout Ani DiFranco, Kathleen Edwards, The Waifs and Blackie and the Rodeo Kings. Grabyour folk festival tickets at early bird ticket rates before June 1 - a weekend pass and camp-ing privileges will only cost you $110, a savings of $40 off the gate price. Ticketmaster ishandling all ticket sales, so visit www.ticketmaster.ca or call 780-3333 to get yours. For moreinfo on the festival itself, visit www.winnipegfolkfestival.com .

Fem Fest Premieres

From June 7 – 15 women will be taking centre stage with Fem Fest, a new festival of womenplaywrights, founded by Winnipeg’s Sarasvati Productions. The festival, held at ColinJackson Theatre, will present plays from featured women playwrights from the Yukon toToronto in addition to theatre workshops. The bill reads like a virtual who’s who ofUniversity of Winnipeg alumni, so chances are you’ll find familiar faces on stage as well asin the crowd. Fem Fest will wrap up with a forum on the Status of Women in CanadianTheatre. Tickets for evening performances are $12, workshops are $5 and a festival pass is$20, speakers are free. Tickets can be purchased from Prairie Theatre Exchange from 12-2pm everyday or by calling 586-2236.

G7 Rebel Encampment Right on Target

This bunch is busy these days. When they sent us a package of all their latest goodies, wejust about crapped our pants. Among the highlights: Noam Chomsky’s The New War onTerrorism: Fact or Fiction. On this disc, Chomsky offers some of the most intelligent post-9/11 analysis out there. But if that isn’t enough for ya, check out In a Pig’s Eye: Reflectionson a Police State; Ward Churchill’s musings on grassroots organizations, movements andgovernment interference.And if you want to balance that off with some kick ass music, pickup Outside the Unbearable Grows, the new CD from Calgary’s Mico; music lamenting theinc. of humanity. Jon says it’s just damn good.

Return to Metropolis at Cinematheque

Back at Cinematheque May 29-30 is Fritz Lang’s legendary Metropolis, a German classicthat stands among both the greatest silent films and the greatest science fiction films. Langinvented new visual processes to achieve the remarkable special effects, and the Art Decoset design, like all Art Deco creations, still looks as beautiful and surreal as ever. Afterdecades without a good, complete print (although the cool-then and campy-now 1984restoration by disco king Giorgio Moroder is still brilliant), Kino has compiled a definitiverestoration. It includes every piece of film still known to exist, as well as the original inter-titles and a new orchestral recording of the original score.A classic on many levels, if you’rea fan of movies, science fiction, design or all three, you don’t want to miss this.

B Y I A N W H E E L E R

This spring, Canada’s music industrylaunched the newest campaign in the anti-Napster Generation battle, and teenagersThe Value of Music Campaign, intent oninfluencing consumers to buy music isspecifically geared towards nine to 17 year-olds, most of whom have grown up down-loading music.

The campaign features commercial onnetwork television, radio and also has aninteractive website (www.keepmusiccom-ing.com) which all aim to combat the fallingrecord sales and revenue that the CanadianValue of Music Coalition (CVOMC)blames directly on peer-to-peer file sharing(P2P) and CD burning. So far, the coalitionis receiving a lot of support from within themusic industry – major entertainment com-panies (Sony, BMG, Universal, and others.)have joined up with artists, songwriters,music publishers, right collectives, broad-casters and retailers to stand behind thenew campaign, but whether they will suc-

cessfully get teens on board is anotherstory.

Becky Haverluck, a 17 year-old studentattending Kelvin High School, believes thatdownloading music from P2P file sharingprograms, like KaZaA, is not wrong or ille-gal.

“I think that P2P is a great means forartists to be heard,” says Haverluck.She also believes many students haven’theard or seen the commercials.

“If they have, I don’t believe that it hasmade much of an impact on their decisionto buy CD’s or download them,” she shrugs.“Most of them say that if they enjoy whatthey download and hear from a particularband, they might be more inclined to pur-chase the CD to support the artist.”

Even if this is the case, there is a clearsign that illegal online sources, P2P filesharing and CD burning have taken theirtoll on the Recording Industry. Accordingto Neilson Soundscan, in Canada, there hasbeen a 25% sales slump in the past threeyears and close to a 17% drop in CD salesin 2002.

While major labels are feeling thepinch, it seems smaller labels may see filesharing as beneficial.

Rob Krause, from local SmallmanRecords, says there is a flipside to the file-sharing fiasco.

“P2P file sharing has been a great helpin getting the word out for bands on asmaller label like ours,” Krause says. Notthat record labels could be done away withall together, he explains.

“For our artists, we don't just put outtheir albums. We do publicity for their toursand releases, we book their tours, and wemanage them . . . bands rarely have the timeto create music and tour as well as managetheir sales and distribution.”

And its these concerns the CVOMChopes to address with their campaign – itsmessage simply that buying music helpsmore music get made and gives new artistsa chance to be heard.

Dave “Lindy” Lindberg, an Instructorat the Academy of Broadcasting and a sea-soned veteran in the radio industry, believesthat the reason Canadians are reluctant to

give up their file-sharing ways is due in partto record companies charging too much fora CD.

“I find a song I like and I download it. Idon’t have to buy a CD full of songs that Idon’t like for $20.00 or more,” Lindbergcomments.

And this is a concern the coalition istaking seriously. The recording industryplans to offer more low-cost CDs, enhancedDVD effects and other additional incen-tives to increase music sales. Hopefullythese incentives will work. According toLindberg, however, the public needs realizeone thing.

“I think the most important and mostover-looked aspect [of this issue is] if theartist doesn’t get paid for his or her workit’s theft, pure and simple.”

Lindberg explains that when it comesdown to it, the artists are the ones who feelthe biggest pinch, but the decision comesdown to the buying public.

“You need music. And music needsyou.”

Flipping throughthe Jazz WinnipegFestival artist biog-raphys, I was a little

surprised to find Lee Aaron, DJGrandmaster Flash and The Dearsamong them. While it’s true that LeeAaron, former quintessential Canadianrocker has traded in her studded beltfor her “Swingin’ Barflies”Flipping through the Jazz WinnipegFestival artist biographys, I was a littlesurprised to find Lee Aaron, DJGrandmaster Flash and The Dearsamong them. While it’s true that LeeAaron, former quintessential Canadianrocker has traded in her studded beltfor her “Swingin’ Barflies”Flipping through the Jazz WinnipegFestival artist biographys, I was a littlesurprised to find Lee Aaron, DJGrandmaster Flash and The Dearsamong them. While it’s true that LeeAaron, former quintessential Canadianrocker has traded in her studded beltfor her “Swingin’ Barflies”Flipping through the Jazz WinnipegFestival artist biographys, I was a littlesurprised to find Lee Aaron, DJGrandmaster Flash and The Dearsamong them. While it’s true that LeeAaron, former quintessential Canadianrocker has traded in her studded beltfor her “Swingin’ Barflies”Flipping through the Jazz WinnipegFestival artist biographys, I was a littlesurprised to find Lee Aaron, DJGrandmaster Flash and The Dearsamong them. While it’s true that LeeAaron, former quintessential Canadianrocker has traded in her studded beltfor her “Swingin’ Barflies”Flipping through the Jazz WinnipegFestival artist biographys, I was a littlesurprised to find Lee Aaron, DJGrandmaster Flash and The Dears

among them. While it’s true that LeeAaron, former quintessential Canadianrocker has traded in her studded beltfor her “Swingin’ Barflies”Flipping through the Jazz WinnipegFestival artist biographys, I was a littlesurprised to find Lee Aaron, DJGrandmaster Flash and The Dearsamong them. While it’s true that LeeAaron, former quintessential Canadianrocker has traded in her studded beltfor her “Swingin’ Barflies”Flipping through the Jazz WinnipegFestival artist biographys, I was a littlesurprised to find Lee Aaron, DJGrandmaster Flash and The Dearsamong them. While it’s true that LeeAaron, former quintessential Canadianrocker has traded in her studded beltfor her “Swingin’ Barflies”Flipping through the Jazz WinnipegFestival artist biographys, I was a littlesurprised to find Lee Aaron, DJGrandmaster Flash and The Dearsamong them. While it’s true that LeeAaron, former quintessential Canadianrocker has traded in her studded beltfor her “Swingin’ Barflies”Flipping through the Jazz WinnipegFestival artist biographys, I was a littlesurprised to find Lee Aaron, DJGrandmaster Flash and The Dearsamong them. While it’s true that LeeAaron, former quintessential Canadianrocker has traded in her studded beltfor her “Swingin’ Barflies”

Does Buying Music Help More Music Get Made?

M I C H E L L EK U L Y

V & C E d i t o r

Maybe It’s Time For A New Name

June Arts Briefs


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B Y J E F F R O B S O N

For several weeks on CBC Radio One,the locally produced and nationally airedDefinitely Not The Opera has been runninga contest called “Canada Listens.” Thepremise was simple: If you could invite theentire nation into your basement to listen to

your favourite record, what record would itbe?” Listeners and guest panellists wereinvited to nominate what they believed tobe the best “Canadian” album, and the onethat the entire nation should listen to. And,much to my delight, this week the grandprize went to Whale Music by Rheostatics.

This album is like nothing I’ve ever

heard before or since. The Rheostatics haveoften been called The Most Canadian Bandon Earth, or variations on that theme, andWhale Music is why. After two wonderfulbut under-appreciated records, WhaleMusic propelled the band to the forefrontof Canadian music.

It’s an album that isn’t easily under-

standable or explainable. It’s a mind-blend-ing mix of styles and genres that defiesdescription. It starts off with Martin Tielli’shaunting and plaintive song, “Self ServeGas Station.” It tells of Martin’s days sell-ing gas to drunk and disgruntled truckers inthe middle of the night. “Mom and dad areselfless… they don’t do nothing worthless /they just work all day and worry about theirson: ‘what went wrong with Martin, is hedumb?”

There’s the angry and powerful“Queer,” with its powerful lyrics: “I wishyou were there to see it when I scored a hat-trick on the team that called you a fuckin’queer,” and “Rock Death America;” DaveBidini’s reaction to critics who wouldpigeon hole his music. “Someone said wesounded like the Replacements but we’dnever be the Beatles or Byrds. / Someonesaid we should have stayed in the basementinstead of littering our noise on the Earth.”

And, there’s the haunting “King of thePast,” a tale inspired by a walk Tim Veselytook around Winnipeg in search of LouisRiel’s grave.

The songs are timeless, and deal withuniversal themes of angst and frustration.The album speaks to me on a powerful andpersonal level. But the sound is just toodiverse and difficult for mainstream ears.There will always be a precious few who getit, but isn't that what life as a Canadian hasalways been? We seem to constantly strug-gle for identity and understanding. We're acountry that wants to be loved by the wholeworld, but we’re rarely understood in thesame way that we think we understand our-selves. The music of the Rheostatics is ashard to define as is our Canadian identityand that's why Whale Music so perfectlyrepresents in song what it means to beCanadian. This is truly essential Canadianlistening. If there’s ever a course onCanadian identity, this should be the text-book. Thanks DNTO, for finally recogniz-ing this invaluable contribution to Canadianmusic. I give it 10 maple leafs out of 10.

Canadian CreditRheostatics Get Some Well-deserved

Attention from National Radio

COFFEHOUSES

Academy Coffee, 414 Academy Rd.

(489-6630) – Every 2nd & 4th Mondayeach month – Winnipeg Poetry Slam @8pm, for info call Darek Dawda @ 772-5166. Ongoing Fridays – HillbillyBurlesque, Sunday, April 27 ConiferaShow featuring Cone Five, nowheretogo,Boat and Andrew Gilbert @ 9pm, tixs $5at the door.

CONCERTS

Centennial Concert Hall, 555 Main St(780-3333) – April 26, 29 & May 2, 2003Manitoba Opera presents Lucia diLammermoor @ 8pm, 7pm and 8pmrespectively. Tixs between $20-$66 @Ticketmaster. Wed thru Sun, May 7-11,2003 Royal Winnipeg Ballet presentsRita Joe @ 7:30pm & 2pm on Sunday,Student prices: $11.50-$45.00. Friday &Saturday, May 16/17, 2003 WinnipegSymphony Orchestra: pieces fromRussian composer Modest Mussorgsky.Monday, May 19, 2003 Nana Mouskouri& Harry Belafonte @ 8pm, Friday &Saturday, May 23/24, 2003 WinnipegSymphony Orchestra: theme fromBrahms, call 956-2792

Chaos Chameleon, 2nd floor (108Osborne) – Ongoing Fridays – DJsJustrich and Freaky Alien call 475-3328for info

Eckhardt-Gramatte Hall, UofW 3rd

floor – call 786-9000 for more info Fri-Sun, May 2-4 – Virtuosi Concerts:Beethovenfest ’03 with Jane Coop,piano and Andrew Dawes, violin.Tickets: Individually – Adult $26, Senior$24 and Student $14. Beethovenfest Pass$48, Students $24 Saturday, May 31, 2003Winnipeg Classical Guitar Society:Mathew Peters, Guitar @ 8pm (StudentRecital @ 7:40pm), tixs: Adult $15,

Senior $10 and Student $5/At theDoor $25

Millennium Centre, 389 Main Street –Saturday, May 10, 2003 Camerata Novapresents Vox Antiqua, Vox Nova @ 8pm

Le Rendezvous - Monday, May 19 TheMusic @ 9pm, tixs $15.50 @ allTicketmaster outlets.

Pyramid Cabaret, 176 Fort (957-7777)-Thursday, April 29 Amped (St.Catherines, ON), The Barrymores, TheBrat Attack.Wednesday, April 30 GrandTheft Bus. Thursday, May 1 LuckyS e v e n , w e b s i t e :www.feelingluckypunk.com Friday, May2 Popes Hill, D.J. Oxide. Saturday, May 3Strongfront.tv Presents: Baby ElenaRobertson-Wood Heart SurgeryFundraiser, Billy Jo Green, Killah Greenand guests Tixs $10. Thursday, May 8Super Garage. Friday, May 9 Hunnicutand DJ. Co-Op. Saturday, May 10Wasabi Collective. Wednesday, May 14Supernal and Guests. Thursday, May 15

Lady Bird Side Show. Saturday, May 17Melanie Doane, tixs $10 in advance/$12at the door. Tuesday, May 20 TheCandidates. Saturday, May 24 Red SeedsCD Release Party. Tuesday, May 27Leviride, Chrome Yellow, Cone 5.Wednesday, May 28 Soul Survivors BodyArt presents Strapping Young Lad, tixsat Ticketmaster. Thursday, May 29 3Inches of Blood, The Jet City Fix, VOLI-TION, Killer Green. Friday, May 30Kinnie Starr. Saturday, May 31 WakingEyes, Meligrove Band, Perms, ImperialPublic Library.

The Royal Albert – Thursday, May 8Waking Eyes with Projektor and PaperMoon, doors open 9pm, tix $6

The Zoo/Osborne Village Inn, 160Osborne – Ozzys: call 452-9824 for info

Zoo: Friday, May 2, 2003 Stephan Pearcywith Fabulous Kildonans, Tixs $10 at theVillage Inn @ 10pm

Times Change(d) High and LonesomeClub, 234 Main St. (957-0982) – OngoingSundays: Blues Jam with Big DaveMcLean. Saturday, May 3 Paperbacks,Blueprint Gallery, and Mike Trike doorsat 8pm, tix $6 Saturday, May 17Canadian Country Legend StewClayton.

West End Cultural Centre, 586 Ellice(783-6918) –Friday, May 9 The GrindTour featuring Planet Smashers, BigWig, Belvedere and Big D & The KidsTable @ 8pm, tixs $15/$18 @ Into The

Music, SK8, WECC and Ticketmaster(all ages). Saturday, May 10 An Eveningwith James Keelaghan @ 8pm, tixs$17/$20 @ Ticketmaster or WECCDoors. Monday, May 12 West EndComedy Night, tixs $3. Saturday, May 17Winnipeg Labour Choir, tixs $10 at thedoor. Friday, May 23 Death By Stereo,Downway and Nicotine @ 8pm, tixs$12/$15 @ Into The Music, SK8, WECCand Ticketmaster.

FILM

Cinematheque, 100 Arthur - Call 925-3457 for more info. May 2 - Just PlainFolks 7pm, Power & Terror 8:30pm May3 - Power & Terror 7pm, DivineIntervention 9pm

IMAX, 3rd Floor Portage Place – Call956-2400 for show times

The Globe Cinema, 393 Portage Ave. –call 69 GLOBE for show times (validat-ed free parking) tixs $7/adults

READINGS

McNally Robinson at Grant Park–Thursday, May 8 Prairie Fire Wordfest– Part 1 @ 7:30pm, readings by DavidBergen, Suzanne Matczuk and MargaretSweatman. Rebecca Grambo & DennisFast launch of Wapusk: White Bear ofthe North @ 8pm Friday, May 9 DebraLynn Neufeld, Jazz Trio @ 8pm, PrairieFire Wordfest – Part II, readings byPatrick O’Connell, Elise Moore andAlissa York @ 7:30pm, Monday, May 12

Candas Jane Dorsey and JudyMcCrosky, editors, launch ofLand/Space: An Anthology of PrairieSpeculative Fiction @ 7:30pm, DeborahSchnitzer launch of The Madwoman inthe Academy: 43 Women Boldly TakeOn the Ivory Tower @ 8pm

McNally Robinson at Portage Place–Friday, May 2 The Burton Trio, Jazz @6:30pm. Friday, May 9 A Taste Of NewOrleans, Traditional Jazz & Blues @6:30pm. Friday, May 16 James Harrison,Piano/Guitar Mix @ 6:30pm. Friday, May23 Sandra Stritz Trio, ContemporarySinger/Songwriter @ 6:30pm. Thursday,May 29 Barbara Huck reading & signingCrossroads of the Continent: A Historyof The Forks of the Red & AssiniboineRivers @ 7:30pm. Friday, May 30 DarciaSenft w/ James Hickerson,Contemporary Singer/Songwriter @6:30pm. Thursday, June 5 William Coblereading & signing Addictions Primer @7pm

THEATRES

Gas Station Theatre, 445 River (atOsborne) – May 1 –3, 2003 newVIEWpresents Tom Stroud and PeterBingham, 780-3333,

Manitoba Theatre Centre, 174 MarketAve. – April 17 – May 10, 2003 RichardIII, for tickets call 942-6537

Pantages Playhouse – Sunday, May 4,2003 Family Concert Series: Little Bear

THE UNITER’S PICKS FOR MAY - Compiled by Sheri Lamb

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B Y J U L I E H O R B A L

It’s inevitable that we are now facing theend of May in Winnipeg. And, inevitably,with the end of May in Winnipeg comessummer in Winnipeg.

Also inevitable is that the coming ofsummer in Winnipeg brings summer sportsand an increase in sports participation.

There are countless rounds of pick-upand scrub soccer, baseball, ultimate andfootball. Seasonally sedentary students areseen tossing around every imaginable appa-ratus and running and riding along everyimaginable path in the city. Trails are start-ing to look lush and groomed, and lakes areprimed for swimming and splashing. Andthe summer sports organizations - from crit-ical and competitive all the way down tobeer leagues - are in full swing.

Come summertime, people everywhereare indulging in cool activities to beat bore-dom and tackle the heat. The only problemwith these cool activities and increased par-ticipation seems to be the inevitableincrease in sports injuries.

Ankles are rolling, muscles are tearingand bodies are dehydrating left, right andcenter - but just how inevitable are thesesports injuries?

According to one sports medicineexpert, not as inevitable as we lead our-selves to believe.

"The most common injuries that we seeare muscle strains, which occur as a result ofindividuals trying to do too much, too hard,too often, when their bodies aren't preparedto take the stress and strain," offers RussHorbal, physiotherapy consultant for theWinnipeg Goldeyes and part-owner/physio-therapist at the Sports PhysiotherapyCentre at the Pan Am Clinic.

"We would not see injuries like thesenearly as often if people would just take thetime to prepare for activity."

So now that we know we can preventthese early season injuries and avoid put-ting our bodies and ourselves through thesummer sports torture machine, what arethe keys to this preparation?

Preparation and diligence, according tothe experts.

"People should be trying to get morephysically fit in the off-season," suggestsHorbal.

"Specifically, becoming more flexible,stronger and improving their cardiovascularfitness gives individuals the building blocksto safe and successful performance."

But what can you do if you're alreadypast your off-season and attempting to playright now?

Here's a brief run-down of steps to pre-venting - or at least easing - the pain ofsummer sports injuries:

Warm-upsPrior to the day's activity, make sure you

do a proper three-step warm-up.

CardioFirst off, this should include a general full-body warm-up, such as going for a light jog,riding your bike/rollerblading to the activi-ty, or doing some jumping jacks. This raisesbody temperature, gets your heart and lungspumping and gets blood flowing to theareas that need it.

StretchingSecondly, gently stretch the areas that aregoing to be stressed during the activity. Ifyou're activity involves running, make surethat you stretch your legs. For activities thatinvolve throwing, make sure that youstretch your shoulders, arms, and trunk. Forall activities, you shouldn't forget to stretchyour back and neck, since these are areasthat are usually involved with the motions

of all sports.

SimulationThirdly, simulate the sport. For example,

for slow-pitch, start by throwing lightly andgradually move into more intense andlonger throws. Also, swing the bat a fewtimes to loosen up your body and to pre-pare for hitting.

Finally, proceed from the previous stageto more specific game simulation, whereyou go through game-like activities at a pro-gressively higher intensity. This takes youthrough the final steps to being ready toplay the game.

HydrationFirst off, understand that this doesn't

mean cracking a few cold ones before gametime.

Ease off the brewskyAlthough one of the most popular

sports during the summer months is "beerleague" baseball, beer is one of the athlete'sworst enemies when consuming liquids isconcerned - water is the best fuel forpreparing the body for activity.

H2-ohhhhThe body requires water and nutrients tofunction optimally while engaging in stren-uous sports activities. Your muscles usethese products to fuel performance and thebody loses water and electrolytes withsweating. It is important to drink waterbefore activity to start with a full tank,which must be constantly replenished whileactive.

After activity, it is important to refuelthe tank, so to speak, so that the body canrecover from the strains and stresses of thesport, along with the loss of sweat. While it'scustomary to gather in the beer gardens

after the game, it's important to rememberthat beer - as does any other alcohol -makes you pee more and ultimately defeatsthe purpose of hydration.

Although warming up and hydrating aresteps that will ensure a lesser chance ofinjury with activity, there are no guaranteeswhen it comes to sports and the body - someinjuries are still inevitable and unavoidable.However some injuries are also unignor-able.

Although most injuries will be painfuland unpleasant, you shouldn't ignore themif they are preventing you from functioningon a day-to-day level.

"If you encounter an injury that pre-vents you from doing normal tasks, likewalking and working, seek the attention of asports medicine professional," advisesHorbal.

"Run, don't walk - if you can."

If you are one of the "lucky" oneswho encounter an injury while par-ticipating in your sport of choice,apply the RICE principle:

R - rest - stop doing what you're doing I - ice - apply a bag of ice, a bag offrozen veggies or a chemical cold packto the area for 15-20 minutes for thefirst 48-72 hours

C - compression - wrap a tensor band-age firmly around the injured area tolimit the amount of swelling

E - elevation - raising the injured bodypart above the level of the heart alsohelps to control swelling

We can find a generic exer-cise-type photo to put inhere if need be. I have lots.

Ride the Wave Into Summer

B Y L E I G H T O N K L A S S E N L

It is 35 degrees Celsius in the deadof summer.

It’s so hot out that you could fryeggs on a nearby curb, and the wind isso still that it makes trees look likestatues.

Although you want to stay insideand keep cool, you have been sittinginside all winter and are itching forsomething cool to do. Rollerbladingand jogging seem like they’ll just add tothe horrors of the heat wave, so why

not grab a board, slip into a wetsuit,and indulge in the sport that has coolwritten all over it - wakeboarding.

Wakeboarding, the sport that hasbeen gaining popularity at an exponen-tial rate in all of Canada, is crashinginto Manitoba’s lake and cottage coun-try with extreme force, and can satisfyparticipant needs ranging from the hes-itant longings of the casual rider all theway to the thrills craved by the extrem-ist.

Hitting the wavesWhen wakeboarding, a person

stands on a board – just as in skate-boarding and snowboarding – that isattached via a rope to the back of aboat – just as in water-skiing. The boattows the wakeboarder behind it withincreasing speed and eventually therider is soaring across the lake and overtop of the waves.

Wakeboarding can be one of themost tranquil experiences, but if takinga peaceful cruise down the lake isn’tyour cup of tea, rest assured. There aremany paths that will allow for jumps,flips, spins and just about anything elsethat can potentially let the wave get the

better of you.A sport that can be tailored to meet

all skill levels, wakeboarding can beenjoyed by almost all people. It is notan extravagant activity where equip-ment and venues are unrealistic. Infact, it is relatively affordable and,courtesy of its minimal equipmentrequirements, is often called the waterworld of skateboarding.

EquipmentThere are three essential compo-

nents that are required to participate inwakeboarding (other than the boat): aboard, boots, and a toe rope.

The boards are make out of eitherfibreglass or wood and are just over 50inches in length and weigh in under 10lbs in weight. They come with artisticpaint schemes, much like the designson skateboards, and start at a price ofabout $200.

In addition to these basics, mostboarders wear Wetsuits for safety andcomfort, but they are not a require-ment in most locations.

LocationsWakeboarding can be executed at

any lake, and many lakes withboat/seadoo rental shops have timeslots allocated for wakeboarding, whenthey take riders out on the shop’sboats.

Unfortunately, those who are intostunt riding are more limited in theirchoices - ramps only exist at specifiedwakeboarding clubs. Manitoba does,however boast eleven clubs with thenearest location being in Lac DuBonnet.

A site is currently under develop-ment in the Transcona area of the cityand is expected to be fully operationalby mid summer, just in time forWinnipeg’s largest competition, WakeJam.

Levels of intensityIf the word “competition” is your

game, then Water Ski Manitoba is thename.

Sign up for a membership andyou’re entitled to compete in an arrayof events and tournaments all acrossCanada. There are also many localevents that are also sponsored byWater Ski Manitoba that do notrequire a membership.

For those who are just starting out,your best bet is to find someone whoknows the sport, and start watchingcarefully.

Unfortunately, at this time WaterSki Manitoba does not currently offerany wakeboarding clinics, however,they do offer programs to novice waterskiers that will develop skills that arerelevant to wakeboarding. Classesbegin in June and are located at WSMTraining and Tournament Facilitylocated at the corner of Murdock Rd.and St. Boniface Rd. in Transcona.

Private wakeboarding lessons areoffered at most lakes across Manitoba,although they are sometimes quitecostly and difficult to find. The rewards,however, are well worth it.

Put the water skies away this sum-mer and hit the wave with a wakeboard!For additional information on wake-boarding in Manitoba visit www.waters-ki.mb.ca.

n a t i o n a l s

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you who think something like this isn'tconsidered camping -think again. Sureit doesn't fall into the stereotypical cate-gory of camping, but just rememberthose scary retail beasts, they're every-where and they'll stop at nothing to getthose bargains.

If only there was a protective sprayfor those, we'd all be safe.- Malissa Magorel

Falcon Lake Pt. 2Camping... ahhhhh. A time to sit

back, relax and let the good times roll.For some, the experience of endur-

ing "the Great Outdoors" can be excit-ing and exhilarating. For others, it hasthe definite possibility of being one ofthose "weekends from hell".

As a first time camper not reallyknowing what to expect, I packed up mycar and headed east this past weekendto enjoy May long in the comfort ofFalcon Lake, located in the WhiteshellProvincial Park, just 126 km. outside ofWinnipeg. The beautiful campgroundsdraw thousands every year, andalthough I was prepared for one of thoseweekends from hell, the debut of thecamping season this year was no excep-tion.

The May long weekend kicked offthis year's rush of avid campers inFalcon Lake with crappy weather and ahuge social (held every year) in the com-

munity club, however the rain didn'tstop most people from doing what theycame out to do: drinking and having ahell of a good time. Campsites were leftwet, flooded and deserted, hotels, motelsand cabins were full to the absolute brim(we ended up in a hotel room with 12people- it was quite the experience).

Falcon is a great place to camp ifyou are under 25, like to drink, and canhandle watching your friends makecomplete fools out of themselves (bybathing in a puddle in the parking lot ofthe very full Falcon Lake Resort Hotel,for example).

Because it was the long weekend,however, drinking was prohibited and itwas vital to hide the fact that, we, likemost campers were there to drink. Theno alcohol policy was heavily enforcedand people were evicted from campsitesif caught with booze in their tents(apparently even if they had only beenthere for 18 hours).

For those who desire a quiet, relax-ing weekend away from the noisy city,Falcon Lake is not the place to go forMay Long.

But to all those students out there:if you are ready to jump start your sum-mer, Falcon is the place to go to experi-ence the crazy parties one tends not toforget (unless of course you are tooannihilated to even notice the crazy par-ties going on around you).

My advice to you: experience one

of these Falcon socials, where the arenafloor is soaked with spilt drinks and theparty continues even after the lightscome on.

It's a party where all you have todo is giv'er and enjoy the ride.- Alyssa Greenberg

A Grand Beach, IndeedI'm guessing that by now you all knowthe exhilaration and exhaustion thatcome with graduating from high school -the anticipation and then excitement offinally being grown up, part of the "realworld," and supposedly independentfrom all things parent.

The weekend after I graduatedfrom high school, my 12 closest friendsand I decided to embrace the exhilara-tion and exhaustion, and took a week-end off from the hustle and bustle of ourparents. We escaped to the woodsbehind my friend Stephen's cabin atGrand Beach to pitch tents, light firesand consume copious amounts of alco-hol.

After about 7 fire-pit-cooked hotdogs and twice as many Tornado coolerson our first night there, I - along withmost of my campmates - was having thetime of my life. Not only were we alone(read: parentless and free), together, wewere alongside the lake at one ofManitoba's most beautiful locations.

We sat around the fire until the sun

came up, sharing stories of the past fouryears we spent together, singing campsongs, and playing spin the bottle - andwoke up on the ground outside of ourtents, covered in mud, grass andTornados.

When we finally cleaned ourselvesup, we made our way down to the beachand spent the rest of the day basking inthe sun, frequenting the boardwalkshops and the volleyball courts and hav-ing some good old beachside fun. Thebeach was overflowing with skin-bear-ing, sun-soaked bodies and I've neverseen it anything but hopping.

As did every other camper in sight,we entertained ourselves until the sunwent down, swimming, splashing andsnoozing at the ocean of the Interlake,only to return to our campsite and startthe whole process over again. It trulymade my graduation a moment toremember, and although my friends andI aren't as tight as we once were, we willalways have that weekend at the grand-est beach around.

Grand Beach has always been oneof my favorite places to camp (alongwith Hecla Island) and because of theexperience I had there two summersago, I will return every year - albeit withdifferent friends than back then - to rel-ish in the relics offered at Manitoba'stop camping and partying location.- Julie Horbal

B Y K Y L E T H O M

September through March, uni-versity athletes endure a very long andrigorous schedule. Given the outstand-ing performances that our teams havehad at their respective national cham-pionships, it often takes some time forthings to sink in and settle down, espe-cially since athletes are greeted by aslew of exams and papers upon theirreturn home from nationals.

I remember when I was inEdmonton for the men’s volleyballnational championship a year ago. Notunlike our women’s basketball andvolleyball teams this year, we hadexperienced a fairytale-like road tothe finals only to come up just shortand settle for silver.

I remember the initial devasta-tion that many on our team, including

myself, had felt - a feeling that wasmore than likely shared by our ladiesthis season. After a few weeks or so,my perspective began to change, and Isaw the culmination of our season asjust another chapter in an eventfulyear. I believe that one has to take thegood with the bad, since such opportu-nities for success are quite limited. Theonly thing an athlete can take awayfrom such a truly genuine season is thethrill of competition and the sense ofteamwork and camaraderie gainedalong the way.

On the other hand, ending yourseason (and for some people, yourcareer) on such a bittersweet note canleave a very bad taste in your mouth.

The off-season can serve as atime for reflection and, in the case of apoor season, a lingering sense of frus-tration. Some athletes even enter into

a state of depression because of theirpoor performance.

In any event, the summer is achance to recharge the batteries.

Since there's not a lot of oppor-tunity for them to work during theseason, athletes can work and makesome money for the next school year.They can have some fun with friends,and generally take a break from theirsport. It is a chance to go on anextended vacation, since there isn’tmuch time to do so during the year.Camping, going to the beach, barbe-ques…you name it.

Basically, in the summer, student-athletes enjoy a relatively "normal"schedule.

Of course, the summer is notcompletely devoid of athletics.

Most coaches give their athletesat least some form of off-season work,

mostly a combination of weights andcardiovascular training. For newrecruits and for athletes looking toimprove their position on the roster,the summer is a chance to work hardand prepare themselves for theupcoming training camp.

And there you have it - there areno special rituals, except for the oddalcoholic beverage now and again.

Most athletes end up working allsummer, so that takes up the majorityof the time. There are also variousWesmen summer camps that we helpout with. Other athletes, like ourlibero Shawn Scarcello, are chosen totrain with their respective nationalteam programs.

Any way you slice it, the summer- like the school year - is a busy timefor everyone. And Wesmen athletesare no exception.

What makes Canadian universities better than our neighbours down south? Our student-athletes can read and write inaddition to kicking a ball around a field. Wesmen volleyball player and English/Politics major Kyle Thom puts his thoughtsabout sports, school and life in general to paper here in the Uniter.KT’s Corner

A Wesmen Athlete’s Off-season


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Grand BeachIts silk-like sand, cozy camping

quarters, and abundance of famouseateries are just some of the many rea-sons that arguably define Grand Beachas the number one spot to pitch a tentand sleep the night in the arms ofnature.

Located off Hwy 59 approximate-

ly 1 hour north of the city, the GrandBeach Campground offers a diverseconcoction of entertainment for cou-ples, groups of friends, and even thelone castaway. The campground itselfis very cozy and privatized through thedense vegetation that shapes each indi-vidual site. The crystal-blue beach (asblue as you're going to find inManitoba) is only about a ten-minutewalk from most designated bays, and itprovides an excellent view of LakeWinnipeg and the surrounding area.

If roasting wieners and singingcamp songs doesn’t turn your crank, trythe Grand Beach Surf Club, where oldschool hip hop and top 40 tunes com-bine to make you forget about the sub-tle sounds of nature. The Surf Club,which is approximately a thirty-minutewalk from the beach, features nightlyentertainment and drink specials everyday of the week.

So what’s left to do the morningafter a night of wiener roasting, beerguzzling, and walking under a star litsky on the famous sands of the beach?That would be hitting that throbbinghunger-satisfying spot.

This can be easily accomplished atPotenza’s, which is a five-minute drivefrom the campground and is located inGrand Marais. And you don’t evenhave to get up early - their famous’hungry man’ breakfast special is onuntil 3:00 pm and offers enough food tomake you want to hit the sack againonce you’ve cleaned the plate!

Grand Beach is sure to make for anenjoyable camping excursion that isfulfilled with exquisite beauty and

rockin' times!- Leighton Klassen

An Undisclosed LocationIt's summer, so here I am, living it

up at an undisclosed Whiteshell camp-ground.

At risk of divulging too much

information and incriminating myaccomplices as well, I will only go as faras to say that this place starts with an"F." No wait, that's too obvious...howabout this: it ends with "alcon Lake."

Anyway, I'm out there with somepals, having some drinks and sittingaround the campfire. There was to be asocial the following evening at the localcommunity club, so naturally, the camp-ground was beginning to fill up withyouthful degenerates. All of a sudden,our campsite fills up with about 30 peo-ple, ranging from close friends to thosewe barely know. Apparently 30 people,all in a drunken stupor, cannot main-tain what the park ranger referred tothe next morning as "a desirable levelof noise."

We awoke only to find out that wewere being evicted from our campsite.According to Detective Dick, "numer-ous" complaints had been receivedabout Lot 613. After he handed me apink slip outlining the details of oureviction, I, being the smartass that I am,decided to test the limits of my new-found "friend" just a tad.

I told him that in filling out hisform, he had neglected to insert a timein which the offence had been commit-ted. Somewhat startled, he said that hehad received at least 3 complaints fromthe surrounding area about our site,one at 11:30 pm, one at 12 am, and oneat 4 am. Knowing we were screwedanyway, I calmly retorted that this wassimply not possible, since all of thecampers from the surrounding area hadbeen situated at our campsite at thosetimes. He began to get visibly upsetand gave us an ultimatum: either vacate

the premises in the next 30 minutes orface a heavy fine and/or jail sentence.

So here we were, packed up andheaded over to a friend's campsite onebay over to inform him of our plightwhen right on cue, Detective Dickpulled up behind us and gave me aneven firmer warning. We pulled out ofFalcon Lake (Oops! Tact be damned...)and headed home.

Perhaps the funniest thing is thatwe didn't even get the chance to getkicked out of the social, the very thingwe went there for in the first place.Good times...- An Undisclosed Yet RegularContributor

Dauphin River Indian Reserve(Anama Bay)

To many, the thought of staying aweekend at a Reservation for leisure isto think the unthinkable.Stereotypically speaking, to many, thethought of vacationing on a reserve istantamount to vacationing in one of theworld’s other lovely spots, say, Rwanda.

But the exact opposite is truewhen you head to the Anama BayTourist Camp on the Dauphin RiverFirst Nation. Friendly people, fullyequipped cabins, and an on-site storemake your stay more than comfortable.

If you feel like roughing it a bit,there’s also the Sturgeon Bay TouristCamp, which offers camping facilities

within walking distance of the DauphinRiver.

If fishing is your game, you’vefound your new home. Fantasticangling awaits you on the DauphinRiver itself, with abundant Pickerel andJackfish. And for the more adventur-ous, a quick boat trip to the Warpath orMantago Rivers is sure to give yousome of the best fishing ever, in pristineenvironments.

For those not in pursuits of aMaster Angler award, there is alsocanoeing, hiking, and a boat-accessible

beach all waiting against a backdrop ofamazing scenery.

Take Highway #6 north toGypsumville, and then hit ProvincialRoad 513 - soon you’ll be reeling in therewards of Manitoba’s nature.- Eric Thiessen

Roughing ItI am in no way, shape or form a

camper, but this past long weekend, Idecided to give up my anti-wildernessways.

Now, I know you're wonderingwhere this camping virgin chose topitch her first tent - and I hate to disap-point - however, this was not your typi-cal camping trip. Bright and early onSaturday morning, my best friend, hermother, my mother and I packed into aSunfire and drove to the recentlyuncharted wild: The United States ofAmerica.

I was a little nervous at first. Imean, the US is a frightening place fora first timer. Well, I'm not really a firsttimer, in fact, I'd live there if I could butalas, I live on Canadian soil which pre-cipitates me and my friends to ventureinto the US at least once a year. Butthis was our first time since the War onTerrorism really began.

So why would I venture into suchpotentially hostile territory, you ask?Only one word can answer that ques-tion: shopping.

Now for those of you who think

spending a day in Grand Forks' retailmarketplace isn't a frightening thing todo and doesn't resemble fighting thewilderness, just imagine fighting offbunches of shoppers as you grab thelast bargain on the Old Navy clearancerack. In my mind, I'm sure it's just likeshielding yourself from those peskyinsects and protecting yourself fromthe fierce wildlife found in most camp-grounds.

One thing I can tell you about myexcursion full of eating, shopping, andsinging to the radio is that for those of

Fireside StoriesT H E U N I T E R C A M P G R O U N D C O L L E C T I V E

With the first long weekend of the summergone by, getting out of this fine city and hav-ing some fun is inevitably on the mind of

many a student.Here at the Uniter, we pride ourselves on being

aficionados in the fun department. So we thoughtthere'd be no better way to kick off the summer season

than with a collection of chronicles detailing our experi-ences with one of Manitoba's most popular sports:camping.

Although Manitoba and the surrounding regionhas many a beautiful and bemusing location to set upcamp, there seem to be a few repeat favorites amongstUniter writers - but each of us has our own tale to tell,

and a few of them may come as a surprise to even themost seasoned camping veteran.

So here, we present to you a collection of ourfavorite camping monuments, memories, and misfor-tunes to entertain you, intrigue you, and maybe eveninspire you to get out and explore one of the area's exot-ic and adventurous locations.

The road to the Stanley Cup may soon go through Tennessee.

campers page 13 page 16 volume 57, issue 21 s e the uniteruniter.ca/pdf/uniter-57-21.pdf · by...

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