Applications for the following awards are being accepted during the Spring Term. Refer to section 4 of the Undergraduate Calendar for further criteria. Unless otherwise stated, scholarship application deadline is June 28, 1996. Bursaries may be submitted during the term, until the first day of examinations. Application forms are available intheStudentAwardsOffice,2ndfloor, Needles Hall.
ALL FACULTIES Douglas T. Wright Award - available to ail who have participated in an international work plamment. Students to ap ly upon return to full-time study at U & . Deadline: October 15, 1996. Douglas T. Wright Experience in Japan Award - available to all who have participated in a work placement in Japan. Students to apply upon return to full-time stud at UW. Deadline: October 15,199 K . fom York Memorial Award - available to all for short fiction - not essays. Deadline: December 31 each year.
FACULTY HEALTii
OF APPLIED
SCIENCES
Ross and Doris Dixon Award - available to all 28 and 4A for financial need and academic achievement. Deadline: October t 1, 1996. Andrea Fraser Memorial Scholarship - available to 3rd or 4th year Kinesiology. Deadline: October 11, 1996. Kate Kenny Memorial Award - available to 4A Kinesiology with an interest in rehabilitative medicine. Deadline: October 31, 1996. Ron May Memorial Award - available to 4A Recreation and Leisure. Deadline: October 11, 1996.
FACULTY OF ARTS Quintextco-op English Award -available to 4A English. Deadline: September 30.1996.
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING Canadian Postureand Seating Centre Scholarship -available to all. Deadline: October 11, 1996. Ontario Hydro Engineering Awards - available to 16 Chemical, Electrical, Environmental or Mechanical. Eligible candidates wilt be women, aboriginal (native) Canadians, persons with disabilities or visible minorities. Deadline: July 31, 1996. Ontario Progessional Engineers Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship - available to all 16 & 28 based on extracurricular and marks. Deadline: July 31, 1996.
I
ONiXIlNG
SUNDAYS COMEDY! . .. K-W hottest comedy group, “Mental Floss”. 6 p.m. KVU Little Theatre (on Princess between King and Regina.) $5. MONDAYS UW Sta e Band rehearsal, from 7 to 9 p.m. in E onrad Grebel College Great Hall, room 156. TUESDAYS University Choir rehearsal, 7 to 9:30 p.m. in Conrad Gr8b8l College Chapel. WEDNESDAYS Come on down to JSA Bagel Brunches at 12 noon in MC4040. Gay & Lesbian Liberation of Waterloo sponsors GLLOWNight a social evening at 9 p.m. in HH 378. Meet old friends and make new ones. All welcome. THURSDAYS Woodside National Historic Site invites you and your friends to our Victorian Summer Teas from July 4 to August 29 at 2 p.m. Call 571-5684 to reserve.
Certificate Program in teaching English as a second language at The Waterloo Centre for Applied Linguistics Inc. For info call (519) 7259070. fhe Canada Employment Centre for Students &DC-S) opened Thursday, May 2, 1996. The Centre is located at 29 King St., E., Kitchener between Queen and Benton Sts. The t8l8ohOn8 number is 744-8151. Calling ail writers! If you write poetry, short stories or essays you could be a winner of prizes totalling $1,000. Call 82441 20, ext. 3338 at the University of Guelph. Calling ail cyclists! The two-day Noranda Forest MS Bike Tour for Multiple Sclerosis takes place August 17 & 18,1996 through scenic communities between Waterloo & Guelph. To registerorvolunteer, call (519) 680-7878. TravelledJapan?ortaught Englishthere? W8’d like to talk about your experience. Please call Brian or Esther at 576-7939. Unique home based business . .. imagine .*. earn income while you sleep. Do you want to build someone else’s dream or your own? Positive, results-oriented alternative TV network and virtual shopping. 884-4975. Participants needed - Kinesiology study requires touch typists, minimum 60WPM. Exp8rienCe with graphical user interface and mouse necessary. Will pay $25 for approximately 3-4 hours. Calf ext. 6376, e-mail hwoo@heatthy.uwaterloo.ca English classes at St+ Louis Adult Learning Centre, 75 Allen Street, E. (519) 7451201. Morning, afternoon, evenings. Beginner, intermediate, advanced levels. Preparation for University and TOEFL. Registration Monday to Friday 12 noon to 2 p.m., Monday& Wednesday6:30 to7:30 rxm. SATIR ‘96: ‘Moonlodge’ - Aug. 9 - written and performed by Margo Kane, an exuberant celebration of womanhood and Native spirituality. Bursting with humour, animation and sensitivity. Also on Aug. 7 ‘Visions from the Virtual Dawn’ - Vincent John Vincent from the Toronto based Vivid Group will take audience on an audiovisual adventure through time and space. Both shows at Humanities Theatre. Tickets at box office or fax 741-8890. UW students: rooms are available at Conrad Grebel College, L&V for the Winter Term (January to April 1997). Forget dreary commuting through slush and snow. Try the Grebel residence and experience the warmth of community living. For further info call Dean of Students Mary BrubakerZehr, (519) 885-0220, ext. 251_ Dr. Downey has approved the new “Fixed Asset Inventory” Policy No. 74, as well as Procedure No. 2 “Disposal of Fixed Assets” and Procedure No. 3 “Disposal of Non-Fixed Assets”. The Policy and both Procedures are available on the World Wide Web at URL: http:// www.adm.uwatertoo.ca/infosec/ or call Marylou at ext. 6125 for printed copies. Kenneth A. Lavigne was appointed the position of University Registrar effective on Julv 1.1996. Join us for Swing Bowl or Horse Shoes at the Wing 404 RCAFA Rotary Adult Centre anytime starting July 22, between 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more info call 8686356. office Administrator - Arts Student Union - starting September. Send resume to Jodi McCulloch, Arts Student Union President, AL 120, UW, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3Gl. Or call ext. 2322, e-mail: jamccullQundergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca. Attention all former Fulbright scholars! Founding
meeting
will be
held Friday,
September 27 at 8:15 p.m. at the University Club, 360 University Ave., Toronto. For more info call (416) 595-1700 or fax I41 615955250.
I
HaveA G-eatSummer! FroshIssuewill beonthe newstands August 30, seeyouthen!!
VOLUNTEERS
The City of Waterloo Volunteer Services is currently recruiting for the following volunteer positions: Drivers: are needed to drive seniors to doctor appointments, social events, etc. within K-W. Library:are needed to assist staff in shelving books and designing displays and signs. An interest in library work and artistic ability are an asset. Kitchen Assistants: are needed to assist in serving and preparing meals on Fridays. Must have experience working in a kitchen. Grocery Shoppers: are needed to assist older adu Ifs by purchasing and delivering groceries (max. once a week). Good organizational skills and reliable transportation are a must. Program Assistants: outgoing individuals who enjoy working with older adults are required on weekday afternoons for the Senior Outings Day Program. If interested in the above positions call 888-6488 m Be a Big Sister Volunteer! Please consider this opportunity to make a positive difference in a child’s growth. If you are 20 years of age or older and can commit to 3 hours/weekfor a minimum of 1 year, we need you! Big Sisters from all cultural backgrounds are encouraged to share in achiId’sdevelopment.Alsoinquireabout our short-term match program, Access to a vehicle is also an asset. Call now to aef started! 743-5206.
I ~~
UPCCMING
CALENDAR
FRIDAY, JULY 26,1996 KW Chamber Music Society presents “James Anagnoson & Leslie Kinton” piano, $-hands. 8 p.m. at 57 Young Street, W., Waterloo. For reservations calI 886-l 673. TUESDAY, JULY 30,1996 Waterloo Wellington Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Association invites KW area Chronic Fatigue Syndrome sufferers, their family and friends to a support group meeting from 7-9 p.m. at The Adult Recreation Centre, 185 King Street, S. Information 623-3207. WEDNESDAY, JULY 31 Coming Out Discussion Group explores issues in sexual orientation. Topc: Gender Roles. 7:30 p.m. HH378. Information: 884-4569. Lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgendered peopte, and those questioning their sexuality are welcome. SATURDAY, AUGUST 3,1996 Doon Heritage Crossroads present “Smoke & Iron” biacksmiths and their artistic ironwork from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Phone 748-1914 for more info. KW Chamber Music Society presents ‘*Mark Skazinetsky-violin and Mastrangelopiano, 8 p.m. at 57 Young Street. W., Waterloo. For resenrations call 886-1673. SATURDAY, AUGUST 17,1996 Cornfest 1996 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Herrle’s Country Farm Market, St. Agatha. Volunteers also needed. Call 571-9164 for info. MONDAY, AUGUST 19,1996 KW Blood Donor Clinic at Calvin Presbyterian Church, 248 Westmount Rd., E., Kitchener from 1:30 to 890 p.m. TUESDAY, AUGUST Z&l996 Waterloo Wellington Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Association invites KW area Chronic Fatigue Syndrome sufferers, their family and friends to a support group meeting from 7-9 p.m. at The Adult Recreation Centre, 185 King Street, S. Information 623-3207.
Tutors needed for Math, Science, English with Separate School Board Summer School Program, portion of 3 weeks July 2-22, Waterloo or Cambridge. Call Frank Oliverio 578-3660. KW Extend-A-Family is recruiting volunteers, families willing to do respite in their home and families who are willing to become Family Home Providers. For more info call 741-0190.
Party at Fed! Casino s&le Stag & Doe for Carla Guattieri and Mike Vancea. Have fun and win prizes for $iOJticket at Fed Hall on Aigust 9/96 at 8 p.m. Tickets available at the door.
Experienced
tutoring
8Vait8bfe
in Calculus,
Math, Physics and German.
Call 886-2928.
Wanna work like a dog! Westmount Place Shopping Centre is fooking for fun, energetic, responsible people who love kids and want to be part of our ‘Browser” Mascot Team. Must be willing to work weekends. If we have sescribed you, give us a call at 886-6260.
Y
DEADLINE is Mondaysat 5 p,m. at theIMPRINT officeSLC1116 studentrates: $3.120words/J!$ after20/t GST non-student:$5.120wards/.25$after20/t GST business(student,non-student):$10.120words1.25$ after20/t GST
IMPRINT The UW Student Newspaper Student wfe Centre, Room 1116 univmity of water100 Waterkm, Ontario N2L 361 519-m
Friday July 26, 19% Volume 19, Number 7
Ferrier resigns
ISSN 07067380
ByHelecti-on required afier VPAF takes job offer. by Peter Lenardon Impfint stair
F
Cover
photo
by Peter
Editorial Editor in Chief r Forum JZditor News Editor News Assistant Arts Editor Arts Assistant Sports Editor Sports Assistant Features Editor Science Editor Photo Editor WWW Page Editor Systems Administrator Proofreaders
Lena&on
Board Sandy Atwal Jeff Robertson Peter Lenardon Katie Ricks James Russell Patrick Wilkins Jeff Peeters Tracy Hunt Natalie Gillis David Bauer Gillian Downes Mary Ellen Foster Adam Evans Melanie Hoekstra Amberlee Howlett
Staff Business Manager Advertisinmuction Distribution
Marea Willis Laurie Tigert-Dumas Jeff Robertson James Russell
Board of Directors President Vice-President Secretary Treasurer Director at Large Staff Liaison
Adam Evans JamesRussell JeffRobertson David Lynch Peter L-enardon Natalie Gillis
Contribution
List
Corey Diamond, Derek Dupuis, Dave Fisher, Jason Fowler, David Goddin, Doena Kim, Dave Lynch, Pete Nes bitt, Todd Pettigrew, Scott Preston, Julie Prirneau, Amanda Woo, Patricia Woolcott,
UW News Bureau.
Imprint is the official student newspaper of the University of Waterloo. It is an editorially independent newspaper published by Imprint Publications, Waterloo, a corporation without share capital. Imprint is a member of the Ontario Community Newspaper Association (OCNA). Imprint is published every Friday during fall and winter terms, and every second Friday during the springtemrhnprint reserves the right to screen, edit, and refuse advertising. Imprint ISSN 07067380. Mail should be addressed to Imprint, Student Life Centre, Room 1116, University of Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G 1. Oure-mail address: editor@imprint,uwaterioo.ca. Our fax number is 884-7800. An on-line version of Imprint is available on the WWW at http://imprint.uwaterloo.cal
ederation of Students Vice President of Administration and Finance Mark Ferrier is resigning his position effective today. His departure leaves a gap in a position that deals primarily with Federation of Students spending and especially Fed businesses like the Bombshelter and Variety and Post. Ferrier made the decision Wednesday morning to take a position with a marketing company who had offerred him a job on two occasions. He was quick to point out that he did not go looking for employment with any company and that he had turned down the first offer. When the firm approached him again - with an improved offer however, Ferrier accepted. Yt was the toughest decision of my life,” Ferrier remarked while noting that the position aligned perfectly with his overall career goals and would not be available in eight months (when his term is completed), But the VPAF’s departure will not leave the Federation of Students in chaos, Ferrier had completed this year’s Federation of Students budget weLl ahead of schedule and had completed most of the preparation for fresh week in the upcoming fail term. His day to day duties will be picked up by Vice President Internal Julie Primeau and President Mario Bellabarba until a replacement is chosen in a by-election. That by-election will probably occur by the end of October. Julie Primeau expressed sadness at seeing her election running mate resign. Ferrier had been “part of her team” since January. “You can accept what other people choose to do without understanding.” Primeau wanted to reassure students that they w@d notice no ill effects from Ferrier’s resignation because the rest of the Federation of Students executive would take up the slack, Vice President Education Kelly Foley seemed to sum up the feelings of all of the Feds saying, ‘It’s going to be sad to see Mark go. The rest of the executive will continue working hard for students. We’ll look forward to working with the newly elected vPAF.n The last Federation of Students executive member to resign before the completion of their term was John Vellinga. He resigned in the second half of his term as president, citing health and personal reasons, Below is a letter from Mark Ferrier, delivered to Imprint last Wednesday.
T
his is a very difficult letter for me to write. I’m not sure how to word what I have eo say appropriately or what exactly to say, so I am just going to say it and explain it tierwards. I am resigning from my position as your Vice President Administration & Finance effective July 26,19%. The reason for my resignation is that I was approached with an
Ferrier
kxks to greener pastures. Imprint
new and old, who supported me from the start, I extended my greatest thanks. ” This position will be filed through a by-election in the fd term. I have committed to my fellow executive and now to the student body that I will aid in that person’s transition to the greatest of my abili&es. My cotitmen; to the beliefs and visionY of the Federation of Students will never fade. HopeMy I have added to the enhancement of student life in my short stay with the Feds. I would once again like to thank everyone who supported my attitudes and beliefs enough to elect me as your Federation Vice President. My fmal thoughts are to Kelly Foley, Mario Bellabarba, Julie Primeau, and Heather Calder. You are the people that made this decision to leave the hardest to make. I truly believe that all of you have more commitment, vision and emotion towards your position than other people I have ever personally or professionally been
“lt was the toughest decision of my l$ie. ” that after much consideration and soul searching, I d&ided this was too good an opportunity to pass on. It is With much regret and disappointment that I leave my position with your Federation. 1 am not very good at expressing my feelings as my fellow employees and friends know, so this is all the more difficult to explain. 1 am fGll ofexcitement and enthusiasm for my new career, but at the same time held back by a sense of attachment to a job I believe to be a great honour to have held. Some people may not even recognize the fact that I was Vice Preside& or know that there even was such a position. To these people I still feel a sense of commitment that I will no longer be able to fLlfil1. To my friends, opportunity
file photo
Mark Flier
involved with. I hope- that deep down each of you support me in my decision on a personal level and from a professional level you will continue to challenge the boundaries that the student body is confronted with. Thank you all for making this job what it was and for giving me thr= bcmefit of your friendship. To the student body I wish the best of luck in all your hture endeavours. In the midst of difficulty lies opportunity. I have lived bv these words rnv whole l&e and leave them with you all. ’ The dif’&xl~ has been created by my resigAation. Kelly, Mario, Julie and Heather will ensure that they deliver on the oppo-V -Mark
4
NEWS
IMPRINT,
Friday, July 26, 1996
Guest lecturer New panel to investigate says science post-secondary education Imprint atd proves creation 0 Imprint staff by Katie Ricks
by J&
Robetin
A Dr.
t the invitation of the Wterloo Christian Fellow hip, on Friday, July 12, David Humphreys of
probable. Although five billion jmrs for the agi of the earth souds [like] a iong time, it is actually less than 101* seconds, If the sequence of each protein moleculecdbechangedathousand times per second, there could be
M&laster University offered a only a total of 106’ sequencesin speech entitled “Evidence for a five billion years.” Humphreys’confidenceinthe Creator” in Physics145, here at UW. Packedwith skeptics,the scientificgrounds of this view is substantial. The scientific data pious, and the curious,&e room quiclcklyfilledtocapacity,andsomejust does not support the thesis were relegated to sitting in the thatlifearose by chance. The naturalistic explanation can only be aisles. Unlike the various flyers around campus publicizing the
defended & a philosophical viewpoint, and not a conclusion of
It is statistically improbable and unreasonable to assume that the universe was created bYPure chance. event, Dr. Humphreys did not attempt to .provethe existenceof God. Rather he suggested that conventional science does not contradict, but may rather point to, evidence that the universe, and hence life on Earth, was created by an intelligent rational being. Remaining largely within the realm of chemistry and biology, Humphreys’ approach was to compare the theory of an Intelligent Creator witi his understanding of the conventional scientific position; that life’s origin was a completely random event. In a nutshell, Humphreys suggests that given the statistical improbability of l%e occurring on Earth, tie complexity and diversity of that life, and the current estimated age of the universe, it is statistically improbable and unreasonable to assume that the universe was created by pure chance. For Humphreys, a more reasonable explanation, and one more consistent with the current scientific evidence, is that the universe and life were not a result of random chance, but rather an intelligent design. Taking haemoglobin as an example, Humphreys notes that the total number ofways in which the twenty naturally occurring amino acids could be arranged into a haemogiobin molecule are 10 Y The simultaneous forfnation of two or more molecules of this complexity is so improbable as to be inconceivable.. , . Some people argue that given enough time the improbable may become
n July 16, Ontio’sMinister of Education and Training John Snobelen appointed a panel to study and advise on possible changes to Ontario’s post-secondary education system. At the same time, Snobelen released a discussion paper, available on the Internet at gopher://
gopher.edu.gov.on.ca/OO/ qgw~~k/poswp~eqpG
providingbackgroundonthecurrent state of post-secondary education and the issues which the panel has been asked to investigate. The appointed panel consists of the senior vice president of operational senrices (U.S.) of Manulifie Financial, the president of Centennial College, a former Minister of Education and of Colleges and Universities, the chair of the political science department at Dalhousie University, and the pticipal emeritus of Queen’s University, who will act as chair of the panel. Panel members have been asked to consult with stakeholders
and the general public and, ac-
science? He also&ew attention cording to Snobelen’sdiscussion to a number of what he considers paper, provide the Ontario govUnlikely coincidences”necessary ernment with advice on approprifor iife to exist and flourish on ate sharing of costs, ways to proearth. mote and support co-operation Fol.&owing a song performed between colleges and universities, by one of the WCF members after and what needs to be done to the lecture, questions were in- meet the expected levels of devited from the audience. Although mand for post-secondary educamost of the questions were chaltion. This will be the Ontario lenging and engaging of Dr. government’s tit comprehensive Humphreys’ lecture, one questioner, Professor Jeff Shallit of UW’s department of computer science, seemed deeply disturbed by Dr. Humphreys’ methodology, accusing him of “intellectual deception.” Despite Professor ShaIlit’s venomously toned attack, and foilowing several groans and murmurings from the audience, Dr. Humphreys offered that professor Shallit% concerns be addressed in a more conciliatory dialogue UW News Bureau following the forum. Also during the question pehe University of Waterriod, questions were posed conloo, Wiled Laurier Unicerning Dr. Humphreys’ associaversity and the University tion of an inteIl.igent creator with of Guelph will establish a joint Christianity, and to what extent library storage facility in Guelph other religious waditions with Inthis f;ill with the assistance of a $400,000 provincid grant. teI.ligent Creators were included ’ TheIri-university consortium in this paradigm. Humphreys replied, saying an&x, to be located on Malcolm Road, , will house about 450,000 that this issue was accessible more < by the conscience and experience volumes from the three universities. The provincial money assisted of the individual, but for him, with the $1.15 million purchase Christianity had proven most meaningful and consistent with price for the building, & existing his scientific findings aswell ashis warehouse. and renovations. religious experience. But this deThe s&age facility is seen as a method of improving library cision is largely, says Humphreys, ua leap of faith.” service to students, faculty and
review of the college and university system. The government may adopt policy as a result fmdings in order
of the panel’s to achieve the
five objective!s for post-secondary institutions of excellence, access& bility to education for all qualified students, a range ofprograms and institutions that meet students’ needs, accountability to students
the range of existing needs, it may be better, both in terms of cost @Ye&eness and progr& qu& ky, f’or some institutions to specialize in partitiar areas rather than trying to offer a comprehensive se of programs? Specializationofpost-secondaryinstitutions means that each institution undergoingchangeswouldofferonly certain types of programs and
and tax payers, and responsive- degreesin order to eliminate any nessto changing needsand cir- duplication between schoob. In ClUTlStanCa. order to make specializationof The discussion paper ad- the post-secondaryinstitutions dressesthe issuesof funding of efficient, cooperation among post-secondaryinstitutionsbystuOntario’s 25 colleges and 17 unidents, private covrations and provincial governments. At present, revenue fiom non-tuition, non-government sources forms about four per cent of the operating costs of the post-secondary system. Snobelen is recommending that the panel investigate ways to increase revenue from the private sector. Wh& it is not explicitly stated within the paper, many reports concerning its contents have stressed that private funding may iead to a two-tiered system, similar to that of the United States, making better quality education affordable only to the rich. The
Ontario government is currently committed to enabling a student financial aid program based on individual student income, but revisions to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (C&U?) will also be a matter of deliberation for the panel. Snobelen recommends that “since many, very different types of programs are needed to meet
versities is also being encouraged by the Harris government’s support of a more efficient credit transfer system between institutlOll!L An article
in The Xwmto
Star
(July 18,1996) cites the University of Waterloo as ((a pioneer among Ontario universities, focusing on excellence in such spec5c areas as computer science, engineering and math” and as a leader in cooperative education. While this p&se recognizes UW as an example of excellence in programs for which it is particularly welI knowq it suggests a danger that the value of UWS many - other programs may be ignored. It is unclear how Onario schoolscurrentlyexcellinginmany areas would be expected to reduce their scope to a few specific programs. This is one of the problems Snobelen is asking the panel to solve. The panel is expected to consult this fd and will report to Snobelen by December 15 1 1996.
Joint library storage does more with less
T
staffon all three campuses despite severely reduced b&.n.g . By c&mbining aI iower-use library holdings into one collection, duplkation will be eliminated and all holdings will be equally available to members of each university. In addition, campus space will be freed up at a frktiokof the cost of making
ings.-
additions
to library
build-
The facility will deliver materials on request
to any of the three
campuses, allowing the sharing and rationalization of library materials among the institutic& It will be eauimxd with technologies to a&s& rapid delivery of required materials, most often in electronic format. On-site use of
these collections will also be possible . Head librarians at the universities, Murray Shepherd of Waterloo, Virginia Gillham of WLU and Michael Ridley of Guelph, see the project as a milestone achievement in collaborative initiatives by their institutions. The development of the annex is part of an agreement signed in February by the three universities their ices.
to
w&k
library
&ward
collections
integrating
and serv-
The overall goal of the agreemenu is to control costs and give users at all the universities access to the more than seven mUion items in the three collections.
IMPRINT,
Friday, July 26, 1996
5
NEWS
UWO President wets students off Board of Governors by Katie Ricks Imprint staff
T
he president of the University of Western Ontario, Paul Davenport, wants to remove student and faculty from the university’s board of governors, the university body which controls its property, revenue and operation. According to the debriefmg notes of an assistant to Terence Young, an MPP and pariamentary assistant to Minister of Education and Training John Snobelen, Davenport discussed the elimination of student and faculty representation with Young on June 18. The notes state that Davenport wants to see the board of governors reduced “from 3 1 to a more 9nanageabie’ number. Included in this would be the removal of the student and faculty representatives. n The Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) as well as faculty and student associations at UWO
have criticized the plan. “I can’t believe he would suggest students not be there,” said Dave Tompkins, president of UWO’s student council. Y’rn a bit amazed the university president would decide that faculty and student representation is inappropriate on a board? The University of Western Ontario Act, a document delineating the governance of the board is due to be reviewed in 1997. All universities in the province in the province have faculty representationontheir board with the exception of Laurentian University, where faculty are permitted to attend meetings as nonvoting members. All of Ontario’s 17 universities have some form of student representation on their board of governors. The Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) recently launched a campaign to increase student representation on the board of governors of each of its ten members. The campaign
Graduating
1996 Mazda MX-6 Mystbe
was prompted by the success of the University of Manitoba in increasing its student representation to 25 percent, making it equal to the proportion of the university% operating revenue that is paid by student tuition fees. The fact that the Ontario governrnent and John Snobelen, who last week appointed a panel to review post-secondary education in Ontario, have not rejected the idea of removing student and faculty from the UVVO board is a source of concern for the CFS. YlXis makes us suspicious of the provincial gov&nment’s task force on higher education,” said R&l IXquier, National Deputy Chairperson of the CFS. “If John Snobelen is giving tacit approval to the president of Western for his plans, how can we expect the task force to be accountable to students and faculty?” Paul Davenport is reported to be on holiday and unavailable to comment on the accuracy of the notes describing his plan.
By special arrangement with a chartered Canadian bank, we can put you into a new Mazda before you graduate. If you have a job waiting for you upon graduating, give us a calI or stop by our showroom for details on this exclusive offer for graduates.
“It Just Feels Right”
WHERE THE EXPRESSWAY ENDS SAVINGS BEGIN
Theft
of University ROPerty Two fire extinguishers were stolen; one from the Student Life Centre and one from the third floor of Biology 1. A computer and some related components were stolen from Environn&tal Studies 2. A top loading balance scale was reported stolen from Earth Sciences and Chemistry. Thefk
of Personal mopeUW Police describe these as ‘krimes of opportunity” where belongings are ieft out in plain mew. A student had nine CD’s stolen from their study area in the Davis Centre Library. Another student studying in the DC Library had their personal CD player stolen. A car parked in the Columbia Lake Townhouses lot was jacked up by thieves who made off with two tires and two rims. Four bicycles were stolen in the month of July with one subsequently recovered. The scenes of the crimes were Hagey Hall, Environmental Studies 2, Psychology/Anthropology/Sociology, the
STP Bicycle shed and the Davis Centre. UWPolice advise all students not to leave their belongings unattended and/or in plain view. Assaults One assault occurred on Canada Day evening. Four or five males attacked a single male on the North Campus playing field. The victim &Erred a broken tooth, which went through his lip. Motor Vehicle Accidents A car struck a barricade at the University’s Columbia Street entrance on Canada Day. The Married Students Apartment was the site of a car-bicycle collision, The cvclist was traveliing on the We& Tower service road when he was struck by a car. There was no damage ta the car, but the bike was destroyed. The cyclist suffered some abrasions, but retied medical assistance, Other Criminal Offences Two cases are under investigation involving the theft and fraudulent use of credit cards. LAW Police say that this sort of offence occurs more frequently over the Fall and Winter terms when there are more students, so ifyour card goes missing, report it to the company immediately. One students cellular phone
was purloined and used to make a number of phonecalls. Federation Hall was the site of an attempt at transportation fraud. A woman ordered a cab to drop her off at the popular drinking establishment and when she arrived, she ran out of the cab without paying. UW Police responded, found the suspect inside and returned her to the cab driver. She paid the driver and all was forgiven. On four separate occasions, individuals (neither students, faculty or staff members) were warned to stay off campus or face trespassing charges. Another individual had to be warned to stop harassing students, faculty and stafK
115 Northfield Dr., W., Waterloo -
746-l 666
(Northfield
Licensed for 5 students Purchase price includes: 3 fridges, 1 stove, 1 washer, 1 dryer, furniture for students, light fixtures a’nd window coverings. Gross Income . . . $20,400.00 Expenses . . . . . . . . . . . . ,. 4,754.38 Net Income . . . . . . . . $15,645.62 l
l
Fur&tik
infimtbn
on this pm@wy, phw
FireAlatrns
due to humidity), two to the Davis Centre (one due to humidity), two to the Math and Computers building and two at the Married Students AparUnent.
ad:
Wendy Rovers Associate
Broker
888-7110
:.I Mmmmm... iI l
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Complaints of Suspicious Persons A person was reported to be harassing staffat the Davis Centre Library. UW Police intervened and the individual came to an agreement with stafK UW Police urge everyone to report any suspicious looking people on campus assoon aspossible. There were nine false fire alarms in July. Three were in the Villages (one due to cooking, one
at the Parkway)
4 -WHYRENTI iHENYOUCANa AFFOR ) TOBUY!
UW True Crime The True Crime sectiion is going to be a regular weekly feature beginning in the Fall term. The following is a summary of incidents attended to by the University of Waterloo Police in July.
Students
a
OFF :
:I m .i n n l l .4:
A Dozen : Bagels :I
.m I n m I
-Ever Wonder i : What Real Bagels i Taste
Like?
They’re Here.
f WI University Ave : : (at the corner of Phil&l ’ EXPIRES: Aug. 16/M 1
UW News Bureau Valentine (Val) O’Donovan; chairman and chief executive officer of COM DEV, a high tech firm, has been named the next chancellor of the University of Waterloo.
He will begin a three year term of office on May 1, 1997, succeeding economist Sylvia o-y, ch airman of the Centre for International Studies at the Universitv of Toronto, Waterloo has a most distinguished chancellord tradition, and Dr. Val O’Donovan fits admirably into it,” said UW president, James Downey. “He has achieved both the professional success and broad range of per-
a new type of microwave multiplexer, and a paper he wrote describing the invention won the best paper award in the Journal of the Institution of Electronic and Radio Engineers. Mer coming to Canada in 1963, he joined the commu.ni~tions division of RCA in Montreal and participated in the engineering development of the first generation of satellite earth statiOnS.
By 1971, he was manager of RCA’s satellite transponder department, which was responsible for designing the payloads used in the innovative Canada/United Sates communications technulogy satelliteandth&rstdomesticU.S. satellites. Drawing on his expertise, he co-authored a book titled larlv desirable in a &a&or. I A4icrowavc F&q%+ Cmwnitlt lo&forwardtowc&ingwithhim tiims systm. He founded CDM DEV in 1974 and hrning from him?’ The means bv which univerand, under his guidance, it has become a global leader in satellite sities go about the educational and wireless communications process will be profoundly technology. In 1979, CQM DEV changed by the advances in information technology currently tak- moved from Montreal to Caming- -place,” said @Donovan. CQTo bridge, Ontario, to take advantage of the talent p”ol at area be asked to be chancellor during this time of great change as we universities. approach the millennium will be In 1993, he received the p&ticularly interesting and excit - Laurier Outstanding Business Leader Award from Wilfrid Born in Cork, Ireland, Laurier University. Two years O’Donovan earned his profeslater, UW awarded him an sional engineering accreditation honourary degree, a Doctor of in England. In 1962, he invented Engineering.
sonal interests thataripaf-iku-
- Students helping students Two programs that.can make a difference by Julie Primeau VP Inted Federation of Students When I frost heard the word Watpub, I have to be honest - I didn’t have a clue what it was all about. I knew that it had something to do with co-op, but exactly what I couLd not answer. Since my time working for the Feds, I have learned a lot about Watpubs and now I want to share this idi3 with you, especially if you are going on a work term in the near fhufe. Watpubs have co-ordinators. Ifyou are interested in being a coordinator, read on and I will tell you how to become involved. Basically it all begins with an answering machine. An answering machine placed in various cities ticross the coumv. Now is whek I begin to picture a room that is completely empty except for a table with an answering machine on it.. . but this is just my vivid imagination. Noti the answering machine is not the end of the line. The message (recorded by the coordinator) outlines different events in that particular city that fellow co-op students can get together for. In essence, this phone
line is what creates a home away from home for many students, and it is essentially up to the coordinator to get things rolling and keep them rolling throughout the term. Normally this person is given a list of who is *on work term in that particular city. The coordinator can then put feelers out to see what the general interest of the group may be, Then, each week, they update the message so that allof the students can stay up to date on what is going on and choosetheeventstheywouidmost like to a&end - it is really that simple, however extremely important. * ;. The Watpubs are brought to you by the Federation ofstudents and for more information about a Watpub near you, contact Kelly Foley, the VP Education at (5 19) 888-4042 ext.‘B40. Here is a list of the current katpubs and their phone numb&s. If you are interested in starting a pub in a different location, once again, drop by or phone the VP Education. The Watpubs are: *London, Ontario, to be announced, Toronto, l-416 591-1650, Ottawa, l-613-526 7775, Calgary, l-403-284-8214, Just when you thought I was finished, I have to add that the
Watpubs remind me a lot of a program that I am helping to run this year - PALS off-campus Dons - the PODS. Once again, when I first started hearing about PODS a couple of yeas ago, I didn’t know what to think. One of my friends told me that she was thinking ofbecoming a POD and I had visions of her dressing up like a vegetable...OK, that was a stretch. PALS O&-campus Dons is a program provided by the Feds for those first year students who don’t get into residence or choose to live off campus. Each spring, twenty students are hired to be this link within the community. Throughout the spring term, part of the group works on the aggressive promotion ofthis service with the goal in mind of a high enrollment for the f;lll. Much like the Watpub coordinators, the PODS organize events and create links for the offcampus students who are new to campus. If you are interested in becoming involved with the PODS or you know of a student who could benefit from this program, please contact Julie Primeau, the Vl?Intemalat888-4042ext3780. God luck with fmal exams!
Co-op activities and advice for the end. of term by Amanda Woo special to Imprint
Honorary
Doctor of Fangin-
and new chandr photo
by
UW News Bureau
The end of another term is here and unfortunateiy, exams are drawing near. With the next work term cl&e at hand, here are some foal thoughts to remind you of SAC’s activities over these past four months. With our weekly meetings, discussion topics were abundant and generated a lot of open thoughts and ideas on co-op issuessuch asjob sign-of%, the ialue of work reports,-and sexual fiarassment in the workplace. The future of WatPubs and “Let’s Go Co-op” will be brighter. Each program has been reorganized tid-is now more effective and hopeMy more fun. The SAC Co-op BBQ was a success, with
about f@ . students enjoying the company of their advisors in a more relaxed environment (and a free meal for the early birds!) And,‘finally, an extremely informative tax seminar was organized by SAC and proved helpful to hose who attended. All these activities by SAC were accomplished this term in order to improve the interaction between Co-op and students, as well as to address the needs of coop students both on and off campus. These kinds of activities will conrinue next term with Cl-u-is Law as the new SAC Chair. The Assistant Chair’s position is still open, and if you &e interested in taking on this position, please __ send an e-niail message to sac@~d~~d.math.uwate~~. cawith’IwannabeaChair’i.nthe
subject line. Tell us a little about yourself and why you would be suitable for the job. In order to maintain SAC’s success in bringing together students and administrators, there is a need for you to get involved. Participation in this group is worthwhile, especially ifyou have concerns about your co-op experience. So get involved and join a group that works to help co-op students. You can keep in touch with SAC activities while you’re off campus too by checking out our homepage (wwwundergrad. math.uwaterloo.caj-sac/) and our newsgroup (uw,coop.sac) . Good luck to all of _you _ on your next work term and ti your studies, and don’t forget to check out those WatPubs!
IMPRINT,
NEWS
Friday, July 26, 1996
Campus Question: by Natalie
The
Gillis
epindorf tip-toss.” Prof. Diehl-Jones,
uPopcom eating.” Rebecca Goodman,
and Peter
Lmardcm
(photos)
uBowling.” Biology
2B Psychology
Jennifer
St&tan,
1B CS
“Waterskiing.n Amy Dick, 2B Biochemistry
7
If you could add an event to the Olympic
~Football.” Ross Gilbert,
T
he University ofWaterloo is a member of a new consortium of five Canadian universities. The consortium will assist the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok, Thailand, in establishing an Urban Environmental Management Program. The consortium, announced July 18 by Lloyd Axworthy, Foreign Affairs Minister, and Pierre S. Pettigrew, Minister for International Cooperation will include the University of British Columbia, York University, l’Universit6 de Mont&l, and UW. It will be led by tile University of Calgary and aided by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) . CIDAis the federal government agency responsible for the majority of Canada’s international cooperation programs, providing development assistance to developing countries in Africa, Asia and the Americas. CLDA’s purpose is to support sustainable development, reduce poverty, and help create a more equitable and secure world. CIDA will contribute $5.6 million to the cc~nsortium’s effbrts over four years. The Urban Environmental Management Program will be developed asa gradu-
ate level program using Canadian experience and technology. Lloyd Axworthy stated that graduates of the Urban Environmental Management Program ‘kill be equipped to play a crucial role in governing and administering” Asian cities whose large populations are expected to result in “serious social, environmental and political problems .” Canadian university faculty and industries will have the opportu&y to participate in demonstrations, workshops, seminars and short courses related to the program’s research. It will investigate areas such as environmental monitoring, waste water treatment, and hazardous waste &tigation. According to Pierre S. Pettigrew, “Canada is a leader in the field of environmental management and this progr;un will allow Canadian academic institutions and companies to demon&ate their expertise and further their contacts in Asia.” Dr. Roger Downer, a former Vice President of the University of Waterloo, will become the first Canadian to act as President of the Asian Institute off echnology (AIT) beginning in August. The AIT is well known for its engineering faculty and concern with environment and resource studies.
“Sleeping 2B Mech. Eng.
“Juggling.” Dan Truesdale,
University of Waterloo to assist Asian Institute by Katie Ricks hprint stafr
Games, what wodd
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in? John Camplon,
Women’s Monica
boxing? Milanowski,
2B CS
lB Sys. Des.
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Manufacturing D issent by Sandy Atwal The forum pages allow members of the Vniversity of Waterloo community to present their views on various issues through letters to the editor and longer comment pieces. The opinions expressed in columns, comment pieces, letters and other articles are strictly those of the authors, not of Imprint. Imprint is an editorially independent newspaper published by Imprint Publications, Waterloo, a corporation without share capital. Imprint, Student Life Centre, Room 1 I 16, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3Gl.
Hemprint considered
- Abraham Lincoln
I
t is with no small degree of trepidation that I take Imprint into the netherworld of illegal drugs with this week’s supplementJYemprint, Obviously, there exist thorny legal issues over publishing a supplement invekigating the roie of marijma and other drugs in contemporary sociem. At the same time, there remains a strong sdcietal stigma associated with drugs which creates a strong deterrent to investigating this topic at all. As a result, few issues of Imprint in recent memory have demanded the rigorous editing, investigating, fact-checking and legal consultation as much as the issue you hold in your hands. Virtually the entire supplement was sent to our media lawyer for perusal to ensure that it did not contravene parts of section 462 of the Canadian Criminal Code. That section of the code considers anyone who “knowingly imports into Canada, exports from Canada, manufacturers, promotes or sells instruments or literature for illicit drug use” guilty of an offence. Section 462.1 describes Yiterature for illicit drug use” as any printed matter or video describing or depicting, and designed primarily under the circumstan~ to promote, encourage or advocate the production, preparation or consumption of illicit drugs. Individuals or groups convening that section are liable on summary conviction of a fine up to $100,000 or up to six months of imprisonment. In light of these facts, it seems redundant to add that every effort has been made to deal with this issue in an intelligent manner in order to allay any claims of &responsibility. Still, some students will reject this supplement outright as a ploy to pander to the lowest common denominator of tie university population. If that were the case, I hardly think that the students contributing to this issue would have taken the time they did to check their facts, spend hours in libraries, or spend hours ruminating over various resources about marijuana on the Web. It is certainly my belief that any student who actuaIly takes the time to read the articles contained in this week’s supplement will be hard pressed to conclude that we have taken a flip attitude towards the matter at hand. Of course, there are some more lighthearted articles meant to liven the section up somewhat, but by far the majority of the articles are sober pieces meant to provoke thought and discussion. Ifthe articles in this issue seem to be biased in favour of legalization, that is because they are. The facts speak for themselves and it would be nothiq more than a token act to klude the voice of those who would argue with reality. Of course, a deluge of letters from those who would disagree with those facts is expected, and welcomed. The impression of stupid, tie-dyed t-stir-t wearing, Grateful Dead listening potheads is still the image most people associate with drugs. The simple fact that I feel obligated to write a caveat of this length suggests that this matter is far f?om acceptable
in day-to-day
discourse.
However
if
this edition of Imprint does anything to combat that image and add a degree of earnest contemplation to this topic, then it will have surely justified itself.
The mind that was never born A brief “debriefing”
I
n conversation with students, I have found that the popular opinions on issues surrounding the Artificial Intelligence question in our computer science, engineering environment to be so one sided, that some reflections from a different perspective are in order.
The ahypen factor Accelerating advances in technology have established the popularity of Artificial Intelligence as the sexy topic of the 90s. Our imaginaticks run away on us whe; we realize that the machines we have today were inconceivable in our parent’s generation. The future is upon u& the possibilities seem limitless: and surely they are! Change is happening so quickly that it will not be long before we have machines that can do our &inking for us as well as our laundry. Yet, the questions Fd by the possibility of Artificial Intelligence cannot be settled by an appeal to the imagination.
of artificial
questions and issues which were inconceivable as anything more than vague, abstract notions to our elders (i.e., the ethics of ccreproductive technology,” or existence of thinking machines). It must be noted, however, that our approach as a society to answering these kinds of questions is informed by the enthusiasm, the ‘chype,” which surrounds the technological developments. Unfortunately, the hype merely distracts us from the core of the issue
The hyfie merely
d&a&
hs fyom&
core of theJisme.
intelligence Mechanicd
It has been claimed that, while we do not yet have conscious machines, we have a standardized means of evaluating whether something is intelligent. The proposed criteria is known as the Turing test, and has been described inImprint asfollows: “If, in a blind test, a human observer is unable to distinguish between a human and a computer by asking each a party a series of questions then that computer exhibits humanlike intelligence” (See Imprint, May 3, l!%%, “The BrainXhat Would Not Die” by A. Krywaniuk I . Z~~erZIEF’!ZfZL~Zg premises, but the logic must run a bit like this: people have intelligence; ifit behaves like a person then it too must have intelligence. Thus,
and the standards which are pertinmt to our judgement in these matters. It is worthwhile to dispel some of the cummon misunderstand& that permate the fok wisdom of Artificial
inte~gence
let’s test to see ifit
beeves
like a person. But, before jumping into the expediment, let’s look at what we are trying to prove. Consider a parallel
imprint welcomes letters to the editor from students and all name, signature, address and phone number for verification. editor reserves the right to refuse to publish letters or articles those of the individuals and not of Imprint. Letters may be
Feel free to criticize, but understand him first To
or in electronic form, and have the author’s members of the community. Letters should be 500 words or less, typed and double-spaced Letters received via electronic mail must be verified with a signature. All material is subject to editing for brevity and clarity. The which are judged to be libellous or discriminatory on the basis of gender, race, religion or sexual orientation. Opinions expressed are sent electronically to editor@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Have
you done your homework, Hendrik?
understand the nature of HIV and AIDS inKection, and to gain a better understanding of the gay community which he actively misinterprets and generalizes about. These misinterpretations and generalizations are what I feel truly cchu.rtmyself, my family and others” to use Mr. van der Breggen’s words.
the Editor, While reading Warren
letter July 12, Imprint), I was reminded of a fact about “moral” debates: a strong opinion doesn’t necessarily imply a dogmatic personality, and people with strongly opposed views CAN have rational discussions. This is something we often forget because we rarely see it happen in practice. Appealing to the Bible as “the source of ultimate truth” mav to seem dogmatic and irrational to some, but asa friend ofwarren’s, I know that he puts into practice the oft-forgotten ‘&hate the sin and not the sinner.” As both a bisexual and a Libertarian, I bekve that many, if not ALL, of Warren’s opinions are wrong at best, and dangerous at worst. Still, we have been able to talk about the issue without once using the words “heMire” or “fascist,” something fanatics on both sides are often unable to do. Warren’s position is aMORAL stance (right or wrong), and as such he BELIEVES that it is right for everyone. Trying to convince as many people as possible of its truth is only natural. This shouldn’t be confused with an unreasonable, dogmatic APPROACH to such convincing, again, all too prevalent on both sides. For meaningful discussion, whether on homosexuality or any other controversial issue, if more people &ho can separate strong moral beliefs from a militant, and usually annoying, STRATEGY. People like Warren Hagey. The main benefit of this is a willingness to listen, and possibly to be convinced by what one hears. Although my beliefs are (obviously) what I believe today, I may yet change my mind about some of them. But anyone who’s unwilling to hear what I have to say about them and think about it, isn’t likely to convince me of anything. For the same reason, I respect Warren’s beliefs, even though they seem to me, today, to be dangerously misguided. Regardless of what I think of Warren’s beliefs, I also have to respect the fact that he stands by, and lives by, a diffkult moral code, My own seetigly simple libertarian ethics involve the liberty of everyone to do as they please, respecting everyone else’s right to do the same. The difkulty of actually adhering to this has only become clear to me afkr several failures (most small, one distressingly large). The relatively fundamentalist Christian code Warren lives by is much harder. Defending, and even popularizing, such a strict code in an unreceptive society without becoming preachy is fu from easy, Fanatics, the unfortunate result of this pressure, might do well to take a lesson from Warren Hagey. Having defended Warren from some inevitable attacks, I optimistically leave it to those same attqcks to explain why I think he’s wrong. (‘Yes
I am a homophobe.”
Hagey’s
There are several disturbing rnisinterpretakns in Hendrik van der Breggen’s letter ‘<The Case of Homosexuality Revisited” (Imprint, July 12, 1996). His letter attempts to explain that homosexual “acts,” including fisting and anal sex are truly harmfkl to “himself, his faMily and others .” Although fisting and anal sex, are often associated with homosexuality (and most ofien homosexual men), they could also be practiced in heterosexual relationships. It would be unfair to assume that all homosexuals practice fisting and anal sex; just as unfair as it would be to assume that a.U heterosexuals practice these acts. What is most disturbing, however, is his assumption that homosexuals (again, homosexual men) are more likely to acquire the HIV virus which causes AIDS, as his %nal analogy” asserts. Precaution should be taken to use condoms during anal or vaginal sex, two equally high risk activities. Although the number of persons infected with HIV or AIDS may be proportionately higher among homosexual men (it should be noted that there is a proportionately lower number of homosexual women infected with HIV or AIDS), the rate of infection is declining steadilyfromitshistoricalhighinthe 1980s. It is inappropriate to assume that all homosexual men practice unstie sex (whether anal sex or fisting) and that they are responsible for support costs associated with HIV and AIDS care. When HIV and MDS were highly stigmatized diseases during the early 198Os, many of those who were infected through blood transfkions, intravenous drug use, or other non-homosexual contact, sought support and refkge in the gay communtiy. Here, educational programs and funding sources were developed - not only for gay men, but for all infected with the disease. Today, because of the support from the gay community, ‘there exists the Casey House in Toronto - a long term home for those with HIV and AIDS, regardless of how the disease was initially contacted. As well, red ribbon campaigns have grown out of support programs within the gay community and are now actively endorsed by what Mr. van der Breggen calls the “larger population.” Mr. van der Breggen mentions that in 1992, heart disease “kiUed 83 times as many Canadians as did AIDS.” Perhaps he had forgotten that one of the major causes of heart disease is smoking, which some think is a choice. Smoking can be paralleled with heart disease the same way in which unsafiz sexual practices are paralleled with HIV infection, which causes AIDS. Findy, it should be noted that a person infected with fkll blown AIDS experiences exposure to terminal diseases, including cancer. This would explain the urgency and importance of HlVI]DS funding allocation. Perhaps it would have been more approptiate for Mr. van der Breggen to better
U W owed 1 apology
an
To the E&w,
I have never been particularly impressed with the newspaperImprint and tier reading Dan Zachariah’s article ‘The lunacy of prejudice” it isn’t hard to find out why. Just who the hell does this guy think he is?
by
Pete
Nesbitt
For those of you who didn’t read the article, it was promoting homosexual rights and talked of ending discrimination against gays. The article, which was poorly written and weak in content, went on to compare mainstream heterosexuals with Nazi Germany. Needless to say the article was biased propaganda that doesn’t belong on campus. Besides, anyone with a little common sense knows just how dangerous homosexuality really is. I’m referring to AIDS of course, and everyone knows gays and lesbians are the primary carriers of this disease. In addition, gays have a very high suicide rate which fkther shows their mental instability. Now I don’t want to sound mean or any&kg, but I have to call it like it is. Believe it or not, I usually put up with homosexuals without saying a thing. Quite frankly, I tolerate it very well. However, I refizse to have your newspaper mislead people into believing that a homosexual Mestyle is a healthy one. What exactlvd is Continued
and
Pat
to page
10
Spacek
xiitie-hwn fiat #875: In 1953, eminent scientist viktor van Klaus managed to stimulate telepathy in h3mself. !Wly, the experkhe proved to be pathe logicaltyaddicttw,andVonIuaus~~~g~machJneyasmuchas~ times a day. He died tin after... but the gcMf3sh went on to win the Nobel Prk! for mysks.
10 Continued Dan
FORUM from page 9
Zachariah
thinkiq
ing taxpayers more forhealth care. It does give some people ugly when
he
wrote this article? Unfommately, I am force to speculate that Dan is himself a homosexual, and if this is the case Imprint owes it to the students of UVV to have specified that fact. Maybe then we can understand his faulty logic. Nonetheless, I never figured that Imprint would lower itself to publish this kind of garbage. Perhaps the newspaper would be better suited for Ryersan University where it would have the support of that homosexual professor Gerald Hannan. As a student here at the University of Waterloo I take pride in the ethical principles and moral integrity of the school. Dan Zachariah’s article inappropriately conflicts with the values of the University of Waterloo, and, therefore, he owes all SNdents an apology.
yellow
teeth.
Its OK ifyou
choose
to smoke, but like it or not, by providing a medium for tobacco advertising, Imprint is contributing to the spread of smoking amongst susceptible individuals (like impressionable youngsters and frosh)! Imprint should say no to tobacco advertising and say no to death. Comeon, weshould watch out for one another! Its not like Imprint needs the revenues! Look at their books sometime! So in the meantime, keep on smokin’ and keep on readin’ the Imprint, but remember, while smoking is hazardous to your health, smoking the Imprint WILL ki.U you. Love Always, -
Gmg
Wood
3BEYG
Imprint not for smoking
Statisitics and the environment
To the Editor,
To tlw Ed&w,
I am a 3B co-op student who has been on work term for almost 7 months. Inthis time, I have seen the Imprint maybe 2 or 3 times. Even after these fewreadings since December ‘95, I AM SICK OF THE TOBACCO ADVERTISING YDNTROVERSY”. It irritates me tier that no-one (to
It was with a bit of concern and a bit ofdisbeliefthat I read the article, “Manufacturing Dissent” by Sandy Atwal, the editor of Imprint. Mr. Atwal seems to be claiming that there are no real environmental problems facing our planet today, just a Kbarrage of (mis)information by doomsayers [such as Carl Sagan md David Suzuki] about the state of the planet (leading to) an extremely distorted picture.,, Atwal proceeds to base an unbelievably pointless argument on some facts that apparently prove to him that we have nothing to worry about because, simply, “things are getting better.” I am curious as to what motives Atwal believes such “Luddites” hold in mistiorming the public. Maybe he should consider the possibility that Yhey)) are just trying to do something about the state of the planet since people like him are not doing a thing other than criticizing those that are. Atwal’s argument contradicts itself and is not a very valid one. He criticizes scientists/environmentalists for presenting biased facts and swaying public opinion (which is ofien the only way to initate any action). He then cites statistics from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Of&e of Air Quality Planning and Standards, naturally assuming that they are more valid than the ones he criticizes, My real problem with the article, however, is that I see Mr. Atwal taking the same stance in his argument that much of our society is based on. That is, the dissection of every aspect of our lives, be it the basis of our education system, our understanding of our place on earth as humans, or,
my
knowledge)
has
seemed
to
state a similar viewpoint to my own; so here’s my two bits and this is the last anyone will hear from me on this topic. In the few articles I have read I have seen smokers complain about how their lifestyles are being disrupted, how tobacco companies should not be subject to discrimination in a free country, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. For the lllost part, I agree; I’ve been known to puffon a DuMau’ now and again; dam it, I PICKED tobacco for six years! Heck, the lifestyle of the smoker is ofien a lot more relaxed than that ofour average up-tight “Ban smoking everywhere on earth,, Southern Ontarian. (So smokers, you may die, but in the mean time, puff away and enjoy it) However, even in this LLfreecountry,, the media has responsibility. Imprint, as UWs most substantial (and dare I sayinfluential?) media outlet for student l.$e issues, must take responsibility and make a stand on some issues, Imprint does ti acceptable job of protecting the needs of those who are at times suppressed or ignored by “maintstnzam” media (ie. women’s issues, alternative lifestyles, Warrior and Athena teams). Imprint shodd similarly make a stand on tobacco advertising. While it is perfectly acceptable (and perhaps enjoyable) to smoke, smokingdoes kill. It does cause cancer. It does end up costl
IMPRINT, Friday, July 26, 1996
in this case, the environmental damage we are causing. By citing specifk facts on issues such as CO, emissions or the number of trees planted per day in the U.S., Atwal has fallen into the trap of our technology/science based society. Such statistics hold no relevance on their own. Without looking at the bigger picture of how these issues affect other aspects of the environment and vice versa, we cannot hope to understud the processes taking place behind these issues. The world does not work in small segments. We live in a biosphere where absolutely every function depends on and in turn influences countless others. In regards to the question of whether or not we have a pohtion problem, there are many more fact3 to suggest the opposite of Atwal’s
statistics.
However,
sta-
tistics can be easily dug up and manipulated to support any argument you can think of. I believe that it is not that cChardto decide who’s more to blame” it is the selective readers of such information who can not look past the statistics they are presented with and decipher what they really mean.
An invitation to Warren -uizey To the Editm,
The July 12th edition of Imprint contained a letter entitled ccYes, I am a homophobe” by Warren Hagey. Many of my friends (both straight and gay) and I were rather distressed bythe views on homosexualitv that were presented within, For the most part, this letter is chock fLll of stereotypes and contrived arguments that have been propagated by ignorarrce and malice over the past several decades. The truth is, however, these stereotypes are just that: stereotypes, often invented and broad-based applied to a group of people who truly deserve no persecution. These perpetual vilifications are what I, asa gay man, must face every day. It is unfortunate that they have become “standard fare,” repeated continually by those who are not willing to understand, or to accept. Close-minded, they remain afraid to open their hearts and their minds to all sides and all peoples (or so it seems), md to consider life corn the other5 point of view. I wish to stay away from the religious views as much as possible, as I prefer to leave those to the experts. However, I would like to mention one thing. Mr. Hagey states that the Bible is “the source ofultimate truth.“I.fso, then please tell me what we are to m&e of passages such as Genesis 3:16 which states “Unto the woman he said, I will greatly mUltiply thy
sorrow and they conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and they desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.” Are we then to go back to the days of male domination of women? Are we then to accept rape and wife battery? Somehow, I do not think so. Simultaneously with that blanket statement, Mr. Hagey has also managed to successfully invalidate all other religions in the worLd today. (And, I suppose, he means to annul all other flavours of Christianity as well.) The example cited for showing “the lunacy of letting people do whatever they want in their own homes” is absolute lunacy in itself. How can two loving adults expressing their affection for each other be compared to one agreeing to kill the other? One deals with love, the other with the termination of life (and of love). How can they possibly be equated with each other? I am really unsure of what to make of Mr, Hagey’s statement ccoveriooking the fact that homosexuals don’t confine their activities to their own home.” I would like to .askjust what activities are being referred to here? As a class, homosexuals don’t even have the simple luxury to peacefully hold hands in public much less show any kind if caring or affection for their partners, without the fear of some hateful soul attacking them outright. Or is Mr Hagey just against public section altogether? In this case,.then, this has nothing to do with homosexuality.. . es$ecially given the flair for heterosexuals to %ot con&e their activities to their own home.” If he is referring to the recent Pride Day activities, and some “blatant not-home-confining,, actions, I invite him to attend some day. The media blitz that surrounds the event does not do it any justice, much as the media f& to do all too often. It is the “shock value” of the event that they crave, the ever-present focus on ratings over journalistic honesty (remember the OJ Simpson case?). This, unfortunately, does nothing but help to perpetuate the stereotypes, for not all realize that one does not equate to all. Furthermore, it is beyond me how the argument that homosexuals are together only for sex ever began, and is believed by Mr. Hagey. At least, that’s what the comment “it is important to separate the person from the action” implies. There is, of course, little that one cano~~cti~~~ say here, as love is a subjectipe emotion, but I can certainly provide myself as an example. I have been in a relationship for the last four months (much of it long-distance) and sex has certainly never been an overriding force in our relationship, nor was it the basis of its foundation. We are together for all the same reasons any heterosexual couple would be together: we love each other very much, enjoy each other’s company and believe we have a chance at making a good., happy, loving, and productive we together. Granted, four months is not a long time as relationships
go, but I know homosexual couples who have been together for 20 years and more, much longer than a great many heterosexual marriages. If all we were interested in was “satisfying our own selfish desires,” why -would we enter into relationships, dealing with the same problems al1 relG tionships go through? Tell me, in your view, is it selfish to love? (This, of course, mentions nothing about the illustrious promiscui~ of heterosexuals. Sp-ting Break at Daytona Beach. Need I say more?) Homosexuality is, and always has been, about more than just sex. It is a great deal more than just an “action.” It is impossible to hate homosexuality, -&d yet have nothing against homosexuals. Once again, the absurd example of murder was cited here, and again I question the motives of this preposterous analogy. I ask you this: why are you afraid of homosexualitv? Whv are vou afraid of its cceffectsnAn so&ty? Just what are its supposed effects on society to begin with? This last question- is the one I am most interested in, Just what is it that you see homosexuality doing to society, to dismantle the cornmunity, that make% you so afraid of it? I know the stereotypes and the myths. I?m looking for something more substantial &d objective tO back these accusations.. And extreme casesdo not classifi as evidence, as any class, cult-t& of society has their own extreme cases. (Askme, and I shall make a caseof how horrible it is for students to get good grades, as it causes them nothing but anguish and ofien drives them to commit suicide.) It is apparent in this letter that Mr. Hagey considers homosexuality a choice. Given that homosexuals are the target of more hate crimes than any other group, face intolerance and are present in all societies yet accepted in few, I as WFC in the world would I chose to be gay? To make such a choice puts me in great risk of discrimination and prejudice from many sources, gains me the fear from others that I am out to Yeemit their children,,, the risk of bodily harm or even death, and, depending where I live, a chance that should such harm come to me, the police see me “asking for it?” Why would I chose to live that way? Additionally, I ask you, Mr. Hagey, do you remember the day you made your choice to be heterosexual? The day you decided for good that “maybe I’ll like girls instead of boys.” Oh come on now, you must remember, tier all, according to you we have all made this choice.. . . I read something one that is all too true: “Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.” If more people understood and lived with this simple passage asa guide, I believe the world would be a much more peacell and satiqing place.
.
IMPRINT,
Fickle statistics and other obscurities To the Editor, Yesterday, Sunday, July 14, I had the pleasure of attending the Ottawa Gay Pride Day. It was a wondeti celebration and an enjoyable day all around. The only dark spot was the two Christian bdementalists who dogged the parade, waving signs saying that everyone present were uabominations” destined for hell. Today I came to check out the latest issue of the Imprint on the Web and found those men’s sentiments being echoed in the letters to the editor. I won’t touch long on Mr. Hagey’s letter. It is the standard dogma spew that we see fw tm ofien, Just these three brief comments. The Bible, Hagey’s %ource of ulitmate truth,” is a document that has been translated multiple times by individuals with their own political agendas. Don’t ignore the bible, but take what you mad with a grain of salt. Secondly, a question for Mr. Hagey. Who has put you on the bench of almighty judgement, that you may decree what is ultimately right and wrong? Finally, would Mr. Hagey please specify exactly what “effects on society” he is afraid of. I think Hendrik van der Breggen’s letter deserves much ITKK carell consideration. At lat he has attempted to raise logical, valid points. There are quite a few flaws here, however. First of all, regarding the statement that anal intercourse does more damage than vaginal, I am sure that there are a few women who would strongly disagree with you on that point. Another problem I have with Mr. Breggen”s letter is his use of the term “statistically deviant.” Be VERY carem in the way you throw that term around! We are ALL “statistically deviant” in one way or another. In general, be careful with the use of statistics. Ask any statistician. Any given figure can be interpreted or reinterpreted to suppofi a variety of different positions. For example, you cite the fact that,. although heart disease killedmorepeoplein1492,AIDS research received more money in 1994.1992 versus 1994, two diff’erent years. Comparing apples and oranges perhaps? Your argument about the effects on the public through health care costs certainly does bear careful consideration and public discussion. But look at it from this point of view: at what point do we start curtailing rights because they are going to cost us more? I rid,: a motorcycle. Statistically, we motorcyclists are more prone to moreseriously injurious accidents. Should I be banned from riding my bike (which costs me less than a car would) because of thepotential burden to the health care sys-
tern if1 have an accident? Do you, Mr. Breggen, eat fatty fried foods? Should you be denied rights because you are at higher risk of developing cardio-vascular problems? I could extend. this argument into the realm of the truly ridiculous, but I think you get my point. I will def&tely try to find those works that Mr. Breggenhas recommended. However, no matter what the statisticssay, I believe we should work a little harder at putting human rights before dollar figures (despite what the Tory government’s vietis to the conuarY)-
Well, &allow himi to retort... To tbdditm, In the last issue of Imprint, Warren Hagey had a letter pub-lished in which he expressed his dismay over an article I had written earlier on the subject of homosexuality. In & effort to demonstrate the immorality of gays and lesbians, Mr. Hagey, like so many others befdre him, refers to a Biblical passage-where Godcondemns this “detestable” behaviour. But is it r&lly God who ConderJzxls homo&cuals or is it the Bible’s authQurs? Since the Bible was written by human beings, the content was subject to their partisan beli& and prejudices. It is not at all inconcievable that the authours inserted bits and ‘pieces of their own dogma in the b@icf that they were carrying otit the wishes of God, when in fact all they were doing was creating a hostile atmosphere for those who they did not understand. After all, in various parts of the Bible, women are vi&d in much the same manner as homosexuals and how many of us today woufdcondone this idea? The passage tharMr. Hageymendons comes fi~oni the Book of Leviticus, which is located near the beginning of the Old Testament. These earlier passages tend to be less cohereat and more selfcontradictory th& later sections of the Bible and therefore, writings as controversial as those in Leviticus shouldbe examined with greater scrutiny. Later on, Mr. Hagey notes the dire consequences that can result ifpeople a~$:given too much freedom (even in the confines of their own homes). He saysthat if a man asks a friend to killhimthen such a situation could be avoided if we prevented people corn doing
what
they
vanted
11
FORUM
Friday, July 26, 1996
in their
homes. So in other words Mr, Hagey, because a man might ask a friend to kill him,society has the moral responsibility to %v%ngly surrender its rights to the state?
YOU MUST BE JOKING. Essentially what you’re saying is that people don’t know what’s good-for them, especially gays Gd lesbians, and therefore other more“enlightened”peopieshould make their decisions for them, by force ifneed be. This is the kind of patronizing statism that our soci&y doesn’t need and although vour intentions are well-meankg, the potential abuses of power by those in control of such a system are too great. As the old saying goes, absolute power corruuts absolutelv. L And then Gou go on to say that “. , .I have n&h&g againstfidmosexuals. Similarly, I do not hate murderers, although I am against murder, It is important to separate the person from tfie action? The implication couldn’t be more clear: Homosexuals and murderers are vimdy one and the same, societal scourges whose immoral propensities contradict the teachings of God. The connection beGeen homosexualiT and criminal behaviour is made time and time again with no proof to back it up* (What a surprise!) It’s always easy to find sympathy for a cause by playing on the paranoia of others but such a tactic is ultimately destined for failure. My suggestion is that you reexamine your position onthesubject of gays and lesbians because as thinb now stand, you are doing yourself a d&en&e.
Waterloo chemists against leukemia To the Editor, On July 9,1996, the Universitv OfWaterloo’s Chemistrv Club heid their first annual ciarity barbeque. This year, the proceeds raised were donated to the Canadian Cure Campaign. The Canadian Cure Campaign is an organization that was founded by a local KW girl, Christine Ichim and her brother. The Campaign’s goal is to find a cure for leukemia. Christine is raising money by roller blading across Canada and will be stopping in Kitchener on July 2& 1996. The barbeque was a great success, and a t&l of $325 was &ed for the cuase. Of course, there still is a need for support, so if you were not able to make it to the barbeque - but wish to help or would like more information, donations will be accepted by the ChrmistryClubinC2-172x6245. Thank you very much.
Errors of Biblic al proportions To the Editor, Re: WarrenHagey’s response on Fri. 12, July to Dan Zachariah You quoted Leviticus 18 : 22 from one of many modern day translations. The detestable actor as the King James Version rends it an abomination which means “ritually unclearT relate to the practices in the nearby fertility cult of Molech. Such abomination implies, from the Hebrew word to mean “idoiatrous pracdces,“notne~~~~y~xua.L (Add Lev. 20:13-14)Hereyouf!indthe whole lot in the “Holiness Code,” which emphasized to the Israelites that they were to be set apart to God, and were to practice nothing that these fertility cults practised. The seriousness ofthis idolatry in Hebrew eyes was compunded by the belief that to “lie with a man as with a worn& violated the dignity of the male sex, which was in the image of God, while women were treated only as “property.” To treat a man the way women were treated was reducing him to property, and thereby violating the image of God. This issue was sexual &a~ of any kind, and idolatrous activityinparticular.Leviticuswas a priestly code of man made rules (Levites) not a general one. Your remarks are out of context. Mr. Hagey, you said ir is a matter of what is right and what is wrong. Is the Bible the source of ultimate truth? Certainly it has some truths and there are errors due to translation and to those scribes and teachers who would alter doctrine for their own gain. I am surprised that you did not use Paul’s account ofhomosexual behaviour. However, so broad is the language and it must be read with the whole chapter in mind which deals with temple prostitution and again, to the fertility cult worship. Even in the general gospels Jesus mentions nothing of
homosexual behaviour. Are we to assume it does not exist? What about John the Beloved, or more accurately translated, John the disciple that Jesus loved? What of same sex account when we read in Luke 17: 34, “I tell you, that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other leftn? What about the narrative and love epic of David and JonathaninISamuell8-2O?There are scriptures condemning heterosexuals for performing homosexual acts which are out of decadence. The reality of a homosexual nature is distinctly modern and the present canonized scriptures do not address this. I suspect it has been edited out from a historical context would not be a new phenomenon (egthe Cathars of Southern France). Mr Hagey, you have givenno practical advice as to an altemative to this “abomination” outside of a “Stop it, stop it, stop it!” Your words imply and condemn the individual to repress theirfeelings and very core of&& b&g. I am not so sure of your attitude to separate the person from the action. Fundarner& Christians we & in a condescending m;urner as an effort to exert authority and exact guilt. If the bible is the source ofultimate truth&en what of the other religions around the world iiire muslims and hindus? Fi.naUyyourtritephrase:%ke heart, I will be praying for you,” please do not bother. Ifyou really want to follow Christ’s example of humility and compassion then you will pray for yourself to be pmteaed
from
your
own
na-
rawness ad condemnation and self-righteousness which is like the pharisees who Jesus likened unto... %hite sepulchres (co&) in which dead men’s bones were titerred.” I realised a long time ago that negative judgement is a reflection of our own inner namm. Christ said that. Oh yes, in closing, I iove you as a Christian and your behaviour stinks. Sincerely, -J
Nary
FORUM
IMPRINT,
A nice idea, but not an ideal solution The current income tax systern achieves many economic goals, but the complexity, as we have seen, is incredible and often stifling to growth. flat rate income
What
would
a
tax offer? First, the population would
get a warm fkzy feeling from putting thousands of lawyers and accountants out of work. Second, individuals would spend far less time preparing their tax returns and rearranging their assets and income to vield a favourable tax result. Aniiethought. Third, assuming a flat tax alSo applied to corporations, the market would operate more or less unfettered by tax law, which is part of the attraction to the Reform Party and other self-professed proponents of &ee markets. Tax-subsidized industries would no longer be shielded, and many would probably disappear, bringing about large job losses. In the long term, this might not be such a terrible thing, as it could spur retraining efforts and prepare people for jobs that will exist longer in more efficient indus-
tries. However, the validity of this argument would vary from ind&rv to industrv. On the other hand: many hdusiries would benefit from the elimination of artificial barriers to market mechanisms that exist in the current tax strucm-e. In short, there would be structural changes in the economy. Essentially, it would be a market experiment. Given that “price stability” was an experiment, we ought to be wary. One maj& problem with the idea is that most other countries would retain their tax incentives while Canada would not. Some of Canada’s industries would be more efficient, but they would encounter subsidized competition from other countries. Eficiency, therefore, would not necessarilv be the deciding factor in the; ability to surv&. Canada could dS0 suffer in other ways. Canada’s high savings rate, which helps to keep interest rates low and facilitates growth, would surely drop without incentives like RRSP’s for individuals. More worrisome is
Dangers of chemical combinations
Canada’s already dismal investment in R&D. As a percent of GDP, Canada already spends too little on R&D compared to other industrialized nations. With a flat rate tax, the incentives that currently
exist
would
be gone,
and
R&D would fall tier, which is something that the country simply cannot afford to have happen. Just to ensure some b&c economic health, incentives would have to be built back into the system. So a flat rate tax would still be accompanied by considerable tinkering. Also, Canada is not doing as badly as some think under the current tax system: the OECD recently forecasted that Canada will have the highest economic growth of all the G7 nations in 1997. Things could be worse. Both the costs and benefits of a flat rate income tax are unclear at best. It’s a nice idea, but not an ideal solution. We’re left with a tax system that needs reform, with a small ccr,” We’ve deftitely heard this before. Solutions, anyone?
I’ll pull the trigger The world has seen the horrors of Nazi Germany, and its crimes against humanity. I do not need to recount them here; I hope we all know them well enough. I
know I will never forget the movies I’ve seen. Now,IamangrythattheUN has compelling evidence (enough to issue international arrest warrants) that crimes against human ity have been committed again, this time in the former Yugoslavia, and are doing nothing. Bosnian leader Radovan Karadzic and his mikuy leader, General Ratko Mladic are both accused of crimes such as ordering soldiers to rape Muslim women as part of their ethnic cleansing plan, to torture captives by slicing offtheir ears, lips, and noses, and to slaughter of thousands of men and boys just outside of Srebrenica, before dumping their bodies into mass graves, just like the Nazis did in World war II. Perhaps it is too strong to saytheUNisdoingnothing.They have managed to agree that
Karadzic cannot participate in the for&coming elections in Bosnia. But is this just? The penalty for murdering thousands and inflicting unimiginable pain on tens of thousands of others is the end of a political career? No. The UN War Crimes Tribunal has actually issued warrants for 75 men involved in the war. Seven are currently in custody. There are no p1a.k to activeiy bring any more to justice. ACcording to the Globe and Mail, “there is little taste among NATO allies for using the 60,000 member military force implementing the [Dayton peace] accord to arrest Mr. Karadzic and General A!IIXikr)
I can understand that the UN doesn’t want to interfere anymore than is necessary. It does n&t have a mandate to Gnpose its will on any nation, and was even r&ctam to become involved in the first place. Now, its interests are simply keeping the peace. But I say, not good enough.
warcriminals cannotbeallovid to live out the rest of their days in
safety and security, to die peacefidly in bed. Not when there is a way to bring them to justice. Of course, right now, Karadzic and Mladic are innocent until proven guilty. But Karadzic has said that he’s not going anywhere near the Hague to prove his innocence; he’s staying put in Pale, and Gen. Mladic isn’t saying anything from the military base where
he currently
lives,
just
Friday, July 26, 1996
an
hour from Sarajevo. So what now? Easy. Have a trial in absentia. The men have been informed of the warrants for their arresrs, and have refused to come and stand trial. So do it without them. If they are found innocent? The end. Leave them alone. Butiftheyarefoundguiltyof the crimes with which they are charged, go get them, I cannot understand how anyone with the power to make that decision could leavethemaloneandsleepatnight, ever. If the sentence is I.&eimprisonment, it becomes trickier. You have to actually haul the guy out
SCIENCE magazine recently published a new study showing that some combinations of hormone-disrupting chemicals are much more powerful than any of the individual chemicals by themselves. The new study shows that combinations oftwo or three common pesticides, at low levels that might be found in the environment, are up to 1 600 times as powerful as any of the individual pesticides by themselves. One chemical, chlordane, which has no ability to disrupt hormones by itself, nevertheless greatlymagnifies the ability of other chemicals to disrupt hormones. Ifthesefindings are cotirmed by follow-up studies, it couldprofoundly affect the way chemicals are viewed, tested for toxicity, and regulated because combinations of chemicals will have to be considered. Hormones arenaturalchemicals that act asmessengers, travelling through the blood stream, regulating
various’
bodily
proc-
aghg effects - effects so strong that theresearchers concluded that they may have found the cause of %ulf War Syndrome,” which plagues at least 30,000 U.S. veterans of that war. Chemicals with vastly *rent molecular structures have proven to be hormone disrupters. This means that a chemical’s ability to disrupt hormones cannot be discovered simply by examining a diagram of the molecule. In other words&e study of so-called structure/function relationships is not helpful in the caseofhormone-disrupters. Thousands of chemicals will need to be tested individually for their ability to disrupt hormones and a thorough battery of tests has not yet been devised. There are now 70 000 chemicats currently in commercial use, with about 1000 new ones added each year. The prospect of testing tk toxicity of this number of chemicals, even one at a time, is daunting. Steps to mitigate the unknown
esses,coordinating the body’s activities to maintain health. Hormones are particularly important during growth and development of an egg, an embryo, a fetus, a baby. About 100 different hormones have now been identified, and they control growth, development and behaviour in all vertebrates (fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals), including humans. Since 1991, studies have shown that at least 50 synthetic (human-created) industrialchemicals can interfere with hormones and disrupt normal growth and development in birds, fuh, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and humans. Many of the 50 hormone-disrupting chemicals are commonly found in detergents, plastics, and pesticides. This is not the first evidence that some com-
effects
of chemicals
are
suggested in the 1996 book, Ckr Stolen Fstwe, by Theo Co1 Born and Pete Myers: greatly reduce the number of chemicals on the market; reduce the number of chemicals used in a givenproduct, make products simpler; make and market only chemicals that can be readily detected at relevant levels in the real worldwith current technology; do not produce a chemical unless its degradation in the environment is well understood; curtail the introduction of thousands of new synthetic chemicals each year; reduce the use of pesticides as much as possible (pesticides should be used only in genuine emergencies); shiftthe burden of proof onto manufacturers because the current approach, a presumption of innocence, has time and again made people sick and damaged The
ecosystems.
binations of chemicals are more powerful than any of their individual chemicals. Earlier this year researchers at the Duke University Medical Centre published a study of three chemicals to which US. soldiers were exposed during the Gulf War. None of the three chemicals, by itself, caused nerve damage in laboratory animals, but together the three chemicals showedpowerfulnerve-dam-
tool of risk assessment is now used to keep questionable compounds on the market until they are proven guilty. It should be redefmed as a means of keeping untested chemicals off the market and eliminating the most worrisome in an orderly, timely fashion. Now that we know better, we must have the courage to be cautious, for the stakes are very high.
of wherever he is, but I know that and France both have highly trained teams for just this
of team.
Britain
purpose.
And
if the sentence
is
death? You can just send a cruise missile (satellite reconnaissance can give up to date reports on exact locations), a couple conven-
tional bombs, or a different sort I’m no military expert, so exactly how this would happen, I can’t say. But I do know that these people need to be brought to jusiice: Unlike the UN, justice is something I do have a t&e for.
Volume 1, Number 1
Friday,July 26,1996
The Official
IMPRINT
Marijuana w
Supplemmt
H2
HEMPRINT, Friday;July 26, 1996
Pot of Ages: A brief history of hemp _and pot in Canada by Jason Fowler special to Hemprint
C
annabis has been grown on Canadian soil long before Canada was even a country.
In 1609,
Samuel
de
Champlain convinced his friend Louis Hebert to come to Canada. Hebert, an apothecary from Paris, emigrated to what is now Nova Scotia and planted, among other crops, cannabis for his profession as a medicinal drug purveyor. During the 17th and 18th centuries, hemp production in Europe had not been meeting the demand for it. Massive amounts of hemp were needed to make rope to outfit Europe’s huge naval fleets, so Europe looked to their new territories as a
source of hemp. New England grew hemp for England, and the French Royal Warehouses promised to buy any hemp that any farmers could grow in Canada. Taxes could be imposed on farmers not producing enough hemp when hemp stocks were low, and regions whose main crop was hemp were named &er the plant: Hamptons, Hempsteads, etc. The production of hemp decreased slightly in the late part of the 1800s with the invention of the cotton gin. Up until then, paper had been easier to make with hemp instead of trees, but there were no mechtical separators for hemp and it was labour intensive to separate the usehl fibres from the stalks. The cotton gin made harvesting cotton quite easy, and cotton
Hemp 101
Marijuana
by Jason Fowler special to Hemprint
eaders with limited marijuana experience, fear not! The following has been designed with the beginner in mind, as friendly through the weird and wonderful world of pot. Blunt: A large joint rolled with the outside tobacco-leaf wrapper of a cigar. Song (Waterpipe): A pipe in which the smoke is cooled by bubbling it through water. Bowl: Part of a bong or pipe that holds the weed. Bud: The flower of the cannabis plant. This part contains the highest THC levels in the plant, and the part that is usually smoked. Cannabis Sativa: Scientific name for the most common species of marijuana. S&entific name for another species of marijuana. Cannabis
Indica:
Cocktail: Joint with some tobacco mixed with marijuana. Firecrackers : Crackers with peanut butter and weed on them.
Herb: Jamaican term for marijuana with Biblical connotations; Rasta&rian sacrament. Hookah: A waterpipe with two or more stems, allowing more than one person to smoke at once. Hotbox: Smoking up in a small room or car so the second hand smoke gets inhaled. Hydroponics: without soil.
Method of growing plants
Joint: Amarijuana ‘cigarette’. Other names include jay, pinner, dart, fatty, cannon, etc.
Lid: Oid quantity measure of pot. One Ld is the level amount of marijuana that can fit in the lid of a chewing tobacco can. Marijuana: Smokable flowers and leaves of the female cannabis plant. Also known as grass, weed, pot, ganja, marvjane, tea, reefer, , etc,
Roach: The butt end of a joint. Garden Salad: Joint rolled with hash and marijuana together. Guertia Gardening: Growing pot plants on other people’s property. Hashish (Hash): Solid extracted resin from cannabis plants.
laws carry the second
heaviest sentence in Canadian criminal law, surpassed onlj by that imposed for murder. panded in the Opium and Drug Act of 1911, and the RCMP were given greater search, seizure and exportation powers. Z%eBhc~ Candle was a book published in 1922 by Emily Murphy, Canada’s first female police magistrate judge and also the leader of the Irish Orange Order, a religious group promoting an all-white Canada. The book outlined Murphy’s perception of a problem with pot smoking. The book implied, without any social or medical studies, that smoking marijuana caused immunity to pain, violent tendencies, permanent madness and a loss of all moral judgement. Due to Emily Murphy’s judicial links, ZIX BL& Gzndle played a large part in the passing of the Opium and Narcotic Act of 1923, under which ail cannabis hemp was made illegal under the name ‘marijuana.’ At the same time, several similar unfounded movements and laws were being passed in the United States. New laws were passed in 1954, in which a person could-be charged for pos-
respective governments. In a clear violation of rights to free speech, laws were passed in 1988 prohibiting the right to explain how drugs are produced, advocate use of drugs or hemp, and even promoting legalisation of drugs was outlawed. The penalties were $100,000 for the first offense and $300,000 for the second, with six months to a year’s incarceration. Recently, there has been movement towards decriminalization/legalization of marijuana, even as some politicians push towards more penalties for drug use. NORML (National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws) Canada was charged with distribution of pro-legalization pamphlets in Aprii of 1992, but charges were dropped two months later. NORML filed a compIaint with regards to suppression of free speech, and the Ontario Gxu-t of Justice agreed with the complaint; the prohibition of literature was overturned in October 1994.
Roach Clips: Tweezers used to hold a roach so you don’t burn your fingers when the joint gets too small. Shake: Leaves and stems of the plant. Lower in THC than the buds, smoked when desperate.
Hash Oil: Tar-like resin extracted from cannabis plants, soid in vials.
Sinsemillia:
Hash
Brownies: Brownies with hash or weed baked in them.
of a cone.
Low THC, fibrous parts of the cannabis plant,
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) : The main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis plants, responsible for the “high.”
Spliff
Hemp:
quickly became the fibre of choice for maksession of marijuana for the purpose of traf&king, with a maximum sentence of ing paper, reducing the demand for hemp seven years imprisonment. The sentence prodution. was doubled the following year to fourteen The gold rush in the 1870s brought years. with it a floc~I of Chinese workers to the 1961 showed more drug legislation in West. The Chinese brought with them their affinity for opium smoking, to ease The Siq$e Courvention on Narcotk Dmtpp. The act increased the minimum penalty for the pains of their meagre existences working for low wages in dangerous jobs. Britcultivation to seven years, and the miniain was a main trader in alcohol, tobacco mum for importation and exportation to and opiates at the time, and no mindfourteen years. This made the marijuana altering substances were yet illegal. Racism laws carry the second heaviest minimum towards the Chinese led to the writing of sentence in Canadian criminal law, surPrime Minister MacKenzie King’s report, passed only by that imposed for capital +nd “llw Needfor theStiwetin ofOpiumTraf’ non-capital murder. Jc in Cd,” which was based on sensaThere have been two comprehensive tionalist newspaper stories and depicted studies of marijuana and it’s medical and the -corruptioti of white women due to ’ social effects done in North America: the opium. &is report resulted in the passing New York La Guardia study of 1944, and of Canada% first drug law, the Opium Canada’s four-million-dollar LeDain ComNarcotic Act of 1908, which severely re- mission h the early 70’s. Both of the studstricted opiate sales. ies recommendeddecrimin~tionofmariThe range of illegal drugs was ex- juana, and both were ignored by their
(Cone):
Seedless buds. A
joint rolled in the shape
Note: The information contained in this supplement is for educational ptirposes only Neither Imprint nor Imprint Publications Ltd. endorses or advocates the use or cultivation of any substance discussed in these pages.
Fday,
HEMPRINT,
H3
July 26, 1996
Why is the U.S. losing the war on drugs? by Sandy Atwal Hemprint
staff
n 1930, Larry Singleton raped a teen ager, hacked off her arms between the wrist and elbow and lefi her for dead in the desert. He was convicted and served eight years of his fourteen-year sentence. In 1991, a single 26year-old mother of two was caught attempting to carry one kilogram of cocaine from LA. to Kansas City, for which she was to be paid $1,000. She was convicted and given a mandatory ten-year sentence. The above example illustrates how se-
I
verely
the United
States
is taking
the war
on drugs. Those convicted of drug related charges can serve more time than some murderers and rapists. This is the legacy of Ronald Reagan’s battle cry to the Arnerican public which, fourteen years and billions of dollars later, has had a negligible impact on “the drug problem.” So far, the only question American politicians have asked is how to win the war on drugs. The question that needs to be asked is whether there ought to be a war on drugs
at all.
Who
are the criminals?
It’s difficult to determine who the Federal Government is going tier. The most common source for determining how many Americans use drugs comes from the annualla conducted Federal Government’s Household Survev on Drug Abuse. Ac-
cording to the latest survey, there are approxir&tely 12.7 million pkople who have used some illegal drug in the last month and some 30-40 million people who have used an illegal drug in the last year. Of the 12.7 million who used drugs in the last month, 2.7 milLion are assumed to be addicts while 10 million are assumed to be casual drug users. However, there are good reasons to believe that this is a conservative estimate of American drug users. The survey only reaches people with phones, and only reaches those who happen to answer their phones when the survey is conducted. At the same time, increased penalties for drug use would probably prevent some drug users from revealing their habits. Does the United States government really intend on punishing all lf these people? If so, what would be the cost of such widespread incarceration? The
price
of war
According to the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, an estimated $74.2 billion was spent on poke, the courts and corrections in state and federal budgets in 1940. A year later, state and federal governments planned $6.8 billion in new prison construction, at an average of $53,100 per cell.
By far, the majority of people in federal prisons are drug offenders. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, 59.6 per cent of all prisoners in federal prisons are
there because of drug related charges. By comparison, robbery represents 9.8 per cent of those currently in federal prisons, firearms, explosives and arson related charges accounts for 8.6 per cent, while 6.8 per cent of prisoners were charged with extortion, fraud or bribery. The total cost of putting someone in jail amounts to approximately $450,000 which breaks down as follows: $150,000 for arrest and conviction, an additional $30,000 to $150,000 for a prison bed (depending upon jurisdiction) and an additional $30,000 to a house a prisoner per year. At an average of five years, that adds another $150,000. There are approximately 1.5 million people in State and Federal prisons and jails in the U.S. If we assume the estimate of 30 to 40 million people who have used illegal drugs in the last vear, to imprison them all would require i prison large enough to hold the populations of California, Arizona and New Mexico. The total cost to imprison them for five years, including the cost of arrest and prosecution would be roughly ten to fitieen trillion dollars, or about ten times the total Federal annual budget. This does not include the related cost of imprisoning tax payers on the federal budget. Do drugs
kill?
But what aspect of drug use does the U.S. government wish to halt? Despite the government’s claim that “drugs kill,” ille-
Medicinal uses of marijuana Mnrihunnm, The Forbidden Medicine by Lester Grinspoon, M.D. and]mzes 3. Bakalur
by Dave Fisher special to Hemprint
I
f people could put aside their obsessions with assasination and UFO conspiracies for a moment, they’d do weil to investigate a government lie that’s truly provable; namely, the lie that cannabis has no medicinal benefit. The therapeutic properties of cannabis have
out medicinal value. Des pi te the illegality of canna bis for medicinA purposes: evidence is mounting and progressively discrediting lies and changing minds. An excellent profile on the topic was featured a couple of years ago on the respected and widely viewed CBS news magazine program60 Minzltes( “Smoking To Live”), and more extensive examination is now available in the book Mmdwana, T%eFmbdden Medkine by Lester Grinspoon and James B. Bakalar. The book is an excellent primer on the subject and should be of value to any sufferers of cancer chemotherapy, glaucoma, epilepsy, multipie sclerosis, AIDS, paraplegia and quadri-
plegia, chronic pain, migraine, pruritis, menstrual cramps and labour pains, depression, and many other disorders. Grinspoon relates that, when he began researching cannabis in 1967, he bought the state partyline about its harmful effects wholesale. After three years of study however, he “came to understand that I [ Grinspoon], like so many other people in this country, had been brainwashed.” He describes the present climate as one of “psychopharmacological McCarthyism,” and laments the difficulty of researching marijuana’s medical use because ofthe enormous amounts of misinformation and the lack of contemporary controlled studies. Lest anybody believe that Grinspoon and Rakalar are themselves brainwashed shills spouting their own narrow agenda, the pair provide a terrific assortment of authoritative data and anecdotes that support their assertions and deserve merit. The chapter on The History of Cannabis, for instance, details the severe reservations that members of the American Medical Association held when the herb was criminal&d. (The law was a racist undermining by the powerful press magnate and yellow journalist William Randolph Hearst, who in turn campaigned the Federal Bureau of Narcotics’ Harry Anslinger to convince the public with hysteria about marijuana’s addictive properties and causation of violent crime, psychosis, and mental deterioration. The now-laughable fh &@kCI&& nesswas part of Anslinger’s campaign.) The AMA was well aware of marijuana’s medicinal value and dissented &om the Bureau of Narcotics on the grounds that the
law was passed without anv research or evidence. Countless studihs have since demonstrated that the AMA was right all along, but attempts to have the law overturned have been resisted by ignorant politicians and drug companies with lawyers in tow and briefcases in hand. Attempting extensive research ‘and financing during a War On Drugs is so diff~cuk that Grinspoon and Bakalar’s study is reduced to scientific data on the plan; itself and anecdotal information From many patients who use marijuana illicitly. Critics will argue that anything can be argued one-way-or-the-other through the use of anecdotes, and will be quick to dismiss the project. But without controlled studies being conducted, this is all the information we C3fl glean. Besides, argue the authors, the anecdotal evidence-would only be a problem “if cannabis were a dangerous drug. But we believe it is not irresponsible to share these stories for the simple reason that cannabis is so remarkably safe. It may not work for everyone, but it is most unlikely todoanyharm.. . the risks are so small.” To be sure, Grinspoon and Bakaiar make no sweeping proclamations that marijuana is a cure-all, nor indeed that it cures anything. Nevertheless, the value of marijuana in relieving many sufferers from pain and nausea is overwhelming. This book is a necessary step for doctors, patients, and legislators to reevaluate the punative and criminal laws curbing marijuana’s medicinal treatment. It will shock and amaze, and it just might relieve somebodv’s life.
gal drugs kill far less than tobacco, alcohol or second hand smoke. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the number of deaths in a typical year due to cocaine abuse is approximately 2,000 while heroin claims about the same number of lives. 8y contrast, Tobacco kills about 390,000 people per year while akohol kills 80,000 people per year. There has never been a death recorded due to the use of marijuana. But there are problems in determining deaths due to drugs such as heroin and cocaine. Such drugs are rarely used in their purest form. They are often mixed or “cut” with other material. As William F. Buckley stated in a speech to the New York Bar Association in 1995, “It would not be useful to draw any conclusions about altoho1 consumption, for instance, by observing that, in 193 1, one thousand Americans died from alcohol consumption if it happened that half of those deaths, or more than half, were the result of drinking alcohol with toxic ingredients extrinsic to the drug as conventionally used.” Thus, the rather marginal (in comparison to other drugs) number of deaths due to illegal drugs can be considered somewhat inflated. There are other fatalities that arise from the presence of drugs in the United States, other than those which result from consumption. Dealers or gangs fighting for turf on which to sell their drugs are aLI too clearly willing innocent people
to kiti
each
other,
or
to maintain their market presence. Likewise, individuals r3re killed by addicts who desperately turn to crime to support their habit. But these arc not, officially, deaths due to drugs. These are deaths due primarily to the illegalization of drugs. If drugs were decriminalized or regulated, these deaths (as well as the deaths arising from impure dyugs) would largely disappear. Buckley estimates the pharmaceutical cost of cocaine and heroin as approximately two per cent of the street price. Drugs such as marijuana have a minimal start up cost and require little more attention than a rose garden to produce a consistently high yield. If the cost of these currently illegal drugs were decreased by 98 per cent, this would ef%ctively wipe out the profit of drug dealers. Where there is no profit, there are few people willing to do “business” and certainly fewer people willing to kill for nothing. bxing
ground
The tenacity with which the American federal government adheres to this clearly unjust policy would be amusing were it not so clearly injurious to the American people. Billions have been squandered on a losing battle, only more damaging because it is coupled with an obscene resistance to dealing with this problem in a rational fashion. The conclusion is inevitable: the United States will relearn the lesson of prohibition. However, if they continue on their current course, that lesson will be learned only after billions more are wasted on a futile drug strategy
and afker
hundreds
of thousands
people are imprisoned for victimless crimes. The hypocrisy of criminahzing marijuana and other drugs in a country where political leaders freely accept the contributions of the tobacco industry cannot last forever. Surely, it has already lasted more
too long.
.
H4
HEMPRINT,
Friday,
July 26, 1996
Bill C-8 and your r&$&s by Peter Lenardon Hemprint staff
C
annabis is illegal to possess, sell or grow. We all know that, but public debate continues. On July 18 of this year, the Globe and Mail ran an editorial entitled “By legalizing marijuana, Bob Dole can win the war on drugs.” The article highlighted the cost of the U.S. drug war, stating that upot heads” make up 90 per cent of drug users, and that alcohol and tobacco killed almost half a million people last year to marijuana’s zero. Canada has its own war on drugs [read: war on pot] as a response to its own comparable levels of non-medical drug use. For about the last sixty years, cannabis has been a prohibited substance, with thousands ofcanaciiam, mostly aged 18-25, going to prison every year. Currently, Bill C-8, The Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, is in Senate waiting to be passed. C-8 represents to some a stepping up of the drug war in Canada. The bill expands the deftition of
a controlled substance, allows police to seize the property used to commit crimes (i.e. your house if you are growing pot plants in it), expands police powers of search and seizure and makes trafficking a hybrid offence This would make traf&king prosecutable aseither a summary or indictable offense. Currently, it is only an indictable offense. As a hvbrid offense, more people can be prosecuted for trafficking because a summary conviction requires no preliminary hearing or jury trial.) C-8 was passed by Parliament on October 30,1995, the day of the Quebec referendum, when no Bloc Quebecois members and very few Reform members werG present. Next, the act was the subject of an inquiry by the Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional AfKrs. Dozens of in& viduals and groups testified before the committee. Lambton Families for Drug Education, Inc., was one of the groups that favoured prohibition. They claimed that the medicinal properties of hemp are exaggerated by members of the “cannabis culture,”
and that drug
use would
skyrocket
if pot was legalized. Members of more established groups like the Canadian Foundation for Drug Policy’s Diane Riley stated that, Yf we pass this bill, if we do not haveaserious reassessmentofpolicy and social policy in this country, we will go the way of the
United States. We will go to hell in a handbasket in a very brutal and expensive way.” The bill received public input earlier in its life as Bill C-7 with the public hearings of the Standing Committee on Health and Welfare. The Canadian Foundation for Drug Policy testified again, along with The Canadian Bar Association, the Addiction Research Foundation, the Canadian Centre for Substance Abuse, the Criminal Lawyer’s Association and the Canadian Medical Association.
The points
made
by
these groups ranged from the fklity of the government’s prohibition stance, the high rate of incarceration of young people for simple possession, and the fact that much of the Canadian government’s motivation for legisla-
tion in this area comes from pressure from the United States. All of this rational discussion meant nothing to the politicians at either inquiry. The Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs recommended that the act remain unchanged, despite earlier indications that Senate members were in favour of overhauling Canada’s drug laws. “1 am in favour of decriminalizing marijuana,” said New Brunswick Senator RoseMarie Losier-Cool. “Cannabis is much less lethal than cigarettes and alcohol, Are we into prohibition because it’s somewhat of a dogma that we don’t question and everybody else is doing it?” asked Senator PierreClaude Nolin. Eventually the Senators did not push for decriminalization because they knew that the enlightened minds in Parliament would never pass such an ammendment. Among the Senate committee’s recommendations was to conduct an “extensive review” into
Candian drug laws. They also reca second look at the last review of Canadian drug policy, the LeDain Commission’s hquiyr int. the Nm-M8did Use of Lbgs. The commission’s extensive 1100 page report was compiled by five members of Parliament and released in 1973. They looked at a whole array of drugs, their physical, mental and social effixts and the successof the crirninal law system in curtailing drug use. The report spoke of “the htility of simple possession as a deterrent to drug use” and “better uses of police resources.” The report also called for the decriminalization of simple possession of cannabis for personal use, trafficking where no money changes hands and cultivation not for the purposes of traf5cking. So we have a government commission, a number of recognixed groups in the areas of drug and medical policy and cannabis smokers in excessof three million in Canada pushing for decriminalization. What rational reason or right do 276 politicians in Parliament have to say othenvise? ommended
Hemp: plant perfection? should be legalized, the discussion over legalizing hemp is gaining ground. However, the public must first be educated on the environmental efits of this
and economic
ben-
plant before any real accomplishments are to be made.
by Corey Diamond special to Hemprint
M
y friends often ask me why I am supportmg a ccdrug” by lobbying for hemp’s legalization. I tell these people one thing: hemp can save the world. Now, that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but- it really gets their attention.
What is hemp and why is there so much concern abut it? Hemp is a strain of the plant species Cannab Sativa L. and, contrary to popular belief, is not marijuana. Marijuana is the term for the strains of cannabis with higher levels of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol, the chemical that produces the “high”). While civil liberty debates rage on whether or not marijuana
History Since the beginning of time, humankind has been growing hemp to survive. In early civilizations, it was used to make rope for ships and paper to send messages. Later, in medieval Europe, hemp was used for clothing, scrolls and biankets. In the early years of the United States, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington both bragged about its abundant uses. There is a similar story for Canada, As one of the major exports to Britain (the British government offered free land to anyone who would grow hemp and send it back to the mother country), it helped jumpstart Canada’s ecotiomy. 0ffG.lly, it was outlawed in I938 due to growing public outcry against the plant’s narcotic uses. Agriculture
Hemp can be grown successfidly in almost any climate. This summer, twenty fmers will be growing hemp as part of a continuous government experiment into its -feasibility in Canada. Hemp requires no herbicide or pesticide application, saving farmers millions of dollars in expenditures anti saving Canada’s pal-
luted rivers and streams. This is incredibly beneficial, considering that fifty percent of all North American pesticide use is for cotton and hemp can perform all the same functions as cotton. Environmental Benefits Consider the following benefits and effects ofthe hemp plant: One acre of hemp can produce as much pulp for paper as 4.1 acres of trees, reversing the ddorestation and global warming trends that plague the Earth. Thehemppapermakingprocess requires no dioxin-producing chlorine bleach, thus decreasing the amount of air and water pollution emitted by the pulp and paper industry. Hemp grown for production of biomass tiels can brovide all of our gas, oil, coal and energy needs, reducing our dependency on fossil fuels, a nonrenewable, highly pollutive resource. During the growing season, hemp produces more than enough oxygen to balance all the carbon dioxide it puts into the air as an energy source, helping to diminish global warming trends. This is only the tip of the iceberg. The hemp plant has the potentiaItosupplycanadianswith ecologically sound and stronger, more durable products. Economic Benefitx It is estimated that if we can harness the full potential of the hemp plant, 50 000 consumer
products can be made from its various parts. This can create employment in almost every industry in Canada including pulp and paper,
clothing,
food,
medi-
cine, plastics and hel. It can also give struggling fmers the chance to revitalize the weakened agricultural sector of our economy. Currently, hemp products are expensive and hard to find. Once hemp is legalized, consumers will benefit from lower prices on goods that are stronger and more durable. The government wilt benefit through increased revenue from taxes incurred on hemp products, as well as through profits from exports. The beginuing of a more Canadian-based textile industry would occur, cutting down on imported goods (such as cotton) and thus creating more jobs for Canadians. Models with a legalized hemp economy currently exist in China, the Netherlands and are cropping up in Germany and England as we speak. Barriers to Legalizatbn It is clear, then, that this plant has nothing to do with the drug marijuana except its lineage. LowTHC hemp can be grown without fear of a massive drug cultivation
ring
running
rampant
through Canada. In fact, you would have to smoke 100 kg of low-THC hemp toget high! Why, then, is the government working so slowly on this when the issues at stake are so urgent? One hypothesis is that it en-
dangers the marketshare of the few very powerful transnational corporations that have great influence on the government and ‘the laws that they make, Legalizing hemp threatens their more environmentally harmful products and requires them to re-tool their production processes. Reahstially, is a company like Shell Oil really going to give up their stranglehold on the world oil market, so that a newer, renewable, ecologically safe commodity can be produced? Not likely. The Future Despite such seemingly hard barriers to overcome, the fUture does look bright. Eventually, grassroots lobbying will be able to strike through the stigma attached to such an abundant and profitable plant. Since the summer of 1994, when Joe Strobe1 and Geof Rime were given a license to grow hemp for industrial purposes in Tillsonburg, Ontario, interest in hemp products in Canada has increased to proportions not seen since the 19th century. As we enter into the 21st century, our technological expertise can bring hemp to the forefront of our society and help save a dying
planet,
Maybe
then
my
words to my friends won’t be such an exaggeration.
HEMPRINT,
Friday,
H5
July 26, 1996
Marijuana Myths Twelve
commonly
by Paul Hager speciaLt&Hemprint
1. Marijuana causes brain damage
.
The most celebrated study that claims to show brain damage is the rhesus monkey study of Dr. Robert Heath, done in the late 1970s. This study was reviewed by a distinguished panel of scientists sponsored by the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences. Their results were published under the title, MztijuunaundHea~tbin 1982. Heath’s work was sharply criticized for its insufficient sample size (only four monkeys), its failure to control experimental bias, and the misidentification of normalmonkey brain structure as“damaged.” Actual studies of human populations of marijuana users have shown no evidence of brain damage. For example, two studies from 1977, published in the Journ& of tbtz ArPzetitwa Medicul Association (JAMA) showed no
evidence of brain damage in heavy users of marijuana. That sameyear, the American Medical Association (AMA) officially came out in favor of decriminalizing marijuana. That’s not the sort of thing you’d expect if the AMA thought marijuana damaged the brain.
2, Marijuana damages the reproductive system This claim is based chiefly on the work of Dr. Gabriel Nahas, who experimented with tissue (cells) isolated in petri dishes, and the work of researchers who dosed animals with near-lethal amounts of cannabinoids (the intoxicating part of marijuana), Nahas’generahzations from his petri dishes to human beings have been rejected by the scientific community as being invalid. In the case of the animal experiments, the animals that survived their ordealreturned to normal within 30 days of the end of the experiment. Studies of actual human populations have failed to demonstrate that marijuana adversely af8ecm the reproductive system.
3. Marijuana is a “gateway” drug - it leads to hard drugs This is one of the more persistent myths. A real world example of what happens when marijuana is readily avaiIable can be found in Holland. The Dutch partially legalizedmarijuanainthe 1970s. Since then, hard drug use - heroin and cocaine - have DECLINED substantially. If marijuana really were a “gateway drug, one would have expected use of hard drugs to have gone tip,
held
not down. This apparent “negative gateway” ef%ecthas also been observed in the United States. Studies done in the early 1970s showed a negative correlation between use of marijuana and use of alcohol. A 1993 Rand Corporation study that compared drug usein states that had decriminalized marijuana versus those that had not, found that where marijuana was more available - the states that had decriminalized-hard drug abuse as measured by emergency room episodes decreased. In short, what science and actual experience tell us is that marijuana tends to substitute for the much moredangerous hard drugs like alcohol, cocaine, and heroin.
4. Marijuana suppresses the immune system Like the studies claiming to show damage to the reproductive system, this myth is based on studies where animals were given extremely high - in many cases, near-lethal doses of cannabinoids. These results have never been duplicated in human beings. Interestingly, two studies done in 1978 and one done in
misconceptions
which filter some of the carcinogens out of the smoke, illegal and, hence, unavailable* The second is that, if matijuana were legal, it would be moreeconomicaI tohave cannabis drinks like bhang (a maditional drinkin the Middle East) or tea which are totally non-carcinogenic. This is in stark contrast with %mokeless” tobacco products like snuff which can cause cancer of the mouth and throat. When all of these facts are taken together, it can be clearly seen that the reverse is true: marijuana is much SAFER than tobacco.
6. Legal marijuana would cause carnage on the highways Although marijuana, when used to intoxication, does impair performance in a manner similar to alcohol, actual studies of the effect of marijuana on the automobile accident rate suggest that it poses LESS of a hazard than alcohol. When a random sample of fatal accident victims was studied, it was initially found that marijuana was associated with RELATIVELY asmany accidents as alcohol. In other words, the number of accident victims in-
about
might actually save lives.
7. Marijuana “nattens” human brainwaves This is anout-and-out lie perpetrated by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. A few years ago, they ran a TV ad that purported to show, first, a normal human brainwave, and second, a flat brainwave from a 14-year-old Uon marijuana.” When researchers called up the TV networks to complain about this commercial, thepartnership had to pull it from the air. It seems that the Partnership f&ed the flat “marijuana brainwave.” XII reality,marijuana has the effect of slightly INCREASING alpha wave activityAlpha waves are associated with meditative and relaxed states which are, in turn, often associated with human creativity.
8. Marijuana is more potent today than in the past. This myth is the result of bad data. The researchers who made the claim of increa..ed potency used as their baseline the THC content of marijuana seized by
“The most formidable weapon against errors ofevery kind is reason. ” - Thomas Paine, The Age of Reason 1988 showed that hashish and marijuana may have actually stimulated the immune system in the people studied.
5. Marijuana is much more dangerous than tobacco Smoked marijuana contains about the same amount of carcinogens as does an equivalent amount of tobacco. It should be remembered, however, that a heavy tobacco smoker consumes much more tobacco than a heavy marijuana smoker consumes marijuana. This is because smoked tobacco, with a 90% addiction rate, is the most addictive of alI drugs while marijuana is less addictive than caf’beine. Two other factors are important. The frost is that paraphernalia laws directed against marijuana users make it difficult to smoke safely. These laws make water pipes and bongs,
toxicated on marijuana relative to the number of marijuana users in society gave a ratio similar to that for accident victims intoxicated on alcohol relative to the total number of alcohol users. However, a closer examination of the victims revealed that around 85Y0 of the peopleintoxicated on marijuana WERE ALSO INTOXICATED ON ALCOHOL. For people only intoxicated on marijuana, the rate was much lower than for alcohol alone. This finding has been supported by other research using completely dickerent methods. For example, aneconomic analysis of the effects of decriminalization on marijuana usage found that states that had reduced penalties for marijuana possession experienced a rise in marijuana use and a decline in alcohol use with the result that fatal highway accidents decreased. This would suggest that, far from causing %arnage”, legalmarijuana
police in the early 1970s. Poor storage of this marijuana in un-air conditioned evidence rooms caused it to deteriorate and decline in potency before any chemical assay was petformed. Contemporaneous, independent assays of unseized “street” marijuana from the early 1970s showed a potency equivalent to that of modem ?treetn marijuana. Actually, the most potent form of this drug that was generally avaiL able was sold legally in the 1920s and f930s by the pharmaceutical company Smith-Klein under the name, “American Cannabis.”
9. Marijuana short-term
impairs memory
This is true but misleading. Any impairment of short-term memory disappears when one is no longer under the influence of marijuana. Often, the short-term memory effect is paired with a
pot
reference to Dr. Heath’s poor rhesus monkeys to imply that the condition is permanent.
10. Marijuana lin ers in thebodylikeD %T This is also true but misleading. Cannabinoids are fat soluble, as are innumerable nutrients and, yes, some poisons like DDT. For example, the essential nutrient, Vitamin A, is fat soluble but one never hears people who favor marijuanaprohibitionmakingthis comparison.
11. There are over a thousand chemicals in marijuana smoke Again, true but misleading. The 31 August 1990 issue of the magazineSciencE notes that of the over 800 volatile chemicalspresent in roasted COFFEE, only 2 1 have actually been tested on animals and 16 of these cause cancer in rodents. Yet, coffeeremains legal and is generally considered ftirly safe.
12. No one has ever died of a marijuana overdose This is true. It was put in to see if you are paying attention. Animal tests have revealed that extremely high doses of cannabinoids are needed to have lethal effect. This has led scientists to conclude that the ratio of the amount of cannabinoids necessary to get a person intoxicated (i.e. stoned) relative tothe amount necessary to kill them is 1 to 40,000. In other words, to overdose, you would have to consume 40,000 times as much marijuana as you needed to get stoned. In contrast, the ratio foralcohol varies between 1 to 4 and I to 10. It is easy to see how upwards of 5000 people die from alcohol overdoses every year and no one EVER dies of marijuana overdoses.
H6
HEMPRINT,
Friday,
July 26, 1996
Mark Emery and the Libertarian perspective How
did you decriminalization B.C.?
get into advocating and operating Hemp
Advocacy
of this kind started in 1991 when I found out that all these books about marijuana were aU banned by law, and to this day outside of Ontario still are. (The law) just bans all literature or videos that * advocates, encourages or promotes the use
of marijuana. Judge EllenMacDonald struck it down in 1994, but only applying in the province of Ontario, because the crown never challenged it, therefore it never got to a higher court to actually strike it from the criminal Code.The law only gives them (the police) pretext to come in. Without a law giving them the pretext, they could& just come in and take all that stuff, but theres a iaw in the books that allows them to do it, but it just never gets challenged cause they drop the charges, so the crown doesn’t pursue them because the whole intent is merely to bankrupt
you.
And this charging
is more effective than you with an offence?
actually
Well sure, the law would lose; it’s unconstitutional
to ban
a book,
or even
paraphanelia. It violates the constitution at several levels. Lifestyle, freedom of choice, all sorts of numerous things. So of course, judge Ellen Macdonald struck the part of it down in Ontario by saying that it violated every single aspect of the Constitution.
Comment on the fact that the Addiction Research Foundation, the Canadian Bar Association, the Canadian Medical Association and the Foundation for Drug Policy in Canada would alI say that possession and even small amounts of cultivation should be decriminalized, yet the government would go against it. Who else would they listen to?
They’re listening to the United States Government. There’s proof of this: with Bill C-7... Paul Szabo, the committee chairman admitted that the people pushing for the bill were the United States government because they regarded Canada as a leaky boat in the drug war. A lot of liberals were offended that this law was then originating not by any Canadian concern, of which there is none, there was no public demand to increase the intensity of the drug was, that only comes exclusively from police associations and politicians and United States drug enforcement oficials. The bill was withdrawn, and then introduced, without any notice, on the night of the referrendum on October 31, the bill was passed when the whole Bloc Quebecois (the official opposition) had boycotted parliament that day. Only about 10 reform members were in the house, and it was passed with way less than a third or a quarter of the number of MI% who would normally be in the house at any given time. And they passed it without debate, protest or anything. Not a single person stood up and spoke against the bill, even though every single group that testified before the senate and the house was completely opposed to it. Its the most appalling, shoddy demonstration of how sleazy our democracy really is. How about environmental
aspects
and
industrial
uses of hemp?
to advertise for marijuana because we need lure people away from all these bad things like prescription drugs and tranquilizers and stuff like that, and alcohol. But you gotta get them before they get addicted and hooked to those things. If they get into marijuana, marijuana is easy to stop. I go without smoking pot all the time if1 run out of money or stufflike that, or its not around.. , I’ve gone long periods without marijuana. It’s not a problem. If to
That’s just what makes this whole pogram, which is rightly what it is, a world wide cultural genocide of the marijuana smoker, because in every country influenced by all these stupid American laws, its all this insane cultural genocide of our community. But at the same time, it has these incredible environmental uses and great industrial
uses, making
it all the more
suspicious that such an incredibly valuable plant is banned. But now you’re beginning to tap into the real reason marijuana is banned. Not for any bogus health reasons, thats just some fraud used to keep this crazy prohibition going. It’s because it offers so much to so many people that there’s vested interests threatened by it.You’ve got pharmaceutical industries threatened by its medical aspects, industrial concerns, petrochemical concerns threatened by its industrial uses, we’ve got governments threatened by people questioning authority and a very funcSamenta.l philosophy involved in marijuana use, you’ve got people who simply aren’t towing the government lines, so the government’s idea in conjunction with business and organized medicine is to round these people up and jail them and get rid of them and eliminate dissent. What do you think zation would be compties?
the reaction
from beer
to leg&and liquor
Well, I don’t know if they’re threatened. Beer’s a fairly addictive substance, and so is tobacco, so those people will be addicted to that without being influenced by marijuana. The biggest potential market would be in young people, not getting them involved in alcohol. When I was before the Senate, I said we need the right
you look at cigarette smokers; they can’t go to work without running out every hour for five minutes having a smoke. That’s
much more important to them than eating and sex and a lot of stuff. Comment propaganda,
on some of the government for example, the gateway
mfl*
Well, when you look at that, anybody who proposes the gateway myth in any kind of so called science is incredibly desperate. Basically, our gateway myth goes like this: they didn’t like marijuana, so they went on to something else, so let’s blame marijuana. The fact is, if somebody went on the heroin, it’s because marijuana wasn’t doing it for them, so how can you hojd marijuana responsible when somebody rejects it and goes to anther drug? You blame marijuana cause it got them started? It’s all speculation. Pick any bias you have and you’ll project it onto someone as the reason they did it. Why not blame any one of zillions of other things? It’s like when tobacco companies try to tell you that cigarette smoking isn’t addictive. Well, you can
see with your eyes, idiots, cause you can watch people getting all panicky if they don’t get one right fucking now. I’ve never just seen that with a pot smoker, so you can tell with your eyes that it’s not addictive.
Marijuana and your health by Katie Ricks Hemprint sdT t can be diffkult to find an unbiased report about the long term effects of marijuana use on human health. Many studies documenting the positive or negative effects of the use of marijuana appear to have an agenda based on opposition to or support of the legalization of marijuana which directly affects the manner in which they present the ‘facts,’ most of which are still open to interpretation as the effects of marijuana continue to be researched. There are, however, some conclusive statemenfi which can be safely made. One of these is that marijuana is not addictive. Marijuana, unlike serious drugs of abuse like heroin and cocaine, does not affect dopamine, the neurotransmitter involved in brain functions affecting human behaviour. In an article published in H&h _* Times magazine in March, 1995, John Gettman asserts that “a drug’s ability to af5ectthe neural systems related to dopamine production has now become the defming
I
characteristic
of drugs
with
serious
abuse
potential.” Dopamine is part of the brain’s reward system: stimulation of the neural system releases dopamine, which induces a pleasurable sensation of some kind. In order for a drug to be addictive it must effectively reduce the amount of neural stimulation needed to produce and release dopamine,
lowering the threshold needed for the dopamine release response. Marijuana use does not produce these effects. Although the short term effects of marijuana are known to be (among others) lowered sperm count in males, hallucination, increased heart rate, lapses in attention, and decreased social inhibitions, there is at present no evidence suggesting that these effects continue once marijuana use is discontinued. The exception to-this is that
ferent parts of the respiratory tract. Tobacco affects the smaller passageways ofthe lungs while marijuana affects tie larger, more central passageways. According to Health and Welfare Canada, “a single joint of marijuana yields much more tar than a strong cigarette ,” but it can also be argued, and has been stated by U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop that it is the radioactivity of cigarette smoke, not tar, that results in 90 percent of casesof cancer. Mari-
Of the few conclusive statements that
can be made about marijuana, one is that it is NOT addictive. deterioration of short-term memory has been noted in chronic users even tier six to 12 weeks of abstinence and should be considered a potential lasting effect of long term marijuana USC In pa&c&r, studies have yielded conflicting conclusions on the effects of marijuana on fertility. It has been found that smoking marijuana may cause cancer, agree on the comparative
but studies do not effects of mari-
juana and cigarette smoke. Realistically, an exact comparison cannot be drawn because marijuana and cigarette smoking affect dif-
juana smoke is non-radioactive. In addition, marijuana does not cause emphysema and has even been suggested to combat emphysema’s symptoms (lung pains, shallowness of breath, and headaches). Marijuana has also been known to work in the treatment of asthmatic symptoms, glaucoma and nausea related to chemotherapy (marijuana increases the
appetite). One research program authorized and later halted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency recorded a reduction in cancerous tumours in patients using
marijuana. It may also be effective in treating epilepsy and Multiple Sclerosis by minimizing muscle spasms. Many advocates of the legalization of marijuana cite that no one in history is known to have died of a marijuana overdose. However, accidents occurring as a result of marijuana-related impairment have been fatal, a fact which is often under valued through comparisons to the higher incidence of alcohol-related fatalities. In 1988, researchers discovered that there are receptor sites in the human brain compatible with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. Receptor sites are triggered by specific chemical neurotransmitters in the brain, and drugs can mimic these natural chemicals. Research continues to attempt to identify the specific neurotransmitter that naturally triggers TEE receptors, since the presence of the receptors indicates that the brain is naturally prepared to process a neurotransmitter with effects similar to those of THC. The purpose of the unknown transmitter has not been identified, but it is commonly thought to have something to do with f&xtions controlling behaviour and emotions. The fact that the
human brain may be prepared for stimulation by marijuana in a way that it is not for other drugs, many of them with a high potential for abuse, is encouraging marijuana
to groups legalized.
who
hope
to see
HEMPRINT,
Friday,
H7
July 26, 1996
A Rock’n’roll journey to the centre of your mind by Patrick W-S Hemprint staff
G?t isnoaccident tbutthetie of Wes&m intmest in O&ntx~l meditutiim,musiE and life coincided with the incr8med tise of mani’atuna. . , pt] was ~~elatovy,j%a wh&genmation
ofAmevicam
in the srjcties,
7Bat ~8Peluthn, that nt3v way of heatinp~ tbin~s,. . .pfmmdly affected the way we &, beard, ad jti&ed all ma&c? (AN American Music, p. 113) urprisingly, although pot has long been present in music culture, books on popular music history are strangely lacking in references to the drug. It could be because the
S
and American popular music Yn turn-of-the-centuryNew Orleans, the birthplace of... jazz. Some jazz musicians discovered that marijuana slowed down their perception oftime,” and used the drug as an improvisitory aid. In the late Ws, New York’s Jass Records released a trio of historical chronicled
“Reefer” albums early jazz and
that blues
songsaboutmarijuana3helineup included well-known artists such as Cab Calloway, Benny Goodman, Fats Wailer, and Ella Fitzgerald, with songs that dated back as early as 1927. Jazz drummer Gene Krupa, who appeared with Benny Goodman on the Reefer &z&s compilation, once spent three months in jail for pos-
“Light Up” by singing, “All I need is just one hit to get me by... light up everybody, join us in this celebration,” and Boston wanted a “Party,” to ccmeet some friends and have a toke or two.” Not surprisingly, marijuana smoking was popular at music festivals. ln Wmd.szuck:T& oral Hismy, Hippie “leader” Abbie Hoffman is quoted as sayjng, ‘You’ve got five hundred thousand people here, ninety percent of whom are smoking.” At the San Francisco Golden Gate Park “Be-In” festival, a Santa Claus threw LSD capsules and marijuanatothecrowdofover20,000. The list of possession arrests reads like a Who’s Who of rock music. In the sixties, Ray Charles, Donovan, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, two members ofJefferson Airplane, and ail six members of the Grat&l Dead were arrested, and the seventies caught Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Dr. Hook, Neil Diamond, Iggy Pop, and David Bowie holding. Most escapedwith small fines, trivial when compared to their superstar sala-
ingly, then, marijuana was ofien ignored, in favour of more glamorous drugs: Velvet Underground’s “Heroin” (1967)) Rolling Stones’ “Sister Morphine” (1971) and the Beatles’ “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” (1967) were amongthe high-profile drug songs of the golden age ofrock ‘n’ roll. Many artists, however, didn’t mindmarijuana’s connection with the land. Bob Dylan’s 1966 allmrn Blonde On Blonde began with what has become one of rock% best-known reefer songs the enigmatically titled “Rainy Day Women Nos 12 & 35,” better known by its swinging chorus of “Everybody must get stoned? The song’s party atmosphere and
A 1972 surwy of college students correlated favourite bands with naarijuana usage. 100 % of AUmun Brothers Band suppotie~~
ries.
had smoked pot, as had 95 $%Iof Jethro Tull
The Rolling much court
and Yesfans. Fans of Chicago brought up the bottom of the list - at 10% inhalation of THC is rather uninteresting, as rock star habits go. Janis Joplin and Sid Vicious didn’t die from smoking too much pot; Jim Morrison probably wouldn’t have taken that fatal bathtub plunge had he merely spent the morning relaxing with a few joints. For decades, drugs such as amphetamines, cocaine, and heroin have exacted a grisly bodycount on the music worl& young and rich. Marijuana, on the other hand, has killed no one, although its history in popular music is almost: as old as the history of recorded music itseK Not surprisingly, references to mari juana were common in early blues recordings -- afier ail, the blues was the music of the blacks, and who would need a relaxing smoke more than America’s slave class? The Encyclopedia of PsychoactiveDmtgr places the earliest link between marijuana use
session of marijuana. The “reefer songs” rarely bother with innuendo, and uniformly present the image of contentment reached through readily available marijuana. These songs were never intended for public distribution; the mainstream music of 1930s and ’40s white North America was, lyrically, still in the Victorian Era. It would take some time before marijuana would resurface & subject material in popular tithough
l-&S.
In “We’re
Not
Going
to Take
It,” the Who refer to smoking pot as “smoking mother nature.” In The Ttitimph of Vi&tztity, critic Robert
Pattison
writes
that ‘%nany
drugs, like marijuana and alcohol, are products of the soil, and when the rocker glorifies them he pays his respects to wholesome nature.” One thing that anti-establishment bands did nut want to be seen as was “wholesome.” Not surpris-
of the late ‘60s in and out of asker various drug busts. In
1967, Keith Richards was arrested for allowing his house to be used for smoking
heavy, varying-tempo beat imply that, while Dylan thinks that everybdy should get stoned, everyone involved in the recording of “Rainy Day Women” already is. The Doobie Brothers, & the words of7lx Ru&g Stunt Albupvr G&k, were “named after the ass
music. there
have always been popular musicians who swear off drug and alcohol use (including Frank Zappa, who would seem to have needed mind-altering substances more than any other musician), drug addiction in musicians, and subsequent drug references in their music, exploded afker the 1960s. Still, it seems that marijuana was a bit too down-toearth for music’s social antago-
Stones spent
marijuana.
In 1969,
Mick Jagger and girlfriend Marianne Faitl&ll were arrested for possession after a drug raid that found Fai&%l.l clad only in a bearskin rug. The Stones ballad “Lady Jane” has been interpreted as an ode to marijuana (“mary jane”), eschewing harder drugs in favour of the “sweet lady.” The Beatles also suffered arrests for possession (George Harrison in 1967, John Lennon in 1968), but Paul McCartney went a step further and ~WW marijuana at his fzm in Scotland. In 1973, he pled guilty and paid a fine for his horticultural activities. In 1980, a Wings tour of Japan was cancelled upon McCartney’s
end of a joint.” (The 1967 first issue of Roljinfl Stow magazine, incidentally, included a free roach clip,) Dozens of half-comic songs about pot were recorded by ’70s bands such as Dr. Hook and the Medicine Crew, who were responsible for such smoking hits as “I Got Stoned and I Missed It,” and
arrest at the New Tokyo International Airport. He had been caught smuggling eight ounces of weed in his suitcase. John Lennon’s conviction almost got him deported from the U.S.; the ensuing fouryear court battle ended in 1976, fortunately in Lennon’s favour. Rock critic Sheila Whiteley writes that Jimi Hendrix’s ‘The Wind Cries Mary” “encodes the effect of marijuana through the gentleness and inner-directedness of its style... The wind can blow anywhere, and the marijuana ex-
“Acapulco
perience
Goldie.”
Black Sabbath sang the first real love song 23weet Leaf?
to marijuana
with
“Straight people don’t know what you’re about.. You gave to me a new belief, and soon the world will love you, sweet l
leaf.”
Styx
encouraged
fans
to
is univcrsd.”
Universal
in music,
at least:
rock ‘12 rollers weren’t the only ones smoking weed, nor were they the only musicians to deai with marijuana in their music. Reggae music
was developed in Jamaica, to Catch a Fi~=c:
where according
cent of Jamaican adults and 80 percent of the population under twenty-one. smoke ganja regularly.” Marley advocated smoking “spl.ifK? in order to “aid. . . meditations on the truth.” * In 1972, former Wailer Peter Tosh was smoking pt in his own home when he was attacked and severely beaten by Jamaican police. Upon recovery, Tosh wrote “Legalize It,n a song which was immediately banned from radio play but went on to become one ofJamaica’s top-selling singles and an anthem of the marijuana legalization movement. Tosh and Marley were both Rastaf&ian.s, and believed that marijuana wan a way to commpne with God. Bob
Marley, ironically, died of fatal brain and lung cancer. The 1980s saw a decrease in the number of marijuana-related arrests - what with the newfound excessesof punk, new wave, and heavy metal, everyone seemed to be switching to cocaine and heroin. Paul McCartney and his wife were arrested for marijuana possession in 1984. He said, “This substance, cannabis, is a whole lot less harmful than rum punch, whiskey, nicotine, or glue - all of which are perfectly legal.” Today, marijuana has lost both its former glamour status and public shock value. By f’ar, modern music’s most outspoken proponents of marijuna usage are rappers Cypress Hill. The liner notes to their album.&& Sunday even includes an extensive list of reasons known,
to legalize
pot, Other
weli-
outspoken pot smokers include the Biack Crowes, Sonic Youth, and Guided by Voices. To write anything on these
bands’ activities, the NORMI, organization, or pot references in nineties music would mean another essay. I’m up for it: watch for Part II in the next Hemprint.
HEMPRINT,
Friday,
July 26, 1996
Confessionof .aFirst Time DopeUser
Hemprint Crossword
menu that offered a dizzying array of mind altering substances, and I was ready to subject my virgin brain to the wonders of his is the story of my first experience tiith marijuana. It all started at the cannabis. I have to confess that I am pretty Christian Youth Hostel, a really drug ignorant, so some ofthe stufFthat was cheap place to stay in Amsterdam. I was at being passed around the table may not have been dope, but I’m pretty sure... the tail end of a three month backpacking byway, the frost sensation I noticed excursion throughout Europe, 1 was almost broke, and 1 had about three days tier a few minutes was that Jake’s ears were growing. A few minutes later, I felt like I until I had to get on a plane in London. So was floating about an inch off of my chair, I had two days to explore a city about which my only previous knowledge came from a and that my clothes were suspended above mysk.in.Butyes,theywerestillon. (Phew!) Cheech and Chong movie! Perfect. At the hostel, I met two Aussies and a At this point, my entire body flooded with Canadian, and we decided to explore the heat, and I felt like I was in a bathtub. My city together. One of the Aussies - we’ll whole body was buzzing. Thus far, I was kind of disappointed. I mean, I was expectcallhim Jake- was short, with ears that ing psychedelic hallucinations, but basistuck out in alarmingly (this becomes important later in the story). The other one cally all I felt was a vibrating water bed. Then I looked at Jake. His ears were was taller, with long blond hair and copper skin: he looked like a refugee &om Baywatch expanding at an alarming rate. He would - so we’ll call him Mitch. The Canadian say something, and all I could think about was from Kingston: a classic canuck, was Dumb& ears flapping in the wind. Now the yellow walls and the weird picmisshaven, plaid jacket, kind of like Doug Mackenzie.. . so from here on he’s Doug. tures started jumping out at me. It was as if I was living my life in a series of freeze So, Doug, Mitch, J&e and I set out to frames. Somel&y would walk by the tahave some fLn in Amsterdam, the city where everything is available, at a price. We ble, then they would walk by again in the same direction, and again. My body felt like decided to start out by taking the Heineken it was overheating, and everything was factory tour. I don’t remember anything about how to make fine Dutch lager, but I happening three times. I decided to go for a walk to try to cool down, but when I saw do remember that we were liberally treated three identical cars go by three times in to free samples afier the tour. I also remember that Jake’s birthday exactly the same way, I decided it might be wise to stay off the streets for a while, so I was the next day, and that if it was your birthday, the Heineken people gave you a ‘went back to the cafe. When I got back, Jake’s head had transhuge stein and unlimited samples, and that: formed into great big ears. It seemed strange Mitch convinced the Heineken tour guide that he was not the slightest bit perturbed to give Jake the stein even though it wasn’t actually his birthday. He jumped up on the by this problem. Neither did it phase any of table and drawled, “1 knowww it’s not ‘is t&e people we passed by on the way back to birthday h&day, bud id is tomorrowww, the hostel. I remember that the city bus was and ‘is sister’s just died...” The tour guides one of those ones that bends in the middle, were suitably impressed, thus Jake had to and I felt like I was sitting inside a snake that was writhing: the whole bus was benddo a chugging contest against an American. II don’t need to tell you who won this ing in a wave pattern. Apparently this twisting bus was the wrong bus, because contest. we ended up nowhere near the hostel. By Granted, the story so far doesn’t tell the time we finally found the hostel, the you much about pot, but the beer tour did sort of set the tone for the rest of the day. high was gone, at least until the next day... So this scientifically conducted We all staggered out of Heineken land and Hemprintexperiment has concluded what decided to take advantage of Amsterdam’s well thought out hemp laws. By the time we suspected all along; experimenting with we found ourselves in the Yellowbird cafe, hemp will not cause you t‘o spontaneously Jake’s ears were starting to look, well, bigcombust, although it can do other interestger. We ordered our hemp product from a ing things to your mind and body! Name withheld
by request
T
Across: 6.
7.
Down:
charge when you get busted. Clinton did.n’tdo this.
The
P.
U.S.
11. 12. 13. 15.
Cannabis is commonly known as this. Another word for stoned. Another word’for joints. Chemical in marijuana that gets you high. - Sativa Chocolate confectionaries Dylan: “Ev&=ybody must get -” Simpson’s bus driver Rolled in a cigar What Rastdarians smoke. THC-free marijuana containing plans.
19. 20. 21. 23. 24. 25. 26.
prez who
grew
pot.
1.
2, 3. 4. 5. 9. 10. 12. 14. 16. 17. 18. 22. 24.
Calling the kettle black What pot smokers are fighting for. The magazine for smokers. She smokes, Not talking about crabgrass. City where smoking is legal. Total bliss. The best part of the plant. British term for a joint. He never inhaled. The - Brothers. Your elbow is one. Almost the seventh dwarf. Cooled through water with this.
Survey Resdts Xhmks to those who took the time to fill
Worst things about smoking pot:
Have
Faculty
Male
Smoked Female
Never Male
Smoked Female
Total
Applied Health Sciences
4
7
3
5
19
Arts
14
10
3
5
32
Engineering
7
1
1
0
9
Environmental Studies
6
2
1
2
11
Independent Studies
2
0
0
0
2
Math
16
8
3
3
30
Science
5
4
1
0
10
Total
54
32
_ 12. P-P-
15
t.mrnmon responses
ventionality
Mem age [or first-time pot experience: 18
*
113 --
IMPRINT, Continued
Friday, from
page
July 26, 1996 8
argument. Imagine an “Aptivatype” thermostat, to which we can give verbal instructions regarding when to turn the furnace on and off. Imagine now that I verbally instruct both George-theperson and “Aptiva-Thermostat” to turn off the furnace when the temperame reaches 25 degrees Celsius. Now, when George turns the furnace off, we explain his behaviour by saying that he believed that the temperature was 25 degrees: people have beliefs about temperature. Does this mean that the “Aptiva-Thermostatn also has beliefs about temperature even ifI can’t tell whether it is George or CCA-T”who is controlling the furnace? Of course, it is ludicrous to think that the “Aptiva-Tbermostat” has beliefs about the tem-
one has a hand in the basics of every-day living at the same time. While it is true that we attribute consciousness by recognizing another’s abilities, we assume a certain context, or background against which our criteria have the weight that they do. Thus, consciousness is not some ema thing or quality that accompanies human experience and which is lacking in machines. Rather, consciou&ss is more like a context in which events and experiences may be described; a context which presupposes a d.iverse set of aptitudes on the part of the subjek The reason Ithat machines &e sometimes described as Yundamentally incapable of imitating humans,” (TBTWXI) and& programs as“adept ’ hollow shell’ f&er[ s]” (TBTWND) is not because some extra laver is missing. It is because their l..ive~~ lack depth altogether. The point
Being conscious means that your life has a certain dimensionality, and says more about you than that you are able to answer skilltesting questions. perature. The “25 degree test” works for checking George’s belief& but fails for checking the “bel.ieW of other kinds of things (i.e.,“A-T’).Thermostatsaresirnply not the kind of things that are capable of having beliefs, while human beings are. Consciousness is a package deal ‘%ut,” the objection arises, “does this mean that machines can’t be conscious?” No. But it does mean that the Turing test alone does not provide us a with suffkient criteria to attribute conscious intelligence. Having conscious intelligence saysmore about you than that you are able to answer a series of skill-testing questions. Being conscious means that your life has a certain “dimensionality.” Being conscious, endows you with certain capacities, like the ability make plans and choices, to communicate with others, and to be a moral being (thus, cows may be sentient, but they are not conscious.) Conscious plans and choices are “meta” plans in the sense that they are plans outside of any particular framework (program) like chess or baseball. Conscious individuals not only choose which move to make, but whether they will move at all, whether they will play to win, and whether they will play by the rules. You see, consciousness is a package deal, and one must be a well rounded subject to qualifir. Excellence in a particular field simply doesn’t cut it mless
is that people have beliefs, desires and intentions, and we often exp&n the actions of other things (machines, literary characters, stuffed bears) a~ if they had beliefs, desires and intentions. But, we are not “discovering” that they have these things. In this sense, consciousness is a bit like citizenship, or personhood. We do not Wscover” that a person has citizenship, in the same way that we cCdiscover” they have a pineal gland. Rather, we (collectively) confer the status of citizenship upon them. . cyber-psychology? Having said all that, it still seems that Machine Intelligence is a possibility if we just find enough brilliant engineers. But, the question that remains to be addressed is: what would be gained by the production of an “art6cial person?” Here the hype returns to the gleaming eyes of the AIer. Consider the claim of pure AI that, UBy building art& cial thinking machines we hope to gaininsight into our own minds~ (TBTWND).Assu.mingthatsuch a feat of engineermg is possible in the fidl sense that we have outlined above, the obvious question is: how would such an accomplishmentprovideinsightintoour own minds? What logic tiorms 8 research program with these goals? There is a hidden premise in the above thinking. A pmnise which usually runs something like: ifwe can produce a model that accuraMy
21 i
FORUM predicts your brain activity, it is also capable of explaining that activity. Yet, if I were to build ti solar powered racing machine would it give you any insight into the internal combustion engine in your own car? Even if they performed equally on the track time trials, so that I could predict the performance of your vehicle by knowing about mine? Consider whether, if yours broke down, I could fix it merely on the basis ofknowing how mine worked. Absurd as this sounds, this is just what AI promises. ‘While we are currently using our knowledge of psychology to develop artificial brains, the situation may someday be reversed” (TBTWND). Have we ever developed our knowkdge of physiology, let alone medicine, by studying only the mechanics of prosthetic limbs? I fd to see how even a successful AI program would advance our knowledge of medicine whatsoever. This issue exposes the important question of the “‘theoreticd status” of the AI models of consciousness. Problematically, it is only an hypothesis that my solar racer actually performs similarily to your internal combustion racer, If, on the next trial, my solar racer model predicts wrongly, then it is falsified as a predictive model and must be discarded, or changed. In the case of AI though, we may presume that the new “high-tech” model has been developed for the purpose of exposing it to a battery of tests to which the biological model cannot be subjected. In fact, the AI research program prescribes performing “psychological experiments on computerized subjects... that might damage the [human] patient’s psyche” (TBTWND). Yet, since such experiments can only occur at the cost of the opportunity to falsify our machine-mind-model against its biological paradigm. Thus, the reliability of any results of such experiments beyond corroboration must be viewed with scepticism, We certainly wouldn’t want to prescribe to humans merely on the basis of a %tual” result. Finally, ifour cyber-patient really is a %ubjecP are they not due the same rights as those which we confer on each other as subjects? Comciousness, & reasons
causes,
Interestingly, it is not only a few religiousiy motivated ‘Sddyduddies” who feel that the AI thesis is merely of marginal merit. While the dualism of mind and matter may be an archaic weltanschchzaq~ these days, Karl Popper, a renowned and otherwise quite sane and respectabie philosopher of scientific method, was an avowed dualist, In fact, many mathematicians and logicians have felt forced to take exile on ‘mudk,” an island of last resort for otherwise good scientific minds. It is important to uuderstand the reasons why he, and others like him, have adopted dualism, for these ideas, while not near~yassexyasthinkingcomputem, should have a recogked
coinage. Basically, if an individual is conscious, it is sensible to ask of them: “why did you do something?” and expect a different explanation of their action then “how” they did it. That is to say, conscious actions have reasons which are distinct from, and not reducible to, their causes. This is just the reason that ourYJ~&ti3 find themselves stranded where they do. The materialist-scientific perspective demands that the terminology involved in giving reasons (i.e., belief& desires, and intentions made in reference to some rule governed activity like chess, soccer, or logic) refer to some set of material brain states and the causal rules which link them together. If they don’t refer to anything material, then they are “philogesten-like” inventions of metaphysics, and are explanatorily frivolous. These days, with the increasing demand for the “application” ofour knowledge we have begun to forget that logic, for instance, is not, first and foremost, a language for programming computers, and describing some brain process calied “thought.” Logic is a set of normative laws that describe truthpreserving and truth-reversing functions. The laws of logic do not describe causal-cognitive processes: they delineate the criteria by which we may justify our beliefs. The normative laws to which we refer when giving the reason, or justification, for action are fundamentally Merent than the scientific laws which give the cause of action, When students perform cakulations, we do not change the laws of arithmetic to accommodate our mistakes : the same is true of soccer and many other activities. But, we do, and must,
But, the argument goes, this gets logic wrong, and in getting logic wrong, it gets thinking wrong also. If the ‘cLkaks” are right, then no amount of knowledge of the mechanical operations of a specimen will help to determine whether they may be appropriately described as thinking or being conscious in the normative sense. The description of their actions in terms of some set of normative laws must be justified on otfier grounds entirely, possibly similar to those bait criteria set out in section III. Conclusion In the end, the thesis of whether computers will ever be able to imitate humans is not real.lywhatisatissueintheA.rtificial~ Intelligence debate. After all, George can imitate a thermostat. The question is what does it prove? The crux of the AI debate lies in the truth of such ambitious claims as: ‘%I many ways the study of AI and the study of psychology are inexorably linked” (TBTWND) If this means that, in each discipline many pivotal questions remain unanswered, questions which characterize the scope and limits of.the entire domain itself, then I agree. But, we all know better. Yet, within AI camps, the ‘%tatus” of the AI’s asserted relation to psychology remains vague. Is this the assumption of the AI discipline --the very rti4m d%Wt~?-I Is it an hypotheses which is proven; which has yet to be proved? In spelling out the context in which the Turing test, like the “25 degree test,” is effective, we discover that many important details, hidden in the background, must also be made explicit. When l
The promise of cyber. psychology seems confounded, and the production of artificial persons seems to evidence an ideal of the human art of engineering. change the laws of physics to accommodate every physical event we hope to explain, Calculation is apracticedefined bythenormairve laws of arithmetic, which serve to ju.stifjTourmathactivitiesandtheir resu.lB . Smilarily, it is not defined by reference to the laws of physics, but to the normative laws of logic, Believing that these two kinds of law are fundamentally irreducible, many have been &iled to %M&PZ” for the sake of presetig their belief. The claim, then, is that the AI tradition conflates the ‘tHow?n and the “why?” questions when explaining the actions of their human and mechanical subjects.
the background issues are brought into focus, the entire rationale of AI must be seen in a new perspective. The promise of Yyber-psychology” seems confounded, and the production of “artificial persons” seems only to evident an ideal of the human art of engi-* neering. The merits of such a discipline must be just&d on those grounds alone. As with any a&vity, in any discipline, the advice of keeping a clear head and not getting caught up in the hype deserves to be advocated; hype wiIl only cloud our think@.
by Tmcy Hunt
Imprint staff
A
tlanta is feeling the strain of hosting the iargeSt Olympics ever. Between the over-burdened public transit system (it has been reported that the athletes have had to hijack buses inordertornakeittotheirevents), and the incredibly slow tiormation system (some event results have not been available until seven to eight hours tier the event), people around the world are criticising Atlanta as the choice for the host country for such a huge and important event. For example, a British paper recently said that Atlanta “conned the world when they said an old country town could handle the greatest show on earth,” while a German paper said the volunteers “are as helpful as they are clueless? But perhaps the French said it best in a Paris paper: “Atlanta gets the gold medal 5r chaos? With such unflattering praise it is no wonder that many get fed up with the Americoverage. In f&t many Americans are tuni.ngtotheCBCforcoverageofthe Games. According to the C&&e lrttdm three different groups went up to CBC crews and said they preferred the CBC coverage over NBC’s, This is probably be-
T
he apocalypse is finally upon us! U.S. college fmtballwillfinallyhaveabona fide national title g&e. Finally, ,sornebody had the brains and the guts to look past all the money and politics of college football to give it what it redy needs... sort of. ABC Sports has reached an agreementwiththesixmajorfootball conferen& (Big Ten, Pac10, Big East, SEC, ACC, and Big ‘12) that will provide the 1 vs. 2 national tide game that the curTent bowl alliance was supposed :o provide. The only problem with -hat system occurs when one of -hose two teams comes from ei’ her the Pat-10 or Big Ten, as lappened two years ago when 3ig Ten champ Penn State was xnked number two, whose winlers must play in the Rose Bowl. Chenew system should cure that
cause unlike NBC, the CBC covers the events live, approximately 14 hours a day worth. NBC stops at 1 p.m. in order to break for the afternoon serials. Even in the morning when NBC is reporting live, there is a few minutes of tape delay, so ydu can watch an event live on CBC and then catch the instant replay on NBC.
Iations Clara Hughes!), the NBC did a profle on French road racer Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli. In it they made her out to be the woman who was determined to bring down the Americans. She was painted as the woman even her teammates hate. As they commentated the actual race (actually, they showed it as a series of
As everyone knows, the Games are held in the spirit of friendly competition and cornradeship. As the host country, the United States should know this. Maybe they forgot to read the manual that comes with the Games. In the women’s cycling road race (in which Canada received a bronze medal - congratu-
clips), they contiued to blame herforthelackofAmericandominance. They even spoke of her using the Canadian and Italian (Imelda Chiappa who won the silver) riders as henchmen. They basically implied that she was the reason that the Americans did not win and- that Italy only placed second and Canada third as a re-
problem. Under the new system, the national title game will rotate annually between four bowl games (the Rose, and most likely the Orange, Sugar, and Fiesta Bowls) while the other three games will involve the rest of the top eight teamsinthecountry. lvs.2ti play for the national championship, guaranteed. (Let% assume for now that the polls that determine these rankings don’t get screwed up.) Wow, what a concept! While the intent of this new system probably boils down to a financial gain, at least it is in the name of something that college football really needed to win back some credibility after all the controversy and scandals that have rocked it to its very foundations. The fans wanted a reaI national championship game and it has been delivered to them. Give the fans what they want? Could it be?
What a concept! While it isn’t the playoff system that people really wanted, at least it’s a start. Finally the national championship of US. college football is out of the hands of the press and coaches and now rests (mostly) in the hands of the teams vying for it. That’s the way it should have been all along.
t’s Open season in the NBA f&e gent market and so far the only player who got what they were worth was Michael Jordan. I never thought I would find myselfsaying that a $25 million dol-
Ia
lar salary
was justified
for a pro-
fessional athlete, but in Jordan’s case it’s true. As for everyone else, they don’t even come close. The Canadian equivalent of over one BILLION dollars has been given out to 22 tiee agents so far. One billion dollars. 22
sUlt of their willingness to help the wicked Frenchwoman. The top American finished 29th. Another shining example of American sportsmanship? How about protesting a swimmer”s participation because she can swimmer faster than their swimmer. Speaking of swimming, did you see the heat where NBC did not
announcers went into a long spiel about how a step on the dismount would be a deduction, and Mr. Tesh, in his infinite wisdom, declared, “But she only took a little step with her lefi foot!” Mr. Tesh is still heavily into drama, lefi over from his days at Enttiainw~t Tbnjght. As the American Women’s Gymnastic team entered the gym, Tesh proclaimed in a very solemn voice: mere is something in the air this Olympic night... do you feel it? Little girls dancing for gold in these Olympic Games.” John Tesh is not the only clueless broadcaster. A swimming commentator for NBC didn’t know that in international swimming, there is no second f&e start, the race merely continues and the swimmer is disqualified at the end of the race. Maybe he should have watched CBC about four minutes earlier when the race was shown live and the commentarypeopleexplainedwhythefalse even tell the viewer who the start bell should not have sounded Americanwasswimmingagainst? the second time. Or placed? That’s a keeper. That’snottosaythattheCBC Another problem with the is perfect. During the Opening NBC coverage of the Olympic Ceremonies, they did a most unGames is the commentators themgracious thing. They cut to comselves.JohnTesh is commentating mercial during the American enfor the gymnastics portion of the trance in the Parade of Games. He has no idea what he is Athletes...and as a Canadian all talking about. One of his fellow you can do is laugh. players. Don’t even bother doing the math, it just makes it worse. The most ridiculous signing by far has to be Shaquille O’Neal signing with the Los Angeles Lakers for seven years, $123 million US. Let’s see, for around $17.5 million a season the Lakers get a one-dimensional oversized freak whose free throw shooting is getting worse every year. Shaq can’t do anything but slam dunk and he seems to have a problem sinking any shot that is farther tharkxfeetfromthe basket. Other NBA centres work to improve their game by expand@ their repertoires
and
their
shmting
ranges. What does Shaq do in his spare time? Make rap videos, commercials, movies, etc. He doesn’t even try to improve his dismal free throw shooting. To make matters worse, Shaq is now even closer to Hollywood where he canmake all the movies he wants. Oh yeah, that was smart. (As a side note, almost immediately after Shaq’s signing, nine dollar tickets for Laker games mysteriously inflated to $21.50.) Who is to blame for these outrageous salaries? The players themselves, who actually believe that they are worth the money that they are getting? Or is it the age&s, who shamelessly overvalue
their clients’ market value while lining their own pockets with each new skyrocketing deal? Maybe the owners are to blame, since they can’t seem to control themselves and agree to these ever increasing salties. Perhaps to be on the safe side, everybody involved in this whole mess should be strung up by their necks, tarred and feathered, and then squashed like the bloodsucking leeches that they are. Sorry, I was just thinking of dl those OSAP loans that I’m going to be forever struggling to pay back while this group of players, mostly made up of college slackers and dropouts, make exorbitant sums of money for playing a game. The scary part of this whole mess is that a loophole-abundant salary Cap is the dy thing that has kept sOme of these free agent signings in some state of moderation. Imagine what would happen if no cap were in place. The redly sad part Of all of this is that in the end, r&g ticket prices will pass the bill along to the fans, some of whom may be priced out of the arenas. These players are selfish, spoiled brats who (with the possible exception of Jordan) are not even worth close to what their salaries pay them. To hell with them ait.
23
SPORTS
IMPRINT, Friday,July 26, 1996
I
Ah
lthough the baseball season is more than halfover, print will be taking its summer break, so I thought this might be a good time to check in on the predictions I made when the season was still young. In the AL East, the successof the Yankees has been less a surprise than the failure, to date, of the Orioles. Former Blue Jay GM
Pat Gillick outfitted Baltimore with every weapon he could find. The Orioles even went so f’ar as to announce their starter for the World Series. But as I once said, anything can happen. Even the recent reacquisition of star hitter Eddie Murray may not be enough to haul the flagging O’s up for a pennant run. At the time of writing, they are nine games out of
first and the season isn’t getting any longer. The AL Central3 only real smrise is that the Indians are not leading by more. The tribe has a healthy ,600 winning percentage, but Chicago is still in the hunt, five games back. In the West, we are not surprised to find my Seattle Mariners in contention. Even the long-term
loss of starter Randy Johnson and the short-term loss bf Ken Griffey Jr, have failed to knock the plucky M’s out of the race. The surprise is that they are fighting to catch the Rangers and not the Angels. In the senior circuit, the most pleaant surprise has been the Montreal Expos. Even without star outfielder Rondell White in the lineup, Montreal has been among the top teams inthe league, and is now the favourite for the NL wildcard spot a game and a half ahead of Los Angeles. And since the ‘Spas will not face the Atlanta Braves in the divisional playoff, the NLCS - and who knows, maybe even the World Series - could very will come north
of the border in ‘96. In the Central and the West, it looked like the truth was going to make my prognostications look sick.ButthegodsofPaseballd.idn’t leave me completely out to dry. I picked the Cards ih the Central and after a slow start by all the Central teams, St. Louis has emerged asthe team to catch, two games ahead of Houston. In the West, it looked as if I might be embarrtised by my pick of Colorado, but the Rockies have surged of late and now stand just half a game out of first. Pennant race indeed. So, enjoy the dog days of baseball and Inside the Lines will check in again this fall.
Get fit for fkee by Patricia
Wmlmtt
-special to Imprint
I
t’s exam time! For many of y, finals have arrived much sooner than we would have liked or mticipated. Physical activity is one way in which to keep stress kveb in check. One way to achieve this is to attend a scheduled exam period fitness classes. Exam fitness classes began 1 on July 22, and run through to August 7 (check the schedule for the time and place of yourfavourit? clas+ There are a variety of ckisses to choose from; Intermediutc Fitness~ For those who are regularly participate in some form of activity. This is a combination ofhigh and low impact movements. ‘hmaediute - Low hpcwt: Same intensity level as Intermediate, with the exception that a foot is always in contact with the
floor. Thisdecreasesthe stress on joints. Ahunced Luw Im.uct: For the participant who is regularly involved in strenuous physical activity. M&e and Flex= An important class to ensure balance in a fitness program, the Muscle and FIex class focuses on toning muscle, increasing muscle strength, and increasing flexibility. These are also important to full fitness. Adwzced Plus= This class offers and extended cardiovascular potiun of high and low impact moves, followed by a& extended Muscle Conditioning potion. Total Body Conditioning (IBC): This class utilizes the slide for lateral training and bal ante; the STEP for muscleendurante and cardiovascular endurance; and the resistance tubing for muscle strengthening. Funk: Aerobics to funky - and
we mean funky a music. Bring your bellbottoms. The best thing about these classes (besides from the obvious stress release and health benefits)
9130 AM f2:30 6:15
PM P!ib 1 *1
MONDAY
TUESDAY
Jul-29
Jul-30
BASIC stud 3 ADVANCED
stud 2
STEP II stud 1
St15 PM
Jul-31
Aug-01
STEP I-11stud 1
BASIC STEP stud 1
BASIC stud 2
INTER stud 2
ADVAN-LOW
stud 1
Tl-tURSDAY
BASIC stud 1 ADVANCED
FRIDAY Aug-02
stud 2
STEP I-II stud 1
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
TiiURSDAY
pug45
Aug=06
Aug-Of
i-iolJMYI
BASICSTEPmd I
STEP I-11stud1
MONDAY
12:30 PM
WEDNESDAY
pinch, and the walls are closing in, take a step away from the library and head over to the PAC or CRC where you can jump into a fitness class. Relax and enjoy yourself!
STEP II stud 1
FUNKstud
Q:30 AM
is that they are allfree. Just drop in on any classand join in. However, space in the step classes are limited so get there early. So, if you’re feeling the exam
STEP II stud 1 mclass llodass
1
ADVANCED
stud 2
STEP II shad 1
IKmAsEs
FMDAY
No-
BJStC stud 2 ADVANCED
stud 1
GO CANADA. GO!
I I I I I I I I I I I I t I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
Eden Musicfest Muspm
Purk
July 12-14
by James Russell Imprint stair den was a long weekend, literally. With over 60 ti bands &eduled, Icouldn’t possiblv have seen them all, not if 1 was ioing to eat, sleep, or be cool by hanging out in the restricted media area. But I saw a lot. Here goes.
Friday Srabbing Westward were on the second stage. 1 actually picked up one oftheir aH3utns (their only album?) a couple of years ago, and I liked it, so I stayed for the rest. It’s industrial, but they’ve changed their sound a little from that album (the name of which escapes me). They’ve gotten away from the chainsaw-roar, and are now using a little more techno stuff. They also seem to be trying mettv hard to sound like Nine i rich hails. Anyway, it was a pretty goOd show. See them if you get the chance.
going like Elvis, and the guitar hlayer just hammered at rhe poor thing. At one point Gavin climbed 40 feet into the scaffolding to blow kissesto the audience (while roadies desperately tried td wave him down) and he made a nice speech about the Smashing Pumpkins keyboard player who OD’d on heroin. Doing %lycerine” solo was a nice touch, and closing with “Everything Zen” was solid, The Cure were the closers for Friday. As always, I can only wonder how thevd mange to perform live what they sculpt in the studio. Playing selections from Disintegration, Wish and WildMud Swings,
the Cure
were incredible.
It would be impossible to fill Mosport Park with smoke, but thev gave it their best shot. Combinjng back-lighting with the smoke, lead singer Robert Smith’s silhouette entr&ced the audience with its rnourtid vocals on tracks such as“Prayers for Rain,“only to shock them back to realitv with songs like cLFascinationStrekt” and ‘The Edge of the Deep Green Sea.” Theshuwwascutoffabruptly at midnight. An organizer came out to the mike to explain that
Catherine Wheel’s Rob Dkkinson cranks 0;ut some rock. photos Bush were on the main stage right afterwards. They opened with”Mxhinehead”andman, the chicks went wild. I sometimes wonder what sort ofworld we live in where some short guy wearing a rather tacky Hawaiian shirt can get 20,000 women willing to --gnaw their own legs off for the chance to touch him. Anyway, despite the fact that dot ofthe~soqssoundthesame Ia little dull), Bush put on a good ihow. The bass player got his hips
by Peter Lena&m
there was a strict 12:00 p.m. curfew, but this was little consolation to Cure fans. (I also think it was buUshit because the beer tents pounded out tunes until 2 a.m.) Saturday
Everclear, from Portland, Oregon, were on the main stage at some point in the afkmocq (I didn’t bring a watch). A mix of grunge and bitchin’ metal, they at least looked interesting even if
their songs weren’t. They jumped around, climbed on the monitors, and even did an AC/DC song “just for the tick of it.” Arggh. I missed Love and Rockets. This is where the organization (or lack thereof) really started to bug me. I was only 5 minutes late according to the schedule, but they had started early, and only played 7 or 8 songs. I found out later that the posted schedules were pretty much garbage, and that everyone except the super-big bands were getting really short sets. Sorry. Porno for Pyres I did catch. Exactlv why t&y have a huge followhg, 1will never understand. Granted, Perrv Farrell is a fantastic performer, but bizarre clothing and dancing don’t make up for uninteresting songs. Nonetheless, the crowd seemed to enjoy it, and gave a huge roar of approval when Perry took a good long drink from a big bottle ofred wine on stage. Live were really good. I’m not big fan, but you can tell when a band is reaLy into it, and Live was into it. They played all the hits from their huge-selling ‘Throwing Copper,” and no fans went away disappointed. Between Live and the Hip, the Buzzcocks played the second stage. Old British punks the Bu.zzcocks rocked a lot harder and better than plenty of acts on the main stage. They had a good time, and did their fair share of goofing off. The small crowd (everyone else was at the other end of the concert area fighting to get up close for you-know-who) were totally into it, and there was a good mosh pit going. Lead singer Pete Shelley announced ‘The Tragically Hip are up next. Here’s a tribute!” before launching into “Boredom.” When they fished and were told that their time was up, the crowd started chanting, “Fuck the Hip! Fuck the Hip.” Ah, the Tragically Hip. How many people did I talk to who were there just for the Hip? Lots, To steal a line, it’s not the band I hate, it’s their fans. Tragically Hip fans were the loudest, drunkest, most obnoxious people there by far. Not all ofthem, mind you, but more than enough. Its like a religion, but instead of taking Christ into your heart, you have to be willing to scream out The Hip rules!” And the thing is, as long as you can say that, you’re in. I could have walked into a group of baseball cap-wearing, pickup truckdriving Hip fans, said the magic words, and they would have treen willing to give me a smoke or a beerandbemybestfriend,atleast until they sobered up. By the way, the Hip were OK, but rxxhing more.
sun&y I could hear the Doughboys from the tent, but I didn’t see them. Not a big loss as fx as I’m concerned. The Doughboys, like too many other bands, have managed to parlay one good song (“Shine”) into some sort of a career. Yeah, whatever.
ronto the night before. Around 6 p.m., they wandered onto the stage with a minimutn of f&arc and proceeded to rock. Fortunately or tiortunately, there was only a little mashing, probably a combination of the very hot day and the fact that a lot of people were a little burnt-out by this point.
Despite the shirt, the chicks went crazy for Gavin Rossdale. I made quite sure I was as far from that stage as possible for the Spin Doctors before checking out Pluto on the second stage. Man, they rocked, I’ve heard the album and its ok, but live, Pluto is great. Opening with “Paste Me,” the only single to date offtheir debut album, Pluto quickly made a whole lot of new fans. Unfortunately, the short setswere in effect on the second stage too, and they only had time for about four songs before closing with “When She Was Happy,” which will be the second single. After Pluto, I was wandering back towards the main stage when they announced Howard Jones, the-a@rlg Et-pop guy from the 80’s (at least, that’s when he had a career). Some guy walking beside me says UI’d rather watch the roadies set up.” Though I echoed his sentimerits, I must admit that there were actually several hundred peaple who wanted to see Howard Jones. He came out in an offensively bright yellow suit, and a la Jimi Hendrix, played T3 Canada” on the keyboard he had slung around his neck like a guitar (did 4.
I mention
the 30’s?)
before
launch-
ing into his stnd repertoire of hits like (I think they’re called) “No One Ever is to Blame” and Things Can Only Get Better,” NOW, it was only a matter of waitingforCatherin&heel,who had played Lee’s Palace in To-
Days. It was at this point that the crowd was told that there would be no special guest aspromised, leaving the Watchmen and Ani DiFranco to close out three days of ti, sun and rock ‘n’ roll. A bit of a downer, I can tell you. There had been tons ofspeculation over the special guest. CFNY suggested Radiohead or the Red Hot Chili Peppers; people were handing out Pearl Jam stickers announcing a new album sosomethoughtitwouldbethem, and some guy backstage told me that he’d seen a trailer with “Green Day” written on it. The truth? We’ll never know. The announcer said that the special guest was actually going to be a jam session with members of lots of the big bands that had played, but I don’t believe that for a second. More likely the real special guest cancelled at the last minute and the announcer could& name names because of the fear of a lawsuit. The Watchmen did what they do, but no one was really paying
Huppy
attention-
With
no special
guests;,
the second stage shut down and the beer tents closed, there wasn’t really a good reason to stay a lot longer. Ani DiFranco played to the few die-ha& l&, but it couldn’t help but be an anti-climax.
IMPRINT,
by Melanie Hoekstra Imprint stdf kay. The first band I: saw WASGlueleg. From what I remember played a pretty good set, but I don’t recall being mesmeriid by the show or anything. From what I gathered from the hazy-saunaof-a-sandpit they’d like to call a beer tent, they had a pretty descent crowd in front of the main stage, and the applause was, well,
0
Next: Spirit of the West, I really enjoyed this show .as well. The band really sounded like they had it together, and the overall of the sound was excell&t. They opened up with “If Venice is Sinking” an&hen stuck to other songs I didn’t recognize (but still liked) which I believe were off their newest CD. They built up the energy of the sho& and reserved “Save this House” and ccHome for a Rest” until the end, and all the little Spirit of the
theyww
25
ARTS
Friday, July 26, 1996
and the Hip. So I guess I’ll lxgin with Love and R6cket.s. I remember joking around with my friends saying that I would be making a trip to the beer tent when Love &d Rockets came on because I just thought they were cheesy relics of the eighties, but I ended up staying to batch them and +f~y turned out to be really good* The lead singer had this crazy shiny green shirt on and, for some reasOn, I couldn’t stop looking at it. As it turns out, Love and Rocket-shave a lot of good songs, I just never knew were by them. And, uh, no: that does& include
The last day of Eden was fairly quiet, and I ipent the day j&t wandering around listening to various bands. The Gandharvas got their set cut short, but they didn’t really leave a lasting impression on me anyways. ILctu-dy thought they realli sucked, if the truth must be k&wn. They sounded sloppy, tid the leadsinger’s voice was shot. But, again, thatmighthavejustbeenmyframe of mind at the time. I met a few people who said they sounded preq . good, but I don’t understand how they came to that conelusion.
see them play. I have to gke the lead singer credit for not fi-eaking out when people started throwing frisbees on stage. One konk on the head probobly would have hurt. Sunday’s concert highlight was Catherine Wheel. Theypla)red a whole bunch of my fiqourite songs like “Crank,” and the version of”rhe Colour ofYour Skin” was one of the best that I have ever heard. On the whole, it was both an intense yet meliow set. I’m glad I stuck around for these pp. The Watchmen I have no
it made his voice and the whole sound of the band seem all the more eerie. I don’t even really know how to describe it. They were just really good. Yeah. Live put on a good show and the crowd loved them. There were insane numbers of people in front of the stage, and from a distance, the mosh pit was just crazy-weird to look at. The sound and light people, or whoever it is that ganizes these things, saved up all the good sound and lights for these guys and the Hip, SO it made the show even better, But even if they had performed with no lights and little sound, it still would have been a good time. You could tell that the lead singer really wanted to put on a good show for the audience. Al-W, The Hip. What can I say? I’ve seen them in concert three times, and although this was a good show, I don’t think I would go as far as to say that it was my favourite Hip concert. I think it might have had something to do with the fact that everyone was either really wasted and/or tired, and drunk people get annoying really, really fast when you’ve had no sleep in the last two days and your harrgover is starting to s&t in, Oh well. Good old Gordie was in an interesting mood though, rangfrom a endearing fondness for hii audience to bi&g cynicism. But anyways, they played, not surprisingly, a lot of stuff from their newest CD, and of course thecruciaIcomponcnttoanyHip concert: a tevaqed version of NeWOhiS~.
Dolls were okay. Surprisingly, a large audience gathered in front of the main stage to hear them play. I guess they are really big in the U.S. right now. I met a lot of Americans who were at Eden to
’ I missed Ani DiFranco because after hearing that the last act was cancelled, I was just about ready to go home. On the whole, Eden was an excellent concert. If you missed it, well, I hope you’re kicking yourself now.
Live,
they
The guy fkom Spacehog screams as heseesa for the fmt time. somewhat enthusiastic when people bothered to look up from their beers. I think the main problem with all the bands that played on Friday afternoon was that they got shafted by organization. On a hot Friday tiernoon, in front of a soon-to-be-inebriated crowd, with no light show, and shitty sound, there is no way that any band could make that much of an impression on anyone. Besides, everyone f talked to was there to either see The Hip or The Cure. The rest of the bands were just entertainment while people busily spent their time focussing on the pressing matter of just exactly how inebriated they were going to get that night. Forgive me: I digress. Next, I witnessed Poe in action. She plaved a really good set, largely beLause she’s such an energetic and powerful performer. She runs around and kicks her legs up a lot. IwasactuaUyquiteimpressedwith the fair number of people in front of the stage; I honestly didn’t thidc he was that well known. Gathering from the applause and screams km the crowd, I think she was fairly well received. I’ve never seen her plsy before, but if she comes into town I think Pd go and see her. I recommend all you peoplego-•
West fans were jumping around doing strange little hippie/folk dances, obviously caught up in the rapture of the moment. Or maybe they were just wasted. X didn’t see any other bands on Friday, except Bush X and The Cure. Bush was pretty good, but for some reason I really couldn’t get into the show. I don’t know, it was like there was somethingmissing. I think that might have been just me though because everyone else seemed to like them. Good old Gavin was looking kinda strange too. His hair looked like it had pink streaks in it, and he wore a crazy looking exotic shirt to complement his flaxen locks. So, in the end, I don’t really have much to say about Bush. Whatever. The Cure, however, was awesome! ! ! I really enjoyed this show, and of all the bands I saw on Friday, and . ..aw heck ..the whole weekend, I’d have to say that this was my favourite show. For more info on this go read someone else’s review of the concert, We don’t need to go over this three times, On Saturday, Isaw Spacehog, Everclear, The Odds, Love and Rockets, Porno for Pyres, Live and The Tragically Hip. All were exceIlent, but the &es that stick outofrny mind the most are Love and Rockets, Porno for Py1-06,
or-
l
26
ARTS
Yre you people tired of rock ‘n’ roU
Surprising.” Rob Dickinson, yet?
...
Catherine Wheel by Peter Lenardon Imprint staff
I
t’s probably not surprising that paradise wouid be hard to get into, but I thought the main gate at the Eden Music Festival would be easier to find. For an hour I travelled the dusty roads around Mosport Park, with Poe belting it out b the background, until I finally found the main gate. That involved getting incorrect information from 8 or 10 security staff and eventually talking my way past a police checkpoint into a restricted area and to the gate. There I was met with my pass. What a glorious feeling to be one of the chosen! Once inside I endeavoured to find a campsite close to the main stage. My companion and I chose a spot safely from the crush of the main stage crowd, but near the second stage, showers and a short walk from the washrooms. We were in The Garden. My next objective was to get my photo pass and the weekend underway. We passed vendors of all kinds (read c(dea.lers” in some cases -- drugs were not hard to find, they were offered), some Much Music dorks, and the main stage, with Spirit of the West play@g a predictable set. Photo pass in hand, I was escorted with a gaggle of other photograpers, both professional and amateur. The Nixons, with their Keanu Reeves look-alike gui-
Don’t hatehim
because he’s
tarist, treated the crowd to an exuberant Chili Pepper-qpe set. I dodged spit for three songs. MuchMusic’s very own (who else would have her), Sook Yin Lee came out to introduce Seven Mary Three. Whoops. She .screwed it up and excused herself to find the name of the band. She tried again a second time and failed. (Psst! It’s on the bassdrum, SookYin.) Athird try was aborted when she ias kicked off the stage for taking too much time. Maybe too much time in the media beer tent. The witty men from Sloan were the next mainstage attraction. A number of people I spoke to at the festival told me that this was one of the bands they looked fonvard to seeing most &at weekend. These fansvwere not disappointed, but I personally felt they could have put more energy into their set. Members of Sloan said later that they were not happy with their petiormance and that they prefer-smaller clubs to hYF festival crowds. Bush X seemed to suffer no ill effects from the size of the venue, even tier playing the Much Music envbonment the night before. Singer guitarist, Gavin Rossdale strode onto the stage and was buffeted by the adulation of his female fanS. The opening notes of “‘Machinehead” drew a cheer, but the most exciting thing tier that was Rossdale’s c%mb on the scaftoldmg.
The Cure rocked. There is no other way to say it. Appearing with a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey, Robert Smith left no doubt that they were the best musical act
David Spade puts in a surprise there. One E enthusiast beside me in the crowd was beside himself (and out of most of his clothes) with pleasure, and others just shook their heads and smiled. One man beside me just kept saying, “Fuck, these guys are SOLID!” They were. I was blown away. At that point it had been all day since I slept or ate. I weaved through the crowd past beer tent revelers, bootleg shirt salesmen, freaks, obvious Cure fans (you know what I mean), frat boys who wanted the Hip, and dust clouds, then fell into a deep sleep in my tent. A great first day. I awoke to hear Muse beginning their second stage set on Saturday morning, and it started a good mood that 1asted all day. The shower line was one hundred feet and two hours long. Screw that. Baseball cap. It was necessary, however to wash offenough dirt to put in contact lenses, a condition shared by many campers. Nter a light breakfast of peanut butter and crackers, day two began. Mosport really is a perfect place for a festival like Eden. AL most every space of grass near the race track was sprinkled with tents. The track winds around the park, carrying the shuttle bus which stops at a number of places including the main stage and all the major camping areas. Substitute suburban Toronto teens and drawling Americans for peasants and a few chickens, however, and you have a bus right out of rural Peru or Indonesia. The buses were jammed, sweltering, noisy and smelled like a hot day in the PAC. Beats walking though: Mosport is a big place. Saturday was an exceptional day for music at Eden, with Tracy Bonham, Spacehog, Everclear and Odds warming the crowd up for the last four bands, Love and Rockets hit the stage about 615 p.m. and played a tiious set. Not being one of my favorites, they were a pleasant surprise. Pounding drums and blaring guitars continued even when lead singer/
IMPRINT,
appearame
Friday, July 26, 1996
with Sloan.
guitarist Daniel Ash fell to the stage, finishing the song on his back with the help of a roadie who placed the mic beside his face. Then came the best hour I spent at the Eden Music Festival. Perry Farrell and Porno for Pyres, featuring Mike Watt on bass, performed a live show beyond any superlatives. Farrell writhed, jiggled, tambourined and wailed his way through a set punctuated by screaming guitar, sofi melody and deliciously exotic rhythms. He had a wine bottle clutched in one feather-gloved hand, and the crowd in the other. Live barely was, but you could excuse the crowd’s lack of enthusiasm for anything but the hits because the main attraction for most people at Eden was theTragitally Hip. If you like the Hip, their live shows never disappoint you. Ever. Gord Downie’s stage presence is as strong as it gets and there is something pretty powerM about standing a mere thirty meters from a huge wall of speakers and still being able to hear the crowdsingi.ngalong,Theyopened with “Gifi Shop,” the first song off of Trouble at the H&n How and built the crowd up gradually, with some of the more ambient tracks from the same album. But af’ter a few newer songs came “Locked in the Trunk of a Car,” and the 50,000 plus f;ins from Canada and the U.S. roared their approval. Other live show staples like Wew Orleans is Sinking” received interesting twists, undoubtedly to keep the song fresh for the band. mer their main set, it seemed to me that the Hip could either come out for an encore or see the stage torn down by the mad throng. The first song of the encore was “Fifjr PvLission Cap.” During the chorus, the crowd was bathed in white light, revealing a endless expanse of people and crowd surfers hundreds of feet from the stage. Yep, just another Tragically Hip show. Once again separated from anyone I knew, I stumbled back
to my tent and feLl asleep to the public address announcer saying, “Please, no mashing in the beer tent!” My tent mate returned later on and invited me out for something to eat. I couldnJt move, even though I was ravenously hungry. Immediately as I left the tent on Sunday morning and endured a $2 cold shower, I could feel a mood of anti-climax covering the campers ascompletely as the everpresent brown dust did. First of all, nothing could top the previous two days unless the Special Guest was Nirvana with a resurrected Kurt Cobain. Second, we would all have to face another day in the hot sun, the Spin Doctors and the Goo Goo Dolls. Couid the Smashing Pumpkins make it worthwhile? Green Day? Pearl Jam? We all heard the rumours. Sunday was a day of rest in Eden, with many festers sitting on a blanket enjoying the third sunny day in a row. During the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, the mosh pit was turned into some kind of manic bubblegum machine when dozens of beach balls were thrown in and bounced around by the crowd. Howard Jones was a blast from the SO’s with his yellow suit, big orange hair and synthesizer guitar. During the Coo Goo Dolls set I went over and checked out Pluto, who, sounding better than their album, were a great primer for Catherine Wheel, the best show of the day and probably the only act on the main stage that day that could really be calied %lternative.” The crowd barely made a f&s after the announcement that the Special Guest spot would remain empty, until some time tier. As the sun set on the first Eden Music Festival, I watched campers in The Garden hurling fruit back an forth in one of the largestfoodfightsonrecord.This, along with burned golf carts, Iitter and a rambunctious post-concert mob, constituted a short fall from grace, but aswell as this first Eden Festival went these small sins could be forgiven.
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Friday,
27
.
ARTS
July 26, 1996
Leaving us to assume aliens I Muther Earth vi?ku?zo Thursday, July 18 by Derek Dupuis special to Imprint / he JMx.no. What a great place to see bands. Ifyou’re reading this article you no doubt know what I’m talking about. Asmall, dark bar that packs in as many people as it can. Aside from its ambiance, what makes it great is the musical talent that plays there. This past Thursday night’s line up included Salmonblaster, Starkicker and I Mother Earth. I didn’t meet too many people that night who came specifically to see the first two bands. I Salmonblaster, a London based band signedonwith Liquid Records, started the night, play* ing a forty minute set to the not even half-filled Volcano. Starkicker, a St. Catharines band, came on next to indulge the ever growing audience with a loud, rocking set. - The Volcano finally erupted at 11:45 when I Mother Earth hit the stage with “No Onen a track offtheirfirstalbumD&g.Th.roughout the night they also played the four singles ofD&, an album that
T
won the 1994 Juno for Best Hard Rock Album. After the first three pc3werfk.I songs, Edwin, the lead singer, stopped to talk with the audience. He related a story of a fellow that gets abducted by small men with large eyes (leaving us to assume aliens) and when they return him, he finds himself missing them? Following this tale, they fell into their current single “‘Another Sunday,” to the delight of the crowd. By this time the Volcano had reachedvolcanic temperatures and roadies had to mop up the stage _ around the band. Despite the heat, Edwin kept beltig it out and the fans went crazy astheynextplayed “One More Astronaut.” Their ten-song set also included =Like A Girl,” g?lJsedTo Be Alright,” “Earth Slcy And C,” and Y%ser,” songs off their goldselling album SCAnrl Ftih. They came back to encore with a solid performance of 7,evitate” and left it at that,sh&ing as many hands as they could before departing the stage, leaving the crowdtired, hot,sweztyandwanting more. The show was very high energyandkeptthecrowdinaseemingly constant state of mashing and crowd surfing. Incredibiy
Edwin writhe$
under the withering
rap of all Ilhldium
Q-36 Explodve space Modulator. photo
loud, a term which can be used to describe any Volcano show, also applies here. In fact, as I write this tie clays following, my ears still ring. But I gladly sacrifice a bit of my hearing to see IME, whom I had seen only two weeks b&ore at Eclgefat, a 25ooO + venue, insuch an intimate setting. I was fortunate enough to get to go backstage with the band and discuss the show and the new
album with them. I found out thattheyareintheirsecondmonth of touring for the album SCAd Fish, and that plans are to tour it for another year and a hti, sticking to Canadian dates only until the middle of August. I asked Edwin about the set they played, a mix of singles fi-om D?gandvarioussongsoff~c~. In particular I asked about the song ‘Raspberry’ and its absence
by Derek
Ihpuis
from the performance. I was inforrnedthattheyenjoythesetasit is now, very “high energyP and that they have not yet played that song live since they don’t know where it would fit into the set. “Shortcut To Moncton” I found out has only ever been played live once, at a gig in Moncton. Over* a great night of music was provided by Canadian talent at an ideal setting, the Volcano.
KlcKOUTTN lbh&! WhoWatches TheWatchmen? Presidents of the USA Wureboust? Monday, June 10 by Scott Preston special to Imprint
W
lth his new axe in hand, a red flying ‘v’ basitar, Chris and the Presidents played to a substantial crowd at the Warehouse. I can’t help but compare the Presidents rise to success to another popular band of yesterday with a popular second video, namely Weezer. After having one single out, Weezer played the Opera House, a relatively small venue. Then, all of a sudden, they release a video that becomes immensely popular, and they are playing to a packed crowd at the Warehouse five months later. The same rise in popularity happened to the Presidents. Their first single was popular enough to embark on a large scale tour of small clubs, and then they make a great video for their second single, and the masses love it. Beam. They’re at the Warehouse in their next stop through Toronto. Just before eleven, the Presidents kicked off their set with the rocking cover of the MCSs ‘Kick Out the Jams.” They then proceded to race through heir
set, alternating tempos to keep things interesting. After rocking out a tune like “Back Porch,” they would come back with a midtempo groove like the eerie “Body” or the child-like Ykne Buggy.“The sqngs seemed to flow into one another, such as when they played the album closer, “Naked and famous,” and as the last note rang, the catchy intro drum beat tO c(Lump” stat-ted, and put the crowd into a frenzy. The only song that was lefi out was “Candy,” which was disappointing, &cause the mouthed guitar solo is a real thing to see,As their set came to a close, the first couple of notes to “Peaches” rang out, and the crowd went crazy. The Presidents then left the stage, and it was only 11:45. Luckily, the crowd was an appreciative one, and hanted for an encore. lt was nice to see more than a token encore. The Lack of another three strings was never apparent to me, as the band ripped through their set with ferocious zeal, never sounding stripped-down at all. As for the sound, it had to be adjusted several times between sets, which tells me that after all these years, the Warehouse will never get it tight. The crowd didn’t seem to mind, and most went home pleased, having been given the Presidential treatment.
The Watchmen w/ Weeping Tile Fed Hall
Friday, July 5 by Adam Evans Imprint staff
I
t was eerie. The last time I saw The Watchmen was at Fed Hall just over a year ago, and it seemed to me that I had stepped back in time. They wore the same clothes, the same hairstyles, the same set, and the same lighting. Luckily for me, they also had the same energy and drive, and a new album to pack and please Fed Hall goers well into the tight. Weeping Tile opened, bringing a nice mix of Rock and Roll and Ballad. They made a fitting opener for an enthusiastic crowd, with a style that is similar to the Watchmen’s. Enter The Watchmen, beginning with KIncarnate’y from their new album Brand lGw Day. The floor was packed as the crowds crushed forward to catch every note
and support
the crowd
surf-
ers. Generous helpings of both newtunes,andfamiliarsong&om 1%~the Treeswere sucked up by the swaying massesoffans. The hardhitting, poetic rock kept the audience cheering and swaying. DanielGreaveskeptthesongs
flowing with quips to the fans. For first encore, he sang a haunting melody u caperIa (well, with a tambourine), which was suitably impressive. That lead into a strong rendition of 9U.l Uncovered,” and some more new A fare. A second encore consisted of an extended
rendition of “Hey There Cod,” with improvisation reminiscent of Gordon Downie. A satisfied crowd came away with some great music echoing in their heads, as well as some more of the same to anticipate in The Watchmen’s next release,
ARTS
Masters The New Grand & Smoother
w/Another White Male, ’ Mighty Fishermen * VdWW Friday, July 12 by Patrick W-s Imprint staff
S
onic Unyon ain’t what it used to be. Recently, the label lost top indie acts Hayden and treble charger within months of each other, and the Unyon seems no longer the king ‘of the Southern Ontario music world, but more of a firm team for the big boys in the US. Such is the pricebf s&cess, though, and no&g says“Canadian hardcore pop” like the Unyon logo. Latest Unyon signees The New Grand and the extensively reconstituted Smoother held a joint CD release party at the Volcano with Another mte Male and lo& the Mighty Fishermen. Vancouver’s Another White Male (newly signed to A&%4 Records) took -the opening spot. They would more properly be called Angry White Males; the group expectorated a powem wall of pi&d-off noise.Damn fine noise, *@ough. Most impressive was the / wav one member switched bet&en saxophone, electric standup bass, id a secondary drum kit, building strange dimensions on the stereotypical angry-rock
sound. The Mighty Fishermen’s f;in club was right about two things. # 1 The Mighty Fishermen aren’t as good as The Ludes (a tough order in any case). #2: The Mighty Fishermen do, however, rock. Anyone who can’t tell so by the end of the first song must have the brains of fish. There may be nothing genre-breaking about their music-for the most part it’s yer standard straight-up rock ‘n’ roll--but the Fishermen have a truckload of personality. Their frontrnan towers above his band and appears to have been chosen more for his charisma than vocal talents, but somehow, that doesn’t really matter. The band’s talent lies in constant onstage motion and banter with the audience, plus the risk of having one’s brains bashed out by a flying mike stand. The Mighty Fishermen are simultaneously a parody and an upholding of the sacred principles of rock. Ifthey ever come out of the garage, watch out. Unfortunately, right now _ they’re the perfect opening bandtoo likeable to be on display at an arena, and not yet varied enough to take the headlining spot. After all the noise and hard rock, London’s The New Grand seemed out of place. For a band that’s labelmates with some of Canada’s best indie noisemonsters and rock expcrirnentalists, TNG are surprisingly, and simply, pop-
‘IMPRINT,
Friday, July 26, 1996
of Action py. How else can one catagorize a band that sings the phrase “Alright, she loves you, yeah” unapologetically? They even have a die-hard teenage fanbase, composed largely of girls attracted to the God-like (yet usually slightly inebriated). Mike Clive. Clive has been immortalized in song asScratching Post’s “Master of Action,” but the infamous rock moves weren’t as strong as usual that night. Maybe it was because the band’s drum kit kept f4lingapartinthemiddleofsongs. To their credit, they were visibly shaken but still kept on with the show. Even despite the fact that I’ve met Mike Clive, I find The New Grand a band impossible mt to like. Smoother, on the other hand, are a band that I found impossible to like six months ago. Fortunately, they’ve undergone some major changes in that time. Threequarters of the band is fresh blood, and it shows-they’re faster and tighter than ever. Their Volcano show was an excellint display of blunt-edgedpunk/rock. Smoother had a winning stage presence and a great selection of covers, inchding theC%&ntheme song (someone in the band knows Alicia Siiverstone), and Weezer’s “Sumnne” (they do Weezer better than Weezer does Weezer), and their encore version of “‘Material Girl” alone was worth the price of admission.
Michael Patrick dive, Minister of Silly Walks. photo
by Carol
Nishitoba
ultra-melodic with a tough, tight edge Cast
w/ Fleshpaint and Self Lee’s Pake Saturday, July 6 by Doena Kim special to Imprint
T
he past year has seen a number of great bands comeout ofthe UK. When the leading British music magazine&&t reviewed these up-andcoming bands, Cast was cited to be the most likely to succeed. They proved this with their debut album, All Change, that charted at #7 in the UK. As well, their singles “Finetime” and %lright” have consistently gone Top 20. The band was not put together haphmdy, as it luckily turned out. The line-up changed so much it was joked that there weren’t any more musicians in Liverpool to make up Cast. The .band has commented that the group consists of four equal parts - each one being just right for their part in the group. At the center of this four-piece pop sensation is front man and sole songwriter, John Power. Those who followed the popular Las a few years back might recognize him
as its former bass player. When the Las dissolved, Power became free to write the songs that he always wanted tb. Cast is the classicpop groupultra melodic but with a tough, tight edge to its tunes. They even have three-part Beatle-esque harmonies. Although like many British
Opening up were Fleshpaint and Self. Like many opening bands, Ottawa-born Fleshpaint seemed incongruous to the headlining band. A friend watching commentedonhowtheysounded very much like Malhavoc. The best testimony to this band may be that people were using their free CDs as coasters for drinks.
They were very lively and highlights included covers of “Sesame Street”and”BeatIt”andan~anis Morrissette-bashing version of “Ironic.” Without the dimming of lights that usually heralds the &rival of the band everyone has been waiting for, Cast took the stage with minimum flurry. They broke right into “‘Mankind” and, with the exception of one new song, they played most of their debut album one song after the other. The vibe of the crowd was warm but not rokking. It may have been due to the extremely long wait or the fact that it was a licensed show and the crowd were all of mature ages. They were receptive but not overly charged. The majority of the energy came from the band itseK They appeared to be very itito perform-
mg.
cast= a four-piece
pop sensation.
b&rds Cast is more popular in their homeland than in North America, their sold-out concert at Lee’s has shown that they have a loyal fan base in the Toronto area.
photo
by Ellen
Kim
Better received was the group Self. A smart move by the band was to set up life-size Star Wars cardboard figures on stage. Immediately, interest was piqued.
Bassist Peter Wilkinson never ceased to lope around; lead guitarist Liam “Skin” Tyson seemed very intent on his playing; John Power bobbed happily while stmmrning away and singing in his unmistakable clear voice the songs he obviously enjoyed singing; Keith CCMoonn O’Neil was
the resident insane pop star as be thrashed away while keeping a perma-open-mouthed wild expression on his face. The gig was very tight and professional, with one song easily slipping into the next and with quick instrument changes. After a few shouts to the sound engineer by Power to increase the volume on his mic, the sound of the band WaS excellent. It was CD quality and the bonus of the band’s enthusiasm improved the whole show. Crowd favourites such as 3andstorm,” Y3istoryJn “Finetime,” and “Alright” were greeted with spirited responses, But their final song, Two of a Kind,” was the best saved for last. The normally sedately crooning tune was extended and unexpeciedly turned into an epic number that .showcased each musician in a long and unforgettable instrumental set. It built up the crowd with its increasing feivour verging on going out ofcontXO1.
But they knew exactly what they
were
d&ng
and they
ieft the
staie, leaving a breathless crowd thg got a t&te of how good a band-can be when they &e talented but also love what they do.
IMPRINT,
Go Girl, Girl Go Crazy Qwru W Saturday, June 21
by Patrick Imprint
Wtis staff
500 PM rrived at Lee’s Palace, slightly drizzled. Shook in foyer and annoyed A, leather-clad goth guy and chainenhanced -girlf?iend. Wondered why the heck so many blacklipsticked teens were showing up to an indie rock show. Gave up a well-spent $5 for the show (most of which went to Voices for Positive Women, an Ontario support group for HIV+ women), a shatteringly stupid $2 for mandatory coat check, and did not pay the demanded $4.50 for a beer (thanks for supporting the cause, Opera House, but next
time,
29,
ARTS
Friday, July 26, 1996
Go Girl,
less ripoffs).
Trans Love hays dropped out at the last minute, so the show started an hour late. This allowed plenty of time to determine that the D J had been replaced by a tape loop, which played the same half dozen crappy songs over and over andoverandover... 4lnightlong. So fir, it hadn’t been a good night. But as the cliche goes, just when I thought things couldn’t possibly get worse.. . 6:30 PM . . . Pseudogod took the stage (thev accounted for the presence Af hHif the crowd, jud& from the number that left immediately afier their set). The NIN sticker on t-he,guitar should have been a warning sign. The vampire dress was interesting, their brand of industrial music less so, and the covers of Reznor’s Tishn md
Go Crazy
Cobain’s “Rape Me” were just pathetic. Some movement on stage would have been appreciated. A word to the band: just because Bela Lugosi’s dead doesn’t meanyou have to be.
ing in an easily understandabie 8:QOPM The name that had convinced melancholy. me to spend my five bucks was Sydney on Sundays. The quartet 9:30 PM ofhigh schoolers put out last year’s Clove are the kind of band Plizi~ und Simple, an unevenlywhose most immediate and strikproduced but lovely album that ing fame ‘is that of loudness; a 7:15 PM touches on jazz, pop, and standrespect for the subtleties behind Knockout Pill, fortunately, ardrockofvaryingdensities. Some the volume comes later, tier one’s were quite different, and much of their more complex songs, unears have adjusted. The band better. I pulled out of long-term fortunately, seemed too busy and (making the Girl Go Crazy quota memory storage the fact that Alt6o loose. Then again, everyone with a female singer/guitarist and berta has a brand ofcola known as has bad days, and when SOS were bassist) settled into a more meCcHappy Pop.” For a while, it together, theyworked beautifully. lodic sound by the end, but it was seemed to be a perfect way to *Music ranged from an ambient still awe-inspi@ngly loud. describe the Toronto band. instrumental (fittingly dedicated Actually, the volume is all I Then things got a trifle more to Orb), to the appealingly sac- can remember about Clove, other twisted, and the sound began to charine “Sunday Girl,” to the bulk than the fact that they were quite sm into a more ‘feedback-oriof their sound vein, something good. Pick up their new CD; find ented rock experiment, flipping lika the not-so-evil child of out what Pm missing. between ambient and grunge like Sianspherib and Swervedriver, the only two cards on an elechic lo:30 PM Rolodex. Just the thing to tie 8:50 PM The crowd was thin, but the one’s mind off the horrors of Asolowomanbythenameof time still early, as I reluctantly l& Pseudogod. It% Patrick faced the audience with in search of sheIter and food. Alonly an electric guitar. I couIdn% though I missed Sook Yin Lee & make out the lyrics, but it didn’t The Che~~j’I also missed some matter; I somehow knew what bands without &oying lead singshe was singing in her weary and ers, such as Sniear, Shuttlecocks, depressive-yet-absorbing voice. and headliners’ the I3 Girls. The set, at what seemed to be only All things *(even Pseudogod) five songs, was too short, but each considered, it was a good night Waterloo Drama Department song seemed to last forever, floatfor music. where she teaches courses in CL& lective Theatre, Improvisation, Playwriting and Drama in Education. Her most recent directing projects include Arthur Miller’s nc &u&!e, Michel Tremblafs La Betles Soem, and William Chadwick’s 3’;beB&z Show. She trains vocally with Anne Marie Donovan. She is the co-artistic director of the Waterloo Theatre Cornpany and is the community drama co-ordinator for the Prevention of Violence Against Women Drama Initiative, funded by the’ Ministry of Training and EducaANYWl-lERE,ANYTIME l F0R PEOPLEOR PARCELS tion. AIRPORT SERVICEl WST,COURlEOUS SERVICE This fall she will begin the Master of Fine Arts program in Performance Art at York University. Sarah Weber is an actor, singer, and teacher. During her undergraduate degree at the University ofWaterloo, she petiormed in uDusa, Fish, Stas and Vi,” “The Bacchae,n and”Macbeth.” She has performed at the University of Ottawa and in the King Rudolph production of Shakespeare’s Cymbahe. Sarah has most recently completed her Bachelor of Education at Queen’s University, and will be making the move to Toronto in pursuit of a singing career mder the tutelage of JoAnn Bentley. Currently she trains vocally with Anne Marie Dqnovan. JameyRosenisapianist. Since learning to improvise at .the
L’Amour; c’est la vie Dis-Moi des Mats dImour Jum Bud Cafe LIelw July 25-27 Tickets: $20 (includes light buffet & dessert) **very limited seating** Dcms open @ 8:30 PM Buffet @ 9 PM Show @ 10 PM
J
ane Bond cafe Deluxe, in conjunction with Feckless Productions, is very proud to host “Dis-Moi des Mats d’Arnour,” a musical cabaret- featuring two of the area’s most dynamic petiormem Darlene Spencer and Sarah Weber. The two-woman show, enjoying a limited run of only three nights (July 25-27) promises to
transport all to a time when reckless abandon, heady sensibility, and scheming machinations were order of the day. Drawing musical inspiration from a range of sources varying from Tom Waits and Wth Piaf to Meryn Cadell, you can certainly expect unique twists and turns on life’s favourite subject, love. If life is a cabaret, then “Dis-Moi des Mots d’Amour” should not be missed. Tickets for this fabulous event, on sale now, can be purchased at Jane Bond (5 Princess St. West) or call 8864689 for information. Background on the zwtists Darlene Spencer is an actor, director, singer, and teacher. She is a lecturer with the University of
Waterloo $
8864200
Interlocken
Centre
for
the Arts,
Jamey has been active in the music and theatre community of Toronto and K-W. He has been the musical director for several productions and ensembles, and is a founding member of Mental Floss, a sketch/improv group.
l
BUY
ADE e
Henhouse Blues by Peter Laardon Imprint st.aB
T
he release of the last two Hip albums have been much anticipated events here in Canada, with record stores opening at midnight on the day of the CD’s release so the band’s especially rabid fans can get their fix a little earlier. While I am a fan, I do n&t foam at the mouth or wave Canadian flags at concerts, so you can expect some objectivity here.
Right from the first few muffled notes of “Gift Shop,” Henhouse’s first track, you can hear the Hip’s distinctive sound. But it’s almost the same song as “Grace, Too,” the first track on Dqfor Night. A slow intro which crescendoes with a crashing drum beat and guitar riff. But however similar, it’s the strongest “old Hip” trackbn the album, more reminiscent of the sound of Fully Com~bti@. “Butts Wigglin’” could also
be heard on the soundtrack for the Kids in the Hall film, Braincandy. While not being a terrible song, the irretrievable kitsch of the line “In my opinion the drug is ready” ruins it for me because it is taken so directly from the plot of the movie. Gordon Downie, who now seems to have become the grand old man of Canadian rock, continues towrite lyricswithout tired old rock symbolism or nineties bullshit anti-hero banality. Johnny Fay’s drumming style has been rarefied to a spare, Doorsish beat that provides the backbone for almost all of the good songs on this or any Hip album. Hip haters, being as zealous as any drooling Hip fan, will not have their mind changed by this album. While the album contains some of that undefinable feel which normally makes the Hip’s blues-rock sound infinitely palatable, it is a little disappointing. I would have thought that the opportunity to make the aibum at their own pace, in their own studio, would have given the band the opportunity to experiment with their sound a little more. Trouble at the Henhtiuse could easily be tacked onto the end of Day@- Night without any noticeable change in style. The Tragically Hip continue to play the music they want to play, just as they have since their 198’7 debut. While other Canadian bands (read 54-40 or 13 Engines) imitate whatever style is popular south of the border, the Tragically Hip are still the best thing Canada doesn’t export.
WU StudentLife8uildint (CampusCentre- downstairsby the Bunk)- 884-9010 our other Location:146King St.West,Kitchener- 743-8315
by Peter Lenardon
Imprint staff
CrcJssrclads 2 has a lot of what you would expect from an Eric Clapton live collection. It’s a well-planned mixture of blues standards like “The Sky is Crying” and “Ramblin’ on My Mind,” along with Clapton originals. Albums like LayZa and -OtherAssorted Love Songs, 461 Ocean Boulevurd, Slowhand, and Backless are represented on a collection of live performances spanning four and a half years from early 1974 to the end of 1978. I Some tracks stand out either because they are unique renderings of old blues favourites, like “Driftin’ Blues,” or because of the soaring freedom of Clapton’s guitar work. Generally, the pace of the songs is quite relaxed, with plenty of time for Clapton to throw in some vocal embellishments and blues licks. This is as good as live blues gets. As is to be expected, I
by Greg Kiafchick Imprint staff I recall one time watching this year’s Brit awards with a dance music listener I know. After seeing band after band of poncey and arrogant Brit acts come to the podium, all to his derisive snorts, an >award came up for best dance single. When the nomination for Everything But the Girl’s “Missing” came up, this dance fan suddenly perked up, and said “Yeah! There’s a GOOIIband!” That self-indulgent slice of my life illustrates well the startling transformation EBTG have pulled off in the past year. Suddenly a band that went fromjazzy Smiths copyists to quasi-MOR artistes have become more hip and popular than they’ve ever remotely been before. This rejuvenation didn’tjust come out of nowhere, of course. Tracey Thorn’s brilliant collaboration with Massive Attack on theirProtectionalbum was the first sign that an album like Walking
every track is punctuated with a guitar solo of some kind, and Clapton’s performances will please any diehard fan. The solos range from slow, deliberate, and searching, to just plain searing stratocaster. This is solid live blues with the odd taste of reggae and country. But be forewarned. Only serious fans of improvisational 1
blues jams need inquire. “I Shot the Sheriff is a cool song, but ten minutes and twenty one seconds? “Eyesight to the Blind/ Why I&es Love Got to Be So Sad” is a very intense, congadrenched jam with Clapton and Carlos Santana trading licks, but twenty-four minutes? C’mon, I think a line is being crossed here between legitimate expression and naked phallocen tric guitar egoism. I was moved to remember why punk was invented, andwhywe should be glad it was. An essay by John McDermott is included in the box and briefly outlines Clapton’s early days before going on to provide a thorough outline of Clapton’s recording work and performances throughout the period. “Clapton is God” types probably know this sort of trivia already, but newer fans might find it informative. I would propose that this live collection would appeal to the subsection of blues fans that enjoys not only Eric Clapton’s form ofthe blues, but also the whole Allman Brothers genre ofjam music. As background music, it‘s sort of annoying with all of the soloing, but if you’ve got the requisite attention span, give Crossroads 2a try.
Waun&& would work. All that bursting emotion and white-girl soul turned out to suit trip-hop to a tee. And of course there was “Missing,” that monster clubshaking hit that increased EBTG’s fanbase by a factor of 5000 or so. With such success theirs at last, it would be easy to call this work gross opportunism, a cynical attempt to capitalize on a remix of a song. Fact is though, not only is Walking Wounded a surprisingly accomplished techno LP, after eight albums and fourteen years, it’s also their best. Ben Watt is hardly a new Goldie or Tricky, but his aptitude at the helm of a drum ‘n bass sequencer is more than passable, and even beautiful as on opener “Before Today.” Even so, the best moments come when EBTG collaborate with true experts of the genre. The title track is the most striking example, a elegiac sweep of drum ‘n bass overtop stately strings, written by jungle artists Spring Heel Jack. “Flipside” and “Single” are both triphoppy, the former programmed by Howie B. and featuring Tracey performing a smooth piece of spoken word sing-song, the latter more in the
vein of Portishead. There are even a couple of nods to those lost days of acoustic guitar-“The Heart Remains a Child” and “Mirrorball” -but even these slight MOR tinged numbers make more sense within the context of the album. If there’s one criticism to make of techno, and jungle in particular, it’s that it can be too harshly mechanical, lacking any humanity. In this case, though, the emotive white-soul vocals of dear 01’ Tracey not only beef up the slightly pedestrian Ben Watt tracks, but lift musical compositions like the title track and the remix of “Wrong” to stratospheric heights. For someone who’s gone out with the same guy for, like, ever, she has perennially been incredible at articulating the thrill of love found and the, agony of its loss. For too long she has been underrated as a vocalist. This album may see her get her due. If you’re thinking this will be a mindless
dmcefcst
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bum, you are sorely mistaken. WaZking Wounded treads a perilously fine line between quiet coffee-table soul and club friendly dance, and the band deserves all the success that will hopefully come their way.
IMPRINT,
Friday, July 26, 1996
by Chris Edginton Imprint St& I clearly remember the day J.F.K got shot. I was standing on the street with Mr. Dressup to my left and John Coltrane to my right; each of them had a snow cone in their hand. When we heard the shot and saw the vialence that erupted, we sat down to avoid getting hit; John screamed for me and Dressup yelled for Casey. The cones fell to the ground and my CD player stopped; the dream was over. For an all-natural, out-ofbody experience, I highly recommend this debut from Legion Of Green Men. Based in Burlington Ontario, Legion consists only of Alexander Addicus and Rupert J. Lloyd. All thirteen tracks were writ-
by Wayne Jeties special to Imprint The only time that I had ever heard of this band was with their catchy single “Back for Good.” I was surprised, then, to see that (hey had released 3 greatest hits compilation. After further research I discovered that these guys had been quite a success story in their native UK and the rest ofEurope for a few years, but ‘had just recently broken up. I programmed my CD player to play the songs in reverse order in order to get a picture of the group’s progress throughout the years. I then realized why they probablydidn’tachievethesame Fdrne in North America in their early years. Their style of’pop w*a.s
by Patrick Imprint
Wilkins staff
Bystander releases debut CD. CD has tidal wave on the cover. CD is called VVzetted. Talk about leaving the door wide open for nasty pun-positive indie reviewer insults. “Bystander is all washed up,” “Bystander takes a dive,” “Buy this album and be prepared for a soaking,” etc. So easy, so, so easy.
ten and performed by Addicus and Lloyd with a tight interplay between sample and instrument. Spalial Spec@ makes full use of today’s technology, with the two green men producing sounds (their own or othetise) that drift and soar high above one’s brain. The music is certainly ‘trance,’ withsongs that aren’t really heavy on the bass but are full of repetitious lines. Spatial Spec$c takes your head and shakes it up for fifty minutes; it’s a nice break from consciousness.
already attempted here by a little Massachusetts group called New Kids on the Block, or NKOTB. Yes, their early work is nothing more than 3 European version orNew Kids with their teenybopper lyrics and dance beats that would make even the most hardcore dance fan sick to their stomach. If you like New Kids, then you will love early TakeThat. The only thing that separates Take That from NKOTB is the fact that as they got older their music maturedwith them. There was real potential for a grown up Take That with the more tasteful “BackFor Good” being their first single since coming out of the New Kids closet, so to speak. They then reIeased “Never Forget,” a song which coincided with the departure of band member Robbie Williams, The song has served as an anthem for Take That fans, especially since the breakup that followed the release Add another helpless band to the bodycount of my personal vendetta against all indie music in Canada. Sorry. Topic at hand: Bystander’s debut bI%.etted. Easy pun, man, easy pun. Go for the kill,.. I’d love to, but there’s one problemthis album’s g-ood. Really smooth, really professional, really heavy. Really frickin’ cool. That might be a big wave on the cover, but nothing’s going to knock these guys over. Sure as heck would take the casual listener by surprise, though. Punch out. Five seconds of absurdity. Cut, quickly, to first single “Naturally Happy2 don’t really so-f fld all that happy, Tophe. (Ri Tophe, for those as -kndert:d, is their yet unB7 frontman extraordinaire, and former kingpin of now-defunct Malibu Stacey.) Mr. Tophe sings. He sings “I’m always wired...” No shit? Kidethewave,feelthepain... Eardrum pain, that is, Bystander,
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by Greg Picken Imprint staff Way back in early 1993, The Ongoing Histoq of Nm Music began broadcasting on then-CFNY on Sunday nights. Since then, it has expanded its format to include daily spots every few hours and the eventual release of the Akwnative Music Ahmnac. They have now taken the next logical step by releasing the first volume in what will likely be a long series of compilations: The OngoingHistory of N&u Music - Volume 1, V&me I covers the New Wave stars and one-hit wonders of that beautiful period known as the early eighties. The greatest compliment that can be paid to this CD is that it is extremely thorough. Sure, there are some notable exclusions that may be ques-
of “How Deep Is Your Love,” a well-done cover of the classic BeeCees tune. With the ever-improving singing and songwriting talents of lead vocalist Gary Barlow, this band had real potential to make their mark as a legitimate popular music band, but broke up before that potential could be realized. Now we are only left with the legacy of a promising band that peaked too young, too soon.
live, is the sonic equivalent of operating a jackhammer on a busy airport tarmac. Shove the regulation Bystander earplugs (available in the stylish Bystander “PropagandaPack”) deepwithin your aural cavities and take it like a fan. Tophe screams. Tophe murmurs. Tophe even sings, occasionally, and sings in psychotic lullaby. Tophe even raps briefly, and it actually wmh. Ofcourse, one would expect a professional package from such an experienced songwriter; the band’s “Indie Front” electronic ‘zine has been dispensing indie wisdom for years (reach the man at cdelia@watarts.uwaterloo.ca for more info), and foremost indie conventional wisdom should be “Don’twasteyourcash putting out an album that sucks.” (Second place goes to “Don’t choose a name that the producers of the Simpsons will sue you for.“) Disc’s over. Time to return to reality.. .
tioned, such as the lack of New Order or the Pet Shop Boys, but there’s enough good stuff to make up for that. Let’s see, we’ve got “Senses Working Overtime,” from XTC, my favorite track, as well as “The Whole of the Moon” by the Bush’s Waterboys, Kate “Wuthering Heights,” “Ship of Fools” by World Party and tasty little tidbits from Duran Duran, TalkTalk and Stephen “Tin Tin” Duffy, the poor guy who quit Duran Duran before they hit it big. Now, I’ll admit my tastes in music in the earlier part of the last decade didn’t really include New Wave (I was under ten for the better part of it, and really, what do ten year olds know about music?), but hey, things change. Anyone who was into these groups back then probably already has most of these songs on vinyl already, but Alan Cross’s liner notes are entertaining enough to make this CD worth the purchase.
by Scott Draper Imprint staff Altan is one of the bigger names in traditional Irish music today-in 1994, theywere named the “Best Traditional Act” at Ireland’s National Entertainment Awards. Bluclzwatt~ is the band’s fifth collection since their beginnings in 1983. This collection is a nice mix ofjigs, reels, hornpipes, and songs sung in Gaelic. Lead vocalist Ma&ad Ni Mhaonaigh’s voice is hauntingly beautiful and unique. Although the songs are sung in Gaelic, translations of the lyrics are included. “T5 Me ‘MO Shui (I am awake)” is about a lovesick man and his painful yearnings for his sweetheart. His pain is felt in lyrics such as “My soul is en-
What stands as the real upshot to this CD comes from the name. Apparently, this is only volume one. Since there is a whole lot of alternative music available for future volumes, this stands to be a very popular collection. However, it will be interesting to see what approach they take with the next one. Given the very English nature of this CD as well as the very B&pop Spitit of the Edge - Volume 2, the Edge isn’t doing a hell of a lot to rebuff the thought that the Edge really doesn’t like anything but Britpop. They could start to correct this problem by taking a somewhat more North American look at alternative music, say R.E.M., Jane’s Addiction, the Violent Femmes and the Talking Heads, just for starters. Regardless of what happens with ensuing volumes, the Edge and Alan Cross deserve to be congratulated for amassing 15 tracks of topnotch new uave memories.
thralled with your mouth, your face and your brow/ For your sparkling blue eyes I abandoned contentment and glee/ Due to longing for you, I’m unable to travel the way/ 0 Friend of my bosom, the hills come betweerl you and me.” Other songs such as “St&-, A Stbr,” “A Ghti” and “The Curly Molly Nee Chullinan” are also about lost loves. “Blackwaterside” isdifferent from man); traditional ballads because it is written from a woman’s point ofview. The song credits range from Mairead’s father to a traveller from County Wexford. Another strength of the album is the dual fiddling of Mairead and Ciaran Tourish. The swirling melodies they create are backed up by Dermot Byrne on accordion, Daithi Sproule on guitar, and Ciaran Cur-ran on the bouzouki. If you like to listen to the Pogues or Spirit of the West, you might also enjoy Blackwater.
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