The Scope issue 106 by The Scope

ALREADY GOT THE COOLER PACKED, BY’S

thescope S

’

COVER ART

ISSUE 106, VOL 5, NUM 10, MAY 20-JUN 3, ‘10 E-mail: inbox@thescope.ca Online: www.thescope.ca Listings: listings@thescope.ca Mail: The Scope PO Box 1044, St. John’s, NL, A1C 5M3 Phone: 709-726-8466 Ad sales: 709-693-5028 Fax: 709-726-7682 Publisher/Listings Editor/Distro Manager: Bryhanna Greenough (publisher@thescope.ca) Editor: Elling Lien (editor@thescope.ca) Advertising Diva: Lesley Marie Reade (sales@thescope.ca) Copy Editors: Sarah Smellie and Bryhanna Greenough Distribution team: Barry Ross, R.N. Wagner, Rachel Harding, Robert French, Gary Tilley, and Gary Sexton Bottom Line Editor: Adam Clarke Contributing Writers: Adam Clarke, Andreae Callanan, Martin Connelly, Kerri Breen, Jillian Butler, and Bryhanna Greenough Contributing Illustrators: Ricky King, Andrew Wickens and Elling Lien. Also contributing: Rob Brezsny. The Scope is St. John’s arts and entertainment newspaper, published by Scope Media Inc. 14,000 copies of The Scope are printed fortnightly and distributed throughout the metro area. The Scope seeks to publish a newspaper that will entertain, inform, and foster cultural development in the St. John’s metropolitan area. The Scope claims absolutely no responsibility for the non-existence of spring in St. John’s, nor for the tomfoolery you get up to on the May 2-4 weekend in an effort to exorcize your winter demons. Free issues of The Scope are limited to one copy per reader. All rights reserved. © 2010 Proudly independent and locally owned. Founded in 2006.

Cover photo of cyclist Matt Reynolds by Eliot Wright. Read about Reynolds’ Bike the Street program on page 7.

BACKFEED

COMMENTS FROM THESCOPE.CA

Downtown casino? The realtor handling the sale of the Battery Hotel, Colliers International, is suggesting the hotel could be redeveloped into a casino. Here’s what people said in our comments section... Comment by RS: A casino would have a negative effect on small clubs that rely on VLT revenue. Besides that, I don’t know why we shouldn’t have one. Comment by Dana: The province is already on shaky moral ground with the VLTs. If they put in a casino, they’d better be prepared to dedicate most of the revenue to hiring more addictions counselors, debt counselors, and social workers... Comment by Jordan: New Brunswick just opened a casino in Moncton last week, which left Newfoundland and Labrador the

only province without a casino. Comment by L Roche: A casino between a National Historic Site and the battery is not exactly an acceptable location. Comment by Dave Lane: Casinos worry me. Aren’t we trying to slowly get rid of VLTs? Gambling addiction is terrible, and we’re not exactly a huge city, so A) there’s relatively minimal support for addiction and B) I’m not sure we have the population to support a casino anyway (so tourist would have to fill the void, and I’d rather they visit our local shops and outports). Comment by Will: Casinos do not create wealth, they only transfer it from one set of hands to another set... The house always wins in the long run. Join the fray online at thescope.ca/wha

MAY 20 - JUNE 3, 2010

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STOREFRONT 7 Lemarchant Rd

2 1 6 W AT E R S T R E E T

HAVA MOCHA

local business news by martin connelly

TUNE UP SPECIAL $30

709 738 6222 Open Mon – Fri 12 – 6 Sat 10 – 5 • Sun Closed

www.cychoticbikes.com

New kid on the block, Flowerchild

It’s all

about baby

Every year around this time, I start to notice all the babies. Perhaps it’s just that everyone is spending more time outside (not just rushing from door to car, cowering in the sleet), or maybe it’s that all of the kids born throughout the winter suddenly make their appearance en masse. Either way, this week I had babies on my mind. And I don’t think it’s just me. In the last year, two new stores (Flowerchild and Gingersnap) geared towards children, parents, and those in need gifts have opened up downtown, and by all accounts, business is good. As the newest kid on the block, Flowerchild (100 Duckworth Street) seemed like a good place to start. It’s owned by the same couple that owns Hempware, and while it has it’s own branding, it’s really more of an extension of that store. Co-owner Nycki Temple-Delisle told me they’d always carried kids stuff in the older store, and when the space opened up it just seemed like the obvious direction to go. “We’ve been watching more and more people spend money on their children,” she told me. Flowerchild sells a lot of clothes, and, if the name didn’t give it away, there’s an emphasis on recycled, renewable, and local products—eco chic for kids. There are some small toys, some locally-made dolls, and some cooperative Nepalese imports. There aren’t many places to buy toys that used to be milk jugs in St. John’s. “We want to be there for the local people,” says Temple-Delisle. Clientele is mostly the same as Hempware, but Temple-Delisle said she’s been getting more men than expected: Mostly dads, but also young guys trying to be the cool uncle, she says. Janet Murphy, who’s co-owned Gingersnap (202 Water) for just over a year also sees her store in a community context: “It’s a place for parents and kids,” she emphasizes. Inspired by FAO Shwartz and Mastermind, Murphy wanted to

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MAY 20 - JUNE 3, 2010

open a store where kids could play with the toys, and parents wouldn’t have to worry every second. The aisles in Gingersnap are purposely wide to accommodate strollers, and Murphy points to a comfortable armchair towards the back as a space where a lot of nursing mothers come for a break. “It’s a lot better than whipping it out at Tim Horton’s,” she laughs. “And they know that there isn’t an expectation they need to buy anything. She sells some clothes (old school punk branded onesies) but it’s mostly a toy store, and Murphy takes a lot of pride in her selection. “I really cherry pick the selection,” she told me. “I don’t like carrying big brands, and I’ve been able to find a lot of Canadian-made stuff—which wasn’t necessarily the goal, but it’s really exciting to be able to offer.” How about the competition? “The more the merrier,” says Murphy. “People like to shop around, and I don’t think you can have a viable downtown without shops catering to parents and children.” Further afield you can find Coo Chi Coo (655 Topsail Road) whose best seller is jogging strollers, and Bellies and Bundles Maternity and Baby Boutique (286 Torbay Road) whose opening we covered in February. So how are all these stores doing? Just fine apparently. They’re all playing on the same field, but they’ve all got something that sets them apart. Murphy says she gets customers referred by other stores, and she returns the favor if someone asks about a product she doesn’t carry. High and growing demand is a big part of the kid store growth spurt, but it seems they also provide a kind of specialized social space. Sure, if the weather were better and there was a playground downtown, things might be different, but for now, these shops are where it’s at. Comment online at

thescope.ca/storefront

NEWS

Backpedaling

Rock House The

Got an opinion? Need to vent? We want to hear from you. Submit your anonymous accusation or confession at thescope.ca/rant. Submissions may be edited for length, grammar, spelling, legal, or obscenity reasons. One submission will be printed each fortnight, but more submissions to Rant Farm can be found at thescope.ca/rant.

I have been searching for a construction job now for three years. I graduated from the heavy equipment program in 2008; could not find a job. Went back to school this year and graduated from the transport truck program; still no luck finding a job. I’m a 20 year old female working in a man’s world. I can operate as well as any man, but men automatically stereotype me as a bad driver because of my gender. I have tried using a male name on my resume and found that I actually get call back, but the phone calls all come to an end as soon as they hear my voice. Being a 20 year old female—something I have zero control over—is preventing me from getting an operating job here in Newfoundland. — Anonymous

on George Street

L I V E

B A N D S

FRI MAY 28 & SAT MAY 29

SHANNEYGANOCK LIVE DVD RECORDING

TICKETS: WWW.ADMISSION.COM

RICKY KING

from them.” As for why it was approved by the city in the first place, King says it’s a matter of trust. “You have to rely on the consultant and the work they do,” he explains. “But, yeah, I have been questioning myself, maybe I should have been more diligent.” Hatch Mott MacDonald have offices all over North America. John Leonard, Senior Project Manager at the St. John’s office, says he was entirely unaware that there were any problems with their master plan. “I don’t know anything about it,” he says. “It’s surprising to me that they would find any problems with it.” “I do know that they got another engineering firm to do the implementation,” he continues. “We bid on that job as well, but we didn’t get it.” So maybe these stalls and mishaps are common when one party makes the plans and another party carries them out? “No,” says King, firmly. Delphi-MRC have since selected and assessed new routes. Many of them are residential, and stand to lose parking on one side in order to make room for the bike lanes. Residents on these streets have yet to be notified about the situation, hence the need for another round of public consultation and council Much of the City of St. John’s Cycling Plan has been sent scrutiny. As for the Virginia River Trail back to the drawing board. plans, they’re back at the designing stage. by Sarah Smellie “It’s not going to change too much,” says King, “and it should plan. stay on budget. It’s looking like we t’s a good thing cyclists Consulting firm Hatch Mott might be able to do a bit more with are required to wear MacDonald drew up the original it, actually.” document. A different firm, Halifaxhelmets, because These changes, too, will have based Delphi-MRC, were hired on to go back through the public the latest conflict in to implement it. Before they began, consultation and council approval the ongoing saga of Delphi-MRC did a risk assessment process. To add even more pressure, of the plan, focusing on traffic if the work on the Virginia River the City of St. John’s volume and speed. Their research Trail isn’t completed by the end of Cycling Plan is likely to showed that many of the plan’s the year, they’ll lose the cash set proposed routes weren’t actually have them banging their aside in the budget for the purpose. safe enough to accommodate bike “Public information sessions heads against a wall in lanes. and consultation frustration. They sought a will likely happen second opinion, over a three-day Things were looking pretty good. that second period in early Their research showed After an initially chilly reception opinion agreed, June, where we’ll that many of the plan’s discuss the parking from the Grand Concourse and then they Authority, whose trails were a approached the proposed routes weren’t affected by the on key component of the plan, and city with their safe enough to accommo- road bike lanes an excruciating wait for funding findings. and the Virginia to arrive from the federallydate bike lanes. “There were a River Trail. And and provincially-sponsored lot of problems hopefully it will all Newfoundland and Labrador Green because of the go smoothly.” Fund, phase one of the cycling traffic speed and The city paid plan was approved and ready to go. volumes on some Hatch Mott Phase one was to create two main routes,” confirms Robin King, the MacDonald $50,000 to design the corridors out of the downtown; city’s Transportation Engineer. first cycling plan. King points out one through the university, and “The bottom line is that we can’t that there was still a good chunk out through to Cowan Heights, and use the network that [Hatch Mott of useful information in it: “The one out the East End and onto the MacDonald] proposed. But we’re feasibility study for the Grand Virginia River Trail. This was to be glad that we caught the problems.” Concourse Authority, for example.” done with painted bike lanes, and King isn’t sure why the Hatch Despite the setbacks, King signage designating certain roads as Mott MacDonald plan didn’t pick remains confident that we’ll have an cycling routes. up on these issues. “The criteria impressive system of bike routes by But something happened. for their risk assessment are here, the end of the summer, as originally Because of what the city is calling on page 34 of the Cycling Master projected. It won’t be as large as he safety oversights in the original Plan, and traffic volume is there,” would like. But, as he points out, it’ll plan, many of those routes had to he says. “It could very well be that be a lot more than we have now. be pared down and changed. The their thresholds [for safety] were “You just have to stay positive,” he plans for the Virginia River Trail different. But there are routes says. “If you start getting negative, are also going back to the drawing in here, like Torbay Road, with nothing will get done.” board. This spells more planning, horrendous volumes.” more paperwork, more public “I’ve asked them about it,” he Comment online at consultation sessions, and more says, “but I haven’t gotten an delay for the much-beleaguered answer. I’ve had no official response thescope.ca

/news

MAY 20 - JUNE 3, 2010

thescope 5

ONDISPLAY

is more camaraderie. There isn’t always a competition, and they kind of share and take care of themselves. I see all that in Third World countries. But it’s the Third World embracing our trajectory and capitalism and consumer wealth and dependence—that, to me, is the greatest concern. I mean, we could dial back a bit what we’re doing, although we’re not doing a good job of that. But it’s a question of whether, as they dial up, we can be along their side and help them dial up without dialing us into oblivion. Because there’s no way that the whole population, as it grows to nine billion, can actually lead a life like we have here and actually have a planet left. So the trajectory is bleak, unless some major changes of attitude and expectation are challenged. And you see that happening? Well at least it’s being talked about. At least in the media it’s now part of a discussion. I remember in 2005, 2004, a lot of us were sitting around tables going, “Why isn’t anyone talking about this, why isn’t this front page news?” versus not even making it to the back page. But now it’s hitting the front page, and I think that’s encouraging. But I don’t think people quite understand the degree of what has to happen to try to contain this problem.

Recycling #23, AMARC #5, Photograph (c) Edward Burtynsky, courtesy Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto & Hasted Hunt Kraeutler, New York.

“Make sure they put that valve on.” On Day 20 of the ongoing BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Chevron Canada began work on what will be the deepest oil well ever drilled in Canada, about 430 kilometers Northeast of St. John’s in the Orphan Basin. On Day 24 of the ongoing BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, The Canadian premier of Oil, a collection of sobering large-scale photographs taken by renowned Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky, opened at The Rooms. The pictures are an accumulation of over a decade’s worth of work, research and travel, and they explore our unending greediness for the precious black stuff. And they do so with all the kindness and forgiveness of a swift punch in the face. From aerial shots of the smoking Alberta tar sands to ragged Azerbaijan fields dotted with forgotten derricks and lurching pools of sludge, the pictures are brutal and horrifying and beautiful all at once. The show is premiering here for exactly the reason you might expect: this province is about to get its hands very dirty in the big oil business, and Oil succintly conveys everything that entails, right down to what we’re left with after it’s all gone.

Sarah Smellie sits down with Edward Burtynsky to talk about Oil, oil, and some advice for Danny Williams.

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MAY 20 - JUNE 3, 2010

So, you’ve been doing this for a long time and you’ve seen a some of the worst that we, as a species, have to offer. But you’re also on the board of Worldchanging.org and are active in sustainability and long-term thinking movements, like the Long Now Foundation. How do you stay hopeful? Well, I think that once human beings recognize a problem, they’re actually pretty good problem solvers. Although this one is pretty formidable, in terms of just the sheer numbers that we’re talking about. And also it’s formidable when you start looking at China and India and their embrace of all things Western, in particular consumer culture and looking for happiness in material wealth. In many ways, their contentment often came from the societal and familial relationships that sustained them, and their footprints were very low. One can say many were poor, though not necessarily unhappy—I think there’s a misconception that we have in the West that if you’re poor then you’re unhappy. I’ve seen a lot more poor people happier than a lot of the rich people on this side of the world. I think it’s in that world that there

What do you think of the coverage so far of the BP oil spill? Do you think the coverage and the reaction has been proportional to the severity of the situation? Well, I was just there, photographing it. I talked to a lot of the people who were covering it since it started—people who were trying to photograph it, reporters, people who were in New Orleans—so I did canvass a bunch of opinions. I was left with a lot more questions than answers. I think there are just a lot of unknowns. What I did notice was that there was an incredibly massive PR machine at work there, trying to contain the whole perception of it, and the severity of it. There are a lot of questions about the degree of the damage, like when you’re up in the plane, you can’t see it. A lot of it is under the water. Now, is that a particular type of oil? Is that because they’re using this dispersant on a huge scale that no one’s ever used it on before? There are stories that they’re injecting the dispersant way down underneath, where they can get at these globules before they even get up onto the surface. Some of this is not verifiable, because at ground zero, you can fly three thousand feet above it, but they’re keeping a lot of the media away. So media are in the high zone. The three thousand foot ceiling is massive, it’s hundreds of square miles. You can fly lower on the very perimeter, but there’s almost nothing going on there. So there are a lot of questions about what’s going on and how much is verifiable or not. The truth will be outed, I believe. Maybe. But it may actually start to slip away from consciousness if the visuals don’t come. They’ve proven

that if the visuals aren’t there, then people forget about it. But there’s still that much oil hitting the Gulf of Mexico, and whether it’s ending up on the sea floor or somewhere else, you know you can’t have that much oil in a natural body of water and not expect some severe consequences. Unlike the Exxon Valdez spill, where there weren’t hundreds of thousands of people dependent on work along those shorelines. A third of the seafood and fish for the United States of America comes from the Gulf of Mexico. So, it’s one of the richest seafood producers that the world has, and the whole thing’s up for grabs right now. No one knows what is going to happen. Newfoundland is apparently on the verge of boundless offshore oil riches. What would you say to Danny Williams if he were to walk in here right now? Well, I’m not so naive to say that... I mean, if it’s there and it’s economically viable, there’s still going to be a demand for it. You can’t flip a switch on this. You can start to slowly slipstream one alternative energy source for another over time, but there’s no possibility of a sudden truncation. So the need for oil is still going to continue. There’s a huge lobby group from the oil industry that went after the minerals department in America and fought to not have to put on these half a million dollar safety shut-off valves. But they would never let deep sea wells run without them in the North Sea for instance. BP has to use these shut-offs, anyone operating in the North Sea has to use them. But, somehow, they come to America and they’re able to lobby their way out of this half a million dollar thing. And I think they wish they hadn’t, because this is going to cost them billions, and half a million looks like chump change right now. Five hundred thousand dollars. They spent twenty-five million dollars to remove that piece of equipment and save five hundred thousand dollars per well. Well, that was pretty dumb. [laughs] So, I think I’d say to Danny, “Make sure they put that valve on. Make ‘em pay that half a million.”

Edward Burtynsky. Photo by Sarah Smellie.

MUSIC

SATURDAY

MAY 22

Submit your show information by e-mail to listings@thescope.ca or click “Submit a Listing” online at thescope.ca. Event listings are free, and hi-res photos are welcome and encouraged. Listings deadline for our next print edition is 5pm Sunday, May 30th.

THURSDAY

MAY 20 CARL PETERS & BOB TAYLOR (7pm), Middle Tickle (11pm), Shamrock City Pub CRAIG YOUNG (solo acoustic) no cover, Fat Cat Blues Bar DAVE PANTING, Erin’s Pub DES GAMBIN, 7pm, West Side Charlie’sKenmount Rd DJ BIG FRANK, Konfusion DJ MARK POWER, 11pm, Martini Bar DJ NU ROCK, The Breezeway DOWNSTAIRS MIX UP, Hosted by Steve Abbott, CBTGs FERGUS O’BYRNE (7pm); Acoustic Punters (10:30pm), O’Reilly’s Irish Pub JERRY STAMP, Andrew O’Brien, Ben Gerrior, no cover, Bull & Barrel NIGHT MUSIC (Sound Symposium) with anchor band King Pierson’s Bridge. Improvisers welcome, 9:30pm, $4, The Ship STIXX & STONES, The Dock THE EARLY SHOW: Andrew O’Brien, Cody Westman, 9pm, no cover, Rose & Thistle THIRSTY THURSDAYS: DJ JayCee, Turkey Joe’s UNLISTED, Green Sleeves Pub

FRIDAY

MAY 21

MONDAY

MAY 24

BARCODE (classic rock) Trapper John’s Pub ANTHONY MACDONALD & RONNIE POWER, 10pm, Shamrock City Pub DARRELL COOPER BAND, Fat Cat Blues Bar DAMIAN FOLLETT, Green Sleeves Pub DAVE PANTING (5pm); Bob Taylor, Carl Peters & Pat Moran (8pm); Greeley’s Reel (11pm), LARRY FOLEY & PATRICK MORAN, 9pm, Shamrock City Pub O’Reilly’s Irish Pub DJ BIG FRANK, Konfusion DJ MIKEY B, Steve Murray, Electro, Liquid Nightclub JUSTIN FANCY, Leanne Kean, Steve Oakley, Green Sleeves Pub MERCY THE SEXTON (pop), The Monday CARL PETERS & DAVE WHITE, Turkey Joe’s Nights (folk rock), Maggie Meyer, The Ship CHRIS HENNESSEY (5pm); Larry Foley & Rob MISSCONDUCT, 10pm, Martini Bar Cook, 12am, O’Reilly’s Irish Pub ROB COOK (4:30pm);Fergus O’Byrne (8pm); CONNEMARA, 10pm, Shamrock City Pub Acoustic Punters (11:30pm), O’Reilly’s Irish Pub DAMIAN FOLLETT, Green Sleeves Pub SEXUAL SATURDAYS: DJ JayCee, Turkey Joe’s DT, Mast & Friends, CBTGs SONS OF ERIN, Erin’s Pub SHAWN BERESFORD (solo acoustic) no STEVE EDWARDS,Trinity Pub cover, Fat Cat Blues Bar TEXAS CHAINSAW: Wild Women & THE GAMBIN BROTHERS (acoustic Wounded Men Part II: Avalon Girls duo) no cover, 10pm, Martini Bar OST M E H T Don’t Cry. Featuring Adrian Collins, D IN F E Ian Cornelissen, Sandy May, Alex UP-TO-DGAST Cornick, Steve Pike, Daniel Banoub, LISTIN AT Lee Hanlon, Mara Pellerin, Kathryn NLINE a O Banoub, Riaz Charania, CBTGs thescope.c VJ ERIC, DJ Fabian, 11pm, $5/$7 after 1:30pm, Zone 216 BLACKIE O’LEARY (7pm); The Naviga-

TUESDAY

Acoustic Punters (11:30pm), O’Reilly’s Irish Pub COL CRAZE & THE HUNCH (rock) CBTGs D’ARCY BRODERICK & RON KELLY (5pm); Barry Kenny & Glen Harvey (8pm); Greeley’s Reel (11pm), Shamrock City Pub DARRELL COOPER BAND, Fat Cat Blues Bar DES GAMBIN; JUSTIN FANCY, Leanne Kean & Steve Oakley, Green Sleeves Pub DR DRAKE, Liquid Nightclub DJ SINA, $5, Loft 709 FILTHY FRIDAYS: DJ JayCee, Turkey Joe’s GOOD LUCK IN NEW YORK: A going away party for Matt Power, $5, Grumpy’s GRAMERCY RIFFS (It’s Heartbreak CD release), Mathew Hornell & The Diamond Minds (folk), Mark Bragg (solo), 10pm, $10, Rock House JADE, Darnell’s Pub JAKE NICOLL (CD release of Wild Machines) 10pm, 65 Prescott St KID CUE, DJ Alligator, Taner Churchill, $5, Spin KILL THE SHEPHERD (hardcore), Aphelia, Release The Hounds (hardcore), The Levee MISSCONDUCT, 10pm, Martini Bar MR STR8CAMLUBE PAGEANT: Any guy can enter the contest’s three stages which include Q&A, talent show and best chest. Music by DJ Fabian, Zone 216 PEACE BE THE JOURNEY (Down Syndrome fundraiser) DJ Leo Van Ulden, Mark Power, Dr Drake, 10pm, $5, Junctions SELINA BOLAND, 10:30pm, Trinity Pub SONS OF ERIN, Erin’s Pub

MAY 25

WEDNESDAY

MAY 26

SUNDAY

MAY 23 CHRIS HENESSEY (7pm); Con & Arthur O’Brien (10pm), Shamrock City Pub GREG BOLGER, Green Sleeves Pub MIKE HANRAHAN, Irish Session, Bridie Molloy’s OLD SCHOOL SUNDAY: Ladies night with DJ Lex, Turkey Joe’s SONG SESSION, O’Reilly’s Irish Pub

tors (10pm), Shamrock City Pub CHRIS HENNESSEY (7pm); Con O’Brien & Duncan Cameron (10:30pm), O’Reilly’s Irish Pub DAVE WHITE, 10pm, Turkey Joe’s EPIC WEDNESDAYS: Adam Baxter, 10pm, $5, Distortion FOLK NIGHT: Christina Smith & Jean Hewson, 9:30pm, $5, The Ship JOE BELLY JAM, CBTGs KRONIK, Green Sleeves Pub STIXX & STONES, 10pm, no cover, Martini Bar

THURSDAY

MAY 27

3’S A CROWD, 9:30pm, no cover, Players Cue CHRIS HENNESSEY (5pm); Bill Kelly (8pm),

CARL PETERS & BOB TAYLOR (7pm), Middle Tickle (11pm), Shamrock City Pub

CRAIG YOUNG (solo acoustic) no cover, Fat Cat Blues Bar DAVE PANTING, Erin’s Pub DES GAMBIN, 7pm, West Side Charlie’sKenmount Rd DJ BIG FRANK, Konfusion DJ MARK POWER, 11pm, Martini Bar DJ NU ROCK, The Breezeway DOWNSTAIRS MIX UP, Hosted by Steve Abbott, CBTGs FERGUS O’BYRNE (7pm); Acoustic Punters (10:30pm), O’Reilly’s Irish Pub JERRY STAMP, Greg King, midnight, no cover, Bull & Barrel STIXX & STONES, The Dock THE EARLY SHOW: Sean Panting, Colin Harris, 9pm, no cover, Rose & Thistle THIRSTY THURSDAYS: DJ JayCee, Turkey Joe’s UNLISTED, Green Sleeves Pub

FRIDAY

MAY 28 ANDREW LEDREW & ROBERT KELLY, Erin’s Pub BAYTOWN CONNECTION (beach rock), Quiet Elephant (indie pop), Adam Baxter & Friends, The Ship CHRIS HENNESSEY (5pm); Bill Kelly (8pm), Achora (11:30pm), O’Reilly’s Irish Pub CHRIS KIRBY & THE MARQUEE, Fat Cat Blues Bar D’ARCY BRODERICK & RON KELLY (5pm); Barry Kenny & Glen Harvey (8pm); Kilkenny Krew (11pm), Shamrock City Pub DAMIAN FOLLETT, Greg Bolger, Green Sleeves Pub DAVE WALSH, 10:30pm, Trinity Pub DJ FABIAN, no cover, 11am, Zone 216 DJ SINA, Konfusion DR DRAKE, Liquid Nightclub FILTHY FRIDAYS: DJ JayCee, Turkey Joe’s FLOODS (CD release & last show) AE Bridger (psychedelic rock), The Crooks (rock), $5, CBTGs NAVAL ROADSHOW: Stadacona Band, Holy

fair trade recycled materials biodegradable substances

175 water street. st john’s, nl 709 722 6004 monday - saturday 10-6 sunday 12-5

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Cat’

we’re not sure either

OH MY GOD did you know THE NEW MISS USA IS MUSLIM!!!!!!???

i had no idea they wore bikinis under those robe things!!!!!!!!!!

The bikini and the burqa both serve to reduce women from a person to an object

feel the pull of the swirling vortex!!!!!!!

f MAY 20 - JUNE 3, 2010

thescope 7

Heart Auditorium REG HOUSE, 9:30pm, no cover, Players Cue SHANNEYGANOCK (live DVD recording) Rock House THE VIBE, 10pm, Martini Bar YYT, Darnell’s Pub

SATURDAY

MAY 29

ANDREW LEDREW & ROBERT KELLY, Erin’s Pub CODY WESTMAN (I Am Cody Westman Cd Release), Pathological Lovers (rock), 11pm, $10, The Ship DAVE PANTING (5pm); Bob Taylor, Carl Peters & Pat Moran (8pm); Kilkenny Krew (11pm), Shamrock City Pub DJ BIG FRANK, Konfusion DJ MIKE BALANCE (LA) Loft 709 DJ MIKEY B, Steve Murray, Electro, Liquid Nightclub GREG BOLGER, Green Sleeves Pub HIGH SCHOOLS FOR HOPE & HOMES: Fundraiser featuring choirs from Gonzaga High School, Prince of Wales Collegiate, Carbonear Collegiate High School, St Bonaventure’s College, Clarenville High School, Indian River High School, Shallaway: NL Youth in Chorus, 7:30pm, $15/$20, Holy Heart Theatre MICK DAVIS & THE SKINNY JIMS, Fat Cat Blues Bar ROB COOK (4:30pm);Fergus O’Byrne (8pm); Achora (11:30pm), O’Reilly’s Irish Pub SEAN HOYLES, 10:30pm, Trinity Pub SEXUAL SATURDAYS: DJ JayCee, Turkey Joe’s SHANNEYGANOCK (live DVD recording) Rock House THE BLACK BAGS (rock),Wizards of Kaos (doom metal), The Potholez, Two Guitars Clash, Dave Whitty, Distortion THE HOT FAUCETS (rock), The Mudflowers (rock), The Black Lungs, CBTGs THE VIBE, 10pm, Martini Bar VJ ERIC, DJ Fabian, 11pm, $5/$7 after 1:30pm, Zone 216

SUNDAY

MAY 30

CHRIS HENESSEY (7pm); Con & Arthur O’Brien (10pm), Shamrock City Pub DAMIAN FOLLETT, Green Sleeves Pub MIKE HANRAHAN, Irish Session, Bridie Molloy’s OLD SCHOOL SUNDAY: Ladies night with DJ Lex, Turkey Joe’s SONG SESSION, O’Reilly’s Irish Pub SUSAN MORRISSEY WYSE, Maggie Meyer, 9:30pm, Bianca’s Lounge

ARTS & CULTURE CENTRE, Prince Philip Dr, 729-3900 THE ATTIC, 2 George St, 579-9632 BAR NONE, 164 Water St, 579-2110 BELLA VISTA, 26 Torbay Rd, 753-2352 BIANCA’S BAR, 171 Water St 726-9016 BIG BEN’S, 55 Rowan St, 753-8212 BLACK DOG PUB, 318 Water St, 726-6015 BULL & BARRELL, Holdsworth Court, 579-7077 BULL & FINCH, Torbay Rd, 738-7007 THE BREEZEWAY, MUN Campus, 737-4743 BRIDIE MOLLOY’S, 5 George St, 576-5990 CBTG’S, Holdsworth Court, 722-2284 CHRISTINE’S PLACE, 210 Lemarchant Rd, 722-6400 CLB ARMOURY, 82 Harvey Rd 722-1737 CLUB ONE, George St, 753-7822

CROW’S NEST (Officer’s Club), 88 Water St (by War Memorial), 753-6927 CORNER STONE SPORTS BAR, 16 Queen St, 754-4263 DARNELL’S PUB, 1570 Topsail Rd 782-2440 DF COOK RECITAL HALL, Memorial University 737-4700 DISTORTION, Holdsworth Court, 738-8833 THE DOCK, 17 George St, 726-0353 DUSK ULTRA LOUNGE, George St Erin’s Pub, 186 Water St, 722-1916 FAT CAT BLUES BAR, George St 739-5554 GEORGE STREET BEER MARKET, George St, 753-7822 GEORGETOWN PUB, 7546151 GREEN SLEEVES PUB, 14 George St, 579-1070 THE GRAPEVINE, Water St, 754-8463 GRUMPY STUMP, Torbay Rd, 753-2337 HOLY HEART THEATRE, 55 Bonaventure Ave, 579-4424 JUNCTIONS, 208 Water St, 579-2557 KARAOKE KOPS PARTY BAR, 10 George St, 726-8202 KELLY’S PUB, 25 George St, 753-5300 KRUGER’S BAR, Kelligrews THE LAST DROP, 193 Water St, 726-3767 THE LEVEE, Holdsworth Court LIQUID NIGHT CLUB, 186B Water St, 754-5455 LOFT 709, 371 Duckworth St 351-2183 LOTTIE’S PLACE, 3 George St, 754-3020 LOWER PATH GRILL & BAR, 312 Water St 579-1717 LSPU HALL, 3 Victoria St, 753-4531 MAJESTIC THEATRE, 390 Duckworth St MARG’S PLACE, Kelligrews Martini Bar (Above Peddler’s On George) 739-9180 MASONIC TEMPLE, 6 Cathedral St, 579-3023 MICKEY QUINN’S, 120 New Gower St, 739-6404 MILE ONE CENTRE, 50 New Gower St, 576-7657 MUN MUSIC, 737-4455 MRS LIDDY’S, Torbay 437-6005 THE OLD MILL, 271 Brookfield Rd, 368-1334 O’REILLY’S IRISH PUB, 15 George St, 722-3735 PEDDLER’S ON GEORGE, George St, 739-9180 PETER EASTON PUB, Cookstown Road PETRO-CANADA HALL, Memorial University PLAYERS CUE, 50 Commonwealth Ave-Mt Pearl 368-2500 REPUBLIC, Duckworth St, 753-1012 THE ROCKHOUSE, George St, 579-6832 ROSE & THISTLE, 208 Water St, 579-6662 SHAMROCK CITY PUB, 340 Water St, 758-5483 SHIP PUB, 265 Duckworth St, 753-3870 SPIN, 2 George St SHARKY’S PUB, Manuels 834-5636 SHOOTERZ ROADHOUSE, 986 Conception Bay Highway 744-1900 THE SPROUT, 364 Duckworth St, 579-5485 SS MEIGLE LOUNGE, Seal Cove 744-1212 ST. JOHN’S CONVENTION CENTER, New Gower St 576-7657 STANLEY’S PUB, 26 Torbay Rd, 754-0930 STATION LOUNGE, 7 Hutchings 722-8576 St STAR OF THE SEA, Henry St, 753-8222 STETSON LOUNGE, 260 Water St, 753-8138 SUNDANCE, George St, 753-7822 TOL’S TIME-OUT LOUNGE, 74 Old Placentia Rd 745-8657 TOPSAIL BREEZE TAVERN, Topsail 781-0010 TRAPPER JOHN’S PUB, 2 George St, 579-9630 TRINITY PUB, George St, 579-5558 TRIP IN LOUNGE, Kelligrews 834-4002 VICTORY TAVERN, 164 Water St, 738-2100 THE WELL, 14 George St - 2nd level Green Sleeves Whalen’s Pub, 32 George St 722-4900 WHISKEY ON GEORGE, 15 George St, 579-9475 YELLOWBELLY BREWERY, 288 Water St 757-3784 ZONE 216, 216 Water St, 754-2492. Do you host live music or DJs? Joining our directory is free. E-mail listings@thescope.ca

CHRIS HENNESSEY (7pm); Con O’Brien & Duncan Cameron (10:30pm), O’Reilly’s Irish Pub CHRIS KIRBY (solo acoustic) no cover, Fat Cat Blues Bar DAVE WHITE, 10pm, Turkey Joe’s EPIC WEDNESDAYS: Adam Baxter, Jerry Stamp, 10pm, $5, Distortion FOLK NIGHT: Jim Payne, 9:30pm, $5, The Ship KRONIK, Green Sleeves Pub STIXX & STONES, 10pm, no cover, Martini Bar VIC LEWIS JAM, CBTGs

THURSDAY

ANTHONY MACDONALD & RONNIE POWER, 10pm, Shamrock City Pub DAMIAN FOLLETT, Green Sleeves Pub LARRY FOLEY & PATRICK MORAN, 9pm, O’Reilly’s Irish Pub

CARL PETERS & BOB TAYLOR (7pm), Middle Tickle (11pm), Shamrock City Pub CRAIG YOUNG (solo acoustic) no cover, Fat Cat Blues Bar DAVE PANTING, Erin’s Pub DES GAMBIN, 7pm, West Side Charlie’sKenmount Rd DJ BIG FRANK, Konfusion DJ MARK POWER, 11pm, Martini Bar DJ NU ROCK, The Breezeway DOWNSTAIRS MIX UP, Hosted by Steve Abbott, CBTGs FERGUS O’BYRNE (7pm); Acoustic Punters (10:30pm), O’Reilly’s Irish Pub JERRY STAMP, Dale Drew, midnight, no cover, Bull & Barrel SPRING FLING: Whizgiggin Ladies Choir concert, dessert party & silent auction, 7pm, $5/$12, St Theresa’s Parish Hall-Mundy Pond Rd STIXX & STONES, The Dock THE EARLY SHOW: Jerry Stamp, Don-E Coady, 9pm, no cover, Rose & Thistle THIRSTY THURSDAYS: DJ JayCee, Turkey Joe’s UNLISTED, Green Sleeves Pub

TUESDAY

JUN 1

CARL PETERS & DAVE WHITE, Turkey Joe’s CHRIS HENNESSEY (5pm); Larry Foley & Rob Cook, 12am, O’Reilly’s Irish Pub CONNEMARA, 10pm, Shamrock City Pub DAMIAN FOLLETT, Green Sleeves Pub DANIEL O’DONNELL, Mile One Centre DT, Mast & Friends, CBTGs SHAWN BERESFORD (solo acoustic) no cover, Fat Cat Blues Bar TERRY RIELLY, The Levee THE GAMBIN BROTHERS (acoustic duo) no cover, 10pm, Martini Bar

WEDNESDAY

MAY 20 - JUNE 3, 2010

DIRECTORY

MONDAY

MAY 31

8 thescope

MUSIC VENUE

JUN 3

JUN 2

ALL AGES

ANTHONY MCDONALD, Erin’s Pub BLACKIE O’LEARY (7pm); The Navigators (10pm), Shamrock City Pub

FRIDAY MAY 21 FROM 6PM-9PM Alpha And Omega Series: Sevenoh9, RN, Perception, Radar, The Rit, YB, J Frost, Akademiks & Mahoney, $2, Distortion

SATURDAY MAY 22 AT 3PM Release The Hounds (hardcore), I Was A Skywalker (hardcore), Clocked In (hardcore), Shorthanded, Adam Baxter, $6/$5 with nonperishable food item, Distortion

OPEN MIC/JAM TUESDAYS: Dave Carroll & Rob Moran at O’Reilly’s Irish Pub (10pm) WEDNESDAYS: Chris Ryan & Ronnie Power at Shamrock City Pub (9:30pm) THURSDAYS: The Levee (9pm) SUNDAYS: Shawn Beresford at Fat Cat Blues Bar; Young Musicians at Shamrock City Pub (2pm); Young Performers at O’Reilly’s Irish Pub (3pm)

KARAOKE WEDNESDAY: Karaoke Kops Party Bar THURSDAY: Karaoke Kops Party Bar; West Side Charlie’s-Torbay Rd FRIDAY: Karaoke Kops Party Bar SATURDAY: Karaoke Kops Party Bar; Murf at Darnell’s Pub

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thescope.c

Shameless plug! Mara Pellerin and Adrian Collins of the Gramercy Riffs. Photo by Kerri Breen.

Gramercy Riffs return with a new disc

164 Water Street 738-0677

It takes a village to make a record in St. John’s, and all hands were on deck for this band’s first full-length release.

EVERY SUNDAY

By Kerri Breen

isters, friends from music from the band’s two previously school, friends from other released EPs. bands, sound guy friends, “It’s a culmination of the last two and of course, the album’s years. It puts it all into a nice, neat producer Mark Bragg. package,” says Pellerin. “You’d do it for them as well, so, It’s an appropriate sentiment that’s what’s nice about it,” guitarist about an album resulting from a set Adrian Collins says of the help the up that’s anything but tidy. Though band received. they’re all from the St. John’s area, It’s Heartbreak was recorded in Collins is the only band member several sessions, the largest chunk still living here. Bass player Daniel last August. Banoub and Hanlon live in Toronto, Collins and Mara Pellerin, with drummer Jamie March on the vocalist and keyboardist, praise way, and Pellerin lives in Montreal. Bragg’s musical intuition and The band started as a songwriting expertise, and credit him with project for her and Hanlon, and keeping the band some of their other e n e r g i z e d friends came on throughout the board to form the “We spent a lot process. At one band in 2008. point, as they were They write by of time working out exhausted while trading tracks every little detail in recording the drums online, and jam and bass on “Call every single one of the whenever they’re Me” on a sweltering home, which seems songs,” says Collins. to day in St. Philip’s, correspond Bragg had just the with university cure. schedules and “It was really hot holidays. There are and we were wilting,” Pellerin says. perks, however, of this type of set up “And he was like ‘all right that’s it, — “aside from its obvious, terrible stop everything, c’mon.’ We went obstacles,” Pellerin says, laughing. out of the house, went down to the For one, Collins explains, they rocks and jumped into the ocean.” don’t get stuck in the trap of playing “It made everyone loose again,” shows every weekend. says Collins. In fact, the last time they played Gentle reverb, rolling horns, and was in February in Ottawa. They are subtle touches like glockenspiel playing a showcase at NXNE in June heighten the drama of these and will be applying to play other heartfelt, warm pop songs, with festivals on the mainland. singer-guitarist Lee Hanlon and “Getting to make this record, it’s Pellerin trading vocals throughout the start of something,” Pellerin says. the album. “We spent a lot of time working out every little detail in every single Gramercy Riffs’ album It’s Heartbreak one of the songs,” says Collins. will be released Friday, May 21 at The The influence of classic pop and Rock House with Matt Hornell and the best of Canadian indie rock, such the Diamond Minds and Mark Bragg as Joel Plaskett, pervade the 11-song (solo). album, which includes material

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MAY 20 - JUNE 3, 2010

thescope 9

A poster for one of Ordinary Spokes’ popular events, the alleycat. Photo by Elling Lien

Zen and the Art of Bicycle Maintenance Ordinary Spokes is a new grassroots organization in town that promotes cycling as a great way to navigate your busy city life. Cofounder Juls Mack sat down with Jillian Butler to discuss. If you ask Juls Mack, life on a bike is a just another flavour of transportation. “I started riding a bike when I was 19, and it changed my life,” she tells me. “I stopped buying a bus pass. It makes your life so much easier to have a bike.”

The bike culture in St. John’s has enjoyed healthy growth recently, but it still has a long way to go, Mack says. So she, along with the six other core members, formed Ordinary Spokes, a community-oriented bicycle repair shop and resource centre here in St. John’s.

Run by devoted volunteers, start biking to work, or bike on the Ordinary Spokes opened its doors weekends,” Mack says, adding they on January 1st, 2010, and since then have a wide selection of children’s have been offering drop-in bicycle bikes. A certified mechanic checks care, workshops and other resourcevery bike that leaves the shop. es. At least two of the members are Ordinary Spokes hopes that sharing bike mechanics. their knowledge with the public will Mack has seen the importance teach the average cyclist that bicycle of a thriving bike culture, having maintenance is pretty painless. lived in Vancouver before moving “About five members of the colhere a year and a half ago. “A wider lective barely knew anything when variety of people bike as a form of they started. Now they’re swapping serious transportation in Vancouver. cables out, repacking bottom brackLawyers, doctors, everyone.” ets,” she says. “Knowing how to do St. John’s isn’t quite there yet. your own repairs makes cycling There are plenty of benefits to really accessible.” cycling, which Mack, a former Ordinary Spokes bike messenstarted with a “We need more people! ger, is happy friend’s empty Everyone in the collective to point out: a basement and a bike costs less desire to make is busy, but we all really money, can be the space usebelieve in the shop. And as ful. “Most cities easily repaired, and keeps you across North we’ve seen, anybody can in shape. Plus, America have become a good mechanic it’s often a whole these communal within a month.” lot faster than its places where competition. anyone can use “When I first the tools to fix up moved here, their bike with a I thought I little bit of guidlived an hour away from the mall, ance. I feel like this is something because I’d take the bus,” Mack says. that St. John’s needs.” “When I rode my bike it only took Of course, there are real chalme twenty minutes.” lenges for the St. John’s cyclist— Hoping to promote cycling as a namely, the unpredictable weather. legitimate form of transportation But according to Juls, all it takes to around the city, they also refurbish survive a St. John’s winter on wheels old bikes and resell them for about is a little know-how. $50. “It’s a really accessible way for “We do workshops on how to put the average person who wants to on your winter tires. And it makes

ONSTAGE THEATRE DANCE & BURLESQUE SPOKEN & WRITTEN COMEDY

THEATRE AFTERIMAGE: An accidental electrocution and an unexpectedly forged family. These two seemingly disconnected events intertwine to tell a story of connectivity and belonging. Based on a short story by Michael Crummey; Adapted by Robert Chafe; Directed by Jillian Keiley; Composed by Jonathan Monro, LSPU Hall (Wed May 26-Sun Jun 6) CAESAR (Rabbittown Theatre Company-New World Theatre Project ) Using Shakespeare’s text and performed by three actors in just over an hour, this fast paced adaptation is a new take on an old story. Directed by Brad Hodder and featuring Neil Butler, Dave Sullivan and Laura Huckle, Rabbittown Theatre-106 Freshwater Rd 739-8220 (Fri May 28 - Sun May 30 at 8pm / Pay-shat-you can on Sat May 29 at 2pm) STUCCO IN THE 80’S (Spirit of Newfoundland) Big Hair, Big Shoulder Pads & Big Hits: A musical comedy review from the time when Madonna, Tina Turner & Dirty Dancing were all the rage. Featuring Sheila Williams, Dana Parsons & Steve Power, $57.50+ (meal & show), Masonic Temple-6 Cathedral St 579-3023 (Thu May 20 at 7pm)

PERFORMANCE &DANCE

MAY 20 - JUNE 3, 2010

T KE C I TT O H

LATIN TUESDAYS, 8pm, $5, The Bella Vista RUNNING WITH SCISSORS FASHION SHOW: CNA graduate student show featuring textiles, craft and apparel design, $12/$15, Dusk Ultra Lounge 757-8178 (Wed May 27 at 7:30pm) TANGO ON THE EDGE: A social gathering to dance Argentine Tango, $5, RCA Club-10 Bennett Ave (Thursdays at 8:30pm)

SPOKEN &WRITTEN THE SALON: Featuring singer-songwriter Jordan Young, novelist Tina Chaulk and host Dan Rubin, Coffee & Co-204 Water St (Sun May 30 from 8pm-10pm)

COMEDY

GILSON LUBIN: Stand up comedy, $20+, Yuk Yuk’s-193 Kenmount Rd 726-9857 (Fri May 28 & Sat May 29 at 9:30pm) JOHN SHEEHAN: Stand up comedy, $20+, Yuk Yuk’s-193 Kenmount Rd 726-9857 (Fri May 21 & Sat May 22 at 9:30pm) LAUGH HARD: Stand up comedy, $2, The Levee-Holdsworth Crt (Sundays 8pm-11pm) PRO/AM COMEDY SLAM: Amateurs at 8pm & John Sheehan at 9:30pm, two show $20, Yuk Yuk’s-193 Kenmount Rd 726-9857 (Thu May 20) PRO/AM COMEDY SLAM: Amateurs at 8pm & Gilson Lubin at 9:30pm, two show $20, Yuk Yuk’s-193 Kenmount Rd 726-9857 (Thu May 27)

thescope.ca 10 thescope

a difference—I put winter tires on this year and I didn’t spin once,” she says. And then there’s the Ordinary Spokes alleycat races, a fundraiser based on the daily routine of bike couriers. “In most cities, it’s the messengers that do the race. It’s like a scavenger hunt on a bike,” Mack says. “You get a list of locations, and you make up your own route, while staying safe. It’s more about finding your way than speed.” What Ordinary Spokes needs to grow is volunteers, whether to help with promotion or even take on repairs. “We need more people! Everyone in the collective is busy, but we all really believe in the shop. And as we’ve seen, anybody can become a good mechanic within a month.” Right now the shop is open three days out of the week—Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays—with a bike sale on the last Sunday of every month. To drop by and either get advice or get involved, all will be revealed with a quick email to ordinaryspokes@gmail.com. Since the shop operates out of a residential basement, they don’t like to advertise the location. “We have the goal of becoming a real bikeshop. We’re actually trying to register as a non-profit,” she says. “What we really want is for kids to be able to visit the shop, so we can do summer bike programs. Get them riding when they’re young.”

PHOTO BY JOHN LAUNER

hat do you get when you a cross an accidental electrocution with an accidentally forged family? Well, first you get a short story by Governor General’s Literary Award shortlister Michael Crummey. Then you get a theatrical adaptation of said short story written by Governor General’s Drama Award shortlister Robert Chafe. Throw in Siminovitz Prize in Theatre-winning director Jillian keilly, a few brilliant Berni Stapleton- and Patrina Bromley-grade actors, and you’ve got yourself a little play known as Afterimage, or a “relentlessly inventive” “marvel to hear and watch,” if you’re a reviewer for the Globe and Mail or NOW magazine. Artistic Fraud’s Afterimage opens at the LSPU Hall on May 26 and runs until June 5. 8pm. Pay-what-you-can matinees on May 30th and June 6th at 2pm. Presented by the Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland. — Sarah Smellie

FOODNERD IT’S A BOY!

s my fingers hit the keys, the sun is out, there are green things growing in my yard, and it well and truly looks like spring might be here. It’s the time of year when a food-lover’s mind turns to farmers’ markets and vacant-lot foraging, but there’s still a whole lot of waiting to do. For the next month or so it’s more of the same old dry goods, imported produce and, if you’re very lucky, berries you smartly stashed in the freezer last year. By the time you read this, I should, by all rights, be a happy, sleepy, mother of three. Right now, though, I’m 40 weeks and two days pregnant, which some of you family-type readers may recognize as “two days overdue.” That’s only sort of true; a baby’s due date is more properly known as an EDD or estimated due date. It’s not like a stamp on a library book or a warning on a package of ground beef. An EDD is an approximation, and there’s a two-week range on either end during which most women deliver perfectly healthy babies with no ANDREAE more trouble CALLANAN than they would dreae@thescope.ca if they had had them right on the 40-week mark. Still and all, while there’s no reason to worry about being a few days late to the party, I wouldn’t mind having this baby, oh, right about now. Being very pregnant gets tiresome. I keep bumping into doorways and cabinets and people with my gut. I always have food on my shirts, and I can’t wash the dishes without soaking whatever I have on as I try to reach past my enormous belly and into the sink. My awesome birth attendants have other clients, and I’d like to be able to leave a little space for rest between my kiddo’s birth and someone else going into labour. Midwives need sleep, too. And, most of all, I would kind of like to meet this little person who has been doing advanced breakdance moves in my gut for what seems like ages. Now, most women who have had babies will suggest to you all kinds of foods you should eat to help kick-start labour. I have two theories about this business. First of all, when you’re ready to go into labour, you’ll try a hundred things, and then whatever you were doing when you started having contractions will be known as “the one thing that worked” forevermore. Anyone else might recognize it as coincidence, there might be no scientific evidence to back up your claim, but that doesn’t matter. “Oh, yeah, a family-sized Fruit & Nut bar. But you have to eat it while standing on one foot and listening to

Foods for babybirthin’ and why they might work (or not) All of these are, of course, completely anecdotal. Chances are that hours before you’re about a baby is not a great time to eat a lot of foods that don’t agree with you, so if you

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want to leave that alone.

Hot, hot, hot. “Eat spicy foods” is a classic suggestion, although who knows whether it really works? And what if you’re from a culture where all the food is spicy? I’ve read that chili-pepper-laden

Exhale Yoga and Wellness

foods might actually make delivery more difficult because the chemicals they release in your body interfere with the release of endorphins, and you want lots of endorphins. Who to believe? The North American diet is, generally, pretty spice-free, so perhaps for most people spicy food should fall under the next category.

Food that makes you feel gross. This would include the mythic “bad Chinese food,” greasy fast food in general, anything that would cause a, shall we say, unpleasant gastric reaction. At risk of being indelicate, the theory behind this one is that whatever gives you gut cramps will also start contractions. Makes about as much sense as anything else, and there’s a good chance you don’t feel like cooking anyway.

Pineapple and other tropical fruits.

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Pineapple and papayas and kiwis have enzymes that aid digestion and that do all kinds of other good things for you, so it could well be that they encourage babies to move out, too. Definitely worth a try. Since one of the most important things to remember when you’re having a baby is to relax, I would think that any meal where you share a few laughs and enjoy your food is going to help. Oh, and don’t forget to drink lots of water.

Johnny Cash. Totally works. I swear by it.” Second, though, is that when you’re at that point, any and all claims will be considered, so long as they’re not clearly dangerous or overly gross (actually, some people have eaten some pretty gross things in pursuit of contractions). I don’t really care if pineapple has been scientifically proven to cause an enzymatic reaction that moves things along, dammit, I’ve got a pineapple sitting on my counter and I’m going to eat it. I don’t care that there’s no real evidence to support the idea that spicy food might induce labour; if this baby’s not out by tomorrow, it’s Indian take-out for supper at my house. When I had my son, it was after one of those longish, start-andstop labours. Eager to get out of the “stop” phase and back into “start” mode, I followed a friend’s advice and ordered some

“bad Chinese food.” Apparently, it has to be “bad Chinese food,” not the wholesome, perky stuff, resplendent with fresh bean shoots and gorgeous greens. We’re talking oily noodles and bits of chicken, battered (or bashed) and fried and drenched in some kind of fluorescent, sugary sauce. The kind that seems like a brilliant idea at the time, but that almost always results in instant gastric regret. So, did it work? Well, I went right back into labour, but really, I would have done that eventually. It certainly wasn’t a quick fix, as it took another fourteen hours for the youngster to finally make his bid for freedom, but who knows? Maybe the oily noodles were exactly what my body needed to soldier on. They sure were delicious. As for tonight, my husband is making lasagna, some to eat and some to put in the freezer for the weeks to come. Then I’m tucking into that pineapple, and perhaps hiking up and down Alexander Street a few times, then… anybody have a trampoline?

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“Ecstasy is a glass full of tea and a piece of sugar in the mouth.” — Alexander Pushkin

Comment online at

thescope.ca/foodnerd

MAY 20 - JUNE 3, 2010

thescope 11

DIY

FREEWILLASTROLOGY BY ROB BREZSNY FOR THE WEEK OF MAY 20

(of Ordinary Spokes)

‡

TAURUS (Apr 20 – May 20)

GEMINI (May 21 – Jun 20)

You don’t have to answer to anybody this week, Taurus. You don’t have to defend yourself, explain yourself, or compromise yourself. I mean, you can do those things if you want to be super extra nice, but there won’t be any hell to pay if you don’t. It’s one of those rare times when you have more power than usual to shape the world in accordance with your vision of what the world should be. I’ll go so far as to say that the world needs you to be very assertive in imposing your will on the flow of events. Just one caveat: Mix a generous dose of compassion in with your authoritative actions.

When Paul McCartney first got the inspiration to write the song “Yesterday,” he had the melody and rhythm but couldn’t get a feel for what the lyrics should be. For a while, as he was waiting for the missing words to pop into his brain, he used nonsense stand-in phrases. The dummy version of the first line was “Scrambled eggs, oh my dear, you have such lovely legs.” This approach could be useful for you in the coming weeks, Gemini. As you create a fresh approach or novel departure in your own life, you might want to show the patience McCartney did. Be willing to keep moving ahead even though you don’t have the full revelation quite yet.

≤

CANCER (Jun 21 – Jul 22)

™

LEO (Jul 23 – Aug 22)

I suspect you’re going to feel a bit constrained in the coming weeks, Cancerian -maybe even imprisoned. I suggest you make the best of it. Rather than feeling sorry for yourself and spiraling down into a dark night of the soul, try this: Imagine that you’re a resourceful hermit who’s temporarily under house arrest in an elegant chalet with all the amenities. Regard this “incarceration” as a chance to start work on a masterpiece, or upgrade your meditation practice, or read a book you’ve needed an excuse to lose yourself in. Believe it or not, your “deprivation” could be one of the best things that has happened to you in a while.

thescope’s

LIBRA (Sep 23 – Oct 22)

All 26 of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ stories about Tarzan are set in Africa, but he never once visited that continent. And Bram Stoker didn’t feel the need to travel to the Transylvanian region of Romania in order to write about it in his novel Dracula. But I don’t recommend this approach to you in the coming weeks, Libra. If you want to cultivate something new in your life by drawing on an exotic influence, I think you should immerse yourself in that exotic influence, at least for a while. If you want to tap into the inspiration available through an unfamiliar source, you need to actually be in the presence of that unfamiliar source.

SCORPIO (Oct 23 - Nov 21)

Why would you choose this bright, sunny moment to descend into the dark places and explore the fermenting mysteries? What renegade impulse would move you to turn away from the predictable pleasures and easy solutions, and instead go off in quest of more complex joys and wilder answers? Here’s what I have to say about that: I think you long to be free of transitory wishes and fleeting dreams for a while so that you can get back into alignment with your deeper purposes. You need to take a break from the simple obsessions of your grayish, poker-faced ego, and re-attune yourself to the call of your freaky, evergreen soul.

MAY 20 - JUNE 3, 2010

Sufi holy man Ibn ‘Ata Allah was speaking about prayer when he said the following: “If you make intense supplication and the timing of the answer is delayed, do not despair of it. His reply to you is guaranteed; but in the way He chooses, not the way you choose, and at the moment He desires, not the moment you desire.” While I don’t claim to be able to perfectly decipher the will of the divine, my astrological research suggests that you will soon get a definitive answer to a question you’ve been asking for a long time. It may come softly and quietly, though, and from a direction you don’t expect, and with a nuance or two that’ll test your reflexes.

HOME WORK

a superhero identity for yourself and embark on a campaign to combat injustice. But if you’ve ever wondered whether the life of a costumed crusader is right for you, it’s an excellent time to experiment. Your courage will be expanding in the coming weeks. Your craving for adventure will be strong, too. Even more importantly, your hunger to do good deeds that reach beyond your own selfinterest will be growing. Interested? Check out the Superhero Supply website to get yourself operational. It’s at www.superherosupplies.com.

≠

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SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)

‹

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – I won’t be surprised if Jan 19) people begin to compete for your Brag about your flaws “Is Fast Food Too Tempting?” read attention. There may even be some and weaknesses, a headline in The Week magazine. pushing and shoving as they jostle to preferably with a lack of inhibition. Send your The accompanying article discussed get closer to you. At the very least, boast to Truthrooster whether people have the right to you can expect a flurry of requests @gmail.com blame and even sue McDonald’s and for your time and energy. What’s this Burger King for their health problems. all about? Well, your worth seems to be In my opinion, we might as well add other alrising. Either your usefulness is flat-out increasing legedly appealing poisons to the discussion. “Is or else those who’ve underestimated you in the heroin too tempting?” “Is cheating on your lover or past are finally tuning in to what they’ve been spouse too tempting?” “Is watching TV five hours missing. So here’s my question and concern: Will a day too tempting?” I hope you’re seeing where you get so seduced by what everyone asks you I’m going with this, Capricorn. The coming weeks to give them that you lose sight of what you will be a good time to take personal responsibilreally want to give them? I suspect there will be ity for any supposedly fun activity you’re doing a difference. that warps your character or saps your energy. It’s prime time to end your relationship with stuff VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sep 22) that’s bad for you. I’m not saying that you should create

‘

∑

AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)

∫

PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)

†

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 19)

“The mind loves order, the heart loves chaos, and the gut loves action,” says my astrological colleague Antero Alli. The ideal situation is to honor each of these needs, keeping them in a dynamic balance. But now and then, it’s healthy to emphasize one over the other two. According to my astrological analysis, you’re entering one of those times when the heart’s longing for chaos should get top priority. But if you do choose to go this way, please promise me one thing: Do your best to tilt toward the fascinating, rejuvenating kind of chaos and tilt away from the disorienting, demoralizing kind.

When people are truly dehydrated, the impulse that tells them they’re thirsty shuts down. That’s why they may not know they’re suffering from a lack of water. In a metaphorically similar way, Pisces, you have been deprived so long of a certain kind of emotional sustenance that you don’t realize what you’re missing. See if you can find out what it is, and then make measured (nondesperate!) plans to get a big, strong influx of it. The cosmic rhythms will be on your side in this effort!

All of us have gaps in our education. You and I and everyone else alive have dank pockets of ignorance that diminish our humanity and musty pits of naivete that prevent us from seeing truths that are obvious to others. We all lack certain skills that hold us back from being more fulfilled in our chosen fields. That’s the bad news, Aries. The good news is that the gaps in your education will be up for review in the coming weeks -- which means that it’ll be an excellent time to make plans to fill them. Here’s a good way to get started: Be aggressive in identifying the things that you don’t even know you don’t know.

ONSCREEN ONSCREEN

Robert Duvall with George Lucas on the set of THX 1138

So long and THX for all the fish

Believe it or not, George Lucas once used to be a good filmmaker, says Adam Clarke.

o if you haven’t heard already, actor Shia LaBeouf admitted in an interview a little while ago that the long awaited sequel Indiana Jones & The Crystal Skull was, basically, a dud. “When you

drop the ball, you drop the ball,” he is quoted in the LA Times. Of course this is not something you didn’t know already. George Lucas, producer of that film and creator of the Star Wars

series, definitely does not know how to make movies anymore, and it should surprise no one. Some people, enraged by his lazy attempts to cash in on his legacy, have gone as far as to say he simply never had

ONDISPLAY GALLERIES MUSEUMS

GALLERIES OPENING PEPA CHAN: Work by Maria Martinez: Illustrator, author, printmaker and visual artist, The Rogue Gallery-72 Harbour Dr 739-1882 (Opens May 22) RUNNING WITH SCISSORS TEXTILE EXHIBITION: CNA graduate student show featuring textiles, craft and apparel design, Anna Templeton Centre-278 Duckworth St 739-7623 (Opening reception Sat May 29 from 2pm-4pm) SPRING FLOWER SHOW (NL Horticultural Society ) Welcome spring with a beautiful display of spring flowers, free, MUN Botanical Garden-306 Mt Scio Rd 737-8590 (Sat May 29 & Sun May 30) STACEY BARNES, The Rogue Gallery-72 Harbour Dr 739-1882 (Opens Sat May 22)

ONGOING AFTER FOUR: Annual current and retired faculty and staff exhibition, First Space GalleryQEII Library DARK NIGHT OF THE UGLY STICK: The Shed Collective: This installation features a scale replica of a typical rural Newfoundland shed, found by many to be reminiscent of pop’s shed, Eastern Edge Gallery-72 Harbour Dr 739-1882 EDWARD BURTYNSKY: Oil: Contemporary photographer Edward Burtynsky has travelled internationally to chronicle the production, distribution, and use of this critical fuel, The Rooms-9 Bonaventure Ave 757-8000 GALLERY EXHIBIT: Featuring a rotation of our regular collection, Leyton Gallery-Clift’s-Baird’s Cove 722-7177 GUESTS OF THE GALLERY: Seven diverse artists working in painting, sculpture, encaustic, and sound, Leyton Gallery-Clift’s-Baird’s Cove 722-7177 HOOKED RUG EXHIBIT: Exhibiting a never seen before collection of hooked rugs celebrating NL’s connection to Ireland, Five Island Art Gallery-Tors Cove METIS CARVER: Ancient Stories in Stone and Bone – ongoing exhibit by Albert Biles, Wild Things-124 Water St NEW WORKS: By Gerald Squires, Esther

BOYLE’S HISTORICAL WALKING TOURS, Call 364-6845 for more info COLLECTING BIRDS: A Beak Behind the Scenes: Use bird specimens to learn lots of fascinating facts about the diversity of our feathered friends, The Rooms-9 Bonaventure Ave 757-8000 CONNECTIONS: This Place and Its Early Peoples: Polar bears on tundra, carnivorous Squires, George Horan, Julia Pickard, Sharon plants in a bog, seabirds, sea mammals, sea life Puddester, Gerald Squires Gallery-52 Prescott plus the people who made their lives here, The St 722-2207 Rooms-9 Bonaventure Ave 757-8000 NEW WORKS: By Peter Lewis, Michael Greene, DISCOVERING BARTLETT: An Archival Michael Kilburn, Lyndon Keating & JJ Allwood, Exploration: Marking the 100th anniversary Peter Lewis Gallery-5 Church Hill 722-6009 of the 1909 expedition to the North Pole, this exhibition of archival records relates to the life SALMON RUN: Glasswork by Urve Manuel, and career of Captain Bartlett, The Rooms-9 Craft Council-59 Duckworth St 753-2749 Bonaventure Ave 757-8000 SCENES FROM A SECRET WORLD: Amalie ENCOUNTERING GRENFELL: A Life and Legacy: Atkins delves into the life/death/life cycle of Providing medical care, education & skills in fairy tales while proposing re-imagined craft, agriculture & animal husbandry archetypal characters, Eastern Edge Wilfred Grenfell sought to improve Gallery-72 Harbour Dr 739-1882 conditions in NF, The Rooms-9 THE GATHERING: view new works T OS Bonaventure Ave 757-8000 by Peter Lewis, Michael Greene, FIND THE-DMATE [HERE]SAY: 26 signs on light Michael Kilburn, Terri Leonard, UP-TO GS poles, each featuring an audio Lyndon Keating, JJ Allwood & PeLISTIN AT story about that particular spot. ter Jackson, Peter Lewis Gallery-5 NLINE .ca O Stand on the sidewalk, use your Church Hill 722-6009 thescope cellphone to dial the number on the sign, and hear the voices, Water St JOHNSON GEO CENTRE & PARK: See DUST: Detailed and colourful chalk pastel Signal Hill’s 550 million year old geology & works by artist Jonathan O’Dea, Leyton Galleryspecimens of NF rocks, minerals & botanical Clift’s-Baird’s Cove 722-7177 (Ends May 23) park, 175 Signal Hill Rd 737-7880 SPRING AGAIN: Group show, Craft Council-59 MUN BOTANICAL GARDEN: Trails, gift shop & Duckworth St 753-2749 (Ends May 30) tearoom, 306 Mt Scio Rd 737-8590 TORNGASOK ART: Stan Nochasak: Torngasok RAILWAY COASTAL MUSEUM: St. John’s Dockin Inuktitut means Place of the Spirit, The yard exhibit of model ship hulls, shipbuilding, Rogue Gallery-72 Harbour Dr 739-1882 (Ends dockyard history plus the story of NewfoundMay 21) land’s railway boat service & 1940’s train WIREFRAME: Scott Rogers’ installation emphadiorama, 495 Water St W 724-5929 sizes the individuality of specific architectural SIGNAL HILL NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE: sites and reveals relationships between actual Military & communications history, meet Signaland virtual space, A1C Gallery-8 Clift’s-Baird’s man, watch film, interactive exhibits, Visitor Cove 237-0427 (Ends Jun 3) Centre 772-5367 THE FLUVARIUM: A panoramic water view under the surface of Nagle’s Hill Brook. Spot fish, insects & plants in natural habitat plus interactive exhibits, 5 Nagle’s Place 754-3474

LAST CHANCE

MUSEUMS

A TOUR DE FORT: Interpretive panels tell the story of Fort Townsend, the 18th century symbol of England’s domination over the fishery, The Rooms-9 Bonaventure Ave 757-8000 ADMIRALTY HOUSE MUSEUM: 1915 navy wireless station now communications museum, 23 Old Placentia Rd-Mt Pearl 748-1124 ARCHIVAL MYSTERIES: Where Is It? Featuring unidentified photos from the archives which remain a mystery in terms of their geographical location within NL, The Rooms-9 Bonaventure Ave 757-8000

thescope.ca/on-display

any talent at all. Of course, anyone who has seen THX 1138, a brutally cold sci-fi dystopia from 1971, knows that isn’t true. It’s an overlooked gem that combines Lucas’ once-renowned knowledge of audio-visual trickery with a surprisingly strong script and a game cast. Set in a sterile world, the character THX 1138 (Robert Duvall) lives in a densely-populated underground city, wasting his days performing an unspecified job that is as monotonous as it is irrelevant. He has been getting headaches ever since he stopped taking the statemandated drugs that are supposed to keep him content. Soon, he initiates an affair with his roommate, LUH 3417 (Margaret McOmie). Since this is a sci-fi film written by a geeky young man, sex is the ultimate crime of the state. Their situation comes to the attention of a security monitor, who blackmails THX into becoming his roommate. Not long after, all three end up in prison, but LUH is separated from THX when it’s discovered she is pregnant. THX breaks out of the city in the hopes of finding her, joined by SEN and a fellow prisoner. It’s great science fiction that raises

profound questions about human nature. Is there any kind of freedom when you lose touch with your own humanity? Are human beings doomed to turn their societies into cages? It’s also suggested that THX’s dreams of escape may ultimately be fruitless. Now, I have a few caveats about the DVD release. Yes, George Lucas created new visual effects for the disc, but contrary to the annoying Star Wars upgrades, all but one of them blend in seamlessly. The original cut of the film was slightly hampered by a brief, ridiculous scene where THX wrestles a dwarf. Rather than take the wise path of cutting this from the otherwise sombre and thoughtful film, Lucas left the scene intact and replaced the dwarf with a CGI monster. It’s like going to a restaurant and getting served the wrong entrée twice in one evening! Despite that missed opportunity, THX 1138 is one of my favourite films and it’s a nice reminder of the talent the near universally-hated George Lucas once possessed. Let us hope beyond hope he is not planning a sequel starring Shia LaBeouf.

Adam Clarke

ONSCREEN LIMITEDRUN

SATURDAY MAY 22 FROM 10AM-11PM FIREFLY: The Geek Society presents the entire first season of the cult classic show Firefly, in the order Whedon intended, free, MUN A1043 TUESDAY MAY 25 AT 7:30PM NICKEL 10 RETROSPECTIVE AND FESTIVAL LAUNCH: Celebrating its 10th year with a retrospective of 10 short films made by NL filmmakers: Newfoundland Weather (Roger Maunder); Motions (Sheilagh O’Leary); Pillow Talk (Jordan Canning); At the Quinte Hotel (Bruce Alcock); Dinner For One (Anita McGee); So It Goes (Adriana Maggs); Two or More (Noel Harris); Cold Turkey (Edward Tanasychuk); Pretty Big Dig (Anne Troake); Punch Up at a Wedding (Justin Simms). Filmmakers and special guest Robert Joy will be in attendance. Curated by Tim Conway, $10, YellowBelly Brewery-Water St 576-3378 WED MAY 26 AT 7PM MANUFACTURED LANDSCAPES, Edward Burtynsky, The Rooms-9 Bonaventure Ave 757-8000

DAILY SHOWINGS

CALL FOR TIMES AND PRICES AVALON MALL’S EMPIRE STUDIO 12 722-5775 • MOUNT PEARL SHOPPING CENTRE EMPIRE CINEMAS 364-8527 A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET: Were you one of the millions of people who saw Watchmen? Thanks to you, Jackie Earl Haley does his constipated Rorshach voice for dream demon/ child killer Freddy Krueger. (Mt Pearl) DATE NIGHT: Steve Carrell and Tina Fey are a bored couple who inadvertently become the target of the mob while trying to dine at a shmancy bistro. Hijinks and major league contrivances ensue. (Avalon Mall & Mt Pearl) FURRY VENGEANCE: Brendan Fraser makes it publicly known that he hates furries. Inexplicably, instead of being attacked by dudes in Marmoset costumes, Fraser fights troublesome

thescope.ca

woodland creatures. (Mt Pearl) HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: A viking named Hiccup domesticates a dragon to the disbelief of his fellow Norsemen. Remember, this is a Dreamworks cartoon, so expect celebrity voices and Smashmouth on the soundtrack. (Avalon Mall) IRON MAN 2: The Man in the Iron Mask, as adapted by Marvel a few years ago, proved surprisingly popular, so here’s the sequel. Nothing says an unadulterated summer thrill ride quite like a weapons mogul blowing up his detractors! (Avalon Mall & Mt Pearl) LETTERS TO JULIET: If your significant other was playing matchmaker based on decades-old love letters, would you join her? No? This film is all about Amanda Seyfriend doing just that and barely tolerating her fiance’s objections. (Avalon Mall) MACGRUBER: Will Forte is an unlikely action hero who bumbles his way into the deadly sights of the evil Val Kilmer. Nothing spells Summer blockbuster quite like an SNL sketch being stretched out to 90 minutes. (Avalon Mall) OCEANS: This film analyses the sub-aquatic world in full glory. Described as a hybrid between a documentary and a thriller, y’know, kinda like Psi Factor. Dan Aykroyd is unlikely to appear, however. (Mt Pearl) ROBIN HOOD: Do you like Merry Men? Swashbuckling action? Good-natured adventure? Glamorous romance? Well, Ridley Scott missed the memo, but if you want a grim, growly, scowling Robin Hood, here ya go. (Avalon Mall) SEX & THE CITY 2: The neo-Golden Girls are back, travelling around the world and making sex puns in the manner you’ve grown accustomed to. Did I say “accustomed to”? I meant to say “to love.” (Avalon Mall) SHREK FOREVER AFTER: Rumpelstilskin wipes Shrek from history, causing humanity to rejoice. So, the flatulent green blob must unite his pals to restore his place. Trouble is, now they have absolutely no memory of him. (Avalon Mall & Mt Pearl) THE BACK UP PLAN: J-Lo’s long-awaited followup to Bordertown has finally hit theatres! In this film, “Bennifer times one minus one” plays a woman who falls in love after getting artificially inseminated. (Avalon Mall) THE LAST SONG: If you’re a rebellious teen with musical talents, would you “protect a sea turtle nest to get closer to some dude”. If so, this is the film for you. Also, you’re weird. (Mt Pearl)

MAY 20 - JUNE 3, 2010

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EVENTS COMMUNITY

ALLEYCAT BIKE RACE: Organized by Ordinary Spokes, a volunteer-run bicycle collective, this will be a fun chance to explore the nooks & crannies of old St. John’s by bike. Must have a helmet to participate, $5, Meet at Harbourside Park (Thu May 20 at 6:30pm) BEAGLE BOTTLE BLITZ RECYCLING DAY (Beagle Paws) Drop off your recycling including beer bottles to help us raise funds for the homeless beagles, Village Mall parking lot 7387297 (Sat May 29 from 11am-3pm) CENTRE DES GRANDS-VENTS 5TH ANNIVERSARY: Music, refreshments and info-booth about the French community, Ridge Rd (Fri May 28 from 12pm-4pm) FRANCOPHONE PROVINCIAL DAY: Raising the French-NL flag, Confederation Building (Fri May 28 at 11am) FREE MARC EMERY RALLY: Protest the extradition of Marc Emery to the US for the “crime” of selling cannabis seeds through the mail,St John’s Courthouse- Water St (Sat May 22 from 2pm-5pm) FUNDRAISER YARD SALE: Support the St. John’s Farmer’s Market, 89 Quidi Vidi Rd (Sat May 29 from 9am – 2pm) GEAR SWAP, The Outfitters-220 Water St (Sat May 29 & Sun May 30) HOLY HEART FOUNDERS’ AWARD DINNER: Honouring Dr Valerie Long, $40, Masonic Temple 579-3023 (Thu Jun 3 at 7pm) SPRING FLEA MARKET,Topsail United Church (Sat May 30 from 10am-3pm)

LECTURES &FORUMS BIODIVERSITY & THE ROLE OF MUSEUMS:

14 thescope

MAY 20 - JUNE 3, 2010

Join The Rooms’ Curator of Natural History Nathalie Djan-Chekar, 9 Bonaventure Ave 7578000 (Thu May 20 at 2:30pm) BUILDING BLOCKS FOR A HEALTHY COMMUNITY: How to Identify and Mobilize the Assets in Local Neighbourhoods and Towns by John McKnight, HSC-Main Auditorium (Thu May 20 from 7pm-9pm) INVASION OF THE GIANT HOGWEED: Giant hogweed is one of the newest alien species to arrive in the province. Come and learn why it is of special concern, free, MUN Botanical Garden-306 Mt Scio Rd 737-8590 (Sat May 22 at 2pm) NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY: Jean Knowles will take us on a photographic journey to some of this province’s most interesting places while sharing her images and stories of our wild places, MUN Botanical Garden-306 Mt Scio Rd 737-8590 (Thu May 20 at 8pm) WORDS IN EDGEWISE (MUN Philosophy & Eastern Edge Gallery) Immersive Virtual Art as Poetic Experience: The virtual art of Char Davis and poetry as an experience with Celina Rumayor, pay-what-you-can, Eastern Edge Gallery-72 Harbour Dr 739-1882 (Thu May 20 at 7pm)

DAYTIME MUSIC AUNTIE CRAE’S BAND, free-no purchase necessary, Auntie Crae’s (Tuesdays at 12pm) CHORAL EVENSONG, free-will offering, Anglican Cathedral (Sundays at 6:30pm) HOT EARTH ROCKS: Baroque music inspired by the elements earth, air, fire and water by Hot Earth Ensemble, $7/$15/$20, Johnson Geo Centre-175 Signal Hill Rd 753-4603 (Sun May 30 at 2pm) THE GREAT CASAVANT ORGAN: David Drinkell plays varied programs of sacred and secular works, free, Anglican Cathedral (Wednesdays at 1:15pm)

KIDS &TEENS MAY FLOWERS: Discover how plants and animals work together in nature. A game, story & craft, The Fluvarium-5 Nagle’s Pl 754-3474 (Saturdays & Sundays at 1:30pm) SIGNS OF SPRING: Crafts, stories, activities, duck-feeding and nature hikes throughout the day, MUN Botanical Garden-306 Mt Scio Rd 737-8590 (Sun May 30 from 10am-4pm) YOUNG MUSICIANS, Open mic at Shamrock City Pub (Sundays at 2pm) YOUNG PERFORMERS: Open mic with Denielle Hann, O’Reilly’s Irish Pub (Sundays at 3pm)

MEETINGS &CLASSES

IELLE HANN, O’Reilly’s Irish Pub (Sundays at 3pm) FREE CLASSES CLUBS GROUPS AVALON WESLEYAN CHURCH: Weekly meet up in a casual atmosphere with coffee & contemporary music, free, Rabbittown Theatre-106 Freshwater Rd 576-6937 (Sundays at 10am) CAPITAL TOASTMASTERS: Improve selfconfidence and overall leadership abilities for career and life, free, MUN Inco Centre-2014 687-1031 CAREGIVER CONVERSATIONS: A Support Group for Unpaid Caregivers, Seniors Resource Centre-Torbay Rd 726-2370 (Every third Monday) CHANNAL: A peer support group for people with mental illness. We focus on recovery, 120 LeMarchant Rd 753-7710 (Tuesdays at 7pm & Wednesdays at 2pm) COMMUNITY GARDEN MEETING: For people interested in helping to start up a community garden on MUN campus, location tba 737-2637 (Thu May 20) DECORATING DILEMMA?: Free workshop with Marilyn Mitchell, Interior Decorator & Window Cover Specialist, Arts & Culture Centre 7373950 (Tue Jun 1 from 7pm-8:30pm) FOR THE LOVE OF LEARNING: Free workshops

in art, writing, theatre, journalism, yoga and Aikido for anyone aged 15-35, Gower St United Church-basement 722-8848 (Weekdays from 12pm-6pm) FRAMED FILM CAMP: A free five-day camp for high-school students. You’ll shoot and edit one lucky script into a short film masterpiece. Learn how to work a camera, record sound, act and edit in just five days, 754-3141 FREE HOT LUNCH: Mondays and Fridays feature a vegetarian meal. Tuesdays and Thursdays offer soup and fresh bread. Young adults aged 15-35 can come to Gower St United Church basement-99 Queen’s Rd (2pm) FRENCH FRIDAY: Welcome everyone, Franklin Hotel 726-4900 (Every Friday) GREEN DRINKS: An informal get together for those who work, volunteer or have an interest in environment & conservation related issues, 7pm-9pm, no cover, The Ship (Last Wednesday of month) KNIT WITS: Drop in knitting social with help to get you started, free, Anna Templeton Centre-278 Duckworth St (Last Sunday of month from 7pm-9pm) LE CAFÉ FRANÇAIS: Qui se réunit toutes les semaines est un lieu où francophones et amoureux du français peuvent se rencontrer et faire un brin de causette, Atlantic Place-entre Starbucks et Cora’s (le dimanche à 15h) NAR-ANON FAMILY GROUP: For those who know or have known a feeling of desperation due to the addiction problem of someone close to them. Weekly meetings in St John’s area. For more info call 726-6191 NL HORTICULTURE SOCIETY: Where gardeners meet and grow together, St David’s Church Hall-Elizabeth Ave (Tue Jun 1 at 8pm) OIL POLLUTION PREVENTION MEETING: For anyone concerned about preventing offshore oil pollution. Let’s plan how we can best act collectively to help avoid an oily catastrophe, Environmental Gathering Place-172 Military Rd 726-9673 (Tue Jun 1 from 12pm-1:30pm) CNA OPEN HOUSE: Want to learn more about College of the North Atlantic’s programs and services? We have the answers to your questions, Prince Philip Dr Campus (Thu May 27 from 4pm-7pm) OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS: Free public information meeting, Rotary Sunshine CampThorburn Rd 738-1742 (Fri May 28 at 7:30pm)

RABBITTOWN COMMUNITY GARDEN: Clean up & season planning. Everyone is welcome, Field behind Centre-26 Graves St (Sun May 23 from 12pm-2pm) SENIORS BRIDGING CULTURES: Tea, guest speakers & conversation, Seniors Resource Centre 737-2333 (Thursdays at 2pm) SENIORS FRIENDSHIP CLUB, Seniors Resource Centre 737-2333 (Fridays at 2pm) SHAMBHALA MEDITATION GROUP: Meditation helps us appreciate ourselves, others, and our world, free, Billy Rahl Fieldhouse-rear Elizabeth Towers 576-4727 (Wednesdays 7:30pm & Sundays 10am) ST JOHN’S CITY COUNCIL MEETING: Refer to Council Agenda at www.stjohns.ca (posted Friday afternoon), Public welcome, City HallCouncil Chambers, 4th fl (Mondays at 4:30pm) SUPER TRIVIA NIGHT, Bitter’s Pub (Thursdays from 8pm-11pm) THE POTTLE CENTRE: A social & recreation centre for consumers of mental health services. New members welcome, 323 Hamilton Ave 753-2143 THE ROOMS: Free admission, 9 Bonaventure Ave 757-8000 (Wednesdays 6pm-9pm) THYROID CANCER INFO: For survivors, family members & friends, Eastern Health Admin Offices-306 Waterford Bridge Rd (Sat May 29 from 10:30am-12pm) TRAILS WALKERS PROGRAM: Come walk with us as we meet at various trails in the City. A group leader will meet you but you are free to walk on your own at your own pace, 576-6972 (Wednesdays at 6:30pm) (Ends Jun 23) TRIVIA NIGHT, Rose & Thistle (Tuesdays) WALK ON WATER: Get fit, meet people & learn the history of downtown, everyone welcome, free, Auntie Crae’s (Saturdays at 10am, rain or shine) WOMEN’S ACCORDION CIRCLE: An informal environment for women of all ages to perform, experiment & share stories about making music, Arts & Culture Centre-2nd Fl, Old Gallery 7462399 (Mondays at 7:30pm)

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A little lowdown on the big relaunch Next issue! June 3, 2010 The Scope is changing. The print edition will go monthly, and our website will pick up steam. Wheeeeeeee! The future is now! What will going monthly in print mean? In print, we’re re-imagining ourselves as a monthly city magazine. This won’t be too hard, since we’re already quite magazine-y, but it will mean larger issues, more content, and longer, more in-depth pieces. Online, we’re going to focus on shorter, up-to-the-minute content, and we will be able to jump on a story in a short amount of time. Why are you doing this? We’re trying to stay ahead of the curve. People still love newsprint, but they are using the web more than ever. In fact, the province of Newfoundland and Labrador saw the highest jump in internet usage in Canada over the past two years (a 15 per cent increase.) I mean, who do you know who isn’t on Facebook? Your mom is on Facebook. By printing only once a month, we’ll be saving money on printing and distribution, which are both huge expenses. We aim to keep our ad rates low for local businesses and organizations, while freeing up funds to hire on more help to make The Scope even better. We’re a small team, and we’re no strangers to hard work, but after four years of regular all-nighters and extended work-weeks, we’re ready for a change, and can see how it can work better. What about the listings? We’ll still be event-focused, and for most sections we’ll keep the listings how they are. But in order to keep our patented Best Local Listings Ever™, the music listings will be primarily online at thescope.ca, with frequent updates. Will the print edition still have the same content? We’re still working things out, but it should all be pretty much the same flavour. Because we’ll be monthly we’ll have to focus on things that have a longer shelf-life. And we have decided to say goodbye to our sex column, Savage Love. At least in print.

Wait, what?! Why are you getting rid of Savage Love? Yeah. *Sigh.* St. John’s is small, and as much as we try to deny it, it’s a conservative city, at least when it comes to talking about sex. In order to grow, we need to be available in places like grocery stores, and Savage Love has been keeping us from doing that. Yes, yes, yes, we’re going to get flak from you for this, but we know we can still be provocative and interesting without talking about complicated threesomes and poop fetishes. We love Dan Savage, and we love his column, and it really does hurt to make this decision, but it’s something we had to do. Will the print edition still look the same? Pretty much. We’ll be the same size and shape. We’ll have the same logo. We’ll still be printed on newsprint, although colour pages will be printed on a whiter, brighter paper. Inside our layout and fonts will be changing. Will the website look the same? Yep, for a while. We’ll still have the same popular online features, like Scoff reader restaurant reviews (thescope.ca/scoff) and Rant Farm (thescope.ca/rant), but we have some big changes in the works. We’ll be updating the website with new content more frequently, and we’re hiring more people to help with that. Why not go online-only? Are you crazy? That would be crazy. You’re crazy! We love newsprint, and we know you do too. We love being able to feel it in our hands. We love being able to read it wherever, whenever. There are also lots of things that can still be done better on a big sheet of paper: big photos, meaty features, infographics, and comics. So no. But never say never.

FOR SALE 2007 COBALT LT, Coupe, Black, standard. $309/month. 34,000 kms. 12 months remaining on lease. Lease ends July 2011. Option to buy car at end of lease for $7557 or simply return car to GM at no expense. Reply online at thescope.ca/classifieds/

HOUSING WANTED: FRIENDLY ROOMMATE for June – end of August. 1 room available in a 4 bedroom house on Allandale Road. F/s w/d included. Parking space available. Big fenced in back yard. $300 month POU. If you’re interested in meeting us/seeing the house, e-mail us at: ashley.a.collier@gmail.com / brettneylouise@mun.ca or csparkes@mun.ca.

MUSICIANS

ranging from many different types of music. We are very relaxed, have a laugh and would love input in the creative process. Interested?? Email me: moose_day@hotmail.com

BULLETIN BOARD TANTALIZING TALENT SHOW! Seeking amateur comedians/Impersonators/singers any other talent that is funny or a little out there for Captain Blood’s talent show videos! These videos will be posted on “Captain Blood’s Motley Crew” Page on Facebook! Email bedlam@ live.ca if interested!

I DO DREADLOCKS out of my home, new creations and upkeep on existing dreads. I am located on Field Street Downtown St. John’s. Shoulder length hair $125 / Longer hair $200 / Dread upkeep $20/hr. I use Knotty Boy products. 699-7386

BASSIST FOR HIRE - Will work for free. ten years’ experience. Looking for a gig. Any style - experience playing, writing singing and recording rock, jazz, folk, punk, & raggae. Also plays guitar, banjo and mandolin. Think about it! Reply online at thescope.ca/classifieds/

BAND IN NEED OF A DRUMMER! We are an original band looking for a devoted, interested and creative drummer. We write all of our own songs with 8 or 9 songs ready to go. We are all around 30 years old with influences

To place an ad, visit thescope.ca/classifieds

CAMP ECLIPSE

OUT

IN THE WOODS

Interested in ending HOMOPHOBIA? Camp Eclipse is a 4 day leadership retreat for youth between the ages of 16 to 24. Network with community leaders Learn and share from each other Become empowered

AUGUST 21 TO 24, 2010

Contact Costa at 579-1009 or visit www.nlsexualhealthcentre.org

Anyway, that’s enough for now. The gist is, we’re really excited about the new and improved Scope, and hope you are too.

If you have any other questions or comments, please hit us up online, we’d love to hear what you think.

thescope.ca/relaunch

Also check out our Piggy Paint non toxic nail polish, and just in time for spring—paintable rubber boots! If it’s unique, you’ll find it at flowerchild.

MAY 20 - JUNE 3, 2010

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