The Scope issue 109

THE SCOPE | st. john’s arts and entertainment magazine | august 2010 | Volume 6, Number 2 | Issue 109 | www.thescope.ca

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music new

20+ new repartee local acts: produce brings the pop + rs + punks b bring the bleeps r + many O ings the noise thers brin g the glockens piel P.8

AUGUST 2010

issue 109, volume 6, number 2 Online www.thescope.ca E-mail inbox@thescope.ca Listings listings@thescope.ca Mail The Scope PO Box 1044, St. John’s, NL, A1C 5M3 Phone 709-726-8466

Publisher/Listings/ Distro Manager Bryhanna Greenough publisher@thescope.ca Editor Elling Lien editor@thescope.ca Advertising Sales Elaine Pond (709) 699-7299 elaine@thescope.ca Lisa Cook (709) 693-5028 lisa@thescope.ca Copy Editors Sarah Smellie & Bryhanna Greenough

Distribution team Barry Ross, Rachel Harding,

Robert French, Gary Tilley, and Gary Sexton Contributors Adam Clarke, Martin Connelly, Andrew Harvey, Mark Callanan, Taryn Sheppard, Sarah Smellie, Ricky King, Andrew Wickens, and Rob Brezsny.

The Scope is St. John’s arts and entertainment newspaper, published by Scope Media Inc. 23,000 copies of The Scope are printed monthly 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 finding those new species at 3000 metres deep off Newfoundland, nor for frying them up with butter and drizzling them with a white wine sauce. All rights reserved. © 2010 Proudly independent and locally owned. Founded in 2006.

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COVER ART

Cover photo by Darrell Edwards. www.lowercasestudio.com

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Finally rolling It's been a bumpy ride for the City of St. John's Cycling Master Plan, but at the July 26 meeting of the St. John's city council, the first two phases of the project were approved. Over the next few months you're going to see some signs and lines on the roads, and hear about public education programs for both drivers and cyclists. Soon after, half of the Virginia River Trail will be widened to allow for use by pedestrians and cyclists.

The Scope has been paying attention to this project from the get-go in 2007, and recently we and MUN BikeShare were behind a petition to show support for the plan. In just three days we received over a thousand signatures.

It's not every day a publication does such a thing, and we didn't take it lightly, but we think making the city bike-friendly will have so many benefits—from improving public health to reducing our dependence on oil to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions to building community— that in this case making the leap to advocacy made sense.

Below are some of the comments people left with their signatures.

—Elling Lien J. Dearing: As a city, as a society, as a people, it is our responsibility to see that all citizens have security and safety when it comes to modes of transportation. Bicycle lanes ensure safety, promote sustainability, and encourage active living. To do less is to fail as a responsible municipality.

A.Webster: The following sums up the importance of the City’s Plan and bike lanes: ‘The sound of a car door opening in front of you is similar to the sound of a gun being cocked.’

W.Driedzic: As someone who was hit by a car while cycling, I know very well the dangers of the streets of St. John’s. I support bike lanes without reservation.

S.O’Leary: We need the streets to be safe for cars, cyclists, wheelchairists, baby carriages, and pedestrians. Having a cycling infrastructure will ensure the safety of all people, however they get around.

G.Murray: Designated lanes for alternative, eco-friendly traffic are part of virtually

every world class city. Don’t think near and small, St. John’s.

D.Deibel: Let St. John’s support our troops by ending needless foreign wars. It seems a large thing to do at the cost of a little inconvenience over on-street parking.

Can’t we park in our driveways to increase cycle use and safety and to reduce petroleum consumption? Surely there must be the political will to take the lead on this issue.

J.Huber: The safety of cyclists is at stake here. I am routinely yelled at, honked at, and cursed at while riding my bike on the road because I choose not to illegally ride on the sidewalks.

K.Hawboldt: St. John’s is already behind in so many areas of sustainability, let’s not add this to the list.

K.Budgell: Cyclists should be thanked for all the positives they bring to this city: small carbon footprint, encouraging a healthy alternative, less noise pollution and a decreased likelihood of pedestrian injury.

For all these great gifts cyclists are simply requesting that they be given a safe place to commute.

R. Kelly: Adding these bike lanes will not only directly contribute to safer commuting for cyclists, but will provide much needed visibility to the presence and rights of cyclists in our city.

D. Ramsay: I was in Halifax recently and the bike lanes were glorious. They were well used and only make sense. St. John’s is a beautiful city, seen perfectly from a bike!

B. Pomeroy: I just returned from Montreal, Ottawa & Toronto and those cities are far and away ahead of the times with regards to the safety of cyclists. It makes our city look archaic by nature.

C.Fleming: My significant other commutes every day to work by choice, and he’s told me horror stories about often almost getting hit by vehicles, getting yelled at by vehicles and even yelled at. This is unacceptable behaviour. Many cars don’t respect bikes or the people riding them. If bikes had their own designated lanes, this would be less of a problem.

H. Epstein: About f@&%ing time!

‘‘

I am in no way interested in immortality, but only in the taste of tea.

‘‘

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– alexander pushkin 199 Water Street 709-579-9288 www.britanniateas.ca

HOOKED UP

Internet & Gaming Café

206 Duckworth Street PC & Xbox 360 Gaming

ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US.

2nd Floor CBTG's FULLY LICENSED ARCADE Retro Arcade & Xbox 360

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AUGUST 2010

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your city

notes from st. john’s city hall The City of St. John’s Municipal Arts Plan Arts Plan highlights that the city supports was introduced almost a year ago, in Sepa legal graffiti wall on Carter’s Hill Place. tember of last year. Since one of the Arts This is nice, but they have done an atroPlan’s “priorities for action” is for the plan cious job of promoting this lone public itself to be reviewed every year, I figured graffiti wall, and clearly this is not enough I’d go ahead and get right to that. space to divert street artists away from The very first priority in the Arts Plan public and private buildings. is to “directly invest in the arts through Indeed, there are a few city councillors grants to individuals and organizations.” with their undies in a knot over the graffiti And how is that coming which has recently been turning up on the along? At the November 30th fresh walls of pristine grey concrete on the meeting of council, one of new and improved Scanlan’s Lane. Then, the recommendations of the in an ironic twist, the city launched its “Go Arts Advisory CommitBare Butt” program, which encourages Andrew tee was to double the people to responsibly dispose of their cigaHarvey andrew@thescope.ca funding for artists by rette butts through spray-painted stencils 2012. This recommenon the sidewalk. That the city is using grafdation was referred to the budgetary comfiti to encourage people not to litter, while mittee for consideration. Unfortunately, simultaneously forcing others to remove like most requests heard by the budgetary graffiti from their property is as innovative committee, it was rejected. as it is... well, you get the picture.

Now, considering the extremely tight Rather than fight art, which the Municibudget we had this year, pal Arts Plan recognizes we may be lucky to have as a powerful and positive kept the funding we had. force in our city, we But the 2011 budget is should look to cultivate, With the city in the middle sure to force the same difnourish, and encourage of a rental crisis, the words it. With the city in the ficult decisions made this of the Municipal Arts Plan year regarding funding middle of a rental crisis, for the arts. It will test will be of cold comfort to the the words of the Municicouncil’s commitment to pal Arts Plan will be of artist who cannot afford a directly funding the arts, studio to work in, or even an cold comfort to the artist and show us how imporwho cannot afford a stuapartment to live in. tant of an issue the arts is dio to work in, or even an to them. apartment to live in. The Another huge issue housing situation will get addressed in the Muworse before it gets betnicipal Arts Plan is the “extreme lack of ter in St. John’s, and if nothing is done to affordable, adequate, dedicated space for preserve and build on the space we have, rehearsal, office and studio [which] has the A1C area code may soon not be able to hampered the development of the arts.” say it has one of the highest concentrations Strong words, indeed. Solutions to this of artists per postal code in Canada. problem include identifying opportunities for the city to develop cultural space with partners from the community, region, and Follow Andrew’s live-blog of St. John’s city private sector. council meetings at So far, we haven’t seen much on cultural space-development front. The Municipal

hava light roast 216 Water Street

thescope.ca/yourcity

Meantoons By John Meaney

AUGUST 2010

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BY MORGAN MURRAY (WITH SNIFFING ASSISTANCE FROM KRISTIE JAMESON AND SUSAN HOLLEY) ILLUSTRATION BY NATRIX MA

Mapping St. John's by smell isn't as easy as it sounds. For the most part, its a lovely smelling city. Sure, there are pockets of dog poop and piles of trash, the odd chicken abattoir, and plenty of greasy fish & chip shops, but without a thick blanket of smog keeping the smells down, and without the teeming masses of densely packed humanity, their animals and their trash, our own mildly sweltering weather does not create the rich olfactory stew you might find in a big city like Toronto, Montreal, or New York. Inspired by a similar map of Manhattan by author and illustrator Jason Logan published by the New York Times, our intrepid smell-tographer decided to take a sniff around St. John's to create this St. John's Smell Map.

PENNYWELL

Smelly Landmarks

DOWNTOWN-EAST

HOYLESTOWN

Country Ribbon Chicken Plant, Pleasantville hot dogs, bacon, chicken fat, grease fire, urine, truck exhaust, industrial strength cleaners. Avalon Mall, O'Leary/Avalon french fries, hot dogs, popcorn, pancakes, fish and chips. Lester's Farm Petting Zoo, Waterford Valley Somewhat circus-like – various animal feces, barns, straw. The Basillica, Rabbittown an attic. George Street, Downtown (West) hot dogs, French fries, burgers. Robin Hood Bay Dump, White Hills Industrial Park the dump. Buddy's Fish & Chips, East End very fishy fish and chips. Wal-Mart, Stavanger Drive, Clovelly Trails lingering farts. Wal-Mart, Kelsey Drive, O'Leary/Avalon Mall popsicle sticks.

Mundy Pond, Mundy Pond swamp.

Temperance St. – Prescott St., below Military Rd. Hot asphalt; French fries; cigarettes; cleaner; rotting vegetables; flowers; freshly cut grass; French toast; coffee; freshly planted flowers: dirt and flowers; diesel fuel; ashes (burnt down law office on Duckworth St.); lumber; laundry; old, musty leather boots; motorcycle exhaust; lollipops; lip balm; lotion; roses.

King's Bridge Rd. – Quidi Vidi Village, Quidi Vidi Lake – Signal Hill Poodle and pigeon poop; car exhaust; new car smell air-freshener; pine tree air-freshener; stones; flowers; White Clover; long grass; Danish pastries; sweat.

DOWNTOWN-WEST

(Other than downtown) West End

Prescott St. – Springdale St., below Queens Rd./ New Gower St. Fresh ocean breeze; old, musty lumber; cigars; Asian variety store: spices, vegetables, etc.; paint; shampoo; potpourri; garbage; urine; mould; freshly cut grass; flowers; lacquer; hot asphalt; hot dogs; fries; burgers; vegetarian cooking: vegetables, spices, tofu, etc.; fish; SOAP!; sandwiches: chicken salad, ham, cheese, mayo, pickles; cigarette; county fair treats: candy apples, cotton candy, pop corn, etc.; ketchup, mustard, relish; vinegar; doughnuts; dog poop; B.O.; plastic; Freezees; nail polish; orange Tang.

Least Smelly Neighbourhood

MUN

Mount Pearl (it's not really a neighbourhood, but it didn't smell like anything!)

Country Ribbon Chicken Plant, Pleasantville.

Clinch Cr. – Elizabeth Ave., Paton St. to Allandale Rd. Those little white weed flowers (White Clover, I think); black coffee; dirty old mop water that has gone cold; fresh paint; hot ashphalt; sweat; gym socks; swimming pool.

Most Out of Place Smell

CHURCHILL PARK

Higgins Line and Fox Ave, East End (the middle of the burbs) Bacon and french fries.

Freshwater Rd. – Portugal Cove Rd./Kenna's Hill/ Torbay Rd, Pippy Park – Empire Ave. Flowers; freshly cut grass; faintly of gasoline; old school smell: old carpet, smelly kids, wet socks; salsa; sub sauce; dust; tires; bus exhaust; MacDonald's fry grease; old shoes; musty trunk in an attic; mouldy baseball glove.

Best Smell Craigmiller Ave., West End forest, trees, and delicious flowers.

Smelliest Neighbourhood

Worst Smell

Oddest Smells to Try and Name Topsail Rd. and Craigmiller Ave., West End what I imagine a fisherman would smell like, and Torbay Rd., Mount Cashel (various fast food joints) lizard carcass.

MOUNT CASHEL Common and Recurrent Smells In order of occurrence: freshly cut grass, hot asphalt, French fries, flowers, fresh ocean breeze, fish & chips, dust, various animal feces, various cleaners, and cigarette butts.

Portugal Cove Rd. – Logy Bay Rd., Elizabeth Ave./Torbay Rd. – MacDonald Dr. Pond; fresh air; freshly cut grass; cheap soap; motor oil; plastic toys; new cowboy boots; lizard carcass (fast food); pineapple juice; dust; swimming pool (even though there wasn't one anywhere nearby).

COWAN HEIGHTS

WISHINGWELL PARK Columbus Dr. – Freshwater Rd./Elizabeth Ave, Prince Philip Dr. – Empire Ave. Oil; B.O.; car exhaust; watermelon; beer; cigarette butts; cotton candy; patchouli; White Clover; dust; freshly cut grass; dirt.

WATERFORD VALLEY

AVALON MALL/O'LEARY INDUSTRIAL Mount Pearl to Pippy Park, Kentmount Rd. to Thorburn Rd. Ocean breeze; french fries; hot dogs; popcorn; pancakes; fish & chips; bread; steak; spaghetti sauce; gravy; lemonade; popsicle sticks (Wal-Mart on Kelsey Dr.); wood; construction worker.

WEST END

CLOVELLY TRAILS

Corwall Ave./Symonds Ave./Cashin Ave. – Freshwater Rd./New Gower St., Empire Ave. – Topsail Rd./Water St. BBQ; french fries; fish & chips; stagnant grease; fried chicken; wet dog; dust; old paint chips; solvent; mouldy basement; like I imagine a fisherman would (somewhere on Craigmiller Ave.); forest, trees, and delicious flowers (Craigmiller Ave. and Topsail Rd. Best smelling spot in town--just past the imaginary fisherman smell); whiskey; cigarette butts; sea gulls; freshly cut Christmas trees.

Torbay Rd. – City Limits, City Limits – Outer Ring Rd. Chinese food; plastic; lingering farts (WalMart on Stavanger Dr.); sulphur; rotting vegetables; old funky leftovers; stale magazine perfume ads; freshly cut grass.

EAST MEADOWS

Logy Bay Rd. – Quidi Vidi Lake, Kenna's Hill – Newfoundland Dr./East White HIlls Rd. Horrid mix of chicken plant smells: hot dogs, bacon, chicken fat, grease fire, urine, truck exhaust, industrial strength cleaners; Pinesol or Sunlight cleaner; dust; freshly cut wet grass; old, musty cardboard boxes; swamp.

MacDonald Dr./Torbay Rd. – Outer Ring Rd., Newfoundland Dr./Carrick Dr. – Logy Bay Rd. Mini donuts; dust; dandilions; aftershave; oatmeal; old lady air freshener.

WEDGEWOOD PARK Torbay Rd. – Carrick Dr., Outer Ring Rd. – Newfoundland Dr. Burning rubber; Chinese food; swimming pool; hot wooden deck; new rubber basketball.

VIRGINIA PARK Logy Bay Rd. – East White Hills Rd., Newfoundland Dr. – Harding Rd. Magazines; candy; freshly cut grass; laundry; flowers; dust; faintly tinny.

PLEASANTVILLE

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hot tickets AUGUST 2010

Some of our picks for the month. By Sarah Smellie and Bryhanna Greenough.

August 6 - 8

Newfoundland & Labrador Folk Festival Music

e's a bicycle on the

We like that ther

cover.

Tuesday, August 3

CCR Tribute Music

I’ve lived in a good number of cities and towns across Canada and I feel that I can assert the following with utmost authority: St. John’s has the most interesting cover band scenes in the country. Most cities have their staple AC/DC and GN’R tributes, sure.

But here? Salutes to Iron Maiden, Tool, Pink Floyd - it’s incredible.

Newest on the scene is the Beach B’ys, a tribute to - duh - the Beach Boys, with local scenester Jordan Young at the helm. Now Young’s gone and gathered Bad Moon Rising, a tribute to Credence Clearwater Revival. They’ll be stoppin’ the rain at The Levee on Tuesday, August 3rd at 9pm. (Keep checking The Scope's Twitter acccount @thescopeNL for a ticket giveaway.) SS

I used to think the Folk Fest was mostly targeting the older crowd and people with kids, but this year’s programming shows the festival really reaching out to the people in the age group who regularly go out to shows. With a gem or two packed into each night, they’re going to get their crowds no matter what the weather. On Friday Hey Rosetta! and Amelia Curran hit the stage; Matt Hornell & The Diamond Minds and Wonderful Grand Band on Saturday; then Old Man Luedeke on Sunday. Adult ticket prices range from 15 to 70 bucks. If you buy your weekend pass in advance, it’s only 55 dollars. For more info call 5794424. BG

Saturday, August 7

Viva Vaudeville Variety Show Burlesque

It’s a Vaudville goodbye for Alicia Simms, after a boffo show-producing career. Formerly of Headline Honeys Productions, Simms has been putting off knockout Vaudville shows since 2007, and now she’s gotta ankle.

Hostess Lynn Panting, the Burly Q Babies, belly dancer Seraka, and a full bill of other entertainers are set to dazzle the stubholders one last time. Here’s hoping Simms will do an Eddie Leonard now and again. SS

Wednesday, August 4

August 11 - 15

Event/Sports

Dance

Regatta Day

Probably the biggest no-brainer August event is the Royal St. John’s Regatta. If you’ve grown up here or been here a while, you know the drill.

But if you’ve just arrived, you need the rundown: The St. John’s Regatta is a day-long series of rowing races on Quidi Vidi Lake and the whole city shuts down for it. Not necessarily for the sport itself - have you actually heard anybody going on about rowing’s post office-closing urgency?

No. People swarm down to the lake because there are carnival games, circusfolk, big inflatable things to jump on (if you’re a kid), food and ice dream booths, and - bonus! - there’s a beer tent. The latter is likely the inspiration for the Regatta’s alternate title, the Regretta. Wednesday, August 4th. SS

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Broken Accidents You probably won’t be too surprised to read that Joel Thomas Hynes has been working on a theatrical adaptation of a book about suicide, depression, and desperation set in a world where two-for-one specials on parental euthanization are commonplace. But you might be interested to know that he’s doing it with Louise Moyes and Sarah Joy Stoker. Combining theatre and dance to explore the darkest bits of gutcentered despair, Broken Accidents, based on the story collection of the same name by Plip Arima, and directed by Lois Brown, is at the LSPU Hall August 11th to 15th at 8pm. Pay-what-you-can matinee on Sunday, August 15th. Tickets are $25 and can be puchased at 753-4531.

SS

New York new media artists SWEATSHOPPE use projectors and computer vision software to create the illusion that a wall is being painted with video. Part of the Eastern Edge 24HAM Festival (Aug 13-22)

August 13 - 22

24 HAM Festival Visual Art/Performance/Music

Everybody’s there, everybody’s happy, and its logo is a sweaty, jogging ham. It’s the Eastern Edge 24 Hour Art Marathon Festival, and it’s the best summer-closing event in the entire pork- and art- centred universe. The actual marathon itself, wherein local artists buckle down and create for the full 24-hour period while gallery goers watch and rock out to a bit of music, happens from noon on Saturday, August 21st until noon the next day. They’ve also got a whole slew of events planned from August 13th to the 22nd, including a Stompin’ Tom night at the Rose and Thistle (!), a gallery crawl, and a tree-cozy knitting workshop. One particularly notable event will be a performance by SWEATSHOPPE, a New York duo who will be painting video on buildings on Wednesday August 18. Check out the festival website at 24hourartmarathon. wordpress.com for the full lineup and check back at thescope.ca for online coverage. SS

Friday, August 13

The Subtitles CD Release Music

Local electro-pop heartbreakers The Subtitles, have just released their first full-length album, Quick and Painless, and people are lovin’ it.

They’re having a release party for said album on Friday, August 13th at The Rock House. Show starts at 10:30. SS

Monday, August 23

Hamlet (solo) Theatre

It’s definitely a good month for theatre. Hamlet(solo) is, and I’m not kidding, a one-man production of Hamlet, and you’ll be able to see it at the Rabbittown Theatre on Monday, August 23rd at 8pm. Performed by Raoul Bhaneja who, among other stellar credentials, was a member of Toronto’s much-exalted Soulpepper Theatre Company. Raoul spent over six years developing the show, all of which were the subject of a recent Bravo! Network documentary, and there’s no possible way that it won’t completely blow your mind. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased by calling 739-8220. SS

AUGUST 2010

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Store Front

On patrol with Martin Connelly at the Waterford Valley Mall at 657 Topsail Road.

Second Page Books has been in business 23 years, and in the mall for 15. They sell used books and videos, with a general selection and no specialties. Having the library a couple doors down hasn’t negatively effected business, and indeed, business hasn’t changed in the time the store has been open.

Currently, all reading material is 25% off, with the exception of “Archie and Newfoundland Digests.”

Aloha Tans is busy all the time, but is busiest during “grad season” which runs from February through May. Most customers go for the unlimited monthly membership, but you can also pay by the minute, and your first 10 minutes are free. Clients are split pretty much down the middle between the sexes, and they range from 17 years old to 70.

The Topsail Branch of the Newfoundland Public Library isn’t a store, but they do good business on Tuesday nights, when they’re open ‘til 8:30pm, and Saturdays. DVD’s are popular, as is their free Internet access, but they have lots of books too. The catalogue is part of the provincial system so chances are good that if they don’t have a book, they can get it from elsewhere. There are story times and reading club events on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

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Message Therapy and Chiropractic Manipulation are not the same, but they share the same clinic at Active Health Chiropractic. Both are a universal treatment, says receptionist Judy Candow, and thus the clientele ranges from young to old. Hours are different every day.

The sign at the Hair Studio & Spa says they had the first aqua message in Newfoundland, but mostly they do cuts and colours. No cut or colour is more popular than any other, they say.

One of four locations in the greater metropolitan area this particular Ches’s Fish and Chips was the second to open, after the original on Harvey Road, and it’s been open since July 7th, 1987. Fish makes up about 70 % of their business, and it’s either fresh or frozen just for the business. Ches’s is still very much a family business, but they’ve partnered with O’Reilly’s, and they’re interested in franchising.

It’s easy to dismiss Tim Hortons as another international chain, but it’s still an interesting place. Owner Leroy Edmonds remembers when the only products they sold were doughnuts, tim bits, and muffins, but pretty much everything has changed since then, he says. The support from the head office is exponentially greater, good staff are harder to find, but more than anything, the number of offerings is just through the roof. Coffee is still the biggest seller, he said, but after that, the lunch menu is doing really well.

Brew Craft sells home brewing supplies and equipment—pretty much whatever you need to make your own beverages. Kits are best sellers—a beer kit will set you back $54 while a wine kit comes in at $118. Both kits come with everything you need except the bottles and, according to part-owner Bob Wallis, those are the best prices in town. They don’t sell supplies to underage enthusiasts on principle, though it is legal to do so. If you’re very enthusiastic and looking for a change of pace, the business itself is also for sale.

Healthy Choices is a health and wellness store with a wide selection of supplements and salves. Owner Judi Lush is a chartered herbalist, and she’s happy to sit down and figure out what would make you feel better.

Cleanses are really popular right now, as are fish oils and sea buckthorn (for skin conditions). If you’re just feeling generally crappy, said Lush, you should probably see a doctor, but a bee product might just set you right.

Jungle Jim’s needs no introduction. The staff attest to the fact that chicken taquitos are by far the most popular. Also, remember your server is a tour guide. Friday nights are busiest, narrowly out-serving Wacky Wings Wednesday. According to the website, Jungle Jim's is the most widely recognized casual restaurant operator in Newfoundland, and the largest non-pizza operator in Atlantic Canada.

Coo Chi Coo sells cloth diapers, jogging strollers, and other child oriented supplies, and calls itself a unique boutique for mom, infant, and toddler. In the ever-increasing number of baby supply stores in town, Coo Chi Coo was one of the originals. Moms swear by it.

Big Cheese Pizza used to be in Mt. Pearl Square and moved to the Waterford Valley Mall for the extra space. “Business is absolutely crazy” says owner James Power. I’d say. They’re up to about 1800 pies on a weekend. An 18” Jumbo pizza will run you $11.99 and Power, an omnivore, recommends the vegetarian. “We use fresh vegetables so it’s nice and crispy—a different taste all together,” he said.

Rock House The

on George Street

FRIDAY AUGUST 13th

THE

SUBTITLES CD RELEASE

AUGUST 2010

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NEW MUSIC

Photo by Darrell Edwards.

O

ne of the best things about our brutal winters is they tend to force a lot of people to gather in large numbers indoors. This being St. John’s, there’s usually an instrument or six in any given house, so you tend to find a lot of bands emerging from the snow.

Each year we try and put together a brief introduction to some of those bands and each year it gets harder, but that's a good thing, because each year, there are way, way more bands than the last. And this list is just a tiny glimpse of what and who is actually out there.

There are over twenty new bands in this year’s round-up, representing the exploding punk and hardcore scenes, the experimental scene spilling out of the CBTG’s Downstairs Mix-up nights, the steadily gaining electronic scene, the ever-widening folk rock scene and the piles of new bands reinterpreting traditional styles.

By Elling Lien, Bryhanna Greenough and Sarah Smellie.

THe CRooks myspace.com/justinguzzwell You’ve probably already heard somebody talking about The Crooks. As founding member Justin Guzzwell puts it, their music is “Rock and Alternative at the core.

We love making noise, which is usually a result of my cluster shag piano solos, and A.E. Bridgers' screaming guitar.” Hence, all the attention.

The Bonavista Chain Locker myspace.com/stevehoskinssong Steve Hoskins, Michael Boone, Andrew McCarthy, Chris McGee, Jill Dawe, and Mary Beth Waldram describe their band as “a big band that plays greasy klezmer-y shanty rock.” Drawing influences from gypsy jazz to pirate shanties to folk, blues, and reggae, they’ve been hauling people onto the dance floor all winter and show no signs of stopping.

Juicer myspace.com/juicernl “At a typical show, something gets broke, people get drunk, and I take my shirt off,” says Juicer frontman Derm. “Our sound is kind of like punk rock, with a twist. It has electronics, but it’s not an electronic band.

It’s fun, fast, and danceable. No fast band in this city uses a drum machine like we

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REPARTEE www.myspace.com/reparteemusic

scribed) pop acts in the city right now, so it kind of makes us stand out. Also our music is pretty heavily rooted in keyboards, there doesn't seem to be a LOT of that around either.

With a super-catchy demo EP under their belts, this straight-up pop group are out to make you dance...

How about the name? Where did that come from?

Repartee stood out to me firstly because I thought the word itself looked cool. It's grown on me though, even if I pronounce it the American way [RIH-par-TEE]. Is that wrong?

What makes the group stand out in the local scene?

Pop! I think so, anyway. Luckily for us there isn't much (self-de-

do—it’s heavy and raw.”

Jake Nicoll myspace.com/jakenicollmusic Jake just released his spectacularly melodic synth-folk solo album Wild Machines, but performs most with the Hunter Gatherers.

“The Hunter Gatherers is a band formed by my brother Billy, my sister Ilia, my friend Noah, and me,” explains Jake Nicoll.

“I think of The Hunter Gatherers as an umbrella group; each member is a talented songwriter who could fare quite well on their own.”

Surrogate Activity

“I like the ethos of the hardcore scene,” says guitarist Juls Mack. “Bar shows out of necessity, not about lovin' the booze. Total DIY.” The band started in a barn in Portugal Cove, but has since moved to town.

They describe their sound as “Green Day pre-Dookie era with off-key girl vocals.”

Short Handed myspace.com/shorthandedband “We usually describe ourselves as a poppunk/rock band,” says bassist Justin. “We put an emphasis on melody when we write.

For a pop-punk band in the city, it seems like we're a lot less hardcore influenced.”

Short Handed is the intersection of numer-

Welsh Cinema myspace.com/welshcinema

ous other bands that Justin, Benj, Elliot, and Josh play in.

The PreRaphaelites www.myspace.com/preraphaelites

People say there’s something in the water in CBS, as it’s the birthplace of many legendary St. John’s bands. Like Welsh Cinema. “We spent most of our adolescent years kicking rocks into the ocean and recording crude home demos,” they explain. “We all listen to different types of music but share a love for quality rock and roll, folk, and classic country.”

“Vocals are the focus of our music. Everyone in the band sings, and they sing in almost every song. That, and we're pretty sure we're the only band in town that’s a complicated love heptagon,” says the Visit a Pre-Raphaelites. Selfthescope.c and described indie/pop, io to hear aud about “driven by harmonies, synthesizers, and upread more other beat rhythms,” they’re these and al releasing an EP this new loc summer. sts.

I WAS A SKYWALKER myspace.com/iwasaskywalker

arti

“We're all younger. It seems like we bridge the gap between the aging bar scene and the dying all-ages scene,” explains Glen May, IWAS is a band that falls somewhere in the intersection of punk and hardcore.

“We draw influences from bands like Daggermouth, Kid Dynamite, and Paint it Black... Also, Kieran likes really cool rap music.”

Kicking the Help myspace.com/kickingthehelp

Kicking the Help are decidedly unapologetic about their influences. “U2, Tori Amos, Muse, Meatloaf, Jack's Mannequin, and shitty 80s hair metal,” reports Adam Carter. “A typical show includes off-kilter humour, Phil and Melanie forging a united front against my bad taste, and the entire band forging a united front against Rob's bad scarves. Oh, and occasionally music is played.”

Gore Puppy myspace.com/gorepuppy “We describe ourselves as GoreCore, but we are basically a metal band with some hardcore overtones,” explains Gore Puppy.

“When deciding on a name, we turned

to the Internet. After a Google search we stumbled upon a random band name generator for metal bands.” Two hours and a vote later, Gore Puppy was born.

Jen Squires, lives in St. John’s. “I like the term wiener-punk,” says Robinson. “I usually think of punk rock as a tough-sounding style, but I don't think we come off as very tough. I’m a happy guy.”

House & the Hooligans

Polina myspace.com/polinapolina

myspace.com/theconnexions

“We stand out because we play honest, straightforward rock that’s rooted in the best of rock and roll’s past,” says Adrian of House and the Hooligans, formerly the Connexions. “Also because we’re naked on stage.” Okay, not really, but their sound, self-described as “The Ramones meets The Beatles,” does set them aside.

The Living Daylights myspace.com/tldmusic

The Living Daylights are a three-piece playing what they describe as “rock,” but without and electric guitar. “Electric guitars and gear confuse me,” says guitarist Tim Barnes. ”I can play guitar, write songs, and sing. That's about it for my knowledge of music technology.”

Brutal Youth myspace.com/pattyolantern “Brief, angst driven punk/hardcore a la Kid Dynamite,” is how Patrick Neary, aka Patty O’Lantern, describes the sound of Brutal Youth, a nod to the Elvis Costello album of the same name. Neary wrote the songs while away in B.C. last year and, upon returning to St. John’s, assembled a kickass band to play them.

Clocked in myspace.com/clockedin709 “We play hardcore punk,” says lead singer Robert Young. “We probably sound more like Litany-era F$&%ed Up than we’d care to admit.” Formed in January, they’ve already released an EP. “We’re more concerned with remaining an active part of the St. John’s hardcore scene,” says Young.

“We’re a part of something great and wouldn’t try to detach ourselves from it if we could.”

The Long Distance Runners

Looking for singer-songwriter Chris Picco?

You’ll find him in the Long Distance Runners, alongside Matt Hender, Dicky Strickland, and Adam Cardwell. “If Brian Wilson, Nick Cave, Ray Davies and Jeff Lynne could have an illegitimate child together, it would probably look and sound like the Long Distance Runners,” laughs Picco.

Kick Gut

Kick Gut is in a long-distance relationship.

One half of the two-piece, Andrew Robinson, currently lives in Gander. The other,

Rising from the ashes of the Narrators and Some Houses Like To Sleep, Polina draws their influences from 90s screamo, post-punk, math rock, and noise rock.

“Influence-wise, we’re unique in this scene,” they say. “We don't fit anywhere, yet we are comfortable playing wherever.

Hardcore shows, CBTG's shows, houses, art marathons...”

Monsterbator myspace.com/monsterbatormusic Described by The Scope’s own Patrick Canning as “primal and belligerent” (from him, that’s a huge compliment), Monsterbator has been putting people off or pulling them in, with few in between, with their “really trashy, loud, heavy, messy, but tight as shit” sound, courtesy of blaring guitars, synth, and frontman Andrew Waterman’s unbridled howling. They’ll smack you.

says the Newish Klezmer Ensemble. Starring Celina Barry, Allison Corbett, Darren Browne, Noah Bender, and Billy, Ilia, and Jake Nicoll, plays fun, thoroughly danceable traditional klezmer, from mournful doinas to contemplative nigns.

Benjamin Rigby myspace.com/benjaminrigby

“The style of banjo that I play is old time clawhammer, which is rhythmically driven with what I like to call the ‘illusion of complicated melodies,’” explains banjoist Benjamin Rigby, formerly of Dead Language.

“I think my sound is derived heavily from the nature of the instrument itself: woody, resonant, and full.”

Electronic music rising While electronic music is undoubtedly being made all over the city, only a handful of producers are putting their music to test in front of live audiences. While these three musicians—Pat Dunn (aka Low Def), Benjy Kean and Brian Oliver (aka Worker)—may not be new to making music, they have been playing it for receptive audiences more and more.

Vicar myspace.com/vicarisalie “Vicar started a little over a year ago when I decided to put out an EP as an experiment,” explains Tyler Lovell. The band now consists of two guitarists, two synths, a drummer and a bassist. “I think it's basically rock music that sounds very chaotic, usually through noise or electronic elements.”

St. John’s Ukulele Orchestra myspace.com/stjohnsukuleleclub Really, the name says it all. Begun during some experimental winter plucking between Matt Grant and Jon Montes, they put out a call for members via Facebook.

Playing both traditional and original songs, they’re typically at least five members strong, and are always looking for new blood.

Tied Down

“There aren't too many women in punk bands here,” says drummer Jeff. “Bee’s voice can strip paint off walls.” Fronted by Bee Traverse, with Juls Mack on guitar, and Jonathon Kennedy on bass, Tied Down is definitely standing out. Adds Kennedy, “We have good glasses, too. That's important.”

The Newish Klezmer Ensemble myspace.com/newishklezmerensemble “In Yiddish terms, all members of this ensemble are goyim (non-Jewish people) so our name readily advertises that fact,”

Worker myspace.com/workermusic

LowDEF myspace.com/physicalpatrick LowDEF is my moniker for performing my live experiments. Using computer software to render music in realtime is a challenging venture, and experimentation is the name of the game at these early stages of programming and performing How would you describe your sound?

Welllll... It's kinda like... a hybrid fusion of...(Just kidding.) It's obviously indiedance. I'll just sit with my laptop and a few synths... always experimenting...and make some shit up. Sometimes I'll hear an old tune on the radio and grab the file online and chop it up or grab some YouTube video and sample it and make a track out of it.

What makes your music stand out?

A touch of the familiar with a twist...remix an old rockin' 80's track, add some synths and then do something totally original.

How would you describe your sound?

Loud, bass, noise, crunch, long, repetitive, energetic, fun, constantly changing.

What makes your music stand out in the local music scene?

For starters, it's electronic. There aren't many people making electronic music here.

There's a ton of bands, but not many electronic acts. A lot of locals like to dance to electro, but not many are making it.

I really like the hard electro style and I try to aim for that. You can hear in some of my songs that I'm heavily inspired by Felix Cartal, Underworld, MSTRKRFT and Daft Punk, but I really work at trying to learn different styles and creating my own. It's fun to learn by figuring out how someone else might have made their sounds and use elements of that learning process in your own music.

DJ Benjy How would you describe your sound?

My sound is kinda all over the place... I have made punk music, some hip hop beats, weird sound art... and some solo piano stuff... whatever I feel like when ever it happens. I do really like lo-fi sounding things a lot.

What makes your music stand out in the local scene?

I remember once playing at Turners Tavern with a few punk bands; I was playing a keyboard and a computer and singing, and I really felt like no one was even paying attention. That's what I get for playing downtempo beats to a bunch of people who wanted to see "Are You Phobic?"... but it was still fun.

AUGUST 2010

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weekend music listings For the rest of the week, and for the most up-to-date information, go to www.thescope.ca/events

Friday JULY 30 Bump (11pm); DJ Mark Power, Martini Bar Chris Hennessey (5pm); Bill Kelly (8pm), O’Reilly’s Irish Pub D’arcy Broderick & Ron Kelly (5pm); Barry Kenny & Glen Harvey (8pm); Kilkenny Krew (11pm), Shamrock City Pub Damian Follett , Green Sleeves David Langmead Trio, The Fat Cat Blues Bar DJ Fabian, no cover, 11am, Zone 216 DJ Sina, Konfusion Dust Radio, 5pm, no cover, The Grapevine Filthy Fridays: DJ JayCee, Turkey Joe’s George Street Festival: Masterless Men (5:30pm); Damian Follett & the Jersey Brotherhood (8pm); April Wine (9:30pm), $20, George St Karaoke, Karaoke Kops Party Bar Miss Conduct, 10pm, $7, Tol’s Timeout Lounge Motions Songwriter Showcase (NayburZ with FlavoR) 10pm-12am,

Franklin Hotel

St

216

One Power, Rio Samaya (Latin American), Curtis Andrews, The Ship

Hugh Scott (5pm); Bob Taylor, Carl Peters & Pat Moran (8pm); Kilkenny Krew (11pm), Shamrock City Pub

DJ Big Frank, Konfusion

Overlay (rock), Wizard (hard rock), The Living Daylights (acoustic rock), Dave Walsh & The Worst Kind (alternative), 9pm, Fat Cat Blues Bar

Jetset Motel (country CD release) Pathological Lovers (rock), Les Domestics (folk), $10, The Ship

Tom Petty Tribute, Rock House

Joe Rowe (Ottawa/NL DJ), Krystle Hayden, Dr Drake, 11pm, Liquid NightClub

Weak Link (tour kick off) 11pm, Rose & Thistle

Karaoke, Hosted by Murf, Darnell’s Pub Karaoke, Karaoke Kops Party Bar

Saturday JULY 31 AE Bridger (psychedelic rock), Be Alright (rock), Surgeon (prog rock), Vicar, Junctions At Ships End (folk), 11:30pm, The Brimstone Back to Our Roots : A Gay Celebration, $5/$7, Zone 216 Bump (11pm); DJ Nu Rock, Martini Bar David Langmead Unplugged, Trinity Pub DJ Big Frank, Konfusion George Street Festival: At Ship’s End (7pm); Rex Goudie (8pm); Buddy Wasisname & The Other Fellers (9:30pm), $20,George

MUSIC REVIEW

Musique Non-Stop: Indie Dance Night with DJ Benjy, Low Def Live (original set

by Pat Dunn) no cover, Distortion Overlay (rock), Dodgeband (alt), The Phobics (rock), Hot Live Death (last show), 9pm, The Levee Rob Cook (4:30pm);Fergus O’Byrne (8pm), O’Reilly’s Irish Pub Rio Samaya (Latin American), 10pm, Scanlans Sexual Saturdays: DJ JayCee, Turkey Joe’s The Pickett Line: Stan Pickett accordion & Francesca Swan cello) 8pm, $15, Five Island Art Gallery-Tors Cove 334-3645 VJ Eric, DJ Fabian, 11pm, $5/$7 after 1:30pm, Zone

Friday AUGUST 6 BarcOde (classic rock) Trapper John's Chris Hennessey (5pm); Bill Kelly (8pm), The Masterless Men (11:30pm), O'Reilly's Irish Pub Chuck Baker & Besh, 5pm, no cover, The Grapevine D'arcy Broderick & Ron Kelly (5pm); Barry Kenny & Glen Harvey (8pm); Shamrock City Pub DJ Fabian, no cover, 11am, Zone 216 DJ Mark Power, Martini Bar DJ Sina, Konfusion Filthy Fridays: DJ JayCee, Turkey Joe's Helix (Ontario rock/metal) Rock House House's House of Rock 'n Roll: With House & The Hooligans (60s garage rock), DJ Adrian (rock, soul, funk), 11pm, $5, The Levee Karaoke, Karaoke Kops Party Bar Kujo (rock) Fat Cat Blues Bar Matthew Hornell & The Diamond Minds (folk),

music venue

directory 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 The Brimstone Public House, 17 George St 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 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, 754-6151 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, George 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 On the Rocks, 371 Duckworth 351-2183 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 Scanlan's, 164 Water st 738-0677 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 7228576 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, 5799475 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

Shred Kelly (BC folk rock), Ben Rigby (clawhammer banjo), The Ship Motions Songwriter Showcase (NayburZ

with FlavoR) 10pm-12am, Franklin Hotel NL Folk Fest: Ode to Newfoundland sung by Anita Best, Sherman Downey,

Archie Fisher, Rose Cousins, Vishtén, Amelia Curran, A Crowd of Bold Sharemen, Hey Rosetta!, 6:15pm start, Bannerman Park-Main Stage Quidi Vidi Dirt Band, Martini Bar

from the song "hammer of the gods"

Richard Laviolette & The Oil Spills (Ont country vinyl release), The Newish Klezmer Band, Jessy BellSmith (Guelph singer-songwriter), 10pm, $8, CBTGs

by Patrick Canning

Traditional Music Session, 8:30pm, Erin's Pub Tuckamore Festival: Midsummer Serenade: Commemorate Schumann’s 200th anniversary with a program of Schumann, Elgar, Dohnányi, plus new work by Jocelyn Morlock, 8pm, $18/$25, Cook Recital Hall

Saturday JULY 10

Here we see him eating the heart of the last person he found illegally downloading his album

from the song "the revengeful"

Barcode, Trip Inn-Kelligrews Class War Kids (punk) CBTGs DJ Big Frank, Konfusion

Glenn Danzig was born 1000 years ago, an infant bundle of hair and testosterone crawling within a burning lake of blood and fire.

Raised on a diet of dragon's eggs and virgin's tears, the young, violent Danzig soon grew up to be the world's mightiest and manliest of manly men, despite the fact that he was only two and a half feet tall.

Having learned how to sing from a secret bootleg tape of Elvis Presley passing a kidney stone in an Arkansas hotel bathroom, and being naturally blessed with the lung capacity of a narwhal, Danzig soon gained the ability to destroy matter and antimatter with his grandiose caterwauling.

It is said that from the distance of 40 metres, Danzig's new album Deth Red Sabaoth has the power to impregnate any woman not clutching a crucifix and a copy of the New Testament in both hands. His new tour in support of this release is expected to kill more innocent lives than both world wars combined, and leave a wake of destruction more severe than the BP oil spill and hurricane Katrina. And while it may not have the outright power, charisma and lasting devastating effects of his first three albums (which are said to have destroyed the three previous incarnations of our universe) one should never underestimate the danger of a Glenn Danzig.

DJ Nu Rock, Martini Bar Hugh Scott (5pm); Bob Taylor, Carl Peters & Pat Moran (8pm); >>> (11pm), Shamrock City Pub Karaoke, Hosted by Murf, Darnell's Pub Karaoke, Karaoke Kops Party Bar Mick Davis & The Skinny Jim's (50s rock & roll) 11pm, $5, Fat Cat Blues Bar NL Folk Fest: Mark Browne, Danny Mills & ?CharlotteAnne Malischewski, Donna Roberts, Peter Narvaez, Vinland Music Camp, Night-

ingale, Duane Andrews & Dwayne Cote, Pat & Joe Byrne, Baxter Wareham, 12:30pm start, Bannerman Park-Main Stage NL Folk Fest: Crow's Nest Song Circle, Leroy Troy, Size2Shoes, Matthew Hornell & The Diamond Minds, Waterson: Carthy, Larry Foley Band, Wonderful Grand Band, 6:30pm start, Bannerman Park-Main Stage NL Folk Fest: Michael Scheeler-Breen, Emily Andrews, Jesse English, Jenna Kelly, Katrina & Keely Boland, Jenna Maloney, William Corbett & Sarah Harris, Annie Warner, Vinland Music Camp, 1pm5pm, Bannerman Park Neil Murray Stage NL Folk Fest: Rose des Vents (12:15pm); Mélanie Samson (12:45pm); Mary Barry (1:25pm); Colleen Power & Sandy Morris (2:10pm); Jim Fidler (2:55pm); Roux Barbe (3:35pm); Dode (4:20pm), Bannerman Park-Tente Francophone NL Folk Fest: Accordion to Art with Art Stoyles & Bob Rutherford (1pm); Old Songs with Eleanor Dawson (2pm); Young Folk Session with Danny Mills and Charlotte-Anne Malischewski (3pm); Songwriters Open Circle with Amelia Curran (4pm), Bannerman Park-Homemade Jam NL Folk Fest: UK Connection with Martin Carthy, Eliza Carthy, Hammy Hamilton & Dave Panting (10am); Plays Well with Others: Duets with Ray & Greg Walsh; Becky Tracy & Keith Murphy; Duane Andrews & Dwayne Cote; Gerry Strong & Daniel

Payne (11am); String Sing: Guitar & Traditional Song with Martin Carthy, Archie Fisher, Chris Hennessey, Sandy Morris & Anita Best (12pm), Bannerman ParkInstrumental Tent Quidi Vidi Dirt Band, Martini Bar Rich Aucoin (Halifax pop experimental), Repartee (rock), The Ship Rob Cook (4:30pm); Fergus O'Byrne (8pm); The Masterless Men (11:30pm), O'Reilly's Irish Pub Sexual Saturdays: DJ JayCee, Turkey Joe's Tuckamore Festival: Violist Rennie Regehr presents a masterclass on chamber music, 11am, free, Cook Recital Hall Tuckamore Festival: Young Artists play treasures of solo and chamber music repertoire, $8/$10, 8pm, Petro Can Hall VJ Eric, DJ Fabian, 11pm, $5/$7 after 1:30pm, Zone 216

Friday AUGUST 14 BarcOde (classic rock) Battery Hotel Chris Hennessey (5pm); Bill Kelly (8pm), The Acoustic Punters (11:30pm), O'Reilly's Irish Pub Cody Westman, 5pm, no cover, The Grapevine D'arcy Broderick & Ron Kelly (5pm); Barry Kenny & Glen Harvey (8pm); >>> (11pm), Shamrock City Pub

The Subtitles (Quick and Painless CD release), Ornaments (Ottawa), 10:30pm, Rock House Theo Tams, The Ship

Karaoke, Hosted by Murf, Darnell's Pub

Traditional Music Session, 8:30pm, Erin's Pub

Karaoke, Karaoke Kops Party Bar

Tuckamore Festival: Borromeo String Quartet works with Young Artists, 2pm, free, Cook Recital Hall

Missconduct, Martini Bar

Tuckamore Festival: Borromeo String Quartet, 8pm, $18/$25, St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church

DJ Fabian, no cover, 11am, Zone 216 DJ Mark Power, Martini Bar DJ Sina, Konfusion Filthy Fridays: DJ JayCee, Turkey Joe's House of Doc (Winnipeg folk) 10pm, $10, Rose & Thistle Karaoke, Karaoke Kops Party Bar Missconduct, Martini Bar One Power (reggae) Fat Cat Blues Bar Rio Samaya (Latin American), 10pm, Franklin Hotel Sandy's 20th Year Anniversary: Be Alright, Col Craze & the Hunch, CBTGs

Taylor, Carl Peters & Pat Moran (8pm); >>> (11pm), Shamrock City Pub

Saturday AUGUST 15

Repartee, Quiet Elephant, Pathological Lovers, 10pm, $8, Rock House Rob Cook (4:30pm);Fergus O'Byrne (8pm); The Acoustic Punters (11:30pm), O'Reilly's Irish Pub Sean Sullivan & Rob Slaney, 8pm, $15, Five Island Art Gallery-Tors Cove 334-3645 Sexual Saturdays: DJ JayCee, Turkey Joe's

Ascot Royals, The Frayed Knots, Pathological Lovers, The Ship

Texas Chainsaw, David Banoub Homecoming, CBTGs

Darrell Cooper Band, Fat Cat Blues Bar

Tuckamore Festival: Borromeo String Quartet works with Young Artists, 1:30pm, free, Cook Recital Hall

DJ Big Frank, Konfusion DJ Nu Rock, Martini Bar Get Lei'd: 709 Derby Girls hawaiian themed party, 10pm, $5, with costume/$6 without, Turkey Joe's House of Doc (Winnipeg folk) 10pm, $10, Rose & Thistle Hugh Scott (5pm); Bob

Tuckamore Festival: Children's Concert: Borromeo String Quartet presents a concert specially designed for children (ages 6+), 11am, free, Cook Recital Hall VJ Eric, DJ Fabian, 11pm, $5/$7 after 1:30pm, Zone

we tweet! twitter.com/thescopeNL

AUGUST 2010

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216

Friday AUGUST 20 Chris Hennessey (5pm); Bill Kelly (8pm), O'Reilly's Irish Pub D'arcy Broderick & Ron Kelly (5pm); Barry Kenny & Glen Harvey (8pm); Shamrock City Pub Denis Parker & Scott Goudie, Fat Cat Blues Bar

DJ Sina, Konfusion

DJ Mark Power, Martini Bar Filthy Fridays: DJ JayCee, Turkey Joe's

Mark Bragg & The Butchers, The Ship

Jolly Roger, Fat Cat Blues Bar

Motions Songwriter Showcase (NayburZ with FlavoR) 10pm-12am, Franklin Hotel

Karaoke, Karaoke Kops Party Bar

Traditional Music Session, 8:30pm, Erin's Pub

Saturday AUGUST 21 At Ships End (folk) Rock House Backstreet Boys, 8pm, $64.50+, Mile One Denis Parker & Scott Goudie, Fat Cat Blues Bar DJ Big Frank, Konfusion DJ Nu Rock, Martini Bar Hugh Scott (5pm); Bob Taylor, Carl Peters & Pat Moran (8pm); Shamrock City Pub Karaoke, Hosted by Murf, Darnell's Pub Karaoke, Karaoke Kops Party Bar New Zazou (ska), Repartee (rock), The Ship Quiet Elephant (indie pop) 10pm, $5, CBTGs Rob Cook (4:30pm); Fergus O'Byrne (8pm); XXX (11:30pm), O'Reilly's Irish Pub Sexual Saturdays: DJ JayCee, Turkey Joe's

YOGA, LIFESTYLE & WELLNESS BOUTIQUE Whether you’re Saluting the Sun or Pounding the Pavement, you want to be comfortable, and we get that.

• Canadian-made lines • Yoga-inspired jewelery, music, books • Essential oils Great gift ideas for intentional giving!

Drop in and be inspired!

INTRODUCTION TO AROMATHERAPY August 18th, 7:00pm Terrace on the Square, 2nd Floor, Churchill Square

www.ebbandflowboutique.com

16

thescope

AUGUST 2010

DJ Sina, Konfusion

Karaoke, Karaoke Kops Party Bar

The Vibe, Martini Bar

Drop In! Great Drink Specials!

Open 4pm daily.

Chris Hennessey (5pm); Bill Kelly (8pm),O'Reilly's Irish Pub

DJ Fabian, no cover, 11am, Zone 216

The Monday Nights (folk rock) Rock House

164 WATER STREET 738-0677

Barcade (classic rock) Darnell's Pub-Paradise

DJ Mark Power, Martini Bar

The CFL Sessions, CBTGs

ON THE WEEKENDS.

Alex Dinn Band, Martini Bar

DJ Fabian, no cover, 11am, Zone 216

Rio Samaya (Latin American), 10pm, Rose & Thistle

ENTERTAINMENT

Al Tuck, 5pm, no cover, The Grapevine

D'arcy Broderick & Ron Kelly (5pm); Barry Kenny & Glen Harvey (8pm); Shamrock City Pub

Filthy Fridays: DJ JayCee, Turkey Joe's

LIVE

Friday AUGUST 27

Michou (Windsor), Kujo (rock), 10pm, The Ship Motions Songwriter Showcase (NayburZ with FlavoR) 10pm-12am, Franklin Hotel Petunia (underground country), Sherry Ryan, Rose & Thistle The Polymorphines (Ottawa), Geinus, CBTGs Traditional Music Session, 8:30pm, Erin's Pub

Saturday AUGUST 28 Alex Dinn Band, Martini Bar DJ Big Frank, Konfusion Ennis, 8pm, $15, Five Island Art Gallery-Tors Cove 334-3645 Hugh Scott (5pm); Bob Taylor, Carl Peters & Pat Moran (8pm), Shamrock City Pub Karaoke, Hosted by Murf, Darnell's Pub Karaoke, Karaoke Kops Party Bar Michou (Windsor), Repartee, The Ship Petunia (underground country), Joe Belly, CBTGs Rob Cook (4:30pm); Fergus O'Byrne (8pm); XXX (11:30pm), O'Reilly's Irish Pub

The Vibe, Martini Bar

Sexual Saturdays: DJ JayCee, Turkey Joe's

VJ Eric, DJ Fabian, 11pm, $5/$7 after 1:30pm, Zone 216

VJ Eric, DJ Fabian, 11pm, $5/$7 after 1:30pm, Zone 216

It's our sum

SALE

mer

up to

75% OFF

starting Thursday, July 29 til 9pm!

mon – wed 10-6pm • thu 10-8pm • fri – sat 10-6pm • sun 12-5pm 175 water street, st. john’s, nl 709.722.6004

AUGUST 2010

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reader restaurant reviews

Customer-submitted restaurant reviews for St. John’s and metro area.

Disagree? Write your own review at

thescope.ca/scoff Hong's Buffet

1425 Topsail Road, Paradise, 782-4329

 Reviewed by Review1

NOW OPEN

MONDAYS

Burger and beer $15 every Monday Deck OPEN

We have gone to this buffet on several occasions. If you are looking for plentiful typical Chinese food, this is your spot.

Lots of good, hot food. Tables are placed pretty close together so don’t expect a lot of privacy. Typical decor and usually busy.

Avg rating

 (based on 1 review)

JUMPING BEAN COFFEE 47 Harvey Road, 754-4538

 Reviewed by M

5 bates hill – 738 0008 www.follyonbates.com

I always love going to Jumping Bean because they have fun decor in the back room where you get your coffee/food items, and the coffee is always fresh. I don’t find it strong enough, but I like coffee you can stand a spoon in. Also, their front room is kind of bland in comparison to the back room. The servers are always friendly, and decently informed. A little bit more knowledge, brighter colours, and some music would make things perfect.

Avg rating

India Gate Fine Indian Cuisine

Gateway to superb

Dining

Indian

We are known for our quality and consistency.

ALL YOU CAN EAT LUNCHEON BUFFET Monday - Friday 11:30 - 2pm

FINE DINING

Monday - Sunday 5pm - 10:30pm

TAKE OUT AVAILABLE Telephone: 753.6006 286 Duckworth Street www.indiagate.250x.com



(based on 1 review)

Guv'Nor Pub & Eatery 389 Elizabeth Avenue, 726-3053

 Reviewed by Savitri

I love coming here for a dessert or for a pub dinner with friends. Most of their food is very good, and I love the music and atmosphere. The ceaser salads are insanely small, however. I ended up picking off my friend’s plate because the salad could fit in the palm of my hand. Pretty expensive too, for a plain ceaser salad. All the other food I’ve tried, though, has been great, but I mostly come back for the music and booths.

Avg rating

 (based on 2 reviews)

INTERNATIONAL FLAVOURS 4 Quidi Vidi Road, 738-4636

 Reviewed by klimax

A casual and friendly place that serves a south asian meal. There is no need to ask for a menu because it’s the same meal–you can have it either vegetarian, chicken, or lamb. Service can be slow. It’s good healthy nutritious food at a fair price. Excellent value.

Avg rating



(based on 3 reviews)

on stage theatre dance & Performance spoken & written comedy

ON STAGE CALENDAR Send press releases to listings@thescope.ca

Theatre 1762: The Taking of Torbay (Torbay Theatre) Inspired by the French invasion and subsequent English retaking of Newfoundland in the last battle of the Seven Years War, this outdoor play features four Torbay residents who faced the invaders and marched into the fray to save their loved ones and their country.

Written & directed by Ben Pittman. Bring a blanket or chair, $5/$10/$15, Torbay Town Hall-1288 Torbay Rd 709-437-6532 ext 253 (Every Saturday & Sunday in August at 1:30pm) ABBA: Gotta Get the Scoop!

(Spirit of Newfoundland) An offbeat musical review that takes you behind the melodies and tells the untold story of ABBA in true Spirit of Newfoundland style. Staring Shelley Neville, Peter Halley, Darrin Martin and Sabrina Roberts, $59.50+ (dinner & show), Masonic Temple-6 Cathedral St 579-3023 (Fri Jul 30, Sat Jul 31, Tue Aug 10 - Thu Aug 12, Fri Aug 20, Sat Aug 21, Tue Aug 24 - Thu Aug

26 at 7pm) Fairy Tale Mix Up: A high-spirited show for kids under 12. Written by Krista Hann and directed by Philip Goodridge, Cabot 500 Theatre-Bowring Park (Sat Aug 7, & 14 / Sun Aug 1, 8 & 15 at 2pm) Hamlet (Solo) Performed

by Raoul Bhaneja, $30, Rabbittown Theatre-106 Freshwater Rd 739-8220 (Mon Aug 23 at 8pm; Talkback with actor & director at 2pm) Love's Labour's Lost (Shakespear by the Sea) Think ‘Sex and the City’, Elizabethan style. Directed

by Jennifer Deon, Harbourside Park 722-7287(Sun Aug 1 & Mon Aug 2 at 6pm) Pulpit Rocks (Torbay Museum) A cabaret showcasing the music of the Avalon performed by the Torbay Theatre Singers & Band, $10, 19+, Kinsmen Centre, Bauline Line-Torbay 709437-6532 ext 253 (Sat Aug 14, Mon Aug 16, Thu Aug 19 & Sat Aug 28 at 8:30pm) Wonderbolt Tricksters: Clowning, costumes, lights, and music all combine to create an one ring circus suitable for audiences of all ages, MUN Reid Centre (Thu Aug 12 - Sun Aug 15 at 7pm / Matinee Thu Aug 12 & Fri Aug 13 at 2pm)

Dance & Performance Broken Accidents: An original interdisciplinary project created by Joel Hynes, Lois Brown, Louise Moyes, Sarah Joy Stoker, Lisa Porter, Phil Winters, Mark Bath and other local artists, LSPU Hall (Wed Aug 11 - Sun Aug 15) Forbidden Runway Show (AIDS benefit) Come see the fusion of fashion and art in the Fall 2010 line of cocktail dresses from Evi Petrone collections Concrete Jungle & City Glamm, $30, Masonic Temple-3 Cathedral (Tue Aug 17) Latin Tuesdays, 8pm, $5, The Bella Vista NL Folk Fest: English Country Dance with Andrew Draskoy & Evelyn Osborne (10am); Irish-NF Step Dance with Kristin Harris Walsh & Stan Pickett (11am); The Set from Griquet with Ford Elms & Dave Penny (12pm); Traditional Newfoundland Set Dancing with Jim Payne with Glenn Hiscock (7pm), Bannerman Park (Sat Aug 7) NL Folk Fest: A Morris Dance Sampler with Jane Rutherford & Bob Rutherford (10am); Sevillanas: Spanish Folk Dance with Christina Penney, Linda

Guillemette & Tommy Duggan (11am); From Scottish Dance to Contra Dance with Noreen MacLennan & Becky Tracy, Jeremiah McLane & Keith Murphy of Nightingale (12pm); Traditional Newfoundland Set Dancing with Tonya Kearley (7pm), Bannerman Park (Sun Aug 8) Tango On The Edge: A social gathering to dance Argentine Tango, $5, RCA Club-10 Bennett Ave (Thursdays at 8:30pm) The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged) (Shakespeare by the Sea) Three actors, 37 plays, 90 minutes, 153 laughs (approximately). Directed by Krista Hann and featuring Adam Long, Daniel Singer, Jess Winfield, and Jess Borgeson, Topsail Beach Amphitheatre-CBS 7227287 (Sun Aug 1 & 8 / Mon Aug 2 & p at 6pm) Troilus & Cressida (Shakespeare by the Sea) Tragedy set during the Trojan War. Directed by Nicole Rousseau, Signal Hill National Historic Site-Field next to Visitor Centre 7227287 (Fri Aug 6 & 13 / Sat Aug 7 & 14 at 6pm) Viva Vaudeville! Final show for producer Alicia Simms; plus Burly-Q Babies, Lynn Panting Dancers,

Erika Wilansky, Belly Dance

by Seraka and musical stylings by Adam Carter and Jason Howard, Trevor Merrigan, Scott Dalley and The Bloomsburg Group, $10, Rock House (Sat Aug 7 at 8pm)

Spoken & Written An Evening of Poetry: Danielle Devereaux and James Langer, The Ship (Tue Jul 27 at 8pm) Book Reading & Signing: With Maggie O'Brien, author of Star's Island. Kids welcome, Historic StoreWater St (Tue Aug 3 from 1pm-3pm) Classics by Candlelight: Tales to thrill and chill you include The Signal Man by Charles Dickens, The Rats in the Walls by HP Lovecraft &. The Cask of the Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe. Directed by Dave Walsh, Newman Wine Vaults-436 Water St 722-7287 (Tue Aug 3 & 10 / Wed Aug 4 & 11 at 8pm) Crossing Borders: Laura Kamis Wrang's tea and tales storytelling show, $12, Newman Wine Vaults-436 Water St 739-7870 (Sun Aug 1 at 7:30pm) Kids' Event: Storytime at the St John's Farmers'

Market, Lion's ClubBonaventure Ave (Sat Aug 14 at 2pm) Literary Reading: Fiction writer Pasha Malla & poet Barry Dempster read from new works and works in progress, free, The Ship (Tue Aug 31) Nevermore (St John's Storytelling Festival) The Life and Writings of Edgar Allan Poe: Listeners travel back in time with Terry Rollins (North Carolina) as he shares stories and anecdotes about Poe's troubled life. Stories such as The Tell-Tale Heart, The Masque of the Red Death, and The Pit and The Pendulum are told, along with the recitation of such haunting poems as Annabel Lee & The Raven, $15, Newman Wine Vaults-436 Water St 739-7870 (Tue Jul 27 at 8pm) NL Folk Fest: Oral Traditions: Never Say Die Till You’re Dead By’s Says I: Talls Tales, Riddles & Recitations with Baxter Wareham, Ford Elms, Margaret Hitchens & Dave Paddon (10am); Take This Job and Shove It: Songs of Resistance with Anita Best, Jim Payne, Eliza Carthy & Hammy Hamilton (11am); Squeeze Box Songs: Accordions and Vocals with

Baxter Wareham, Fergus O’Byrne, Bob Hallett & Jim Payne (12pm), Bannerman Park (Sat Aug 7) NL Folk Fest: Oral Traditions: The Tin Table: Folk Tales with Mary Fearon, Melanie Ray & Margaret Hitchens (10am); This All Happened: Oral History in Song with Keith Murphy, Archie Fisher, Linda Slade & Matthew Byrne (11am); The Bird in the Bush: Songs of Seduction and Courtship with Eliza Carthy, Archie Fisher, John Roberts & Anita Best (12pm), Bannerman Park (Sun Aug 8) NL Folk Fest: Cultural Diversity: Old World/New World with Norma Waterson, Keith Murphy, John Roberts & Matthew Byrne (1pm); A Piece of Placentia Bay: Songs & Stories with Baxter Wareham (2pm); Tears in my Ears: A Study of the Hurtin’ Song with Larry Foley, Allan Byrne, Rose Cousins & Leroy Troy (3pm); English Stories with Melanie Ray (4pm), Bannerman Park (Sat Aug 7) NL Folk Fest: Cultural Diversity: Stories & Tunes from Pigeon Inlet with Kelly Russell (1pm); Traditional English Songs with Norma Waterson, Martin Carthy & John Roberts (2pm); Traditionally Modern: A

Songwriter’s Circle with David Francey, Eliza Carthy, Amelia Curran, Old Man Luedecke & Craig Werth (3pm); Hoedown with Leroy Troy, Mike Stevens & Raymond McLain (4pm), Bannerman Park (Sun Aug 8) St John's Storytelling Circle: An open mic of local tales by local tellers w/ resident fabulist Dale Jarvis, $3, Crow's Nest Officer's Club (Thu Aug 12 at 7:30pm) Storyteller Kathy Jessup (Edmonton) Suitable for families with children of all ages, free, Hunter Children's Library (Fri Jul 30 at 11am) The Tunes and Tales of Newfoundland: With Kelly Russell. Featuring the music and stories of legendary fiddlers Rufus Guinchard & Emile Benoit, plus the classic Tales from Pigeon Inlet, The Crow's Nest-War Memorial, Duckworth St (Sun Aug 1 & 8 at 8pm) Water Street Book Club: An evening of local witches and fairies with authors Barbara Rieti and Kate Story, The Heritage Shop309 Water St (Thu Aug 5 at 7pm) Wine & Words: Featuring Sheilah Roberts & Nellie Strowbridge, $7, Newman

AUGUST 2010

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19

Wine Vaults-436 Water St 739-7870 (Thu Aug 5 at 7pm) Wine & Words: Featuring Dale Jarvis & Hilda Chauilk Murray, $7, Newman Wine Vaults-436 Water St 7397870 (Thu Aug 19 at 7pm)

Comedy Laugh Hard: Stand up comedy, $2, The LeveeHoldsworth Crt (Sundays 8pm-11pm) Mark Walker: Stand up comedy, $20+, Yuk Yuk's-193 Kenmount Rd 726-9857 (Fri Aug 6 & Sat Aug 7 dinner service 4:30pm / show at 9:30pm) Chuck Byrn: Stand up comedy, $20+, Yuk Yuk's-193 Kenmount Rd 726-9857 (Fri Aug 13 & Sat Aug 14 dinner service 4:30pm / show at 9:30pm) Allyson Smith: Stand up comedy, $20+, Yuk Yuk's-193 Kenmount Rd 726-9857 (Fri Aug 20 & Sat Aug 21 dinner service 4:30pm / show at 9:30pm)

Tracey MacDonald: Stand up comedy, $20+, Yuk Yuk's-193 Kenmount Rd 726-9857 (Fri Aug 27 & Sat Aug 28 dinner service 4:30pm / show at 9:30pm)

EVIL IN DISGUISE Sarah Smellie can identify giant Hogweed, can you? Huh? Can you?

Pro/Am Comedy Slam: Amateurs at 8pm & Mark Walker at 9:30pm, two shows $20, Yuk Yuk's-193 Kenmount Rd 726-9857 (Thu Aug 5) Pro/Am Comedy Slam: Amateurs at 8pm & Chuck Byrn at 9:30pm, two shows $20, Yuk Yuk's-193 Kenmount Rd 726-9857 (Thu Aug 12) Pro/Am Comedy Slam: Amateurs at 8pm & Allyson Smith at 9:30pm, two shows $20, Yuk Yuk's-193 Kenmount Rd 726-9857 (Thu Aug 19) Pro/Am Comedy Slam: Amateurs at 8pm & Tracey MacDonald at 9:30pm, two shows $20, Yuk Yuk's-193 Kenmount Rd 726-9857 (Thu Aug 26)

Find the most up-to-date listings online at

thescope.ca/onstage

I

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 work in the downtown. I have for quite a while, but what is up with the meter increases? I remembered hearing it would happen—with increased funds going to increased parking—but still… $1.25 an hour?

What a horrible time to have to keep track of when you’re at work as opposed to the faithful toonie per two hours! And what about all those people who work in some of the franchises down here? It’d be great if parking increased… but is that quarter on a dollar really gonna do it? Too bad I work/school/

RICKY KING

party/love downtown. — ­Anonymous

20

thescope

AUGUST 2010

t’s wild. It’s phototoxic. And it’s got a barely pronounceable Latin name with two (two!) evil zeds. That’s right, it’s Giant Hogweed, a.k.a. Heracleum mantegazzianum.

Giant Hogweed was introduced to Europe somewhere around 1817 because it had huge clusters of lovely white flowers. It’s so pretty, in fact, that the state of Rochester imported it into its public gardens in 1917.

Since then, it’s spread all over the northeastern and northwestern United States and up into the eastern and central parts of Canada. It’s even featured in the Genesis song, The Return of the Giant Hogweed, and the mystery novel The Curse of the Giant Hogweed, by Charlotte MacLeod, acclaimed author of The Convivial Codfish.

This summer, it’s The Thing to clutch your skull in horror about. The City of Montreal even gated off a Giant Hogweed plant in Parc Angrignon, festooning it with bright yellow “Caution” tape and everything.

See? Skull-clutching horror.

MUN Botanical Gardens has been getting tons of calls about sightings of towering plants with sprays of white flower clusters.

Luckily, most of these plants have turned out to be the Hogweed’s cousin, Cow Parsnip.

Here’s a quick guide to help you tell the hogweed from the parsnip.

Giant Hogweed

Cow Parsnip

HOW TO TELL GIANT HOGWEED FROM COW PARSNIP

(BAD!)

(PRETTY OKAY!)

Plant

Giant Hogweed: Six to eight feet tall at maturity, though in more hospitable climates, it can reach 15 feet. Its sap is phototoxic, which means that if its sap gets on your arm and then gets exposed to sunlight, it’ll give you a gooey, blistery burn. Tendency to aggressively insert itself into otherwise harmless ecosystems at the expense of native foliage.

Cow Parsnip: Six to eight feet tall at maturity. Slightly toxic, but there’s no need to get excited about it. At worst, you might get a rash.

FLOWER (1)

Giant Hogweed: The white flowers grow in an umbel, which is basically like an upsidedown umbrella: flowers grow at the end of many little stalks, all emanating from a common origin. Mature flowers are flat across and, measured from edge to edge, can be anywhere from 15cm to 2 feet in diameter.

Cow Parsnip: These flowers also grow in white, flat-topped umbels. Measured from edge to edge, they can be as large as 20 cm across, but they can be far smaller. Especially here.

STEMS & FLOWER STALKS (2)

Giant Hogweed: This is the best defining feature. The Giant Hogweed leaf and flower stalks have purple splotches and streaks, and coarse white hairs, like bristly whiskers.

Cow Parsnip: Stalks and stems are mostly green, maybe slightly purplish, but without streaking or spotting. Hairs, if any, are soft and fine.

LEAVES (3)

Giant Hogweed: The leaves are floppy, shiny and very, very big, with many deep veins and irregularly jagged edges.

Cow Parsnip: Well, they’re also floppy and large, with deep veins and jagged edges, but they’re broader and more matte.

WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT

Giant Hogweed: If it’s on city property, let them know. If it’s on your property, at this stage in the season, the most you can do is stop it from spreading. The folks at MUN Botanical Gardens recommend donning protective clothing and cutting off the flowers. Put them in a garbage bag, seal up the bag, and have it properly disposed of. Come next spring, when the plant starts to grow up, douse it with an equally toxic grade of pesticide, like Round-Up. Cow Parsnip: Leave it alone. It’s native to the island. It’s part of the heritage.

books

City of Glass Review by Mark Callanan

S

writes, “[...] No particular personality, no ince the publication of his first book in 2006, a collection of short character at all on the facade—and that was it, he thought. Facade was the perfect stories called The Hour of Bad Deword, because absolutely none of it would cisions, Russell Wangersky’s writbe true.” The house’s interior, however, ing has attracted much national would be designed “to let in light from odd attention. Bad Decisions was nominated for and unexpected angles.” multiple awards, won one, and ended up There are a lot of facades in this book. on The Globe & Mail and The Toronto Star’s best-book-of-the-year lists. His second book, Each of the characters has something to hide, but that something is not always Burning Down the House, a stirring memoir about the emotional aftermath of serving as criminal or immoral in nature. Though one resident may be responsible for the inada volunteer firefighter, netted him—among vertent death of a young woman, another’s other prizes—the B.C. National Non-Fiction secret (or part of it, at least) is that she Book Award. once aspired to being a poet—would that Wangersky’s first novel, The Glass Harmost skeletons were so monica, delves into the benign. lives of the residents of If there is a central charMcKay Street, part of acter in The Glass Hara working class neighmonica, it is McKay Street bourhood in downtown itself. “The more ragged St. John’s. The story of the older houses begins with a bang—or a always seemed to have crunch, more accurately: pairs of haughty, patchy Keith O’Reilly, a retired cats staring out the front dock worker, watches windows,” Wangersky from the window of his writes, “or else small, anworkshop as the young gry dogs barking up close delivery driver for a behind the front doors.” local pizza joint beats a (Wangersky excels at customer to death with a this kind of descriptive snow shovel. shorthand, in which a few The violence is sudden spare details effectively and startling in its excesevoke setting.) Accordsiveness, but O’Reilly’s ing to another character, reaction is one of numb The Glass Harmonica the neighbourhood is incomprehension. WatchRussell Wangersky “stuffed with history that ing the murder “was sort Thomas Allen Publishers, 2010 couldn’t be undone [...] of strange, like watching 336 pages; $32.95 it cared about no one and television or something, nothing, eyes closed, back especially when the turned.” shovel blade broke off the The neighbourhood is always watching. handle and flew out into the street, more The residents record the happenings on like a prop than a shovel.”

McKay Street, their recollections distorted Though that first chapter is rendered in by the burden of their personalities and first-person, most of the novel favours a personal histories. Put together, the multhird-person limited perspective, in which tiple, often contradictory perspectives are a each chapter allows us entry into the microcosm of the human race in all its vice: mind of one resident or other of McKay fearful, foolhardy, and fierce. More imporStreet. From chapter to chapter, the nartantly, though, the inconsistencies between rative jumps back and forth through time, perspectives reveals that truth, if such a accumulating details of depravation and thing can even be said to exist, is highly depredation as it goes, so that, by the end subjective. of the novel, one is left with the damning This isn’t news to most of us, or shouldn’t impression of a neighbourhood populated be. In that way, Wangersky’s novel isn’t all almost entirely by kleptomaniacs, sociothat novel. Stylistically, he’s competent, paths, psychotics, adulterers, rapists, and but his minimal use of dialogue has the murderers. effect of keeping us from seeing anything One of Wangersky’s main thematic for ourselves. This isn’t necessarily a failing concerns is the private life concealed (and is, in fact, a necessary part of Wangerbeneath the public stance. This is unsubtly sky’s method), but in order to keep a reader addressed toward the end of the book, in happily in the heads of so many different a section from the point of view of the archaracters, you need to make them pretty chitect who, earlier, had suffered death by engaging subjects. They’re not; having shovel. There, Wangersky draws a parallel access to their thoughts, their inner lives, between the McKay residents’ secret lives, becomes more bane than boon. and a new design the architect is working on. “The front of the Hiding House would be like a St. John’s row house,” Wangersky Comment on this review online at thescope.ca

AUGUST 2010

thescope

21

full tilt

Google-eyes

What the heck do all these buildings around us mean? wonders Taryn Sheppard

I

spend a large amount of time off the island, so I‘m frequently homesick for St. John’s. But recently, I’ve found a way to remedy this: Google Earth Street View tourism. I can take a fractured, low-resolution stroll through the streets of downtown, check out the harbour, and look around at all my favorite places. There’s a kind of poetic beauty to those images, warped by the invertedfishbowl lens of the Google car camera.

They’re actually somewhat analogous to my memory of the city, as reconstructed by the lens of my own mind’s eye; distorted and blurred, exaggerated and pieced together.

While it’s amazing to see the full city in a navigable 3-D model, the Google Street View experience highlights the shortcomings of the medium itself—its inability to express the richness of the architectural character of St. John’s that I know so well. I can’t help but think about all the things behind the facades along the streets, and how they are far more complex, and way less regular, than what Street View is showing me. If I had to show this to a friend who was not from the city, I wouldn’t think it to be a sufficiently

descriptive tool. Which makes me wonder what it would be like to construct a Google Earth St. John’s from my memory.

What would be included? What would be forgotten about? Are there vast spaces of nothingness between all the memorable buildings? Perhaps the roads are more narrow, the hills are much steeper, and Signal Hill is much higher. Maybe the stone peak of the Anglican Cathedral is sharper and the sky between the narrows is a vivid, electric purple miasma. Maybe MUN is a massive, bleak concrete terrain with a knotted circuitry of tunnels weaving through the ground like incandescent worms, and the Battery is a pixelated wall of psychedelic color sparkling in the sun. These are the definitive architectural moments of our city, as unique as the memories and imaginations of each individual citizen, yet somehow still holding a common thread for all of us.

It can be said that our emotional experiences frame our memory of space, but there are other external factors influencing our memory of space, too.

Take for instance the tourism industry, and its model of our city as a quaint,

quirky seaside town, buoyed by imagery of articulated Victorian row houses and bed linens in the wind. This idea has been digested by us and then regurgitated into new buildings like the Stella Burry Housing Centre at Rawlins Cross, or all around the city in the refinishing of 50’s era suburban-style housing with heritage-color vinyl siding.

Is the present wave of new heritage-style buildings a reflection of a real tradition, or a revival of only one moment in the city’s long history of architecture that includes such movements as modernism, brutalism, neo-gothic, post-modernism, critical regionalism, and art deco, amongst others? Are we generating an architectural mythology of our city? Is that bad? As there is an accelerated pace of development in the city right now, it is essential for the public to engage in the discussion of the architectural character of the city, so that we may help direct those things—meetings, agendas, and decisions—that often seem beyond the public influence. It is important

to consider what shapes your idea of the architectural identity of our city.

There is an urgency in this changing city to create an alertness to the possibility and potential of design that is present here. This new column will be a venue for investigations into issues surrounding the growing design culture and practice in St.John’s.

Talk to you again soon.

Find more of Taryn's writing about St. John's architecture at

thescope.ca/fulltilt

wha?

Got questions about bikes?

From August 1-7 (Sunday to Saturday) at thescope.ca/wha you can ask our panel of special guest experts Juls Mack of grassroots bike organization Different Spokes and Andrew Planchat of Cychotic Bikes any questions you have about bicycles, from fixing a flat to planning a route to rules of the road to coping with helmet hair.

thescope.ca/wha 22

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AUGUST 2010

on display visual art museums

GALLERIES Openings Come All Ye: Caroline Clarke, Pam Dorey & Cara Kansala feature mixed media works and prints, all inspired by the music of Newfoundland, Craft Council-59 Duckworth St 753-2749 (Opening reception Sat Aug 28 from 2pm-4pm) Pouch Cove Open Studios: Local area artists and artisans open their homes and studios to the public to showcase their work. Paintings in oil, acrylic and watercolour, as well as sculptures, photographs, wood crafts and hooked mats. For map and locations: www. pouchcoveopenstudios. com (Sat Aug 28 & Sun Aug 29 from 12pm-5pm)

Continuing Exhibitions 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 Here to Stay: Cupids 1610…: Explore the early decades of English colonization in the region using rare original documents and archaeological artifacts that tell the story of Cupids and its settlers, The Rooms Metis Carver: Ancient Stories in Stone and Bone – ongoing exhibit by Albert Biles, Wild Things-124 Water St New Works: By Gerald Squires, Esther Squires, George Horan, Julia Pickard, Sharon Puddester, Gerald Squires Gallery-52 Prescott St 722-2207 Summer Exhibition: Including Charapova, Lapointe, McClellan, Barrett, Bendzsa, Horan, Hughes, Pickard, Popova, Po Chun Lau, Tomova, Kaarsemaker, Markus and

introducing Gary Saunders, Red Ochre Gallery-96 Duckworth St 726-6422

Last chance!

After Four: Annual current and retired faculty and staff exhibition, First Space Gallery-QEII Library (Ends Aug 13) Air Time: Annie Dunning presents a musical collaboration with pigeons that celebrates urban ecology, the overlooked and the potential of the everyday. It includes a video, soundtrack, sculptures, photos and a poster, Eastern Edge Gallery-72 Harbour Dr 739-1882 (Ends Aug 7) Annual Members Exhibit: A members' exhibit where the only criteria is excellence - all media, styles and themes are showcased, Craft Council-59 Duckworth St 753-2749 (Ends Aug 15) On Purpose: Jon Sasaki's recent work celebrates noble intentions, aspirations, and determination, while simultaneously conjuring up a bleak flipside of failure and purposelessness, Eastern Edge Gallery-72 Harbour Dr 739-1882 (Ends Aug 7) Palanquin Park: Bruce Montcombroux's work is about a searching for a place called home, while inventing maps that explore beyond geography to the possible intersection of place and belonging, Eastern Edge Gallery-72 Harbour Dr 739-1882 (Ends Aug 7)

Gallery-Clift’s-Baird’s Cove 722-7177 (Ends Aug 22)

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 Boyle’s Historical Walking Tours, Call 364-6845 for more info Connections: This Place and Its Early Peoples: Polar bears on tundra, carnivorous plants in a bog, seabirds, sea mammals, sea life plus the people who made their lives here, The Rooms-9 Bonaventure Ave 757-8000 Encountering Grenfell: A Life and Legacy: Providing medical care, education & skills in craft, agriculture & animal husbandry Wilfred Grenfell sought to improve conditions in NF, The Rooms-9 Bonaventure Ave 757-8000 Free Guided Walking Tour: Discover Bowring Park’s prominent natural attractions, celebrated his-

toric monuments, peaceful scenery and learn about the legacy of the park. Call to reserve a time 364-1531

Greetings, friends!

[here]say: A story map of Water Street: Stories and memories shared by people who live here. At each location there is a sign with a telephone number and a unique 3-digit code.

James J O’Mara Pharmacy Museum: Featuring a restored drug store circa 1900, Apothecary Hall-488 Water St 753-5877(Ends Aug 27) Johnson Geo Centre & Park: See Signal Hill’s 550 million year old geology & specimens of NF rocks, minerals & botanical park, 175 Signal Hill Rd 737-7880 MUN Botanical Garden: Trails, gift shop & tearoom, 306 Mt Scio Rd 737-8590 Railway Coastal Museum: St. John’s Dockyard exhibit of model ship hulls, shipbuilding, dockyard history plus the story of Newfoundland's railway boat service & 1940's train diorama, 495 Water St W 724-5929 Signal Hill National Historic Site: Military & communications history, meet Signalman, watch film, interactive exhibits, Visitor Centre 772-5367

Pareidolia: Refers to the tendency to interpret a vague stimulus as something known to the viewer, such as seeing shapes in clouds. Ruth Marsh draws from the work of Victorian botanical illustrators whose names are referenced in the titles of many of the painting in this series, A1C Gallery-8 Clift’s-Baird’s Cove 237-0427 (Ends Aug 28)

Illustration by Ricky "I've been training my whole life to draw these things!" King

Move over, Exxon Mobile. Newfoundland has a cuter group of new friends to cozy up to.

Scientists from Halifax, St. John's, Quebec and Spain set off on the Coast Guard ship Hudson, and came back with pictures of all kinds of corals and sponges and prehistoric sea cucumbers never before seen by man. They found these little guys with a submersible robot, two to three kilometers below the surface at the Flemish Cap and Orphan Knoll, near the Grand Banks. You know, where they're doing all that offshore oil drilling and/or exploration.

Uh...wait a sec..

You can head down to The Rooms and check out a live video feed from the Hudson of all these creatures.

SARAH SMELLIE 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

Send press releases to listings@thescope.ca

Newfoundland’s Traditional Music Store Specializing in Newfoundland CD’s and Instruments

Button Accordions • Bones Bodhrans • Spoons • Ugly Sticks • Ukuleles Tin Whistles • Banjos • Harmonicas 278 Water Street • Ph: (709) 753-8135 E-mail: obriensmusic@nl.rogers.com

Summer Show: Leyton annual group show, Leyton

www.obriens.nf.ca

Find the most up-to-date listings online at

thescope.ca/ondisplay AUGUST 2010

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Beagle Paws needs volunteers to provide short-term in-home care for friendly dogs in need until they are adopted. All veterinary care is paid for, food and other supplies are provided. Fostering is a rewarding experience and can last from a few days to a few weeks – your choice.

To learn more about pet fostering or other volunteer opportunities, visit www.beaglepaws.com or phone 738-7297.

community

community events lectures & forums kids & teens meetings & classes

EVENTS 24 Hour Art Marathon Festival: Launch Pad Party with Robot Scout, Eastern Edge Gallery-72 Harbour Dr 739-1882 (Fri Aug 13 from 8pm-2pm) 24 Hour Art Marathon Festival: Summer Saunter: Gallery and studio tour, Eastern Edge Gallery-72 Harbour Dr 739-1882 (Sat Aug 14 & Sun Aug 15 from 12pm-5pm) 24 Hour Art Marathon Festival: Family Launch with Tree Cozy demo with Heidi Wagner, face painting with Wandering Brush and invited children's entertainers, Eastern Edge Gallery-72 Harbour Dr 7391882 (Sun Aug 15 from 12pm-4pm) 24 Hour Art Marathon Festival: Three groups of young artists will be creating a revolving mural of colour on the outside wall, Eastern Edge Gallery-72 Harbour Dr 739-1882 (Starts Sun Aug 15) 24 Hour Art Marathon Festival: Marvelous mask making, pinata and lantern making for children (11am2pm); BBQ with The Murphy Centre: Community Youth Arts Program (12pm-2pm); Art School 101 with critic/ mentor Hillary Winter (NL) & Alicia Grant (ON) (7pm),

Eastern Edge Gallery-72 Harbour Dr 739-1882 (Mon Aug 16) 24 Hour Art Marathon Festival: Children's workshops (11am-2pm); BBQ with Planned Parenthood (12pm-2pm); Here& Now

by Alicia Grant (Cochrane Street United Church at 7pm), Eastern Edge Gallery-72 Harbour Dr 739-1882 (Tue Aug 17 from 11am-2pm) 24 Hour Art Marathon Festival: VJ Bootcamp with Mr Ghosty (11am5pm); BBQ with For the Love of Learning (12pm-2pm); Sweatshoppe (10pm-12am), Eastern Edge Gallery-72 Harbour Dr 7391882 (Wed Aug 18) 24 Hour Art Marathon Festival: BBQ with Oxfam (12pm-2pm); Benjamin Allain workshop Storytelling, Chance and Collaboration (2pm-5pm); Fancy Artist Talks (7pm-11pm), Eastern Edge Gallery-72 Harbour Dr 739-1882 (Thu Aug 19) 24 Hour Art Marathon Festival: Kids Video Dance Party (11am-3pm); BBQ with AIDS Committee NL (12pm-2pm); Lalie Douglas $TORE interactive performance, Eastern Edge Gallery-72 Harbour Dr 7391882 (Fri Aug 20) 24 Hour Art Marathon Festival: $TORE $HOP Lalie Douglas (QC); Come In

Go Away with Pasha Malla & Stephanie Bruce (ON); I Love... Pick Me Up Artist Collective (NL); Lantern Parade at dark; She Said Yes! Theatre’s Clown Crew (1pm-3pm); Kimberly Byrne musical spoken word (3pm-4pm); Seraka belly dance (4pm-5pm); Megan Morrison's Romance, Business, Letters and Braziers (8pm); Cafeteria (9pm); The Mudflowers (9:45pm); The Hot Faucets (10:30pm); Juicer (11:15pm); Anna Felaxos presents "Let's Talk about Celine" (12am); The Ice Cream Headaches (12:40am); Diamond Rings (1:25am); Mr Ghosty (Winnipeg) / BK Strangler (2:40am). Hosted by Morgan Murray, Eastern Edge Gallery-72 Harbour Dr 739-1882 (Sat Aug 21) 24 Hour Art Marathon Festival: Exhibition and Auction, Eastern Edge Gallery-72 Harbour Dr 7391882 (Sun Aug 22 from 1pm-4pm) Acadia Day: Free BBQ to celebrate with music, cake and little surprises, everyone welcome, Centre communautaire des Grands-Vents-65 Ridge Rd 726-4900 (Sun Aug 15 at 12:30pm) AIDS Candlelight Memorial Service, Tommy Sexton Centre-47 Janeway Pl (Sun Aug 22 at 7pm)

Downtown St. John's Busker Festival: International buskers and local talent. A show beginning every half hour. Busker Stages located at The Murray Premises, Scotia centre, and Fortis Building. All shows are free, but you can show your appreciation by dropping a little something in their hats 726-8244 (Fri Aug 6 Sun Aug 8 from 1pm-10pm) The Regatta, Quidi Vidi Lake (Wed Aug 4)

KIDS & TEENS 20-minute Mini-Programs: Designed for young and old alike include Fish is Fish; Marsh Metaphors; Interesting Invertebrates; Exploring Eels; Amazing Amphibians; Sensational Stories, The Fluvarium-5 Nagle's Pl 754-3474 (Every day, every hour on the half hour) Colleen Power, Crooked Stovepipe (For Little Ones CD release) $5/$10, Lion’s Club Chalet-Bonaventure Ave (Sun Aug 1 at 3pm) Family Fun Day: 3D theatre showing Sea Monsters, games, BBQ, scavenger hunt, face painting, kid's workshops, Johnson Geo

secret st. John's Uncovering the city's hidden bits

FREE MOVIE TICKETS Want free tickets to a preview screening of The Expendables on August 17?

Pick up your free pair up at Model Citizens at 183b Duckworth Street from 10am to 9pm on Friday, July 30. No purchase necessary, first come, first served.

thescope

How appropriate for the first Secret St. John’s to feature a shop called Nether World, a term by its very definition meaning something with an unknown location. Well, it's located at 198A Freshwater Road!!! MOOHAHAHAHA! The shop is in an unassuming yellow building near the corner of Empire and Freshwater.

It’s a small place selling video games, Magic: The Gathering cards, comic books and other such collectables. I've passed it a hundred times and never known what it was. For some reason in my head that building always contained a gift shop. The word ‘collectables’ on the side gave me the impression of a place where I’d buy a teapot for my grandma’s birthday.

But no, when I walked in there were no teapots to be found. The walls were lined with action figures and boxes of collectable cards. One patron was flipping through a binder of cards on the counter. Inside the counter laid stacks and stacks of video game cartridges. They buy and sell games of all types, I was told, going right back to Atari.

They also sell hockey cards, What's in the box? something I used to collect as a kid, but other sports card collectors are out of luck. “They didn’t sell very well,” said Owner Chris Matchem, “this is a hockey town.”

They’ve been open for over six years now, though Matchem explained why I probably haven’t heard of them before. “We don’t do any advertising … we’re at the flea market and that’s pretty much our advertising.” They also have a loyal customer base. He told me of one customer in particular who is trying to collect one of every NES game and is getting pretty close to his goal. Everyone’s gotta have a hobby, I guess.

So if you’re looking for such things, Nether World might be worth checking out. Just, whatever you do, don’t get your grandma an Iron Man action figure for her birthday.

Angus Woodman

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AUGUST 2010

Centre-175 Signal Hill Rd 737-7884 (Sun Aug 22 from 12pm-5pm) Kids' Event: Storytime at the St John's Farmers' Market, Lion's ClubBonaventure Ave (Sat Aug 14 at 2pm) Tuckamore Festival: Children's Concert: Borromeo String Quartet presents a concert specially designed for children (ages 6+), free, Cook Recital Hall (Sat Aug 14 at 11am) 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

Clubs, Groups, Free Classes & Workshops Annual Fish Fry, Proceeds in aid of the environmental initiatives 754-3474 (Tue Aug 3) 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) Bicycle Trek for Better Breathing (NL Lung Association) There are two routes to choose from – 20km & 90km. Register as an individual, or as a group 726-4664 Ext. 210 (Sat Aug 14) Bowring Park Guided Walk (NAACAP) Learn about river and forest ecology, environmental concerns and how to maintain a healthy river plus a bit of the history of the surrounding area, free, Parking Lot (Sat Aug 14 at 3pm) Breastfeeding Support Group (La Leche League) The topic of discussion will be Nutrition and Weaning babies welcome, free, Sobey's-Torbay Rd 4375097 (Mon Aug 9 at 7pm)

with all levels of cartooning experience, young and old, free, Anna Templeton Centre-278 Duckworth St 739-7623 (Fri Aug 6 from 7pm-9pm) Ecological Literacy: Connecting Spirituality and Gardening. A presentation

by Sister Mary Tee, free, Mercy Centre for Ecology & Justice-101 Mount Scio Rd (Sun Aug 1 at 3pm) Family Garden Program: Parents come with their children and work on the garden, and learn about growing organic vegetables, #5 Mount Scio Rd (Sundays at 1pm) For the Love of Learning: Free workshops in art, writing, film, theatre, journalism and yoga for anyone aged 15-35, Gower St United Church-basement 722-8848 (Weekdays from 12pm-6pm) Free Garden Tours (St John’s Safer Soil) Learn about safe city gardening, how to test soil for lead, landscaping and other tips to prevent lead exposure, using plants to clean the soil, and more. Contact 738-7542 (Through fall 2010) Free Guided Walks (NAACAP) Octagon Pond: Learn about pond and forest ecology, environmental concerns and how to maintain a healthy pond, Paradise Community Centre (Wed Jul 28 at 10am) 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)

Building A Compost: Learn step by step how to build and maintain your own compost with Geoff Shinkle, free, Oxen Pond Community Garden-Oxen Pond Rd (Sun Aug 29 at 11am)

Kenny’s & Kent’s Pond Guided Walk (NAACAP) Learn about pond and forest ecology, environmental concerns and how to maintain a healthy pond, free, Sir Admiral John's Adventure Golf parking lot (Sun Aug 8 at 3pm)

Capital Toastmasters: Improve self-confidence and overall leadership abilities for career and life, free, MUN Inco Centre-2014 687-1031

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)

Caregiver Conversations: A Support Group for Unpaid Caregivers, Seniors Resource Centre-Torbay Rd 726-2370 (Every third Monday)

Long Pond Guided Walk (NAACAP) Learn about pond and forest ecology, environmental concerns and how to maintain a healthy pond, free, Fluvarium (Tue Aug 17 at 10am & 7pm)

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) Comic Artist Breakdown: Drop in comic-making welcoming individuals

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 Neil’s Pond Guided Walk

AUGUST 2010

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(NAACAP) Learn about pond and forest ecology, environmental concerns and how to maintain a healthy pond, free, , Paradise Community Centre (Wed Aug 18 at 10am) Newfoundland Horticultural Society: Monthly meet up, St David's Church Hall-Elizabeth Av (First Tuesday of month at 8pm) NL Horticulture Society: Where gardeners meet and grow together, St David's Church Hall-Elizabeth Ave (Tue Aug 3 at 8pm) Overeaters Anonymous: Help is available and it’s free, no strings attached.

Weekly meetings in St John’s area. You are welcome, just as you are. For information call 738-1742 Plastic Bag Forest Cleanup (NAACAP) There will be a bus waiting to take a short tour of the Waste Management Facility, then a cleanup around the sugarloaf section of the East Coast Trail, Robin Hood Bay- Administration Bldg (Sat Jul 31 at 10am) Quidi Vidi Guided Walk (NAACAP) Learn about lake ecology, environmental concerns, how to maintain a healthy lake and a bit of the history of the surrounding area, free, Quidi Vidi Lake (Thu Aug 19 at 10am) 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) St John’s Farmers’ Market: Fresh local produce, international foods, arts & crafts, coffee, photography, waffles, sweet snacks, kids events and buskers, Lion’s Club Chalet-Bonaventure Ave (Every Saturday from 9am-2pm) Sunday Morning Bird Watch: Join Friends of the Garden volunteers on a 1-2 hour hike through garden trails, free, MUN Botanical Garden-306 Mt Scio Rd 737-8590 (Sunday Aug 8 & 22 at 8am) Super Trivia Night, Bitter's Pub (Thursdays from 8pm-11pm) Taking it on the Road: Music seminar on self Management, touring and booking with Jerry Stamp, The Idlers, Shelly Chase & Jordan Young, Gower street United Church (Sun Aug 1 at 2pm) Taoist Tai Chi Awareness Day: Celebrating our 40th anniversary with simultaneous demonstrations across the country , St John's Farmers' MarketBonaventure Ave (Sat Aug

14 at 11:30am)

2pm-4pm)

The Pottle Centre: A social & recreation centre for consumers of mental health services. New members welcome, 323 Hamilton Ave 753-2143

Tuckamore Festival: Nancy Dahn and Timothy Steeves invite members of the Suzuki & NL Registered Music Teachers communities to a free Master Class, MUN Music-Hutton Choral Rm (Sun Aug 8 from 1pm3pm)

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 Aug 28 from 10:30am-12pm) Tree of Life Nature Days: Carpooling, meals, bunkbeds and tents, organic gardening, sustainable building, camp fires, waterfalls, contemplative outdoor work, yoga, lots of people connecting in the natural way, Salmonier Line area 746-5015 (Any day of the week & weekends) Trivia Night, Rose & Thistle (Tuesdays) Tuckamore Festival Workshop: Rodney de Vries, violin maker and repairer, presents a sting instrument workshop.

Inlcudes Q&A, free, MUN Music-Hutton Choral Rm (Tue Aug 3 at 7pm) Tuckamore Festival: Violinist Jennifer Johnson presents a workshop on body mapping/Alexander technique, free, MUN Music-Hutton Choral Rm (Wed Aug 4 at 6:3pm) Tuckamore Festival: Violinist Stephanie Sant’Ambrogio presents a free masterclass, Petro Can Hall (Thu Aug 5 from

Tuckamore Festival: Violinist Jennifer Johnson presents a workshop on body mapping/Alexander technique, free, MUN Music-Hutton Choral Rm (Tue Aug 10 at 6:30pm) Virginia River Guided Walk (NAACAP) Learn about river and forest ecology, environmental concerns and how to maintain a healthy river, free, Wedgewood Park Rec Centre (Thu Aug 5 at 10am) 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 in Resource Development: Info session for women interested in skilled trades & technology, Register at 738-4395 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 746-2399 (Mondays at 7:30pm) Send press releases to listings@thescope.ca

Scoff Customer-submitted restaurant reviews for St. John’s and the metro area.

thescope.ca/Scoff

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AUGUST 2010

thescope

AIRPORT

PIPPY PARK

AIRPORT HEIGHTS

O’LEARY INDUSTRIAL PARK

EAST END

AVALON MALL

MUN WISHINGWELL PARK

MUNDY POND

MOUNT CASHEL

RABBIT TOWN GEORGETOWN

PLEASANTVILLE

HARBOUR DOWNTOWN WEST

QUIDI VIDI VILLAGE Quidi Vidi Village Rd – Quidi Vidi Battery, Cuckold's Cove Rd – Water Chewing tobacco; hot asphalt; hospital (brewery); Lysol/disinfectant cleaner; potent cologne.

WHITE HILLS INDUSTRIAL PARK Logy Bay Rd. – East White Hills Rd., Harding Rd. – East White Hills Rd. Too many onions on a left over roast beef sandwich; road construction: tar, oil, dust; auto parts store: industrial hand cleaner, axle grease, motor oil, metallic parts; dirt; only faintly of dump, surprisingly (Robin Hood Bay dump).

DOWNTOWN EAST

Outer Ring Rd. – MacDonald Dr., Pippy Park – Torbay Rd. Bad, bad fish & chips; hot asphalt; cheap burgers; french fries and bacon (strangely in the suburbs, miles away from the nearest fast food place on Higgins Line).

PIPPY PARK Pine tree air-freshener; trees; faintly of horse

HOYLESTOWN

THE BATTERY

poop; hot asphalt; B.O.; flowers; beer; citrus; vaguely skunky.

MUNDY POND Empire Ave. – Topsail Rd., Columbus Dr. – Cornwall Ave./Symonds Ave./Cashin Ave. Freshly cut grass; weeds; musty swamp; old books; flowers.

PENNYWELL Kentmount Rd. – Blackmarsh Rd., Mount Pearl – Columbus Dr. Freshly cut grass; newly laid sod; dust; hot asphalt; smoked fish; weeds; beer; pancakes being cooked at too high of a heat.

COWAN HEIGHTS EAST END

WEDGEWOOD PARK

EAST MEADOWS

CHURCHILL PARK

WEST END

CLOVELLY TRAILS

VIRGINIA WHITE HILLS PARK INDUSTRIAL PARK

QUIDI VIDI VILLAGE

SIGNAL HILL

feces, barns, straw (Lester's Farm petting zoo); new carpeting; car wash; dirty old mop water that has gone cold; hot asphalt; rotting watermelon; pine trees.

AIRPORT HEIGHTS

RABBITTOWN

AIRPORT

Empire Ave. – Long's Hill/Queen's Rd., Freshwater Rd. – Bonaventure Ave. Bacon grease or scruncions; vegetable gardens; mould.

Cigarette butts; taxi cabs: pine tree air-fresheners, B.O., cigarette smoke; dust.

Freshly cut grass; dust; flowers; iron; white clover; home construction: paint, nails, freshly cut wood, new carpet.

GEORGESTOWN Empire Ave. – Military Rd., Bonaventure Ave. – King's Bridge Crt. Old bananas; paint; an attic (the Basillica); dandelions; hot tub; vegetable gardens; flowers; wood chips; horse poop; sweat; bus exhaust.

Blackmarsh Rd. – Topsail Rd., Mount Pearl – Columbus Dr. Sunlight laundry detergent; lots and lots of road construction: tar, dirt, machinery exhaust; BBQ; flowers; Chinese food, sweet and sour sauce; mouldy citrus fruit; car wash.

Freshly poured cement; French fries; pancake; the sea.

WATERFORD VALLEY

SIGNAL HILL

Topsail Rd. – Pitts Memorial Drive, Mount Pearl – Downtown Somewhat circus like: various animal

Antifreeze; fruit roll ups; fresh breeze; dog poop.

THE BATTERY

thescope

comics 100% local

Bleak By Alexander Evan Bridger

Rhymes With Understand By Emily Deming

Mr. Pickles By Quinn Whalen

Free Fall Fight By Ricky King

Nothing Special About Words By Michael Young

28

thescope

AUGUST 2010

Perfect Sunday By Michael Butler

behold!! By P.N. Grata

on screen

Find more reviews and movie times at thescope.ca/onscreen

DAILY SHOWINGS Call or check online for times and prices Avalon mall empire studios 12: 722-5775 Mount pearl empire cinemas: 722-5775 www.empiretheatres.com Cats & Dogs 2—Revenge of Kitty Galore: What CGI talking animal movie really needed a sequel? Not Garfield. Not Scooby Doo. Cats & Dogs, a ten year old comedy where cats attempt to take over the world.

(Coming July 30) Charlie St Cloud: Zac Efron sees dead people.

Well, dead person, as he only sees his brother’s ghost. When a woman comes between them, Zac must decide if he can put undead bro before ho.

(Coming July 30) Dinner for Schmucks: A group meets secrectly to mock human stupidity. Is it the Illuminati? No, just elitists who con idiots to attend dinner parties designed to mock them. Starring Steve Carrell (again).

(Coming July 30) Flipped: Rob Reiner’s back and, if we were in the 80’s, that would still mean something. Yet, the former Meathead is helming this tale of an intense crush between two kids. (Coming Aug 6) Step Up 3: If you have just stepped up 2 da streets, you are two-thousand-andlate. Yes, all your favourites like, um, Boogaloo Shrimp and Dancebot 5000 are back in this tale of urban dancing. (Coming Aug 6) The Other Guys: Will “Overdone” Ferrell and Mark “Say Hi To Your Mother For Me” Wahlberg are mismatched cops in a buddy movie. Featuring Sam “Constantly Screaming” Jackson and The “Dwayne Johnson” Rock.

(Coming Aug 6) Eat, Pray, Love: Most of us can’t be bothered to do more than two of the titular activities each day, but Julia Roberts tries them all and finds love within 90 minutes. Bliss. (Coming Aug 13) Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: To win over a girl, Michael Cera must literally fight each of her ex-boyfriends. If there’s one thing that women love, it’s being treated like a stuffed panda at a carnival.

(Coming Aug 13)

Pee Wee's Big Adventure

The Disappearance of Alice Creed: In this wellreceived British drama, Creed (Gemma Arterton) attempts to outwit a pair of kidnappers holding her for ransom. Can she be as clever as Kevin in dealing with these thugs? (Coming Aug 13) The Expendables: Sly Stallone proves once- and-forall that he can make action films worthy of Cobra or Over The Top. Here, he’s leading a squad to overthrow a South American dictator. (Coming Aug 13) Vampires Suck: From the writers of film festival darlings like Date Movie and Epic Movie, comes this spoof on vampire flicks.

Sure to be this year’s Dracula: Dead And Loving It. (Coming Aug 18)

The Adventure Of Faustus Bidgood (1986)

Spellbound

Lottery Ticket: When a kid (played by Lil’ Bow Wow) in a working-class neighborhood strikes it rich with a winning lotto ticket, he becomes uneasy about his new-found wealth.

(Coming Aug 20)

Exorcist III

Middle Men: Enter the glamorous and high stakes world of an adult entertainment billing company.

Luke Wilson and Giovanni Ribisi star in this tale of pre-Redtube decadence, intriugue and cheap thrills.

(Coming Aug 20) Nanny McPhee Returns: Emma Thompson returns for another tale of magic, misbehaving children and, dare I say, self-improvement. The grotesque McPhee is back to teach a new group of squabblers to get along. (Coming Aug 20) The Switch: Is there any subject zanier than artificial insemination? Don’t answer that, ‘cause the answer from Hollywood is “no, there isn’t”. This time it’s Jennifer Aniston who procures the seed of Jason Bateman. (Coming Aug 20) Going the Distance: Long-distance relationships are rocky, full of despair, insecurity and often end with its participants shredded of their sanity and ability to sleep. This is a sweet rom-com version of that.

Giggles! (Coming Aug 27) Takers: A group of thugs are reunited for one last heist, when one of their own is released from prison. Think of it as The Italian Job without the whimsy. (Coming Aug 27) The Last Exorcism: Tired of the glut of possessions taking jobs and depleting our nation’s pea soup supply? A priest (Patrick) hopes exorcism on a young farm girl will sort out demonkind for good. (Coming Aug 27)

inspired, sweet and thoroughly bonkers programs ever devised and Pee-Wee's Big Adventure is one of the funniest comedies of all time. It's easily the best film Tim Burton ever made, working with a hilarious script by Reubens, Michael Varhol and Phil Hartman and a brilliant, chaotic score by Danny Elfman. The story, revolving around Pee-Wee's quest for his stolen bike, is just a clothesline for one-off characters and moments of inspired strangeness. The film also offers a masterclass for dream sequences with terrific moments involving clowns in surgical garb and fire-breathing dinosaurs (both of whom hate bicycles!) Fortunately, unlike Spellbound, the rest of the film is demented enough to hold its own against these hilarious asides.

Let's look at things from Faustus' perspective. You live a boring, bureaucratic life.

You were clearly destined to be the one true premier of Newfoundland. Yes, such is the case of Faustus Bidgood (played by Newfoundland's greatest treasure, Andy Jones). Bidgood's a dim, deranged and mumbly clerk who works for the board of education and answers to the equally unhinged Fred Bonia-Coombs (Brian Downey, star of Lexx and the upcoming feature Hobo With A Shotgun). But, in his mind, at least, Bidgood is cock of the walk, earning Newfoundland's independence and seducing Mary Walsh with an act of seductive nose-picking.

The Exorcist III (1991)

The Adventure of Faustus Bidgood

Dream sequins With the recent release of director Christopher Nolan's dream-based film Inception, Adam Clarke discusses his favourite depictions of dreams in the movies. the most striking set-pieces ever filmed and I wish that Hitchcock and Dali had simply Before David Lynch made well-dressed abandoned the script in favor of ninety dwarfs and card-playing his regular Saturminutes of concentrated surrealism. day night thing with

Sadly, the film Twin Peaks, Alfred returns to reality, Hitchcock pulled But, in his mind, at least, Bidgood is which this sequence out all the stops cock of the walk, earning Newfound- alludes to with for weird dream symbolism, clues and land's independence and seducing sequences in SpellBig Important MeanMary Walsh with an act of seductive bound. How? Well, ings. But the dream, nose-picking. he enlisted none which plays out like other than Salvaa rejected opening dor Dali to design credits sequence for The Twilight Zone, is a dream that would be suitably weird, but worth the price of rental alone. nonetheless reveal key elements to drive

Spellbound (1945)

the film's plot. The dream itself is gorgeous: a slew of gigantic eyes transfixed on Gregory Peck as he plays a game of cards before being chased by a pair of wings that fly of their own volition and a faceless man holding a giant, distorted wheel. It's one of

Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985)

Pee-Wee Herman is one of the most enduring characters from my childhood. The PeeWee's Playhouse TV series is one of the most

I don't think there's a more underrated film then Exorcist III and it all comes down to its title. You know you've seen it at the video store or scoffed at a handful of copies of it in the DVD bargain bin at Dominion.

It's based on Exorcist author William Peter Blatty's novel, Legion, which was the original title of his screenplay (no relation to the garbage Legion film that came out this year). Exorcist III was Blatty's second film as writer-director and both it and his earlier The Ninth Configuration are damn near perfect. Moody, funny, literate and eminently quotable, Blatty's the sort of writer you wish was far more prolific, as nearly everything he's written is astoundingly good and his films are gorgeously composed.

Exorcist III contains a spectacular sequence that offers an eerie, unique take on the afterlife as Lt Kinderman (George C. Scott) dreams of an afterlife that's equal part hospital, train station and dining hall. There, he sees an ailing friend (Ed Flanders) surrounded by angels and jazz musicians. Also, both Fabio and Samuel L. Jackson have cameos as an angel and a dead man trying to contact the living via radio signals. Fabio was probably hoping to make amends with that pigeon that flew into his eye. Nonetheless, it's a depressing, haunting and very, very funny scene in a overlooked gem of a movie.

I screen, you screen, we all screen for

thescope.ca/onscreen

free will astrology by rob brezsny

for august 2010

™

LEO (Jul 23 – Aug 22)

Can you force things to grow? Is it possible to induce ripening simply by aggressively exerting your willpower?

Normally I'd say no, but these days I think it's within your capacity. Don't misunderstand. I'm not saying you could go up to a tomato plant and magically transform mid-size green tomatoes into big orange beauties. But from a metaphorical perspective, you could accomplish something like that. What fragile bud would benefit from bursts of your vitality? What sweet young thing might thrive with your invigorating help?

‘

VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sep 22)

In James Hillman's book The Dream and the Underworld, he says something I've heard from other researchers—that the majority of dreams we have each night are unpleasant. But that's not true for me. Way more than 50% of mine are educational, entertaining, and not at all bad or scary. Quite a few have jokes and riddles. Most stretch my understanding of how the world works and motivate me to get smarter about what I've been ignorant about. As you enter the Intense Dreaming Phase of your cycle, Virgo, I suspect your nocturnal adventures will resemble mine. Get ready to encounter intriguing characters who'll have the power to heal you. Talking animals may give you righteous clues about upcoming waking-life decisions.

A mercurial teacher could relieve you of a delusion. The wind and rain may play music that dissolves your fear.

µ

LIBRA (Sep 23 – Oct 22)

During the Tang Dynasty, a golden age of Chinese culture, educated people didn't use cliched salutations to begin and end their encounters with

each other. No "Hi, how you doing?" or "See you later. Take care." Instead, they improvised creatively, composing poetic riffs appropriate for the occasion. "Your face is especially bright today. Are you expecting to see a lucky cloud?" or "I'll bask in your glories again later. In the meantime, may you find a brisk blend of elegance and mischief." I'd love to see you do something like that, Libra.

It's prime time to boost your alliances to a higher octave. Give more to your collaborators, and ask for more, too.

≠

SCORPIO (Oct 23 - Nov 21)

I admire people who sweat freely and abundantly while they're working hard at what they love to do.

Singer James Brown, "The Godfather of Soul," was renowned for his sweltering floods, and so is baseball player Pablo Sandoval. But many unfamous people I've known would also be top candidates for King and Queen of Sacred Sweat, like my friend Julia, who practices her passion in the garden, and my friend Luke, who welds giant metal sculptures.

I'm hoping you will come into your own as one of this elite group, Scorpio. The omens suggest you'd be wise to raise the heat in your alchemical furnace.

∑

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)

The wind coming off the creek has picked up in the last half hour, and so the branches of the lemon tree outside my office window are swaying vehemently in the late afternoon sun. Is the tree upset? No. Is it worried or offended or angry at the wind? Of course not. From what I can tell, it's enjoying the raucous movement. I can even imagine that it knows how lucky it is: It wouldn't be able to dance so expressively without the

help of the gusts. I hope you'll interpret your experiences in the coming weeks with a similar perspective, Sagittarius.

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CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)

While flying over water, an eagle can spot a fish swimming from 300 feet away. As it prowls through a winter landscape, a coyote can detect the presence of a mouse bustling beneath thick snow.

I suspect you'll have a comparable knack for tuning in to things that are of keen interest, Capricorn, even if they are hidden or located at a distance. To maximize your advantage, get clear about what you're hungry for. Build a vivid image in your mind's eye of what you need.

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AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)

Lola, a woman I know, has mastered the art of self-contradiction.

She makes no apologies for the apparent oppositions she gladly contains. For instance, she's perfectly at ease with the fact that she is not only a lesbian anarchist skater punk who's a prolific graffiti artist, but also a devout Christian who doesn't consume drugs or alcohol, drives a Lexus SUV, and volunteers as a massage therapist at a hospice. Your internal paradoxes may or may not be as extreme as hers, Aquarius, but I urge you to express them with the panache that she does.

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PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)

My friend Erica went to a Chinese herbalist, seeking help for a skin problem that hadn't been healed by six other doctors. "Very rare condition," the herbalist told her. There was only one thing he knew that would work: Erica would have to travel to the Ruoergai Marshes in Sichuan Province, China and track down a White-tailed Eagle, whose fresh droppings she would gather up

and apply to the affected areas of her skin. As the prospect of such a pilgrimage was daunting, Erica decided instead to simply imagine herself carrying it out. After a week of such meditations, her skin had improved. In 21 days, she wasn't completely cured, but she was much better. The moral of the story, Pisces: Simply visualizing a heroic healing quest may help fix your glitch.

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ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 19)

Success coach Tom Ferry says our ability to pursue our dreams can be damaged by four addictions: 1. an addiction to what other people think of us; 2. an addiction to creating melodrama in a misguided quest for excitement; 3. an addiction to believing we're imprisoned by what happened in the past; 4. an addiction to negative thoughts that fill us with anxiety. The good news, Aries, is that in the coming weeks you will find it easier than usual to free yourself from addictions 1, 3, and 4. On the other hand, you may be extra susceptible to addiction 2. So take action to make sure you don't fall victim to it! What can you do to avoid distracting adventures and trivial brouhahas?

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TAURUS (Apr 20 – May 20)

Some of the biggest whales feed primarily on tiny organisms like protozoa, algae, and krill. They swim around with their mouths open, gulping seawater, using filtering structures in their upper jaws to sieve out the stuff they want to eat. Their strategy for getting a meal has resemblances to an approach you may benefit from using: sifting through a lot of superfluous material to get the rich basics you seek. Discernment isn't the only skill you'll need; relaxed patience will be crucial, too.

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GEMINI (May 21 – Jun 20)

You know about World War II, but do you know about the planet's worst conflict since then? It was the Second Congo War, involving eight African nations and killing 5.4 million people between 1998 and 2006. You're painfully aware of the oil hemorrhage in the Gulf of Mexico, but have you heard about the equally horrific catastrophe that an American oil company wreaked on Ecuador from the early 1960s until 1992 (tinyurl.com/EcuadorOil)? I bring these things up, Gemini, because now is an excellent time for you to fill in gaps in your education and learn the rest of any story that you've been missing -- not just concerning events in the world but also in regards to your personal history. P.S. Much of what you find, unlike the Congo War and the Ecuadorian oil disaster, may be good news.

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CANCER (Jun 21 – Jul 22)

A psychic in Colorado was arrested for bilking her clients. Nancy Marks allegedly told people that their money was possessed by nasty spirits, and that the best solution was to hand the money over to her. The cops claim she collected 290,000 of the evil dollars before she was nabbed. My message to you, Cancerian, is very different from the psychic's warning: Your bank account has a divine blessing on it. At least temporarily, this makes you a kind of cash magnet; you have an unusual power to attract legal tender. Take advantage!

Say this sacred mantra: "O monnee gimmee summ."

Birthdays this month Happy birthday to Leslie Pierce, Jordan Canning, Carolyn Stokes, Rick Boland, Sarah Hillock, Ross Barney, Edward Tanasychuk, Matthew Sheppard, and Jason Sellars.

Send birthday info to birthday@thescope.ca

Homework What are the conditions you'd need in your world in order to feel like you were living in paradise? Testify at Truthrooster@gmail.com.

THursday evening

pap clinics Women in Newfoundland and Labrador have one of the highest rates of cervical cancer in the country. A regular pap test can help prevent cervical cancer. Ask your health care provider about getting your pap test or phone Planned Parenthood for more information.

Planned Parenthood offers various medical clinics, including Thursday evening pap clinics.

To book an appointment today, please phone.

Sexual Health Medical Clinics • Birth Control Supplies • Free Condoms • Pregnancy Testing Educational Workshops • Youth Groups • Information

S e x u a l H e a lt h Q u e s t i o n s ? W e H av e A n sw e r s !

579-1009 or 1-877 NO MYTHS (666-9847) | 203 Merrymeeting Road, St. John's info@nlsexualhealthcentre.org

Adopt Me...

SPCA St. John’s - 726-0301 - www.spcastjohns.org Shelter location: R.C.A.F. Road off Torbay Rd. Hours: Mon-Fri 9am-4pm / Sat & Sun 2:30pm-4:30pm / holidays 2pm-4pm.

Koodo is approximately 4 months old and has a great sense of humour. She adores being social with other feline friends and is sure to make your life more interesting.

koodo

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Lady Dunfield Memorial Shelter

If you are looking for a loving, affectionate feline companion, Jazmine is the girl for you! She is almost one year old and was surrendered due to severe allergies in the household. Drop by and meet her today!

Jazmine

This little darling was found at the end of June on the Main Road in Pouch Cove. He is intact, timid and approx 4 or 5 years old. If you recognize "Ryan", please contact us at 726-0301

RYAN