The Scope - September 2010 by The Scope

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COMMENTS AT THESCOPE.CA

SEPTEMBER 2010 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, Ryan Davis, Andrew Harvey, Andreae Callanan, Mark Callanan, Taryn Sheppard, Sarah Smellie, Ricky King, Andrew Wickens, and Rob Brezsny. And more! 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 the tame names given to hurricanes. Earl? Really? All rights reserved. © 2010 Proudly independent and locally owned. Founded in 2006.

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COVER ART

Cover illustration by Michael Butler. www.localfavorite.blogspot.com

IS CUSTOMER SERVICE IN THE CITY GETTING WORSE? (Spoiler: It depends on who you ask.)

Jobs, jobs, jobs! Employment numbers were up in the province in August, especially in the North-East Avalon. But is our newfound prosperity making us lazy? Are younger employees not willing to work as hard as the older ones? Hmmmm... Sounds dodgy to us. Here’s some of what folks had to say on

the topic at thescope.ca

Anonymous: Newfoundlanders are known nationally—no, worldwide—as some of the friendliest and most helpful people on the planet. But when the rubber hits the road, it’s far short. Maybe it’s a sign of the level of activity in the city—a growing pain, or a generational thing in staff typically found in the service industry. Or maybe I need a AMEX card and a Nebraska accent to find the legendary service we are famous for. Or maybe it is just a legend. Jeff Lush: It may not be that service levels are decreasing but the expectations are getting unreasonably high. I work in the service industry and people just expect this amount of care/attention that is unattainable most of the time. phil h: If you want the lowest prices, expect the lowest service. It's pretty straight forward. Personally I haven’t noticed a decrease in service here. Maeby: I think our general tolerance, and belief that we’re a good natured, easy-going group of humans keep us from performing too hard in a service industry. Brian: I find it has a lot to do with the employees. Too many service workers are overworked and underpaid. They’re paid to do their unsatisfying job, but not enough to care. There’s also the issue of management treating their underlings like crap… Young employees feel like they’re disposable. And as far as management’s concerned, they are. Maybe that will change with minimum wage being higher now… but I doubt it. Newfoundlanders are usually super friendly, but customer service is lacking. Travelling to Japan, I was astounded by the

level of customer service. Maybe it’s the Japanese work-ethic, but employees actually give a damn about their work. And it shows… they’re just friendlier. I feel that if the company treats its employees with more respect, then they’ll feel better about themselves, and have more interest in what they’re doing. LA Tucker: I think the problem may be that staff are insufficiently trained or mentored, with little incentive or motivation to excel. And they get poor pay. Pair this with customers who have exceedingly high expectations and you'll always end up with dissatisfaction. I just know when I get crappy service, I don’t complain or cause a scene, I just never go back. grillz billz: Yoyoyo… Poor pay? Dudes, Newfoundland has the second highest minimum wage in the country. So pay shouldn't be one of the reasons. Maybe Newfoundlanders are a little more laid back. People are 'on island time.' If you’ve gotten used to the big city and you come back and experience island time for the first time in years, it can be quite jarring. When everyone is txt txt txt and go go go, and they run into someone who is only trying to accomplish one thing at a time instead of ten, of course things are going to go downhill. I’m tellin ya, society in general is starting to get a serious case of A.D.D. Morgan Murray: It’s called minimum wage and not “adequate wage” for a reason. The jobs that pay in that vicinity are the usually the worst ones and usually filled by the people who need them the most. I know I wouldn’t want $10 an hour to deal with me, and I don’t think I am that bad to deal with. Boo Boo: Good help is hard to find. Folks don't want a job anywhere they'd actually have to work, as in manual labour. And half the people working in the service industry have likely worked at a call centre and were treated like dirt, so that gets passed on to their customers at their new jobs.

‘‘

Steam rises from a cup of tea and we are wrapped in history, inhaling ancient times and lands, comfort of ages in our hands. – faith greenbowl

‘‘

ISSUE 110, VOLUME 6, NUMBER 3

199 Water Street 709-579-9288 www.britanniateas.ca

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Join the fray online at thescope.ca

SEPTEMBER 2010

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HOT TICKETS SEPTEMBER 2010

Some of our picks for the month. By Sarah Smellie

September 17 & 18

BA Johnston Music

Though he’s based in Hamilton, musician BA Johnston has become somewhat of a local favourite. It's because singing about monkeys, deep fat fryers and potato chips has widespread local appeal. He’ll be through town again with other non-local local favorites, The Burning Hell, on September 17 & 18, at The Ship, to celebrate the release of his newest Golden-Girls-referencing album Thank You For Being a Friend. ...No, BA. Thank you. SS

Lee Suh-Feh’s The Whole Beast

September 16-25

Festival of New Dance Dance

Rock House The

Whatever you may think about contemporary dance, the Festival of New Dance is always worth your attention. The fest is turning 20 this year, so they've lined up some big names from far and wide. Performance highlights include Peggy Baker's Portal (see interview on page 28), Lee Suh-Feh’s The Whole Beast, in which "the dancer is butcher, meat, cook, and the cooked." In terms of home-grown talent to see, there will be a docudance from Louise Moyse, called St. John’s Women, and Justin Hall’s Movement in Dance, a retrospective photography exhibit featuring Hall’s work with dancers over the years at Focal Point Gallery on September. Find much more at www.neighbourhooddanceworks.com. SS

on George Street

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 10TH

IDLERS (ONLY FALL SHOW)

September 17-19

Hustle To Get Here Dance

Local filmmaker Anne Troake's "Pretty Big Dig", featuring dancing backhoes, will be screened for free at The Rooms on Saturday, Sept 25 at 1:30PM as part of Culture Days

September 24 - 26

Culture Days Visual Art, Performance

Culture Days are here! Yeah, “Culture Days” is kind of a bland, governmentgenerated name, but there are some decent events going on, including a whirling dervish demonstration with Mira Hunter on the 25th, at 2:30, at The Rooms. Doors Open St. John’s is embedded into Culture Days, too, running from the 25th to the 26th. Go to culturedays.ca for a complete schedule. SS

Between the Festival of New Dance and this event— the biggest breakdancing and dance crew event in the province—September is shaping up to be a great month to get out and appreciate some folks moving their bodies around. Hustle to Get Here is a hip hop dance competition organized by the formidable East Rock Crew. Last year 16 b-boys competed for a 1000 dollar prize, and from the looks of the video footage from last year, the competition was fierce: bit.ly/dndd2g. There’s an opening party on September 17th, at the Rock House, starting at 10pm with a five dollar cover. The actual competition is on the 18th, at MUN’s Field House, starting at 7pm with a $15 cover. Then they’ll take it to The Breezeway for the afterparty, same night. EL

Sunday September 19

Elliot Brood Music

Polaris Prize-shortlisters Elliott Brood are back in town for one of their token dark, driving shows that tend to leave audiences breathless and unsteady—in the best way possible. In what may be a match made in heaven, or somewhere down below, Mark Bragg & The Butchers will be opening for them at Club One at 8pm. Get your tickets now at Fred’s, O’Brien’s, Big Ben’s, or the Sundance. SS

September 3 - October 4

Tamara Henderson Visual Art

Over at the A1C Gallery, Stockholm-based artist Tamara Henderson wants you to have a seat. You and Me, We’ll End Up in a Chair by the Sea, featuring a chair designed at the Paradise Hypnotic Healing Institute while under hypnosis. She’s also set up a bar in the gallery, at which she’ll be pouring crazy-coloured drinks at the exhibition opening on September 3rd at 8pm. Ahhhhh SS

Tamara Henderson

SEPTEMBER 2010

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HARRY SULLIVAN

PEOPLE thescope.ca/people

Torbay folk artist

s a child growing up near Windsor Lake, I would spend my days in the forest behind my house. In one area, deep in the woods, I came upon a scattering of startling concrete faces nailed to the trees. These old men had marbles for eyes and crooked pipes in their mouths. It added a certain mystery to the woods that I never forgot. It was only by chance that I met the maker of these faces 25 years later. I met with Harry Sullivan at his home in Torbay. It was early in the conversation when we realized we were once neighbours. The retired 84-year-old bricklayer has been making what he calls “folk art” for the past 13 years but he’s been making art, like the concrete faces, all his life. Using scraps of wood paneling and 2x4s, beach rocks, feathers, cotton swabs, or old pieces of leather—basically anything that’s kicking around— Harry creates scenes of the food fishery, whale watching, ice fishing, and even a tableau of Billy Baldwin’s forge back when he was a kid growing up in Pouch Cove. He makes birdhouses, old men sawing up wood, Big Foot monsters, and “Mars Rovers” (that run off the smell of birch). Most recently he made a rock face of opposition leader, Yvonne Jones, as an expression of concern for her recent breast cancer surgery. You make a lot of people and with great expressions! “I was always interested in faces. When I was a bricklayer you’d have your pile of mortar on your board, and your trowel. You’d just hit your board and it would all float right off smooth. And I would just mark in it, eye, eye, nose, mouth—old man’s face just like that. I used to do that when the youngsters come along.” Tell me about this one with the guy plowing his field. “Up on the Southern Shore in Mobile, that’s the place where the goat spoke. That’s how I come to make this. There’s an old man in his garden, digging his potatoes. This is a true story, from years ago. And he went up and he caught an old billygoat. And he hold up the billygoat, over the fence, and the goat said, ‘Is you diggin’ em Dylan?’ And Dylan thought it was the goat that spoke. And that’s how I made it. ‘Is you diggin’ em Dylan?/Is you diggin’ em deep?/Is you diggin’ em Dylan in a great big heap?/Yes I’m diggin’ em said Dylan/Not enough to fill a boat/But I’d be diggin’em more if it wasn’t for you/You rotten stinkin’ goat.’ Look, he’s plowing up his ground.” At your stand on Torbay Road there once was a sign that listed your contact information so people could come by your home and pay for the art. Did anyone steal anything? “I had a sign like that, but I had a lot of stuff taken away from me. I thought people would be honest enough. It said, ‘Please give me a call or drop by.’ Now I’ve had people come by my place and pay me. ‘I took two of your birdhouses. I took a rooster,’ and so on and so forth. They’re honest people. The people who rob you, or do stuff like that, they’re not hurting me, they’re hurting themselves.” Why do you make art? “Just because I love to be doing it. I love what I think about. And what I make from my head. It’s good physical living and excellent for the body and for the soul. It’s what we’re all about. You got to enjoy what you make.” Interview and photo by Ryan Davis

The Lotus Centre could fulfill your complete yoga experience and training! Advanced spiritual training and certification with the YES Program (Yoga Enlightenment Studies) INTRODUCTION EVENING Friday, September 10, 7pm.

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SEPTEMBER 2010

STARTING THIS FALL Mind Clearing Training, Public Speaking, Relationship Work, Meditation Teacher Training, Yoga Philosophy, Enlightenment Monitoring, Yoga classes, Couples Weekend & Enlightenment Retreats.

Meranda Squires The Lotus Centre 52 Prescott Street St. John's, NL 709-739-4429 m_squires@nf.sympatico.ca www.thelotuscentre.ca

SEPTEMBER 2010

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NEWS

Or at least newsier than the rest of it. More at thescope.ca/news

Detail from the monument unveiling poster

OUR CHINESE HERITAGE

What do your imaginings of pre-Confederation Newfoundland look like? Fishermen, fishwives, merchants and sailors? If you’re going by the history books, Newfoundland and Labrador Headtax Redress Organization (NLHRO) think you might be forgetting something. On September 17th, NLHRO will be unveiling a monument in the park adjacent to the City Hall Annex building, between New Gower and George street, commemorating the pioneers of the Newfoundland Chinese Community. The monument sits at the site of the first Chinese laundry in Newfoundland, opened in 1895. It’s the first of a four-part initiative, funded by Citizenship and Immigra-

RANT FARM

tion Canada, and sponsored by the City of St. John’s, the Grand Concourse Authority, and the NLHRO. “We’re also developing a website where you’ll be able to learn what the headtax was in Newfoundland, how it came about, who paid it, and read stories from original immigrants,” explains Gordon Jin NLHRO president. From 1906 to 1949, Chinese immigrants, about 330 of them, were required by the government of Newfoundland to pay a $300 headtax if they wanted to call the dominion their home. Danny Williams issued an apology for the racist headtax via press release, in 2006, one week after Stephen Harper issued an apology for Canada’s Chinese headtax. “The apology came, the apology, went but nobody seems to know what happened then in Newfoundland,” says Jin. “We felt that it was deficient in the history books, and for the general public. Sons and daughters of headtax payers, their grandkids, they dont know what happened to pave their way to come to the dominion or the province that they’re living in.” “I’m a descendant of a head tax payer and I think that the trials and tribulations that my father and those 330 colleagues of my father went through... It’s just a forgotten thing,” he says. “Many of these people couldn’t speak a word of English, and they came when they were very young - my father was sixteen. In those days, $300 was equivalent to two years’ salary. You can imagine the hardships.” “The Chinese restaurants, the laundries that were here for many years, would not be here if it weren’t for these pioneers,” he adds. —SARAH SMELLIE

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.

AVALON PENINSULA

CROSSWALK OVERLAPPAGE Downtown traffic: My God, people! Did you get your license from a surprise bag? When stopped at an intersection and traffic isn’t moving on the other side, stop at the light, NOT in the middle of the intersection or over the crosswalk. It bungs everything up if you do that: Vehicles trying to move through the intersection in the opposite direction can’t because of your lack of driving knowledge, common sense and inflated sense of importance. Are you really in that much of a hurry that you cannot properly stop for a few minutes? — Anonymous

RICKY KING

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SEPTEMBER 2010

Satellite image by NASA

WILD PHYTOPLANKTON PARTY OFF THE SOUTHERN AVALON

NASA captured a gorgeous satellite shot of a cloudy, turquoise bloom of phytoplankton (the base of the ocean's food chain) off the Avalon coast in early August. The bloom is almost six times the size of the Avalon Peninsula. Dalhousie Oceanographer Marlon Lewis was impressed with it, too. “You’ve got a lot of algae growing up there!” he laughs. “It’s almost assuredly a type of algae called a coccolithophorid. It’s a small, single-celled algae that’s covered with these calcium plates, so they’re kinda cool looking.” Phytoplankton blooms are common, mostly in the spring. Usually, though, we can’t see them because the organisms are so small. “What you’re really seeing there is the sun’s

LOOK OUT, MR. MINKE ORCA WHALES AROUND EASTERN NEWFOUNDLAND

thescope.ca/maps

fogo

“There are YouTube videos showing minke killings off Trinity and off Dildo. We expect more and more sightings to be reported from around Twilingate and Fogo and then, into September, from St. Anthony.”

trinity bay

“There’s a YouTube video of a minke attack here. In the video is a male, NF0020. He was later seen off the Ocean Sciences Centre, then might have killed in Torbay, and then was seen killing in videos from Trinity and Dildo. A couple of individuals seem to follow him, including a female, NF0019.”

st. pierre

“There were ten or fifteen separate sightings here earlier this year,” says Stevens. “Last year, we had just one.”

“

he population of killer whales off Newfoundland is not necessarily exploding,” insists MUN Biology grad student Tara Stevens. “And they’ve been killing minkes for as far back as our database goes (the 1800s, FYI). It’s not that unusual. It’s just unusual that so many people are out on the water seeing and YouTubing it.” Using sightings like these, she’s trying to patch up the gaping holes in our knowledge about the Atlantic’s orcas, like what they eat, what their migration patterns are, and how big the population is. Email tara.stevens@mun.ca with any/all orca sightings you have to report, and phone 617-620-7463 with immediate ones.

reflection off those little calcium carbonate shells,” says Lewis. In deeper waters, Lewis’ research has shown that phytoplankton populations are rapidly decreasing, which doesn’t bode well for our marine ecosystems. But along coastal areas, Lewis and his team found that populations were increasing. This, he says, can be both good and bad. Blooms are stimulated by the presence of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus, which usually get there via sewage. “Our areas around our coast are generally poor in nutrients in

CITY STENCH

'Coccolithus pelagicus' single-celled algae (Image by Richard Lampitt, Jeremy Young, The Natural History Museum, London)

—SARAH SMELLIE

SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT SMELL

FACE-OFF

VS.

the summer, so the nutrients we provide stimulate the growth of phytoplankton, which feeds the other organisms. But, like everything else, everything in moderation.”

EAST END MYSTERY STENCH

South Side

East End

SOURCE OF ODOUR

The new sewage treatment facility

Unknown

DESCRIPTION OF ODOUR

“It’s like you stuck your face in a toilet.” - Area resident Donna Hynes to CBC News

"Some days it's the smell of fresh garbage. Some days it's the smell of landfill gas.” - J ason Sinyard, manager of city waste dept, to the telegram

Wait for the system to mature

Smell consultants hired to find the source

"This treatment plant should be renamed the Facilite Descartes: 'I stink therefore I am.' " - NLDoc40 on CBC.ca

noticed this smell. Hope it's not me!"

AFFECTED AREA

ACTION FROM CITY HALL

BEST COMMENT ON LOCAL MEDIA WEBSITE

"I live in the east end and have not - hughlawlor at CBC.ca

WHA?

GOT RENTAL QUESTIONS? From September 3-8 (Friday to Thursday) at thescope.ca/wha you can ask our own housing guru Andrew Harvey any questions you have about tenants rights, landlords rights, rental issues, and the Residential Tenancies Act.

thescope.ca/wha

SEPTEMBER 2010

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HOW TO HAVE AN AWESOME CONVERSATION

School is such a funny place—you're supposed to learn, but you never want to ask a question because you don't want to look dumb. What? How are you supposed to learn in that kind of a situation? Osmosis? Anyone who has been to school automatically suffers from questionphobia, even in social situations. As a result, most people are terrible conversationalists, because the secret to a good conversation is to ask questions. The other is to shut up and listen. Ask short, open questions like: "What happened?" "When did you find out that...?" "What did he/she say?" Don't make a statement and put a question mark on the end. Then ask follow up questions like: "Why?" "What was that like?" and "What were you thinking?" The best part of learning this magical secret? Once you start asking people questions about themselves, they will immediately start to love you—because people love talking about themselves. It's a fact. After a while they might even ask you a question or two.

HOW TO ACT LIKE A LOCAL IF YOU'RE FROM AWAY

THE SCOPE'S GUIDE TO

BECOMING Greetings students! Today is your day! We’ve written this Student Guide to help you on your way! *cough*

Okay, so yer gonna wanna say yer “from town.” Not from “Sin Jahn’s” not from “da bay”—gentle Jesus in da garden, b’y, don’t say yer from around da bay, dey’ll know ye by yer accent. Now ya don’t gots a “grandmother” or even a “grandmudder” ye gots a “nan.” Ye gots a nan, ye gots a pop, ye gots a mudder anna fadder, and you all drink tea. Tea, b’y, not coffee, not the Red Bull, none of it. Ye drinks tea and ye drinks Pepsi, not even water. And fer God’s sake, not Coke. If you wanna go sees a show, you head to the Ship, where the writers go. When that lot all clears out, da bands come in, and ye loves it. Ron Hynes, now, ye loves a little Ron! Now if ye gots a little shoppin ah’do, ye goes down to da mall. Ye gotta get that “a” sound right, it’s a long, flat one, none ah dis “awl” stuff. Da maaaaaaall. For groceries ye goes to Sobey’s or Dominion, but ye hates what they done ah’dat old stadium there, now, ye saw Bob Dylan, yis BOB DYLLIN’ there, now, when was it, in the eighddies, I s’pose. Now off ye goes!

We at The Scope are wizened with knowledge—especially the kind acquired by making heinous mistakes. We have run into our share of walls, wandered down our share of dead ends, driven our share of metaphorical Honda Civics HOW TO WING A TEST AND into our share of metaphorical telephone poles. For the MAYBE PASS love of all that is good, don't be like us. Please follow this Okay, so the first thing to get out of the way is that you shouldn’t do this often. If at all. advice. But if you find yourself in a rare, it’ll-neverWritten by The Scope Editorial Hive Mind. Illustration by Michael Butler.

STALK US ONLINE! Twitter: @thescopeNL YouTube: youtube.com/thescopetv Flickr: flickr.com/groups/thescope Email: info@thescope.ca

happen-again sort of pinch, here are a few things that might—might—help you get, like, a D. You’ll need to stay calm. If you’ve got ten minutes or so, take out your notes and choose three consecutive days that look pretty important. Read over those three days, carefully. Read them over again. And again. Become as much of an expert in the material from those three days as you possibly can. When you get the test, read the whole thing over. If there are answers you know, write them down. Underline or star things you might possibly know. Mark up your paper. A marked up paper makes it seem like you worked hard and the grader might think

FUN FACT Bottom Line editor Adam Clarke was killed and replaced by a Paul McCartney lookalike.

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SEPTEMBER 2010

you’re super studious and unconsciously give you more points than you deserve. Psychology, man. It’s like that. If there are multiple choice questions, look for grammatical issues. If the answer doesn’t line up with question in a grammarly way, it’s probably wrong. Answers that contain absolutes like “never” and “always” are not usually correct, either. If the answers are numerical, you can typically toss out the highest and lowest choices. If two answers are opposites to one another, the correct answer is probably one of those. For longer answers and essays, try as hard as you possibly can to spit out what you learned in your ten minute pre-test cram. Whether you can relate the question to that information coherently doesn’t matter. “Write about X” when you only know Y? Well maybe X is like Y. Or not like Y. Or vaguely related to Y, possibly, maybe. You don’t even need to know. You just need to guess, write it down, and then write about Y. At least then you’ll have a glob of something that looks studied, and it’s hard to give legit knowledge a zero. The point is to never write nothing. Is it a math question that may or may not require an integral using trig identities? Who knows? Maybe your first line can be an expansion of brackets. And the next one can be some addition. It doesn’t matter. Just write something. When there’s nothing more you can write, go back and re-read the test a few more times. Sometimes a question will give you clues to other answers or jog your memory a bit. Never go back and change an answer, though, especially on a multiple choice, unless you’re 100 per cent certain. Don’t contradict your instinct. In this situation, it’s all you’ve got.

HOW TO BE A VEGAN OR VEGETARIAN IN ST. JOHN’S

First, the bad news: Produce is expensive and, come winter, the stuff you do find is pallid and flavourless. More bad news: You are going to encounter lots of people—at restaurants or elsewhere— who will act as though you are making life difficult for everyone. Well, you are making life difficult, but you're doing it for a good reason, presumably. But papa, don't preach. Our culture has a built in reaction to preaching which inverts the positive intent of any message. If you come across as a preachy vegetarian, all of a sudden people will be munching hamburgers in your face like imbeciles. Leading by example is a much nicer way. Try taking your friends to The Sprout, or cook them a vegetarian meal. They might even like it. At the grocery stores, canned beans can be mystifyingly pricey. Armed with a slow cooker and a little forethought, you’ll be paying pennies a handful for your favorite legumes if you buy them dry at the Bulk Barn. The Barn also has all kinds of rice and grains, like cheap quinoa, and hippie flours and nut butters, and even stuff like chickpea flour and TVP and instant tabouleh salad mix. Sobey’s in Howley Estates, on Elizabeth Avenue, has arguably the best produce section in town. It also has an incredible ethnic foods section, with lots of tasty condiments and spices, as well as delicious, additive-free, heat-and-serve packets of Indian food, both frozen and not. Other great alternative grocery spots include Food For Thought, on Duckworth,

which is always well-stocked. They sell local produce, too, when it’s available. There’s also Healthy Choices, out on Topsail Road. Go to the Farmers’ Market on Saturdays. You can go stock up on local produce and then can it for the winter. Berry-picking is also a good idea, as they’re easy to freeze and store away for the colder months. Read more tips from Scope readers online at bit.ly/9lxu5N

HOW TO PREVENT BEING SCREWED AROUND BY YOUR LANDLORD

Sure, most people are nice here, and there are plenty of great landlords, but you always want to protect yourself. Read the Residential Tenancies Act (bit.ly/b6hQ8T.) Read it many times. Especially if you’ve moved here from a city like Montreal or Toronto, where renters have a lot of rights. Things aren’t quite so civilized here. First, know who you’re dealing with. The landlord must provide you with their name, phone number, and physical address. (bit.ly/ b6hQ8T) No matter how nice someone seems when you move in, they may not seem so nice eight months later when a pipe bursts and they won’t reply to your fanatic emails for help. Next, get a copy of the lease. If you sign a lease, the landlord has ten days to provide you with a copy of it. If they don’t, you don’t have to pay them rent until they do! (See here: bit.ly/bIgvAF) Next, fill out the Residential Premises Condition Report (bit.ly/9WHROt) and get your landlord to sign it. It’s the start of an important paper trail which can help get something fixed, or prove that something is not your responsibility down the line. Carry out all official correspondence with your landlord in writing—not in email. If it ever comes down to it, e-mail is not admissible as evidence in a hearing. Get proper notice. Under the Residential Tenancies Act, there is no limit to how much a landlord can raise the rent (!), provided they give adequate notice, usually three months, and not in the first 12 months of a rental agreement. If your landlord is terminating your lease or month-to-month arrangement, they have to give you three months of notice.

HOW TO GET YOUR LANDLORD TO FIX YOUR BROKEN DOOR KNOB

First off, note damage(s) or issues with your place, and then let the landlord know about them. A phone call will work, but putting it in writing doesn't hurt. This notice starts what the Residential Tenancies Act calls a “reasonable time” for the issue to be addressed. Unfortunately, this is one of the many ambiguously-worded parts of the Act. It may be unreasonable for a tenant to wait two weeks for the stove to be replaced. On the other hand, it may be reasonable to wait two weeks to have a broken window replaced. But you probably should not have to wait longer than a month on anything. File a formal claim for repairs (PDF here: bit.ly/a8MLdH) if your landlord fails to address something. From there, you can get an order from the RTD which says you can pay rent to them until the repairs are completed.

Unfortunately, you can't withhold rent without one of these orders, no matter the conditions in your rental.

HOW TO GET YOUR SECURITY DEPOSIT BACK

Pay the right amount in the first place. A landlord can take up to three quarters of a month’s rent as a security deposit. They can’t legally ask for the last month’s rent. Be a little patient though—the landlord has fifteen days to return your security deposit once you’ve moved out. If they don’t return it in 15 days, you can file a claim for it. Then the landlord then has 10 days to make a counter-claim for some or all of the deposit.

HOW TO FIND A PLACE TO LIVE THAT DOESN'T SUCK

With the oil business booming, and the vacancy rate certain to be under 1 per cent again this fall, it is the wrong time to be looking for a place to rent. With such a low vacancy rate, and property values as high as they are, rents are through the roof. And while rents are increasing, quality is not necessarily so. Look early, and look often. Start looking as soon as possible. New rentals crop up every day, so keep checking the listings. The best online places are Kijiji (stjohns.kijiji.ca), NlClassifieds (nlclassifieds.com), and, if you’re a MUN student, the off-campus housing office’s website (housing.mun.ca/och). The print edition of The Telegram also has many listing that don’t end up online, so check that every day. Throw a wide net. Tell your friends what you are looking for, ask people on Facebook, ask your Aunt Nancy. Ask random people on the street. Ask everyone. When you find a place, phone first, then email. Although landlords are inundated by phone calls when they put a property up for rent, they’re probably getting five times more more emails. If you’re one of ten calls, you have a much better chance of being contacted than if you’re one of fifty emails.

HOW TO RESOLVE AN ISSUE WITH YOUR ROOMMATE WITHOUT THEM WANTING TO HARM YOU

Roommate-hood is a relationship, just like any other. So even if you're having an argument, try to be kind. Don’t yell, be clear about your intentions and always try to remember that no matter how pissed off you are at someone, you’re probably only half right. Of course, if you’re mad, you should say so, instead of walking around all pissed and closed off. Start you sentences with “I feel,” rather than “You.” Saying, “I feel terrible that you ate all my Kraft Dinner and then had really loud sex with my best friend,” is much better than saying, “You’re a @&#@!” The former fosters discussion, the latter will end up in yes/no, you did/I did battles that go nowhere. On that note, take care of yourself. Pay attention to your mental health, maybe do some yoga, meditate, take up running, whatever. It’ll make you far easier to live with, and when things go wrong they won't seem as bad.

CIHR Café Scientifique presents

vitamin D •

HOPE OR HYPE?

It seems everyone is touting the benefits of Vitamin D these days. Is this the panacea of the 21st century or the supplement du jour? Join us to share your thoughts and hear the latest research evidence from experts.

wednesday, october

6th, 2010 6:00 pm at The Fluvarium 5 Nagles Place St. John's, NL

experts

Stephanie Atkinson, PhD, FCAHS Professor and Associate Chair (Research) Department of Pediatrics McMaster University

moderator

Philip Sherman, MD, FRCPC CIHR Scientific Director, Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes

Stephanie M. Kaiser, MD, FRCPC Associate Professor of Medicine

This free event is presented by The Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Institute of

Chris Kovacs, MD, FRCPC Professor of Medicine (Endocrinology), Obstetrics & Gynecology, & BioMedical

Nutrition, Metabolism, and Diabetes. Space is limited RSVP: alexandra.novis@sickkids.ca

Head, Division of Endocrinology Dalhousie University

Sciences Memorial University of Newfoundland Committee on Calcium and Vitamin D, Institute of Medicine, National Academies of Science, USA

SEPTEMBER 2010

thescope

HANDY-DANDY RESOURCES For students and other human beings

WHERE TO LOOK FOR A JOB HERE ARE THE BEST JOB LISTINGS, RESOURCES AND PLACES TO DROP YOUR RESUME IN TOWN. jobs.gc.ca is, quite possibly, your gateway to a cushy job with the federal government’s public service! hiring.gov.nl.ca is, quite possibly, your gateway to a cushy job with the provincial government! MUN (bit.ly/bKLU79) and CONA (bit.ly/9uuoQv) both post jobs on their websites. The HRDC Job Bank, the mother of all job banks. A good spot to find general work ranging from bartending to PR. www.jobbank. gc.ca The Telegram’s Saturday edition has a Careers section full of job ads. Newfoundland Personnel Inc., and Whelan Petroleum Personnel are both online at nfpersonnel.com. Like all the placement agencies in

town, go to their website and fill out an application, submit that along with your resume, and cross your fingers for a call. Advantage Personnel Ltd. are at onyourteam.ca Manpower has been helping people find work in all sectors in St. John’s since 1969, says their website at manpower.ca Atlantic Staffing Consultants are at atlanticstaffing. nf.ca Puglisevich specializes mainly in staffing for the marine and petroleum industries. puglisevich.com YMCA Community Employment Services offer their career counselling and job searching services to anyone who’s unemployed. You can avail yourself to them at 84 Elizabeth Avenue (757-2665), 7 Austin Street (754-2982), or 70 The Boulevard (693-7964). MUN’s Centre for Career Development provides career counseling, resume and cover letter assistance and job search assistance for MUN alumni and students alike. Check them out at bit.ly/ddukGN

CONA’s Career Employment Services has employment services and an online job and resume bank for students and alumni at ces.cna.nl.ca WISE (Women Interested in Successful Employment) provide advising, resume creation, general advice, and job listings to women seeking employment at their 136 Crosbie Road location. Call 739-1369 or visit www.wiseprograms. com. Women in Resource Development Corporation at 53 Bond Street or www. wrdc.nf.ca offer career counseling, courses, and workshops, among many other things, to women specifically interested in trades or technology. NLOWE (Newfoundland and Labrador Organization of Women Entrepreneurs) assist women who are interested in starting their own business or are business-owners in need of information or advice. Have a look at their website at www.nlowe.org for more information.

WHO TO TALK TO IF YOU RUN OUT OF CASH IT'S NO SIN, AND CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE. Income Support (Social Assistance) is a program administered by the provincial government, so you’ll get a lot of Error 404s if you’re looking for information on the web. You can phone 729-7888 or 1-877-729-7888 for more information or to start an application. The Income Support FAQ is very useful and informative and you can find it at bit.ly/dAAfce. Note that they’ll help pay for the obtainment of a high school diploma, but probably not a BA in Russian Lit. Employment Insurance can be tricky. In order to qualify, you need to have lost your job, and you can’t have been fired. If you quit, you need to establish that quitting was your only option because, for example, the workplace was

compromising your health. The hours of work you need to have accumulated in the 52 weeks prior to filing for EI vary depending on what the unemployment rate is in your area. Newfoundland sits at 13.2% unemployed, so you need to have worked 420 legitimate, EI-deducted, tax-taken-off hours in the 52 previous weeks to qualify. Head down to 223 Churchill Avenue, in Pleasantville, just beside Quidi Vidi Lake, and go fill out an application if you fit that description. There are people there to guide you through it, and they’re super helpful and nice. You won’t be able to go to school and be on EI at the same time. See below for that. The NL Skills Development Program seems pretty sweet. If you do qualify for EI or were on EI in the past three years, you can apply to the Skills Development program to have the government pay for you to go back to school! Woo! Parents returning to the workforce who were paid maternity or paternity benefits in the last five years also qualify. Check out the information here bit. ly/cc2pYB. To get the ball rolling, contact the YMCA

office at Regatta Plaza, 84 Elizabeth Avenue, (709) 726-YMCA, and they’ll give you a little intro to the program, usually with a group of other hopefuls. You’ll need to bring an up-to-date CV to that meeting. Food Banks: The Food Banks are organized by region, and they like to make sure that the regional designations are well respected, so you’d be smarter to phone or head down to the Community Food Sharing Association at 722-0130, 21 Mews Place. They’ll direct you to the appropriate Food Bank. When you go, you need to bring along your MCP card. If you don’t have one, bring along your health care card or some legit ID, and they’ll register you by name until you get an MCP card. If you're a MUN student, MUN Emergency Student Loans might be able to help you out with a couple hundred bucks. Head to the MUN Answers office to book an appointment to talk to somebody about it.

WHERE TO DO YOUR LAUNDRY BECAUSE THINGS CAN GET MESSY Merrymeeting Laundromat, 154 Merrymeeting, 579-0059, offers pick-up and delivery! Oh, the decadence.

Mighty White’s, a downtown institution, is at 152 Duckworth Street, 753-7947, and boasts the largest washer in town. Super Suds, at 309 Hamilton Avenue, is nice and big, and you can cram your stuff in the washers and head to the Bulk Barn while people transfer it all to the dryer for you. Dirty Laundry, at 336 Freshwater, offers coffee, snacks and a sweet TV.

HOW TO FIND A DOCTOR OR NURSE BECAUSE THINGS CAN GET MESSY The folks at Planned Parenthood Newfoundland and Labrador Sexual Health Centre are good people. They'll give you a free PAP or pregnancy test, counsel you on birth control options and even get you an IUD, hook you up with LBGTQ youth and support groups, provide menopause information and resources, test and treat you for STIs, and just generally be the best organization on the go. Check out all their services at www. nlsexualhealthcentre.org or go visit them at 203 Merrymeeting Road, 5791009. The Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Care Plan, aka MCP, is the provincial health coverage system, and it’s really easy to get covered. Get yourself some official mail at your Newfoundland address and bring that, your SIN, and a valid piece of photo ID down to their office at 57 Margaret’s Place. They’ll get you all set up.

Healthline is a free phone service from Eastern Health that allows you to phone up and talk to a registered nurse about anything, including that oozing boil on your face. 1-888-7092929 The MUN Student Health Centre has doctors and nurses to tend to your physical and mental ailments if you are a student at MUN or one of the affiliated institutions, like the Marine Institute. Children of students are welcome too. They hold walk-in clinics on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, beginning at 1:00pm. All other times require an appointment. Quidi Vidi Family Practice, at the Memorial Market Dominion, on Lake Avenue, has a walk-in clinic Mondays through Thursdays, from 6pm to 9pm. 579-5711. Blackmarsh Family Care Centre, at Blackmarsh Road Dominion, 260 Blackmarsh Road, 576-6555, has a walk-in clinic seven days a week. You’d better show up early.

thescope.ca

thescope

SEPTEMBER 2010

STORE FRONT

Local small business news. Read more at www.thescope.ca/storefront RESTAURANTS

THE END OF FOLLY?

After a year and a half of operation, Folly, the late night restaurant and bar, will be closing their doors this coming October. And it’s not for lack of business. Owner, operator, and recent mother, Mara Lang is moving back to Australia next January with her baby boy and partner/Folly manager Andrew Snelgrove. The business is currently on the market but turn-key business transactions like this one require a 50% upfront investment, and are harder to sell. “There have been a lot of nibblers, but no biters,” Lang says. If no one buys the business they will be clearing out their wares and the building will most likely be up for sale or lease. This might be your last chance to taste their gourmet burgers and pizzas, sit out on their deck, or check out their funky bathrooms. - RYAN DAVIS

SHOPS

NEWFOUNDLAND CHOCOLATE COMPANY SETTING UP SHOP

“Why go into the chocolate business if you’re not gonna have a bit of fun with it?” asks Brent Smith, co-owner of the Newfoundland Chocolate Company. Their new location at 166 Duckworth Street (formerly The Bird House) looks good enough to eat. The threestory chocolate factory and retail store has a caramel-coloured exterior with tantalizing drips of chocolate along the windows and eaves. “We wanted to paint the building so it made people hungry,” says Smith. But it won’t be until late September before the store opens to the sweets-starved public. Although currently under construction, the inside promises to be just as mouth-watering. On the first floor, chocolates and fresh truffles will be produced in view of customers, chocolate sculptures will grace the showroom, and they even have plans to install a chocolate waterfall. But hold tight to the kiddies! We wouldn’t want them to suffer the same fate as poor young Augustus Gloop from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory who got sucked into the waterfall’s pump system. The second floor will house a packaging facility and tasting room where you can learn about the history and production of chocolate all the while sucking on a sampling of sweets. For more information visit their website at www. thenewfoundlandchocolatecompany.com - RYAN DAVIS

RESTAURANTS/BARS

THE NEW NELLIE'S

Nautical Nellie’s has changed hands. Jason Brake, owner of Blue on Water, took ownership of the business this year and has already started to make some changes to the place. Located at 201 Water Street, the renowned English-style pub and restaurant has undergone some shipshape renovations and is preparing to set sail with a new menu. According to Sullivan Power, manager of Blue and consultant for the new Nellie’s, the restaurant and pub has retained its seafaring charm despite the changes. The booths

have been removed to allow for a more open concept but they’ve kept the model sailing ships and Nellie’s signature bar embedded with old coins and other knick knacks. It’s even rumored that some mermaids have been uncovered in the basement and might make their way to the surface. But not to worry, the elements of Nellie’s that keep people coming back for more are here to stay. You can still order their famous mussels and cod chowder, but they’re extending the menu to include more seafood options and even a selection of vegetarian dishes. - RYAN DAVIS

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

SHOPS

GLUTEN-FREE BAKERY OPENING IN PARADISE

“It’s as much a self-serving thing as it is a business venture,” says Ashley Matthews, who is opening Nourish, a gluten-free bakery, at 1304 Topsail Road. Inspired by a successful gluten-free bakery in Cochrane, Alberta, Matthews will be following their recipes and methods. “We’ll be selling everyday stuff bread, hot dog buns. bags of gluten-free flour mixes - as well as specialty stuff like desserts and cakes.” She’s hoping to have the ovens on by mid-October. - SARAH SMELLIE

SPORTS

ACRO-ADIX TRAPESE READY TO FLY

10% D

FOR ISCOU STU NT DEN TS

Used Books. New Newfoundland Books. Gifts. 245 Duckworth St. 753-4690

“We’re ready to fly, ASAP,” says Dany Munden of Acro-Adix Trapeze, at 413 Thorburn Road. After four unsuccessful applications, City Council finally approved them for a business license, despite complaints from a couple of residents in the area about traffic and noise. Now they’re waiting for a City-ordered safety inspection by the provincial government. Until that’s completed, they’re on the ground, watching the last days of summer fly by. “Our goal is to have an indoor facility here,” says Munden. “We’re looking into getting the money together to put a dome here. Then we can operate all year round.” - SARAH SMELLIE

BARS

NOT-SO-FABULOUS 50'S

Where once stood wood-panelled walls adorned with Sammy Davis Jr. posters and rhythmically blinking Christmas lights, now sits an open pit of mud. The Fabulous 50s nightclub, and its accompanying building at 331 Water Street, is no more. “I feel just horrible about it,” says dedicated Fab 50s patron, Bob Frelich. “I was good friends with the owner and, when he opened it, I was the first one to go there, and the last person to leave. I really miss the place.” According to the construction workers on site, we should be expecting a new hotel proposal to grace the desks of council members for that lot. SARAH SMELLIE

Changing? Moving? Send your hot Storefront tips to storefront@thescope.ca

FUN FACT The rampant hate for all things hip and hipster will ultimately result in the burning of crosses made out of Atlas Sound albums outside several Water Street coffee shops.

SEPTEMBER 2010

thescope

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

Bouzoukis • Mandolins Fiddles • Ukuleles Bodhrans and Plenty of Accessories!

DIS

WIT COU CA H SPCNT RD

Be Alright

Vicar

Map to Temenos

Local Tough

Mopey Mumble-Mouse

Kill Popoff

278 Water Street • Ph: (709) 753-8135 E-mail: obriensmusic@nl.rogers.com

www.obriensmusic.com

THE BIG MIX-UP The Downstairs Mix-Up at CBTG's has been a prolific breeding ground for aggressive, alternative rock since 2008. It's Thursday, August 19th, the night of the Downstairs Mix-Up All Stars. The deck at Holdsworth Court is packed with people here to see the eleven bands on the bill inside CBTG's: Mopey Mumble-Mouse, Catmanduah, Map to Temenos, Vicar, Kill Popoff, Be Alright, The Crooks, Local Tough, Geinus, AE Bridger, and The Drunks. Inside people are swaying and instruments are flying. A few days later Elling Lien spoke with main Mix-Up coordinator Steve Abbott (of Be Alright, Geinus, Local Tough) about the night.

How did the Mix-Up first happen? Mix-Up first started on Sundays at CBTG's in 2008 after Sandy and myself talked about a night of music I could host and play at. Some people would come down every Sunday, calling it "church"... When the night moved to Thursdays it was more consistent. It stopped for a year, but now it's back in full force.

What role do you think the Mix-Up is playing? I think it's giving a platform for aggressive, experimental, or unique music in this city. We have our own group of bands made from this and it consists some of the best musicians in the city. The Mix-Up is a great place for bands that might not fit in m anywhere else. o fr o e d vi

Where did the idea for the all-star night come from? The Mix-Up has been getting a huge positive response from us 'freaks.' We've all inspired and influenced each other a lot over the Watch past two years. All the bands p e All Star Mix-U th love each other and support Why CBTG's and not somewhere at e n li n o night one another. We call it severe else? thescope.ca CBTG's has a great vibe, it allows bro-mance (yeah, yeah, the guy thing) but it has been amazing us to do our thing without judgto see the respect and admiration ment... I've said it many times: It's the we have for one another. best bar in the city. This summer has been an active one for a lot of the Mix-Up bands, and we were talking Is the Mix-Up a guy thing? about how great it is that a relativity small It certainly may seem like it! Although women group of people make up such a large amount have been involved in several Mix-Ups: The of acts. We felt powerful. So one night, Alex Mudflowers, Liz Solo, Maggie Meyer, Alison Bridger came up with the idea to get every Corbet, and Danielle Trouble... I have tried to band that has ever played the night to play make it not look like a bunch of sweaty dudes one song at this show. That got the ball runmaking rock faces, but on most nights it's just ning. We got many of the bands together, that... and more. shared gear, and worked it all out. I was very If anything though, I would love to see proud of us that night. I don't think anyone more female rock bands. If anyone out there else would have been able to pull something is interested in playing the Mix-Up, just get in like that off. It was a high point in my career, touch. and I love everyone who was involved.

WEEKEND MUSIC LISTINGS

For the rest of the week, and for the most up-to-date info, go to thescope.ca/events

Friday SEPT 3 BARCODE, Trapper John's

Saturday SEPT 4

BLACKY O`LEARY (5:30pm9pm); Rob Cook (9:30pm1am), Kelly's

CHRIS HENNESSEY (5pm); Bill Kelly (8pm), O'Reilly's Irish Pub

BONAVISTA CHAIN LOCKER (greasy klezmer rock), Steve Maloney, 11pm, CBTGs

CHRIS KIRBY & THE MARQUEE, Charlie Acourt, The Ship D'ARCY BRODERICK & RON KELLY (5pm); Barry Kenny & Glen Harvey (8pm); Middle Tickle (11pm), Shamrock City Pub DJ FABIAN, no cover, 11am, Zone 216 DJ MARK POWER, Martini Bar DJ SINA, Konfusion DRAG IDOL 2010: Audience votes for a brand new Drag Idol, 11pm, $5, Zone 216

DJ FABIAN, no cover, 11am, Zone 216

KROME, Kujo, Catcher, $10, Rock House

CATCHER (rock) Rock House

DJ MARK POWER, Martini Bar

DAVID LANGMEAD TRIO, Fat Cat Blues Bar

DJ SINA, Konfusion

NOT JUST BOYS MAKE NOISE (MUN Music) Victoria McNeill on horn featuring music by female composers, 8pm, $10/$15, DF Cook Recital Hall

DJ BIG FRANK, Konfusion DJ NU ROCK, Martini Bar GREG BOLGER, Green Sleeves HUGH SCOTT (5pm); Bob Taylor, Carl Peters & Pat Moran (8pm); Middle Tickle (11pm), Shamrock City Pub KARAOKE, Hosted by Murf, Darnell's Pub

THE HONEY BEES, Green Sleeves THE NAVIGATORS, Rock House TRADITIONAL MUSIC SESSION, 8:30pm, Erin's Pub

FRESHLY SQUEEZED, Green Sleeves IDLERS (ska / reggae) $10/$15, Rock House KARAOKE, Karaoke Kops Party Bar MARK BRAGG & THE BUTCHERS (indie rock) The Ship MOTIONS SONGWRITER SHOWCASE (NayburZ with FlavoR) 10pm-12am, Franklin Hotel

PATRICK MOLLOY & THE MANIFEST (rock), The Need, Jerry Stamp, 10:30pm, $8, The Ship ROB COOK (4:30pm);Fergus O'Byrne (8pm), O'Reilly's Irish Pub RON HYNES BAND, 10:30pm, Fat Cat Blues Bar

The only boutique dedicated to Yoga, Lifestyle & Wellness in St. John’s is celebrating its

GRAND OPENING SEPT 25TH, 10 AM – 4 PM Enjoy giveaways, tea & treats, and special prices all day! FREE YOGA CLASSES (yay)

SIOCHANA (roots) 10:30pm, $5, Bridie Molloy's

THE CARLTON SHOWBAND: Reunion tour, 2pm & 7pm, $35, Arts & Culture Centre

Reach your goals in style this Fall!

SEXUAL SATURDAYS: DJ JayCee, Turkey Joe's

THE CARLTON SHOWBAND: Reunion tour, 7pm, $35, Arts & Culture Centre

TERRACE ON THE SQUARE, 2ND FLOOR, CHURCHILL SQUARE

STEVE EDWARDS, 10:30pm, Trinity Pub

TRADITIONAL MUSIC SESSION, 8:30pm, Erin's Pub

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

ROB COOK (4:30pm); Fergus O'Byrne (8pm); Song Session (11:30pm), O'Reilly's Irish Pub

STEVE GREEN, 10:30pm, Trinity Pub

FILTHY FRIDAYS: DJ JayCee, Turkey Joe's

SAVE THE DATE

Grand door prize at the end of the day! See website for details and updates.

KARAOKE, Karaoke Kops Party Bar

QUIET ELEPHANT (indie pop), The Hot Faucets (rock), Pre-Raphaelites (pop), 10pm, $5, CBTGs

KARAOKE, Hosted by Murf, Darnell's Pub KARAOKE, Karaoke Kops Party Bar

PATHOLOGICAL LOVERS (rock) The Ship

PHYSICAL GRAFFITI: Led Zeppelin Tribute, Fat Cat Blues Bar

D'ARCY BRODERICK & RON KELLY (5pm); Barry Kenny & Glen Harvey (8pm); Tarahan (11pm), Shamrock City Pub

HUGH SCOTT (5pm); Bob Taylor, Carl Peters & Pat Moran (8pm); Tarahan (11pm), Shamrock City Pub

DAVID LANGMEAD, 10:30pm, Trinity Pub

FILTHY FRIDAYS: DJ JayCee, Turkey Joe's

MOTIONS SONGWRITER SHOWCASE (NayburZ with FlavoR) 10pm-12am, Franklin Hotel

COL CRAZE & THE HUNCH, CBTGs

THE RETRO ZONE: 80s & 90s with VJ Eric & DJ Fabian, 11pm, $5/$7 after 1:30am, Zone 216

RON HYNES BAND, 10:30pm, Fat Cat Blues Bar

Saturday SEPT 11

Friday SEPT 10

BLACKY O`LEARY (5:30pm9pm); Rob Cook (9:30pm1am), Kelly's

DJ NU ROCK, Martini Bar

CHRIS HENNESSEY (5pm); Bill Kelly (8pm), O'Reilly's Irish Pub

DJ BIG FRANK, Konfusion FRESHLY SQUEEZED, Green Sleeves GREG KING, 10:30pm, Trinity Pub

SEXUAL SATURDAYS: DJ JayCee, Turkey Joe's

XPRESSS MUSICA, CBTGs

www.ebbandflowboutique.com

Friday SEPT 17 BA JOHNSTON (Thank You For Being a Friend CD release), The Burning Hell, The Ship BACH, BLUES, BRAHMS & BALLROOM (MUN Music) From Baroque to Broadway, Duo Concertante presents music inspired by song and dance, 8pm, $10/$15, DF Cook Recital Hall

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 LOUNGE, 171 Water St 726-9016 BIG BEN'S, 55 Rowan St, 753-8212 THE BREEZEWAY, MUN Campus, 737-4743 BRIDIE MOLLOY'S, 5 George St, 576-5990 THE BRIMSTONE PUBLIC HOUSE, 17 George St BULL & BARREL, Holdsworth Court, 579-7077 BULL & FINCH, Torbay Rd, 738-7007 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 CLUB V, George St CROW'S NEST, 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 7374700 DISTORTION, Holdsworth Court, 738-8833/685-1503 DUSK ULTRA LOUNGE, George St ERIN'S PUB, 186 Water St, 722-1916 FAT CAT BLUES BAR, George St 739-5554 FERRY LAST STOP CAFE, 2 Loop Dr-Portugal CV 895-3082 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 HEADQUARTERS, 208 Water St, 579-2557 HOLY HEART THEATRE, 55 Bonaventure Ave, 579-4424 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 BAR, 312 Water St 579-1717 LSPU HALL, 3 Victoria St, 753-4531 MAJESTIC THEATRE, 390 Duckworth St MARG'S PLACE, Kelligrews MARTINI BAR, George St 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 PUB, 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 THE PUMPHOUSE, 371 Duckworth St 351-2183 REPUBLIC, Duckworth St, 753-1012 ROCK HOUSE, 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 SHARKEY'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 CENTRE, New Gower St 576-7657 STANLEY'S PUB, 26 Torbay Rd, 754-0930 STATION LOUNGE, 7 Hutchings 722-8576 St STAR OF THE SEA, Henry St, 753-8222 STETSON LOUNGE, 260 Water St, 753-8138 SUNDANCE, George St, 753-7822 TOL'S TIME-OUT LOUNGE, 74 Old Placentia Rd 745-8657 TOPSAIL BREEZE TAVERN, Topsail 781-0010 TRAPPER JOHN'S PUB, 2 George St, 579-9630 TRINITY PUB, George St, 579-5558 TRIP IN LOUNGE, Kelligrews 834-4002 THE WELL, 14 George St WHALEN'S PUB, 32 George St 722-4900 WHISKY ON GEORGE, 15 George St, 579-9475 YELLOWBELLY BREWERY, 288 Water St 757-3784 ZONE 216 216, 216 Water St, 7542492 DO YOU HOST LIVE MUSIC OR DJS? JOINING OUR DIRECTORY IS FREE. E-MAIL LISTINGS@THESCOPE.CA

FUN FACT It rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again.

SEPTEMBER 2010

thescope

WEEKEND MUSIC BARCODE, Darnell's PubParadise BLACKY O`LEARY (5:30pm9pm); Rob Cook (9:30pm1am), Kelly's CHRIS HENNESSEY (5pm); Bill Kelly (8pm), Masterless Men (11:30pm), O'Reilly's Irish Pub CLOCKED IN (Ep release), Surrogate Activity, I Was A Skywalker, Icebreaker, 11pm, $5, Distortion D'ARCY BRODERICK & RON KELLY (5pm); Barry Kenny & Glen Harvey (8pm); Connemara (11pm), 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 HUSTLE TO GET HERE: B-boy & hip hop pre-party with DJ Cosmo & DJ Nu Rock, 10pm, $5, Rock House JANEIL LYNCH, 10:30pm, Trinity Pub KARAOKE, Karaoke Kops Party Bar MOTIONS SONGWRITER SHOWCASE (NayburZ with FlavoR) 10pm-12am, Franklin Hotel NOTHIN FANCY, Green Sleeves TRADITIONAL MUSIC SESSION, 8:30pm, Erin's Pub

continued

$5/$7 after 1:30pm, Zone 216

Friday SEPT 24 ALISON CORBETT'S KLEZMER EXTRAVAGANZA, CBTGs BLACKY O`LEARY (5:30pm9pm); Rob Cook (9:30pm1am), Kelly's CHRIS HENNESSEY (5pm); Bill Kelly (8pm), O'Reilly's Irish Pub COLD RIVER CHOIR (alt-folk) 11pm, Rose & Thistle D'ARCY BRODERICK & RON KELLY (5pm); Barry Kenny & Glen Harvey (8pm); Middle Tickle (11pm), Shamrock City Pub DES GAMBIN, Green Sleeves DJ FABIAN, no cover, 11am, Zone 216 DJ MARK POWER, Martini Bar DJ SINA, Konfusion DUNCAN CAMERON, 10:30pm, Trinity Pub FILTHY FRIDAYS: DJ JayCee, Turkey Joe's KARAOKE, Karaoke Kops Party Bar MOTIONS SONGWRITER SHOWCASE (NayburZ with FlavoR) 10pm-12am, Franklin Hotel QUEENS MAID, Rock House TRADITIONAL MUSIC SESSION, 8:30pm, Erin's Pub

Saturday SEPT 18 AARON MCBERAIRTY, 10:30pm, Trinity Pub BA JOHNSTON (Thank You For Being a Friend CD release), The Burning Hell, The Ship BLACKY O`LEARY (5:30pm9pm); Rob Cook (9:30pm1am), Kelly's CARL PETERS & DAVE WHITE, The Well

BONAVISTA CHAIN LOCKER (greasy klezmer rock), PreRaphaelites (pop), The Ship DES GAMBIN, Green Sleeves DJ BIG FRANK, Konfusion DJ NU ROCK, Martini Bar

FRED EAGLESMITH TRAVELING SHOW, Fabulous Ginn Sisters, 10pm, $25, Rock House

FESTIVAL OF NEW DANCE CLOSING PARTY: Performance by East Rock Crew with freestyle sets and group routines alongside a live electro/acoustic performance by Greg Bruce, 10pm, $5/or stub from any FND performance, Rock House

HUSTLE TO GET HERE: B-boy & hip hop after-party with DJ Cosmo & DJ Nu Rock, 11pm, $5/free with event ticket stub,The Breezeway KARAOKE, Hosted by Murf, Darnell's Pub

HUGH SCOTT (5pm); Bob Taylor, Carl Peters & Pat Moran (8pm); Middle Tickle (11pm), Shamrock City Pub KARAOKE, Hosted by Murf, Darnell's Pub KARAOKE, Karaoke Kops Party Bar

KARAOKE, Karaoke Kops Party Bar

ROB COOK (4:30pm);Fergus O'Byrne (8pm), O'Reilly's Irish Pub

NOTHIN FANCY, Green Sleeves

SEXUAL SATURDAYS: DJ JayCee, Turkey Joe's

ROB COOK (4:30pm);Fergus O'Byrne (8pm), O'Reilly's Irish Pub

STEVE DAVIS, 10:30pm, Trinity Pub

SEXUAL SATURDAYS: DJ JayCee, Turkey Joe's

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

VJ ERIC, DJ Fabian, 11pm,

SEPTEMBER 2010

BLACKY O`LEARY (5:30pm9pm); Rob Cook (9:30pm1am), Kelly's

DJ NU ROCK, Martini Bar

HUSTLE TO GET HERE: B-boy Jam & Hip Hop Crew competition, 7pm, $15, MUN Field House

thescope

Saturday AUGUST 25

DJ BIG FRANK, Konfusion

HUGH SCOTT (5pm); Bob Taylor, Carl Peters & Pat Moran (8pm); Connemara (11pm), Shamrock City Pub

WASHBOARD HANK, The Ship

THE WOLVES, CBTGs

SEPTEMBER 2010

thescope

READER RESTAURANT REVIEWS

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

A&W RESTAURANT

THE SPROUT





Reviewed by Morgan Murray

Reviewed by Melissa

Various Locations

I could live off the onion rings alone. I wouldn’t live that long mind you, but it would be tasty while it lasted. Avg rating

 (based on 6 reviews)

OLIVER'S

160 Water Street, 754-6444

364 Duckworth Street, 579-5485

The food is amazing and reasonably priced. To fellow vegans, yes they also have vegan options. I was worried with the whole “idea” of vegetarian, thinking there had to be whey, or something which I consider un-veggiefriendly in everything… but there are vegan options! Avg rating

 (based on 50 reviews)

 Reviewed by Aiden

Just had brunch at Oliver’s today. Great prices for brunch items—comparable to all breakfast places in town if not better prices for better food. Had the special—eggs bennie with havarti and chanterelle mushrooms. There were five of us and food was delicious. Loved by all. Service was good too. The restaurant was over half full and we were eating not long after our order was placed. Overall great experience! Will be returning again soon. Avg rating



(based on 15 reviews)

Disagree? Write your own review at

thescope.ca/scoff

MERLO’S PRESS & BEAN 291 Water Street, 753-2457

 Reviewed by Scotman

The P&B is a lunch sandwich favourite. Their National Post sandwich is a close tie with the Telegram for the best sandwich ever. The food is fresh and tasty, salads and soup are fresh and appear to be made to order. Unfortunately the dinner menu has not lived up to the promise shown by the lunch fare— even in the new location—although I've only done the dinner service one time, it fell below the quality of the lunch fare. Water Street location atmosphere is great, service is at the expected level, at both the quiet of hours and the peak times. Avg rating

1/2

(based on 2 reviews)

FOOD NERD

Grow your own Backyard gardening can help connect you with more than just dirt.

very chance I get these days, I slide into my shoes and head out the front or back door of my house to check on my vegetables. It’s been a weird summer for weather, and my crops are showing it. My soup beans are chewed to bits by innumerable tiny, damp-loving slugs, as are the just-emerging blossoms on my pumpkin and winter squash vines. My tomatoes are flowering away, but whether they’ll actually have time to produce fruit before the frost comes is anybody’s guess. If we get a long, warm Indian summer—like the Septembers and even Octobers of my childhood—then I should see plenty of tomatoes and even a squash or two. If this is it for summer, as people are already saying, then it’s nothing but peas and spuds for me. I like to think of myself as doing some good by gardening. I’m teaching my children about environmental stewardship, and that growing our own food, even on a small scale, is an attainable goal. I’m helping preserve biodiversity by buying and saving heirloom seeds. I’m reducing my reliance on

shipped-in foreign produce, at least by a little they are vulnerable to violence from anyone bit (and by a little bit more every year). Like who might be out wandering. other gardeners, I’m living in a world of pos If you complain that the climate of St. sibility, of accomplishment, and of humility, John’s is inhospitable, please just think of the and I think it’s making me a better person. parched soil of parts of Uganda. And while we But at the end of the day, no matter may have a hard time juggling our kids and how righteously I raise my trowel in the air, growing a few veggies, women food producers revolutionary-like, I know I’m just a hobbyin other countries may not even have a legal ist. If my potatoes get struck by blight or my claim to the land they grow on (and women onions rot in the ground, nobody is going to in most cultures tend to have more kids to starve. I’ll be out a few bucks and I’ll be a juggle than we do). little bummed, but I have money in the bank Even if you’re someone who still thinks that and a half-dozen grocery stores within walkclimate change is part of a natural cycle, that ing distance. I’ll write a humourous blog post we humans did nothing to cause it and are about it and move on. powerless to stop it, you still have to recog Would that it were so for the women all nize its effects on women and families—and over the world who are trying to grow enough on farming and biodiversity—around the food to feed their families, and who are havworld. ing an increasingly hard time There are things that we can do to help doing it. I know, when you hear improve life for women farmers. Farmers— the word “farmer,” you see a women and men—need opportunities to learn man in overalls and a plaid shirt, about new forms of irrigation, or about crops wearing a straw hat and that might help stop soil erosion, or about ANDREAE chewing a piece of hay, composting practices, or anything else that CALLANAN dreae@thescope.ca leaning on a tractor or could help them cope with the way their holding a pitchfork. It’s environments are changing (this is what’s okay, I do it too, despite knowing better. And called “capacity building”). They also need some farmers do look like that. But many funding opportunities to help them take this more don’t. For starters, most farmers in the knowledge and act on it. We can all support world are women. the groups that provide this. And we can all In rich countries like ours, women make up support organizations that help people in poor about a quarter of farm owners (26 per cent rural areas build things like wells and dams, of Canada’s farms were operated or co-operor more advanced bits of infrastructure like ated by women as of the 2001 agricultural renewable energy resources and sustainable census), and they face plenty of barriers, like transportation. having to hold down an external job while And if you do think that we people are the caring for children and aging parents, all the ones behind this climate change catastrophe, while tending to farm matthen take a few moments ters. to hassle the government In poorer countries, Like other garden- about carbon emissions. You women are responsible for don’t need me to tell you to ers, I’m living in a a greater proportion of food less and walk more, world of possibility, drive production, from about 60 or to find out where your of accomplishment, food comes from and how per cent in Asia, to up to and of humility, and I much fuel it took to get it 80 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa. Like our women think it’s making me here. Maybe, if you have a farmers, these women spit of land or a windowsill a better person. usually care for the oldest or a front step, you’ll grow and youngest members of a few veggies of your own their communities, while at there, and compost your the same time trying to provide food for their scraps, and maybe you’ll have a meal or two families and often for the market. It’s a hard that gives back to the earth instead of taking way to try and get by. away from it. It’s a small step, and maybe And it’s getting harder. According to just a symbolic one, but getting your hands Oxfam Canada, climate change is having an in the dirt may just help you connect the dots acute effect on women farmers in the south. between your patch of carrots here and someWeather patterns and animal cues that once one else’s plot of cassava or rice or whateversignaled planting times or the coming of rain it-may-be on the other, warmer, side of the have gone all out of whack as the climate has world. shifted; in some places, flood plains have all but dried up, while flooding in other areas Comment on this review online at thescope.ca has gotten more severe. For women in dry countries, collecting water for drinking, for For more information on women, agriculture, cooking and cleaning, and for watering crops and climate change, Oxfam has a series of videos means travelling greater and greater distanccalled “Sisters on the Planet” available on Youes, making for unbearably long work days and Tube, or you can visit the Oxfam Canada website cutting in on education and paid work. It also and learn more at bit.ly/96ieOZ means long walks between their communities and the closest water source, during which

REGISTRATION SEPT 11 & 12 CLASSES BEGIN OCT 2

LYNN PANTING

DANCE

DANCE FOR EVERY BODY lynnpantingdance.com 68 Pearce Ave 743-1137

Newfoundland

Pilates Individual and small group classes in Downtown St John’s • STAND TALLER • RELEASE TENSION • BUILD STRENGTH • FEEL GREAT

Pilates is a system of non impact exercise email:

miranda@newfoundlandpilates.ca

website:

www.newfoundlandpilates.ca

cell phone: (709) 699-8923

SEPTEMBER 2010

thescope

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

Theatre DRAMATURGY WORKSHOP (Culture Days) See how a play develops before it hits the stage. Dramaturge Sara Tilley (She Said Yes!) will work with playwright Amy Anthony on her script Sweets, with a cast of four professional actors, free, Arts & Culture Centre-Rm B (Sun Sep 26 from 1pm5:30pm / Reading at 4pm) EASY, Down Easy (Grand Bank & RCA Theatre Co) A haunting and compelling ghost story by Gordon Pinsent along the lines of “Sixth Sense.” One never knows when the past will rise up, demanding justice. Directed by Mary Walsh and starring Berni Stapleton, Dermot Hennelly and Kevin Woolridge, LSPU Hall-3 Victoria St 753-4531 Thu Sep 30 - Sun Oct 10) FUNDRAISING DINNER (Open Theatre Co) Featuring an Adam & Eve themed décor and catering by Class Act Enterprises. Meet the founding members of the Open Theatre Company, get to know us and the cast of our first show. Musical

thescope

THEATRE DANCE & PERFORMANCE SPOKEN & WRITTEN COMEDY

entertainment by Paddy Barry, 185 Waterford Bridge Rd 697-1456 (Dinner on Oct 2 / RSVP by Sep 20)

at 7:30pm / Matinees Sat Sep 25 & Sun Sep 26 at 1:30pm)

House (Sat Sep 25 / Culture Days free rehearsal at LSPU Hall on Sat Sep 25 from 12pm-1pm)

HAIRSPRAY (Peter MacDonald Productions) Loveable plus-size heroine, Tracy Turnblad, has a passion for dancing, and wins a spot on the local TV dance program. Overnight she finds herself transformed from outsider to teen celebrity, Arts & Culture Centre 729-3900 (Tue Sep 28 - Sat Oct 2)

Dance & Performance

HEIDI STRAUSS: AS IT IS (Festival of New Dance) Three dancers in a single room where time is suspended; a couple whose relationship is in constant flux, and a woman who witnesses the changes. A study of human behavior, aspiration and connection, as it is looks intimately at how we are, sometimes even unknowingly, affected by one another. Original sound score by Jeremy Mimnagh, $10+, OffSite TBA 753-4531 (Sat Sep 18 at 6pm)

THE O CAFÉ (Culture Days) Come join three artists Alison Woolridge, Berni Stapleton, and Amy House in research for their new comedic play. We invite women of all ages to come and sit, hear the stories and observe the creative research process that builds a play, free, LSPU Hall-3 Victoria St 753-4531 (Sun Sep 26 from 2pm-5pm) WEST SIDE STORY (Theatre St.John's) This classic piece of musical theatre stars Kelly-Ann Evans and Keely Hutton and features professional actors/dancers from St. John's & Toronto plus a 28-piece orchestra. Directed by Keith Pike. Musical Direction by Grant Etchegary. Choreography by Kayla James, Holy Heart Theatre Theatre St.John's (Wed Sep 22 - Sun Sep 26

SEPTEMBER 2010

AMOUR, ACIDE ET NOIX (Festival of New Dance) For Daniel Léveillé the skin is the ultimate costume. Behind it lie muscles, water, energy, breath, desires, fears – the shadows of our souls. With no clothing to hide behind, human fragility is revealed - the tenderness of touch and the harshness of life become all the more immediate, $15+/$20+, LSPU Hall-3 Victoria St 753-4531 (Thu Sep 16 & Fri Dec 17 at 8pm) CLOWN WALK (Culture Days) Sara Tilley and graduates of the Clown through Mask program will take their clowns on a walk about downtown St. John's, following whim, fancy, and traffic signals, Downtown (Sat Sep 25 from 2pm-4pm) FESTIVAL OF NEW DANCE CLOSING PARTY: Performance by East Rock Crew with freestyle sets and group routines alongside a live electro/acoustic performance by Greg Bruce, 10pm, $5/or stub from any FND performance, Rock

butcher, meat, cook and the cooked, $15+/$20+, LSPU Hall-3 Victoria St 753-4531 (Mon Sep 20 & Tue Sep 21at 8pm) SPOKEN WORD BODY (Festival of New Dance) For Martin Bélanger, inspired by the American spoken word tradition, the body is not a simple vehicle of communication, but first and foremost a pure presence, even a place in its own right - of conflict, jubilation, tension and abatement, $15+/$20+, LSPU Hall-3 Victoria St 7534531 (Sat Sep 18 & Sun Sep 19 at 8pm)

LATIN TUESDAYS, 8pm, $5, The Bella Vista PEGGY BAKER: PORTAL & LEE SUFEH: THE WHOLE BEAST (Festival of New Dance) Portal is a stark and enigmatic piece, a duet for dancer and light, performed in silence with special light design by Marc Parent. The Whole Beast is a new solo work in which the dancer is

ST JOHN’S WOMEN / OK / KITCHEN (Festival of New Dance) — Louise Moyes' docudance presents in dance, film, photo, and theatre the lives of three St. John's women from three decades: their city, their generation, and their hearts. In OK,

Gwen Noah explores different view points and states of being and is accompanied by cellist Norman Adams. Tristan Rehner's Kitchen incorporates everyday objects and gestures with theatrical image and movement to invite the audience to identify with the performers’ individual stories, their relationships, and their negotiation of the dynamic between performer and audience, individual and community, LSPU Hall-3 Victoria St 753-4531(Fri Sep 24 & Sat Sep 25 at 8pm)

always and ever curved, rarely moving straight, or true, $15+/$20+, LSPU Hall-3 Victoria St 7534531(Wed Sep 22 & Thu Sep 23 at 8pm)

TANGO ON THE EDGE: A social gathering to dance Argentine Tango, $5, RCA Club-10 Bennett Ave (Thursdays at 8:30pm)

BOOK LAUNCH: Glimpse by George Murray, free, The Ship (Sun Sep 12 at 8pm)

WHAT,? & KOR'EO'LIS (Festival of New Dance) In WhaT,? Jennifer Mascall and Ron Stewart capture the essence of the connection between fathers and sons, and enacts the history of these archetypes through movement and story telling. Andrea Tucker's kor'e-o'lis explores living between worlds and in spheres of memory, where imaginations share a direct path;

Spoken & Written BOOK LAUNCH: Blood Relatives by Craig Francis Power, free, The Ship (Tue Sep 21 at 7:30pm) BOOK LAUNCH: Danny Williams: The War With Ottawa by Bill Rowe, Fluvarium (Thu Sep 30 at 7pm)

BOOK LAUNCH: Hooking Our Heritage: Irish Connection Rug Hooking Group, LSPU Hall, 3 Victoria St, 753-4531 (Thu Sep 9 from 7pm - 9pm) BOOK LAUNCH: Kate Evans reads and sign copies of debut novel Where Old Ghosts Meet, Shamrock City Pub-340 Water St (Tue Sep 14 from 7pm-9pm)

BOOK LAUNCH: The Badger Confession by JA Ricketts, Chapters (Thu Sep 16 at 7pm) OPEN AIR POETRY CELEBRATION (Culture Days) George Murray will host local poets and the public interested in talking about, hearing, and creating poetry. Open to all ages, free, War MemorialWater St (Sun Sep 26 from 10am-12pm) 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 Sep 9 at 7:30pm) WORDFEST (Culture Days) NL Writers' Guild showcase of local fiction, poetry, readings, writers, free, Newman Wine Vaults-436 Water St 739-7870 (Sun Sep 26 from 3pm-6pm)

Comedy LAUGH HARD: Stand up comedy, $2, The LeveeHoldsworth Crt (Sundays 8pm-11pm)

Find the most up-to-date listings online at

thescope.ca/onstage

BOOKS

Annabel, Annabel, Where Did You Go?

Review by Mark Callanan

’ll probably never forget the experience of being into another. It was not fair, she felt, of reading Kathleen Winter’s first book, to treat people as if they were finished bea short story collection called boys, not ings.” because it was a particularly memora But Treadway decides that Wayne should ble book (though it is—Winter’s talent be raised as a boy, and so the surgeon peris obvious even in her freshman outing), but forms the necessary operation to remove the because I was reading it in a hospital bed after “presentation” of “female aspects” and Wayne a near-fatal illness, scrawling notes in a weak, begins daily hormone treatment. What follows childish hand on the inside back cover—in is a painful journey through Wayne’s childpencil, natch—and trying to come to terms hood toward self-awareness, with Treadway with the fact that I was still around but almost attempting to steer him away from what he hadn’t been. deems to be female pursuits. Jacinta is more Hospitals are borderlands, thresholds accepting of Wayne’s “feminine” interests between life and death—a place for those in and aptitudes, and even allows Wayne to buy an in-between state. It’s himself a girl’s bathing suit fitting, then, that Wayne when he becomes obsessed, Blake, the protagonist of for a time, with synchroWinter’s first novel, Annanized swimming. bel, should be so painfully Part of Winter’s acquainted with them. strength here is in how she Having been born with creates, in Treadway, a both male and female sexucharacter that is no brute al organs, Wayne is what, stereotype of maleness—it at the time of his birth would have been easy for in 1968 in the fictional, her to reduce him to a caricoastal Labrador commucature of machismo—but a nity of Croydon Harbour, man capable of sensitivity would have been called a who is simply unable to hermaphrodite—our curdeal with the complication rent vocabulary favours of having a child of indeintersex to describe the terminate sex. She is adept condition. In addition to at creating such complexihaving both a penis and a ties within her fiction. The vagina, he also has a fully liminal nature of Wayne’s Annabel developed testicle, a single existence is not just about Kathleen Winter ovary, and a uterus. his having two sets of House of Anansi Press, 2010 The very notion of an sexual organs, it is about 465 pages; $32.95 intersex birth must raise a the duality (or multiplicity) profound ethical dilemma of human nature, human for the parents of the child life. No one in this book is in question, one that Winter examines in her any one thing. Jacinta, for instance, is torn benovel. Should they choose what seems to be tween her love for her childhood home of St. the child’s dominant sex and have the other John’s and her desire to be in Labrador with set of sexual organs surgically removed, or her northern-born husband; Treadway is torn should the child be raised with all its male between his need to be alone on the trapping and female parts intact? If they decide upon line, and his desire to be with his family. the latter, are they merely setting It’s this complexity of vision, this their child up for a life of alienation refusal to accept false absolutes that from a society that has little tolermakes Annabel such a stunning iew Read an interv en thle ance for physical abnormalities? novel—that is, up until the latter with author Ka at Medical science has its own, part of the book. It’s hard to speak Winter online thescope.ca cold methods to determine which to the subject without revealing too sex is dominant. “If the penis much of the plot, so let’s just say that reaches or exceeds this length,” a surthe resolution Winter finds involves the geon explains to Wayne’s mother, Jacinta, ultimate triumph of one of Wayne’s childhood soon after Wayne’s birth, indicating a marking friends over overwhelming odds, and that on an instrument called a phalometer, “we when it happens, you feel as if you’ve been consider it a real penis.” “When a phallus is wrenched from the hands of an accomplished less than one point five centimetres, give or novelist, and fobbed off on a writer of madetake seven hundredths of a centimetre,” he for-TV drama, for whom a pat, emotionally continues, but Jacinta interrupts him: “What satisfactory ending is more important than the if it’s right in the middle?” painful truth: that life is not only capable of It’s a question that Thomasina, a close cruelty, but is often sadistically bent on being friend of the family and the only other person cruel. It hurts, largely because Winter, in the besides Wayne’s father, Treadway, who is bulk of the book, has taken such pains to creprivy to the child’s intersex status, seems to ate a character whose life is (believably and understand better than anyone in this novel. beautifully) one big open wound. “To Thomasina people were rivers,” Winter writes, “always ready to move from one state Comment on this review online at thescope.ca

COMING SOON... MOTORCYCLE MUSEUM TWO FLOORS OF BIKES, MEMORABILIA & BIKER CULTURE

FUN FACT The Bottom Line cartoons are written and drawn by Steve Ditko, thus explaining their strong Objectivist themes and frequent sermonizing. Those Diddles cartoons are totally a retelling of The Fountainhead.

SEPTEMBER 2010

thescope

HAVA LIGHT ROAST

FULL TILT

216 WATER STREET

I COULD

REALLY GO FOR A

A TALE OF TWO CITIES

SANDWICH

RIGHT NOW

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History, progress, and the Bluedrop building.

he Prince of Wales—Charles, that is—has a passion for issues in architecture and design, and a clear vision of what Britain should and shouldn’t look like. His Foundation for the Built Environment promotes the tenets of new urbanism, an urban design and planning movement that has drawn critical attention to the creation of walkable neighbourhoods, public transit and human scale buildings in cities. While there is nothing wrong with favoring quality and thoughtfulness in architecture this way, Charles’ rather outspoken efforts have had the unintended effect of polarizing public design debates into sides favouring purely Traditional versus purely Modern, a war between History and Progress. His heavy criticism of experimental modern works, like the new turbine-powered ‘Strata Tower’ or the ‘Swiss Re’ (Gherkin) building, both in London, have been particularly harsh, and are often countered by architects and members of TARYN the public who wish to SHEPPARD embrace exciting new taryn@thescope.ca technologies and designs that can redefine their cities. Of course, these concerns over heritage are more pressing in older cities where there is a legacy of design and vernacular at risk of disappearing—like St. John’s. The History vs. Progress, Traditional vs. Modern debate is happening here, and it seems history and progress are mutually exclusive. Here it’s almost impossible to not align with one or the other side of the debate. From an architect's perspective, it’s terrible to think that one’s work has to either succeed in maintaining and contributing to the historical character of the city or accommodate the needs of the business classes to communicate professionalism and internationalism. Modern and Traditional are the only options? This makes my job as an architect very boring. Is there a way out of this conundrum? On the north east corner of Prescott and Duckworth street stands the new and unusual Bluedrop building. While this building is probably not going to become an architectural

icon of the city, it is a definitive example of a building that combines the old character of the city with the modern language of the institution, and through that, creates something totally unprecedented and unique in St. John’s. It preserved the look of half of the old warehouse, while creating a completely new looking half on the upper side. The glass half of the building avoids looming over the sidewalk by incorporating stepbacks in its facade, adding visual interest to an otherwise flat surface. Behind the facade, the open two storey space channels light throughout the offices. Using the glass panes and steel mullions of modern commercial construction in this unusually small scale gives the building a unique professional character. The pattern of the rectangular windows on the blue clapboard side is continued in the proportions of the adjacent glazing to the left. This traditional window proportion gradually elongates into taller, narrower, and more modern proportions as the building steps back in the higher levels beyond, culminating in the penthouse. Notice the way the building meets the ground on the Duckworth Street side: the concrete wall base is molded and almost carved to accommodate the irregular terrain on which it sits—as opposed to leveling the ground and forcing it to conform to the built structure. This is a uniquely St. John’s condition. It’s an elegant finish and a subtle technique that is consistent with traditional commercial buildings downtown. This building adds something new to surrounding context without threatening that context. If anything, it shows that the historic character of architecture in St. John’s, far from being inflexible, is amenable to experimentation, addition and change. Of course its scale is far smaller than anything concerning the Prince of Wales, but as we have seen with the recent Fortis building controversy, that may not always be the case.

Find more of Taryn's dancing about local architecture at

thescope.ca/fulltilt

FUN FACT Fun Facts are not necessarily fun, factual or even in English. If you can read this and English is your sole tongue, it’s probably

thescope

SEPTEMBER 2010

a coincidence.

ON DISPLAY VISUAL ART MUSEUMS

GALLERIES Openings BY REQUEST: An exhibition of new oil paintings by Jean Claude Roy, Emma Butler Gallery-111 George St W

739-7111 (Opening reception on Sat Sep 18 from 2pm-5pm) COME ALL YE! Second Verse: Pam Dorey, Cara Kansala and Caroline Clarke provide a light-hearted portrait of NL folk music

Flat Art No More!

through the prints, woodwork and mixed media creations, Craft Council-59 Duckworth St 753-2749 ( Artist presentation Fri Sep 24 from 5:30pm-7pm) INTERIORS: Featuring Louise Sutton, Jonathan O'Dea, Michael Pittman, Jillian Waite, Jack Botsford & Bonnie Leyton, Leyton Gallery-Clift’s-Baird’s Cove 722-7177 (Opening reception Sat Sep 4 from 3pm-5pm) MOVEMENT IN DANCE (Festival of New Dance) An exhibition of recent non-manipulated digital photographs by Justin Hall exploring movement in modern dance through photography, Focal Point Gallery-116 Duckworth St (Opening reception on Wed Sep 15 at 7pm / Ends Sep 26) NEW WORKS: By Natalia Charapova, Po Chun Lau, Ilse Hughes, Brenda McClellan & Gary Saunders, Red Ochre Gallery-96 Duckworth St 726-6422

"St. Holden's Gate" by Yo Rodeo. The black and white printing truly does not do a 3D image justice. It's true.

"We make anaglyphic red-blue 3D screen prints," says Paul Hammond, of Halifax-based screen printing duo YoRodeo. Uh, what? In traditional screen printing, you use a couple of colors in one print. Hammond and artpartner Seth Smith (who plays in the band Dog Day) take one image, print it once in blue, and then once in red. Leaving the blue one alone, they then start taking apart the red image, moving its components right and left to create depth. “A simple example would be a picture that had a person in the foreground with a field in the background,” explains Hammond. “I would take the red image, leaving the blue image, and take the background and move that to the right. The more I move it to the right, the more it pushes back. Then I would grab the person and shift them to the left and that would bring the person forward.” “We’re simulating the separation of the eyes. The red image looks like what your left eye would see, and the blue image looks like what your right eye would see.” The result is a depth-defying screen print, viewable with 3D glasses. “We provide those,” Hammond assures me. - SARAH SMELLIE You can go check out YoRodeo’s 3D screen prints in the exhibition Thee Dee Realms at the Eastern Edge Gallery, 72 Harbour Drive, from September 4th to October 16th. There will be an artist talk on opening day, from 3pm to 5pm, and a 3D silkscreen workshop at St. Michael’s Printshop September 5th and 6th, from 12pm to 5pm.

OCEANEX AVALON: Using copper etching plates, Colin Lyons (QC) has constructed a model of a massive cargo ship which will be set out into a bath of etching acid and left to slowly erode throughout the duration of the exhibition, Eastern Edge Gallery-72 Harbour Dr 739-1882 (Artist talks & opening reception Sat Sep 4 from 3pm-5pm / Culture Days demo Fri Sep 24 & Sat Sep 25 from 12pm-5pm) OPEN WINDOWS STUDIO (Culture Days) Waterford Hospital open house where mental patient students and the instructor will be demonstrating and collaborating with anyone who drops in, Waterford Bridge Rd (Fri Sep 24 from 9:30am-3:30pm) THREE DEE REALMS: Yorodeo: Halifax-based screenprinting art team Seth Smith & Paul Hammond partnered in 2003 primarily to create screen-printed show posters for local events. Their work draws inspiration from comic books, science fiction, fantasy and unintentional mistakes, fusing collage, doodles, carefully rendered illustration, pattern and texture, Eastern Edge Gallery-72 Harbour Dr 739-1882 (Artist talks & opening reception Sat Sep 4 from 3pm-5pm / Culture Days demo Fri Sep 24 & Sat Sep 25 from 12pm-5pm) TIME MACHINE (Festival of New Dance) Mira and Derek Hunter are visual artists, environmentalists and whirling dervishes. Photographs feature Mira whirling at the centre, and are animated in a sequence, giving the audience the visual experience of revolving around a whirling dervish, caught in a single moment, A1C Gallery-8 Clift’s-Baird’s Cove 237-

0427 (Thu Sep 16 - Sat Sep 26 / At The Rooms Sat Sep 25 from 2:30pm-3pm ) WAXWORKS: New work by Anita Singh, Leyton GalleryClift’s-Baird’s Cove 7227177 (Opening reception Sat Sep 4 from 3pm-5pm) YOU AND ME WE'LL END UP IN A CHAIR BY THE SEA: An installation of new works by Tamara Henderson. The chair will be locally designed in Paradise, NL at the Paradise Hypnotic Healing Institute whilst under hypnosis and produced for the gallery as a multiple. Two printed matter works and a bar will also be installed in the space, with Henderson bar tending a special gradient coloured drink concoction during the opening of the exhibition, A1C Gallery-8 Clift’s-Baird’s Cove 237-0427 (Opening reception on Fri Sep 3 at 8pm)

Continuing Exhibitions 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

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 FREE GUIDED WALKING TOUR: Discover Bowring Park’s prominent natural attractions, celebrated historic monuments, peaceful scenery and learn about the legacy of the park. Call to reserve a time 364-1531 [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. 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 MU-

SEUM: 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 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 THE ROOMS ARCHIVES TOUR (Culture Days) Guided tour of the vaults and learn how valuable documents are preserved, free, 9 Bonaventure Ave 757-8000 (Sun Sep 26 from 1pm-4:30pm)

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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 PUFFINS, Kittiwakes & Murres...Oh My!: Soft sculpture birds and their young populate this solo show by textile artist Rosalind Ford, Craft Council-59 Duckworth St 753-2749 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

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:

SEPTEMBER 2010

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COMMUNITY

COMMUNITY EVENTS LECTURES & FORUMS KIDS & TEENS MEETINGS & CLASSES

EVENTS A FRENCH FEAST: A magnifique fundraising dinner for the Anna Templeton Centre, $30 per person, 278 Duckworth St 739-7623 (Fri Sep 24 at 7pm) ARTFUSION: Festival of the Arts featuring music & dance performances, art displays, kids' activities, free, Centennial Park-next to Mount Pearl City Hall www.aamp.ca (Sat Sep 11 from 12pm-6pm)

MUN CINEMA SERIES SEPTEMBER 16

THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES (Argentina/Spain 2009) 129 min. Directed by Juan José Campanella with Soledad Villamil, Pablo Rago, Javier Godino, Guillermo Francella, et al.

SEPTEMBER 23

AJAMI

(Germany, Israel 2009) 120 min. Directed by Scandar Copti & Yaron Shani with Fouad Habash, Nisrine Rihan, Elias Saba, et al.

SEPTEMBER 30

LAST TRAIN HOME

(Canada, China, UK 2009) 85 min. Directed by Lixin Fan with Suqin Chen, Changhua Zhan, Qin Zhang, Yang Zhang, et al.

OCTOBER 7

PLEASE GIVE (USA 2010) 90 min.

Directed by Nicole Holofcener with Catherine Keeener, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Rebecca Hall, et al.

THURSDAYS, 7PM Empire Studio 12 Avalon Mall www.mun.ca/film

COMMUNITY CLOTHESLINE (Sexual Violence Awareness Week) Launch of handmade teeshirts with anti-sexual violence messages, Confederation Building (Mon Sep 13 from 3:45pm-5:15pm) DOORS OPEN DAYS: Discover some of St John's most interesting, unique, and culturally significant places. Venues include the Robin Hood Bay Waste Management Facility, CBC Building, St John's Mosque, Railway Coastal Museum, Petty Harbour Hydroelectric Plant, Regatta Boathouse, MUN Botanical Garden, Sikh Gurdwara, free, www. doorsopendays.com (Sat Sep 25 & Sun Sep 26) FRANCOPHONE ASSOCIATION WELCOME BACK: Presentation of the 2010/2011 program, everyone welcome, Centre des Grands-Vents-65 Ridge Rd 726-4900 (Thu Sep 16 at 5pm-7pm) SPCA ANNUAL GALA FUNDRAISER, Featuring The Dana Parsons Project and host Ryan Snoddon, $125, Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland 895-2975 (Sat Sep 25) TAKE BACK THE NIGHT (Sexual Violence Awareness Week) Women and children meet at Bannerman Park and head towards City Hall. Bring your noise makers. Rally led by Linda Ross; reception to follow, (Fri Sep 17 from 7pm-8pm) WILLIAMS-HOLLETT SALES TEAM FAMILY FUN DAY: Music, bouncy castle, face painting, balloons, charity BBQ, prizes, free, Westgate Subdivision-off Kenmount Rd (Sun Sep 12)

LECTURES & FORUMS CHINA: The Aging Giant: Presented by Dr Anne Sclater, Professor of Medicine, Health Sciences Centre Auditorium (Fri Sep 3 from 12pm-1pm) HENRIETTA HARVEY LECTURE: Dr Nigel Waters, director of Centre of Excellence for Geographic Information Science at George Mason University will speak on GIS Research: Why is it Important to the University and to the Public? Inco Centre 2001 (Wed Sep 29 at 7pm)

HISTORY OF PIPPY PARK FARMS: Join Hilda Chaulk Murray, author and historian specializing in the agricultural past of St.John’s, for a talk on the farms that once existed in Pippy Park, MacMorran Community Garden www. feastnl.ca (Sun Sep 26 from 1pm-2:30pm) NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY: Tribute to the late Dr. Jon Lien with presentations from Wayne Ledwell “Changing gears: three decades of large whale entanglements in NL" & Bill Montevecchi “The long reach of the Gulf of Mexico Oil Blowout,” MUN Botanical Garden-306 Mt Scio Rd 737-8590 (Thu Sep 16 at 7:30pm) OUR STRENGTH MEN’S EVENT (Sexual Violence Awareness Week) Men gather for a presentation and discussion, and show support of Take Back the Night, St John's City Hall (Fri Sep 17 at 7pm) WHAT IS TRUTH? MATRIX: Join our live seminars as we endevour to provide answers to this age-old question with Chistopher Hudson of The Forerunner Chronicles, MUN Engineering 2006 697-7760 (Mon Sep 20 - Thu Sep 23 / Mon Sep 27 - Thu Sep 30 from 7:30pm-9pm) WORDS IN EDGEWISE: MUN Humanities & Eastern Edge Gallery team up to present artists and academics performing, presenting and sharing their work in a variety of disciplines and media. Featuring "The Life Aquatic with Shawn Meredyk: Deep-Sea Wonder's from the North Atlantic," and playwright Joan Sullivan will present two new pieces of verbatim theatre, 72 Harbour Dr 739-1882 (Wed Sep 15 at 8pm)

KIDS & TEENS CHILDREN'S CINEMA: Histoire de jouets 2: Woody is a toy with a dilemma: does he return to his loving owner or spend his life with a weirdo toy collector? As always, Pixar will make you cry (É-U 2009). Free admission & popcorn, Centre des Grands-Vents-65 Ridge Rd 726-4900 (Sat Sep 18 at 10am) CREATING ART IN THE ROOMS (Culture Days) All ages can creating their own art in our bright and colourful classroom, 9 Bonaventure Ave 757-8000 (Sat Sep 25 & Sun Sep 25 from 2pm-4pm) DABBLERS & DIVERS: Learn how ducks get ready for their long journey south. Includes an outdoor component, game, story and craft, The Fluvarium-5 Nagle's Pl 754-3474 (Saturdays &

Sundays at 1:30pm) KID’S NIGHT (Sexual Violence Awareness Week) Children 12 & younger make anti-violence posters to be carried during the annual Take Back the Night March. Pizza, loot bags & magic show, Buckmaster’s Circle Community Centre (Tue Sep 14 from 5:30pm8pm) 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 ALZHEIMERS COFFEE BREAK, Trinity United Church-Mt Pearl (Thu Sep 16 at 10am) 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) BREASTFEEDING SUPPORT GROUP (La Leche League) The topic of discussion will be Advantages of Breast-

feeding, babies welcome, free, Sobey's-Torbay Rd 437-5097 (Mon Sep 13 at 7pm) CAMPUS FOOD BANK AGM: Interested members of the university community are invited to attend, MUN FM-2034 (Wed Sep 15 from 1pm-2pm) CAPITAL TOASTMASTERS: Improve self-confidence and overall leadership abilities for career and life, free, MUN Inco Centre-2014 687-1031 CAREGIVER CONVERSATIONS: A Support Group for Unpaid Caregivers, Seniors Resource Centre-Torbay Rd 726-2370 (Every third Monday) CHANNAL: A peer support group for people with mental illness. We focus on recovery, 120 LeMarchant Rd 753-7710 (Tuesdays at 7pm & Wednesdays at 2pm) COMIC ARTIST BREAKDOWN: Drop in comic-making welcoming individuals with all levels of cartooning experience, young and old, free, Anna Templeton Centre-278 Duckworth St 739-7623 (Fri Sep 3 from 7pm-9pm) EDIBLE HIKE (FEAST) Eat your way through Pippy Park with Costa Kasimos, free, Pippy Park Headquar-

FLATROCK PENITENTIAL PILGRIMAGE: Starts 11am corner of Torbay & Windgap Roads proceeding on foot and car to Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes with pauses for prayer en route. Holy Sacrifice of the Mass offered 2:30pm preceded by Confessions and followed by Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament 722-4842 (Sun Sep 12) 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

FRENCH FRIDAY: Welcome everyone, Franklin Hotel 726-4900 (Every Friday) GIANT SPCA FLEA MARKET, Admission $1, St Mary's Church Auditorium-Craigmillar Ave (Sat Sep 11 at 10am) 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) HOW TO BUILD BEE BOXES (Feast) Free workshop, St. John's Farmers' Market-Lion's Club Chalet, Bonaventure Ave (Sat Sep 11 at 11am) KNIT WITS: Drop in knitting social with help to get you

HOT & SOUR SOUP: HANGOVER CURE?

while back, The Scope received a tip from a reader that a particular soup at a particular Chinese restaurant was a great hangover cure—the Hot and Sour Soup from Magic Wok, to be specific. It was so specific, it had to be investigated. Now, the testing of this required that I first get a hangover. I’m not prone to these, so I knew I’d have to find new and innovate ways to consume alcohol. Don’t try this at home, kids. The first night I tried anything with a lot of sugar (gin and tonic, rum and coke, etc.) and the next day … nothing. Then I tried consuming nothing but whisky and rocks … and again I was mostly fine. I kept experimenting, keeping my hydration to a minimum, and on my fifth attempt I nailed it. A friend made sangria, but instead of fruit juice he used homebrewed alcoholic fruit juice. It was potent. A few glasses of that and a bottle or Tasty, but not a cure. so of wine and shazaam. Pain in my membrane. What I didn’t think about beforehand was the trek required to get the soup. Somehow, though, I managed to get it home without any undue falling over. It had vegetables and strips of pork floating about in it and didn’t smell particularly appetizing. My research had told me that traditional hot and sour soup is sometimes flavoured with pork blood, and while it certainly looked like that could’ve been true, I lack the sophisticated palate needed to determine such things. Regardless, it was tasty. It was a little hot and a little sour, with just enough kick for a day-after, wake-up meal. As a food, I liked it, but as a cure, I can’t say it worked. It was a full day later before I felt right again. The best I can say is that it helped, though probably no more than any soup would’ve. My advice: just drink a ton of water and, whatever you do, don’t ever get a hangover on purpose. - ANGUS WOODMAN

encouraged to limit their appearances to designated CHUD-only

SEPTEMBER 2010

FAMILY GARDEN PROGRAM (FEASt) Parents come with their children and work on the garden, and learn about growing organic vegetables, #5 Mount Scio Rd www. feastnl.ca (Sundays at 1pm)

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)

CITY EXPERIMENTS AND DISCOVERIES

In Montreal, the people are so beautiful that ugly tourists are

thescope

FALL PLANT SALE (Friends of the Garden fundraiser) Heaths, heathers, shrubs, and perennials suitable for our local area, as well as some unusual rhododendrons, MUN Botanical Garden-306 Mt Scio Rd 737-8590 (Sat Sep 11 at 10am)

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 7387542 (Through fall 2010)

secret st. john's

FUN FACT

ters www.feastnl.ca (Sun Sep 12 from 10:30am12pm)

zones all along the city.

started, free, Anna Templeton Centre-278 Duckworth St (Last Sunday of month from 7pm-9pm) LA ROSE DES VENTS: Francophone Association choir wine & cheese singalong, all welcome including anyone interested in joining the choir, free, Centre des Grands-vents-65 Ridge Rd (Mon Sep 13 from 7:30pm9pm) LIGHT UP THE NIGHT (Sexual Violence Awareness Week) Start off your Take Back the Night Celebrations early with bbq, refreshments & noise makers, Women’s Centre-120 Lemarchant Rd (Fri Sep 17 from 5pm-6:30pm) 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 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 Sep 7 at 8pm) NL SEXUAL ASSAULT CRISIS CENTRE OPEN HOUSE (Sexual Violence Awareness Week) Meet staff and volunteers, check out our space and services, 360 Topsail Rd-Suite 101 (Tue Sep 14 from 2pm-4pm) OPEN GARDEN DAY: Self Guided walking tour of St. John's vegetable gardens. Visit feastnl.ca for map (Sun Sep 19) 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 PORT TASTING & VAULTS TOUR (Culture Days) The ever-charismatic Tom Beckett is sure to impress with his knowledge and passion for port, Newman Wine Vaults-436 Water St 7397870 (Sat Sep 25 & Sun Sep 26 from 10am-4pm) POSTER MAKING (Sexual Violence Awareness Week) Students make posters for Take Back the Night march, MUN residence (Thu Sep 16 from 3pm-6pm) 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) (END NOV) 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 Sep 5 & 19 at 8am) SUPER TRIVIA NIGHT, Bitter's Pub (Thursdays from 8pm-11pm) TAOIST TAI CHI OPEN HOUSE: Church of the Ascension in Mt Pearl (Tue Sep 14 from 7pm-9pm); Hindu Temple, Penny Lane in St John's On (Sat Sep 18 from 11am-1pm) THE POTTLE CENTRE: A social & recreation centre for consumers of mental health services. New members welcome, 323 Hamilton Ave 753-2143 THE ROOMS: Free admission, 9 Bonaventure Ave 757-8000 (Wednesdays 6pm-9pm / Sat Sep 25 & Sun Sep 26 as part of Culture Days) THYROID CANCER INFO: For survivors, family members & friends, Eastern Health Admin Offices-306 Waterford Bridge Rd (Sat Sep 25 from 10:30am-12pm) TRIVIA NIGHT, Lower Path312 Water St (Wednesdays at 9pm) TRIVIA NIGHT, Rose & Thistle (Tuesdays) WALK ON WATER: Get fit, meet people & learn the history of downtown, everyone welcome, free, Auntie Crae’s (Saturdays at 10am, rain or shine) WENLIDO SELF DEFENCE FOR WOMEN (Sexual Violence Awareness Week), free but registration req'd 747-7757 (Thu Sep 16 from 7pm-9pm) WINNERS WALK OF HOPE: In support of ovarian cancer. Registration starts at 9am, free, Bowring Park Bungalow (Sun Sep 12) 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

SEPTEMBER 2010

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BILL'S CYCLE

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RIDE WHA? QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT LIFE IN ST. JOHN'S A BIKE it’ll fix your bus problem

AND your fat problem

CANARY CYCLES 294 WATER STREET PHONE: (709) 579-5972 TOLL FREE: 1 (877) 422-6279 www.canary-cycles.com canarycycles@gmail.com

Bike Q&A From August 1-7 (Sunday to Saturday) at thescope.ca/wha we had our readers ask our special guest expert Andrew Planchat of Cychotic Bikes any questions they had about bicycles. Here are some of the questions and answers.

Whats the best way to give your old bike a new paint job? My old rickety bike needs some flames fo’ sho. — FLAME ON Painting a metal surface can be tricky. Any paint store knows that surface preparation is key. With a bike you will need to strip it down to the bare frame and cover any exposed holes so paint doesn’t get in. Once you have prepared the surface with lots of sanding, you are ready to paint. Unfortunately, I have had best results with a very stinky, unenvironmentally friendly can of BBQ black spray paint. The frame is now your canvas ready for your artistic side to add flames, peace symbols, flowers and don’t forget a nerdy name for you new steed. (Black Horse is taken, so hands off.) P.S. Don’t even think of painting inside! It’s no fun.

How do you fix squeaking brakes? My bike has been in hibernation for a good few years, I’ve taken it out, fixed it up, and it's mostly good, except now it squeaks so loud I’m sure you can hear it from Stavanger to Paradise. (Yes, that was what you heard last week) —SQUEAKY Well Squeaky, I will assume you have rubber brake pads on your ride. My guess is that the rubber is aged and changing the pads should fix it. But, before you run out and spend your hard earned cash, try sanding the pads with a coarse grit sandpaper and then do the same to your rim surface to remove any dirt and rubber deposits. Changing the angle that the brake pads contact the rim also helps. Hopefully this will get you back to regular stealth mode and squeak free.

What kind of bike would be appropriate for an adult learning to ride and where would be a good place to get one? I’m an adult who somehow missed out on the childhood milestone of learning to ride a bicycle. I’d like to learn but know next to nothing about bikes and don’t want to spend a fortune on a high-end bike, just getting around would be plenty for me. Any suggestions? —HANNAH BETH Hannah, hats off to you for the courage to learn to ride later in life. I think it will be easier than you think. In your position I would get a basic hybrid and find a grassy field on a slight incline at like Bowring Park. Let gravity take over and work on your balance. Leave the whole pedaling

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SEPTEMBER 2010

thing for later. Works for kids, should work for you too. Maybe you could find a used bike to get started on then if you like it go for a nice one. Good luck! Is there anything I can do to stop my valve caps coming loose? They keep falling off; I have tried everything (tape, twist ties, etc.) but nothing seems to be working. I’ve been told removing the valve caps altogether is not a good move, as dirt can get in the valve. How critical is this to valve function? —JOAN Joan, after having repaired thousands of bikes I can say that valve caps for the most thescope.ca/wha part are not essential. It is very rare that a lack of valve caps will cause a flat tire. If you are feeling the need to valve cap then pick up a set of new ones and they will stay on.

WHA?

Can I put road treads on my mountain bike? I have a cross country mountain bike, but occasionally I want to do road riding. Would it work to just put less grippy treads on my bike? Or do you think I should bite the bullet and get a road bike? —ELLING So you you want to go faster, hey? All mountain bikes can accept a smoother tire for faster city riding. Although a smaller tire isn’t going to turn your bike into an instant pocket rocket, it is an easy way to make riding a lot quicker. The size you are looking for is a 26 X 1.5. I recommend changing your tubes as well. Total cost of you new road-friendly steed should be under $50 if you DIY.

I’m a new international student and just got a bike from my friend. Could you recommend some websites from where I can find useful information about riding in the St. John’s area, such as attractions, routes... —DAVID David, unfortunately St. John’s is lacking a good bike trail guide book. There are a few good sources of information however. Since you are new here I would hit up the tourist office and find lots of sites to visit by bike. Places like Cape Spear, Bowring Park, Signal Hill are all relatively accessible. As for bike trails, I would bring a map and check in with the bike stores and clubs so they can highlight the trails for you.

Big thanks to Andrew Planchat for taking the time to answer these questions.

ON STAGE

DANCING WITHOUT A SAFETY NET

In town as part of this year's Festival of New Dance, renowned Canadian contemporary dancer Peggy Baker talks to Elling Lien about her silent, solo dance piece, Portal. One of the reasons why people have a hard time connecting with contemporary dance I think is they don’t know what the purpose is. What do you think? Yeah, they assume it’s going to be something very concrete because we do things for reasons in our lives. I think dance, especially contemporary dance, it’s this very unusual balance between abstract and actual. They’re not necessarily related. I don’t believe that when people are listening to music they’re looking for meaning. They’re assuming an experience of music. The same thing when they look at contemporary art. It’s the mystery of the mind and sensibility that brought those elements together and the strange conflicts and the possibilities for meaning. It’s not a singular meaning. Actually, I believe that the meaning the audience receives is the actual meaning. They’re completing the work by their own perception of it.

my audience in Toronto. How did you decide to do that kind of thing? I just needed to. I felt almost like I wasn’t able to expand my reach into the community that I am a part of. I don’t mean the dance community—I mean the community that I live in, like my neighborhood and the city that I live in. When I performed in Calgary a couple years ago, I actually came out and talked to the audience for the first 10 minutes of my show. I know that it’s really demanding to look at one person dance for an hour. You’re wondering ‘what is this?’ So I told them a little bit about each dance and the various choreographers. I tried to free them up to be able to receive the performance. We need to be able to not be afraid to speak literally to the audience. I’m doing in a dance called "Portal" in St. John’s. It’s a very, very stark dance. There’s no music.

So there’s no incorrect reading...? No. But I think that people are too caught up in whether they liked it or not. I think they feel they’re supposed to be able to judge how good it was by how much they liked it. To me, those are the least important questions.

Silent! really sharing this To me it feels like a dance I’m darkened theater space that’s very close to the with the audience. I’m bone. I’m taking away on the stage but we’re sharing the pressure anything around it that would obscure the dance of the silence, and the The lights itself, and letting people uncertainty. keep going out and I just see what the dance reappear somewhere is. else on the stage in a different lighting effect. It really plays Two thumbs up! with perspective. Sometimes I look gigantic. [laughs] Yes, I think if people would just ask Other times I look very, very small. It doesn’t themselves, “What did I see?” they’d realize have any of the markers for us to understand that they actually received something very beginning, middle and end because there’s unique to themselves. no music, there’s no arc for the music, and because there’s all these blackouts all the way So how do you get people to understand how along. I think it ends up being really, really to appreciate contemporary dance? exciting for the audience. The uncertainty that I think that’s part of the role of people who we often feel when we’re seeing contempoare publishing about dance. It’s the role of rary performance is amplified and becomes the presenter to provide pre-show talks or obvious that it’s part of the whole idea of the program notes or events that are public. piece. For me, this idea of Portal, which is a threshold to someplace brand new, becomes a What kinds of things could the dance commetaphor for the stage space, for the experimunity and the publicity folks be doing ence and performance, for each tiny little differently? segment of the dance itself. I’ll just give you an example of things I do. I do every year in Toronto a series of free performances. They happen in unusual places at unusual times of day. So maybe at a theatre that’s not a dance theatre, or at the museum, or at the art gallery, or at a seniors’ home. Sometimes they’re over lunchtime or they’re on a Sunday afternoon. They’re free, and I call them Inside the Art. People who come to these performances hear me talking about the work and showing dances. Then we engage in a conversation about the work. I’ve been doing that for at least 10 years and that’s part of how I try to connect with

So by making the work silent, it seems like you’re confronting the audience, in a way. Raw contemporary dance. I don’t feel that it’s confronting. I actually feel that it’s just breaking down one more barrier. To me it feels like a dance that’s very close to the bone. I’m taking away anything around it that would obscure the dance itself, and letting people just see what the dance is. I just finished teaching a workshop in which everybody worked on their dance every single day, and we never used any of the

music. We worked in silence. It’s just amazing how much more clear the dance is without the complication and scaffolding of the music. You are seeing the dance. When you reduce it down that far you can start to see what it is you’re giving people and what are they receiving. The music often tells you how important or what the tone is, or if it’s funny or sad or conflicted. The music is setting that up. When you don’t have the music and the dancer needs to bring that clarity and precision to what they’re doing, it’s super exciting. By the end of the week we didn’t miss the music at all. We felt that we were receiving the dancing. How could you see that in the students? By their insightful comments about what they were looking at and the heightened precision and clarity of their dancing. So they weren’t doing a certain thing on a certain beat? They didn't have that to rely on. Right. They had to embody the tempo and

dynamics. A lot of times dancers think they’re doing things because the music is doing it. They think that their dancing is becoming exciting. Actually it hasn’t changed at all. The music has become more exciting, but they haven’t done anything with their dancing. I think the dancers lean on music far too much. I don’t mean that we’d all be better off if dance had no music. No. But dancers spend too much time dancing to music and not enough time simply dancing. Peggy Baker will be performing Portal as part of the Festival of New Dance. Special light design by Marc Parent. Lee Su-Feh's The Whole Beast, another solo work, is also on the bill. Monday September 20 & Tuesday, September 21at 8pm. Tickets are $15+/$20+ and are available at LSPU Hall—3 Victoria Street 753-4531.

Visit thescope.ca to read more of this interview.

Peggy Baker—Photo by John Lauener

SEPTEMBER 2010

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FREE FALL FIGHT By Ricky King

RHYMES WITH UNDERSTAND By Emily Deming

BLEAK By Alexander Evan Bridger

100% LOCAL

COMICS

MR. PICKLES By Quinn Whalen

MEANTOONS By John Meaney

NOTHING SPECIAL ABOUT WORDS By Michael Young 28

thescope

SEPTEMBER 2010

PERFECT SUNDAY By Michael Butler

BEHOLD!! By P.N. Grata

ON SCREEN

Despite what Orca tells you, orcas don't actually mate for life.

Fail whale

Adam Clarke seeks revenge against the 1977 b-movie, Orca

rcas. Killer whales. They’re in our waters. They’re dominating our news. Maybe you don’t think they’re so bad. Think again, citizens. It’s not just the minke whales these superficially cuddlesome, undersea pandas are after. Oh no. They want us. They want to feast on our flesh. And what’s more, they want not just to take our lives, but our way of life. Be vigilant, citizens. Soon the orcas will be taking our jobs and living in our overpriced apartments. Maybe there’s an orca in your neighbourhood right now working at a nearby grocery store. Maybe one made you a sandwich today, bedecked in a blue shirt and

MOVIE DESCRIPTIONS LIMITED RUN TUESDAY SEP 14 AT 7:30PM RIVER OF LIFE (MUN Women's Studies) Chronicles the experiences of one group of racers, the determined women who make up the 2006 Paddlers Abreast team, Inco Centre 2001 THURSDAY SEP 16 AT 7PM THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES (MUN Cinema) When a legal counselor hits retirement, he begins to write a novel as a means of dealing with an unresolved case. Believe it or not, that's how the Curious George series got started. Subtitled. Directed by Juan José Campanella (SPA/ARG 2009) SATURDAY SEP 18 AT 10AM CHILDREN'S CINEMA: HISTOIRE DE JOUETS 2: Woody is a toy with a dilemma:

does he return to his loving owner or spend his life with a weirdo toy collector? As always, Pixar will make you cry. Free admission & popcorn, Centre des Grands-Vents-65 Ridge Rd 726-4900 TUESDAY SEP 21 AT 7:30PM & WED SEP 29 AT 2PM À VOS MARQUES...PARTY!: Also known as Taking The Plunge, this French-Canadian comedy depicts the fast friendship between a high school’s resident outcast and its newest student. Like mismatched cops in a buddy movie. English subtitles. (CAN 2007) Free admission & popcorn, Centre des Grands-Vents-65 Ridge Rd 726-4900 THURSDAY SEP 23 AT 7PM AJAMI (MUN Cinema) Five storylines woven against the background of Ajami in Tel Aviv. Ajami, a communi-

matching hat. Like Glenn Beck, that bastion of sensible journalism, I’m only hypothesizing. Trying to get in their heads. Asking questions. What better way to have those questions answered than to sit down and watch Orca, the 1977 sea-mammal-gone-amok flick shot in our very own Petty Harbour. While a pessimist would dismiss the film as a rip-off of Jaws, an optimist would recognize it as the inspiration for Jaws IV: The Revenge. Ahh, the circle of life. When franchises run out of ideas, even the most ridiculous rip-offs get ripped off. Anyhoo, the plot of this semi-topical depic-

ty with heavy Christian and Muslim populations, is the setting for several murders that occur for very different reasons. Subtitled. Directed by Scandar Copti &Yaron Shanti. (ISR/GER 2009) THURSDAY SEP 23 AT 8PM FILMS ON THE GO (Culture Days) St John's International Women's Film Festival film night, free, Johnson Geo Centre-175 Signal Hill Rd 737-7880 SAT SEP 25 AT 1:30PM ANNE TROAKE DANCE ON FILM (Culture Days) Featuring "Pretty Big Dig" (dancing backhoes!) and "The Sinking": A meditation on loss and memory. Q&A to follow, free, The Rooms, 9 Bonaventure Ave 757-8000 TUESDAY SEP 28 AT 7PM I FOR INDIA: (Global Cinema Series) With the immense difficulty of staying in touch with his family in India in the 60's, an emigre doctor communicates via

home movies to present his new life to them. Directed by Sandhya Suri (IND/UK 2005). Facilitator: Sharon Roseman (Anthropology) THURSDAY SEP 30 AT 7PM LAST TRAIN HOME (MUN Cinema) This expansive documentary captures 130 million China workers as they break away from city life and return to their rural homes for New Year's. Subtitled. Directed by Lixin Fan. (CAN/CHI/UK 2009)

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

tion of cetacean slaughter is standard revenge flick territory. Captain Nolan, an Irish-American fisherman played by Richard Harris, gets it in his head that catching an orca whale is the best possible choice to make in this life. Despite the fact that an orca rescues a hapless chump from a shark attack right before Nolan’s very eyes in the first five minutes of the film, he’s convinced it’s the right thing to do. Nolan soon butts heads with marine biologist Dr. Rachel Bedford (Charlotte Rampling) who reasons that orcas may be more intelligent than man. After all, according to SCIENCE, an orca’s song contains "15 million pieces of information," she says. "The Bible only contains four million." As she says, if we could speak like them, a simple human phrase like 'How are you?' would be meaningless. "What we call language," she says, "they might call unnecessary or redundant or... retarded." Having chosen his folly, Nolan sails off with a crew consisting of what appears to be a latter-day George Carlin, a block of wood with a blond wig tacked to it, and a generic bearded actor. Naturally, things go awry in the most gruesome manner possible. Nolan grazes the male orca in his sights and harpoons its pregnant mate. Upon reeling the dying creature up to his boat, Nolan discovers that the whale was pregnant when an unborn whale fetus lands on the deck of his boat. (!!!) With the cocky fisherman having thoughtlessly destroyed all it held dear, the whale apparently vows revenge and chases him back to Petty Harbour. There, the creature destroys Nolan’s house, bites off Bo Derek’s leg, and sinks every boat at the dock... save his. Now Nolan must sail out to face the orca on its own turf, using only a rifle, a single harpoon and his few functioning brain cells. It ends about as badly as any fight between a slumming character actor and an animatronic whale possibly could. Roll credits! Orca is a textbook example of “so-bad-it’sgood” cinema. Orca fails to come across as a bleak tragedy for many reasons, but the greatest is that Harris’ titular opponent is far

too adorable. No matter how good the lead actor you have starring in your Man vs. Beast exploitation flick, he or she is going to look ridiculous fighting a cute animal. Donald Pleasence vs. a giraffe? Funny. Robert Duvall vs. a red panda? Funny. Daniel Day-Lewis vs. a basket of mewling kittens? Hilarious. Yes, I know that orcas have munched on the occasional overzealous Marineland trainer. But they are still adorable. All attempts to garner sympathy for Richard Harris’ Nolan fall completely flat. His character is just an obnoxious oaf. That he raises the ire of a whale which then terrorizes the folks of Petty Harbour and kills several of his crew doesn’t seem to phase him much. Even with the heavy-handed attempts to reveal his tragic life story, you won't once feel like Nolan is worth your emotional attachment. This only adds to the film’s heavy laugh factor. Same goes for the presence of the undeniably talented Charlotte Rampling. Her pseudo-scientific bafflegab is made all the more ridiculous by her prim delivery, which makes her sound like the voice of a sex line for misbehaving nanny fetishists. The character of Dr. Bedford is just another in the long line of b-movie scientists who, because of their gender, are coldly intellectual and just want to be wuvved by the pig-headed male lead. Blech. So, while the typically minke-biased conventional media urge readers not to get too close to killer whales on the prowl, why not follow our advice and spend 90 minutes getting to know Orca? It’s got it all. There are shots of happy orcas frolicking in the effervescent waters like a couple of black ice cubes in a sea of ginger ale... Famed Italian composer Ennio Morricone wrote the music for the soundtrack (even though it's pretty obvious he didn't watch any of the film.) Most importantly, Orca is very, very funny, despite the intentions of all involved.

ALPHA AND OMEGA: Two wolves. One inept and the other unbeatable. In real life, the former would die horribly. In this cartoon, he gets to prove himself and have a delightful adventure. (Sep 17)

The slow-motion CGI bacchanals of Zack Snyder and the cuddlesome penguin animators of Happy Feet have united to bring you this epic story of heroic owls. Presumably in slowmotion. (Sep 24)

DEVIL: Five strangers get trapped in an elevator. If this were a sitcom, one of them would be pregnant . Since this isn’t Night Court, one of them is an evil monster. (Sep 17) EASY A: When a sarcastic, smart-mouthed high schooler pretends to have deflowered an unpopular student, nearly every male student pesters her for imaginary flings. Kinda like Heidi Fleiss, but younger and with only fictional flings. (Sep 17) GOING THE DISTANCE: With all the romantic comedies about magical fountains, magical letters and magical bottles of Robitussin, Drew Barrymore brings them back to their roots with this

tale of long-distance love. (Sep 3) IT'S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY: When a young man suffering from depression ends up in a psych ward, he teams up with one of the institution’s older residents (Zach Galifianakis) to get some perspective. (Sep 24) JACK GOES BOATING: Directed by Phillip Seymour Hoffman. In this valentine to superficial eccentricity, Mumbly Loner One (Hoffman) learns to swim in order to give Mumbly Loner Two (Amy Ryan) a romantic boatride. (Sep 17) LADIES & GENTLEMEN: The Rolling Stones: This rereleased 1974 documentary follows the celebrated rock group on tour. This film offers a rare glimpse of the Stones before Mick and Keith started looking like the California Raisins. (Sep 16) LEGEND OF THE GUARDIANS: The Owls of Ga'Hoole:

We communicate in whale-speak at

thescope.ca/onscreen

MACHETE: Machete is both blade and man of action. Both are a deadly weapon, but only one is a vigilante played by Danny Trejo. Based on the mock trailer from Grindhouse. (Sep 3) RESIDENT EVIL 4: Afterlife: Alice (franchise mainstay Milla Jovovich) once more faces corporate goons and other unspeakable horrors with her army of Alice clones. Hopefully one of the clones answers to Leloo Data Multipass. (Sep 10) THE AMERICAN: An Anton Corbijn film. George Clooney stars as an assassin who takes refuge in an isolated town after a job in Europe goes awry. Apparently that doesn’t go easypeasy either. (Sep 1)

THE TOWN: Directed by Ben Affleck. A bank robber (Ben Affleck again) who ends up romancing a woman (not Ben Affleck) he once kidnapped. Nothing says “I love you” quite like Stockholm Syndrome. (Sep 17) YOU AGAIN: Sigourney Weaver! Jamie Lee Curtis! Betty White! Dad from Alias! The plot has something to do with high school foes hugging each other, but who cares? Jamie Lee Curtis, man! (Sep 24) WALL STREET 2: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS: Oliver Stone, the man who made 9/11, Nixon and even mass murderers boring, returns to the well as Gordon Gecko and his new protege attempt to halt the 2008 economic implosion. (Sep 24)

FUN FACT I know you are, but what am I?

SEPTEMBER 2010

thescope

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY BY ROB BREZSNY for september 2010

‘

VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sep 22)

"The trouble with life isn't that there is no answer; it's that there are so many answers," said folklorist Ruth Benedict. That's always true, of course, but it's especially apropos for you right now. You're teeming with viable possibilities. There are so many decent ideas eddying in your vicinity that you may be hard-pressed to pick out just a couple to give your power to. My advice: Let them all swarm and swirl for a few more days, then go with the ones that you feel will last the longest.

LIBRA (Sep 23 – Oct 22)

Jack Mytton was a famous 19th-century eccentric whose wealth and privilege often shielded him from the consequences of his odd behavior. One of his less successful adventures came on a night when he got a bad case of the hiccups. Thinking he could scare himself into being cured, he set fire to his pajamas. In the ensuing mayhem, his hiccups disappeared but he burned himself. I bring this to your attention, Libra, in the hope it will dissuade you from attacking a small problem in a way that causes a bigger problem. For now it's better to endure a slight inconvenience. Don't seek a quick fix that causes a complicated mess.

≠

SCORPIO (Oct 23 - Nov 21)

In accordance with the astrological omens, Scorpio, I will ask you to make everything wetter; to be the personification of fluidity. Where there is drought, use your magic to bring the rain. If you're stuck in a dynamic that is parched and barren, add moisture and tenderness. Be ingenious, not rash, as you stir up dormant feelings in people you care about. Remind those who are

SECOND OPINION

HOROSCOPES 30

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high and dry about the river that runs through them. (A good way to do that is to reveal the river that runs through you.)

∑

(Nov 22 – Dec 21)

Gwyneth Paltrow is the most perfect person alive, said Gawker.com. From a certain perspective, I suppose it's possible to award her that title. She's beautiful, rich, famous, and in good shape. She's a talented actress and published author. Without denying that Gwyneth is a gem, however, I must say that my standards of perfection are different. Are you doing the work you love? Are you engaged in ongoing efforts to transform your darkness? Do you practice compassion with wit and style? Are you saving the world in some way? Are you skilled at taking care of yourself? Those are my primary measures. What are yours, Sagittarius? It's an excellent time to define your ideal human.

‹

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)

In an old Star Trek episode, a 24th-century starship captain is weighed down by a knotty problem about how to deal with two of her enemies who are at war with each other. Unable to come up with a viable solution, she retreats to the holodeck, where virtual reality technology can create a convincingly real rendition of any desired scene. Where does she go for advice? She seeks out Leonardo da Vinci in his 16th-century studio. Once she has outlined her dilemma, Leonardo offers his counsel: "When one's imagination cannot provide an answer, one must turn to a greater imagination." This is my advice to you right now, Capricorn.

Virgo (August 23 – September 22)

First, make an “S”.

SEPTEMBER 2010

SAGITTARIUS

Libra (September 23 – October 22)

Make a differentshaped “S”.

Scorpio (October 23 November 21)

Now add some wings.

AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)

Seth Grahame-Smith rewrote Jane Austen's classic novel Pride and Prejudice. He kept 85 percent of her material, but also added a big dose of "ultraviolent zombie mayhem," creating a new story, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. In his version, Austen's tale is expanded and altered by the previously unrevealed activities of zombies. I urge you to follow GrahameSmith's lead, Aquarius. Take some original creation you really like, and add a shot of your own unique approach to generate a completely new thing.

∫

PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)

Everyone alive should see the musical comedy "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change." At the very least, we should all meditate regularly on the play's title, using it as a selfmocking mantra that dissuades us from committing the folly it describes. How better to serve the health of our relationships than by withdrawing the projections we superimpose on people, thereby allowing them to be themselves? Right now you're in special need of honoring this wisdom, Pisces. If you feel the itch to tell friends and loved ones that they should be different from how they actually are, stop and ask yourself whether maybe you should transform yourself instead.

†

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 19)

In an old comedy sketch called "One Leg Too Few," a one-legged man comes in to a casting agent's office to audition for the part of Tarzan in an upcoming show. The agent is as diplomatic as he can be given the fact that the role would best be played by a strapping young man with exceptional

Sagittarius (November 22 – Dec 21)

Y’know?

Capricorn (December 22 – January 19)

For Dragon.

Aquarius (January 20 – February 18)

Then add a beefy arm.

running and leaping skills. "It's possible that no two-legged men will apply," the agent tells the applicant, "in which case you could get the part." Don't be like the one-legged man in this story, Aries. While I usually encourage you to think big and dream of accomplishing amazing feats, this is one time when you should respect your limitations.

‡

TAURUS (Apr 20 – May 20)

As I was meditating on your horoscope for this week, a song popped into my head: Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing." I instantly knew it was a message from my unconscious, meant to be delivered to your unconscious -- a perfect action plan for you to pursue in order to be in maximum alignment with the astrological omens. I encourage you to come up with your own interpretation of what "sexual healing" means for you, maybe even write your own lyrics. If you'd like to listen to the original for inspiration, go here: tinyurl.com/ SexHealing. P.S. You don't necessarily need a partner to conjure up the cure.

GEMINI (May 21 – Jun 20)

You probably get emails that close like this: "Sent from my iPhone." Maybe you even deliver emails like that yourself. Keep that detail in mind while I tell you the dream I had last night. In the dream, all of my Gemini friends had sent me poignant emails. Every one of them said something like, "I've got to get back to where I started from" or "There's something really important that I've got to do, but I can't remember what it is" or "I hear a voice calling my name but I don't know who it is or where it's coming from." And each of their emails ended like this: "Sent from my iSoul." I suspect my dream is in perfect accordance with

Pisces (February 19 – March 20)

Maybe another beefy arm.

Aries (March 21 – April 19)

How ‘bout a wing-a-ling?

your astrological omens, Gemini. It's time to go home, in every sense of the word.

≤

CANCER (Jun 21 – Jul 22)

My name was "Robbie" from birth till seventh grade. But as my adolescent hormones began to kick in, I decided I needed a more virile stature. My name became the punchier, sleeker "Rob." But with every year that passes, I find myself heading back in the direction of "Robbie." The clever severity of my youth yearns to meld with the buoyant tenderness I've been cultivating the past decade. I want my paradoxes to harmonize -- my blithe feminine qualities to cooperate with my aggressive masculine side, my bright-eyed innocence to synergize with my restless probing. So you can call me "Robbie" if you like, or "Rob," or sometimes one and sometimes the other. Isn't it time for you, too, my fellow Cancerian, to circle back and reclaim an early part of you that got lost along the way?

™

LEO (Jul 23 – Aug 22)

The Clash was a leftwing punk band that launched its career in 1979. With its dissident lyrics and experimental music, it aspired to make an impact on political attitudes. But then one of its songs, "Rock the Casbah," got so popular that college fraternity parties were playing it as feel-good dance music. That peeved the Clash's lead singer Joe Strummer, born under the sign of Leo. He didn't want his revolutionary anthems to be used as vulgar entertainment by bourgeois kids. I sympathize with his purity, but I don't advocate that approach for you. For now, relinquish control of your offerings. Let people use them the way they want to.

Taurus (April 20 – May 20)

Scream!

Gemini (May 21 – June 21)

Guitar!

Cancer (June 22 – July 22)

Find townspeople.

Birthdays this month Happy birthday to Jordan Young, Bryan Melanson, Jeff Davis, Sheilagh O'Leary, Rebecca Cohoe, Mark Callanan, Simone SavardWalsh, and Jonny Harris. Send birthday info to birthday@thescope.ca

Homework

Describe how you've fought off the seductive power of trendy cynicism without turning into a gullible Pollyanna. Go to Freewillastrology.com and click "Email Rob.".

Leo (July 23 – August 22)

Commence burnination.

Opening May 2009