Author: admin

Bibles and beers in Kingston, Ontario

It may be inappropriate, insensitive or blasphemous to some, but it’s definitely a proven method of attracting attention. We’re speaking, of course, about alcohol. The Café Church in Kingston, Ont. held a special service recently hoping to attract some new churchgoers from within their community. This special service was held in a pub. The first “Church in a Pub” event was apparently a success, having reportedly attracted around 100 new members to the congregation for the day. The service featured a christian rock band as well as a few drama and dance performances. The community’s outreach and evangelism director told the QMI Agency “We’re trying to make church cool again.” He also added that they’re considering another event on a Friday or Saturday night, you know, because Sunday mornings are overrated. Final fun fact: the Café Church is actually located in a former bar, so every week is pub week really.

Nuclear shipments to cross Great Lakes

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission has approved a controversial plan to ship 16 “retired’ nuclear steam generators through the Great Lakes, the Vancouver Sun reported. Bruce Power, Canada’s only private nuclear operator, will be transporting the decommissioned generators from Tiverton, Ont., through the lakes to Sweden for recycling. Public hearings in September of last year saw about 80 groups voice opposition to the plan, saying if they leaked during transport the radioactive waste could cause serious damage to the environment and Canada’s drinking water. Some of these groups included environmental groups, aboriginal associations and city representatives. But in last week’s ruling, the commission found Bruce Power would meet national and international safety standards for transporting nuclear substances, and that they would make adequate provisions to protect the environment and people’s safety.

Students tell minister to go fax herself

To protest rising tuition, students at St. Thomas University in New Brunswick sent over 100 faxes to the office of Martine Coulombe, the minister for post-secondary education. The president of the university’s student union told CBC that tuition is too high already and they want the government to freeze current rates and increase grants. The excessive faxes were their way of making sure the minister got the message. Various messages detailing the challenges students face because of tuition costs were faxed to the minister, who was actually scheduled to meet members of the student union last Friday. The union president also noted the significance of faxing the minister, saying that when the outdated technology was popular in the 1990s, tuition only cost around $1,900.

Elections Canada working for the youth vote

A new survey is being commissioned by Elections Canada in the hopes of finding ways to attract the thousands of young Canadians who don’t vote, the Canadian University Press reported. The proposed survey would involve 2,500 Canadians between 18 and 34 years old and is estimated to cost between $100,000 and $250,000. In the October 2008 federal election, only 37.4 per cent of voters between the ages of 18-24 went to the polls, significantly lower than the total turnout of 58.8 per cent, Canada’s lowest ever.

In a black room, dimly lit and fit with only two chairs and a projector, Orlando Fagin and Mikael Johansson sit down to discuss their journeys through a gauntlet of gender bending operations.

“Do you have to be either a man or a woman? Can’t you just be you?” asks Fagin. He and Johansson are the two subjects of the Swedish documentary film Regretters. Both are transsexual, and have either completed, or are in the process of completing a male to female, and back to male transformation. “I don’t know who I am,” says Fagin. “Sounds complicated,” responds Johansson. Fagin replies, “No, it isn’t, believe me.”

Fagin, who underwent one of the first successful sex reassignment surgeries, spent 11 years as a woman, married to a man. Once it was revealed that Fagin was a transsexual, his marriage collapsed. Johansson, who always felt he had more feminine qualities, decided to have the operation late in life. Post operation, Johansson admits he felt immediate regret, and spent the next eight years trying to come to terms with his decision, and planning its reversal.

The whole movie takes place in one room where Fagin and Johansson sit and talk about their lives while going through old slide photos of themselves at different stages of their procedures. Johansson, reserved, modest, and caught regretfully between his transition back to becoming a male, contrasts with Fagin, a self-assured exhibitionist, flamboyant and openly proud of his sometimes unidentifiable gender. Their differences make for an insightful discussion, peppered with moments of lament, reflection and the occasional whip of Fagin’s sense of humour. “My new dick is bigger,” he says, smiling. “I guess I got an added bonus!”

“Identity, and the search for identity, is far more complex than you might think,” explained Marcus Lindeen, playwright, journalist and director of the film. “It is certainly not so black and white.” Regretters is Lindeen’s debut documentary film, an adaptation of his play of the same name. The film is a conversation through which we are told the story of two people and their journey through their lives, questioning gender, identity, and attempting to come to terms with who they are, and what has brought them to where they are now. “This is a very respectful portrait of two human beings,” said Lindeen.

The director explained that although Regretters is about two transsexual men, he did not want the film to be directed towards the gay, lesbian and transsexual community, but rather to stand as a metaphor of all kinds of changes in a person’s life. “These are universal issues that I think everyone can, in some way, relate to,” said Lindeen.

Regretters had its international premiere at London’s Lesbian & Gay Film Festival this past year, and was featured in a multitude of other gay and lesbian film festivals and other documentary film festivals around the world. Lindeen admited that in the beginning there was some tension within the transsexual community about the film. “There were people in the audience who said they came to the screening with their guards up, feeling a potential threat that this film was going to be the one to put fuel on the fire and make things harder for them,” said Lindeen. “But from my experience with the people who have seen it, there has been a much better reaction.”

The film is a beautiful portrait of two people sharing their stories with one another and relating on common grounds that may, to most people, not be so common. It aims to take the concept of identity, of gender, who you are and who you are trying to become, and blur the lines.

Regretters screens at Cinema Politica on Tuesday, Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. in H-110. For more information, visit www.cinemapolitica.org.

The Concordian often goes with the line that students are apathetic. I rarely see an issue in which a headline doesn’t point out some disappointing lack of enthusiasm for fundraising walks, Skratch Bastid, student elections or something. Similarly, I’ve been told by university representatives that a lot of student space exists at Concordia &- government standards exist mandating a certain amount in new university buildings. So they stick in a few extra conference rooms and designate them for students. Students don’t use them, so maybe they don’t care about student space? I come from a (much-regretted) background in international development, and this all sounds familiar: “We organized this great thing for the people, why isn’t it working?”

Well, were any of these people ASKED what they want? Do they have any personal investment in this project, can they feel that their participation will accomplish anything? Maybe they can see from a mile away that the university’s project (such as begging for chump change from the community for scholarships while government funding and corporate taxes get slashed and slashed again) is poorly thought-out.

That’s why the WHALE, on Monday Feb. 14 at 11:30 a.m. (11 a.m. for grad students) at the Hall Building Terrace, is going to be so epic. This is a real grassroots initiative that is going to allow any student who comes to directly affect the policy of their student union, and directly make their voice heard. Undergraduates and graduates will hold legally binding general assemblies on the same day to vote on holding a day of action on the massive tuition increases coming up in 2012 among other motions &- and then we will have an awesome winter fair. This wasn’t a CSU initiative &- a regular student collected the 100 signatures needed to call a special general meeting in about half an hour. There has already been a huge amount of interest, so maybe before we get into this self-perpetuating narrative that such and such group of people is apathetic, we should look a little deeper.

Holly Nazar

MA Media Studies

Director for Arts & Science, GSA

Free Education Montreal

CASA presidential candidate Marianna Luciano will run unopposed in next week’s elections, but according to chief returning officer Stephanie Laurin, applications for many positions have gone up. “I would say actually say they’re higher than the last couple of years,” she said. “There are a lot of positions that are running opposed, whereas last year for the CASA executives, if you want to take that as an example, all positions except for one actually ran unopposed.”

Luciano is the outgoing president of the John Molson Marketing Association, one of seven subsidiary associations that fall under the JMSB umbrella that are also set to elect new presidents in next week’s elections. In the likely event that she is elected, Luciano aims to improve awareness about CASA: “[If we] go about it the right way we can really make a difference and make students know that CASA is there for them,” she said, “to help them, whether it’s now or when they graduate, in terms of finding jobs, learning how to find a job, networking, meeting other people, and just making their overall university experience a lot better.” She also encouraged students “to get involved, whether it’s to run for a position or just to get involved in the activities and events that we plan and the things that we can do such as the external conference program and the business banquet.”

With the exception of VP External, all other CASA executive positions will be contested. There will be no competition for any of the subsidiary presidential positions, however. In the case that a candidate is unopposed, CASA’s elections policy dictates “the candidate cannot be acclaimed to the position,” and must be voted in by majority by the Board of Directors.

Quorum is set at 2.5 per cent, a threshold Laurin does not foresee any problems reaching. For CASA, that represents a voter turnout of 180 students for an undergraduate body of approximately 7,200. “The campaign itself is extremely well marketed within the university,” she said. “I ran the byelections as well earlier this year and students take such a huge interest now. I don’t know what it’s been like in the past but I feel like there’s a huge interest in deciding who’s going to represent the student body.”

In CASA candidates run independently. To be nominated, they have to collect 50 signatures from the student body they are seeking to represent. Yesterday marked the beginning of the week-long campaign process. All CASA-JMSB students will have the opportunity to vote from Feb. 14 to 17 in the lobby of the Molson building.

Massimadi is a festival that wears several hats at the same time. The Montreal Afro-Caribbean LGBT film festival is at once a representation of the black-gay community on the big screen, an educational opportunity and an umbrella for all the issues that the community has to face.

This raises the dilemma of how to do all these things &- how to represent a community as vibrant and as diverse – when you have only 10 movies and a week to do it.

The festival is still a young venture. Its 2010 edition featured one film a week for a month. Needless to say, it has since grown considerably. Now in its third year, it is organized by local non-profit Arc en Ciel D’Afrique. Part of their mission is to combat homophobia in Quebec. Steve François, one of four festival coordinators, joined the organization last year. He came in with the hopes of improving what the festival had to offer. “[Last year] we didn’t feature a lot of the issues that the black community also has, about AIDS, about coming out when you’re black and in your community,” he explained.

The film selection is varied. The festival features movies from countries as far-flung as Uganda, the United States and the Bahamas. The topics broached, however, still resonate here. “The struggle is the same because you have to fight in your own community to be able to be accepted as gay,” François said. At their root, the issues are the same, but come in varying degrees. As François highlighted, gay rights are not progressing at the same pace in every part of the world.

The festival is dedicated to the memory of David Kato Kisule, a Ugandan activist murdered at the beginning of January. He’s also featured in The Kuchus of Uganda, which is being screened Thursday.

Ultimately, François hopes Massimadi will be a starting point. “We want to make sure that people know there are gays and lesbians in the black community – that we’re here, we’re in movies, we’re not just some statistic, we are people.” For him, the festival has to be an exchange &- with the people at the movie, with the community, and with Montreal.

STEVE’S PICKS (note to prod: small box for this if possible)

Here are three movies that festival coordinator Steve François says are must-sees.

Children of God

Three individuals set off to the island of Eleuthera to escape their problems.

Friday, Feb. 11 at 7:30 p.m. at the ONF, 1564 St-Denis St.

Black Aura on an Angel

A burgeoning love affair between two women is hurt by mental illness.

Friday, Feb. 11 at 6 p.m. at the ONF.

The Kuchus of Uganda

A documentary about radical Ugandan LGBT activists risk their lives in order to obtain gay rights.

Wednesday, Feb. 9 at 8 p.m. at the ONF.

Massimadi runs until Feb. 12. All screenings are free, but there is a suggested donation of $5. For the complete festival schedule, visit www.arcencieldafrique.org/massimadi/le-festival.

Massimadi is a festival that wears several hats at the same time. The Montreal Afro-Caribbean LGBT film festival is at once a representation of the black-gay community on the big screen, an educational opportunity and an umbrella for all the issues that the community has to face.

Before Elvis Costello released his debut album, My Aim Is True, in 1977, he had spent the better part of the 1970s working as a data entry clerk by day and performing in dive bars by night. After being hired as a songwriter by Stiff Records, Costello was brought in to record some song demos which proved so good that the label decided to release them under his name. Three weeks after his debut, he was already appearing on the cover of music magazines, something he later described as “an overnight success after seven years.”

Reminiscent of early rock n’ roll with a touch of 70’s punk attitude, the tracks are short, upbeat and catchy. Costello’s voice echoes through the gritty quality of the recordings, his singing raspy over the stripped down instrumentals. Including such classic Costello tracks as “Alison” and “Less Than Zero,” My Aim Is True is one of those albums that can express geeky feelings yet still totally rock.

Montreal progressive grunge band The Dears have been through a lot in their 16 years together. With their fifth full-length album, Degeneration Street, set for release later this month, the band has achieved great success locally and internationally, but has also gone through some pretty dark and difficult times.

After touring to promote the album Gang of Losers in 2006, The Dears began questioning whether or not continuing was an option.

“It was a really tough time after we toured for that album,” keyboardist Natalia Yanchak admitted. “We were working from No Cities Left right through to Gang of Losers. We were touring and writing nonstop.” The Dears released two albums – No Cities Left and Gang of Losers – in the span of three years, opting not to take a break in between. Yanchak believes that this is a major reason for the band’s rocky times.

“I think we created this situation where nobody had the time to think about themselves and their own lives and reflect,” Yanchak revealed. “It created a tension that became undeniable. Being in a band is like creating a new family, or like a very intimate relationship, without the sexual part,” she laughed. “So when someone leaves it can be very emotional. People need to be happy above all else. You can’t make someone do something they don’t want to do.”

After that dark period, Yanchak said goodbye to every member of The Dears except for lead singer and guitarist Murray Lightburn (her husband and father of their child, Neptune). “There was a point when we were both like, well what are we going to do, are we going to keep The Dears going or not?” Yanchak said. “We realized it wasn’t about us, what I or Murray wanted. We kind of felt like it was more about The Dears, whatever that was.”

The decision to work through the difficulties of relentless touring and constant studio work wasn’t necessarily an easy one for Lightburn and Yanchak, but they believed they owed it to their fans and supporters to continue.

“It was partly out of respect for our audience and to the people that have had our music mean so much to them.” Yanchak said. “It was to keep the spirit of The Dears alive, beyond any of our individual desires.” That spirit seemed to carry the group after Lightburn and Yanchak recruited past members to fill in the vacant spots.

The newly-formed fivesome went on to record their fourth full-length album, Missiles, in 2008, and toured behind the album persistently. Their hard work and passion led to the creation of their new album Degeneration Street, whose release date is Feb. 15.

“I’m pretty excited for the album’s release.” Yanchak boasted. “It’s definitely its own beast, but it’s also a classic The Dears album, kind of like No Cities Left.” When asked how she thinks the band has evolved, Yanchak explained: “The Dears are just a spirit of song, and it’s sort of our duty at this point in our lives to propel that spirit.”

For a deeper look at The Dears’ latest album, Degeneration Street, check out this weeks quick spins. The Dears will be performing at their album launch party on Feb. 14 at Sala Rosa. Entry is free.

Concordia University needs to do damage control in order to assure that donors continue to give to the university in the wake of the dismissal of president Judith Woodsworth, says Shaun Lynch, a fundraising consultant and JMSB marketing professor.

“Donors like to give to stable organizations and when there is controversy and they’re not hearing formal statements, that can lead to concerns,” said Lynch. He stressed the importance of public image to any institution wishing to raise funds and spoke of the immediate need for damage control.

Many donors to the university, including alumni, parents, faculty and staff, have been voicing their reluctance to donate again after the December dismissal.

“After the story at Concordia broke, a friend of mine came up to me and said, “you’re a donor to Concordia, are you still going to give money to them?’ and your first instinct is “well gee, I better revisit this,'” said Derek Cassoff, an annual donor and graduate of Concordia’s journalism program.

Many donors feel the same way; some have lost their trust in the university, others fear their money is going to fund severance packages, and others still are reluctant to donate because they disagree with the way Concordia is managed.

Cassoff reiterated the demand from donors for openness and honesty from top-level management at Concordia. “I guess the one thing I’m looking for the most would be information. So I’d really like to see some transparency and I’d like to see a little bit more of an explanation in terms of why certain decisions were made and what was the reasoning behind them.”

When asked what could be done to uphold and maintain public image, Concordia’s head of media relations Chris Mota said she wasn’t in a position to answer.

While interim president Frederick Lowy and his team have scrambled to bring stability to the university since before he officially started the job on Feb. 2, a great number of donors have made their presence known online in the form of comments on related articles on news websites.

“I will not be donating another red cent to the university,” read one comment. “Time to stop donating to this out-of-touch, decadent university until they reform,” read another.

Fundraisers dismissed the claims in a Feb. 1 article in the Link that donations through the university’s call centre had dipped as “inaccuracies and distortions.” The letter to the newspaper said that the month’s “average gift actually increased.”

Donations represent a critical part of the university’s operating budget. Most go to specific areas such as financial aid and awards.

“People are feeling like their donation dollars are being used for severance packages or whatever. People need to understand, that’s not where their money is going, that if they’re designating their money for charitable uses in the university, it’s going to those charitable uses,” explained Lynch.

“The reality is that if I were to withhold my donations, who am I really penalizing? It’s the students, who wouldn’t get this money otherwise and who need it the most,” said Cassoff, confirming that he will continue to offer donations to Concordia.

Lynch said the university should, as a part of its damage control efforts, speak with donors and explain where their money goes.

“One of the mistakes that people make in fundraising, is that they spend too much time talking and not enough time listening to what the donors have to say.”

With few ideas and even less time to find the perfect gift, Jonathan Brun grabbed some of his girlfriend’s underwear, hopped on a bike and rushed to the nearest lingerie store. Thinking he could use the few pieces he had “borrowed” as a guide, he attempted to pick out items she would like. After scanning the boutique, Brun realized that he had absolutely no clue which brands she preferred.

“I simply bought the most expensive items and matched the sizes to the ones I brought with me,” Brun said. “Not the most elegant solution to buying a gift, but it worked.”

Brun was lucky, but not every boyfriend can get away with a last minute shopping spree. Now, thanks to makeyourgirlfriendhappy.com, a site Brun founded several months ago, guys no longer have to tend to her needs unguided. And with Valentine’s Day in less than a week, there is no better time to ensure your girlfriend’s happiness.

Make Your Girlfriend Happy has boyfriends submit their email address, their relationship anniversary and their girlfriend’s birthday in order to receive free email reminders both two weeks and three days before these important dates in order to prevent them from being forgotten. Users can also sign up for a weekly newsletter devoted to tips on a range of topics like complimenting, sexting and romancing.

Next, guys have the option to invite their girlfriends to the site so that they can fill out their preferred sizes and brands for items such as clothing, jewelry, shoes and lingerie. There is also an area where girls submit a custom present like a spa weekend or romantic getaway. For guys who would rather keep the site a secret from their girls, there is that option too.

By filling in your address, makeyourgirlfriendhappy.com recommends gifts from nearby stores, and match both your girlfriend’s preferences and your price limit. The site also lets you sign up for several package deals. There is the Safety Net which delivers flower bouquets on the three “holy dates,” birthday, anniversary and Valentine’s Day for $250 including shipping. The Get Out of the Doghouse package which sends your girlfriend seven presents over seven days and the Big Ballers Club which offers monthly gift deliveries.

Despite founding a website dedicated to making girlfriends happy, Brun’s Valentine’s Day plans are still up in the air. “[I am] still looking for a date,” he said.

In honour of Valentine’s Day, the site is running a V-Day countdown. Head online to makeyourgirlfriendhappy.com/countdown for gift recommendations each day until Thursday.

Though they’ve only been playing regularly for two years, it seems like Silly Kissers have graced every stage in town. From not-so-secret lofts to some of the city’s largest venues, this five-piece local electro-pop band have become a fixture of the Mile End scene.

Known for their high-energy shows, it is unsurprising that an interview with the band &- who appear not to know about speakerphone &- would turn into a dizzying exchange of the receiver.

Vocalist Jane Penny is bubbly and articulate, with an easy laugh. Guitarist David Carriere, on the other hand, has a Cobain-esque nonchalance that edges on impertinence. Speaking to them on the phone, I found myself somewhere in the confusing middle of their conversation, but managed to get the gist of what’s new in the Silly Kissers’ universe.

The band takes its name “from a movie where a little girl kisses her grandmother,” explained Carriere. At this, Penny mumbled in the background. “Oh yeah, [she] is kissing an old man &- and says “We’re silly kissers!’ which I thought was kind of gross,”continued Carriere, to which Penny let out peels of laughter.

The band has teamed up with indie-hipster label Arbutus Records, who represent other local acts like Braids and Pop Winds. Currently finishing their first “official” full-length before heading out onto the road, Silly Kissers’ newest release will feature a departure from their signature sound as they begin to “strip down” their set and debut a live rhythm section.

“It feels like we haven’t really started as a band. Like we’ve just been fucking around a lot,” said Carriere, to more laughter from Penny. “It’s been fun but &- you know.” At this point Penny took the receiver and clarified, “We’re trying to play more as a band and less like an electronic band. It’s still going to be pop-y but we’re not going to have the same electronic pulse.”

Along with this new sound, the band expects to tour a lot more. “We’ve played a lot of shows in Montreal but outside of here nobody really knows us. So it’s just a matter of getting the record released and going outside of the city,” said Carriere.

So far, they’ve played the United States a few times, mostly in New York, which has been a hit-and-miss experience. “The first time was fun but the second time nobody really liked us at all,” said Carriere. Penny interjected in the background, “No that’s not true!”

And such are the many growing pains of getting into rock “n’ roll. Not to say that Silly Kissers aren’t doing well. Slotted to play this year’s Canadian Music Week in Toronto, having played CMJ 2009 in New York, as well as being nominated for CBC’s Bucky Awards in the Best New Band category, the group is clearly on the right track.

Now all there is left to see is how this new sound will do with audiences. “It’ll definitely be interesting to see if we can get people to dance as much now,” said Penny. “Hopefully we’ll still be able to get people to have fun.”

This doesn’t seem to be such a difficult obstacle, for as I hung up, the silence in the room made me sigh a little while fits of laughter and joyous revelry appeared to echo from the other side of town.

Have a listen to Silly Kissers here: soundcloud.com/sillykissers/sets/sk/

Silly Kissers play at La Sala Rossa Feb. 16. Tickets are $12.

While the number of executive candidates has decreased for this year’s ASFA elections, the VP finance position has remained sought after and it is the only position with three candidates competing. Here are some candidate specs:

Laura Gomez

Qualifications: “I was part of AISEC Concordia which is an organization focused on international exchange as well as leadership development. And with them I was VP information management which means I was the person in charge of documentation and Internet support so I am familiar with using online resources […] I was also VP Internal of the Latin American Students Organization.”

Platform: “The biggest thing I would like to work on is transparency because it’s important that people know where the money is going. There are 8,000 students in ASFA and it’s essential that they have access to certain documentation that concerns their resources. So I want to provide this documentation.

“I feel like not many students know what ASFA is […] and I feel more student should know about it. The way to go about it is to work with other clubs and associations to get the word out and also to support them. That way students will know what ASFA is and they will also feel that we are accountable to them and we support them.”

Pier-Luc Therrien Peloquin

Qualifications: “I’m currently the political science student association VP finance on leave as well as sitting on ASFA’s financial committee and I’m an ASFA councillor. So I’ve seen how things work from the inside, I’ve been there, I’ve had to deny funding to projects people have worked hard on to accommodate other associations who also needed the funding.”

Platform: “In the annexes of the laws of ASFA there is a certain percentage all the associations are entitled to, their costs, their work. I want to change that. I want to raise from 42 per cent to 50 per cent the money allocated to the member associations, reduce ASFA’s operating costs, reduce spending on frosh or at least make it more accessible to students. It’s all part of my platform.

“Also putting the budget online, more open policies. And I will be accessible.”

Ben Prunty

Qualifications: “I have managerial experience where I have been trusted with the money of a very wealthy Canadian entrepreneur. I negotiated prices with other businesses, organized and chaired staff meetings, mediated between opposing parties and resolved conflicts, to name just a few of my responsibilities. Also I feel that I have an age advantage over the other candidates and at 23 my diversity of life experiences will be a great help, I am sure.”

Platform: “If elected I will thoroughly evaluate the situation before the following year and I will make adjustments where I see fit, more importantly I will seek the advice of the previous VP finance councillors who had fulfilled their duties well. It is also wise to review the mistakes of past councillors for the obvious reason of not repeating them. Allocation will be based on entitlement and needs. I will work closely with the faculty rep’s with the ultimate goal of stretching our money as far as it can go.”

These interviews have been edited for length.