verb issue r28 (may 18-24, 2012)

Free weekly May 18–24, 2012 • Pass it on

Verb VerbNew SK ScholarshipUp To $2,000 For University Students P3

The StrumbellasAlt-Funky Rockers Get Funky P11

The DictatorBaron Cohen Rules In Political Satire P15

Fist Pump RecordMan Grooves For 16 Hours P7

Del Barber Winnipeg Musician On Where The Road Leads P9

Photo: courtesy of Mark Maryanovich

SectionPage PHPH PH–PH, ‘PHVerbNews.comLocal

May 18–24, ‘12VerbNews.com

Regina To Raise Debt Ceiling To $350M75 Percent Increase Thanks To Several New Projects, Including Library BranchALex J MAcPherSoN

ReGINA, SK — A spate of big projects and rising expectations have driven the City of Regina to reconsider its debt ceiling — and increase it by 75 percent.

council voted to increase the cap, the amount of money a city is allowed to borrow, from $200 million to $350 million.

The increase must be approved by the Saskatchewan Municipal Board, but city officials do not

foresee any difficulties.“I’d almost say we’re almost

being encouraged to do it,” says councillor Mike o’Donnell. “This is rather open-ended so the money could be there, and further, I always say each one of these decisions will be made in the public and on their own merits.”

Brent Sjoberg, deputy city man-ager and chief financial officer, agrees.

“The city has a good credit rating right now,” he explains. “We’re in a good place right now [and] we’re confident that we’re managing this well.”

regina is currently carrying about $90 million in outstanding debt, but several new projects will require extensive borrowing. A $150 million wastewater treatment plant, a new downtown library branch, and $80 million for the $1 billion regina revitalization Initiative, a mixed use neighbourhood project that includes a new football stadi-um, are all undertakings prompting the city to borrow more money.

“You add all those things up and it comes to quite a significant

amount,” says Sjoberg.o’Donnell says the proposed

increase is being driven by growth.“one, it definitely is a reaction to

growth and the fact that we are go-ing to, by all appearances, continue to grow,” he states. “Secondly, it’s a reaction to expectations. People’s

e x p e c t a t i o n s have also risen, so some of the old structures and old facilities we have just don’t meet what people ex-

pect anymore, and they want to have better.”

The Municipal Board typically permits a city to borrow a sum equivalent to its yearly revenue, Sjoberg explains. In 2010 regina took in $471 million; by 2016 the city expects its revenue to exceed $500 million. The requested $350 million ceiling is still well below what would be normally allowed.

“By that rule of thumb, we seem to be in good shape,” o’Donnell says.

Though city administration might dream of being able to pay for projects as they come up, in most cases that is not feasible. But,

Sjoberg says, “not all debt is a bad thing.” In certain cases, he explains, borrowing can be cheaper and more efficient than saving.

First, borrowing spreads the cost of a particular asset over the time that people will benefit from it.

Second, it removes the need to pay for inflation: rising construction costs can add a significant amount to the total bill if it is paid for later rather than sooner.

Third, borrowing is more flexible than saving.

cities can shop around for the best rates and build when projects are needed, not one or more years in the future.

And, according to o’Donnell, there is another upside to borrow-ing.

“Any time we borrow it has to go before council; any time it goes before council it is in the public forum,” he explains. “That means people can always come forward and state their view and can influ-ence council.”

“It says there may be municipal dollars to do municipal projects, but it also invites other people to be part of that process,” he adds.

Feedback? Text it to 306-881-8372.

Photo: courtesy of Daniel Paquet

“[S]ome of the old structures … just don’t meet what people expect anymore…”

-Mike O’Donnell

SectionPage PHPH PH–PH, ‘PHVerbNews.comLocal


New Scholarship For Students Revealedhigh School Graduates heading To University Are eligible For Up To $2,000ALex J MAcPherSoN

ReGINA, SK — High school graduates headed for the prov-ince’s universities and trade schools will soon get a break from the government — a break to the tune of $500 per year.

Beginning this summer the Sas-katchewan Ad-vantage Scholar-ship will provide high school grad-uates bound for post-secondary institutions with $500 per year, up to a lifetime maximum of $2,000. The scholarship will be available to anyone enrolling in an institution recognized by canada-Saskatche-wan Student Loans.

“It ’s another investment in young people in Saskatchewan,” says Minister of Advanced educa-tion, employment and Immigration rob Norris.

“What we know today is there are more than 11,000 jobs open

and available in the province. We know that that’s going to increase by tens of thousands, but we also know too that increasingly more skills training and more education are … required for students.”

“We’re trying to send a really clear message to our students,” he

continues. “We’re going

to help make sure that post-secondary edu-cation and skills

training is more affordable and more accessible for those that are leaving high school, graduating, and then moving onto the post-secondary sector.”

The scholarship is expected to distribute $4.5 million to about 8,500 graduates, Norris explains, adding that the program will be evaluated regularly to ensure the money is being well-spent.

The scholarship fits into a suite of measures aimed at post-secondary students, including the Innovation

and opportunities Scholarship, and the Graduate retention Program. Norris says the investment was prompted by the fact that jobs re-quire higher levels of education and training than ever before.

“This is among the most com-prehensive and progressive benefit packages for students of any cana-dian province,” he adds.

cam Broten, opposition critic for Advanced education, employ-ment and Immigration, thinks the government should adopt a two-pronged approach to making post-secondary education accessible.

“It ties into the larger question of affordability, but also what support is being given to post-secondary institutions and what implications there are for students,” Broten says. “Support for students and support for families through such scholar-ships, that’s something people sup-port and people appreciate, but it’s important to look at the other side of the equation as well.”

According to Statistics canada,

the average undergraduate tuition rate increased by four percent be-tween 2010 and 2011, from $4,942 to $5,138.

Tuition fees in Saskatchewan jumped five percent in the same period, from $5,173 to $5,431.

“It’s important to keep that broader perspective,” Broten con-tinues, “to see whether or not fund-ing provided through such schol-arships or bursaries will simply be eaten up by higher tuition.”

N o r r i s s t a t e s t h a t t h e

government believes it’s provid-ing a balanced approach.

“We know there’s always more to do, but with record investments in post-secondary education in our first five budgets — $3.5 billion in post-secondary education — we think this is making and having a real and desired effect: affordability and accessibility for students and ensuring that the institutions have the resources they need to continue to operate,” he says.


Photo: courtesy of the University of Saskatchewan

“It’s another investment in young people in Saskatchewan.”

-Rob Norris

SectionPage PHPH PH–PH, ‘PHVerbNews.comGlobal


NeeDLe PAIN — Looking away as a nee-dle punctures your skin makes it hurt less, according to new research from Germany. Study participants received painful and non-painful stimuli to one of their hands while watching either a video of a hand being pinched by a needle, a hand being touched by a Q-tip or a hand with nothing touching it. Those who watched the needle video reported more intense pain. Feedback? Text it to 306-881-8372.

Global At A Glance

Genes Shape CharacterNature Impacts Personality More Than NurtureADAM hAWBoLDT

eDINBURGH, SCOTLAND — Nature has landed another flush blow in its never-ending bout against nurture.

edinburgh University research-ers have discovered that genes play a much greater role than our upbringing when it comes to key

personality traits like social skills and learning capacity.

Timothy Bates, who led the study, and his team arrived at this conclusion after examining 800 sets of identical and non-identical twins. Twins of both kinds were used because, for the most part, they share the same home environ-ment, yet it’s only identical twins who also share the same genetics.

The participants were asked a series of question about how they perceived themselves and others, and their answers were then ap-plied to a well-established psycho-logical scale.

Bates and his colleagues found that identical twins were twice as likely to share the same personality traits, which suggests that DNA has a much greater impact in determin-ing who we are. The finding flies in the face of an existing belief among

psychologists that where and how we grow up plays the most impor-tant role in determining personality.

“Previously, the role of family and the environment around the home often dominated people’s ideas about what affected psycho-logical wellbeing,” explains Bates. “however, this work highlights a much more powerful influence from genetics … If you think of things that people are born with you think of social status or virtuoso talent, but this is looking at what we do with what we’ve got.”


You Become What You readADAM hAWBoLDT

hANover, Nh — have you ever read Jack Kerouac’s On The Road and felt the urge to drive cross coun-try? Did hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas make you want to take a wild, morally am-biguous drug trip in search of the American Dream?

According to new research, readers have a way of losing them-selves in fiction to the point where their behaviour and thoughts can morph to match those of their fa-vourite characters. Geoff Kaufman, a post-doctoral researcher at Dartmouth college, and his co-author Lisa Libby have dubbed

vicariously experiencing the emo-tions, thoughts and beliefs of the characters, “experience-taking.”

This can have a positive ef-fect and change us for the better,

Kaufman thinks, noting that if you bonded with To Kill a Mocking-b i rd ’s At t i c u s Finch, you might become more fo-

cused on ethical behaviour.Interestingly, Kaufman believes

this effect occurs only with written works.

“When we watch a movie, by the very essence of it, we’re posi-tioned as spectators,” he explains. “So it’s hard to imagine yourself as the character.”


“Previously, the role of family … dominated people’s ideas about what affected … wellbeing.”

-Timothy Bates

“[e]xperiencing [characters’] emotions [is dubbed] ‘experience-taking.’”

-Adam Hawboldt

SectionPage PHPH PH–PH, ‘PHVerbNews.comGlobal


BIONIC eye — Stanford University re-searchers have created a bionic eye that will allow blind people who have age-related macular degeneration and

retinitis pigmentosa to see shapes and colours. current eye implants are bat-tery powered, but this new version uses infrared glasses to power the

solar panel-like contraption. A retinal implant is attached to the back of the eye, and the glasses do the work from there. Feedback? Text it to 306-881-8372.

Global At A Glance

Temperature of Food Impacts Taste: StudyADAM hAWLBoLDT

ST. cAThArINeS, oN — The temperature of food can have a significant impact on how we think it tastes, new research has revealed.

A team of re-searchers at Brock University in on-tario have proven that changes in temperature of food and drink affect how sour, bitter and astringent something tastes, though it doesn’t impact sweetness.

“For some individuals, tempera-ture alone can elicit taste sensa-tions,” the researchers concluded. “These individuals seem to be more sensitive to tastes in general. What

our work shows is that, in addition to these sensitive individuals, the temperature of a specific taste can affect how intense it tastes.”

The scientists recruited 74 par-ticipants. over the course of three

s e s s i o n s , t h e subjects tasted sweet, sour, bit-ter and astringent (think cranberry juice) solutions at

5° celsius and 35° celsius, and were then asked to rate the intensity of taste.

For all of the testers, tempera-ture influenced everything but sweetness.

Astringency was more extreme when the solution was warm; what’s more, the power of its flavour lasted

longer with the warm solution than the cold one. The same held true with sourness.

As for bitterness, it was more intense when cold and the intensity declined faster in the cold solution than the warm one.


Stay Sober PillsTablet Weakens effect of BoozeADAM hAWLBoLDT

NeW HAVeN, CT — It seems like there’s a pill for everything these days: pills for depression, pills for weight loss, pills for erec-tions and hair loss and anxiety.

And p re t t y soon there may be a pill on the market that can stop you from getting drunk.

create d by Yale University researchers, ioma-zenil, when taken before drinking alcohol, will weaken the effects booze has on your brain, thus, al-lowing you to stay sober for longer.

Scientists hope it could help wean heavy drinkers off the bottle.

“A medication that has the po-tential to block alcohol actions in the central nervous system could act as a unique medication in the

treatment of alcohol intoxication and alcoholism,” Yale researcher Deepak D’Souza told the Daily Telegraph.

“Alcohol is abused commonly but there is no remedy for alcohol intoxication.”

Designed to al-low you to toler-ate booze better, researchers post that iomazeri l would take the pleasure out of

drinking, thus quelling the urge to drink in the first place.

That being said, it is unlikely the drug would protect organs like your liver and your kidneys from any damage.

currently, the research being conducted at Yale is looking at io-mazeril and its effects on intoxica-tion and driving.


“Alcohol is abused commonly but there is no remedy for alcohol intoxication.”

-Deepak D’Souza

“For some individuals, temperature alone can elicit taste sensations.”

-The researchers

FeatureMay 18–24, ‘12VerbNews.com

Festival Of Cultures Celebrates 45 yearsMosaic 2012 Brings Food, Drink, entertainment From Around The World To YouSeBASTIeN DANGerFIeLD

ReGINA, SK — Does watching a traditional Korean folk dance, while eating bulgogi and learn-ing how to say “hello” in Hangul interest you?

how about sinking your teeth into a piece of jerk chicken as

smooth reggae licks waft behind a daring fire eater?

If so, you’re not going to want to miss Mosaic 2012: A Festival of cultures. Now in its 45th year, the festival has come a long way since its early days.

“When it all started, it was just a one day, all-under-one-roof kind of thing,” says Terry Zwarych, the festival’s co-chair. “Then, year after year, it slowly morphed into what it is now.”

And what it is now is something else: a massive city-wide festival that celebrates the vast array of cultural groups in Queen city, Mo-saic ranks up there with other large events of a similar nature.

“It’s one of the 50 largest cultural festivals in North America,” explains Zwarych. “This year there are 19 pavilions spread all over the city. There are some at the university, some in their own clubs, some in the exhibition grounds. They’re all there for you to go out and get im-mersed in another culture.”

If you’re wondering how the fes-tival works, it’s simple. First up: buy a passport ($14 adults/$9 youth and seniors). This will get you into all the pavilions (as many times as you want) as well as access to transpor-tation. There are six separate bus routes, each taking you to certain designated pavilions.

once you get to a pavilion, there will be entertainment specific to that culture and traditional food available.

“In 10 minutes you can have some of the best lasagna, some of the best baklava and ouzo and then some of the best perogies you’ll ever eat,” says Zwarych.

“This is not prepackaged stuff … It’s stuff that, if you went to someone’s house, this is what you’d be eating. And the enter-tainment at each pavilion, well, it’s

just awesome.”Along with shows and meals,

each pavilion also has cultural dis-plays and people eager to answer questions so you can learn about their culture while having fun.

And speaking of fun, for the sec-ond year the festival will include the Three Amazing Days contest.

Based on the Amazing race, this contest requires you to go to as many pavilions as you can, get codes by means of dancing, speak-ing or searching the building, then either filling out the codes page in the passport or texting the codes in.

Depending on how many places you visit and how many codes you

get, you’ll be entered to win $1,000-$4,000 WestJet vouchers.

“We started this last year, and at first some of the moms and dads had enough, but the kids wanted to keep going,” says Zwarych. “In the end, though, everybody ended up loving it.”

Mosaic 2012: A Festival of

cultures will be running from May 31 to June 2; for more information, go to http://reginamulticultural-council.ca or call the regina Multi-cultural council at 757-5990.

You can also follow the Mosaic: A Festival of cultures on Facebook or Twitter.


“And the entertainment at each pavilion, well, it’s just awesome.”

-Terry Zwarych

Photo: courtesy of RMC - Mosaic

Regina Highland Dancers at the Mosaic 2012: A Festival of Cultures kick-off week

OffbeatMay 18–24, ‘12VerbNews.com

Man runs race In hot Air BalloonADAM hAWBoLDT

cANBerrA, AUSTrALIA — Most people run marathons on land, but not rob Ginnivan.

The 47-year-old Australian, who has been in 18 marathons on six dif-ferent continents, recently finished a half marathon on a treadmill — while floating in a hot air balloon. Ginnivan first thought of running in a mid-air marathon when he and his wife Kristen took a hot air balloon

ride to celebrate their anniversary.“While I was up there I had the

‘ah-ha’ moment that maybe a tread-mill might fit in here, and I could run a marathon,” he explains.

Now that his mid-air run is over, Ginnivan has completed his land, air and sea campaign to raise money for the heart Foundation. Last year he ran a land marathon in Morocco and ran an ultra-marathon aboard a ship.

Feedback? Text it to 306-881-8372.Fist Pump Record TriedMan Grooves For 16 hours In Dance Move FirstADAM hAWBoLDT

AKRON, OH — Some people will do just about anything to set a Guinness World Record.

Take James Peterson, for ex-ample.

Peterson was recently at Man-ny’s Pub in Akron, ohio, when he started pumping his fist in the air.

he didn’t stop for the next 17 hours.

Peterson, 34, said it was his goal to create his own world record for the longest continuous fist pump.

“I have set the qualifications for this record,” said Peterson while fist

pumping around the University of Akron campus.

“And every minute that I do this is a new record.”

And to ensure that he set a long and impressive record, Peterson —

an unemployed e le c tr ic ian — didn’t take any chances.

“ M y f i s t i s super-glued to-gether to ensure

I maintain perfect fist formation,” he added.

A seasoned veteran of the fist-pumping scene, Peterson says he likes the Jersey-style fist pump (where you use your elbow to roll your fist) better than simply

thrusting his fist in the air.And this is not the first time

he tried setting a new record for Jersey-style fist pumping.

“I did this on St. Patrick’s Day,” he explained, “but it was not docu-mented.”

This time around, though, he didn’t make the same mistake. his deed was recorded on dual cameras operated by clay hunt and Matt rohrbach of Zinnihunt Productions.

What’s more, for additional proof, Peterson asked strangers he ran into to sign the neon yellow polo shirt he was wearing during his effort.

Peterson will now send footage of his deed to Guinness.


OLDeST yOGI — Tao Porchon-Lynch is the world’s oldest yoga instructor. Not only is the 93-year-old, who lives in New York, now a Guinness World records recipient, she’s also a dance

competitor, and has no plans of stop-ping any time soon. “I’m going to teach yoga until I can’t breathe anymore,” she tells the Telegraph. Feedback? Text it to 306-881-8372.

Offbeat At A Glance

‘Poo-Machine’ exhibit Mimics human DigestionADAM hAWBoLDT

TASMANIA, AUSTrALIA — You’ll be hard-pressed to find an exhib-ited piece of artwork quite like the “cloaca Professional, 2010.”

created by Belgian artist Wim Delvoye and housed in the Mu-seum of old and New Art (MoNA) in Tasmania, the “cloaca Profes-sional, 2010” — dubbed the “poo machine” — was designed to mimic the human digestive system.

easily the most talked-about piece in the MoNA, which itself has been nicknamed the subversive, a dult D isn ey -land, the poop machine consists of a series of glass receptacles that hang in a row. The machine is fed twice a day on one end, the food is ground up naturally (the way it is in the human body) and is expelled at 2pm daily on the other end.

And the “cloaca” is by no means the only strange and/or disgust-

ing exhibit in the MoNA.

owned by phi-lanthropist David Walsh, who made

his fortune as a professional gam-bler, the MoNA houses one of the largest private collections in the world, which is worth an estimated $100 million.


“The machine is fed twice a day on one end…”

-Adam Hawboldt

“My fist is super-glued together to ensure I maintain perfect fist formation.”

-James Peterson

MusicMay 18–24, ‘12VerbNews.com

Friday 18CHRIS CARLIeR & THe SCARLeTTS — You name it, this local musician plays it, includ-ing tenor sax, guitar, piano, percussion, clarinet and didgeridoo. And much like his ability to jump from one instrument to another, carlier is equally at home in a host of music genres. Playing with the Scarletts, he makes mellow pop/folk music that goes well with wine. 8:30pm, Artesian on 13. Tickets are $20 at the door, $15 in advance at Mysteria Gallery.THe LOVIN’ SPOONFUL — In 1965, two rock n’ rollers from Long Island teamed up with two folk musicians from Greenwich village to form The Lovin‘ Spoonful, and in 2000 they were inducted into the rock and roll hall of Fame. In between, they recorded such memorable songs as “Do You Believe In Magic” and “Summer in the city.” Be sure to check these guys out when they come to regina. 8pm, Casino Regina. Tickets $30–35, available at the box office, online at www.casinoregina.com or by calling 565-3000.DJ PAT & DJ KIM — Local DJs spin top 40 hits every Friday night that are sure to get you on the dance floor. 9pm, Habano’s Martini & Cocktail Club. $5 at the door.ALAIN LALONDe — come check out this dope local DJ/producer as he does his thing and spins the kind of sound that’ll make you wanna dance. 7pm, The Hookah Lounge. No cover.SLOW MOTION WALTeR — regina’s own Bryan Baker (lead vocals and guitars), Laural Frey (lead vocals), Paul cybulski (keyboards and vocals), Jamie Bohach (lead guitar and vocals), Dave hoffert (bass guitar and vocals) and Bruce Beaton (drums and vo-cals) take hits from the ‘80s and toss in a liberal dose of music from today’s Top 40 for a show that has a little something for everyone. come check out what this talented local band is all about. 10pm, McNally’s Tavern. $5 at the door.ROyAL CANOe — If you’re into falset-tos, guitars, effects pedals, drums, basses, tambourines, shakers, five-keyboard super-weapons, and one awesome, poppy sound, come check out this six-piece from Win-nipeg Also appearing will be Lauren Mann and the Fairly odd Folk. 9pm, O’Hanlon’s Pub. No cover.LeANNe PeARSON — This 22-year-old

singer/songwriter from Winnipeg has a natural charisma and a sweet, warm voice that takes centre stage. 8pm, The Pump Roadhouse. Tickets TBD.

ALBeRT — Appearing every Friday night, come listen to Albert as he does his spin-ning thing. 10pm, Pure Ultra Lounge. cover $5.

SONIC ORCHID — consisting of Kristina Gasparic (vocals/keyboard/guitar), Brad evanochko (guitar/vocals), c.J. cook (bass/vocals) and Grant Frew (drums/vocals), this female-fronted rock band is all kinds of good. From soaring vocals to catchy guitar riffs and driving drums, this local four-piece has a sound that’s kind of a melodic-pop-rock-metal for the new millennium 9pm, The Sip. cover TBD.

TIM ROMANSON — This multi-instrument performer is a singer/songwriter from cen-tral Saskatchewan who plays a brand of outlaw country-rock that’s often accom-panied by a damn dynamic fiddle show. 8pm, Whiskey Saloon. cover $10.

Saturday 19Rye N’ THe VATS — If it’s eclectic you’re looking for, then look no farther. This local seven piece is made up of eclectic musi-cians playing a mix of styles that involve tubas, trumpets, banjos and more. 8pm, Artesian on 13. Tickets TBD.

P O O R yO U N G TH I N GS W/JA M e S STRUTHeRS — Straight out of Thunder Bay, ontario, this five-piece has a sound that’s kind of like Tom Petty meets Powderfinger with a touch of something extra. They’ll be joined by James Struthers, a gifted songwriter with a soulful voice. 6:30pm, The Club. Tickets TBD.

COUNTeRPARTS, yOUR DeMISe, HUN-DReTH, GIDeON — Prepare to be rocked, regina. With four of heaviest, hardest bands you’ll hear in some time, this is go-ing to be a metal show that’ll knock you out of your socks. 7:30pm, The Exchange. Tickets $10, available at vintage vinyl and Madame Yes.

DJ NOOR — Born in Kuwait and exposed to the international club scene at a young age, this talented DJ knows how to rock a crowd. 7pm, The Hookah Lounge. cover $5

SLOW MOTION WALTeR — regina’s own Bryan Baker (lead vocals and guitars), Laural

Frey (lead vocals), Paul cybulski (keyboards and vocals), Jamie Bohach (lead guitar and vocals), Dave hoffert (bass guitar and vocals) and Bruce Beaton (drums and vo-cals) take hits from the ‘80s and toss in a liberal dose of music from today’s Top 40 for a show that has a little something for everyone. come check out what this talented local band is all about. 10pm, McNally’s Tavern. $5 at the door.

LeANNe PeARSON — This 22-year-old singer/songwriter from Winnipeg has a natural charisma and a sweet, warm voice that takes centre stage. 8pm, The Pump Roadhouse. Tickets TBD.

DReWSKI — Doing what he does best, every Saturday night. come on down and dance the night away with this local DJ. Pure Ultra Lounge. cover $5.

SONIC ORCHID — consisting of Kristina Gasparic (vocals/keyboard/guitar), Brad evanochko (guitar/vocals), c.J. cook (bass/vocals) and Grant Frew (drums/vocals), this female-fronted rock band is all kinds of good. From soaring vocals to catchy guitar riffs and driving drums, this local four-piece has a sound that’s kind of a melodic-pop-rock-metal for the new millennium 9pm, The Sip. cover TBD.

TIM ROMANSON — This multi-instrument performer is a singer/songwriter from cen-tral Saskatchewan who plays a brand of outlaw country-rock that’s often accom-panied by a damn dynamic fiddle show. 8pm, Whiskey Saloon. cover $10.

Sunday 20HOOPSNAKe W/ReBUILD, RePAIR — hoopsnake is metal band out of Squamish, B.c., rebuild, repair are punks from ed-monton. Together they threaten to put on one heckuva heavy awesome show. 7pm, The Club. Tickets TBD.

BLACK DAHLIA MURDeR — comprised of Trevor Strnard (vocals), Brian eschbach (guitar), ryan Knight (guitar), Max Lavelle (bass) and Shannon Lucas (drummer), this American metal band’s last four albums have cracked the US Billboard 200 charts. They’ll be joined by exhumed and F*ck the Facts. 7pm, The Exchange. Tickets are $25, available at www.culturalexchange.ca

eLeCTRIC KITTeN — coming at you straight out of Winnipeg, this talented and sexy DJ plays everything from electro and house to mashups. She’s sure to set the dance floor on fire. 9pm, Pure Ultra Lounge. Tickets TBD.

WHATeVeR — Wanna see a bumping live show? come on down and try this on for size. 9pm, The Sip. Tickets TBD.

Tuesday 22ZeUS — Touted by Broken Social Scene’s Jason collett as the “next great canadian rock band,” this four-piece from ontario’s star is certainly on the rise. Since dropping their first full-length album, Say Us, in 2010, Zeus has been busy touring, honing its three-part hipster-like harmonies on the road. The opening act will be Wake owl. 8pm, The Exchange. Tickets $13, available at www.ticketedge.ca

KARAOKe TUeSDAy — Famous live music venue offers its patrons a chance to share the stage. 8pm, McNally’s Tavern. No cover.

Wednesday 23WeDNeSDAy NIGHT FOLK — Featuring Tara Dawn Solheim, a return engagement

for this local musician known for her unique and eclectic blues and rockin’ folk music. 8:30pm, Bushwakker Brewing Company. No cover.

JOe ZAMBON W/GUeST SARAH FAR-THING — A talented singer/songwriter from ontario, Zambon plays a laid-back-but-infectious kind of acoustic folk music. he’ll be joined by the always entertaining Sarah Farthing. 7:30pm, The Club. Show is by donation, recommended $10–15.

Thursday 24DIe MANNeqUIN — Fronted by 23-year-old singer/guitaris care Failure (aka caro-line Kawa), this Toronto-based punk band has opened for the likes of Buckcherry, Guns N’ roses, Marilyn Manson and Sum 41. Joining Die Mannequin will be fellow Torontonians, the indie rock band Dearly Beloved. 10pm, The Exchange. Tickets $10, available at vintage vinyl, Madame Yes or online at www.ticketedge.ca.

PS FReSH — DJ Ageless started spinning in Montreal, DJ Drewski started in Saskatoon. They both landed in regina and have come

together to sling some bomb beats. 7pm, The Hookah Lounge. No cover.

BARCODe W/FULLy COMPLeTeLy HIP — come on out and support these two talented local bands. 8pm, McNally’s Tavern. Tickets $5 at the door.

CRAIG MORITZ — If hard-hitting, honest and awesome country music is what you’re into, look no farther. This musician from Alberta combines a clean sound with a down-home approach. The result? A rising star on the canadian country music scene to keep an eye one. check him out. The Pump Roadhouse. Tickets TBD.

JJ VOSS — With more than 15 years of live stage performances under his belt buckle, this local country/Americana/folk rock singer based out of regina has come by his inspired stage presence honestly. Bring along your instruments and join in for an open-mic session afterwards. 8pm, Whiskey Saloon. cover $5.

Want your show listed?Email [email protected]!

Photo: courtesy of artist

(COMING UP) K.D. LANG @ CONexUS ARTS CeNTRe — Kathryn Dawn Lang’s music career began in 1983, when she formed a Patsy cline cover band. Five years later she recorded “crying” with music legend roy orbison. The col-laboration won them a Grammy and k.d. lang’s career was off and running.

The country girl from edmonton went on to win three more Grammys, numer-ous Juno’s and a star on canada’s Walk of Fame. k.d. lang will play conexus on September 13th; tickets are $73.75–106 , available at www.livenation.com -Adam Hawboldt. Feedback? Text it to 306-881-8372.


(NexT WeeK) CRIS DeRKSeN @ ARTFUL DODGeR — A classically trained cellist from northern Alberta, this talented musician is a rising star on the canadian music scene. With captivating melodies and alluring baselines, she melds to-gether hip hop, folk, rock, and country to create a uniquely passionate, sound.

She’s played everywhere from Germany to the czech republic, and has also been a side player for the likes of Kanye West and rae Spoon. Derksen will be playing the Artful Dodger on May 28th. Tickets $10 in advance (ticketedge.ca) or $15 at the door. -Adam Hawboldt. Feedback? Text it to 306-881-8372.


(NexT WeeK) LORDS KITCHNeR @ MCNALLy’S TAVeRN — With almost three years as a band under their belts, childhood friends Garret DeLaurier, Andrew Fyvie, Brett McKay and Drake Mark have an organic, onstage chem-istry that’s hard to miss. hailing from

Moose Jaw, this indie-prog four-piece has a fresh sound that is a testament to melodic, catchy rock music. Lords Kitchner will be strutting their stuff at McNally’s Tavern on May 31st. cover is $5. -Adam Hawboldt. Feedback? Text it to 306-881-8372.

Arts OneMay 18–24, ‘12VerbNews.com

Del Barber On Where The Road LeadsThis Wandering Musician ruminates About ‘Place,’ And coming Back homeALex J MAcPherSoN

ReGINA, SK — Del Barber spent the best part of a decade on the road before becoming a professional musician. He worked as a tree planter, a break-fast server, a mountain guide, a janitor, a landscaper, a farmer, an ice-maker, a driver, a fisher-man, and the guy who drove drug addicts to their court ap-pearances. He has lived in eight provinces and fifteen states.

“I was kind of obsessed with the road in my early twenties, and obsessed with seeing new things — thinking that the grass was greener, that naïve twenty-something men-tality of wanting to escape,” Bar-ber explains. “I hope it didn’t take leaving…I know so many sort of sad stories about waxing poetic or

romantic about somewhere else.”For Barber, somewhere else was

a chicago open mic night. he would lug his guitar across town know-ing that fifteen minutes under the lights was the salve for what ailed him. Music became a passion, then an obsession. Fortified with the knowledge that the road, if not the

destination, was clear, he headed north and start-ed writing songs. coming home made him realize that his Keroua-

cian odyssey would end where it began — southern Manitoba.

“There’s something really sad about searching endlessly,” he mus-es. “I’m not looking for some kind of end-of-the-rainbow gold bucket. It’s not about the winning or the ac-complishing; sometimes, it’s more about this lifelong process.”

Since 2009 Barber has writ-ten and recorded three albums:

Where the City Ends, Love Songs for the Last 20, and Headwaters, which was released a few weeks ago. Part poet, part folkie, part novelist, he paints compelling portraits but his songs, even the upbeat ones, have a sort of bleakness to them — the same emotional desolation found in Nighthawks, edward hopper’s 1942 masterpiece. his music is at once intimately familiar and ach-ingly distant.

Barber’s stories are about broken things and damaged people. This is nothing new, of course; for decades, singers have made money sing-ing about people who have none. But Barber’s characters are never means to an end. he treats them with compassion and humanity. even though his songs are popu-lated by broken men and women with nowhere to go, he hopes they find their way home.

If there is an arc to his career, it is anchored in the idea of place.

“ T h e l i ter a l m eaning of

headwaters is where watersheds start, and those places are always interesting to me,” he explains. “The metaphor is: you can’t be a good fisherman unless you know what the watershed’s about, you can’t have any sense of what bait to use unless you have this understanding that it’s coming from somewhere.”

“how can you be in touch with where you’re from? What does it mean to be from somewhere?” he continues. “What does it mean to lose your place?

“A lot of my friends growing up in rural places only ever wanted to leave,” he says of his home. “Some of them left and now don’t have the privilege to return, because those economies are gone. There’s something about the evacuation of the rural landscape that worries me, and I can’t help but be a part of that. I want to question it in a healthy sort of way.”

This is the key to unlocking Del Barber’s music. every song is a

search, every album a transposition of the highway to the studio. Head-waters raises as many questions as it answers, but it brings Barber one step closer to home — or maybe one step further down the road.

Although he is a veteran road musician, accustomed to sleep-ing on a different sofa every night, Barber isn’t jaded nor weary. he treats every night, every concert, every song like a second chance.

And touring only stokes the fire. “I guess I want to progress,” he

says. “I also want to grow in my performing — be a better story-teller and better songwriter. I think that’s where my hunger lies: how do I become great at this?”


Del BarberWhere: Artesian on 13thWhen: May 29Cost: $15 at Mysteria Gallery or at the door.

event Info

Photo: Mark Maryanovich

“It’s not about the winning … sometimes, it’s more about this lifelong process.”

-Del Barber

Section Pages 10, 11VerbNews.comArts & Culture

ALex J MAcPherSoN

Toronto roots rockers Skydiggers have been making music since the late ‘80s, and have demonstrated remarkable staying power in an industry that seems to value dispos-able melodies and rapid turnover. In fact, they’re making the best mu-sic of their career. Northern Shore, which was released in April, has the band doing what it does best: pumping out great rock & roll. Shifting effortlessly between simple acoustic ballads and rollicking alt-country jams, Northern Shore shows how looking back can spark forward movement. Verb caught up with founding gui-tarist Josh Finlayson to chat about looking forward, looking back, and making music two decades into a storied career.

Alex J MacPherson: First off, tell me a bit about why Northern Shore sounds eclectic but not fragmented — a fine balance.

Josh Finlayson: We recorded in three different ways. I have a studio at my house, and Andy [Maize] and I recorded vocal and guitar to a click track. We built some tracks that way, and took some of those tracks and went into Blue rodeo’s studio in Toronto and added stuff there.

Five qs With SkydiggersTo Six-Piece Talks Pushing Limits on Latest Album

“Unless we’re evolving and growing, then there’s not really any point…”

-Josh Finlayson

Photo: courtesy of the artist

visual Artist David Spriggs Subverts Perspective In HoloceneALex J MAcPherSoN

reGINA, SK — David Spriggs is not interested in toppling govern-ments or inciting riots, but his art is nonetheless revolutionary. rather than work within the confines of es-tablished traditions, he has created an entirely new form — a fusion of painting and sculpture that works as a window to infinity.

“Well, I used to be a painter,” Spriggs says. “I always thought it would be interesting to paint through space. I guess the first time I really thought about it I was thinking about how, with a printing process, to do it in different layers.”

Spriggs has been experimenting with perspective and space since 1999. he paints on multiple layers of clear film suspended in an elaborate

metal frame and stretched tight with heavy springs. he has refined the technique over time, but the effect remains the same.

“The whole piece has actually

been created with linear perspec-tive as a single vanishing point,” he says of Holocene, which is on display at the Neutral Ground Gal-lery. “Because I painted on many sheets, the vanishing point is at the back of the work. I wanted to create a piece that’s more about perspective where the viewer can actually walk around to the back of the piece and see the inverse.”

Holocene was created in 2011 for the Prague Biennial v, a massive international art show. An explora-tion of architecture and infinity, it demonstrates how shifts in position distort straight lines.

“From the front you have a very clear perspective which appears to go infinitely backward; from the side, when you’re looking down the sheets, it starts to break apart, recomposing into some other kind of form,” he explains, though he ad-mits he has struggled to get people to see his work as serious.

But seeing Holocene leaves no doubt about the intellectual and emotional depth tied up in

Spriggs’s art. even the title is a hint: it refers to the present epoch, which spans all of recorded history.

“I guess I just want to provoke thought, and further the history of thinking about the arts,” Spriggs muses. “Good art is not always too direct; otherwise it becomes the illustration of an idea.”


SkydiggersWhere: The exchangeWhen: May 25Cost: $22 @ Ticketedge.ca

David Spriggs:HoloceneWhere: Neutral Ground GalleryWhen: Now ‘til July 28Cost: Free!

The StrumbellasWhere: The exchangeWhen: May 31Cost: TBD

Want some coverage for your upcoming event? Email [email protected] ASAP!

event Info

Photo: courtesy of David Spriggs

SectionPages PH, PHPH PH–PH, ‘PHVerbNews.comSection Pages 10, 11

VerbNews.comArts & CulturePages 10, 11VerbNews.comArts & CulturePages 10, 11May 18–24, ‘12VerbNews.com

Then we also went up to the Bath house, the Tragically hip’s studio, and recorded live as a band. All of these approaches we’ve used in the past, but I think it was a combina-tion of using a producer and really kind of acquiescing our authority to him and letting him…push our boundaries and our limits.

AJM: That idea, pushing limits, seems to be what you’ve done with this record.

JF: Unless we’re evolving and grow-ing, then there’s not

really any point in doing it. That, to me, is the payoff. All the other work that you do, all of which is grati-fying as well, I think the creative process is about discovering what you don’t know you’re capable of, not what you’re comfortable do-ing. Not every idea that you chase down works, but it may take you [somewhere new].

AJM: Northern Shore came after a retrospective collection. Tell me about the difference between the two.

JF: We released a retrospective record celebrating 20 years of being together in 2009, and that was a lot of looking back, which is honestly not my favourite thing to do. But I really enjoyed that process. I think the theme running through this record was more one of community.

The studios we recorded at — the Blue rodeo studio, the Tragically hip studio — these are all peers and friends of ours for many years. We recorded some of our own tunes, some of Peter cash’s tunes, some of Andrew cash’s tunes. To me, that’s less looking back and more drawing from the community we’re a part of and still draw inspiration from.

AJM: So you’re back out on the road now. Has playing shows changed much, if at all, since you started?

JF: I think hopefully we’re bet-ter players on a really simple front. The work we’ve done to create and connect with an audience is some-thing — to a large extent a big part of what we are doing is going and maintaining those relationships with people and honouring it.

AJM: Tell me a bit about the chem-istry that develops when you play with the same guys for years.

JF: The sense of chemistry is something that you never want to lose at all. That’s my feeling. cer-tainly the playing is definitely a big payoff in a different way. There’s value to all of it, but it’s important that when you’re playing you hon-our the songs you’ve written and the audience are coming out and spending their money to come and see you play.


Five qs With SkydiggersTo Six-Piece Talks Pushing Limits on Latest Album

“Unless we’re evolving and growing, then there’s not really any point…”

-Josh Finlayson

Photo: courtesy of the artist

Alt-country rockers The Strumbellas Get FunkyALex J MAcPherSoN

reGINA, SK — Simon Ward is not a typical frontman.

his band, The Strumbellas, are a relatively fresh alt-country out-fit from Toronto. Driven by Ward’s deeply emotional songs and fueled by Fender Telecasters, the band’s debut album, My Father and the Hunter, has all the ingredients for a great record. But Ward can’t stop worrying about it.

“I put a lot of pressure on myself,” he explains sheepishly. “I feel re-sponsible for the band’s success. Six other bandmates came onboard, into this band, and put aside a huge part of their lives. I’m personally responsible, and if people aren’t liking the album, I take it out on myself.”

It is true that The Strumbellas depend on Ward for direction, but it is also true that their signature sound is as im-portant to their success as Ward’s contemplative songs.

My Father and the Hunter, which was released in February, is evi-dence of the band’s ability to marry styles and genres without alienat-ing fans. Both a rollicking good time and a sombre look at the detritus of modern living, the record casts Ward’s black musings — “I believe in death, ‘cause death has always won the last hand,” he sings on “The Bird That Follows Me” — against a raucous musical backdrop.

The Strumbellas — Ward, David ritter, Jeremy Drury, Isabel ritchie, Darryl James and Jon hembrey — have a knack for giving skeletal songs shape, structure and colour. Layers of guitars, violins and ban-joes, and an arena-ready rhythm section flesh out Ward’s vision. And even though Ward spends most of his time ruminating about death, everyone sounds like they’re having good time — and that’s important.

Ward recognizes this, and lavish-es praise on his bandmates. At the same time, however, he reiterates his commitment to songwriting.

“For me, I’m trying to make a beautiful song for someone to have on their headphones,” he says.

Despite referencing Johnny cash a half dozen times in 20 minutes, Ward says he rarely mines country music for inspiration. In fact, he rarely listens to it at all.

“I respect it so much, but it got to the point for me where I don’t listen to it so much because it’s so country,” he says of the late greats.

This is the reason The Strumbellas don’t sound like beginners: rather

than submit to tradition, they have expanded on it.

A n d w h i l e Ward says he will continue to fret

over the album, he’s already pre-paring to take it on the road.

“I think the tour is going to be really fun,” he says of the band’s upcoming jaunt through the prai-ries. “I need to get out and start playing shows. When I sit at home, I just worry.”

But if the fans are right — and they almost always are — Ward doesn’t have all that much to worry about.


Photo: courtesy of Heather Pollock

“I’m trying to make a beautiful song for someone to have on their headphones.”

-Simon Ward

FoodMay 18–24, ‘12VerbNews.com

Rock ‘A’ Grill: eats To The StreetsFunky Food Truck Brings Top Quality Items To Queen cityJeSSIcA BIcKForD

There is change a-coming, Regina.

It was barely a month ago this week that the city decided to test

out a new plan for food trucks, particularly downtown. This is an unprecedented advancement for food in our town, as food trucks had previously been essentially banned except for some sidewalk hot dog vendors.

rock ‘a’ Grill is one of the first trucks to be hitting the streets, and they will be the ones who will have to work hard to prove that this kind of system is not only wanted, but viable in re-gina.

It took a lot of phone calls — and probably a bit of pleading — from dedicated people like brothers Brian and Jeff Temple-ton of rock ‘a’ Grill to convince the city to give this a go, so it is up to us food folk to give these new busi-nesses a chance.

So, how good can food out of the side of a truck be? Well, rock ‘a’ Grill gave me a taste of a few of their items to prove just how great

it can be. I started with their classic rock

‘a’ Grilly burger, which had a thick, homemade patty that was incred-ibly flavourful (they use some really high quality beef) and beautifully grilled. The meat was the star of the show, but the cheddar cheese, tomato, mixed greens, red onion and mustard, all on a lightly toasted

bun, played their part well. This was a simple, but fantastically ex-ecuted burger.

Next up was the tzatziki chick-

en wrap, served on a whole wheat tortilla. It had large chunks of juicy marinated chicken, spinach, fresh tomato salsa, tzatziki, and just a bit of cheese for that element of melty goodness every sandwich should have.

The zesty salsa was my favourite part; it really brought the whole thing together with a fresh punch.

Lastly I had their warming

jambalaya soup. This was a great take on jambalaya, with the classic holy trinity of onions, bell peppers and celery spiced up with some hot Italian sausage and accompanied by tomatoes and chicken.

The broth and sausage had some good heat to them, and the soup had a strong fennel flavour that was absolutely delicious.

rock ‘a’ Grill is focused on turn-ing out quality food, so they are starting off with a small menu that will likely expand with specials and other dishes that prove popular in the future.

They are also working to develop the best veggie burger in town, so you vegetarians will have to give those a taste.

Food trucks are a good thing, and they are one of the best ways to grow a food culture because the relatively low upfront cost (in comparison to a restaurant) al-lows enthusiastic chefs or cooks to start their own business. This drives creativity and competition, which can only mean better food for us patrons.

Toodling around town means rock ‘a’ Grill doesn’t have a standard address, but their handy Facebook page will give you frequent updates on their whereabous, and what’s going on for lunch.


Hours: check Twitter and Facebook for daily locations and hoursReservations: 535-1379

Funky Food Truck: Rock ‘a’ Grill

The taste of Louisiana is a heady mix of influences that comes together to form one of the most complex food cultures in the world. There can be endless variations on classic dishes, and jambalaya is one of them that is stuffed with spicy facts.

■ Jambalaya is made with var-ious meats, vegetables, broth and rice all cooked together

■ creole and cajun are the two main variations of Jam-balaya

■ creole was originally an at-tempt to make Spanish paella in Louisiana, where saffron was replaced with tomatoes for colour

■ cajun Jambalaya originated in Louisiana swamp country and omitted tomatoes

“[The wrap had] marinated chicken, spinach, fresh tomato salsa [and] tzatziki…”

-Jessica Bickford

Photos: Courtesy of Kendra Kuss

OpinionMay 18–24, ‘12VerbNews.com

Safe Injection Sites Should Be In All CitiesPromoting A Safe And healthy Place To Inject Drugs Will Benefit everyoneeDITorS oF verB

This is part two of a three-part series examining the ineffectiveness and pos-sible solutions to Canada’s war on drugs.

ReGINA, SK — This week we are looking at the preliminary steps we can take to begin revamping Canada’s drug policy.

Last week we discussed how canada’s current approach to the war on drugs isn’t working, but now it’s time to focus on what we can do to fix it.

We realize that there are many things to consider before overhaul-ing how we as a country approach drugs.

We must approach this prag-matically, and consider how our actions will be received not only by canadians, but, because they are such a huge trading partner of ours, also by Americans. Shar-ing a continent and a border with the U.S. means we run the risk of straining our relationship with our neighbours to the south, who cur-rently toe a much harder line when it comes to drug policy.

So instead of completely rebuild-ing the system, we suggest intro-ducing some positive, incremental changes. These include introducing supervised injection sites in every major city across the country, as well as adopting a similar approach to Portugal’s when it comes to is-sues of personal possession.

Although supervised injection sites have received their share of criticism — Federal health Minis-ter Tony clement told reporters in 2008 that Insite, vancouver’s safe injection site, was an “abomination” — the fact is, they work.

Insite is the only legal supervised injection site in North America. Located in van-couver’s Downtown eastside, Insite provides a safe and healthy location for addicts to inject drugs, primar-ily heroin, cocaine and morphine, although the organization itself doesn’t supply any drugs. Insite has medical staff on location to provide treatment for addiction, mental health issues and first aid, among other things.

Since opening its doors in 2003, Insite has improved public order (there are less stray needles laying around, and fewer people shooting

up in public), while helping count-less addicts access and enroll in detoxification and addiction treat-ment programs.

What’s more, if you crunch the numbers, services like Insite make

monetary sense. With an annual operating cost in the neighbour-hood of $3 million in 2007, Insite may seem like it costs a

lot. But when you dig beyond the surface, you’ll see its benefits far outweigh any expenses.

According to the canadian Medi-cal Association Journal, “Insite was found to decrease needle sharing which alone saves $14 million and 920 life years over 10 years.” In the same article, the cMAJ also reported that by simply increas-ing knowledge of safe injection practices, Insite lessens the burden on our health-care system by $18 million per decade.

on top of all that, conservative estimates say that Insite prevents,

on average, 35 new cases of hIv and three deaths every year. And according to health canada, after you take program costs into ac-count, Insite generates “a societal benefit in excess of $6 million per year and is an effective and efficient use of public health-care resources.”

Given the current state of our health care, positive initiatives of this ilk are necessary, and we be-lieve implementing supervised injection sites in canada’s major cities is the logical thing to do .

And while we’re at it, let’s get rid of prison sentences for personal drug possession. That’s what they did in Portugal, and, as we demon-strated in last week’s article, it has been effective.

Using the rationale that pris-on stigmatizes people and that incarceration is more expensive than treatment, the Portuguese government now sends people found guilty of possessing personal amounts of drugs to treatment.

At the moment, nearly 40,000 people in Portugal are being

treated for drug abuse. Not only is this a cheaper way to deal with users, it’s also more practical and humane.

rather than locking up thou-sands of “criminals” every year, they’re working to cure patients, help them reintegrate into society and, as a byproduct, are fine-tuning new areas of drug treatment.

An initiative such as this would work wonders in a place like Sas-katchewan, where jails have nearly twice as many inmates as they were designed to hold, and even mores with Bill c-10 set to increase sen-tences for drug offences.

So by setting up injection sites in major centres and doing away with jail terms for personal possession, we could take those first few fragile, but fundamental, steps towards effectively dealing with the drug issue here in canada.

It’s about time we stop thinking of this as a war with casualties, and start treating the people involved like human beings.

Next week we will look at how

we envision canada’s revamped drug policy will look like.


“Insite has [helped] addicts access and enroll in detoxification … programs.”

-Verb’s Editors

Photo: courtesy of Stephen Dyrgas

Safe injection sites, like Vancouver’s Insite, should be established in all major cities across the country

SectionPage PHPH PH–PH, ‘PHVerbNews.comMovies


Action Flick Battleship Should Be SunkSummer Blockbuster Impresses With explosions, But Falls Flat on DialogueBattleship

ADAM hAWBoLDT

Some movies are known for their dialogue.

Think richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise or Woody Allen’s Annie Hall. Films like these cut and bounce their way to classic status on the wit of their words and the tongues of the stars that deliver them.

rest assured, Battleship is not

one of these movies. Nor was it intended to be.

Directed by Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights, Hancock), this film (based on the popular hasbro game) was meant to be only one thing — a sum-mer blockbuster.

A w annab e epic full of explosions and aliens and cool cGI razzle dazzle.

If that sounds remarkably similar to Transformers, that’s because it is remarkably similar.

Battleship begins with an inter-national naval fleet competing in

friendly war games off the coast of hawaii.

Next thing you know, three of these ships are trapped inside a

force field put up by gigantic alien spaceships. The extraterrestrials have been called to earth by a sig-nal sent into deep

space. And at first these aliens are more

curious than contentious, but a trig-ger-happy Navy soon engages and crap hits the clichéd fan.

This is when Alex hopper (Taylor Kitsch), a long-haired slacker turned loose cannon lieutenant, is charged with saving the world.

And when Alex spews lines like “You’re gonna die, I’m gonna die, we’re all gonna die — just not to-day” or when, after a half hour of uninterrupted alien attack, he says, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” you can’t help but feel this film is establishing a brand new low for blockbusters.

Don’t get me wrong: this hot, sticky mess is not Kitsch’s fault. he does okay with what he has to work with.

But what he has to work with, script-wise, is simply awful.

Written by erich and Jon hoeber (RED), the dialogue is so silly, so banal and so mind-numbingly ter-rible that, in comparison, it makes Transformers look like a well-written, witty film.

I kid you not.But Battleship isn’t without its

virtues. I mean, if you’re the kind of person who really digs bad movies because they are so monumentally bad, then you might like this one.

oh, and if you’re into mindless action, massive explosions and seri-ous eye candy, you’re in luck.

There more than enough to go around — especially in the eye candy department.

For the girls you have the ever-chiseled Kitsch (John Carter), Alex-ander Skarsgård (True Blood, Melan-cholia) and for the older set, Liam Neeson (Rob Roy, Schindler’s List).

For the guys, there’s rhianna (yes, that rhianna) and Brooklyn Decker (Just Go With It, cover of the 2010 Sport’s Illustrated swimsuit edition.)

So yeah, if it’s action and ass you’re looking for, by all means, check out Battleship.

But if it’s dialogue you’re looking for, stay as far away from this movie as you can.


Photo: courtesy of Universal Pictures

Runtime: 132 MinutesRated: PG “[T]he dialogue is so silly

… it makes Transformers look like a well-written, witty film.”

-Adam Hawboldt

SectionPage PHPH PH–PH, ‘PHVerbNews.comMovies


Photo: Paramount Pictures

The Dictator Rules As Funny, Witty SatireSacha Baron cohen Is Unstoppable In hilarious Send-Up of American cultureThe Dictator

ADAM hAWBoLDT

Simply put: Sacha Baron Co-hen is a bold and brilliant co-median.

There are no sacred cows in his universe. No subject is off-limits, no envelope unpushable.

As a satirist, the guy is nearly peerless and absolutely fearless.

Take his latest film, The Dictator, for instance.

In it, Baron cohen (Borat) plays General Aladeen, a violently mi-sogynistic, racist, megalomaniacal leader of the oil-rich (and fictitious) North African nation of Wadiya.

After the West gets up in arms about his plans to build nuclear weapons, Aladeen (and his awe-some beard) makes a trip to the UN to set the record straight.

he’s joined on his adventure by his uncle Tamir (Ben Kingsley), who has his own agenda — one that includes a body double of his nephew.

With all the time in the world on his hands, the real Aladeen ends up meeting a bleeding-heart lib-eral named Zoey (Anna Faris) and

proceeds to fall in love with her. Does that plot sound kind of

threadbare to you?

That ’s prob-ably because it is. But really, who cares?

W h e n t h e movie opens by dedicating itself “In loving memory of Kim Jong-Il,” it’s safe to say plot takes a backseat to political satire.

And what a satire it is.Written by Baron cohen with the

help of Seinfeld veterans Alec Berg, David Mandel and Jeff Schaffer, the script exudes a take-no-prisoners

wit as it rakes everything from post-9/11 paranoia to inflexible ideolo-

gies over the coals of hilarity.

And jus how funny is The Dic-tator?

Well, let’s just say it ’s one of

those movies where you’ll miss a lot of funny lines because you’ll be laughing so hard.

But be warned — this movie is not for everyone.

Good taste is tossed out the win-dow, run over by a garbage truck, then kicked into the sewer, and political correctness be damned.

humour is king here, and the edgier the better.

Without giving too much away, let’s just say that The Dictator wades into waters that are 100-percent guaranteed to outrage and offend a certain portion of the population.

So if you think its in bad taste to laugh at terrorism, abortion, pe-dophilia, suicide or even the mas-sacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich olympics, then you might want to skip this one.

But if you’ve enjoyed Baron co-hen’s work before, and dig a good satire, then The Dictator is going to make you cackle out loud and maybe even pee your pants a little.

Baron cohen’s send up of the hypocrisies of American culture is the stuff of side-splitting genius. It’s also the kind of stuff that’ll leave you with a little more insight by the time you exit the theatre.

honestly. his speech to the UN, the one in which he compares modern American capitalism to a dictatorship, is so funny and true it’s scary — definitely something George carlin or Bill hicks would be proud of.

So if you want to laugh, if you want to think, give The Dictator a chance. It’s not better than Borat, but it’s damn close.


Runtime: 83 MinutesRated: 14A

“Good taste is tossed out the window … [h]umour is king here, and the edgier the better.”

-Adam Hawboldt

Photo: courtesy of Paramount Pictures

This Week: our War on DrugsLast week we asked what you

think about canada changing its policy on the war on drugs, and here’s what you had to say.

Next week’s topic: see page 13 — what do you think about our

proposed first steps in altering our drug policies? Text FEEDBACK and your thoughts about the topic (or anything else) to 306–881-VERB (8372) and you could see your text printed in next week’s issue!

On TopicOn drug policy reform. People are using hard drugs to burn off a lot of what they used to with tobacco.

Thats right! The hard drug epidemic rose in tandem with the anti-tobacco movement. So did obesity! If marijuana is a lesser evil so much so for tobacco. We can beat cancer! We ain’t got a hope in hell against the social mental and physical fallout from hard drugs!

Marijuana should be legalized regulated and taxed no question. Great for the economy and justice system in so many ways.

Yes Portugal has the right idea. Helping addicts rather than punishing them for their disease is far more productive to society. Therapy vs jail time for personal possession just makes sense. Why put people in jail who don’t really deserve to be there?

drugs shouldn’t be legalised cuz They’re already abused enough. And my mom is hotter than yours.

Treatment over jail time is stupid who wouldn’t take that? Stay out of jail and you can still do whatevr drugs you want and then basicaly get of the hook for it? Sounds like a recipe for disaster try using a little common sence here.

Off TopicRe: “We Think Civic Events Should Be Secular,” Opinion page, May 4th issue

Feedback about the religious expression. Article, its amusing how christians are whining about people discriminating their views, so that should mean if I am a satanist and pray at a civic event as well they can keep their trap shut

Re: “We Think Civic Events Should Be Secular,” Opinion page, May 4th issue

When in rome do as the romans do. The canadian society has been shaped with christian values. Stop infringeing on my beliefs by forceing yours on me. I can be sure if I were to visit a country whose views are non christian little concesion would be affected for me or mine


TextsMay 18–24, ‘12VerbNews.com

Whatever happened to freedom of speech? If I want prayer at a public event I should be allowed. After all I am a taxpayer too.


I think those who texted in saying Canada was built on Christian values need to get with the times. While that may have been true in the past, clinging to something so hopelessly outdated simply because “that’s the way things were” is irrational. Canada prides itself on being an inclusive country; why we haven’t moved past exclusionary religious civic events is beyond me.


Wow some of the texts last week about making public events secular seemed a little out there. Comparing it to Obama having no problems about burning bibles? WTF is that all about? There’s nothing wrong with being religious, spiritual, atheist, whatever you think is best for you. But pushing it on others is utterly disrespectful. We should all strive to be as considerate and inclusive as possible.


And as predicted, advocating against religion brought out some irrational/unclear arguments from the religious camp. It’s those who can’t see beyond their own twisted beliefs to consider others’ feelings that give Christians a bad name. I’m proud to

be a Christian, and I’m perfectly happy that public events should be secular. Was actually surprised to read that they aren’t.


So Verb hates god how surprising ill pray for you oh wait you wouldnt accept the Good lords grace anyways.

Re: “Super Robot Vacuum Trilingual, Chats With You,” Offbeat page, May 11th issue

That vacuum sounds smarter than my brother and better at making pleasantries :)

You know what’s crazy? That I work full time and I can’t afford to live anywhere in Regina. NOT EVEN A BACHELORS APT because min wage is too goddamn low.

who texted in about verb being neutral or political: i think they strive for neutral but on opinion obviously take a stance. IMHO tho dont know for sure

My grandson has sensory issues. Occasionally the sounds/tones within the restaurants we go to overload his ability to sit NICE. One never knows what specifically is adverse to his perceptions....he may appear to be loose and undisciplined to on lookers. Reality is he is in overload.

About the kid in resteraunts text: im of the chill out opinion. Kids are kids right so whats the big deal:)

THANK GOD! The U.N. Gets it! If developed countries can’t set the

example by ending hunger within their borders then there isn’t a hope in hell poorer countries can. Among developed countries Canada is the worst for hunger within its borders! We’re very rapidly losing credibility and power in the global community! And its not like we don’t have enough to go around here.

It is my opinion lately brad wall seems to appear a lot like chairman stephan harper there seems to be a growing similiarity to dr evil and mini me. G. T.

Ha people freaking out about sex museum in t dot or wherever ned to chill. The more information kids have about sex, pregnancy, abortions and diseases, the better. it’s not as though they’re totally innocent about sex but they are often uneducated.

F**k me! Thank God this Rafferty Stafford trial is winding down! Its just f**king sick the way press dwells on every little detail of that sh*t!

Ok, people who rail against those who spend a lot of time on the internet/social media: I realize it can appear to bea waste of time, or that we’re all socially inept, but the reality is social media is to attuned to what’s happening in the world, it can disseminate information like nothing else. You want breaking news? Get on Twitter.

id just like to say that public transportation are idiotic drivers that constantly put others in danger cuz they cant drive worth a spit!

Something deep and dark in the toilet seat gripe. Unfair sense of entitlement desire to be pampered in a feminist age maybe some abusive control issue??? Ideally men should put down the toilet for women after they’re done and women should lift it when they’re done. Sharing the tasks seems fair however its done. The toilet seat gripe I don’t get it? Somebody help me out! Women complain about having to put it down. Men have to lift it. Shouldn’t we complain about that?

Thanx 4 the tix

Do u ever txt me back I sent in a question but no responce.

LOL cupple days of sun and theres so many peeps out there burnt already JD u know whats up man! Beers + patio not good fml

Hey drivers! Slow down when you drive & stop cutting people off, you’re getting as bad as Albertans!!!!

Rubber Duckie you’re the one, You make bathtime lots of fun, Rubber Duckie I’m awfully fond of you

The opinions expressed on this page are not necessarily Verb’s.

TextsMay 18–24, ‘12VerbNews.com

NightlifeMay 18–24, ‘12VerbNews.comNightlifePage 18May 18–24, ‘12VerbNews.com

Venue4 Seasons on Friday, May 11th

Location909 Arcola Avenue East

Playing on ArrivalLive karaoke performance

Feature DealVodka paralyzers for $4.75

Popular DrinkDraft beer

Food of ChoicePizza — tons of toppings to choose from, so you can get it just the way you want

Wing Notes $5.99 for a basket on Tuesdays; of the 14 available flavours, honey garlic is the most popular

Coming UpUFC on May 26th

Friday @ 4 Seasons

Photos courtesy of Klein Photography ([email protected])

Time OutMay 18–24, ‘12VerbNews.com

SudokuDirections: Fill each box with a digit from 1-9, following these conditions:

- each row must contain every digit from 1-9 once and only once.- each column must contain every digit from 1-9 once and only once.- each of the nine 3x3 boxes must contain every digit from 1-9 once and only once.

HoroscopesAries (Mar 21–Apr 19)

You can’t do everything or be every-where at once, dear Aries. of course you know this, but early in the week things may pile up and you could feel the urge to try and tackle everything in one fell swoop. If this happens, take a step back, assess the situation and make a plan of attack. Don’t feel pressured. You’ll likely deplete your reserves if you try to tackle everything head-on, all at once, so instead, try to prioritize the list of things you need to do.

Taurus (Apr 20–May 20)You know that old biblical adage

about judging not lest you be judged? Well, dear Taurus, you might want to keep that in mind this week. Things may happen and your knee-jerk reaction will be to infer things without regard. Don’t do this! Try to keep an open mind and understand where others are coming from. remember: everyone messes up from time to time. right now, the more compassionate you are, the more success you will have.

Gemini (May 21–Jun 20)This week may be difficult at times,

dear Gemini. You, who can be easily in-fluenced by others, may be pushed and pulled in so many ways over the next few days that you won’t know what to do. And honestly, there’s no solid solu-tion. If a bunch of people are asking and pleading for you to do things, take stock and weigh your options, then trust your instincts and do whatever feels right. When you follow your gut, you can be certain that good things will happen.

Cancer (Jun 21–Jul 22)here’s a challenge for you, dear can-

cer. This week, do something out of the ordinary or something completely out of character. What that something is, I don’t know — but you do. If given the chance to try something new, leap at it. You won’t be disappointed. however, op-portunities to do new things don’t simply throw themselves at you every day. So if a chance doesn’t present itself, get out and create the moment for yourself. You won’t regret it.

Leo (Jul 23–Aug 22)A lot of times people only see one

side of you, dear Leo — the confident, bold, take-charge side. Maybe you should throw them a change-up this week. Show people your warm, loving, caring roman-tic nature. If you can do this, there’s no telling how much good will swing your way. People will see you in a new light and, as a result, want to get closer to you. Natural born leaders are great, but natural born leaders who are willing to lay everything out there are much better.

Virgo (Aug 23–Sept 22)Sometimes our lives, unfortunately,

become more talk than action. That’s just the nature of things, dear virgo. If this situation sounds familiar, maybe it’s time to shake it up. ernest hemingway once wrote something to the effect that we should always do sober what we said we’d do drunk. Keeping with that theme, if you say you’ll do something this is the week to follow through. Talk is all fine and dandy, but at times it can be cheap — now is the time to leap into action.

Libra (Sept 23–Oct 23)You should take this week to resolve

some personal issues you’ve been putting off. If you’ve been under a lot of stress or suffering from tremendous amounts of strain, try to find a way to relax and relieve the tension. Take a long walk in nature, do some exercise, meditate — whatever works for you. But no matter what, if you’ve been on edge lately, take some time out for you. Stress, when it builds up, is preposterously unhealthy, so get rid of it. Now.

Scorpio (Oct 24–Nov 22)have you been feeling lost lately,

dear Scorpio? Like you’re adrift at sea, surrounded by fog, with no lighthouse in sight? If so, here’s some good news: everything will clear up in the next few days. That doesn’t mean you won’t still have to paddle your way to land, but it does mean you’ll be able to put things into proper perspective and see the path you have to follow in order to achieve your goals. Follow it. You won’t be dis-appointed.

Sagittarius (Nov 23–Dec 21)You may feel the urge to go for broke

this week, dear Sagittarius. You might be tempted to use radical methods to get what you want, but brace yourself for the chance that it might not work. You may just see a problem and immediately decide you know the correct action to take. The thing about that, though, is that there may be forces at play that are so big and powerful that you won’t be able to overcome them with one simple action. Good luck.

Capricorn (Dec 22–Jan 19)When you get the chance, spend time

with others this week, dear capricorn. Whether it be in a social or professional setting, your life will be made richer by communicating with others. heck, it’ll be enriched by just spending time with people you know. That’s not to say ev-erything will go smoothly, and there’s bound to be a bump or two along the way, but once everyone involved realizes how counterproductive arguments can be, everything should get ironed out.

Aquarius (Jan 20–Feb 19)Stability: that’s the watchword for this

week, dear Aquarius. If you find yourself falling for someone, don’t fall too fast. reign yourself in for the time being, until you can think clearly. If you’re upset over something, the same principle applies: don’t do anything to rock the boat. re-main as neutral as possible. This is by no means a new way of life you should adopt: the highs and lows of life are what makes it interesting. But for this week, dear Aquarius, try to keep things even keel.

Pisces (Feb 20–Mar 20)With the warm and welcoming ener-

gies exploding in your Third house of communication, dear Pisces, you’re going to do well this week. Feel like dazzling a crowd? Go out and dazzle. In the mood to get your point across? Put it out there, people will pick up what you’re putting down. Want to make some new friends? hit the town and you’ll meet some cool and interesting people. With your pow-ers of persuasion peaking this week, you might want to put this time to good use.

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3 4 6 1 57 8 3 6

9 3 48 7 5 1

2 7 5 46 9 1 24 8 3 5 2 7

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4 1 95 1 2 6 4

2 4 8 53 6 8

9 7 8 3 46 7 3 5

3 9 1 5 29 6 7

1 2 7 8

verb issue r28 (may 18-24, 2012)

Documents

city of regina

city officials

city administration

new projects

debt ceiling

deputy city manager

proposed increase

brent sjoberg