NEW DOG!

(Cover by Carey Shaw, Carey Shaw Photographics)

Fourteen days have passed and a new edition of prairie dog is on the streets, which pleases the the all-seeing, all-knowing swami. So what's in this issue? Why should you dash out and look for it like eager little squirrels chasing the season's first nut? Well, how about:

DINOSAURS COME FROM SCIENCE The spectacular-looking science-performance Walking With Dinosaurs is thundering this way and it promises more awe-inflicting spectacle that a half-dozen boxes of knockoff Ray-Bans from the Rowdy Roddy Piper classic They Live. But this article isn't so much about that show--which runs April 16-20 at whatever the arena at (what used to be called) Regina Exhibition Park is named these days. Instead, writer Greg "Gregory" Beatty writes about the imaginative notion--popular in certainChristian circles, rural Saskatchewan political ridings and an unnamed, unfit-to-govern federal caucus--that the Earth is only 6000 years old and dinosaurs frolicked with Adam, Eve, Noah and Jesus. So yeah, Greg beats on that loony tunes belief pretty good.

GHOSTS OF PRIME MINISTERS PAST John Conway asseses and compares the evolving legacy of former Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chretien with the fetid failings of former Conservative Prime Minister Brian "I'll take my sketchy cash payments in brown paper bags, please" Mulroney.

ROCK, ROCK AND MORE ROCK there are a few notable bands playing town in the next two weeks and we've got the interviews. First, James Brotheridge talks to the mom-pissing-off-monikered Fucked Up, who have some interesting if slightly ungrammatical things to say about the hardcore scene, while Chris Morin talks to Canadian rock institution Nomeansno, who are articulate, genmtlemanly and professional. Actually, every single musician mentioned in this issue is waaay less doornobby than the CBC terrorist and general shitbrain Billy Boob Thorton (see earlier blog-post for details).

DIFFERENT SEEDS FOR DIFFERENT NEEDS Stephen LaRose checks out a gardening seminar-thing and learns stuff about why it's important to have hundreds of varieties of tomatoes in the world instead of, like, only four. It is important, you know.

PLUS! The ongoing, depressing newsroom implosion afflicting Canwest, CBC, and, well, everybody, featuring an interview with CBC's soon-to-be-early-retired Tom Roberts by Carle Steel; reviews of several movies, including the poignant Wendy And Lucy and the apparently better-than-anticipated Adventureland; Gwynne Dyer scares the hell out of everyone with a horrifying report on global inaction vis-a-vis climate change; Paul Dechene reports on the City's trash plan (summary: looks potentially quite good but he didn't like aspects of the consultation).

And, of course: News Quirks, Queen City Confidential, Street Wear (not an artist this time!!!), David Suzuki, various entertaining and enlightening Top 6 lists, CD reviews, three news briefs, our typo wiener winner, a correction, and--as we say in the biz when we get tired of typing--"lots more". (Probably not "lots" actually but I'm sure I missed a few things.)

AC/DC is coming to regina

Link here. Should be fun for fans. Fun's good. I approve of people having it. (Leader-Post)

But it's okay to listen to new music as well, right? Lots of Regina bands could benefit from some of the cash that will be chucked at this thing.

Here's a thought--how about a small ticket surcharge to collect some cash that could be reinvested in the local scene? If everyone who goes to this show at Taylor Field paid an extra $1.00 to some kind of City Arts Fund, that'd be like what, 32, 36 grand? Good seed money, eh? Help a few bands get rolling? improve the cultural infrastructure, fix up some older arts properties, etc? Build a better community? Anyone? Just a thought.

Billy Bob Thornton acts like a jerk on Q

I missed Q--the CBC Radio morning magazine hosted by Jian Ghomeshi--this a.m., but thanks to my laptop's Internet powers I was just able to catch the segment where an arrogant, self-important Billy Bob Thornton (henceforth BBT) embarrass himself, badly, during an interview.

BBT flips out about Jian bringing up his acting during the interview, which was about BBT's band, which nobody cares about.

My favourite quote is BBT rebuking Ghomeshi, who had, briefly, for context, mentioned that BBT is best known as an actor: "You were instructed not to bring that up," he says.

Well, fuck you, BBT.

I shouldn't say that. This is the great Bee Bee Tee. He's better than you, he's better than me.

You know, he could've been polite and gracious, and if his music is good, people would embraced it. But to act like this just proves that he's a dumb, unperceptive, egomaniacal, insecure and rude amateur who thinks he deserved to be treated differently than other, more accomplished musicians who've done a hell of a lot more to earn their attention.

(Then again, he mentions the late, great Forrest Ackerman's Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine, and that's pretty cool, if you're a nerd like me who knows what BBT's talking about).

But basically, BRB acts like an over-privileged, petulant little princess. He embarrasses himself with misdirected anger at a classy, talented radio host who also knows a hell of a lot more than he does about music. What an unprofessional asshole. He should apologize.

Watch a clip here:



And, just to show how a pro acts, here's a Q interview with another musician who's charming, personable, polite and engaging--and who deserves the attention:

Six in the Morning

1. HARPER MAKES TAR SANDS EXEC OUR "CLEAN ENERGY" ENVOY: Sparking outrage among environmentalist organizations, Harper has appointed Charlie Fischer, a former tar sands executive, to be Canada's representative in clean energy talks with the Obama administration. (DeSmog Blog)

2. ARCTIC ICE THINNER THAN EVER: Disturbing news out of NASA: their data reveals that the amount of thick sea ice in the arctic is smaller than ever. (Globe and Mail)

3. WINNIPEGGERS ON FLOOD ALERT: The first and highest crest of the Red River could reach Winnipeg today. (CBC)

4. TAXI FARES ON RISE: Regina's executive committee has recommended a fare increase for city taxicabs. The increase will be debated at the next council meeting. (Leader Post)

5. BEWARE BEEF BUG: An E-coli warning has been issued for Safeway beef in Saskatchewan. (Leader Post)

6. TEXAS AUDIENCE SEES SECRET TREK PREMIERE: Thinking they were going to see a screening of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, an audience in Austin actually got to see the new Star Trek film. Leonard Nimoy was in attendance. (SlashFilm)

FIRED OVER WOLVERINE REVIEW

After having their summer blockbuster X-Men Origins: Wolverine leaked online a month before it hits theatres, 20th Century Fox has fired a Fox News columnist for reviewing the movie early.

Balm for the Soul

After the winter we've had, I'm really looking forward to catching a bit of The Masters this weekend. (Britannica)

Play Ball!

Not sure why the Blue Jays' 2009 home-opener against the Detroit Tigers wasn't televised on Sportsnet tonight (on cable anyway). For everyone who missed the game, here's the CBC report on a 12-5 Blue Jays' victory.

Six In The Morning

1 MAD ABOUT MULRONEY Some Conservatives want to fraternize with the former Prime Minister they've been ordered not to see by Tory den mother Stephen Harper. No drama like a family drama. (CP via Toronto Star)

2 NO NEED TO RAISE TAXES The always- civic-minded Canadian Federation of Independent Business says cash transfers in the provincial budget means cities don't need to raise property taxes this year. Because we all know there's no infrastructure deficit in Saskatchewan compounded by years and years and years of inadequate transfers and insufficient taxation. (CBC)

3 SPARE SOME CHANGE? Alberta gets its first deficit budget in 15 years. Fortunately, the ruling Tories prepared for the inevitability of an economic downturn and didn't go on an insane, reckless, right-wing rampage. Oh wait... (Calgary Herald)

4 WHO KNEW RAPE AND OPPRESSION WERE SO UNPOPULAR? Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai says he's backing away from a religiously-inspired law meant to keep the ladies in line. Oh, and get him votes from Islamists. But yeah, kinda didn't work out so well. (Globe And Mail)

5 EARTHQUAKE HORROR IN ITALY An Italian capital is trashed and more than 90 people are dead in a region that should have been prepared, but wasn't. (The Guardian)

6 NO ONE LIKES SHRINKAGE Economist Jim Stanford says you can't downsize your way out of a recession. Of course Stanford works for the Canadian Auto Workers, so he's got a dastardly pro-job bias. He's also smart and uses facts in his argument--and it doesn't get much worse than that. You've been warned! (Globe And Mail)

In lieu of actual, you know, work ...

Remember the song Get This Party Started, which Pink recorded about 10 years ago?

Well, Shirley Bassey (Goldfinger) re-recorded it in 2007. (Dailymotion) Not bad at all ....

This Week at City Hall

Monday, April 6
Community Investment Review Board (12:15 pm): Review of funding recommendations for various community groups.
City Council (5:30 pm): Considering a concept plan for the Greens on Gardiner which appears to be an attempt to make this eastern sprawl less odious, a special tax levy for back alley maintenance, and a request by Councillor Fougere to review the Regina Road Network Plan with regards to Southeast Regina and the rapid expansion thereof. Also, there is a schwack of budget-related stuff on the schedule. I think a lot of it will be tabled until the April 20 meeting so that everyone has time to go over it. But hey, this is my first time through a Regina budget process so maybe I'm totally wrong. Oh... and for the record, "tabled" is city hall speak for "put-off until". Yeah, maybe you knew that already, smartguy. Me, months went by as I blinked mystified at such fancy lingo. If only there'd been a guy with a blog back then to hep me to the city-hall slang.

Tuesday, April 7
Finance and Administration Committee (12:15 pm): Considering the budgets for Warehouse District and Downtown Business Improvement Districts, a recommended taxi metre rate increase, a request for a $34,425 tax abatement on a property owned by Souls Harbour and Rescue Mission, and a request to expand the City Square Master Plan consultancy budget beyond $500,000 so as to accomodate detailed study of transit and traffic issues related to the Wow Project. (The Wow Project is a proposal to create a festival plaza of 12th Ave north of Victoria Park.)
Green Ribbon Community Climate Change Advisory Committee (1:15 pm)

Wednesday, April 8
Paratransit Advisory Board (5:30 pm)

As always, full meeting agendas and reports can be downloaded from the city's website.