Me Likey Hockey

Finally had a chance to get to a WJC game tonight. Fun stuff. Russia beat the Czech Republic 5-2 but I thought the Czechs played a little better on balance. Russia's goaltender (Bobkov--great name!) was the better keeper however and those Ruskies, when they want to, they sure can turn up the offence. I think Canada would/will squash 'em, though. Almost too bad--I'm a Nikita Filatov fan.

Onion News Tops Prairie Dog

Decade in review, schmecade in review. The Onion News Network recently looked back on the entire history of Earth. Ranking high on its list of notable occurrences, as you might expect, is God's miraculous creation of the planet and the rest of the firmament approximately 6000 years ago. (Onion News Network)

New Dog!

The new prairie dog will be everywhere by the time you read it. It's a special camoflage issue. For no good reason, we used high-tech printing methods to render it invisible at night so you'll want to pick it up before sunset. That's a good idea anyway; we don't want you getting fanged by vampires or chewed by werewolves (full moon tomorrow!!!) on our account. Then again, this issue of prairie dog is so good it's probably worth risking death by supernatural forces to get your copy. Like a luxury car or a killer stereo system or a starship bridge, it's packed with great features. Like for instance:

THE DECADE IN REVIEW: A recap of the top news, arts and lifestyle stories and trends of the last decade with a special focus on politics, film, music and that wacky "high on life" vibe that overtook the province as resource revenues zoomed upwards. Oh, and a fond look back at Regina's dining scene. And music. Lots of music.

MORE DECADE IN REVIEW: And we've got a B-list of the decade's second-tier evildoers, a ranking of six of the crappiest movies, a couple of recaps on America's insane decade and a look at the trends that shaped the "noughties". Plus an interview with News Quirks author Roland Sweet--his column's 35 years old! Who knew?

STILL MORE DECADE IN REVIEW: Then there's LaRose's article on the decade in sports, Paul Dechene's analysis of the zombie revival, a Queen City Confidential that throws out some accusations we didn't bother to verify and an interview with the Grand Dame of Regina real estate.

IS THAT ALL? No, there's more, way more. But you'll have to pick up a copy of to find out what it is. One warning: when you do, don't put it anywhere near your white couch.

Pick of the Day: New Year's Eve

This being New Year's Eve, there's a whole pile of stuff happening in Regina tonight. Here's a quick rundown of the gigs I'm aware of. At O'Hanlon's Pub, OYE! (pictured) with local rapper Def 3 will be doing a free show that's guaranteed to get people up and grooving. At Casino Regina, Spirit of the West will be ringing in the new year backed up by Carl Dixon. Tix there are $55, $60. At the Drink Nightclub Mascara is playing. The Dan Silljer Band is at McNally's Tavern and Faster Gun is at the Pump Roadhouse. There's also Disco Bass From Outer Space at 1475 Toronto St. Tix are $15-$20 for that, and contact info is 526-3067.

If you're looking for something a little less raucous, you could always check out the RPL Film Theatre. Screening tonight and Friday night at 7 p.m. is the bachelor party comedy I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell that ... uh ... okay, this movie will probably be pretty raunchy too, but in a vicarious sort of way, in that you won't actually be guzzling booze and cavorting with scantily clad women, you'll just be watching other people do it and, quite likely, suffering the consequences for their vile and debauched behaviour. Here's the trailer. (YouTube)

Also on tap (pun intended) at the RPL is the Australian/UK family drama The Boys Are Back which stars Clive Owen as a formerly fun-loving sportswriter who struggles with single parenthood after his wife's tragic death. It screens at 9 p.m. tonight and 4 p.m. Friday. Here's the trailer for it (YouTube)

Remember also, tonight the City and various sponsors are running the Ding in the New Year promotion which provides free transit and paratransit service starting at 7 p.m. Here's a link to the City's website for schedule information.

Last Week At City Hall: Tag Day Bylaw and Leadership on Climate Change

So top among my goals for 2010 is more city hall blogging. Already, I've let some important stuff slide over the last week, what with all the holiday festivities and catching up with family and friends. The socializing is finally winding down some (although, in an hour, I'm off to see Avatar in IMax 3-D with an old high-school chum) so I thought I'd try some municipal news catch up.

Way back at their December 21 meeting, council voted to repeal the controversial Tag Day Bylaw. For the time being, it's my understanding that this should make life easier for Regina's panhandlers. Whether or not that will continue depends on a report staff has been directed to prepare. It will consider various options on how to regulate panhandling.

Also passed at this meeting, was a request from the mayor to have staff look into how to change the Official Community Plan so that optimizing solar orientation of new lots will be a requirement and not merely a guideline. (Also, near the top of my goals for 2010 is to write fewer run-on sentences like that one. Too rushed right now to go fix it, though.) This is an overdue suggestion but welcome nonetheless. As Harbour Landing has shown, voluntary environmental guidelines aren't working as well as hoped. And, as we reported in the prairie dog lo so many months ago, (I plan to use the word "lo" a whole lot more) properly orienting lots is important as it can save homeowners upwards of 15 per cent on their energy bills. And you don't get a second chance to take advantage of solar orientation as the way we lay out our streets today will likely be the way they look hundreds or even thousands of years from now.

Six in the Morning

1. I DIDN'T THINK WE'D GET TO USE THAT WORD AGAIN SO SOON: Seems Carle beat me to it. Apparently, Harper and his scandal plagued Conservatives are planning to prorogue parliament once again. (Carle Steele, Globe and Mail)

2. CANADIANS CARE ABOUT? Phew. Good thing parliament is about to be prorogued. Means we won't be distracted from the really important things like who's on Team Canada. That live update page I'm linking to would be for the men's team, of course. Doesn't seem to be so much handwringing about the women's. (CTV)

3. BOOKSELLER GOES DOWN: Another independent bookseller is in the process of biting the dust as McNally-Robinson of Winnipeg are declaring bankruptcy. The reason for their failure? Over expansion. (Globe and Mail)

4. WOMEN ARE COMPANIONS OF MEN, SAYS POPE: Pope Benedict dropped another of his trademark rat-zingers when he told a congregation that god created women to be companions for men. Not sure what to make of it (although, I do know what to think of the pic the Leader Post chose to accompany the article). I think he was just trying to offend homosexuals hoping to marry. But he managed to piss off feminists and well.. most everyone. Yay, Pope! (Leader Post)

5. LEMIEUX, YOUNG TO RECEIVE ORDER OF CANADA: Yay, Neil! Yay, Mario! Aaaaaaad, that's enough said on that. (Leader Post)

6. FAREWELL DOCTOR: David Tennant, the best of the 10 Doctors IMHO, will be making his last appearance as the fabled UK sci-fi hero in Doctor Who: The End of Time this Saturday on Space. (Which means I'll be traveling and not watching it. Bugger.) The show has apparently already run in the UK so you can read a review at the Guardian site. But don't spoil any of it for me, please.

Proroguies Again?

I've been back for 37 minutes and already in a state of impotent rage about the possibility of Harper proroguing another parliament. (CBC)

WTF? If Michaelle Jean says yes again, won't that set kind of a bad precedence (as if the last year's prorogation wasn't bad enough, AND on top of many many many other bad bad bad precedences?)

I think I'll look at this picture of Gilles Duceppe instead.

Sigh.

Pick of the Day: Regina Plains Museums

Earlier this month (Dec. 15 to be precise) the Regina Plains Museum celebrated its 50th anniversary. I'm not familiar with the museum's exact history, but do know it used to be much bigger than it is today. Not on par with a Western Development Museum, certainly, but with enough room to showcase a substantial portion of the artifacts it houses in replica one-room school houses, blacksmith shops, general stores and whatnot.

If something ever comes of the plan to convert the Legion and the building to the south of it into a performing arts complex the museum is supposed to be a prime candidate to become an anchor tenant. But that likely won't be happening any time soon. So for now the museum is stuck with its smaller space.

On display there now are two shows with strong ties to the city's past. Germantown (an image from which is pictured second from above), was curated by Yolanda Hansen, and examines the working-class neighbourhood that sprung up in east central Regina in the early 1900s as waves of immigrants from eastern Europe settled in Regina. During WWI in particular, many of the immigrants were subjected to xenophobic discrimination by the dominant Anglo-Saxon class, but they persevered and helped create one of Regina's more vibrant and thriving neighbourhoods.

Also on display is First Peoples Urban Experience. Produced through the collaborative effort of the North Central Community Association, Scott Collegiate, the City of Regina Archive and the RPM, it's a five-minute digital exhibit which chronicles the history of Aboriginal settlement in Regina. Until the early '60s, of course, First Nations people in Canada were severely restricted in their ability to move off reserve. Really, it wasn't until the early '70s that widespread migration of Aboriginal people to cities began. With commentary from an elder and another First Nations Reginan, the exhibit explores the Aboriginal facet of Regina's identity (pictured above, by the way, is Greg Girard's Smudge Walk).

Both shows are on until February. But if you're looking for something to do today, check them out.

Pick of the Day: Clearing a Path

This exhibit's been kicking around for a few years, so you may have already seen it somewhere. It opened at First Nations University of Canada in 2005, and features work by contemporary Aboriginal artists executed using traditional media like carving, quill and bead work. Since then, it's travelled to 20 Saskatchewan communities. Until March 6, it's on display at the RCMP Heritage Centre.


This latest venue offers an interesting juxtaposition of cultures and histories. The RCMP, of course, were founded by the federal Tories under Sir John A. McDonald in 1873 for the express purpose of facilitating the settlement of western Canada. In 1998, in fact, the very first article I wrote for prairie dog under then editor Mitch Diamantopolos was on the RCMP's "celebration" of its 125th anniversary. While the Force has made numerous mis-steps over the years, historians generally credit it with offering a degree of protection to First Nations in Canada and helping to avoid the type of Indian Wars that occured in the U.S. in the mid-19th century where tens of thousands of aboriginal people and settlers lost their lives.


Be that as it may, the RCMP were still a force of colonization in western Canada. So this exhibit, in the context of a museum dedicated to celebrating the proud history and exploits of one of the most famous police forces in the world, carries extra-special meaning. If you're looking for something to do this holiday season, check it out. And to offer a reminder of how the legend of the RCMP has been romanticized over the decades, here's a famous scene from the classic 1954 Nelson Eddy/Jeanette MacDonald cheesefest Rose-Marie (YouTube)

Pick of the Day: Jesus Christ Superstar

In February 2007, I interviewed a Jesuit priest who was a visiting scholar at Campion College about a lecture he was scheduled to deliver at the university on the subject of the representation of Jesus in film.

I attended Sunday school when I was a kid, and was an intermittent church-goer until my late teens, so I was familiar with most of the Bible stories associated with Jesus. Still, my denomination was United, and this guy was a freaking Jesuit priest, so it was somewhat intimidating to sit down with him to talk about the most important figure in Christian theology especially when, in recent decades and centuries, in my opinion anyway, so many powerful people have corrupted the ideal of Jesus to further their own putrid agendas.

During our talk, the priest made the point that since the dawn of cinema in the late 19th century Jesus had been depicted in many different ways by filmmakers. Invariably, he added, these depictions were misleading because, depending on the political zeitgeist of the time, they tended to focus on select aspects of who He was to the exclusion of His totality as an historical/divine figure. Even in the New Testament, the priest added, the portrait of Jesus drawn by the apostles Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in their respective gospels was inadequate. To truly appreciate the Jesus of Christian faith, he added, it was necessary to read the four gospels together.

"If you had to recommend four films then that you felt, together, best captured who Jesus was," I asked him, "what would they be?" The films he ended up picking were The Gospel According to Saint Matthew, Jesus of Montreal, The Chronicles of Narnia and an Italian film named I Giardini dell'Eden.

When I asked the priest about satiric portraits of Jesus, he replied: "We live in a culture that allows and promotes free expression. In addition to being a historical and religious figure, Jesus is also a figure of world culture. So I would allow someone who wants to make Jesus Christ Superstar to make it. If you want me to comment on your play, well ... great songs, great music. But theologically, disastrous."

I mention all this now because the travelling production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's classic rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar, with Ted Neely in the title role, is at Conexus Arts Centre tonight. Here's the trailer for the 1973 movie version. (YouTube)