Chinese Artist Encounters Censorship

Considering all the edgy art work out there that's capable of offending people based on religious, sexual, political and other grounds (like Serrano's famous Piss Christ, pictured), this seems pretty innocuous to me. Of course, the politician that the work references is an ass. (CBC)

Pick of the Day: Valentines Day Massacre

Not technically on Valentines Day, I know. But V-Day is on Sunday this year, which means that a lot of people are likely going to be celebrating tonight. Among metal heads in Regina, this gig at the Exchange has developed into a bit of tradition. Featured performers this year include Orbital Express, In Darkness, Plagued Inferno and Bugs Moran.

No, my mistake. Moran was a major player in the St. Valentines Day Massacre. That happened in Chicago back in 1929. Prohibition was still in force, and two powerful gangs battled each other for control of the illegal booze biz in the city. Based on the south side was an Italian emigre gang headed by Al Capone (pictured). The north side, meanwhile, was the territory of an Irish-Polish gang headed by Bugs Moran.

The two gangs had been rivals for years. But on Feb. 14 tensions came to a head. With Capone conveniently vacationing in Florida, four men, two dressed as cops, entered a north side garage at mid-morning and machine gunned to death five members of Moran's gang and two other men who were loosely affiliated with the gang. Moran, himself, escaped the slaughter, but his gang was severely weakened. And Capone came under increased federal scrutiny for his gang activities, and in 1931 was jailed for 11-years for income tax evasion.

If metal isn't your scene, the Regina Symphony Orchestra is presenting a special Valentine's-themed concert at Conexus Arts Centre tonight featuring compositions by Tchaikovsky and Ravel called Romance of Dance. Also, a new comedy showcase kicks off at Gabbo's Nightclub. Hosted by Shawn Hall, the Comedy Grind runs every Saturday at 9 p.m., and will include a mix of stand-up and sketch comedy, improv and short films. As well, there's a show at the Club featuring Sincerely Autumn and several other bands. Finally, Loverboy is at the Casino.

Saturday Morning Cartoon

This week's cartoon is another of this year's Oscar nominated animated shorts. French Roast is from France and is directed by Fabrice Joubert. It tells the amusing story of a man in a restaurant who discovers that he has forgotten his wallet. You can find the official site here.

Visual Art Lecture

Yeah, I know what you're thinking. But this guy's work sounds pretty interesting.

His name's Don Ritter. He was born in Canada, and is currently based in Berlin. He creates large-scale interactive video and sound installations using all sorts of new media. He just got done doing a work for the Cultural Pavillion at the Vancouver Olympics. He's in Regina Saturday night to talk about his work at 8 p.m. at Neutual Ground (203-1856 Scarth)

Ritter's exhibited throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Check out the talk if you get the chance.

Pick of the Day: The Wolfman

There's a big gig tonight at the Exchange. Having had their label Young Soul Records recently sign a distribution deal with EMI (DogBlog), and with a new album due out in April, Library Voices play a farewell show before heading to Vancouver to play four showcase gigs at the Olympics. Read more about the band in the preview James Brotheridge did in the Feb. 11 issue of prairie dog. And good luck to them. Regina needs a band to break big to start putting the scene here more on the map.

There's also a fundraiser for a new theatre company that Rob Ursan and Andorlie Hillstrom, the driving force behind Do-It-With-Class Young People's Theatre, are forming called Golden Apple. It's being held in the spacious lobby area of the T.C. Douglas Building and will feature a performance by Kyle Golemba of his humorous salute to Canadian musical theatre Making Love in a Canoe.


At O'Hanlon's Pub, Kleins96 (Harvest King Records) are headlining a gig that also includes Divorce Gun and the Savants.

But I decided to go with the opening day for the much anticipated release of this remake of the 1941 Lon Chaney horror classic The Wolfman. Quite apart from the chills it delivers, the story's loaded with socio-cultural significance. Apparently, the guy who wrote the original screenplay for Universal Pictures (Curt Siodmak) was Jewish.

I'm no expert on the Wolfman legend. But I believe that a person who is inclined whenever there is a full-moon to feel the irresistable urge to transform into a hybrid human/lupine creature has a pentagram inscribed in their hand. A pentagram bears a pretty strong resemblance to a Star of David. And as a metaphor for demonization, persecution and otherness, a "werewolf" is certainly potent. Here's the trailer (YouTube)

Let the Games Begin

Not exactly a surprise, but still lamentable. (CBC)

FNUC saved?

Possibly. Prairie dog has learned that the FSIN is considering a deal where First Nations University of Canada will remain open, academically independent, but more of its non-academic responsibilities taken over by the University of Regina.

Given that (a) academics have never been the problem at FNU, (b) the fight within the FSIN has always been control over the money, (c) the FSIN people currently controlling the money at FNU brought the institution to its current crisis, this is a very positive development.

Sarah Mills has more here.

http://www.newstalk980.com/story/20100211/29231

Regina Has A New Shuttle Bus To Wal-Mart

Weird. (City website)

Pick of the Day: Another Mixed Bag

There's a few things going on today. At Chapters, University of Regina poli-sci prof David Webster explores the dark side of Canadian foreign policy in a Coffeehouse Controversies talk titled The Peacekeeper Myth. When I spoke with Webster recently, he had this to say about our increasingly hawkish nature as a country: "If there is an American military-industrial complex, then as with so many other things there's a Canadian branch plant."

At the Exchange, Grassroots Regina are presenting Spring Breakup backed-up by John Wort Hannam (pictured). This is another gig, I think, that's partly tied to the Cultural Olympiad in Vancouver. Here's video of the former, a rising folk duo consisting of Kim Barlow and Mathias Korn, discussing their musical partnership and perhaps more although they're kind of coy about it (YouTube).

For anyone who feels like getting dressed up, there's a Champagne & Chiffon fashion fundraiser with proceeds to the Heart & Stroke Foundation at the MacKenzie Art Gallery. The gallery's got some new shows up too, including a Daphne Odjig retrospective and sculptural installation by Joan Scaglione. Check them out if you get a chance.

Finally, until Feb. 13, Regina Little Theatre is presenting the culinary comedy The Kitchen Witches at the Performing Arts Centre. It's about two long-time hosts of rival TV cooking shows who, with their careers circling the crapper, team up to co-host a show in a last ditch effort to scale the heights that this man did so many years ago. (YouTube)

Big Day Tomorrow

Tomorrow marks a very special moment in human history. Forty-six years ago on Feb. 11 in Sandpoint, Idaho a baby girl named Sarah Louise was born to Charles "Chuck" Heath, a science teacher, and his wife Sarah "Sally", a
school secretary. Ever precocious and perky, this girl has grown into a woman of considerable accomplishment [in high school, for example, she was a skilled flautist and ball-handler-- as point guard for the basketball team, I mean] who may not yet have realized her final destiny, her growing legion of supporters fervently hope anyway, as leader of the Free World. (blogacause)

Ladies and Gentleman, if you find yourself in possession of a glass of alcohol or some other suitable libation tomorrow, give a toast to the birthday girl, will you?. (CornerStoneGroup).

And to show that she's still at the top of her game, here's video of her in action at a recent conservative political convention in Nashville. (YouTube)