Quote of the week:

"By the way, bulletproof vests are weakest under the arm." - Adrian Poffley, from Ontario, in an e-mail to the Santa Monica, California courthouse on Aug. 16, threatening to kill Michael Jackson. Poffley pled guilty to uttering death threats and was given a year's probation.

Thumbs down on Dubya

The President of the United States is coming to Canada, and Canadians ain't none too happy, pardner. Thousands of them will be descending on Ottawa next Tuesday, Nov. 30, to protest Dubya's arrival, and while security during his two-day visit may be grinning like a mule eating cockleburs (a Texas expression meaning "nervous"), local organizers say all events - both in Ottawa and in Montreal - will avoid violence.

"We want as broad a representation as possible, meaning it'll be family-friendly, peaceful and non-violent," says Judith Berlin, an organizer with anti-war group Échec à la guerre. Her group will be leading the Montreal demonstration at Dorchester Square (corner René-Lévesque and Peel) on Nov. 30 at 5:30 p.m. She wants it known that they do not want to be seen as anti-American, but rather as anti-Bush and his style of politics. "We know that half of America didn't vote for him, and there are plenty of organizations in the States that are working against him," she says.

Berlin also says she hopes Prime Minister Paul Martin will be listening. "The message that we want to get to the Canadian government is to not sign on to the Bush approach to the world. The anti-missile defence shield is a huge part of it, because it's part of an aggressive approach to the world politics."

The Canadian Federation of Students, meanwhile, is busy preparing for the Ottawa demonstrations, one at noon and another at 5 p.m. There are still tickets available for seats on the bus. Call 931-2377 for more info. » Patrick Lejtenyi

Prayers versus AIDS

A cure for HIV/AIDS may still be far off, but there is no doubt that the medication cocktail that fights it is keeping more people alive. But as thousands of Montrealers know from having lost friends and loved ones to the disease, it remains a killer. World AIDS Day being Dec. 1, on Friday, Nov. 26, the church of St. John the Evangelist (aka the Church with the Red Roof, 137 President Kennedy) will be holding its annual Mass of Remembrance for those who have died of AIDS. In the 11 years the Mass of Remembrance has been held, the service has always been dedicated to the dead. This year, things will be a bit different.

"Previously, this event was a requiem, remembering those who died, but this year we want to include prayers for those who are ill," says Father Keith Schmidt, the Church's rector. Fr. Schmidt says attendance has shrunk since the services began, mostly, he thinks, due to inroads made against the disease. "Here in North America, at least, because people can live with HIV/AIDS, I think the younger people especially don't take it as seriously as they should," he says. "There's a whole generation that doesn't know the effects this disease can have."

The Mass of Remembrance and Healing takes place on Friday, Nov. 26 at 6 p.m. People who would like to have names mentioned during the ceremony can send their requests by phone (288-4428) or e-mail (office@redroof.ca). » Patrick Lejtenyi

Five years of refugee camps

December might not scream "Outdoor Festival month!" but the Montreal-based art group Action Terroriste Socialement Acceptable's State of Emergency festival, beginning Wednesday, Dec. 1, at Place Émilie-Gamelin, ain't your run o' the mill art show. The fifth annual five-day event boasts art, food and shelter for the homeless, a cornucopia of artsy performances and a chance to mingle with artists.

"We're open 24 hours a day, serving three meals a day for the homeless and providing warm clothing," says organizer Annie Roy. "Plus it's a multi-disciplinary, free festival of bands, theatre and visual arts."

One gimmick this year will be surveillance cams inside the tents (where up to 150 sleep at night) and beamed onto a giant TV screen outside. "All that happens is reproduced on a giant screen outside," she says. "It's a critique of Big Brother and all those TV reality shows where they jet you to the Bahamas and you choose your lover. The real life is that some people are outside all winter, and it's not normal to be living outside in a rich city like this."

Although there's an ambitious slate of performers and freebies, Roy admits that she doesn't want her organizers to get too finnicky. "We like to create a sense of urgency, so we don't prepare too much." People can help "just by showing up," she says. "The purpose of it is to say we're against the degradation of social relations and against a kind of a savage individualism." More info at www.atsa.qc.ca. » Kristian Gravenor

REAR-VIEW MIRROR

15 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK
Nov. 23-Nov. 30, 1989

On the cover: A woman with a stack of LPs on the back of her bike as the Mirror's record guide lists the top 25 albums of the year. The top five are De La Soul's Three Feet High and Rising; Lou Reed's New York; Neville Brothers' Yellow Moon; Daniel Lanois's Acadie and the Pixies' Doolittle. Others on the list are the Cure's Disintegration (#7), NWA's Straight Outta Compton (#11), Stone Roses' self-titled (#14) and the Rolling Stones' Steel Wheels (#21).

• After an RCMP raid on his house, Bob Fuller, who runs the Old Time Country Music Club, may face copyright violation charges for selling bootleg tape recordings of his 10,000-record collection. "I felt I was a help to society by trying to keep this stuff alive," Fuller says. "I wasn't making any money."

• Some of Life in Hell's Forbidden Words of the 1990s: "Aromatherapy," "Bottom line," "Critically acclaimed," "Flashdance," "Life in the fast lane," "Men' liberation," "Neopsychedelic," "Smurf," "Space cadet," "T&A," "Thirtysomething," "Where's the beef?" "Woodstock generation" and "President Quayle."

Angel >> Organ donation A Quebec ethics committee is hoping that a revamped definition of death will save a lot of lives. Currently, only donors declared brain-dead can be harvested for organs; the committee says the definition should be expanded to include donors whose hearts have stopped beating. Of course, this doesn't mean that grieving families will be pushed aside by blood-spattered men brandishing cleavers and drills; rather, the committee urges cautious and limited practice trials. The committee, formed by the Quebec science and technology ethics commission, also notes that Quebec lags behind the rest of Canada and the U.S. in donor numbers.
Insect >> Crushing debt and ignorance A new study by the Université de Laval paints a grim portrait of the state of fiscal responsibility and knowledge among consumers between 18 and 29, especially concerning credit cards. Three-quarters of the 980 young francophones surveyed have average accumulated debts in the tens of thousands of dollars; the same percentage, coincidentally, have more than one credit card, while over a third have a line of credit with a bank. But what's more worrying, the authors say, is the level of understanding they have regarding credit card interest billing, which they describe as "very weak," despite credit card use having increased by 75 per cent in the past 10 years.