Quote of the week:

"Since we were robbed the last time, the next time... we will request the presence of international observers." - PQ leader Bernard Landry, on what he wants in a future referendum, at a regional party meeting on Sunday.

Inmates out of Israel

April 17 is the International Day of Action in Solidarity With Palestinian Political Prisoners, and almost in time for the occasion, a group of former Palestinian political prisoners will be in town to speak at McGill University on April 20. They are part of an eight-city North American tour sponsored by Sumoud, a Toronto-based prisoners' rights group that focuses mainly on Palestinian issues.

"There are about 8,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, most of whom face some sort of torture or mistreatment," says Adam Hanieh, an organizer with Sumoud. "They're often subjected to physical abuse, including being violently shaken and forced to sit in painful positions for long periods of time."

Speakers include Sahar Francis, a lawyer with grassroots Palestinian prisoners' rights organization Addameer, and former president of Bethlehem University Student Council Akram Al Ayasa, who was arrested seven times by the Israeli army between 1976 and 1990.

The tour stops in Montreal on Wednesday, April 20, at 7 p.m., in McGill's Leacock Building, Room 132 (855 Sherbrooke W.), free. For info call 859-9023. » Christopher Hazou

Canadians for Bolivar

In the 1820s, Simon Bolivar, the liberator of several South American countries, dreamed of a united continent along with public education, land reform and the abolition of slavery.

Those dreams live on in Canada, as over 50 Latin American and progressive groups in Montreal, Quebec City and Toronto recently formed a coalition called Venezuela, We Are With You to oppose U.S. intervention in that country and elsewhere, notably Cuba.

"The United States is afraid of the example of the Bolivarian revolutionary process [in Venezuela] for other countries in the Americas," said Montreal spokesperson Prof. James Cockcroft, an American scholar who has written over 30 books on Latin American history and politics.

Cockcroft sees the coalition as part of the "winds of change from the south here in the north." Besides a few recent public conferences, the group is organizing a free "cultural-political" evening this Saturday, starting at 7 p.m., along with the Venezuelan Consulate. Taking place at 505 Jean-Talon E. (Jean-Talon metro), it will feature several Latin music and dance groups along with info tables and a photo exhibit. Info: 737-4682. » Wayne Hiltz

Death to computers

Computers get old quick. So this Saturday, April 16, is your chance to ditch your slow, pokey and unused technology.

Cool to be Canadian, a non-profit organization that promotes community volunteerism, is accepting everything from monitors to mice to cell phones that are past their best-by date. Calling the event "No Computer Should Go to Waste," its organizers are hoping that residents (as opposed to companies) will bring in their old hardware to be recycled or donated. Shane Thériault, the director of volunteer services, says all information stored on the computers will be erased and the junk itself, if indeed beyond rehabilitation, will be melted down.

"Most of the computers that'll be brought in - 95 to 99 per cent - will not be functional," says Thériault. "But the reason we're doing this is that we want to keep them from going into landfills and polluting our water" with lead and cadmium.

The event takes place at the Complexe environnemental St-Michel (2525 Jarry E.) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. To volunteer call 814-0330 or visit www.aucunordiperdu.ca. » Patrick Lejtenyi

Batshaw beautiful

There's a child gone wild out there that you can help simply by pulling up a chair and feasting your eyes on the city's most beautiful creatures vamping down a catwalk.

Well, the small print says that you've also got to plunk down 75 bones to do it, but 100 per cent of the $25,000 to be raised at the first-ever Batshaw Centre fashion show will go towards tutoring and counselling troubled kids.

Help with homework and psychological outlook are some of the elements that can give troubled kids a fair kick at the can in life. "The tutoring aims to help them keep their academics sufficiently strong to stay in school, while the therapy is for kids who have a lot of stress on their shoulders and are often managing domestic situations that are challenging to them," says Batshaw board member Mark Lowe, who's also the svengali of the fashion night.

The evening of conscientious couture happens Tuesday, April 19, at Ogilvy's (1307 Ste-Catherine W.). Call 989-1885 ext. 201 for more information and to buy tickets. » Kristian Gravenor

REAR-VIEW MIRROR

12 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK
April 15–April 22, 1993

On the cover: Two burning masks of comedy and tragedy, as Gaëtan Charlebois investigates the slow death of theatre in Montreal. "[Young people] are not coming near the theatre for two reasons," says Paul Lefebvre, a local artistic director. "First, there are no bridges between artists and the young, potential public... The second reason, of course, is the question of economics - ticket prices."

• The UN rules that Bill 178 is a violation of Anglo Quebecers' human rights. The specific case in question involves 61-year-old Gordon McIntyre's "English" funeral home in Huntingdon, which was dismissed by Canadian courts. "I think it's wonderful that a little guy can get the better of the federal and the Quebec government," McIntyre tells Peter Scowen.

• The Mirror investigates "Rave culture." "A psychedelic playground for youth on hallucinogens, the Rave's surreal atmosphere and driving music make it a party experience like no other. ‘It's a complete assault,' says 19-year-old Rave organizer Tiga Sontag. ‘You're bombarded with the music, the drugs, the fashion, the environment, everything.'"

Angel >> The soon-to-be-homeless McGill Sexual Assault Centre Thanks to a space crunch at McGill University, the Sexual Assault Centre was told last Friday it will have to vacate its premises to make way for a new archeology lab. The Centre, funded by the students, offers a help line, nine different support groups, a community outreach program and information and library services, all for free, and has been through three locations in the last five years, according to Denise Doucet, one of the Centre's volunteers. They have to be out of the current location by May 31. Anyone with space to donate (they don't need money) is asked to call 398-2751.
Insect >> The plummeting Liberals Ugly days are ahead for anyone calling themselves a (capital-L) Liberal. With the Gomery Inquiry's revelations taking on a life of their own and spraying anyone remotely connected to it with mud, two things come to mind: first, we're going to have another election, with all the fun that involves. Second, the Liberals are likely to get pasted, with the separatist Bloc Québécois and the Conservatives standing to gain the most. And with the Quebec Liberals' popularity in freefall, the next provincial election, to say nothing of a referendum (see Quote of the Week), is the PQ's to lose.