Quote of the week:

“I’m going to turn the world into one big dancefloor.” —Madonna, in a statement announcing her new world tour, whose only Canadian date is in Montreal on June 21. Tickets to see the 47-year-old Kabbalahist range from $55 to $350.

Mum on Fringe

Following a Tuesday morning meeting between Fringe Festival organizers Jeremy Hechtman and Geoffrey Agombar and Plateau borough mayor Helen Fotopulos, both sides are saying they believe an amicable solution can be found to a spat that made media and blogosphere rounds last week. At issue were beer sales at the Fringe headquarters at the Parc des Amériques, on the corner of St-Laurent and Rachel. The festival wanted to keep selling beer until 10 p.m. throughout the 10-day festival, while the borough wanted a strict 9 p.m. last call. Hechtman says losing the 9–10 p.m. sales hour could cripple the Fringe’s budget. Noise complaints from nearby residents prompted the clampdown.

“We would characterize the meeting as constructive,” says Fotopulos aide Marc Snyder. “A number of alternative site proposals were made, discussions are ongoing and both parties appreciated the meeting.”

Pressed about alternate sites, Snyder says, “Discussions are ongoing.”

“Uh, lessee—several alternative sites were proposed, and discussions are ongoing,” says Hechtman. “You might as well just use the same quote twice.”

A decision is expected soon. —Patrick Lejtenyi

Bio-food online

Puzzled about where to find some good, chemical-free food? Look no further than www.acheter-bio.ca, a Web portal to all organic food producers in the province. Officially launched with a big to-do last Monday, April 3, the site has actually been up since January, and has so far received about 2,800 hits, says St-Hubert-based creator Marthe Guérard.

“The idea is to get the producers to know each other better,” says Guérard. “But it’s also for the consumers, who want to know where they can get good lamb, for instance. It’s a shortcut from consumers to producers, to create a synergy between them at that level.”

The site has addresses for about 1,500 Quebec producers, Guérard says, with more being added every day. There will also be a dossier du mois on a variety of subjects to “sensitize people,” she says.

A message board is already up, with threads on bird flu and industrial pig farms.

Staying local is an important component to the site, rather simply repeating the benefits of eating well, says Guérard. “We want to focus on daily consumption and keeping chemicals out of the earth,” she says. —Patrick Lejtenyi

Kandahar questions

Stephen Harper’s pot belly overshadowed other issues, such as the welfare of Afghans, in the media’s coverage of his recent visit to Afghanistan. CKUT 90.3 FM, McGill’s radio station, hopes to set the balance right by bringing in journalist and activist Sonali Kolhatkar.

Kolhatkar, a radio producer in the U.S. and coordinator of the Afghan Women’s Mission, will speak on Sunday, April 9, at a fundraising event for CKUT at la Sala Rossa (4848 St-Laurent). La Presse reporter Jooneed Khan will also speak, followed by performances from Narcicyst and the Hassan el-Hadi band.

CKUT community news coordinator Stefan Christoff says Kolhatkar will speak about “Canada’s role in Afghanistan, and the alliances NATO has agreed to make with the warlords.”

Canadian troops support the elected government of Hamid Karzai, which gained influence throughout the country through alliances with warlords. The warlords had a strong showing in parliamentary elections last September.

Doors open at 8 p.m., suggested donation $7–$10. —Samer Elatrash

Street smarts

With notoriously aggressive motorists, kamikaze jaywalkers and lurking bike thieves, Montreal cyclists have a bumpy road ahead in making the city more bike-friendly.

“Montreal is a terrible city to bike in,” says Desmond Bliek, the communications coordinator of Concordia’s upcoming Transportation Fair.

A collaboration between urban design group Planners Network Montreal and allégo Concordia, an alternative transportation advocacy organization, this year’s fair—the first at Concordia—will take a look at political and environmental aspects of cycling as a means of sustainable transportation. Workshops on bike maintenance and safety, a photo exhibition and a panel on the politics of cycling will take place at Concordia on Saturday, April 11.

Bliek suggests small design interventions as a first step, like having sidewalks cutting through intersections to force motorists to slow down, and having bike racks replace parking spaces.

“Cycling is not just some sort of practical do-gooder, but a beautiful way of getting around,” Bliek says.

For more info visit http://allego.concordia.ca. —Tracey Lindeman

REAR-VIEW MIRROR

18 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK
April 1–April 14, 1988

On the cover: Ziggy Marley, whose album Conscious Party is described as “tremendously danceable and melodic.” His father still casts a long shadow, but the 19-year-old is establishing his own identity, he tells Jeff Deeprose. “Am I my father? Nuh, mon. I am myself.”

• Jessica Rochester, a PhD in nutrition and psychology, estimates that 50 to 60 per cent of the population has “hidden” food sensitivities. “Our ability to digest, metabolize and utilize what we eat and drink is dependent to a large degree on our genetic legacy.”

• Dogs in Space, about Melbourne punks c. 1978 and starring Michael Hutchence, “seems morally bankrupt, for example equating simple good times with heroin use,” writes Stanley Whyte. “But it’s more honest than a random listing of some of the events in the film would indicate.”

• Shakespeare invasion: Henry IV, Henry V and Richard II are performed at Espace Libre, The Tempest at Espace GO, A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Nouveau Monde and The Merry Wives of Windsor at UQÀM.

Angel >> Quebec’s herbicide ban As of Monday, 2,4–D, a popular herbicide, is officially banned in Quebec. Environmentalists are applauding the ban, saying the herbicide is dangerous to the environment and potentially carcinogenic to humans. They also say a safer way to ensure a green lawn is using organic products such as manure and compost, planting more grass seeds and letting “good” bugs like worms, ladybugs and spiders run free. Quebec’s ban is considered the toughest in North America, barring over 200 products that contain 2,4–D. Some 60 municipalities in Canada, as well as Norway, Denmark and Sweden, have instituted similar bans.
Insect >> Harper’s domestic agenda Vote, and so shall ye receive. The new Conservative government, led by roly-poly Stephen Harper, announced earlier this week that, as promised, it will get tough on crime, child pornographers and drugs, the three traditional bugbears of the right. Out is the Liberal marijuana decriminalization bill (not to mention the federal gun registry), in are tougher prison sentences for gun crimes, tighter parole rules, stronger controls on child pornography and an expanded DNA database of convicted criminals. There is also speculation that the prison industry will receive a boost, thanks to a sudden increase in drug addicts, child pornographer rapists and violent psychopaths—despite a steadily decreasing crime rate since 1991, according to StatsCan.