Quote of the week:

"I have values. I'm a politician, yes, but I'm a human being who has values." - Mayor Gérald Tremblay, who turned down opposition leader Pierre Bourque's proposal to unite against the de-merger forces in city hall, in Tuesday's Gazette. Bourque's offer contained too many conditions, Tremblay said.

Crazypricks still at large

A company that videotaped and marketed real attacks on local vagrants probably won't face the wrath of the law, according to local police.

Six separate files were opened relating to the matter, but because there were no official plainitiffs, there has been little progress. "I'd be very surprised if anything is new on it," says Sgt. Michel Fontaine of the Montreal police.

The organizer of the site, Adam Guerbuez, an admitted white-power skinhead who says he has left the movement, claims to have sold several thousand of the $20 videos and attracted 9,000 more paid subscribers to the site, www.crazypricks.com. He has since disconnected his mobile phone and taken his site down.

One longtime member of Anti-Racist Action (ARA) who has kept close tabs on Guerbuez says the attacks on the homeless appear even more repulsive than the usual activities conducted by those involved in racist groups. Guerbuez was acquitted in the trial of a group attack that led to the death of Christian Thomas, 39, on June 24, 2000. Of the three accused, only Sacha Montreuil was convicted last year.

"I assumed (the attacks on the homeless) is something (racist skinheads) would get their asses kicked for by other Nazis because a lot of these homeless are white people. Many Nazis might think, ‘Let's help get these proud white men out of the gutter and make them proud Aryan warriors like ourselves,'" says the ARA spokesman, who goes nameless to protect his identity for fear of violent retribution. » Kristian Gravenor

Vagina posters!

Sometimes, de-mystifying sex has to avoid subtlety. In the spirit of frank talk and awareness, therefore, youth outreach group Head and Hands, is hosting an event next Thursday, Nov. 6, that will feature both the unveiling of a large poster with 12 different, and different-looking, vaginas and their 30-minute sex ed video aid All SEXED Up. The event, part fundraiser, part project release party, is open to the public and will feature the poster's models (clothed), the video's actors and volunteers.

The video, says Head and Hands fundraising and public relations coordinator Alex Megelas, "is a fairly humorous and queer-positive look at sexuality. We want to use it in our health education workshops we do around the city."

The poster, on sale for $5, proved a little more problematic. "The feedback has been mixed," says Megelas. "Some people think it's an amazing idea, but we put the idea up on a bulletin board and some responses likened it to porn."

But it's far from it, says Head and Hands special events and projects coordinator Fiona Keats. "It's a celebration of the diversity of women. It shows that everyone is different. We want to put it in medical clinics so girls will see it and know that they're not freaks."

The party takes place at Zeke's Gallery (3955 St-Laurent) at 7 p.m. Cover is $2 to $7, based on a sliding scale. The poster can also be purchased at Head and Hands (5833 Sherbrooke) and Come As You Are (5427 St-Laurent). » Patrick Lejtenyi

African solutions

Carrefour Canadien International (CCI - the Montreal office of Canadian Crossroads International), a non-profit international development and social action organization, will be hosting an evening that will emphasize changing the economic status of women farmers in West Africa.

The Soirée d'éducation à la solidarité international (International solidarity education evening) will highlight both the problems and possibilities of development for West Africans. On the program is a documentary about Mali, a photo exhibit, various kids' activities and an hour-long conference that will highlight, in part, a micro-credit project for women.

"We want to talk about solutions," says Danielle Lacroix, a volunteer with the Projet femmes et micro-credits 2003 at CCI, "about how we're supporting groups that help women in Mali obtain small loans at low interest."

The evening's activities are free. The conference takes place Saturday, Nov. 1, at the Comité Social Centre-sud (1710 Beaudry). Doors open at 6 p.m. » Patrick Lejtenyi

REAR-VIEW MIRROR

12 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK
Oct. 31-Nov. 7, 1993

On the cover: A fat and apparently confused Tintin, as drawn by Luc Giard, in an investigation into the weird world of underground comics in Montreal. Also mentioned are the French journal Iceberg, Drawn and Quarterly, Melody, the Life of an Exotic Dancer and publishers Gogo Guy.

• Cree and Inuit patients have to be treated in Montreal because of a lack of medical services in northern Quebec. "They freak out when they first come here," says a McGill health official. "They are very anxious to go home. They don't know what's going on."

• "If people feel they are going to something they should see, they'll stay away," says Atom Egoyan, talking about his film The Adjuster. "This one is to be enjoyed on a sensory level. It's very pleasing to the eye and ear."

• "Ozzy remains one of the most likeable and human heavy metal stars, and his image and personality has worn pretty well over the years," reads the review of No More Tears. It gets a B+.

Angel >> Rethinking Quebec's pork industry Quebec's Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement (BAPE) released an 850-page report to the provincial environment ministry that recommends a serious re-evaluation of the pig business. The proposals call for a strengthening of environmental standards among large-scale pork producers, mandatory impact studies for every new pork factory and a policy of "eco-conditionality" when it comes to handing out government subsidies. About time, too: hog waste is a major pollution source, communities surrounding the factories are strangled by a foetid stench and animal rights groups have long complained about the inhumane way pigs are raised and slaughtered.
Insect >> The Council for Quebec Sovereignty's recurring pipe dream It died in 1995, was reborn in 2002 and last weekend, the Council unveiled their brand new, touchy-feely multi-coloured fleur-de-lys logo. Also announced was their vision of an independent Quebec within five years, and that monthly conferences will be held around the province to promote it. Oh joy! Just what Quebec needs! While the rest of the world moves on, it seems that some would rather ignore the environment, economy and health-care system and jump back 10 years to gear up for more mind-numbing, never-ending and ultimately futile harangues about language, laws and ethnic pride.