Quote of the week:

"There's a war between the Bo-Gars and the Syndicates, and a war between the Bo-Gars and the Crack Down Posse." - Montreal police assistant director Jean-Guy Gagnon, on the recent spate of gang-related violence over the weekend, in Tuesday's Journal.

Hikers versus HIV

Hiking fanatics can mix self-gratification with altruism by trekking through the wilderness for charity this weekend. This year's Grand Circuit des Laurentides, a three-day outing through the Laurentians, aims to raise money for HIV/AIDS research.

Circuit media rep Kat Coric says HIV/AIDS organizations still need help finding funding. "Until they find a cure there will always be a need for more research, education and prevention," Coric says. "We are very lucky in Canada, we have access to medication. In other parts of the world the struggle is still very relevant. The government is withdrawing funding more and more from these organizations."

Last year's trek raised $40,000. This year, organizers are aiming for $125,000. So far, 25 hikers have committed to covering 65 kilometres of trail in Parc du Mont-Tremblant, with the goal of raising a minimum of $2,000 each, via sponsors.

The proceeds will go to the Quebec Committee of People Living with HIV (CPAVIH) and the McGill AIDS Centre. CPAVIH represents and defends the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS throughout Quebec, as well as providing information on the illness, available treatments and legal counselling. "They offer support and services to get back into the swing of life," says Coric. "You can have a really hard time coping. We want to provide an injection of money because they need it badly."

Le Grand Circuit des Laurentides runs August 13–15. To sign up or to donate, contact Gregory Byng at 289-1002 or info@byngdirect.com at www.legrandcircuit.org. » Noemi LoPinto

The art of job-hunting

The starving artist cliché has its charm, but it sure doesn't put food on the table or a roof over anyone's head. More than most graduates, artsy types - be they musicians, sculptors, dancers or painters - have a hard time making a living by doing what they do best, and are often shunted into menial, low-paying and insecure work environments. An outdoor event at the Carré St-Louis is looking to get Montrealers to sit up and take notice.

"Right now, 45.6 per cent of young workers (under 35) are what we call atypical - meaning that they do not have salaried, permanent full-time jobs - and the percentage is higher among young women," says Annie-Claude Desmarais, a community organizer at the Réseau Les Toiles des jeunes travailleurs, which is putting on the second annual Festival la Fou'art. Les Toiles is attached to Force Jeunesse, a young workers' lobby group.

While there will be workshops on various kinds of art, including breakdancing, there will also be networking opportunities and employment tips from professionals who work in the field. "This is mostly an opportunity for young artists and workers to get together and help each other," says Desmarais.

La Fou'art begins at 10 a.m. at Carré St-Louis and runs until 5 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 15. It continues at 8 p.m. at Café Campus (57 Prince Arthur E.). Everything is free, although voluntary donations are welcome. More info at www.lestoiles.net. » Patrick Lejtenyi

Ragweed vigilantes roll

Total eradication of the enemy is the goal this Thursday, Aug. 12, as a gang of bikers roll through NDG. The cyclists will be of the ecologically-minded variety, and the foe the despised ragweed plant that launches seeds into the air much to the bane of suffering victims of hayfever, a sneezy malaise that plagues an estimated 10 per cent of the population.

During their two-hour bicycle tour, the gang will locate and uproot all ragweed they come across in an offensive strategy dreamed up by NDG Éco-quartier animator Charles Shulman, 25. "Just by walking around and talking to people, I've noticed that about half of those I encounter report that they or somebody in their family is allergic to ragweed and thus they think it's a great effort," he says. Shulman also says that most of the festering flora grows on private grounds, as the city does a "good job at clearing them off their land."

The city's ragweed-slaying zeal may in part be due to an ongoing $800-million class action suit originally launched in 1992 by Plateau resident Françoise Nadon, who is suing 23 of 27 former island municipalities for failing to heed their own anti-ragweed promises. The suit returns to Superior Court this fall but could still subsequently end up in Appeals and then the Supreme Court. According to her lawyer Luc Alarie, "It's very complex and obviously people are waiting."

Meanwhile those seeking to bike with Shulman against ragweed Thursday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. should call 482-8778. » Kristian Gravenor

REAR-VIEW MIRROR

16 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK
Aug. 12–Aug. 25, 1988

On the cover: Computer operator, pot grower and Rhino candidate Bill Hamon, who may be changing Canada's pot laws. Using the Charter, he is fighting to keep his 15 pot plants, seized by the SQ in an illegal 1982 raid. He wants to take the case to the Supreme Court. "I didn't fight for six years to have the case thrown out on a technicality," he says.

• Two articles look at Chinatown: one on a video called The Second Home, about recent Chinese immigrants to Montreal (written by the director, Quentin Lee); the other a guide for the ignorant to the magic of dim sum.

• In an Iggy Pop article by Lorrie Edmonds, the Mirror, unable to get an interview, cobbles together previously published Iggy quotes. About his latest album Instinct, he tells Graffiti magazine that, "I felt I wanted to prove something, because people had put forth the proposition that I'm a boring old shit because I don't take drugs and because I'm married.'"

Angel >> Embattled Mount Royal Everybody's favourite big park designed by Frederick Law Olmsted is in trouble, and it's thanks to it being everybody's favourite big park. According to the mountain's conservation patrol corps formed earlier this year, it's in its worst shape since the 1998 ice storm. The culprits? Mainly off-trail hikers and mountain bikers, who either don't know or don't care about the degree of erosion they're causing. At least one section has been fenced off but, with 3.5-million visitors every year, the mountain's undergoing some serious stress, and we may be killing it with love.
Insect >> Risky antidepressants Earlier this week Health Canada posted a warning on its Web site warning pregnant women about possible adverse effects that taking antidepressants might have on their newborns. Symptoms include muscle rigidity, constant crying and respiratory problems. The risk is greatest with women in their third trimester who take selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). This is another blow to the antidepressant market, especially SSRIs: recent research suggest that they increase suicidal thoughts among children and teens, and reports have surfaced that pharmaceutical manufacturers tried to withhold data that showed the drugs were harmful.