Dead-on writing

An anthology of obituaries sounds like it would be just right for what’s shaping up to be another gloomy Victoria autumn, but it turns out there’s nothing morbid about Tom Hawthorn’s Deadlines: Obits of Memorable British Columbians. The focus of this collection is life, not death, and a colourful cast of real-life heroes and antiheroes […]

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Rudd rocks, stands on head

Xavier Rudd, the ultimate one-man band, who typically hits the stage with three didgeridoos, a guitar, stomp box, assortment of drums, banjos, harmonicas, bells, and a bass guitar, is bringing all of his gear, and himself, to Victoria once again. The fact that Rudd is self-taught and able to execute all of these talents by […]

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Julie Doiron gets over fear of recording, finally

Believe it or not, Canadian singer-songwriter Julie Doiron had a fear of recording her music until now. That’s eight full-lengths she recorded while combating that fear. But after recording her ninth, she’s finally really starting to enjoy it. Doiron’s fears weren’t conjured up the way most people’s are. She didn’t imagine her albums growing fangs […]

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Foreskin activist to speak at Camosun

Vancouver’s Glen Callender loves his foreskin. Callender, founder of the Canadian Foreskin Awareness Project, just loves foreskin in general, actually, and he’ll be on campus talking all about it on November 16 when he brings his What a Dick! A Men’s Sexual Health Workshop to Camosun. But there’s a cause behind what he’s doing: he’s […]

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Speaker’s Corner: Finding your speaking style

Popularized in the ’90s by Neil Fleming and Colleen Mills, the VARK (Visual, Audio, Reading/writing, and Kinesthetic) modality is a system of describing learning styles. The idea is that teachers can theoretically optimize their students’ performance by understanding how they learn. Briefly, the categories can be described as: 1. Visual: Thinks in pictures, prefers visual […]

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Comedian talks serious about robots at Tedx conference

Many hats can be worn in the world of entertainment and performance art. Local comedian, playwright, and musician Wes Borg will be changing his chuckles to a more serious tone when he speaks at the upcoming Tedx Victoria conference. Borg will talk about the importance of resistance in all human growth and how we stop […]

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In Search of Lost Time: Some lesbians have penises

As if there’s not enough hurt out there in the world for those of us whose identities depart from acceptable social norms, or are marginalized in the process of prejudices, there also exists oppression inside the communities we seek refuge and understanding in. The term lesbian, to me, means a homosexual relationship between two women. […]

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Finding fashionable treasures in unlikely places

Thrift-store shopping doesn’t have to be the only way to discover hidden gems. Affordable, quality clothing is hiding in plain sight, and in stores you probably walk by every day in the mall. Here are a few examples of stores you wouldn’t be expecting to be carrying the motherlode of cheap jewelry, the perfect plaid […]

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Sour Grapes: Hail Caesar… and clams

Did you know that the Caesar is, unofficially, Canada’s national cocktail? It’s true. One might imagine that Canada’s boozy beverage of choice would be some maple-syrup-laden concoction named with a clever play on the word “beaver.” Instead, the Great White North has proven that it’s crazy for a savoury combination of vodka, spices, tomato, and […]

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New Music Revue: November 14th, 2012 issue

  Julie Doiron So Many Days (Aporia Records) 3/5   The past three years have seen Canadian singer-songwriter Julie Doiron move from Montreal to Sackville to Toronto. Also, bear in mind that So Many Days is the last in a trilogy of Doiron solo records. It’s been said that good things come in threes. I […]

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