In our western society, the majority of with rolling green pastures, it is the furthest Do humans need to consume meat?
o consume meat? The
citizens are fortunate enough to have more
than we need (though many get sucked in
by seductive advertising and engage in the
never ending game of consumption, without
Publisher/Editor: Tony Loeffen ever attaining an ultimate state of material
fulfillment). Our relative prosperity as citizens
Writers: Cyndi Mayhew of middle class western society enables us
Ideabong to have an abundance of choices in life; the
Tony Loeffen freedom to choose our political and religious
views, moral beliefs, what we desire to
consume, how we live. We truly have won
Photography: Tony Loeffen\\ the global jackpot. With great wealth comes
great responsibility
Site Design: Sterling Campbell
There are two types of people: those who go
through life without much thought to the con-
Cover Art: Shawn Beatty sequences of their actions as an individual
and their part in shaping society. Alternately
there are those who seek to investigate com-
monly held truths and deconstruct dominant
ideologies that maintain injustice; those who
live by their beliefs, recognizing their inherent
power as citizens to aid in moving society
TWITTER: towards a more socially just world. Those in
the former category; this article is not for you.
= solventmagazine You will forever continue to go through this
world without a thought for consequence,
when we are wrong ... please inform us, eating buckets of KFC and engaging in ag-
gressive meathead behaviour, such as key-
and send photo submissions, articles,
editorials, to editor@solventmagazine.com
FACEBOOK ing the “Give Peas a Chance” bumper sticker
on my car, and using the “but it tastes good”
keep us posted about your upcoming events
events@solventmagazine.com
= solventmagazine excuse for not supporting animal rights.
Unfortunately those in power in our society
depend on the selfish, idle and the apathetic,
to maintain the status quo. For those who
consider themselves to be an intellectual
of sorts, concerned with social justice and
possess an open mind, I ask you to consider
the animal rights issue. Do you truly think it’s
justifiable to cause animals pain in order to
turn them into food? And if not, what is keep-
ing you from engaging in change?
The meat industry relies heavily on specta-
cle; effectively separating us from reality. In
our culture we’re incessantly bombarded with
constructed images which create completely
false impressions of the world around us;
shaping our beliefs. The meat industry is the
ultimate example of separation perfected:
keeping consumers from having to face the
truth. When you buy that package of meat
containing an image of a pleasant little farm
thing from the reality of where that product
came from. The average consumer will never
encounter a factory farm. So what is the real-
ity? It’s pigs in cages so small they can bare-
ly move an inch their entire lives, covered
in feces, torn away from their young who, in
a natural existence as highly social animals
they would nurture and have close relation-
ships with. The reality is massive ponds full
of pig crap, destroying our environment and
seeping into grounds and waterways. The
reality is sick animals denied veterinary care,
full of hormones living in breeding grounds
for disease. This isn’t merely the case in
“bad” factory farms. It is simply how the
factory farm functions: maximizing profits,
producing animals as commodities with no
regard for their rights as sentient beings.
Farm animal brutality has been normalized. It
is rationalized by such statements as “eating
meat is natural”, “it’s the way it’s meant to
be”. Simply put: if we treated dogs the way
we treat “farm animals” it would be consid-
ered a crime. The worst part: farm animals
have feelings too. In fact, pigs are cognitively
significantly more intelligent than our favorite
animals: cats and dogs. How can you be an
“animal lover” yet contribute daily to the suf-
fering of animals?
This takes me to the state of farm animal
rights in Canada. Most assume they are
sufficiently humane. Not so my carnivore
friends. In fact, Canada lags behind other
western nations; holding on to outdated
factory farming techniques, such as the
cruel practice of “holding pens” for swine.
Pigs become literally insane, chewing each
other’s tails off, twitching and rocking back
and forth from immobilization. Transporta-
tion regulations have yet to be updated to
more humane levels. Animals in Canada are
transported up to 52 hours straight without
rest, food or water. Crammed into trucks with
little protection from cruel Canadian winters,
many animals freeze to the sides of trans-
ports. Just like humans, animals have physi-
cal and psychological needs in order to live
decent, healthy lives free from pain. They
are not objects designed for our exploitation.
Factory life: conveyor belts, crammed pens,
enduring pain and neglect, is not suitable
living conditions for living creatures.
average meat eater gets twice the amount of
protein needed, which can lead to an array
of health issues. Contrary to common belief,
a vegetable based diet is considered the
healthiest diet for human beings. Vegan-
ism has many health benefits such as a
significantly (approximately 40%) reducing
the chance of heart disease, along with a
decreased risk of cancer and obesity. Think
it’s too hard? I made the switch at a young
age. I have never felt deprived in any way.
In fact, most vegetarians and vegans I know
say they eat a more varying and delicious
array of foods since converting. You can
even have the world’s healthiest and tastiest
cruelty-free poutine. It’s not all salad and
tofu! Any regular meal can easily be con-
verted vegan; with the added benefit of being
lower in fat.
As rationalists, we can recognize there are
scientific truths and non-truths. Can we
go further and determine there are moral
truths and non-truths? Certainly moral truths
are subject to opinion to a certain degree.
However, as a society we have decided that
dogs have the legal right to decent lives, free
from torture. How then can we rationalize the
mistreatment of other like-animals? When
examining the ability of animals to experi-
ence physical and psychological pain, their
cognitive intelligence and awareness of their
surroundings, and furthermore when we take
into account their social needs as sentiment
beings, can we not conclude that factory
farming is animal abuse on a massive scale?
A pig is a dog is a cow is a chicken. I’m an
animal, you’re an animal too. So what do you
believe is right? And when are you going to
start living according to your beliefs?
www.wearechangenorthbay.org

When it comes to naming things, the name of the
thing should lend itself to, in a positive way, the nature
of the thing.
That is why you would not name a synagogue after a
Joseph Goebbels, you don’t name a daycare centre
after Jeffrey Dahmer, you don’t name a women’s shel-
ter after Robert Picton, and you don’t name a hospital
after the goddamned bubonic plague.
Guess what else you don’t do? You don’t name a
library after Ontario’s most famous enemy of educa-
tion, Mike Harris.
Since Nipissing University has named its new library
after our former Premier, whose record on educational
issues was unquestionably dismal, so much so, that
one might reasonably suppose that he had an abiding
hatred of education, that informed all of his policy
decisions; it is fair to call the integrity of those respon-
sible into question.
Why did Nipissing do such a thing? If it was only for
money, it was for the wrong reason, and hence the
University has not only tarnished its image, but dimin-
ished its integrity. Well there may be multiple other
reasons, and one of them might be that they thought
“The Harris Learning Library” is a suitable name, but
we’ll never know, because there was a million and a
half wrong reasons involved. The University, in their
press release, did not go so far as to say that it was
appropriate to name the library after Mr. Harris, they
merely pointed out how important it was to the project
to have that 1.5 million dollars, the amount the naming
privilege cost Mr. Harris’ benefactor, billionaire investor
Seymour Schulich.
This elderly billionaire, Seymour Schulich has made
SELL YOUR
CDs, DVDS
and BOOKS
14
most of his money through speculative investing.
When you make your money this way, what you are
doing is attaching your money, like a wealth sucking
parasite to a pre-existing business entity. The busi-
ness enterprise is a legal structure that organizes
the wealth generating ideas, and labour of working
people. The speculator has added nothing to the
enterprise (remember that speculation is far different
than funding a start up) that he is betting on. His suc-
cess is attributable to intelligent gambling. In gambling
there are winners and losers in a zero sum gain. A
speculative investor, is not a net contributor to society,
he has not generated his wealth using admirable
techniques such as working or developing ideas, he
has won his money from someone else.
When a man makes his money in this way, and he
gives some of it back to worthy causes, such as
libraries and educational institutions, is it fair to admire
him less than a person who does the same thing with
money that he has earned? When a man commits an
act of generosity, it is more respectable when he does
so anonymously, or when he insists on recognition?
Seymour Schulich gives a lot of money away to
schools… very often (if not always) on the condition
that the school is then named after him. For example,
there is the Schulich School of Business at York Uni-
veristy, there is the Schulich School of Medicine and
Dentistry at the University of Western Ontario, there is
the Schulich School of Engineering at the University
of Calgary, there is the Schulich School of Law at
Dalhousie, and last but not least, there is the Schulich
School of Education at Nipissing University. Each of
these honours was bought and paid for.
In Canada, universities, including the Schulich
Schools are funded by tax dollars, and while not
TONY LOEFFEN
everyone is glad to pay their taxes, it is some consola-
tion that our tax money goes to a good cause. We tax
payers find it easier to identify good causes when they
look like good causes, smell like good causes, act
like good causes, and are named like good causes. I
would not immediately assume that something named
after Mike Harris or Seymour Schulich would be a
good cause.
I do not disagree on a conceptual level, with selling
naming rights to things like hospitals, schools, and
libraries. It is a good way to suck money out of people
with a lot of money, and an ego to match the size of
their pile of cash. However, there should be limita-
tions. The honour should not be open to those who,
in character and actions do not properly represent the
nature and spirit of what is being named.
I can see why someone like Seymour Schulich might
want to do Harris a favour, and pony up some cash
to buy him an honour. After all, Harris, who is famous
for tax cutting, mostly cut taxes for giant corporate
interests, and the extremely wealthy, such as Schul-
ich. For the privelege of naming this library, he should
have had to pay for the whole thing, and provide an
endowment good enough to fund its operation forever.
That way, taxpayers wouldn’t have to endure the insult
of paying to help immortalize him and his buddy.
Naming a library after Mike Harris, after how he took
the funding axe to education, disrespected teachers,
cut a whole year off of high school education, forced
the public to fund religious schools (a dramatic waste
of public money for the selfish purpose of getting him
the Catholic vote) is not all that different than naming
a blood bank after a vampire. I would not donate my
blood to the Dracula Blood Bank, and I don’t want my
tax dollars going to the Harris Learning Library.
BEST
PRICES
IN TOWN
03

It was the 3rd Wednesday of December in 2009 at
Cecil’s when Dany Laj last took a North Bay stage.
There would not be much disagreement amongst
those in attendance, that they saw one of the best rock
shows in recent memory that night. Since then, Dany
has been working to further establish himself on the
Toronto music scene, regularly gigging at venues such
as The Press Club, The Dakota Tavern, and Graffiti’s.
Also, he has recently completed a 6 song EP called
“The Match”.
On September 17, Dany Laj and The Old Youth will
return to play 100 Georges. Although, for the sake
of his music career, he now calls Toronto home, his
roots are in the north and his connections to the north
remain extremely strong. Before heading to the city,
Dany lived in, and belonged to the music scenes of
Kirkland Lake, North Bay and Sudbury.
Of course, it all started in Kirkland, as he grew up in a
family with a strong musical tradition. “After dinner, the
table got cleared, moved out of the way, the family sat
in a circle and the instruments came out. The entire
family was involved with music in some way,” Dany
relates.
His first band in Kirkland Lake was called Swank,
whose line up included another ex-citizen of Kirkland
Lake, Chad Newton. After Dany failed to crack the
line up of a band he wanted to join, Prime Tension, he
heard Chad Newton outside of school talking about
how Swank needed another guitarist. Dany would not
to be foiled again in his attempt to join a band: “I kind
of swindled my way in by saying I knew scales and
stuff… which I really didn’t, but I really wanted to be in
that band. The next thing I knew, I was playing my first
show with Swank at the Polish Hall in Kirkland.”
Another major musical counterpart was Joey Clement,
a talented musician and songwriter, with whom he
played in Too 4 Flynchen. The pair eventually outgrew
Kirkland and went to Toronto in another of Joey’s
bands called The Awesome Team which was on the
verge of making it. By the time The Awesome Team
was signed by a label, Dany had already gone back to
Kirkland to reconnect with his roots. This is when he
started writing songs for himself.
Sometime in 2003, Dany moved to North Bay, to once
again join a band with Chad Newton, The Intesteens.
04
This band consisted of Dany Laj (guitar, vocals), Chad
Newton (guitar, vocals), Clint Mallete (drums), and
Brett McNeaul (bass) who all emigrated from Kirkland
to North Bay during the Kirkland invasion of the early
2000’s. They went on to become fixtures on the North
Bay scene, and released an album on Shocknova
Records which was owned by Jake Naylor, also a
North Bay resident formerly from Kirkland. After the
departure of Brett and Clint, Dany and Chad brought
The Intesteens on a cross country tour with a rhythm
section borrowed from Form One; Nathan Gray
(bass), and Mike Brushey (drums). It would be their
last tour.
After the untimely demise of The Intesteens, Dany
moved to Sudbury to form The Old Youth with Julie
Houle (vocals), and Steve Joncas (bass, vocals) and
Luke Sellen (drums). North Bay native Russ Jack,
formerly of The Drones, eventually replaced Steve
Joncas on bass. This band was a regular headliner at
The Townehouse, achieving critical acclaim and con-
siderable success with an album called “Lost in Dust”.
After the untimely demise of The Old Youth, it was time
for another roots discovering pilgrimage to Kirkland
Lake. There was only so much that Dany Laj and the
Modern Day Citizens - the band he formed there -
could do in Kirkland, so Dany decided it was time to go
where the music industry was, Toronto. Not surpris-
ingly, in Toronto, Dany is collaborating with old friends
and band mates from Kirkland. On the upcoming EP
“The Match”, Joey Clement (drums, vocals) and Chad
Newton (bass, vocals) are both involved. The EP was
recorded in Parkdale by Dave Misener, who happens
to own a cottage outside of Kirkland, and mixing was
done in Guelph by former Awesome Team bandmate
Dan Beeson, who is originally from New Liskeard.
For this upcoming EP, Dany also worked with Toronto
musician Lori Hirst who sang on one of the tracks.
The manifestation of The Old Youth that we’ll see in
North Bay will be Chad Newton (bass. vocals), Sean
Dignan (drums), Erika Werry (keys, vocals) and Sara
Fitzpatrick (fiddle) .
Playing at the George is a perfect fit for Dany Laj and
The Old Youth. No venue is more dedicated to sup-
porting original music than is the George, and Dany
is perhaps one of the hardest working promoters that
the North Bay music scene has known. The knock on
North Bay bars is that they don’t bring in enough origi-
nal acts. However, Dany sees his role as entertainer
from the perspective of the venue owner. These are
businesses and are interested in making profits. He
knows as an entertainer, his job is to bring people out,
and make sure the bar does good that night. So, when
Dany plays, expect a party.
As a musician, not only is it important to promote your
own shows, it is also important to support the efforts of
other musicians who are playing original music. If you
don’t show up for shows, don’t be surprised if people
don’t show up for yours.
“You do have a duty. If you want there to be a scene
for original music in whatever city you live in, you
have to get out and be at shows even when you aren’t
playing. I’ve lived in North Bay, and I understand the
struggles that the North Bay Scene faces. It works
when people are showing up, and fails when people
stay home. It’s that simple. The bars will book original
music when they think the people involved can be suc-
cessful for the bar.”
It could be looking up in North Bay in terms of access
to original music, with the return of Drew Vendetti and
the re-launch of Organ Grinder. North Bay can look
forward to seeing acts like C’mon, and The Sadies, in
the not too distant future. Given Organ Grinder’s track
record of success, Drew is not having any problems
finding venues that are eager to work with him.
“It’s good for North Bay to have Drew back with Organ
Grinder. If you support Drew’s shows, he’s the kind of
guy that will help your band out in any way he can. I
know this because I’ve dealt with Drew years ago. He
knows how to promote, and works with people that
support the scene. He’s successful because of it.”
Recently having turned 30, Dany has a long musical
career already behind him. He also has a long musical
career ahead of him, as his dedication to making
music drives everything he does in life. The new EP, is
currently available on the CBC Radio 3 website, and
will be released on CD and vinyl in the near future. If
hard work and the quality of the product have anything
to do with it, the sky is the limit for M. Dany Lajeunesse
from Kirkland Lake... oh ya, by the way, come out to
the George on the 17th, it’ll be a party.
Dizzy in Love asks: I’ve been going out with this girl for 2 months, Girl-lover asks: I‘m a lesbian and am into girly girls. I myself am
and the connection has, in my mind, been amazingly mind blowing. also pretty femme and was thinking the other day if I were to get
I have never felt this even in the long term relationships I’ve been married one day would we both wear traditional dresses or would
in. Two days ago, I was telling her goodbye, and told her I love her. one of us play the male role and wear a tux?
I didn’t plan it, it just came out. I got silence. She finally told me that
she has never told anyone that she loved them. Did I just screw Ideabong says: having a same sex marriage these days is hardly
up? a situation in which you need to cater to other people’s ideas of
what a traditional wedding should be like. You are likely to scandal-
Ideabong says: Ouch, I’d have to say that, indeed, you have ize those closed minded traditionalist people regardless of what
screwed up. It may be too late to salvage your style, but let’s go you wear, so you may as well go all out and wear exactly what you
through the motions anyway. First, I’d like to consult the indispen- want to, stopping short of a nazi uniform, or diapers or whatever
sible Oscar Wilde, who says : “He who loves the more is lost”. else might compromise the dignity of the event. Since there is no
What he is saying is that rarely if ever, are two people equally in tradition to adhere to it, I do believe you and your partner should
love, and that the person who is more in love, will suffer from it. The focus on fun, and celebrating each other. Why don’t you choose
reason is this, in our culture, love, in the romantic sense, is an act each other’s attire?
of acquisition. Love seeks to possess its object. The person who
loves the more, has more to lose, and the love becomes insecure. A.S.H. asks: Is the rest of the population worth meeting? Do I need
The pain associated with it becomes more intense until the other to leave Nipissing?
sees nothing but a desperate clinging barnacle with no style. You
need to change the plan, and I can help with that, but first, let’s Ideabong says: No and Yes. Not everyone on the planet deserves
discuss your method of delivering the love message. You did not the honour of knowing you, and the people that do deserve it, will
choose an intimate moment, perhaps during the post-coital bliss, be happier knowing that they are in a semi-exclusive club. You do
whereby, it might have been appropriate to reveal one’s feeling need to leave Nipissing at some point, if you haven’t already. The
of love for the first time. Instead, you chose the cowardly sneak perspective you gain will help you realize that all the finest charac-
attack. It is appropriate within the context of a committed relation- ters are, in fact, in and about the Nipissing area.
ship in which a mutual love has been established to say “I love
you” before hanging up the phone. What you did was kind of like
a combination between a hit and run, and a fishing expedition. It
shows desperation, and believe me, she noticed that. I won’t bother
telling you to save yourself by doing the old cut and run, because
you won’t do it, so I will explain how to save the sinking ship. It’s
a long shot, but just maybe you can pull it off. You will need to go
way out of your way to demonstrate that you could take it or leave
it. Bail on plans with no notice, and afterward, send flowers, but be
careful not to apologize or explain. Don’t bring them, send them.
There is a big difference that I don’t have time to explain, so just
take my word for it. Stop planning your weekends around her, let
her know when you have no other plans, and leave the scheduling
issues to her. If she makes time, you have hope, if she doesn’t, you
can be absolutely certain that the writing is on the wall. And, last
but not least, if the previous steps have not resulted in her casting
you off, on nights that you have no plans with her, try the ole late
night booty call. If you need to tell her what you’ve been up to, say
something like the golf game went really late, which cannot explain
why you are calling at 2 AM and how you spent your evening. It
creates mystery, which is important. If the booty call works, and
you have established a mystery about your activities, and she is
scheduling around your availability, then you have regained the up-
per hand. The only drawback to this plan is that it does not lay the
foundation for a loving and respectful relationship; you already blew
that with the premature “I love you”.
Noseplugs asks: I belong to a church group, and one of the ladies
practically bathes in perfume, some of the ladies have actually quit
because of this, due to allergies (one even had to go to the doctor).
Should I tell her that her perfume is making us sick?
Ideabong says: I am unfamiliar with the internal dynamics of
groups of church women, but one assumption that has always
served me well, is that you all join such groups for the purpose of
getting your noses in each other’s business and hen-pecking each
other half to death. Rather than correcting my original assumption, I
will make a further assumption… that you do not belong in a church
ladies group, as clearly, you are unable to get your nose in this
smelly woman’s business to do a little pecking at her. Perhaps you
should quit the church group. Another assumption that I felt pretty
comfortable with is that a church lady would never ask a bong for
advice; that assumption has been discarded.

You ask the Ideabong a question
... the Ideabong smokes
... the Ideabong thinks
... the Ideabong answers your
question...
Only at solventmagazine.com
Tracy asks: I just started dating this guy and I’m really attracted
to him, but he says he doesn’t perform oral sex ever. He says it’s
‘too subservient,’ and he doesn’t like the taste. He definitely likes to
receive it, and I kind of like to give it, but I feel torn. Is this normal?
Or is this guy a jerk?
Ideabong says: what is normal in this situation depends on what
you are used to. If it was normal for you to be with guys who don’t
like dining at the Y, then his attitude is normal, but if that was the
case, you wouldn’t be writing the Ideabong, so clearly, for you this
is not normal. Is the problem for this guy really the taste? If he
hasn’t sampled the offerings, then how can he know? Since the
rejection is not something that you are accustomed to, then I would
assume that what you are serving is closer to sweet nectar than es-
sence of rancid sea critter. So, maybe it is because he really feels
like he is subservient when your thighs are blocking his hearing…
which might be reasonable if he didn’t expect your “subservience”.
If oral sex has become the theatre of a power struggle within your
relationship then you have a major decision to make, do you want
to be controlled or be in control? My advice is to grab that SOB by
the ears and put him to work.
K.K. asks: How do I tell my husband that I want more kids?
Ideabong says: the mere fact that you are asking this question
means that you suspect that your husband doesn’t want more kids.
I am wondering why he doesn’t want more. How many do you have
now? How many more is “more”? The act of procreation would be a
truly joyless affair if your husband needs to be convinced to partici-
pate. Perhaps he would enjoy sex for pleasure more than he would
like working to make you pregnant. I see the biggest danger of this
situation being about a month long stand off whereby you guys are
miserable and fight all the time, and share no intimacy, before he
gives in and gives the more kids idea a thumbs up because there is
no other way to make you happy (and get you into bed).Therefore,
I recommend surprising him, thereby avoiding the unpleasant pro-
cess of bringing him to heel, besides, he’s going to cave anyway.
G.H. asks: My boyfriend told me that he thinks he is becoming
more mature because before he used to want a good looking girl-
friend but now that is not so important to him. Personality is more
important for him now.
Ideabong says: you just got insulted. The fact that you are bring-
ing this to my attention, and looking for direction probably means
that you haven’t already straightened him out properly. Go find that
guy right now and slap the taste right out of his mouth.
Any dude that doesn’t think the stars have fallen from
the skies and are currently shining through your eyes
is not good enough for you. You are beautiful and you
know it.
12
Shygirl asks: Dear Ideabong, I am 29 years old and I have been
painfully shy my whole life, to the point where I have panic attacks
around strangers and people I don’t know very well. I can even get
shy uncomfortable around people that I do know. It almost feels
crippling at times, especially as I’m getting older and career wise.
I feel very limited to what jobs I can do because I’m afraid that I
might have a panic attack. Do you have any suggestions that might
help me stay calm and get used to socializing? Please, I could re-
ally use your help.
Ideabong says: You did the right thing by getting in touch with
me Shygirl. I happen to have similar experience in my past, so I
feel your pain. When I was a very young bong, I played hockey. I
had very good skills, and played very well in practice and amongst
friends, but something happened to me in actual games when I
touched the puck… I froze. I couldn’t see anything but the puck,
and everything else became a blur. As soon as I had the puck…
I felt like all the attention was on me, my vision closed in, and I
was too nervous to take a shot, or make a pass. It made for some
hockey bloopers I can assure you. I was constantly wondering why
I could play really well amongst friends, but not against a team of
people I didn’t know, in front of a crowd of strangers. I realized the
whole problem boiled down to the difference I perceived between
people that were my friends and people I did not know. I realized
that in all likelihood, there was no difference at all, the people I did
not know would have been my friends, had I met them and gotten
to know them. It became clear to me that strangers are just people
I hadn’t made friends with yet. I could not think of any reason that
strangers would see me any differently than my friends did, who
had taken the time to get to know me, and liked me for exactly who
I was. Once I was able to see strangers as friends I hadn’t met yet,
I was fine. It takes some work to make this breakthrough though.
What you need to do is think about how your current friends see
you, especially what it is that they like about you. If you need to,
ask your friends to remind you of what they like about you, and why
it is worth being friends with you. Do this until you truly believe it.
When you no longer doubt the wonderful things your friends say
to you, and about you, you will remember that strangers are no
different, on average, than your friends. Your friends hold the key,
and I suspect that you have friends that would be only too eager to
remind you of why they treasure your friendship. Take care Shygirl,
and remember how amazin’ you are.
Bill S asks: I just came across an email address for an old girl-
friend – one I treated very badly. Now both she and I are currently
happily married, and I don’t want to get back with her, but my con-
science has been bothering me. Should I write and apologize?
Ideabong says: First off, I’m not sure what you mean by “treated
badly”. Did you beat the crap out of her? Or, did you merely break
her heart? Because I’m confused by the vagueness of your ques-
tion, let’s get this one into the capable hands of Oscar Wilde. He
said: “I always like to know everything about my new friends, and
nothing about my old ones.” He also said: “Illusion is the first of
all pleasures”. There is nothing worse than someone coming out
of your past, and destroying your illusions about it, and people do
tend to create illusions about their pasts… it’s how people stay
sane. Regardless of whether you laid the boots to her, or whether
she suffered from a case of unrequited love, if she is currently
happy, she is likely to be over it. If she has forgotten about you,
as a bad memory, you’d open up her wounds with the apology
that she may not need for her own sake. Therefore, on that level,
before proceeding, be sure you aren’t doing it for your own selfish
reasons. If you are… don’t.
Tyrone V asks: Am I crazy, or are they all out to get me?
Ideabong says: Both. You will require a tin foil hat and a lightsaber
to get along in this world. Good luck.
05
 Polly Hatter Shawn Beatty
The art scene on Main Street is exploding. It is anchored by the WKP Kennedy Gallery, with both Art on Main, and the White Water Gallery
moving to bigger, better locations. Recently, 187 Gallery has joined the mix, and is doing exciting things, showcasing both local, and interna-
tional artists. We don’t see the SAB bus driving around who of SAB supporters. But those buses are from the area, to whom the entire Saturday
these parts quite so much anymore, and not the only manifestation of rock ‘n roll that afternoon was devoted, look up to him as a
187 Gallery is North Bay’s first integrated Tattoo Studio and Art Gallery, as it is co-located with Deluxe Custom Tattoos at 187 Main St. East. consequently, we don’t hear the driver of that one is likely to encounter on the SAB farm, mentor. A large number of volunteers make
bus leaning out the window, yelling some- there is also SABSTOCK. the whole thing work, from greeting concert-
Earlier in the summer, it all began with a show called “Tools of the Trade” which featured original work by internationally known tattoo artists thing obscene and then driving away under goers, to providing security, to constantly
such as Chris Hall, Matt Ellis, George Brown, Rich Hanford and Phil Kyle. The theme was art pertaining to the tools of a tattoo artist’s trade, a hail of his own voracious laughter so much Every summer, in early July, thousands of working to keep the grounds clean. The
which are hands. either. people from all over the Pembroke area, and preparations themselves, which included
sometimes beyond, gather on the farm, for a improving last years’ stage, bringing hydro
The second show was Mechanics of Pain, featuring the photography of Andrew Vaughn. It was based on a concept by Polly Hatter, and One’s imagination might run wild with specu- weekend of camping, rock ‘n roll, and some to it, grooming the campground and concert
documented the journey of a tattoo from beginning to end. The tattoo that Andrew photographed was executed by Shawn Beatty. These lation as to where he is and what he is doing SAB-inspired debauchery. As with any SAB field, and promoting the event, could not
photos had impact, especially for people who were about to get a tattoo, as they showed in extreme close up detail the interaction of needle now that he no longer calls North Bay his audience, it is composed of every type of have been done by anyone that didn’t have
and skin. Penetration, ink and blood were rendered in remarkable detail in these excellent photos by Vaughn. The photos “made people step home, but no one would doubt that wherever person imaginable - a veritable cross sec- an entire community behind him.
back a bit” says proprietor Polly Hatter. and whatever that is, it would somehow tion of humanity - but they all seem to have
involve allowing Northerners somewhere to one thing in common... a funny story about If SABSTOCK continues to grow at its cur-
Currently showing at 187 Gallery is “Through the Socket”, featuring “all things skulls” by local artists, such as Tara Sharp, Jess Bureau, John live the rock ‘n roll dream vicariously through SAB that they are eager to tell. That shared rent pace, it will soon rival Voyageur Days.
Baker, Polly Hatter, Shawn Beatty, Marty Lacombe, Peter Sloan, Andrew Vaughn, James Sroga, and Judith Ingwersen. The show opened on him. experience is what seems to bind the people One thing that will always distinguish the two
August 27, and the reception featured music by Montreal band No Face Left. The show will be hanging until September 27. that go to SABSTOCK into a cohesive social rock festivals is that Mattawa’s legendary
In fact, the avatar of Northern Ontario rock, unit, one that over flows with an uncommon figure of Big Joe Mufferaw, does not wear a
Polly and the crew at 187 Gallery have great plans for future shows. The next one is already generating a lot of excitement, as renowned for those who don’t know, now lives with his determination to celebrate. Billy Bob’s t-shirt with the sleeves ripped off
Canadian artist Angelina will have an opening at the gallery on October 1. The artist will be present at the opening reception to do a meet and family and a surprising number of pets on and a top hat, unlike the legendary figure out
greet and sign autographs. There will be some limited edition exclusive prints and some original sketches for sale. Angelina will be showing a farm outside of Pembroke. There is more It doesn’t seem like a long time since SAB in Pembroke. However, they both do wield a
some never before seen paintings as well. than one decaying old SAB bus to be seen relocated to Pembroke, but in that short time, mighty axe.
on this farm, with their exhausted odometers, SAB has become a cultural institution there.
Featuring artists from all walks of life and from all over the world, the next show “Killers” will open on October 30. The theme for this show is and vinyl decals still representing a who’s A plethora of highly talented young bands
serial killers. 187 Gallery is a welcome addition to the art gallery scene in North Bay, as clearly, they are willing to take on subject matter that
is a lot more edgy, adventurous, and dark than the more conservative galleries would normally explore. It’s also the only gallery that, not only SAB effigy in Pembroke store window
displays art, but has artists available to create art ... right on you.

SAB on stage with Pembroke’s

next generation of musicians

SAB entertains the gathered masses

at SABSTOCK 2010

words and photos by Tony Loeffen

06 11
 Every politician, when asked, will identify “serving the
community” as his motive for entering politics. I can’t
remember the last time I believed fully it, therefore
I can’t believe I bothered to ask Craig Bridges that
question. But I did, I got the answer, and surprisingly, I
believed it. Two days later, I still believe it. Go figure.
This is what he said: “I actually want to do something
worthwhile for this community. This is my home, and
I want to make sure that, when my kids finish school,
they will want to live here. When I finished high school,
I ran, and I was never going to come back. I was gone
for 15 years, and I lived all over the world. All of a sud-
den, my wife and I started having a conversation about
children, and where we should raise them. I told her
there is this little place called North Bay, and it is great
for raising kids. But, North Bay has to be more than
that, it has to be a place you want to stay, or come
back to after university or college.”
I met Craig at City Hall to discuss his candidacy, who
he is, and some local issues. The life he leads, the
values he champions, and his informed, open-minded
viewpoint, left me impressed.
Craig was born and raised in North Bay, but left after
graduating from West Ferris Secondary School. He
returned in 2001, with his wife, with whom he has two
sons, because North Bay is a great place to raise
children. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, a
Bachelor or Education, and Masters Degree in Envi-
ronmental Studies.
Here are some highlights of his career and com-
munity involvement: he is a teacher with the Near
North School Board, the past President of Greening
Nipissing, Project Co-ordinator with the Home Owner-
ship Affordability Partnership, a Public Member of the
College of Optometrists of Ontario, a small business
owner, and a youth soccer coach.
Basically, Craig Bridges is involved in the community,
in the right way, for the right reasons. He is the kind of
person that makes the ideal neighbour, and if you find
yourself drowning in a lake, he’s also not a bad guy to
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ART AND MUSIC SCENE COVERAGE
10
have around.
Last spring, Craig, and his nephew Brendan Demaline,
rescued two people and their dog from the extremely
frigid waters of Lake Nipissing. It’s not something that
he is likely to bring up on his own, but I read about it in
the Nugget, so I asked him if the type of person who
risks his life to save two other people’s lives is the kind
of person people should want as a city councillor. With
characteristic modesty, Craig replied: “No, that’s just
the kind of person who happens to live on the beach
and watches stuff.” The fact that the two people whose
lives Craig saved are out knocking on doors with him
during this campaign says it all though.
This is not the first time that Craig has run for public
office. He ran under the Green Party banner in the
last federal election. When asked if the fact that his
name has been planted in the public mind, and his
environmental credentials established in that last elec-
tion, represent an advantage for him, he responded
that it shouldn’t as there are no parties in municipal
politics. He is quick to point out that he has friends
of every political stripe, from staunch conservative to
NDP supporters, in addition to his Green Party friends.
Craig believes that even people from different parties
tend to agree on many more things than they disagree
on, and especially in municipal politics it is important to
put those ideological differences aside and work with
people from the other levels of government.
“I think this last city council could have had a better
relationship with the provincial government. There
seems to be a lot of stone throwing. To me, that is
not productive, and it certainly has not benefited this
community. City council’s job is to look out for the best
interests of our city, and if that means shaking hands
with someone you would never vote for, then shake
hands”, Craig says.
When speaking of his run for the Green Party, Craig
wants to make it very clear that his environmentalism
is pragmatic and business friendly. He points out that
his Masters degree in Environmental Studies has a
focus on corporate management and finance, and
IDEABONG SOLVENT TV
COCKTAIL TIME
therefore fits nicely with his Bachelor of Economics.
He says: “If you tell people they have to be broke to
save the planet, they say, great, but not me first.”
Further on the subject of the last city council, and
environmental issues, Craig has an interesting
perspective on the Tweedsmuir Park compromise,
which did nothing to satisfy the neighbours of the soon
to be diminished park. “The original plan was terrible,
and they got guilted into changing it, but it is still ter-
rible. When you design a park, that is closed off from
all streets, and has no sight lines, and can only be
accessed through three narrow pathways, that is not a
very good park. No one designs a park like that these
days. They are not safe. When people realize that this
park is a disaster, it will be too late to make it surplus
land and sold off because there is no access to it. So,
this plan not only destroys the present park, it destroys
future options.”
Craig thinks that public consultation should be done
prior to making a decision; you don’t just make a
decision and then decide to follow through with it only
if the amount of animosity it generates stays below
acceptable levels.
The one thing that struck me the most, and it only
occurred to me after my conversation with Craig
had been concluded, was that when I asked Craig a
question about local issues, I did not get some kind
of bottled, generic answer. He showed no inclination
to boil a complicated issue down to a slogan that he
could use to sell me an over-simplified idea he has
about it. I don’t doubt that he when he says it is appro-
priate to consult the public before making a decision,
that he means it. When I asked him a question about
an issue, I wound up in a conversation with him about
it, and he was just as curious about my ideas, as I was
about his. This was extremely refreshing. Not only do
I now believe it is possible for a person want to enter
politics to serve the community, but Craig Bridges has
defied a lot of the other assumptions I have about
politicians as well.
Tony Loeffen
REALITY by BOB KISMET
SOLVENT contra NUGGET
07
 Bake Sale, Face the Hate and Unleash the Archers September 9, 2010 / Highland
Nathan Shore / Face the Hate
Justin Robinson / Bake Sale

Steve Rothwell / Bake Sale

Guy Poulin / Bake Sale Steve Rothwell / Face the Hate

Andre Cote / Face the Hate

Zahk Hedstrom
Mike Selman Unleash the Archers
Unleash the Archers
Brittney Hayes / Unleash The Archers

Josh Seddon / Face the Hate

Brayden Dyczkowski / Unleash The Archers Scott Buchanan / Unleash the Archers
Nick Ianiro / Face the Hate