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INSIDE > LIFE IS NEVER A DRAG WHEN YOU’RE A QUEEN DEC. 13 - 19, 2012

Santa’s Helpers The other side

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NEWS & VIEWS > THE WEEK

EDITOR’S NOTE

All wishes, great and small atasha is a young mother staying at the Sandy Merriman House shelter with one wish this Christmas: size-five pyjamas for her three-year-old son, themed by Disney’s movie Cars — well, maybe some Cars toys for him DANIELLE to play with, too. POPE While she’s lived in Victoria news@ for eight years, Natasha says mondaymag.com her biggest challenge at the moment is “being alone” and waiting to hear if she can find an apartment for her and her son who lives with his grandmother until SUPPLIED she can provide for him again. And if she had one One Cool Aid client was thrilled to have her wish granted wish for herself? “A Starbucks travel mug.” Natasha’s story is just one of 100 similar wishes by a donor through last year’s Homeless Partners being heard through the Homeless Partners Christmas Christmas Wish List program: a CD for her diskman. Wish List program, an initiative that has linked the Greater Victoria community with some of the humblest desires from those on the streets. Keeran says just the knowledge that people care Since 2005, the non-profit has brought thousands enough to read their stories has a huge impact. of gifts to those less fortunate — from equipment Residents can view stories and wishes online, then needed to get a job, or small luxuries that make things bring donated gifts (some new, some used) to the briefly feel “normal” again, to respective shelters by Dec. 22. gifts for estranged teenage “One year, we had a woman daughters or extra layers to keep donate her late husband’s guiout the cold. This year, the group tar to someone who was wishaims to serve all the members of ing for one,” says Monique Victoria Cool Aid’s Next Steps Cummings of the Shelbourne program, Sandy Merriman Street Church of Christ, which House and Rock Bay Landing. partners with the program. “The hope is that we can “Even though it was very sentishow the homeless that they mental to her, she could finally are not invisible; that they are part with it, knowing someone cared for,” says Jennie Keeran, wanted one so badly.” co-founder of the program. “It Emma Fillipoff is still missing. Fill a wish or learn more at: also allows the public to see HomelessPartners.com. that the homeless are not nameless or faceless, nor are they an ‘issue.’ They are indi- SEARCH FOR EMMA STILL ON The search continues this week for Emma Fillipoff, viduals with different personalities and histories.” the 26-year-old woman who has been reported missing since Nov. 28. While police have no further information on the case so far, homeless advocate Rose Henry has joined the search party and an intense postering campaign with Fillipoff’s mother, who flew in from Ontario last week in hopes of finding her daughter. “Right now, I have been driving Emma’s mum around at night and talking to various people of the streets. Her mum is here without any family support or a car,” says Henry. “Most of the time she is on foot and talking to strangers, and praying that someone will have seen her daughter and that she will be found so that she can get the right support for her.” SIMON NATTRASS Fillipoff was last seen by friends on Burdett Speaking of wishes, activists against B.C.’s proposed Avenue, between Blanshard and Quadra, and was pipeline surprised Kinder Morgan reps at a public event reported to be living at Sandy Merriman House at Cedar Hill Rec Centre on Dec. 5, by taking down the before she went missing. She does not have a history company’s information displays, sitting on them, and of being gone for long periods. Fillipoff is described replacing them with their own posters. See more on P. 7. as 5’5” with a slim build and long blond-brown hair. Call VicPD with information: 250-995-7654. M

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Marriage finds new groove he concept of marriage has become tarnished over the years — and it’s easy to understand why. Before the Baby Boomer generation, marriage was a sacred and virtually inevitable contract that couples stuck with regardless of how miserable they became with each other. Their children, however, saw the flaws in their parents’ stubborness (Yes, we can still hear if you fight behind closed doors) and decided that divorce was an easier path than seperGRANT ate beds. McKENZIE The children of the Boomers, who bore the brunt of such a sharp increase in the number of divorces and all editor@ its associated squabbling, then decided that marriage mondaymag.com was a dead institution and they should just shack-up instead. Then their children, who always felt that one of their unwed parents could walk out on the family whenever cohabitation became more work than fun, decided that even dating was too much of a commitment, so they decided to just do casual hook-ups instead. So why was city hall in Seattle bustling with blushing brides this week? Marriage is making a big comeback — with same-sex couples at least. On the first day that same-sex marriage became legal in neighbourly Washington State, the city of Seattle was blooming with brides and brides, grooms and grooms, ushers, flowers, dresses, confetti and parties. It turns out that the way to give marriage its groove back was simply to stop focusing so much on lame heterosexual couples who have taken it for granted for too many years, and open it up to couples who really want it. Which got me thinking: maybe we need to do the same with elections. Since voter turnout has been so pitifully low in recent years, I propose that only those whose last name begins with a letter in the first-half of the alphabet (A through M) be allowed to vote in 2013. The other half will need to wait for their turn in the following election. Anyone who doesn’t vote, loses a turn, which means they can’t complain about any politician for at least three elections. If they do complain, they have to fork over a $1 fine for each gripe. Or maybe we turn it into a lottery where the people lucky enough to win a ballot become minor celebrities who are wooed by those unfortunates whose right to vote has been taken away. Imagine the pomp and circumstance of being chosen to decide the fate of your province or country for the next four years. All those envious neighbours cheering you on, wanting you to cast a vote that reflects their beliefs, hopes and desires rather than throwing it away on the Beer Bong party. As the Rolling Stones once sang, “You can’t always get what you want,” because when you do, it’s far too easy to take it for granted and let it whither on the vine. M

WEEKLY REPORT CARD SUBJECT

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ONLINE EMERGENCY: TYPE TWITTER-11? VicPD just launched its new crime prevention website, VicPD.com, which invites users to “Track Crime,” “Fight Crime” and “Report a Crime Online.” Suppose it’s only a matter of time now until 911 asks us to click for attention.

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MONDAY MAGAZINE DECEMBER 13 - DECEMBER 19, 2012 mondaymag.com

CONTENTS VOL. 38, NO. 50 Dec. 13 - 19, 2012

NEWS & VIEWS

MONDAY LIFE

THE WEEK

FOOD & DRINK - PAM GRANT

REPORT CARD

GEORGIA NICOLS HOROSCOPE

EDITOR’S NOTE

LETTERS

MONDAY GUIDE

KIERAN REPORT

CITY WATCHDOG

CITY SOMETHING Qristina and Quinn Bachand

HOLIDAY MARKETS Focus on local, handmade gifts

MUSIC Smalltown DJs bring big city appeal to Club 9ONE9

FILM & COMMUNITY Root causes of addiction

FILM & LIBATION Rom-com fails soccer mom test

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

FEATURES

FULL LISTINGS @ MONDAYMAG.COM

ON THE COVER 14

LIFE IS NEVER A DRAG

Gouda Gabor is working the room. A darling diva who delights in the glitz, glam and extravagance of drag, she is adorned in a sparkling necklace reaching down to a pair of boobs that make Dolly Parton look like she’s in a training bra.

For most, the holiday season is a time to give back. But for those who are less fortunate, not knowing where or how to access the available resources can mean families go without.

8-9 COVER PHOTO: THINKSTOCK X

MAGAZINE is published by Black Press Group Ltd. at 818 Broughton Street, Victoria BC, V8W 1E4

EDITOR IN CHIEF

NEWS

ARTS

Grant McKenzie

Danielle Pope

Mary Ellen Green

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CHECK US OUT ON FACEBOOK facebook.com/ MondayMagazine dayMagazine

FIND THE M AND WIN A PRIZE FROM MONDAY MAGAZINE

Each week we hide an “M” on the cover. Last week it was hidden in the man’s hair just above the ‘n’ in Monday. The winner was chosen by a random draw. Prove that you’ve found the “M” and get it into our office to win! Drawn Monday at noon. Submit entries to: 818 Broughton St., Victoria, V8W 1E4 with daytime phone number or fax it to our number at 250-386-2624.

Winner this week: MARY LIVINGSTON

NEWS & VIEWS > OPINION

MAIL

magic teeth

Scallops show contamination

Re: Shellfish prove risk, Dec. 6 - 12 Some of the most compelling evidence regarding the extent of the sewage contamination of the region’s seabeds can be found by examining Swimming Scallops. Swimming Scallops are deep dwelling, free swimming bivalve mollusks which filter feed on the ocean floor at depths starting at around 60 feet. More than 25 years ago, while operating out of Fisherman’s Wharf in Victoria, my brother and I helped pioneer the Swimming Scallop by dive fishery. That fishery was soon relocated to the Gulf Islands because the Swimming Scallop beds located off the Victoria waterfront and adjacent areas, including William Head, Albert Head and much of Oak Bay were sample tested and found to contain such high levels of fecal coliform bacteria they were deemed unsafe for human consumption. Fecal coliforms are present in filter feeding shellfish that have come into contact with fecal matter. The stormwater component of the effluent and surface run off though unwelcome pollutants in the marine environment are not the likely cause of the persistent and widespread fecal contamination of these deep dwelling shellfish. Looking at a Current Atlas for Juan de Fuca Strait provides some insight as to how the Swimming Scallops beds in the upstream and downstream ranges

Don’t just sit there and fume, write to us. Snail: 818 Broughton, V8W-1E4 E-mail: letters@mondaymag.com Not every letter makes it to print, but we do read everything we receive.

of these outfalls have become so heavily contaminated. ALLAN J CROW, EAST SOOKE

New system is needed Re: Shellﬁsh prove risk, Dec. 6 - 12 Dr. Peck correctly notes that "Shellﬁsh are banned ... due to the pollution of storm drain run-off." It contains heavy metals, chlorinated hydrocarbons, pharmaceuticals, pesticides and street run-off during storms. Precautionary principle regulation and source point control can end this. Fecal matter and urine once treated and rendered hygienic become fertilizer for our food. We MUST do this as soon as possible. During treatment, heat and fuel are also produced. Our

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gareth gaudin

food now uses fossil fuel-based fertilizer and pesticides, which is unsustainable. We are currently throwing hundreds of thousands of years of topsoil into the sea — a dubious "carbon privilege" due to the brief petrochemical age. Let's pressure for a cost-effective land-based treatment system... but let's build a system. LARRY WARTELS, VICTORIA

Dog poop has us hooped Re: Shellfish prove risk, Dec. 6 - 12 The closure area known informally as Victoria Bight is affected by the contaminated outflow from Victoria and Esquimalt Harbours. Jay Cullen, UVic Chemical Oceanographer spoke about the sanitary shellfish closures in 2009 and said he would be skeptical of any reduction after moving to secondary treatment. Boundary Bay and Sooke Harbour have complete closures even with no sewage outfall within their area. Even very small secondary sewage plant discharges such as Sidney's Bazan Bay plant have got

considerable closure areas (about 3.3 km2 in that case). The Canadian Shellfish Sanitation Program is tasked with minimizing human health effects due to possibly-unsafe shellfish consumption. Area 19.1 is closed to shellfish harvesting due to bacterial and virus contamination with fecal origin. The myriad of storm drains along the CRD shoreline are a major contributor to restricted shellfish harvesting within the Greater Victoria area in part due to dog excrement from urban runoff: a source of fecal matter which secondary treatment won't address. Human waste will also continue to enter the storm drain system from unregistered connections with the sanitary system. Given the broad definitions of the closure program around all sewage plant discharges, there would be no reduction in shellfish restrictions. Instead, there would a maintenance or even an increase in prohibited areas with any increase in population (pets). RICHARD ATWELL SAANICH, BC

NEWS & VIEWS > OPINION

STREET SMARTS What is your favourite holiday tradition?

KIERAN REPORT

Province forsaken its role on Cortes he War in the Woods has changed complexion since I ﬁrst started covering hostilities more than 20 years ago as an environmental BRIAN war correspondent in KIERAN the Clayoquot Sound bkieran@ combat zone. mondaymag.com For me, the fight in those days was defined by brazen environmental opportunists like MP Svend (White Swan) Robinson who was most dangerous if you happened to be standing between him and a TV camera. This news just in — I was not a friend of the environment movement. Jump ahead two decades and we find a much different contest being waged on the forest floor and in the boardrooms. While the spoils of war are still the remaining stands of old growth and the ecosystems that support them, the field of battle has shifted and the combatants’ tactics have evolved. A good example of changing times is the current environment-versus-logging impasse on Cortes Island. It is more a war of words and diplomacy than the bitter block-

ade combat that defined the Clayoquot. The land in question is not public, it is private. And the gulf island ecosystem in question is not just sensitive, it is hypersensitive. On Cortes, at least, the face of the environment movement has changed. The patchouli anarchy that defined it 20 years ago has mellowed and matured. The career enviros are still there, but their ranks have filled out with an eclectic gathering of regular folks — from kids to their grandparents to more than a few retired loggers. Currently, an unofficial time out is being observed in the standoff between Cortes Island’s environmental activists and Island Timberlands, a subsidiary of Wall Street giant Brookfield Asset Management. It should be noted that while this drama plays out on tiny Cortes, the Brookfield boardroom is in a state of high anxiety because of China Investment Corp. (CIC) is considering purchasing a sizeable chunk of Island Timberlands. CIC is the investment arm of the People’s Republic of China with $200 billion of China’s foreign exchange reserves to play with. No pressure there. On Cortes, three things are remarkable. First, the resident environmentalists and Timberlands have been debating the company’s logging plans for about four years without coming to serious blows. Second, the environmentalists are not

Making caramel corn with my mom.

trying to ban logging altogether. They are asking for Timberlands to adopt an ecosystem-based approach — eco-code for selective logging that spares old growth. Third, Timberlands has exercised a measure of restraint and has not immediately sought an injunction. Efforts are being made to bring the two sides together for what the environmentalists call “an informed discussion about the best use of the resource.” Back in the early 1990s, the provincial government was fully engaged attempting to referee such conflicts even though there was precious little common ground. Twenty years later, with dialogue increasingly in vogue, the question is: Where is the provincial government? A big issue in the Cortes dispute is the extent to which our government regulates activity on private land. The private foresters claim they are governed by more than 30 acts and regulations. However, the environmentalists say companies like Timberlands are allowed to apply a model of “professional reliance” which means that there is little meaningful regulatory oversight. It’s a pity the current administration has all but forsaken its role as steward and peacekeeper in the woods. A measure of leadership would go a long way right about now. M

KELSEY RITCHIE, Victoria

Decorating the Christmas tree. CHRIS NAISMITH, Victoria

Deﬁnitely, the Laurel Point gingerbread houses. GORDON AIKIN, Victoria

Gathering at home with family to celebrate the Lord’s birthday.

CITY WATCHDOG

Activists ruin tea, chat with Kinder Morgan ast Wednesday, my fears about Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline expansion were to be soothed. I was about to learn everything there is to know about B.C.’s other pipeline when a horde of activists descended upon the company’s open house, tore down the carefully arranged signage, and sat on it, obscuring my view. SIMON Despite having been made aware of my NATTRASS desperate need to know what the shortsnattrass@ term job impacts of the project might be, the mondaymag.com group replaced the company’s signs with their own. The new signs detailed Kinder Morgan’s crimes against the environment, indigenous peoples and the local economy — things no sensible person has any interest in. I was about to lodge a complaint with a Kinder Morgan representative when I discovered that at the first sign of potent opposition they had fled their own event. Thankfully, I had a chance to speak to Kinder Morgan representative Lizette Bell beforehand, who assured me that until last week the public’s response to the company’s open houses

had ranged from entirely positive to mildly concerned. More importantly, Bell’s employer had heard my main concern: which route out of Alberta will the pipeline expansion take, North or South? Later, she would similarly soothe one activist’s concerns about water quality with the reassuring notion that “there’s lots of water.” For those unfamiliar with the project, Kinder Morgan is currently drumming up support for its pending application to more than double the capacity of its Trans Mountain Pipeline from 300,000 to 750,000 barrels per year. While managing to dodge the public relations battle currently raging over Enbridge’s Northern Gateway project, the tide is beginning to turn with a series of high-profile spills and growing concern about the flood of pipeline projects looming over B.C. Despite numerous protests directed at the project and its investors, debate among politicians and pundits has managed to stay focused on the most important issue: how much money, exactly, can the B.C. government expect to make off of this project? While activists would have us talking about the fleet of new oil tankers weaving carelessly through our coastal waters, Kinder Morgan’s refusal to acknowledge the dissent of indigenous peoples living near the pipeline, or the threat of spills in B.C.’s interior, we should remind ourselves what’s important: tax revenue. M

SIMON HOAR, Victoria

THE POLL Do you access social services over Christmas? Yes, I appreciate the services Victoria offers

100%

No, I'm lucky enough to make it on my own

0% Sometimes, depending on the year

Total Votes: 16

To participate in next week’s poll, go to mondaymag.com

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flightcentre.ca/careers MONDAY MAGAZINE DECEMBER 13 - DECEMBER 19, 2012 mondaymag.com

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OFF THE FRONT > FEATURE

SANTA’S HELPERS:

still remember walking through the malls at Christmas time as a young child and wondering how all those people were lucky enough to get their names on the giving tree. Even in our most meager holidays, my mother would spin miracles out of air; sewing up hand-made toys and turning scant offerings into a feast. She didn’t ask for help, but somehow Santa always visited the Pope household — which is why I will never stop believing in the Claus.

“There are a lot of families out there who don’t ask for the help they need this time of year, and it’s not that they are DANIELLE POPE stubborn or defiant — they are news@mondaymag.com fiercely protective and they’ve had enough experience to know it would be foolish to trust everyone,” says Margo d’Archangelo, executive director of the Young Parents’ Support Network. “Pride can sometimes be this beautiful resourcefulness, and I’ve seen families with next to nothing make magic happen.” For most, the holiday season is a time when Jiminy Cricket reminds our consciences to give back. But for those who are tangled on the other side of the tannenbaum, pride or not knowing where the resources hang can mean families go without. Where do you access hampers, free dinners or gift-giving help? Victoria’s social services offer twinkling stars of hope, no matter the need.

WISH: A HOT MEAL With an estimated more than 1,200 people living on Victoria’s streets this year, a hot meal can go a long way. Luckily, a number of groups are offering all the fixins’ this season, with plenty to go around. Stop by any of these free, all-welcome locations to warm your tummy. “There are some people who are reluctant to come in, but it’s all about building trust and relationships,” says Don Evans, Our Place Society executive director. “We don’t call people ‘clients’ or ‘guests’, we call them family. Often a meal is the starting point, then people connect from there about what else they need.” ■ Our Place Society (919 Pandora) will serve its annual Christmas meal Dec. 20, 11:30am-2:30pm, complete with music and community activities. A special turkey dinner will be served Dec. 24, 4-5pm. The organization regularly serves three meals per day, Monday to Friday, and lunch on Saturday and Sunday. In between, a nutrition bar offers hot coffee or tea, baked goods and fruit to help sustain people. A special breakfast will be served Dec. 13, 14, 18, 19, 21 and 27. No meals will be served Dec. 25 and 26, though the

SHARON TIFFIN

Volunteer chef Ryan Orr (right), holds two of the 50 turkeys being hand sliced by Mustard Seed volunteers.

drop-in and snack area will be open on Dec. 25, with festivities. Breakfast: 7-8am. Lunch: 11:30am-12:30pm. Dinner: 4-5pm. Nutrition bar: 8-11:30am, 12:30-3:30pm. ■ The Mustard Seed’s Street Café (625 Queens) offers an evening meal Friday and Saturday from 7-9pm. The group also hosts brunch Saturdays and Sundays at noon, and a coffee drop-in Monday to Friday, 9am-2pm. The drop-in is closed Dec 24 to Jan. 2, but meals will be served on the weekend. ■ The Salvation Army (525 Johnson) will host its big holiday meal on Jan. 17, but offers a $2 breakfast Monday to Friday 8-9am, $3 lunch Monday to Friday and Sunday 11:45am-12:30pm, a $5 dinner Monday to Friday 5-5:45pm, and a free coffee-and-donut snack Monday to Friday 10:3011:30am and 1:30-2:30pm. ■ The Rainbow Kitchen (500 Admirals) offers lunch at their new location Monday to Friday, noon-1pm. ■ The Beacon Bus (910 Kings) delivers dinner to the Blanshard Community Centre Fridays at 5pm, unless it’s called out for another need. ■ The Miracle Kitchen at Living Edge (950 Kings) serves dinner Sundays at 4:30pm. SANTA’S TIP: Nothing soothes holiday stress more than perspective, and these organizations can always use volunteers able to serve soup, greet members or help clean up. While most kitchens receive overwhelming assistance

around the holidays, plan to be a Christmas superstar and offer your hand through the really busy months: January and February.

WISH: HAMPER HELP Rain Mair is closely connected to the stigma of asking for help. While Mair has volunteered at the Mustard Seed Food Bank since July, the UVic student says she felt a lot of shame when she first had to access resources — at least until she could drop the labels. “When I had to use the student food bank, I remember feeling really embarrassed, but after a while I realized we are a community; it’s not like one always gives and one receives — we all do our part when we can,” she says. Like Mair, hundreds of individuals and families access food bank and hamper help year round. While many may have just enough to cover housing, food costs can become impossible, especially when bigger-than-usual meals are expected. The key to accessing these services is to become a client of a food bank like the Mustard Seed, or another resource group. “We don’t just show up, unexpected, on people’s doorsteps, but we usually have a pretty good idea of our clients who need or would accept extra support, and we can facilitate that,” says d’Archangelo of the Young Parents’ Support

“There are some people who are reluctant to come in, but it’s all about building trust and relationships . . . We don’t call people ‘clients’ or ‘guests’, we call them family.” — Don Evans, Our Place Society executive director [8]

MONDAY MAGAZINE DECEMBER 13 - DECEMBER 19, 2012 mondaymag.com

Organizations around Victoria grant wishes to those on the other side of the giving tree Network. “What’s really amazing is that these families will often self-elect and say, ‘Thanks for the offer, but my mom gave us $100 this week, so we’re fine; give the hamper to someone who needs it.’” Groups like the Young Parents’ Support Network (250384-0552, ypsn.ca), 1Up: Victoria Single Parent Resource Society (250-385-1114, singleparentvictoria.ca), Women In Need (250-480-4006, womeninneed.ca), the Salvation Army’s Stan Hagen Centre for Families (250-386-8521, salvationarmycfs.com) and Burnside Gorge Community Association (250-388-5251, burnsidegorge.ca) are just some of the entry points for accessing hampers and supplies. These assistance groups are free to join, and receive resources from other organizations, community donors and grocery stores often looking for families to support during the holidays. Many of these organizations also have connections to programs like coat drives and Santa’s Anonymous, or sponsor free family events. While deadlines for most Christmas hamper requests are the first week of December, some of the above organizations will offer hamper assistance on an emergency, last minute basis. Here are a few more options: ■ The Mustard Seed Food Bank (625 Queens) allows people to take a hamper home once a month (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday or Friday, 9am-2pm), which varies in size depending on the number of people in the family. While the hampers are free, identification is needed for both the collector and for dependants. Clothes can be accessed at the Mustard Seed’s Clothing Bank Monday to Friday, 9am2pm (closed Dec. 24 to Jan. 2), and “Home Start” kits are available for those who have just moved into new living situations. ■ St. Vincent de Paul (828 View) offers hampers once every 30 days based on family size, as well as hampers for those who do not have cooking facilities. Identification is needed for all family members. Open Monday to Friday, 8:30am-noon and 1-4:15pm. ■ St. John the Divine Emergency Food Service (1611 Quadra) provides hampers once a month for all in need, no identification required. Open Tuesday and Friday, 10am-noon. SANTA’S TIP: Whether food or clothing, charitable drop offs can be made directly to a number of shelters and groups around town that deliver goods directly to clientele, like these Victoria Cool Aid Society organizations: Rock Bay Landing (535 Ellice, 250-383-1951), Sandy Merriman House for women (809 Burdett, 250-480-1408), Cool Aid administration (102-749 Pandora, 250-414-4781).

WISH: GIFTS FOR THE KIDS Victoria’s been the hub of Santa’s real workshop for the last 35 years, thanks to the C-FAX Santas Anonymous Society and the more than 300 volunteers who work quietly through the season to make sure over 1,200 families are surprised with generous holiday miracles. The program is also responsible for those mysterious trees that pop up in malls around the city, decorated with coloured paper bears that tell how Dylan wants a “Hot Wheels Mega Loop Mathem Track Set” and Sophie is wishing for a “Dream Dazzlers Fabulous Dress Up Trunk.” “All of these organizations have one purpose in mind, and that’s to make sure that every family receives help,” says Christine Hewitt, executive director of Santas Anonymous. Anyone needing help can sign up with an application found on the group’s website (cfaxsantas.com), and wishes are granted through one of the six amalgamated groups under the new 2012 umbrella of the “Christmas Giving

SHARON TIFFIN

TOP: Brian MacMain and John chat after finishing a turkey dinner at Our Place. RIGHT: Christine Hewitt of C-FAX Santas Anonymous Society shows off wish tags.

Program.” The program is based on the honour system and does not require financial proof of need. Requests must be made directly from the individual however; no well-meaning friends can nominate a family. But while the sign-up deadline passed on Dec. 3, Hewitt says the group works hard to accommodate everyone, even lastminute requests, and predicts she will be working late into Christmas Eve. “Everything in the process is anonymous, because some children won’t know their parents signed up for this — it is Santa after all,” Hewitt says. “So this really holds the true spirit of giving and receiving, and it preserves dignity for all.” Wishes and fake names are coded in the “workshop,” then transcribed on bears coloured by schoolchildren around Victoria and sent out to trees in Hillside, Mayfair, Uptown and Westshore malls. Donors select a bear and return the presents to the organization (usually a $60 value), which are then wrapped and either picked up by families on Dec. 19 and 20, or delivered to families on Dec. 21. But while the group aims to provide all children under 17 with at least two gifts, they also send home with each family two bags of non-perishable goods, one bag of perishable

goods and a grocery store gift card for the protein of the family’s choice. “It’s not required that people be in complex poverty to still need help,” says d’Archangelo. “Of course, there is always more need than resources, but that’s why we are all here.” SANTA’S TIP: If $60 sounds steep for your budget this year, donate to the “Homeless Partners Christmas Wish List” program, where the community and Victoria Cool Aid Society work hand-in-hand to give donated gifts to those in shelters this year. Gifts due Dec. 22. See the wishes at homelesspartners.com. M

“All of these organizations have one purpose in mind, and that’s to make sure that every family receives help.” — Christine Hewitt, executive director of Santas Anonymous MONDAY MAGAZINE DECEMBER 13 - DECEMBER 19, 2012 mondaymag.com

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FOOD&DRINK >

Do you have an event coming up? Send details to pamgrant@mondaymag.com

One Stop Shopping Downtown lose your eyes for a moment and imagine the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul or Khan el PAM GRANT Khalili Bazaar in Cairo with acres of pamgrant@ fragrant spices and exotic foodstuffs mondaymag.com tucked among the jewel-toned textiles, polished lamps and jewelry. Blair Mart is smaller so you won’t get lost here, but this midtown emporium is a treasure trove of Mediterranean and Middle East food, with additional items from the sub continent and the Caribbean — and one of Victoria’s best bets for rare culinary ingredients. The owner is a soft-spoken man who made his way to Canada from Dubai and is unfailingly polite and friendly to everyone who enters his store. I think I know his name, but when I attempt to confirm it for this article, he smiles and says quietly, “Please, just call me Met.” Though always a good bet for a quick bite to eat, such as a sweet pastry or a samosa with a cup of tea (full catering is available, too) it’s also a great spot for browsing. Whether you need a hookah, unique hostess gifts or stocking stuffers for a food-obsessed friend, you need look no further. Wandering through the store recently, I found bottles of mint syrup, rose and orange blossom water, containers of chunk honey, pomegranate syrup, garlic sauce and a four-pack of fiery oils infused with wasabi, habanero, chipotle and jalapeno chillies. Tiny jars of organic saffron and ample jars of brined preserved lemons tempt, as do soomi — black sun-dried lemons, which can be ground and added to a rice pilaf or mixed with couscous, chicken and olives and baked in a tajine — if you don’t have one, you can find one here. Need to top up your spice cupboard? Look here for every-

Continued on next page

Come for the best pasta in town.*

*Certiﬁed Authentic Italian Restaurant by the Italian Chamber of Commerce To book your table, call 250.360.1171 or visit zambris.ca 820 Yates St. Victoria BC [10]

mondaymag.com @MondayMag Find us on facebook

GIFTS FOR YOUR FRIENDS OR YOURSELF:

MONDAY MORSELS If the Mayans were right, we don’t need to worry about Dec. 22, so the night before, we may as well head up the Malahat to the official “The End of the World Is Upon Us” party at Steeples on Dec. 21. This annual bash — normally an unofficial community Christmas party — opens for cocktails at 5pm. Salads, fingerfoods, sushi, chef-carved roast beef dip, and a chocolate fountain for the sugar addicts will follow a couple of hours later. Prizes from community partners can be won during a live version of the game show “Minute to Win It” at 8pm. The fun continues with dancing amidst lasers and disco balls to tunes from dueling DJs. Tickets $25+ HST. Please call 250-743-1887 or drop by Steeples (2744 Shawnigan Lake)

MORE ONLINE…

MONDAY MAGAZINE DECEMBER 13 - DECEMBER 19, 2012 mondaymag.com

MONDAY > FOOD&DRINK

GIFTS FOR YOUR FRIENDS OR YOURSELF

COMFORT FOOD MEALS THIS WEEK:

Continued from previous page

thing from Spanish pimenton, star anise, to branches of Greek oregano and blends such as bah r t and curry powders from India. You wouldn’t be surprised to find olive oil here, but you might be interested to know that beyond the myriad of Greek and Italian varieties (one of which features a container resembling a miniature water tower you might see on the prairies, but with a spigot) bottles of Zatoun, a fair trade variety from Palestine are available. For something different, try a bottle of virgin pumpkin seed, toasted sesame, almond, walnut, pistachio or hazelnut oil. There are more balsamic varieties than you can shake a stick at, incorporating everything from hibiscus flowers to olives and figs. If you’re tired of reducing them to make a glaze, grab a bottle of reduced Kalamata balsamic, infused with figs or strawberries, both of which make a nice addition to salads, grilled foods or fresh fruit. Your sweet tooth alone may wrest the steering wheel from your hands and drive you here. Next to the filo and puff pastry in the freezer case, you will find Persian ice-cream with saffron and pistachios. Halal jelly comes in a rainbow of flavours, and tiny packages of nougat are tempting,

BANGERS & MASH

ª 1150 COOK ST., VICTORIA B.C. • PLUTOSDINER.CA, (250) 385-4747 BLAIR MART OILS

as are jars of nuts in sweet syrup. Halva is available in half a dozen varieties, with or without nuts. Turkish delight and baklava with orange, almonds, pistachios peek from a display case. Buy qatayef here to stuff with nuts, raisins and sugar or cheese. Blair Mart is also the perfect one-stop-shoppingdestination when you have to throw a few appetizers together in a hurry. Grab a container of mixed, marinated olives and another of lime-cured pistachios, and chose something from the abundant selection of dried fruit including figs, nectarines, white apricots, sour cherries and gold plums dates for the sangak (oversized Iranian flatbread), add a wedge of cheese and you’re set. I love Kefalotiri — a sheep’s milk cheese, like a milder version of its Mediterranean cousin Pecorino Romano, or Kashkavar, Myzithra (youvetsi anyone?) Manouri, Saganaki or Vlahotiri. If any bread is left, enjoy it for breakfast with fig marmalade or sour cherry jam and a cup of mint tea. You’ll never reach for the cereal box again. M Blair Mart is located at 924 Pandora Avenue. Open daily 7am -10pm. 250-721-1626

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DRINKUP What’s hot on local shelves By Pam Grant hate watching people cringe with embarrassment in a store when someone asks them if they need any help. The truth is, there’s really no right or wrong way to enjoy wine, nor do you have to spend a fortune — but there are some guidelines that will help you to find your way through a maze of bottles quickly.

The first question to ask is whether you are after something to drink on its own, or to enjoy with food. If it’s the former, the answer is simple: drink what you like. If you are unsure, the easiest way to find something you like is to try before you buy. Take advantage of one of the many free tastings in various wine and liquor stores around town —that’s what they are there for! Look to the bottle itself for more information. There was a time when you had to truly understand a label and wine regions to get an idea of what was inside, but that’s no longer true, especially for moderately priced wines. Some have small novels written on the back label detailing the qualities of the wine and suggestions for pairings. As for food pairings, some wines come alive when paired with the right bite, but that red wine with red meat and white with fish rule — though a useful guideline when you are truly unsure — isn’t hard and fast. If you want red wine with fish or chicken, you won’t go wrong with a lightly chilled fruity young red Beaujolais or a Rioja with something grilled. If there is a creamy sauce involved or you’re serving something smoked, try something with a little more substance to cut through the richness — perhaps a Malbec or Pinot Noir. Hearty reds such as Shiraz and Barolo are trickier to pair with fish because of the heavy tannins, but can be easily matched with birds such as goose, squab, duck and pheasant. An oaky red that may seem too intense will explode with a myriad of nuances when served with steak Béarnaise or garlic-baked chicken. Whites range from sweet to ultra-dry making them easy to pair. If someone says they like sweet wine, (more accurately described as not dry) a bottle of Riesling or Gewurtztraminer will work out just fine. These fruit-forward wines are also a good match for spicier foods such as Thai curries or fried foods such as schnitzel. Light bodied, drier whites such as Pinot Grigio or Frascati are a good bet with light fish dishes and oilier grilled fish such as salmon. but can also hold their own against veal piccata, pizza and simply dressed pastas. Full bodied whites such as Viognier and oaked Chardonnays work well with shellfish, roast game and grilled lamb. M

GOT NEWS?

Contact me at pamgrant@mondaymag.com

WRAP UP YOUR HOLIDAY SHOPPING Favourite babysitter. Yoga teacher. Devoted dog-walker. We know you have a lot of gifts to buy - so, we make it easy with our gift sets. Visit us, and we’ll help you choose something for everyone on your list. Find gifts for your towering list today. Starting at $18. Gift Certiﬁcates available.

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MONDAY MAGAZINE DECEMBER 13 - DECEMBER 19, 2012 mondaymag.com

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MONDAY GUIDE > ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

City Something

SATURDAY

MARY ELLEN GREEN arts@mondaymag.com

TOP PICKS

OUR

FOR DEC. 13–19

FRIDAY

PROVIDED

Irish Music Award winners Quinn (left) and Qristina Bachand are playing two local shows this weekend.

DANI BOYNTON

The Cheesecake Burlesque Revue is presenting its annual XXX-mas show.

NAUGHTY BUT NICE

QRISTINA AND QUINN BACHAND ynamic duo Qristina and Quinn Bachand are sweeping the Celtic music world by storm — the brother and sister won 2010’s Top Traditional Group and 2011’s Top Duo at the Irish Music

Awards. Now, with Qristina home from the Netherlands for the holidays, they’re gearing up to play Celtic Christmas Ceilidh with guests The O’Brien Irish Dancers, Graham Metcalfe, Adam Dobres and Oliver Swain. Sat., Dec. 15 at Knox Presbyterian Church (2964 Richmond). 7pm. $15/10/Under 10 free. Qristina is known for her expressive and pas-

sionate fiddling style and vocal talents, while her brother is a sought-after sideman (he’s toured with Ashley MacIssac and Natalie MacMaster), with his unique harmonies, hard-driving strumming, inventive chord voicing and powerful rhythmic effects on the Celtic guitar. The Bachands are also playing Celtic Vespers, Sun., Dec. 16 at St. Johns United Church (10990 W Saanich). The show starts at 7pm and admission is by donation. The duo will also be premiering its new music video for “Red Rocking Chair/ Halfmoon Bay” produced by local filmmaker (and Black Press reporter) Natalie North with cinematography by Arnold Lim. M

he Cheesecake Burlesque Revue is hosting its third-annual XXX-mas show featuring a mix of new acts and classic Cheesecake Christmas — plus a cast of other holiday characters — Santa, elves, reindeer, even nutcrackers. The peepshow is Fri., Dec. 14 at the Metro Studio Theatre. Clothes start coming off at 8:30pm. Tickets are $22 at Lyle’s Place or cheesecakeburlesque.com. A few of the Cheesecakes are partaking in the All I Want For Christmas Variety Show Fundraiser for the Mustard Seed, Wed., Dec. 19 at the same location. Hosted by Rosie Bitts, the show also includes Johnny Bottomsworth, The Coventry Carollers, The Ukabellas, Mark Marquette, Shayne Avec I Grec, Ian Case, Wes Lord and Jeremy Loveday. Come support the Mustard Seed and make up the donation shortfall due to the cancelling of the Navy’s ship lighting contest, one of their largest donors in the Christmas season. 8pm. Tickets are $20 at ticketrocket.org or 250-590-6291. M

FRIDAY

CHRISTMAS CAROLS here are no less than five ways to take in Charles Dickens’ Christmas classic this week, with one (Jason Stevens, Craigdarroch Castle) and two-person adaptations (Clayton Jevne and Sandra Ritter, Theatre Inconnu at Emily Carr House), and a full-on professional production at the Belfry Theatre (adapted by artistic director Michael Shamata). But the most unusual renditions will be improvised by Paper St Theatre (pictured below), Dec. 14 and 15 at 8pm at the Intrepid Theatre Club (1609 Blanshard). $12 (Russell Books, 743 Fort). And for classic film lovers, check out the Victoria Film Festival’s event Sat., Dec. 15 at 1pm at the historic Vic Theatre (808 Douglas). Santa will also be in attendance. Cash only at the door. M

SATURDAY CHANTAL KREVIAZUK PROVIDED

anadian superstar and classically trained pianist Chantal Kreviazuk performs her greatest hits accompanied by the symphonic splendour of the Victoria Symphony, conducted by Giuseppe Pietraroia. Sat., Dec. 15 at the Royal Theatre (805 Broughton). Kreviazuk’s latest album Plain Jane was released in 2011, and in the spring of 2012 her most recent song writing efforts were on Faith Hill’s much anticipated new album. This one-night only performance will no doubt sell out, so get your tickets at rmts.bc.ca or 250386-6121. Victoriasymphony.ca. M

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MONDAY MAGAZINE DECEMBER 13 - DECEMBER 19, 2012 mondaymag.com

Blues guitarist David Gogo is bringing a blues Christmas to Hermann’s Dec. 14.

A BLUES CHRISTMAS sland blues guitarist David Gogo is swinging into the Christmas season with a new festive album, Christmas With the Blues, featuring a blend of traditional blues with hints of roots, gospel and rock ’n’ roll. Gogo has met recent success with both Juno and Maple Blues Awards nominations for his album Soul Bender. The Christmas album features Billy Hicks, David Vest, Phil Dwyer, Shawn Hall, Tina Jones, and Camille Miller. Catch Gogo with his electric trio Fri., Dec. 14 at Hermann’s Jazz Club (753 View). $25 at Lyle’s Place and Ditch Records. M

MONDAY GUIDE > ARTS & CULTURE

MARY ELLEN GREEN arts@mondaymag.com

Shop local, give local HOLIDAY MARKETS FOCUS ON LOCAL, HANDMADE GIFTS THE MAKEHOUSE HOLIDAY BOOTY MARKET

Massages on Sat., Dec. 15. rlour (where The Makehouse stiching parlour wn hand-made you can come finish up your own house sewing Christmas presents using Makehouse machines on a drop-in basis) will be happen6pm Dec. ing simultaneously, from 10am-6pm 17-19 and 21. themakehouse.ca. facebook.com/events/ 278584725594154

city most delicious city’s resta restaurants, a huge suppl of local freesupply range farm fresh eggs, artwor by emerging artwork local artist a Trisha Joy loc Bings, locally made clothing, pottery, jewelry, hair cuts b refurbished bicycles and even p reading from a 15 minute pet W Kissing Frog Wallflower Native O’Kane — purrfect for Seer Isabel O’Kanese the pet lover on you your list. P i th Preview the it items up for grabs online at heartandhandscommunity.ca

The Makehouse, Victoria’s newest creative space to get fancy with fabric, is hosting a 10-day holiday market featuring the wares of more than 12 local artists — the perfect place to pick up a last-minute gift for a special, and conscientious, someone. Makehouse owner Jenny Ambrose put the market together to offer an alternative to the shopping mall experience — a one-stop pop-up shop that only offers items that are hand made locally. WINTER FARMERS’ “I feel more joy when giving a gift if I know where it came MARKET AND ARTISAN from or if I made it myself,” says Ambrose. Silk knickers by Jenny Ambrose. “It’s more meaningful than going to a department store to CHRISTMAS FAIR buy something, where the story behind the product and the The last Winter Farmers Market meaning is lost. Those things can be made in factories, sometimes by children, and we often just don’t know where they before Christmas with a festive twist. Artisans will be on hand offering locally made treasures perfect for gift giving. came from.” Sat., Dec. 15 from 11am to 3pm in Market Square. 250Ambrose pulled together a group of local artisans to sell their products at The Makehouse for the 10 days before Christmas, 386-2441. with the market open until 3pm on Christmas Eve. Ambrose will be selling her hand-made lingerie, including CINECENTA traditional French silk knickers, and bamboo briefs, as well SCORE! Perfect for stuffing stockings, Cinecenta is offering two genScore some sweet, locally made gifts on the cheap at Score! eral admissions, with popcorn and soda for $18 until Dec. 21. as bamboo hoodies (made to order) and other clothing accesthe third-annual holiday craft fair by Olio Artists and Workers Cinecenta.com sories. The market also includes needle-felted creatures by Heart Cooperative where everything is under $20. Find locally made artwork, crafts, clothing, jewelery, baking, soaps THEATRE INCONNU 2013 SEASON TICKETS as Home (artsandcraftscoland more, perfect for that not-so-special somelective.wordpress.com), preVictoria’s oldest surviving alternative theatre company is one, the in-laws or the office secret Santa. serves by The Life Nostalgic offering two-for-one four-show subscription packages at a Sat., Dec. 15 from 10am to 4pm at Victoria (thelifenostalgic.com), unique special rate until Dec. 31. For a limited time, $56 will get two, Event Centre (1415 Broad). children’s clothing and accesfour-show packages (including memberships, $112 if purfacebook.com/events/418125934915027 sories from Maven Creations chased individually); $40 for two student/senior passes; or (mavencreations.com), photog$48 for one student/senior, one regular subscription. Single raphy by Luis-Mario Guerra, art subscriptions are also 30 per cent off at $40 per person/$28 HEART AND HANDS SILENT by Dennis Shields, crocheted students/seniors. Call 250-360-0234 for more information. M scarves, upcycled clothing by AUCTION Discarded Couture (discardedWhile this isn’t a Christmas couture.org) as well as soaps, market, it’s still a great way to jewelery, bunting and more. purchase local goods and serArtist Freyja Zazu (zattazoo. vices — all while supporting blogspot.ca), who uses The this community acupuncture Makehouse as a studio and galclinic. Plus at silent auctions, lery is also offering small-scale FREJYA ZAZU you get to give and receive! paintings, or “stocking-stuffer Nasturtiums, Redwine and Autumn. The silent auction runs art” as Ambrose calls it. from 6-10pm Sat., Dec. 15 at “A lot of people have a rule around the holidays about gifts being hand made,” says 851 Cormorant. Pre-bidding runs Dec. 10-14 Ambrose. “A lot of things are hand-made in factories, but gener- at 250-590-3185 (or in person). Items up for ally [being hand made] means to have something made locally grabs include gift certificates to some of the where the artist and the city are going to benefit from the purchase. This is how the artists make their Pipes • Valves • Hydrants living.” The market will also Water Meters • Modern Technology have a fabric wrapping station, where customers Lots of Hands on Learning can custom order susWater Systems & Wastewater Systems tainable fabric wrapping that can be reused for Christmases to come. And to help relieve the stress of holiday shopping, Erica Ambrose from Halcyon Massage Therapy (facebook.com/ The Natural Resource Professional (or NRP) designation is new and HalcyonTherapyVictoria) will be offering back, recent grads from natural resources conservation programs at the head, shoulder and Thai

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[13]

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT > FEATURE

Drag Queen LIFE IS NEVER A

WHEN YOU’RE A

PATTI DAWN SWANSSON arts@mondaymag.com rts@mondaymag.com

ouda Gabor is working the ili and d styling t li room, smiling as she sashays her way from table to table, patron to patron at Paparazzi Show/Nightclub. A darling diva who delights in the glitz, glam and extravagance of drag, she is adorned in a black evening gown with feathered sleeves, a faux diamond ring the size of Texas and a sparkling necklace reaching down to a pair of boobs that make Dolly Parton look like she’s in a training bra. Her blonde hair is piled so high you’d need an elevator to reach the top. “Oh, honey,” she says with an exaggerated wave of a gloved left hand when a patron comments on her coif, “I have hair much higher than this.” It’s true. One of her 25 wigs is three feet high. “I can’t wear it at Paparazzi, though,” she jokes. “It might get sucked up in a ceiling fan.” Gouda is at the club this night as a supporting performer for Mona Moore in a drag/ cabaret show and, together, the two represent opposite ends of the age spectrum among drag queens in Victoria. Mona is 20. Gouda is not 20. She has, in fact, been doing drag for 15 years, here and at top clubs in Vancouver. The obvious question is: why? What unseen compulsion is a man answering to when he puts on a wig, a dress, seven-inch stilettos and struts onto a stage? “I developed this drag persona so I could sing,” says Richard Lucas, the man behind Gouda. “I mean, who wanted to hear me sing? I wanted to do something different than me.” A native of Dartmouth, N.S., there is a soft-spoken sincerity to the bespectacled Lucas, who prefers to keep his private life off the record. During a two-hour chin-wag at Bartholomew’s Pub, he delivers only a few personal nuggets: he’s a businessman, a teacher, he recently achieved his masters in fine arts, he owns a house in Fairfield and gradually became a permanent resident of Victoria over a three-year period. He is, however, happy to discuss Gouda Gabor, who, in Lucas’s creative mind, was born in Budapest, Hungary. “I decided I was the lost Gabor sister,” Lucas says with a wink. “I was the one who didn’t marry a rich man and didn’t have a TV series. I got stuck doing dinner theatre at Stage West in Calgary. And I had a chip on my shoulder because I never got to be rich or as famous as the other Gabor sisters.” Like many drag queens, Gouda does not do small. Her’s is an oversized, larger-than-

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lif world. ld Bi i Bi l Bi h life Big h hair. Big h heels. Big llashes. Big attitude. Big jewelery. Big, big, big boobs. “Sometimes straight men get confused because of my boobs,” Lucas says. “I have ginormous boobs.” Well, boys, you can stand at ease. Those hooters aren’t real. It’s all smoke and mirrors. It’s an hour and a half of primping, preening, pushing up, pulling in and tucking away those delicate, private male parts before Gouda slips into one of her 50 show gowns. “I love sailing into the Bengal Room (at the Empress) in full regale,” Lucas says with the cheek of Zsa Zsa Gabor. “I’ve done it a couple of times . . . lots of very confused old men.” There is nothing freaky, kinky or warped about drag. It’s been around for centuries. Charlie Chaplin did it. Johnny Depp and Tom Hanks have done it. Ditto Barbra Streisand and Julie Andrews. Heck, Adam probably stepped out in Eve’s fig leaf every now and then. Drag is a harmless, over-the-top, makebelieve world in which a person can escape from the bindings and expectancies of everyday life and stretch for new levels and depths of self. Basically, it’s singing, dancing and pantomime playtime for grown-ups. “You become a different person,” is how Mona Moore puts it. A drag queen, king or quing (he or she goes both ways) can offer a variety of personas. If it’s crude, XXX-rated drag comedy you seek, Electra Socket is your girl. Heidi Ho of the Dragbots is cheeky and very witty. Toby Pierced-McCrotch is an off-the-wall riot. Natasha is stylish, poised and polished. Tina

MONDAY MAGAZINE DECEMBER 13 - DECEMBER 19, 2012 mondaymag.com

DAVID BUKACH

TOP LEFT: Gouda Gabor goes big. MAIN: Mona Moore (aka Trevor Gray, inset bottom) is the reigning Miss Gay Vancouver Island.

Turnover is sizzle on the grille. Mona Moore leans toward the girly, flirtatious style. Gouda is . . . well, think Marlene Dietrich. Think the “Why don’t ya come up and see me sometime, big boy?” sauciness of Mae West. She’s oldschool glam that is classy, brassy and sassy. “And assy,” says Lucas, who estimates 98 per cent of drag performers are gay/transgender. “I would add assy to that.” Well, now that you mention it, our gal Gouda is hauling around a big caboose (no offence, girlfriend). Gouda works mostly at Paparazzi and she does mainstream, as well, performing as the resident singing drag queen with the Gotta Getta Gimmick gang at the Belfry Theatre in Fernwood. She also played Mama Rose in the musical Gypsy. Heidi Ho and the campy Dragbots, meanwhile, have a regular gig at The Castle Video Bar. Accountants, tattoo artists and human resources managers by day, they’re just regu-

lar folk whose shows range from raunchy and sexy to flat-out hilarious. “I have lots of respect and time for the Dragbots,” is what grand dame Gouda says about the local troupe. “They have a real respect for drag. A great bunch of people.” Continued on Page 17

MONDAY GUIDE > ARTS & CULTURE

Good People smash it up GENRE-WARPING, SMALLTOWN DJS BRING BIG CITY APPEAL TO CLUB 9ONE9 By Mary Ellen Green arts@mondaymag,com

espite their name, the new producers, so I like rolling with Smalltown DJs have big that, and including that in my sets city appeal. and in production. Some guys have The prairie duo of Pete a tough time accepting changes, but Emes and Mike Grimes one of the reasons why I’m still doing aren’t confined by small town syn- it is that I love new music.” drome — these genre-warping DJs And it was a mutual love of music and producers are sought after the that brought these two together in world over, playing shows in London, the first place. Emes met his partner Paris and Helsinki, Brooklyn, Las through mutual friends at a party Vegas and L.A. — showcasing at Grimes was DJing. It was love at first SXSW seven times, performing at listen. Sean White’s gold medal party at the “At that time it was harder to find 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics music you were into, you had to dig — even garnering a headlining slot ... you had more invested in it and in our very own Victoria Electronic had to be more dedicated if there was Music Festival this past summer. a certain sound you were into — you On any given night you can hear had to commit yourself to seeking them spin funk, pop, that out. Now, there’s dancehall, rock, hip no commitment, you hop, house, breaks can download every SMALLTOWN and more. Their song ever made in DJS smash-up style is an afternoon,” says Thurs., Dec. 13, 9pm well known in Emes. Club 9ONE9 Calgary, where the Riding high on (919 Douglas) duo own two nightsome production sucTickets $15 at clubs (The Hifi and cess with Smalltown Lyle’s Place and the The Commonwealth Romeo (their collabStrathcona Hotel Bar and Stage) and oration with Shad, smalltowndjs.com recently celebrated with their single the 13th anniversa“Boom Ha” featured ry of their Thursday on HBO and in a feanight residency Hai Karate, which ture film), the boys have branched has played host to names like Afrika out in 2012 with five releases on Bambaataa, DJ Nu-Mark (Jurassic various labels including Sabo’s Sol 5), A-Trak, Diplo, A Tribe Called Red, Selectas and No Brainer of Berlin. Grandtheft and Red Bull Thre3Style With their latest single “Good 2012 champion Four Color Zack. People” (T&A, released Dec. 12) “It’s been a crazy run,” says Emes these two are about to get dance on the morning of the anniversary. “I floors hoping from coast to coast, can’t believe it’s been that long.” stopping in Victoria Thurs., Dec. 13 Emes and Grimes came together at Club 9ONE9 with Grandtheft and just months before Hai Karate was The Shrew. born. At the time, no other DJs were “We try to play our favourite doing mash-ups like these two. records that also tear the roof off,” “We didn’t like being limited to says Emes. “It’s the way we put the one genre,” says Emes. “It doesn’t music together ... we always try to sound too groundbreaking now, but bring the funnest party. It sounds at the time, the DJ scene was so easy but sometimes it’s easier said segregated — if you were a house than done.” M DJ, you played house, or a hip hop Soundcloud.com/smalltowndjs DJ played hip hop, we wanted to play it all. We’d bring five crates a piece each night, run through a million styles of music, at the time it was really Space different.” Limited ! And that’s not y the only thing that’s Call Toda changed since they got Where the focus is behind the decks. on self-awareness “[The scene] has and recovery. changed so many times, but the one thing that always happens, even predating us, is that new genres and new people come up that are celebrated and everyone gets into Victoria Addiction Services ... and everything else is declared dead when Edgewood Victoria Addiction Services a new sound gets big. #102 - 1245 Esquimalt Rd., Victoria, BC I always get into different sounds and new sounds, new music www.edgewoodvictoria.ca really excites me, Services tailored to the individual. there’s always exciting

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MONDAY GUIDE > ARTS & CULTURE

No difference between

Us and Them FILMMAKER FINDS HEALING IN THE ROOT CAUSES OF ADDICTION By Mary Ellen Green arts@mondaymag.com

ocumentary filmmaker Krista Loughton’s journey to heal four of Victoria’s most vulnerable residents was a twist of fate. Her project, Us and Them, ended up healing her own emotional wounds and evolved into a deep personal journey revealing the root causes of addiction. Loughton was inspired to make a film about healing using the First Nations Medicine Wheel traditions after living in the same building as a First Nations counselling school in Vancouver. “I could always smell sage in the hallways,” says Loughton, who followed her nose, and her insatiable thirst for spiritual learning, to check it out. There she found a 60-year-old First Nations woman who took her under her wing and taught her how to use the medicine wheel and gave her a copy of the book The Sacred Tree: Reflections on Native American Spirituality by Judie Bopp, created by Native American intertribal group, the Four Worlds Development Project. Years later, Loughton moved to Victoria where she works as a wedding videographer (publikproductions.com) and part-time at film collective CineVic. After reading a newspaper article about Rev. Allen Tysick

(former executive director of Our Place), she was inspired to make contact with Tysick about teaching the medicine wheel to the homeless shelter’s clients. Disappointed by the less-than-enthusiastic response, she put her classes on hold and decided to just hang out, spending time getting to know the community and how the shelter works. “You need to spend time there to learn what’s normal and what’s not,” says Loughton. “I literally spent two years just sitting and hanging out. Sometimes I brought a camera, and sometimes I didn’t.” The camera added another level of complexity to her mission, instead of teaching she was there to gather people’s stories. “You have to be careful,” says Loughton. “I felt a bit like a poacher, but I wanted to gather truthful stories about these people’s lives and the camera is part of that.” In that time, Loughton produced two short films Our Hero (2007) and The New Our Place (2008), featuring Tysick and Our Place — both won awards at the Victoria Film Festival. It was at the screening of The New Our Place that Loughton met David Malysheff of Gamut Productions, who later came on board as director of photography. The two went to work shooting the film with four friends, all addicts, Loughton made at Our Place, Dawnellda Gauthier, Stan Hunter, Karen Montgrand and Eddie Golko, who all wanted to learn to balance themselves physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally using the teachings of the medicine wheel. “[Gauthier] was probably the worst case in the centre,” says Loughton. “She was four-foot-seven, 90 pounds and was barred from the shelters at night. She spent the nights walking the streets, afraid of being beaten or robbed … She was never on time, but worth the wait. We wouldn’t have our movie if her voice wasn’t in it. She’s strong and amazing.” Montgrand is a Metis woman who panhandles on Blanshard Street outside of the movie theatres. “She’s our comic relief,” says Loughton. “Truly one of the funniest

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MONDAY MAGAZINE DECEMBER 13 - DECEMBER 19, 2012 mondaymag.com

DAVID BUKACH

Filmmaker Krista Loughton delves into the root causes of addiction in her film Us and Them.

people I’ve ever met.” Loughton and Golko literally ran into each other at Our Place. “He recited a poem to me … I was drawn to him. He spent a third of his adult life behind bars where he learned about Buddhism from a nun who taught him about meditation. He brings a lot of spiritual wisdom to the film.” And Hunter was the skeptic. “He always said I was part of the homeless industry … and he kept it up to the very end,” she says with a pause. Hunter passed away from pancreatic cancer during filming in November 2009. “After he passed, things changed for me,” says Loughton. “I realized that if the rest didn’t quit using that they were going to die, too.” Loughton sought help from Dr. Gabor Maté, a Vancouver physician and author specializing in addictions. What Maté told her about trauma and early childhood brain development struck a chord with Loughton, who had been dealing with depression her whole adult life. “Certain brain circuitry doesn’t develop properly unless yo get the care you need from a loving caregiver,” says Loughton, whose parents divorced when she was three. “I thought I was going there to interview him, but he ended up interviewing me,” says Loughton. “The next thing you know, I’m blubbering away about my childhood trauma. I realized that if I want to fix them, I needed to fix myself.” Loughton then took a two-year hiatus from the film, choosing to instead focus her efforts on self-healing. “I wasn’t ready to put this all out to the world,” she says. “I had a lot of fear around being honest and not being afraid to tell the truth about my own emotional struggles, in a culture that doesn’t necessarily respect you for that.” Feeling ready to talk about her adventure, she picked the film up again this past fall. Us and Them has been almost 10 years in the making, and now that it’s reached the post-production phase, Loughton needs Victoria’s help to raise the $25,000 required to cover the costs of hiring an editor, composer, sound mixer, colour timer, special effects editor, graphic designer and promotion and marketing support. She’s turning to her community to help tell its own story through crowdfunding website indiegogo.com/ usandthem. For every donation of $10 or more made to the campaign, Lougton will give a warm item of clothing to a member of Victoria’s homeless population. Donations of $1,000 will buy associate producer credits, tickets to the world premiere and a thank you in the finished film’s credits. So far, Loughton has raised more than $3,000 with 20 days left in the campaign. If you have any clothing items, blankets, or sleeping bags that you can donate, please email kristaloughton@shaw. ca or call 250-889-1232. Facebook .com/ usandthemmovie. M

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MONDAY GUIDE > RELIGION

WICCA: Winter Solstice HOLY VICTORIA — ALTERNATIVES TO CHRISTMAS (PART 2 OF 3) By Colin Cayer arts@mondaymag.com

ome one, come all and dance the Wiccan night away, naked under the cool moonlight. “Actually my circles don’t tend to do that,” says Wiccan elder Alison Skelton. “Although some traditions or circles might in the summer when it’s warm. And only if you want to!” Priestess, psychic and shaman, Skelton has practiced in Victoria since she was 17. The 60 or so Yule observers will follow her lead this year at a brand new (and secret) location. Wherever it may be, practitioners will gather on the weekend before the Dec. 21st winter solstice. “That’s when most people can come. You’ve got to be flexible.” Skelton collects contributions for finger food and drinks available throughout the night. “We also ask everyone to bring donations for a local charity.” Circles are very important in Wiccan practice. To begin, those gathered will form a circle to create a sacred space. “I like to think of the circle as more of an amoeba. Sometimes, someone walks around the room and sings us into the circle. That’s really lovely.” Next comes the ritual battle between the Holly King and the Oak King acted out by two male witches. In mythology, the two twins are locked in eternal battle. The winter solstice is the moment the Oak King takes his first steps toward his mid-summer supremacy. Then guests will eat, sing pagan carols (which consist of reworded Christmas carols), have a raffle draw and attach wishes to the hula-wreath. Then it’s hula-hoop time. “It’s the same one we used during the Samhain (coinciding with Halloween). That one’s covered with bones and skulls and cobwebs representing death and release.”

COLIN CAYER

Priestess, psychic and shaman Alison Skelton.

The Yule hula-hoop is adorned with oak and holly leaves depicting the transition between the dark period of the year to the time of most light. “You can think of it as moving from Ying energy towards increasing Yang energy. The dark also represents the feminine. The dark, warm and reflective womb from which the sun is reborn.” When practitioners jump through the hoop they do so shouting their intention for the coming year. “This is the masculine, energized moment of the ritual.” “We have families there, so of course there are children shouting ‘I want a pony’ but there are many, many wishes for peace and love for the world.” In February, wishes on the hula-wreath are burned to give them added energy. “These rituals have all been made by those involved so they change a little every year. I always tell my students, if you want a powerful ritual, make it yourself.” Through 13th House, Skelton, who considers herself a Shamanistic Wicca, teaches the highly personal and individual Wiccan craft. Informational classes are available along with options for more involved tutelage. Learn more at Alisonskelton.com. Hula-hoop not included. M

DRAG QUEEN Continued from Page 14 The Dragbots’ cast of characters includes Heidi Ho, Kara Zmatic, Candy Boxx, Bobby Sox, Toby Pierced-McCrotch, Tom Haat, Kitten Caboodle and Tippy Faraday. “Most of our performers perform drag because it gives us a creative outlet to express ourselves in song, dance,” says Heidi Ho, who’s Landen Cheetham in real life and a manager of customer service with Scotiabank. “We absolutely love it and, for myself, it gives me a chance to explore a different side of my personality. My drag queen can take on her own character.” The joy of drag is something Mona Moore has rapidly discovered. “The first time I saw a drag queen, it was Gouda,” says Mona, who’s six-foot-two-and-a-half inches of talent and the reigning Miss Gay Vancouver Island. “I snuck into a club and I couldn’t stop staring at Gouda. I was intimidated, scared. I’d never seen anything like that before. A few months later, she’s getting me all dolled up. It’s cool.” Mona, who performs at Paparazzi on Saturday night, received her drag baptism this past summer and is now hooked on heels. “I told a friend, ‘I’m already going to hell, so I might as well go down in drag,’ ” she says. Once the makeup, the heels, the hair and the dress are peeled off, Mona is Trevor Gray, a thoughtful, young man and a member of Company C, the talented graduating class at the Canadian College of Performing Arts in Oak Bay. Doing drag has added an interesting wrinkle to Gray’s storyline, which has a Billy Elliot spin to it. Whereas all the other male members of his family were getting their teeth knocked out and noses bent on the hockey rinks of Winnipeg, Trevor was dancing with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. And becoming one of the top two figure skaters for his age class in Manitoba. “Yeah,” he recalls, “at school kids made fun of me and laughed at me.” Well, ballet boy graduates from the performing

arts college this month, so there isn’t much to laugh at now. “Performing is my life and drag has become a big part of me,” says Gray. “We’ll see where it goes. I have goals. I’d like to get to Broadway.” Isn’t that just like a drag queen . . . hair today, gone tomorrow. M Mona performs in Sleigh Ride Express at Paparazzi Nightclub, Sat., Dec. 15 at 11:30pm. $8. For scheduling information on drag shows in Victoria, visit: paparazzinightclub.ca; thecastlebar.ca; hushnightclub.ca; victoriapridesociety.org

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MONDAY GUIDE > FEATURE

It’s not easy to ask for help BUT MUSTARD SEED IS THERE WHEN YOU DO n eclectic line-up buzzing with banter winds through an open foyer from the kitchen. A man in a barber’s chair gets his hair cut and chats with someone rifﬂing through a rack of clothing. Others meander while eating the ‘Crazy Bread’ promised at the front of the line. Joining at the rear, a quiet and fragile woman takes the ﬁrst steps on the path that will change her life. Back in 2008, that first-time client was Barb and that line-up was at Victoria’s Mustard Seed Food Bank. She’d lost her job due to addiction and a friend told her the food bank could help feed her children. “When I first came, I was in-and-out. I came from a pretty affluent place so for the first year it was shamebased. It’s not easy to ask for help.” COLIN CAYER Perhaps you’ve news@mondaymag.com never accessed services at a food bank, maybe never even been in one. For thousands of Victorians, it’s an essential part of their life. The elderly, the working poor, new immigrants and those dealing with mental health and addiction issues line-up to get what they can in order to get by. “It’s not easy to go to a food bank for most people, but we need the recognition that people do need help,” says Diane Pearson, Family Resource Centre Coordinator at The Mustard Seed. The program began in November 2011 as the brainchild of Rev. Tom Oshiro to do more for the nearly 1,000 families accessing services every month. As Barb tells her story, Pearson sits across from her. The connection is palpable. They exchange jokes and a plethora of compliments clearly inspired by what the other has done and accomplished. “Through the Family Centre, Diane was one of the turning points for getting my life back on track,” Barb M says. To which Pearson informs, “Barb is an amazing person. Really, you were ready for the change and did it yourself.”

MORE THAN A FOOD BANK Clearly, The Mustard Seed is more than a food bank. The Family Resource Centre joins Hope Farm Healing Centre (a men’s recovery centre), the drop-in centre complete with coffee, clothing, nursing, haircuts and chapel, as well as counselling, advocacy and outreach services. [18]

MARY ELLEN GREEN

Barbara Shobbrook, Connie Drost and Diane Pearson at The Mustard Seed.

The Family Centre practices interview skills, gets clients First-Aid and Food-Safe certification, teaches budgeting skills and more. Above all, it provides a safe place for self-esteem to grow through community and an end to isolation. Service is creative as well. Something Barb calls “the most powerful thing” is the PATH: Planning Alternate Tomorrows with Hope. During this three-hour session, a client speaks with a counsellor about their life and hopes. As they do, an artist interprets what they hear into a 10-foot piece of art, which clients take home. Artists aren’t the only part of the community offering services, either. “Literacy Victoria offers education and tutoring and any kind of educational support people need: computer skills, English, math, language, higher education requirements,” says Barb M. While these services build the skills of individuals, there is more to the plan. “There’s a cycle of poverty, and intervening in a life that has asked for help can break that cycle. We’re seeing third generations of the same family coming into the food bank. Food is great, but it’s a firstline emergency,” says centre director, Rev. Chris Riddell.

BREAKING DOWN POVERTY “It’s important not to over individualize, too. We’re living in a very difficult time. Jobs are hard to find. The cost of living is high. There’s a lack of affordable housing. The individual circumstances meet the larger context and that is challenging,” adds Pearson. According to The Greater Victoria Coalition To End Homelessness, there are 1,545 people on the housing registry hoping to access subsidized housing. While vacancy rates increase across Greater Victoria, so do rental rates. The disparity between incomes and housing costs is just too great. From a Canadian perspective, Food Banks Canada found that 851,000 people rely on food banks every month, and 24 per cent of those are families. These challenges are particularly hard-felt over the holidays, “Christmas is a tough time. It’s like, ‘Okay do you spend the extra money on gifts or food for January.?' It’s that simple and it’s that hard,” says Barb Like any parent, she doesn’t want to disappoint her two children. “When my kids were little they would come home and say ‘We’re poor, right?’ You automatically feel less than.” But through the family program she’s found a different outlook. “I’ve been in recovery for almost a year. I still require the services. I can’t meet my bill demands as a single parent, but I know, just because you have less doesn’t mean you’re less. Just because you

MONDAY MAGAZINE DECEMBER 13 - DECEMBER 19, 2012 mondaymag.com

have more doesn’t mean you’re more.” More, however, is exactly what some of the people accessing The Mustard Seed need. “Community Council has determined that for a family to be at the poverty line the minimum wage is $18 per hour, both parents working for a family of four. The people that we see are not even close to that,” emphasizes Riddell.

THE MOTIVATIONS OF FAITH You can’t discuss The Mustard Seed without discussing religion and faith. “Our fundamental belief comes from the Baptist Church,” says Riddell, “and all of these other things -- Family Centre, Advocacy, Outreach, DropIn, Street Church, Hope Farm, Food Bank -- are ministries of the church.” Gib Forrester started The Mustard Seed in 1975 based on one of the many biblical stories referencing the seed. Riddell had an opportunity to meet with him and asked Forrester which story the namesake came from. “He told me ‘Well at the time I didn’t really know. I just knew there was a story about a mustard seed.’ I was expecting a little more from the stately man,” Riddell jokes. As for those seeking help, there’s no denomination required. According to Barb, “There’s definitely a spiritual aspect to The Mustard Seed. I mean, it’s a church, but it’s not a barrier for people. I’m a very spiritual person. That’s how I run my life, knowing I’m not in charge, thank God. He knew what he was doing there!” Barb knows her future will depend on hard work and commitment to the steps she’s already taken. Through the family program she’s also enrolled in classes at Camosun College. She says, “It’s part of moving forward and giving back . . . Two years later I’m proud of where I’ve gotten. I had a lot of help getting here.” As for The Mustard Seed, it will keep serving its now 37-year mission. That means meeting the complete needs of their clients without government funding. The Spirit of Giving campaign running throughout December couldn’t be more important. They have 800 Christmas hampers to fill, a 700-person Christmas dinner with all the trimmings to prepare, as well as meeting their normal operational needs. Donations of cash, food, clothing and time are needed, with donations already down 20 per cent as of October. The final piece of advice comes from the person who knows both sides of the food bank, Barb herself: “When you see someone laying on the sidewalk you don’t walk over them. You give them a hand and hope they take it. If they don’t, you’ve tried.” M

MONDAY GUIDE > FILM

PERFECTLY POTABLE

Rom-com fails soccer mom test

By Robert Moyes

Malbec continues to grow in popularity — and why not? This flagship red varietal from Argentina combines earthy charm with great price. I recently discovered Gascon, which is made from a family-run operation in Mendoza dating from 1884. Deep violet in colour, its mouth-filling flavours include blackberry, black cherry, and hints of mocha. This one cries out for a pepper steak or a savoury pasta dish. Although not the cheapest Malbec at $14, Gascon is well worth a try.

MORE MOVIE LISTINGS ON PAGE 23

arts@mondaymag.com

KEEPING SCORE n the romantic comedy Playing For Keeps, “scoring” takes on an obvious double meaning as faded sports hero George (Gerard Butler) has to learn to ﬁnally become an adult while contending with a swarm of soccer moms who like his coaching style, but mostly want to learn more about his off-ﬁeld moves. George was a wealthy, Beckham-level pro till he had a career-ending injury several years before. These days he’s bedeviled by money woes. But what worries him more is that the ex-wife he still cares for, Stacie (Jessica Biel), is getting remarried. Equally challengPLAYING FOR KEEPS ★★ ing is 11-year-old Directed by Gabriele Muccino Lewis, the son he Starring Gerard Butler, long ago mostly Jessica Biel abandoned and PG - 106 minutes now hopes to Continues at the Capitol patch things up with. Back in town and looking for work as a TV sports announcer, George decides — with a big nudge from Stacie — to take over the coaching chores for Lewis’s soccer team. This quickly puts him in the sights of several luscious soccer moms (played by Uma Thurman, Judy Greer, and Catherine Zeta-Jones) who are either recently single or married to obnoxious louts with cheating hearts. The setup is obvious, and the script plays out like a promising but flawed class project from Screenwriting 101. There are jerky segues from broad comedy to mawkish sentimentality to contrived pathos, as George tries to put his life — and his family — back together. Most critics have reviled the flick, but it’s not that bad: as formulaic romcoms go, let’s call it barely mediocre. Biel, however, brings her A-game to the role of a mother (and wronged woman) who has a tough decision to make, while Butler uses his gruff, testosterone-rich charm to good effect. And those

snappy cameos by the likes of Thurman and ZetaJones, while appreciated, make one wonder what they were thinking when they signed on for this flimsy vehicle.

CALLING ALL ICONS! ise of the Guardians, one of the year’s more imaginative animated movies, boasts a stellar lineup: a very Russian-accented Santa Claus, a very Australian-accented Easter Bunny, a mute Sandman, a perky Tooth Fairy, and a mischievous Jack Frost with “attachment issues.” These jolly imaginary icons are the guardians of RISE OF THE GUARDIANS childhood inno★★★ cence and they Directed by Peter Ramsey have to band toG - 97 minutes gether to oppose Continues at the Capitol, SilverCity, Uni 4 & Westshore the baleful Pitch Black when he unleashes his dark powers on all the world’s children. Jack Frost is at the centre of the story — he’s like a reckless but well-meaning teenager who doesn’t want to fit in. His quest to find out how he came to be Jack Frost drives much of the narrative, and helps set him up as the major threat to Pitch Black. Rise gallops merrily along with an ambitious narrative; it also benefits from lots of visual razzle-dazzle and a lively sense of humour. The characters are well voiced, including Chris Pine as Jack, Hugh Jackman as the Bunny, Alec Baldwin as Santa, and a marvelously sinister Jude Law as the perfidious Pitch. It is a bit odd to see the likes of Santa and the Easter Bunny presented as superheroes, but their powers are not hugely warlike and their characters remain kindly and positive. This ain’t exactly Finding Nemo, but older children and parents alike should be charmed by its mix of warm magic and high-tech storytelling. M

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FILM & CINEMA CALENDAR OPENING THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY -(Capitol/SilverCity/Uni 4/ Westshore) This long-expected film, which takes place several decades before the events portrayed in Lord of the Rings, stars a young Bilbo Baggins as he heads off with a posse of dwarves to reclaim some treasure stolen by a mean old dragon named Smaug. With Ian McKellen, Ian Holm, Hugo Weaving, Christopher Lee, and Andy Serkis as the perfidious Gollum. Starts Fri. HITCHCOCK -(Odeon) Anthony Hopkins (aided by several pounds of latex) stars as the brilliant -- and decidedly warped -- director Alfred Hitchock, in a film that depicts the creation of the sublimely creepy Psycho. With Helen Mirren as his long-suffering wife and Scarlett Johansson as the girl who gets stabbed in the shower. Starts Fri.

CONTINUING ★★★ ANNA KARENINA -(Odeon) English director Joe Wright reunites with Keira Knightley (Pride and Prejudice) to present a glossy and intriguingly stylized version of Tolstoy's classic tale of doomed, adulterous love affair set amidst the aristocracy of 1870s Russia. With Jude Law and Emily Watson.

★★★½ ARGO -(Caprice) Despite some liberties taken with the facts, this account of a CIA agent who managed to smuggle six Americans to safety from Iran during the famed 1979-'80 hostage crisis is surprisingly even-handed, very suspenseful and truly entertaining. Directed by and starring Ben Affleck. ★★½ CLOUD ATLAS -(Odeon/ Caprice) German director Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run) combines forces with Andy and Lana Wachowski (The Matrix) to take us on an exotic, wildly ambitious trip as characters lead parallel and contrasting lives in six different storylines in the past, present, and future. Starring Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, and Hugh Grant. DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: DOG DAYS -(Caprice) Greg is totally ready for summer when suddenly his plans all fall apart. What's the poor guy gonna do now? ★★★ FLIGHT -(Odeon) Denzel Washington is excellent in a morally complex drama about a heroic pilot who "impossibly" saves an airliner from certain destruction, only to find himself in a world of trouble for unexpected reasons. ★★★½ FRANKENWEENIE -(Caprice) Tim Burton, master of the amusingly morbid, is in fine form in this darkly droll animated tale of a boy who uses lightning to bring his beloved pooch back from the dead. Not surprisingly, there are unexpected consequences.

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA -(Caprice) A hotel where vampires and sundry other monsters hide out from humans gets a big scare when a backpacking dude shows up looking for a room. This animated comedy features the voices of Adam Sandler, Kevin James, and Andy Samberg. ★★½ KILLING THEM SOFTLY -(Capitol) Brad Pitt plays a hitman who gets called in after some dumb guys rob a Mob-protected card game and an example has to be made. Costarring Ray Liotta, Richard Jenkins, and James Gandolfini. Despite some fine performances, this is a nasty and overly violent film with a very heavy-handed "message" about how gangsters are just another variant of American business. ★★★½ LIFE OF PI -(Odeon/ SilverCity) Oscar winning director Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain) helms this visually gorgeous adaptation of Yann Martel's magical and spiritual novel about a young man's epic adventures while lost at sea -- most of which are shared with a terrifying Bengal tiger. ★★★★ LINCOLN -(Odeon) Stephen Spielberg directs awardwinning playwright Tony (Angels in America) Kushner's account of Abraham Lincoln's darkest days as he fights the Civil War and also fights political battles in his cabinet over plans to free America's black slaves. The superb cast includes Daniel Day-Lewis, Tommy Lee Jones and Sally Field.

★★★½ LOOPER -(Caprice) This trippy, noir-tinged sci-fi thriller is a stylish mash-up of hitmen and time travel. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Premium Rush), Bruce Willis, and Emily Blunt. ★★ THE MASTER -(Caprice) The latest from Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood, Magnolia) stars Philip Seymour Hoffman as the charismatic leader of a cult religion who has an intense relationship with an emotionally damaged man (Joaquin Phoenix). Despite powerful performances and a lush filming style, this drama is a dull and very disappointing misstep from a great director. ★★ PLAYING FOR KEEPS -(Capitol/SilverCity) Gerard Butler and Jessica Biel star in a ho-hum romcom about a faded sports star who is attempting to get his life back together while coaching his son's soccer team. And suddenly, all those perky soccer moms are messing with his head. Poor man! See review. ★★★ RISE OF THE GUARDIANS -(Capitol/SilverCity/Westshore) Jack Frost, Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and other magical icons come together to save childhood innocence after a very evil spirit named Pitch starts making trouble. This animated lark is voiced by Hugh Jackman and Alec Baldwin. See review.

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Check theatre directory or go to www.tribute.ca for showtimes

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Required for an Alberta Trucking Company. One Class 1 Driver. Must have a minimum of 5 years experience pulling low boys and driving off road. Candidate must be able to pass a drug test and be willing to relocate to Edson, Alberta. Scheduled Days Off. Call Lloyd 780-723-5051 THE LEMARE Group is accepting resumes for the following positions: •Grade Hoe Operator-with Coastal Logging Roadbuilding experience •Coastal Certified Hand Fallers •Coastal Certified Bull Buckers •Road Grader Operator •Grader Operator • Heavy Duty Mechanics Fulltime camp with union rates/benefits. Please send resumes by fax to 250-956-4888 or email to office@lemare.ca.

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VOLUNTEERS WORLD FISHERIES Trust needs a Spanish/English translator to work with documents and reports for its Fish to Life project in Bolivia. Short term commitment as required. Call Volunteer Victoria at 250386-2269.

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HOROSCOPE > DECEMBER 16 - 22, 2012

“Happiness is a warm, loving family living in another city.”

ll Signs: This to take up a new study, week the Sun especially philosophy, moves into religion, mathematics or Capricorn, the law. Profundity will which brings a shift of intrigue you. You’ll find energy for everyone in it fascinating to learn the next month. Among about other people and other things, Capricorn different cultures. You represents the governmight also probe opporment and tradition – the GEORGIA tunities in publishing, so-called classic fam- NICOLS the media and ily with a white picket medicine. But fence, 2.5 kids and lawif you can abiding parents. That’s why this jet off somewhere, get month represents a strong time of thee to an airport. tradition, especially with respect to religions. (Hanukkah on December 9, Christmas on December 25 and GEMINI MAY 21-JUNE 20 Kwanzaa on December 26.) Millions In the next month, your gonads are will celebrate and focus on “what is in overdrive. But the bottom line proper,” especially with family. Ah is you want to improve your life. yes, family is gold. I do believe this. You’re keen to turn over a new leaf But I also see George Burns’ point (especially if it’s fig). Clean up your of view: “Happiness is a warm, lov- act with insurance matters, inheritances, shared property, taxes, debt ing family living in another city. and anything you own jointly with others. You might get into disputes ARIES MARCH 21-APRIL 19 about the values of others that are This is the only time all year when different from yours. This is clasthe Sun is at the top of your chart sic. We cling to our core beliefs and acting like a spotlight. This is values. If others don’t agree with why you’ll be noticed more than us, we feel they are wrong - but this usual, especially by authority fig- isn’t always the case, is it? Openures (including the police). Because minded people modify their this “light” is flattering, others will values as they age because ask you to take on special tasks of experience. (Unless or increased responsibilities. Don’t someone threatens to shrink from this. The joke is, you take the fibre out of won’t have to do anything special their diet.) to do a great job. Just say yes and everyone will think you’re the cat’s meow. (Good lighting is every- CANCER JUNE 21-JULY 22 thing!) Plus, with Mars at the top of This is the only time all year when your chart as well, you’re ambitious. the Sun is 180° opposite your sign, So it will really please you to make which means it’s as far away from you as it ever gets. Since the Sun is a fabulous impression on othyour source of energy, you will need ers, especially people who more sleep. Acknowledge this and might have control over get more rest. This opposing Sun your future and bank also forces you to focus on partnerbalance. Ya think? ships and close friendships and it’s your best opportunity all year to TAURUS APRIL 20-MAY 20 objectively see your style of relatMars and the Sun now combine to ing to others. Because fiery Mars make you want to run away and join now opposes you as well, you’ll be the circus. You’re desperate to get quick to be angry with others! And away from all this. You want adven- when you’re annoyed, you’ll think ture, a change of scenery, great it’s their fault. But might it just be room service, comfy digs and a that your tolerance is wearchance to learn something new. In ing thin? Look in the other words, you want to broaden mirror. Is that smiling your horizons in the month ahead! grimace you? That’s why this is the perfect time

LEO JULY 23-AUG 22 You love to be generous to others and, on top of that, you’re dramatic. Small wonder this month gives you a chance to maximize your theatrical skills for display, glamour and over-the-top hospitality. “Does everyone have champagne?” Because you have high expectations to dazzle, you are driven to work hard and be as efficient as possible. (If you had time you would even colour-code your closet and alphabetize your bookshelves.) Naturally, you’re delegating like mad and being a bit bossy. (But nice bossy.) Hey, not everyone else has your standards, although they love being on the receiving end of your hospitality. VIRGO AUG 23-SEPT 22 It’s fun city for the month ahead! Expect pleasure and enjoyment from social events, the theatre, movies, sports, saucy flirtations, love affairs, vacations, play times with children and just goofing around. Because you also feel competitive, you’ll be aggressive in sports and games with others. This can also translate into a heightened sex drive. (“Who me?”) Slip away on a vacation if possible. Carve out some time to express your creativity. Make cards or gifts. Sing or dance. Bake. You’ll feel delightfully juiced and jazzed if you have a chance to express your creative energy. Try it, even if for only 20 minutes! (It’s easy to get stuck in adult mode and forget the thrill of being a kid.) LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22) The month ahead will focus on your personal life, home and family. Time spent with a parent could be significant. The placement of Mars indicates that your home life will be unusually active, busy and chaotic. This could be due to renovations, last-minute repairs, visiting guests or unusual events occurring at home. Naturally, this upset in balance tests your tolerance with loved ones. Be gentle. Look upon this as an opportunity to develop patience. After all, anger serves no purpose other than to make everyone mis-

erable, including you. Yeah, you know this but it’s easy to forget it, isn’t it? Make your words sweet in case you have to swallow them later. SCORPIO OCT 23-NOV 21 The next month is busy! Just accept this and swing into action. Your daily rhythm will accelerate with short trips, errands, discussions with relatives, plus responding to the demands of others as well as increased reading and writing. Whoa! No wonder your pace is frantic! But you can handle this. In fact, your communications with others will be strong, even aggressive. This is a good time for those of you who write, edit, proof, sell, market, teach or have to convince others about anything because you’ll be persuasive. Mars now influences your communicating style and Mars is warlike. Just remember this. Don’t come on too strong. SAGITTARIUS NOV 22- DEC 21 Travel aspirations and the classic demands of the holiday season force you to think about money, money, money. For starters, where is it? You’ll be thinking of how to boost your earnings or make a little on the side or how to get a better job. Many of you will also focus on major purchases. The main thing is you want to be more in control of your world through how you handle your money and use your possessions. You don’t want to be at the mercy of what you own. You are in charge, right? Ponder this: Do your possessions weigh you down? The whole point of owning something is to make your life easier or more comfortable, not the other way around. CAPRICORN DEC 22-JAN 19 With the Sun and Mars in your sign for the next month, you’ve got energy to burn! Plus you’ll attract important people and favourable circumstances. Use this to your advantage! It isn’t always this easy to have things fall in your lap. Push

your agenda and get as much done as possible because you can cut through obstacles like a hot knife in butter. Grab every chance to get physical exercise to burn off pent-up energy that could build up within you. Even though others make demands on your time, be discriminating. You don’t have to be all things to all people all the time. This is the one time of year when you can put yourself first without fear or apology. AQUARIUS JAN 20-FEB 18 Your birthday is a month away, which means your year is ending. That’s why this is the perfect time to strategize your new year ahead. How well are you doing at the art of living? How do you want your new year to be different from last year? Studies indicate that if you clearly define your goals with a specific timetable, the odds of you achieving those goals are hugely increased. So, you can either grab the reins and guide your future or just react to life as it happens in a management-bycrisis style. Since you are entering the harvest of your life when you will get job promotions, acknowledgments and kudos, why not be specific about what you want to achieve? PISCES FEB 19-MARCH 20 The next six weeks you are popular! Others will make demands on you because they want to see your face. Good. You’re up for it. You’ll enjoy schmoozing because you have lots of energy for this in the next month. You might feel competitive with someone, which could spur you to action or, alternatively, it could hinder co-operation with others. (Competitive can turn some people on and others off.) Many of you will entertain at home because your year ahead is enriching in terms of your home and family members being generous to each other. (In fact, it’s the best year for your sign for real-estate negotiations in more than a decade.) It’s also a great year to improve where you live. Cool!

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MONDAY MAGAZINE DECEMBER 13 - DECEMBER 19, 2012 mondaymag.com

[21]

MONDAY GUIDE

Personals or Variations

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EVENTS CALENDAR MUSIC THURS.DEC. 13 MOTHER MOTHER - With Hannah Georgas. 8pm at Royal Theatre (805 Broughton). Sold out. THE ADULTS - Geoff Lundstrom and Jason Cook provide a high-energy, groove-based party atmosphere. As one of Vancouver Island's favourite pop cover bands, The Adults play something for everyone, from MGMT to Adele, OneRepublic to Kings of Leon. $5 after 9 at Canoe Brewpub (450 Swift).

FRI. DEC. 14 COOKEILIDH - Presents Celtic Yuletide, a festive celebration of Celtic music and dance. 7:30pm at St Ann's Academy auditorium (835 Humboldt). $16/12/under 12 free. Tickets at rmts. bc.ca or 250-386-6121. DAVID GOGO - Canadian blues guitarist and his electric trio swing in the season with songs from his holiday album Christmas With the Blues. 8pm at Hermann's Jazz Club (753 View). $25/28 at Lyle's Place and Ditch Records. DEEP COVE FOLK - Featured performers are Cathy Miller and John Bunge. 8pm at St John United Church (10990 W Saanich). $7. JESSE COOK - Toronto based world music guitarist brings The Blue Guitar Sessions to the Royal Theatre (805 Broughton). . TECHCOWS - Exclusive house set with DUST at this ugly Christmas sweater party. 10pm at Castle Video Bar (1900 Douglas). $10.. BROKEN STRINGS - Victoria’s most diverse cover band play a wide variety of classics from Tom Petty and Ryan Adams to the Talking Heads and Michael Jackson. $5 after 9 at Canoe Brewpub (450 Swift).. GREATER VICTORIA CONCERT BAND - Presents A Winter's Night with special guests Parkland Secondary Senior Concert Band. 7pm at Mary Winspear Centre (2243 Beacon). $15/12. TOWN AND COUNTRY -Four lads playing joyous music for the new depression; blues, swing, folk, country dust bowl and east-coast Celtic on dobro, mandolin, guitars and more. After open Stage. 8pm at James Bay Coffee and Books (143 Menzies). By donation. RAINSHADOW AL'S 12TH ANNUAL MUSTARD SEED FOOD BANK BENEFIT - With Carolyn Mark, Ashbury West, Dylan Davis, Hearse and Dave Lang. Admission by donation and/or non perishable food item. 8pm at Logan's Pub (1821 Cook). . JON AND ROY HOLIDAY SPECIAL - With Frazey Ford, Wake Owl, Kim Churchill and The Archers. 7pm at Alix Goolden Hall (907 Pandora). $25 at ticketweb.ca.

EKOOS VOCAL ENSEMBLE- Sings Ave Maria in settings by Arcadelt, Dett, Kodaly, Monteverdi, Mozart and more. 7:30pm at St. Michael and All Angels Church (4733 W Saanich). By donation. HARRIS GILMORE AND THE MOJOS- Hard slidin' blues and funky reggae. 9pm at Swan's Brewpub (506 Pandora). Free. EL MUNDO - The Early Music Society of the Islands presents a celebration of Baroque Christmas music from Italy, Spain and Latin America. With Richard Savino, director and guitar/theorbo. 8pm at Alix Goolden Hall (907 Pandora). $20/27/24/8 at rmts.bc.ca or 250486-6121.

SUN. DEC. 16 JAZZ CHRISTMAS - Get in the holiday spirit with CanUs Band, with guest Al Pease (3-5pm) and Dixieland Express Jazz Band (5-7pm) at Hermann's Jazz Club (753 View). $20 for both shows or $12 each. ENSEMBLE LAUDE- Three time M Award winners for Favourite Vocal Ensemble, Ensemble Laude offers The Banquet, a lavish feast of choral songs, chants and wassails from medieval and renaissance Europe, enchanted by flavours from India, Flanders, Argentina, Nigeria, Germany and Canadian First Nations. The highlight is an intiricate 12-part piece, Festum Carmen, composed by director Elizabeth MacIsaac specifically for the concert. 3pm at Alix Goolden Hall (907 Pandora). By donation. ensemblelaude.org. QRISTINA AND QUINN BACHAND - Internationally acclaimed brother-sister duo presents its Celtic Vespers concert. 7pm at St. Johns United Church (10990 W Saanich). By donation. SOUNDINGS -Hear, and sometimes sing along to, wassails, seasonal songs from Appalachia and AfroAmerica, traditional Christmas pieces, contemporary works from the choral repertoire, adaptations of some popular Christmas songs and director Denis Donnelly's adaptation of a Stan Rogers Christmas song. After open stage at 7:30pm. Norway House (1110 Hillside). $5. Victoriafolkmusic.ca CAROL SINGALONG- Join Josie Davidson and her husband Greg on the pipe organ for an afternoon of carols, crafts and more in the chapel at St Anns Academy (835 Humboldt). 2pm. By donation. SOUNDS OF THE SEASON -With Prevedoros, Golden and Joy. 2pm at St Ann's Academy (835 Humboldt). $15/12. EKOOS VOCAL ENSEMBLE- Sings Ave Maria in settings by Arcadelt, Dett, Kodaly, Monteverdi, Mozart and more. 7:30pm at Holy Trinity Anglican Church (1962 Murray Rd, Sooke). $12 at Reading Room Bookstore and at door.

SAT. DEC. 15

TUES. DEC. 18

VIVA YOUTH CHOIR - Presents its winter concert, A Winter Quilt. The programme will include the début performance of the newly-formed Young Men’s Ensemble for 15-to-23year-olds. 2pm at Grace Lutheran Church (1273 Fort). $12/8/ under 12 free. YOUTH CHOIR 61 CHRISTMAS CONCERT - School District 61 honour choir with special guest Foster Family Strummin Buddies and The Quadra Four. 2pm at St Aidan's Church (3703 St Aidans). $10/5/under 12 free. BILL JOHNSON BLUES BAND8pm at Upper Deck Sports Lounge (229 Gorge). $5. CHANTAL KREVIAZUK-Canadian pop superstar and classically trained pianist performs her greatest hits with the Victoria Symphony. 8pm at the Royal Theatre (805 Broughton). Tickets at boxoffice@ victoriasymphony.ca or 250-386-6515. BIGTINYSMALLS- Disco dance party. All vinyl. 8pm at Castle Video Bar (1900 Douglas). $5. VICTORIA PHILHARMONIC CHOIR FAMILY CHRISTMAS CAROL SINGALONG- Sing along with Peter Butterfield and the 50-voice choir. With guest soloist Jeremy Bowes and St. Mary's organist Curt Bergen. 7pm at St. Mary's Church (1701 Elgin). $20/10/under 12 free. POMPADOORS- Pop-Americana and a comfortable, lighthearted party atmosphere. $5 after 9 at Canoe Brewpub (450 Swift).

CARLI AND JULIE KENNEDY Victoria's own folk/country duo team up with West My Friend to ring in the holidays. 7pm at The Superior (106 Superior). $10 suggested donation. 250-380-9515 for dinner reservations.

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WED. DEC. 19 A PLACE TO LISTEN - Victoria’s newest experimental music series, presents an exploration of sound, silence, and space with what is mine and what is not: Sam Sfirri’s Beckett Pieces. Local composer/pianist Daniel Brandes will perform a solo realization of for the choice of directions (2010). Brandes will then be joined by Christopher Reiche and Stefan Maier for two ensemble realizations of what is mine and what is not (2010). 7pm at James Bay United Church (517 Michigan). $TBA. COMMUNITY ANNOUCEMENTNewcombe Singers Choir is seeking new members for its Spring season. Repetoir includes Durufle's Requiem. Ability to read music not a prerequisite. Visit newcombesingers.com for more information.

STAGE THURS. DEC. 13 KAFTKA THE MUSICAL - Author Murray Gold assists Theatre Inconnu with the world premiere of this musical adaptation for the stage. WEDNESDAY to SUNDAY at 8pm at the Fernwood Little Hall (1923 Fernwood). Also SAT 2pm. Tickets at ticketrocket.org. Review at Mondaymag.com..

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EVENTS CALENDAR CONTINUED RIDE THE CYLCONE -The latest incarnation of Atomic Vaudeville's award winning musical. Cyclone is a comedy, a tragedy and a musical ride telling the story of a teenage chamber choir from Saskatchewan that dies in a roller coaster accident at a traveling fair. Karnack, a mechanized fortunetelling machine, feels responsible for the young choir’s demise and gives the teens a chance to express themselves to the world after death. Preview TUESDAY at 8pm ($20), plays WEDNESDAY to SATURDAY at 8pm, 2pm matinee Dec. 15. At UVic's Roger Bishop Theatre (Phoenix Theatre). Tickets are $35/28 at 250-721-8000 A CHRISTMAS CAROL-Adapted and directed by Michael Shamata, starring Tom McBeath (Ebenezer Scrooge), Gerry Mackay (Jacob Marley), Lily Cave (Belinda), Daniel Fong (Spirit), Jessica Hickman (Spirit), Kevin Kruchkywich (Mr. Fred), Brian Linds (Mr. Fezziwig), Amanda Lisman (Belle), Adam Lolacher (Bob Cratchit), Ajay Parikh-Friese (Peter), Amisha Parikh-Friese (Martha), Simeon Sanford Blades (Tiny Tim), Celine Stubel (Mrs. Cratchit), and Jan Wood (Mrs. Fezziwig). Runs WED to SAT at 8pm, WED at 1pm, SAT at 4pm and SUN at 2pm at the Belfry Theatre. Until Dec. 22 Review at mondaymag. com.

FRI. DEC. 14 A CHIRSTMAS CAROLCraigdarroch Castle (1050 Joan) presents Jason Stevens' one-man adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic. FRIDAY, SUNDAY and WEDNESDAY until Dec. 28. Doors at 6:15pm. Tickets $20/18/15 at thecastle. ca A CAROL FOR CHIRSTMAS- Paper St Theatre, Victoria's improvisational theatre company, is ringing in the season with a full-length holiday show in the style of Charles Dickens. Chris Vickers and Christina Patterson join the ensemble cast. FRIDAY and SATURDAY at 8pm at Intrepid Theatre Club (1609m Blanshard). $12 at Russell Books (734 Fort). THE SOUND OF MUSIC - Join the Victoria Operatic Society and director Jaymes D. Goodman, music director Robert Cooper and choreographer Stephanie Geehan for a fresh take on a musical classic. FRIDAY and SATURDAY at 8pm and SUNDAY at 2pm at the McPherson Playhouse (Centennial Square). Tickets at rmts. bc.ca or 250-386-6121.

MONDAY MAGAZINE DECEMBER 13 - DECEMBER 19, 2012 mondaymag.com

NAUGHTY BUT NICE PEEPSHOW - The Cheesecake Burlesque Revue presents its third annual xxx-mas show.Doors at 7:30pm, show at 8:30pm. Tickets $25/22 at Lyle's Place or cheesecakeburlesque.com.

SAT. DEC. 15 SLEIGH RIDE EXPRESS- It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at Paparazzi as Mr and Miss Gay Vancouver Island host a Christmas variety show with singing, dancing, comedy and a whole lot of ho, ho, hoing. 11:30pm. $8 (642 Johnson).

SUN. DEC. 16 THE SHOWDOWN -Seven solo performers have seven minutes each to win audience votes. Winner gets $200 cash.This month's performers include: stand-up comic James Ball, singer/songwriter Chantzy Q, spoken word poet Justin McGrail, comedic actor Karen Brelsford, pantalone improviser Kevin Koch, comedian Sean Proudlove, burlesque performer Jemma Riot, plus special guest Shaneo Priestly and your host Mr. Wes Lord. 8pm at Victoria Event Centre (1415 Broad). $10/8. HO HO HO SHOW-A festive night of stand-up comedy where its guaranteed yule laugh the night away. Hosted by Kirsten Van Ritzen featuring her fall comedy students making their stand-up debuts. With guest Morgan Cranny. 8pm at Heckler's (123 Gorge). $5.

WED. DEC. 19 A CHRISTMAS CAROL -Fresh off a successful world premiere, Theatre Inconnu is getting into the holiday spirit with A Christmas Carol, adapted by Clayton Jevne (with live Celtic harp accompaniment). WED to SUN at 2 and 7pm at Emily Carr House. Mon at 2pm at Carr House and 7pm at Little Fernwood Hall (1923 Fernwood). $15/12/10. 250-383-5843 for reservations. theatreinconnu.com ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS- A variety show fundraiser for the Mustard Seed hosted by Victoria burlesque maven, Rosie Bitts and featuring performances by Passion and Performance Dance, members of the Cheesecake Burlesque Review, Dollipop, Cherry D.Vine, Johnny Bottomsworth, Maxine Fisher, The Coventry Carrollers, The Ukabellas, Mark Marquette, Shayne Avec I Grec, Ginger Kittens, Jett MaJique, Randii Andii, Ian Case, Wes Lord and Jeremy Loveday. Doors at 7:30pm, show at 8pm. Metro Studio (1411 Quadra). Tickets are $20 at ticketrocket.org or 250-590-6291.

✓ EVENTS THURS. DEC. 13 FESTIVI-TEA AT SILK ROAD - Learn how to make festive holiday drinks using tea, including a tea gin & tonic and a tea latte. 6pm at Silk Road (1624 Government). Free. 250-704-2688. CANADA’S NATIONAL GINGERBREAD SHOWCASE - See the annual festive fundraising event that showcases bakers (both amateur and professional) going head-to-head in creating the city’s most elaborate gingerbread houses, all in the name of raising funds for Habitat for Humanity Victoria. From the traditional to a more whimsical take on the gingerbread house. Daily to Jan. 1., 10am-6pm at the Inn at Laurel Point, front lobby (680 Montreal). Free. FESTIVAL OF TREES - The Victoria Festival of Trees transforms The Fairmont Empress into a lush magical forest of beautifully decorated trees to raise funds for BC Children's Hospital. Daily to Jan. 4 at The Fairmont Empress (721 Government). Free to view, $2 donation to vote for your favourite tree. 250-384-8111.

FRI. DEC. 14 GHOST HUNT IN THE MARITIME MUSEUM - Former UK based Dawn Kirkham, clairvoyant medium and owner of Beyond Belief Paranormal Events will use her years of experience to facilitate the ghostly investigation. This will not be a guided tour; participants will use investigative devices to seek out the unknown in the galleries of the museum. Preregistration is required. 10pm-3am at The Maritime Museum of BC. (28 Bastion Square). $55 +HST per person. 250-385-4222.

SAT. DEC. 15 CITY OF VICTORIA'S 3RD ANNUAL FIGGY PUDDING CAROLLING COMPETITION - See friends, family, coworkers or strangers dress up and sing carols for performances. 1-4pm at Bastion Square. Free. CHANUKAH LIGHTING Congregation Emanu-El Synagogue invites the entire community to celebrate the Festival of Chanukah with the Lighting of the Candles on the Giant Menorah. 6:30pm at Centennial Square. Free. 250-382-0615. GRASSROOTS SILENT AUCTION In Benefit Of Community-Based Clinic Heart & Hands Health Collective. See work from various community doners. 6-10pm at 851 Cormorant. Free. 250590-3185.

SUN. DEC. 16 SANTA CLAUS BRUNCH - Back by popular demand is the Santa Claus Brunch, where kids can eat, meet and snap a photo with Jolly Old Saint Nick. Children will enjoy their own special buffet, as well as their own area to watch their favourite Christmas movies. All children will receive a complimentary photo with Santa. Reservations recommended. 10am12:30pm at AURA Restaurant, Inn at Laurel Point, (680 Montreal). Adults $39/seniors $30/children 6-10 $19.50/ children under 6 free. 250-414-6739.

WED. DEC. 19 FESTIVAL OF LIGHT: CHANUKAH SONGS & STORIES - See music, stories and celebration. Jewish Community Choir of Victoria, directed by Carol Sokoloff. Storyteller Shoshana Litman. Menorah Lighting and refreshments will be served. Partial proceeds towards the heritage synagogue’s restoration. 7pm at Congregation Emanu-El Synagogue, (1461 Blanshard). By donation. 250385-3378.

MARKETS MONTEREY CHRISTMAS CRAFT FAIR - PAC hosted craft fair with everything from jewelry to sock animals, baked goods to Christmas cards. Please drop by to find that last minute gift and your favourite stocking stuffer! SATURDAY Noon-3pm at Monterey Middle School Gym (851 Monterey). Free. 778-440-5676. WOODWYNN FARMS CHRISTMAS MARKET - Proceeds help contribute to the running of our Therapeutic Community farm, providing a hand up to those in need. 10am-4pm THURSDAYS-SATURDAYS at 7789 West Saanich. Free. 250-5441175, woodwynnfarms.org.

MARRIAGE SUPPORT GROUP - For couples and married people seeking help and support to improve communication in their relationship, intimacy, fighting management, problem solving and more. You can attend individually or as a couple. Group leader Daniel Keeran, MSW, will assisting couples to improve their relationships. LAST SESSION. 5-6:30pm at 3460 Shelbourne. Free. 778-433-1547.

FRI. DEC. 14 DROP IN DOODLES - Drop in and doodle, sketch or paint with other creative folks. Some materials and direction provided. Noon-5pm at The Makehouse (833 Fort). $10 per hour. 250-888-5790.

SAT. DEC. 15 STOCKING STUFFERS: SMALL PIECES OF ART - Make beautiful small things to put in stockings or hang on trees. Materials provided. 5-7pm at The Makehouse (833 Fort). $25. 250-888-5790.

SUN. DEC. 16 JACKSON DAVIES LAUNCHES BEACHCOMBERS BOOK - See Bruno and the Beach to be launched. 1pm at Bolen Books (#111-1644 Hillside). Free. 250-595-4232.

MON. DEC. 17 THE ZERO-MILE DIET COOKBOOK LAUNCH - Carolyn Herriot’s The Zero-Mile Diet Cookbook contains over 160 recipes using homegrown ingredients, and is full of ideas for connecting with the environment that surrounds us. Launch 4-6pm at Spinnakers Gastro Brew Pub (308 Catherine). Free. 604-883-2730.

GALLERIES THURS. DEC. 13

WORDS THURS. DEC. 13 CHARACTER CARDS - Make yourself a set of unique note cards, greeting cards or postcards. Materials, templates and instruction provided. 6-8pm at The Makehouse (833 Fort). $25. 250-888-5790. WRITER'S GROUP - Weekly drop-in with sessions including peer support, story sharing, guest speakers and more. THURSDAYS 10am-noon at Esquimalt Recreation Centre (527 Fraser). $2/free with rec membership. 250-412-8500, esquimalt.ca.

THE FIFTY FIFTY ARTS COLLECTIVE - GUTS: New Work by Caitlin McDonagh, exploring the definition of home, what you consume or what consumes you. Opening reception 7-10pm. To Jan. 6 at 2516 Douglas.

FRI. DEC. 14 WEST END GALLERY - New Works by Annabelle Marquis. To Dec. 20 at 1203 Broad.

SUN. DEC. 16 ART GALLERY OF GREATER VICTORIA - Family Sunday: West Coast Winter Landscapes. 2-4pm at 1040 Moss.

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★★½ TAKEN 2 -(Caprice) Liam Neeson reprises his role as a retired CIA tough guy who has to use his nastiest skills when his wife gets kidnapped by the vengeful father of the goon that Neeson killed in the last movie. Well-directed if rather soulless action porn that benefits from its Istanbul setting. ★★½ TWILIGHT: BREAKING DAWN PART 2 -(SilverCity/Uni 4/ Westshore) This most underwhelming vampire-werewolf soap opera finally comes to an end. The good news, such as it is, is that this is the best of a lame series, mostly because droopy emo-girl Bella has now transformed into a kick-ass vampire. ★★★ WRECK–IT RALPH -(SilverCity/Westshore) John C. Reilly provides the voice for a video-game villain who tires of being a bad guy and sets out on a quest that throws an entire video arcade into chaos. This occasionally-inspired animation lark includes the voices of Sarah Silverman and Jane Lynch.

★★★ SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK -(Odeon) A bi-polar man (Bradley Cooper, The Hangover) is trying to put his life -- and his marriage -- back together when he meets a fascinating woman (Jennifer Lawrence, The Hunger Games) with problems of her own. This quirky romantic comedy is directed by David O. Russell (Three Kings, The Fighter). ★★★★ SKYFALL -(Capitol/ SilverCity/Uni 4/Westshore) The latest James Bond spy thriller features cool gadgets, exotic locales . . . and a villain with a vendetta against poor old M. Easily one of the best Bonds ever, this has all the usual thrills but also an elegiacal tone and some unexpected drama that will leave the audience shaken and stirred. Starring Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, and Ralph Fiennes.

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IMAX AIR RACERS -(1 pm, 5 pm & 8 pm, Mon.-Thurs.) Paul Walker narrates this pulse-pounding documentary about the world's fastest race, as amazingly nimble planes negotiate a tricky course at 500 MPH. HUBBLE -(French only on Mon., Dec. 17, 10 am only) THE LAST REEF: BENEATH THE SEA -(11 am: Fri.-Wed. & daily at 2 pm, 4 pm, 6 pm) MYSTERIES OF EGYPT -(10 am: Fri.-Sun. & Tues., & 3 pm daily) ★★½ POLAR EXPRESS -(10 am Thurs. only & 7 pm, Fri.-Sat.) TO THE ARCTIC -(noon, & 7 pm: Mon.-Thurs.)

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LEAVING THURS. ★★½ MIDNIGHT'S CHILDREN -(Odeon) ★★ RED DAWN -(SilverCity/ Westshore) ★★★★ SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN -(Capitol) ★★★½ THE SESSIONS -(Odeon)

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MOVIE MONDAY - Is screening Indie Game: The Movie, a documentary about the underdogs in the video-game industry. By donation. 6:30pm MONDAY in the 1900-block Fort. 595FLIC. moviemonday.ca

Alastair Sim stars as the grasping, stingy miser Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, screening at the Vic Theatre, Sat. Dec. 15.

AWARENESS FILM NIGHT -screens Genetic Roulette, the latest doc from the author of Seeds of Destruction. This film explores the serious health threats posed by genetically engineered foods, as well as the bullying and deceit of the biotech industry. WEDNESDAY, 7 pm, at Edward Milne Community School theatre, 6218 Sooke Road. A CHRISTMAS CAROL . . . AND SANTA, TOO! -The Victoria Film Festival folk are screening the ultimate version of the ultimate seasonal film: A Christmas Carol starring Alastair Sim as the grasping, stingy miser who has a lot to learn about the meaning of Christmas . . . and one night to do it in. This is very much a family-friendly screening, and includes a visit with Santa for those so inclined. SATURDAY, 1 pm (movie starts at 2 pm), at the Vic Theatre, 808 Douglas St. Cash only at the door.

CINECENTA Cinecenta at UVic screens its films in the Student Union Building. Info: 7218365. cinecenta.com.

★★★½ SIDE BY SIDE -(Wed.Thurs., Dec. 12-13: 7:00, 9:00) You don't have to be a film nerd to be fascinated by this documentary examining the aesthetics -- and conflicts -- as moviemmaking makes a paradigm shift from celluloid to digital. With great pro-and-con commentary from the likes of Martin Scorsese, Christopher Nolan, and many other master directors and cinematographers. ★★ THE MASTER -(Fri.-Sat., Dec. 14-15: 6:45, 9:20) The latest from Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood, Magnolia) stars Philip Seymour Hoffman as the charismatic leader of a cult religion who has an intense relationship with an emotionally damaged man (Joaquin Phoenix). Despite powerful performances and a lush filming style, this drama is a dull and very disappointing misstep from a great director.

★★★ THE INTOUCHABLES -(Sun.-Mon., Dec. 16-17: 7:00 only) This funny and heart-warming French film features a wealthy aristocrat, a quadriplegic after a hang-gliding accident, who gets more than he bargained for when he hires a roughedged black man from the projects to be his care aid. Based on a true story. Back -- again -- by popular demand! A CHRISTMAS TALE -(Tues., Dec. 18: 7:00 only) This 2008 film from France revels in very messy human truths as three generations of a fractious, very dysfunctional family meet to celebrate the holidays. With Catherine Deneuve. LOVE ACTUALLY -(Wed., Dec. 19: 7:00 only) This much-touted romantic comedy has genuinely touching moments and lots of sharply-crafted comedy, but it's also cloying and burdened with several subplots devoid of charm: it's like the highlights reel from a half-dozen mediocre chick flicks. Hugh Grant and Emma Thompson head up a huge and impressive cast.

MONDAY MAGAZINE DECEMBER 13 - DECEMBER 19, 2012 mondaymag.com

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144 tabs

4000

2 for $5

5800

120 caps

Rd. W.

Til li

101-300 101-3300 Gorge Road Westt (Next to Il Greco Restaurant) 25 250.590.5524 50.590.5524 • myhealthessentials.ca

cum

Rd .

Prices in effect December 5th - December 31st, 2012

Gorge Rd. West

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MONDAY MAGAZINE DECEMBER 13 - DECEMBER 19, 2012 mondaymag.com