FFWD Weekly
Copyright © 1997. All Rights Reserved.
SPLICE
by FFWD StaffAlberta Fact Book
· In 1887, a group of Mormon settlers fleeing US anti-polygamy laws arrived in the North-West Territories district of Alberta and founded the community of Cardston, which became a focal point for a substantial migration of Mormon settlers.
· Alberta is the only place in North America where prairie, boreal forest and mountain ecosystems meet.
· On April 28, 1873, a band of American wolfers pursuing a raiding party of Blackfoot warriors who had stolen about 40 of their horses came upon a small Assiniboine camp in the Cypress Hills. The people in the camp knew nothing of the stolen horses, but the wolfers opened fire on the group of men, women and children, killing most of them. The wolfers were never brought to justice as their identity was never discovered- the incident sparked the formation of the North-West Mounted Police.
\· The French and French Canadians have the longest history of any non-First Nations people in Alberta.
· The Frank Slide, which occurred at 4:10 a.m. on April 29, 1903, remains the worst natural disaster in Canadian history. An 30-million-cubic-metre wedge of limestone cascaded down the east face of Turtle Mountain and obliterated the town of Frank, burying three square kilometres beneath a 14-metre layer of rock in 90 seconds.
· Alberta has some of the world's most severe hailstorms. The region of central Alberta between Drumheller, Red Deer and Calgary is known as "hailstorm alley."
· On a high southern Alberta hill near Bassano lies one of the province's greatest archeological mysteries - a medicine wheel. For 5,000 years, prehistoric First Nations people periodically added rocks to a domelike cairn from which 26 to 28 rock-constructed spokes radiated outward to an encircling ring of rocks.
· There are no rats in Alberta due to an ongoing rat extermination and control program by Alberta Agriculture and regional municipalities which costs about $250,000 per year.
Author Mark Zuehlke, who currently lives in BC, has collected "everything you ever wanted to know about Alberta" in The Alberta Fact Book (Whitecap Books), which includes hundreds of facts about the province's history, wildlife and landscape. Zuehlke will be at Chapters in Dalhousie Tuesday, June 10 from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Limbo
Limbo - the act of trying to bend backwards and walk under a stick; a state of being; a local publication about a lot of (interesting) nothing.
The Calgary zine Limbo recently released a new issue full of observations about driving cabs as well as various other features, such as comics, word pictures, commentaries, clippings from various sources and other items.
Limbo is available at With the Times and Melodiya in Calgary or send $3 to Limbo, 109 - 17th Avenue NE, Calgary, Alberta, T2E 1L9.
Web watch
It happens to all of us - you're singing along at the top of your lungs to your favorite song when your friend suddenly doubles over laughing and asks, "What did you just say?"
Misunderstood lyrics were dubbed "mondegreens" by Sylvia Wright, who wrote about them in 1954 after learning the real words to a folk song she had been singing for years - Wright thought "They had slain the Earl of Moray / and laid him on the green" was "They had slain the Earl of Moray / and Lady Mondegreen."
For a good laugh at the expense of others - or to submit your own admission of stupidity - check out the collection of mondegreens on the Misunderstood Lyrics site, such as:
· "I was so mad" (Sam &Dave / Blues Brothers - "I'm a soul man")
· "Kitchen water running" or "Ketchup warm and running" (Steppenwolf - "Get your motor running")
· "I'm your penis" (Shocking Blue - "I'm your venus")
· "She's a slut ooh, more than you will know" (Simon and Garfunkel - "Jesus loves you more than you will know")
· "'Cause Momma I sure am a handy man, yes I am" (Otis Redding / Black Crowes - "'Cause Momma, I'm sure hard to handle, now, yes I am")
· "A gay pair of guys, put up a parking lot" (Joni Mitchell - "They paved paradise, put up a parking lot")
· "And you're sitting there on a can in the woods" (Seals and Crofts - "And you're sitting there, not a care in the world")
· "Nothing that a 100 men on mars could ever do" (Toto - "Nothing that a 100 men or more could ever do")
Free stuff
Fast Forward has double passes to a special preview screening of Intimate Relations showing Thursday, June 12 at the Globe Cinema. The film stars Julie Walters, Rupert Graves and Laura Sadler in a true story of obsession, sexual abuse and murder told with a black comedic edge. See the ad in this issue for details on how to win.
We also have five double passes to see the pop band Treble Charger, performing June 19 at The Republik. See the ad in this issue for details on how to win.
Fast Forward has 10 double passes for the French film Nelly and Monsieur Arnaud showing at The Uptown June 9 to 15 (see listings for details). Winner of the Cesar award for best French film of 1996, it tells the story of a young divorcée and her affair with the much older gentleman whose memoirs she transcribes. The film, directed by Claude Sautet, stars Emmanuelle Beart and Michel Serrault in the title roles as two emotionally damaged individuals grappling with unfathomable passions The passes are good for the run of engagement. To win, drop by FFWD with a donation for the food bank.
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