Close to 1,000 Calgarians rallied at the U of C in support of ongoing military action in Iraq on Sun., Mar. 30. Speakers and participants, including veterans and families of armed forces personnel in the war, demanded that Prime Minister Jean Chretien support the Anglosphere nations (the United Kingdom, the U.S. and Australia).

A standing ovation concluded His Excellency John Ralston Saul's speech, Struggling for Balance: Public Education and Civil Society on Tue., Mar. 25.

Saul took no prisoners, taking stabs at our education systems' vertical orientation; the illiteracy of the elite; citizenship and its responsibilities; rich peoples' vanity; differential tuition; and the responsibility of tenured professors. The list goes on--it truly was a great speech by the husband of Canada's Governor General.

Once upon a time there were two Students' Union commissioners named Brett Pearce and Gavin Preston. Both of them wanted very much to be the next vice-president of operations and finance, but in the end there could be only one. Preston won, Pearce appealed; and they lived happily ever after--with Preston's active membership in the SU suspended and the validity of the election upheld. It's all so magical.

Tuition went up again. Undergraduate U of C students will pay $4,380 for a full course load (a 6.3 per cent increase), not including mandatory fees such as Campus Recreation or the Students' Union levy (which includes $3.50 per year for the Gauntlet). In all, mandatory fees are now over $4,500 and textbooks push that number even higher.

Ready For Love is John Hammond's 29th solo album, and once again, he is in fine form. On this occasion the legendary delta bluesman is backed up by long-term collaborator David Hidalgo in the producer's chair.

Hammond's outstanding 2001 release, Wicked Grin, was an unusual piece of work, written and produced entirely by long-time friend and contemporary,Tom Waits. Perhaps Hammond was afraid of repeating himself because "Ready For Love" only features two Waits numbers, "Gin Soaked Boy" and "Low Side of the Road."

No, the Canadian Army hasn't been called in to quell rowdy tuition protests. It is Armed Forces Week at the U of C, and the Society for Strategic and Military Studies has sponsored several military displays and talks by distinguished academics from across North America.

The free events ranged from talks by experts in the field of strategic studies to an armoured personnel carrier rolling into the middle of campus. However, this event isn't limited to loyal supporters of the military.

Hundreds of clerical and technical staff marched on the Burnaby mountain campus of Simon Fraser University on Mon., Mar. 24, the latest action in dispute with university administration over wages. CUPE Local 3338 members also took job action with a noon-hour study session at the Burnaby campus.

"One of the challenges both parties face is the public Sector Employers' Council mandate that general wage increases for any collective agreement [after Jan. 2002] must be held to 0 per cent until Mar. 31, 2005."

A poster outlining a questionable miracle cure went up on poster boards around campus, advocating the use of water instead of traditional medicine.

Entitled "Stay Fit Sans Medicine," the poster described the use of water, apparently as found in Hindu religious texts, to cure diseases like diabetes, tuberculosis and even cancer. Kamlesh Panchal, whose phone number was listed on the poster, defended the treatment.

Growing up amid century-old churches and culture stretching back even further, Fuzbox is nothing if not a product of its own environment. With layers of sound that rival the small army of art-rock musicians like Do Make Say Think and Godspeed You! Black Emperor, the Montreal-based band is quickly migrating from the benches, aging trees and tourists peppering Mount Royal Park to cross-country distribution and an upcoming tour.

Füzbox is, in no uncertain terms, outgrowing its origins and humble beginnings.

B-

To be perfectly honest, the men's soccer team deserves a C. They were streaky, they got my hopes up like a prom-night limo ride, and inevitably, they came fourth in a four horse race.

"But there are seven teams in the Canada West Conference," you say.

Lies.

Trinity Western is hardly a team. And Lethbridge? Who did they beat? Oh wait... the Dinos. Hence the C.