Full Metal, meet the Edmonton Journal. The Journal, this is FMP

Yes ladies and gentlemen, I have gone pro. Well, a little bit. My freelance article was published in last Saturday's Edmonton Journal, and if you missed it, I have it for you right here

Pen Fluid #1- Iggy needs to learn the bass, Obama for the win and Stelmach strikes back

..And Harper on the keys!
Earlier this month, many had a laugh at Stephen Harper show off his surprisingly impressive piano and vocal skills at a Yo Yo Ma concert (It's not that bad actually), but even more are applauding the Canadian Prime Minister at showing the public that he has a little character to him.

Even though it seemed like fun and games, suggested by his wife, it was a huge political move that gained Harper and his rising Conservatives some serious popularity.

Now if only Ignatieff could formulate some sort of a response.

Poor old Iggy is losing ground faster than McDonald’s did after Super Size Me came out. Dion was a problem because he wasn’t liked as a leader, and Ignatieff was supposed to solve that.

Can the Liberal leader can make himself known to the public before they lose all their support, only time will tell. The only conclusion that can be reached is that they are in some serious trouble.

Where’s Trudeau when you need him.

Obama for Most Valuable President
Friday the 9th had everyone talking about the controversial decision to award the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize to everyone’s favorite black president, Barack Obama (Read the New York Times story here).

Many are debating the fact that Obama really hasn’t done anything, but that he’s simply just alluded to possibilities in the area of peace and his urging of feuding countries to cooperate.

The crowd gasped in Norway, mostly in disbelief, when he was announced the winner.

They didn’t even give him a chance to fail yet.

And I don’t know what the big deal is. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. won it in 1964, and all he did was have a dream.

Stelmach steals primetime
Our beloved Premier made a television address on Wednesday for his plans to aide the economy (See Part One here).

I thought the recession started a year ago, why is our government making plans to make it through these difficult times now?

Stelmach hasn’t had a television address in two years, and some can argue he hasn’t done much since then. With a leadership review on the horizon, this could be his last ditch effort to get in the public’s good books.

In the address, he asked for the public servants of Alberta to take a voluntary pay freeze, and I’m sure you can guess how that turned out (Editors Note: See “Voluntary freeze gets cold shoulder”)

Whatever Stelmach has planned, he better do it quick. The leadership vote for the new conservative Wild Rose Alliance is tomorrow, and then Alberta’s newest party will be ready to make big moves.

Politics in Alberta is interesting; it seems we choose a party to govern to near tyranny, than kick them out with another right wing group before you know it. We had the United Farmers for 14 years (a party to be proud of, I’m sure), Social Credit for 36 years and the P.C. for the past 38 years.

Maybe it’s time to elect the Wild Rose Alliance until 2049.

Cardinal on the rise in Edmonton, but what's his true story?

Lewis Cardinal is busy, period. But as he frankly puts it, he’s used to it.

Early this year, Cardinal announced that he would be running for the federal New Democratic Party in the next election in the Edmonton-Centre riding. Combine that with the fact that he is the president of his own consulting business, attempting to get his Ph.D. in education and the board for over 20 organizations, and one can only wonder how he finds the time to balance all of these priorities.

But Cardinal believes that fighting for the people is worth the 60-80 hours per week it takes to keep a federal campaign afloat, as well as keeping his under endeavors balanced.

Born in High Prairie, Alberta in 1962, near Sucker Creek, Cardinal moved to Edmonton with his father and brother in 1971. Most of this aboriginal family still lives in that area. He graduated from St. Joseph’s High School in downtown Edmonton before getting three undergraduate degrees from the University of Colorado, a Bachelor of Science in Journalism, an honours degree in English and a BA in film studies. In 2007, Cardinal lost his bid for Councilor of Ward 4, but by an extremely slim margin.

Cardinal finds in ironic about himself that he never wanted to get into the world of politics. His family line is full of political forces in the Alberta area dating back to Treaty 8, but he never wanted to be a part of it. He believes that his strong values instilled in him by his role models drove him to take on the voters.

“People say it’s no wonder you are here but I tried to stay as far away from politics as I could, I really did,” he said. “But I remember my grandmother and grandfather saying you can’t stand by and let these things happen if you know they are wrong.”

And Cardinal believes too much is going wrong in today’s society for him not to take action as a Member of Parliament. He feels that issues of housing and homelessness, and education funding are going unnoticed in Edmonton.

The driving question of how these problems will get addressed is one of the reasons why Cardinal chose to run with the federal NDP’s in the next election. Not only did the NDP’s ask Cardinal to run for their party, but so did every other party on both the federal and provincial level. All though he lost in the civil election in 2007, it seems he impressed a lot of people.

“I found that the NDP parallel my own value systems. The tradition of my people, my warrior ethic, my personal commitment parallels the values of the NDP. They care about the little person. They care about the underdog and they support social infrastructure that we need for our community to survive.”

So with his party chosen and his goals outlined, Cardinal must face the competition, which is no easy task. Conservative MP Laurie Hawn is the current elected member for Edmonton-Centre. Hawn, former Lieutenant Colonel of the Canadian Air Force has had a few federal elections under his belt and is the appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Peter MacKay.

So bluntly, it would seem like Cardinal is the long shot here. Hawn is more experienced, known on the national level and has been around the block a couple of times. Many believe that Cardinal’s inexperience on the federal scale is his biggest downfall, but he doesn’t seem to be worried about it at all.

“Politics has been in me for a very long time, I just came to the realization that I love public service,” Cardinal explained.

His love for public service cannot be a fabrication, because he is truly dedicated to the community through his involvement. Some of is works include the Edmonton Solution to Homelessness, he is on the board of governors for the Bissell Centre, help found the Racist Free Edmonton, and he also sits with the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights, and that’s only naming a few.

As he explained his work with these organizations, his phone would ring many times, going unanswered. All his missed calls in that short a time span only goes to show how involved he really is.

Cardinal explained that he has a large role in over 20 organizations, which can become very politicized. Therefore, all this hard work with these organizations has prepared him for the next step.

With his job set out before him, and an election always on the brink with Canada’s minority government, Cardinal knows what’s next, and it’s extremely simple. Get out there and listen.

“I’m going out a few times a week, knocking on doors, and letting the people know that I’m out there. The secret to door knocking is listening to what the people have to say,” Cardinal said.

Campaign Manager for his federal run, Brain Stokes, believes that’s listening is one of Cardinal’s strongest qualities.

“He is very pragmatic, and part of that is he listens to people very well and will make sure to weigh in what they have to say,” Stokes said. “He is a great leader because he takes into account what people have to say.”


And if you would like to follow Lewis Cardinal a little more closely, find him on Facebook to see what he's currently up to.

Grant MacEwan becomes a University, but do you know how?

The electricity and excitement can still be felt on every Grant MacEwan campus. MacEwan is finally recognized worldwide as a university. But as nearly all the students and staff of MacEwan are excited, many have no idea of the legal and bureaucratic efforts that took place before the official change on September 24.

Most students, like Jaimie Ironstone, were surprised to find out about the milestone as it happened with a special ceremony with Mayor Stephen Mandel and Premier Ed Stelmach on September 24.

"I had no idea until the day is happened and they started making announcements throughout the school," Ironstone said, who is a first year General Studies student.

Even Students' Association President Nils Holmgren couldn't comment on the change, because all though he is fully aware of what the transformation will mean for students, he was in the dark when it came to the official process.

Luckily for us, we have someone like David Beharry. Beharry, a major playing in the conversion process as the University Spokesperson for Grant MacEwan, said the ball was in motion nearly four years ago.

"In 2005, the province approved for us to offer full four year degrees," he said. "There was talk with the governance council and the Student's Association to change it into a university and there was resounding support to move forward."

With the support of both the faculty and the students in the form of the Students' Association, it was only a matter of time.

"Legislation was passed by the province in spring with an amendment to the post secondary act where Mount Royal and Grant MacEwan could add the word university," Beharry explained.

The majority of the student body, including third year Bachelor of Commerce student Shirley Wong, was completely unaware of the complete process.

"I heard about it last school year, but I had no idea it would happen like that," Wong said.

But as students like Ironstone and Wong may not know about the transformation, they do know that there are still some concerns with being a university student.

"I'm afraid to see higher tuition prices and larger class sizes," Ironstone said.

Wong's fears were along the same lines.

"I'm afraid to see a change in the teaching environment. If it's going to be a university, I would think that classes would be bigger too, and there won't be that much one on one interaction with students anymore," Wong said. "I'd hate for them to get rid of old programs and focus only on university degrees."

But Beharry strongly reassures students that there is little to fear.

"Grant MacEwan is a unique institution. We will offer four year programs, as well as many diplomas and certificates with the same value in teaching," Beharry said. "We have no intention to phase out any diplomas or certificates."

MacEwan first opened its doors in 1971 as a community college, but became Grant MacEwan College in 1999.

CJSR turns 25, and hopes this year's FunDrive is as monumental

88.5 CJSR's annual FunDrive is off to a successful start last Wednesday, which many volunteers and staff believe is due to the major changes seen over the past year.

Edmonton's only independent radio station kicked off their fundraiser on September 23, with key amendments put in place Lesley Vaage and Desiree Schell, the Fun Drive coordinators, after a rather unsuccessful event last year.

"We didn't reach our financial goal last year, which is always disappointing," Schell said. "Volunteerism was low because of issues with the station, and then you have the economy."

So with 2008 being a tough year for most charities, Vaage and Schell arranged for a drastic overhaul to structure the event to be more fruitful. Schell has arranged for bigger and better giveaways and swag to be ready for the donating public, as well as making sure all the volunteers have an assignment.

"Everything is a lot more structured. Everyone is more organized this year," Schell said. "If you can put more structures in place before the event, you can be more flexible during the event. Something will bite you in the ass, you don't know what, but something will. Being more flexible can help that out a lot."

Even many of the other volunteers can see the new changes and excitement around the radio station, including "25 to Life" hosts Aaron Levin and Andrew Keenan, who are participating in their fourth Fun Drive.

"This FunDrive, volunteers have come to the forefront. I wish we had this much volunteer support year round," Levin said. "It seems everyone is coming out of the wood work and stepping up to the plate."

The great start to the fundraiser is extremely important, because financially speaking, the station couldn't stand another poor year.

"We would be able to keep going, but at a drastically reduced level," Schell said. "I hate to say it, but less staff cost less money, and that means more work for everyone."

But with the continued growth of corporate broadcasting, Edmonton needs an independent station like CJSR to be working at full capacity, rather than a "reduced level." Volunteers like Keenan believe that the community needs an independent voice, for an alternative view.

"Aaron and I need a public forum. It's important for people like us to have a creative outlet and voice. It's really nice to have a space to be this creative," Keenan said.

Both Keenan and Levin feel very strongly about the role of CJSR in society, both stating that the station’s unique option has become a part of Edmonton after 25 years on the air.

"Every city needs an organization that can act as a counter cultural epicenter that brings people together on the measures of society," Levin said. "CJSR is the best for that."

The FunDrive runs from September 23 to October 3 and as of Sunday night, have raised nearly $48 500.

*** AND LISTEN TO YOURS TRULY ON AIR, THIS WEDNESDAY AT 9AM. MAKE SURE TO CALL 780-492-CJSR TO DONATE AT THAT TIME AS WELL***

Full Metal Pen starts off a new season with a visit to the raceways!

Participants of the Bracket Championship and Oval Track Championship test and put the final touches on their ride early Friday morning at Castrol Raceway. The drag race teams work hard in anticipation for the this weekend, as the Bracket Championship is on Saturday the 19th, and the Oval Track Championship is on Sunday the 20th at Castrol Raceway near the Edmonton International Airport.

What is the real cost of cosmetic surgery?

Botox clinics and patients have shown little concern about Health Canada’s official warning in January of the dangers of Botox.

Jacqueline Laine, manager of Urban Body Clinic on 11528 Jasper Ave., believes that Botox is still the safest and most efficient form of cosmetic procedures, despite Health Canada’s warning of the injections made on January 13th.

“You hear a lot of horror stories when it comes to Botox, but the media likes to play things up. Our physicians are certified doctors, not somebody off the street,” Laine said.

Botox injections utilize the botulinum toxin, which is the most toxic protein known. Extremely small and diluted amounts are injected into the skin where they obstruct nerve impulses to the muscles, numbing and forcing them to relax.

Since it is such a deadly toxin, over injections may cause the toxin in the body to spread, which Health Canada warns about. Symptoms include muscles weakness, difficulty swallowing, speaking or breathing, pneumonia, and in the most extreme cases, death.

These procedures can be used cosmetically by relaxing the skin and getting rid of any wrinkles. But they can also be used for medical reasons, such as joint pain relief, headaches or limb spasms.

“Our clinic mostly does cosmetic Botox procedures, but we also do a lot of medical injections,” Laine explained. “We use Botox to relieve serious headaches and TMJ pains.”

In addition, these Botox injection recipients are extremely pleased with the outcome, some recipients admit that their pleasure outweighs their fear of the procedure going wrong.

"[The Health Canada warnings] probably won't stop me from getting Botox again. The effects are too great," Stefanie Raschke said.

Raschke had her injections done at the Urban Body Clinic. She received injections in her forehead and upper lip to "prevent aging through wrinkles and crease lines."

The lack of fear amongst the patients in clinics is due to the amount of regulations and measures that credible clinics go through to protect the people.

Laine explains that botched Botox procedures aren’t by accident, but are the fault of the injector. They may use too much of the solution when they inject, use unsanitary tools or do not mix it properly.

“Using too much Botox in the mix or not cutting it with 100 per cent pure Botox may cause problems,” Laine said. “But normally, there are very few side effects. Too much may cause a little droop in the eyelids, but nothing permanent.”

Those who oppose Raschke and her openness to Botox injections include Suzanna Martin, Raschke’s roommate. Martin is not against Botox for any major health risks or the Health Canada warning, but rather for its moral reasons.

“The warning doesn’t scare me. There are warnings about everything,” Martin said. “I decided not to get Botox because after visiting a clinic, I didn’t like what I had seen.”

The botulinum toxin was first used for cosmetic reasons due to the work of Canadian physicians Dr. Alastair and Jean Carruthers in 1987.