mark tonin

I used to be up on the latest developments in this area but am now out of touch.

Can someone clearly explain the current status of the law in Canada re: marijuana possession? I've lost track of what current statute law says, if recent court decisions have changed things, what the current status of "marijuana for medicinal purposes" is, and what government bills (if any) are currently being debated.

Some links to current news articles that answer the above questions would also help.

Thanks in advance.

Peace, Mark

Very cool Jeff ... good luck with that ... see you on Friday with Burt.

Peace, Mark

"thanks

you are the back bone to are society. your good nature and warm hart come thruogh in every thing you's do.

thanks"

shitidiot, I like it when you are big and friendly!!!

Thanks for saying that about Mike and Andre.

Peace, Mark

(I am now typing with one hand while I eat!)

"and yes, while mike may do a lot of the actual WORK, this place would be very bland without andre's sassy flave. heehee."

Thanks for that PP, I am in agreement while at the same time laughing and giggling and smiling!

And bradm pretty much said what I was trying to say, but he said it with an eloquence that I just don't have when writing. I should have just seconded his post and had more time for lunch! :: But instead, I'm not eating so that I can say that he's another one of those people who would make my short list of people who post content of "substance".

OK, I really need to go and eat now, before my last period class starts!

Peace, Mark

Velvet quote - "And I'm sorry, but I could never give more to this site than I've taken from it."

No apology needed from you Velvet, at least I don't think so, for two reasons.

First of all, I think that perhaps you greatly underestimate the input that you've given to this site through your posts. If I had to make a short list of people who have posted things of "substance" to The Sanctuary, you'd be on it. That matters a lot, in my opinion. (Hopefully your won't reply to this post with "hay tonin dude, rite on maN, yu da coolst." :: )

(As an example of the above point, I wish I could find that thread that you started a while back about things that we are grateful for in life, or something to that effect.)

Secondly, an apology isn't needed from people who take more from this site than they give to it. I'm certain that many of these people give more than they take in other areas of their lives. (And maybe I should have rephrased to use the word "receive" instead of "take.")

OK, enough of this philosophizing (is that a word?!?) and generalizing, I've got to take some time to eat my lunch! ::!

Peace, Mark

Words cannot describe how thankful I am to Mike and Andre and everyone who has contributed to this online community ... it really is a special place to me.

I think that Andre would agree with the fact that his brother Mike is "the man" behind this web site. This site is a great place because of the many contributions made to it by a number of people, including everyone who posts messages in The Sanctuary. However, I can think of nobody who has contributed more to this site than Mike. Thank you so much Mike Bouchard for the countless hours that you have spent on this site.

And thank you to everyone that has put in more than they've taken away from this site ... that is why this site has grown ... it's a simple equation ... if more goes in than comes out, things get bigger ... that's not always a good thing in life, but I think that for the most part it has been a good thing for this site!

Peace, Mark

Ok, I admit that I laughed when I saw it, but the costume on the top left (priest and boy) definitely borders on being politically incorrect. I don't think I'd wear it to school, that's for sure!

Peace, Mark

Mark Wilson definitely sings from the soul ... I concur with you kc.

Peace, Mark

A great idea ... check your private messages for my info.

Peace, Mark

Wow, this sounds like lots of fun, wish I could make the journey. Thanks for the kind offer Bennyd.

Peace, Mark

It's really fun to late night party, but there are times when I wish that shows started and ended earlier. It definitely requires a mind-shift, but I'd love to be able to go out occasionally during the week or on the weekend and actually get some sleep that same night.

It could be a tough sell though, as people are very used to the late start and late finish.

Peace, Mark

"I was shocked at the representation by the board."

It seems like a heck of a lot was going on in Ottawa last night ... people had to make choices ... Stephen Franke & Noises From The Toolshed are an excellent band as well, one that perhaps many people haven't yet seen ... plus from what I read the other bands on that bill were really solid as well.

Glad to read that Burt was in spectacular form, thanks for sharing your enthusiasm for them, and I'm looking forward to their show on Friday!

Peace, Mark

Thanks for the review Booche.

My prediction ... if BNB keeps it together, keeps playing with energy and heart, keeps introducing new material, and continues to balance their ability to jam with excellent songs, they are going to break on through to the other side in a big way.

I can honestly see this band playing to much larger audiences in a few years.

My two cents on the matter ...

Peace, Mark

You guys are hilarious!!!

Peace, Mark

I'll echo what others have said about Stephen Franke & Noises From The Toolshed ... they are an excellent band!

And their cd "Songs for a Platinum Blonde Diner Waitress" is definitely worth a listen or two or three or more.

Peace, Mark

"i need a tinkerbell to my peter pan!"

Hmmm ... it would make it pretty easy to dance! and fly! ::

Peace, Mark

"Please be respectful to everyone as human beings." ... I totally agree with that!

There is nothing wrong with saying that I like or dislike something, but I try to remind myself that the bands and people that I am talking about read the posts on this board a lot of the time. Call it "sugar-coating" if you want to, but I think it's just basic respect for others. As a musician and as a person, I don't like it when people say nasty and insensitive things about me, so I try not to say things like that (or that could be interpreted like that) about others.

In my opinion, Jomomma's got solid songs, danceable grooves, a wicked rhythm section, tasty guitar licks, and they sounded really good the last time I heard them (at the Labour Day Come Together Fest).

Peace, Mark

Hey there backbacon,

I'm very much looking forward to this show ... I've only been to Chatham twice in my life and both times when I left the party at sunrise things were still going strong!

And an awesome job with the poster ... it looks great!

Thanks for setting this show up.

Peace, Mark

Students shows up to high school and haven't eaten ... they have some money to buy some food ... it's just as easy for them to buy a pop and chips or something healthier because both are available at our school ... should they have that choice?

If they didn't have the choice and could only buy the healthier option, would they choose to buy it, or would they run to the corner store to buy the pop and chips? ... or would they buy nothing at all?

And how about the fact that many students can make responsible choices about eating junk food ... why should they be penalized?

Age old questions without easy answers. With adults I almost always fall on the individual freedom of choice side of the argument, but with younger people I find it harder to determine where I stand.

A few other comments:

I love pizza!

Dancing and other forms of physical education should be mandatory at school. ::

Peace, Mark

3 of these 7 schools have them located right outside of the kindergarten class so that every day the first thing these 3-4 year olds see is a big Pepsi/Aquafina sign

I think that "junk food" is ok in moderation, but I do have a problem if elementary schools promote regular junk food choices with vending machines or tie fundraising to the sale of junk food. Having said that, defining junk food can be tricky, and my daughter recently sold Girl Guide cookies ... maybe that makes me a hypocrite ... although I must admit it bothered me that she was selling junk food to raise money ... but she's an exception I think when it comes to junk food, as she has remarkable restraint for a 10 year old ... maybe it's because she has got a lot of healthy and nutrition education and training at home and through her gymnastics program.

Should a high school student have a choice when buying lunch/food at school? fries or salad? juice or pop? Or should the unhealthy choices be removed from school? We can't stop children from eating junk food, but we can do our part by educating them about it and by not making it as easy to get. And yes, there's money involved ...

To be honest, I flip-flop on the junk food issue and the corporate presence in schools issue at the high school level. Lots of solid cases can be made for either side.

I wish I had more time to write, but it's time for me to supervise in the cafeteria ... bring on those oh so healthy fries with gravy ... ::

Peace, Mark

Wish I could help you out bythebeach, but I've already got lots going on.

I agree with tigger that we do have somewhat of a disjointed and underdeveloped live music scene in Kitchener-Waterloo, although we do get some good shows here.

Two upcoming shows in Kitchener that I'm excited about are:

Fri. Oct. 29 Burt Neilson Band at the Victoria Park Boathouse

Fri. Dec. 10 nero at the Lancaster Tavern

Good luck bythebeach.

Peace, Mark

Nice to read that lots of people are supportive of this initiative, as I think that schools should be promoting and encouraging children to make healthy choices whenever possible.

Having said that, I really wonder how much of an impact this will have at the elementary school level, especially with younger children. Do younger children really spend that much money on junk food at school? Lots of parents send their kids with absolute crap to eat (or nothing at all), but I don't know how much junk food is actually bought by younger children at school ... I wonder what the stats are?

High schools are certainly a different story ... I'd love to see the reaction from students, parents, businesses, the community, etc. if the government tried to ban junk food from being sold at high schools ... some food for thought ::

Peace, Mark

As of yet I'm not sure what I'm going as ... but I'm going!

Very much looking forward to it!

Peace, Mark

Liana and I went to see them last year up in Mount Forest with Blair and Mud when they lived up there ... great musicians, professional entertainers, lots of fun, very enjoyable ... we saw them in a sit down theatre ... I'd go again!

They said they changed their name to the Bills because everybody kept screwing up the name Bill Hilly Band and everybody expected full-on bluegrass with that name, which it isn't ... some bluegrass influences but mixed in with folk, roots, etc. ...

Peace, Mark

That Dec. 28 show was a blast ... huge amounts of energy ... I've already got a copy (got one from Shane M. a while ago).

Thanks for taping Steve and for spreading the music Esau!

Does anyone reading this thread have a master copy of the last Fat Cats show with Adam on drums, Feb. 28 1997 at Mrs. Robinson's in Kitchener? It was broadcast live via a radio station broadcast ... I got a cassette copy of most of this show years ago from Johnny LaRue ... it is an awesome sounding show ... very high quality recording (fm broadcast) ... Dave Hill is on fire on the bass ... the whole band is cooking ... I'd love to get a cd copy of this show, as would others I'm sure. My cassette copy is starting to wear out, and it would be nice to have a digital copy of this show ... plus it would be a shame if this show does not get heard by others ...

Peace, Mark