Stroumboulopoulos appeals to young people because like the slogan of his new show suggests, he is ruthlessly honest, razor sharp, and he gave no bull talking to students for over two hours. 

Stroumboulopoulos clarified that he came to speak with the students not to  lecture them. “I want to say right off the bad, this is not a motivational speech, I can barely run my own life, so I’m not trying to run yours”, explained Stroumboulopoulos.
 
It only took Stroumboulopoulos a few minutes to spot the t-shirt that I was wearing for him to plug a local band he likes. “I don’t do this because I’m in Ottawa, but that dudes shirt right there, The Riptides, the best punk rock band in the whole country”, says Stroumboulopoulos. Ottawa band The Riptides music video “Change Gonna Come” was aired on Stroumboulopoulos’s The Punk Show on Much Music this past August 2004. 
 
Stroumboulopoulos reminisces to the audience about many of the political figures he has met such as Jean Chrétien, Bono of U2, and Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedy’s. I asked him from the audience, “what is the connection between music and politics”? 

“I think in my own experience it is when I heard things in the world like Apartheid. I didn’t hear about it from a politician. When I learned about the racial tension in England, it was because of The Clash’s song “White Riot”. Musicians have always been the ones that say things to teach you. Musicians can be irresponsible about what they say as long as they get the point across”, Stroumboulopoulos articulates.
 
It is no wonder why Stroumboulopoulos advocated for Tommy Douglas as Best Canadian on CBC. “It has nothing to do with his party; it has everything to do with what he did. Health Care was implemented by someone else, only because he took all the shots in Saskatchewan. It’s the spirit behind it”, says Stroumboulopoulos. Stroumboulopoulos shows this spirit in his work with War Child Canada. “I was just in Darfur, where there was the genocide, it was just destroyed. Emotionally, I can’t understand the world, it is just a terrible world”, laments Stroumboulopoulos.
 
Stroumboulopoulos is optimistic though that young people can make a difference if they choose by getting involved with various activist organizations. Not only does Stroumboulopoulos talk honestly and intelligently to young people, but he also believes in young people. He encourages students to get involved and make a difference. Students at the University of Ottawa greatly appreciated his visit. For more information on his program The Hour visit: http://www.cbc.ca/thehour/

Arts: R.I.P. Moral Hazard 
Written by Jason Setnyk, Fulcrum Contributor 
Ottawa punk band Moral Hazard to play their last shows Feb. 12 at Mavericks
http://www.thefulcrum.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=666&Itemid=26

AFTER FIVE YEARS of rocking the punk scene, Ottawa band Moral Hazard has decided to call it quits, and the local music world will surely feel the loss. 

"I think it comes down to time commitment. Three of the guys just found that they were too busy to put the amount of time into the band that they thought they should, and we basically had a series of conversations and decided that the best thing to do would be to shut it down, but go out with a bang," says guitarist and volcalist Ken Ketchum.

Moral Hazard consists of Steve "General de Noregard" Hopkins, Ken "Vermin" Ketchum, Kris "Krist" Thompson, Steve "Barney Rebel" Rowe, and Dave "Benny Violence" Faught. 

Members of Moral Hazard will still continue to play music in other bands. Faught drums and sings for Blackball, Thompson plays guitar for the Weapons of Mass Seduction, and Rowe and Ketchum play in a band called Four-Stroke.

Moral Hazard faced the same dilemma as a lot of bands, trying to find the time as busy adults to play their music. But Ketchum is realistic when he says it is improbable to have a career in punk rock. 

"We’re all old enough to know that you’re not going to have a career playing punk rock, but it’s a great way to have fun. And we’ve all had a blast over the past five years," says Ketchum.

The band is not without its accomplishments, though, including the release of their own full-length CD.

"I would say our CD Another Chance to Practice Wasting Your Time [is our biggest accomplishment]. I think we’re all quite proud to have put out that CD."

Moral Hazard has had their music featured on various compilation CDs as well, including Goblin Records Kick’em While They’re Down Vol. 2, an album that featured some bigger label punk bands and that has been sold worldwide through the website Interpunk.

"When you look at the track listing, there are bands from all over the country and even some foreign bands, so it’s a great comp because it will appeal to people outside of the Ottawa scene yet give a great boost to the Ottawa bands that were included."

Moral Hazard has played a lot of shows over the years with a lot of bands, but Ketchum is not without his favourite.

"The time that we played with the Liquor Pig, Guillotine, and the Bella Bombs at Bumpers, back in the summer of 2003. That one really stands out for me just because all of the bands were fantastic, the crowd was big and enthusiastic, and we had a great time drinking until about 4 a.m. afterwards."

Moral Hazard hopes their last show will be their best yet. 

Moral Hazard plays their last shows at Mavericks Bar on Saturday, Feb. 12. First is an all-ages matinée show with Roll Gypsy Roll, The Nads, and Russell’s Big Day. Later that night there will be a 19+ show with Long Timers, Harshey, and Man Power. For more info visit www.moralhazard.ca.

Arts: Establishing a punk world order 
Written by Jason Setnyk, Fulcrum Contributor 
CHUO’s Anthony David Barnes spins the punk every Tuesday
http://www.thefulcrum.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=654&Itemid=26 

BRINGING PUNK TO the University of Ottawa community is no easy task, and there are few out there who are as qualified to do it as Anthony David Barnes is. 

Barnes (a.k.a. Tony) is the host of CHUO’s weekly radio program Punk World Order, a show that focuses on all things punk in the music world and transfers that knowledge through the airwaves to CHUO listeners. Barnes started off as a volunteer at CHUO before getting his own show. 

"For about a year and a half I volunteered filling in on other shows, processing CDs, and putting them into the computer. I took over an overnight radio show while I was volunteering. We finally got a better time slot, and then I changed the name to Punk World Order," says Tony. 

Listeners of the show often hear Barnes talking about wrestling between songs, so it is no surprise that the name Punk World Order is an allusion to WCW’s New World Order wrestling gang. But while the name is wrestling inspired, the music stays true to its roots. Punk World Order, as the name suggests, plays punk music, and Barnes explains his attraction to it. 

"It’s so fun and energetic, direct and fast, it just gets me going". 

Before turning to CHUO, Barnes was in a punk band called Bertha Does MooseJaw, which influenced his allegiance to underground punk music. 

"If you’re in an underground band it makes you a little more open minded to hear underground music, because you’re a part of that whole scene". 

One of the things that keeps many listeners coming back to listen to Punk World Order is the enthusiasm that Barnes brings to the show each week. Although Barnes’s secret for his continuous energy isn’t quite revolutionary, it is effective. 

"Coffee—and every now and then I’ll get an e-mail, or someone will run into me, I’ll have no idea who this person is, and they’ll say I’ve been listening to your show, and because of you I discovered bands I never heard of before. Exposing people to bands that they never heard before is pretty cool". 

Punk World Order will be six years old in February 2005, and although Barnes has been in university radio for many years, he does not foresee a career in commercial radio. 

"Mainstream radio would have to change a lot, because DJs nowadays have no freedom to play what they want to play. Mainstream radio nowadays is not about exposing the public to cool new bands; it’s all about making the advertisers happy. My parents especially do not understand why I haven’t sent my résumé to The Bear, or gone to the broadcasting course at Algonquin. That’s not the kind of radio I’m interested in doing." 

Barnes appreciates the freedom that university radio gives him and not only does he benefit from that, but also do the listeners. 

You can listen to Barnes’s show, Punk World Order every Tuesday from 3-5 p.m. on CHUO 89.1 FM. 

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