NOVEMBER 19, 2003 CULTURE 16

Volunteerism and CFUR

By Christopher Ear]

As station manager at CFUR, I am paid to spend
roughly forty hours a week in the office and take care
of the day-to-day operation of the station. Every
weekday morning, I let myself into the CFUR office,
start the computer, turn on the lights, and get the stu-

As much as | would like to think
| could single-handedly guide
CFUR through its growth to a
fully licensed, incredibly hip radio
station, | know it is not possible.

dio ready for another broadcasting day. Then I spend
about half an hour getting the morning show togeth-

er, the one show I host myself. After that show is”

done, I spend the rest of the day coordinating for DJs
and catching up on the work I have to do to make sure
CFUR not only survives, but grows. It is a job I really
enjoy because it provides me with a feeling of accom-
plishment. I can have a big part in the development
of something I think is important: a community radio
station designed to enhance the cultural worth of
Prince George.

As much as I would like to think I could single-
handedly guide CFUR through its growth to a fully
licensed, incredibly hip radio station, I know it is not

possible. No, the truth is I depend on a number of

people who volunteer their time and energy.

A station like CFUR, in its infancy, does not have
the resources to hire the full-time staff that commer-
cial radio.employs. There are office personnel, pro-
grammers, producers managers, DJs, sales staff, writ-
ers, researchers, and others working for good money
in commercial radio all over the world because there
are a great deal of funds generated through advertis-
ing and promotion. Public radio stations that do not
advertise have comparable, if slightly smaller, bud-
gets thanks to government funding. Most communi-
ty stations have to come up with creative ways to gen-
erate income. Some have success with pledge drives
and the like, but most resort to advertising. CFUR,
which does not advertise and is currently funded only
by student fees collected at UNBC, simply does not
have money enough to pay anyone other
than...well...me.

Fortunately, there are plenty of people that volun-
teer at CFUR for nothing more than some sort of self-
satisfaction. Some are deeply concerned with the wel-
fare of CFUR and some are only concerned with
putting on a show they can be proud of, but they-all
fill crucial roles. Without them, there would be noth-
ing on 88.7fm but static, and the echo of commercial
stations.

If you want to be someone who contributes to what
I think is a very worthy cause, just pop by the office of
CFUR, located just off the Wintergarden at UNBC and
ask me how you can help.

Be. Downtown.

stores | grea restaurants | great attractions

A new bank machine was installed on campus last week.

Photo Dana Schwehr

Matrix Revolutions:

A Review

That fast-forward button could

come in handy.

By William Hull

Let’s open this review with a
quote from the most .respectable
newscaster on television today,

Jon Stewart of The Daily Show:

“Have you seen The Matrix
Revisited? Well, don’t bother,
‘cause, as I said before, that movie
B-L-O-W-S.”

Now, I have nothing against the
Matrix franchise. The first Matrix
was a great movie. The concept
behind it is an interesting mauling
of the concept of Plato’s cave.
This final installment is simply a
complete letdown. Though: it
doesn’t bludgeon you with pre-

“Unfortunately, this

movie’s action
sequences seem
bland and pointless”

sumptuous-beyond-the-writers’-
mental-capacity philosophy
throughout most of the movie, it
finds shortcomings of its own to
ruin itself.

The visual effects are quite well
done. The fighting sequences are
fairly well choreographed. These
two elements are usually more
than enough to carry an action
movie out of the realm of perverse
suction into the coveted forum of
mediocrity. Unfortunately, this
movie's action sequences (partic-
ularly in-matrix ones) seem bland
and pointless—after bombarding

us with revolutionary special
effects in the first Matrix (and, toa
much lesser extent, the second as
well), we’re presented with bland
and, at times, completely point-
less displays of painfully generic
hand-to-hand combat that merits
the choreographically challenged
80’s action stars, such as Steven
Segal, look like masters of their
trade. The only redeeming
sequence is the war-like scenes of
the ‘real’ world. This was quite
well done from a: visual effects
point of view, but, from a plot
standpoint, was wholly pre-
dictable nonetheless. Speaking of
plot...

...Well... let’s just say that the
Wechowski brothers might be
good conceptual thinkers, but
skilled writers they ain’t.

My recommendation is to wait
‘till it comes out on video... I
mean, you're going to watch it if
you've seen the first two, so you
might as well save yourself a few
dollars... and that fast-forward
button could come in handy: 2
stars