Spanish Tertulias (Without the Cheese ‘n' Beans)

¥ Pp: y around campus about something

called Tertulias. What's that? No, it's not a massive typo for tortillas | (despite what my spell check seems to think). It's the name of UPEI's Spanish club, which means "social gatherings" (something I didn't know until I got out my trusty Spanish-English dictionary).

Tertulias meets every other Tuesday in the Modern Languages/Religious Studies Lounge up on the third floor of Main. The meetings are more or less conducted in Spanish, but you don't have to speak it to come. The level ranges from only a couple of weeks of Spanish 101 to fully flu- ent. We do our best to make every- one feel comfortable, regardless of their level of Spanish. But the idea of the meetings is to have fun while practicing Spanish and learning about Hispanic culture. As a result, the meetings are fairly casual.

So, who can come to Tertulias? Anyone who is interested in learning more about Spain and Latin America. That means if you want to meet new people, eat Hispanic food (from time to time) or simply debate the hotness of Tony Flags and Henry Churches (better known as Antonio Banderas and Enrique Iglesias), you're wel- come to come.

Culturally, Tertulias is diverse. Apart from the abundance of the very friendly canadienses, there are people from Uruguay, Colombia, Spain, Japan, Holland, the States and a Mexican who does-

n't wear a sombrero and hates tequi- |

la and refried beans (that would be me). So, if we want to be a bit deep for a minute, Tertulias is a celebra- tion of multiculturalism, particularly Spanish culture. Oh, and hablamos

espafiol.

This semester Tertulias has been fairly quiet. We did have a Latin dance class, though. By the way, just because I share last names with J. Lo does not mean I share her dancing abilities. Actually, my dancing stands as a lasting tribute to my British heritage (i.e. comical). Next semester, Tertulias will be a bit more active. We're planning on having movie nights. The movies will be in Spanish, but there will be English subtitles. I was also informed by various members of Tertulias that they really enjoyed the dance class and I have to organ- ize another one in the new year. Everyone on or off campus is wel- come, including faculty and staff.

A lot of students on campus probably have some experience with the Spanish language and cul- ture. Apart from the so-called Latin invasion in the music industry, Spanish and Latin American is mak- ing many inroads into the North American market in other ways. Latin food seems to be becoming more and more popular (however, a Pat & Willy's enchilada does NOT equal a Mexican enchilada). Spanish-speaking actors are becom- ing more prevalent (go Salma!!!). Also, some Spanish expressions are becoming more common in English (gracias Gobernador Schwarzenegger, baby). The point is, everybody at UPEI knows some- thing about Spanish. .

So, if you have decided that you want to expand your repertoire of Spanish expressions beyond "una cerveza, por favor," you should come to Tertulias. If Tertulias does nothing else, I hope it dispels some of the stereotypes that surround Hispanics. Viva el espafiol and damn that Speedy Gonzalez. Arriba, arriba!!!!_ Andale!!!

. acts.

- Stone Temple Pilots Say Goodbye With “Thank You'

> g : not really, but when a lot of the

bands/singers you grew up listen- ing to in the mid-nineties are put- ting out “Best Of Cd's' such as No Doubt, Counting Crows, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, REM, Stone Temple Pilots, and Sheryl Crow, it makes you wonder.... Where the hell did all the time go? Oh, well, life marches on; what are ya gonna do?

When Stone Temple Pilots dropped their first album, Core in the early nineties, they were quick- ly dismissed as a copycat grunge band, who were giving bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam a bad name. A lot of people believed they would fade into oblivion alongside a host of other grunge/rock bands that had appeared at that time. Well, a lot of bands from that peri- od didn't survive the nineties, including Smashing Pumpkins, Alice In Chains, Seven Mary Three, and Soundgarden. Stone Temple Pilots did survive, if just barely, as it was announced last week, they're calling it quits. Singer Scott Weiland, when not battling drug/alcohol addictions has joined Ex-Gunners Slash and Matt Sorum in the supergroup, Velvet Revolver, while the Deleo Brothers are busy producing other But with the release of ‘Thank You,' you realize what a great band Stone Temple Pilots were. Scott Weiland, guitarist, Dean Deleo, bassist, Robert Deleo, and drummer, Eric Kretz, released a lot of great music over the last 11

years, through Core (1992), Purple

(1994), Tiny Music.... Gifts From The Vatican Gift Shop (1996) No.

UPEI Cadre November 24 2003 page 9

4 (1999), and 2001's Shangri-La Dee Da. All the essential singles are here, including, the wicked “Plush,' ‘Vasoline,' the catchy as hell, ‘Big Bang Baby,' ‘Big Empty,’ ‘Days of the Week,' ‘Lady Picture Show,' ‘Down, ‘Interstate Love Song' (One of the best driving songs ever!) and the new single, ‘All in The Suit That You Wear.' STP was also capable of writing great slow songs too, such as the killer ballad ‘Sour Girl,’ and the "loner song," “Creep.' While the singles ‘Now Way Out,' ‘Hollywood Bitch,' and ‘Wonderful’ are missing, the cd is still top notch.. ‘Thank You' is a good representation of the bands work and is worth checking out whether you're a hardcore or casu- al STP fan.

$19.42 taxes and delivery included