Editorial
      13:
      Fat
      Moments,
      Fast
     
    
   
   
    
     
      It
      is
      true,
      in
      this
      life
      that
      I
     
     
      have
      often
      been
      prone
      to
     
     
      rush
      into
      (and
      by
     
     
      extrapolation)
      out
      of
      most
     
     
      of
      the
      situations
      that
      either
     
     
      trouble
      or
      delight
      me.
      I
     
     
      have
      never
      been
      sure
      of
      the
     
     
      extent
      of
      my
      insensitiveness
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      until
      most
      recently.
     
     
      Sometimes
      it
      takes
      a
      stranger
     
     
      to
      point
      out
      the
      things
      that
     
     
      people
      close
      to
      you
      cannot
     
     
      say,
      or
      is
      it
      perhaps
      that
      you
     
     
      listen
      better
      to
      the
      stranger
     
     
      than
      the
      friend?
      I
      am
      not
     
     
      sure.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Either
      way,
      the
      stranger
      for
     
     
      me
      was
      Melvin
      Mencher,
      a
     
     
      professor
      emeritus
      at
     
     
      Columbia
      who
      was
      at
      UPEI
     
     
      to
      work
      with
      Wendy
      Shilton
     
     
      in
      the
      English
      Faculty.
     
     
      Mencher
      taught
      the
      morning
     
     
      class
      that
      I
      have
      with
      Shilton
     
     
      and
      afterwards
      she
      asked
      if
     
     
      I
      would
      like
      to
      spend
      some
     
     
      time
      with
      Prof.
      Mencher
     
     
      discussing
      the
      paper,
      its
     
     
      faults,
      and
      the
      things
      that
     
     
      could
      be
      done
      better.
      Like
     
    
   
   
    
     
      What
      do
      you
      want
      to
      know?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      THE
      CADRE
      POLL:
      Cadre
      will,
      in
      the
      next
      three
      weeks
      be
     
     
      attempting
      to
      conduct
      a
      general
      poll
      of
      both
      students
      and
      faculty.
      I
     
     
      would
      like
      to
      encourage
      everyone,
      students
      and
      faculty
      to
      answer
      the
     
     
      following
      two
      questions,
      and
      send
      them
      to
      the
      paper’s
      email
      address
     
     
      (newspaper@upei.ca)
      or
      if
      you
      wish
      to
      do
      so
      in
      confidence
      you
      can
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      schmuck
      that
      I
      am
     
     
      sometimes,
      I
      hesitated
      for
      a
     
     
      moment
      before
      agreeing.
      |
     
     
      thought,
      you
      know,
      what’s
      this
     
     
      old
      hack
      going
      to
      tell
      me
      that
      I
     
     
      don’t
      already
      know.
      The
     
     
      paper,
      in
      my
      eyes,
      was
      better
     
     
      than
      it’s
      ever
      been
      and
      I
      saw
     
     
      very
      little
      room
      _
      for
     
     
      improvement,
      institutional!y
     
     
      speaking.
      During
      the
      class
      he
     
     
      taught
      he
      had
      lightly
      chastised
     
     
      me
      for
      wearing
      a
      hat
      (never
     
     
      mind
      wearing
      it
      backwards
      )
     
     
      which
      further
      led
      me
      to
      believe
     
     
      he
      was
      achump,
      so
      I
      showed
     
     
      up
      in
      my
      dress
      wear,
      tie
      and
     
     
      all,
      content
      with
      the
      little
      joke
     
     
      I
      was
      playing
      on
      him
      (Do
      you
     
     
      know
      how
      it
      feels
      when
      you
     
     
      are
      really,
      really
      wrong?
      Well,
     
     
      I
      bet
      most
      of
      you
      do).
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Three
      hours
      later,
      I
      was
      sitting
     
     
      in
      the
      faculty
      lounge
      with
     
     
      Mencher.
      An
      interesting
      cat
      to
     
    
   
   
    
     
      send
      them
      directly
      to
      my
      email
      (kbruyneel@upei.ca)
      ,
      where
      the
     
     
      answers
      will
      be
      taken
      out,
      and
      the
      message
      destroyed,
      in
      discreet
     
     
      fashion.
      The
      question
      are
      as
      follows:
     
    
   
   
    
     
      1)What
      one
      question
      would
      you
      like
      to
      ask
      the
      entire
      fac-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ulty?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      2)What
      one
      question
      would
      you
      like
      to
      ask
      the
      entire
      stu-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      dent
      body?
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      say
      the
      least.
      On
      the
     
     
      way
      down
      the
      hall
      from
     
     
      Shilton’s
      office,
     
     
      Mencher
      was
      carrying
      a
     
     
      tray
      to
      return
      to
      the
     
     
      1862
      lounge.
      On
      the
     
     
      tray
      were
      a
      dirty
      dish
      or
     
     
      two,
      and
      some
      crumpled
     
     
      napkins.
      When
      I
      took
     
     
      the
      tray
      from
      him
      the
     
     
      napkin
      flew
      off
      headed
     
     
      for
      the
      ground,
      and
     
     
      instantly
      the
      man’s
      hand
     
     
      snared
      it
      out
      of
      the
      air.
      I
     
     
      know
      it
      doesn’t
      sound
     
     
      like
      much,
      but
      man
      it
      was
     
     
      sharp.
      It
      reminded
      me
     
     
      of
      the
      time
      I
      was
      on
      the
     
     
      way
      to
      Greenwich
      in
      my
     
     
      pal’s
      jeep.
      He
      was
     
    
   
   
    
     
      wearing
      a
      baseball
      hat
     
    
   
   
    
     
      and
      telling
      me
      why
      he
     
     
      could
      have
      been
      in
      the
     
     
      NBA
      if
      it
      hadn’t
      have
     
     
      been
      for
      the
      cigarettes
     
     
      and
      the
      booze,
      when
      his
     
     
      hat
      was
      blown
      off
      from
     
     
      the
      air
      rifling
      through
      the
     
     
      jeep.
      Well
      my
      pal,
      like
     
     
      Vince
      fucking
      Carter,
     
     
      grabbed
      the
      hat
      just
      as
      it
     
     
      was
      to
      head
      into
      highway
     
     
      death.
      Like
      I
      say,
      hard
     
     
      to
      understand
      but
      very
     
     
      impressive
      to
      see.
      Same
     
     
      thing
      with
      Mencher.
     
     
      Fast
      hands
      man,
      real
      fast
     
     
      hands.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      He
      is
      an
      amazing
      looking
     
     
      guy
      too.
      Diminutive
      with
     
     
      great
      waves
      of
      gray
      hair
     
     
      ordered,
      one
      would
     
     
      think,
      exactly
      how
      he
     
     
      wanted,
      with
      never
      a
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      hair
      out
      of
      place.
      And
      he
     
     
      has
      the
      most
      brilliant
      eyes
     
     
      mine
      have
      ever
      beheld.
      We
     
     
      sat
      in
      the
      faculty
      lounge,
     
     
      uninterrupted
      (but
      for
      the
     
     
      Prof.
      who
      whistled
      in
      and
     
     
      tried
      to
      get
      some
      attention
     
     
      for
      himself,
      and
      the
      threé
     
     
      girls
      playing
      the
      grand
      piano)
     
     
      for
      what
      seemed
      like
      a
      long
     
     
      time.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      He
      was_
      extremely
     
     
      complimentary
      on
      the
     
     
      Cadre’s
      local
      news
      and
     
     
      national
      news
      coverage
      and
     
     
      gave
      me
      several
      technical
     
     
      tips
      that
      if]
      did
      know,
      I
      had
     
     
      forgotten,
      and
      he
      told
      mea
     
     
      few
      stories
      about
      his
      life.
     
     
      But
      the
      real
      shithammer
      he
     
     
      dropped
      on
      me
      was
      when
     
     
      he
      told
      me
      that
      the
      two
      logo
     
     
      cover
      issue
      should
      have
     
     
      said,
      “WHAT
      DO
      YOU
     
     
      THINK?”
      on
      the
      cover.
     
     
      “Engage
      the
      audience”
      he
     
     
      -
      told
      me.
      Man,
      some
      things
     
     
      just
      hit
      you;
      you
      know
      what
     
     
      I
      mean
      right?
      Like
     
     
      sometimes
      some
      vagrant
     
     
      will
      ask
      for
      change
      in
      a
      way
     
     
      that
      makes
      me
      feel
      like
      he
     
     
      is
      my
      brother,
      or
      uncle,
      or
     
     
      dead
      friend
      or
      something
     
     
      and
      I
      want
      to
      give
      him
     
     
      change
      and
      help
      him.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Well
      Mencher’s
      eyes
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      EDITORIAL
      13
     
     
      continued
      on
      pagec
      15
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Cai
      page
      3