EDITORIAL – July 1995 (“So here’s Issue # 2)

We got some great response to ISSUE # 1, thanks to all who have contributed. Since the first issue, I’ve noticed some questions continually being asked regarding the magazine like ‘How much does it cost?’, ‘Is it a summer thing?’, and ‘How’s it going?’. Well, it’s FREE, it’s here for as long as it can support itself, and it’s rough going. The trouble with a free publication is that there’s no money to work with. All costs (like printing the thing, for instance) have to be covered by advertising dollars which are scarce around these parts. The only other option is to charge a buck or two an issue. I don’t want to do this. I see this magazine as an essential component of our community. I may be alone in this view, but I don’t think so. There is literally nothing else to read that addresses the interests of the youth of this area. On these pages you’ll find the views of a whole segment of the population of Cape Breton Island who have not had a voice until now. It’s space for the exchange of ideas and views, it’s a source of information, it’s a chance to be heard. There have been some complaints and concerns about the language and subject matter covered in the first issue but much more praise for its mere existence. As I write this, I’m nearing the end of my journey in search of advertisers for the second issue, and I’m hoping that this writing will find its way to print. If you’re reading it, I suppose it has. Right now that seems like a miracle (maybe we got a grant) . I hate to wish my life away but I’m really looking forward to the fall when a lot of businesses have suggested we come back for the advertising that they’ve promised they’ll do. I hope we make it that far. I have faith that we will, although I can’t help recalling that “Offshore Oil” skit from years gone by (you know, we’ll all be rich when that offshore oil comes to shore). I don’t remember if it was the Rise & Follies or the Revue, but I’m encouraged by the fact that those shows have survived for so long, based on the quality of the material and the support of the community. I’m confident that we can deliver a top quality product, we’ve got plenty of talented people here. And there’s no shortage of things goin’ on that don’t get as much attention as they deserve. We’ll just have to keep it going, somehow, until someone gets a job and has some money to . . . to invest or something . . . or maybe a hemp farm and printing press and recording studio in the woods somewhere . . . with chickens and pigs (bacon and eggs) and vegetables . . . we’ll wear clothes spun from hemp (like Ghandi’s homespun), the magazine can be printed on hemp paper, using hemp/soy ink . . . we’ll clean up the environment and save the island . . . the world will look to us for the answer . . . And they all lived happily ever after. Let us know what you think…
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