THIS ISSUE: magazines. One of the most unique magazines in Canada (other than TheNation) is FRANK.

Based in Ottawa, FRANK gives you the unsanitized inside dirt on the political scene,plus all sorts of inane gossip that’s fun to read. FRANK is the “gutter press” at itsfinest. Or worst (depending on if you’re the target).

Here’s a sample from one of the columns, Dick Little’s Canadian Beef:

“Sorry to hear about Tammy Wynette. Can’t count how often I got laid, got sick or passedout listening to her songs. No wait, it’s coming to me: Not one goddamn time!

Matter of fact I can’t remember any of her songs, except the one I always request at myweddings and the one the wives sing to themselves when they start packing theirsuitcases. Still, it’s too bad it takes a tragedy to make a fellow ask himself the bigquestions, like how can George Jones still be alive when my doc is telling me to cut backon the hard stuff? Almighty, I feel a hurtin’ song coming on…”

FRANK’S sources may not always be TOTALLY reliable (like when they said the Creesnever lived in teepees), but where else would you find out which province’s premier isallegedly a former drug dealer? FRANK

Subscriptions: $45 for 26 issues Tel.: 1-800-56-FRANK

C0VERTACTI0N QUARTERLY is one of my

favourite magazines. Started by ex-CIA officers, CAQ contains some of the bestinvestigative journalism being done today.

The current issue features a profile of Paul “The Electrician” van Vuuren, a torturerin South Africa’s apartheid regime. We meet his wife and child, and then learn how hestudied the torture techniques of the SS in Nazi Germany in his spare time. “It wasexciting days, those years,” he said. “At times I could not wait to do it. They say tokill is like sleeping with a woman. It’s true.” Back issues include stories on theCanadian spy world, AIM, Leonard Peltier, the ClA-drugs connection, mercenary armies,mad cow disease, CIA occult research, etc. Cool.

CovertAction Quarterly Subscriptions: $27 (U.S.) for four issues Tel.: (202) 331-9763