Web Edition

TORONTO, ONTARIO Special Issue, October 1991

Warning
A brief history of The Jourardian
Let Me Tell You About My Pet!
Masthead
EDITORIAL: The shape of things to come
'Greatest Jewish leader of our time'
Cartoon
Quote
Are you missing the true excitement of the times you live in?
Web Edition Information

Warning

We would like to warn all potential purchasers of this magazine that it contains explicit photographs of both male and female genitals; and material of a highly erotic nature, only suitable for extremely broadminded adults. We warn you of these facts as it is not our intention to solicit orders from anybody who may be shocked or offended by this type of material. Just kidding!

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A brief history of The Jourardian

Regular publication of The Jourardian began in 1984 while publisher Mike Jourard was attending Ontario Business College in Belleville. "I realized that I was writing the same stuff over and over again for each letter I sent to my friends," Jourard said. By creating the newsletter, he was able to do the same thing and at the same time keep his journalism skills sharp, and have some fun with it, he said.

The first two issues of The Jourardian were created in the fall of 1981 as Jourard's assignments for Print Journalism program at Loyalist College. They were never made available to the general public.

But what is the Purpose of The Jourardian? In each issue, that purpose is clearly spelled out in the masthead on Page 2. And in each issue, it is different.

The Jourardian

as a vehicle for the dissemination of news and other such fun stuff concerning just what is happening in the life of Mike Jourard.
like a fool for the benefit of those dumb enough to have met Mike Jourard.
as a purveyor of beneficent happenstance to those within the sphere of existence of Mike Jourard.
as a medium to induce depression for those hapless folks who know how much of a downer it can be to have met someone like Mike Jourard.
as junk mail for the entertainment of those who know Mike Jourard.
unnaturally for the benefit of those who have come across Mike Jourard.
as a homing beacon for people who happen to know Mike Jourard.
as a promoter of regular intercourse for those who have met Mike Jourard.
as an annual report on the latest and greatest if not altogether uptodate happenings in the Life of Mike Jourard.
as a medium for the dissemination of news and other whatnot for that hectic and increasingly busy whirlwind that is the Life of Mike Jourard.
as a messenger of glad tidings for comfort and joy to those who have crossed the path that is the Life of Mike Jourard.
as a contribution to Canadian Culture in the form of news of what's going on in the Life of Mike Jourard.
as a creative outlet for the existential angst inherent in the Life of Mike Jourard."

"I can even include photographs with The Jourardian!" he added, explaining why the newsletter was an improvement over handwritten letters. Regular features of The Jourardian include letters to the editor, an editorial statement, a photo of a sexy and often scantily clad Back Page Girl, and general news about Mike Jourard and his friends.

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Let Me Tell You About My Pet! ... the Back Page Girls

The Back Page Girl has been a regular feature of The Jourardian since the first issue. The photo is always of a sexy (and often scantily clad) girl, preferably one who is a friend of Mike Jourard.

Girls who have appeared as a Back Page Girl include Lori C----------, Colleen R------, Carolyn C-------, Jamie B-------, Tracey Z--------, Laurie P---, Joan W-----, Elaine E----, Allison B----, and Kathy B---. In addition, a couple of unknown women in skimpy bikini bathing suits have also appeared.

The feature combines Jourard's love of photography with his love of beautiful women.

See the Back Page Girls ROSTER
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Masthead

The Jourardian Special Edition is published singularly on an explanatory basis by Badinage Publications, on behalf of the Association of Friends of Mike Jourard. The purpose of The Jourardian Special Edition is to act as an explanation of The Jourardian (regular edition), that great inquisitor, expositor, and herald of the times of Mike Jourard.

Subscriptions to The Jourardian (regular edition) are available, at a rate of one return letter per issue, or $10 for five issues, to cover the costs of printing, postage (which now includes "airmail" stickers and overseas rates), production, and general everyday humdrum nosetothewheel grind called Life in Modern Times.

Editorial and production offices are located at #201 124 Broadway Avenue, Toronto, Ontario. M4P 1V8. E-mail address can be obtained here. Advertising rates are available on request. ISSN 1180-2650

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EDITORIAL: The shape of things to come

Publication of The Jourardian is sporadic, to say the least. It all depends on what's going on in my Life. If I'm busy, a lot is happening. But then I don't have time to publish. If I'm not busy, I have time to publish, but nothing worth publishing is happening. It's sort of a Catch22, damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don't situation.

He hasn't changed his ways

Sometimes I'm really busy but nothing worth publishing is happening. It was like that in the fall of 1990. I was really busy at Work building a Time Recording and Project Planning system. I put in a lot of overtime, most for which I'll never be compensated. A lot of time and effort went into that system. When it wasn't physically tiring, it was mentally exhausting.

In the long run, it was worth it. Every time I use the system, I'm amazed myself by its elegance and sophistication. But without a lot of technical gobbledegook and hoyfalloy, it can be summed up in a few sentences. Like I just did here.

Sometimes my brain is overly occupied with other strange and mysterious thoughts. It was like that last year, too, when I took an Existentialist Philosophy course at York.

Nietzsche said all this furious work is a way of hiding from the creative life. No wonder I seem to never get anything done!

And so it goes.

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'Greatest Jewish leader of our time'

There was a Jewish farmer who had two chickens. One chicken got very sick and, so, he decided to use the best Jewish cure in the world. He killed the healthy chicken to make soup for the sick chicken.

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Cartoon

Someday, just for the heck of it, you're gonna have
to take me step-by-step through your thought process.

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Quote

Sometimes when two people are in love, they have
fun. What a concept!

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Are you missing the true excitement of the times you live in? Reprinted from The Jourardian, February, 1984.

Badinage Publications is obscenely proud to present this, the first issue of the Jourardian for wide distribution.

All the general news of my little world will be found in The Jourardian.

That doesn't mean that I'm not going to write anybody anymore. Oh contraire, mes amis!! I just won't have to write it all in long hand.

What's all this going to cost me, you ask?

As you all know, there is nothing free in this world. Well, neither is The Jourardian. But you don't have to shell out all your hard earned cash.

All you have to do is send me one return letter per issue telling me what's been going on in your life. Simple?

For people like Sheila and Maree, who don't like to write al all, I'll accept cash. ($10/5 issues) I'm probably going to get an earfull from Skye because I'm not handwriting. But this is an experiment. If it doesn't work, I'll quit doing it.

Don't be an outsider any longer.

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Web Edition Information

The Jourardian is available electronically on the World Wide Web at this site, or on paper through traditional postal channels. To subscribe to the snail-mail edition of The Jourardian, send an e-mail request to: Mike Jourard with "I Wanna Subscribe" as the subject, and the words "I think The Jourardian is one of the niftiest things I've ever seen, and I want to share in the amazing world that is the Life of Mike Jourard." in the body of the message.

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This web page is maintained by Mike Jourard using HTML Notepad from cranial software.
Last modified on November 27, 1996. Converted to dot-com web site on February 20, 2000. Copyright © 1995-1996,2000 by Badinage Publications. All rights reserved.