Ontarion_2010-03-11

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PROCRASTINATION

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JASON COLLETT

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or the second year in a row, the Human Library took place on the University of Guelph campus, this time on Mar. 4 and 5. The area in front of the Williams Coffee stand was reserved for one-on-one conversations; human books, people who face misconceptions and assumptions about their views and lifestyles, and the readers who sign them out, had half-hour conversations. Stories were told, myths were debunked, and perspectives were challenged. The aim of the Human Library is to provide a safe environment where people can sit down face-to-face with those who come from stereotyped, misunderstood, and occasionally marginalized groups. The goal, in many ways, is for readers to leave with a more complete understanding of their worldviews. The human books are people who have volunteered their time for the event; there was no charge for anyone interested in participating.

Mar. 11 - 17, 2010

www.theontarion.com

When the Ontarion editorial staff chose to participate in the Human Library, we each selected topics that particularly resonated with us from the list of available books. The task of writing about such a personal and subjective experience was a difficult one to take on. So, we each took a different approach. Each of the editors was free to respond to their conversation with their human book in whatever way they saw fit. There were no parameters on the writing, no rules for how to describe the experience. Some chose to retell the story relayed to them by their human book, while others focused more heavily on their reaction to the one-on-one interaction. Regardless, all four of us left the experience with a story that in one way or another affected us on a personal level. We retold stories to each other. We debated about the ideas that our books brought up. The experience was like no other. >

SEE PAGE 12 FOR MORE

Varroa mite is behind the disappearing bee

International Women’s Day in Guelph

Guelph professor explains the root of colony collapse disorder in bees

KELSEY RIDEOUT

TOM BEEDHAM Imagine a world where bees are extinct: a world without stings, culturally abandoned apiphobia and, most importantly, a world entirely void of natural food. That is the world that Canadian author Douglas Coupland presents readers to in his latest take on the future, Generation A. In his book, contact with even a single honeybee warrants abduction by hazmat suited troops and weeks of interrogation and blood sampling. It is undoubtedly a radical interpretation, but for the last three years, honeybees have been dying fast enough to earn the phenomenon the moniker of colony collapse disorder (CCD). While perhaps well founded, Coupland’s prophecy might never

come to fruition (much to the delight of beekeepers around the world). With funding from the Ontario Beekeepers’ Association, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and the Inter-American Institute for Co-operation on Agriculture, University of Guelph environmental biology professor Ernesto Guzman believes he’s figured out the problem. In a study published last month in the biology journal, Apidologie, Prof. Guzman shoes that Varroa mites were the cause for over 85 per cent of honeybee deaths in Ontario. Varroa mites are small, eight-legged parasites that thrive on the blood of honeybees. According to Guzman, the Varroa mite has been a problem for roughly twenty years, but has become severe more recently. >

SEE “CURE,” PAGE 4

Upon finishing a hot yoga class, filled with women of all ages, I overheard a conversation in the change room. With endorphins running high, one woman enthusiastically shouted, “Happy International Women’s Day!” Excitement started to spread as smiles and kind words were exchanged. For many individuals, however, this annual event is met with the same confusion and ambiguity that circulated last month during the newly established annual holiday, National Family Day. In effect, one woman looked puzzled, and asked what International Women’s Day was all about. Without hesitation, it was quickly explained that the day is meant to celebrate being a woman, and celebrate the lives of all women. Aligned with the widespread critiques that note the futility in celebrating love for that special someone on Valentine’s Day for

just 24 hours of a single year, the question was quickly raised, “Well, shouldn’t everyday be women’s day?” Considering that International Women’s Day is only a national holiday in 15 countries, all being in Western Europe and North America, it may seem not be surprising that some women remain unaware of the annual Mar. 8 event. However, such ignorance is also somewhat baffling, as the annual event has been celebrated in Canada for decades. In fact, the day has a deeply rooted history, stretching back 100 years to when Clara Zetkin of the Social Democractic Party of Germany launched the idea in 1910 at the second International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen, Denmark. While the international event does aim to celebrate the achievements and lives of women, it also operates as a vehicle to demand >

SEE “WOMEN,” PAGE 4

the issues this week KNOW YOUR

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THE ONTARION

NEWS

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Transit among CSA referendum questions NICOLE ELSASSER In the last issue of the Ontarion we asked one question of each of the 11 candidates vying for the five executive spots in the Central Student Association (CSA) at the University of Guelph. While a large component of the annual elections are the selection of candidates for the CSA executive, what is equally important, and at times more widely discussed, are the referendum questions being put forward for student vote. While they usually relate to changes to student fees, they can also be questions relating to various aspects of campus life more generally. These questions give students the opportunity to have a voice in how their money will be spent money and how their school is governed. Voting on these questions, as well as the CSA executive elections, can be done online through the CSA website and will end on Mar. 12. The questions appearing on the ballot are as follows.

Universal Buss Pass Referendum Preamble: The Universal Bus Pass (UPass) is a mandatory fee that all students pay to allow unlimited access to Guelph Transit buses. A new agreement has been negotiated between Guelph Transit and the Central Student Assocation & Graduate Student Association. In order to continue to offer the UPass, an increase in price is required to address increases in service (e.g., move to 20 minute service) and costs as well as a reflection of better calculating the cost associated with

providing this service to students. It is not possible to continue to offer these services at the present UPass price. If this referendum passes, all students will pay the new price for the UPass. If it fails, the UPass contract will be dissolved effective Fall 2010 and students will have the option to individually pay for monthly student passes: $62/month (equivalent of $248 per semester); tickets: $18.50/ten tickets; or cash fares: $2.75/ride. Question: Do you support the continuation of the Universal Bus Pass (UPass) by raising the semester fee by $20.52 for Spring and Fall 2010 which represents an increase from $61.63 per semester to $82.15 per semester, followed by a $2.00 increase to $84.15 in Winter 2011 semester and a $2.00 increase to $86.15 for the spring/fall 2011 and winter semester 2012, representing a total increase of $24.52 per semester in the UPass over two years?

Global Vets Referendum Preamble: Global Vets, a group of student veterinarians from the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph, works in partnership with professionals, veterinary practices, and organizations worldwide to improve the health and welfare of animals and humans in developing countries. Our organization aims to increase both local and national awareness regarding the potential role of veterinarians and veterinary students in developing communities. Through this collaboration, Global Vets initiatives have advanced the

ideals of international veterinary medicine in countries in need of assistance. All student projects are aimed at addressing both human and animal problems globally. These include projects related to: sustainable agriculture, ecosystem health, habitat conservation, wildlife rehabilitation, rabies, public health and population control of feral dogs and cats. Global Vets also has a number of initiatives in the OVC, the University of Guelph, and the broader community. These include giving open presentations upon return from their projects and detailing the impact that they had. They also help to organize the “OVC Mini-Vet School” for members of the community to attend. Question: Given the initiatives and goals that members of Global Vets are engaging in and striving towards, both locally and globally, would you support a student fee of $0.27 per semester to support this program?

TAP IN! Referendum Preamble: The practice of bottling and transporting water is unsustainable. Bottled water is harmful to the environment, depleting nonrenewable resources and creating unnecessary waste. Contrary to popular perception, only 35% of plastic beverage bottles are properly recycled in Ontario. Furthermore, bottled water can be up to 4000 times more expensive than municipal water. Universities and municipalities across Canada are choosing to

promote public tap water over the sale of bottled water. 72 municipalities, 6 Ontario school boards, 3 Canadian universities (Brandon University, Memorial University, and the University of Winnipeg) and countless restaurants, hospitals and high schools have implemented restrictions on the sale of bottled water. On our own campus, over 35 student clubs, 2 colleges and 1 faculty department have implemented similar restrictions. The Bullring is run for students by students, and has a strong history of supporting initiatives that promote environmental sustainability. In 2005, students voted to convert the Bullring to using sustainable, windproduced power. Last February, the Grad Lounge, the student-run graduate eatery, became the first commercial space on campus to intentionally remove bottled water from their shelves. The Bullring is our space; by choosing to support local tap water we can continue our legacy of environmental leadership. Question: In keeping with the Bullring’s commitment to environmental sustainability, do you support the discontinuation of bottled water sales at the Bullring, while continuing to provide drinking water through the existing free filtered water service?

Students can vote until Mar. 12

KAITLYN DINGMAN As Canadians, we pride ourselves on our capitalist economy, our democracy, and as seen in this year’s Olympic games, our ability to dominate on the ice. With the sense of Canadian national pride still lingering postOlympics, the question of what constitutes a Canadian identity is fresh. With a nation so large and with the multicultural mosaic we speak of so frequently, it becomes difficult to pin-down something that unites all Canadians alike. The dynamics of what Canadian identity is are constantly changing and it becomes difficult to define what being Canadian is in a few words. Over the past few decades, multiculturalism has played an important role in defining Canada as a nation. Many could argue that part of Canada’s identity is our cultural mosaic, that a mixture of ethnic groups, cultures and languages coexist in our nation. It is very common for immigrants, even though they

may have never been outside of Canada, to identify themselves with their native heritage. Second-year Sheridan College student, Jovana Stojkovic, is a prime example of this. “I believe it’s important to identify myself

as Serbian because even though I was born in Canada, I feel just as Serbian as if I was born in Serbia,” said Stojkovic. Canadian immigrants acknowledge their native heritage by doing such things as identifying themselves as a ‘hyphenated Canadian’ and by moving into communities of similar demographics.

No election over the budget Opposition leader Michael Ignatieff has said that the Liberals will not trigger an election over the federal budget, which was tabled on Mar. 4 by Stephen Harper’s conservatives. Although the Liberals find the budget lacking in some key areas, including pensions, green technologies, and youth unemployment, Ignatieff said his party will propose alternative legislation to address these issues instead of sending Canadians to the polls again. Jack Layton has indicated that the New Democratic Party will vote against the budget on the grounds that it favours corporations and does too little to create jobs, and Gilles Duceppe, leader of the Bloc Quebecois, said his party will also oppose the budget.

Florida’s sneaky monkey outsmarts officials again A mischievous rhesus macaque, apparently an escaped or released pet, has avoided capture yet again in Tampa, Fla., where it has been running loose for over a year. The pink-faced monkey is apparently resistant to the sedatives in tranquilizer darts. On Mar. 3 the animal was spotted in a residential neighborhood and authorities were notified. However, the monkey escaped by darting across a busy street and ducking into an alleyway beside a drug store, despite being hit twice with tranquilizers. Witnesses say the monkey stopped and waited for traffic to clear before running off.

Bigelow wins big on Hollywood’s biggest night

Knowing your roots A look at how Canadians stay true to their native roots

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There are many reasons why immigrants feel it is important to seek out communities that share the same ethnic backgrounds. “I would say that parallel communities, ethnic enclaves, whatever you want to call them,are,to some extent, a natural, unavoidable and arguably even desirable part of the immigration experience as people come to an immigrant-receiving country and get settled by attaching themselves initially to communities with which they’re familiar, that provide social support and social capital,” said Jason Kenney, the minister of citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism in a speech at the University of Huron. University of Guelph political science lecturer, J.P. Lewis, also had insight into this idea of a shared ethnic community. “There are many reasons for immigrants to move into communities of common culture, background and language; social and economic support would seem to be the most obvious, while the location of sponsors and family create a natural locale to begin a new

life in,” said Lewis. One main familiarity these communities have is a shared language. “It has a lot to do with how my parents raised me. When I was little I learned Serbian as my first language, I never knew anything else existed until my brothers went to school and came home and would talk in English,” said Stojkovic. “I believe identifying myself as Serbian has given me culture, religion, values, beliefs, and the chance to know a different lifestyle which I adore.” Lewis explained the distinction between the “hyphenated” Canadian and the “non-hyphenated”Canadian, when it comes to national identity. “While there is a heated debate between the notion of the hyphenated Canadian, say PolishCanadian, and non-hyphenated Canadian, simply ‘Canadian,’” said Lewis. “Both explicitly, through governmental policies such as official multiculturalism, and implicitly, through perceived ideas about a mosaic, it would appear that the practice of one staying true to their old country’s culture and heritage is celebrated as a very Canadian thing to do.”

Hurt Locker director Katherine Bigelow swept the 82nd Academy Awards on Mar. 7 in Los Angeles, taking Best Picture and beating her ex-husband James Cameron, director of Avatar. Bigelow became the first woman to receive an Oscar for Best Director, as well. Other highlights of the ceremony included big wins for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire. It won Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress, accepted emotionally by Mo’Nique. “The Weary Kind” from Crazy Heart picked up Best Original Song and Jeff Bridges won Best Actor for his performance as a downand-out country singer in the same film. Sandra Bullock was honoured as Best Actress for her role as a mother hen in The Blind Side. In her speech she thanked “all mothers who take care of the babies and the children, no matter where they come from” and “my lover, Meryl Streep”.

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MAR. 11 - 17, 2010

NEWS

THEONTARION.CA

Women across the world join to celebrate Cure for bee death? and promote an annual event <

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CONTINUED FROM COVER

that the pursuit to attain gender equality be coupled with supportive political decisions. Beginning in 1911, International Women’s Day has continued to exert an awareness regarding injustices facing women across the world, while publicly demanding that oppressive conditions against women be challenged and reversed. Global protests and marches channel international attention towards major issues facing women, including the higher burden of poverty on women, the impact of war on the lives of women, the implementation of sexist and discriminatory laws, and the exorbitant rates of pregnancyrelated deaths in areas of the developing world. In Canada, 59 national events took place across libraries, museums and galleries on Mar. 8, centering on issues such as violence against women,

the experiences of women belonging to visible minorities in Canada, and the artistic contributions of women. Many university campuses also took part in celebrating International Women’s Day. On the University of Guelph Campus, Oxfam held an event to explore women’s experiences and suffering in Haiti. GuelphWellington Women in Crisis held an event featuring two remarkable women, Lia Grimanis, founder of the women’s rights organization, Up With Women, and Briar Rose, who was born in a women’s shelter, and at the age of 10 became the youngest finalist for Canada’s top 20 under 20. The multitude of tribulations confronting women in Guelph, Canada and abroad appears to have necessitated an internationally recognized day of unified action, advocacy and protest on behalf of women’s rights everywhere.

Rashaad Bhamjee

The Heart and Stroke Foundation held an event in the UC courtyard to raise money and awareness for their cause.

CONTINUED FROM COVER

“It’s becoming a stronger problem…because mites are developing a resistance to the chemicals that are being used to treat colonies against them,” said Guzman. In Ontario, colonies have been reducing in size by one third for the last three years. “It’s not economically sustainable to keep on losing [bees at that rate] and to purchase bees or to split colonies in half in order to make up for losses,” said Guzman. “If they have to do that every year, they’ll be out of the business very soon.” According to Guzman, an understanding of the effect of bees on food production is crucial. “It’s important to underscore that one third of the food that we eat in western societies is produced thanks to the pollinating services of bees,” he said, adding that there is no natural alternative to honeybee pollination. For Guzman, the Varroa mite is among three main factors contributing to the disappearing bee phenomenon. He also attributes the mortality rates to insufficient winter food supplies within colonies, as well as splitting colonies too late in the season. According to Guzman, the Varroa mite is particularly problematic in the fall and winter months when the queen is producing less bees. While the findings in Guzman’s study are concerned with data from Ontario, he said he is certain that the Varroa mite is one of the factors contributing to bee deaths globally. Guzman’s current project is finding an effective treatment, and he’s not focused on finding a miracle pesticide. “I mean, many more synthetic pesticides can be developed to control the mite, but eventually, [the

Rashaad Bhamjee

U of G prof Ernesto Guzman discovered that the Varroa mite is a major contributor to the staggering deaths in honeybees in Ontario. Varroa] might develop a resistance to all of them,” he said. Guzman has been working on natural compounds that mites will be less likely to develop resistance to and won’t contaminate honey. He explained that thymol and oregano oils have been “very effective” at controlling the mites. Guzman also suggested using bio-control

agents like fungi that are naturally occurring in the environment, which do not negatively effect bees, have the potential to control the Varroa. “A third way of approaching this problem…would be to develop genetically resistant bees, bees that are naturally resistant against the mite,” added Guzman.

THE ONTARION

NEWS

161.8

The procrastination habit

Can being altruistic help get you a date?

Why it happens and how to deal with it

How giving back to those around you can improve your love life

VANESSA SZPURKO Procrastination. It’s a common topic of conversation (and cause of worry) around campus. But why does it happen? “Procrastination is actually a fairly complex phenomenon. There are a lot of dierent reasons why students do it,“ said Maryann Kope, who works at the University of Guelph’s Learning Services Centre. “For some people, they haven’t quite ďŹ gured out how to manage their time in a way that’s really eective for them and their program.â€? Kope argues arguees that that the subjectt a person is studying can havee a lo lot to do with h how students ap appr approach prroach homework. k. “They may ďŹ nd that thaat w with ith the subjects ts they really like likke and enjoy, theyy don’t procrast procrastinate‌ stin inate‌ that att theyy but with subjects th ult, [or if ] they theey don’tt ďŹ nd diďŹƒcult, ourse, it’s harder hard der to get like the course, d to sit it down dow d own and do motivated and d Kope. Kop Ko pe. the work,â€?â€? said abbe bert rt iis a ďŹ ne ďŹ ne arts Sunet Sla Slabbert whoo aadmitted dmi m tted student at thee U ooff G wh requ quen entt procra ast stiinator to being a ffrequent procrastinator d th hatt tthis his was precisely preciselyy and agreed that the case. crastinate on everything “I procrastinate o art except when it comess tto y ’r’ree much h projects, “ she said. “They “They’re oyable than studyingg more enjoyable ssays.â€? or doing essays.â€? ary to po p pular Contrary popular crastination n isn’t belief, procrastination actice employed only a practice by the unmotivated. Accordingg to Kope, there d correlation is a solid procrastin nation between procrastination ctionism. and perfectionism. perfection nists], “For [perfectionists], esteem is often their self-esteem nvested in their heavily invested academic performance. Iff they ate on an assignment, assiign gnme m nt, me procrastinate min inut utee in i and they do it at the last minute h‌when they get it back a big rush‌when ve a B or a C they can and receive ell I could have gotten an think, ‘Well A if I had put the time into it,’â€? said Kope. “It provides them with an emotional out that allows their self esteem to remain intact. For a lot of people, that’s a very subconscious, unintentional kind of behavior they’re not even aware of.â€? Some students avoid a certain assignment or piece of work so strongly that they will classify other non-work related tasks as more important. Kope explained that this is a technique that many students use in order to make themselves feel productive when in reality they aren’t focusing on the truly important tasks they should be doing. If a task is put o long enough, students will reach the point where they have no choice but to attempt to complete their work in a very short amount of time. “Oftentimes, the amount of

stress and panic that’s involved with trying to get through that task means that you’re never really realizing your own ability,â€? she said. Some students might argue that they do some of their best work at the last minute, and thrive under the pressure that crunch time creates. Mark Fenske, an assistant professor of psychology at the U of G and co-author of the soon-to-bereleased book, The Winner’s Brain: 8 Strategies Great Minds Use to Achieve Success, explained that success isn’t about the speed work is done at, but the focus involved. “You’re forced by the deadline to put everything else aside‌which pushes you into becoming engaged with the material,â€? he said. “Once you’re engaged with the material, you see it’s not all that bad.â€? So, how is it possible to

ALDIS BRENNAN The idea of altruism, people willing to sacriďŹ ce for others, is something of a puzzle for biologists and psychologists alike. While many agree that altruism does exist, it has not been easy to come up with a viable evolutionary explanation as to why this is. According to Pat Barclay, a psychology professor at the University of Guelph, this is because altruism is an activity that appears to reduce a person’s chance of survival. “If people are doing things to beneďŹ t others, but that carries some cost, then we might expect that behaviour to be selected against by evolution or we might expect people to learn to be selďŹ sh given that altruism has this cost,â€? said Barclay. It is this problem that Barclay attempts to address in his recent article published in the British Journal of Psychology. In the article he ďŹ nds that a person is more likely to be attracted

to people who show altruistic tendencies than to those who don’t. This holds true for both men and women, with women exhibiting slightly more attraction to the altruist than men. To some, this may seem to be an obvious conclusion; of course being generous is an attractive quality. This is a view that Katie Neufeld, a fourth year undergraduate student at the U of G, also holds. “Well, think of going on a date with someone who’s seless, and is willing to go out of their way to make sure that you’re having a good time. Then think of one with someone who is being pretty selďŹ sh, only wants to talk about themselves,â€? said Neufeld. “I think we all want mates who are willing to sacriďŹ ce their wellbeing for others, especially their loved ones and families.â€? If this is so obvious, then why has the bad boy or the selďŹ sh archetype been thought of as the norm, or even the preferred choice for some? Once again Barclay oers an answer; it is actually because selďŹ shness is rare. “We tend to notice selďŹ shness ďŹ rst because it negatively aects

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us so much, so it stands out, and second there are arguments that people tend to really focus on instances of cheating in order to help protect [themselves] from cheating,â€? he said. “All of the instances of our cooperation we don’t even think about them, right, they come so naturally to us that it becomes second nature so you might not notice.â€? But before subtly dropping a generous donation to a charitable organization near a prospective mate, there are some limits as to how much altruism can help. Barclay reminds us that altruism is but one factor in many that determines the attraction a person feels. “I should caution that this eect is one of these ‘all else being equal’ [situations],â€? said Barclay. “A little bit of altruism is not going to turn the average person into Casanova. You’re not suddenly going to become the ‘Mac Daddy’ by being generous. It has an eect but so does everything else. This is just one factor in many.â€? Even if this eect has its limits, there is still a growing body of evidence that shows nice guys don’t always ďŹ nish last.

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achieve that level of focus without waiting until the eleventh-hour? “Think about a task in concrete terms‌break it down into its constituent parts. What exactly are the dierent elements that go into it?â€? said Fenske. “You can break those down into smaller, more manageable jobs. By laying it out in that way, research shows that you have a much higher success rate in terms of being able to do the task and not procrastinate.â€? Kope emphasized that Learning Services (on the ďŹ rst oor of McLaughlin Library) has a number of ways to oer assistance to students, such as workshops, one-on-one consultations with peer helpers, and a website at www. learningservices.uoguelph.ca. “Everyone, at some point, struggles with [procrastination and time management] at some point in their life,â€? she said. “And there are a lot of good resources here to help.â€?

AU student Sarah in Calgary, Alberta, Canada

0DNH \RXU DFDGHPLF IXWXUH PRUH à H[LEOH ZLWK $WKDEDVFD 8QLYHUVLW\ At Athabasca University, our large selection of courses and programs can be a big plus to your academic career. So be sure to keep us in mind like Sarah did. Sarah is attending university full-time in Calgary, Alberta. But in order to maximize her schedule, she needed to take some courses that weren’t available during the times she wanted. The solution? Sarah is taking some AU courses and will transfer the credits over towards her degree. AU offers RYHU FRXUVHV DQG XQGHUJUDGXDWH DQG JUDGXDWH GHJUHH GLSORPD DQG FHUWLÀ FDWH SURJUDPV to select from. If you’re 16 or older, and are eager to learn, you can study at AU. Academic choice. Another reason why AU stands out as a global leader in distance learning excellence.

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ARTS & CULTURE

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MAR. 11 - 17, 2010

THEONTARION.CA

JASON COLLETT

“HERE’S HOPING. WE’RE GAMBLING ON THIS ONE A BIT.” ZACK MACRAE Lately, Jason Collett has been pretty busy. With a brand new album released earlier this week, and an upcoming North American tour that began last night in Toronto for Canadian Music Week, the only breaks that Collett gets are spent talking to journalists. “The last couple weeks have just been nuts,” an exhausted but persistent Collett tells. “It’s been crazy. But good you know? They’re good problems to have.” On Tuesday, Collett released his fourth full-length album called Rat A Tat Tat, an album that firmly plants him in a sound that is fully Collett. His vocals are there, his characteristic geological musings are there and in the background, Zeus is there too. Like a well oiled machine that plays really good rock music, Zeus helped Collett in the studio when they weren’t working on their newly released album Say Us, and along with Bahamas, will back

him up on the road too. Currently, the three groups are embarking on a rather unique tour. They’re calling it the Bonfire Ball Revue. The tour will have all three groups playing each other’s songs together over a three hour long set with no breaks. To get everything to flow right, over the past couple of weeks this gang of musicians has been rehearsing whenever they aren’t shooting videos or releasing albums. “Here’s hoping,” laughs Collett about the outcome of these shows. “We’re gambling on this one a bit, but I think it’s going to turn out great.” The Bonfire Ball Revue will roll into Guelph tonight at the eBar. If you don’t have a ticket yet, you should get there early and hope they will be selling at the door because this one is going to be a doozie. Earlier this week I had a conversation with Collett about the Bonfire Ball and a couple

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other things he’s been up to lately. Calculated and at a relaxed pace, Collett answered my questions like a gentleman. The Ontarion: So you’ve been pretty busy in the past couple of weeks. Jason Collett: Yeah, the last couple weeks have just been nuts. We’re trying to rehearse. We’re shooting videos, its just been kind of crazy with Zeus’ record and my record coming out at the same time, its been crazy. But good you know? They’re good problems to have. TO: I guess releasing a record is a pretty heavy thing. JC: It can be, yeah. It really can be. And that’s kind of what you want. Lately we’ve been rehearsing this revue show to support the album. So it’s not just rehearsing your own thing, its rehearsing as three bands trying to figure out a show that flows and that has nice interchange between all the acts back and forth. Now we have to do it in two days and we are just taking a deep breath hoping that we can pull it off. It’s the kind of thing that’s going to get better as we go along. We’ll tweak it as we go. So coming out of the gates with a big show in Toronto is kind of a suicide mission, but we seem to roll that way. With the Guelph show coming the day after, we’ll already have a show under our belts so it will inevitably be better. TO: What will the Bonfire Ball Revue be like? JC: Each band’s music will be well re p re s e n t e d . And then there will be some overlap w h e r e everybody will play.Then sometimes it will just be me playing alone, and sometimes it will just be Bahamas, just Afie and his drummer. We work like this on so many other levels. Carlin from Zeus has a studio where both of our records were recorded. There are a scene of folks that just sort of drift through the studio on a regular basis. So with the revue shows we are just taking that to its logical conclusion. We just kind of said, ‘Well, let’s do what we do in the studio on the road. Let’s take that same spirit and lift the show to a whole other level.’ And I think audiences will

respond well to that. Your not just getting three separate bands with three separate sets. Your getting a combination and when you get three bands combining you get a whole other story. It’s not just their three stories, but the story of everybody working together. TO: What is your relationship with Zeus? How did you meet these guys. JC: Well, half of Zeus used to be a band called Paso Mino. And that was my backing band previous to Zeus. And Afie from Bahamas was part of that band, but Afie left to play with Feist. At that point Paso Mino unraveled. All these guys grew up in Barrie together essentially, so they’ve got that history together.

TO: I find that a lot of Canadian artists are afraid to admit that they’re Canadian. But with your music it seems important for you to tell your listeners where you are. Is this true? JC: I don’t have a real agenda about this, it just comes out in the songs. I’m pleased with it. It’s been fun to just make the references. Most interestingly, is that people outside of Canada seem more intrigued about it than people inside of Canada. Really, I’m just trying to communicate ideas and shared experiences and the geography of this country is just one big shared experience. It’s handy for me to make those references and get quickly into peoples heads or hearts, it’s a direct route. Often I’m just writing a story that is just a shared experience. Maybe it’s something that’s happened to me, but has happened to other people too. So people can relate to it and that’s all music is really about anyways. I just try to keep it personal and that’s what comes out. TO: Do you take inspiration from your city? JC: Toronto does inspire me but not so obviously in songs, its just a good place to live, its my home, I love coming back here. I love h o w small Toronto actually is once you get to know it.

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MAR. 11 - 17, 2010

ARTS & CULTURE

THEONTARION.CA

Bicycles and business plans: Victor Stan makes us all into artists Victor Stan’s work to appear in Zavitz this week JOSH DOYLE “My life isn’t going to be an awesome painting and my art isn’t going to be like my life, but I think there’s a space between the two that can work,” Victor Stan says. Stan is an artist here at the University of Guelph on his way to graduating. In light of his upcoming exhibit in Zavitz, Stan chatted with the Ontarion about some of his latest work, his opinions on art, and his experiences as a childhood artist. “My parents have always encouraged me to take art. I’ve been doing it since grade four,” Stan said. Like many, this talented and innovative young artist started early, submitting portfolios to be involved in his elementary school’s art program. “It was odd because it would have been a very childish portfolio,” he added. Stan studied art throughout high school here in Ontario, attending Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts in Toronto, but lived most of his young life in his native country of Romania. He learned mostly about classical methods while studying in these schools, which he thinks is important for a developing artist. He expressed the need for an artist to know where art as a whole comes from. “Otherwise you’re likely to

Josh Doyle

Stan’s efforts to blur the line between art and non-art will appear in Zavitz all week long with the opening reception on Thursday night at 7pm. assume that you’re going to do something really interesting, that isn’t actually interesting,” he said. Stan explained that once you have the background it’s easier to see where you want to make changes, and what direction to go with your own art. It’s easy to see while looking at

Stan’s work that he has no problem making his work interesting. Covering the walls of Stan’s studio in Alexrod were pictures of what looked like family trees without any names. Stan explained that they are actually corporate models used for organizing people. “You can almost fill in spaces

with whatever you want in terms of imagining the hierarchies and the way that we organize ourselves,” Stan explained of his work. This is part of Stan’s recent efforts to blur the line between art and non-art. “Traces of peoples actions, either things they leave behind or things that they make,” is a major

interest of his, Stan explained. One of his projects involves looking at different versions of the same book from the library on campus and documenting the markings people made on the pages, creating what he calls “a Coles notes made by everyone.” “I wanted to take a more critical view of art. I tried to blend art and regular life together,” he said, while screening his adaptation of Google Earth. By removing all of the useful software offered by the program, Stan leaves us with just a globe spinning at the same rate as the actual planet. “We all share the pleasure of looking at our home. We assume we can spin the planet around, zoom in and look at things whenever we want… In reality you can’t do that,” he said. Pictures of abandoned bicycles and barriers also cover a section of wall in Stan’s space, this too echoes one of Stan’s themes of the traces people leave behind. It seems we, as a society, are making art all the time by just being ourselves. The things we leave behind say something about who we are, making them good material for art. “I try to come in where something’s already built … it becomes what it is because of my approach to art,” said Stan. His work will be showing in Zavitz all week long, but the official opening is Thursday evening after 8pm when drinks and food will compliment the art.

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This week, Duncan D ay- Myro n t a l ks about Doris Lessing’s Mara and Dann Doris Lessing has one of the most varied bodies of work in contemporary literature: it’s hard to know what to expect from one of her books, whether it is going to be horror, thriller, or a historical narrative. With Mara and Dann: an Adventure, however, she sends out no mixed signals. From the beginning it’s clear that this book is what its title suggests, adventure. The book begins with two young children being held captive. They are taken from captivity and brought to stay with a friendly woman in a small town foreign to them. There they grow up while the world around them is falling apart. On their journey to this town, they encounter floods, the scattered

remains of dying or dead animals, and reminisce about their former lives of affluence. It’s here that we learn that the story is set thousands of years in the future, on the continent of Ifrik on an Earth ruined by environmental collapse: Ifrik is suffering drought and far spreading brushfires, while the northern continents are going through another ice age. The adventure continues as Mara and Dann leave the village, heading only for an indescribable “North,” a supposed land of promise. They travel from town to town, encountering progressively more sophisticated cultures, but each new city brings its own challenges to the two, which seem

to probe social issues far outside of the fantastic world the characters are exploring. Racial, cultural and language conflicts are all explored, adding depth and resonance to the narrative. In Mara, Lessing has created one of her most interesting and complex narrators. The development of her worldview is what most carried my interest from the beginning to end. Throughout all the chaos and tumult of her and her brother’s adventures, Mara craves knowledge. She starts the novel so sheltered, and as the reader learns things, so does Mara. The book is peppered with Mara’s inner monologues, attempts to rationalize her experiences with her understanding of the world and its history. These, in a sense recontextualize much of the events in a more philosophic light. If the narrator were not so sympathetic, the book would not have been nearly as strong or endearing. True to form, Lessing has crafted a thoroughly engrossing world with well-developed conflicts and social issues; the pacing is as steady and calculated as one would expect from a writer of her distinction, but she manages to create a tense, powerful story unlike any other she has written.

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THE ONTARION

ARTS & CULTURE

161.8

9

Featured artist: Liam Sanagan

JOANNA NEWSOM

HAVE ONE ON ME

I must admit that I was not a Joanna Newsom fan. I could not get past the squawking vocals of her debut, Milk-Eyed Mender, and subsequently ignored the highly critically acclaimed Ys. I probably would have also written off Newsom’s new album, Have One On Me (HOOM), if I hadn’t stumbled upon a headline from The Observer aptly saying, “Now that Joanna Newsom has finally learnt to sing, she’s even greater than ever” by reviewer Kitty Empire. While the result is true, the new vocal style is not entirely out of choosing. Many reports have discussed how vocal cord nodules permanently affected her voice, but she has also hinted at “further vocal modifications.” If you’re unfamiliar with “old” Newsom’s quirky voice, I can only obscurely compare it to Stephnie Weir’s character, Leona Campbell (Mad TV) or if Melanie Safka plugged her nose and sang her comical classic, “Brand New Key.” In fact, it’s probably easier to check out Newsom herself. For those in love with the Californian harpist/pianist’s squeaks and nasally croons, they are still subtly scattered through HOOM, but are mostly over powered by her impressive operatic howls and soft trills. However, if you are unfamiliar with Newsom and/or didn’t previously enjoy her, this album is the perfect introduction to her. Indeed HOOM is so accessible, retrospectively listening to her previous work is like meeting someone for the first time who you feel like you’ve known for years. But, HOOM also has the effect of putting Newsom’s body of work into perspective. To over simplify, say Milk-Eyed Mender was a movie trailer, then Ys would be the full feature and HOOM would be the book that it is all based on. I forgot

to mention, HOOM is a three disc, two hour long album with only six songs per disc. That is a lot of dense music to digest. Albums like HOOM are not meant to have stand-alone singles, they are meant to be listened to as a whole, which is why I have discarded the “Notable Tracks” section this week. However, with the vast amounts of music available at your finger tips and little time, I can understand the tendency to shy away from a two hour long adventure without some kind of preview. So if you must tastetest, try the much hyped “Good Intentions Paving Company,” or the title track for her polyrhythmic style. For those with a countrybone, “Ribbon Bows” is a must listen (Fingers crossed for some weird Grammy-forced NewsomDolly Parton collaboration). HOOM takes you to places that I haven’t been since Fleet Foxes 2008 debut. A place that is similar to the feeling of when you first stepped through that wardrobe as a child reading Narnia. This is why it’s no surprise to hear Robin Pecknold covering “On a Good Day” and is now confirmed to support Newsom on her upcoming tour. While Newsom has been reported to still be dating Andy Samberg, so far there are no reports of any T-Pain collaborations. Not even on Jimmy Fallon could we get a ?uestlove snare. Alas, there’s still hope for an SNL skit and performance. Listeners May Also Enjoy: Fleet Foxes – S/T , Sun Giant; Owen Pallett – Heartland Next Sound Check: Jason Collett – Rat a Tat Tat -Daniel Wright

COLLAPSING SPACE AND TIME

Work all untitled.

You all have probably been to Axelrod, right? Then most of you would know of its strikingly institutional décor, design, and layout. What you might not know is that on the third floor there is a little cluster of rooms that are studio spaces for the Specialized Studio Practice class (an upper year studio art class that is kind of like a honors thesis). Anyway, to make a short story hopefully longer, this is where I met Liam Sanagan, in his little section of an old science lab that had been retrofitted for an art studio. We had a little chat about space and time. More specifically we talked about how space relates to Liam’s practice. We spent a good chunk of time talking about these very beautiful drawings he made last year. In these drawings, he paints the ether of space using india ink and acyclics, leaving little white circles of exposed paper that represent the stars. This idea stemmed from comic books and science fiction, where space plays a major roll. Sanagan found this drawing of comic book space on one of the pages and spent an afternoon making his first little space drawing. After that, Sanagan developed the project into bigger drawings with a more refined technique. It became more like an abstract representation of the cosmos, kind of like a space that has a significant lack of space (which is what space is, I guess). About half way through our conversation, we realized that Liam likes taking the three dimensional world and flattening it into the two dimensional plane. He mentioned that he enjoyed the photograph of a sculpture more than the sculpture itself because it flattens the image; he likes flatness. This is a completely hilarious and wonderful idea, but it works for Sanagan and is brilliant because it makes him (and the viewer) laugh; always a good sign. With the space drawings, he is able to collapse the huge vastness of space in a single, simple yet elegant drawing. Sanagan creates depth within the spacey cloud by clustering the stars closer together in some areas and further apart in others. This produces the illusion of a billowy cloud of space and makes the images really pop off the paper; a beautiful way of flattening the 3D. Which is a similar technique to the smooched can drawings that Sanagan has recently been working on. He thinks of them as cubist drawings as you can see all planes at the same time. He is making them because, as Sanagan puts it, “I like drawing them, because they’re flat.” No one could have said it any better. You can see the correlation developing in his work and I am very excited to see how his practice furthers. -Miles Stemp

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10

SPORTS & HEALTH

MAR. 11 - 17, 2010

THEONTARION.CA

Small’s goal not enough as Laurier wins seventh OUA title

Rashaad Bhamjee

Erin Small (centre) tips a shot past Golden Hawks goaltender Liz Knox in Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Laurier.

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THE ONTARION

161.8

SPORTS & HEALTH

11

Gryphons fall short in OUA Championships JUSTIN DUNK Despite hosting Game 2 of the OUA Championship series on Saturday at the Gryphon Centre, the Guelph Gryphons women’s hockey team saw their season come to an end. A large red and gold crowd was on hand to see the hometown Gryphons lose a hard-fought 2-1 decision to the Laurier Golden Hawks. “It hurts,” said Dayna Kanis, a Gryphons fourth-year forward and alternate captain,. “This is the second year in a row [losing to Laurier in the finals] and to lose at home like this in front of such a supportive crowd, it’s tough.” Both teams came out of the locker room playing with the kind of energy and emotion that would be expected in a championship game. The Golden Hawks got on the scoreboard early in the period when third-year forward Katherine Shirriff banged in a rebound, just 3:32 into the opening frame. Less then three minutes later, however, the Gryphons stormed back when third-year forward Erin Small tipped in a point shot from Emily Corbett to tie the game at one. Small’s league-leading fourth goal of the playoffs ignited the hometown crowd, which was loud and proud from the first drop of the puck. The Golden Hawks were not rattled by the hostile environment, and just over six minutes later, rookie forward Devon Skeats beat

Gryphons goaltender Danielle Skoufranis to grab the lead right back. The Gryphons had a flurry of scoring chances to end the period, but could not beat Golden Hawks goaltender and OUA Player of the Year, Liz Knox.

It’s hard. We out-shot them in both games, we out-chanced them, and we really felt like we deserved to win both of those games. Chelsey Roy graduating Gryphons goaltender

The second period started slowly until the halfway point when the Gryphons had a golden opportunity to tie the game on a five-on-three power play. Despite the constant pressure, the Golden Hawks were able to kill off the disadvantage without any damage. The was no scoring in the period, and the Golden Hawks held a slim 2-1 lead, going into the third period. With their season on the line, the Gryphons seemed to find their legs as the final 20 minutes of play began. They were all over the

Golden Hawks, keeping the puck in the Laurier end of the ice for the majority of the period. The Gryphons had multiple scoring chances, both at even strength and on the power play, but Knox continued to stand tall and deny the Gryphons chances for the equalizer that they were so desperately seeking. With Skoufranis on the bench in favour of an extra attacker for the final 90 seconds, time ran out on the Gryphons, giving Laurier the win. The win gave Laurier a two-game sweep in the best-ofthree OUA championship series as the Golden Hawks claimed their seventh straight OUA title. “It’s hard,” said graduating goaltender Chelsey Roy, who saw her Gryphon career come to a close. “We out-shot them in both games, we out-chanced them, and we really felt like we deserved to win both of those games. “It’s a special feeling you have, being on a varsity team,” she continued. “You do everything together and you go through ups and downs together. The memories are what make it so great.” The Gryphons were gracious in defeat, looking at the positive achievements of their season and the bright future ahead. Kanis hopes to come back next season and be a part of the team for one final season. “I have no doubt in my mind that next year we are going to be bigger and better,” she said.

Rashaad Bhamjee

Gryphons goaltender Danielle Skoufranis gets a face full of snow as she turns away a shot in Saturday’s final against Laurier.

Whitton and deGroot conclude illustrious careers Pair of Gryphons had a major impact after transferring from Alberta DAN HOWSE While there is certainly plenty to be excited about for next season, one thing that no one on the Guelph Gryphons men’s volleyball team is excited for is losing fifthyear captain Jonathon Whitton and fifth-year Libero of the year, Gabriel deGroot. Second-year setter Riley McAllister expressed how different – and difficult – it will be to adjust to playing without Whitton and deGroot. “It’s gonna be tough, those guys are awesome,” McAllister said. “We had a great passing lineup with Gabe, Andrew Bartram and Jon.” Bartram, a fourth-year leftside and another key defender and passer for the Gryphons, is likely finished school, but still has one remaining year of eligibility. The coaching staff is trying to bring him back for one more season. “We’re trying to talk him into coming back for another year,” said head coach Cal Wigston. While the team remains

Rashaad Bhamjee

Graduating fifth-year libero Gabe deGroot will be sorely missed for his defensive instincts. optimistic about Bartram returning, they are also staying realistic. Even if Bartram does return, the Gryphons are still losing part of the core of one of the most effective passing lineups

in the OUA. “It’ll be hard to replace them,” said Wigston. The combination of Whitton’s leadership and passing with deGroot’s defensive tenacity

created a ton of opportunities for the Gryphons. With deGroot at the libero position, no spike was un-diggable. And with Whitton keeping everyone calm and collected, very few points led to overwhelming streaks for the opposing team. The result was a team that turned tough kill attempts into impressive passing sets. This quality is imperative to a winning volleyball team. “I don’t think there’s a more moment-rich game than volleyball,” said Wigston. “It’s so predicated on runs. It’s just such an up and down sport.” Whitton and deGroot helped keep the Gryphons on the right end of those runs. Both Whitton and deGroot came to the OUA two years ago from the King’s University College in Alberta. Whitton originally comes from Edmonton and deGroot from Langley, BC. Both had tremendous success in college and wanted a chance to prove they could play at the CIS level. Both earned all-star credentials in college, where deGroot, in particular, shined. deGroot became the second all-time leader in digs in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference with 449. “From the time he stepped on

the court, Gabriel deGroot was a huge success,” said Wigston. “It will be hard to replace his work ethic and on court presence.” Whitton’s more versatile game doesn’t lend itself to breaking records with one specific statistic. It’s his combination of defence, offence and passing that made him one of the most important players for Guelph. However, the most valuable commodity he brought the Gryphons can’t be measured at all. “Jon’s on-court leadership has been nothing short of tremendous and will be greatly missed,” said Wigston. “It will be very hard to replace what Jon did for this team, on and off the court.” While every varsity team eventually loses their key contributors, the leadership and energy these two brought will be especially difficult to replace. Add the potential additional loss of Bartram and we could see a very different looking Gryphons team next year. That doesn’t, however, faze Wigston. “We’ve got some young guys and some recruits,” he said. “And we’re excited to see what they can do.”

READING THE VOICES OF THE HUMAN LIBRARY

Pro-Life

Daniel bitonti

She isn’t a religious fanatic, she doesn’t ram her views down people’s throats and she doesn’t subscribe to every socially conservative viewpoint out there. Cara is pro-life. Before meeting Cara, I don’t think I had ever had a conversation about abortion with a pro-lifer. I was drawn to her as a book because over the years the media had shaped my conception of what it meant to be pro-life. Images from the southern United States of violent protests outside of abortion clinics and government buildings, with solemn citations from the Old Testament, was what came to mind when I thought about someone who was pro-life. Cara is nothing like this at all. She is religious, but her views on abortion are not intrinsically linked to her faith. She’s pro-life because she’s convinced by scientific evidence that life begins at fertilization – to her, the unborn represent the most vulnerable members of our society. Our conversation touched on many different things. I was curious about what it was like to hold openly pro-life views on a university campus, where I presume pro-life is a minority viewpoint. Cara told me that more people than I might think hold pro-life views, but more generally speaking, the curriculum at universities has now become pro-choice. She says she sometimes feels like an outsider. I couldn’t help but remember a story I had written for the Ontarion in November of 2008. The prolife group on campus, Life Choice, had not been accredited by the CSA. One of the commissioners at the time publicly stated that it was the CSA’s position that the abortion debate was now closed. Now, I didn’t expect to come out of my meeting with Cara as a pro-lifer. I have always been prochoice. But Cara challenged my views on abortion, raising questions I hadn’t considered. “How is it really pro-choice?” she asked. What Cara meant was that perhaps the underlying issue is that women are sometimes left in a position where there are in fact few choices when deciding whether to have a baby: either have an abortion or bring a child into a life of financial despair, or into a life where the parents don’t want the child. “Is that the best we can do as a society?” she asked. Did I agree? Not necessarily. And I left my meeting with Cara surer of my pro-choice views. But this was because for the first time she forced me to explore the reasons why I was pro-choice: before it had been almost instinctual for me to say that I was pro-choice, without even questioning why. I had only ever talked about abortion with people who held similar views. For the first time I was asking why. No one can deny that I had a conversation with a person who came to her beliefs based on her own rational thinking. No one can deny two people we were sitting together on a university campus discussing abortion. She challenged me. I challenged her. Debate on this issue is not closed. And it should never be.

Living a vegan life

Nicole elsasser

I am a proud omnivore. I “went vegetarian” once and gave it up one fine day for a chicken shawarma. Without intention, I had surrounded myself with a group of equally omnivoric friends, and therefore had a very foggy understanding of what it was that urged a person to be a vegan. My totally uneducated assumption was that most chose the lifestyle for its health benefits. It was this incomplete understanding of the vegan lifestyle that caused me to find myself standing in the library, waiting to sit down for a block of time with a total stranger. The idea of exposing myself to a totally different dietary philosophy was an exciting one. When the time came and I sat down with my “vegan book,” I was instantly put at ease. My book had been doing this all day, had brought some notes in case there was a lull in conversation, and could talk endlessly about his choice to be a vegan and the difficulties he faced in this decision. As he explained, there were multiple prongs to his decision to be a vegan. Interestingly, the nutrition aspect that I had assumed would dominate this decision was dwarfed by his genuine love and compassion for the animal kingdom. Tears seemed to appear in his eyes as he discussed the prospect of killing and consuming any animal. He rocked back and forth in his chair while he discussed a dinner party he had been at where a comment from a fellow diner, “As long as it once looked over a gate, I’ll eat it,” actually put him off all the food on his plate, though totally vegan it was. My book was so dedicated to this philosophy that he didn’t even feel totally comfortable about owning a pet rabbit, one that he had rescued, even though he allowed it to roam free in his bedroom and never trapped it in a cage. I had not expected to encounter such genuine and unfaltering compassion for the animals I eat regularly. I was taken aback. I had become so accustomed to the common environmental or nutritional explanations for the vegan lifestyle that I didn’t know how to rationalize this. My mind, now guiltily, rushed to the pork chops I was planning on eating that night for dinner, to the leather boots on my feet, and the article I had written just days before advocating the wearing of fur. For a moment, I felt frivolous. And then I remembered myself, my reasons for eating meat, wearing leather and living the lifestyle that I did. I kept these to myself, however. I had no desire to validate my choices to my book; he never asked me to. When I rose to leave the table, and my book, I left not with a changed mind, but with a kind of relief that only comes from some necessary self-reflection. That while I do eat meat, I don’t do it blindly or without understanding. I could stop feeling frivolous.

Co-infected: Hep c and hiv positive

daniel bitonti

By 1997, Pamela had spent more than a decade doing hard drugs and working the streets of Vancouver’s downtown eastside. She says she was worn out, emotionally raped long before she was physically. She now wanted out. Her downward spiral began in 1984 after she made the decision to put her first child up for adoption. During the pregnancy she had contracted Hepatitis C through a blood transfusion. She turned to drugs to deal with the pain. She was just 20-years old. In a Vancouver hotel room she was now getting high for one of the last times. She had convinced herself to get into rehab. She had used all the veins in her arm, so she had a friend inject the needle into her neck. He prepared both a clean needle of hers and one for himself. He was openly HIV positive. He ended up sticking his needle into her neck. Pamela thinks it was because he had put more heroin into her clean needle and wanted it for himself. She says she didn’t think twice about it at the time. When you meet Pamela, you believe her when she says she once was a model and a dancer with the National Ballet School. She’s tall with blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, incredibly charismatic and ready to speak candidly about her life. She asked me why I wanted to read her. I had a simple answer: I had just been tested for HIV, after years of prolonging out of fear. I was negative, but I wanted to explore where my own fears stemmed from. During my worst neurosis, I feared that having HIV would essentially be a social death sentence. How would my relationships change? Could I ever meet anyone romantically? How would I possibly be able to get up in the morning? When Pamela entered rehab she had a meeting with a doctor who told her she had contracted HIV. She told me it was from the needle she had shared with her friend. The news put Pamela into a catatonic shock. She says she doesn’t remember what happened in the days following, becoming completely paralyzed. Pamela had out of body experiences, finally coming back to consciousness 30 days later. My meeting with Pamela was now challenging the worst fears and presumptions I had about HIV. First of all, Pamela was not a gay man. Even though I know damn well HIV affects more than just gay men, as I was waiting to meet this book I couldn’t help but anticipate a chat with someone who was gay. I also thought everything would shut down if I had HIV. For Pamela everything had shut down, at least initially. In my own imaginings, after having accepted my HIV, I thought I would be a social outcast among my friends and family. Pamela says it’s still hard. On one occasion she met someone from high school who inquired whether it was true that she had HIV – she lied and said she didn’t. Pamela hasn’t used drugs since finding out about her HIV. She moved back east after that. She started a new life. There is no question her life is different living with both Hepatitis C and HIV. There are, of course, the obvious medical issues. But she’s had lovers, HIV negative ones, and they all have accepted her. In fact, she says HIV saved her life. If it hadn’t been for her diagnosis, she believes she would have ended up back on the street. She now has incredible relationships with her other children, all of who are aware of her past. She does say it’s still tough to get out of bed sometimes. But she’s on a mission to educate and to debunk the myths and assumptions about HIV. This is what gets her up. She does countless workshops and leadership programs. “It should be in the school curriculums,” she says about educating people about HIV. What is most amazing about Pamela’s story is her resiliency and her ability to take ownership of her life. “It would be easy to blame what has happened on alcoholic parents or something like that,” she says. “But that wasn’t the case. I had a silver spoon.” A couple of years ago she was able to be beside her mother as she died, becoming the daughter her mother always wanted her to be. And just a month ago the son she gave up 25-years ago reconnected with her. “It’s been amazing,” she says. “It’s all come full circle,” the both of us trying to hold back tears.

Disabled Runner

Mike Treadgold

You can imagine my confusion when I first sat down with Cyndy MacLean, the ‘Disabled Runner book’ from last week’s Human Library. You see, when I met Cyndy, she was in a wheelchair, hardly something I expected to see with a runner. She later explained that her ‘book title’ was somewhat tongue-in-cheek. I’ll explain later. In 2000, MacLean, at the age of 30 and an avid recreational runner in near-perfect health, decided that she would run one marathon per year, until she turned 40. And, after fulfilling this goal in each of the next two years, she began training in Utah for yet another marathon in the summer of 2003. Accompanied by her father and dog, MacLean began her return journey to Guelph, where she was an employee at the university’s Health and Performance Centre. And during a short hiking trip through Michigan, her life would change forever. While trekking through some particularly hilly terrain, MacLean’s father turned to speak to his daughter. All he saw, however, were Cyndy’s boots in mid-air. She and their dog had slipped and fallen off the cliff. Leaving his camera behind, MacLean’s father rushed to the base of the cliff, some 30 metres below where his daughter had fallen. The date was Friday, June 13, 2003. The number 13 would live on forever in MacLean’s life. Upon reaching his daughter at the base of the cliff, it was clear that MacLean had suffered a serious injury. Paramedics soon arrived and she was airlifted to a hospital in Minnesota, suffering from three broken vertebrae and a severe spinal cord injury. Cyndy MacLean was paralyzed from the waist down. After MacLean was airlifted from the scene of her injury, her father returned to the edge of cliff where he had left his camera. Prior to his descent, he had taken exactly 12 pictures, before leaving the camera on the ground. When he developed the film, however, 13 pictures were on the roll of film. Inexplicably, the thirteenth picture was a bird’s eye view of the rescue scene, taken by an unknown passer-by while Cyndy was tended to below. To this day, the photographer remains unknown. While recovering in hospital, MacLean was contacted by Rick Hansen, who asked her to bring his Wheels in Motion program to Guelph. MacLean happily obliged and she continues to be the chairperson of the Guelph chapter. Interestingly, the program was set to begin on June 13, 2004, exactly one year to the day of her injury. While rehabbing in Hamilton, MacLean was presented with the idea of playing wheelchair tennis. A previously unfamiliar sport, MacLean was interested and as she became familiar with using her wheelchair, her love of the sport increased. Cyndy’s injury also forced her to find new living accommodations. The apartment number of her first accessible dwelling post-injury: 13. MacLean has since been named to the Canadian national women’s wheelchair tennis team, one of only two women in the country to play at such a high level. The date of her first international competition in Italy: June 13. Now I return to MacLean’s puzzling ‘book title.’ As she explained to me, Cyndy calls herself a ‘Disabled Runner’ because despite her injury, the only thing that she cannot do now is run. Otherwise, she lives a complete, healthy, active and productive lifestyle, uninhibited by her injury. The hour that I spent with Cyndy MacLean, hearing her inspirational story, was a time that I will not soon forget. Her dedication and commitment to hard work was as heartwarming as it was fascinating. She is truly a role model and an inspiration for both disabled athletes and women in sport.

survivor of suicide

of a loved one

zack macrae

I remember getting the call. It was early September and I was riding my bike to the grocery store to get a few things for dinner. I hadn’t even made it off my street when the phone rang. Mom was on the other end. She was crying; her voice was exhausted and muffled. “Baby, something bad has happened, your uncle is gone.” Stumbling from my bike and leaving it to lay on the street, I sat against a brick wall, head bowed between my legs sobbing frantically with my mom. Her brother, my uncle, had committed suicide. If you’re a survivor of suicide of someone you love, you know that there are many extremely complicated emotions and a great deal of consequences that follow. When I read the booklist for this year’s Human Library, one title stuck out: Survivor of Suicide of a Loved One. Arriving at the library to take out the book, I had more than one reservation. I wasn’t sure how helpful the conversation would be. Was half an hour really enough time to delve under the surface of such a complex and personal topic? Would we unearth anything constructive? From the first page, I can tell you that I was immersed. The book told a story of how on one particularly normal afternoon, her father, without any warning, committed suicide in the driver’s seat of his car. There were no signs to tell her that her father might be contemplating such a heavy topic. He wasn’t depressed, he was in good health, and to all who knew him he was a caring and jovial man. As we compared stories, the similarity of feeling was eerie. My hands became clammy and the relationship and understanding that we had forged together intensified. We talked about feelings of confusion and resentment. Why did her father want to leave? Was it selfish that my uncle took his own life? Many of these questions cannot be answered, but we landed on one conclusion concerning judgment. She told me that it was important not to judge the actions of our loved ones, that the decision was made by them alone and that we should not be ashamed. The inspiring part about her story was her perseverance and ability to think positively of such a horrible situation. Since her father committed suicide, she has spoken to numerous groups and has started an event called the suicide watch walk, where people come to walk and talk through the feelings associated with suicide. She showed me the importance of honouring the person you loved; through small, everyday occurrences the memory of my uncle can live on and become something physical. In her last anecdote, the book left me with a detail from her father’s suicide that she will always take comfort in. When she was able to see the car that her father had died in only days before, the passenger seat of the car was littered with pictures of her family. A hint that tells her that his final thoughts were with his family and that his love for them was above everything in his life.

14

MAR. 11 - 17, 2010

SPORTS & HEALTH

Gryphons come home with silver

Gryphons quest for a coach

Gr yphon men’s volleyball team falls to Queen’s in OUA finals

Ex-Mounties coach, LaLonde, the first to interview for football coaching vacancy

DAN HOWSE Sometimes, a game comes down to one play. Sometimes, the play comes to do one bounce. Sometimes, the bounce comes down to one inch. The Gryphon men’s five-set loss to Queen’s in Saturday’s OUA championship was one of those games. After upsetting the defending champion McMaster Marauders 3-2 on Friday, in what was one of the biggest comebacks in Guelph sporting history, the Gryphons lost what had to be the one of the closest games in Guelph sporting history the following evening. Losing the first set 25-22 to Queen’s, Guelph stormed back and won both the second and third sets by same scores of 25-17. After Queen’s responded by winning the fourth, the Gryphons appeared poised to take the fifth and final set, staying on top of the Gaels throughout the set. But in the end, junior national team members Joren Zeeman and Michael Amoroso of the Gaels proved too much to handle, going on a 6-1 run to end the set and the match. After picking up their thirteenth point on a big kill from departing fifth-year captain Jonathan Whitton, the Gryphons looked ready to close out the game. But, after a pair of big blocks from Bryan Faultley and Niko Rukavina, the Gaels rode their star horse, going to Zeeman’s power around the net for the final two kills. Obviously, in a game like volleyball, saying the ball took a bad bounce is kind of redundant – it happens on nearly every point. But when the final point in a gold medal game comes down to a clutch dig nicking the corner of an overhanging basketball net, it’s fair to say that for the Gryphons, the

THEONTARION.CA

MIKE TREADGOLD Head football coaching changes in the OUA are always intriguing stories in the world of university sport. With former Gryphons head coach Kyle Walters having tendered his resignation just two weeks ago, the department of athletics will be working against the clock to fill the position by the end of the month. With spring camp approaching and potential recruits questioning the direction of the program, the Ontarion will be covering the university’s search for a new head coach in the coming weeks, following the candidates who interview for the position.

Courtesy

Gryphons middle Andrew Revie goes up for a kill in Friday’s semi-final win over McMaster. game was lost on a bad bounce. “It’s just heartbreaking right now,” said head coach Cal Wigston. “It was ours to lose and we found a way to lose it.” While the loss put a decidedly bittersweet aftertaste on an otherwise incredible season and playoff run, Wigston didn’t let it ruin the year. “It was phenomenal,” Wigston said of the semi-final win on Friday night. Down 2-0 in an enemy arena, the Gryphons stormed back and won the final three sets. And while the program has been consistently improving, beating a dominant McMaster team on the road gives the Gryphons a new kind of legitimacy and reputation. “It was almost monumental for our program as we move ahead,” said Wigston. Whitton shared Wigston’s enthusiasm over the weekend.

“The games were exciting and an incredible event to be a part of,” he said. While rotation regulars like Whitton, Gabriel deGroot, Andrew Bartram, Riley McAllister and Winston Rosser all played very solid games over the weekend, the one player who came in and really stood out was the feisty and athletic second-year Jamie Stamler. “Mac didn’t know what to do with Jamie Stamler,” said Wigston. “They’d never seen him before.” With his combination of exceptional vertical, power hitting instincts and unrivalled intensity, few teams would know what to do with the six-foot-four middle. Queen’s certainly didn’t. Stamler’s substitution in Saturday’s game sparked the Gryphons, and helped lead them to winning the second and third sets. Although Stamler started last year, Wigston moved him into a reserve role for 2009-10 in an effort to create a more balanced lineup and unexpected attack off of the bench. Wigston said that Stamler handled the switch with impressive maturity. “He’s a great teammate, a good leader and the guys love him,” said Wigston. With both Queen’s and McMaster game-planning around

neutralizing the bigger but slower starting middle hitter Andrew Revie, Wigston made the difficult decision to give the bulk of his minutes to the Gryphons’ secret weapon. “I felt sick for Andrew; we would not have made it through the [quarter-final] Windsor game if not for him.” But, with the season on the line, Wigston had to show both the Marauders and Gaels a different and surprising new look. The other surprise waiting for both McMaster and Queen’s were the fans. While both matches will officially be recorded as road games, memory suggests otherwise. While the Marauders still brought out a number of fans at home, Guelph had a sizable contingent of their own, harassing the Marauder bench with pots, pans and a whole lot of noise. With no home team to contend with, Guelph fans were even more dominant in the Queen’s game, taking over the arena and claiming the Burridge Gym as their own. Wigston could not contain his gratitude. “I’m unbelievably grateful to our fans,” he said. “Guelph is a phenomenal place and I will never, ever forget that.”

Multiple reports have confirmed that former Mount Allison Mounties head coach Steve LaLonde was the first interview candidate for the Gryphons head football coaching position. LaLonde met with Kendall, as well as a group of approximately 20 returning players, for several hours last Thursday morning in Guelph. LaLonde was the head coach of the Mounties from 2006-2008, where he compiled a 3-21 record, but was also named Atlantic University Sport (AUS) Coach of the Year in 2006, when his Mounties won two games, breaking a 34-game losing streak for the program, dating back to 2002. Despite LaLonde’s less-thanstellar record as a head coach, it is important to note that the Mount Allison program has a history of being one of the worst in Canada. As one source close to the story indicated, the Mounties would be in a class below York and Toronto – by far the OUA’s worst teams – if they played in Ontario, and the fact that LaLonde led his team to any victories during his tenure as head coach is a testament to his skills. Since leaving the Mounties in 2008, LaLonde, who has recruiting experience in Ontario as well, has coached community college and high school football in Iowa and Vermont. With the job posting closing on Friday, expect more candidates to be interviewed in the coming weeks. Stay tuned as the Gryphons continue their quest for a coach.

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The ultimate juggling act Think playing varsity sports is hard? How about playing two? JUSTINE BASKEY University students are no stranger to the necessity of multitasking in order to stay in school, have a social life, keep a part-time job, and many other activities or responsibilities. Even more familiar with the necessity of good multitasking skills are student-athletes who find time to do school, train for their respective sport, and compete. Jason Diston and Dustin McCrank take this juggling act to a new level. These two men are among the athletes who take part in not one, but two varsity sports at the University of Guelph. Some call them crazy, others know how they feel, but no matter what your viewpoint, you have to admire them for the dedication. First-year students may find it daunting to come to university, but Diston puts them all to shame. Recently, Diston won the men’s pentathlon at the OUA track and field championships, and he is also a receiver on the Gryphons football team. “Out of all of the difficulties, I would say juggling school and two sports is the most challenging task I have ever had to face,” said Diston, a first-year student himself.

“I probably spend, at the minimum, six hours a day training or doing something related to either football or track.” Similarily, McCrank finds himself with a full plate. Not only does he play for the Gryphon men’s rugby team, but he is also an AllCanadian weight thrower with the track and field team. Originally, McCrank was recruited to Guelph to play hockey, and although he no longer plays on the varsity team, he is a hockey officiator in both the OHL and OHA. “While on my recruit visit with Jeff Reid, the former hockey coach, I met [Gryphons track and field head coach] Dave ScottThomas and let him know that I had thrown shot put and hammer in high school, so he told me to come see him when I arrived in September. I competed in both sports my first year at Guelph,” said McCrank. “I found myself missing the team aspect of hockey. I had some buddies on the rugby team at the time, and they encouraged me to come out for the team in the fall.” Not only do these men play a juggling act with school and sports, but they also have to deal with the balance of two different types of training “My training schedule is extremely time consuming,” said Diston. “Someone who plays one sport has only one training program.

For me, I have two totally different weight lifting and technical training [programs]. “During this track season, I still try to do as much of the football training as possible. But training for two varsity sports every day is definitely not an easy task, especially if you want to excel in both.” Though McCrank finds that his seasons work well in relation to one another, he too admits to the difficulties he finds in two different training styles. “It is a challenge,”said McCrank. “In the throws, you are training for that one explosive moment each time you step into the circle; heavy lifting, explosive stuff. In rugby, it is 80 minutes of fitness and strength and knowledge, a lot of reps, running, thinking.” Both men admitted to being avid participants in many sports since childhood. McCrank also played volleyball and soccer, while Diston boasts of a love for basketball, which he wishes he could fit in his schedule. Neither felt they could choose between the two sports they take part in and are prepared to keep working at a fast and full pace, despite all odds. “It is extremely exhausting, both physically and mentally, to be at the top of two sports,” admitted Diston. “I’m finding that out the hard way [in] my first year. All the extra time you put in makes a difference, and you will be rewarded.”

Rashaad Bhamjee

Weight thrower Dustin McCrank is just one among many two-sport Gryphons athletes.

Across the nation for a worthy cause MIKE TREADGOLD For Ian Whatley, the combination was all too fitting: a chance to combine a lifelong hobby with an awareness campaign for a highly personal illness. Growing up in Peterborough with limited access to transportation, Whatley had to rely on his bicycle to get around as a youth. Cycling became a hobby and a necessity, eventually leading to an individual journey throughout Nova Scotia. And like anyone else, Whatley has also been forced to deal with the trials and tribulations of family illness, as two of his grandparents – individuals with whom he shared close relationships – have been stricken by Alzheimer’s disease, the degenerative, terminal condition that initially affects one’s mental, and eventually physical capabilities. “It’s been difficult watching [my grandparents] being taken over by this disease,” said Whatley. “It’s hard to watch someone cope with it when they used to be so coherent and loving. You can tell that on some level, they know what is happening to them, too, and you can see their frustration.” With a desire to draw awareness to Alzheimer’s and make practical use of his passion for cycling, Whatley, along with fellow thirdyear biological sciences student and friend, Benjamin Love, have decided to set forth on a two-wheel journey across Canada, beginning in late June.

Courtesy

Ian Whatley (left) and Benjamin Love will be embarking on their cross-country cycling journey for Alzheimer’s in June. The idea for the awareness campaign was founded while the two U of G students were having lunch, late last summer. Each with an appreciation for cycling and Whatley, with his family history of Alzheimer’s, the decision was easy. “It really came out of nowhere,” said Love. “I went to Ian and asked if he wanted to [cycle] across Canada. It’s something we’ve both always wanted to do.” Their trek will begin in Vancouver,

British Columbia, and remain close to the Canada-US border, traveling through the prairies and into Ontario, before making their way along the St. Lawrence River through Quebec, New Brunswick and finishing in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Whatley and Love have set their average daily target around 120 kilometres. “On some days when we get a nice tailwind, perhaps we can push 200 kilometres,” speculated Love.

“But going through the mountains on other days, we might only be able to go for 60 or so.” By traveling close to the major cities across the country, Whatley and Love are hoping that their journey gains momentum and support as they move eastward. While they don’t expect to acquire a Forrest Gump-esque following, they remain optimistic. “We’d like to build momentum leading up to the beginning of the trip, and also as we get going,” said Love. “We’re hoping that by keeping people updated via our website, it’ll get as big as possible. “We’ve set our fundraising goal at $5 000, but we’d love to exceed that,” added Whatley. “We’re hoping to generate awareness as we do the ride and we hope that will happen as we meet people along the way.” Whatley and Love have done extensive research leading up to their June departure. Accounts from other cyclists, who have made the same journey, recommend beginning on the west coast and traveling eastward. This allows them to take advantage of the prevailing winds, and battle through the mountainous stretches at the beginning of the trip, instead of at the end. In addition to soliciting publicity from other newspapers and the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada, Whatley and Love have created their own comprehensive website, acrossthenation.ca, to complement their initiative. The website contains

a secure link to the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada where individuals can make donations to support their upcoming journey. As they travel, Whatley and Love intend to update the website on a regular basis with pictures, blog updates and personal accounts from their travels. “We can’t wait to get started,” said Love. “We’re really looking forward to sharing our experiences with everyone and we want to get the word out as best we can and really generate awareness.”

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16

MAR. 11 - 17, 2010

SPORTS & HEALTH

THEONTARION.CA

Hats off to bald men Life after hair loss: the facts about going bald JOSH DOYLE Last week, we reached out to the men and women on campus showing signs of silver in their hair, in hopes of lessening their burden. We promised to give that same recognition and support to those with different hair trouble. As promised, we now present you with the survival guide to going bald. As we males are fully aware, baldness is not uncommon. It is no surprise when we look at older, or even middle aged men, to see an absence of hair on their heads. As we age, hair grows at a decreased rate, causing it to thin over time. Approximately 25 per cent of men in North America will begin losing their hair by the age of 30, and nearly 75 per cent will go bald before they are 80. Our society deals with hair loss rather well, many opting for the time-tested comb over, while others just shave their heads altogether. Some try to balance their hair equation by growing the remaining hair rather long. This, however, can have a negative

effect on your appearance, and the Ontarion does not recommend it. While losing hair with age seems natural, a more difficult phenomenon to accept is losing it early on. Andrew, a University of Guelph student in his third year, provided some insight on how it felt to lose hair in his early 20s. Similar to last week’s interviewee, Andrew was brave enough to share stories, but not his last name. “I’d say [I was] probably around 19 when I really noticed it,” he said. “It seemed like my hairline was getting higher, although I liked to think it wasn’t.” As is the case with greying, most males do not consider their potential to go bald until it starts happening, making the experience all the more traumatic. The truth is, baldness can, and does begin rather commonly in the late teens and early 20s. The condition affecting Andrew, and most of the world’s bald men, is referred to as male pattern baldness. This is the most common form of hair loss in males and takes the shape of a receding hairline at the front sides, often coupled with a bald spot on the top. It’s thought to be mostly determined by genetics, but stress can increase the rate at which hair

Dion Hinchcliffe

falls out. While male pattern baldness is natural, and does not imply ill health, it can have a negative impact on one’s self-esteem. “I felt pretty embarrassed when it first started happening,” Andrew said. “I did what I could to hide it from people, like wearing hats a lot. I was worried about girls more than anything.” This is a common concern for balding men. But while the average

woman may find a full head of hair more attractive than none, or hair that is thinning, it’s more often the self-consciousness that comes with hair loss that women are put off by. Studies show that women are commonly attracted to confidence in a man, and a good sense of humour, rather than appearance alone. Still, many seek remedies for their hair loss, hoping to fight the natural course of events, and

science does offer treatments to help. Rogaine is easy to obtain and is shown to decrease hair loss, and sometimes, even encourage new growth. Andrew experimented with this method, but has recently begun to seek other options. “I tried using Rogaine and it seems to work,” he said. “But, I’m looking into surgeries to fix the problem for good.” Hair transplants or ‘plugs’ are the option he was referring to. These can have impressive results, like they did for comedian Robin Williams, but can be rather costly, ranging from $6,000 to $20,000 per surgery. Of course, there is the method of acceptance, and while easier said than done for most, this is definitely a possibility. Famous actor Patrick Stewart didn’t let male pattern baldness slow him down. As captain of the Enterprise in the popular TV show Star Trek, he led a fleet of explorers through space, captivating the attention of millions, being bald since 19. Clearly it’s not over for you if you’re losing your hair. It’s normal, natural, and you’re not alone. The best thing you can do in the event of losing your hair, is keep your confidence.

Ineffective officiating casts dark shadow over hockey finals On

tarion

MIKE TREADGOLD First, let me make one thing clear: I am not usually a proponent of criticizing officiating. In any sport. If an umpire has a wide strike zone, expand your batting eye. If a referee has a tendency for calling soft fouls in the paint, ease up on the contact under the basket. If skating judges prefer jumps to footwork, you’d better get some more air. Because, although there are rules in every sport, officiating remains highly subjective. It is what it is, and human error is inevitable in every case. But, ask any athlete what is one thing they crave among officials in their respective sport and their answers will be nearly unanimous: fairness and consistency. And such characteristics should, for obvious reasons, be explicitly on display in championship games. In these games you have the best athletes, who are deserving of the best officiating. Sadly, in Saturday’s OUA women’s hockey finals between Guelph and Laurier, the level of officiating did not match the level of play. Right from when the puck was first dropped, it became apparent that the Gryphons and the Golden Hawks did not like each other, and Saturday’s game was bound to be filled with physicality and emotion. Their rivalry goes back several years, amid a history of physical play, –

Rashaad Bhamjee

Consistent officiating in OUA women’s hockey will help the legitimacy of the sport. remember, women’s hockey is by and large non-contact – tight games and emotional players. Initially, it seemed that despite the rules, the referees were bound and determined to let the women play largely uninterrupted, physical contact and all. Fine. But, be consistent and above all else, do NOT let the game get out of hand to the point where someone could get hurt. As the intensity continued to

build, players started to become increasingly aggressive around the crease, jabbing at non-existent rebounds and interfering with Liz Knox and Danielle Skoufranis, the two respective goaltenders – a major no-no in the hockey world, regardless of the gender of the players. Despite the crease contact, the referees’ whistles remained silent, and the level of discomfort in the play of Knox and Skoufranis became

visible. The game was getting out of hand, with no one to blame but the stripes. Now, in officiating circles, there commonly exists the notion of ‘make-up calls’: when an official makes a borderline call that clearly favours one team, the next similarly subjective decision often favours the opposition, balancing the scales, so to speak. And, after calling two consecutive penalties against the Golden Hawks halfway through the second period, Saturday’s officials clearly had ‘make-up call’ and not ‘make the right call’ on their minds. In the midst of a skirmish in front of the Laurier bench, directly in the line of sight of an official, a Laurier forward inexplicably punched Gryphons defenceman Carla D’Angelo in the back of the head. This unfounded and deliberate infraction went ignored by the officials, while D’Angelo retreated to the Gryphon bench. Furthermore, poorly judged penalties were not the only missteps from Saturday’s officiating crew. At the beginning of the second the period, with Tori Woods of the Gryphons serving the remainder of an interference penalty called at the end of the first, the Gryphons cleared the puck the length of the ice, an acceptable action, given that they were killing a penalty. But, the officials blew the play dead, calling the Gryphons for icing. They had forgotten about Woods’ penalty altogether. Upon recognizing their mistake, the faceoff was moved to centre ice, allowing the Golden Hawks to continue

their attack. Missed offsides calls and un-whistled goaltender freezes continued throughout the final 40 minutes of play, leaving a black mark on what was otherwise, an outstanding game. For a multitude of reasons, women’s sports fail to garner the same attention as their male counterparts. Observers often criticize women’s sports as being inherently amateur. However, in the case of Saturday’s final, it was not the gameplay that was lacking, it was the officiating. If the OUA wants to increase attention paid to women’s sports, it’s time to find capable individuals to administer the rules.

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makes lemon curd NICOLE ELSASSER I am a big fan of spreads: jams, nut butters and tapenades. That being said, I have never attempted to make any at home except for one: lemon curd. This several hundred year-old British spread has a rather unappealing name (even more so by its other nomenclature “lemon cheeseâ€?), but it lends a fresh burst of avour when spread on toast for breakfast. It can also be used as ďŹ lling for pies and tarts, a avoring for yogurt, and a spread for other bread products like muďŹƒns, crumpets or scones. Being a spread, one is tempted to make the assumption that its preparation must be complicated. This, I happily discovered, is not the case. If you are careful to take a few precautions while cooking the mixture, the process is fairly disaster-proof and certainly delicious. With lemon curd, the tricky part is tactfully cooking the mixture enough so it thickens to the desired consistency, but also making sure the eggs don’t cook separately. To achieve this, the recipe calls for a double boiler to

Sexposure: AISLINN WYATT In this week’s issue of Sexposure, I thought I’d take things in a dierent direction: I’m going to be reviewing a book. The book in question is Screw the Roses, Send Me the Thorns: The Romance and and Sexual Sorcery of Sadomasochism, by Philip Miller and Molly Devon. Screw the Roses is an introduction to SM aimed at beginners and those unfamiliar with the scene. It includes everything from how to furnish your dungeon and how to make sure all your SM fun is safe, sane and consensual (which is the comforting mantra of the SM world). Miller and Devon are not academic experts, but between them have over 20 years on the SM scene, and the book is written from their perspective, informed by this experience. SM is deďŹ ned by the authors as “Advanced sexual practices incorporating the consensual use of pain, humiliation, and power exchange for erotic enjoyment. SM includes dominance and submission, bondage and discipline, love bondage and erotic spankingâ€?. The book then introduces the reader to a few key players. There are ‘dominants’ who assume a position of command and authority; ‘submissives’ who are placed in a position of helplessness and vulnerability. Sadists are those who take pleasure giving pain,

RECIPE FOR LEMON CURD Ingredients

2 eggs 6 tbsp of lemon juice (approx 2 lemons or 4 Meyer lemons can be used instead) 2 tbsp of lemon rind 1 cup sugar 1/4 cup butter Directions

Kyle Gillespie

be used for cooking; this is not a cooking utensil that I own. I have discovered that the same results can be achieved if you place a

metal bowl over a saucepan of boiling water, but only if the bowl is not directly in the water. If it’s not suspended over the water

properly, being heated only by the steam, the eggs will cook weird; you will have scrambled eggs amid the lemony spread.

Beat eggs only until the yellow and whites are just mixed. Put the eggs into double boiler (or metal bowl resting in saucepan of water). Add lemon juice, rind, sugar and butter. Turn heat on high and cook until the mixture thickens and coats a metal spoon (like a soft custard). Make sure you stir throughout the cooking to ensure that the eggs don’t cook separately. Chill for a little while so the mixture can thicken further, and then spoon over and spread onto the bread item of your choice.

Bringing kink to your bookshelf and masochists from receiving it. Doms need not be sadists, nor subs masochists, but this is often the conďŹ guration. Confusing matters further are the switches, who enjoy taking on the role of either dominant or submissive, depending on any number of factors, such as who their partner is. An individual can feel submissive towards one partner, but dominant towards another. The authors also make the distinction between doms/subs and tops/bottoms. Whereas doms and subs have an emotional connection between them, for tops and bottoms the relationships is purely physical, with the top performing the action in the scene and the sub receiving it. The authors also take pains to make it explicitly clear what SM is not: abuse. Although the dominant gives orders that the submissive must follow, it is the submissive that has the ultimate control, since a sub only obeys because they choose to. The dom is empowered only by the sub’s willing relinquishing of control. The early chapters outline the importance of safety in SM and cover things like prescene negotiation and planning (including setting your limits, which are lines never to be crossed), how to meet good partners and avoid dangerous ones, and the importance of good communication. They also explain the importance of always

establishing safe words/signal. This is a word, or action (like dropping a ball) if the sub is bound and gagged, unlikely to come up in the natural course of a scene, but used by a sub to stop a scene, no questions asked. Words like “Stopâ€? and “Noâ€? aren’t good safe words, since they could come up in a scene, especially one using themes of resistance. Following this, the authors delve more deeply into the fun, nitty-gritty details with chapters full of practical,step-by-step advice about knot tying and bondages, safe agellation and spanking, humiliation and the transcendent state of consciousness known in the community as â€œďŹ‚yingâ€? which a sub can experience in a particularly intense scene. The book concludes with information about the equipment you might be using, such as oggers, whips, crops and cat-o-nines, along with handy illustrations and instructions on how to make your own. Throughout the book the authors use a very conversational, easy to follow tone, which makes its initially intimidating 200 plus pages a breeze to read, along with lots of photos. This might not be a book to read on the bus, since many of these pictures contain nudity. The humour and anecdotes in the book help ease a newbie into the potentially daunting world of SM. While on the whole, Screw the Roses is an excellent

introduction to SM and I would the Thorns. Happy ogging, highly recommend it, I would everybody! As always, Sexposure wants only do so with some caveats in place. Since, as the author’s freely your questions! Send any and all admit, this book is written from queries to oneditor@uoguelph.ca their experiences, throughout ! $ the book doms are referred to as $ ! $ # !! % ! “heâ€? and subs as “she,â€? since that ! ! $ " is the dynamic in the authors’ ! ! ! ! ! relationship. While they own up "! " ! $ to this bias, it does give the book ! ! $ a painfully heterocentric focus, ! and can make a reader come away ! " ! ! ! ! ! feeling that having a man being the ! ! 0 &"! ! / ! 0 ! ! dom, and a woman the sub, is the ( " ! 0 ! ! "! % " ! $ ! 0 $ ! ! only viable set-up in SM, which is " ! cock * $ $ ! ! ! # most assuredly not the case. $ 0 ! ! ! " ! " ! The book was also released 15 " 0 ! " ! ( ! + $ ! " 0 $ ! $ ! !0 + years ago, so some of its content is ! !$ # ! ! $ ! " 0 ! charmingly outdated. The section slippery "! $ ! $ , ! ! 1 ! $ ! # $ about meeting people online refers ! ! $ ! / ! ! "!! ! ! "! ! # ! to “Bulletin Board Systems,â€? a $ $ % ! 0 ! ! ! " " !" $ " ! ! ! 0 ! 0 relic of the early days when people $ $ ! ! 1 ! " ! " !0 actually had to dial up other ! )# ! 0 ! /! " people’s computers to connect to ! ! $ ! "! ! " ! ! $ " ! them. The world of SM is largely $ , ! ! $ 1 ! ! ! ! $ online these days (on sites such ! 0 " % 0 ! !" " ! ! as www.fetlife.com) but you won’t / ! pussy ! " ! ďŹ nd many useful links in Screw # ! ! ! ! " # ! 1 ! the Roses. ! ! 0 ! ! ! ! !" 0 " Also, this book could be a ! / 0 / ! # ! ! !! ' ! 1 bit diďŹƒcult to get your horny " ! "!! " -" " ! ! " little hands on. I tried to order # 0 ! ! ! came hard "! it through Chapters in Guelph, ." " !! but after three week of waiting ! ! "! ! "! "! ! ended up purchasing it in person $ ! $ $ 0 " ! ! at Come As You Are in Toronto, ! ! $ "! where it retailed for $29.99. ! ! ! ! ! ! 0 !" ! # If you’re interested in learning ! 0 $ ! ! "! ! 0 " # more about the world of SM, I 0! ! $ $ " recommend picking up a copy $ of Screw the Roses, Send Me

THE ONTARION

LIFE

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Food for thought: Vegan for a different reason DAN O’KEEFE Last Thursday, I went to the library looking for a good read. I happened to come across a very unique section. After receiving a little direction, I checked out a first edition called ‘Vegan.’ He also goes by Adam Bowers, and was a part of the McLaughlin library’s Human Library initiative. When asked why a person became a vegan, most will give an answer that relates to concern for animal rights or welfare. Others will offer health and nutrition as their reason. But, how about philosophy? Bowers says that philosophical reasons helped bring about his choice to become a vegan. While his reason for change might be different, Bowers lives just like any other vegan. He has gone against the norm of North American society. He has faced criticism and stereotypes. And, he leads a healthy, interesting, and fulfilling lifestyle. So, how does philosophy affect one’s belief that veganism is the way of choice? “[I believe in] the utilitarian concept of the greatest good for the greatest number of people,” said Bowers. “[I think about]

consequences and decisions, as well as the implications of actions.” Bowers looks for the course of action that will bring the greatest good. And often, the greatest good seems to lie parallel to veganism, and contrary to human practices. Bowers identifies two of the world’s greatest problems as overpopulation/hunger and disease. For the first of these issues, the simple solution is to reduce the amount of energy that humans use. It isn’t so much that there aren’t enough resources, but that there aren’t enough resources for the rate at which humans consume them. No transfer of energy is 100 per cent efficient. What is bewildering is why so much energy is wasted by growing food for animals, when eating that food would be much more energy efficient. But, industrial agriculture continues to waste energy raising animals en mass for food. As Bowers suggested, money is the bottom line for these companies and they are sacrificing sustainability for profit, and not thinking of the larger issues. “It’s not a problem if the input into animals was equal to the output

for humans,” said Bowers. “But that will never be possible.” Animals are like middlemen in business. If they are cut out, the consumer gets more for less. As veganism cuts out the animals, it is much more efficient in terms of energy and does the most good, which is one reason it works for Bowers. Concerning the issue of disease, the blame often lies with animals, or rather, how humans treat animals. The conditions in slaughterhouses are ripe for disease. In order to be efficient, these facilities pack as many animals as possible into the smallest space. This creates a filthy and overcrowded setting, ideal for the spread of disease, such as the H1N1 swine flu (pigs) or the H5N1 avian flu (birds). The greatest good for humanity would be to eliminate slaughterhouses to prevent the diseases that flourish within them. On the topic of slaughterhouses, Bowers quoted Leo Tolstoy. “As long as there are slaughterhouses, there will always be battlefields,” he recalled, citing the great novelist. War, seen by many as a

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completely and utterly horrible waste of resources, money, and life, is frequently fought over valuable and disappearing resources, which could be preserved and made available to both sides, if they weren’t consumed at such alarming and wasteful rates. Again, the efficient and peaceful vegan lifestyle stands as the best solution. Bowers also sees substantial problems that lie in the treatment of animals as property. Animals are living things that, like humans, can feel pleasure and pain, and in some cases, even exhibit emotions. People are quick to condemn slavery or sweatshops, because it is wrong to treat humans like property; however, those same people often see no problem in treating animals as property. Sadly, making animals into property is what makes animal cruelty seem acceptable. “Animal cruelty is only [viewed as] bad when someone owns the animal,” said Bowers. It is wrong if someone abuses someone’s pet, but what if no one

owns the abused animal? Who will try to protect what isn’t theirs? At one point, Bowers struggled emotionally when recalling a story in which the abuse and exploitation of someone’s ‘property’ was turned into a revolting and disgusting game. When the game was over, the ‘property’ had outlived its usefulness to the ‘owner’ and was discarded, its life no longer worth anything in the eyes of its ‘owner.’ “Not exploiting animals at all – that’s the goal of veganism,” said Bowers, suggesting once again that philosophy indicates veganism is the right choice. Bowers finished our discussion with an interesting thought. He compared veganism to a fork: a multipronged approach to food and life. Certainly, there are prongs dedicated to health and nutrition, environmentalism, and animal welfare. But there are also prongs for ethics, philosophy, and the utilitarian principle of the greatest good for the greatest number. Hopefully, that fork is reaching towards an ethical, philosophical, and ve

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THE ONTARION

OPINION

161.8

OPEN CONTENT

19

The undoing of conferences MICHAEL RIDLEY Unconferences. Cool or Crap? Trendy or Transformative? Conferences of the “un” variety are now commonplace. Sometimes they are “camps” (ChangeCamp, DemoCamp), perhaps even tweetups, but most often they are simply “unconferences.” So when did conferences get a bad name? Why the need to un them? The philosophy that underlies the unconferences is straightforward: the participants are the conference. Forget Program Committees. Forget schedules. Forget preplanning. Choose an issue. Invite interested folks. Let them figure out the agenda when they get there. The participants are the content. Those who show up rule. The recent surge of the un is probably due to the influence of Web 2.0. People aren’t interested in being just passive. And why not. Many, far too many, conferences are like getting a bad undergraduate degree; endless lectures with big audiences and little interaction. No more. The sage on the stage is again challenged. The backchannel wasn’t just the e-hecklers, it was also the desire to engage, participate, and contribute. With the unconferences the backchannel goes foreground. The discussion comes out of the audience onto the stage. In fact it’s

ANDREW T

attendee your role is simply to soak it up. Participating in an unconference is a bit more challenging; you can’t simply show up, you have to, well, show up. You have to engage, speak up, and contribute or the whole thing is a bust.

The recent surge of the un is probably due to the influence of Web 2.0. People aren’t interested in being just passive. And why not. Many, far too many, conferences are like getting a bad undergraduate degree; endless lectures with big audiences and little interaction.

all stage, all the time. From a learning style perspective, the unconference is a natural expression of adult learning preferences: experiential, involved, engaged, and active. Learn by doing. Learn by participating. Having said that, I don’t think all this is the end of traditional conferences. Frankly, sometimes I just want to be a spectator. Give me a good lecture. I don’t need to ask questions. I like the separation

and the anonymity. Let me fade into the crowd - I’m good with that. Sometimes I want Facebook; sometimes I want Avatar. However, the popularity of unconferences is telling us something important about the nature of the “audience.” Traditional conferences can easily be seen as power plays. They are a means to construct an agenda of speakers, topics, flow, and presentation that is an ideological onslaught for the audience. As an

My colleague Kyle Mackie (in Teaching Support Services) talks a lot about this and organizes various unconferences. His motivation is simple: “how to make conferences suck less.” I’ve learned a lot from Kyle; mostly I’ve learned that new, different, and diverse are all good. Try something, just for the fun of it. If it ain’t broke, push it off the table. Kyle wants to crowdsource the content and the agenda of a conference. Before the event tell the organizers what you want to learn and what you have to contribute. Let

the technology match everyone up and then, as Kyle says, “the sessions choose you.” As with so many things, everything old is new again. Some of the antecedents of the unconference can be seen in the work of Harrison Owen, particularly his idea of “Open Space” – a set of techniques for large scale collaborative meetings. The central challenge is to achieve authentic dialogue (i.e. real communication) with a large number of people in order to learn and chart a direction (or make a decision). Owen’s work was popular in the 1990s and seems to have faded a bit; it deserves to be revived. I think, perhaps, the Library just hosted a sort of unconference with the recent Human Library event. In the Human Library the books are actually people (“Atheist” “Canadian Solider” “HIV Positive” etc.) and the readers check out the books for a 30 minute talk. Simple focus, unscripted, highly participatory, and intimate. Very powerful. Very un. Undoing the conference is brilliant. Changing it up is good. I’m looking forward to first antiunconference. Whatever it is. Michael Ridley is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Chief Librarian at the University of Guelph. Contact him at mridley@uoguelph.ca or www. uoguelph.ca/cio.

KNOWS SOMETHING ABOUT DINOSAURS

What did you do last Friday? I formed a band ANDREW T Good Morning Angels, In less than two hours last Friday night I formed a band, wrote and recorded thirteen songs, and distributed an album. What did you do last Friday? Did you party? Study for a midterm? Watch a movie? Am I bragging? Yes. But I’m also trying to teach a valuable lesson. That lesson is that we are living in some damn crazy times for music making. What started out as a night of sitting around the table, eating delicious homemade pasta with shell noodles (because they really are the best) turned into arguably the second best music venture I have ever been in. Move over Grade 7/8, junior high school band! Sayonara that band I was in for one day in high school (aka Black October)! We’re called Bicentennial (www. myspace.com/bicentennialisus) and we are Guelph’s supreme 4-piece acoustic improv band. Don’t think so? Please prove me wrong. Let’s have a band off! Now, I’m not just sitting here in my bed relishing this past weekend, trying to incite a riot and not be sad that it’s currently Monday. This article is about the economic and technological ease with which bands can do their thing. Granted, not everyone can afford a laptop. And it’s also true that instruments are expensive. But

compared to back in the day, it’s way easier to record some music than ever before. I’d just fumble my way around a 4-track, and don’t get me started on the complications of a mixing board, but I, like

But compared to back in the day, it’s way easier to record some music than ever before. I’d just fumble my way around a 4-track, and don’t get me started on the complications of a mixing board, but I, like millions of others, can press record in GarageBand and then export the song to iTunes. millions of others, can press record in GarageBand and then export the song to iTunes. And being a student on the University of Guelph campus, I find it hard to believe that you don’t have a friend with some recording software on their laptop that you can punk for an afternoon. You know why? Because I’m your friend! Wanna start a band? We can use my “home studio!” Then we can meet for “practice” and maybe crank out some “tunes.” The quotation

marks are to show my skepticism about the quality of my music, not for any sexual innuendo. We clear on that? As for the distribution portion of this production, all I did was .zip the album, upload it to Mediafire, and post the download link on my tumblr (desirefortiger.tumblr.com). I spent five minutes doodling to come

up with the cover. Easy peezy! Probably the most important thing about this process is that we exist in a musical landscape that values improvised sounds. Thank Charles Dickens for that! Because, check this, I can’t play an instrument. Sure I can physically play one (I have hands and a mouth), but I don’t really know what I’m doing

at all! And that’s okay! It’s improv! It is just as valid a record as any jam session I’ve ever heard recorded. The album (titled That Refuses to Die) has moments where the songs are actually “good,” but it’s mostly just a grand artistic statement about Friday night and the four friends who spent it together. There’s still some art in there. I’m just sad that Scott wasn’t with us... Again, am I bragging? A little. Am I hyping my own band? Also a little. But what I’d like to think I’m doing more is kicking those of you in the butt that need butt kicks so that you go out there and record that damn song you’ve always wanted to record. It’s not hard to make and release music. It’s just sometimes hard to accept that you can make awful, awful songs. I know I can! And before March is out I plan on recording and releasing an EP of some more awful songs. With it being so easy to put out music, what’s The Arcade Fire’s excuse? An album every two years? Give me a break! If you want to hear Bicentennial (and believe me, you don’t) then you can hear some stuff at http:// www.myspace.com/bicentennialisus or download the album from http://desirefortiger.tumblr.com/ post/429553300/tonight-paultommy-cayley-and-myself-formed …Dang, that’s a long link…

20

MAR. 11 - 17, 2010

OPINION L OOSE CANNON

Yet again, apathetic tale DAN HOWSE I bet I can find 18,000 people that don’t actually care. The other day I was invited to join a Facebook group “I bet I can find 1,000,000 people who still dislike George Bush.” If some researcher were to take group memberships as any indication of actual preferences, values and commitments, they would probably consider our generation fairly

Regardless of your personal stance, to suggest either party has not actually made an impact to the things students care about is simply facetious. politically concerned. In between supporting their friends’ mediocre bands, attending snowboarding trips and spreading the gospel of Chuck Norris, these researchers would believe that University of Guelph students were legitimately politically aware. However, this awareness frequently does not translate into activity.

Over the last several weeks, the Ontarion has been running a series of articles about student apathy towards their government. In a response back, a reader wrote that “maybe students would pay more attention to the CSA and CFS if they did something to improve the world, instead of getting caught up in their own self-importance of their own bureaucracy.” While it certainly is easy to see the recent de-federation process as being a clichéd example of irrelevant bureaucracy, I feel this claim needs to be addressed on two levels. Firstly, as the Ontarion has tried to make clear, the CSA has been involved in protesting for causes both practically and morally relevant to students. Whether it is for lower bus pass pricing or helping to create a less discriminatory campus, many initiatives led by the CSA and the CFS have helped to shape the friendly, accessible, safe university so many of us know and love. Regardless of your personal stance, to suggest either party has not actually made an impact to the things students care about is simply facetious. Unfortunately, disputes over resource allocation and representation are merely necessary evils within a democratic system. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, the reader claimed that if these groups were more actively involved in bringing about social change, students would pay more attention. Unfortunately, my own recent experiences with protests have led me to believe the contrary.

THEONTARION.CA

As some of you may remember, last week I wrote a piece about the screening of a documentary dealing with the 2004 coup d’etat that Canada helped support in Haiti. If students were really concerned with making a difference in the world— or at least investigating what actions their tax dollars had helped contribute to—you would think they would have shown up. After all, the event was at 1pm; while I’m sure a few students were still nursing hangovers, a number had already been to the Farmer’s Market and back to cook breakfast. However, while the cinema was fairly full, there were maybe 10 people under the age of 30 there and I’m fairly sure that less than five university students. There was a friend of mine I had mentioned the documentary to who happened to be doing a project on Haiti, there was a girl he brought along with him, and there was his friend visiting from out of town. There was also a farmhand I knew, our local CUPE representative, a young mother with a newborn baby and yours truly. For those keeping count, that’s four students. Whether you agree or disagree with the policies Canada has implemented in Haiti, there is undeniably no link between Haiti’s abject poverty and the extreme devastation caused by the earthquake. If you really dislike George Bush or believe Stephen Harper doesn’t represent you, do something about it. Leave the house, log off Facebook and make an actual difference in the world.

Fiscal denial begins at home GREG BENETEAU Two different levels of government. Two different ways of ignoring a big problem. At the provincial and federal level, governments are grappling with unprecedented deficits as they try to claw their way out of the Great Recession of 2008. The massive shortfalls threaten to bog down the economy with debt, and hamper recovery. Rather then address the issue, our leaders have resorted to varying degrees of hand waving and hopefulness – anything to avoid painful cuts or career-ending tax increases. Looming elections tend to make one short-sighted, I suppose. On the one hand, the provincial Liberal government is expected to release its budget in late March or early April. But if this week’s throne speech was any indication, Premier Dalton McGuinty is seeing the future through rose-coloured glasses. Despite a record $24.7 billion budget deficit, McGuinty pledged to go easy on spending cuts in the “Open Ontario” budget. The government even managed to set aside funding for 20,000 new postsecondary education spaces in the province this year – “the equivalent of a whole new University of Guelph,” Lt.-Gov. David Onley said, reading the speech. It’s an admirable goal: bump up the percentage on Ontarians with a university degree or college diploma from 62 to 70 per cent, helping to fill the high-skill jobs of tomorrow. What’s less clear is how the government will pay for it today. McGuinty said the province would “aggressively promote Ontario postsecondary institutions abroad” with the goal of increasing international enrolment by 50 per cent over five years, from 37,500 to 55,000. Unlike domestic students, there is no cap on tuition fee increases for students from abroad, making them potential cash cows for postsecondary institutions. McGuinty has said that Ontario should model itself after Australia, which turned international education into its third largest industry, attracting over 400,000 students and netting $14 billion annually. Even if the idea of selling off spaces in our public institutions to those who can afford them doesn’t make you feel a bit squeamish, Ontario is nowhere near Australia’s levels when it comes to attracting foreign students. The money netted by an increase in enrolment seems like a drop in the bucket compared to the province’s looming deficit. It also does nothing to address the province’s tuition fees (still the highest in the country), its deferred maintenance costs or increasing class sizes in or provinces postsecondary schools. Still, Ontario has other tricks up its sleeve to clamp down on the

deficit, like overhauling health-care funding to hospitals and possibly selling shares in provincial assets like the LCBO. In that regard, they’re light years ahead of the federal Conservatives, who jettisoned their fiscal sanity long ago. The deficit for 2010-11 is pegged at $53.8 billion. Next year, it will be $49 billion (notably, much of related to stimulus spending). To bring Canada back to black, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty pledged to eliminate $17.6-billion in spending over the next five years by clamping down on the public sector, closing tax loopholes for the wealthy, and scaling back on foreign aid and the military.

Still, Ontario has other tricks up its sleeve to clamp down on the deficit, like overhauling health-care funding to hospitals and possibly selling shares in provincial assets like the LCBO. From there, Flaherty claims the country will grow its way back into surplus without any new taxes (if you consider increasing EI premiums or air travel fees not to be taxes) or significant cuts. The Conservative-appointed Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page has a much grimmer outlook. Page, along with other economists, note that the government’s projections require the best-case scenario of growth every year. They also warn of a wave of retirements that will significantly decrease tax revenues and increase reliance on the country’s health care system and old-age benefits, putting Canada in deep structural deficit for decades unless the government implement deep spending cuts, tax increases or both “The government’s current fiscal structure is not sustainable,” Page warned in a report in February. “Right now, we have a mindset that if we got to balance, everything would be fine. That’s a very shortterm perspective.” Short-term is the operative word, because it seems like the Conservatives have saved all their tough choices until after a possible election this fall. While total new spending over the next five years doesn’t even top $1 billion – a gesture of austerity during difficult times – they’ve also left themselves precious little room to do much of anything. And a long way to fall.

THE ONTARION

EDITOR'S PAGE

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EDITORIAL

The Ontarion Inc.

The value of face-to-face learning

University Centre Room  University of Guelph NG W

The Human Library was an event that was greatly anticipated at the Ontarion office, with all of the section editors participating for the first time. We selected our “human books” from the long list of those available; a collection of misrepresented viewpoints and lifestyles, all seeking to challenge the stereotypes they face through conversation. When the time came, we all sat down with our books and simply talked. Some spent a long time talking with their book, while others stayed just for their designated half-hour time-slot. Regardless of the time spent with our human books, there was one thing that was plain to everyone in our office: the Human Library is a really good idea. So often, we find the tendency to constantly surround ourselves with people who act like we do, talk like we do, and share our viewpoints rather than challenge

them. There is no surprise to be found in this fact, but it becomes clear after an event like the Human Library that we might be doing ourselves a disservice. The point of the Human Library is not to shake your personal beliefs at their foundation, but rather to present the opportunity to become more aware, more sensitive, and more informed about different lifestyles and viewpoints that we would otherwise go without encountering. It allows for a tweaking of our assumptions and calls for self-reflection; gazing inward and considering carefully the views that we hold. For some, this meant an affirmation of these views, and for others, a new light was shone on our own unconscious prejudice. The discovery here is that one can be an educated, tolerant and informed individual overall, but still, without encountering

contrary perspectives, can carry understandings of other lifestyles that are based on stereotypes and unfair assumptions. This kind of one-on-one conversation with someone who holds another perspective may be the most productive way to fine-tune your own, to get clarification, and to see more clearly. Many of the “human books” that we encountered we had only known before as statistics. They were, to us, numbers and figures in a graph or chart. It wasn’t until we sat down with them in this organized fashion that they gained a face, a story and a voice in our minds. This is probably the most important thing to be gained by participating in the Human Library. So, the Human Library is a good thing, right? Maybe you’ll participate next year, right? But, there is something larger

to take away from what can be learned through this annual event. While it may come naturally that those we encounter have views that run parallel to our own, this isn’t always something we should accept. It becomes our responsibility to challenge our worldviews and assumptions. It falls to us to actively seek out other perspectives and engage them in the kind of productive one-onone discussion that we see in the Human Library. Certainly, this might be uncomfortable for some, intimidating even. But consider, what is worse: to be uncomfortable or ignorant?

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Submit your Letters to the Editor to

ontarion@uoguelph.ca Please include your name and phone number. 300 word limit on all letters. Throughout the year there has been much discussion on the issue of the University of Guelph’s affiliation with the Canadian Federation of Students, provincially and federally. Currently the CSA has taken the CFS to court over the right to hold a referendum and the verification process of the petition signatures. Many students probably wonder what the U of G student body receives for $200,000 a year. The Federation has been effectively advocating on behalf of post-secondary students for almost thirty years. They have won a series of victories across every province in Canada for students by lobbying governments of all political stripes: federally and provincially. The victories include: tuition freezes, tuition fee increase limits, more grants and scholars and have most importantly consistently defeated the idea of Income-Contingent Loan Repayment Plans, which would have perpetuated the cycle of poverty if made policy. Proposing legislation like the Post-Secondary Act, which would guarantee the allocation of transfer payments directly to education, just like what is done for health care. The leaders of the Liberal Party and the New Democratic Party support this idea. Post-secondary education is not just about attending university but social issues that affect us all. The Federation also takes a stance on social issues: in Ontario the right for international students to gain employment off campus, the No

means No campaign, challenging Islamophobia and representing diversity in its membership. We support the democratic rights of students and constructive dialogue that comes with a referendum and we also call upon students to stand behind the Student Movement which has stood for the rights of post-secondary students for almost thirty years: The Canadian Federation of Students. Shayne Sangster President Guelph NDP Youth Re: Straight white male privilege in CSA While I agree that eliminating the Human Rights Office would be a loss for the school, I take offence to the quote concerning the “privilege of a straight white male.” This is something that I have heard in the past from my friends who are not straight, white, or male. I realize that STM’s have done some pretty bad things in the past, but every ethnic group has skeletons in their closets. I have always tried to judge someone by their personality and actions; everyone is equal, no matter what the background. To make a statement that all straight white males are privileged is a stereotype and a racist one at that. I am graduating with a load of debt; I don’t own a car or even have an elevator in my apartment building while living on the top floor. And every guy knows which sex buys more drinks. I will have to fight for the same jobs as many of my colleagues without employment equity. In most of my classes there are more women than men, isn’t Guelph known for having a ratio of three to one? Could it be that since Canada is so proud of our multiculturalism (and trust me I do love it) we have finally reached a point where straight white males are

the minority? For the CSA WTF to remain anonymous and use racism to combat racism is a joke. It shows that they cannot be taken seriously and are only interested in stirring the pot. Treat Mr. Fick as you would want to be treated, sit down and talk about this, you can even do it over the phone so you won’t have to see the colour of his skin. Sincerely, James Duff On Mar. 4, the Federal Government released their budget for 2010, it looked like something hot off the press from the Fraser Institute. They are a right wing think thank that suggested tuition needed to increase to fund universities. Post-secondary education had a significant place in the budget. There is increased funding for university infrastructure, funding for research, funding for Aboriginal communities, more for internships, more for student loans and federal transfers. The unfortunate news being: someone told them that financial status is not a barrier to education, that budget cuts are coming in all sectors, more tax cuts for businesses, leading to increased privatisation. Where would the government get this idea that financial status is not a barrier to education. A Senate Committee looked into the question of accessibility into post-secondary education. They summoned the following for testimony: one student representative,two non-profit groups, three government bureaucrats, three university representatives and 3 statisticians. To this committee and this government, students are only a number and only worthy of being heard through one representative. The government has to realize another statistic: thousands of

students are unemployed during the summer months and graduates declare bankruptcy because of the size of their loans. The entire economic system will be on the backs of individuals who will carry a debt for about 10-30 years. I would urge everyone to petition the federal and provincial government to realize that a debt based society is unacceptable. The government should increase postsecondary funding, decrease tuition and the Senate and Commons committees should hold meetings in cities across Canada to hear our voices and concerns and to know that we are not just numbers but people with dreams and uncertain futures. Shayne Sangster Guelph NDP Youth Dear Ontarion, Last week’s piece “Fur Comes Out of Hiding” provided advice on how to become what I will call “the guilt-free fur wearer.” I would like to add some suggestions, in case, like myself, others were less than fully sold on the 3-point-plan. In similar fashion, I would like to offer the following 12-step program to becoming the ultimate “guilt-free fur wearer.” 1.Now,to avoid the whole “oppressive child and immigrant labour” guilt, I would suggest making the fur items yourself. This way, you are also 100 per cent sure of the animal you are wearing. Chinese fur farms often use the fur of cats and dogs (without labels), which would complicate your “ethical cherry-picking.” An additional bonus: Isn’t it trendy to make your own clothes? 2. Like the previous article suggested, pick your animals wisely. If you can’t find it on the side of the road it likely isn’t plentiful enough to make >

CONTINUED ON PAGE 21

ontarion@uoguelph.ca Phone: -- General: x Editorial: x Advertising: x Accounts: x Fax: -- Editorial staff Editor-in-chief Daniel Bitonti Arts & culture editor Zack MacRae News editor Nicole Elsasser Sports & health editor Mike Treadgold Copy editor Roli Wilhelm Web editor Sarawanan Ravindran Production staff Photo & graphics editor Rashaad Bhamjee Ad designer Anne Tabata Layout director Duncan Day-Myron Office staff Business manager Lorrie Taylor Office manager Monique Vischschraper Ad manager Chris Hamelin Board of directors President David Evans Chairperson Timothy McBride Treasurer Curtis Van Laecke Secretary Justine Baskey Members Matthew French Andrew Goloida James Hawkins Aaron Jacklin Rachel Jones Marshal McLernon Joanna Sulzycki

Contributors

Tom Beedam Greg Beneteau Aldis Brennan Kaitlyn Dingman Josh Doyle Justin Dunk Dan Howse Dan O’Keefe Kelsey Rideout Michael Ridley Neil Risk Miles Stemp Vanessa Szpurko Andrew Townsend Daniel Wright

The Ontarion is a non-profit organization governed by a Board of Directors. Since the Ontarion undertakes the publishing of student work, the opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the Ontarion Board of Directors. The Ontarion reserves the right to edit or refuse all material deemed sexist, racist, homophobic, or otherwise unfit for publication as determined by the Editor-in-Chief. Material of any form appearing in this newspaper is copyrighted 2009 and cannot be reprinted without the approval of the Editor-in-Chief. The Ontarion retains the right of first publication on all material. In the event that an advertiser is not satisfied with an advertisement in the newspaper, they must notify the Ontarion within four working days of publication. The Ontarion will not be held responsible for advertising mistakes beyond the cost of advertisement. The Ontarion is printed by the Guelph Mercury.

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR <

MAR. 11 - 17, 2010

CROSSWORD CROSSWORD

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21

the “guilt-free” cut. 3. Moreover, if you can’t kill it yourself, avoid it. You don’t want to be responsible for implicating a friend in murdering rabbits. 4. Be sure to avoid hitting the animal of choice with your car as a method of execution. You will not get a thick and luscious coat this way. 5. To get the best fur-coat finish, it’s best not to club or shoot the animal. Instead, revert to the “tried and true” method of the pros: electrocution. 6. You don’t want to fry the fur, so you will have to electrocute the animal inside out by placing an electrical rod into the animal’s rectum. 7. It is strongly recommended that you buy scratch-proof gloves so you do not get harmed in the making of your fur coat. 8. Make sure that your gloves are rubber. I’m sure many Martha Stewarts have had this project end badly wearing gloves conducive to electricity. 9. Skin the animal and dispose of the now useless carcass (FYI: fur and meat are entirely different industries). 10. Repeat as needed until you have sufficient fur for your coat. 11. As for the “impossibly glamorous” but “unflattering” wolf coat in your mom’s closet, I would suggest taking it to a fur farm to keep the animals warm at night. That should alleviate any remaining guilty sentiments you once had about wearing fur. 12. Please educate yourself before you decide to wear fur. Nicki Darbyson. Kelsey Rideout’s “Israel Apartheid Week at U of G” reads more like an advertisement for an event than an article. While she does make important comments about how imposing blame for the conflict is a controversial task and that individuals hold conflicting opinions, she does not express that diversity of opinion in her article. Instead of taking the time to explore the different opinions held by members of our campus community, she only interviewed those who are part of the IAW initiative. Several events were held last week

THEONTARION.CA

27- Lasting for an extended period 31- Bind with a tourniquet 35- Comics canine 36- Film ___ 38- Sherpa’s home 39- Brit. lexicon 40- Like a ___ bricks 42- Actress Peeples 43- Cram 46- Rain cats and dogs 47- Dispatched 48- Compositions 50- Star-shaped 52- Rebuff 54- Biblical birthright seller 55- Draw with acid 58- Buddy 60- Reverence 64- Actress Petty 65- Fine fur 67- Make indistinct 68- Langston Hughes poem 69- Perrier rival 70- Canadian gas brand 71- In stitches 72- Nailed obliquely 73- Spoils Across 1- Idle away time 5- Category 9- Autos 13- Conductor Klemperer 14- ___ New Guinea 15- It’s blown among the reeds to present an alternative viewpoint to IAW including a very successful tabling campaign called Size Doesn’t Matter, which showcased the small country of Israel’s global achievements, as well as a lecture from world renowned academic Dr. Barry Rubin and Palestinian journalist Khaled Abu Toameh. Her lack of coverage of these events in addition to the ones presented by IAW demonstrates unprofessional and biased journalism. In the future, I hope Rideout and the Ontarion will make greater efforts to educate students about campus issues by representing a variety of viewpoints and opinions. Hava Goldberg

16- Asian sea 17- From Bern, say 18- ___ majeste 19- Lunatic 21- Aliens, for short 22- Lecherous look 23- Zwei cubed 25- Golfer Ballesteros

Down 1- Rich soil 2- Other, in Oaxaca 3- ___ impasse 4- Leafage 5- Cutting tool

6- Mayberry moppet 7- Corrodes 8- Pendent ornament 9- School 10- Busy as ___ 11- Ascended, flower 12- Clairvoyant 14- Crown of ancient Egypt 20- Perform in a play 24- Band 26- Bordeaux, e.g. 27- Unfettered 28- “Awake and Sing!” playwright 29- Nest 30- Legendary ruler of Crete 32- Sleep disorder 33- Spoil; 34- Delight 37- Path 41- Add more ice? 44- Mode 45- Island of Denmark 47- Doze 49- Group that is part of a larger group 51- Philosopher ___-tzu 53- “Hooray!” 55- Some Ivy Leaguers 56- Carry 57- Black bird; 59- Off-Broadway theater award 61- “______ sprach Zarathustra” 62- Sudden blast of wind 63- Archer of myth 66- Boy

COMICS Congratulations to last week’s winner...

Joseph Marchionda! Stop by UC 264 to pick up your prize.

Submit your completed crosswords for a chance to win

2 Bob’s Dogs! Crosswords due at UC 264 on Mondays by 4pm

THE ONTARION

CLASSIFIED & COMMUNITY LISTINGS

161.8

CLASSIFIED

23

COMMUNITY LISTINGS

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES Rural Landscapers Needed! Planting small trees on farms across south Ontario. Guelph based, from April 19 - May 15. Excellent rates - earn $150+ per day. Treeplanting experience an asset. bartramwoodlands@ sympatico.ca or call 519-8368774.

Townhouse at 1155 Gordon Street. $525/month, all utilities included. For more details, please call Valerie at (905)5997993 or email Abbie: aviscard@ uoguelph.ca

Munford Centre, Rm 54. Contact: rmcleod@uoguleph. ca or x53244. Writer’s block? Professional essay help available for all subjects and levels. Masters and PhD graduates specializing in editing and research. Toll free: 1-888-345-8295. Email: customessay@bellnet.ca Visit us: www. customessay.com VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES Migrante-Ontario works to advocate for the rights of (im) migrant people, focusing on advocating for the welfare of persyns working as migrant live-in caregivers through organizing educationals and socials. Connect with us! Stay involved! migrante.ontario@ gmail.com

SERVICES

COMMUNITY EVENTS THE GUELPH RECORD and CD SHOW - Sunday, March 14. 10:30am - 4pm at the Best Western, 716 Gordon St. (opposite the university). Over 35 vendors. Admission $4. For further information contact: 905-777-1763. HOUSING Student house – two bedrooms available, fully furnished

SELF STORAGE – 1 MONTH FREE. Rent for 2 months & get the 3rd month free. Heated, Safe, Secure, Video Surveillance. Close to U of G. 519-822-2810 www. someplacesafe.ca DIVERSE STUDENTS & STUDENT OF COLOUR SUPPORT GROUPS. Mondays and Tuesday: One on One Support 10am-2pm, Discussion 1:30-3:30pm. Wed: One on one support, 10am-2pm. Discussion 5-7pm. Confidentiality ensured.

K I T C H E N E R WAT E R L O O

Clinic nic

THURSDAY MARCH 11 Guelph Field Naturalists present Joe Crowley of Ontario Nature who will talk about “Ontario Reptiles at Risk” at the Arboretum, UofG campus 7:30 p.m. Donations appreciated. Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony in Guelph: Pops Series: ‘From the Rock’. 8pm. www. kwsymphony.ca or 888-7454717. FRIDAY MARCH 12 Fair Trade Day - Engineers Without Borders encourage Canadians to think more about their consumptive power and support the Fair Trade movement. Music, free Fair Trade chocolate samples, info about fair trade. 9:30am-4pm, Branion Plaza. SUNDAY MARCH 14 SOFAM Presents: “Force of Nature” by the University of Guelph Choirs. St. George Anglican Church, 99 Woolwich St. 7pm. Adults $15, Seniors/ Students $10. Tickets and info 824-4120 ext.52991 or email kbygden@uoguelph.ca. MONDAY MARCH 15 The School of Environmental Sciences, U of G and the Bookshelf host “Environment Bound,” a free series that celebrates books related to the environment by U of G authors, Guelph community members.

7pm at the Bookshelf eBar. www.uoguelph.ca/ses/content/ outreach. TUESDAY MARCH 16 Falun Dafa free qigong instruction. Soothe the mind, heal the body. All ages welcome, no experience needed. 6-8pm. UC 005. Info: Mai 519-8232422. ONGOING: Stark Raven Radio. 1st-3rd Tues of each month. 1-2pm. Local and international focus on resistance to colonialism and capitalism. Prison justice, indigenous sovereignty and self-determination for all peoples.

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