Love & Sex - Issue 11 - Feb. 8 - Feb 21 2016

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SEX

pg. 10-11

ISSUE

George Brown College under fire for ad during ‘Redskins’ game pg. 6 Ghomeshi does not represent the BDSM community

pg.14 How do you Consent when drunk or high?

pg. 9

Feb. 8–Feb. 21

GBC Student Newspaper • Founded 1982

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NEWS

The Dialog • dialognews.ca // Feb. 8–Feb. 21

CFS to push for changes in permanent residency program Getting residency ‘next to impossible’ for international students since changes to program RENUKA MALHORTA STAFF REPORTER

Jatinder Maan, director of education for the Student Association (SA) at George Brown isn’t happy about how hard it is for international students to gain permanent residency in Canada after the rules were changed last year.

“There are thousands of students like me who were almost eligible for their PR but the previous government changed rules on January 1, 2015 and brought up this flawed express entry system.” said Maan. “Which not only restricts international students to apply for their PR but getting PR is next to impossible right now.”

Maan brought a motion to the recent provincial meeting of the Canadian Federation of Students—Ontario (CFSO) calling on the federation to lobby the government to create a new category for international students and exempt them from the National Occupational Classification.

It passed unanimously.

“The main benefit of being a part of CFS is that when you pass a motion at CFS then every school will write letters. So you are not alone, there are 300,000 students supporting you,” said Maan.

In the current Express

Jatinder Maan speaks at the Canadian Federation of Students conference

Entry system international students compete with other skilled workers for residency. Previously, international students were in a separate category.

“So we have moved from a system of certainty to uncertainty,” said Maan. “It’s like something is taken away from you.” Maan says that changing the new rules have made it really hard for international students like him to gain permanent residency.

Maan said he would be continue lobbying on this issue and has high hopes for

Justin Trudeau’s government as he said during the election campaign that he would make it easier for international students to gain residency.

“The Express Entry system is favourable to international students and post-graduate work permit holders because they are awarded a significant number of points in the ranking system for their high education, Canadian work experience, strong official language skills and, more often than not, youth,” said Remi Lariv-

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iere for Immigration Canada.

“As of Nov. 2, 2015, 14.4 per cent of principal applicants who submitted an application for permanent residence previously held Post Graduate Work Permits, which suggests that a good proportion of former international students are being invited to apply for permanent

Photo: CFS

residence under Express Entry.”

According to the Global Affairs Canada report 2012, international students spent $7.7 billion on tuition, accommodation and discretionary spending, created over 81,000 jobs, and generated more than $445 million to Canadian government in revenue.

CORRECTIONS The last print edition of The Dialog mistakenly referred to Jewel Kats as a graduate of George Brown. Kats took three courses in the school of continuing education.

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OPERATION The Dialog newspaper is published by The Dialog with the support of the Student Association of George Brown College.

The Dialog is responsible for the overall vision and direction of The Dialog newspaper, as it coincides with the larger vision and mission of the Student Association.

The cost of producing a monthly newspaper is in part defrayed by advertising revenue and largely subsidized by stu-

dent fees. Occasionally, some advertisers, products and services do not reflect the policies of the Student Association.

Opinions expressed in The Dialog are not necessarily those of The Dialog, the Student Association of George Brown College, or its editorial staff.

The Dialog partners:

The Dialog is a member of CUP, the Canadian University Press

NEWS

The Dialog • dialognews.ca // Feb. 8–Feb. 21

Events

// STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Black Inventors Workshops Mon, Feb. 8, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Casa Loma, Student Centre

Wed, Feb. 10, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Waterfront, Main Lobby

Thurs, Feb. 18, 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

St. James, Student Life Lower Lobby

Learn about myths and realities of black endangerment through the Student Association’s black inventors workshops. With a scavenger hunt and prizes!

Samuel Lee says joining a club like Enactus gives students confidence. Photo: Renuka Malhorta/The Dialog

Samuel Lee: it’s about stepping out of your comfort zone Enactus co-president finds his groove at George Brown RENUKA MALHORTA STAFF REPORTER

Samuel Lee is the co-president of the Enactus club, and pursuing an advanced diploma in the international business management program at George Brown College. He previously studied general

classrooms and fewer opportunities for students to interact with each other.

Lee joined Enactus, a volunteer student group focused community projects, in 2014.

“Just going to school alone, I had a lot of free time and I never really did any kind of volunteering, or any sort of getting involved in school. So

“If I take a job, I know I want to do a good job” arts for about two years at the University of Guelph.

Lee said that he was not passionate about what he was learning until coming to George Brown. According to Lee, the college offered, “interactive classrooms, (and) experienced faculty with a good hold on the subjects they are teaching.” Lee felt that George Brown focused on students more than universities with enormous

I wanted to check it out and see what it was like”, said Lee. He explained that the reason why he choose Enactus is that you meet a lot of likeminded people, make good friends and you actually see the impact you are making in people’s life.

“The big thing about Enactus is stepping out of your comfort zone,” Lee said.

In 2015, Lee became co-

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president of Enactus. One of the projects run by Enactus is an anti-violence program for young women. The project involves teaching business concepts to the women and aiming to empower them as they recover from past trauma.

“We teach how to create a business, like creating a product,” Lee said. “They actually created soy wax candle last year and they called it Tera. The brand is their own.”

In the past, Lee said that Enactus has mainly had business students on the team. “But we really want to diversify and have different students from different programs on our team because you need different perspectives and different people.”

Before joining Enactus, Lee was not a confident presenter. But for him doing a presentation in front of a class saying “I will do it” demonstrates the growth Enactus helps build in its students.

“When students get this kind of opportunity they feel confident as a person,” Lee said. “So being a part of a club like this you really have the opportunities to do it but if you don’t want to then you really don’t have to.”

Lee said he doesn’t like to commit to something that he know he won’t be able to finish. “I don’t value that,” Lee said. “If I take a job, I know I want to do a good job in that.”

ASL 101 Classes Wed, Feb. 10, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

St. James, room 462D

Wed, Feb. 17, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

St. James, room 462D

Starting Feb. 10, the Community Action Center is offering beginner ASL classes every Wednesday. One time registration fee of $5. Space limited, deadline to register is Feb. 8. Register at: campaignssupport@sagbc.ca

TRANSFORMERS: Drop-in discussion

Malcom X and Selma Feb. 17, 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Kings Lounge, St. James campus

Writing While Black: Writing Workshop w/ Whitney French Wed, Feb. 17, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

St. James, room 165B)

Interested in writing on your unique experiences? The Community Action Centre is bringing in experienced educator Whitney French to help you find your specific voice.

Journey to Hope Panel Discussion Thu, Feb. 18 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

St. James Career Centre, Room B155

This thought provoking panel discussion will feature black speakers covering a range of topics. We will have a retired black police officer speaking about racial profiling in the city, a mental health speaker discussing mental health in the black community and a speaker from Black Lives Matter Toronto discussing the Black Lives Matter movement in the city.

Journey to Hope fashion show

Wed, Feb. 10, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Thurs, Feb. 18, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The Community Action Centre is hosting a new drop-in and discussion group open to all trans and gender nonconforming GBC students, alumni, and staff. Crafts, free food, story sharing, and access-to-all washrooms!

Running by-weekly starting Feb. 10.

Time to get fashionable, with the annual Journey to Hope fashion show. Featuring local Toronto designers and GBC students.

St. James, room 165B

Black History Month Movies Do The Right Thing Feb. 16, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Kings Lounge, St. James campus

Malcom X and Selma Feb. 16 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Casa Loma Student Centre

St. James, Kings Lounge

MAWD pub night Fri, Feb. 19, 7 p.m to 11:30 p.m.

St. James, Kings Lounge

Close off the Student Association’s Black History Month celebration in style with the Caribbean-themed MAWD pub night!

FEBRUARY FOOD DRIVE HELP SUPPORT THE STUDENT FOOD BANK BY DONATING NON­PERISHABLE FOOD February 16­29, 2016 Drop­Off Food at a Student Association Office or Campus Food Bank Share the Love!

NEWS

The Dialog • dialog.studentassociation.ca // Feb. 8–Feb. 21

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George Brown students to study Fixing Fashion Author Michael Lavergne drew on 20 years in the global apparel industry ALIONA KUTS STAFF REPORTER

“When I read the title I realized – that’s what we need, we need someone to fix this,” said Leah Barrett, professor at the school of fashion studies. “We have reached the saturation point, in terms of quantity, pace and (so on). But how are we going to fix it?”

Fashion students at George Brown will now have the opportunity to learn about the social and environmental issues with the global apparel industry, as Fixing Fashion, a textbook written by Michael Lavergne is introduced into an apparel sourcing course.

As a professor, Barrett said it’s impossible to teach people how to fix the fashion industry without looking back at the last 30 years. “And that’s what the author has done. He is able to tell that story.”

Lavergne, a global apparel industry insider, is definitely is able to tell the story. With 20 years of experience working internationally for brands, retailers, manufactures, auditing firms, he realized, “there was a need for a clear understanding of what is happening behind the scenes from someone from the industry.”

After many years spent dealing with labour and environmental issues in the in-

dustry, Lavergne developed a well-rounded view of apparel manufacturing. Unlike other similar books, written predominantly by journalists, Fixing Fashion is, according to Barrett, “the real person’s account of his own career in sourcing.”

Barrett admitted it was a struggle to find a book for apparel sourcing. Certain skills which fashion students have to learn could be rather dry in a textbook, she explained.

Lavergne, however, did not intend to write a textbook.

Living and working offshore, he learned that people at factories in Bangladesh and managers at Toronto or New York head offices seek the same thing from their career.

“It’s very humanizing to have the opportunity to spend a lot of time at a factory level,” he said. More contact with people who make the product, according to Lavergne, “gives you a different prospective and keeps you very real.”]

It took half a year to summarize and write down his personal experience and background. Conducting deeper research was the most timeconsuming, Lavergne said.

“You don’t want to just give common sense based on your knowledge. You really have to have back up and resources for that.”

Fixing Fashion is an at-

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Leah Barrett with Fixing Fashion Photo courtesy of Leah Barrett

tempt to capture the rising social awareness and interest in subjects like offshore manufacturing, labour and environmental rights. Tragedies like the collapse of Rana Plaza collapse in 2013, according to Lavergne, have helped bring more attention on the global apparel industry.

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a better understanding.” It is also a good secondary resource for students. Barrett agreed, and will be using Fixing Fashion as a supplementary material to her FASH 1066 course.

“Although it’s written for general introduction, there is a deeper amount of research information available for indepth study,” said Lavergne.

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Campaign, a garment and sportswear worker advocacy group, 1,134 people were killed at the Rana Plaza garment factory in Bangladesh when the complex collapsed.

His book, Lavergne said, “is a good general introduction for people outside the industry who have seen these issues in the news and want to get

CASA LOMA rm.E124 MON 9:30-12:30 WED 11-2 THURS 11-2

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NEWS

The Dialog • dialog.studentassociation.ca // Feb. 8–Feb. 21

Transformers coming to George Brown this February New discussion group to create a safe space for trans and gender non-conforming students and staff CHARLOTTE CAMERON STAFF REPORTER

Poster for Transformers drop-in group

A new bi-weekly drop-in discussion group is starting on Feb. 10 for trans and gender non-conforming George Brown students and staff.

With Transformers, the Community Action Centre (CAC) is hoping the discussion will create a safe space for students to share their experience at George Brown and what can be done to improve inclusiveness on campus.

“The aim of the workshop is not to claim that we are experts, we’re really looking to actually hear back from students and staff about where they see good things happening and where they see things

that need work,” said Eddie Jude, CAC’s women and trans support staff.

But the CAC doesn’t want to put pressure on students.

Attendees can come, listen, share, or not share, partake in the various crafts, join the discussion or simply enjoy the snacks.

At each workshop, the group will be softly led in the discussions with topics such as the on-going inclusive bathroom issue as well as sexism and binarism in the George Brown curriculum.

“If you’re a non-binary person then essentially what happens is your experience is never reflected back at you (in the curriculum) for the entire time that you’re at school,” said Jude.

The discussion groups are also a way identify more LGBTQ work to be included in George Brown courses. “Are there people in your field that you think do great work that are trans or non-binary or gender-queer, and you would love to see their writing in your programs’ curriculum or brought in to speak about it?” Jude and the CAC want to hear about it. “Trans people exist in all programs and we want to advocate for the underrepresented.”

To include your voice in the mix, you can join the drop-ins at St. James (165B) Feb. 10, Feb. 24, March 23, and April 20 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The drop-ins are also happening at CAC’s Casa Loma office (E124) on March 9 and April 6.

George Brown under fire for ‘Redskins’ ad Aboriginal student leader calls for public apology and condemnation of Redskins name from college MICK SWEETMAN MANAGING EDITOR

Brad Gallant, a Qalipu Mi’Kmaq man who lives in Mississauga, has filed a complaint with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario against George Brown College (GBC) after an ad for the college aired on Sportsnet during a game by the Washington NFL team on Dec. 26.

When he saw that George Brown was among the advertisers during the game, “honest to God, I almost threw up.”

In his application to the tribunal Gallant wrote, “Redskins is a slur and discriminatory against indigenous, First Nations, and Native Peoples. When GBC aligned itself with a Redskins broadcast it gave its institutional sanction to lesser treatment of First Nations people.”

The application was filed on Feb. 2 but has yet to be processed. The claims in it have not been proven.

“All I want in an apology is ‘we shouldn’t have done it,

we’re not going to do it again, and we’re going to make sure that we’re not going do it again’,” said Gallant. “Because having George Brown say it was wrong will make other sponsors reconsider.

And if you cut the money from the NFL that’s how you’re going to stop it, because money talks and bullshit walks.”

Coty Zachariah, the Student Association of GBC’s First Nations, Métis and Inuit constituency representative, is backing the call for a public apology. The Student Association also funds The Dialog.

“Every day the ‘Redskins’ continue to use that slur is an offense. While GBC may not have been able to foresee their ad playing during a Washington game, it did.

A public apology and condemnation of the ‘Redskins’ name to the college community is not too much to ask and would show GBC’s support of the indigenous community,” said Zachariah.

Karen Thomson, GBC’s vice president of marketing and strategic enrollment management, disagrees an

apology is needed stating that they are not responsible for the ad airing during the game as they had no prior knowledge of what teams would be playing.

“There’s nothing for us to apologize for in terms of our behavior,” said Thomson adding that the college regrets the occurrence and has asked its ad agency to alert them if another “poor context” like this should arise in the future so they can try and adjust their ad buy.

“I think it’s unfortunate that this is happening but I think it’s an opportunity for us to grow and make things better in the future,” said Lori Budge, an aboriginal students counsellor at GBC. Thomson said that this wasn’t a mistake that could have been prevented and likened Gallant’s complaint to “killing a mosquito with an elephant.”

“I would suggest that Mr. Gallant pursue the sports companies themselves, because I do think that there needs to be a change, and I think that if he was targeted in his efforts that’s where he’s going to be able to influence the change,” said Thomson.

In 2013, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights unanimously passed a resolution calling on

the team to change its name.

There have also been regular protests at the team’s games.

“We’ll never change the name,” said Washington’s owner Daniel Snyder in a 2013 interview with USA Today. “It’s that simple. NEVER — you can use caps.”

“There’s been a raging debate in the United States

about it and on May 22, 2014 half the US Senate urged the NFL commissioner to change the name and it’s still not changed,” said Budge, who supports Zachariah’s call for an apology. “The only headway we’ve made is when major advertisers pulled money from both the team and the league during those games.”

Protesters march in Minneapolis on Nov. 2, 2014. Photo: Fibonacci Blue

STUDENT ASSOCIATION ELECTIONS 2016 Be a student leader!

Join our Board of D irectors!

Nomination period:

Monday, Feb. 22 at 10 A.M. to Thursday, March 10 at 2 P.M. Nomination packages can be picked up at your campus Student Association oďŹƒce: Casa Loma campus, room E100 St. James campus, room 147

Waterfront campus, room 033 Ryerson campus, room 614

To learn more about the positions available, please see our website at: studentassociation.ca/elections

studentassociation.ca/elections/

facebook.com/rungbc

instagram.com/sagbc

P LEASE REC YCLE AFTER THE ELEC TION

twitter.com/rungbc

Casa Loma, Student Centre: Tuesday, Feb. 2 // 11 A.M. - Noon Waterfront, Main Lobby: Wednesday, Feb. 3 // 11 A.M. - Noon St. James, Student Life Lower Lobby: Thursday, Feb. 4 // 11 A.M. - 12:30 P.M. Casa Loma, Student Centre: Monday, Feb. 8 // 10 A.M. - 3 P.M. Waterfront, Main Lobby: Wednesday, Feb. 10 // 10 A.M. - 3 P.M. St. James, Student Life Lower Lobby: Thursday, Feb. 18 // 11 A.M. - 4:30 P.M. Panel Discussion, Black Lives Matter Toronto speaker, Pascale Diverlus St. James, Career Centre (Room B155): Thursday, Feb. 18 // 9 A.M. - 11 A.M. Talent & Fashion Show St. James, Kings Lounge: Thursday, Feb. 18 // 5 P.M. - 8 P.M. Malcom X & Selma Casa Loma, Student Centre: Tuesday, Feb. 16 // 10:30 A.M. – 4 P.M. Do The Right Thing (a Spike Lee joint) St. James, Kings Lounge: Tuesday, Feb. 16 // 11:30 A.M. – 2 P.M. Malcom X & Selma St. James, Kings Lounge: Wednesday, Feb. 17 // 10:30 A.M. – 4 P.M.

studentassociation.ca

twitter.com/sagbc

Writing While Black: Writing Workshop with Whitney French St. James, Room 165B (CAC): Wednesday, Feb. 17 #FeesMustFall Keynote from South African Student Protest Tuesday, Feb. 23 // For more info: http://bit.ly/FeesMustFall_Tour MAWD (pub night) St James, Kings Lounge: Friday, Feb. 19 // 7 P.M. – 1 A.M.

facebook.com/runyourfuture

instagram.com/sagbc

NEWS

The Dialog • dialog.studentassociation.ca // Feb. 8–Feb. 21

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Certain bodies are already desirable and others are not Workshop boosts discussion on hard nut of body desire ALIONA KUTS STAFF REPORTER

Talking about consent when intoxicated Community Action Centre brings a series of workshops to students ALIONA KUTS STAFF REPORTER

“As someone coming from party culture I really identify there is a huge conversation that needs to be had (about consent) and is often missed,” says Steff Pinch the Community Action Centre (CAC) assistant.

To explore the complicated questions and conversations around consent, the CAC is hosting a series of free workshops for George Brown College (GBC) students that will be held throughout the semester.

“Consent + Consumption,” the first workshop of the series, took place at the Kings Lounge on Jan. 21.

“These workshops are a really good way to engage with different constituencies that we represent at CAC,” said Pinch, referring to queer & trans people, women, indigenous peoples, students with disabilities and international students.

Facilitated by The Trip!

Project, the workshop started with brainstorming the group agreements.

“Don’t yuck my yum”, accepting something good for one person is not necessarily the same for another, and

sharing “stories about SWIM (someone who isn’t me)” were on the list, according to Pinch’s Storify story about the workshop.

The definition of consent as ongoing, freely given, specific, informed and enthusiastic came next.

Participants discussed stigma around the overall concept of consent, both with sober and drunk people, said Pinch. They tried to find answers to whether the person using should disclose it to their partner and does the interaction count as consensual if it doesn’t happen?

Pinch said the CAC, “also wants to reflect the diversity of people’s experiences, the realities of dealing with consent” and its complexity.

Brainstorming around the reasons why people have sex while drunk was a good example. Participants named everything from managing anxiety, pain or shyness (especially for queer people) to new spiritual or religious experiences.

The differences in the brainstorming session between sober and high sex were distinctive too. Sober sex was described as being “boring”, “less spicy”, “more focused”, “safer” and “legal.”

Sex when high or drunk

was described as being “less safe” and “embarrassing” noting that it can involve “regrets”, “false or misleading feelings” and “crossing boundaries”, it can also be “relaxing” and “empowering.”

“Some great points were discussed we hadn’t even anticipated,” said Lori Kufner, coordinator of the Trip!

Project. “These topics can be hard to digest sometimes but when everyone is respectful it creates a safe space for folks to explore their thoughts and experiences in really meaningful ways.”

Trip! facilitators talked about harm reduction perspective of consent. Harm reduction, “is a framework that recognizes that our world is full of harms and risks but focuses on meeting people where they are at to achieve any positive change,” said Pinch “I think this topic is vital for students,” Pinch said.

“Especially at college and university campuses where party pressure is so common, there is a huge presence of intoxication culture.”

Even though people who are intoxicated can’t give consent under Canadian Law, folks party and play all the time said Pinch.

“I believe it is important to engage with these questions – how do we navigate these situations and how do we reduce the harm?”

Community Action Centre (CAC) continues its ongoing consent series of free workshops. The second one, Fatness and Queer Desirability, will raise questions about “the ways in which ‘normal’ and queer modes of desire are impacted by colonialism, fatphobia and white supremacy”, said Steff Pinch, CAC assistant. The importance of visibility will be discussed as well, exploring the capability of being queer yet still desirable.

Taking place on Wednesday, Feb. 24, the workshop is facilitated by It Gets Fatter. This “body positive project was started by fat queer people of colour, for fat people of colour”, states its Tumblr page.

By participating in various interactive exercises, said Pinch, participants will have an opportunity to “explore how certain bodies are already desirable and others are not.” Other fine points will cover “the role of the media

in shaping our desires” and ways body positivity may switch them to attract attention to different types of bodies. “I am thrilled to have the folks at It Gets Fatter come facilitate this important dialogue,” mentioned Pinch.

The consent discussion will be expanded featuring another workshop in Sexual Health and Wellness week from Feb. 22-25, added Pinch.

“Consent and sexual wellness go hand in hand.” That workshop will be a chance for everyone to talk over the intersectionality of consent and the influence colonialism, sizism, queerphobia and racism have on it.

“What we are trying to do with these series is explore consent in a way where we are really paying attention to the complexities of it,” claimed Pinch. “It is really important to have such straightforward campaigns.”

The Consent Series will continue with a workshop on Decolonizing Consent on Mar. 9, a Consent 101 workshop and a crafting session teaching Indigenous Models of Consent.

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LOVE & SEX

The Dialog • dialog.studentassociation.ca // Feb. 8–Feb. 21

Love is not a finite resource Polyamory is not an allergic reaction to bad past relationships CHARLOTTE CAMERON STAFF REPORTER

My poly-journey started many moons ago, in the throes of monogamy. I had always been very lucky in love as many beautiful souls have allowed me to love them.

So why did I feel guilty and antagonized by my feelings to love more?

That’s when I started reading about and experimenting with polyamory.

It took some time, many trials and errors, a little bit of heartbreak, and a lot of perseverance but that’s true of all relationships, isn’t it? It’s been a long road but I feel I’m finally coming out of my stumbling poly-adolescence and emerging a more surefooted grown-up.

Most of the time, when I tell people I identify as polyamorous, they just assume it’s a fancy word for a sexy free-for-all sans accountability. There are many things that poly can be but it most certainly is not that. That’s called being single (and a bit of a jerk).

If you want a free ride on the anti-commitment train, stay single. Someone looking for, or in, a poly relationship is still in a relationship; it’s just a different kind. There are still rules to follow.

The difference is there is no standardized version of it to fall back on. You have to define these rules for yourself along with your partner(s) and come to mutually beneficial agreements. Whether it means having other purely sexual partners, other romantic partners, or a mixture of both besides your primary partner, it’s up to you. In the end, for it to work, everyone involved must commit to loving each other freely, openly, honestly and for love’s sake alone.

Another misunder-

standing I often hear is “oh, you just haven’t met the right person yet.” This understanding, that my poly-ness is some sort of defect in myself or my past lovers, that all it would take is for someone to just “love me right” and I’d regain my “capability” of loving others “right.”

Of course, in these terms, the “right” kind of loving is monogamous.

The problem here is that I’m not broken. My need for many loves is not an allergic reaction to bad past relationships or some kind of abuse. My need for many loves stems from my heart and my soul and the fact that I love people. I want to experience all the greatness and profound connections this world has to offer.

What sort of person would demand that I ignore a part of myself, romantic or otherwise, to satisfy their own insecurity? Asking someone to remove jewels from their crown just so I can carry it is not true love. I would never ask that of someone so no one should ask that of me. If anything, we must get stronger hands.

Many people worry that if their partner has another boy/girlfriend, they will have less affection for them. The good news is this is entirely false and I’ll tell you why.

Your love is not a grapefruit. That is, your love is not a finite resource.

Love does not have limits. Our time, money, and other resources do, most definitely. But not our love. It’s up to you how you spend those resources but I am not rationing out pieces of my grapefruitlove to make relationships with multiple people work.

Look, none of this is easy. Having multiple voices at the table can be noisy but the best part is, when it works, it works.

That’s when things really start to get exciting.

90%

FRIEND ZONE Stop complaining about being “friend-zoned”— 90% of people said they would date a friend. 86% of people would date someone in their class and 66% would date a co-worker. 60% of people said they would date a friend’s family member, while 6% would date their cousin.

S

37% DIC PIX

37% of women say they have received an unsolicited dick pic. But only 10% of men admit to sending them.

19%

SEX WORK

19% of men say they have paid for sex o might in the future. 3% of people have been paid for sex. One person reported they once traded a blow job for a vinta table.

SEX SURVEY

or

d age

LOVE & SEX

The Dialog • dialog.studentassociation.ca // Feb. 8–Feb. 21

32%

HOOK-UPS

Men will hook up faster then women with 32% saying they would have sex after knowing someone for less than an hour compared to 8% of women.

19% of people would hook up on the first date and 29% after two to three dates

46%

UNWANTED SEX A shocking 46% of people said they have sex when they didn’t want to.

How do you identify?

Straight/Heterosexual 68% Bisexual 14% Pansexual 7% Queer 5% Not Sure 4% Gay/Lesbian 2% Asexual 1% Pan-romantic Asexual 1%

Creating an inclusive space for asexuality Asexuality 101 coming to George Brown STEVE CORNWELL ASSISTANT EDITOR

In the opening scenes of the documentary (A) sexual, asexuality advocate David Jay remains patient and on point even as his identity is made fodder for the punchlines of television hosts. In a 2006 interview on US talk show The View, cohost Star Jones questions why Jay feels the need to discuss asexuality, asking “if you’re not having sex, what is there to talk

Grace.

Grace thinks marginalized communities interact with asexuality in specific ways, where asexual people of colour might experience both a prejudice against asexuality and sexual stereotypes about their race.

In its mission statement, Ace Toronto points out that marginalization based on race, gender, class, age, and more has limited access for some to the asexual community. As such, the Toronto-based group works to create in-

”We’re hopefully giving people a place where they feel represented, welcomed and celebrated” about?”

While the cringe-worthy exchange is close to a decade old, folks who identify as asexual, (experiencing little or no sexual attraction to others), or aromantic, (someone with little or no desire for romantic relationships), still face challenges around their orientation and choices.

Sebastian Grace, is an organizer with local asexual and aromantic group Ace Toronto. For Grace, challenges facing asexual folks range from an institutional bias towards romantic relationships to individual efforts to pathologize asexuality as a kind of defect.

“Some people will try to dismiss some one’s asexual identity by saying things like, ‘were you abused as child?’ Or ‘you should go see a doctor and get that fixed’,” said

clusive spaces for those who have been excluded from its community.

This month, Ace Toronto is teaming up with the Community Action Centre (CAC) at George Brown College to run the workshop, Asexuality 101 on Feb. 25, at Waterfront campus’ room 225 from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

“The workshop will be a great opportunity for students and staff members to learn and ask questions in a safe and supportive environment,” said Sarah Rayner, LGBTQ students’ support staff with the CAC. The session is part of CAC’s Sexual Health and Wellness Week.

“By including asexual and aromantic communities in our programming, we’re hopefully giving people a place where they feel represented, welcomed, and celebrated.”

11

12

NEWS

The Dialog • dialog.studentassociation.ca // Feb. 8–Feb. 21

Self love is the key to happiness Body shaming has affected almost everyone RENUKA MALHORTA STAFF REPORTER

No one can deny the power of love. We all long for it and we can’t live well without it. So many of us go on that eternal quest to find love. We seek high and low out there in the world. Yet we often miss one of the most obvious places to find love—within ourselves.

Self love is just as important as love shared with others, if not more so.

Everyday we encounter a number of people who are not satisfied with how they look, their weight, their hair, their skin colour or something else about their body. This dissatisfaction can happen when someone is repeatedly hard on themselves or ridiculed by others for not fitting the “perfect body” type which is called body shaming.

Body shaming has been in the news for years now. The only difference between now and then is that victims had been too embarrassed to talk about it. The issue of body shaming has recently gained limelight and people have ac-

tually started to address it, particularly celebrities. Many articles have been published against body shaming, specifically fat shaming, and psychologists have claimed that body shaming can induce depression and can actually lead to weight gain.

“Your body should be your first love ” Various celebrities all over the world have come out swinging against the media or people that post comments about their looks on social media. Author and professor of social work Brene Brown has defined shame as “the intensely painful feeling that we are unworthy of love and belonging.” For Brown, shame can be painful enough to destroy lives. This is the very pain health and fitness media trains us to feel, each and ev-

ery time our reflections fail the standards they set for us.

Not only has body shaming affected celebrities but also our friends, families, classmates and ourselves at some point in our lives. Swynda Nichols, a social service worker student at George Brown College, talked about why it is important to love oneself before loving someone else.

“Your body should be your first love or yourself. Self love is the best because for me it took me a really a long time to understand the concept of loving yourself. Because if you love yourself then only you get the ability to love someone else,” she said.

Nichols, who has felt stigmatized because of her size, said that when you have self love, it’s okay if individuals walk out of your life. She also said that it is fine to let go of individuals who cannot accept you for who you are.

So all the girls and the guys who have ever been a victim of body shaming, do yourself a favour. Take a deep breath, give yourself a big hug and realize that you are the most important person in your life.

It’s not about being selfish or self-centered, it’s about realizing how important you are to yourself.

‘I’ve heard that love was out of my control’ Sold-out Chelsea Hotel: The Songs Of Leonard Cohen premieres in Toronto ALIONA KUTS STAFF REPORTER

“It’s written on the walls of this hotel: you go to heaven once you’ve been to hell,” reads a lonely writer on a wall of his hotel room. That’s how it goes.

He is sitting at the desk in a paper-thin New York hotel room, desperately trying to write. Literally swamped with scraps of paper, “How can I begin anything new with all the yes-

terday in me?” he asks. And the memories burst in.

These memories have bodies and voices. Voices that sing the inspiring and passionate songs of Leonard Cohen. They sing about love.

And the writer has only his alter ego to keep him sane.

Chelsea Hotel: The Songs Of Leonard Cohen is not a love story. Nor is it a story about love. Six performers playing 17 instruments in remarkable arrangements, tell a story of a person look-

ing for himself. A man who is lost in past love stories. A man who tries to draw that line between memories and real life. A man in pain yet still in love.

Cohen’s lyrics in combination with ripping charisma of main character’s alter ego is spellbinding and crowned with the striking energy of the writer played

by Jonathan Gould. Together they create a masterfully breathtaking story. A story intimate to anyone who has ever been in love.

A story brilliantly played

by Gould, present in every moment smiling, suffering and crying, goes through ups and downs of love. Coping with love that is out of his control and pains of “living

in a house haunted by the ghost of you and me,” he finally realizes: “The reason I write is to create something as beautiful as you are.”

You do go to heaven once you’ve been to hell. Hallelujah.

Chelsea Hotel: The Songs

Of Leonard Cohen Show dates: Feb. 3 - 21, 2016 Tickets: regular - $35$55; Artsworker with valid I.D. - $30; Under 30 with valid I.D. - $25 Tickets can be purchased by calling 416-504-7529 or by visiting http://www.theatre20.com

A part-timer can work here for years and never get health benefits or a single sick day.

HOW IS THAT FAIR? �

#Sign up Erin Thorson ADMIN ASSISTANT LANGUAGE STUDIES

Health benefits at

collegeworkers.org

If you work as part-time Support staff for George Brown College, or worked during this academic year, email tracy@collegeworkers.org for more information.

14

SPORTS

The Dialog • dialog.studentassociation.ca // Feb. 8–Feb. 21

George Brown Huskies lose to Algonquin College Tianna Sullivan leads Huskies with 17 points

Wolfpack Ticker

EMEKA IBEH

Scores from George Brown College athletics

STAFF REPORTER

The George Brown women’s basketball team had their two-game winning streak snapped on Fri. Jan 29. The Huskies made costly mistakes throughout the game, losing to Algonquin College 65-51.

The Huskies started off slow, but put together several small runs in the first half to overpower the smaller Algonquin team, who couldn’t get much going against George Brown’s persistent one-onone defence. The Huskies were down, 15-8, after a quarter, but out scored Algonquin 15-10, in the second quarter, trailing by only two points at halftime, 25-23.

The Huskies struggled to maintain their cohesiveness down the stretch and gave up a 5-point lead late in the third quarter. Tianna Sullivan and Angel Mbikay were a large reason the Huskies were only down by 10 with 6:32 to play. But other than

Men's basketball George Brown. . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Fleming. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Algonquin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 George Brown. . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Algonquin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 George Brown. . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Women's basketball “I think we got tired to be honest with you,” said coach Faith Asker. Photo: Emeka Ibeh / The Dialog

Melissa Vilar, who added 8 points, no one else on the team stepped up to support Sullivan and Mbikay.

George Brown ultimately lost the momentum they had in the first half and never recovered. Their defense continued to give up big shots and uncontested drives while continuously turning over the ball in the fourth quarter, failing to make any clutch baskets late in the game.

“I think we got tired to be honest with you,” coach Faith Asker said. “Maybe it’s the lack of conditioning but I don’t see that as an excuse

for why we lost. We should have done a better job with the ball overall and it didn’t happen.”

Asker opened his postgame comments by saying his main concern was rebounding and their defence.

In the second half the Huskies were hounded by Algonquin’s more aggressive defenders preventing them from getting good shots at the basket.

The team holds a 5-5 record for the season, while Algonquin picked up its second win of the week, improving to a record of 10-2. This was

the second meeting between these teams. Algonquin beat the Huskies 74-33 in their first game of the season back on Oct 30, 2015.

Despite the disappointing loss, The Huskies have won two of their last three games, including a 15-point win over rival Durham College and a win against Georgian, 72-61.

George Brown was led by Tianna Sullivan’s 17 points, while Angel Mbikay added 14.

With four more games left, George Brown will hope to make one final push for the long awaited OCAA playoffs.

Algonquin 65 George Brown. . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Men's volleyball Canadore. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 George Brown. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Fleming. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 George Brown. . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 George Brown. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Georgian. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Women's volleyball Canadore. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 George Brown. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 George Brown. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fleming. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Georgian. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 George Brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Huskies dodgeball team takes second place Team sets sights on next tournament EMEKA IBEH STAFF REPORTER

The Huskies extramural dodgeball team made their way to the championship round of the George Brown Tournament before losing to Humber Lakeshore, 5-2.

“Honestly, we tried to play the best that we can and improve on every mistake that we made,” said Tivon James, a first year student in the HVAC program at Casa Loma. “For us,

it’s just about overcoming those nerves and not getting tired in the final moments of the game.” He added, “it’s all about improving for us.”

The Jan. 28 tournament was hosted on the Huskies’ home turf in the St. James campus. The Huskies played six games in the tournament, defeating Niagara and Laurier Brantford, finishing with a record of 2-22.

Extramural dodgeball is a team sport where six players compete to knock the opposing six players out of the game. Huskies dodgeball coach, Matthias Pizzera explained that unlike intramural dodgeball where students participate within their own school, in extra-

mural dodgeball it’s school teams competing against other school teams.

The Huskies brought strong play and good effort to the court, but after six games of dodging, and diving, Humber Lakeshore was able to overcome the George Brown Huskies offensive in the final round, winning the match 5-2.

Pizzera was extremely excited about this tournament and said that despite the loss, their expectations will remain high for their next tournament. James, who was one of the standout players on the Huskies team, added that he thinks his team will put in a strong performance in their final tournament this year.

Huskies excited for next tournament. Photo: Emeka Ibeh / TheDialog

OPINION

The Dialog • dialog.studentassociation.ca // Feb. 8–Feb. 21

// OPINION

15

// EDITORIAL

Ghomeshi does not represent Police need the BDSM community accountability CHARLOTTE CAMERON With Jian Ghomeshi’s highprofile sexual assault trial underway, the line between what is and isn’t abuse or assault seems muddier than ever.

One thing that is clear to seemingly everyone in the BDSM (Bondage Domination Sadism and Masochism) community however is that if this were a true example of BDSM or rough sex, it would be relatively simple to prove it.

This may come as a surprise to some, but BDSM is not a violent kink; it’s a fetish based around the illusion of violence.

Spanking, hair pulling, slapping, “forced” sex (rape fantasies), is consensual power play where one participant agrees to give up their power to another in a highly specific, diligently planned way.

Understanding your partner’s kinks, deciding which

desire to explore and working out a scenario takes time.

The women testifying say they were blindsided by violent assaults by Ghomeshi.

There are many differences between abuse and kink but for me, the simplest way to tell, the most telling difference comes in the form of one, single word.

The safe word.

If you don’t know, a safe word is any word (or an action if verbal gags are involved) which, having been agreed upon in advance of playing out any scene, a person can say that will stop the action immediately.

But 1,000 safe words will not stop abuse or assault.

The safe word is born out of four of the cornerstones of BDSM and kink, which are consent, communication, support, and trust. The presence of a safe word means consent was given to engage, limits were defined, and everyone knows when and how to stop.

This takes time, planning,

and above all else, honesty.

What it means is having everyone lay out their desires and agreeing which will be involved and which will not.

Everything is enjoyed by both parties. Period.

This in turn brings partners closer together, breeding trust and security. Assault and abuse only breed fear, pain, and sadness. The BDSM community works extremely hard to educate people, both inside or outside the community, about the difference.

Whether his actions are qualified as assault in the eyes of the law or not, Ghomeshi’s defence is spending too much time trying to dismantle the witnesses’ credibility instead of trying to prove the cornerstones were present.

To me it’s obvious they weren’t no matter which way you slice it.

Whatever Jian Ghomeshi thinks he’s doing, it is not BDSM.

// LETTERS AND COMMENTS RE: Presto cards to replace Metropasses in 2017 What’s more concerning to me is that the new terminals don’t display a balance like the old ones did and there’s a small overdraft fee that can really add up. Totally predatory if you’re on a really tight budget -Alexis Gee on Facebook

// EDITORIAL CARTOON

It will increase dramatically the cost of transportation because we’ll have to pay the fare for each trip as opposed to one single fare per month.

Presto is more expensive than Metropass, and to those who liked this post probably are rich enough to pay for their fare each time they travel.

- Cecilia Paes on Facebook

- Laura Mulleda Sambrano on Facebook

after killing Yatim New training days not enough to save people in crisis from police Following a jury finding James Forcillo guilty of attempting to murder Sammy Yatim, mayor John Tory and Toronto police chief Mark Saunders spoke of the curious idea that an entire community needs to pull together to prevent more tragedies like this. There is no doubt that Forcillo’s killing of Yatim is indicative of a complex set of problems which requires many stakeholders to address.

But let’s not confuse the issue, the community didn’t shoot an emotionally disturbed 18 year-old on an empty streetcar, Forcillo did.

And there is good reason to think that police will kill people that need help more than they need threatening ultimatums.

The training of Toronto police officers, particularly related to interactions with persons in emotional distress, has become a significant issue in the wake of Yatim’s killing. Following Forcillo’s verdict, both chief Saunders and mayor Tory pledged their commitment to a zero harm, zero deaths emphasis for police training.

Zero harm and zero deaths sounds great. But let’s keep in mind that according to City News, the new training paradigm adds up to only an extra day of training for police already in service and an additional week for new recruits.

New recruits currently get 24 weeks of training. An extra week is a meagre four per cent increase in training for new recruits of the Toronto police.

Giving this four per cent increase in new recruit trainings the benefit of the doubt, how can we have confidence that an extra day of training will stop police already in service from firing on people having emotional meltdowns?

Considering the testimony of Paul Bonner, a defen-

sive tactics instructor who teaches at the Ontario Police College, there is no reason to have confidence that another day of training will undo what Toronto police have been taught.

“One additional week or day of police training is not likely to have saved Yatim’s life.”

Bonner testified that Forcillo was out of options with Yatim and that Toronto police are trained to believe that aiming a gun at someone is means of de-escalation. If this tendency to draw guns and view potential fatal tactics as primary options is deeply engrained in Toronto police – indeed it took less than a minute for Forcillo to decide to shoot Yatim – then it’s hard to imagine a day of training will erase what’s been learned.

One additional week or day of police training is not likely to have saved Yatim’s life, gotten him off of the streetcar and towards the help he needed. One day or week of training represents the same kind of policing status quo that resulted in the 18-year-old being killed before he could attend his classes at George Brown College in the fall of 2013.

Yatim’s fate was decided by Forcillo on a Dundas streetcar. Nothing can change the events of July 27, 2013.

And nothing will change until the police are forced to be more accountable than minute increases in training time.

16

ARTS & LIFE

The Dialog • dialognews.ca // Feb. 8–Feb. 21

Paintball: it’s about freedom, not just winning

“I saw flashes from the paintball guns imitating the actual gunfire.”

Reporter captured by ‘irresistible’ excitement of inter-campus battle ALIONA KUTS STAFF REPORTER

Arriving at a place called Sgt. Splatters might not seem like the most glamorous thing to do. Unlike Nathan Phillips Square, Casa Loma or eyecatching Toronto attractions, Sgt. Splatters is not particularly bright or shiny.

Located at 54 Wingold Ave. in North York, Sgt. Splatter’s is easy to overlook. But not on Friday Jan. 20, when the Student Association (SA), which funds the Dialog, organized paintball battle between the four George Brown College (GBC) campuses.

The first thing that caught my eye was the floor all covered in small turquoise balls.

Looking like candies spilled on the ground, they were also on the walls and windows. White brick walls and wooden benches completed

the street feel and industrial style.

Before joining a game, I decided to watch one first as the last time I took part in a paintball battle was many years ago and in a completely different setting. Although the war zone of the facility is, according to the official website, the largest in Canada, it did not seem that big from above. Nor did the crowd.

Divided into two groups (with or without a carroty ribbon on a forearm), GBC students spread around the area and disappeared. As an observer, I saw flashes from the paintball guns imitating the actual gunfire. Surprisingly enough, I did not see too many people on the field. In my eyes, there were 10 people at most.

Imagine my amazement when about 70 people came into a changing area for a break between the games.

GBC paintball squad!

Photo courtesy of Rachel Grace / Student Association

The room became crowded pretty quickly and with comments ranging from “did you see how I nailed it?” to “that was really unfair!”, there was a lot of excitement. I decided to go in.

What lasted five minutes when I was outside, felt like ages when I was holding a gun. The game catches you.

Its spirit, race, sound. You cannot resist the excitement.

And, of course, the closer to an enemy you get, the higher the risk.

Having seen people surrendering when things got risky, I promised myself I wouldn’t do that. I broke that promise.

When I was steps away from the enemy’s base, hiding in one of the buildings, somebody came from behind.

He didn’t make a noise, and

didn’t fire. He just put the muzzle to my neck – and I surrendered.

It goes without saying, victory was not the ultimate goal of that night. A few students were puzzled when I asked who won. Even Neil Cumberbatch, a senior coordinator of events and marketing at the SA, was taken by surprise.

I agree – it was not about the victory or St. James beating Casa Loma. It was about freedom. About the power you finally feel after messing up the first assignment of winter term.

Even though a few students went right to their phones in between games, the majority preferred talking to texting. If you know Toronto, and our obsession with phones, you would know that this means a lot.

Students revive 1928 play, The Suicide Cast promises energetic frenzy at the Young School of Performing Arts TINA TODARO STAFF REPORTER

George Brown school of performing arts students’ continue their season at the Young Centre for the Performance Arts with a production of The Suicide.

The Suicide was written as a farce by Nikolai Erdman in 1928. The play is a comedy set in the 1920s that tells the story of a desperate man contemplating suicide as he is besieged by discontented characters begging him to kill himself as a gesture for their cause.

Cast member Brina Romanek described the pro-

The cast of The Suicide pose in the distillery district where the play opens on Feb. 10. Photo by Larry LaForet

duction as “an energetic frenzy of characters trying to better themselves in a stagnant and depressing society.”

“Women during this time in Soviet Russia had very few rights allowed them, and the fact that she is the

sole provider for her family, and is always trying to be hopeful thinking about the future,” said Romanek. She added that Maria is “constantly filled with hope for a better life.”

Cast as Maria Podsekalinikova, Romanek describes

her character as strong and hopeful, as a newly-wed whose husband cannot work.

The Suicide will have you laughing, crying (from laughing so hard), and is one of the best experiences that students will ever have in the theatre, according to

Jake Deeth, cast as Semyon Semyonovich Podsekalnikov (Maria’s husband).

“As Semyon I have the pleasure of interacting with the audience a great deal.

In this production, students and patrons can look forward to an inclusive experience,” said Deeth.

With characters determined to achieve their goals, including the act of suicide, the production will showcase. “a frenetic hilarious adventure filled with screaming, crying, gagging, hallucinating, while also making you realize just how lucky we are to live in a democratic society,” said Romanek.

From Feb. 10-20 students can go see The Suicide at the Young School of Performing Arts in the Distillery District. Tickets are $8 for students, $20 for adults, and $15 for GBC staff and alumni.

For more information, visit youngcentre.ca.

ARTS & LIFE

The Dialog • dialognews.ca // Feb. 8–Feb. 21

17

Under $50 places for a Valentine’s dinner date Valentine's day is just around the corner and if you are still wondering where to go for those romantic dinners, we have you covered. Here are some tasty and romantic options for under $50.

RENUKA MALHOTRA STAFF REPORTER

The Jason George 100 Front Street East Located across from St. Lawrence market, the Jason George offers an ideal place for college students to take their date on Valentine’s. The restaurant has wooden interiors and a pub to serve all purposes.

Jason George serves a variety of yogurt, eggs, salads and more for brunch. The main menu has a nice variety of entrees, burgers, pastas and sandwiches to choose from. Along with this, the soups and daily specials are the highlights of the restaurant. If you want to try some of the more popular dishes, check out Jason George's steak-based plates.

To sooth your thirst, Jason George's beverage items include warm winter drinks from classic coffee and tea to premium and imported quality bar beverages.

The restaurant caters not

Nuit Social 1168 Queen Street West only to students but also college staff and professionals working in the neighbourhood. The variety of menu items makes it a good deal for students to explore the restaurant during brunch and dinner times. An average meal at the restaurant will cost approximately $20 plus taxes which will include a burger and a drink.

Jason George also has a great patio with romantic lighting but is open only during the summer season. The fireplaces and woodwork inside makes it a romantic getaway on Valentine’s. Its proximity to the college and ideal location in the downtown core makes it an even better hangout place for friends. The restaurant also has a special party area to host student parties and is otherwise used as a general dining area for customers.

Nuit Social is popular for its cozy and romantic ambiance ideally located in the heart of Queen Street West. It also has a stained glass bar which adds charm to the place. The menu features two sections with one section having plates to share.

The menu provides the flexibility to build your own plate by selecting from a list of imported cured meats, cheeses and olives. The second section is social plates which provides a selection of seasonal dishes. In addition to this Nuit Social also offers a list of classic cocktails, premium spirits and in-house creations but these are relatively expensive. An average meal price at Nuit social for two people is $40 plus taxes.

Carisma 73 King Street East Carisma offers an extraordinary Italian fine-dining experience in downtown Toronto. It has an exquisite selection of salads, pastas and other menu items like grilled veal chops, porcini mushroom risotto and lobster ravioli to choose from. Along with the classic Italian décor that captivates your heart, the cuisine is served by professional and friendly staff.

Just a few steps away from King subway station, Carisma offers a great escape for a perfect evening date for students who want to plan a great evening for their significant other.

An average price meal for two people would cost approximately $45 plus taxes.

‘Ramen is for the 99 per cent’ says Chef Hogan Nate Hogan inspires attendees to find their own personal style CLEMENT GOH STAFF REPORTER

There was a packed lecture hall at St. James for the Ramen Extravaganza, hosted by chef Nathan Hogan. The hour and a half long session was an ode, to ramen, one of the world’s most renowned foods commonly found in Japan.

Guests were immersed into an experience illuminated by a vibrant presentation,

with a personal opening from chef Hogan. Hogan chronicled his fascination with ramen which led to his travels around the world to master the savoury dish. Nothing was missed in the history of ramen, either. From its origins as a single dish back in 19th century China to its transformation into a culture featuring thousands of varieties served in contemporary ramen spots all over the world. Included was the

breakdown of ramen from the noodle types to the savoury broth and precise garnishes of seaweed, braised eggs and juicy pork belly.

“Ramen is just as important in Japanese cuisine, just as powerful as the sashimi and yakitori. I think pasta in Italy is easily as powerful as ramen would be in Japanese cuisine,” said Hogan.

The culinary advocates of Tastes of Tomorrow, the group which organized the event, insisted on the food event not being just theory based. The audience was greeted with a well-timed

Ramen is as important in Japanese cuisine as pasta is in Italy. All photos: Clement Goh/TheDialog

surprise act featuring chef John S. Lee and Riley Bennett, who worked with Hogan and a grizzled team of students in a cooking demonstration. The entertaining pace (and oddly satisfying) process of watching ramen being made was made better with a flurry of pop-quizzes.

The rapid fire questions engaged the audience as assistants in providing the steps towards the perfect bowl of ramen.

Ramen is appealing for its simplicity, technique and price point, Hogan said. “It’s not like jiro sushi for a $400 tasting menu. No, that’s for the one per cent. Ramen is for the 99 per cent.”

Guests were served cup noodle-sized samples of Hogan’s ramen, followed by seconds and thirds.

“It’s all about developing your own style,” Hogan advised the attendees. “You can do high-end ramen; you could do dead-simple ramen.

I think it’s all based upon finding your strengths with your own style, and just rewrite the rule books to what you do well.” He added, “I’ve been doing ramen for 5 years, and I got miles to go.”

18

SCIENCE & TECH

The Dialog • dialognews.ca // Feb. 8–Feb. 21

Toronto’s top-selling sex toys Hottest-selling sex toys of 2015, according to three of Toronto's top sex shops.

Come As You Are 493 Queen St. West

Good For Her 175 Harbord Street

Condom Shack 231 Queen St. West

Blush Finger Vibe

GEE-VIBE Small, cute, affordable, great starter or traveller vibrator with 10 vibration modes.

A small vibrating bullet inside a soft silicone sleeve that slips right on to your finger. Ideal for couples and beginners, since the toy is on your hand it’s an easy way to add a little extra buzz to your fun!

FORM 2

Vibrating Cockrings

A powerful toy for external use and general arousal but particularly good for rubbing the clitoris. A luxurious option that does THAT thing very well.

A great way to add stimulation for couples. Available in a variety of styles, a small vibrating bullet is worn in a stretchy ring that secures it at the base of the penis.

Shibari 100% Natural Hemp Rope Tie your lover down with 10 meters of fun!

The Magic Wand Original has been constantly selling well for over 19 years. The Magic Wand Original is a classic personal massager. With two frequency options, it creates deep and powerful vibration through a firm tennis-ball size head.

Tenga Eggs The most popular toy for men, they’re small egg-shaped masturbation sleeves.

Rescuing stranded space-bunnies together Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime demands player co-operation GABRIELA AVEIRO-OJEDA VIDEO-GAME COLUMNIST

One of the best parts about cooperative games is the ability to bring in separate players and encourage teamwork

through gameplay, particularly within hectic settings where time is of the essence.

In games like these, communication and understanding between players is truly what forms the gameplay experience, with the mechanics serving as an underlying structure for players to use in their interaction.

Enter Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime, a co-op game with a fairly simple goal; rescue stranded space-bunnies located around the game map while avoiding dangerous enemies and the vacuum of outer space. Navigation in Lovers

is via a spaceship controlled by two players (or one player and one trusty AI partner), with different stations being located within the ship. The players must run back and forth between these stations to control movement, shields, and weapons. Lovers employs eye-popping neon 2D visuals and colourful palette designs.

The controls for Lovers are fairly easy (simple movement and interaction), making the technical aspects pretty straightforward. The challenge comes in how well the two players can cooperate with each other to switch

between stations as new obstacles and challenges appear.

Despite the feelings of urgency experienced with its frantic outerspace gameplay, Lovers makes for a great co-op game among friends.

Lovers is the work of local Toronto studio Asteroid Base. The game is composed

by Matt Hammill, Jamie Tucker, and Adam Winkels, with audio work from Ryan Henwood and UI design by Emily Tu. Lovers was first imagined in January 2012 during Global Game Jam, an annual event held world-wide where game developers come

together during a weekend to create a game within the time allotted.

Since its creation and development, Lovers has appeared in several festivals including PAX East, Indiecade East, and the Independent Games Festival. The game has also received awards from Destructoid, Brazilian Independent Games Festival and the Extra Credits Awards.

Lovers was recently released on Sept. 9, 2015 for Steam and Xbox One at $16.99, with a timely Valentine’s release for Feb. 9 on Playstation 4.

FUN

The Dialog • dialognews.ca // Feb. 8–Feb. 21 // COMICS

Easy Puzzle 9,145,093,684

// SUDOKU

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9

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9 8

6

3

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1

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1 1

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5 Cartoon by: Paige Winkle

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1 6

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4 6

9

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9

Back to puzzle Print another... © Web Sudoku 2016 ­ www.websudoku.com

// CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Across

1- Reindeer herder; 5- “Bird on ___” (Gibson film); 10- Sphere; 14- Dies ___; 15- Sired; 16- Arch type; 17- ___-a-brac; 18- Scottish seaport; 19- Tear; 20- Federal soldier in the Civil War; 22- Middle way; 24- Moving about; 25- Soviet leader Brezhnev; 26- Silage storage tower; 28- Misplaces; 32- Fancy-schmancy; 35- Santa ___, California 37- Look up to; 38- Biblical high priest; 39- Museum piece; 41- Heston’s org.; 42- Edmonton team; 45- Guggenheim display; 46- For fear that; 47- ___ Dame; 48- Opera set in Egypt; 50- Ford flops; 54- Bahamanian island;

58- Hawking; 61- Key with no sharps or flats; 62- Let’s just leave ___ that; 63- Artist’s support; 65- Editor Wintour; 66- Cairo’s river; 67- Do penance; 68- Follow; 69- Spent, as batteries; 70- Bob and Elizabeth; 71- Suffix with exist;

Down

1- Tripoli’s country; 2- Tapestry; 3- Enamel; 4- Somewhat hungry; 5- Up to it; 6- Ittybitty; 7- Uncle!; 8- Rate; 9- Patriot Allen; 10- Tedium; 11- Long in the tooth; 12- Director Riefenstahl; 13- Mother of Helen of Troy; 21- “___ tu” (Verdi aria); 23- Temperate; 25- Solitary;

27- Metallica drummer Ulrich; 29- Trigonometric function; 30- Miscalculates; 31- Chair; 32- Unskilled laborer; 33- Potpourri; 34- River sediment; 36- ___ carte; 37- Broadway opening; 40- Nest eggs, briefly; 43- Put up; 44- Make over; 46- Lip shaped; 49- Block up; 51- Slammin’ Sammy; 52- Muse of poetry; 53- Popular disinfectant; 55- Kofi of the U.N.; 56- Funnelshaped; 57- Papal garment; 58- Discover; 59- Play to ___ (draw); 60- In ___ land; 61- Pub offerings; 64- Vane dir.;

"Crossword puzzles provided by bestcrosswords.com (http://www.bestcrosswords.com). Used with permission."

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