YYZ SUMMER 2011
late night eats pg vintage shopping museums pg 38
5 pg 22
t n e m e v o M J D 's o Toront The Mary Jane Dilemma pg 16
pg 18
The Kissing Bandit pg 34
Contents ENTERTAINMENT
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The Turn Behind The Table
17. Baring My Heart, My Soul, My Backside
Deadmau5 did it – who’s next?
Reporter Dylan MacKenzie attempts to conquer his biggest fear: a nude beach.
8. Tearing Up the Runway
35. Must-See Museums
Keagan Cleare’s journey to the spotlight.
The top three museums to see in T.O.
20. YYZ Event Calendar 15 events you can’t miss.
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CULTURE & LIFESTYLE 22. Old is New The Revealing the hidden gems Chalkumentary of T.O.’s vintage fashion.
The story behind one of Toronto’s talented street artists.
23. Big Heart, Thin Wallet
5. Drunk Dining
30. 99 Problems, Gas Shouldn’t Be One
Listing Kate Foster’s top five 24-hour greasy spoons.
12. The Next Drink of Summer Brewing up something different to wet your whistle.
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YYZ’s guide to a cheap date night.
Don’t get hosed this summer! YYZ has the tips to keep your car running and your wallet safe.
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SPORTS
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The Kissing Bandit
Up close and personal with the CFL’s most lovable defensive tackle.
6. Racing to the Indy Highlighting Toronto’s fastest summer event.
14. Jerry Howarth The voice behind the Blue Jays broadcaster.
24. On the Mat Featuring UFC 129’s Claude Patrick.
34. Twitter and the City Discussing the limits for athletes in social media.
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NEWS G20: Then and Now
YYZ’s Arthur Gallant bridges the gap between police and reporter.
18. Modern Prohibition A look at T.O.’s marijuana culture.
28. Learning from the Past, and Teaching from Experience How one man turned his life around for the good of the children.
31. Weather or Not You’re Ready The downsides to the summer sun.
YYZ ::::::::::::::::::::::: EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Katlyn-Anne Fledderus EXECUTIVE EDITOR Katie Brown MANAGING EDITORS Corey Bullock Dino Pasalic Luke Vermeer ONLINE CONTENT EDITOR Uwais Motala ONLINE CONTENT PROVIDERS Kayla Card-Forbes Adriano Mancini Kristina Russo
YYZ Magazine
ART DIRECTOR Dylan MacKenzie
RESEARCH DIRECTOR Tavia Castle
ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR Ryan Saundercook
FACT CHECKERS Rebecca Sadler Jacob Gallo Bennard Boadi Arthur Gallant
SECTION EDITORS J.R. Bailey Samantha Emann Kelly Gabel Victoria Nash
PHOTO EDITOR Jeremy Cohn
COPY EDITORS Tavia Castle Kate Foster Shauna-Leigh Blake Kelly Gabel
PHOTOGRAPHERS Katie Campanella Scott Dixon Kaitlin Foster Ustad Khaira
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FACULTY ADVISERS Lara King Dan Rowe Renee Wilson -- -YYZ is a production of Humber College Journalism students. -- -CONTACT: 205 Humber College Blvd. Toronto, Ontario. M9W 5L7 (416) 675-6622 yyzexecs@gmail.com
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:: EDITOR’S NOTE
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t’s summer in Toronto. The sun is shining, the sky is blue, and the breeze is just right. Summer, for most, is a two to four month long vacation dedicated to tanning, lounging, going to the cottage, camping, and
hanging out with friends. For everyone stuck in Toronto, have no fear – YYZ highlights many things to do in T-Dot, from shopping, to eating, drinking, and baring it all! For those who get a kick out of a bargain, Katie Brown’s vintage shopping lists three very affordable trendy stores to check out for the latest in “old fashion.” If you’re a night owl – and a bit of a lush with a case of the munchies – don’t miss the top five greasy spoons sure to crush your hunger. For all the romantics out there, we have the perfect solution to making date night a success without breaking the bank. And if you don’t like those suggestions and you’re in the mood for a more “sophisticated” experience, don’t hesitate to check out one of the museums listed on pg. 35. Finally, you’d be silly not to mark down one – if not all – of the events listed under our event calendar. YYZ pinpoints all the fun and exciting up-and-comings to make the summer jam-packed with fun. Of course, don’t forget to check out Jacob Gallo’s “99 Problems, Gas Shouldn’t be One” so that you make it to all the events with your car in one piece! Not only does YYZ list the best in Toronto for the boredom bug, it also delves into the top newsmakers from the sports field to the sidewalk, and gets a little naked. Dylan MacKenzie bared his heart, his soul – and his backside, with a trip to Toronto’s
only ‘clothing-optional’ beach, Hanlan’s Point, and discussed with YYZ the taboos of attending a nude beach. We also got a little too close to former Argonaut Adriano “The Kissing Bandit” Belli, and got a little chalky with David “Chalkmaster” Johnston. On the mat, Dino Pasilic got the down low on UFC’s Claude Patrick as he prepared for his UFC 129 fight against Daniel Roberts, and Kelly Gabel turned tables, highlighting the DJ Movement that’s taken over the music scene. News got emotional as G20 allegations were revisited in “G20: Then and Now”, and a little smokey as we caught up with Toronto’s marijuana culture in “Modern Prohibition.” It’s true, we list it all – from sports stars and artists, to sake breweries and infamous markets, YYZ certainly has something to tickle your taste-sight-ear buds.
- Katlyn “K Fled” Fledderus
:: ONLINE EDITOR’S NOTE A
s you look through this magazine you will see many fantastic stories, by many fantastic writers. But if you want more, if you are interested in more information behind the stories then perhaps you should check out our website. We have exclusive video of the people we interviewed for the stories. We also have audio recordings of interviews that our intrepid reporters secured. How about exclusive stories that didn’t make it into the magazine. Where else would you be able to find out about some of the personalities at The Score Sports Network, or even how urban sprawl affects
people. Still not good enough? Then you should check out the What We Think section. That’s where we share some of the opinions that we have. And of course we have our bios where you can see who we are as people. I would say that’s more than enough stuff to make you check it out. Just remember, no matter what: Be Champions. It’s all up at www.yyzmagazine.ca.
- Luke Vermeer
WWW.YYZMAGAZINE.CA YYZ Magazine
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:: CULTURE & LIFESTYLE
DRUNK DINING TORONTO'S TOP 5 24H GREASY SPOONS By: Kate Foster photo by: kate foster
Staff work tirelessly at Fran’s on Victoria to keep the restaurant tidy for the patrons flowing through all hours of the day.
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t’s 2:32 a.m., and you’ve stumbled out of the bar after being told it was last call about five times. Your attempts to get one last pint just weren’t working. It’s dark out, or at least as dark as downtown Toronto can get with the fluorescent signs hanging from every door, along with the car headlights and flashing traffic lights. Your eyes are still adjusting after the dim mood lighting in the bar was interrupted by the bartender flicking on the house lights to not-so-subtly hint that it’s time for everyone to get the hell out. The blotchy spots in front of your eye balls are making your already dizzy head spin even more and at this moment, you are really only sure of one thing: you need food. So where to go? Here are YYZ’s top five picks for where to get late night eats to help ease the pain of that inevitable next morning hangover.
5. Golden Griddle Everyone is familiar with this traditional breakfast restaurant, a staple for any suburban family looking to enjoy unlimited stacks of pancakes at the Sunday morning buffet. But while many Griddle locations around the GTA are disappearing, there’s still a couple open all hours of the day to specialize in the one meal everyone seems to be looking for after a night out – breakfast. With two 24-hour locations in the city (one uptown on Eglinton and one downtown on Carlton) you can get your waffle fix no matter where the night takes you. Gerry Kinsella, Golden Griddle vice-president, said their overnight clientele is quite varied, but with the Carlton location’s close proximity to Church Street, they get many costumers coming from the bars in the Gay Village. “In the gay community, it’s quite interesting, they don’t necessarily all get along together,” Kinsella said.
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4. The Lakeview It began as Lakeview Restaurant, became Lakeview Lunch, and is now open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week as simply The Lakeview. A great go-to for those partying in the west end, The Lakeview, located at 1132 Dundas St. W., offers the classic all-day breakfast, 9-to-5 brunch (as well as many brunch cocktails for those who aren’t quite ready to stop the party just yet) and many lunch and dinner options from soups to salads, along with a variety of burgers.
3. 7 West Cafe
7 West makes a great late-night spot due, in part, to its perfectly central downtown location. Just south of Bloor and west of Yonge, this cafe sits in a Victorian style three-storey building at 7 Charles St. W. While it has only been serving Torontonians since 1991, it has made a name for itself as a great date spot, an after-dinner dessert run, or as a post-bar snack saviour.
2. Vesta Lunch What many call “the greasiest of greasy spoons,” Vesta Lunch, located at 474 Dupont St., is a staple of the Annex. Say what you will about the claustrophobic, notoriously oily diner, they’ve been nursing Toronto’s hangovers since 1955 and doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. If you can manage to find a seat in the miniscule diner, you’ll likely enjoy much greasy goodness to counteract all the jager in your belly, the quirky service and the obnoxious banter from fellow inebriated patrons. But don’t expect the lovely odour of fried bacon to leave your hair anytime soon – it will likely stick with you longer than your hangover.
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1. Fran’s Fran’s has been serving Toronto’s endless appetites at all hours of the day since 1940. Fran’s has three locations in the city – just west of Yonge at 20 College St., directly across the street from Massey Hall, and the newly opened (but not 24-hour) location at Yonge and Front. Fran’s manager Maceij Lebioda credits the neighbouring police station for Fran’s lack of any real problems with patrons during the wee hours of the morning. “Nothing happens that we’re not prepared for,” Lebioda said. Their menu, or should I say food encyclopedia, boasts just about anything and everything you could possibly have a craving for, no matter the time of day. Lebioda said the breakfast dishes, especially Fran’s Big Breakfast, are always popular. “Fran’s is like tradition now,” Elise Windsor, a 21-year-old OCAD student, said. Windsor explained she had gone into Fran’s on a whim one night, and now goes out of her way after a night out to get to Fran’s before bed. “It just always hits the spot,” she said. You can’t forget about the triple decker sandwiches, pure angus beef burgers, meatloaf, vegetarian chilli, baked lasagna, fajitas, ribs, steak, surf and turf bowl, fish and chips, shepherd’s pie, and the one thing that will cure any hangover, brighten any day or be the perfect touch for any date: deep fried pickles. OK, if you just threw up in your mouth a little, stick with the quesadillas or the poutine. If you’ve started to ever-so-slightly salivate, you can thank me later. l
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:: SPORTS
RACING TO THE INDY By: Adriano Mancini
Dario Franchitti and Will Power race down a straight at the 2010 Honda Indy.
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ou don’t know what you’ve got until it is gone. It may seem like an old cliché but for racing fans that was the case in the summer of 2008. There was no race at the Exhibition Place that summer. The roar of the engines, the cheering fans, and the cars going over 180 km/h were gone. The race was cancelled due to the unification of the two major North American Open Wheel racing divisions, the Indy Racing League and the Champ Car World Series. Scheduling conflicts were cited as the main reason for the cancellation of the race that year, and uncertainty grew whether the race would return in 2009. The race did return, with Honda becoming the new sponsor for the event, which has been held every year since. Charlie Johnstone, vice president and general manager of the Toronto Honda Indy, said the sport and the city of Toronto suffered a great deal after losing the 2008 race. “The Toronto race brings around $50 million in revenue for the city and this was on an almost annual basis, so losing the race for that one year is $50 million lost and that is obviously bad for the economy,” said Johnstone.
Despite losing the race in 2008, some fans believe that the unification of Champ Car and Indy Racing has been good for the sport in general. “The unification has greatly helped the race but it would certainly have been better for the momentum had they raced in 2008 but it came down to a pre-existing contract in the IRL for Watkins Glen clashing with the date Toronto was to have raced” said Geoff Roberts, a fan of the Honda Indy. As of 2011, the sport as a whole and the Toronto circuit, is as healthy as ever and Torontonians will soon have the opportunity to witness today’s popular form of motor racing. With a hot dog and a beer in hand, the average fan can enjoy the annual Toronto Honda Indy race which comes to the grounds of Exhibition Place from July 8 to 10. Johnstone says the sport in Toronto is now in good health because of the contributions of the event’s main sponsor, Honda. “Having a tier one, international company like Honda is nothing but good news – not only for the short term – but for the long term. Having Honda as our sponsor could help draw more sponsors in the future and Honda is really
helping us,” said Johnstone. Honda also sponsors a free Friday event at the Exhibition Place that allows fans to walk the grounds, watch test runs, and get an autograph or two. Johnstone said that having the race in Toronto is very important for both the city and the sport. “This race will bring tourists to the city. We are expecting to get tourists coming from all over Canada and even from many parts of the United States. This race is also crucial for the overall health of Indy racing because this race is broadcast in almost 200 countries,” said Johnstone. Some could say that the race is not being marketed enough. There are hardly any commercials on the television, and there are few ads online or even in the local newspapers. This is a concern that is shared by many including Erik Tomas, the radio host for Raceline Radio on the Fan 590. He covers not only Indy Racing but other forms of automotive racing, like Nascar and F1. He feels that not enough is being done to promote the Toronto Indy. “It is not being promoted enough. You
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courtesy of toronto indy
marketing campaign will involve all forms of media, including; online, television and radio advertisements. The fans who attended last year’s race will also be receiving details on the upcoming race via e-mail or snail mail. Since 2000, the Toronto Indy has drawn
about 70,000 fans on average and, with each passing year, that number continues to increase. Still, there are many Torontonians who have never attended a race, whether it be due to lack of awareness because of the marketing efforts or simply a lack of interest. Johnstone said that you don’t have to be a fan to have a good time at the Indy. “We are actually planning this event so it is designed [where] you don’t have to be a motorsports fan to enjoy yourself at this event. There are so many different kinds of things happening that day… stuff like beer gardens, music, lots of heritage, lots of people gathering together in one place. It’s a special event,” said Johnstone. Tomas also thinks that Torontonians should go to this event because it’s a good event to experience first hand. “This is such a good event with lots of interesting things happening that day, aside from the obvious reasons to attend like the loud noises of the engines. This is something that anybody, regardless of age or sex, would appreciate,” he said. The Toronto Indy has been around for 25 years. It has become a tradition that every summer, down at Exhibition Place, people get
the chance to watch cars drive at incredibly high speeds. Not only has this event affected the city, but it has affected the lives of fans. Roberts, who has been watching the Toronto races for 18 years, said event has played a big role in his life. Roberts has many cherished memories of the great races and great drivers he was able to witness over the years. “I have been watching the Toronto Indy since 1993 and attending off and on since 1998, [that’s] when Alex Zanardi won the race with a brilliant pass on the second to last lap over all-time winner Michael Andretti. That was probably the best moment I have ever witnessed at the Toronto Indy,” he said. “It’s simply the highlight of my entire year. I wait for months for it and eagerly anticipate it and the unveiling of what support races they have booked for next year the second one race ends,” said Roberts. l
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don’t see many advertisements in the media. I think the event needs to be promoted months in advance,” said Tomas. However, according to Johnstone, the race is being marketed at an acceptable rate. A full
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This race is also crucial for the overall health of Indy racing because this race is broadcast in almost 200 countries “
- Charlie Johnstone Honda Indy VP and GM
:: ENTERTAINMENT
TEARING UP THE RUNWAY By: Shauna-Leigh Blake Keegan Cleare working the runway during the 2010 F.A.T (Alternative arts and Fashion Week).
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photos courtesy of keegan cleare
t five foot eleven inches, Toronto model Keegan Cleare is reminiscent of American models Tyson Beckford and Tyrese Gibson. With his unique features, lean physique and unpredictable fashion sense, Cleare has captivated many on his journey as a fashion model. Cleare has been feverishly pursuing a career in fashion modeling for the last 10 years, and though he is enjoying his success, Cleare said that his journey as a model has not been easy. “I have had to work so hard to get to where I am today, “ said Cleare, “and even still I have a long way to go.” The 26-year-old Bahamas native moved to Canada at the age of 16 with dreams of being famous. At first he was unsure of what path would bring him the notoriety he was after but soon enough, it became clear to him that he wanted to become the king of fashion modeling. “Being a kid in the Bahamas was not easy for me because I had a lot of issues with my physical image.” said Cleare Cleare’s issues stemmed from being an overweight kid who was ridiculed daily. Despite the emotional effects, his tenacity and competitive nature did not allow him to suffer for too long. “I lost the weight as a teenager and that made me determined to do something with the
body I used to be ashamed of.” At 17, the newly confident Cleare signed with a Toronto-based modeling agency, which in his words, turned out to be a complete rip off. “All they wanted from me was money,” he explained. “I was paying them all this money and I wasn’t getting any jobs.” In 2004 Keegan signed with Moro Models and Talents in Toronto, and quickly earned his spot as top talent. Through Moro, he found himself getting more significant jobs such as auditions for MTV Canada, MuchMusic and Nike, as well as small roles in movies and music videos. A big break came for Keegan in 2008 when he charmed the executives of Slice TV and landed a part on their reality show, Keys To The VIP. “Slice was so excited about that episode,” said Cleare, “They told me that episode was the most aired.” A confident yet humble Cleare said that since his appearance on Keys To The VIP he has become recognizable in and around the city of Toronto. “People see me all the time and they recognize me even calling me out by name,” said Cleare. “It’s amazing to me.” Becoming a local celebrity brought Cleare more attention than he expected and people began to take notice of him in different ways.
His sense of fashion was always a sure way to spark a conversation, but it became such a topic of discussion that people were asking him to work as a stylist. He has since worked with a number of models and photographers, styling over 50 photo shoots (a few of which were his own). Though he is enjoying his new role, modeling remains his passion. Cleare enjoys being a stylist as it allows him to use clothes to express his creativity, something he cannot do in most of his own shoots. “Sometimes it is hard not being able to have some creative input when you are a model or an actor but it comes with the job,” he said. Cleare’s originality and spark have also drawn the attention of quite a few people in his industry. One such person is Sean “Tungz Twisted” Black, a Hamilton-based photographer who Cleare encountered in 2006 through social networking. Black explains that Cleare saw his work and was impressed by his originality and proposed that they work together. “At the time I was shooting a lot of other aspiring models as well as young rappers and singers,” said Black, “so my name was getting out there.” The young photographer was utterly impressed with the work that Cleare had already done and was excited to work with someone who he considered to be a creative
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Cleare posing in a summer series.
Cleare posing for a shoot with photography company Naked Hobby.
mastermind. “I mean they call me twisted but this guy is the real deal,” said Black. Black was amped to work with Cleare because he was never afraid to try something new. According to Black, Cleare would pitch photo shoot concepts that no other model would envision, making him a pleasure to work with. “He’s a great model and a fantastic muse,” said Black, “he goes above and beyond the regular type of shoots by adding his own creative input. He continually pushes the boundaries.” Keegan Cleare’s creativity and talent has also been an inspiration to 21-year-old Denisha ‘Dinnya’ Stevphenson who met Cleare in 2004. “I met Keegan a few years ago through a mutual friend and I was so taken by his personality,” said Stevphenson. Since their meeting Cleare has encouraged Stevphenson to enter the world of modeling – even introducing her to a few photographers – getting her started on her portfolio. “The first professional shoot I did was with a Toronto-based photographer Cleare worked with in the past,” recalls Stevphenson. “Keegan came with me and coached me through the shoot and it was a complete success.” Stevphenson has since worked with quite a few photographers in and around Toronto
and has attributed much of her success to the guidance and encouragement she has received from Cleare. When asked what she expects to see from Keegan in the near future, Stevphenson said, “Believe me, he is headed for greatness and he will not stop until he achieves that and more.” Though in the last 10 years, Cleare has landed numerous jobs modeling, acting and styling photo shoots, he believes that 2010 brought him the most success thus far. Last spring he found himself working the runway during Toronto Alternative Arts & Fashion Week (FAT), a gig he said he landed on his own. “This was a blessing for me, I had a blast.” Cleare said. “The best part was meeting Jeanne Beker.” Another proud accomplishment for this young model was landing the ad for Brampton’s new bus service, ZUM, Cleare got the gig last summer and the ad debuted in Brampton early this year. Cleare is happy with all that he has accomplished but says that being male in his industry is a challenge. “When it comes to runway and photo shoots there is usually more work available for females.” He explains that being a male model with an ethnic background means working twice
as hard as everybody else in the industry. Still he feels that he has placed himself in the right position by also doing other things on the side. Besides focusing on his talents, Cleare works a part time job as the front desk manager of King West Fitness in Toronto and is currently enrolled in acting classes. He believes that this year will bring him more success than the last and is optimistic about his future in the fashion and entertainment industry. “I would tell anyone trying to get into this industry that it is a long and tedious road but it is all worth it, ” said Cleare. “You need one hundred and ten per cent focus and a thick skin to survive.” He also stressed that it is also important to travel, socialize and be happy while remaining true to your own personality. Cleare said that he has a few jobs already lined up and is looking forward to the ups and downs of 2011. “I’m determined to do it,” said Cleare. “I dreamed of being the ultimate entertainer and I believe I am well on my way to being just that.” l
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:: NEWS
G20: THEN AND NOW By: Arthur Gallant
Police in riot gear create a human shield to stop protesters dead in their tracks.
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photos by: ryan saundercook
he weekend was a career highlight for some journalists, and a nightmare others never want to re-live. June 26 and 27, 2010 was the weekend that saw Stephen Harper, Barack Obama, and leaders of 18 other countries come to Toronto for the G20 summit. With them, came protesters and violence on the streets of Toronto. Journalists in Toronto, and everywhere for that matter, often have to work very closely with the police for their stories. But where was the co-operation covering the G20? Instead of keeping the streets safe, did the police play a part in making the streets more dangerous for the journalists during the G20? And instead of asking journalists to report on assaults and mistreatment, were the police instead guilty of that themselves? Allegations have since surfaced from journalists that they were physically assaulted, or witnessed others being assaulted. Now, a year after the G20, emotions are still running high. The biggest question goes back to the heart of it all. Have the allegations of police brutality made by journalists forever changed the strong relationship the media had with the police? In the immediate aftermath of the summit,
the news media was full of stories alleging that journalists were subject to police violence. “An officer came up to me, looked at my ID, my alternative media centre press pass and said: ‘This isn’t a legitimate press pass. Put him under arrest!’ At which point I was immediately jumped and beaten,” Jesse Rosenfeld, a journalist for The Guardian in Britain but originally from Montreal, told the CBC in an interview. “The officer grabbed my arm, ripped it behind my back. I was punched in the stomach to make me go down to the ground. I was being hit in the ribs. All the time I was saying ‘I am not resisting arrest. I am a journalist. Why are you beating me?’” Amy Miller, a freelance journalist from Montreal, said in an interview in the National Post: “I was grabbed on each side and hit in the stomach and back and pounced on by officers. I kept asking them why they were beating me because I wasn’t resisting arrest. But they lifted my leg and twisted my ankle.” Mark Pugash, director of corporate communications for Toronto Police, told YYZ the police do not feel as if the relationship with the media ever changed and added they were incredibly vital in reporting on the events
of the G20 and helping to catch suspects. While Pugash acknowledges there was some outstanding reporting done he feels some of the journalists covering the summit lacked experience. “We’ve seen some of the most experienced people, people who have been covering the police for a long time are gone and are replaced by people who don’t have that experience,” said Pugash. Still, Pugash admits some people’s opinion of law enforcement has changed since the G20 “Are there people whose faith in us has changed? Clearly that’s the case,” said Pugash. One of those people is Brett Gundlock. The National Post photographer was arrested,
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charged and detained for allegedly obstructing a police officer and unlawful assembly. Gundlock said he was simply taking a picture. “I’ve always dealt with them in a completely respectful manner in the hopes of allowing them to let me do my job in an easier way. That just went completely out the window that weekend,” said an emotional Gundlock. [The views expressed by the reporters do not reflect their respective publications.] Colin D’Mello, a reporter for 680 News, said, “I really don’t think the relationship really changed [but] anything that may have happened healed when Ryan Russell’s funeral happened.”
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Are there people whose faith in us has changed? Clearly that’s the case “
- Mark Pugash
Toronto Police spokesman
Toronto Police Sergeant Ryan Russell was killed when he was run over by a snowplow in January. Tens of thousands of officers attended the funeral in downtown Toronto. While nobody outright suggested Sgt. Russell’s funeral was done to heal whatever ties may have been lost either between the media or the community, it sure was on the top of people’s minds. “The media coverage of the Toronto Police during the G20 may have tarnished their image,” said freelance journalist Dana Lacey in an article on j-source. com. “Last week, they may have gained it back after the funeral for an officer. But some call the funeral coverage excessive, befitting royalty or heads of state, and wonder if there was a link between the two.” Documentary producer Howard Bernstein wrote in his blog, Medium Close Up, “My cynical friends have opined that the massive funeral that closed down major thoroughfares with marching police officers and firemen from across the country and the continent was planned to take the heat off a force that has been beleaguered by months of charges of overzealousness at the G-20 Summit.” So has the relationship between the police and the media changed? It very well may have, and the journalists interviewed for this story agree that some regrettable things have happened to them. Yet, they can’t let that get in the way of doing their job. And while they may forgive, they’ll never forget. l
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Recounting the Moments... Colin D’Mello 680 News reporter It’s fair to say D’Mello had an adrenaline rush when covering the summit and reporting from the front line protests. He had previously covered many G20-related stories leading up to the actual summit but did not see this coming. D’Mello saw Toronto transform and although he wasn’t scared, he admitted that, “you were always in a heightened state.” Seeing his city torn up hit D’Mello on a personal level and struck some emotions from within him. “I just felt angry inside.” It bothered D’Mello that the police trusted nobody, including the media, and that he was heavily questioned when trying to go near the area delegated to the media. He felt like the
Brett Gundlock National Post photographer Gundlock was assigned to cover the G20 summit, and subsequent protests, and knew this would be a memorable experience. He could have never predicted he’d be assaulted, detained, and charged as he tried to visually capture the protests and the destruction in part due to Black Bloc protestors. “There were six police officers running after me, one punched me in the head and knocked me down. And
media pass he was issued by the government didn’t really mean anything to the police as he flashed it to them trying to enter. “What they said to us is that we’ll give you three warnings. By the third warning if you’re not out you’ll be arrested with everyone else.” In an interview with CTV News, Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair said, “We asked the innocent to leave three times and they chose not, and if a tourist, or even a reporter, chooses to remain in that crowd . . . then they had to deal with the consequences of being detained.” D’Mello saw police use force against protesters, including witnessing six officers arrest one protester but added, “I’m not in a position to say whether it was too much or too little. It’s their prerogative.” ripped my camera off.” At that point, Gundlock knew he was under arrest and decided not to resist arrest. Gundlock was detained and charged with obstructing a police officer and unlawful assembly. Gundlock compared the experience of being detained like being in a “kennel for dogs.” The charges were eventually dropped without explanation. Gundlock said his experience in custody was a memorable experience and something he’ll never forget.
Police on bicycles ensure the crowd of protesters stays civil.
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:: CULTURE & LIFESTYLE
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nside your hands is a small cup. Its handle-free grooves grip your fingers, and as you bring it to your mouth, the smell of alcohol wafts from the ceramic vessel. Inside is warm sake (pronounced Sah-keh), and it tastes like watered down caramel. The drink lingers in your throat as you swallow and you feel warm from the inside out, just as you might on a warm summer day. The cold winter wind creeps in from a crack in the window, and your grip on the cup tightens. You are immediately thankful for your stove and your sake, for providing the heat consuming your hands. The drink is an alcoholic beverage made from rice and water. It is native to Japan and has been around for more than 2,000 years. Michael Tremblay, sake sommelier at Ki Restaurant in Toronto, explained that over the past 37 years, sake has become “the drink it is today,” in terms of popularity in North America. Sake has been a growing industry here since 1975 and continues to grow today. Toronto is part of that emerging industry, and the opening of Eastern Canada’s first and only sake brewery coincides with the spring weather. Thanks to Ken Valvur, owner of Bento Nouveau (Canada’s Largest sushi company), it’s also time to visit the Distillery District, home of the brand new brewery, the Ontario Spring Water Sake Company. If you’re local to Toronto, you know that walking around the Distillery District feels like a breath of fresh air in the smog filled city. With no cars driving down the cobblestone walkways, it’s easy to navigate. You won’t find a Tony Roma’s or a Starbucks – but a unique cluster of stores, galleries and restaurants that come together to form one large destination of its own. That is why Valvur collaborated with the Distillery to bring in the Ontario Spring Water Sake Company. “I was thinking about where in Toronto would be the best place to have the brewery. What would sort of give it the best exposure, and also frankly what would be the most fun place to have it, because a big part of my wanting to do this, is just for the pure enjoyment of it,” said Valvur. “I walked through the Distillery and that was actually my first choice.” When you walk through the doors of the sake brewery it smells like fresh wood. You can expect to be greeted by one of the six employees in uniform, and if you’re lucky, you’ll get to speak with a few wise and learned sake brewers. Kazuto Hayashi, general manager of the Ontario Spring Water Sake Company, knows everything about the way their sake is made. He can explain each step of the detailed sake making process from the way the rice is fermented,
to how the glucose level is determined. Prior to starting his work at the Ontario Spring Water Sake Company, Hayashi worked with large restaurant licensees and LCBO staff to support the Ontario business of Japan’s largest sake brewer, Gekkeikan, and at the same time, worked for a large Canadian wine agency. If you meet Yoshiko Takahashi, you might get to see just how well her smile illuminates the room. She does not speak very much English, but you can tell just by her mannerisms that she knows what she is doing, and she is passionate about it. Takahashi is the new sake company’s consulting master brewer, and has over 20 years of sake-making experience. In 2005, Takahashi won an Award of Excellence for a particular brew from the sake she makes, and she is also a member of the Saku Toji Kai guild of master brewers. She graduated from the Advanced Sake Brew Master Training program at the Brewing Society of Japan, where both she and Hayashi are from. The pair is extremely learned on the complicated process of brewing sake. Valvur revealed that the process involves a lot of physical and hard work. He said master brewer Takahashi is great because she is, “always teaching, and always encouraging. She’s not just experienced at procedure but also motivation in a rigorous process.” You can tell by Valvur’s smile, that he too is devoted to his new business. While talking about his inspiration for the brewery, Valvur said, “I met this family who owns a brewery and I saw their press. They had just finished pressing a batch and they let me have a taste. It tasted sublime. Without a brewery here [in Toronto], we’ll never be able to experience that taste. “Sake is quite unique in that from a single batch, you can get a number of different types of sake,” Valvur explained. He also explained that the basic sake coming from their brewery is called Junmai, which is a “pure rice sake,” (meaning it has no extra additives, such as added alcohol). From the Junmai, the brewery can pump out quite a few other styles of sake as well. Since sake is a rice wine, you might wonder at first if it tastes like wine. “Sake is incredibly diverse and tends to go along for the ride,” said sommelier Tremblay. “Sometimes wine tends to try and play the star, where sake is really just a perfect sidekick.” Valvur explained that sake is unlike wine in another way as well. Wine is typically better when it is aged. Sake is more comparable to beer in the way that the freshness determines the taste, in most circumstances. “The core of the world of sake is a world of freshness. We’ll have the freshest of the fresh,” Valvur said. Valvur’s brewery uses spring water from
a groundwater source in Northern Ontario, in order to get such fresh tasting sake. According to Tremblay, 80 per cent of sake is made from water, and a lot of sake companies in Japan are focused on highlighting their water source. “For instance,” he said, “a more mineral filled water gives the sake that mineral edge, where a soft water source leaves the sake soft and distinguished against the pallet.” Tremblay explained that the premium sake brands “can reveal hints of banana, strawberry, melon, or cantaloupe, and can have floral hints.” Before you know it, summer arrives with her floral hints, and it’s time to break out the sandals, and start choosing the patio option at restaurants. It’s also time to retire the warm cup of sake and try a glass of premium, chilled sake. The Ontario Spring Water Sake Company is the right place to go for a taste. The brewery is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., with the exception of Sundays. Owner Valvur explained that their product is available by the
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LIQUID CARAMEL JAPANESE SAKE TAKES FLIGHT IN DISTILLERY DISTRICT
By: Corey Bullock
For the first time, Eastern Canadians can enjoy a glass o
photo by: corey bullock
of locally brewed sake.
the Ontario Spring Water Sake Company is an interesting one. There is more than one
apparatus the ingredients must go through before becoming sake, so there is a lot to observe. The drink is made from grains of rice that are mechanically polished down to remove the husk, proteins and fat. An article on the Toronto Star website from November 3, 2007 explains that when the grains are heavily polished, they tend to produce a more pure tasting sake. The article also said the grains are cleaned, and fermented with an enzyme called Koji. At the Ontario Spring Water Sake Company you can see the room the Koji sits preparation for fermentation. Sake can have an alcohol percentage of up to 20 per cent, however, Tremblay said most brands are cut with water and sit around 14 to 15 per cent. On the sake website, sake.com, you can also see that special rice is clearly touted as the key to delicious sake. The website explains that rice with a high starch content in the core of the grain is ideal for a good tasting sake. This means that the rice will stay in tact longer
during the brewing process, which removes more oil and proteins. The sake sold at the Ontario Spring Water Sake Company is expected to be of this high quality. The brewery produces exclusive sake, which will only be available when you taste it on site. However, Valvur revealed that along with selling some of their sake (by the bottle) from inside the brewery, he is hoping to distribute some of their product to the LCBO by the end of the summer. This means your next sushi dinner party can be a little more authentic. When summer comes to an end, you know it’s time for one last drink before you have to start thinking of school or work again. But your mouth no longer waters for a frosty pina colada, or an ice-cold beer. You want something light and delicate, something local. Pour some sake, knowing that the chilled drink was made just a bus ride away from home. You can taste a bit of Japan, right here in the city. l
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glass and by the bottle, and they may also have merchandise such as sake cups and t-shirts for sale. “Our main focus however, is producing great sake,” he said. The intricate and small space that houses
“ Sometimes wine
tends to try and play the star, where sake is really just a perfect sidekick. “ - Michael Tremblay
Sommelier
:: SPORTS
JERRY HOWARTH THE VOICE OF SUMMER
By: J.R. Bailey The Jays’ announcer coaching his Etobicoke Collegiate junior boys basketball team.
J
courtesy of jess raymond
erry Howarth does not strike an imposing figure. He is barely five and a half feet tall and is not exactly robust. This is even more evident when he is seen coaching his high school basketball team. Standing among his Grade Nine and Ten players, his lack of physical stature is even more apparent as there are quite a few of his young players that tower over him. What he lacks in physical stature, he makes up for in the volume and size of his voice. It is a voice that is like butter to your ears, reminiscent of Sunday drives back from the cottage and lazy summer afternoons spent listening to him call games. Every year during the offseason, Howarth, the voice of the Blue Jays for the last 29 years, coaches basketball for Etobicoke Collegiate Institute. Garrett Meades played for Howarth at E.C.I. from 2002 to 2004 and still remembers the impact Howarth had on him and his teammates. Howarth would bring the whole team over to his house for pizza and to watch Hoosiers near the beginning of the year. While there, Howarth would show his players all the Blue Jays memorabilia he has accumulated over the years. The big draw according to Meades were Howarth’s two World Series rings the Blue Jays presented to him during their back-to-back championships in 1992 and 1993. Meades got to try the rings on while
Howarth told the team about his experiences being there for the championships. According to Meades it was a very motivational night for all the players involved and he felt lucky that he got to do it twice. Howarth got involved with amateur sports in Toronto and basketball specifically as a way to spend time with his kids. Both of Howarth’s sons came up playing in the Etobicoke Basketball Association and after a season of watching from the sidelines Howarth said, “I have the offseason as a broadcaster, I’d like to have some father-son activities with my kids. From there he coached his sons at Islington Middle School for five years from 1991 to 1995. His two sons went on to high school at St. Michael’s College School and it was then that Howarth began coaching the E.C.I. team that he coaches to this day. When asked if his kids got an extra kick out of being coached by the Blue Jays’ broadcaster he said, “Yeah, until I make them run sprints.” Howarth said he gets the most enjoyment out of mentoring the kids. “It is not what you coach but what you emphasize,” he said. Howarth likes to emphasize three things in particular when coaching his team. “Have fun, learn to play basketball as a team, and do well in your high school classes.” He likes to use the example of his own life to show the
kids that they “should follow their heart and do whatever they want.” If someone had told Howarth when he was young that he would have been a major league broadcaster for 30 years, he would have said no way. But the answer has changed and he tells them that anything is possible if they follow “your heart, your dreams, your passions.” Howarth was born in Pennsylvania but grew up in the San Francisco area. After attending Santa Clara University, Howarth graduated in 1968 during the Vietnam War. He went through ROTC (Reserve Officers Training Corps) and was then stationed in Germany for two years. Upon his return to the Bay Area, Howarth went to law school for a year before his career in sports began in earnest. Howarth was the first person hired by Santa Clara to raise money for their athletic programs. After leaving law school Howarth and his wife Mary, who he had met in San Francisco while they were both studying law, moved to Tacoma, Washington, where Howarth began working as a broadcaster. After a short stint in the Pacific Northwest, Howarth and his wife moved on to Salt Lake City where Howarth did playby-play for basketball teams in a few different leagues. It was also while in Salt Lake City that Howarth and his wife adopted their two sons, Ben and Joe, who would eventually
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get him involved in coaching basketball in Toronto. In 1981, Howarth made his first appearance in Toronto working on Blue Jays games, calling about 24 games that first year alongside Tom Cheek and Early Wynn. The next year, Howarth took over for Wynn and the team better known as “Tom and Jerry” was born. Cheek and Howarth would work together for the next 22 seasons calling all the Blue Jays action on the radio. In 2004, Cheek began to have serious health problems. He underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor that season and also began chemotherapy treatments. Cheek tried to come back the next season but the cancer returned. Cheek died October 14, 2005. Toronto has been the permanent home of the Howarth family since 1981. Howarth said his favourite part of living in Toronto is “being part of Canada, and the fabric that Canada is and represents.” As for Toronto, Howarth said, “(it’s) a wonderful city, it’s got all kinds of things to do, it was great for our boys to be raised in. I’ve lived in San Francisco and Toronto and they are two of the best cities for me that you’ll ever want to live in.” Howarth has a few places in the city that he likes to frequent when he’s not on the road. He said he’s not a big restaurant connoisseur,
what he likes is simplicity. He listed Rocco’s Plum Tomato, along with Magoo’s and Lick’s as places he likes to eat in Toronto. One of the perks of working with a professional baseball team is travelling all the time to the great cities of North America. Howarth has two favourite road cities and for different reasons. He loves Seattle in the summer, walks around the market there and enjoying Puget Sound. He also said that Safeco Field, the Mariners’ stadium in Seattle, is his favourite park. From a broadcasting standpoint, however, “the game, the crowd, and the ambiance is Boston and Fenway Park, it doesn’t get any better than that,” Howarth said. Howarth is excited about the Blue Jays this year, the thirtieth year he will cover the team on the radio. He likened the Blue Jays current direction under second-year general manager Alex Anthopolous to the years under Pat Gillick when the Jays won two World Series and had a string of 11 consecutive seasons over .500. “He sees the big picture, he’s a wonderful listener and communicator,” Howarth said of Anthopolous. Howarth thought the two GM’s in-between Gillick and Anthopolous did their best but they are more suited to the secondary roles they now hold. Gord Ash and J.P. Riccardi are now with the Milwaukee Brewers
and New York Mets, respectively. Howarth is excited to see the “building” of this team continue. The Blue Jays spent more on bonuses for their draft picks this year than they ever have in the past. Part of that is due to the increase in demands from players but there is also a willingness by the Jays to spend money on young, talented players. This tendency was further evidenced by the Jays’ pursuit of young Cuban lefty Aroldis Chapman who eventually signed with the Cincinnati Reds, and the signings of Adeiny Hechavarria and Adonis Cardona to large bonuses in the past year. When asked what his most memorable moment was in covering the Jays, Howarth was quick to answer. When the Jays won back-toback World Series in the early ’90s Howarth had both of his sons with him to celebrate. He was able to take them through the locker rooms after the games and it left an indelible mark on Howarth and his sons. “For a father son moment, not once but twice to go through the clubhouse, and all the celebrations,... and to have Ben and Joe with me right there just taking it all in, those are my proudest moments as a Blue Jays broadcaster.“ l
top ten jays moments of jerry howarth’s career 1. October 23rd, 1993: Joe Carter hits a walk-off home run off of Philadelphia Phillies reliever Mitch “Wild Thing” Williams at the Skydome to win the World Series. This is only the second time in major league history that the season has ended on a home run.
Blue Jays, who made their first postseason appearance that year.
set a baseball record for most home runs in a single game against the Baltimore Orioles. Ernie Whitt homered three times, with Rance Mulliniks and George Bell both hitting two bombs a piece as the Jays clobbered 10 home runs as a team, a record that still stands to this day.
TOP TEN JAY MOMENTS OF JERRY HOWARTH’S CAREER
2. October 24th, 1992: The Toronto Blue Jays defeat the Atlanta Braves in extra innings to win the World Series. The championship banner is the first in Major League Baseball to ever fly outside of the U.S. 3. October 11th, 1992: Roberto Alomar hits a two-run home run off closer Dennis Eckersley of the Oakland Athletics in the ninth inning of game four of the American League Championship Series. The Jays will go on to finally defeat Eckersley and their nemesis, the Oakland A’s. 4. October 5th, 1985: Doyle Alexander induced a fly ball of the bat of New York Yankee Ron Hassey which was caught in left field by George Bell. This out clinched the American League Eastern division for the
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5. May 15th, 1989: The Blue Jays replaced manager Jimy Williams with hitting coach Cito Gaston after the team struggled out of the gate to a 12-24 record. Gaston would turn the team around and help them reach the playoffs that year with an 89-73 record, Gaston would later lead them to back-to-back World Series championships. 6. September 2nd, 1990: Dave Stieb threw the first and only no hitter in franchise history against the Cleveland Indians. Stieb had come within one out of the same feat twice before as a Blue Jay and ended his career with five one-hit performances as a Jay.
9. August 8th, 2010: Brandon Morrow came within one out of throwing the second Jays no hitter when he dominated the Tampa Bay Rays at the Rogers Centre. Morrow struck out 17 batters that afternoon which is considered one of the most dominant pitching performances of all-time.
8. September 14th, 1987: The Blue Jays
10. September 27th, 1998: Roy Halladay in his first start and only the second major league appearance of his career came within one out of recording the first perfect game in Jays history. Halladay gave up a two out homer in the ninth to Tigers outfielder Bobby Higginson in a start that was a foreshadowing of things to come for Halladay, who is considered by most to be the best pitcher to ever don a Jays uniform.
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7. April 16th, 1989: Kelly Gruber went 4-6 with six RBI’s and recorded the first cycle in the history of the Toronto Blue Jays. When Jeff Frye would become the second Blue Jay player to ever hit for the cycle.
:: ENTERTAINMENT
THE TURN BEHIND THE TABLE By: Kelly Gabel
courtesy of dj delirious
DJ Delirious spinning at Guvernment Nightclub.
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t’s Saturday night in Toronto’s club district. Girls are decked to the nines in stilettos and short skirts while the gents order rounds and eagerly scout out the crowd. Guvernment is one of the hottest clubs and tonight’s special performance is by a local act known as DJ Delirious. The speakers pump as he spins the beats and the crowd goes wild as the rhythm moves their bodies. The strobe lights seem to burst straight through you. He has everyone’s attention, no matter the amount of drugs and alcohol involved. If Elvis Presley were alive today, he’d be behind a turntable. With the help of a computer, anyone can become an artist and, more importantly, a star overnight. “They’re creating sounds that no one has ever heard before,” explained Toronto Star music critic Ben Rayner. As a huge fan of techno music and a former DJ himself, Rayner found the appeal of electronic music through its unique sounds. Like Rayner’s favourite band from the late ’70s, Joy Division, the DJs are creating something entirely new and different from other genres of their time. DJs or disc jockeys began spinning onto the music and nightclub scene in the ’70s when disco music was in its prime. However, the first music to be made completely by electronic equipment was done in Europe. The wave of DJing and electronically enhanced music has spread all across North America. Even pop artists like Britney Spears are beginning to incorporate techno and dub-step into their music. The DJ movement has not only become about music, but it’s a culture. Toronto itself has produced phenomenal DJ acts such as Deadmau5, MSTRKRFT and LA Riots. Hrant Manoukian is a Toronto based DJ
who goes by the name ‘DJ Delirious.’ He began mixing and mashing music 10 years ago and can be found behind his turntables every Saturday night at Guvernment nightclub. “There were certain versions of songs I didn’t like and I wanted to change them for the clubs. I guess everybody liked it and other DJs began playing it and now people are downloading it,” said Manoukian. He grew up listening to Toronto artists Joey, Tuzzy and Abe. Manoukian’s style is an influence of a little bit of everything, from hip-hop to rock. Since playing local clubs, Manoukian has spun his way onto the map and last year won the ‘Best Local DJ (Club)’ at the annual Toronto Nightclub Awards show which celebrates the best in Toronto DJs, clubs and promoters. “The music scene goes through phases and who knows what will be next,” said Manoukian in regards to why electronic music is at the top of the charts. With a popularity increase in electronic music, there’s been a higher demand for new artists and new sounds. That’s where mp3 blogs, such as the Hype Machine, come in. Anthony Volodkin, who was a student at Hunter College, the City University of New York, majoring in computer science, created the Hype Machine in 2005. Volodkin grew tired of radio and music magazines’ lack of genuine interest in the music they were writing about, and created the Hype Machine, which receives over 1.5-million unique visitors each month. “I find that every few years the discussion gets restarted about the coming and noncoming mainstream appreciation of electronic music in North America, but it still remained something enthusiasts enjoy,” said Volodkin.
So why is it that electronic music is so popular now? “It’s always been there and in other parts of the world such as Berlin and England. Club music is a part of culture and it’s mainstream, but here it never really became the default music of the masses,” explained Rayner. “I think because they [DJs] are putting a little more performance into it again, that it suddenly has an appeal with a wider audience.” Deadmau5, a Toronto based DJ, is known for his shtick or gimmick of wearing a mouse mask while performing, and Skrillex, an American dubstep DJ, is best known for crowd surfing during his performances. Incorporating a costume and “concert” connection of diving into the audience has lead electronic music to not be just about watching the DJ turn tables, but about putting on an act. As Rolling Stone magazine said in its December 2010 issue, “DJs are the new rockstars.” “What I find interesting is that because the instruments are also created by people, the amount of creativity and diversity that can exist within electronic music is limitless,” explained Volodkin. Many DJs are beginning to mash and mix Billboard top 100 hits and mainstream pop/ hip-hop tracks. “I noticed that if you just play something electronic with a good beat you’ll get an okay reaction, but if you put vocals or a song that is familiar to people within the track, you’ll get a much better reaction to it,” said Manoukian. “I don’t think people just listen to it in the clubs anymore. They’re listening to it at home a lot, too,” he added. l
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BARING MY HEART, MY SOUL, MY BACKSIDE By: Dylan MacKenzie photo by: katie campanella
The author bares it all at Hanlan’s Point, Toronto Island.
A
s of this writing, I weigh 140 pounds. For a six-foot male, my BMI tells me I’m five points away from being underweight. Even if my mom tells me otherwise (“You’re beautiful the way you are” and other maternal nonsense), it’s hard not to succumb to masculine pressures and self-pity. As for my dad, I have his genetics to thank for my hairy back, hairy chest ... hairy everything. For 2011, this was going to be my year to tone up, wax off and tan thoroughly. But I wasn’t sure this was going to make me happy. I needed to break away from media stereotypes and feel a sense of confidence first. Burn the grocery checkout tabloids! Screw the movie stars and their sculpted, God-like physiques! This will be my year to embrace the natural me – the pasty, scrawny, werewolf version of me. Twenty eleven will be the year I attend a nude beach. Before the mental image is permanently burnt into brains and eyeballs are bleached, this should be a concept both bodybuilders and Steve Urkel-types consider. Torontonians are some of the luckiest people in Canada: only one of two official clothing-optional beaches exists on our soil (the other one, Wreck Beach, caters to Vancouver.) Hanlan’s Point is located on the Toronto Islands, right off of Queen’s Quay in the downtown core. It used to be a place of police crackdowns for sunbathing nude and had a reputation as a gay hotspot back in the ‘80s and ‘90s. It is still a popular place for queer culture, hosting the Pride Beach Ball Weekend annually, but the legalization of baring the bits increased traffic and public knowledge and opened the door for all walks of life. Not to mention Hanlan’s Point boasts cleaner water based on its location away from the mainland. Cleaner water. Close to home. An eclectic
mix of people. Doesn’t sound so bad. As the sound of bras snapping and undergarments dropping echo across Toronto, Zohar Gewing said there are things any newcomer should know. As a frequent visitor of the beach, she was able to help me debunk one of my initial concerns right away: Hanlan’s Point is not an outdoor seniors home. I love the grandmas and grandpas. I’ll walk them across the street with their bags and give up my seat on the bus for them. But so help me if I have to weave through a swarm of them in their wellworn birthday suits. “It seems like the youngest people are in their early 20s, and it goes up all the way to people in their 60s. I know a lot of people have this image of a beach full of 90-yearold geezers chasing the young women, but it’s really not like that. There are plenty of people in their 20s and 30s. To generalize, I’d describe it as a mature crowd of people who are comfortable with their bodies,” Gewing said in an e-mail interview. Stéphane Deschênes, director of the Federation of Canadian Naturalists, has also been to Hanlan’s Point. I expressed my selfconsciousness with him and asked whether I’d be able to pull through. He recommends that I start where I feel the most comfortable: my home. “Spend some time without clothing. Not just in the bedroom, in the bathroom, in the shower. Watch TV without clothes. Make dinner without clothes,” he said. Once on the beach, there is a general rule of etiquette. A rule not so distant from everyday politeness. “Generally, etiquette on any clothingoptional beach is the same worldwide. Staring at people? Not cool. Looking is fine, but you always have to remember people like their
private space,” said Deschênes. So while I’m struggling to even take my shirt off, there are guys waving at the ladies ... with something else besides their hands? Deschênes reassures me that it’s not a dogeat-dog environment – everyone is watching out for each other. Patrons are usually great with cleaning up their garbage and respecting personal space. A bike was stolen, and the actions of strangers were able to capture the thief before taking the ferry back. Along with being clean and convenient, Hanlan’s Point appears friendly too. Ben Lav is my age, and I’m envious of him. He’s never been to Hanlan’s, but he would go. He’s been to European clothingoptional beaches: the penthouse suite of nude sunbathing. “I’ve never gone naked, always in my bathing suit. But it’s no different … just some people are walking around naked,” he said. Sounds comfortable … even if Ben never had to worry about a chilly day or a Hooters staff party stirring up his equation. Has it been all in my head this whole time? Stéphane Deschênes thinks it could be gymnophobia — the fear of being naked. “It’s an irrational fear,” he said. “It’s no different then any other fear. Society has constructed a world around it.” I guess I’m better-equipped than I thought. Be polite, check. Clean up your mess, check. As long as everyone is as respectful to me as I would be to them, everything should go perfectly. Now I just need to watch my soap operas naked (blindfolds ready, roommates!) and come to terms with what my showerhead has been accepting for years. “Sorry for the pun,” said Deschênes, “but it’s all about exposure.” l
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:: NEWS
MODERN PROHIBITION A LOOK AT TORONTO'S MARIJUANA CULTURE
By: Ryan Saundercook photos by: Ryan Saundercook
Marijuana law reform activist Marc-Boris St-Maurice speaks to a crowd about the various benefits of legalizing marijuana.
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n a small cafe hidden in Kensington Market, various representatives gather to voice a group concern affecting the considerable number of Canadians who use marijuana. A projector plays a video through air thick with smoke and all eyes watch intently. Their concern is drug prohibition, namely Bill S-10, recently proposed by the Conservative government that would enforce mandatory minimum sentences for anyone growing more than six marijuana plants, or anyone making hashish or baked goods using marijuana, among other things. The bill died when the government was defeated in late March. The primary issue, however, remains. Those gathered in that small cafe had different reasons for being there, but share similar goals: they all know that there is something intrinsically wrong with Canada’s drug policy. Marijuana related law remains a smokey issue throughout the country. Despite laws, people in Toronto and across the country are getting high every day, and all the pot is coming from somewhere. It’s no secret that marijuana is widely held as relatively social acceptable in our country. In fact, the 2010 World Drug Report shows that 13.6 per cent of the population between the ages of 15 and 64 smoked or ingested marijuana in 2008. That’s significantly higher than the global average of 2.9 to 4.3 percent (though Canada still falls behind Guam (18.4%), the Czech
Republic (15.2%) Zambia (17.7%), Italy (14.6 %) and Nigeria (13.8%) in total marijuana use according to the same study.) We’ve all seen our flag’s maple leaf replaced by the familiar cannabis leaf, we’ve all heard of the massive downtown marijuana marches that have become synonymous with Toronto. We’ve all walked by the head-shops and pot-cafes downtown, we’ve all smelt burning marijuana in the streets, and yet these laws remain largely unchanged from the time of their creation. Surely if one could go to a local corner store and get a joint like you can get a pack of cigarettes, this wouldn’t result in complete social unrest. What it might result in, however, is reduced funding for organized criminals. Many pro-marijuana organizations also believe that the regulation of more serious drugs rather than simply treating addiction as a criminal issue will benefit society as a whole. David Bratzer is a police officer working in British Columbia who also sits as a member of the board of directors for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), an organization composed of retired and working police officers who believe the war on drugs has done more harm than good. “It can be quite difficult at times to be a serving police officer who takes a position against the war on drugs,” said Bratzer. “There are many police officers who understand the war on drugs is an incredible public policy
failure.” LEAP argues that harsher drug penalties will do nothing to stem drug use and abuse and that prohibition aids criminals and promotes violence. “If these drugs were legal, regulated and controlled there wouldn’t be this kind of violence in the black market because, in fact, there would be no black market,” said Bratzer. “Alcohol, for example is legal in our society and we have individuals who have problems related to the use of alcohol. What we don’t see is two beer distributors who are shooting each other in the street over a supply contract with the local pub.” The argument is that there will always be individuals with substance abuse problems and that making these substances illegal does little to tackle the problem. “If you look at a country like Iran where they routinely execute drug traffickers you’ll notice they still have the highest opiate addiction rate in the world,” said Bratzer. If enacted, Bill S-10 would have set out much harsher punishments for various drug related charges in an attempt to control drug use in the country. Harsher penalties are not the answer, Bratzer said. “If being murdered execution style is an occupational hazard of being a drug dealer then how are mandatory minimum sentences going to deter someone from dealing drugs?” Bratzer makes clear he
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is speaking for himself and not his employer. Marijuana and drug prohibition is easily comparable to the United States prohibition of alcohol in the 1920s and early 1930s. James Dubro, an investigative crime journalist and expert in organized crime explains the similarities between drug and alcohol prohibition and the advantages those laws brought to organized crime. “The connection between the prohibition of alcohol and the prohibition of drugs is direct,” said Dubro. “The first big mob was all over alcohol and the second big mob really depends on drugs.” It’s not unknown that the illegal drug industry provides significant funding for criminal organizations. “We’re talking tens of billions of dollars in this country alone,” said Dubro. “Marijuana should be legal and taxed!” Abi Roach, owner and operator of Roacha-Rama and The Hot Box Cafe has taken advantage of the foggy Canadian pot laws.
Her business works because customers can not purchase marijuana at her stores but you’re perfectly welcome to bring your own and spark up. “It’s BYOP. We don’t actually sell or provide you with any drugs. Anything that’s illegal is in your own possession,” said Roach. “You’re not allowed to share, you’re not allowed to deal. We pretty much abide by the laws. Roach is another who says she feels that the criminal justice approach to drug control does more harm than good in society. “I don’t think regular people want to buy their weed from organized criminals,” said Roach. “They’d much rather not be a criminal when they’re sitting at home watching TV and eating chips. “There was this one kid who used to come to the cafe all the time, he was sitting in a park and some guy rolled up on his bike, got into a scrap with him because he wanted weed and he got shot in the head and died. He was 20 years
old,” said Roach. “That’s terrible. There’s no reason for it. Kids are killing each other over nothing and the only reason they’re doing it is because it’s illegal. It’s creating this whole new class of criminal that wouldn’t exist otherwise.” Whether pushing to legalize marijuana or working to reform the entire way drugs and addiction is treated, the end goal is ultimately the same: A reformation of how illegal drugs are treated in Canada. Critics of prohibition argue that the means by which we currently deal with illicit drugs does nothing but harm our society. To make substances illegal, especially ones with such a high rate of use like marijuana, ultimately funds criminal organizations. Their argument is that drugs and addiction are a problem best faced by health organizations rather than by the criminal justice system. l
James Dubro (far right), with representatives from Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy and LEAP, take questions on drug prohibition.
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:: ENTERTAINMENT
APRIL/MAY l UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) debuts at the Rogers Centre on April 30 with UFC 129.
l Alicia Keys will be headlining the first annual Stephen Lewis Foundation benefit concert, Hope Rising! on May 3. Angelique Kidjo and Holly Cole are also scheduled to perform. Tickets range from $150 to $2,500 to support the fight against the AIDS pandemic in Africa. l Usher fans can sing along with him at the Air Canada Centre on May 14 when Usher brings his tour to Toronto along with special guest Akon. Tickets range from $39.75 to $143.
photo by: scott dixon Claude Patrick trains for his big fight at UFC 129.
l Update your spring wardrobe at The Clothing Show. Here, you can find great deals on local designs, vintage pieces, accessories and sample selections. The shopping hunt begins on May 27 and ends on May 29 at the Better Living Centre. Adult admission is $8-10, seniors are $4-5 and children under 12 are free.
JUNE
l Dog lovers gather on the weekend of June 11 to June 12 for Woofstock, an outdoor festival made for dogs and those who love them at St. Lawrence Market. l On June 17 to 19, College Street will transform into a large outdoor Italian festival between Bathurst and Shaw for The Taste of Italy. l Pride Week is a ten-day festival that celebrates the freedom of sexual orientation and identity in Toronto. Beginning on Friday June 24, and ending on Sunday July 3 there will be nine stages spread across 35 blocks in the GTA. l Jazz enthusiasts unite between June 24 and July 3 for soothing performances across the GTA at the TD Toronto Jazz Festival. Price depends on venue.
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A-LIST PARTY l MuchMusic allows fans to get up close and watch their favourite performers during the MuchMusic Video Awards. The MMVAs are often referred to as “one big block party” because that’s just what it is with performances and awards are given out right on the street. The MMVAs are free with the donation of a non-perishable food item and go live on June 20th, 2011 at 8 p.m.
www.yyzmagazine.com
YYZ EVENT CALENDAR By: Kayla Card-Forbes
JULY
l Summerlicious: From July 8 to July 24. Find a new favourite restaurant or patio in the city. Restaurants will offer a menu with different selections to choose from to create a dinner just for you. The fixed price menus make it more affordable.
l The Vans Warped Tour will be making a stop in Mississauga at Arrow Hall. Music and extreme sports fans will unite for the day-long festival July 15.
l Many say once the Scotiabank Caribana Festival arrives, it means the end of summer is near. Festivities lead up to the popular parade, which takes place on July 30 at the Exhibition Place, along Lakeshore Boulevard. l Last year saw big guest stars like Eminem and Jay-Z, and this year’s OVO Fest starring Toronto’s star rapper Drake will not disappoint. Tickets are not yet on sale for the July 31 concert.
AUGUST l Taste of the Danforth is a festival that celebrates the many cultures that reside in Toronto. Thai, Indian and Greek cuisine are a few of the tasty food that is offered. The festival runs from August 5 to August 7. l The Canadian National Exhibition is a traditional way to end the summer for many. The 18-day fair offers entertainment at Exhibition Place starting August 19 and ending Labour Day, September 5. l Magicians, mimes and contortionists are just a few of the entertainers at Buskerfest. Street performers from across the world come together to show their stuff at this large outdoor festival. Admission is a small donation. It runs from August 25 until August 28. l
YYZ Magazine
courtesy of david johnston
David Johnston chalking away at Buskerfest.
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:: CULTURE & LIFESTYLE
OLD IS
NEW By: Katie Brown photos by: katie brown
I
t’s summertime, arguably fashion’s hottest season. The warm weather allows our fashion sense to run rampant with endless possibilities of great looks for both day and night. But how do you keep your summer style fresh and updated? Thankfully, the style-Gods have blessed us with the world of vintage shopping. From 1940s Chanel to 1980s Value Village, vintage is becoming crucial to absolutely any fashionista’s wardrobe. YYZ sets out to find the best of the best based on a criteria of price point, selection, location, and demographic. Here are the choices for the Rookie, the Scavenger, and the Label Lover.
LABEL LOVER
THE ROOKIE
THE SCAVENGER
I Miss You Fine Vintage Clothing 63 Ossington Ave.
Philistine Vintage & Vintage Inspired 1394 Queen St. W.
Common Sort Hand Picked Recycled Clothing 1414 Queen St. W.
This is definitely the one-stop-shop for the designer shopper. Set in the heart of Little Portugal, this small but quaint shop is overflowing with designer duds. The front portion of the store houses gorgeous but very wearable pieces like an ivory silk Chloe blouse, red satin Prada flats, and a leather Dooney & Bourke satchel. The back half of the store is filled with sequined minis, ’80s fur jackets, and costume jewellery. With just about any and every major designer, from Marc Jacobs to Vivienne Westwood, under one roof, this store’s price point ranges from $10 to $800. “We buy what we think our customers want,” said store manager Andrea Watts We want to know our customers and what they’re looking for. We have a big variety of shoppers, from the schoolgirl who is looking for that vintage purse, to the high end women that might be looking for a Chanel blouse.”
Philistine has a really cool, eclectic and hipster vibe. They have perfected the art of on-trend vintage. The clothes in Philistine are picked to reflect current trends and styles (for those who don’t speak vintage, they have already sorted the bad from the good for you). “While the clothes at Philistine are primarily pre-loved, the overall look caters to the modern and trend conscious fashion devotee of both genders,” said co-owner Aaron Doucet. Some noteworthy finds were a black Levi’s denim jacket, high-waisted leather shorts, and several pairs of to-die-for Oxford flats, all at amazing prices ranging from $20 to $50. If you’re just dipping your toes into the fantastic world of vintage, Philistine is screaming your name. With its simple layout and trends on the mark, it is a rookie’s dream.
How to get there: from Ossington Station, take the 63 Ossington bus southbound and get off at Argyle.
How to get there: from Osgoode Station, take the 501 streetcar westbound and get off at Dufferin.
Unlike Philistine, Common Sort is for the vintage pro. Located just a few minutes away from Philistine, this shop is quite large, and holds many racks of secondhand goodies. If you choose to visit Common Sort, leave yourself plenty of time – you will need it. Sifting through racks of clothes may be overwhelming to some, but the thrill of the find is a rush for vintage lovers. I came across a knee length denim Armani skirt and a pair of tweed Marc Jacobs shorts buried among tons of other items. Jackpot. Owner Nicole Babin said she keeps it that way for a reason. “We have created our store based on the way I like to shop, blending high end with low end, adding vintage pieces to the mix. Personal style can embrace the old, the new, designer, and the thrifty. In one day of shopping I might go from Goodwill to H&M to Holt Renfrew, and I love the fact you might find a blouse from Top Shop right next to a Gucci blazer at Common Sort,” she said. How to get there: from Osgoode Station, take the 501 streetcar westbound and get off at Dufferin. l
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YYZ Magazine
BiG HEART, THIN WALLET
DATE NIGHTS IN TORONTO ON A DIME
By: Rebecca Sadler photo by: rebecca sadler
Staying in for a movie night is always cheap and always romantic.
T
he flirty banter, the heavy eye contact, the romantic gestures – let’s face it, on date night, it’s hard not to feel the love. Date night can be fun and enjoyable, but is your wallet feeling the love, too? After all the school fees, bills, and shopping trips, you may find your income and savings are a little thinned out. In a vibrant city like Toronto, date night can rack up a pretty hefty price tag. Here are a few tips on how to avoid the sticker shock and show not only your date, but also your wallet a little love on date night.
DINING Whether you are paying or it’s Dutch (each person pays for their own meal) some great places to check out are: l The Rivoli Diner ($20/meal) l Sushi on Bloor ($20-30/meal) l Utopia Café ($15/meal) l The Rebel House ($15/meal) l The Yellow Griffin Pub
ENTERTAINMENT ENTERTAINMENT
DATE NIGHT DATE NIGHTININ
After dinner most couples look for something entertaining, fun and ideally cheap to do, and Toronto offers many great things to do for less.
Sometimes getting out seems impossible or you just don’t feel up to it. But all is not lost: date night can be done easily from the comfort of your own home! Candles, music and flowers all set the mood for a simple date night in. For candles you can use either tea lights or scented ones to make the aroma of the room more appealing. You can pick these up at your local dollar store. For dinner you can replicate a simple meal by picking out items like pasta, sauce and dessert together at the grocery store. After the meal you can curl up on the couch with a movie you’ve rented either off the TV – if you have satellite it costs about $4.99 or head out to Blockbuster where you can rent it for $6 for a week. Tyler Buchanan, a post-secondary student at York University, prefers to stay in instead of going out on a date. “You get to make it sort of your own. It’s like throwing a house party versus going to a club, much more personal and more room for creativity and romantics.” Buchanan also said that “every date is different, the dinner and all is just the start and then from there I like to improvise the rest of the night.” l
lMini putting at Polson Pier ($18 for two) lDrive in movies at Downsview park on Friday nights cost you absolutely nothing lBowling at Playtime Bowling for two ($20) lA walk on the boardwalk is free, which gives you the opportunity to get to know each other
The Yellow Griffin Pub is located at 2202 Bloor St. West easily accessible on foot from the Runnymede subway station. Just the atmosphere itself makes it a great place to enjoy a date. Comfortable seating and dim lighting create the perfect mood. The music is tasteful and played low, giving you plenty of opportunity for conversation. The great thing about this place is that they have over 35 different types of burgers to choose from, along with other meals as well. Two burgers with sides, two drinks (non-alcoholic) costs $35 – factor in alcoholic beverages and you’re looking at $40+. Kyle Goncalves, who spends many nights out with his sweetheart, suggests Le Marche. “It’s an interesting take on buffet style,” he said. He prefers going on date nights in Toronto because “there’s so much variety, you can do some much in the city.”
All these ideas are cost effective and that’s what matters to young adults looking for a great night out. Jennifer Amante, a student at Ryerson University explains how important affordability is, despite currently working two jobs. “I need some places to go that I can have a good time but not spend a lot. I am trying to save for things like school and transportation because that is more important. However, I need to have a good time out. I do not want to live paycheque to paycheque so affordability is a major importance for me,” she said.
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:: SPORTS
ON THE MAT CLAUDE PATRICK DISHES ON UFC 129
By: Dino Pasalic
Claude Patrick works on his wrestling ahead of UFC 129.
I
f Rocky Balboa knew about the Elite Training Centre in Missisauga, he would have stormed its halls instead of running up the steps of Philadelphia’s Museum of Art. Why? Because this gym is a place for fighters. The pounding noise of fists slapping against leather echoes throughout the dojo. In each corner coaches belt out commands, as students strive to fulfill their orders. For fighters, it’s a safe haven, or a sanctuary of sorts. While for those unfamiliar to the territory, it can be an intimidating atmosphere. This is a place where focus, determination, and passion are all on show. In the centre of the dojo UFC welterweight Claude Patrick is addressing his students. The scene is straight out of a kung-fu film. The morning sunlight shines through the windows of the gym, casting his shadow onto the mats. There’s an explanation about performing a certain exercise, followed by a silent pause. Suddenly his shadow is calm, and again it begins to move. Now, it’s easy to see how a place designed to nurture a fighting sport can also be a space of solitude. For Patrick, the world is momentarily put on hold until his next fight. “In there, it’s only me and one more guy. That’s it. The referee is not even there. One person,” said Patrick. Could Patrick be the saving grace for Toronto’s desperate sports fans? With our beloved Maple Leafs failing to make the playoffs for the sixth season, the Blue Jays still dwelling in baseball’s toughest division, and the Raptors scoring one of the franchise’s worst records, it’s no secret that Toronto’s sports landscape is in the midst of yet another catastrophic season.
But this year could be different. The UFC has finally come to Toronto and will soon become a staple in this city, perhaps posing an even greater demand for tickets than a Leafs game. What’s better is that it won’t be swarmed with 20,000 suits packing the Air Canada Centre. So if you’re tired of all the emotional investment you’ve devoted to our city’s teams, there’s a new outlet to boast your T.O. pride. His name is Claude Patrick and he’s 100 per cent Toronto born and raised. A UFC welterweight sporting a 13-1 record, Patrick will be fighting at the first ever UFC in Toronto on April 30. He will be defending his 12-fight winning streak as well as the dignity of our city’s sporting culture. To achieve this, Patrick puts in the work at his gym in Mississauga, the Elite Training Centre. The welterweight has been preparing meticulously for his third UFC bout with the help of a dedicated and experienced team of MMA pros, including friend and fellow UFC fighter Mark Bocek. “Claude likes to compete. He’s a technical fighter and he enjoys what he does,” said Bocek. “It’s like an addiction. I guess we don’t feel normal if we don’t do it. We enjoy it.” Bocek and Patrick first met in 1996 at the Grappling Arts Academy in Woodbridge. Since then, the two have been training on-and-off for the last 15 years. When asked about how far Patrick’s success can go, Bocek was clear and confident about the welterweight’s potential. “I believe he can go right to the top. He’s a very intelligent fighter. He doesn’t really take damage when he fights and he knows how to take his strength to his opponent’s weaknesses.
And he’s very well rounded. So [he’s] a very complete fighter,” said Bocek. Also among Patrick’s arsenal of trainers is muay thai coach Alin Halmagean, who has known Patrick for almost eight years. “[He’s] very particular, very meticulous when it comes to every aspect of the game. He pays attention to every little thing from punch, kick, takedown, jiu-jitsu. I think that’s what makes him successful,” said Halmagean. Strength and conditioning coach Eric Wong, described Patrick as someone who knows how to be a student of the sport as well as a practitioner of it. When it comes to improving his fighting abilities, Patrick puts in sufficient research to identify the areas that need improvement, and enhance his ability as a fighter. “He’s got a good eye and he can pick out what’s going wrong. Just little things that make a big difference in any kind of martial art, whether it be boxing, striking, kicking, muay thai, jiu-jitsu. Little details make a difference between having to really struggle for a move or having to pull something off efficiently and with ease,” said Wong. While training inevitably comes with the trade, when Patrick’s not preparing for a fight, he spends time teaching. His Elite Training Centre offers classes six days a week in multiple fighting disciplines, such as Brazilian jiu jitsu, muay thai, boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, and strength and conditioning. Passionate, meticulous, determined, and perfectionist: words that were the common denominator used by anyone who spoke about Patrick’s character. These are all traits that contribute to his ability to teach MMA.
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“When I left my gym, the first thought was to call Claude,” said MMA student Nenad Cvejic. “The thing that I like about Claude the most is that he’s a perfectionist. So he will make you literally do a move a thousand times if he has to, just so you get the right technique down. Those are the qualities that you look for in training because whatever you do here, that’s what you’ve got to take into the fight.” “He’ll make practices fun because he enjoys it. It’s not just for money, he actually wants to be there,” said Bocek about Patrick the teacher. “He has really good attention to detail so he can help his students out that way. That’s why he’s only been open a few months [The Elite Training Centre], but already has over 100 students.” Born in Toronto to Jamaican parents, Patrick’s mixed martial arts career was triggered at the age of 13 when he signed up for karate classes. Three months later, an ambitious Patrick took up muay thai and jiu jitsu soon followed. The two fighting disciplines would go on to shape his fighting style as Patrick’s professional career began to
blossom. The inspiration for his career choice came at a young age when he watched UFC One, the sport’s debut event in 1994. “Just watching it. ’93 Royce Gracy — I was in Grade Seven or Eight and saw UFC. I’m like, ‘This is it, got to do that.’ Eventually, I just trained, trained, trained, and got involved in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and that changed my life,” said Patrick. In 2006, he moved to Montreal for eight months where he trained under the wing of Canadian MMA superstar and the world’s number one welterweight, George St. Pierre. Four years later, Patrick signed a four-year contract with the UFC after fighting on 12 previous occasions for much smaller MMA promoters such as The Fight Club, King of the Cage, and Canada’s International Fight League. Patrick made his UFC debut on June 12, 2010 against, Ricardo Funch, earning a win via submission using the guillotine choke. In October, he went on to fight John Wilks in London, England where he doubled his winning streak thanks to a victory by unanimous decision.
photos by: dino pasalic
Patrick spars at the Elite Training Centre in Mississauga.
YYZ Magazine
Before Patrick’s battle against Daniel Roberts at UFC 129 Toronto, the jiu-jitsu brown belt spoke about taking on the next great challenge of his career. “I’m just gonna go and do my job, man. I trained, I’m happy because finally I’m out of training camp and I’m also going to go to perform and do what it is I’ve practiced to do,” said Patrick. “So you’re training weeks on it, doing just that, just training, just training. Not even like any social life because I take myself out of here, go into pretty much just isolation to get ready so come fight time I’m very happy.” With the help of his established and experienced team of trainers, support of his close friends and students, and Canada’s raving MMA fan base, Patrick is hoping this challenge is just one of many stepping stones on his way to the top of his division. “This sport, you have to love it. Where you see people that get punched in the head and come back to do it again, you have to love the challenge. And that’s what I think he loves. He loves the challenge,” said Halmagean. l
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:: CULTURE & LIFESTYLE
THE CHALKUMENTARY CHALK TALK ON THE SIDEWALK
By: Katlyn-Ann Fledderus photos courtesy of david johnston
David Johnston depicts a sunset on Front Street East.
“I
started off as a fetus, I was a fetus with a dream, I knew I could grow into something bigger and better and I just needed to escape my prison. My little cervical prison ... so I did.” These were the first words Dave Johnston said to me after our interview had started. Johnston, better known as ‘Chalkmaster Dave,’ is a street artist in Toronto, who can usually be found outside of the H&M in the Eaton Centre, creating a masterpiece on the sidewalk. You can’t help but stop and stare. His sense of humour is impeccable, as shown above, and his life story is inspiring. He started with nothing, living off of Torontonians’ generous gifts of toonies and loonies. Now he’s on a mission dubbed “Operation: DaddyDaughter Art Fist” to raise $25,000 by October 31 to move back to Halifax, open a studio, and most importantly, be with his 12-year-old daughter. After five years in Toronto, and an overall 20 years of street art, the Chalkmaster is retiring his corner at one of Toronto’s busiest
intersections. At our first meeting at the Imperial Pub on Dundas Street, Johnston wore a self-made ‘Chalk N Roll’ hat pulled down over his brow, his usually coal-black hands were clean, and he was wearing a fresh pair of jeans as opposed to the pants permanently speckled with multicoloured chalk dust from years of plying his trade. At this time, Johnston had not yet discussed his plans for Halifax, butsaw himself in five years “being a better artist. Being that better artist that’s less focused on money and just start[ing] to paint because I want to, and for once in my life, have the lack of stress.” It appears he has jumped the gun and is well on his way to achieving his goal with “Operation: Daddy-Daughter Art Fist. With plans to open up a studio and mural business in Nova Scotia, Johnston admits he’ll miss Toronto but wants to focus on painting and be closer to his daughter. In a video sent from Nova Scotia while on a job assignment,
Johnston closed by saying: “I love you, Toronto. Thanks for absolutely everything ... I appreciate it.” A friend, and fellow street artist, Kate Mior, deeply believes in Johnston and feels he’ll succeed. “Given his history and his background, he’s done spectacularly for himself and I think that if you’re asking, ‘Can he reach the moon?’ Then, totally. That man is talented and skilled and dedicated and he’s hardworking, so, ya, he can do anything,” said Mior. “He’s achieved amazing things already and he’ll continue to achieve amazing things because that’s the resourceful person that he is.” This story begins when Johnston was 20, when he first decided to do sidewalk art. After trying sidewalk art for the first time at the corner of Yonge and Eglinton in 1991, and receiving a lot of good support from the community, Johnston got better and eventually started getting job offers. The first nudge in his rise to fame came when he met “the girl” and
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followed her to Sweden. He started drawing on the sidewalks in Sweden and everything was “awesome” – a word Johnston uses frequently – until things between him and “the girl” didn’t work out. Staying positive, Johnston didn’t take being dumped and abandoned in Sweden as an excuse to give up. “It’s great, you know, I got to see four different countries before I was 21. It was amazing! Then I came back, and that’s when I really became ‘Chalkmaster.’ I gave myself this little title and told myself, ‘Okay, I’m going to become the best at this, or one of the best.’ The rest is history.” The surprising thing about Johnston’s talented work is that he has absolutely no art schooling or background. Zero. Zip. Zilch. As a child Johnston said he was always doodling and “getting in trouble for sketching on my notebook.” Johnston added that although the basics can be there, the thing that made him better was tons of practice. “I never used to paint, and I used to suck at it at first, but you just push and it becomes better and better and better, and that’s a driving force for me.” Now Johnston is doing festivals and being hired by corporations to do art work, (which he said he will continue to do while living in Halifax) and making anywhere from $2,000 a gig to $28,000, averaging between $50,000 to $70,000 a year. Although Johnston loves his job, and getting paid to do it, he has a knack for charity work. Johnston has done some charity work for dogs including dog rescue and fostering dogs, and also donated paintings to Sick Kids Hospital. Wayne Weiler, a security guard at the Eaton Centre where Johnston often busks, and also a friend of the ‘Chalkmaster,’ speaks highly of Johnston’s kindness. “He’s the kind of guy who gives generously, even above and beyond the call of duty, even in times when he himself is struggling to make ends meet. He’s donated a couple of paintings to Sick Kids Hospital which they used for auction, and has since raised funds. No cost whatsoever, just out of the goodness of his heart. It’s always impressive the lengths he’ll go to help others.” Finally, Johnston expressed how art is always a hard profession to be ‘successful’ in and something people commonly classify as ‘luck’. “People say I’m lucky ... I’m not lucky at all. I sacrificed my ass out there, I ground my fingers to the bone, well not to the bone but they’re bloody. I’ve lost relationships with people because they go, ‘That’s just weird,’ before it became successful, you know. I’ve sacrificed for this. It’s not luck, it’s hard work. So any artist out there that’s really good, you don’t go, ‘You’re lucky.’ You say ‘Congratulations on your hard work,’ because that’s what they had to do to get there”. l
YYZ Magazine
David Johnston’s poses with a large canvas piece.
Interesting Tidbits about “Chalkmaster Dave” l Sang karaoke to Prince at 20 years old at the Sweden Water Festival.
l Favorite word is “beginification” i.e. “The beginification has begunified.”
l A busking license costs about $36/year in Toronto.
l Would love to be a professional poker player.
l
Performs stand-up comedy on the side.
l
The Imperial Pub is his second home.
l Wants his own show called “Chalk Talk” with Wesley Snipes as his stunt double ... or make a chalk-umentary.
l Was asked to write a script for “The Comedy Network”.
l Would love to work with comedian Daniel Tosh.
l “The girl’s” mother paid for his $600 plane ticket.
l Picks what to draw by Googling things. Google decides how he’ll make money.
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:: NEWS
LEARNING FROM THE PAST AND TEACHING FROM EXPERIENCE
By: Samantha Emann photos by: samantha emann
Segun Akinsanya dedicates his time to teaching Toronto youth how to live more successful and positive lives.
Y
ou often hear people say things like, ‘I did a lot of stupid shit in my time’ and ‘if only I knew then what I know now.’ Segun Akinsanya, 23, is one of those people. He has seen and been through things people twice his age have never experienced. In fact, he sounds and acts 10 or 15 years older than he actually is. Instead of regretting his rough past, he and a team of dedicated individuals have decided to teach Toronto youth life lessons and skills, so they can grow up in a positive way. With hard work and a little patience, he created the Bright Future Alliance (BFA). Akinsanya recounted the day in 2006 when he fatally stabbed a young man that put him behind bars at 18. He said it started out as a normal day for him, but a drug deal gone bad ultimately changed his life. He said that it was a foolish choice to retaliate against the other teen and he learned a hard lesson. He spent three years in prison and during that time, he said his life and perspective changed. It was also during his time in jail that the Bright Future Alliance was conceived. “I saw a lot of things. I saw a lot of prejudice and violence while I was incarcerated and experienced a lot of things. I realized this is not the life I wanted,” said Akinsanya. He recalls the moment the planning began for the organization. A man that was incarcerated with him came to him one day after he finished reading and speaking during a prayer session. “He came to me and told me that I had inspired him to pick up a bible and learn to read again. When I heard this, I realized what I should be doing.” This is not the first time Akinsanya’s efforts have caught people’s attention. Global TV
and the Toronto Star have both featured this motivated, street savvy young man and his efforts. In February 2009, Akinsanya was released from prison. Akinsanya took his ideas to some community organizations and, in November 2009, he was given a grant by Laidlaw Corporation. After doing some motivational speaking, he used some of that money to start a program called Cooking for Change to teach young people in at-risk areas cooking and other life skills like confidence, leadership and organization. Akinsanya also works as a mentor and teacher for students in Toronto Catholic District School Board’s Alternative Pupil Placement for Limited Expelled Students. A.P.P.L.E. is an alternative learning program for grade 7 to 12 students who have been expelled from a school. Youth crime and violence are an ever-present issue in Toronto. In priority neighbourhoods and to a lesser extent everywhere in Toronto, youth are faced with tough choices. According to a 2002 Canadian Police Survey and a study done by Scot Wortley of the University of Toronto called “The Youth Gang Crisis in Toronto,” 434 different youth gangs and 7,071 individual gang members were identified. Half of the gangs and gang members identified by the survey were located in Ontario. In a Toronto Star article published in 2008, columnist Simon Black wrote: “No matter how much money the Toronto police spend on enforcement, Toronto’s street gangs are not going away any time soon. Gang leaders may be caught and locked up but as long as the socio-economic conditions in which gangs take root go unaddressed, incarcerated gang
members will only be replaced by a new cadre of angry young men stuck in a socially and economically costly cycle of poverty, gang activity and prison.” Gangs are not the only issue facing youth and the city of Toronto, and there are statistics to prove it. In a 2007 Toronto Police statistical report, it was shown that 47 per cent of the robberies that year were committed by youth between the ages of 12 and 17, while another almost 29 per cent committed by the 18-24 age group. Eleven per cent of non-sexual assaults were committed by the same age group. Also according to this report 45 per cent of violations of the controlled drugs and substances act were committed by youth between the ages of 12 and 24. One area of Toronto, referred to as Jane and Finch, is known for its crime and violence. Akinsanya has a program running there, but
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“
I saw a lot of things, I saw a lot of prejudice and violence while I was incarcerated and experienced a lot of things. I realized this is not the life I “ wanted
- Segun Akinsanya
he is not the only one trying to make better opportunities and mindsets for the young people of Toronto. Jane-Finch.com is an organization focused on the youth and the media in their community. They try to focus and work on the positive things in their community instead of only the violence and crime. Chris Williams, a member of the organization as well as the community, said more needs to be done to give the youth in his area a chance to succeed. He said the municipal government has a big role to play. “I heard Rob Ford say before he was elected that sometimes all kids need is a ball. But I can tell you that not all kids in low income areas want to play sports. We need jobs and resources to teach and train the youth rather than just giving them a pastime but nothing that will help them earn a living legally.” Williams said the media does not help that area`s image or the mindset of the youth. “These kids see all these negative things about the place they live, you wouldn’t believe how many of them watch the news, and they start to think that that is all that is expected of them.” There are multiple at risk neighbourhoods when it comes to youth gangs and crime, including Malvern, Parkdale and Jamestown. According to the City of Toronto’s website there are initiatives to help young people in Toronto such as PIT (Prevention Intervention Toronto). The program focuses on helping young people get out and stay out of gangs. Toronto Police have multiple programs including the PEACE Project, TROOP, Empowered Student Partnerships and others. Devin Fan, a youth outreach worker for Ward 30 for Toronto Parks and Recreation, who is working with Akinsanya on his newest youth program, said that this program is more of a leadership program than a sports and recreation program.
“The youth in this program, the youth council based out of the Jimmie Simpson Community Centre, organize things like dances and job fairs. We partnered up with Segun`s BFA,” Fan said. “So we try and get them involved, they have done presentations at events like the NBA Pro Conference and the City of Toronto Training events. With a lot of community centres they focus on younger kids, once they reach a certain age, that’s when you tend to lose people from being involved in programs. Unless there is some kind of curriculum where the youth can get involved and create their own programs in the centre, then they’ll just sort of not take part in it.” Akinsanya said one of the hardest lessons he has tried to teach and learn himself is patience. He also said, with a big smile on his face, that he likes working with youth and young children. “The best example I can give you is that on my birthday almost no one came to me to say happy birthday. But when I came here to the centre all the kids ran up to me to say happy birthday and were very happy and excited to see me. I like to see them smile and be happy.” Akinsanya said that at present he has the kids of the Jimmie Simpson Youth Council learning to cook, a life skill that, he said, is often overlooked. He also said they are in the planning stages of a more solid curriculum. After doing a lot of motivational speaking and educational programs in schools and community centres, when it comes to helping the youth of this city reach their potential Akinsanya said, “What a lot of people tend to forget is that you have to first build relationships with these kids. You can`t just come in, say and do things. You have to take the time to get to know them and let them trust you. They have to trust you or doing anything to help them is very hard.” l
HOW THE KIDS FEEL When asked how they started coming to the youth council at the Jimmie Simpson Community Centre and why they like it, this is what some of the teens had to say.
Jahmol, 15
I heard about it in grade 7 from some friends and thought I would try it out. I like that we get to hang out with friends and do volunteer work. It gives us a chance to learn life skills and have fun.
Latifa, 13
I have come here since I was young and I came to this program with my friends. My favourite event we have had is we went to Centreville. This program gives us something to do other than hanging around and getting in trouble.
Rashida, 13
I get to see all my friends after school. We get to hang out with friends and cook and stuff.
Rochelle, 13
I heard about it through friends. I like the food, people and activities, gives you something to do after school.
One of Segun Akinsanya’s youth groups poses after a cooking lesson.
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:: CULTURE & LIFESTYLE
99 PROBLEMS GAS SHOULDN'T BE ONE
By: Jacob Gallo
photo by: jacob gallo
Filling up the tank can be a pain to your wallet, but with a little effort, it can be a breeze.
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n the immortal words of the renowned philosopher Homer J. Simpson: “With today’s gasoline prices, we can’t afford not to get a pony.” As a driver, even with all the fanciful modifications one can apply to their car, there is one constant – even more so than dreaded insurance – that will always be the most wallet-draining: gasoline. Canada consumes 150 million litres of gasoline every day. And because of this demand, the prices for gas fluctuate yearround. In the summer of 2010, gas in Toronto hit an average of 104.9/L: almost three cents higher than the average for all of Canada. And by the end of the year, it shot up almost 10 cents to an average of 113.7/L. In May 2011, gas prices were averaging upwards of 133.6/L, according to gasbuddy.com. Despite the price hike, gas doesn’t have to be a money pit. There are simple and efficient ways to avoid spending every dollar you make on gas.
1. Know How/Where to Fill Up Knowing when and where to hit the pump can play a hefty part in saving money on gas. “Fill up when it’s cool outside,” said senior petroleum analyst for gasbuddy.com Patrick DeHaan. “You’ll get better fuel economy that way. If it’s warm outside, you’ll be getting a slightly less volume of gas.” If you are looking solely at the numbers, there are apps for the iPhone, Android and Blackberry that help you find the cheapest gas prices while you’re on the go.
2. Check Your Tires This is something that might not come to mind automatically when it comes to gas, but it’s something that all drivers should keep in mind. “Check your tires frequently. Most people never do, yet temperature fluctuations mean your tires could be costing you as much as 10 per cent more in gas due to the wrong
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inflation,” said Toronto Star and wheels.ca writer and columnist Lorraine Sommerfeld.
3. TLC Tender loving care. Simple as that. “Proper maintenance is obviously good for the car,” said DeHaan. “If you don’t take care of your car, in the end it’ll lead to poor fuel economy. Checking things like dirty air filters, engine lights, oxygen sensors and things like that are vital.” “You should see some people’s air filters. They are clogged up and totally starving the car of air which means it’s not getting the proper mixture, which means it’s burning fuel improperly,” said Ian Riddell, a daily driver and rally racer for VanDell Rallying. “I constantly change my oil, air and fuel filters to make sure there is as little restriction as possible on the performance,” added Riddell. Along with gas pumping money into your car, if you’re not a mechanic, fixing your car can cost a lot. “People may think it would be cheaper not to fix it (mechanical problems), but it’ll cost more down the road,” said DeHaan.
4. Don’t Drive If You Don’t Have To This is an obvious one, but something all drivers have been guilty of at least once. “Plan your day and week,” said Sommerfeld. “Lots of short trips are wasteful. Do all your errands in one loop, plan ahead for shopping, and avoid getting lost. Drive less.” “(The) fastest, most effective way to save gas is to walk, bike, or use transit. Change your mindset. If your car isn’t moving, it isn’t sucking gas,” she added. “Plan your trips,” said Riddell. “Hit up the grocery store, dry cleaners and bank all in one trip, so you save a couple kilometres here and there.”
response is probably: “I’m a perfectly fine driver!” Maybe so, but nobody is perfect and, as they say, there is always room for improvement. “Good drivers drive as if they have a wedding cake on the back seat, or a bucket of water in the trunk,” said Sommerfeld. “Driving defensively increases fuel economy,” said DeHaan. “Driving aggressively generally means people are in a hurry and driving faster, thus using more gas — up to 10 to 20 per cent more.”
6. Slow Down Who doesn’t love to drive fast if the opportunity arises? We here at YYZ do not condone drag racing, and driving slower can improve fuel efficiency. “Avoiding high and excessive speeds is good for the car,” said DeHaan. “If you’re driving 100 kph compared to, say, 120 kph, you could be using up to 15 per cent more fuel consumption.” “Driving faster increases in drag,” added DeHaan. “Coming off the line, usually you take it slow. No jackrabbit starts,” said Riddell. “Also, don’t use the engine break as much. It uses gas whereas you could just use your regular brakes to stop.” As prices increase and Canadian gasoline consumption shows no sign of slowing, we must look for more and more creative ways to avoid paying big bucks at the pump. Little changes like checking inflation levels on your tires, avoiding driving when you don’t have to and decreasing your speed when driving can help people save in the long run. All it takes is a bit of effort. For those of us too lazy to walk places, or take the bus, these are the little, but very important things we can do to save on gas. Or you could just buy a pony. l
5. Be A Better Driver After reading that heading your first
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:: NEWS
WEATHER OR NOT WE'RE READY THE UPS AND DOWNS OF SUMMER
By: Jeremy Cohn photo by: jeremy cohn
Our moods and attitudes can be dependent on sunny, warm days.
W
eather affects everything we do, from industry to farming to recreation and travel. Many major Toronto summer events, including the Canadian National Exhibition and the air show, depend on good weather, and rain can ruin months of planning. The arrival of summer doesn’t just mean we see longer days and warmer temperatures. For students it means time away from the classroom, and travel plans kick into high gear. The issue, though, is that, like all other seasons, summer can be unpredictable. A rainy week can cause millions of dollars in losses to the CNE and various Toronto attractions and hotels. The CNE, for example, brings over a million people to Toronto. “All of our efforts really do revolve around the forecast,” said Colleen Swider of the Canadian International Air Show. “Last year rain cancelled the first day of the air show and almost cancelled the second day, too.” The CNE does have several indoor venues that are not directly impacted by the weather. “We can plan, plan, and plan some more, but other than hoping, there is nothing we can do to prevent the skies from opening up,” she said. After a strong winter like the one we saw this year, our bodies now need the sun and warmth. Although climate trends exist, precise summer forecasts can’t be predicted far in advance. “There are more rainouts of the weatherman’s golf tournament than any other one in Canada,” said David Phillips, senior climatologist at Environment Canada. “You would think we would get it right.” In 2009, Ontario saw 19 tornadoes in one day, which is a constant reminder that summer can also bring dangerous weather events. “Effects of the weather can take people from
prosperity to bankruptcy depending on how it behaves,” said Phillips. A wet summer can ruin business for crops and outdoor recreation, yet movie theatres and indoor shopping industries will thrive. A warm summer will create the opposite situation for some industries. Phillips said weather can also have a great impact on the behaviours of humans. A rainy stretch of summer can alter people’s actions, attitudes, motions and moods. Many people complain of feeling gloomy during the winter, a condition that is also known as Seasonal Affective Disorder. The symptoms include depression, fatigue, constant sleeping and low productivity. The cure for the “winter blues” is simple – summer. Our bodies crave summer’s warm temperatures and long, bright daylight hours. However, people can become very moody if we experience a cloudy and rainy summer. Spring and summer are the seasons when humans come out of “hibernation mode,” according to Dr. Robert Levitan, staff psychiatrist at the Center for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto. “Recent research has shown there is a protein in the brain that controls serotonin production, which is the chemical that makes us feel good,” he said. “Exposure to warmth and sunlight increases production of serotonin.” Levitan believes this research helps to explain why some people are very social in the summer, and then completely withdrawn in the fall and winter seasons. Meanwhile, Phillips said anything other than a “normal” summer will have both positive and negative effects on various aspects of life, and he is concerned that we have seen so much extreme weather recently. Environment Canada
defines a normal summer as one that is warm with adequate precipitation. Normal summer weather creates the best environment for the economy, because of seasonal attractions such as swimming pools and parks and resorts. Good weather also means farmers will be able to harvest their crops without issues. “It’s almost as if normal doesn’t exist anymore, and therefore all of our plans are out the window,” Phillips said. “We have to rethink certain things, because the weather seems to be stranger now than it has been for a long time.” Although forecast prediction technology has made huge advances, the reality is we have no control over what types of weather we get. Yet, Phillips says, we love to complain about it. “We’re never satisfied with the weather and that’s because we get such a variety of it. We have four seasons – if you don’t like the weather out your front door look out your back door.” Phillips said the weather can change on a dime and that’s the spice of life and why Canadians talk more about weather than any other subject. Even in a stretch of cold temperatures, Levitan said people feed off of each other’s bad moods. “Misery likes its own company,” he said. “It is easy to tolerate if your neighbour is miserable too, and we look for validation by asking others how they feel.” Meanwhile, Environment Canada’s efforts to guide Canadians continue. “So far forecasts have suggested that in many parts of Canada it looks like it will be warmer and dryer than normal,” Phillips said. “While that will create its own problems, it is good news for Canadians who are looking for warmth.” l
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:: SPORTS
THE KISSING BANDIT By: Luke Vermeer
photo by: Ustad Khaira
Belli on TSN’s Off the Record on February 4, 2011.
“You never see him without a smile on his face. Off the field he’s just that kind of guy, he’s always got a smile, he’s always joking, he’s always trying to make people feel better and that’s a special kind of talent to have.” That quote is from Mike Hogan, radio playby-play voice of the Toronto Argonauts, but it could easily have come from anyone who has met Adriano Belli. Teammates, coaches, journalists, friends echo the sentiment. Adriano Belli is one great guy. “The Kissing Bandit:” it’s a nickname that wouldn’t normally be associated with a football player but in the case of Adriano Belli it’s his entire image. That’s not to say it’s a nickname that Belli craved, truth be told he would rather be called something more macho like “The Lone Ranger” or “Mad Dog.”. But it’s a nickname that he has embraced, and kissed square on the cheek. “I’m Italian, I kiss people,” says Belli. “I’m a passionate guy and I guess in football they’ve made a big deal out of it.” Nobody is safe from “The Kissing Bandit.” Many who have met him have been victimized.
”He makes a point of coming over to see me and, I must admit, kissing me on the cheek,” says Herb Zurkowsky, columnist for the Montreal Gazette. “Obviously his nickname, he’s earned it, I’ve had a few times he’s put one on my cheek so I know that first hand,” says Mark Masters columnist for the National Post. But his personality doesn’t just stop with a quick peck on the cheek. Those who know him have glowing praise for Belli, none more so than close friend Michael Landsberg, the host of TSN’s Off the Record. “He genuinely is one of the nicest guys you could meet, an absolutely loyal friend, kind and unassuming and, I think, if you’re looking at pro athletes you point to Belli and say that’s the way you should be.” He may be the nicest man off the field, but on it Adriano Belli is one tough SOB. The descriptions sound the same. “You are talking about the man who is the dirtiest player in the Canadian Football League,” says Landsberg. “He plays on an edge, prone to taking some
penalties some times,” says Masters. “He plays hard, he wears his emotions on his sleeve and that has gotten him in trouble from time to time over the years,” says Zurkowsky.
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“
I’m a passionate guy and I guess in football they’ve made a big deal out of it
“
- Adriano Belli
“He walks a very fine edge and he crosses it a lot because he plays with a severe amount of emotion,” says Steve Milton, columnist for the Hamilton Spectator. Despite the unanimous description, Belli
sees himself a little bit differently. “Everyone thinks that I’m nasty on the field but I’m really a nice guy,” says Belli. “I’m just having fun out there. It’s not as nasty as it looks.” The stats would beg to differ. Belli has been suspended on multiple occasions, fined many times and ejected from games for offenses ranging from rough play to punching an opponent in the family jewels. The best example comes from the final game of the 2009 season. The Toronto Argonauts were 3-14 on the season and long out of the playoff picture. The 14-3 Montreal Alouettes were locked into first place and expected to roll through the hapless Argos. In the lead-up to the showdown there were rumblings that players on the Montreal side were complaining to the league office about Belli and his antics. Because of this Belli had a meeting with CFL commissioner Mark Cohon prior to the game who told him that if he stepped over the line he would be suspended immediately. Belli’s response was swift. As the Alouettes waited in the locker room Belli waltzed in, stood up on a table and asked which of the players wanted a piece of him. That in a nutshell is Belli the player, as Michael Landsberg said, “That’s Belli, tell him not to do something and he’ll do it.” Belli, for his part, is unapologetic. “I love being out [on the field],” says Belli. “I love killing quarterbacks.” The story of Belli’s career unfolds over a decade and a half and goes to all corners of North America. He was born in Toronto on August 27, 1977. He grew up in the city and attended Central Tech High School. In his own words, he was a troublemaker at Central Tech, but his time on their football team led to a football scholarship at the University of Houston. After four years in Houston he went undrafted by the NFL but was picked 229th overall by the Las Vegas Outlaws of the now-defunct XFL and 6th overall by the B.C. Lions of the CFL. Before the 2000 NFL season, Belli signed with the Atlanta Falcons but was released during training camp. In 2001, he signed with the New York Giants, but left to join the Las Vegas Outlaws where his highlight was a pair of fumble recoveries. After the XFL season Belli joined the B.C. Lions, the team that drafted him, for his first tour of duty in the CFL. After failing to play in any games with B.C., Belli signed with Montreal in the offseason and that’s where his career truly took off. While there he met veteran defensive tackle Ed Fillion who Belli points to as one of the big influences on his career. “He was a tough dirty guy,” says Belli. “I
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was like his little brother growing up.” Belli became one of the starting defensive tackles during the second half of the season helping the Alouettes to a playoff berth where they lost in the first round to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. In his second season, Belli started all 18 games, recording 14 tackles and four sacks. The Alouettes finished first in the CFL’s East Division on their way to the Grey Cup and their first championship since 1977. After the victory, Belli signed with the Cleveland Browns of the NFL, but like his previous two forays into American football, he was cut during training camp. He returned
“ He genuinely is one
of the nicest guys you could meet “ - Michael Landsberg
TSN Broadcaster
to the Alouettes for the remainder of the CFL season, recording nine tackles with one fumble recovery. He became a free agent during the winter and took the opportunity to move closer to home, signing with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. His 2004 season was the best yet, in 18 games he recorded 23 tackles and three sacks helping the Ti-Cats to a 9-8-1 record and a playoff spot. Belli followed up his successful season with the best of his career. Despite the team finishing with a 5-13 record, Belli recorded 27 tackles, seven sacks and a fumble recovery. He was named to the East Division All-Star Team as well as the CFL All-Star Team, both for the first time. His 2006 season was split between Montreal and Hamilton as he was traded to the Alouettes part way through the year to help with their Grey Cup aspirations. In the winter of 2007, Belli was again a free-agent and this time he was given an opportunity to sign with his hometown team, the Toronto Argonauts. He recorded 44 tackles and two sacks for his new team on the way to being named and East Division All-Star for the second time. His 2008 season was nearly identical, recording 43 tackles and two sacks. His 2009 and 2010 seasons were plagued by injury which leads to the 2011 offseason where Belli is once again a free agent. There is talk of retirement, even from his close friends. “I think the fact that he now gets to park in the disabled space at the Rogers Centre should
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be an indication that he shouldn’t be playing.” says Landsberg. In the end a return to football just wasn’t in the cards for the lovable defensive tackle. On May 11, 2011, Belli announced he was retiring after 10 seasons in the Canadian Football League and in true Belli fashion he did it aboard a boat in Lake Ontario. Throughout his entire career Belli has worked at his family business, Fresh House Foods, a meat-packing and distribution company based out of Mississauga, Ontario. “It was great growing up in the meat business,” says Belli. “I was punching sides of meat like Rocky Balboa and that’s what got me ready for football.” Milton says that Belli’s business made him very popular with the other players. “He’d always be bringing stuff for the guys, you know CFL players don’t make a lot of money, Adriano would always be bringing in meat for the guys.” When Adriano Belli finally decides to leave the game he loves it will be as one of the most memorable personalities ever. “His legacy will be his personality rather than anything he ever did on the field,” says Masters. “He’s won a Grey Cup, but I think because of his outspoken nature and the fact that he’s the ‘Kissing Bandit’ and all the stuff that he does off the field I think that would be his legacy. There’s so few guys in this day and age of the media soundbite, everyone’s sort of afraid of saying something that will get them in trouble or in hot water. I think his legacy will be that he was not afraid of that and he was always willing to speak his mind.” l
Courtesy: Toronto Argonauts Football Club
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:: SPORTS
TWITTER AND THE CITY By: Kristina Russo
Social media is quickly becoming a useful tool for professional athletes.
J
photo by: kristina russo
iri Tlusty. A lot of people don’t know who that is, but for Toronto hockey fans, he is remembered for his average skills and spending a lot of his time in the city playing for the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League. Selected 13th overall by the Maple Leafs at the 2006 NHL entry draft, he spent much of his early career bouncing between junior and professional hockey, before his big break in the 2007-2008 season where he spent 58 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He sounds like your average hockey player, right? He was an average hockey player who made a big mistake. In November 2007 he sent a revealing picture to a lady friend, which surfaced along with several other incriminating photos that he posted to Facebook. Needless to say this was quite the scandal and made its way into all the local papers, including a full-size cover shot in the Toronto Sun. Why the big issue? If it had been just a regular person, no one would care. But unfortunately for Tlusty, he was a professional hockey player in the most media-scrutinized city in the league. This incident roused the question of whether athletes playing in Toronto should use Facebook or not. It wasn’t long before Facebook became taboo for personal use and was used only for fan pages, which most of the athletes didn’t even operate. But then came Twitter — a social network composed of brief personal updates. Athletes were free to use this site to update their fans on their life inside and outside the sport. But with their every move scrutinized, how much are they really able to say? Alan K’necht, an internet trends and innovations expert, said Twitter is something that shouldn’t be censored, but there are ways to use it properly. “What most organizations fail to do, especially with athletes, is set out a rule of
conduct, what they are allowed to say, when they’re allowed to tweet, and how they should be engaging,” he said. “So realistically, the organization should probably have a class for their athletes on how to effectively use Twitter and shine the best light on the organization.” If we take a look at some of Toronto’s athletes who actually use Twitter, it’s pretty clear that most of them are as open as they can be with their fans. Someone like Tim Brent, a forward with the Maple Leafs, tweets a lot about the team’s performance on the ice. But his play has generated some attention with fans in Toronto to the point where they’ve started a trend on Twitter called Tim Brent Facts. The “facts” have a Chuck Norris essence to them and are often pretty funny to read. One tweet reads “Tim Brent has more blocks than LEGO.” And when Brent found out about these tidbits, he sent out a tweet to his most creative supporters. “Just found out about these #timbrentfacts. Hysterical — all of you are too much!” Another Maple Leafs player on Twitter is Darryl Boyce. Like Brent, Boyce uses the site primarily to update his followers on his playing career. But he took it really far in early February when he posted pictures to his account of a fairly graphic injury he had sustained during a game. In the photos, you could see he severed part of his nostril to the point where he appeared to have a hole right through his nose. Steve Dangle, a YouTube sensation-turnedLeafs TV associate producer said even though the pictures were graphic, he thinks they helped the situation. “You hear (things like), ‘Oh you got a little cut on the nose, it might not be that bad,’ then you see the picture and you really get a glimpse into the world of a hockey player,” he
said. “I’m sure there are thousands of injuries that happen every year that are just like that, that we don’t see.” While these are mild examples, showcasing the fun and informative side of Twitter, there is one situation that left Toronto sports fans bitter. That would be the Chris Bosh fiasco that led to him leaving the city to play for the Miami Heat. Bosh is arguably the best player to ever don a Raptors uniform, and when he left, many fans were bound to feel upset. But it was the way in which he left that caused the most drama. Who could forget the famous, “should I stay or should I go”, tweet where Bosh was referring to staying in Toronto or not. Randall Craig, author of “Social Media for Business,” said athletes using Twitter need to be professional, and there’s a moral angle that comes in to play. “Why would an athlete bite the hand that feeds it?” Craig said. “Why tick off team management and the owners by saying things in social media that are inappropriate?” Needless to say, fans were not impressed by Bosh’s display, and their anger was clear in the boos that filled the Air Canada Centre upon his return to the city this past season on February 16th. Most would call this situation an unprofessional use of Twitter, especially when you’re as high profile an athlete as Chris Bosh. According to K’necht, when athletes do not have a proper grasp on Twitter, that’s when situations get complicated. “Athletes who are not properly instructed on how to use Twitter can be divulging inappropriate information that should not be divulged,” he said. “It can be used to hang team laundry out in the public which should not be out in the public discussion. That demonstrates a conduct that does not reflect back well on the team itself.”l
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:: ENTERTAINMENT
MUST SEE MUSEUMS By: Tavia Castle
photo by: katie campanella
The famous Art Gallery of Ontario sign in Toronto.
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emember all of those winter days when you were stuck inside, looking out the window, and thinking “Damn, I wish it were summer?” The time has come and the dark days of winter are over. The feelings of the sun’s rays beating down on your skin, and being submerged in the warm air, have faithfully returned. At last, couch-potato season has come to an end. So pull out the oversized sunglasses, squeeze on those shorts, and jump into your flip-flops (preferably without socks, major fashion faux pas!), because you’re spending a day out on the town! There is so much culture to indulge in while staying in Toronto, especially the museums. Don’t turn your brain off this summer, but instead open it up to some of the awesome, fun, and interactive museums this city has to offer.
the AGO’s Carol Tanenbaum Gallery. According to Sophie Hackett, the exhibit’s curator, the 70 photos featured date from 1897 to 1916, and showcases scenes of rural France. “The photographer went all over France but the exhibition will focus on three regions [Brittany, Aquitaine, and the Alps] in particular,” she said. Hackett insists that the exhibit is important because of how uncommon it is to discover a new photographer. “There’s still a lot that we don’t know about Boulineau. It’s a whole new person to think about in the context of the history of photography.” Hackett was amazed at how the photos bridged the photography of the 19th and 20th century.
This summer one of the exhibits on display is “Magic Squares: The Patterned Imagination of Muslim Africa in Contemporary Culture.” Curated by Patricia Bentley, the exhibit explores how games like Sudoku and Kenken have become carriers of diverse cultural meanings when they are painted, or woven, onto textiles specifically in Muslim Africa. You can check this exhibit out without breaking the bank. General admission is $15, and $6 for youth and students (with I.D.).
The Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art
Founded in 1900, the Art Gallery of Ontario is one of the largest art museums in North America and features collections from all over the world, dating from 100 A.D. to present time. The AGO has a new exhibit featuring photography discovered by a University of Toronto student. The series of 1,702 photos, found by Vanessa Fleet, were purchased by the AGO at an auction in 1997. The photographs were actually taken by renowned painter, Abel Boulineau, and not Emilie Frechon, the photographer whose work they thought they were buying. Until this discovery, Boulineau has only been known for his painting. The “Where I was Born…”: A Photograph, a Clue, and the Discovery of Abel Boulineau exhibit will be on display until August 21 in
For those who like to delve a bit further into the past and further around the world of fashion, the Textile Museum of Canada (TMC) is sure to be a treat. Now celebrating its 35th anniversary, the TMC has four exhibits on display this summer. A textile museum exhibits clothes, fabrics, and other similar cultural artifacts. The TMC has more than 13,000 objects from over 200 countries. According to TMC’s communications officer Alexandra Lopes, the museum offers an intimate experience with the artifacts. “As much as possible, we avoid placing our artifacts behind glass to create a more personal experience between viewer and object,” said Lopes. This museum isn’t like the stereotypical look, but don’t touch museum. There is an area called Fibrespace specifically set up to allow visitors to touch the artifacts.
If you’re into modern art then the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art should be more your speed. MOCCA is located in the Queen West Art and Design district downtown. It promotes mostly Canadian art but features some international work as well. MOCCA’s head of communications Faiyaz Chunara said the museum is very supportive of Canadian work. “We focus on contemporary art,” said Chunara. “85 to 90 per cent of it is Canadian. We’re a unique space and it’s free.” The admission is simply pay what you can, said Chunara. “It’s hard in T.O. if you’re on a budget.” This summer MOCCA is showcasing “This is Paradise,” which features visual art, fashion, and performance. The exhibit is a reflection of the Queen Street West art scene of the ‘80s, specifically of the Cameron Public House. It’s like taking a time machine back to the flamboyant, glam rock ’80s, but without the feathered hair. l
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The Art Gallery of Ontario
The Textile Museum of Canada