Incite Magazine - April 2006

0 8 | 0 6 • A p r i l • 2 0 0 6

incite a vision of ice cream in the park

Tiffany Falls, Hamilton

PHOTO BY STEVE WHITE

2 incite

I

EDITORIAL

love Mad Libs. When I volunteer taught in a grade nine class and we were learning about parts of speech, I had the class write their own Mad Libs, which we then played on Friday afternoons (a plan that went swimmingly until the fateful day when a few class members discovered that certain anatomical parts were indeed nouns). I love playing them with any who are willing—many a dinner party at our apartment has ended in a rousing round of cutthroat Mad Libs, with our in–house “Word Police” attacking any who attempt to fill in the blanks with words that are too “normal.”

For this, my last editorial, I seriously considered writing a Mad Lib. Such a bold editorial move would happily eliminate all of those pesky “asdfdjf;alkdjf” moments when I couldn’t find the exact word I was looking for (substituting instead some neat little blanks with instructions along the lines of “_________ (Adjective that combines the best parts of ‘delicious’ and ‘stylish’)”).

And I keep enough old issues in various corners of my room that my friends and I could play my editorial Mad Lib for days on end without worrying that we would exhaust our supply of fresh copies.

That last is my deepest (insofar as these things can be deep) Mad Lib frustration. I love thinking of the words, I love the laughter as we read the results, but I’m always a little sad in the moment after the blanks are filled in. It’s the same sort of sadness I had after I finally chose what program to attend at university—the sadness of eliminating possibility, of turning a space into a sentence.

The joy of Mad Libs is in their near–limitless possibility. That little “______(noun)” could be filled in by any one of millions of people, places, or things, and the “_______(adjective)” has scarcely less choice.

Each word given must conform to a descriptor—noun, adjective, verb, adverb—but within each type there is an almost infinite variety of possible responses, each of which will fulfill its purpose—in the case of Mad Libs, being uproariously funny—in a slightly different way.

Mad Libs are not the only blanks that strike the perfect balance between defining a space and leaving it open. Possibilities more complex than verbs and nouns make such a task more difficult, but our lives are full of spaces that shape the borders of their blanks and leave the centres empty, with room to breathe between the filling and the edges.

Parks are one such space. In our

Editing and Production Co–ordinator Catherine M.A. Wiebe Editors Samantha Green Kerry Scott

Kate MacKeracher Jacob Stewart–Ornstein

perspective on parks this month, Elisa Penn and Alex Patterson argue passionately for a revisioning of our views on park space, sketching a picture of parks that welcome all members of their surrounding communities, rather than ghettoized areas devoted to narrow user groups or overtaken by crime.

Constantly redefined, refilled, and revisioned spaces are also the order of the day for this month’s interview with McMaster writer in residence Nooshin Salari and this month’s “Letter From...” our correspondent Jonathan Millard in Ghana. Nooshin fills spaces with stories of both her life in Iran, her home country, and her life since moving to Canada. She seizes the spaces given to her and describes them in unique ways to her interviewers and in her writings. Jonathan is also a stranger in a strange land, but his new space is in Ghana, where he’s on exchange. The opportunity to discover new spaces, with new sets of parameters, is one that we university students have in abundance, especially when on foreign exchange. While it’s tempting to say that those on a year abroad get all the fun, Jonathan’s vivid evocations of the Ghanaian everyday could well inspire us to look at the same– old spaces in our lives and fill them or describe them in different ways.

And spaces are also, of course, what I dwelt in at Incite and am now leaving behind. Ever since the wise older friend who told me in first year that I seemed “Incite–y, and would I like to work on an article together?”, I’ve been filling in the blanks here—enthusiastic new writer, procrastinating columnist, sleepless editor, panicked but still delighted production co–ordinator—and I am now leaving all those spaces behind. They are not, perhaps, exactly as they were when I came to them—the edges of the blanks now leave more room for raving optimism, the rejoinders supporting bad puns are a little more strident—but there is still much room remaining in the centre for the editors that follow to make themselves a home, however temporary it may be.

As much as I love Mad Libs, I’m glad that the spaces here are not like them, that we can fill them time and again without worrying that we will scratch through the paper, that they will always open again when someone leaves.

And I am now that someone leaving.

And only now, as I trip enthusiastically out of the spaces that were once mine, can I see just how many possibilities are still untried here.

How marvellous.

incite

INSIDE

Layout Co–ordinator Sylvia Andreae Graphics Co–ordinator Erin Giroux

FEATURES

6 Tea For Two 8 Blurred Vision 12 Sugar and Ice and All Things Nice 14 Aid for Hamas 18 Letter From Ghana 20 Translating Experience

Graphics Eli Chiasson Boram Ham Evan C. Lichty Anne van Koeverden Contributors Muneeb Ansari Nick Davies Patrick Egit Zsuzsi Fodor Rob Lederer Jonathan Millard Alex Patterson Dana Phillips

Tim Fox Natasha Hansen Janice Tsui Steve White

The history and culture of tea

Incite looks at Hamilton’s Vision 2020 plans

Claire Marie Blaustein Jeanette Eby Chris Evans Katie Huth Emma Love Dierdre Mulcahy Elisa Penn Laura Tomalty

Chill out to an ice cream review

Will good will or extremism amass?

Adventures in Africa

Interview with Writer in Residence Nooshin Salari

Printing Hamilton Web Printing Impact Youth Publications 1004 King St. W. Hamilton, ON L8S 1L1 incite@mcmaster.ca Incite is published six times per academic year by Impact Youth Publications. 10,000 copies are distributed in the McMaster University–Westdale area. Entire contents copyright 2005–2006 Impact Youth Publications. Letters up to 300 words may be sent to the above address; they may be edited for length and clarity and will not be printed unless a name, address, and daytime phone are provided. Opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Incite’s staff or Impact Youth Publications.

DEPARTMENTS

Cover art by Natasha Hansen Cover design by Catherine Wiebe

4 11 17 23 24

Happenings: News from Near and Far Column: Rock of Ages Perspective: Parks Column: Pop Wanderings: Parks I have been

incite 3

HAPPENINGS

MINUTES FROM LAST MONTH selected news from near and far

Surgery and moonwalking: only a good mix underwater Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield will soon be hosting a live satellite feed from NASA’s “Aquarius”, the world’s only permanent undersea research station. Those who are curious will have a chance to learn about the NASA Extreme Environment Mission 9 (NEEMO)—a venture supported, in part, by McMaster’s Centre for Minimal Access Surgery—and its implications for medicine and space travel. Those with a keen eye for acronyms will notice the “O” in NEEMO seems to have been added purely for aesthetic effect.

How are the gallivants of “aquanauts” in the depths of the Mexican Gulf applicable to the surgical disciplines? NASA is interested in developing long–distance surgical techniques for harsh and remote environments that might be handy in space. The mission’s other stated objective, perhaps with a hint of tongue–in–cheek humour, is “researching moon–walking techniques.”

And in other space news...

On May 6th, the truth will be both out there and in Gilmour Hall room 111, as the office of Alumni Advancement

4 incite

presents “Are We Alone? How Likely is Extraterrestrial Intelligence?”.

Forty years ago, astronomer Frank Drake estimated the likelihood of other intelligent species in our galaxy.

He came up with a nifty equation— N = N * fp ne fl fi fc fL, which gave us no concrete answers, even though it accounts for all sorts of variables (except for x, sadly). This event will be a fun–for–all–ages search for little green men, complete with a trip to the planetarium.

Hamilton smog reduction Hamilton is home to a bus with a mission. Not affiliated with the HSR, the vehicle was loaded with equipment used to test air pollution as part of a Clean Air Hamilton project. The results confirmed what most steel– city–dwellers suspected—the air isn’t great. The study’s focus was to determine which pollutants are the most harmful and to initiate a plan of action to reduce the costs they have on health.

Denis Corr, a McMaster professor of engineering physics and research manager for Rotek Environment, is giving a lecture on the bus’s findings. Rotek Environment was one of several partners in the study, including the Ministry of the Environment,

inside the bubble

the City of Hamilton, Environment Canada, and Green Venture. Corr’s lecture will feature startling discoveries about the air quality around intersections and schools. The action happens on 18 April at the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, 55 Bay St. North, at 5pm, and is open to all.

Spectators at the Spectator Four fortunate SocSci undergrads just participated in an experiential education collaboration between The Hamilton Spectator and the Faculty of Social Sciences. Starting at the beginning of the new year, the four students job shadowed at the newspaper on a weekly rotating basis. Not only did they get to experience the newsroom, the students also shadowed the production, circulation, marketing, editorial, and human resources departments, an experience that provided them with a more complete picture of the newspaper industry. Danielle Hulan, a third year honours psychology and communications student, said that the opportunity exposed her to the different professional fields which combine in the newspaper industry.

This year was the program’s second and the coordinator, Cristina DeSilvio, is already planning for the third. Intrigued? Interested? Dying to

go? In Social Science? Contact Cristina at desilvcf@mcmaster.ca.

Money management mayhem Looking for advice on budgeting your money without having to drudge through a textbook or a fact–packed website? Well then, McMaster has the program for you. “Budget Bonanza”, unveiled by the university last week, helps students develop money–saving skills.

In the game, players move around an interactive version of McMaster University and click on different locations that offer certain services. At every location a player clicks, there are a series of options regarding how much the player wishes to pay. Players must balance frugality against stinginess.

For instance, buying all new schoolbooks will waste a lot of money, but refusing to invest in courseware will cause one’s marks to plummet. A helpful, smiling piggy bank in the middle of the screen keeps track of how much money you’ve got in the bank. To cash in on this fun and informative experience, visit http://sfas.mcmaster.ca/ budgeting/budgetbonanza.htm.

Compiled by Claire Marie Blaustein, Patrick Egit, Zsuzi Fodor, and Chris Evans

Hamilton growth spread out

Waste company raising a stink

A study comparing development in southern Ontario has found that Hamilton is the worst offender among all municipalities for urban sprawl. From 1991 to 2001, only 22 per cent of new residences were constructed in built up areas, compared to a regional average of 28 per cent, and almost 43 per cent if you include Toronto.

Recent legislation from the provincial government has mandated that at least 40 per cent of new residences be built in already developed areas to take advantage of existing social and transport infrastructure. With current policies urging development away from the downtown core and near the airport, it is doubtful that Hamilton can meet this goal. Part of the problem is a dependence on private developers for the vast majority of construction and loose rules governing the final density of development projects.

The study also notes that even the provincial target of 40 per cent is too weak to achieve significant growth in transit use and suggests that 55 per cent is a more reasonable level of intensification.

Environment Hamilton is asking the provincial ministry of the environment to investigate ABP, a Parkdale Avenue company that has apparently been operating illegally for two years. The Hamilton Spectator reported recently that the company has been “operating a Hamilton transfer station for animal parts, bones and used cooking oil for years” and was “recently caught dumping untreated wastewater” into local sewers.

ABP is now applying to establish a biodiesel fuel refinery on Parkdale near Burlington Street. In a letter sent last week, Environment Hamilton asked for this application to be put on hold until the Ministry of Environment deals with the facility’s lack of permits for its current operations. The group says the company should also be forced to get a waste management permit, and should be prevented from burning animal parts at the site because that may result in harmful air emissions. Environment Hamilton wants mandatory stack testing of the facility and odour regulations that would put it in violation if nearby residents or business owners could smell it.

For whom the Bel tolls BELFAST—Denis Donaldson—a double agent for the British government in the IR A—was assassinated on 4 April. He was recruited in the 1980s by the British government and by the early 1990s had become an intelligence officer in the IR A. He was outed as a spy for the Bitish in 2005 by Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams; Donaldson later confirmed his true identity in a statement broadcast over national radio.

Given the typically low life expectancy of those who betray the IR A, Donaldson was about to be awarded the survivor of the year award by Dublin-based Magill magazine. After his murder the award presentation was cancelled. The IR A has disclaimed any responsibility for the attack.

Adults protest early bedtimes, children already asleep KATHMANDU—The government of Nepal has imposed a curfew on the capital city of Kathmandu in the face of a general strike and ongoing protests. Last year, King

in hamilton

Oil prices soar, plane usage plummets

Peak oil expert Richard Gilbert says Hamilton should start preparing now for energy prices that will exceed four dollars a litre for gasoline within twelve years.

In a public lecture on Thursday, Gilbert advocated that Hamilton shift the focus of its economic development plans.

The highly–regarded sustainabilit y consultant has been hired by cit y council to advise them about the ex pected global peak in oil production and its implications for the proposed Aerotropolis.

He left little about doubt his analysis of the future of air travel. “I don’t have much hope for aviation in an energy–constrained future,” he said. “We’re using four times as much [oil] as we discover [and] there seems very little prospect of turning that around.”

His solutions are wide ranging: energy conservation in buildings; wind turbines and solar panels to generate electricity; deep–water cooling for air conditioning like that now being used by Toronto; and a return of streetcars running on hydro power.

Land grab leads to cash grab

A 17–year dispute over the value of expropriated lands ended last week with the city paying nearly five times the amount it had originally offered in 1989. The settlement continues a pattern of million–dollar–a–hectare payments for private lands used for the Lincoln Alexander Parkway (Linc) and the Red Hill Creek Expressway, and adds over $2 million to the expressway’s budget.

A staff report approved on March 22 allocates an additional $2 0536 000 to the acquisition of 2.1 hectares at the Golf Links Road interchange with the Linc. The lands were expropriated in 1989 for $580 000, but the owners retained their right to argue for more money.

The land was subsequently sold to parties not identified in the staff report, and negotiating activity ceased for a number of years. The report explains that “the ability to work on the expropriation was delayed by the retirements and resignations of key municipal staff familiar with this file.”

Condensed from reports by Citizens at City Hall, http://www.hamiltoncatch.org/. For updates, contact catch@cogeco.ca. Reprinted with permission.

in canada and the world

Gyanendra seized control of the government, dismissing the elected legislature. He insisted that his seizure of power was necessary to aid him in defeating the Maoist rebels with whom the government is fighting an ongoing guerrilla war.

More than 150 people have been arrested in two days of protest against the curfew organized by an alliance made up of the seven opposition parties.

rose markedly.

Many of the dead were victims not of the Sunni–dominated insurgency, but of Shia militias, some of which have military uniforms and identification. The infiltration of the police and army by the Shia militias is so prevalent that in some neighbourhoods of Baghdad, the Iraqi Defence ministry issued press releases asking people not to open their doors to the police unless American soldiers accompany them.

Knock, and the door will be opened unto you (but only if Ralph retires you’re with Americans...)

BAGHDAD—It has been three months since the Iraqi election and the competing parties have still not agreed on how to form a government. In the meantime, sectarian tensions have risen after the bombing of the Al Askari Mosque—sacred to Shia Muslims.

Subsequently, authorities discovered several hundred bodies in Baghdad in March, many of which had been beheaded—presumably by Shia death squads.

Though March marked a low point in American casualties—with only 30 fatalities—Iraqi civilian deaths

CALGARY—Alberta premier Ralph Klein will end his 14–year reign as Alberta premier within the year, halfway into his four–year term.

He had originally planned to continue as premier until 2008, but after receiving only 55 per cent support at his party’s convention on 1 April, he announced that he would accelerate his departure.

Among Klein’s proudest achievements are eliminating Alberta’s debt and distributing mounting surpluses from oil revenues in the form of a 400 dollar “Prosperity Bonus” to all Albertans. He is less proud of his (possibly–partially–

plagiarized) paper written for a correspondence course at Athabasca University in 2004. Criticism that his combination of tax breaks and new spending will plunge Alberta into debt within a decade may also tarnish his well-oiled legacy.

Crime doesn’t pay (until you turn yourself in) BIHAR—India’s most crime–ridden state has announced a novel program to tackle its endemic lawlessness. The state government has promised to pay criminals who turn themselves in. Criminals have been offered 10 000 rupees— about two hundred US dollars—to surrender to the police. A modest monthly income has also been promised to any who avail themselves of this new program, which complements an existing cash– for–weapons program. The state government insists that this is not an amnesty program—criminals who surrender still have to face the courts. The first month of the new program has seen 191 criminals cash in.

Compiled Ornstein

by

Jacob

Stewart—

incite 5

TOOLBOX

Tea For Two

BY DANA PHILLIPS AND KERRY SCOTT

T

ea is not the most glamourous of beverages. Seldom do you catch a hot Bay Street exec dashing to the office with a steaming cup of Earl Grey or hear a model proclaim that she survives only on Sleepytime Chamomile and cigarettes. For many of us, our closest tea encounters are on a doily beside cookies at Grandma’s house. Tea is the beverage world equivalent of the geeky kid who gets picked last for dodgeball—you would never order a cup of hot chai during a raucous night out at the Snooty Fox. But it hasn’t always been this way. For much of human history, kings, emperors, monks, sheiks, and vagabonds alike indulged in the steamy glory of this drink without reserve.

It is now time to restore tea to its rightful place as the beverage of all people, and our age of choice and convenience makes such restoration easily possible. From ice to herbal to bubble, you can now purchase hundreds of different teas from around the world just by walking around the corner.

land. In the early 17th century, tea caught on in mainland Europe like Tamagotchis in a grade five classroom. But it wasn’t until 1650, when a tea–obsessed Portuguese princess named Catherine Braganza married England’s king, Charles II, and demanded tea in her courts, that the Brits started drinking tea in earnest. By the 18th century, they were drinking it like it was going out of style.

Initially, because of the high taxes placed on imports, few Europeans could afford to buy tea legally. Smugglers quickly stepped in and made it their civic duty to bring tea—or anything that they could pass for tea, even if they had to colour it with sheep’s dung or poisonous copper car-

“Tea is kind of like that apple at the back of your fridge; it’s been around so long that no one really knows how it got there.”

The tea times What does tea have in common with paper, pasta, and gunpowder?

Not only might they all be found at Tony Soprano’s mom’s house, they also all originated long ago in southeast Asia. Tea is kind of like that apple at the back of your fridge; it’s been around so long that no one really knows how it got there. It’s hard to say how people discovered that the liquid left from boiling the Camellia sinensis—now called the tea plant—tastes good and has restorative properties. One legend, of dubious authenticity, says that tea plants sprang from the ground where a Buddhist monk’s eyelids landed. He had cut them off to help him stay awake while meditating. Poor guy; I bet he was wishing he could have tried the tea before resorting to eyelid–amputation.

Regardless of its origins, tea was mentioned in Chinese texts as long ago as 1000 BCE. During the Southern Song period of Chinese history, in the 12th and 13th centuries, intellectuals gathered around tea pots the way students today congregate about pitchers of beer—as a pillar around which to discuss art, philosophy, and politics. In Southern Song China, however, the conversation became increasingly lively and chipper as more tea was consumed, a marked difference from the beer–tinged conversations of today.

To celebrate the role of tea in Chinese society, Song Dynasty emperor Hui Zhong proclaimed white tea to be the culmination of all that is elegant, and encouraged the development of an intricate tea ceremony. Japanese Buddhist monks who visited China to further their studies discovered the ceremony and brought the tradition home with them. While the ceremony fell out of practice in China, in Japan, the Song style of tea drinking evolved into the Japanese tea ceremony that is still practised today.

In the 16th century, European traders and missionaries began to drink tea when travelling in the East. By the turn of the century, the Dutch had taken control of all the major trade routes in the East and in 1606 shipped the first consignment of tea from China to Hol-

bonate—to the working classes. Tea drinking continued to increase in popularity throughout Europe as high taxes, and hence smugglers, were eliminated and faster ships called “tea clippers” were built to import the popular beverage. In 1783, the British were consuming six million pounds of tea per year; by the mid–1800s the figure rose to 15 million pounds.

Since Britain had nothing of export value to the Chinese, they were paying for all this tea in cold, hard silver, creating a problematic drain on the British economy. After wracking their brains for a solution, they finally came up with a commodity that China would take in exchange for tea—drugs. It was a perfect solution, and India—a handy colony that was dying to make itself more useful—was perfectly suited to grow such an export. The Chinese government was unimpressed, but what the government wants and what it gets are often two very different things. The British smuggled opium into China, helping to create millions of addicts, and a new exchange of goods was in place, tipping the scales of wealth in Britain’s favour.

Counting Caffeine Reading the history of tea may remind you too much of studying to continue without some sort of stimulating beverage in your hand; if your blurry mind is concerned only with caffeine, coffee really does have the upper hand. An eight ounce cup of drip coffee has around 155 milligrams of caffeine, and a cup of brewed coffee has around 107 milligrams, but your average cup of tea has only a measly 50 milligrams.

Green tea is even wimpier, with only 15 milligrams per cup.

All tea is made from the leaves or buds of a bush called Camellia sinensis. Tea grows in subtropical sinensis monsoon climates, so if you’re really that curious about the plant you’d better book a flight to India; tea is one thing that’s really not a North American forté. The beverage’s extensive history begins in Southeast Asia, and most tea is still produced in India and China, followed by Sri Lanka, Kenya, Turkey and Indonesia.

G RAPHICS BY EVAN C. LICHTY

6 incite

It don’t matter if you’re black or white...or green Let’s be honest—often the highest–priority tea questions on our minds are: “How do I know whether to order green or black bubble tea at QQs?” and “Which goes best with mango?” Before even attempting to solve such subtle and difficult queries, it is important to know the basics. The differences between teas stem from different processing methods and additives. I’m sure chemistry is a touchy subject for many of us, especially during this stressful time of year, so I’ll try to make it simple.

Once picked, tea leaves oxidize if not dried quickly. The amount of oxidation time before the leaves are dehydrated determines the type of tea: white tea undergoes no oxidation, green tea undergoes some, and black tea is completely oxidized. Black tea has a slightly more bitter—but also more flavourful—taste than the others. To these, and a few other basic types, a variety of fun and mysterious things are added to give us the dazzling array of teas found at grocery stores other than The Barn.

Still not sure how to solve the bubble tea conundrum? I guess you’ll just have to spend more time playing foosball and monopoly at QQs until you figure it out.

Herbal essences Now, here’s the confusing part. There are a lot of teas out there that aren’t, strictly speaking, tea. Humanity’s problems with nomenclature are nothing new to those of you who have taken organic chemistry or eaten jumbo shrimp. Thanks to Incite, however, you can now educate the ignorant masses. Herbal infusions or “tisanes”—such as chamomile and peppermint—may be brewed in the same pot as tea, but they come from the flowers, leaves, seeds, or roots of different plants. Among the tisanes gaining popularity in North America are rooibus, which comes from South Africa, and Yerba Mate, from Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil.

Although these beverages are definitely tea posers, many people like them better than the real thing. Not only do herbal “teas” have enticing flavours and aromas, they have laudable medicinal effects as stimulants and sedatives, the two things students need most. Looking to cram all night for tomorrow’s “hot beverages of the world” exam? A cup of Yerba Mate can help you to stay alert (or at least awake) without giving you the one–too–many–triple–espresso jitters. Need to calm down before your roommate gives you a nervous twitch? A catnip tea brew could be your saving grace. And the health benefits extend beyond helping you to maintain your sanity. There’s nothing like the nausea–defeating properties of ginger root or the digestive aid of peppermint to wash down a bad night out at Commons.

A steep learning curve...

Coffee may generate a bigger buzz than tea, but it also produces the most whiny beverage snobs. No devoted coffee drinker thinks twice about spending $4.50 for a cappuccino at a classy coffee bar, and Tim Hortons probably couldn’t pay such connoisseurs enough to patronize their establishment. Perhaps due to the effects of the beverage they favour, tea connoisseurs tend to be calmer in expressing their opinions.

Still, elitists abound, and some of their advice may be worth hearing.

Tea bags, due to their fine–grained, blended, and often dusty contents, tend to be regarded with disdain by purists. They apparently also go stale faster and pick up tastes and odours from their surroundings.

That being said, tea bags offer optimal convenience and are the most widely available form of tea in North America. And if you store them in an air tight container, it’s unlikely that you’ll ever taste a difference.

When using tea bags while making tea in a kettle, remember to place the bags on the bottom so that they will stay down when you pour the boiling water over them.

If you’re making tea to impress, you should go straight to the loose– leaf variety. To make a perfect pot of tea, start with fresh, cold water— connoisseurs claim that hot tap water has a “pipe–y” flavour. When the kettle has almost boiled, prepare the teapot by rinsing it with hot water.

It may seem superfluous, but ensuring that the teapot is warm does

keep the infusion from cooling off too quickly and apparently preserves some of the more subtle components of a fine cup of tea.

Put the tea into the warmed kettle, either loose or in a strainer, sock, or tea ball, and pour in the boiling water just after it has reached a rolling boil. The general rule about how much tea to use is: “a teaspoon for each person, plus one for the pot.” Allow the tea to infuse for three to five minutes, according to the directions on the package. Be careful not to let the tea stand for too long, as it will start to taste bitter and astringent. Green tea requires slightly cooler water than black tea because of its more delicate composition; while a tea cozy is ideal most of the time, it should be left in the drawer on green tea occasions.

While it’s infusing, give the teapot a good shake or stir so that the leaves have a chance to circulate. To be especially classy, warm the cups before you pour out the tea. Traditional teas can be taken dark or with milk and sugar, lemon and sugar, or lemon and honey. Milk and lemon is definitely not a good idea, as the lemon will curdle the milk in your cup. Cream and homogenized milk are both considered by purists as too heavy and strong–tasting for tea.

A final issue of contention remains: should milk be poured into the cup before the tea, or after? You wouldn’t think that this would matter, because really, well, it doesn’t, but devo–teas are engaged in ongoing heated debate on the subject. The porcelain cups used for tea back in the day were likely to crack if hot tea was poured in without the buffer of milk. While this explains the origins of the debate, it has little relevance as cups today are built to be able to withstand the tea’s heat, with or without milk. Some say that the tea scalds the milk, but there is no consensus as to whether scalded milk is desirable or not; some say it improves the milk, others say it ruins it.

Tea is an historic beverage, to be sure, and its long history has allowed ample time for ritual to build up around it. But if these instructions all sound like a little much for you, you can always just microwave the water, add whatever you want, whenever you want it, and drink the whole mixture out of a mug. Just don’t tell us you did.

Quick Tea Facts • Before the 13th century Ming Dynasty in China, tea came from bricks that were often used as currency. It turns out that university students were not the first people to perfect the art of drinking their money away.

• Ireland has the largest per–capita tea consumption at four cups per person per day. The Brits, however, definitely win the prize for making the biggest deal about it.

• Tea is closely connected to Zen Buddhism.

Both arrived in Japan around the same time, and practitioners of Zen often drink tea as a way to stay alert during meditation.

• The latest development in tea packaging is the tea stick, which originated in Holland in the 1990s. This handy little device eliminates the necessity for memorizing (as we’re sure you were) the instructions for proper tea pot use, as it works like a tea infuser for just one mug at a time. Pretty nifty.

incite 7

FEATURE

by Katie Huth, Sam Green, Kerry Scott, and Jacob Stewart–Ornstein

I

f there’s one thing that Hamilton is good at, it’s talking about and making policy. For over a decade, the city has been building up its arsenal of sustainable development legislation—but with questionable success in its implementation. The gap between policy and practice looms large in municipal politics, and the danger of idealistic policy documents—such as the ones that Hamilton seems so fond of creating—is that the policy–practice gap will widen into an unbridgeable chasm.

Vision 2020, Hamilton’s latest and greatest regional planning document, purports to make our city the most sustainable municipality in Ontario with its integrated battery of environmental, social, and economic plans. But like devotees of Karl Marx before us, Hamiltonians are quickly discovering that Vision 2020’s demands may be beyond the reach of all–too– mortal city councillors and officials. The challenge facing our community is that of being both near– and farsighted in city planning; we must wear development bifocals, if you will. We all need to balance the legitimate meeting of immediate needs with the necessary prudence to ensure long–term sustainability—a task which Hamilton has so far not yet fulfilled.

A land, A plan, A council—Hamilton!

In 1990, the Hamilton–Wentworth Regional Council appointed a citizens’ Task Force on Sustainable Development to review the region’s policies. The Task Force developed a long–term plan for Hamilton’s development, which incorporated community opinions about the balance between social, economic, and environmental concerns. Two years later, after consulting with over 400 individuals and 50 community groups, the Task Force released its opus—“Vision 2020”.

The report paints an image of what Hamilton–Wentworth could be in the year 2020 if it began to follow principles of sustainable development. Regional Council unanimously adopted Vision 2020 in 1993 as the guideline for future decision–making in Hamilton–Wentworth. Thanks to Vision 2020, Hamilton–Wentworth qualifies as the only Canadian model community for sustainable planning under the United Nations Commission for Sustainable Development’s Agenda 21 program. Vision 2020 was most recently reviewed in 2003.

One of the central goals of the Task Force on Sustainable Development was to engage the public in a collaborative approach to planning, policy–making, and action. In 1994, just after the report’s release, the Regional Council selected indicators of Vision 2020’s suc-

8 incite

cess that were relevant to and could be understood by the larger community. For example, the Council decided that the number of sport fish in Hamilton Harbour was a more meaningful indicator than the more esoteric measure of fish biotic health. Yet, despite the Vision statement that its “success depends upon widespread understanding of the critical relationship between people and their environment,” many involved with the Vision are concerned that citizen involvement is decreasing and is inadequate to fulfill the report’s goal.

Critics have also indicated that the Vision is too broad in scope, which results in ambiguous action plans. To avoid being too farsighted in its Vision, the Regional Council recognized in 1994 the need to identify specific plans and indicators that would determine exactly how the report’s goals would be attained and would accurately gauge progress toward those goals. Cue the Progress Team, which was established by the Council and has , to date created over 200 specific strategies to address the fifteen theme areas encompassed by the Vision.

Goals include reducing and responsibly managing waste, making agriculture a viable economic activity, and encouraging transportation choices that enhance personal fitness. Over the past few years, well–intentioned committees have sprung up faster than pubs around a university to propose initiatives in response to these entreaties.

ilton, such as the Beasley Neighborhood—one of the 20 poorest neighborhoods in Canada—and the Settlement and Integration Services Organization office, a centre frequented by immigrants and refugees. By contributing to Hamiltonians’ health and well–being, the Bus embodies a major theme of the Vision.

Uniting against poverty Hamilton has one of the highest poverty rates in the Golden Horseshoe, with almost 20 per cent of the population—over 95 000 people—living below the poverty line. Poverty is not evenly distributed, with disproportionably more of the very young and very old affected and more impoverished women than men. Although no comprehensive study on poverty and ethnicity in Hamilton has been conducted, it is likely that non–white recent immigrants are also over–represented among the poor.

Social policy struggles with poverty Vision 2020 addresses social themes including personal health, education, and the Orwellian–sounding–though–doubtlessly–well–intentioned “community capacity–building”. In order to “increase access to social services for identified groups and all ages” and “work towards a barrier– free community,” the City has undertaken a series of projects.

The Magic Healthbus In 2001, the Community Health Bus rolled out onto the streets of Hamilton. This retro 1985 Transit bus was donated by HSR Fleet Services and transformed into a portable health clinic, taking nurses, dental healthcare workers, and social workers to children, youth, and adults living in Hamilton. The Bus is run by the City with help from non–profit organizations and students in healthcare programs, and addresses the Vision’s target of providing free dental treatments and nursing services— such as immunizations—to all Hamiltonians.

While we doubt having a cavity filled on a bus is any more pleasant than in an office, the Bus brings valuable health services to those who might otherwise be unable to afford them. The weekly schedule of the Bus targets the poorer areas of Ham-

One of the primary planks of Vision 2020 is a commitment to equity between ages, cultural groups, neighborhoods, and regions. Eliminating the glaring lack of economic equity between these groups spurred the creation of the umbrella organization Tackling Poverty in Hamilton. Its goal is to organize government, community groups, NGOs, and private companies to eliminate poverty in Hamilton; to this end, the group brought together stakeholders for a poverty roundtable in May 2005.

Planning continued over the summer and fall, and in February 2006 Tackling Poverty in Hamilton announced that its focus would be on reaching out to the city’s youth, twenty–five per cent of whom live below the poverty line.

Although the group’s final action plan will not be completed until May 2006, an interim report suggests that it will focus on access to education and childcare. The new Conservative government has dealt a blow to this plan with the cancellation of the national childcare initiative, which would have created many subsidized daycare spaces. In addition

to supporting individual skill development, Tackling Poverty’s plan will also include an emphasis on creating vibrant and safe neighborhoods. Funding for this plan will come principally from the city of Hamilton and three participating companies: Dofasco, Pictorvision, and Turkstra Lumber.

Our house, is a very very very affordable house Tackling Poverty in Hamilton is an admirable initiative, but tangible actions on poverty have been lacking. While affordable housing in Hamilton has been identified in Vision 2020 as vital to “reduce the number of families living in poverty” and to “develop the social and physical environments to…allow all citizens to participate fully in community life,” efforts to improve Hamilton’s housing situation have been thwarted by other budget priorities.

The cost of renting lodging in Hamilton is taking its toll on the poorest citizens: the number of renter households spending 50 per cent or more of their income on rent has increased significantly over the past twenty years. When renting housing becomes more expensive, it is those in the lowest income brackets who suffer the stress of near homelessness and the economic reality of living paycheck–to–paycheck. On a more pragmatic level, it is far cheaper for the government to fund programs that subsidize housing costs than to provide assistance for the poor once they end up homeless.

Hamilton’s Community Rental Housing Program has received enough federal and provincial funding to create 50 new units of housing for seniors and 75 additional affordable townhouses.

CityHousing Hamilton (the City–owned housing corporation) received $1.4 million for the immediate development of one or more subsidized rental housing projects. While the federal and provincial governments have provided funds for affordable housing, the City has not matched their commitments.

Over the past five years the City has reduced Hamilton’s commercial and industrial property tax rates, while raising residential property taxes.

These residential taxes are particularly punishing to tenants, specifically those with low incomes. City councillors explain these taxation policies by stating that industrial and commercial tax cuts were necessary to maintain Hamilton’s competitiveness.

Subsidization and social assistance for the homeless, however, do not address the far more ambitious—and costly—Vision 2020 goal of developing Hamilton’s downtown core. The City has received funding from the provincial and federal governments to help with this urban renewal, but has instead diverted its attention from more farsighted core development to immediately lucrative suburban initiatives such as the aerotropolis.

Hamilton’s environmental efforts: eco–logical?

Environmental concerns and the maintenance of Hamilton’s ecosystems were central to the formulation of Vision 2020. The report’s approach to the environment focuses on improving local water quality, minimizing the use of landfills for waste disposal, promoting cleaner air by reducing emissions, and reducing energy use. Although some of Hamilton’s clean up efforts have shown positive results, it will be a long time before Steeltown starts looking for a new moniker.

Healing the Harbour Vision 2020 is particularly focussed on re-

progress in restoring Hamilton Harbour is laudable, and the City would do well to use its success as a springboard into other, less showy but equally important, projects in line with the Vision’s environmental policy.

storing the rather sorry state of the Hamilton Harbour, which, despite its lack of charm, does possess a rare freshwater reef. Before you dust off your snorkel and fins, we should probably let you know that our reef, affectionately named Randle Reef, isn’t made of coral—it’s actually a big blob of toxic coal tar. The tar, along with countless other toxins, was dumped there in the 1960s by waterfront industries prior to current environmental regulations.

So much damage was done to the waterfront that it has been placed on the Great Lakes Areas of Concern list developed by Environment Canada and the US government. A main goal of Vision 2020 is to make the waterfront accessible, safe, and attractive for recreation—so perhaps that snorkel will one day be useful.

Vision 2020 aims to improve the quality of water resources by implementing The Hamilton Harbour Watershed Remedial Action Plan. The Plan was developed with the goal of having Hamilton Harbour “delisted” and restored as a place where people and ecology can thrive alongside industry and commerce. The Bay Area Restoration Council (BARC) was formed in 1991 to promote, monitor, and assess the implementation of the Plan.

BARC is a public stakeholder group made up of private citizens, agencies (including government), industries, and other environmental groups.

They co–ordinate the work of the Fish and Wildlife Habitat Restoration Project, the Hamilton and Burlington waterfront parks development, and the Royal Botanical Gardens marsh restoration projects, as well as many other Hamilton Harbour rehabilitation programs.

Most recently, BARC has pledged $45 million dollars to put a cap of clean fill on Randle Reef in an effort to contain toxic sediments and rebuild a healthy shorefront. BARC has managed to garner a surprising amount of financial support from the City, making it an encouraging example of Vision 2020 in action.

Part of BARC’s success lies in their focus on community education and involvement in their Remedial Action Plan. Public information and education programs like tree plantings, public meetings, community workshops, and school group education projects have raised public awareness and concern.

In this case, Vision 2020 has fully supported the principles it espouses, as it strives to “educate the public on the water quality and the natural habitat of Hamilton Harbour and Cootes Paradise.” BARC’s

Clearing the air Formed in 1998, Clean Air Hamilton is another multi–stakeholder group inspired by Vision 2020 that is dedicated to improving Hamilton’s environmental sustainability. The organization is the primary actor in attempts to realize Vision 2020’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent from 1990 levels.

Clean Air Hamilton seeks to improve air quality by providing policy advice to the government, initiating research, encouraging emission reduction amongst corporations in Hamilton, and promoting lifestyle changes in Hamilton citizens.

Currently, Clean Air Hamilton is lobbying for several specific changes including: better public transportation services, increased public transportation usage, anti–idling laws, more stringent emissions testing, and emissions reduction programs. Annual reports monitor the success of these initiatives by tracking levels of toxins in Hamilton’s air.

Clean Air Hamilton has made good progress in the reduction of industrial pollutants but has yet to see similar success in transportation–related emissions, and City Council’s enthusiasm for commuter–inducing suburban development casts doubt on its willingness to address the underlying cause of much of Hamilton’s air pollution.

Preserving pesticide The City’s failure to curb pesticide use is a prime example of flouted Vision 2020 goals and strategies. Municipalities around the world—such as Toronto and Oshawa—have banned pesticides altogether or are implementing extensive pesticide prevention programs, but Hamilton has yet to do so. Opposition from lawn care companies and local residents obsessed with sterile green perfection has scuttled attempts to outlaw toxic pesticides. Water contaminated with these chemicals enters the storm–water system via runoff, wreaking havoc on fragile aquatic ecosystems.

A main goal of the Vision is to ensure that the water quality in streams, Cootes Paradise, and Hamilton Harbour is “generally good,” partly by eliminating the use of bioaccumulative chemicals.

Vision 2020 has no shortage of plans to improve water quality, but as illustrated by continued use of pesticides, the City has yet to take action on key water improvement initiatives, partly due to civic opposition. While civic participation has resulted in a world of good for BARC, but battles over pesticide prove that engaging the public can prove to be a double–edged sword, and worthwhile initiatives can sometimes get slashed in the fray of well meaning consultation.

Sustainable Sprawl?

Vision 2020 recognizes that social development and environmental restoration in Hamilton depend on economic growth. Agriculture, modes of transportation, and land use in urban areas are all addressed by Vision 2020 as key issues that the City must consider in order fuel sustained growth. Unfortunately, several large projects that are currently underway in Hamilton seem to undermine not only some of the sustainability goals in the social and

The challenge facing Hamilton is that of being b o t h n e a r- a n d f a r s i g h t e d i n c i t y p l a n n i n g ; w e must wear development bifocals, if you will. incite 9

...engaging the public can prove to be a double– edged sword when worthwhile initiatives get slashed in the fray of well meaning consultation. environmental sections, but also the long term economic health of the city.

As two of the biggest development projects Hamilton has ever seen, it is troubling to observe that both the Red Hill Creek Expressway and the proposed Aerotropolis contravene both explicit goals of Vision 2020 and the implicit spirit of sustainability contained in the document. The city’s self–contradiction—abiding by and upholding the principles of Vision 2020 in some projects, while completely disregarding the document in others—is troubling to those looking to Vision 2020 and similar documents as goals that inspire and inform all of Hamilton’s development decisions.

Red Hill: expressway to sprawl The Red Hill Creek Expressway, currently under construction in Hamilton’s east end, contravenes several of the principles and goals of Vision 2020. Vision 2020 promises “to develop and protect a system of interconnected natural areas which provides for the growth and development of native plants and wildlife.” Hamilton’s Red Hill Valley was the largest stretch of urban parkland in Canada and the only remaining intact corridor from the Niagara Escarpment to Lake Ontario, an important area for migratory birds and the endangered Southern Flying Squirrel.

The Vision had also committed to “ensure the City has the best air quality of any major urban area in Ontario” and “develop an integrated sustainable transportation system for people, goods, and services which is environmentally friendly, affordable, efficient, convenient, safe and accessible.” The City’s own figures have predicted a doubling of bad air days in the east end of Hamilton once the Expressway is operational. Hamilton already has the second highest per capita level of expressways and arterial roads in Canada. With the addition of the Red Hill Creek Expressway, the City is damaging the air quality that it has committed to improve.

The Red Hill Creek Expressway was banned from consideration in Vision 2020 by the Task Force on Sustainable Development, even though it clearly contradicts the Vision’s goals. Moreover, although the Red Hill Valley was designated as one of 69 “Environmentally Significant Areas” in Hamilton–Wentworth’s Regional Official Plan that emerged from Vision 2020, the Plan also stated: “Nothing in this Plan shall preclude the construction of an expressway in the Red Hill Valley.”

The Red Hill Creek Expressway will be completed in the fall of 2007, the City having effectively ignored its own sustainable development policy.

Error–tropolis?

Another example of urban planning that disregards the principles of

10 incite

Vision 2020 is the proposed aerotropolis. This development aims to turn the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport into a central hub around which 3 000 acres of prime agricultural land will be rezoned for residential, commercial, and industrial development. Final approval for the project is technically outstanding; the current council, however, has repeatedly approved initial stages. The only thing left that could halt the planned development is an appeal by the Ontario Government to the Ontario Municipalities Board, which would be unlikely to succeed.

In approving the aerotropolis plans, Hamilton City Council has consistently violated its own development policies, including those outlined in Vision 2020. In particular, public participation in decision–making was negligible. Only two public meetings were held; the first was minimally advertised and the second was at a location inaccessible by public transit. Even in City Council, a climate of secrecy surrounded much of the aerotropolis planning, leaving dissenting councillors feeling disenfranchised.

The lack of public input into the aerotropolis is as troubling as the City’s blatant disregard for the principle of sustainability to which Vision 2020 ascribes. While the Vision calls for “sufficient land available to grow food for future generations,” the aerotropolis plans to pave three per cent of Hamilton’s agricultural lands. Likewise, Vision 2020’s principles of reducing “urban sprawl and suburban encroachment onto rural and agricultural lands” and redeveloping “Hamilton’s core as the regional centre” are disregarded by the proposed airport expansion.

Despite these concerns, when final development plans for the airport were presented to Council, every option included the aerotropolis.

Potential inconsistencies with provincial legislation on development combined with the aforementioned incompatibilities with Hamilton’s own planning documents may cause the Ontario Municipalities Board to block the aerotropolis project. Regardless of the outcome, the greater concern is that our City Council casually approved a plan that contradicts the principles of sustainable development, for dubious financial benefits.

Looking to the future It’s been almost 15 years since Hamilton’s policymakers adopted Vision 2020. Since then, the City has implemented several sustainable development projects, such as Harbour rejuvenation, the Health Bus, and the more active promotion of affordable housing. Vision 2020 has also spurred the creation of multiple special interest committees, such as the Tackling Poverty in Hamilton coalition and the Bay Area Restoration Council. These groups play a crucial role in pressuring the City to turn their progressive policies into tangible results. But when the stakes are high—as with the Red Hill Creek Expressway, the proposed aerotropolis development, and the City’s taxes—money and short–term economic gain prevail over idealistic policies.

On paper, Vision 2020 gives Hamilton the most progressive development policy in the Golden Horseshoe, but in practice, a sea of red tape and an ocean of committees have undermined the strength of Hamilton’s commitments. City Council has shown a disturbing willingness to approve development plans without even token reference to Hamilton’s long term development strategy. Over the next decade, Hamilton will still face most of the challenges that Vision 2020 was intended to address. Although the Harbour and air are cleaner, and the City should be applauded for its action on those portfolios, the downtown core has not recovered, urban sprawl still threatens farmland and promotes car use, and City Council remains wedded to enormous projects of questionable environmental sustainability.

With these problems still neglected, Vision 2020 may have to update its name—to Vision 3030, perhaps.

Desperate to know more about the Vision? Check out the city’s website at http://www.vision2020.hamilton.ca/

All of these songs bring back memories of our moments of strength and weakness.

Music can tell a story, not only through its own narrative structure but also by serving as a soundtrack to our existence.

When I first started writing for Incite, I was thrilled to see the title that my lovely editors had given this column: “Rock of Ages”. It had such a nice ring to it, bringing up the age of the music that I was discussing, its stability in Western culture, and perhaps even the fact that I think that it rocks. All good things.

It’s like a sonata. There’s the beginning, or exposition, where you hear the main theme. Then it moves through the middle, the development; it shifts and changes, experiments with new sounds and ideas, and moves musically all over the map.

Then, finally, we get the recapitulation— completing the journey back to where we started, a return to a theme intrinsically changed by everything that happened in between.

Saying that I’m not particularly religious is an understatement of epic proportions, so it’s not really surprising that it took a long time for me to notice the title’s biblical reference. There was a hymn written with the same title back in the 18th century, but the original idea comes from the book of Psalms.

Again, I am not a person of faith, so the Bible is more poetry than spirituality for me. But I did find one line that affected me: He is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.

Music can be that for some people. A rock, a salvation from their troubles and trials, a defence against those things that might make them fall. How can music do this? Perhaps because it is an aural expression that goes beyond words. Perhaps because it represents a great achievement of human ability. Perhaps because it is as fleeting an experience as life itself, here and gone in an instant. Perhaps it is none of these things.

For me, music is not necessarily a protection from storms, but rather something that places me solidly within my life. Music can become part of our memories, and listening to it allows us to relive and recapture past moments. It makes them solid once more.

Smiling at the first song you ever danced to with the person you married.

Crying at the first song you ever danced to with the person who broke your heart.

The music that played at your high school graduation. al.

The piece you played at your first recit-

That song you never remember until it plays on the radio, and then it’s all of a sudden your favourite.

rock

We tend to think of stories and experiences as linear occurrences. Beginning, middle and end. You start somewhere, you journey, and you end up somewhere else.

DENOUEMENT

School seems a lot like that. We start out thinking we know everything, but really we know nothing at all. We spend years in classrooms learning, and learn even more from the time spent outside of them. Then we arrive at the end, at graduation. The funny thing is, we still know nothing. But, like Socrates, we are now aware of how little we truly know. We are at the beginning again, but different.

Every end is a beginning, is it not? The end of the school year is the start of summer, a new degree, even a new life. Really, I don’t see life as having solid beginnings, middles, or ends. I see it as more of a fugue—starts and stops intertwining, layering one on top of another. Some go forwards, some go backwards, others are shorter or longer than the musical line before. Infinitely varied, utterly interconnected, all of the different lines of music come together to form one complex, beautiful whole.

I mourn the loss of things past. I will miss this place, these people. I will remember the music I listened to in the car on the way to Hess that one night, and the song playing in the background as I graded my hundredth paper. I will remember the playlists that got me through that chapter of my thesis, and the CD I listened to as I cried at the loss of a friend.

But it’s never really the end of anything—it’s just the start of a new direction. There will undoubtedly be more songs, more tunes, that guide us through the next months of beginnings and endings, and all the ones after that. They will blend together, layer upon one another.

Some will be remembered, some will be forgotten. But no matter what, they will paint the completeness of our experiences, and serve as benchmarks of our existence for years to come.

We are what we listen to—and it becomes a part of us.

of

ages

G RAPHIC BY EVAN C. LICHTY

COLUMN

F

or many of us, this month marks the end of something—a semester, a school year, a degree, even the end of school altogether. For me, this column will be my last work as a McMaster student, since by the time this hits the stands, I will have already defended my thesis and be on my way to graduation. Coming to the end always makes me more aware of where I came from.

by Claire Marie Blaustein

incite 11

REVIEW

Sugar and Ice and All Things Nice In celebration of summer, Incite peruses the frozen delights on offer at your local grocery store

By Kate MacKeracher

I

ce cream is no longer the simple sweet of schoolchild summers. In an age when Chapman’s features greater flavour selection in its “no sugar” line than in its four–litre traditional product, ice cream’s new–found nuance cannot be overstated. Now, when seeking consolation after a difficult breakup with a significant other, one must ask deeply introspective and soul–wrenching questions such as “Did I love him so much that only Ben & Jerry’s New York Super Fudge Chunk will do? Or can I get by with 97% fat free frozen yogurt?”

Methodology

Who can identify the “best” ice cream? Negotiating the complex interplay of ice cream costs and benefits is an intimately subjective task that ultimately cannot be borne on the shoulders of even the most highly trained reviewer.

Instead, dear reader, we seek to arm you with the knowledge to make your own informed decisions.

Our Affordability category compares the unit price of each product, and the Health rating reflects quantities of calories and fat (long–term consumption of both is strongly correlated with eventual death). Appearance and Taste were assessed by our discriminating reviewers (via a complicated series of double–blind experiments that involved electric shocks and scurrying through mazes). The highest possible score in any category was a five.

Ben & Jerry’s - Vermonty Python

Stoney Creek - Cookies and Cream

Appearance: 5 Taste: 4.5 Health: 0 Affordability: 0

Appearance: 2.5 Taste: 2.5 Health: 1.4 Affordability: 3.6

Subtitled “Coffee Liqueur Ice Cream with a Chocolate Cookie Crumb Swirl and Fudge Cows”, this prince among frozen desserts took the cake in our survey of icy sweets, proving that quality costs. Combining the virtues of a conversation–starting name for communal ice cream consumption and a jokes section on the label to amuse solitary indulgers, innovative design made the product’s container an integral part of our ice cream experience. The varied texture and rich taste left us with little to complain of, apart from the barrier its enormous cookie chunks posed to elegant eating. The disturbingly life–like chocolate cows may raise feelings of angst in the hearts of conscientious vegetarians.

Selected for review out of geographical solidarity, Stoney Creek proved to be a thoroughly honest corporation: they weren’t kidding when they called it cookies and cream. Although opinions diverged about the virtues of violent creaminess, tasters agreed this elegant dessert resembles Cool Whip mixed with cookie crumbs.

Appearance: 2 Taste: 3 Health: 2.9 Affordability: 5

Häagen–Dazs - Strawberry Appearance: 4 Taste: 4 Health: 0.7 Affordability: 0.7 In the tragic–yet–inevitable pattern of dignified old–schooler overtaken by edgy young contender, this grand–daddy of premium ice creams was soundly trumped by Ben & Jerry’s. Our reviewers sneered at its superfluous umlaut and pseudo–European pretensions, but retained sufficient respect for the venerable brand to label its staid appearance euphemistically as “mature,” “sophisticated,” and “serious.” Although its richness and smoothness were much admired (that much butterfat can’t be in vain), tasters alleged the chunks of “fresh strawberries” were as authentic as the company’s Scandinavian heritage.

12 incite

No Name - Neapolitan

The flamboyant thrift of this No Name product prompted reviewers to re–enact the age old battle of quality vs. quantity. Our more plebeian tasters embraced the unabashedly artificial flavours and no–nonsense, neon– yellow packaging with gusto, delving greedily into the masses of sweet blandness; the ice cream cognoscentes among us, however, wrinkled their delicate noses at the ice cream’s grainy texture and childhood–pool–party mien. An anomaly pleasing to all was the revolutionary ice cream separation pattern: the three flavours were arrayed as triangles, with the points meeting in a triune vector attractive to both eye and spoon.

One reviewer’s succinct summary: “No name, no style, fully functional, and cheap.”

Chapman’s Simply Light Naturally Flavoured Ice Cream and Sorbet - Blueberry Pomegranate Burst

You may have thought nothing could be more innocent than the cherubic children of Chapman’s original ice cream, but those smirking tots conceal beneath their harmless exterior a dissolute, 10–per–cent–butterfat dessert.

Scarred by this revelation, we turned to the Edenic purity of this “simple,” “light,” and “natural” ice cream–sorbet blend. Sporting a verdant, first–grass– of–spring green that left reviewers feeling “refreshed and invigorated,” the container had the added eco–value of being reusable. Although some were discomforted by the mixed textures, most of us found the swirling transformed the too–sweet sorbet and the ultra–bland ice cream into an almost– palatable intermediate.

Ice Cream Alternatives Nestle Parlour Yogurt Swirl - Orange Cream Twist Appearance: 1 Taste: 0.5 Health: 5 Affordability: 4.3 We confess to having misgivings about this fine product before getting it out of the grocery store. Perhaps due to the unrestrainable healthiness bursting from the container, the lid came off in the checkout line. Doubtless Nestle had the laudable aim of cost–efficiency in mind, but we suspect consumers would be willing to supply the little extra required for a freshness seal. As glimpsed in our checkout line preview, Orange Cream Twist attempts to make up for its dearth of fat and calories with a wild neon imitation of decadence. The yogurt’s violent orange hue tastefully complements its flavour, which one reviewer summed up as “chemical, with an aftertaste of tangerine.” One dissenter claimed, “It tastes like real oranges!” prompting us to inquire if she had eaten an orange in the past 21 years.

Nestle Real Dairy New Legend 97% Fat Free Low Fat Smoothie Frozen Yogurt - Strawberry–Banana Appearance: 3.5 Taste: 3.5 Health: 4.3 Affordability: 2.1 This appealingly named dessert (we like to call it N.R.D.N.L.9.F.F.L.F.S.F.Y.S.B. for short) received reviewers’ highest praise in the admittedly weak yogurt category. The banana yogurt was indisputably the smooth and seductive hero of this “new legend,” with the strawberry yogurt filling the role of irritating Jar–Jar–Binks–esque sidekick who figures far too prominently in the plot and can’t be killed off soon enough. Tasters were particularly infuriated to note that the scarce and delectable banana melted faster than its underwhelming companion.

“The disturbingly life–like chocolate cows may raise feelings of angst in the hearts of conscientious vegetarians”

G RAPHICS BY BORAM HAM, PHOTOS BY SYLVIA A NDREAE

Appearance: 3.5 Taste: 3 Health: 3.6 Affordability: 2.9

So Good Non–Dairy Frozen Dessert - Creamy Vanilla Appearance: 3.5 Taste: 3 Health: 2.1 Affordability: 1.4 Vanilla is a familiar flavour; perhaps, if you are a vanilla ice cream connoisseur, you already know vanilla comes from beans. But did you know that only the good people at So Good have the sophistication to work with “real vanilla bean specks”? What, we are tempted to ask, separates common vanilla beans from their exalted incarnation as specks? But perhaps it would be unwise to inquire too deeply into the inscrutable mysteries of this Non–Dairy Frozen Dessert.

Our sojourn in the realm of soy drew sharply polarized results from our reviewers. Soy devotees, shrieking “So good!” after every spoonful, called this ice cream alternative “sweet and creamy” with a “great texture.” Traditionalists, in contrast, found fault with its “gummy texture” and “cloying sweetness.” Said one dedicated dairyphile: “It made me want to plug my nose so I could still experience the cooling sensation but not have to endure its grossness.”

incite 13

Aid For Hamas: Will Good Will or Extremism Amass?

DEBATE

On 25 January 2006, the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), the body which governs the “occupied territories,” held parliamentary elections. Hamas, an Islamic political party and organization unexpectedly won 74 of 120 seats in what international observers widely viewed as a free and fair election. Hamas’ charter calls for the destruction of Israel, and all Western powers consider it a terrorist organization.

The reasons for Hamas’ victory are complex.

Disorganization of the formerly dominant Fatah party—who ran several competing candidates in many ridings—played a major role, as did the continued corruption of the PNA. Most analysts agree that the Palestinian people did not vote for an Islamic state, or for the resumption of full–scale warfare with Israel. This analysis is, however, little comfort to the Israeli government, whose “partner for peace” refuses to recognize their right to exist.

In response to Hamas’ election victory, many countries—including Canada—have cut off aid to the Authority. The PNA is totally dependant on foreign aid to provide services and to pay government employees. Wages from the PNA support at least twenty–five per cent of the population. A major cash crunch would leave the PNA unable to pay its employees, including its roughly 60 000–strong security forces. The chaos that could result may lead to the Authority’s dissolution. Some have already called upon Palestinian President Abbas to either call another election or dissolve the authority and turn responsibility for governing the territories back to Israel.

Nick Davies argues that, until Hamas ceases its acts of terror and accepts Israel’s right to exist, neither Canada nor any western nation should fund the Authority. Muneeb Ansari counters, arguing that if we do not fund a legitimately elected government, Palestinians will blame any collapse squarely on the West, with grave consequences for regional stability.

14 incite

Aid Nutures Democracy

By Muneeb Ansari

“N

ot a red cent,” is how Conservative foreign minister Peter MacKay described Canada’s position on funding the new government of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) led by Hamas. The government’s justification for their view is that Hamas is a terrorist organization that does not recognize Israel’s right to exist. That same rationale has been used by most western countries who have cut off funding to the Palestinian government. Hamas has an armed wing that has carried out attacks against Israeli civilians—mainly through suicide bombings—but it is also an active humanitarian organization that provides social services in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The victory of Hamas over the supposedly more moderate Fatah movement was built on Hamas’ program of

social works and its image of incorruptibility that played well against Fatah’s endemic corruption. Hamas ran under a platform that was not explicity Islamic, militant, or even anti–Isreali. The Palestinian people voted for Hamas because it offered change from the nepotism, corruption, and poverty that characterized ten years of Fatah rule.

Hamas’ election is likely to make things harder in the short term for the Palestinian people.

In addition to the funding crunch facing the PNA, the restrictions that Israel has imposed on travel and work permits for Palestinians will likely continue, as will their disasterous consequences—much of the Palestinian economy is dependant on Israeli work permits and export licences. Tensions with Israel will be exacerbated because Hamas still refuses to recognize Israel’s right to exist. Hamas also has

Aid Fosters Extremism

By Nick Davies

S

ince September of 2000, thousands have been wounded and hundreds have been killed in wave after wave of suicide bombings, shootings, and rocket attacks perpetrated by Hamas, an Islamic organization committed to bringing about the destruction of the state of Israel by whatever means necessary. Hamas has escalated an already deadly conflict and is responsible for the deaths of many people on both sides. In January of this year, the Palestinian elections gave Hamas a majority of the seats in the legislature and in March they officially took over as the new government of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).

Canada and many other Western countries have been funding the PNA for years, supporting Palestinian infrastructure and social programs. But, shortly after Hamas took power, Canada stopped funding the Palestinian Authority. We were the first nation to do so after Israel. In the weeks following the election, most Western nations have followed suit. The funding crunch brought on by these decisions will be detrimental to the Palestinian people, yet Canada did the right thing by ceasing financial support to PNA.

Hamas is a terrorist organization and by funding the PNA with Hamas in power, we would give tacit support to their policies.

Although Hamas was elected in the PNA’s first free and fair election, its mandate is less clear than the organization would have you believe. Fatah—the former ruling party—and affiliated groups actually received more votes than Hamas. It was only because of their strategy of running several candidates in every riding, which resulted in a split vote, that Hamas emerged victorious. Admittedly, irregularities of this sort are common in elections—the 2000 US election for example—but their lack of majority does suggest that Hamas’ mandate is weak.

We cannot usurp the democratic right of the Palestinian people to elect a government of their choosing, but we also have no obligation to support that government. Choosing not to support the PNA led by Hamas is no more anti-democratic than politically chastizing Austria when a large minority of Austrians voted for a purported Neo-Nazi as Chancellor. We have a moral and political obligation not to fund governments or organizations whose aims cannot be reconciled

a long record of attacks on Israeli military and civilian targets and Israel has responded with a campaign of arrests and assassination against Hamas leaders. Despite these drawbacks, Hamas at least offers a change from Fatah’s fruitless policies.

Western governments have argued that they cannot support or fund a government that does not acknowledge Israel’s right to exist. While Hamas’ policy on Israel should not be applauded, it is not the only political party in the region that does not accept the two–state solution. In 2002, the Israeli Likud party, at that time in power with Ariel Sharon at the helm, voted overwhelmingly against the creation of a Palestinian state within the current boarders of Israel. The exact resolution stated that, “no Palestinian state will be created west of the Jordan River.” The strongest proponent of the resolution, Benjamin Netanyahu, was Israel’s prime minister from 1996–99 and is the current leader of the rightwing Likud Party. In the Israeli elections held in March, he was one of the strongest candidates for prime minister. He did not win, but had Likud triumphed, no Western government would have suggested cutting off contact with or aid to the Israeli government, nor would the Palestinian government have ceased contact with Israel.

In elections that were called the “freest and fairest” ever to be held in the Arab world, the Palestinian people chose to elect Hamas. Unlike many other leaders in the Arab world which the West continue to fund, Hamas did not sieze control in a coup. Egypt, for example, is the sec-

ond–largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid—after Israel—despite Hosni Mubarak ruling as dictator for 25 years.

Western governments have been calling for democratic reforms in the Middle East for a long time and have even gone to war to promote democracy in the Middle East, though their record of success leaves much to be desired. A free and fair election in the occupied territories marks a huge step forward for democracy in the region and it makes little sense to reject it. Do we really want to stop funding a lawfully elected government because we do not agree with their ideas? Cutting off funding to Hamas would only serve to remind the populace of the Middle East that the West’s role in the region has historically been oppressive rather than progressive.

The immediate consequences of the West’s decision to stop funding the PNA will be disastrous. Already the PNA is one–and–a–half billion U.S. dollars in debt and has no money to pay the salaries of its employees. Of their 150– million–U.S.–dollar monthly budget, internal taxes generate only 39 million. Without immediate financial assistance, the PNA will collapse, which will in turn further impoverish the estimated twenty–five per cent of the Palestinian population that the PNA directly and indirectly supports. More than half the population of Gaza already live below the poverty line, and since the second intifada, conditions have worsened due to destroyed infrastructure and foreign nations virtually cutting off trade. The widespread humanitarian crisis that cutting off foreign aid would cause will drive many former moderates

into the embrace of the hardliners and cause worldwide condemnation of the former donors.

In such circumstances, countries such as Iran— now flush with money thanks to record oil prices—might be tempted to offer monetary aid in exchange for increased influence in the region.

The Palestinian security forces are one of the biggest question marks in the entire crisis.

Almost 60 000 strong, the security forces are poorly trained and swollen with extra members. Positions in the security establishment were long used by Fatah to reward loyalists, and many members of these forces are still loyal to Fatah. It is an open question whether the PNA forces, which are long–time rivals of Hamas’ armed wing, will be willing to follow the direction of the new government. As of early April, the Palestinian president, a Fatah loyalist, is still struggling with Hamas for control of these forces. If the security personnel are not paid, then Hamas will face thousands of well–armed men demonstrating in the streets and even a potential coup by Fatah loyalists. Though some western countries might applaud such a method of removing Hamas from power, the damage done to Palestine’s democratic institutions would be immeasurable.

In the face of these threats and the looming humanitarian crisis, Hamas has promised unprecedented oversight of any aid by donor countries.

This pledge should minimize the threat of money being funnelled into undesirable activities, the supposed main reason that aid has been cut off in the first place. Donor countries have not appeared Continued top of page 16

with our foreign policy.

Yet, unlike Austria, Palestine desperately needs foreign aid. Many Palestinians are on the edge of existence, suffering from unemployment, lack of healthcare, and the constant threat of violence. But so long as the funds given to the PNA could be used for acts of terrorism, directly or indirectly, the West cannot in good conscience continue to fund them.

Unknowingly funding acts of terrorism is a legitimate concern, as money given to the PNA has been misappropriated in the past. Under Yasser Arafat, financial reports issued by the PNA were often “missing” hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign aid. In 2004, shortly before Arafat’s sudden illness and death, the IMF reported that over a billion dollars had been diverted into his personal bank accounts. Though Hamas was elected in part to fight such corruption— which was endemic under Fatah—there is every possibility that money would continue to be funnelled towards military purposes.

Hamas is a terrorist organization and our aid, even if earmarked for infrastructure, frees up the government monies for terrorist acts and implies ideological support for Hamas’ agenda.

In addition to their pledge to end corruption, Hamas electoral success rests on their track record of establishing and maintaining social welfare programs. Hamas has built infrastructure, promoted education, and provided food aid and jobs to the impoverished. These efforts, as well as their anticorruption stand, are to be lauded. The U.S. Council on Foreign Relations even estimated that 90% of the organization’s work is in social development. But we cannot gloss over the bad while praising the good.

Some of the jobs Hamas has created are positions in its own militia—a well-armed force that often wages gun battles with the Palestinian National Guard.

Perhaps Hamas’ most controversial and counterproductive policy is its insistance

aims is the destruction of Israel, and their attacks on Israeli civilian and military targets mirror their words. This anti-Israel policy is perhaps the greatest barrier to the acceptance of Hamas as a legitimate political organization. Since a tadiyah (period of calm) was declared in March 2005, there have been no major attacks on Israel attributed to Hamas. In an interview in February however, Hamas’ political leader Khaled Mashal said that, in light of the recent election, “anyone who thinks Hamas will change is wrong”—clearly indicating that Hamas plans to continue hostilities until Israel has pulled back to its 1967 boundaries.

Fatah and other Palestinian political groups share Hamas’ position that Israel is illegally occupying the West Bank and Gaza. It is not the position in itself that is inherently dangerous, but rather Hamas’ insistence on armed resistance as the only path forward.

A Hamas government is likely to continue the cycle of violence in which Israeli incursions are met by attacks on Israeli civilians. By funding Hamas, Canada would be endorsing armed attacks on civilians as a legitimate resistance act as well as supporting an unproductive cycle that continues to impoverish the Palestinian people.

Without foreign funding, the Palestinian Authority faces a deficit of at least 50 million dollars a month. Already, March salaries are unpaid and, without a quick infusion of cash, the Authority faces collapse. Such an implosion would drive the Palestinian people further into poverty and could severely destabilize the region. It would be a mistake, how-

on armed resistance against what they see is an occupation of their homeland by Israel.

Their policies clearly state that one of their primary

Continued bottom of page 16

incite 15

(Aid Nurtures Democracy Continued) receptive to Hamas’ offer.

In the run–up to the Palestinian elections, many observers were applauding Hamas’ move into mainstream politics. Foreign observers thought that by participating in the democratic process Hamas had begun the transformation from terrorist group to legitimate political party.

Not even Hamas expected to win the election, but now that they are in government, they will have to deal with the everyday concerns of the people such as building roads, providing water, and maintaining other municipal services. They can no longer simply sit on the periphery and remain ideologically pure—they must now learn to compromise.

Compromise will require more than just fiery rhetoric, and—being in the unconventional position of governing territories that are militarily occupied—Hamas will have to co–operate with the Israelis. Hamas has already taken baby steps towards this goal; the mayor of the town of Qalqilya—run by Hamas—regularly meets with Israelis to sort out electricity arrangements. In a further sign of moderation, a Hamas–authored letter to the UN indicated a willingness to ex-

(Aid Fosters Extremism Continued) ever, to pin such a collapse on the West—responsibility belongs to Hamas for having an inflexible, violent agenda. The Palestinian people are tired of living in a state of endless violence, and voted for Hamas in the hopes of an end to corruption and cronyism, not as an endorsement of violent resistance.

Almost five years of the intafada (uprising) has impoverished the Palestinian people, and if the Authority collapses because Hamas refuses to moderate its position it will be seen by Palestinians as a betrayal, not a courageous stand.

Some argue that by cutting funding to the PNA we have reduced our political influence in the region—influence that could be used to promote change. However, it is clear that by cutting funding the West has shown it is willing to play its strongest card against terror. By not fiscally supporting their agenda, we can perhaps persuade Hamas that they must moderate their positions or face dismemberment. If the Authority cannot pay its army and civil service it will face widespread protests, which would impel Mahmoud Abbas, President of the PNA, to call another election, which the no-longer-complacent Fatah would likely win. Though a Fatah government

GRAPHICS BY ANNE VAN KOEVERDEN

16 incite

plore the two–state solution, and hinted that it might be willing to accept the existence of Israel.

In light of these steps towards compromise, the West’s continued refusal to fund the new government will only strengthen the position of hardliners in the government who have long argued that the West is not a credible partner.

These moves towards moderation have in part been motivated by Hamas’ realization that they need foreign funding to govern. Jimmy Carter, the man who started the first Mideast peace process between Israel and Egypt, and the winner of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, has said that Hamas will inevitably have to recognize Israel. Not doing so would only precipitate its own downfall.

In the past year, Hamas has shown great restraint by ceasing its attacks against Israeli targets. It has respected the ceasefire, despite numerous Israeli incursions in the Palestinian territories, many of which directly target Hamas.

Their self–discipline is all the more extraordinary considering that the militant wing is very secretive; individual cells have little knowledge of each other’s activities. Hamas’ recent restraint is in sharp contrast to the supposedly moderate Fatah, whose military wing regularly violated

the ceasefire.

Hamas is also unlikely to revert to violent attacks in the near future. Five years of the second Intifada has done enormous damage to the Palestinian economy and the Palestinian people do not favour a return to open conflict. Moreover, with perhaps the strongest militia in the Palestinian territories, Hamas is uniquely capable of enforcing a true ceasefire on all groups—if they can see concrete returns in the form of aid and the easing of Israeli restrictions in exchange for their enforcement.

By electing Hamas, the Palestinians sent a message that the way they were being treated by both Fatah and the international community is unacceptable. They voted for change. We cannot reply by cutting off aid and thus punishing their desire for political development; championing democracy means living with and accepting its results. As Hamas is drawn into the political process, they will inevitably moderate their positions, begin to negotiate, and eventually disarm.

Accepting and funding Hamas as a legitimate governing party will reinforce and aid its still tentative transition from terrorist group to political party.

would have its own set of baggage—such as a legacy of corruption—its victory would at least restore the status quo and produce a government that Israel could speak to and international donors would fund.

Even if forcing Hamas from office proves ineffective, the financial crunch may force them to moderate their position and thus restore funding from at least some donors. This modify-for-funding position is the one taken by the so-called Quartet—the European Union, the United States, Russia, and the United Nations—that has agreed to make all further funding dependent on a major reform of Hamas.

Specifically, the Quartet has demanded that Hamas cease violent acts, that it recognize Israel’s right to exist, and that it show clear support for the peace process. Faced with mounting social and economic pressure, Hamas may be forced to accept these conditions, although its leaders have shown little flexibility as of yet.

Cutting aid to the Palestinian National Authority is not a perfect solution to the problem of Palestinian governance. If the West succeeds in forcing Hamas from office or getting them to moderate their position it will do so at the point of a proverbial gun, never the ideal way to induce genuine change. At the same time, even these reforms will be for naught if the Is-

raeli government does not compromise its own position of refusing all contact with the Hamas government and withholding the tax payments Israel owes it. In the short term, persuading Israel to hold off unilateral territorial moves and stop its assassinations of Palestinian militants may be as important for the stability of the region as convincing Hamas to hold to the ceasefire.

Such seemingly intractable problems as the ones facing Palestinians rarely have ideal solutions, but cutting off funding to Hamas and its agendas is the least of many possible evils. It is far preferable to an unrepentant and unchanging Hamas ensconced in power and determined to continue the fight with Israel.

A Hamas humbled by political defeat over funding may even be the partner Israel needs to negotiate a final peace deal. A reformed PNA would have the enviable combination of credibility with Arab nations, military muscle to enforce any peace deal in the form of its militia, and an understanding of its dependence on the international community.

Until Hamas has taken steps towards moderation, however, the only option for the international community is to take a hard line against their current stand.

PERSPECTIVE

PARKS FOR PEOPLE AMSTERDAM, JANE JACOBS, AND A PLAN FOR PARKS

BY ELISA PENN AND ALEX PATTERSON

C

ity planners throughout history have assumed that parks are inherently good for the life of a city. The designation of public space is supposed to improve a city’s livability, but on a case–by– case basis, parks are often considered dangerous no–go zones because of the real and imagined threats of gangs, drug dealers, and homeless people.

Jane Jacobs, an American urban philosopher and activist, writes at length about cities and the use of neighbourhood parks within them in her seminal 1961 book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities. She explains that “in orthodox city planning, neighbourhood open spaces are venerated in an amazingly uncritical fashion, much as savages venerate magical fetishes.”

Despite her critical perspective and the real challenges to livability present in many of our parks, a city indeed needs open and shared public space for inhabitants who wish to enjoy themselves without the pressure of spending money or consuming something. There is also, arguably, a need for a space where rougher elements of society can congregate and interact apart from the city’s mainstream community.

I have just returned from a year abroad in the Netherlands, and in comparing Hamilton’s parks with Amsterdam’s, one can see some obvious differences in use, perception, and style. A comparison of the context within which European and North American parks exist helps us understand why a public space like Gore or Gage Park is not seen as a nice place to enjoy a sunny afternoon by most Hamiltonians whereas Amsterdam’s Vondelpark is highly trafficked. The use, design, and mythology of parks in North America and Europe relates to the geography, planning, and population distribution of these regions.

In Amsterdam, a key contributor to frequent park use is housing. Most Amsterdamers live in apartments and therefore do not have any private outdoor space such as a yard or a garden. With such comparatively cramped living arrangements, parties, barbeques, and family gatherings all take place in public parks.

The picnic is also an essential part of the Amsterdam dating ritual, and on a nice summer day it is almost impossible to find a square foot of grass to park your blanket and bottle of wine. Because of this custom, park users are from a diversity of income brackets, age groups, and social classes, and none feel uncomfortable sharing public space.

Hamilton, like most North American cities, has adopted the American dream housing situation including the two–car garage and—most importantly for our purposes—the lush, grassy yard, which means that social interactions often happen in the private sphere, such as in the backyard. Also, yards decrease population density, meaning that any given park will be within walking distance of fewer people and therefore less trafficked.

Grassy yards aren’t the only North American challenge to a European model of park use—the North American prohibition on drinking alcohol in public also reduces one’s desire to use parks for parties and engagements. The other day, I shared a bottle of wine behind City Hall before heading over to the art gallery, a very respectable and popular activity in Europe. Here, I was struck by the illegality of such an act. When I was younger, I often drank in parks to evade my parents. But if my parents had also gone to the park to have a glass of wine at night, I would have hardly been sneaking out to join them. If I had ended up in a park drinking, at least I would have been supervised.

European drinking laws take a much less puritanical approach than North American ones, and it was amazing to see how civil people are with fewer restrictions.

According to Jane Jacobs, the most important element in safely raising children is civilian eyes watching and protecting a space. Security cameras and bright flood lights do not create safe public spaces; people create safe spaces by constantly monitoring them. This idea of safety brings us to the perception of parks in North America. Here, parks must serve a purpose. A sports field such as Churchill Park or a park with a splash pad are both used often and therefore relatively safe because of the activities one can enjoy there. But without a steady flow of people using a park, it becomes a haven for more unsavoury members of society—or at least many people perceive that it does. But the European model of parks as shared spaces belies this dichotomy, revealing it as artificial, not organic, a point that Jacobs is quick to make in her book. Gorgeous summer days on the Hamilton waterfront give a taste of such a shared space—sketchier parkgoers are kept in check by the myriad “civilian eyes” also out to enjoy the public space.

Planners must consider the design of open spaces in park building. Parisians have mastered this art, creating parks with hills, streams, sculptures, and forests. Vondelpark and most smaller parks in Amsterdam all have water and changes in elevation. They have sitting areas mixed with pathways to increase traffic throughout the park. In Hamilton, too many huge flat spaces with few trails—not to mention concrete zones with fountains and caged reindeer—hardly encourage people to enjoy and experience the park. Jacobs uses the analogy of a supermarket—you wouldn’t design a large supermarket without putting a lot of thought into the best ways to draw in the most people, but parks are too–often sited thoughtlessly with only the most basic of aesthetic concerns.

Hamilton does have something which is the envy of most of Europe, true wild–space. Although they may not always be safe at night, and some could be better–maintained, Cootes paradise, the Rail Trail, and our city’s 33 beautiful waterfalls make Hamilton naturally rich in outdoor attractions. These spaces are well–used, especially in the warmer months, and are vibrant additions to the life of the city. However, these parks can hardly be called urban spaces, and contribute little to a downtown core infused with more parking lots than green space. Downtown parks, when they do exist, are either underused or far too crowded. The few usually–bustling parks—such as Bayfront Park or the Hamilton Airport grounds—are parks that encourage diverse uses, from dog–walking to jogging to sunbathing or picnicking.

Any view off the escarpment will show that Hamilton is extremely fortunate to have such plentiful parkland, but grass and trees do not themselves make a vibrant city park. In order to fully engage with Hamilton’s greenspace, councillors and civil servants must understand the ways in which people use it, and develop both parks and neighbourhoods that facilitate park life. Do we need fenced–in areas for dogs to run, or restaurant stands open into the evening? Relaxing rules like the closing of parks at night (if you outlaw parks at night, only outlaws will use parks at night) would encourage more park use as well. The ultimate responsibility, though, lies with us, the residents of Hamilton and stewards of its parks. If we do not use our parks, no amount of planning and policy will ever save them.

“...the European model of parks as shared spaces...”

G RAPHICS BY JANICE TSUI

incite 17

LETTER FROM

Letter From

Ghana

Jonathan Millard is a Public Policy and Development Studies major at Carleton University and is currently taking his third year abroad in West Africa at the University of Ghana.

e! m o c l e w kwaaba—

A

could see that I needed two additional documents and would have to return.

Despite Josephine’s best efforts to delay me one more day, I made it back to Immigration an hour later with the “proper papers.” I think Josephine was disappointed to see me because she stopped communicating with me verbally. She finally gave me my receipt, which I had to take to another woman to get stamped as “paid.” I then went back to Josephine, and was granted a document that said I could come back and check on my status in two weeks. After three more weeks, five additional trips to the Immigration Bureau, and some serious begging and attempted bribes in order to get my passport back, I was finally a Ghanaian resident.

Luckily, somewhere along the frustrating road to residency, I started to relax into the better aspects of Ghanaian life. During this period, my Moped, a vital mode of transportation in Ghana, became the love of my life. While I am yet to have a serious accident, I did have one small mishap which involved a young child, some swift maneuvering, and scars that still remain on my hand and arm. They’re small scars, but I will always explain them as “tokens from my journey across Africa on a motorbike,” even though the accident was nowhere near as exciting as that phrase sounds—pathetic is probably the better descriptor.

After my first semester, I was ready for a break and decided to do some travelling. My first trip was for three weeks in December and was an overland trip to Agadez in Niger. Agadez is a dusty city that gives off a mystical feel with its tiny streets, fascinating Tuareg population and buildings made from mud–bricks. The city is situated on the edge of the Sahara Desert and we traveled by 4x4 for three days to get there, making a small–town stop en route. We spent the afternoon eating, riding camels, and drinking neverending cups of Touareg tea as we visited with the villagers. Financially, these villagers were likely the

PHOTOS BY JONATHAN M ILLARD

But be sure not to think that means “Hello, we’re ready to start” because it definitely does not.

My first encounter with “Africa time,” something I now define as slightly slower than “Island time,” came during my first week here in Ghana during class registration. After attempting to attend my first few classes, I figured out that—despite what my schedule said—school would not start for a few more weeks. I happily took advantage of this new discovery and spent my first days here out of the classroom, meeting people and exploring Accra, the capital of Ghana and my current home.

In my first semester, I found it very difficult to make real friendships with Ghanaians. I found I had lots of professional friends—those who offer all the perks of friendship for the small price of you giving them money, offering them employment, or maybe, if you are really lucky, getting married to them before you return home—but my close friends tended to be other foreigners like myself; the disparity of wealth between white and black here makes both skeptical as they begin friendships. With all my hopes of making close friends with Africans, I found this lack of native friendships hard. Even so, Ghanaians are among the friendliest people I have ever met, and I have no doubt that if I was ever in trouble I would be, without question, looked after in full.

Frustrations were not limited to making friends in my first few months in Ghana; I do not think I will ever again complain about Canada’s bureaucracy. I will also be forever grateful that we have cameras in most of our government offices and that one is not required to bring passport photos to sign up for everything from car licenses to university courses.

I think the best example of the frustrating ad-

ministration here comes from my misfortunes in applying for Ghanaian residency. On my first trip to the Immigration Office I was told by Josephine, the immigration official, that the university had not yet “filed returns.” I asked what “returns” were and was told, “yes, they have not been filed.”

Armed with this newfound understanding of “returns,” I decided to talk to the International Programmes Office.

Two weeks later I was informed the returns had been filed and once again, made the trek down to the Immigration Office. I arrived at one o’clock to find it closed and empty. I had forgotten that everything in Ghana shuts down for an hour in the afternoon for lunch. A man at the door told me to come back in an hour, which I did. When I returned, I handed Josephine my papers and said that I would like to file for residency. Josephine then told me that they only accept applications before lunch, and that I’d have to come back the next day. I nicely asked Josephine, as she looked over my application, if I had everything I needed to file an application the next day. Josephine said yes, I only needed two additional passport photos.

Wonderful. Maybe this wasn’t so bad after all.

The following day I again met with Josephine, my new favourite Ghanaian. Very much on top of things in the mornings, Josephine asked, “Where is your proof of fees and your admissions letter?”

I couldn’t believe it. I had a letter signed by the Dean of the International Programmes that said I was both registered and paid up, but Josephine, great civil servant that she was, needed to see the proof for herself.

I asked Josephine why she had not mentioned to me previously that I would need these documents. In retrospect, I think that was where things began to go downhill. Josephine kindly pointed out to me that yesterday, when I spoke with her, she was not in a position to receive applications (apparently she was also unable to deliver any form of useful information). Now, however, she

18 incite

poorest people I’ve ever met. Although I have not equated money with happiness for some time, the village experience certainly reaffirmed their lack of connection.

After Niger, I traveled through Benin, which is the home of Voodoo. I was absolutely fascinated by this religion—which I now know has been brutalized by its Hollywood versions. The trip included a visit to a surreal and bustling fetish market. From Benin, I returned to Ghana and spent roughly two weeks here before embarking on a trip to Egypt and Morocco.

When I returned to Accra it felt like home, primarily because I had errands to do. Errands are, in my opinion, the task which provides one with the strongest sense of home. My first errand was to fix the rear tire on my Moped, which had upwards of eight meticulously patched holes. As I headed down to the area where one buys tires, I realized that knowing the general area to buy something—rather than fretting about finding a specific store—was a new level of integration for me, and I was quite satisfied as I started my first day back in Ghana.

After much searching in the tire area, all I could find was another bike that was exactly the same as mine. After brief negotiations, the owners of the other bike agreed to take the tire off their bike and sell it to me. As they moved to take off the tire, I began to notice that this bike was not really the same as mine at all. Its speedometer went up to 100km/h; apparently it went a great deal faster than mine. Not only that, it was equipped with a battery which offered the rider a cool way to start his engine with the touch of a button. As if that was not enough, the new bike had a much larger seat—great for passengers! (By the way, passengers of the female variety seem to like my Moped, and I would be dishonest if I did not acknowledge my bike as the best pickup technique I’ve ever possessed.)

So a trip to purchase a tire turned into a new Moped, which I’m quite certain was stolen in Japan. Keeping up with my newfound rebellious ways as a buyer of stolen merchandise, I also took the route of most Ghanaians and used the “fast route” to “register and license.” You can take that to mean whatever you wish; for me, it was a milestone in my adaptation to Ghanaian ways.

After completing my errands, I went out to a beautiful beach three hours west of Accra for New Year’s. I had a great time reading, sitting on the beach, and hanging out with friends that just happened to be there. It was a fittingly reflective New Year’s, following the pattern of my previous three months in Ghana, which had definitely been the most reflective of my life.

Shortly after New Year’s, I headed to Egypt and Morocco with a friend. Both of us appreciated the break from the humid heat and the pushy atmosphere of West Africa. After about four days in Cairo, we headed to Morocco—my first trip to

a predominantly Muslim–Arab country—to spend another week. Upon arrival, we came close to freezing to death—which was probably more from the shock of how cold we felt coming from West Africa rather than due to the actual temperature.

Despite the cold, our visit was excellent. Our tour guide at the Medina in Fes was kind and good–natured, and, I believe, a much more accurate reflection of Muslim men throughout the Arab world than the typical stereotypes of the North American media.

After Marrakech, Fes, the Middle Atlas, and Rabat we got on a plane back to Egypt to head south to Luxor and Aswan. While I had promised myself that I wouldn’t spend another night in frigid temperatures, I somehow still believed that taking a sailboat down the Nile was a good idea. The

two–day trip is one that I will always romanticize, but I must admit that I was quite bitter en route.

The first night was actually decent, and I had little to complain about. We had interesting company on our boat, we were warm at night, and we actually spent four hours sailing. The second day was where things began to go wrong. We moved onto another, smaller, boat as some of our smarter boat–mates made their way back to shore. Little did we know that our movement from boat to boat would be the fastest motion of our day. While the captain blamed everything on a lack of wind, we blamed his addiction to marijuana. We had to persuade him to continue to sailing until dark, although he did get the last laugh on that one—I spent the night awake and soaking wet courtesy of the waves created by passing cruise ships.

From Egypt we came back to Ghana, which is where I am now. I’ve been back now for the better part of two months, and I feel a connection to this country like never before. I am finding Ghanaian friends I never knew I had, beginning to enjoy the daily frustrations instead of loathing them, and feeling like this is my home instead of feeling like a stranger. To be honest, I do not know why this change has occurred. Maybe I had to leave Ghana in order to understand the strength of the culture and the goodness of the people; maybe I’m beginning to suffer a permanent heat stroke; maybe I just needed time.

As unsure as I am of why things are different now that I’ve come back, I am even less sure why I chose to spend the year in Africa in the first place. Sometimes I wish I had an idealistic story that could inspire others and I sometimes wish I had made an earth–shattering discovery here that could change the world. Fortunately or unfortunately, neither of these is the case. What I do know is that in my experience here I have grown exponentially both emotionally and spiritually, and this change is what I will take home and what will bring me back to Ghana in the future. I am only beginning to understand the story here, but I am now certain that we in the West are deeply connected to it and have a role in it. What my role in this story is I am yet unsure, but the only way I know to find it is by coming back.

at h w e om s y l l a fin ed, d n a Alive integrat ard l l i M n oJ natha incite 19

INTERVIEW

TRANSLATING EXPERIENCE Incite’s Jeanette Eby and Laura Tomalty talk with McMaster’s Writer in Residence Nooshin Salari about her work with PEN, her life in Iran, and her writing.

N

ooshin Salari is McMaster’s current International Writer in Residence. Originally from Iran, Nooshin began writing as a teenager and continued to write in her native language after moving to Canada. She has primarily written short stories and is currently working on her first novel. Although her stories are set in Iran, her themes are relevant beyond her native land and language. Nooshin is available on campus to discuss with students and members of the Hamilton community the difficulties of writing in another language, translation, and the work of PEN Canada, an organization to which she belongs.

PEN Canada helped to create the International Writer in Residence position at McMaster through their Writers in Exile Network and have established similar positions at other universities throughout Canada. PEN works for freedom of expression in Canada and lobbies for the rights of threatened authors, journalists, and poets throughout the world. In Canada, PEN helps writers like Nooshin with translation and publication.

Incite: Why did you begin to write?

Nooshin Salari: I was always encouraged by my parents to read books. As a child in school I was able to write compositions quite well. I wrote my first story in junior high and it was published in a famous Iranian literary magazine.

After that I was encouraged to write whenever I had time.

I: What are some of the major themes in

your writing?

NS: I write about the similarity of human beings.

I try to break the clichés, for example about love and about truth. I don’t believe there is just one truth. I write about judgment and how humans judge one another. Also about how we always forget everything is relative. I also try to address issues of man’s inhumanity to man such as intolerance and racism. So I try to play with those concepts that I think are important for people everywhere in the world. As you can imagine, the concept of human suffering is also very interesting for me. I have written many stories about it.

I: What is the most difficult thing about writing?

NS: The most difficult thing is that I am not one hundred percent sure how much of the problems

that we are facing we can overcome in a short period of time. If I am living in this country, I want to be helpful. So I do not know how much we can overcome in a short period of time, that is the most difficult part.

I: How do you think being Iranian has influenced your writing?

NS: Iran has a rich literature from which I have learned a lot. I have also learned from many contemporary Iranian writers who have been my teachers. Iranian people’s lives, especially women’s lives, have also been subjects of some of my stories.

Iran is a fascinating culture. It is currently in a very interesting period because so many things have happened. You see humans when they become excited, you see humans with big hopes, you see humans when they lose hope, you see how they endure and how they continue. It’s very beautiful, I think I’ve learned a lot.

I: Tell us about how the revolution changed Iran, and how it changed your writing.

NS: The Revolution, and a few years later the war between Iran and Iraq (1980–1988) made daily life difficult for people. Women were also initially encouraged to play more traditional roles within society

When the revolution happened I was in junior high school and we heard so many great things about what could happen, but gradually we became disappointed because so many dreams went wrong in the country. It had a profound effect on my life. All this gave me so much material to write about. It also made writing a more serious endeavour for me.

I: Why did you decide to leave Iran and come to the University of Saskatchewan?

NS: I am from the generation whose life was deeply affected after the revolution. I wanted to study and the universities were closed for a while in Iran. I came to Canada mostly to study and to be with my brothers and sister who were working and studying outside Iran.

I came as an immigrant. My brother, who sponsored me, was studying and teaching at the University of Regina at that time. I studied pre–pharmacy there and later I was accepted to the college of pharmacy at the University of Saskatchewan. During those years I studied very hard and did not find much time to write

I: How long have you lived in Hamilton?

NS: I graduated from the College of Pharmacy in Saskatchewan in the year 2000 and I moved here

“ I am trying to create that conflict in the reader—about how we define heroes and to what extent we let them be human ” 20 incite

with my husband to be closer to my husband’s family. My husband’s father used to teach here at McMaster in the School of Medicine.

I: How did the revolution and leaving Iran impact your worldview and the direction your life was taking?

NS: I think it had a good effect. I came to Canada and studied here which made me see another country and learn many things from it. When I was coming to Canada I wasn’t sure how it would turn out and was thinking maybe I should just stay, you know, all of those things you get when you are leaving for an unknown future. I think it gave me exposure to a different culture. Different, but at the same time I began to realize that people are the same. I learned so much. I’m glad that I came here, but at the same time I think of many talented people back home who can’t come and I try to write about them because it is the only way that I can do something.

I: So what do you miss most about Iran?

NS: Iran is a beautiful country and I miss many things about it. More than anything, family members, friends, neighbours, old bazaars, and the smell and the taste of my mother’s cooking.

I miss all those lost friendships and I hope that someday everybody can be happy there again.

I: Are there any specific people in your life who have influenced your writing or the course that your life has taken?

to have my stories published in Iran, or am I writing just for a community of Iranians over here? Then I began to write stories and translate them for my husband and he really liked them so I thought let’s try it with other people. It became a test for me to read my translated stories and see what my Canadian friends thought, a n d they really liked t h e m .

They really encouraged me to c o n t i n u e, so that’s a confidence, so much encouragement.

I: What do you enjoy most about your job right now, as both a pharmacist and a writer?

NS: As a pharmacist nobody knows that I am a writer. It is a very good place to interact with people, they tell me their stories or part of their stories. They tell me something and I begin to put the rest together by myself. It is a good exercise for the writer in me to be a pharmacist, and I really enjoy being with people in the p h a r m a c y.

About writing, I really like it because it is a good job, in the sense that you feel like you may change something in the end of the day.

You hope for that.

“In different parts of the world there is no them and us, it is humans trying to provide a life for themselves, they fall in I: You men- love, they do silly things and tioned that while in it’s the same wherever Pharmacy you weren’t writyou go.” ing. When you re-

NS: My parents, for encouraging me to read and write, and my husband, Chris MacLeod, who has been a constant source of inspiration and encouragement, have really influenced me.

turned to writing was that a hard switch?

NS: It was because I was unsure of who my audience was; who am I writing for? Am I writing

I: What is your novel about?

NS: Each chapter is told by a different woman from the same family talking about a

man, and we see the man throughout the novel described by these different women. Through their lives a part of Iranian contemporary history is told. One woman is his mother, one woman is his wife, one is his sister, and one is his daughter. So I am trying to give a very humanistic image of a hero.

What is a hero? Can a hero make a mistake, and to w h a t extent?

Who forgives him in the end and who doesn’t? You read one chapter and you think of this man who is just an abuser, and then you read the next chapter and you begin to forgive him. So I am trying to create that conflict in the reader, about how we define heroes and to what extent we let them be human.

I: How is writing a novel different from writing short stories?

NS: Very different. I think writing short stories is technically very difficult because you focus on one character, you create a conflict and you solve it somehow. It is like running a short distance compared to running a marathon. Writing a novel each day, you put that energy into running a marathon again and again. I find writing my first novel challenging, but at the same time, it is a genre I’d really like to try.

I: Why did you decide to write a novel?

NS: The characters were growing in my imagination and I couldn’t just focus on a few characters. Everybody wanted to have a voice, so I tried just to let them come and tell their stories through the novel.

I: How do you find a translated work changes from the original language?

NS: The Persian language is a beautiful language with one word having different meanings at the same time. I have a very good translator who tries to stay faithful, however, there is always something lost in translation.

incite 21

I: In light of that loss, what is the importance of translation?

NS: I think that there is potential for people, who write in a different language, to be heard. There may be voices among them that can enrich Canadian literature. It demonstrates a very good characteristic for Canada because it is giving a voice to all these writers. So that is the value of translation.

I: Can you tell us about PEN Canada and your work with the organization?

NS: The branch of PEN Canada that I work with is called Writers in Exile. I don’t think that I am in exile. I have to explain to you that the branch of PEN, which includes writers like me who write in their mother tongue, was originally called “Writers in Exile” because it was formed in 1922 for that purpose, for writers who could not go back to their countries.

I can go back to my country, but they kept the name in honour of people who can’t.

PEN is an association of writers, poets, and journalists who work for the freedom of ex p r e s s i o n across the world. Currently, Canada is the head of the Writers in Exile branch of International PEN. In many cases PEN works closely with Amnesty International and it has been able to save the lives of many writers around the world. We are trying to achieve as much as we can while Canada has this position. We give writers and poets advice about their work and we try to connect them with Canadian writers through dialogue and exchange of ideas. We try to find translators and typists to do the technical work that a writer needs. It is a good organization. Its goal is freedom of expression.

I: Why do you feel the work of PEN Canada is so important?

NS: When you look at the world there are so many places with conflict, and there are writers who are very good people that record what

G RAPHICS BY TIM FOX

22 incite

is happening. In most cases, what they write doesn’t go with the taste of this group or that group in conflicted areas, so sometimes they have to leave very dangerous situations. PEN can host these people and give them temporary refuge, until they can stand on their feet again. I think it is important because it is humanistic, it brings all of us together, and we can work for a cause together.

Both PEN Canada and PEN International have been able to save the lives of many writers around the world. They have also been able to provide a sanctuary for some of these writers.

or his residency in the second part of the next school year and that there will be some funding available.

I: What is the difference between writing in Iran as a teenager and writing in Canada?

NS: Writing in Iran as a teenager was not as serious as it is now. However, writing in one’s mother tongue in a new country involves many challenges and difficulties.

It’s hard to find translators, to find p u b l i s h e r s, to find literary agents.

It is difficult to be in contact with the bigger picture because it is uncertain whom you are writing for.

So PEN is trying to address some of these problems. I am working with them and I hope we can gradually solve some of these problems.

“ You see humans when they become excited, you see humans with big hopes, you see humans when they lose hope, you see how they endure and how they continue. It’s very beautiful...”

Wr i t e r s like me also who immigrated to Canada and live here and write in their mother tongues benefit from supportive programmes established by PEN.

I: So how did you become McMaster’s Writer in Residence through PEN? NS: I have been a member of PEN Canada since the publication of my first book. PEN Canada has been actively involved in placing in different academic institutions international writers or writers who have been published in other languages and who now live in Canada. PEN’s goal is to have this position at every university in Canada. When McMaster University welcomed the program I was chosen by PEN to begin this pilot project. There will be a fundraising event in the summer or early fall and I am hopeful that the second international writer can begin her

I: Why do you write now?

NS: There is a need in me to write, and I also love writing. I write mostly short stories, they are my favourite category of writing, but I am now working on my novel. I like to write about the situation of women in Iran, not in a cliché manner because it’s becoming popular to talk about how oppressed they are, but showing that they are human. It is the first time that the number of female students in university exceeds the number of male students. I’m very interested in that personal effort to address the problems and overcome barriers.

My second collection of shorter stories is being translated by a colleague, a professor at York University. The book is currently not available, but it is coming out sometime this year. In the second collection I write about the different houses I lived in while in Saskatchewan. It’s a look at the story of people that I was interacting with. Basically with the second collection I was trying to address how, in reality, in different parts of the world there is no them and us, it is humans trying to provide a life for themselves, they fall in love, they do silly things and it’s the same wherever you go.

COLUMN

POP WITH ROB LEDERER

W

hen parents enroll their children in elementary school, they unwittingly expose them to a social scene as intricate and challenging as the group dynamics in any season of Survivor.

Children arrive on the first day of junior kindergarten as a troupe of eager, sometimes homesick, students more concerned with making friends than asserting their role in the playground hierarchy. Everyone is as carefree as Curious George, keen to take on the jungle gym, investigate the art table, and run terrified from gigantic sixth graders. JK classes may see a wealth of hissy fits and tears, but when push comes to shove, it’s as all–inclusive as those sometimes under–the– table, always sketchy grad trips to Cancun; all the kids get play dates, and everyone is invited to little Davey’s birthday shindig at McDonald’s or Chuck E. Cheese.

Following those utopian days, however, begins the so–political–I–can’t–believe–Wolf–Blitzer– hasn’t–done–a–special–on–it eras of limited birthday invites and deeply significant lunchroom seating arrangements. Beginning in senior kindergarten and extending until graduation, expulsion, or the changing of schools (and name), the social complexities only grow. In French Immersion schools, there’s an added segregation--students are divided into French Immersion or English classes, and another rivalry is born.

From SK until grade six, the two streams of academics are peacefully segregated from each other inside the confines of separate classrooms; come recess, though, fights over use of the field erupt and competitive handball games spin out of control. The once loving community of wide– eyed and fresh–faced youngsters splits down the middle with results as grotesque and shocking as Richard Hatch’s nude Survivor appearances; in short, after the divide, you may not get an invite to Davey’s first boy–girl party.

This kind of isolation happens a lot more often as the years go by. First, the cool kids break away from the rest when they begin dating. As the years pass, other groups develop: the freaks,

geeks, goths, athletes, math heads, computer nerds, junkies, and of course the popular kids who everyone tries to impress while secretly loathing their very being. Although no man is an island, a brief glance at any playground shows the formation of many small and often competing factions of schoolyard society.

Fewer and fewer things are shared between cliques as we pass through the ranks of elementary school, and, as a result, the few things that unite rather than isolate still hold special place in my heart. Like the summer Olympics or a good cup of coffee, Super Mario is something that brought (and still brings) us all together.

Like many ten–year–old boys, I spent way too much time playing video games. As a result, with more confidence than Captain Planet lecturing about forest conservation, I can say that Super Mario, master of the pipe maze and conqueror of haunted castles, has the broadest and most all–encompassing fan base of any video game icon. He even crosses the chasm between the playground’s two linguistic solitudes—Super Mario’s creator was recently knighted by the French government.

And what’s not to love? He plays golf, tennis, and a wide array of mini games, battles foes, paints works of art, has a medical doctorate, and oft defeats the formidable beast Bowser. By any measure, Mario’s a super guy. And who knew blue overalls could be such a turn–on? Uniformed gents are supposed to be fetish–worthy, but considering the butt–crack connotations of plumber gear, Mario’s all–around appeal is as remarkable as his heroic defense of the Mushroom Kingdom.

Much of the reason why Mario is so universally adored can be found in the characters that accompany him on his various crazy adventures.

With an amazing spectrum of odd comrades and quirky nemeses, there’s something for everyone on the playground in the Mario grab bag.

Princess Peach, for instance, is a third–wave feminist role model in the same vein as Carrie Bradshaw and the Pink Ranger. With flowing

locks, Hello–Kitty–pink fairy dress, and come hither glances to boot, Peach competes with the boys while cultivating a feminine flair all her own. From the race track to the battle field, Princess has been elevated from her original damsel in distress status to video game superstar.

Similarly, Luigi speaks to younger siblings who feel overshadowed by an elder overachiever in the fight for a name of one’s own against all odds. Once only a secondary character, Luigi is now a standalone hero, with his own personality and own game. His triumph gives hope to younger siblings everywhere, particularly the skinny and lanky ones. Luigi’s stepping out on his own is much like the decision to make Frasier as a spin–off series to Cheers. It was risky and a little unnecessary, but the end result was a huge hit at no expense to the original’s legacy.

The characters of Super Mario represent a diverse bunch of misfits and crowd pleasers.

Games like Mario Party and Mario Kart put every character—man, woman, or dinosaur—on the same playing field. By granting as much power and as many rights to Wario and it does to the princess, Nintendo gives everyone an equal footing: the awkward pimply kid, the popular prom queen, and the porky class clown.

Super Mario video games are a unique entity in that they appeal to all; everyone can find at least one pixel in each game to hold dear. All of the characters are incredibly different, yet, like a kindergarten class, they are all connected by the common thread of inhabiting Mario’s world.

Having a Mario Party means returning to a carefree childhood and the accompanying idea that we all can be friends.

Parents always tell their children that “it doesn’t matter if you win or lose; it’s how you play the game.” In the Mushroom Kingdom, that’s actually true. In a Mario Kart dash to the finish line, it doesn’t really matter who takes the checkered flag. What’s most important is that— mother, father, and child; geek, football star, and cheerleader; scary sixth graders and eager JK– ers—we’re all playing the game together.

Ain’t No Party Like a Mario Party incite 23

this memory is in the sweater that you lost we are going to the park, you said. they’re tearing up your street tomorrow, and i will push you on the swings while we wait for the water to come back and we will explore in the tall grasses near the trees we will make callouses so that it is not so easy to be hurt when climbing next time there will be warning, so you don’t get burrs stuck in your jacket and have to shower at the neighbour’s house.

by catherine m.a. wiebe 24 incite