February 11 2010 by The Newspaper

Full speed ahead

Penetrating taboos

to page 4 and beyond

page 2

the newspaper

University of toronto’s Independent Weekly

February 11, 2010

Vol. XXXII N0. 20

Parliament is in session Angela Davis American radical comes to U of T

Inaugural session of U of T Model Parliament comes at opportune time

TEJAS PARASHER

While Canada’s own parliament remains suspended, student delegates from high schools and universities across the country have convened in the Ontario Legislative Assembly at Queen’s Park for the inaugural session of U of T’s Model Parliament (UTMP). The delegates will simulate parliamentary proceedings from Feb. 10-12, debating three case studies: education, the environment, and First Nations Healthcare Reform. Delegates met at Trinity College to elect party leaders during a plenary session on Feb. 6. Liberals came out on top and formed the government with a small majority, followed by a Conservative opposition, and NDP third party. On Wednesday, the Honourable Bill Graham, former U of

aLEX NUrSaLL

HELENE GODERIS

Mock speaker Harlan tuffer struts his stuff in front of U of t model parliament. T International Law Professor and Liberal MP, welcomed delegates to the legislature with a keynote address. Graham spoke

about parliamentary democracy, the importance of develop-

It would have been difficult to ignore the posters plastered around campus in January: a woman with a 70s afro, caught in a passionate lunge against a striking red backdrop, the words Xpression Against Oppression scrawled along the bottom. It was rebellious, so passionate. It made you want to jolt yourself out of your apathy and actually do something. The posters were advertising the keynote event of UTSU’s “Xpression Against Oppression” week. On February 4, the student union invited academic and activist Angela Davis to speak at Bloor Cinema. Davis is easily one of America’s most controversial public figures. Currently a professor at UC Santa Cruz, she has been everything from an inspiration for John Lennon to a Vice Presidential candidate to the third woman ever on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted List. In the 60s and 70s, Davis was at the

forefront of many left-wing movements sweeping the US. She was known for her staunch Marxism as well as her commitment to radical groups like the Black Panthers. In 1969, Davis was fired from UCLA for her membership in the American Communist Party. This led to an international uproar over the state of academic freedom under the Nixon administration. Davis was also embroiled in one of the landmark cases of modern legal history. In 1972, California judge Harold Haley was killed before he could sentence to death three black men arrested for attacking a white police officer. The shotgun used in the murder was allegedly registered in Davis’s name. Arrested on counts of kidnapping, conspiracy, and homicide, she was sentenced to be executed. Many saw this as typical of the racism embedded in the American leContinued on page 3

Continued on page 3

Let the games not begin Activists fail to see shine in Olympic gold TEJAS PARASHER Not all British Columbians share Premier Gordon Campbell’s belief that the 2010 Vancouver Olympics will be “an incredible economic stimulant.” Concerns have been raised repeatedly about the real import of the games, and about the way in which the provincial government has gone about staging

them. After Vancouver won its hosting bid in 2006, residents of Eagleridge Bluffs in North Vancouver set up a road blockade to oppose the expansion of the Sea-to-Sky Highway to Whistler. The unveiling of the Olympic Countdown Clock in February 2007 was disrupted by protestors. In May 2008, activists trashed the offices of

Deputy Minister Ken Dobell, who had been a key lobbyist for the games. Later that year, First Nations leaders led hundreds in an anti-Olympic march through the Downtown Eastside, infamous as one of the poorest postal codes in North America. In the final lead-up to the games, such protests are becoming regular fixtures in Vancouver. On February 15, the Anti-Poverty

angela Davis speaking at a rally back in the days.

the editorial

February 11, 2010

FOUR HUNDRED WORDS EACH

Variety is the spice of sex life? Imagine a steamy night at an A-class restaurant. You’re sitting across from the hottest girl on the planet. You’re not that charming; this must be the fluke of the century. You beam your aura into her eyes. She leans back, biting her lip, laughing at your lousy joke. As the last few drops from the bottle of Rivetto Dolcetto trickle down your throat, the passion is full swing. She’s stroking your crotch with her feet now; she’s had enough to drink. Next, you’re making out, hands sliding up her skirt. She treads dizzily into the bathroom, peers out the crack in the door, and gestures you inside. You slam her against the sticky brown walls of the stall, and unzip your pants as she nibbles your neck. This Valentine’s Day, why not mix it up a bit? Maybe the bedroom is getting boring, you can’t afford a taxi home, or your place is a dump. In any case, who needs a reason for sex in the bathroom? It sells itself. Are you too posh for the bathroom? Is it too grimy for you? As the restaurant’s food safety manager Jim Chan said, “As far as bodily fluids, it’s pretty much simi-

lar to the other human functions going on in there.” Then you might think that once you’re allowed to have sex in a bathroom, the act will lose its spontaneity and excitement; it won’t be as riveting as it could be. That’s ridiculous! Public sex is never uncool. Sure, you can be an average couple and catch a taxi all the way home. But imagine this: It’s getting colder. You don’t want to extinguish the mood on the long ride home. You definitely don’t want her to figure out that you’re just smoke and mirrors. Cut the travel cost, seize the moment, and head to the bathroom. Dress down, leave your longjohns and panties at home. Give your partner some light petting. Then, when you’re in the stall, give the place a slight cleaning and try as many positions as possible in the small place. Make use of the covered toilet seats and stall doors. Wild nookies in public places is a real adrenaline rush that should be on everyone’s to-do list. From here, you’re set to join the milehigh club! Bathroom sex will make for a great raunchy story for your record. Show you partner your versatility and flexibility. Be adventurous!

On Feb. 3, Mildred’s Temple Kitchen in Liberty Village invited patrons to have sex in its bathrooms, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Fitted out with sofas and Kama Sutra books, the restrooms are more sex dens than lavatories. Since then, however, the restaurant has taken its carnal invitation oﬀ the menu. the newspaper debates doing the nasty in a nasty place.

the newspaper Editor-in-Chief Helene Goderis

Managing Editor Dan Craig

Arts Editor

News Editor

Miki Sato

Amy Stupavsky

Associate Arts Editor

Associate News Editors

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Tomasz Bugajski Tejas Parasher

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Illustrations Editor

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Photo Editor

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Copy Editor

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Contributors

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the newspaper 1 Spadina Crescent, Suite 245 Toronto, ON M5S 1A1 Editorial: 416-593-1552 thenewspaper@gmail.com www.thenewspaper.ca the newspaper is U of T’s independent weekly paper, published by Planet Publications Inc., a non-profit corporation. All U of T community members, including students, staff and faculty, are encouraged to contribute to the newspaper.

CAILIN SMART

MELINDa MOrtILLarO

ASCHILLE CLARKE-MENDES

“Calling all romance-impaired couples who kind of maybe want to do something kinky but aren’t sure…” I hate Valentine’s Day. Taking your loved one out on Valentine’s Day means that you’re conventional. There isn’t enough sizzle in your love life. You feel compelled in some vacuous way to fill your lives with romance based on a wee caption for a date on a calendar. Goopy Valentine’s Day plans are to romance what the Queen’s Park squirrels are to the animal kingdom: common, prolific, and uninteresting. On top of this, you’re thinking about engaging in a mediocre sexual non-adventure? Sounds like a mind-blowing night. Now, I understand that restaurant bathroom sex seems really hot. Let’s break it down: It seems risky, impulsive, and forbidden. But when you premeditate and do it in a place where it’s encouraged, it loses all of its cache. Firstly, you’re allowed to have sex in this space. Being allowed to do anything is the biggest turnoff in the universe. I’d say ninety-nine per cent of the drive to lose your virginity is because sex is taboo. Without the adrenaline of fumbling and scrambling to get into the right position, you might as well have stayed home and

done it in your bed. Minus the adrenaline rush, what are you left with? Sex in a room where we perform another bodily function: disposing of human waste. How unsexy is that? Couples turned on by the prospect of sex near a waste receptacle are not only sexually frustrated but, as I see it, deeply disturbed. They are consciously planning to have sex in a room where other customers relieve themselves. It’s just so disgusting. The next thing you know, people will be lined up to have sex on “special couches” (what this restaurant provides for patrons looking to get lucky in its bathroom) in the backroom of the European Meat Market. Ultimately, this is the restaurant’s very well-executed publicity stunt, and it should hold no interest for couples looking for a naughty thrill. So for all you gag-worthy Valentine’s Day couples, go and have very sterile, quasi-kinky experiences in this restaurant. You can check it off on your little calendar. For the rest of you, if you’re going to have sex beyond the rectangular eroticism of a bed, do something that’s actually exciting! Invade the pantries, park benches, and libraries of the city! Please keep your sexual adventures far away from toilets.

the blotters In an effort to put a little more pulp in our paper, both petty and indecent, we present you with the scoundrelly deeds that occurred on campus this week.

February 8th Occurrence type: Theft; Location: Morrison Hall Details: Campus police investigated a Theft from an insecure locker. February 8th Occurrence type: Mischief; Location: Galbraith Building Details: Campus police investigated a Mischief.

February 9th Occurrence type: Medical Assist; Location: Robarts Library Details: Campus Police attended the location and assisted EMS with a medical call. One person was transported to hospital.

the news

February 11, 2010

U of T Angela Davis Model Parliament cont’d from page 1

cont’d from page 1

ing a thick skin, and on raucous and brawling question periods: “It’s noisy, it’s messy, but it does hold a government to account.” Junior and senior delegates gathered in their respective party chambers to write bills before bringing them in to the Legislative Chamber. “For the remainder of this week, you are not observers of the political process; you are not activists, you are not lobbyists, you are not protestors or advocates; you are sitting members within the Ontario Legislature,” Speaker Hanlan Tuffer intoned to the delegates in his Speech from the Throne. Tuffer asked delegates to “observe this [parliamentary] system critically...Consider, over the coming days, the tools this system provides you, and the tools it denies you.” For junior PC leader Ryan Rogers, model parliament offers an opportunity to engage with politics and develop leadership skills. Rogers is a delegate to watch: He is planning a coalition between the PC and NDP parties aimed at taking down the government for Thursday. While Wednesday’s session got off to a timid start, UTMP Executive Ariel Garneau will leak a fake bill on Thursday to enliven debate, “something absurd like legalizing euthanasia or culling pigeons.” The simulation engaged with real issues when U of T Professor Cynthia Wesley-Esquimaux reported on First Nations healthcare to the junior delegation. The mood in Chambers changed from play-acting to reverence for the import of public policy. UTMP aims to create a community beyond this week’s simulation, where delegates can continue to engage with issues of governance and citizenship. “The [UTMP] is not intended to be an exercise in the pomp and pageantry of parliament... We will facilitate a conversation that goes beyond party lines, one about the public policy files of today and tomorrow,” says Founder and Chair Michael Motala. Delegates can continue the conversation through the Young Canadians’ Forum online community and contribute to The Policy Exchange, an undergraduate student journal. As Garneau says, “When you put a group of young, motivated students together, the possibilities for innovation are endless.”

gal system. A massive campaign called “Free Angela Davis” was set up. The Rolling Stones and John and Yoko dedicated songs to her. Aretha Franklin offered to pay Davis’s bail if the California government would commute her death sentence. Just before her execution, California made an about-face and cleared her of all charges. Since then, Angela Davis has become something of an icon. She speaks on campuses throughout North America. To bring her to Toronto, UTSU teamed up with York, Ryerson, and Carleton who booked Davis on a joint speaking tour to offset her $10,500 speaking fee (UTSU paid approx. $2,500 from their budget). Davis’s magnetic pull was evident as the Bloor Cinema packed to capacity. Tickets sold out more than a week in advance. “She speaks so personally,” said audience member Melinda Him. “Even in a crammed hall, she’s able to bring up that one thing you yourself were so con-

Anti-Olympics cont’d from page 1

Committee (APC) plans to set up a sprawling ‘Olympic Tent Village’ downtown. Associations like the APC point out that the cost of the Olympics is currently $6 billion, nearly ten times the official 2006 budget of $600 million. The government has tried to offset the cost through tax hikes, leasing city land to private developers, and slashing support for community programs. For local activists, this has only contributed to Vancouver’s rampant poverty and drug-problems. According to NGO Homes Not Games, the city’s homeless population has nearly tripled since 2006. The B.C. Civil Liberties Union has also raised issue with the new 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games Bylaw. The bylaw outlaws material “interfering with the enjoyment of entertainment”; signs not considered “celebratory” require a special permit. International media attention turned to this side of the Olympics in November 2009, when American journalist Amy Goodman was detained at the B.C.-Washington border. Goodman had been invited to speak at the Vancouver Public Library. Canadian custom officials held

cerned about.” Him’s comment was echoed by most people attending the talk. Although best-known for her involvement in black activism and her criticisms of the American prison system, Davis’s Thursday lecture lacked any underlying thesis. After touching on the expected topics of race and poverty, she meandered among Haiti, Palestine, the environment, and transgendered issues. All of her points were met with loud bursts of applause and cheering. “I specifically came to hear her talk about Haiti,” said former U of T student Hanna Adams. “I think it’s important to get a rounded perspective when all we encounter are biased images of misery from the mainstream media.” Most audience members appeared to have immortalized Davis as she is shown on the UTSU poster: the eternal iconoclast, raging against every sort of institutionalized oppression. But in 2010, the exact meaning of this oppression seemed disparate and a bit hazy. It lumped together everything from David Naylor to gay-marriage regulation. “As student leaders, we hope that Professor Davis’ social consciousness can inspire students

her for over an hour, demanding to see all her lecture notes; they grilled her on whether she was going to talk about the Olympics. “I felt completely violated,” said Goodman on her radio show, Democracy Now. “It wasn’t just a violation of the freedom of the press. It was a blatant violation of the public’s right to know.” For U of T sociology professor Helen Lenskyj, Goodman’s experience does not come as a surprise. “The athletic aspect of the Olympics is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Lenskyj. “Underneath, it is just bureaucratic haggling for corporate sponsorships. Anything that interferes with a bid for broadcast or advertising rights can be more or less steamrolled: homelessness, environmental regulations, freedom of speech.” Lenskyj is concerned that 2010 Vancouver foreshadows what Toronto will become in 2015, as host of the Pan American Games. U of T is slated to be the site for many events. “Toronto—and the university—will likely see the same problems that Vancouver has now, and every host city from Montreal to Sydney has had in the past. The same crackdown on dissent, the same sky-high debt, the same shifting of focus from issues that need to be addressed. It seems to be a formula that mega-sporting events invariably follow. ”

3 to speak out against U of T’s increasingly corporate agenda,” said Daniella Kyei, VP Equity. Following the lecture, A private reception with Davis at the Trane Studio on Bathurst was arranged by UTSU. Fans and select audience members were all eager for photo-ops and autographs. Speaking to the newspaper, Davis expressed her dissatisfaction with the current leadership of America. Even in the Obama era, she feels that there is still a racist streak running through the country’s socio-economic fabric. “It was the foundation that America was unfortunately built on,” she said. “It’s no coincidence that Jim Crow Laws and big-box capitalism grew hand-in-hand. Only a real radical can overhaul the system. All other leaders inevitably end up compromising.”

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the brief the campus

Thanks to a $25,000 donation from Isaac Jr. Olowolafe, a 26-year-old real estate entrepreneur and UTM graduate, the African Studies program at New College will now offer a new annual student award.

the local

Last Friday, a Toronto woman was accused of trying to push a mother and her baby onto the subway tracks at Bay station. Anne Carruthers, 49, has been charged with two counts of mischief endangering life. The mother and her child managed to escape unharmed.

the world

Malawian police have arrested a man for allegedly putting up posters in support of homosexuality, which is illegal in the southern African nation. “Homosexuality is illegal in Malawi and is punishable by prison time and hard labour” police spokesperson Davie Chingwalu told CNN.

the weird

A traditional Emirati restaurant in Dubai has added a new item to its menu for customers seeking healthier options: the Camel Burger. It’s a quarter pound of camel meat loaded with cheese and smothered in burger sauce. According to Ali Esmail, the restaurant’s assistant restaurant manager, the burger patties are fat and cholesterol free. -Amina Stella

CALLING ALL THE USUAL SUSPECTS: Hardened newswriters, gossips, ad men, mad men, writers, cartoonists, more writers! OPEN WRITER’S MEETING Every Thursday at 5pm, the newspsaper office.

In good company.

the inside

February 11, 2010

Cool runnings

U of T alumni goes for the bob-sledding gold in Vancouver NICOLE LEUNG “I am the strongest I’ve ever been,” said a confident Heather Moyse, Olympian bobsledder and U of T alumna, on the cusp of the Vancouver Olympics. In fact, her second attempt at the Olympics is filled with a mix of determination, pressure, and excitement. For Moyse, who is also on the national rugby team, competing in the Olympics was not a priority at first. Rugby is not an Olympic sport, and Moyse had not started bobsledding until four months before the 2006 Olympics. “[Going to the Olympics] was just a blur for me,” she said of her experience in Torino. Missing the podium by a five-hundredth of a second four years ago, the 31-year-old P.E.I. native, having shaken off an injury that set her back at the beginning of this season, is

making a comeback with more technique and experience. At the 2010 Olympics, Moyse will partner with 24-year-old driver Kaillie Humphries, whom she has teamed with since last year. The duo placed second overall in this World Cup season, highlighted by a gold medal finish in Altenberg, Germany. “I have been really, really excited to work with Kaillie this year,” Moyse said. “The chemistry that she and I have is both on and off the ice.” Today, competing - and winning - at the Olympics still is not really a goal. “It’s more like a challenge,” said the Olympian. “Making a goal like that is a little bit scary. It’s a lot of pressure you’re putting on yourself. To expect something like that is not realistic, because there are no guarantees in sport. It’s really scary when my goal is to get on the podium at the Olympics.

That’s the goal of the entire country and the entire world can see, and can see if I am failing, or can see if I am succeeding.” Moyse is already feeling the tremendous pressure, especially because she will be competing on home soil. It comes from “tons of people at home,” including family, friends, and sponsors. She does not want to let any of them down. Fortunately, the experienced athlete has her own ways of dealing with pressure, using her home country advantage to improve her results. To compete in front of a “sea of red” is going to give her extra energy. “As long as the energy is channelled into feeling like a good solid push, then I think it’ll become really, really

exciting to be home,” she said. Before every race, Moyse writes down some of her visualizations to change her focus and relieve stress. Whichever country she is in, she likes to go out for steak dinner with her teammates before competing on the next day. Moyse sees the Olympics as “just another race. The only difference is it just happens to be the only race the rest of the world cares about. My job is the exact same thing that has been every other race I’ve done all year.” Although Moyse has no longterm, post-Olympic plan, this will probably be her last chance to win an Olympic medal. “I don’t see myself playing to the next Olympics,” said Moyse,

who feels tired after a grueling travel schedule. “I am craving a normal life. I am ready to be more settled I guess.” In the 2006-07 season, Moyse returned to school to finish her M.Sc. in occupational therapy at U of T. “I feel very fortunate that I have a great education behind me,” she said. “I can make choices based on what I feel is right for me, and not because I have to do something. I am very, very lucky.” But for now, Moyse only wants to focus on what might turn out to be the race of her career. “I do hope to have the best push I’ve ever had in my life,” she said. The Olympic Women’s Bobsleigh competition takes place Feb. 23-24.

the fashion Before you drudge through the murky library days of reading week, my advice for the stylish-at-heart is to look for fashion advice in unexpected places. You may be pleasantly surprised. My latest favourite rule comes from George Eliot, feminist Victorian novelist: “Souls have complexions too: what will suit one will not suit another.” This is great advice for daring looks, like my snapshots for this week. Only the adventurous souls, like Jesse and Lika, should venture into the jungle of the eccentric. 800-page novel turned into style advice. Reading week drudge reduced! CAILIN SMART

Heather Moyse and her teammate take off for another bob-sleigh ride.

Lika Zhu, 2nd year Commerce Robarts stacks

Jesse Greene, 3rd year Latin American Studies Major Trinity College Quad

My style is natural and likeable. Japanese hot spots like Shibuya and Harajuku are emblematic of the street fashion that draws my attention. I enjoy expressing myself with colorful, layered, and cutting-edge looks. I love fashion snapshots since they show how styles and trends develop. I believe that the important thing is to find clothes that bring you confidence and fit you the best. After all, the way you dress reveals your personality to others.

I love the fact that style is so personal. Whether you go crazy for pants with an elastic waistband, appreciate a good cuffed men’s trouser, enjoy oversized cardigans, or simply like a pair of Levi’s with a white tee, clothing becomes your individual vehicle of expression. For me, style is all about casual refinement. It’s about dressing down a bow-tie or making an outfit slick with a pair of Converse’s. It’s not so much about making a bold statement or trying to fit in, but looking approachable with a cool flare. And maybe a hint of flirty, too.

the inside

February 11, 2010

SHOCKER! China beats Canada 7-2 in hockey In an international exhibition match last Wednesday, the U of T Varsity Blues Women’s Hockey Team fell 7-2 against China’s Olympic Women’s Hockey Team. The team was in town to play a few exhibition games in preparation for the Winter Olympics. This marked the second time the teams had faced off against each other this season. Both teams played at fiercely competitive levels. “U of T played China in the fall. They were impressed with our style of play, and as a result, wanted to come back and play us again. Ontario has very strong women’s hockey, so countries are aware that they can get solid games here” said Varsity Blues head coach Karen Hughes of China’s decision to play Ontario teams for pre-Olympics practice. Team China arrived in Ontario on Jan. 20 for part two of their pre-Olympic training camp. They played a series of six games against the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association. “All the games have been tough,” said Vesa Virta, China’s goalie coach. “We’ve

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aMINa StELLa

had two wins and two losses so far. The OWHA definitely plays at an Olympic level. They are as good as some of the best teams in the Olympics.” Zhang Ben of Team China told the newspaper that her experience playing in Toronto has “been competitive, espe-

cially the OWHA. I expected the Blues to be much tougher. They do use their bodies very well, especially in offence”. Virta said that Team China is bursting with ambition. “We’re going to the Olympics with one motive: to win,” he said. According to player Jin

Fengling, top priorities for the team include winning, working together, and maximum preparation before the Olympics. “We’ve been training hard during this exhibition season,” added Fengling. “The Varsity Blues and the OWHA have prepared us well with their competition.”

Two U of T doctors venture to Vancouver tOMaSZ BUGaJSkI Two doctors from U of T’s David L. Macintosh Sport Medicine Clinic are heading to Vancouver for the Olympics, but not for fun and games. Drs. Ian Cohen and Julia Alleyne, sports medicine specialists who have longtime experience helping university athletes get back in condition, will be in charge of important medical facilities at the games. Cohen will act as Medical Supervisor for the Whistler Sliding Centre, the venue for the bobsleigh, skeleton, and luge

events. He will be responsible for the medical care of all the teams on the track. Cohen attended last year’s pre-Olympic World Cup event, which he said provided him with invaluable lessons. “I have had the opportunity to participate in many high profile events, but I’ve always wanted to go to the Olympics,” said Cohen. “I will be able to watch the best athletes in the world.” Alleyne has been a physician for Canada’s figure skating team for over 15 years, working closely with athletes all year round.

She believes that her work at the Olympics will be the pinnacle of her career. “I am pleased to be supporting them during this very important competition that they have dreamed of,” she explained. “I feel that my skills as a physician and a team player are put to the Olympic test with a high profile event such as Vancouver 2010.” Vancouver will offer a unique experience to both doctors, and a chance to collaborate with medical experts from around the world. Providing medical care at a large-scale event like

the Olympics is a logistical challenge, but Cohen and Alleyne hope to bring what they learn back to U of T. “U of T students and faculty will gain from the inspiration of a global cooperative and will take these lessons to heart as we prepare to host the world for the Pan Am Games in 2015,” said Alleyne. The Olympics will also be an opportunity for both doctors to work in sports not represented at the university. “We don’t have a bobsleigh team at U of T, but one day, you never know,” Cohen joked.

the science

Molecular love

February 11, 2010

Quanta who now? tim ryan

A number of issues ago, I described the primal effects of the colour red, on men. To reiterate, seeing a rouge-clad female makes men more amorous towards them. Considering the impending lovers’ holiday, I thought I would revisit the topic of physical attraction - from a scientific perspective, of course. Attraction has frequently been characterized for physiological, psychological, and behavioural traits. In mammalian studies, the olfactory system (responsible for the sense of smell) has been of particular interest, and found to be essential for sexual discrimination and attraction. But what happens at the molecular level? In humans, studies using imaging techniques, such as positron emission tomography and functional magnetic resonance imaging (commonly known as PET scans and fMRI, respectively), have identified cortical regions of the brain to be associated with sexual arousal and romantic love. One specific region, the anterior cingulated cortex (ACC), is known to be involved with both negative and positive emotional states, such as pain and fear, memory or pleasure, and sexual arousal. A group of researchers head-

MELINDA MORTILLARO

THIRU SHATHASIVAM

ed by Dr. Min Zhuo at the University of Toronto, from the Department of Physiology, recently discovered that, in mice, neurons of the ACC are activated by sexual attraction and subjected to a surge of glutamate (a neurotransmitter). When the mice were treated with muscimol, a psychoactive compound found in mushrooms (not the same active ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms through), to inhibit any ACC neuronal activity, sexual attraction was significantly reduced! These findings bring us one step closer to understanding the underlying molecular basis of attraction. Considering that, perhaps

there’s a reason why women like chocolate, and the consequent boom in sales during Valentine’s Day. Chocolate naturally contains caffeine (thanks to cocoa), which has been found to induce the release of glutamate in another region of the brain, the nucleus accumbens, which is actually connected to the base of the ACC. So guys, if you’re still unsure of what to buy for that special lady, let me help you out. I recommend some chocolates and a bottle of Chanel No. 5 perfume (A Korean researcher used it as an olfactory stimulant for sexual arousal). Ladies, you can thank me for this.

As our civilization progresses, the breadth of our scientific knowledge continues to expand. And while there will always be those who study tangible subjects such as medicine, economics, and language, there exists a minority who push the limits of our understanding of more abstract and theoretical concepts, like parallel universes, special relativity, and quantum mechanics. However, these theories, though uber-complex and impressive, sometimes seem disconnected from daily human experience and issues. So when researchers make the connection between quantum mechanics and photosynthesis in algae - a process at the center of life as we know it - darned it, it’s genuinely intriguing. A team of U of T chemists, led by Chemistry Professor Dr. Greg Scholes, has made a recent breakthrough in the emerging field of quantum biology, by observing quantum mechanics in photosynthetic processes in marine algae. After speculation and anticipation that biological processes may employ quantum mechanical practices, Scholes’s team’s data, published in the latest issue of Nature, shows that a normally-functioning photosynthetic system is capable of using quantum mechanics to optimize the energy-generating

process. Photosynthesis, in its simplest terms, is an organism’s ability to convert light photons into usable energy. Plants, algae, and bacteria can use lightharvesting complexes (proteins capable of absorbing sunlight) to capture and funnel its energy to reaction centers, the energy factories of the cell. Scholes and his colleagues isolated lightharvesting complexes from algae and studied their function using 2-D electronic spectroscopy. After stimulating the lightharvesting complexes with femto-second laser pulses, mimicking the absorption of sunlight, the team was able to track the movement of energy between molecules in the protein against a stop-clock. The results clearly suggested that the light energy, once absorbed, resides in two places at once - a quantum superposition state, or coherence. This finding confirms that the light absorption adheres to the principles of quantum mechanics. The meaning of these results is novel in that, for the first time, it has been shown that the laws of quantum mechanics can prevail over classical kinetic interpretations of energy transfer in a biological system. It also suggests that algae have been keeping their quantum mechanical little secrets for billions of years.

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the arts

February 11, 2010

SARAH d’angelo Entering the month of eternally frostbitten fingers, I suggest fun. Located at 587 College, a few steps above Strange Love, Whippersnapper Gallery has just that in store. This tiny gem offers up-and-coming artists a professional space to showcase their work through an established Toronto artist collective. Not only is Whippersnapper a gallery; it also functions as a venue for artistic, cultural and community events, and a sort of hub for creative minds. This past Saturday, seventeen emerging artists got together and had their say about the month of love, in a group exhibit called Art for Chilled Hearts. If Valentine’s Day were a cel-

ebration of the union between our ghostly subconscious and assertive outer ego - instead of its usual flavorless mush - I would say that the artists featured at Whippersnapper Gallery this month understand love. Through and through. Gallery co-founder Jessica Hayes says that Art For Chilled Hearts is inspired by the sheer feat of living in Canada during February and the numbing effects that it has on romance. While somewhat cynical in its tone, the artwork collectively suggests a self-reflexive love that is more an expression of rudimentary soul than the quest for a soul mate. Among the many wonderful works on display, Jen Manns’s misty apparitions convey this well. The twin imagery

in Jen’s work plays with notions of the Doppelganger and the wild sense of ambiguity that comes with it. Spotted with bears, birds, and many other of nature’s beasts, the works all point at an undomesticated self-hibernating for the winter. Gallery founder, Luke Correia-Damude, has aspirations of keeping the space expanding and adapting. Already collaborations with internet T.V. talk show host Carey Wass has yielded a bountiful show called Late Night In The Bedroom - a program filmed in various alternative spaces across the city which focuses on new music, new art, and everything new you hope to see sprouting in Toronto culture. So, through utilizing a little

Cineforum likes it rough amy stupavsky If you’re looking for a departure from the beaten path of mushy cards and banal boxes of chocolate, the Sex and Violence Cartoon Festival may just fit your Valentine’s Day bill. The festival is the brain child of self-styled film buff Reg Hartt, who lit upon the idea as “a fun, off-thewall thing to do for Valentine’s Day.” Hartt has been running is own cinema, the Cineforum, in various incarnations since the mid-60s. Currently, he screens films in the living room of his Bathurst home. The two-hour-long festival features a lineup of cartoons interspersed with Hartt’s commentary. All the mainstays of

Warner Bros. animation (Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Bugs, Betty Boop, and Popeye) are represented, but they have sass and bite. Hartt shows the cartoons in their original, uncut versions. He says that the cartoons were originally conceived for adult audiences to be shown in movie theatres. “Bugs got spanked,” Hartt explained, when the prudish censor boards got their scissor-happy hands on the reels. “He wasn’t allowed to smoke or drink.” This is not the Bugs Bunny of your childhood. He’s dirty, wicked, and naughty. He’s certain to delight prurient minds and elicit a raucous chortle or two. Hartt references a clip in which Betty Boop freezes Hell, and the Devil is locked in place

Little known fact: our writer Martha Weiner’s first crush was on Bugs Bunny.

with a raging erection. “People can expect to see the Kinsey Report in animation,” said Hartt. “People who get caught up in the acceptable become boring. The moment it starts to get risky, it starts to get interesting. Creative energy is sexual energy.” Hartt likens the sanitized cartoons to the works of Thomas Bowdler, who published expurgated editions of Shakespeare which he thought were more appropriate for decorous nineteenth-century tastes. Hartt uses the cartoons as a springboard to talk about larger issues of censorship and suppression. “I want you to walk out of here and think about Shakespeare in a new way,” he said. “Basically, I want people to question what they’re seeing.” Entering the Cineforum is like visiting the curiosity shop of your cool, eccentric uncle. Its red walls are covered with bookcases and ephemera, and the atmosphere is homey. Hartt encourages patrons to bring food and wine. What does Hartt think about someone who’s savvy enough to push the V-Day envelope with Sex and Violence? “I think they’d be a great date,” he said, “but I’m prejudiced.” Sex and Violence runs at 9:00 p.m. on Saturdays through April 27, 2010, at the Cineforum, 463 Bathurst St. Tickets are $15 if you’re over 24, $10 if you’re under.

ALEX NURSALL

Whippersnapper puts the art in heart

internet, innovative collaborations like Late Night In The Bedroom can bring local culture into the home on these cold, cold weekends. But for those willing to brave the cold, Whip-

persnapper Gallery will surely make it worth the trek. Art For Chilled Hearts runs through February 26 at Whippersnapper Gallery (587A College St.)

Wavelength 500 marks change in frequency william martin Wavelength has been a staple of Toronto’s independent music scene for over 10 years now. This weekend they are celebrating their 500th event with a five-night anniversary extravaganza, bringing together some of Toronto’s best bands for what will, no doubt, be an unwieldy amount of merrymaking. Founder, Jonny Dovercourt, expressed his pleasure and surprise at Wavelength’s ability to stand the test of time, remarking that when they first started out, nobody was thinking more than a couple of months ahead. “If you told me in ‘99 when we started this thing, that we would still be going in 2010, I would have asked if we were booking cyborg musicians or something.” Dovercourt discussed the origins of Wavelength at Sedated Sundays, a weekly event held at El Mocambo. He and other future Wavelength organizers would attend weekly, to support local talent and heckle the inevitable bunch of rubbish bands that inevitably come with weekly music nights. When Sedated Sundays ended, Dovercourt and company missed the weekly hangout and began to conceive of something to fill the void. Dovercourt explained the premise: “When we got together to discuss what [later] became Wavelength, we said ‘Why don’t we make it like Sedated Sundays, but without all the terrible bands? We’ll just book the good bands.’” Wavelength evolved as a part of the history of weekly nights, like Elvis Mondays and Sedated Sundays, but sought to perfect it into a tight formula that stuck

to a clear artistic mandate. 10 years and over 1100 bands later, the boys at Wavelength have maintained this mandate and created a formula that may not have been perfect, but came pretty damn close. The upcoming mini-fest will feature a number of prominent bands from Wavelength’s past, like the Constantines and Holy Fuck, but will also include special reunions from the likes of Rockets Red Glare, From Fiction, the Bicylcles, Neck, and the Barcelona Pavilion. Dovercourt emphasized that these reunions required little pressure on the part of the promoters; the bands were more than happy to reciprocate support for the Toronto institution. The anniversary is not only a celebration of Wavelength’s past, but also a springboard for its future; it will mark the end of Wavelength’s weekly format and the move to a more special events-based arrangement. Dovercourt explained the initiative as a way of “freeing up our time and minds to create Wavelength events outside of the this rigid weekly formula.” Under the new format, we can expect special shows, like last years legendary performance by the Ex and Getatchew Mekuria at the Music Gallery, another All Caps show on Toronto Island, as well as themed events and workshops, like the Theremin summit planned for later this year. And, of course, in Wavelength’s continued effort to support local music in Toronto, we can expect to see them continue an independent music revue on a monthly basis at their new home, the Garrison.

February 11, 2010

the crossword

the sudoku

aNDrEW GyOrkOS

Across 1. City of ìCheersî 4. It can be pre, elementary, catholic, etc. 10. Selves 11. Sour, green fruit 12. Beasts 14. Uniformly

15. Instant 18. Royal son 20. Nerds 24. Billboard 27. Androids 29. Setting of 21 Down 32. Against 33. Inlet

34. Mentally unstable 35. Lego units Down 2. Actor Peter ___ 3. Algerian city 5. Prisonerís home

6. State bird of Maryland 7. Unlock again 8. Graves 9. Blood pumps 12. Ballsy poker move 13. Incline 16. Ruby colour 17. Strange 19. Russian Mystic Grigori ___ 21. Acclaimed 2007 videogame 22. Plea 23. Slumbering 25. Make a mistake 26. Croc cousin 28. Single 30. Prayer ending 31. Turn

Think you got what it takes? First completed crossword and sudoku gets a free drink on us. Drop off completed puzzle with contact information. Hope you like vodka, son!

the horoscope ARIES : Mar 21 to April 20. This week I would suggest, nay, piteously implore slowing down and recognizing the talent lying dormant at your feet. Use it, love it ... treasure its intricacies. TAURUS : April 21 to May 20. Look for some fresh depths in your usual solidity and act with confidence to command the recognition you deserve. In your usual ability to build a palace out of drift wood you sometimes forget to try sitting on the throne afterwards. GEMINI : May 21 to June 21. When I was ten an ice cream truck ran over my bike as I idly licked a double scoop of chocolate and vanilla on the curb. I wanted to say it wasn’t my fault but really, it was for leaving it so precariously positioned near the tire while I treated myself. Take caution this week, don’t leave your toys scattered and unattended. The results may be crushing.

CANCER : June 22 to July 22. Tell me something true, break silence and utter the facts with a faithfulness in your ability to narrate. I know you have the crucial ingredients to confess what everyone else is dodging for once.

edge that just a few days later he winds up frozen to a head board in the Atlantic. I dont think you have to worry about sharing his icy fate Virgo, but do try and avoid sharing similar delusions of grandeur, at least for the next little while. Things can be pretty great as is.

SAGITTARIUS: Nov. 23 to Dec. 21. Right now you might feel a bit like Alice, roughly navigating your way through a tea party fit for lunatics. But I can assure you it’s all for the best, in fact a bit of uncertainty may be more beneficial then an apple a day.

LEO: July 23 to August 22. I have this friend who can’t be seen in public without a hat on. I dare say my friend might bathe with it on too. This hat, it’s become part of his soul and definitely a deep trope for his external identity. Leo, if I can give you one good piece of advice for the next few days, I would say avoid this behavior like the plague. Try on a few hats.

LIBRA: Sept.23toOct.22. Do not pass go, do not collect 200 $, go directly to jail. Libra, you may find yourself in some seemingly sticky situations for the next little while but I have a feeling that in its usual way the cosmos will find a way to even out the scales. Remember there’s only one way to go and you may just land on free parking.

CAPRICORN: Dec. 23 to Jan. 20. “And God said let there be light. And there was light. And God called the light day, and the darkness he called night.” I can see you’ve been avoiding that repetitious urge to classify things as either night or day. Keep it up, a situation isn’t usually two sided. Usually, there’s too many to count.

VIRGO: August 23 to Sept. 22. “I’m king of the world!” - Jack Dawson Admittedly, this little scene from Titanic has grown on me and not because I’ve slowly succumbed to Leonardo DiCaprio’s boyish charm. What I love most about this quote is the knowl-

SCORPIO: Oct. 23 to Nov. 22. In the usual fashion the scorpion magnetic attraction has landed some questionable influences orbiting around you. Maybe its time to do a little cleaning and take out the trash thats been blocking your vision of the stars.

AQUARIUS: Jan. 21 to Feb. 19. My friend, it’s a jungle out there. The world is going to continue to spin and a little evolution won’t be as bad as those creationists seem to think it is. Get exuberant, get lively, this world is your paradise.

this week is all about aquarius. PISCES: Feb. 20 to Mar. 20 Occasionally, a pinching fear at the back of perfect life will lead to the infernal ravaging of all which formerly made sense. There are so many tricksters out there trying to make the shoe fit. But you pisces, have the ability to expose the mystique of nature’s effortless beauty. In other words don’t try forcing it ‘till you feel it. -Sarah D’Angelo