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University of Toronto’s community newspaper Independent since 1978
February 5th – 11th, 2009 Vol. XXXI, No: 18
the newspaper
the newspaper write between the lines
the news
the arts
5 Policing our schools 4 N Sync this Saturday! 5 God vs. not God
6 Shane Philip does it all 6 Salman Rushdie enchants 3 Roommates from Hell
Education value rising
Wavelength Review
ELISABETH BENNETT
JAKE STEINMETZ
Continuing Education Bureau
Musical Arts Bureau
For many of us nearing the end of our studies at U of T, those celebrated last few months of student life are often spent in anticipation and excitement about what comes next: landing that dream job, right? Erm, maybe not. More and more jobs demand a university education in today’s information and knowledge geared market. However, factor in the shrinking job prospects due to a lacklustre economy, the less-than-positive forecasts for growth in the immediate future, and the fact that the positions that do open up are likely to be snapped up by experienced professionals who have recently been laid off, then nope, it’s not looking so good for current grad hopefuls. If you’re one of those people who, like me, fears Life After School, numbers suggest that you are not alone. The Council of Ontario Universities recently reported that there has been a 10 per cent rise in non-high school applicants to Ontario universities for the 2009/2010 year, contributing significantly to what is the highest total number of university applications since the double cohort year in 2003 when grade 13 was phased out and two graduating high school classes applied simultaneously. Many graduate schools have also seen a significant increase in applications, with the University of Toronto receiving approximately 9 per cent more grad school applications to date than it had at the same time last year. Linda Franklin, president and CEO of Colleges Ontario, says that “people, in a bad economic time, are starting to think more about coming back to school,”
If, this past Sunday, you had your head stuck in your books, paralyzed in anticipation for the week’s busy workload, you missed a truly eclectic spectacle: Sneaky Dee’s Wavelength Music Series this week proved to be the most bizarre and abstract demonstration of creativity yet. The night kicked off with the exploding melodies of Fire Hydrant. Jon (listed by first name only), who holds down lead vocals and guitar, led captivating musical alternations: from a lulling guitar to a twisted burst of the chorus to a quick reversion to the sullen verses, the polar shifts in melody were successfully backed by Jon’s strong voice. The songwriting betrayed a distinct likeness to the post-Pablo Honey work of Thom Yorke (Radiohead), especially The Bends (1995). All in all, Fire Hydrant set the stage ablaze, with the audience giving them their deserved attention. Next up, Electroluminescent
Falling economy fuels university applications
Ashley Minuk, the newspaper’s News Editor, is one who knows the value of a Photo: Matthew Pope good education.
be it for an upgrade or an extra degree. According to Paul Genest, president of the Council of Ontario Universities, this is a trend that has also been seen in past recessions. But as high school students are competing this year with 21,128 (a number that is still growing and could potentially double) non high school applicants, competition for space will be tough: last year, there were only 64,000 spots available at Ontario’s 20 universities. Genest notes that while enrolment numbers in Ontario are very healthy, in other areas of the country, such as Alberta and Atlantic Canada, numbers are flatlining or dropping – figures that he cannot explain. The only Ontario university that has seen a drop is York University, where applications fell by 10.8 per cent. Apparently, the union strike that lasted nearly three months has lowered the school’s desirability factor
(shocking, right?). So, should one continue with school or try to get a (gulp) job? This has been the crisis that has consumed my life, and that of my peers, for the past few months – one which is only exacerbated by the doomsday gloom of persistently fatalistic economic news reports. My sister smugly reminds me every time I see her that, being in grad school, she exists cozy and warm in her little microcosm of academia, protected from the Big Bad World of Recession. Truth be told, taking advantage of the economic downturn to build skills and credentials probably can’t hurt, as many applicants this year would attest. If you choose your program wisely and come out of it with marketable skills, you might just gain the edge you need to stand out among your peers when the new job hunt begins.
#448 an eclectic music fest
and his shadow swayed in front of the acid yellow backdrop that perfectly suited his space rock sound. The hazy electric noise, reminiscent of Boards of Canada, instilled a melancholic transcendental feel in the bewildered yet curious audience. Electroluminescent managed to probe the outlandish and unknown, hiding behind the shelves of eclipsed electronic gizmos and keeping secret the bizarre musical ways of a single guy with a guitar in one hand and hoards of hidden knobs controlled by the other. The grand finale was led by Mein, a keyboardist and guitarist duo whose steady flowing beats underlay grinding guitar picking and abstract ambiance. Mein evoked a psychedelic journey that oftentimes evoked the sounds of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and sometimes mirrored the catchy pop of Supergrass. Overall, Mein’s performance put an exclamation point on the motley nature of the night, leaving the audience bewildered but satisfied. Wavelength #449, which takes place at Sneaky Dee’s on Sunday, February 8th from 9-11:45pm, will feature Machetes, Sadie May Crash and Key Witness.
Electroluminescent’s warm, looped sound lights up Photo: Helene Goderis Wavelength.
2 the newspaper
February 5th – 11th, 2009
the inside THE TABLE OF CONTENTS the front page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 the inside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 the editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 the news . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,5 the arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,7 the jumbler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 the comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
it’s a free-for-all! Calling all writers, copy editors and artists! Have you ever wanted to work in journalism? Would you like a chance to have you work published? the newspaper is U of T’s ONLY independent newspaper, distributing across all 3 campuses as well as the surrounding community. This is an open call to all potential contributors. We want writers for politics, current events, sports, finance, arts and more! We are looking for creators to submit flash fiction, prose, poetry, photography, art, comics and anything else that falls out of your head. If you’d prefer to work behind the scene and help to edit and refine a weekly publication with 15,000 copies in circulation, then come see us. One more important thing: we offer free food! Yes! Come to our weekly open staff meeting, EVERY Thursday @ 5pm in our offices. We will feed your face! Awesomeness! We are on the South-West corner of St. George campus. Just North of College on Spadina. We want YOU to write between the lines.
the newspaper Publisher Matthew Pope
News Editor
Arts Editor
Ashley Minuk
Helene Goderis
Editor-in-chief Ari Simha
Administrative Assistant
Layout & Design
Caroline George
Jeffrey Spiers
Copy Editors
Photo Editor
Elisabeth Bennett, Michelle Ferreira Tayyaba Jiwani
Sam Catalfamo
Contributors Ludwik Antoniuk, Elisabeth Bennett, Caroline George, Kabir Joshi-Vijayan, Nicole Lowden, Lisa McDonald, Mathiaus Poe, Andy M. Potter, Semra Eylul Sevi, Thomas Shifrer, Jake Steinmetz
Ads & Marketing Peter Josselyn ads@thenewspaper.ca
the mission statement the newspaper is proud to be University of Toronto’s ONLY independent news source. We look to our readers and contributors to ensure we provide a consistently superior product. Our purpose is to provide a voice for university students, staff, faculty and U of T’s extended community. This voice may at times be irreverent but it will never be irrelevant.
write between the lines
As the philosopher Jagger once said: “You can’t always get what you want. But if you try sometimes, you just might find you get what you need.”
the newspaper 3
February 5th – 11th, 2009
BEER • WINGS • POOL • JAVA SPORTS • JUKEBOX • SPIRITS EVENTS • OPEN STAGE • GAMES
the editorial I hate People Returns MATHIAUS POE Opinion Column Bureau
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Welcome to another edition of the hotly debated “I hate People” column. With no single issue pressing on me this week (at least, not one that I would unnecessarily unload here), I’ve decided on a collection of minicolumns to fill your miserly void. First I want to ridicule the innumerable fools I see wandering around the city, and particularly on campus, who are not dressed appropriately for our Canadian winter. These People are clearly not dressed for warmth or comfort, but primarily for fashion. Let me tell you this: you look like an idiot. If I see someone wandering around in -20°C weather wearing only a hoodie and sneakers, with no headwear, or in a short skirt and heels, I do not think “wow, they look cool” or “how attractive.” My first thought is “wow, what an idiot.” The fact that you are dressing for looks and not warmth in this kind of weather tells me a number of things, such as: you are so vain that you would rather freeze than look un-
attractive; you are so insecure about your appearance that you are willing to sacrifice health for social acceptance; you didn’t think to check the weather report; or maybe, you just don’t know any better. Either way, all of these boil down to the same thing: you being an idiot. True beauty, grace or attractiveness cannot be hidden; certainly not beneath a hat and a few layers of clothing. So efforts to exhibit your attractiveness in the face of a massive wind-chill effect indicate how little of it there really is. It is also clear that you have such an alarmingly poor sense of priorities that it makes me wonder what other meaningless and arbitrary criteria you put ahead of basic and important ones. If you are someone so daft that you wear one of those halfjacket numbers in February, then you probably can’t even read above a 3rd grade level. If you make an argument like “I’m just going from my car to X,” I’d like to help you fall into a snowbank before I hear any more. Get some boots, get a hat and
get your priorities straight. Next I would like to give a nod to the thoughtful and unexpectedly kind individual who found something important to me this week and investigated the contents only so far as it took to find my email address. There are not nearly enough people of this ilk in the world because, if there were, it would be a much better place to live. Thank you for doing the right thing. Most importantly, I have a cat that is very ill. His future is uncertain and, while I find nothing of value in religion, I am holding fast to my spiritual beliefs for strength. If any of you have positive thoughts to send to the most loving animal to ever grace the Earth then please do, regardless of what you think of me.
make a point of mentioning a few of them now. To T, who wrote in asking me to refresh their memory on a line they found quotable: thank you for your interest in the column and I hope the article I sent you with the highlight was what you were looking for. To A Fan: thank you for writing. There are times when I fear that no one understands what I am trying to do here, but a letter like yours renews my faith. Individuals like you stand apart from People because of your critical thinking skills and a healthy sense of humour. It is thanks to the responses of a few fans who took the trouble to write that I proudly change the name of this column back to “I hate People.” If you don’t like it, I don’t care. Write in and tell me about it. thenewspaper@thenewspaper. ca, Subject: I hate you.
Lastly, I would like to acknowledge some of the people who have written to me over the last little while. I don’t always get a chance to mention everyone, but I’d like to
the campus comment HELENE GODERIS
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“My roommate tried to poison me.”
“She snores so loud I can’t sleep”
Brett Lee, 4th year, Architecture
“Him and his friends came into my room dressed as monsters while I was sleeping and scared the shit out of me. I slapped him.”
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Sherry Pom, 3rd year, Art History Major
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“My control-freak roommate demanded I make a portrait of her. I made her into a collage using the “instruction” notes she posted all over the apartment.”
“I had a roommate who boiled beetles and drank their juice to cure his eczema.” Photos: Helene Goderis
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February 5th – 11th, 2009
the news N Sync...
Fighting homelessness
In swimsuits
ROM sheds light on crisis
NICOLE LOWDEN
CAROLINE GEORGE
Campus Recreation Bureau
Community Concerns Bureau
Synchronized swimming is a challenging, dynamic, and artistic sport with a rich history in Canada. U of T has its own synchro teams, which compete within the Canadian University Synchronized Swimming League, CUSSL/LUCNS. The league continues to expand, and this year over 200 swimmers from 13 universities across Canada will be competing at nationals on Saturday, February 7th – to be hosted right here at U of T. In its earliest form, synchro was commonly known as water ballet or ‘ornamental swimming’. This experimental hybridization of swimming and Routines are performed in all-deep water. A popular misconception is that dance originated in the earlier synchro is performed while standing on the bottom and doing handstands. Photo: Damien Frost part of the 20th century, but This is not so. The entire A Team is picture here was popularized in the 1940s and 50s. features. Goggles and bathing experienced team is swimming Over time, synchronized caps are not worn, so hot to string covers of popular swimming developed and gelatin is applied to the head music, while the novice team evolved into the highly techto keep hair out of the face has selected the Sex and the nical sport it is today. In 1984, (really!). Music is played using City movie soundtrack. synchronized swimming For the U of T teams, became an official summer training starts early in SepOlympic sport. Russia, Japan, tember, and at first consists the United States and Canada mostly of aquatic work-outs are generally regarded as to get back into shape. Then, the top competitors on the the swimmers work collabinternational circuit. oratively with coach Jennifer In university level synMorin-McKee to come up chronized swimming, with a routine. In November, experienced athletes and the teams travel to McGill novices can compete in solo, University for an invitational duet, and team events. A competition, where this year routine, which lasts between the novice team placed 6th 2 minutes 45 seconds and 3 and the experienced team minutes 15 seconds, consists placed 4th. Another competiof arm sections, leg section follows in January, held tions, and highlights (aerial this year at Queen’s, where The whole A Team is assembled underand acrobatic techniques). the experienced team came neath, using eggbeater kicks to propel With the greater number of 6th and the novice team Catherine Ng high out of the water. Photo: Damien Frost swimmers in team routines, placed 4th. more can be done stylistically The nationals this year such as chain reactions and will take place on Saturday, interesting changes of pattern. an underwater speaker to February 7th in the 50m pool at In competition, swimmers facilitate synchronization, with the U of T athletic centre. Solos wear elaborately costumed favorite genres tending towards and duets run from 12-3 pm and bathing suits and waterproof movie soundtracks, techno, team events are from 3-6 pm. make-up to accentuate facial pop, and hip hop. This year, the Tickets are only $5, or $3 with a valid student ID, so come on out and show the U of T synchronized swimming team your support.
Karl Schmidt chatters excitedly as he describes what’s new in his life. Recently, he received the keys to his new home. In his fifties, Schmidt has lived on the street for years, including two years in Tent City, the defunct shantytown erected along the shores of Lake Ontario in 1998. Schmidt is one of the lucky few to have received government assistance, and he now lives in a bungalow on Woodbine and Danforth. “The reality of Tent City was good,” Schmidt says about the community’s location. However, after receiving government housing far from the city, his attitude changed: “It was good that I got housing, but the place of the housing was not good. After three and half years, the whole of downtown died to me.” Despite Schmidt’s dissatisfaction with his home’s location, not all Tent City residents were
The swimmers this year are: [A Team] Samantha Allen, Rachael Fels Elliott, Carolyn Hicks, Rebecca Jasper, Lauren LePage, Nicole Lowden, Sarah Luckett-Gatopoulos, Johanna Saunders and Joanna Smeeton. [Novice Team] Noemie De Vuyst, Lila Fontes, Catherine Ng, Alicia Puritt, Yiqing Liang and Joyce Siu. The Novice Team shows their pride and their pearly whites.
Photo: Anne Smeeton
debate over the current homelessness crisis in Toronto. Some attempts at finding solutions have taken place in the recent past: a group of city advocates and residents banded together to declare homelessness a crisis, which is what prompted the formation of the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee to lobby for better housing on the industrial site. Unfortunately, Connolly believes that, despite current progress, little has changed for the homeless in the six years since he produced the film. “I’m disappointed that not more has been done,” he says of the government’s lack of response to the One Percent Solution implemented by the TDRC more than a decade ago to resolve the homelessness crisis. Connolly notes that advocates such as Schmidt have pressured the government to act: “There’s some movement
The Scott Mission is a resource and support outreach centre for those who, like Schmidt, are left out in the cold. Photo: Matthew Pope
so lucky, suffering the constant fear of eviction. Director Michael Connolly evokes this reality in his documentary “Shelter From the Storm,” which follows the struggles of some residents of Tent City to remain on the land. “I wanted to show a wider picture of homelessness,” Connolly says of the film, in which Schmidt and other former Tent City residents discuss the relief they feel in having a place they can call home. As part of the Royal Ontario Museum’s informal panel discussion on homelessness in Toronto, which took place Jan. 28, the film complements the ROM’s current street art exhibit, Housepaint, Phase 2: Shelter. Organizers hope the film and ongoing lecture series will raise public awareness and spark
about housing at the federal level, but it’s still happening too slowly.” Schmidt agrees, with his resentment visibly increasing as he ponders the lack of resources available to those still reliant on shelters. “Too much help that is given [to the homeless] gets spent on the way before it gets there,” says Schmidt. “The government is paying $85 per person in the shelter, but where is that money going?” Unfortunately for those still out on the street, this remains a near-impossible question to answer. For more information about the ROM exhibit, and to find out ways to get involved, please visit www.housepaint.ca
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February 5th – 11th, 2009
the news
cont’d
Play time is over
Battle of the theists
Police in public schools
Fact, Fiction, or Faith?
SEMRA EYLUL SEVI & KABIR JOSHI-VIJAYAN
THOMAS SHIFRER
Education Bureau
Theological Affairs Bureau
The Toronto District Public and Catholic School Boards have recently implemented a program stationing a fully uniformed and armed police officer in at least thirty high schools spanning the city. The pilot program was proposed, designed, and is being financed by the Toronto Police Services (TPS). Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair submitted the initiative after the release of the Falconer Report last January. The report was commissioned by the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) to look into school safety issues after the tragic killing of Jordon Manners at C.W. Jefferys high school in 2007. The official TPS statement explains the new program aims to build “healthy and trusting relationships” between police and students, based on the hope that crime and violence will be prevented when students are more inclined to report incidents. Yet, of the 136 recommendations listed in the Falconer Report to improve school safety, not one involved the stationing of police inside schools (armed or otherwise). Lawyer Julian Falconer, the author of the report, says he is at a loss
as to why the School Boards implemented the program. However, the report did criticize the school boards’ habit of concealing security problems, and he recommended open dialogue and discussion with students and communities about issues of safety. Approval for the initiative to be implemented in any one school only requires support from the trustee, the school principal and the superintendent of education. Ironically, communities that have since been allowed input on the issue have declined the offer. At The Student School, where the students have a say on school policy through frequent assemblies, students vehemently rejected the proposal. The distrust and fear of police that students express are not based on youthful misconceptions, but on actual lived experience. Poor and black youth are common victims of overly aggressive policing in their communities, making them resent further surveillance. One police officer notes that besides bonding with students at the school, his role entails the surveillance of students at a nearby mall over
An unnamed police officer who was kind enough to pose for this article. His fear about being “photoshopped screwing a donkey” were, fortunately, unfounded. Photo: Matthew Pope
lunch and at a local community centre after school. This allows him to “get to know the characters.” This is not the first cooperation between the police and the schools. Thousands of Ontario students and their parents felt disenfranchised under the 2001 Safe Schools Act and subsequent “Zero Tolerance Policy” which gave teachers and principals greater authority to suspend and expel students for a range of safety and discipline issues, and to involve police. Under the current TPS program, there have already been instances where educators have clashed with police officers desiring to charge students with criminal action. For at-risk youth whose motivation to remain in a dysfunctional education system is already teetering, cops in schools could be that extra nudge that knocks them out. The Toronto Police have their own motivation for the program. The pilot project is being paid for by the department of community policing, the funds for which come out of the provincial money pot shared by the department of education. Such police programs justify soaring police budgets against the backdrop of fading social services budgets, including cuts to education. The program is seen by some as an expensive public relations campaign designed to deflect criticism of police behavior while doing little to address real problems, like public accountability by the police services. A coalition of students, parents, educators, and community activists have initiated a campaign against police in schools, going by the acronym NOCOPS (Newly Organized Coalition Opposed to Police in Schools). They work to educate youth, parents, and community stakeholders about the inherent risks in this initiative, especially for the already marginalized and criminalized youth. To get involved please contact NOCOPS at nocops.to@ gmail.com
It was nearly impossible, this past few weeks, to have avoided the bombardment of flyers around campus advertising a public debate over the age-old question regarding the existence of God. The argument was taken up by Dr. James Robert Brown, a professor of Philosophy at U of T, and Dr. William Lane Craig, a professor at the Talbot School of Theology in Mirada, California. Not surprisingly, Craig argued for and Brown argued against. Co-hosted by the student groups Campus for Christ and the University of Toronto Secular Alliance, the event saw great attendance, and for good reason: it was a very intellectually stimulating debate. Dr. Craig began by putting forth three strong issues in support of God’s existence: evidence from cosmology, intelligent design, and the existence of objective moral values. However, in using the resurrection of Jesus and the “immediate” experience of God as viable arguments for God’s existence, Craig came up short. Dr. Brown, on the other hand, argued against Thomas Aquinas’ “first mover unmoved” theory – the notion that any chain of causes must have sprung from some first cause, an infinite and wholly necessary being – and he raised some interesting points against intelligent design. However, the rest of Brown’s arguments were comparatively weak; his ‘evidence’ that God is not needed for objective moral values to emerge, as well as his argument against cosmology, did not succeed in thoroughly refuting Craig’s perspectives. In the end,
Craig managed to dominate the debate overall – the introduction, rebuttal, dialogue, as well as the closing remarks. But really, this isn’t the point. Yes the debate was mentally stimulating – I enjoyed it immensely – but anyone who walked into the Isabel Bader Theatre that night thinking, “Finally, this question will be cleared up for me!” would have left dissatisfied, to say the least. The question of God’s existence is one that virtually every individual person ponders, but the conclusion must be one that each of us comes to on our own. If you haven’t thought about it before (yeah, right), take a while to consider the Big Question; take a look at both sides of the argument, and realize that God’s existence can never be definitively proved or disproved (barring His descent from heaven and public declaration, “I am God, I exist”). After all, the existence of God isn’t a question of logic – it’s a question of faith.
VS.
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February 5th – 11th, 2009
the arts Fiction fit for a King
The Enchantress of Florence
King John of Canada
Salman Rushdie’s silvered tongue enchants
LUDWIK ANTONIUK
ANDY M. POTTER
Literary Review Bureau
Literary Review Bureau
What was the last good work of Canadian political fiction you enjoyed? Alright, let’s make it easier: try to name one work of Canadian political fiction. The political fiction we are familiar with largely comes from abroad, whether it is a comical piece like the American movie “Man of the Year” (2006), or a serious one, like the British television mini-series “The Amazing Mrs. Pritchard” (2006). But Canada’s own centuries-old political tradition deserves to have its own genre of political fiction. Surprise! It does. Enter Scott Gardiner’s book, “King John of Canada” (2007). Given the state of our current political environment, “King John of Canada” emerges as a particularly timely piece. The book imagines a not-so-unlikely future, one wherein Canada is plagued by uncooperative deadlocked minority governments. The prairies form a government with the support of the Quebecois, and the Governor General loses all authority when the British monarchy in England suddenly ends. Then, triggered by the sarcastic commentary of a media magnate, Canada decides to appoint a monarch to replace the Governor General through a national lottery. Heightening the sense of chaos and disconnect even further, this story is told from the perspective of an American foreign observer. Any fool might have had the luck to become Head of State and make a mess of things, but Canada got lucky with John. Instead of bowing to the whims of the Prime Minister, John assumes the authority of his office, combining the common sense of Laurier and the ambition of Trudeau. The new leader is faced with familiar issues
Salman Rushdie is famous – in some quarters, infamous – for his literary bravura. The free-wheeling religiosity of his fourth novel, The Satanic Verses, was considered blasphemous by some Muslims; in 1989, Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa (edict) allowing Rushdie’s death. Fortunately, he not only survived, but continued writing. His latest novel, The Enchantress Of Florence, explores familiar territory - the marriage of East and West; in this case, the Mogul Empire and Renaissance Florence. Rushdie’s novels are not necessarily easy to get into; the florid prose and rambling plot lines deter many readers. The Enchantress Of Florence is no exception. You have to leave your logical mind at the front cover, suspend disbelief, and jump in. But if you do so, you’ll be justly rewarded. Sure, you might experience frustration at times, maddened by Rushdie’s fondness for lavish details, but you’ll also dive into a richly rendered world, peopled by characters of mythic proportions. Rushdie is no James Joyce, but, like Joyce’s Ulysses, The Enchantress Of Florence can be appreciated as much for its language as its narrative arc. He writes of enchantresses: “Witchcraft requires no potions, familiar spirits or magic wands. Language upon a silvered tongue affords enchantment
from separatists to terrorists, often yielding thought provoking results. The structure of the book, however, sometimes makes it a frustrating read. Composed of a series of diary entries, the narrative is chopped up into a string of non-chronological flashbacks. Sometimes typical of a postmodern or avant garde text, the actual story does not begin until about the tenth diary entry. This format appears to be employed in order to link a series of interesting events that are otherwise weakly connected; the result is that it reads like watching a horse run in a stroboscope. Overall, the book is strong and serves as essential reading for anyone pessimistic about an outdated Canadian constitution. The appeal also lies in the book’s dramatic moments: certainly, it is only in fiction that one is permitted to say anything so politically incorrect as “the purpose of a citizen in Toronto is to make money for an accredited citizen in Quebec to spend!” Canadian Politics hasn’t been this fun since Louis Riel.
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enough.” On three Florence friends: “The most voluble of the trio was one of a throng, a jostle, an argument of Vespuccis living cheek by jowl.” On seeking harmony: “The curse of the human race is not that we are so different from one another, but that we are so alike.” This vivid and imaginative work is sure to serve as a warm refuge from the cold winter nights, and from the mounting textbooks, technicalities, and theories of our university coursework. A wonderful escape and a highly recommended read.
Sometimesinfamous author Salman Rushie is pictured right in this undated photograph. Photo: Stock photo courtesy of WordPress
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the newspaper 7
February 5th – 11th, 2009
the arts
cont’d
Shane Philip does it all Live at Baker Studio CD review LISA MCDONALD Musical Arts Bureau Recorded live off the Baker Studio floor in Victoria, BC The new 2009 musical release from Shane Philip Showcases a self-taught and self-motivated style Of a one-man multi-instrumental powerhouse In addition to didgeridoo, his first instrument Shane Philip plays 6-string acoustic and electric guitar Weissenborn and kona lap steel guitar Along with djembe, kick drums and shakers And yes, he sings too! The grungy and crispy sounds spin only a positive message Along with a swirling vibe of organic dance grooves Most certainly appealing I would think To the colourful underground alternative and hippy culture But Philip did have some help in the recording studio Enlisting the talents of Joby Baker as co-producer And sharing a writing credit on one song with Shawna Audet The music has been categorized as folk World fusion and island soul music And I am reminded of Jamaica Listening to the swaying reggae beat of Sweet Ocean and Cool Clouds But Shane Philip is a Canadian boy and a British Columbia native Sending his positive vibrations from this, his fourth release Direct from the island of Quadra Secret Garden is the song that stands out for me With a softer sound than the other 11 tracks A Zeppelin-esque quality catches my ear Shane Philip, a former high school social studies teacher Creates thought provoking dialogue with his listeners
In a song asking... “what if we decide to stop using Plastic Bags every time we shop? Such a simple step to take and Oh what a serious change it would make To the world Know we’ve got to change in this world Can’t stay the same in this world” Having never seen Shane Philip perform live I still think it’s safe for me to say This musician would be popular in the jamband community Especially in an outdoor environment Where fans can spin around in free-flowing tie dye Grooving with the music while leaving only footprints On grass and festival mud of concert sites all over the country Philip has been a non-stop touring musician since 2005 For more information on this artist and to see his full calendar Shane Philip can be found in cyberspace At either one of these two websites... www.shanephilip.com www.myspace.com/shanephilip
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8 the newspaper
February 5th – 11th, 2009
the end the jumbler
BY: ASHLEY MINUK
Unscramble the letters to form common words. Use the letters in the highlighted boxes to answer the riddle!
BY ROGENA
Answer for last week’s jumbler: “A stiff one” Solution to THIS jumbler in next week’s the newspaper