Oct 11 1012

the newspaper The University of Toronto’s Independent Weekly

Since 1978

VOL XXXV Issue 6 • October 11, 2012

the briefs

Toronto Women’s Book Store shuts up shop

Art theft at 1 Spadina, page 4 What US elections mean for Canada U of T Chancellor, former ambassador speaks on impact of presidential race for ‘America’s hat’ Sebastian Greenholtz Former US Ambassador and current UofT chancellor Michael Wilson addressed a packed Hart House Great Hall last night on the issues of US-Canada relations and the upcoming presidential elections below the border.

From his experience as ambassador to the US under both the Bush and Obama administrations, Wilson concludes that Canada has one of the best connections to the US in the world.

As he was told by other ambas-

sadors, “We are the envy of practically every country.”

But how will Canada’s relationship to the US change with the results of the presidential election on November 6? Wilson focused on a couple key issues to answer this question.

Canada’s main concern with the US is the close economic ties that the two countries hold.

While trade with Canada makes up less than ten per cent of the US GDP, according to Wilson, about 30 per cent of the Cana-

see page 3

After 40 years in the business, the Toronto Women’s Bookstore will be closing on November 30, owner Victoria Moreno announced on Tuesday. The feminist bookstore, which originally operated as a non-profit, has been in difficult financial straits since 2009, when its board voted to keep the store open and asked the local community for $40,000 in support. The bookstore switched to a for-profit business model, but has still not earned enough to stay afloat. The store’s closure means there is one less positive space for women in the neighborhood; it’s also sad news for U of T students, who will have to buy even more books at inflated prices at the university bookstore.

Man dies after winning live cockroacheating contest On Monday, the winner of a cockroach-eating contest in South Florida took ill and died after ingesting dozens of roaches - and a few worms on the side.

32 year-old Edward Archbold collapsed soon after the contest and died upon reaching hospital, never able to reclaim the grand prize, a python. “Unless the roaches were contaminated… I don’t think that cockroaches would be unsafe to eat,” an entomology prof, Michael Adams, told the Globe. That’s a relief.

Check next week’s issue for the date of the newspaper’s first annual roach-eating contest.

cont’d page 3

2

THE NEWS

from “Michael Wilson” dian GDP depends on this trade.

This makes favourable relations between the countries an economic priority.

One of the most important commodities Canada sells to the US is oil. As a top issue for USCanadian relations Wilson cited the Keystone XL Pipeline, a proposed extension to a pipeline that brings crude oil from the Alberta oil sands to refineries in Illinois. While the project has been stalled because of insufficient information in the proposal, Wilson thinks the project will go ahead no matter who wins the election. “I think that the signals are that they will approve it. They realize they need the oil.”

Since the two countries share an often-traversed border another key issue for US-Canada

relations, and for the US in general, is security. Since the events of of 9/11, the US has made travel into the country more difficult, such as the demand to show a passport when crossing over from Canada. But between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, Wilson is “not so sure that when you get right down to the decisions [about security] that each would have to make if they were president would be significantly different.”

Overall, Chancellor Wilson concludes that our relationship will stay solid regardless of what voters do in November. Canada will continue to benefit from its favourable position to the north and in the heart of the United States. Canada can rest easy, because, as Wilson said, “What would we have if we didn’t have the United States trying to influence the way things are?”

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the newspaper the newspaper is the University of Toronto’s independent weekly paper, published since 1978.

VOL XXXV No. 5

Editor-in-Chief Cara Sabatini

Managing Editor Helene Goderis

News Editor Yukon Damov

Design Editor Samantha Chiusolo

Arts Editor VACANT

Contributors

Photo Editor Bodi Bold Illustrations Editor Nick Ragetli

Suzanna Balabuch, Sarah Boivin, Bodi Bold, Lou Doyon, Sebastian Greenholtz, Helene Goderis, Jordan Harcourt, Dylan Hornby, Nick Ragetli, David Stokes, Emerson Vandenberg, Maddy Young

Web Editor Joe Howell the newspaper 1 Spadina Crescent Suite 245 Toronto, ON M5S 1A1

Editorial: 416-593-1552 thenewspaper@gmail.com www.thenewspaper.ca

the newspaper is published by Planet Publications Inc., a nonprofit corporation.

All U of T community members, including students, staff and faculty, are encouraged to contribute to the newspaper.

October 11, 2012

Anti Iran war messages clash at Queens Park

Toronto Coalition to Stop the War calls for no war, no sanctions, no, really.

Sebastian Greenholtz

The south side of Queen’s Park flooded with signs in Farsi on Saturday as protesters gathered to fight against calls for a war against Iran. The Toronto Coalition to Stop the War (TCSW), a group of over 60 peace-minded organizations in the GTA, organized a protest calling for no war and no sanctions against Iran.

TCSW sees the decision of the Harper government to sever diplomatic relations with Iran as a clear step towards war. As stated on the event website, “Cutting ties with Iran forecloses the possibility of a diplomatic solution, leaving only military options on the table.”

After a long period of discussion, TCSW chose to restrict the message of the protest to opposing war, without making commentary on the political situation in Iran. The organizers of the protest called for peace and cooperation among the various groups present, however the messages in the crowd were far from unified.

Four socialist organizations in attendance called for a workers’ struggle against the capitalist system as a struggle against war. A group of Iranian students bore signs stating solidarity with the Green Movement, Iranian prodemocracy protests in response to the disputed results of the 2009 election.

A small but

loud contingent, armed with a megaphone to rival the official sound system, supported sanctions as part of their cry, “Down with the Islamic Republic of Iran.” Official speakers of the demonstrations tried drowning out the anti-regime voices, urging the assembled masses to chant “The people, united, will never be defeated.”

University of Toronto student Arash Azizi, organizer of the Toronto Contingent Against War and Oppression, which opposes both war and the Iranian regime, criticized the pro-sanctions group as demonstrating “uncivilized behaviour.”

“It was not unexpected that they would show up, they have very powerful forces. … They [the pro-sanctions group] brandished the flag that belongs to the monarchist regime of Iran and was resolutely rejected by the people in the 1979 revolution [against the Shah].”

Niaz Salimi, president of the Iranian-Canadian Community Council and speaker at Saturday’s rally, told Now Magazine before the event that she supports the single anti-war message

that the coalition put forward.

“People don’t come to get confused; people come to get one message: ‘Don’t attack Iran.’”

However, during her speech, Salimi spoke in favour of opposition to the Iranian government, which Azizi felt was a powerful counter to the message put forward by those supporting sanctions.

“For the first time due to the pressure we saw a criticism of the regime from the coalition, and this was from an activist from the Iranian community,” Azizi says. “To politically disarm these people it is important to take a position of the anti-war movement in support of the Green Movement as did Niaz Salimi. ... We think it’s the best way to build a broad antiwar movement.”

www.thenewspaper.ca

3

THE NEWS

Smile for the camera! You’re an MBA applicant

UofT business school introduces video response as part of MBA admissions process

Emerson Vandenberg The Rotman School of Management’s MBA program will have a new live video response component for this year’s applicants. Graduate school hopefuls will have to answer random questions on video in real-time as part of their application. The new format is a test pilot, but Rotman believes the video component could revolutionize the application process by assessing students in a way the old essay-only system did not.

The purpose of the essay based model had been to showcase elements of applicants’ personalities that otherwise would not show up on their resumes, according to the Director of Recruitment and Admissions, Niki da Silva. The essays had begun to sound very simi-

lar, da Silva told the newspaper. The video component will allow two applicants that, for example, both had internships at investment banks, to differentiate themselves.

The new video format aims to access these personality elements and also provide evidence of other qualities the Rotman School is looking for.

Qualities like proficiency in English, quick-thinking, and confidence go beyond what even properly answered essay questions could provide. This approach will also yield the opportunity to students whose resumes and grades are not as striking.

The advent of admissions consultants and online discussion threads have eroded the authenticity and uniqueness previously seen. The notion has spread, that admission

boards are looking for a specific kind of story in the essays, according to da Silva. The generic result fails to get to know candidates in a meaningful way, which is the real purpose of the essays.

The new video component asks students to install a software program developed by UofT tech start-up, Kira Talent, on their computer. The program launches a video of da Silva, asking a generic question to all applicants, followed by a randomly selected question from a library of twenty options. Applicants have 30 seconds to consider the question and 90 seconds to answer it on video. Questions are more personal in nature and they will grant access to the personalities behind the applications said da Silva.

UCLA Anderson had been

running a similar application component, but cut the program because certain students were unable to access the appropriate technology. Da Silva discussed this potential issue with operators at Kira and decided this would not be a widespread problem.

“We already conduct interviews with international students via webcam, and to date no one has complained about not having access to the right technology,” she explained.

However, da Silva said that should such an issue arise with any of its applicants, Kira Talent will ship them a free webcam so that they can answer the questions.

For more information on the new video component, da Silva has posted a detailed introduction on the Rotman School’s website.

Times Higher Education Rankings drops UofT two spots

the briefs cont’d...

Immigrants more successful than mainstream Canadians, according to U of T researchers

A new U of T study has found that Chinese and South Asian immigrants to the United States, Canada, and Australia are more successful than the countries’ third- and highergeneration white populations. Co-authored by sociology professor, Jeffrey Reitz, PhD student Naoko Hawkins, and Prof Heather Zhang of McGill, the study shows that, while there are cross-national differences in first-generation immigrants’ success, the children of Asian immigrants outperform whites in all three countries in terms of finding a job and overall economic status.

Sourced from The Torontoist, The Globe, and U of T News.

-Geoffrey Vendeville

Recent university rankings have implications for prospective international students The University of Toronto ranked 21 in the prestigious international Times Higher Education World University Rankings (THE-WUR) released October 3. UofT dropped two spots from last year’s position, which could have effects on prospective students.

Universities use high standings to their advantage by publishing information in recruitment material aimed to prospective students. Despite the drop, U of T remains the highest ranked Canadian university.

Only 8 Canadian universities broke the Top 200 and just two Canadian universities rose in position. When asked if U of T is concerned with the drop in standings, U of T VicePresident and Provost Cheryl Misak replied, “There is nothing magical about being in the top 20 universities worldwide – 21st is still a great place to be.”

Participating in THE-WUR allows for U of T to be put on the map for prospective international students. Accord-

ing to THEWUR editor Phil Baty’s analysis of a survey conducted

by IDP Education, foreign s t u dents consider “interna-

tional ranking” the most important factor when deciding upon a school.

“One great advantage of being so high in the world rankings is that students outside of Canada know how excellent we are,” said Misak. “That helps us attract top-flight students from all over the world, which makes the University of To -

MADDY YOUNG

Lou Doyon

ronto even stronger.”

In an interview with the newspaper, second-year international student from Rhode Island, Ari Abrams said, “The only reason I consider staying at U of T is because it is ranked #1 in Canada. It definitely helps having a ‘name brand’ on your diploma.”

Universities interested in participating in THE-WUR provide and sign off their institutional data, allowing THEWUR to conduct calculations and release a relatively fair method of comparison of the 400 universities involved.

THE-WUR is based on a methodology of 13 contributing factors, neatly divided into 5 categories: Teaching and the Learning Environment (30%); Research: Volume, Income and Reputation (30%); Citations: Research Influence (30%); Industry Income: Innovation (2.5%); and International Outlook, Staff Students, and Research (7.5%). 2.5 per cent of the entire rating of a university is based on its ability to attract undergraduates and postgraduates internationally, something that has become

key to the success of a university on the world stage.

“We take the Times Higher ranking most seriously, as it has a methodology far superior to that, say, of Maclean’s,” admitted Misak. In a 2006 article for The Ottawa Citizen, U of T President David Naylor explained why four major Canadian universities decided not to participate in Maclean’s magazine’s annual ranking of Canadian universities. The methodology used in Maclean’s ranking uses only three determining factors: levels of research funding, diversity of offerings, and a focus on undergraduate and postgraduate programs.

It is not hidden that rankings released by THE-WUR and other publications has an impact on prospective students. Even for international students currently attending U of T, its standing on the national and world stage remains an important statistic. Current international student from England, Sebastian Watts said to the newspaper, “My decisions on universities were heavily dependent upon rankings.”

4

THE INSIDE

October 11, 2012

What’s Justin a name Opinion: Trudeau must distance himself from his famous father Dylan Hornby On a cool Thursday night in a banquet hall on the outskirts of Mississauga, Justin Trudeau easily fills a room. He takes the stage to boisterous cheers and faces a familiar barrage of cameras. After announcing his run for the Liberal Party’s leadership last Tuesday, the Trudeau name may once again captivate a generation of Canadians.

However, with Canada’s “natural governing party” in its worst shape in history, Pierre Trudeau’s son faces a much more difficult path to power.

Along with a third-place party, critics chide that he wouldn’t be here today were it not for his last name. Some Liberals worry about a perceived lack of substance. While his last name shines a bright media spotlight on his campaign, if he intends to bring the Liberals to victory he must first distance himself

from his famous father.

While both Trudeaus have drawn crowds in their respective times, Pierre Trudeau was a political rebel, admired for a rare combination of charisma and intellect. He was the Prime Minister who gave Canada a constitution, who pioneered multiculturalism, who threatened Quebec’s separatists to “just watch me,” who successfully decriminalised homosexuality, contraception and abortion, who became pals with Fidel Castro, who was called an “asshole” by President Nixon and later quipped “I’ve been called worse things by better people,” who slid down banisters, dated celebrities and spun pirouettes behind the Queen.

It is easy to see how Pierre Trudeau’s legacy only heaps more pressure on his son--a 40year old former schoolteacher-to perform politically. Justin hasn’t yet found a distinct identity. He may win charity

boxing matches, but is often silent in Parliament. His speeches may inspire grand ideas, but offer few policy details.

For the man many hope will breathe new life into the Liberals, we still don’t know much about his political positions.

Yet despite the unknowns, his widespread appeal and charisma is something the Liberal Party has been seeking in a leader for over a decade.

Back in Mississauga, Trudeau attributes the Liberals’ past success to being “…deeply connected to Canadians.” He reveals his own frustrations that, “I’ve too often heard it said in Liberal circles that the Liberal Party created Canada. This, my friends, is wrong. The Liberal Party did not create Canada.

Canada created the Liberal Party.”

In a party often criticized as elitist and out-of-touch and has seen support slip in four consecutive elections, he makes a

So you’ve failed your first midterm: An introduction to Leibniz’s Theodicy Who said that philosophy degree was worthless? Aberdeen Berry presents the second installment in the series that applies philosophical theory to practical student problems. (No, it’s not paying off that tuition)

Aberdeen Berry Presumably, any student finding themselves at the University of Toronto has managed to do so through a combination of intellect and fortitude. Possessing such talents, the experience of the first failed exam is a jarring one.

Cries of students railing against the injustice of the universe can be heard in the halls of almost all dormitories: “Why did this happen to me; I don’t deserve to suffer!” (Similarly, your columnist weeps: “Why can’t I write a sex column?”). How to explain this to your parents? For such individuals, rather than turning to nihilism and spending an embarrassing month or two wearing black and cursorily reading Schopenhauer, it is worth considering an interesting, if deeply flawed, alternative put forth by German mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz.

Let us begin with the assumption that the world is morally ordered. More specifically, let us assume that there

exists a God that is omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (allknowing), and omnibenevolent (all-good). If there is evil in the world (as there is, since you failed), this triad is inconsistent. Attempting to resolve the apparent paradox, Leibniz (and other theologians) countered that evil exists only to such an extent that it permits the greatest amount of good in the world overall. Consider an example: the expression of a virtue such as fortitude would not be possible without the existence of difficult exams.

Performing a cosmic calculus (the methods used are unclear), the evil produced by these challenging exams (involving not only many students failing, but also anguish and missed parties) would be more than cancelled out by the goodness of the expression of fortitude. Going further, Leibniz argues that in creating the world, God could choose only amongst logically possible alternatives. This has the additional impact of removing God’s direct responsibility for evils that have accrued.

Of course, this view is not without numerous detractors.

That we live in what Leibniz famously termed the “best of all possible worlds,” flies in the face of evidence. In particular, we may look at ills that have no imaginable connection to good outcomes: for example, painful, unobserved deaths. It does not seem that removing such ills would have any farreaching effects that would worsen the world, even from a Gods-eye view (what possible benefits can accrue from “Keeping Up With the Kardashians?”). To modern philosophers, Leibniz’ calculus seems like a reductio ad absurdum: we have no reason to improve our condition or grounds for criticism, because evil is a necessary antecedent to good.

Having discarded theodicy as implausible, what is the frustrated student to do? Your correspondent humbly suggests studying harder, and not telling your parents about what went down last week in economics.

“This wil be a campaign about the future, not the past.” - Liberal party leader Justin Trudeau (above). convincing argument. He faces his critics by promising a new chapter for the Liberals, declaring, “This will be a campaign about the future, not the past.

I want to lead a movement of Canadians that seeks to build, not rebuild. To create, not recreate.”

How he will go about this

remains to be seen. Fortunately for Trudeau, these are still early days. Come the 2015 election, half a century after his father entered politics, Trudeau will only be a name. If he has any chance of becoming our next Prime Minister, Canadians will have to vote for Justin.

Art Theft

Artist’s copper plates stolen from storage Helene Goderis Last week, U of T arts lecturer George Hawken reported the theft of approximately 30 small copper plates from the storage room around the corner from his office at 1 Spadina Crescent.

These plates comprise an important chunk of the artist’s work dating from the 1970s and 80s.

The copper plates are engraved using acid, and then inked before being run through a press to create prints. Now that the plates are gone, Hawken has lost the potential to reprint images that could have brought in more money.

“I thought I had left the door locked, the contents were so important to me,” said Hawken.

But building caretaker Jaime Marroquin says he saw the door open when he came into work last Monday, October 1.

“I thought George had left the door open so students could borrow some material from inside,” says Marroquin. “The door was not forced.”

It’s uncertain whether the plates were stolen as salvage metal, or for their artistic value.

Two boxes of miniature plates were stolen, the copper material is valued at approximately $500.

“Their value as art objects is anyone’s guess,” Hawken told The Toronto Star.

“The larger plates (about 70 of them) were left untouched, although they had been uncovered and were plainly visible.

Normally I had them concealed behind a piece of black foam core, which had been moved,” said Hawken. “I have to presume the plates were taken for their value as copper, and the smaller ones were portable and less obvious.”

Visit thenewspaper.ca for further coverage of the story. Cover photo: print by George Hawken.

www.thenewspaper.ca

5

THE INSIDE

The Debate: Is privacy in your package?

Motion: You have the right to anonymously use the Internet A recent child pornography case has set a potential privacy precedent in Canada, allowing police to search a person’s home based on possible criminal activity linked to an IP address. Authorities obtained the now convicted criminal’s name and address from the Internet service provider (Bell) who willingly released the info connected to the IP address in question. According to the Globe & Mail, Bell Sympatico’s user agreement stated that it could refuse to protect a customer’s confidentiality in instances of criminal behaviour.

The concern is whether or not a person should reasonably expect to privately use the Internet (without the government knowing), given such agreements between customers and providers. Also, in question is whether or not such precedent could allow for misuse or illegal intrusion by authorities.

Sebastian Greenholtz While often invoked as defense, there is no absolute right to privacy. In cases of possible crime, many laws allow for violations of privacy in order to keep the public safe, including questioning suspects, searching with a warrant, and arresting those suspected. All of these actions violate privacy,

but are necessary to protect society from criminals. Allowing police to use personal information given by Internet Service Providers is no different.

There are many places on campus where multiple computers are using the same hotspot, meaning they all have the same IP address. Should UofT wifi be used for illegal activity your laptop could have

the same criminal address. But there is no reason to fear getting caught up in an investigation. The bulk of digital crime committed at UofT is petty crime, such as illegal software downloading. Millions of techsavvy people around the world engage in digital petty crime, and with austerity cuts downsizing police forces there are simply not enough investiga-

tors to pursue them all. Only when internet use threatens people’s lives and livelihoods, such as identity thieves or child pornographers, will the police bother to go through the multi-step process from an IP address and to arrest.

First, police contact the Internet Service Provider and request the name and address where the IP is registered. If ille-

gal activity occurred through a UofT IP address, the ISP would inform the police of this origin, and probably stop this direction of investigation. A search warrant must be issued for a specific person or place, and because the police can’t search every laptop ever connected to UofT wifi the police couldn’t get a warrant issued for a shared IP address anyway.

So no need to be afraid if the person sitting next to you at Robarts is torrenting Photoshop - the police have bigger things to worry about. If ISP information can catch child pornographers, but probably won’t worry about digital petty criminals, the benefits clearly outweigh the risks.

^ ^ ^

NICK RAGETLI

CON PRO

Jordan Harcourt According to the Canadian Oxford Dictionary, the word “personal” is defined as “one’s own; individual; private.” Therefore, a personal computer (PC), by definition, should be private. Internet service providers are eroding this concept by creating user agreement statements that infringe on privacy.

For argument’s sake, let’s look at the home. Your house is

where your personal lives are conducted. You eat, sleep and bathe there, all of which are private activities. As a result, we expect the home to be a private place from the outside world. This is why we have locks and alarm systems on our doors and police require a search warrant to enter. Our personal information should be no different. We alone should have the authority on who has access to our identity.

Sympatico’s Privacy Policy entitles them to “disclose personal information” on the grounds of “enforcing any law in Canada” or “where otherwise required by law.”

This is a broad statement.

The line dividing our right as Canadian citizens to privacy and the right of government institutions to breech that privacy is no longer clear.

Sympatico is not the only Internet service provider with

a lenient privacy policy regarding law enforcement. U of T’s Appropriate Use of Internet Communication and Technology form states, “Nothing in these guidelines restricts the authority of the relevant offices from initiating new rules or guidelines as circumstances dictate or as technology evolves.” Essentially, authorities are given the right to manipulate the guidelines to suit their own

needs at the expense of your privacy.

These agreements are at odds with the Privacy Act, which aims to “protect the privacy of individuals with respect to information about themselves.” Apparently, this ‘right’ should not be assumed because we all know what happens when we assume. It is time to stop assuming and start reading the fine print.

6

THE ARTS

Your health & Dental

October 11, 2012

Plan Benefits For more info please contact your students’ union: U.T.S.U. Health & Dental Plan Office 12 Hart House Circle health@utsu.ca

the U.t.s.U. offers tWo insUrance Plans An extended health plan; and a dental plan. Students who have comparable health coverage may optout of the health plan while any student may opt-out of the dental plan. Students are required to opt-out on an annual basis.

Students may enroll their spouse (including a common law or same sex partner) and/or children to both the health plan and the dental plan for an additional fee.

get more info online Visit utsu.ca/health for benefits information. once your account is activitated, register at greenshield.ca/ studentcentre to get personalized claims forms, claims history, to print your Green shield ID card and to get discounts on dental and vision with exclusive Discount networks.

Who is enrolled?

All full-time undergraduate, professional faculty and theology students at St. George or Mississauga are automatically enrolled in the U.T.S.U. extended health and dental plans.

Plan members who are first year students or returning from a leave of absence are covered starting September 1, 2012. Although coverage is effective from September 1, new plan members will not be able to receive reimbursements until their accounts are activated by the end of November.

Provider info: 1-888-711-1119 greenshield.ca/ studentcentre

oPt-in & oPt-oUt dates

Students starting in September: aug. 27 to oct. 5, 2012 Students starting in January: Jan. 7 to Feb 1, 2013 Opt-Out Online at stuDentplans.ca/utsu enrOl by ViSitinG health@utsu.ca

YoUr insUrance Provider is green shield.

YoUr green shield id is:

sac (u of t ID#) - 00 i.e. sac 999999999-00

www.thenewspaper.ca

7

THE ARTS

Plotless movie a portrait of our times

Documentary Samsara is fit for stoners, lovers, or anyone into high-definition spiritual transcendence David Stokes Samsara, which opened Friday, October 5 at the TIFF Bell Lightbox, is the documentary equivalent of a poem. The film has no spoken narrative and is purposefully plotless, demanding the viewers make their own connections. Shot in exquisitely lush 70-millimeter film and filmed over four years in 25 countries, the movie employs a floating camera to deliver breathtaking images from a variety of intense locales -- from factory farms and assembly lines, to farflung tribal peoples, prisons, cathedrals, mosques, and jungle temples, waterfalls, Americans in Costco’s, and Japanese in subway trains -- in order to craft a global portrait of our times.

Director Ron Fricke, who also directed 1992’s similarly non-narrative visual smorgasbord Baraka (and worked on

1982’s Koyaanisqatsi), continues the sensory overload sought by those films but seeks something more elusive and challenging in this incarnation. In-between highly kinetic vignettes of time-lapse photography, the pacing slows and the film is intercut with a succession of confrontations with nakedly-observed human faces -- that of a Thai stripper,

and a facially disfigured war veteran, among others. The images are enticing and repelling, challenging the viewer to maintain eye contact, with all the ambiguity and intensity of connection.

Between images of Balinese dancers, infants being baptized, and exploding volcanoes, there are moments in the film when the viewer is so

swamped with sublime beauty that the best option is laughter.

Alternatively, other moments are deeply disquieting, notably the testing of eerily lifelike robot heads, a performance artist who turns himself into a figure of demonic destruction, and the many images of consumer trash. Perhaps the most visceral triumph of the film is its power to makes the view-

er desperately crave human warmth, someone dear to hold onto to endure the onslaught of images of unbearable loneliness, violence, injustice and waste.

Despite moments when the imagery veers toward the surrealist and decadent, the film is pulled back to sobriety by the inescapable eternal logic of life and death, creation and destruction. This is epitomized in the movie by the monks who, throughout the film, create an elaborate multi-coloured mandala with tiny bits of sand and at the end, with the mandala complete, wipe it out. Samsara, which roughly translates to the “cyclical nature of life,” is a roving, rhapsodic meditation, as exhilarating and exhausting as its message is endless.

Samsura screens at the TIFF Bell Lightbox until Thursday, October 18.

Ellie Goulding is all lit up Brit synth pop darling serves up a solid sophomore album Suzanna Balabuch British musicians have a rich history of captivating North American audiences, and singer Ellie Goulding is no different. The 26-year old’s lovely, wispy voice is so unlike anything else playing on the airwaves that its intricacies are quite unforgettable. Goulding’s second studio album, Halcyon, hit Canadian stores this week.

Coming off the success of her first studio album, Lights (2010), Goulding has somehow managed to avoid the sophomore slump by coming up with an album replete with catchy electronic hooks, delicate choral harmonies, and even stomping bass (slightly reminiscent of her boyfriend Skrillex’s trademark sound).

Although Skrillex and Goulding did not work on the production of the record, they

recently collaborated on “Bittersweet,” for the last installment of that aborrhent Twilight series.

Of the eighteen tracks on Halcyon, there are many standouts. A song simply entitled “Joy,” returns Goulding to a mellow, stripped-down format more reminiscent of her earlier work, yet with a very mature take on learning from a relationship.

One of the album’s released singles, “Anything Could Happen,” is so infectious, pairing Goulding’s candy-coloured melody with a pumping electronic undercurrent and a very clever use of a rousing chorus.

The song is already so well loved by fans that the artist and her team created a visually stunning video of fans’ Instagram photos displaying the track’s lyrics.

Ellie Goulding doesn’t only depend on her fans for inspi-

ration. Some of the Halcyon’s stand-out tracks are covers of already famous and wellloved songs. True to the understated yet brilliant nature of her voice, Goulding puts her own spin on tracks like Hanging On (originally by Active Child). Her voice hits angelic highs toward the beginning of the track, splitting into what seems like a hundred harmonic voices, and building the suspense that the song so badly needs, dropping into a bassheavy rhythm, all while showcasing the range of the artist’s voice.

It is on “Hanging On” that Goulding pairs up with fellow Brit sensation Tinie Tempah, as well as teaming up with Calvin Harris on the distinctly dancey “I Need Your Love,” somewhat of a departure from the gentler, darker content of the rest of the album. Nevertheless, the pairing is clever, as

with this kind of track, Goulding reaches out to yet another type of audience, all while collaborating with talented artists of the moment.

Avoidance of the dreaded sophomore slump is most definitely an achievement, and pairing that with artistic maturity in both lyrics and musical experimentation is a sure recipe for success. The prettyvoiced Goulding will surely

continue to make a mark on listeners everywhere just as she has been. Having performed at William and Kate’s wedding reception, there’s nowhere to go but up.

Ellie Goulding plays the Sound Academy this Sunday, October 14. For tickets, visit ticketmaster. ca

8

THE END

Dear Suzie

The Friends of the Library, Trinity College

37th Annual Book Sale October 18 – 22, 2011

Why you should go on that date with your GO train stalker

Thursday October 18: 4 pm –9 pm (Admission $5 )

Friday October 19: Saturday October 20: Sunday October 21: Monday October 22:

10 am – 8pm 10 am – 8pm noon – 8pm 10 am – 8pm

Dear Suzie,

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I’m a male GO Train commuter. I was recently reading the Shout-Outs page in TOnight magazine, and saw a date posting that I’m convinced was written for me. Someone described my appearance/clothes to the T, and had the train time that I take every day. I’m totally creeped out, but I’m also single and curious. Do I respond?

6 Hoskin Avenue, upstairs in Seeley Hall Museum or St George subway; or Wellesley bus 94 to the door www.trinity.utoronto.ca/booksale

October 11, 2012

416 · 978 · 6750

Sincerely, Creeped Out, but Curious Dear Creeped Out, I’ve always had a secret desire for someone to write a Shout-Out to me, so let me preface this by saying that I’m super jelly. I also think this problem is really a no-brainer. What do you have to lose if you answer this ad? Pretty much nothing, except maybe a few hours and a little bit of money if the date doesn’t lead to anything. I say go for it, but go in with absolutely zero expectations. Please for the love of pants, pick a public meeting place for your first date and have a friend call you 15 minutes in, just in case you need a fake emergency. If they turn out to be crazy, at least you’ll have a funny story to tell your friends. If they turn out to be cool, who knows? You could make this advice columnist even more jelly by riding off into the sunset with your Shouter-Outer. Good luck!

Newspaper 2011

Sincerely, Suzie

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the campus comment

the newspaper asked: If you could watch any two people debate, who would you choose?

2

MAX Political Science, 1st year “Michael Moore and Ezra Levant, because they both have very polarizing opinions and represent different ideologies.”

MAURO Hart House Employee “Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton. Clinton is so smart and I want to see how much Palin has evolved since the last elections.”

MASOUND English, 1st year “Hitler and Machiavelli. I would like to see someone as charismatic and persuasive as Hitler take on a political thinker like Machiavelli.”

LISA Philosophy & Politics, 1st year “Descartes and Einstein. I would like to see the clash between religion, ancient science and modern science.”

JOEY Anthropology, 4th year

BODI BOLD

TIMOTHY Economics & Political Science, 5th year “Machiavelli and Barack Obama because of their contrasting views on human nature.”

“Bugs Bunny and Steve Stifler. You never know what they’re going to say to each other.”