Issue 7 - October 20 2011

THE NEWS

Former student union exec killed in tragic accident

THE ARTS

Toronto Improv festival strikes again!

THE INSIDE

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Page 7

Page 4

Our favourite signs from Occupy Toronto

the newspaper The University of Toronto’s Independent Weekly

Since 1978

VOL XXXIV Issue 7 • October 20, 2011

Shocking new therapy

Electrical stimulation restores voluntary functions of paralysed patients

Protestors march along Adelaide Street during Occupy Toronto Protests. See coverage page 4.

Speak easy

U of T PhD student organizes weekly language exchange meet-up over beers

by Talia Gordon Famous philosopher and linguist Noam Chomsky wrote in Language and Mind (1972), “When we study human language, we are approaching what some might call the ‘human essence,’ the distinctive qualities of mind that are, so far as we know, unique to man.” Certainly, the human faculty for speech and syntax stretches beyond merely providing the structures and systems for basic communication. Our capacity for language develops and facilitates deeper modes of cultural exchange and connection with one another. In short, language is fundamentally social.

It is this ethos that has been the foundation of Toronto Babel, a weekly language exchange meet-up which was started in January of 2010. Created by Beth MacLeod, a University of Toron-

to PhD candidate in linguistics, the meet-up attracts over 100 people each week. Eager partici-

Our capacity for language develops and facilitates deeper modes of cultural exchange and connection with one another. pants from diverse backgrounds congregate on the second floor of the Rivoli bar on Queen St. West to learn and practice, but perhaps more importantly, to participate in a social gathering.

Although MacLeod studies linguistics, the impetus to create the language meet-up was not inspired by her own particular research goals. Rather, the idea for the formation of the group

came from MacLeod’s belief that doing an informal language exchange would be a fun and engaging enterprise, and would offer people an alternative to the classroom approach to language acquisition. “The meet-up gives people a chance to have a realworld experience practicing a language. In a classroom setting it’s easy to get a false sense of security about your ability to speak and communicate,” says MacLeod. While classroom learning can provide a base and a set of rules for a language, the conversational style of learning develops a level of linguistic intuition, which is central to communication. That is why this style of language learning can produce such tangible results, she explains.

Beyond the benefits for learning a new language, MacLeod is emphatic about the meet-up

See “Language” – Page 3

When it comes to rehabilitation after spinal cord injury, it turns out that neither stem cell treatment nor robotic therapy is as effective as a tiny pulse of electricity. Pioneered by U of T biomaterials and biomedical engineering professor Dr. Milos Popovic in conjunction with Toronto Rehab, this new method of functional electrical stimulation (FES) is currently being used to help restore control and independence to those rendered paralysed by spinal cord injury.

“FES has been extraordinarily successful so far,” said Dr. Popovic. “Up until now, if you had a stroke or spinal cord injury and you went through physio or occupational therapy, you’d see a little bit of improvement, but you’d still be unable to perform many tasks of day-to-day living.

What we’re able to do with FES is take patients who are completely disabled and restore their reaching and grasping functions better than anything else out there.”

According to Dr. Popovic, FES is a very complicated process that works by programming electronics to mimic the different biological systems. Once the system has been calibrated, FES can be used to retrain the patient’s brain, often to the point where FES itself is no longer needed. By asking patients to envision themselves performing specific tasks – reaching for a cup, for example – and then stimulating the nervous system with a pulse of electricity, dramatic improvements to the control and operation of their voluntary functions are visible after just 40 one-hour sessions.

See “Shocking” – Page 3

Inside this issue...

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DAVE BELL

MATTHEW D.H. GRAY

by Andrew Walt

Sweden’s next top immigration model

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THE NEWS

October 20, 2011

We eat deadlines for breakfast.

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

VOL XXXIV No. 7 Circulation: 17,000

Editor-in-Chief Cara Sabatini

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Associate News Editor Yukon Damov

Contributors Suzie Balabuch, Dave Bell, Bodi Bold, Dan Christensen, Talia Gordon, Matthew D.H. Gray, Alan Jones, Ashton Osmak, Vanessa Purdy, Cara Sabatini, Geoff Vendeville, Andrew Walt.

Photo Editor Bodi Bold Web Editor Andrew Walt Arts Editor Vanessa Purdy the newspaper 1 Spadina Crescent Suite 245 Toronto, ON M5S 1A1

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Alexandra Dodger (1983 – 2011)

Former SAC exec dies in tragic accident

Alexandra Dodger will be remembered as an advocate of students’ interests & human rights

by Talia Gordon A funeral and memorial services will be held today (Thursday, October 20th) for Alexandra Dodger, a 27-year old Toronto native killed tragically in Ottawa last Friday by a car driving the wrong way down a one-way street.

Dodger was a recent graduate from McGill University’s Faculty of Law, and had just moved to Ottawa in May to begin work for Amnesty International. Dodger’s passing has struck a particularly deep chord at both McGill and the University of Toronto, where she was an active and passionate student and leader.

The devastating tragedy of her death has resonated beyond the academic walls and represents what friends and family feel is a great loss, not just of a beloved friend, daughter and granddaughter, but of a woman with an enormous capacity for social justice and the potential to make real change in the world.

NDP MP Olivia Chow described Dodger as a “very thoughtful, very passionate, smart, principled” young woman. Friends, family, professors and fellow students have described her in similar terms,

calling her “brilliant,” and, “a constant source of support and inspiration.”

Under the moniker “ArtfulDodger” the younger Dodger represented the former Student Administrative Council (SAC) as their External Commissioner from 2002-2003 and Vice-President of Operations from 2003 - 2004. By all accounts (including her own) she was passionate about a number of crosscutting issues affecting the student body. As a SAC representative, Dodger brought free income tax clinics to students, increased funding for clubs, helped save $2 million dollars on student health care spending by lobbying to switch providers, and was involved in implementing the discounted student TTC metropass.

Dodger was actively involved in student affairs throughout her career as a student and leader at the University of Toronto.

Most notably, Dodger was an instrumental force in the SAC membership bid to the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) in 2003. Jim Delaney, Director of the Office of the Vice-Provost, Students, who was involved in the process surrounding the CFS bid with Dodger recalls, “We

didn’t always agree, but she was tenacious and really stood up for her values.” Though Delaney and Dodger often butted heads, he always respected her for her beliefs. “It’s a terrible loss. She will be missed.”

Dodger’s spirited and dogged passion and commitment to justice took her to McGill University where she entered the Faculty of Law. During her time at McGill, she remained engaged in social justice activities, and continued to be involved in local student politics. Dodger was active in running model UN events, had completed legal internships in Israel and the Palestinian territories, and worked as a clerk in the Trial Chambers of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. Her involvement and interest in politically-charged issues reflected her continued enthusiasm and dedication to human rights and social justice both at home in Canada, and abroad.

While Dodger’s untimely passing will be mourned by those who knew her, her death represents a tragic loss to a world of people whose lives she had yet to touch, and to the greater fight for social justice.

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THE NEWS

Swedes copy Canada for a change

U of T prof consults on immigration proposal

by Cara Sabatini

As this month marks the 40th anniversary of former Prime Minister Trudeau’s official multiculturalism policy, the Canadian system of immigration is put into question as an effective model. Scholars provide answers.

Swedish think tank FORES released the anthology entitled “The Canada Model” (Kanadamodellen) earlier this year in an effort to explore the extent to which the North American country provides a successful system of immigration on which Sweden might model their own. “[Canada] in many ways is similar to Sweden (forest-clad, cold and sparsely populated),” said one of the book’s editors, Petter Hojem, “but has had a very different take on immigration in the past.” Like many European countries, Sweden faces a challenge to accommodate a growing number of immigrants in the country’s current infrastructure.

Is the Canadian system a successful model? “The answer in my view is a qualified ‘yes’,” answered University Professor Jeffrey G. Reitz in his paper that provided the material for chapter four of “The Canada Model.” Reitz’s evaluation finds Canadian policies to have positive social and economic impacts, which include high education-based skills and employment success among immigrants.

However, Reitz warns other countries against a copy and paste approach. In addition to policies such as Trudeau’s multicultural and integrative plan, specific historical and institutional circumstances underlie the function of the Canadian system. Reitz stressed, “the emphasis on ‘mass immigration’ as a national development policy,” is inherent to the

system’s success.

“To say that Canada is relatively successful is by no means to say problem free,” admitted Professor Reitz. The most recent problem Canada faces is the inability to monitor the increased number of temporary immigrants issued visas a few years ago. This influx is predicted to translate to an increased number of illegal immigrants as their status expires. “But not much attention politically was given to that,” said Professor Reitz, “because we are so pro immigration.”

Reitz expressed concern that this issue could undermine

To say that Canada is relatively successful is by no means to say problem free. support for immigration in the long run.

The support for the system on the whole comes from the large skilled labour force and national identity built by immigrants. “In the ‘70s, people were worried that Toronto was no longer a majority British city,” Reitz remembered, “but low and behold, the Italians and Poles that 30 years ago people thought of as the newcomers are now us.”

According to a recent survey by the Association of Canadian Studies, 46 percent of Canadians believe immigrants should give up their customs and traditions and become more like the majority. This belief appears rooted in the idea that in order to contribute to larger society, immigrants cannot live in isolation. “What distinguishes us from the Europeans is that we have policies that try to integrate immigrants to the mainstream,” said Reitz, citing

3 “Language” from Page 1

being an informal social space for people to come in and have conversations with one another.

Though there are a lot of ‘regulars’, who live in Toronto permanently, MacLeod sees around 40 new people every week. Because of the nature of the meet-up, she explains, there is always turnover. In addition to the regulars, there are many people who have come to Toronto for a month or two to learn English, and have found out about the meet-up online. For those people, the meetup offers a social environment where they have the opportunity to not only practice their English, but where they can also make local friends.

So how does it work? The meet-up is open to anyone and everyone, regardless of background and fluency in any language. MacLeod wanted her meet-up to feel more like a night out than a formal conversation group with designated topics.

She explains that people arrive and introduce themselves (she’ll be wearing a nametag) and she introduces them to regulars, or people who are speaking their language of interest. The rest is up to the group, which will grow organically. The informal nature of the meet-up creates a comfortable space for people to sit in on natural conversation and participate when they feel ready.

And what is the most common language spoken? Unsurprisingly, English is the most popularly sought after to learn, especially among newcomers. However,

MacLeod is reluctant to lump all the English-language enthusiasts into one group. “They are a hugely diverse group from different backgrounds. And people come from all over the world, so there are many, many languages being spoken,” she says. While the other two most popular languages are French and Spanish, MacLeod says that this is by no means the limitation. Almost every week there are speakers of Korean, German, Japanese, Russian, Portuguese, Turkish, Armenian, Arabic, Hindi, (to name a few) and occasionally American Sign Language. The range of languages represents a truly multi-cultural mix of attendees and creates opportunities for sharing more than just linguistic notes.

Since its inception Toronto Babel has been a wildly successful endeavour, not only for its benefits to budding linguists, but also for its positive social dimensions. Naturally, most people are interested in learning a language so that they can communicate with native speakers across different cultures. This informal social environment gives people the opportunity to do just that, and in the process, participate in an exciting and fundamentally human experience.

language instruction as an example of integrative efforts.

But learning English or French is not sufficient to provide a successful system of immigration. The support needed to facilitate such a system relies on the positive social and economic impacts of mass immigration. Canada sees a larger Toronto Babel meets every Tuesnumber of skilled workers and day at 7:30PM on the second floor of business people compared to the Rivoli at 334 Queen St. West. To those granted refugee status. learn more or to become a member, Reitz cited, “the fact that we visit www.meetup.com/TorontoBadon’t share a border with Mexbel. Everyone is welcome! ico and have a highly skilled labour force contribute to the positive attitude [towards im- Cunning linguists (pictured below) migration].”

Can this model work for countries like Sweden, who must integrate more immigrants on humanitarian grounds? “If the Swedish government was willing to sell people on the idea of bringing more highly skilled people to come to Sweden,” answers Reitz, “it could work, yes.” Reitz stressed the need to integrate more immigrants to make a positive story for before Swedish society can welcome immigration on the whole.

“Although the main goal was to decipher a ‘positive example,’” said Hojem, “readers still get a nuanced picture their teeth, and so on. Some peoof the Canadian immigration “Shocking” from Page 1 “All the stroke and spinal cord ple may still need help getting system.” Unfortunately if your Swedish is rusty, “The Canada patients we work with show in and out of wheelchairs and Model” proves itself a chal- signs of improvement,” contin- bathing and things like that, but lenge. While there is no defini- ued Dr. Popovic. “Some patients they’ll be much more indepentive plan to publish in the book show more improvement than dent than before.”

“What we anticipate is imin other languages, as more others, but all show improveproving their function signifiEuropean countries move to ment.”

While FES shows immense cantly so that they need less restrictive immigration policies, Petter Hojem hopes the promise, Dr. Popovic is keen to assistance and can perform success of the Canadian model make sure that it isn’t under- simple tasks on their own,” Dr. will be available to a wider Eu- stood as a cure. “There are multi- Popovic concluded. For sufferple issues to consider when deal- ers of spinal cord injury who ropean audience. ing with spinal cord injuries,” he have spent many years of their said. “But as regards stroke and lives relying on caregivers to To read the English version of spinal cord patients, we can re- perform even the most basic chapter four by Professor Jeffrey ally help a large number of them of actions, a measure of indeG. Reitz, contact him directly at improve their voluntary func- pendence means the world to tions: eating, drinking, brushing them. jeffrey.reitz@utoronto.ca.

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THE INSIDE

October 20, 2011

Signs of our times

Our favourite signs from the Occupy Toronto protest

1 1. Ms. Eva Ready, “Ready to agitate, aggravate, expose the lies, and tell the truth.”

2. Robin Hood, advocate of progressive taxation.

3. Don’t forget to stow your indignance in the upright position.

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4. The 1% is in the doghouse.

5. Sorry Tess, now they know.

6. It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s Superbong! (He’s high in the sky.)

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Photos by Bodi Bold, Geoff Vendeville, Matthew Gray

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THE INSIDE

Occupy Occupy Toronto

A Canadian billionaire’s call to arms.

His letter was WikiLeaked to the newspaper yesterday.

To: Englebrook Old Boys’ Association, Merlot Appreciation Society, and the Toronto Polo Club

Occupying little common ground Bay St. and Wall St. protestors united in frustration, if nothing else

by Alan Jones

Gentlemen, Occupy Wall Street has become a pandemic. From New York City to Rome, and now as far as Seoul, losers everywhere are taking to the streets to protest against… well... us, the captains of industry.

Last week, as you know, the movement reached Toronto. Thousands of lazy good-fornothings protested outside the TSX on Saturday. Now many have pitched tents in St. James Park. As you may already have heard, my butler is among them. He hasn’t shown up for work in a week. I’ve had to dress, drive, and wipe my own derrière myself like a pauper.

I suspect many of you are in similarly dire straits.

On my way to the office yesterday morning, I took a detour past St. James Park and caught a glimpse of the demonstration. I saw the protesters. The usual ungrateful plebs tree-huggers, graying hippies, tweedy Marxists – and my own butler carrying signs saying: “Eat the Rich”, “Crapitalism”, “What’s Next? The Guillotine.”

Let them eat (vegan) cake. The protest will peter out come winter, if it even lasts that long. As one of my American colleagues told The New York Times, “it’s a lot of sound a fury signifying nothing.”

It’s in the public interest, however, that we try to bring the protest to an end quickly. If we let these “global anarcho-crazies” (respectfully quoted: The National Post) continue to run amok, we risk losing even more of our servants. Soon we’ll have to cook, clean, and do other menial tasks ourselves, leaving us no time to create all that trickle-down wealth.

Where would the world be then?

I propose we fight fire with fire and occupy Occupy Toronto. We’ll buy St. James Park and build a new bridge club there. We must defend ourselves against the tyranny of the 99 per cent majority. It’s time we, the wealthy 1 per cent, stand up for our minority rights!

Aristocrats of the world unite! You have nothing to lose but your change!

Sincerely,

Rt. Hon. Geoffrey Vendeville, Sr. O.C., V.C., Q.C.

THE LETTER TO THE EDITOR If the aspirations of Toronto’s Occupy movement appear ambiguous in media coverage, what should be clear is that this ongoing demonstration signifies the viability and potential of public participatory democracy.

By placing so much emphasis on its unorthodox leadership and decision making process, the importance of the movement’s fluidity is obscured. For me, the occupation seems as much a public forum as it does a demonstration; it is equally a platform for voicing our views – which most of us believe are conspicuously underrepresented in media and government – and a means for those present to come together and work out solutions.

We are sleeping, eating, working and devoting our time and energy together because we know that, as with all democratic processes, it is going to take time and patience to tend to our needs. Occupy Toronto offers then a transparent, physical, and resolutely public space for those angered with our socioeconomic status quo – skyrocketing inequality; unem-

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ployment; animosity between government and First Nations; the hegemony of economic language and decision making processes; the partitioning of people into ‘taxpayers’ and the deserving poor; the decline of career opportunities, to name a few grievances – to speak their minds before a public assembly who will match their enthusiasm.

But even this process is a statement; we must consider what has brought so many of us here to St. James Park. Occupy Toronto is a living community whose existence should make clear that our prevailing economic order has excluded so many for the benefit of an increasingly minute few. After a dismal voter turnout during provincial elections, Occupy Toronto reminds us that grassroots democracy is thriving, and that alternative democratic solutions are needed to confront the myriad crises of our day.

Paul Castrodale

It would be hard for anyone walking through the Occupy Toronto camp at St. James Park this weekend to deny that the protesters arrived with a myriad of agendas and a lack of focus. One organizer, Kevin Kunnyu, spoke of “shutting down” Bay Street in an antiglobalization protest ten years ago. “None of those issues [inequality and globalization] have gone away. It’s just that after ten years of a war on terror, some of them have been diminished. But then Tahrir Square reminded us that we can change even the most impossible-seeming situation by standing up together.” Kunnyu claimed that the purpose of the protest is to show society that “we actually have to create a system by which we can

“There’s about three thousand people here, so I think there’s about three thousand messages.”

– Kevin Kunnyu work out the problems and the solutions ourselves.”

The “Occupiers”, inspired by the upstart Occupy Wall Street protest in New York, which was itself inspired by the origins of the Arab Spring uprising in Cairo, range from Marxists to environmentalists to activists for First Nations rights to supporters of Ron Paul, libertarian Republican U.S. presidential candidate. The likelihood of all these disparate groups agreeing on a “system” to fix the problems is extremely unlikely. Even Kunnyu conceded that “there’s about three thousand people here, so I think there’s about three thousand messages.” The movement has been ridiculed by some areas of the media for these contradictions and the movement’s inability, as a whole, to articulate a set of demands.

This flaw has also been the movement’s strongest asset.

It’s the reason they’ve been granted support from various unions, public intellectuals, and, in the United States,

some notable members of the Democratic party. Most importantly, the lack of focus means the movement can draw people who aren’t motivated by fringe-realm political opinions. The movement can be an expression of anger over the massive inequalities that are growing. In the United States, the birthplace of the movement, and the country hit hardest by the recession, it allows the public to express their disgust with an unfair taxation system, as well as the tolerance of an opaque banking system that allowed for the market collapse in 2008.

How appealing this message is to a broader audience has yet to be determined. In the 2009 American election, the inexperienced, but fiercely ideological Tea Party candidates, managed to take Congress back from the Democrats in the face of faltering support for the Obama administration.

Like the Tea Party, the Occupy movement contains real anger at the 2008 bailouts. But whereas the Tea Partiers seem to think the banks should have been allowed to fail rather than being saved by tax dollars, the Occupiers are angry that the bailouts were needed in the first place.

But there are similarities between the Tea Party and the Occupy movement, despite being on seemingly opposite ends of the political spectrum. In the past week, two YouTube videos went viral. One was of Former Democrat US Representative Alan Grayson making a populist appeal for the Occupiers on Real Time with Bill Maher, and the other was of Harvard law professor Elizabeth Warren making a sensible and articulate argument for a progressive taxation system. Both of them will be running in the next election: Grayson for the House of Representatives and Warren for a US Senate seat in Massachussetts. It remains to be seen whether or not the frustrations of the “Occupiers” are widespread enough to affect the 2012 US General Election, or possibly split the Democrat party the way the Tea Party split their rivals.

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THE ARTS

October 13, 2011

The year’s big flop Comedy about bird-watching, The Big Year, starring Jack Black and Owen Wilson doesn’t fly.

by Dan Christensen Being a fairly competitive and thoroughly obsessive guy, I was under the impression that The Big Year would be the kind of movie for me - a funny look at what it’s like to try to be the best at an activity no one around you understands: bird-watching.

However, despite a premise that appears rife with comedic possibilities, I found myself cringing more often than laughing, foolishly hoping it would get better.

Brad Harris (Jack Black), a self-employed 35 year-old divorcée is our guide through 365 days of fervent and frenzied bird-watching (or “birding” as he calls it).

Also travelling the world on the bird-search are Stu Preissler (Steve Martin), a superstar business executive-cum-

family man on the brink of retirement, and Kenny Bostick (Owen Wilson), the reigning champion of the birding world, intent on defending his title at any cost.

While Kenny struggles to keep his marriage intact in the face of a threat to his precious birding reputation, Brad and Stu form a friendly alliance in mutual desire to remove Kenny from his first-place perch.

Sounds like we have ourselves a movie, doesn’t it? On paper, perhaps, which may account for the popular success of the book upon which the film was based. Storywise, the film doesn’t seem to encounter problems: the characters are interesting and relatable and the plot moves along at a decent pace.

Furthermore, the cast is positively teeming with familiar, reliable faces. Aside from the

stars, we get to spend time with Rashida Jones, Jim Parsons, Joel McHale, and Dianne Wiest.

So where did this film go

Simply put, it watches like a Hallmark film; a cheap facsimile of real life experiences bereft of any depth or subtlety. wrong? While it’s difficult to know who to blame, the result is unmistakable. At no point during this year have I seen a film to which the term “watered down” applied so appropriately.

Simply put, it watches like a Hallmark film; a cheap facsimile of real life experiences bereft of any depth or subtlety.

The problems and challenges of the three central characters are telegraphed to the audience so plainly that it feels as if the filmmakers are talking down to us. Brad’s pervasive voice-over narration makes this especially clear. It feels as if all we are afforded at any given time is an artless summary of what the movie should have been.

Worst of all, the film isn’t very funny. We’re provided with Owen Wilson and Jack Black, two of Hollywood’s premier comic staples, along with a veritable comedy colossus in Steve Martin, and yet their talents go to waste. Martin is the most disappointing, however, playing a boring character made only worse by the fact that we miss Martin playing to his strengths as a zany goofball or frustrated stress-case.

He proves once again that al-

though he is among the most unique and talented comic minds of our time, he is sadly not one of the most agile.

interview.

The decision to include the artwork of Chagall’s artistic and national contemporaries puts his artistic inspiration into context. The gallery-goer can see a trend in what we have come to know as the Russian avant-garde, where themes of home and homeland, family, and later, social upheaval, play a definite role.

Despite some of the darker overtones involved in this artwork, the resonating feeling one gets from this truly outstanding body of work is that

it has a strong foundation in love. Chagall lived a long life equally full of happiness and trauma, but it must be said that the emotion that remains long after seeing a Chagall painting is one of love. Chagall spoke to this sentimentality in his work: “I have always painted pictures where human love floods my colors.”

Although there is something to be said for The Big Year as a travel movie, with countless fantastic landscapes within which our heroes hunt for birds. It also achieves a minor success in its un-ironic depiction of birders, giving some dignity to the hobby and making it more endearing than alienating.

However, even a touch of directorial flair (think Jason Reitman lite) from David Frankel could not save this film.

If you’re looking for a comedy with characters who have stakes attached to their struggles, move a theatre over and watch 50/50 and spare your rosy memories of Black, Wilson, and Martin.

From Russia with love

The AGO’s new ‘Chagall and the Russian Avant-Garde’ exhibit reinforces the artist’s beloved status

by Suzie Balabuch

“All around is sky and blue town,” the folk duo the Weepies croon in their song honouring the work of visual artist Marc Chagall. The new AGO exhibit, Chagall and the Russian Avant-Garde: Masterpieces from the Collection of the Centre Pompidou also celebrates the Russian painter, who at once defied and welcomed the types of art which became popular in his time.

Marc Chagall was born Moishe Shagal, in 1887, in present-day Belarus. The vivid scenes of his Hasidic Jewish upbringing would later become a major influence on his body of work. Although somewhat conflicted in his faith, he is also seen by many as the most important Jewish artist of the twentieth century.

Apart from being a stunning tribute to the famous artist, the

much-heralded AGO exhibit also explores what themes and other artists Chagall both inspired and was inspired by.

Chagall is best known for his enviable talent in the use of colour and whimsical imagery, but he was also moved by the social and political upheavals he witnessed in his 97 years.

Anti-Semitism and a fear for his loved-ones and his own life caused him to flee Russia for the more welcoming environment of Paris. Chagall also carried a life-long sadness for the family and friends he lost during the Holocaust.

Chagall’s Jewishness is often palpable in his paintings, like in the absurdly lovely Double Portrait with Wineglass (1918).

A smiling bride and groom are set on a lively, jewel-toned background while the groom rests on the bride’s shoulders, reminiscent of the Jewish

wedding tradition of hoisting up the newlywed couple. The painting remained in Chagall’s personal collection for most of his life, as the two figures represent himself and his beloved wife, Bella Rosenfeld, who died in 1944.

Another standout piece is Blue Circus (1950), a dynamic painting showing a female circus performer floating on a lush background of striking and hushed tones of indigo and pale blue, surrounded by magical figures. Chagall himself pondered not only the question of the evocative imagery, but also of what this piece of art could achieve. “I wish I could hide all these troubling thoughts and feelings in the opulent tail of a circus horse and run after it, like a clown, begging for mercy, begging to chase the sadness form the world,” he said in a 1966

The exhibit will be on display until January 15, 2012. Student admission is $11 with student ID and proof of enrollment. For more information, visit www.ago.net.

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7

THE ARTS

Toronto Improv Festival strikes again!

the newspaper sits down with local stars in the Toronto Improv Festival We’ve all seen televised improv folks and their prerecorded feats of funny such as those on Whose Line is it Anyway, but there’s nothing like a real live improv show to demonstrate all the talent, timing and tribulation it takes to be an improviser. The Toronto Improv Festival, now entering its ninth year of bringing international improv talent to Toronto, provides a showcase for our city’s cream of the crop. the newspaper got the chance to speak with local performers Chris Besler (Shiva Star), Julian Frid (Sex T-Rex), Mandy Sellers (Mañez), and Simon Pond (On Golden Pond), as well as the Festival Organizer Adrianne Gagnon, about going form improv student to improv star. the newspaper: How did going to U of T prepare you for

your life as an improv performer?

Chris: I would say that being an improv superstar prepared me for U of T. No one beyond an improviser can bullshit three consecutive essays on pre-1900s Literature. Don’t tell my professor that.

Simon: I joined and later ran the U of T improv team through Hart House. We travelled to Carleton and McGill and for a while ran our own festival for university improv teams from across Canada.

Hart House gave us a lot of resources (money, stage time, rehearsal space, etc) that a lot of beginning improvisers don’t have the luxury of having access to. tn: Tell me about the Toronto improv scene.

Julian: Toronto is known for harvesting the best performers from around Canada, so we seem to be developing a reputation for being a hub.

CHRISTOPHER RHYS PUGH

by Vanessa Purdy

Chris: I think you’ll get the best representation of the Toronto improv scene at the bars. I feel that exposure to the Toronto improv scene can be amazing, dare I say, life-changing.

Adrianne: We tend to be a bit more fragmented here than in other improv communities, which I think works to our advantage. Toronto’s improv scene is like a puzzle, and when all the pieces come together it makes a beautiful picture of a dragon, or a couple of ponies racing through a field. tn: Any advice for aspiring improv students?

The Crossword

Mandy: See as many shows as you possibly can. And not just the shows where you are taking classes, but all around your city. Toronto has a very rich improv community.

Chris: I’ve been involved with improv for over eleven years, but I’ve only been good for four, maybe five. Luckily, improv is a lot more fun to practice than many other arts.

1. Thick 4. Uncooked 7. Wet dirt

10. Length times width 12. Excessive; a bit ___ 13. Pursue 15. Larson musical 16. “I’m ___ you...”

TIF runs October 18-22 at Comedy Bar. Student Tickets are $5-10. Visit www.torontoimprovfestival.ca for more details.

by Andrew Walt 26. Aural organ 29. Raw mineral 30. Definite article 31. Set up 33. Label 34. Industrious insect 36. Augmented 37. Estate 39. Step 42. Be in debt 43. Each and every 46. Serving 48. Popular pickup 51. Cake alternative 52. Still (adv.)

53. Petrol 54. Crooked 56. Knight’s address 57. Single 58. Foreign 61. Cygnus 64. Lob 68. Strong winds 69. Abhor 70. Japanese drink 71. Wise bird 72. Centre of a storm 73. Equipment Down

Across

Julian: Take my class: the Improv Creative Class at Hart House.

17. Consumed 18. Possess 20. Common conjunction 21. Head guards 25. Healthy

1. At a distance; ___ away 2. “We ___ not amused” 3. Sawbuck 4. Sprint 5. Play division 6. Interrogative pronoun 7. Floor padding 8. Apply 9. Living room 11. Basic unit of matter

12. June or July 13. In the middle 14. Owned 19. Moist 20. Atmosphere 21. Not cold 22. Age 23. Lower appendage 24. Signature Vivaldi concertos 25. Mothers mates 26. Conclude 27. Grow old 28. Crimson or ruby 32. Plus 35. Fresh 37. Strike 38. Beginnings 39. Double agent 40. Foot digit 41. Craft or skill 43. Appropriate 44. Fib 45. Guided 47. Paddle 49. By oneself 50. Adult male 55. Sport webs 56. Behold 58. Ontario art gallery 59. What attorneys practice 60. Malaise 61. Feminine pronoun 62. Path 63. Devoured 65. Acorn tree 66. Snowboard alternative 67. Sound stage

THE END

October 20, 2011

ASHTON OSMAK

ASHTON OSMAK

8

Left: Grab a book – everyone’s doing it. Right: Geoffrey Taylor and the Ryerson Ram.

“Get your free books, here!”

IFOA pep rally gets students psyched about book fest

by Ashton Osmak The International Festival of Authors pep rally at Ryerson University last Tuesday morning was a wake-up call for students. Throughout the 12-day book fest that launched this week, students can get free tickets to events. People passing by Victoria and Gould on Ryerson campus around 10am on Tuesday were handed free books, written by authors appearing at the festival this year.

“The free tickets program is about 5 years old now but it seems to us that not enough students are aware of it,” explained Authors at Harbourfront executive director Geoffrey Taylor. Essentially, for each event

20 to 25 tickets are set aside for students. To get them, all you have to do is reserve in advance by phone and show your student card when you go to the box office to pick them up.

If you have never been to the IFOA, here’s what you’ve been missing. For about two weeks in October over 150 authors get on stage for a variety of events at the Harbourfront Centre. It is the largest annual literary gathering in Canada and attracts top writers from across the globe. On top of the standard events, which are readings, round table discussions and interviews, the IFOA also has special presentations.

An official sponsor of the IFOA, The Walrus maga-

zine was at the Pep Rally handing out free magazines and promoting their big night on October 27th: Fleck, A Verse Comedy. This event will feature over 20 IFOA authors doing a dramatic reading of Alasdair Gray’s play with Walrus editor John Macfarlane acting as host.

Other special events include programming that is part of the Found in Translation series on the benefits and challenges of translating literature. The McLuhan 100 hits the IFOA for four events that pay tribute to media theorist Marshall McLuhan. Catch Canadian artist and novelist Douglas Coupland do a YouTube talk on Wednesday October 26th as part of this series.

International Festival of Authors Your guide to the international book fair

by Ashton Osmak Over 12 days (Oct 19 - 30) the International Festival of Authors runs over 70 events with more than 150 authors. Love authors but feel daunted by the sheer number or readings, interviews and round table talks?

Fear not – let this list of must-sees be your guide.

Graphic novels This year the Harbourfront Festival Prize is going to Canadian comic book legend, Seth. He’ll be on stage talking to Dan Clowes about the latter’s latest graphic novel on Friday October 21 at 8pm. Nova Scotian online comic phenomena, Kate Beaton and New Yorker humourist Patricia Marx will be interviewed together on Saturday October 29 at 4pm.

Mystery For lies, killings, kidnappings and all manner of intrigue you won’t want to miss Wednesday night’s reading (October 26). Ian Rankin will read from his

new work, The Impossible Dead, alongside fellow Scots Stuart MacBride and Denise Mina plus Canadian author David Adams Richards.

Nonfiction Crime lovers might also dig Josh Knelman’s Hot Art. Catch Knelman read this story of international art thievery on Sunday, October 30th. Also, the Charles Taylor Prize for literary nonfiction celebrates its 10th year with a gala event on Saturday, October 28. Award winners Charles Foran and Richard Gwyn discuss their craft on stage with historian Margaret Macmillan and investigative journalist Stevie Cameron.

Canadiana The headliner from the Canadian contingent is world renowned author, Michael Ondaatje. His interview on Saturday, October 29 at 2pm will surely sell out. That is, unless David Gilmour’s reading, also at 2pm on the 29th, steals the show.

Music Male singer-songwriters put down their guitars to talk books at this year’s Fest. Josh Ritter will discuss his debut novel, Bright’s Passage, on Saturday, October 22 at 5pm. Toronto-based artist Justin Rutledge chats with his author heroe, Guy Vanderhaeghe, about his racy new Western novel, A Good Man, on Sunday, October 30 at 4pm. Better known as host of CBC’s Q, die hard Jian Ghomeshi fans know he got his start making music. Catch Ghomeshi on stage with the author of A Super Sad True Love Story, Gary Shteyngart, on Saturday, October 22 at 8pm.

In general, each weekday during the festival there are events at 8pm. On the weekend they start as early as 11am and as late as 8pm. All events take place at the Harbourfront Centre. Check out the full program at www.readings. org. To reserve tickets call: 416-973-4000.